Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the quality of items in CAT using nonparametric IRT

I discuss the applicability of nonparametric item response theory (IRT) models to the quality of item pool development in the context of CAT, and I contrast these models with parametric IRT models. I also show how nonparametric IRT models can easily be applied and how misleading results from parametric IRT models can be avoided. I recommend the use of nonparametric IRT modeling to routinely investigate the quality of item pools.
Bathymetry from Space : White paper in support of a high-resolution , ocean altimeter mission

Perhaps the most important ocean science observation in the last two decades was provided by the Geosat radar altimeter during its 18-month geodetic mission (1985-86). The declassification of these data in July of 1995 set off a flurry of activity in basic research, industrial research/development, and public interest (Appendix A). While these data fill a huge gap in our understanding of the ocean basins, they also triggered a thirst for more. This paper reviews: i) the need for improved ocean bathymetry and gravity, ii) the fundamental physical limitations for recovering seafloor topography from measurements of ocean surface slope, and iii) the mission requirements to achieve significant improvements in accuracy and spatial resolution. While most areas of ocean science use bathymetric information, we focus on those applications where a new altimeter mission would provide the greatest benefit. These include: • resolving the fine-scale (~15 km wavelength) tectonic structure of the deep ocean floor in areas that have not been surveyed by ships (e.g., abyssal hills, microplates, propagating rifts, seamounts, meteorite impacts, . . .); • measuring the roughness spectra (15-100 km wavelength) of the seafloor on a global basis to better constrain models of tidal dissipation, vertical mixing, and mesoscale circulation of the oceans; • and resolving the fine-scale (~15 km wavelength) gravity field of the continental margins for basic research and petroleum exploration. Mission requirements for Bathymetry from Space are much less stringent and less costly than physical oceanography-type missions. Long-term sea-surface height accuracy is not needed; the fundamental measurement is the slope of the ocean surface to an accuracy of ~1 microradian. This can be achieved without application of the usual environmental corrections. The main requirements are improved altimeter range precision and dense coverage (< 7-km cross-track spacing) of the oceans for 6 years in order to reduce the noise from ocean waves, coastal tides, and mesoscale ocean variability. A low inclination orbit (50-65 ̊) is best for recovery of the low-latitude gravity field since the E-W slopes are poorly constrained by the Geosat and ERS altimeters. Existing and planned repeat-orbit altimeters will not achieve these objectives. Moreover, the satellite gravity missions, CHAMP, GRACE, and GOCE will recover sea surface slope at wavelengths greater than about 200 km but because of upward continuation, they cannot recover the shorter wavelengths. The primary science objective could be achieved with a relatively cheap mission. US petroleum exploration companies are keenly interested in these data, especially in coastal areas, and are willing to offer support for this mission. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0225; Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry, NOAA, Silver Spring Maryland, 20910-3282; CIRES and Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0216; Conoco Inc., 600 North Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX, 77252-2197; Dept. of Geology, Tulane Univ., New Orleanes, LA 70118.
The Drosophila melanogaster Apaf-1 homologue ARK is required for most, but not all, programmed cell death

The Apaf-1 protein is essential for cytochrome c–mediated caspase-9 activation in the intrinsic mammalian pathway of apoptosis. Although Apaf-1 is the only known mammalian homologue of the Caenorhabditis elegans CED-4 protein, the deficiency of apaf-1 in cells or in mice results in a limited cell survival phenotype, suggesting that alternative mechanisms of caspase activation and apoptosis exist in mammals. In Drosophila melanogaster, the only Apaf-1/CED-4 homologue, ARK, is required for the activation of the caspase-9/CED-3–like caspase DRONC. Using specific mutants that are deficient for ark function, we demonstrate that ARK is essential for most programmed cell death (PCD) during D. melanogaster development, as well as for radiation-induced apoptosis. ark mutant embryos have extra cells, and tissues such as brain lobes and wing discs are enlarged. These tissues from ark mutant larvae lack detectable PCD. During metamorphosis, larval salivary gland removal was severely delayed in ark mutants. However, PCD occurred normally in the larval midgut, suggesting that ARK-independent cell death pathways also exist in D. melanogaster.
Cholesterol reduction: what can we afford?

