Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL): a retrospective, intrinsic case study of the process of policy into practice and its impact on teacher participants

The research reported here is a retrospective case study of the recent (2010) introduction of the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL) as a post-graduate level programme of professional development for teachers. It contributes to the debate and research over the past two decades about the impact of post-graduate professional development and appropriate ways of delivering it. The study is located within an extensive body of literature dealing with the importance of the teaching profession with regard to the success of schools and pupils and the impact of professional development on teaching quality and of teaching quality on attainment. A further relevant context is the ongoing tension between the teaching profession and academics on the one hand and government and political actors on the other, in respect of the approaches to professional development and to the control of educational processes. The research questions which inform the study deal with the perspectives of various participants – policy makers, programme directors, coaches and teachers studying for the MTL – on the extent to which the MTL is likely to have an ameliorative effect on teaching and pupil attainment, their experiences of the process of policy development and their experiences as course participants. The study adopts a case study approach which involves elite interviews with those responsible for the development and implementation of the MTL, questionnaires completed by MTL course participants and a comparison group taking a conventional MA and in depth interviews with participants and coaches. The results revealed tensions and difficulties associated with the development of the MTL including uneasy relationships between HE institutions and government agencies, ideas about ‘producer capture’, the relevance of the MBA model and concern over the role of coaches. However, while acknowledging various difficulties and some misconceived expectations they viewed its potential to meet its expressed aims positively, given time. Course participants were positive about their experience of the MTL and felt that it had contributed to many aspects of their professional development. Most saw it as a positive experience despite the variable quality of support from their schools, particularly in the form of the school-based coach the concept of which had been heralded as the bellwether of the MTL. It was striking that the responses of the MTL participants were very similar to those of teachers taking a conventional MA. A finding which would repay further investigation is that while the great majority of course participants felt that the MTL (and the MA) had contributed to their becoming more effective teachers they were much less confident that it had contributed to increased pupil attainment.
Designing Multi-User MIMO for Energy and Spectral Efficiency

Multi-user multiple-input multiple output(MIMO) communication system must be designed to cover a given area with maximal energy efficiency bits/Joule). A multiplicity of autonomous terminal simultaneously transmits data stream to a compact array of antennas. A array uses imperfect channel-state information derived from transmitted pilots to extract the individual data streams. The power radiated by the terminals can be made inversely proportional to the square-root of the number of base station antennas with no reduction in performance. In contrast if perfect channel-state information were available the power could be made inversely proportional to the number of antennas. Lower capacity bounds for maximumratio combining (MRC) and zero-forcing (ZF) detection are derived. A MRC receiver normally performs worse than ZF and MMSE. However as power levels are reduced ,the cross-talk introduced by the inferior maximum-ratio receiver eventually falls below the noise level and this simple receiver becomes a viable option. The tradeoff between the energy efficiency (bits/J) and spectral efficiency (bits/channel use/terminal) is quantified.
Prevalence and predictors of tobacco smoking in veterans and service members following traumatic brain injury rehabilitation: a VA TBIMS study

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify prevalence and predictors of tobacco smoking among veterans and military service members (V/SM) with traumatic brain injury (TBI) admitted for rehabilitation. Methods: Participants were drawn from the VA TBI Model Systems multicentre longitudinal research study. Tobacco smoking was assessed both preinjury and at 1- or 2-year post-TBI follow-up for 336 participants. Results: Smoking prevalence was 32% preinjury and 28% at follow-up. Most participants had a stable smoking pattern but 12% of preinjury non-smokers became smokers at follow-up. Preinjury smoking was the strongest predictor of post-TBI smoking. Higher cognitive function also predicted smoking at follow-up. In univariate analyses, smoking was predicted by lower education, preinjury mental health (MH) history, selected TBI severity metrics, and higher functional status at rehabilitation hospital discharge (Disability Rating Scale [DRS] and motor subscale of the Functional Independence Measure [FIM]). Conclusion: Study findings may help clinicians and administrators recognize who is at high risk for smoking following TBI, to plan for in-hospital and postdischarge screening and interventions.
CK2 Phosphorylating I2PP2A/SET Mediates Tau Pathology and Cognitive Impairment

Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is highly activated in Alzheimer disease (AD) and is associated with neurofibrillary tangles formation. Phosphorylated SET, a potent PP2A inhibitor, mediates tau hyperphosphorylation in AD. However, whether CK2 phosphorylates SET and regulates tau pathological phosphorylation in AD remains unclear. Here, we show that CK2 phosphorylating SET at Ser9 induced tau hyperphosphorylation in AD. We found that either Aβ treatment or tau overexpression stimulated CK2 activation leading to SET Ser9 hyperphosphorylation in neurons and animal models, while inhibition of CK2 by TBB abolished this event. Overexpression of CK2 in mouse hippocampus via virus injection induced cognitive deficit associated with SET Ser9 hyperphosphorylation. Injection of SET Ser9 phosphorylation mimetic mutant induced tau pathology and behavior impairments. Conversely co-injection of non-phosphorylated SET S9A with CK2 abolished the CK2 overexpression-induced AD pathology and cognitive deficit. Together, our data demonstrate that CK2 phosphorylates SET at Ser9 leading to SET cytoplasmic translocation and inhibition of PP2A resulting in tau pathology and cognitive impairments.
The Racist Algorithm

Are we on the verge of an apartheid by algorithm? Will the age of big data lead to decisions that unfairly favor one race over others, or men over women? At the dawn of the Information Age, legal scholars are sounding warnings about the ubiquity of automated algorithms that increasingly govern our lives. In his new book, The Black Box Society: The Hidden Algorithms Behind Money and Information, Frank Pasquale forcefully argues that human beings are increasingly relying on computerized algorithms that make decisions about what information we receive, how much we can borrow, where we go for dinner, or even whom we date. Pasquale’s central claim is that these algorithms will mask invidious discrimination, undermining democracy and worsening inequality. In this review, I rebut this prominent claim. I argue that any fair assessment of algorithms must be made against their alternative. Algorithms are certainly obscure and mysterious, but often no more so than the committees or individuals they replace. The ultimate black box is the human mind. Relying on contemporary theories of unconscious discrimination, I show that the consciously racist or sexist algorithm is less likely than the consciously or unconsciously racist or sexist human decision-maker it replaces. The principal problem of algorithmic discrimination lies elsewhere, in a process I label viral discrimination: algorithms trained or operated on a world pervaded by discriminatory effects are likely to reproduce that discrimination.I argue that the solution to this problem lies in a kind of algorithmic affirmative action. This would require training algorithms on data that includes diverse communities and continually assessing the results for disparate impacts. Instead of insisting on race or gender neutrality and blindness, this would require decision-makers to approach algorithmic design and assessment in a race and gender conscious manner.
Examining Smart-Card Security under the Threat of Power Analysis Attacks

This paper examines how monitoring power consumption signals might breach smart-card security. Both simple power analysis and differential power analysis attacks are investigated. The theory behind these attacks is reviewed. Then, we concentrate on showing how power analysis theory can be applied to attack an actual smart card. We examine the noise characteristics of the power signals and develop an approach to model the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We show how this SNR can be significantly improved using a multiple-bit attack. Experimental results against a smart-card implementation of the Data Encryption Standard demonstrate the effectiveness of our multiple-bit attack. Potential countermeasures to these attacks are also discussed.
Methane and hydrogen positivity on breath test is associated with greater body mass index and body fat.

