Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Personal Theories of Teaching: Development in the Formative Years.

L'A. examine ce que sont devenues les theories de l'enseignement de 4 eleves maitres au terme de leur premiere annee d'exercice. Sont particulierement considerees les conditions confirmant ou invalidant les opinions, et l'importance de la relation entre centres de formation et ecoles dans l'amelioration de la formation
Fine-grained Analysis of Sentence Embeddings Using Auxiliary Prediction Tasks

There is a lot of research interest in encoding variable length sentences into fixed length vectors, in a way that preserves the sentence meanings. Two common methods include representations based on averaging word vectors, and representations based on the hidden states of recurrent neural networks such as LSTMs. The sentence vectors are used as features for subsequent machine learning tasks or for pre-training in the context of deep learning. However, not much is known about the properties that are encoded in these sentence representations and about the language information they capture. We propose a framework that facilitates better understanding of the encoded representations. We define prediction tasks around isolated aspects of sentence structure (namely sentence length, word content, and word order), and score representations by the ability to train a classifier to solve each prediction task when using the representation as input. We demonstrate the potential contribution of the approach by analyzing different sentence representation mechanisms. The analysis sheds light on the relative strengths of different sentence embedding methods with respect to these low level prediction tasks, and on the effect of the encoded vector's dimensionality on the resulting representations.
The dividend-clientele controversy and the tax reform act of 1986

Several recent studies employ the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA) to reexamine the dividend tax clientele hypothesis. Because TRA effectively equalized the rate of taxation between dividends and capital gains, its implementation should provide a platform for resolving this controversy. Instead, reported results remain sharply divergent. This study attempts to shed new light on the dividend-clientele question through use of a method that carefully matches preand post-TRA dividend activity and avoids problems associated with the distribution of data. No significant or systematic changes in the ex-dividend price behavior of common stocks as a result of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 are reported.
Young people and citizenship: an everyday perspective

This article addresses the changing nature of civic and political engagement for young people in Australia. It draws on recent research that explores youth engagement from the perspective of changing life patterns which see the current generation making adult choices in a highly individualised context. This approach is highly relevant for the study of youth engagement because it opens up the possibility of recognising new civic and political practices. If young people are no longer experiencing continuous, structured identities and predictable life trajectories, what does this mean for their participation in civic and political life?
Endoscopic Resection Versus Surgical Resection for Early Gastric Cancer

AbstractEndoscopic resection (ER) has been widely accepted to treat early gastric cancer (EGC) in place of surgical resection (SR). The aim of this meta-analysis was to conduct a comprehensive comparison between the two methods.Four literature databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE, were searched for studies that compared ER with SR to treat EGC. In this meta-analysis, primary and secondary endpoints were compared between the two groups. Primary endpoints included overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), disease-free survival (DFS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Secondary endpoints included operation-related death, local recurrence, metachronous lesions, procedure-related complication, bleeding, hospital stay, operation time, and cost.Nineteen studies consisting of a total of 6118 patients were identified and selected for evaluation. Meta-analysis showed that long-term outcomes of ER versus SR for EGC were comparable in terms of 5-year OS (risk ratio [RR] 1.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98–1.02), DSS (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.89–1.08), DFS (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.86–1.05), and RFS (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.94–1.01). However, ER had shorter operation time (standardized mean difference [SMD] −3.39, 95% CI −3.58 to 3.20), hospital stay (SMD −2.86, 95% CI −4.02 to −1.69), lower costs (SMD −5.30, 95% CI −10.37 to −0.22), and fewer procedure-related complications (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.28–0.65) compared to SR. Nevertheless, ER had higher incidences of local recurrence (risk difference 0.01, 95% CI 0.00–0.02) and metachronous lesions (RR 6.81, 95% CI 3.80–12.19). Endoscopic resection was associated with similar long-term outcomes and considerable advantages concerning operation time, hospital stay, costs, and complications, compared with SR, and was also associated with disadvantages such as higher incidence of local recurrence and metachronous lesions. Further high-quality studies from more countries are required to confirm these results.
pH-dependent Equilibrium between Long Lived Near-UV Intermediates of Photoactive Yellow Protein*