In this issue van Hout and Simoons describe a cost-effectiveness analysis of cardiovascular disease risk reduction by HMG coenzyme reductase inhibitors (statins). This exercise stems from the recommendations of the Netherlands Consensus Committee on Lipid Lowering. Costs of prescriptions and of major medical events (death, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, PTCA and CABG surgery) are considered. At an estimated cost of Euro 18 000 per year of life gained, the authors suggest that statin treatment be considered for secondary prevention in most patients with known cardiovascular disease, and for primary prevention among a limited group of patients. They estimate that 1·8% to 3·4% of the Netherlands population would be eligible for treatment under these guidelines. This thorough analysis provides more data to inform the debate on the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. As the authors recognize, cost analyses, in general, and the analyses in this study, have limitations. Generalizing from clinical trials to a national population requires assumptions that may not be well founded. Trials may be limited in gender, race and age distributions, requiring extrapolation and imputation from known information. In this study, the authors limit the cost data to medications and hospital charges. This ignores both individual and societal costs of illness. For an individual, the pain, emotional anguish and disability associated with a chronic disease is crucial but difficult to quantify in monetary terms. For society, the loss of a productive member due to chronic illness and the associated economic costs of care outside of the hospital should also be considered. Including these considerations would add to the ‘effectiveness’ side of the equation. The advent of the statin drugs for lipid lowering contributes a new dimension to the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Statins have been extensively evaluated in large clinical trials and shown to be highly beneficial in lowering coronary heart disease, stroke and overall mortality associated with the lowering of LDL cholesterol. This benefit
A Synthesis Approach for Coarse-Grained Antifuse-Based FPGAs

In this paper, we present a synthesis technique targeted toward coarse-grained antifuse-based field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). A macrologic cell, in this class of FPGAs, has multiple inputs and multiple outputs. A library of small logic cells can be generated from this macrocell and used to map the target netlist. First, we calculate the minimum number of macrologic cells required to map a given circuit by using either a dynamic programming or a linear programming technique. Given this minimum number of macrologic cells, we introduce an interconnect-aware clustering algorithm that assigns logic cells to individual macrocells so as to minimize the routing costs. Alternatively, a timing slack-driven clustering algorithm is presented where timing criticalities of nodes in a network are calculated and used to determine the final packing into the macrocells so as to minimize the number of the macrocells on the critical paths. When compared to results from a commercial tool, our two synthesis techniques reduce the number of macrologic cells by 12% and the maximum depth by 35%, respectively.
Earlier parental set bedtimes as a protective factor against depression and suicidal ideation.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To examine the relationships between parental set bedtimes, sleep duration, and depression as a quasi-experiment to explore the potentially bidirectional relationship between short sleep duration and depression. Short sleep duration has been shown to precede depression, but this could be explained as a prodromal symptom of depression. Depression in an adolescent can affect his/her chosen bedtime, but it is less likely to affect a parent's chosen set bedtime which can establish a relatively stable upper limit that can directly affect sleep duration. DESIGN Multivariate cross-sectional analyses of the ADD Health using logistic regression. SETTING United States nationally representative, school-based, probability-based sample in 1994-96. PARTICIPANTS Adolescents (n = 15,659) in grades 7 to 12. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Adolescents with parental set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24% more likely to suffer from depression (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.04-1.49) and 20% more likely to have suicidal ideation (1.20, 1.01-1.41) than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10:00 PM or earlier, after controlling for covariates. Consistent with sleep duration and perception of getting enough sleep acting as mediators, the inclusion of these variables in the multivariate models appreciably attenuated the associations for depression (1.07, 0.88-1.30) and suicidal ideation (1.09, 0.92-1.29). CONCLUSIONS The results from this study provide new evidence to strengthen the argument that short sleep duration could play a role in the etiology of depression. Earlier parental set bedtimes could therefore be protective against adolescent depression and suicidal ideation by lengthening sleep duration.
Review of the Interactive Writing Lesson Provided for Turkish Hearing-Impaired University Students

When the literature about the writing expression of hearing-impaired students is reviewed, it is seen that there arestudies in which the effectiveness of several approaches and the writing process are analysed, assessment andevaluation aspects are considered and comparisons are made with the level of skills of non-impaired peers. On theother hand, there is a need for researches regarding the method of implementation of writing lessons. In this study, it isexplained how the pre-writing stage for the writing of a text is performed with hearing-impaired students throughInteractive Writing. The study, based on the action research method, was conducted during the Fall term of the2015-2016 academic year, at the Integrated School for the Handicapped of Anadolu University, located in Eskisehirprovince of Turkey. Participants of the study were seven hearing-impaired second-year students enrolled to theComputer Operating department. During the study, nine lessons were made based on the principles and components ofthe Balanced Literacy Instruction Approach (BLIA). Among the nine lessons, four of them were performed withinteractive writing. When the language skill levels of the hearing-impaired students group of the study was considered,Interactive Writing was determined to be the most effective writing component for the group. However, the mosteffective writing component can be different for another hearing-impaired student group. Writing levels of the students,the types and amount of support they need and their level of knowledge about the text to be written were decisive in thedetermination of writing components.
Anti-bullying procedures for schools in Ireland: principals’ responses and perceptions