CONTEXT Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract with methanogenic archaea (methanogens) significantly affects host metabolism and weight gain in animal models, and breath methane is associated with a greater body mass index (BMI) among obese human subjects. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to characterize the relationship between methane and hydrogen on breath test (as a surrogate for colonization with the hydrogen requiring methanogen, Methanobrevibacter smithii), body weight, and percent body fat in a general population cohort. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS This was a prospective study (n = 792) of consecutive subjects presenting for breath testing. SETTING The study was conducted at a tertiary care center. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS BMI and percent body fat were measured. RESULTS Subjects were classified into 4 groups based on breath testing: normal (N) (methane <3 ppm and hydrogen <20 ppm at or before 90 minutes); hydrogen positive only (H+) [methane <3 ppm and hydrogen ≥20 ppm); methane positive only (M+) (methane ≥3 ppm and hydrogen <20 ppm), or methane and hydrogen positive (M+/H+) (methane ≥3 ppm and hydrogen ≥20 ppm]. There were significant differences in age but not in gender across the groups. After controlling for age as a confounding variable, M+/H+ subjects had significantly higher BMI than other groups (N: 24.1 ± 5.2 kg/m(2); H+: 24.2 ± 4.5 kg/m(2); M+: 24.0 ± 3.75 kg/m(2); M+/H+: 26.5 ± 7.1 kg/m(2), P < . 02) and also had significantly higher percent body fat (N: 28.3 ± 10.0%; H+: 27.5 ± 9.0%; M+: 28.0 ± 8.9%; M+/H+; 34.1 ± 10.9%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS The presence of both methane and hydrogen on breath testing is associated with increased BMI and percent body fat in humans. We hypothesize that this is due to colonization with the hydrogen-requiring M smithii, which affects nutrient availability for the host and may contribute to weight gain.
Tunnel effect for Kramers-Fokker-Planck type operators: return to equilibrium and applications

In the first part of this work, we consider second order supersymmetric differential operators in the semiclassical limit, including the Kramers-Fokker-Planck operator, such that the exponent of the associated Maxwellian $\phi$ is a Morse function with two local minima and one saddle point. Under suitable additional assumptions of dynamical nature, we establish the long time convergence to the equilibrium for the associated heat semigroup, with the rate given by the first non-vanishing, exponentially small, eigenvalue. In the second part of the paper, we consider the case when the function $\phi$ has precisely one local minimum and one saddle point. We also discuss further examples of supersymmetric operators, including the Witten Laplacian and the infinitesimal generator for the time evolution of a chain of classical anharmonic oscillators.
Space-efficient online computation of quantile summaries

An ∈-approximate quantile summary of a sequence of N elements is a data structure that can answer quantile queries about the sequence to within a precision of ∈N. We present a new online algorithm for computing∈-approximate quantile summaries of very large data sequences. The algorithm has a worst-case space requirement of &Ogr;(1÷∈ log(∈N)). This improves upon the previous best result of &Ogr;(1÷∈ log2(∈N)). Moreover, in contrast to earlier deterministic algorithms, our algorithm does not require a priori knowledge of the length of the input sequence. Finally, the actual space bounds obtained on experimental data are significantly better than the worst case guarantees of our algorithm as well as the observed space requirements of earlier algorithms.
Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms of toric manifolds

We prove that $\pi_1(\text{Ham}(M))$ contains an infinite cyclic subgroup, where $\text{Ham}(M)$ is the Hamiltonian group of the one point blow up of ${\Bbb C}P^3$. We give a sufficient condition for the group $\pi_1(\text{Ham}(M))$ to contain an infinite cyclic subgroup, when $M$ is a general toric manifold.
Preliminary Assessment of Dynamic Voice CT in Post–Airway Reconstruction Patients