The long lived intermediate (signaling state) of photoactive yellow protein (PYPM), which is formed in the photocycle, was characterized at various pHs. PYPM at neutral pH was in equilibrium between two spectroscopically distinct states. Absorption maxima of the acidic form (PYPMacid) and alkaline form (PYPMalkali) were located at 367 and 356 nm, respectively. Equilibrium was represented by the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, in which apparent pKa was 6.4. Content of α- and/or β-structure of PYPMacid was significantly greater than PYPMalkali as demonstrated by the molar ellipticity at 222 nm. In addition, changes in amide I and II modes of β-structure in the difference Fourier transform infrared spectra for formation of PYPMacid was smaller than that of PYPMalkali. The vibrational mode at 1747 cm-1 of protonated Glu-46 was found as a small band for PYPMacid but not for PYPMalkali, suggesting that Glu-46 remains partially protonated in PYPMacid, whereas it is fully deprotonated in PYPMalkali. Small angle x-ray scattering measurements demonstrated that the radius of gyration of PYPMacid was 15.7 Å, whereas for PYPMalkali it was 16.2 Å. These results indicate that PYPMacid assumes a more ordered and compact structure than PYPMalkali. Binding of citrate shifts this equilibrium toward PYPMalkali. UV-visible absorption spectra and difference infrared spectra of the long lived intermediate formed from E46Q mutant was consistent with those of PYPMacid, indicating that the mutation shifts this equilibrium toward PYPMacid. Alterations in the nature of PYPM by pH, citrate, and mutation of Glu-46 are consistently explained by the shift of the equilibrium between PYPMacid and PYPMalkali.
Fast Software Rejuvenation of Virtual Machine Monitors

As server consolidation using virtual machines (VMs) is carried out, software aging of virtual machine monitors (VMMs) is becoming critical. Since a VMM is fundamental software for running VMs, its performance degradation or crash failure affects all VMs running on top of it. To counteract such software aging, a proactive technique called software rejuvenation has been proposed. A simple example of rejuvenation is to reboot a VMM. However, simply rebooting a VMM is undesirable because that needs rebooting operating systems on all VMs. In this paper, we propose a new technique for fast rejuvenation of VMMs called the warm-VM reboot. The warm-VM reboot enables efficiently rebooting only a VMM by suspending and resuming VMs without saving the memory images to persistent storage. To achieve this, we have developed two mechanisms: on-memory suspend/resume of VMs and quick reload of a VMM. Compared with a normal reboot, the warm-VM reboot reduced the downtime by 74 percent at maximum. It also prevented the performance degradation due to cache misses after the reboot, which was 52 percent in case of a normal reboot. In a cluster environment, the warm-VM reboot achieved higher total throughput than the system using VM migration and a normal reboot.
Oral Misoprostol and Vaginal Isosorbide Mononitrate for Labor Induction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To estimate whether vaginal isosorbide mononitrate, added to oral misoprostol for cervical ripening and labor induction, shortens time to vaginal delivery. METHODS: A prospective, randomized trial was conducted. Women scheduled for labor induction between 32 and 42 weeks and with unfavorable cervices (modified Bishop score 6 or lower) were randomized to receive oral misoprostol every 4 hours, up to four doses, with or without isosorbide mononitrate every 6 hours, up to two doses. A strict protocol was used, including timing of oxytocin use and amniotomy. Side effects were assessed 6 hours after study initiation. One hundred forty-two patients were required to detect a change in time to vaginal delivery of 4 hours (&agr;=.05 and &bgr;=.20). Data were analyzed by intent to treat. Student's t, chi square, Fisher's exact, and Mann–Whitney tests were used where appropriate with P≤. 05 deemed significant. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-six women were randomized; three were excluded after randomization. Seventy-eight women received misoprostol, and 78 received misoprostol with isosorbide mononitrate. Demographic characteristics were similar between groups. The time to vaginal delivery was not reduced when isosorbide mononitrate was added to misoprostol. Cesarean delivery rates and contraction and fetal heart rate abnormalities were similar between groups. Side effects were also similar between groups, except that women given isosorbide mononitrate experienced headaches more often. Neonatal outcomes were similar between groups. CONCLUSION: The addition of vaginal isosorbide mononitrate to oral misoprostol for cervical ripening and labor induction did not reduce time to vaginal delivery and was associated with a greater incidence of headache. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials. gov, NCT00374621. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I
Support Measure Data Description for group anomaly detection

We address the problem of learning a data description model from a dataset containing probability measures as observations. We estimate the data description model by optimizing volume-sets of probability measures where each volume-set is defined as a set of probability measures whose representative functions in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) belong to an enclosing ball. We present three data description models, which are functions in a RKHS depending only on some probability measures, named support measures in analogy to support vectors. An advantage of the method is that we do not consider any particular form for the probability measures. We validate our method in the task of group anomaly detection, with artificial and real datasets.
Construction of Patient Specific Virtual Models of Medical Phenomena