Abstract The role of the principal is imperative in creating a school climate that nurtures differences and equality at the same time. Policy and legislation in Ireland dictates the responsibility of school principals in preventing and intervening in issues relating to bullying. The current research investigates the extent to which principals consider the impact of bullying on their students and the strategies they take to combat it in their schools. We consider how principals respond to bullying and what supports they feel are missing for them to adhere to relevant policy. A sample of 918 principals from a range of schools across Ireland completed an online survey. The results demonstrated some positive actions by principals such as the provision of anti-bullying policies. However, they also document areas that need more action such as increased access to counsellors and appointing a specific staff member to deal with and tackle bullying in each school. Guidance from the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland on the development and provision of an anti-bullying programme is called for. Results are discussed in light of the current Anti-Bullying Procedures established by the Department of Education and Skills and the Action Plan for Bullying 2013.
Plastic flowers and mowed lawns: the exploration of everyday unsustainability

ABSTRACT In human-controlled environments and in cultivated landscapes, the plants accommodate social, cultural and economic needs. This article will focus on the use of plants for agriculture, urban planning, forestry, environmental education and indoor decoration in The Netherlands. This exploration, based on literature review and observations, reveals mostly anthropocentric, instrumental and unsustainable practices. In urban landscapes plants are pushed to the margins, if not entirely eradicated. This article shows that moral recognition of plants is an ethical imperative, which is also critically important to achieve environmental sustainability. In line with ecocentric ethics and in the interest of long-term sustainability, this article suggests alternative, more ethical and sustainable ways of relating to plants in The Netherlands and beyond.
Daughter, Mother, Captain: Marine Le Pen, Gender, and Populism in the French National Front

Abstract:This article analyzes members of the French National Front, and their leader Marine Le Pen, to understand how gendered symbolism and performances structure populism. Populist stylistic repertoires are structured by hegemonic masculinity and femininity, and tie populism to radical-right ideologies. Analysis of Marine Le Pen and her followers clarifies the relationship between populism, gendered symbolism, and the radical right; points to how populism is a performance of hegemonic masculinity which women leaders can enact if combined with performances of hegemonic femininity; and points to limitations imposed by such gendered repertoires.
On the Expected Busy Period of an Interdependent M/M/1:(Infinity; Gd) Queueing Model Using Bivariate Poisson Process and Controllable Arrival Rates

Busy period analysis plays a vital role in the study of queueing problems for forecasting the behaviour of the queueing systems. Performance analysis including determination of the average length of busy period is entirely based on the busy period distribution of the queueing model. In the queueing literature, it has been observed that most of the previous researchers [2,5,7,8 & 9] have presumed that the parameters of arrival and service rates in the system are independent to each other. However, it is not so in general because we find many queueing situations in our real life where the arrival and service rates are correlated with an elevated extent. A large number of previous noteworthy researchers [2,5,7,8 & 9] and references therein confined their study to analyze a variety of queueing models taking into account that the arrival and service processes are independent. A very few number of worth mentioning researchers [11 & 13] of the current decade are found in the literature of queueing theory who have contributed their devotion to analyze an M/M/1 queueing model with consideration of interdependent arrival and service rates. In this context, Srinivasa Rao et al [13] have focused their attention to investigate the average system size and average waiting time of an M/M/1/infinity interdependent queueing model using controllable arrival rates under steady state conditions. Recently, Pal [11] considered the same queueing model with a version of its limited waiting space and he succeeded to investigate the cost per unit time of a served customer in the system. In our current study, we consider the same queueing model already analyzed by Srinivasa Rao et al [13] with a version that the arrival and service processes follow a bivariate Poisson distribution and our keen interest is to investigate the average length of busy periods in two different cases of slower and faster arrival rates. By the end of the present paper, a special stress on practical aspect of the investigated average busy period has also been given in our conclusion which reveals the application of both the realistic modeling enhancing as well as regulatory techniques.
Traffic optimization for TCP-based Massive Multiplayer Online Games