Objectives To compare the ability of the dynamic voice computed tomography (CT) scan to characterize laryngeal function in airway reconstruction patients vs bedside endoscopic nasopharyngolaryngoscopy and videolaryngostroboscopy. Study Design Case series with chart review. Settings Pediatric tertiary care center. Subjects and Methods Retrospective case series of children and young adults with a history of complex airway surgeries with subsequent dysphonia. We analyzed clinical data for all patients who underwent an airway reconstruction procedure between January 1, 2010, and April 30, 2016, and also had a dynamic voice CT and bedside endoscopic exam during the same period. Results Twenty-four patients were analyzed (4 male, 20 female) with a mean age of 15.1 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.9-17.22). Patients had a mean of 2.2 airway surgeries (95% CI, 1.8-2.6), with 62.5% of them being open procedures. Laryngotracheoplasty with a cartilage graft was the most common procedure (40.0%). The pattern of laryngeal closure could be detected in all cases with the dynamic CT scan (n = 24/24, 100%) compared to 87.5% (21/24) with the standard endoscopic examination (P = .04). The location of gap closure could be detected in all cases (24/24) with the dynamic voice CT while 20.8% (5/24 patients) could not be rated with standard endoscopy/stroboscopy (P = .02). Dynamic voice CT was able to assess the vertical closure pattern of the glottis 100% (24/24) while it could be detected in 83.3% (20/24) cases with endoscopic study (P = .04). Conclusion Dynamic voice CT shows promise as an additional tool for evaluation of patients with a history of complex airway procedures by providing complementary information.
Parents' Involvement in School: Attitudes of Teachers and School Counselors

This qualitative study compares the attitudes of teachers and school counselors toward parents’ involvement in school. The method and procedure is: A semi-structured interview (four open questions on informing parents about school, the child, strengths, and challenges) was conducted with 12 Israeli elementary-school teachers and 11 Israeli elementary-school counselors. The results are: Teachers and counselors saw the importance of parents’ involvement in school, although each group expressed different benefits and professional reinforcement derived from their interactions with parents. Teachers expressed more personal difficulties dealing with some parents than did counselors who referred to challenges mostly from an ethical-professional perspective. Implications of the findings are discussed.
The effects of thematic versus taxonomic categorization on choice overload when choosing university classes

The problem of “having too much choice” within our everyday lives is magnified in online environments. This study looked at the effects of thematic categorization on the problem of choice overload by categorizing an undergraduate course catalog either by taxonomic categorization, thematic categorization, or no categorization. Surprisingly the three different types of categorization did not affect choice overload measures. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Mitigating Seabird Bycatch during Hauling by Pelagic Longline Vessels

Bycatch in longline fisheries threatens the viability of some seabird populations. The Hawaii longline swordfish fishery reduced seabird captures by an order of magnitude primarily through mitigating bycatch during setting. Now, 75% of captures occur during hauling. We fit observer data to a generalized additive regression model with mixed effects to determine the significance of the effect of various factors on the standardized seabird haul catch rate. Density of albatrosses attending vessels during hauling, leader length and year had largest model effects. The standardized haul catch rate significantly increased with increased albatross density during hauling. The standardized catch rate was significantly higher the longer the leader: shorter leaders place weighted swivels closer to hooks, reducing the likelihood of baited hooks becoming available to surface-scavenging albatrosses. There was a significant linear increasing temporal trend in the standardized catch rate, possibly partly due to an observed increasing temporal trend in the local abundance of albatrosses attending vessels during hauling. Swivel weight, Beaufort scale and season were also significant but smaller model effects. Most (81%) haul captures were on branchlines actively being retrieved. Future haul mitigation research should therefore focus on reducing bird access to hooks as crew coil branchlines, including methods identified here of shorter leaders and heavier swivels, and other potentially effective methods, including faster branchline coiling and shielding the area where hooks becomes accessible. The proportion of Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) captures that occurred during hauling was significantly, 1.6 times, higher than for black-footed albatrosses (P. nigripes), perhaps due to differences in the time of day of foraging and in daytime scavenging competitiveness; mitigating haul bycatch would therefore be a larger benefit to Laysans. Locally, findings identify opportunities to nearly eliminate seabird bycatch. Globally, findings fill a gap in knowledge of methods to mitigate seabird bycatch during pelagic longline hauling.
Growth curve analysis of the situational temptations scale in a college sample

