Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of the Engagement of Creativity in Secondary Choral Ensemble Classes

The purposes of this study were (a) to explore the individualized meanings of creativity of students within choral ensembles; and (b) to identify the effects that teachers’ perceptions and classroom environment have on helping students shape the meaning of creativity. The study took the form of the Explanatory Sequential mixed methods design of Creswell and Plano Clark (2011). The first phase of research was a survey administered to middle/high school chorus students (N = 314) and middle/high school chorus teachers (N = 11). Participants were selected from 6 middle schools and 5 high schools across 3 different school districts in the southern United States. The Measures of Creativity Perceptions Assessment survey was researchercreated and validated by an earlier pilot study. It consisted of Likert-scaled questions measuring the importance of purposes of music education and frequency of certain musical topics address in class. Participants also rated their perceptions of how they found certain activities to be creative, as well as how much student input and musical decision making were present in chorus class. Findings showed that most students found their chorus class to contain creative activities. They were unable to explain through which activity creativity occurred. Findings from the quantitative survey helped to form a qualitative second phase, including teacher interviews and student focus groups. 2 teachers were interviewed. 2 focus groups were conducted, comprised of 4 students from each of the interviewed teachers (total of 8 students across the 2 focus groups). Qualitative findings suggested that middle school students viewed creativity differently inside chorus than they did in general. This likely came from the influence of their teacher as well as a processoriented view of creativity. High school students had traditional understandings yet noted that creative activities, like improvisation and composition, were absent from their chorus classes. Teacher participants stated that they felt unconfident in leading such lessons, and were most affected by their undergraduate professors. Implications include additional focus on creativity in undergraduate music teacher preparation programs. This would also address the recent revision of the music education national standards. Further research involving student perceptions of creativity is necessary. INDEX WORDS: Creativity, Chorus, Music, Education, Perceptions, High School, Middle School STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE ENGAGEMENT OF CREATIVITYIN SECONDARY CHORAL ENSEMBLE CLASSES by David Wayne Langley
Total cloud cover from satellite observations and climate models

Abstract. Global and zonal monthly means of cloud cover fraction for total cloudiness (CF) from the ISCCP D2 dataset are compared to same quantity produced by the 20th century simulations of 21 climate models from the World Climate Research Programme's (WCRP's) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) multi-model dataset archived by the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI). The comparison spans the time frame from January 1984 to December 1999 and the global and zonal average of CF are studied. The restriction to total cloudiness depends on the output of some models that does not include the 3D cloud structure. It is shown that the global mean of CF for the PCMDI/CMIP3 models, averaged over the whole period, exhibits a considerable variance and generally underestimates the ISCCP value. Very large discrepancies among models, and between models and observations, are found in the polar areas, where both models and satellite observations are less reliable, and especially near Antarctica. For this reason the zonal analysis is focused over the 60° S–60° N latitudinal belt, which includes the tropical area and mid latitudes. The two hemispheres are analyzed separately to show the variation of the amplitude of the seasonal cycle. Most models overestimate the yearly averaged values of CF over all of the analysed areas, while differences emerge in their ability to capture the amplitude of the seasonal cycle. The models represent, in a qualitatively correct way, the magnitude and the weak sign of the seasonal cycle over the whole geographical domain, but overestimate the strength of the signal in the tropical areas and at mid-latitudes, when taken separately. The interannual variability of the two yearly averages and of the amplitude of the seasonal cycle is greatly underestimated by all models in each area analysed. This work shows that the climate models have an heterogeneous behaviour in simulating the CF over different areas of the Globe, with a very wide span both with observed CF and among themselves. Some models agree quite well with the observations in one or more of the metrics employed in this analysis, but not a single model has a statistically significant agreement with the observational datasets on yearly averaged values of CF and on the amplitude of the seasonal cycle over all analysed areas.
Acute Effects of Ambient Particulate Matter on Mortality in Europe and North America: Results from the APHENA Study