Božidar Potocnik, Dusan Heric, Damjan Zazula, Boris Cigale and Daniel BernadˇUniversity of Maribor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceSmetanova 17, 2000 Maribor, SloveniaE-mail: bozo.potocnik@uni-mb. siTomaž TomažicˇTeaching Hospital of MariborLjubljanska 5, 2000 Maribor, SloveniaKeywords: virtual medical model, image processing, modelling, simulationReceived: February 10, 2004A framework for construction of virtual models of the medical phenomena is proposed. Major construc-tion steps are discussed in detail. The construction of virtual medical model is guided from acquisition ofpatient imaging material, to 3D reconstruction based on the image processing, to the basic modelling andsimulation approaches. This framework is demonstrated on human knee joint virtual model construction.Statistical assessment of the built knee joint model points out sufﬁcient quality and accuracy. Model as-sessment from clinical point of view conﬁrmed this evaluation, and, simultaneously, veriﬁed the proposedconstruction chain as very prospective.Povzetek: Razvita je metoda za prikazovanje medicinskih pojavov na pacientovem kolenu.
Clinical evaluation of the Er:YAG laser in combination with an enamel matrix protein derivative for the treatment of intrabony periodontal defects: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to compare the combination therapy of deep intrabony periodontal defects using an Er:YAG laser (ERL) and enamel matrix protein derivative (EMD) to scaling and root planing+ ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)+EMD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-two patients with chronic periodontitis, each of whom displayed 1 intrabony defect, were randomly treated with access flap surgery and defect debridement with an Er:YAG (160 mJ/pulse, 10 Hz) plus EMD (test) or with access flap surgery followed by scaling and root planing (SRP) with hand instruments plus EDTA and EMD (control). The following clinical parameters were recorded at baseline and at 6 months: plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), gingival recession, and clinical attachment level (CAL). No differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed at baseline between the two groups. RESULTS Healing was uneventful in all patients. At 6 months after therapy, the sites treated with ERL and EMD showed a reduction in mean PD from 8.6 +/- 1.2 mm to 4.6 +/- 0.8 mm and a change in mean CAL from 10.7 +/- 1.3 mm to 7.5 +/- 1.4 mm (p < 0.001). In the group treated with SRP+EDTA+EMD, the mean PD was reduced from 8.1 +/- 0.8 mm to 4.0 +/- 0.5 mm and the mean CAL changed from 10.4 +/- 1.1 mm to 7.1 +/- 1.2 mm (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed between the test and control group. CONCLUSION Within the limits of the present study, it may be concluded that both therapies led to short-term improvements of the investigated clinical parameters, and the combination of ERL and EMD does not seem to improve the clinical outcome of the therapy additionally compared to SRP+EDTA+EMD.
Immune Responses During Human Schistosomiasis Mansoni. XVIII. Immunologic Status of Pregnant Women and Their Neonates

The immune status of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)and sera of pregnant woman infected with the helminth Schistosoma mansoni was studied during pregnancy, and the cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) and sera from their offspring were studied at parturition. PBMC pokeweed mitogen‐induced responses were maintained in gravid women, but the responses to both schistosome and non‐schistosome antigenic preparations declined progressively during pregnancy. Schistosomal antigens simulated proliferative responses by the CBMC of many neonates born of infected mothers, but not those of uninfected mothers. These specific responses by CBMC of only neonates born of infected mothers are indicative of in utero, cell‐mediated sensitization of the neonates, which could be due either to circulating schistosomal antigens or to anti‐idiotypic antibodies which cross the placenta during gestation. Sera from infected mothers and the cord blood sera from their babies showed the same levels of specific IgG anti‐schistosomal activity. Anti‐schistosomal IgM levels were maintained during pregnancy to some antigens and not to others, while such antibodies were rarely found in cord blood sera, and then only at very low levels.
Chemical synaptic activity modulates nearby electrical synapses

Most electrically coupled neurons also receive numerous chemical synaptic inputs. Whereas chemical synapses are known to be highly dynamic, gap junction-mediated electrical transmission often is considered to be less modifiable and variable. By using simultaneous pre- and postsynaptic recordings, we demonstrate at single mixed electrical and chemical synapses that fast chemical transmission interacts with gap junctions within the same ending to regulate their conductance. Such localized interaction is activity-dependent and could account for the large variation in strength of electrical coupling at auditory afferent synapses terminating on the Mauthner cell lateral dendrite. Thus, interactions between chemical and electrical synapses can regulate the degree of electrical coupling, making it possible for a given neuron to independently modify coupling at different electrical synapses with its neighbors.
Smoothing of Variable-Bit-Rate Streaming Video