The temptation to engage in risky drinking is culturally embedded in the social life of young adults and college students. Studies have shown that more than 2 out of 3 students report drinking in the past month (Johnston, O’Malley, & Bachman, 2003) and over 80% will drink on at least one occasion during the school year (Del Boca et al, 2004). Heavy alcohol use and frequent binge drinking by college students has received much attention over the years because many drinkers engage in risky patterns of alcohol consumption, which is at the crux of a wide range of negative college alcohol-related consequences (Curry, Southwick, & Steele, 1987; Talbott et al., 2008; Wechsler et al., 2000). The present study reports the results of a secondary data analysis that used growth curve modeling (GCM) to examine growth trajectories of situational temptations over a two year period with data from a large sample (N=1067) of college student participants in a randomized trial of the efficacy of a brief intervention for alcohol harm reduction. A mixed effects piecewise model that estimated separate linear growth effects for the treatment and post-treatment phases of the study was found to fit the data best. At baseline, male students and those with higher rates of self-reported college alcohol-related problems had significantly higher temptations scores. Growth model results showed that self-reported temptations increased rapidly over the first 6 months during the treatment phase, then gradually decreased. No differences between the treatment and control groups in growth of temptations was observed during the treatment phase (0 to 6 months), however a small significant treatment effect was found over the post-treatment phase of the study (6 to 24 months). Temptations scores were reduced over time for students who had moderate or high levels of alcohol-related problems at baseline. After adjusting for treatment and alcohol problems, gender was not related to situational temptations.
CHARACTERIZATION OF ISOLATES OF THE CUCUMOVIRUS CUCUMBER MOSAIC VIRUS PRESENT IN BRAZIL

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a naturally occurring virus that infects several crops in Brazil, although its economic and epidemiological impact has not been fully characterized. Samples of different host plant species from different regions of Brazil, including passion- fruit, sweet-pepper, black-pepper, Peperomia, melon, squash, tomato, pea, water-cress, zingiber, banana and Commelina sp. , showing foliar symptoms of mosaic, deformations and chlorotic ringspots that resemble those induced by CMV, were collected for biological, serological and molecular analysis. DAS-ELISA, RTPCR/ RFLP, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were used to characterize the isolates. Nicotiana glutinosa plants, that showed foliar mosaic after inoculation with extracts from the samples collected, were submitted to DAS-ELISA and total RNA extraction. RT-PCR, with specific primers for the 3’ end of RNA 3 and part of the coat protein gene, yielded 486-499 base pair DNA fragments that were characterized by RFLP. ELISA and RTPCR/ RFLP results showed the isolates belong to CMV subgroup I. These results were confirmed by the sequences of the RT-PCR products, which were 92 to 99% identical to those of subgroup I CMV isolates. The multiple sequence alignment of the nucleotides and the translated amino acid sequences of these and other CMV strains, and phylogenetic analyses revealed three distinct clusters. Most of the Brazilian CMV isolates were closely related among themselves and clustered with other CMV subgroup IA isolates. One CMV isolate clustered together with CMV subgroup IB isolates. These results indicate the prevalence of the CMV subgroup I in Brazil.
A lumped component programmable delay element for Ultra-Wideband beamforming

We introduce a ladder filter based programmable time delay element for beamforming in Ultra-Wideband (UWB) systems. When compared to conventional methods based on the tapped delay line architecture, our technique achieves lower power dissipation, better area efficiency, and finer delay and gain resolution more efficiently. The proposed architecture is more scalable, has better parasitic absorption capability and highly programmable with delay and gain resolution dependent only on transconductor resolution. A prototype delay line designed for the 3.1-10.6 GHz UWB range achieves a delay range of 80 ps with 0.5 ps resolution and a gain range of -30 dB to +10 dB with 0.15 dB step. Fabricated in a 0.25 μm SiGe BiCMOS process, the delay element occupies an active area of 1 mm2 and consumes 47 mW from a 2.5 V supply. A four antenna beamforming system using the delay element can achieve scanning range of ± 51° with resolution of 0.86 ° for antenna spacing of 10 mm.