Background The APHENA (Air Pollution and Health: A Combined European and North American Approach) study is a collaborative analysis of multicity time-series data on the effect of air pollution on population health, bringing together data from the European APHEA (Air Pollution and Health: A European Approach) and U.S. NMMAPS (National Morbidity, Mortality and Air Pollution Study) projects, along with Canadian data. Objectives The main objective of APHENA was to assess the coherence of the findings of the multicity studies carried out in Europe and North America, when analyzed with a common protocol, and to explore sources of possible heterogeneity. We present APHENA results on the effects of particulate matter (PM) ≤ 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) on the daily number of deaths for all ages and for those < 75 and ≥ 75 years of age. We explored the impact of potential environmental and socioeconomic factors that may modify this association. Methods In the first stage of a two-stage analysis, we used Poisson regression models, with natural and penalized splines, to adjust for seasonality, with various degrees of freedom. In the second stage, we used meta-regression approaches to combine time-series results across cites and to assess effect modification by selected ecologic covariates. Results Air pollution risk estimates were relatively robust to different modeling approaches. Risk estimates from Europe and United States were similar, but those from Canada were substantially higher. The combined effect of PM10 on all-cause mortality across all ages for cities with daily air pollution data ranged from 0.2% to 0.6% for a 10-μg/m3 increase in ambient PM10 concentration. Effect modification by other pollutants and climatic variables differed in Europe and the United States. In both of these regions, a higher proportion of older people and higher unemployment were associated with increased air pollution risk. Conclusions Estimates of the increased mortality associated with PM air pollution based on the APHENA study were generally comparable with results of previous reports. Overall, risk estimates were similar in Europe and in the United States but higher in Canada. However, PM10 effect modification patterns were somewhat different in Europe and the United States.
Self-help smoking cessation interventions in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS Self-help smoking cessation interventions for pregnant smokers are of importance due to their potential to be wide-reaching, low-cost and their appeal to pregnant smokers who are interested in quitting smoking. To date, however, there has been no systematic assessment of their efficacy. This systematic review aimed to assess the efficacy of self-help interventions for pregnant smokers and to investigate whether self-help material intensity, type or delivery are associated with cessation. METHODS The literature was searched for randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials of self-help smoking cessation interventions for pregnant smokers without significant cessation counselling. Fifteen trials met the inclusion criteria and relevant data were extracted independently. RESULTS The primary meta-analysis pooled 12 trials comparing usual care (median quit rate 4.9%) with self-help (median quit rate 13.2%) and yielded a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.83 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23-2.73], indicating that self-help interventions on average nearly double the odds of quitting compared with standard care. However, a further meta-analysis failed to find evidence that intervention materials of greater intensity increase quitting significantly over materials of lesser intensity (pooled OR = 1.25, 95% CI 0.81-1.94). There was insufficient evidence to determine whether the tailoring of materials or levels of one-to-one contact were related to intervention efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Self-help interventions appear to be more effective than standard care although, due mainly to a lack of trials, it is unclear whether more sophisticated and intensive approaches increase intervention effectiveness.
Tools for Characterization and Assessment of Ferroresonance Using 3-D Bifurcation Diagrams

Ferroresonance is one of the most destructive transient phenomena in power systems. This complex phenomenon involves the association of nonlinear magnetizing inductances and capacitances, and may be initiated in many different ways, which makes its characterization very difficult. This work links EMTP and MATLAB and presents some computer tools that have been developed for assessing ferroresonance behavior. These tools allow users to visualize 2-D and 3-D bifurcation diagrams which can be used for performing sensitivity analysis, predicting the phenomenon at different stages, and finding safety zones for power system parameter design.
Patterns of Attention in Music Listening

Ten university faculty members and 29 sixth graders listened to recorded music and marked their distractions by tapping a computer key during the listening process. Then they were asked questions about their familiarity with the music, how much they liked it, and their general level of focus on the day of the listening task. The faculty were also asked a question pertaining to the validity of the listening procedure as a measure of sustained listening attention. Results showed that the distraction responses among faculty and children were similar, fewer than one distraction per minute for music performance faculty and fewer than two per minute for non-music faculty and 6th graders. There was a fairly strong relationship (-.62) between low distraction during listening and high overall focus for the faculty subjects. Number of distractions reported in 30-second intervals were consistent and did not vary substantially across time or according to musical characteristics in a selected song.
Unscented transform with online distortion estimation for HMM adaptation

In this paper, we propose to improve our previously developed method for joint compensation of additive and convolutive distortions (JAC) applied to model adaptation. The improvement entails replacing the vector Taylor series (VTS) approximation with unscented transform (UT) in formulating both the static and dynamic model parameter adaptation. Our new JAC-UT method differentiates itself from other UT-based approaches in that it combines the online noise and channel distortion estimation and model parameter adaptation in a unified UT framework. Experimental results on the standard Aurora 2 task show that the new algorithm enjoys 20.0% and 16.9% relative word error rate reductions over the previous JAC-VTS algorithm when using the simple and complex backend models, respectively. Index Terms: unscented transform, vector Taylor series, additive and convolutive distortions, robust ASR, adaptation
Delivery of dexamethasone from bioactive nanofiber matrices stimulates odontogenesis of human dental pulp cells through integrin/BMP/mTOR signaling pathways