This paper studies the use of a traffic optimization technique named TCM (Tunneling, Compressing and Multiplexing) to reduce the bandwidth of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), which employ TCP to provide a soft real-time service. In order to optimize the traffic and to improve bandwidth efficiency, TCM can be applied when the packets of a number of players share the same link, which occurs in some scenarios, as e.g. the traffic between proxies and servers of game-supporting infrastructures. First, TCP/IP headers are compressed using standard algorithms that avoid sending repeated fields; next, a number of packets are blended into a bigger one and finally, they are sent using a tunnel. The expected compressed header size has been obtained using traffic traces of a real game. Next, simulations using a traffic model of a popular MMORPG have been performed in order to estimate the expected bandwidth savings and the reduction in packets per second. The obtained bandwidth saving is about 60 percent. Packets per second are also significantly reduced. In addition, the added delays are shown to be small enough so as not to impair players' experienced quality.
Types of fat intake and body mass index in a Mediterranean country

Abstract Background Although the fatty acid fractions provide similar metabolizable energy, the type of dietary fat consumed could be relevant to the development of obesity. Objective To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI), obesity and the consumption of different types of fat and olive oil in a Mediterranean country with high prevalence of obesity, and high intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and olive oil. Subjects The study was carried out in Spain among 23 289 women and 14 374 men, aged 29–69 years, who were participants of a large European prospective cohort. Methods Information on usual food intake was collected by interviewers by means of a dietary history questionnaire. The association between obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg m2), dietary fat, other dietary patterns and other non-dietary factors were tested using multilinear regression analysis. The ratio of reported energy intake to energy requirement was used as an estimation of dietary underreporting. Results The association between fatty acid fractions intake (saturated fatty acids (SFA) in women, and MUFA and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in both sexes) and BMI was very weak, accounting for less than 1% of variance. All dietary and non-dietary variables accounted for 21% of variance in the measurement of BMI in women and only 6.7% of variance in men. Estimated underreporting of energy intake was 17.5% in obese women and 5.5% in obese men. Conclusions The association between consumption of specific types of dietary fat, olive oil and obesity in Spain is not very important. However, because of the cross-sectional design and some level of underreporting of energy intake observed in overweight subjects and overreporting in underweight subjects, systematic bias cannot be completely discarded.
Surface wave studies of the Greenland upper lithosphere using ambient seismic noise

Since 2009, the seismic stations as part of the Greenland Ice Sheet Monitoring Network (GLISN) have become available for broadband seismology on Greenland. Using this network, seismic surface waves can be exploited to study the structure of Greenland’s upper lithosphere. In this paper we show some results of surface wave investigations utilizing the GLISN network. First, we measure the Rayleigh wave dispersion curves from ambient noise cross-correlations and use them to derive the information about the structure of the crust and uppermost mantle. We obtained ~190 reliable curves of Rayleigh wave phase and group velocities predominantly in the range of periods between 5 and 40 s. Then the two-dimensional tomography based on these data has been accomplished. It has the spatial resolution 300-450 km for latitudes between 64 o and 77 o N, going down to 650 km for northern latitudes and the southern tip of the island. Eventually, two types of 3D-inversion are applied to the set of tomographic maps in the period range 5-40 s. One of them used the sets of dispersion maps for 1 o x1 o grid obtained by bilinear interpolation for a regular set of periods. Other one used the surface wave dispersion information together with Rayleigh wave H/V ratios obtained for individual stations using teleseismic events. In both cases we applied Bayesian Monte Carlo inversion to infer the shear velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle of Greenland.
Indoor surveillance with multimodal wireless networks

In this paper, we propose a new family of wireless networks, the multimodal wireless networks. These networks offer multiple functionalities realized on the same infrastructure. We describe a wireless network that has two modes of operation: the communication mode, when the network is used as a traditional wireless communication network and the surveillance mode, when the network is used as a distributed sensor network that can detect illegal intrusion. The surveillance functionality is realized by analyzing the properties of the received signals and the change of the propagation environment caused by the intruder serves as the basis for intrusion detection. We also develop a general single-receiver model for detecting changes in a signal parameter of interest and derive a parameter change detector. The experimental results demonstrate that low-cost, off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11b WLAN hardware can be used as building blocks for multimodal networks.