Bandwidth smoothing techniques for stored video perform end to end workahead transmission of frames into the client playback buffer, in advance of their display times. Such techniques are very effective in reducing the burstiness of the bandwidth requirements for transmitting compressed, stored video. This paper addressesonline bandwidth smoothing for a growing number of streaming video applications such as newscasts, sportscasts, and distance learning, where many clients may be willing to tolerate a playback delay of a few seconds in exchange for a smaller bandwidth requirement. The smoothing can be performed at either the source of the videocast or at special smoothing server(s) (e.g., proxies or gateways) within the network. In contrast to previous work on stored video, the online smoothing server has limited knowledge of frame sizes and access to only a segment of the video at a time. This is either because the feed is live or because it is streaming past the server. We formulate an online smoothing model which incorporates playback delay, client and server buffer sizes, server processing capacity, and frame size prediction techniques. Our model can accommodate an arbitrary arrival process. Using techniques for smoothing stored video at the source as a starting point, we develop an online, window-based smoothing algorithm for delay tolerant applications. Extensive experiments with MPEG-1 and M-JPEG video traces demonstrate that online smoothing significantly reduces the peak rate, coefficient of variation, and effective bandwidth of variable-bit-rate video streams. These reductions can be achieved with modest playback delays of a few seconds to a few tens of seconds and moderate client buffer sizes, and closely approximate the performance of optimal offline smoothing of stored video [1]. In addition, we show that frame size prediction can offer further reduction in resource requirements, though prediction becomes relatively less important for longer playback delays. However, the ability to predict future frame sizes affects the appropriate division of buffer space between the server and client sites. Our experiments show that the optimal buffer allocation shifts to placing more memory at the server as the server has progressively less information about future frame sizes.
Groundwater acidification caused by urban development in Perth, Western Australia: source, distribution, and implications for management

A decline in the watertable due to a long period of low rainfall, and the disturbance of sulfidic peat soils by dewatering and excavation in the Perth suburb of Stirling, has led to widespread acidification of groundwater at the watertable in a residential area and contamination of groundwater by arsenic and metals. The acidification has been caused by the oxidation of sulfide minerals within the peat, which contains up to 15% by weight of oxidiseable sulfur. Groundwater of pH 1.9 has been measured in shallow monitoring bores in the area, as well as high arsenic (up to 7 mg/L), aluminium (up to 290 mg/L), and iron (up to 1300 mg/L) concentrations. Contaminated groundwater pumped from affected domestic garden bores caused plant deaths in gardens and has given rise to health concerns because of high arsenic and metal concentrations. Drilling has indicated that acidic groundwater generally extends 5-10 m below the watertable, and that deeper groundwater is currently unaffected by contamination. As groundwater forms 70% of Perth's total water usage and sulfide-rich peat soils are common in the region, acid sulfate soil risk maps and management policies need to be developed and implemented as a matter of urgency to prevent similar acidity problems occurring elsewhere in Perth.
On the Parallelization of UCT

We present three parallel algorithms for UCT. For 9 ×9 Go, they all improve the results of the programs that use them against G NU O 3.6. The simplest one, the single-run algorithm, uses very few commu nications and shows improvements comparable to the more complex ones. Further i mprovements may be possible sharing more information in the multiple-runs a lgorithm.
A Comprehensive Initiative to Manage the Incidence and Cost of Occupational Injury and Illness: Report of an Outcomes Analysis

A comprehensive initiative utilizing an in-house preferred provider organization, medical case management, and application of ergonomic techniques was implemented in an effort to control the incidence and cost of workplace injuries. The program was evaluated utilizing OSHA 200 Logs to compare the incidence and lost time due to compensable injury and illnesses before and after beginning the program. After the introduction, there was a significant decrease in injuries and illnesses (53/1000 vs 27/1000, P< .01) and average days lost per event (10.4 vs 6.6 days, P<.01). A significant increase in restricted-duty days (.2 vs 1.5 days, P<.01) and an 18% reduction in medical and indemnity costs of the institution's workers' compensation expenditures were observed. This study demonstrates the initial effectiveness of an aggressive ergonomic and managed care approach to reducing the incidence, severity, and cost of occupationally related injury and illness. It also highlights the effectiveness of an outcomes analysis approach, using lost time as an end point, to measure the effectiveness of preventive and management strategies in the workers' compensation setting.
How much happiness does money buy? Income and subjective well-being in New Zealand

The relationship of household income with multiple aspects of subjective well-being was examined in a New Zealand telephone probability sample conducted in 2008 (N = 5197). Consistent with previous research, household income had positive logarithmic associations with subjective quality of life and happiness. The logarithmic function was steeper for quality of life than for happiness, indicating that income is linked more strongly to people's evaluations of their life than to their happiness. Analyses also indicated that the income well-being association was strongest for people earning below the median (NZ$ 65,000) and tended to plateau for people in the upper quartile (NZ$ 125,000). Contrary to previous research, income was negatively correlated with self-reported daily stress, after adjusting for relevant demographics (e.g., age and household crowding). This association was also logarithmic, and income was more predictive of reductions in stress for those earning below the median. Finally, we tested a log-mediation model in which the relationship between income and multiple components of well-being were mediated by the perceived ability to meet everyday life necessities. This mediator explained 55-60% of the association of income with both happiness and life quality, and fully mediated the effect of income on reduced stress. These are some of the first results to document the relationship between household income and subjective well-being in New Zealand. They also come at a time when concerns about the ability to meet everyday needs are particularly relevant to many New Zealanders in the wake of the global financial crisis.