Therapeutically relevant design of scaffolds is of special importance in the repair and regeneration of tissues including dentin and pulp. Here we exploit nanofiber matrices that incorporate bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGNs) and deliver the odontogenic drug dexamethasone (DEX) to stimulate the odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells (HDPCs). DEX molecules were first loaded onto the BGN, and then the DEX-BGN complex was incorporated within the biopolymer nanofiber matrix through electrospinning. The release of DEX continued over a month, showing a slow releasing profile. HDPCs cultured on the DEX-releasing BGN matrices were viable, proliferating well up to 14 days. The odontogenic differentiation, as assessed by alkaline phosphatase activity, mRNA expression of genes, and mineralization, was significantly stimulated on the matrices incorporating BGN and further on those releasing DEX. The DEX-releasing BGN matrices highly upregulated the expression of the integrin subsets α1, α5, and β3 as well as integrin downstream signaling molecules, including focal adhesion kinase (FAK), Paxillin, and RhoA, and activated bone morphogenetic protein mRNA and phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8. Furthermore, the DEX-releasing BGN-matrices stimulated Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which was proven by the inhibition study. Collectively, the designed therapeutic nanofiber matrices that incorporate BGN and deliver DEX were demonstrated to promote odontogenesis of HDPCs, and the integrins, bone morphogenetic protein, and mTOR signaling pathways are proposed to be the possible molecular mechanisms. While further in vivo studies are still needed, the DEX-releasing bioactive scaffolds are considered as a potential therapeutic nanomatrix for regenerative endodontics and tissue engineering.
Store Managers – the Seismographs in Shopping Centres Store Managers – the Seismographs in Shopping Centres

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to investigate (1) the link between store managers’ evaluation of how customers assess a shopping centre and their own evaluation of the centre and, based on that, (2) the relevance of store managers in reflecting upon and informing the management and marketing practices of the local shopping centre management. Methodology: A conceptual model is developed based on the network and boundaryspanning theories. The model is tested using a web-based survey of 217 managers, representing stores located in shopping malls, and by applying covariance-based structural equation modelling. Findings: The study reveals store managers to be engaging in a significant informationprocessing pathway, from customers’ evaluation of the shopping centre (as perceived by the store manager) to their own evaluation of the centre in terms of managerial satisfaction and loyalty. Research limitations: The empirical study focuses exclusively on shopping malls and thus does not consider other shopping centre forms such as town centres and retail parks. Practical implications: This paper concludes that store managers have the potential to be informational boundary spanners and thus valuable resources to inform and give feedback to shopping centre management. Originality: The contribution of this paper is to provide a more complete understanding of the role of the store manager as an integral actor in the shopping centre in terms of informational boundary spanning between the retail organisation, the customers and local shopping centre management.
Collybistin splice variants differentially interact with gephyrin and Cdc42 to regulate gephyrin clustering at GABAergic synapses

Collybistin (CB) is a guanine-nucleotide-exchange factor (GEF) selectively activating Cdc42. CB mutations cause X-linked mental retardation due to defective clustering of gephyrin, a postsynaptic protein associated with both glycine and GABAA receptors. Using a combination of biochemistry and cell biology we provide novel insights into the roles of the CB2 splice variants, CB2SH3+ and CB2SH3−, and their substrate, Cdc42, in regulating gephyrin clustering at GABAergic synapses. Transfection of Myc-tagged CB2SH3+ and CB2SH3− into cultured neurons revealed strong, but distinct, effects promoting postsynaptic gephyrin clustering, denoting mechanistic differences in their function. In addition, overexpression of constitutively active or dominant-negative Cdc42 mutants identified a new function of Cdc42 in regulating the shape and size of postsynaptic gephyrin clusters. Using biochemical assays and native brain tissue, we identify a direct interaction between gephyrin and Cdc42, independent of its activation state. Finally, our data show that CB2SH3−, but not CB2SH3+, can form a ternary complex with gephyrin and Cdc42, providing a biochemical substrate for the distinct contribution of these CB isoforms in gephyrin clustering at GABAergic postsynaptic sites. Taken together, our results identify CB and Cdc42 as major regulators of GABAergic postsynaptic densities.
An exploration of dispositional mindfulness across the lifespan and mindfulness interventions for older people

The three chapters of this thesis are united under a common theme of exploring mindfulness, specifically with reference to older people. Chapter one: The systematic literature review critically evaluates the evidence for mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for use with older adults (aged 60 years and older). 12 articles met pre-specified criteria for inclusion. In studies of relatively healthy, high functioning older adults, there were few benefits observed. For samples of older people with clinical levels of mood and physical health difficulty, benefits were observed in some studies across a range of psychosocial domains. The present review indicates that MBSR is both a viable and a feasible approach for use with older people. As methodological concerns were evident, further research could usefully build upon this initial evidence-base. Chapter two: The empirical paper was a cross-sectional survey of community dwelling, English-speaking younger adults aged 18-34 years (n = 162) and older adults aged 65-93 years (n = 134), using a group difference design. In accordance with initial hypotheses and theories of lifespan development, the present findings indicated higher levels of dispositional mindfulness, affect and well-being for older adults, compared to younger adults. Future research and clinical implications are discussed. This may inform the development of age-appropriate mindfulness interventions. Chapter three: In the reflective paper, I share my experiences of conducting research with people in later life and of researching the topic of mindfulness. I then provide a reflective and reflexive account of the stages of research and go on to discuss implications for my professional and personal development.
Spectrum Allocation for Decentralized Transmission Strategies: Properties of Nash Equilibria

The interaction of two transmit-receive pairs coexisting in the same area and communicating using the same portion of the spectrum is analyzed from a game theoretic perspective. Each pair utilizes a decentralized iterative water-filling scheme to greedily maximize the individual rate. We study the dynamics of such a game and find properties of the resulting Nash equilibria. The region of achievable operating points is characterized for both low- and high-interference systems, and the dependence on the various system parameters is explicitly shown. We derive the region of possible signal space partitioning for the iterative water-filling scheme and show how the individual utility functions can be modified to alter its range. Utilizing global system knowledge, we design a modified game encouraging better operating points in terms of sum rate compared to those obtained using the iterative water-filling algorithm and show how such a game can be imitated in a decentralized noncooperative setting. Although we restrict the analysis to a two player game, analogous concepts can be used to design decentralized algorithms for scenarios with more players. The performance of the modified decentralized game is evaluated and compared to the iterative water-filling algorithm by numerical simulations.
Reliability in Layered Networks with Random Link Failures

We consider network reliability in layered networks where the lower layer experiences random link failures. In layered networks, each failure at the lower layer may lead to multiple failures at the upper layer. We generalize the classical polynomial expression for network reliability to the multi-layer setting. Using random sampling techniques, we develop polynomial time approximation algorithms for the failure polynomial. Our approach gives an approximate expression for reliability as a function of the link failure probability, eliminating the need to resample for different values of the failure probability. Furthermore, it gives insight on how the routings of the logical topology on the physical topology impact network reliability. We show that maximizing the min cut of the (layered) network maximizes reliability in the low failure probability regime. Based on this observation, we develop algorithms for routing the logical topology to maximize reliability.
Spot Rare Occurrences More Frequently by Lessening Inattentional Blindness

Abstract : Inattentional Blindness is the human condition of not perceiving an event that is rare or unexpected, even though it is in full view. This research tests the hypothesis that inattentional blindness to rare events can be lessened by increasing the frequency of rare events (thus making the events less rare). Our test domain is security. We videotaped actors in a building, and java-coded a test instrument simulating a contemporary multi-frame surveillance camera with a controls to allow response to on-screen events. We found that inattentional blindness dropped between the control group and the group with the maximum number of surprise events, although the number of false positives detected rose also. We found that additional thought time allotted to each surprise event did not lower inattentional blindness, but increasing the number of surprise events to attend to lowered main task performance somewhat. We did not find a correlation between individual differences such as age or gender and inattentional blindness level, nor did we find a correlation with the previous night s sleep. However, we did find a correlation between inattentional blindness and the location of the event on the viewing monitor.
Scale Invariant Feature Transform: A Graphical Parameter Analysis.

In this paper we introduce a general purpose graphical processing unit (GPGPU) based method for performing a sweep across a set of the scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) parameters for pairs of images. The focus of the paper is the analysis of the data generated using information visualisation techniques including a cross brushing technique between parallel coordinates, scatter plots and histograms. Results have shown us the importance of carefully selecting some parameters depending upon the properties of an image pair while other parameters are shown to be robust to variation. The parameters chosen by analysis of the sweep data have then been compared to the previously published SIFT’s values and a consistent improvement in accuracy is shown.