Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Psycho-Social Adaptation in the Spanish Second Generation: A Fixed-Effects Analysis

This analysis seeks to establish the key causal determinants of four psycho-social outcomes of children of immigrants — educational aspirations, educational expectations, perceptions of discrimination, and national self-identity — through first-differencing fixed-effects models. Using longitudinal data from the Spanish ILSEG study, we find that both increased identification with the host country and reported experiences of discrimination in it significantly increase educational ambition over time. Reduced experiences of discrimination facilitate increased identification with the host society, while such identification leads to less perceived hostility. Birthplace proves to be the strongest predictor of national self-identity.
Exploring Blended Learning for Science Teacher Professional Development in an African Context

This paper explores a case of teacher professional development in Botswana where a blended learning solution was attempted. The analysis of the implementation environment reveals deficiencies in policy, schools (workplaces), and training providers. The paper concludes with three recommendations: 1) Schools should support ongoing teacher learning in the workplace and should manage ICT resources for use by both teachers and students; 2) Government should support participatory and localised learning and institutionalise ICT access and use; and 3) Training providers should use blended methods and should model good ICT practices. The author also notes that change is needed in the culture of teaching and learning so that ongoing, situated, participatory, and collaborative approaches are accepted. Finally, collaboration between the training providers and the schools is necessary as is a change in beliefs about the use of ICTs in education.
Proprotein convertase cleavage liberates a fibrillogenic fragment of a resident glycoprotein to initiate melanosome biogenesis

Lysosome-related organelles are cell type–specific intracellular compartments with distinct morphologies and functions. The molecular mechanisms governing the formation of their unique structural features are not known. Melanosomes and their precursors are lysosome-related organelles that are characterized morphologically by intralumenal fibrous striations upon which melanins are polymerized. The integral membrane protein Pmel17 is a component of the fibrils and can nucleate their formation in the absence of other pigment cell–specific proteins. Here, we show that formation of intralumenal fibrils requires cleavage of Pmel17 by a furin-like proprotein convertase (PC). As in the generation of amyloid, proper cleavage of Pmel17 liberates a lumenal domain fragment that becomes incorporated into the fibrils; longer Pmel17 fragments generated in the absence of PC activity are unable to form organized fibrils. Our results demonstrate that PC-dependent cleavage regulates melanosome biogenesis by controlling the fibrillogenic activity of a resident protein. Like the pathologic process of amyloidogenesis, the formation of other tissue-specific organelle structures may be similarly dependent on proteolytic activation of physiological fibrillogenic substrates.
The effect of DOF separation in 3D manipulation tasks with multi-touch displays

Multi-touch displays represent a promising technology for the display and manipulation of data. While the manipulation of 2D data has been widely explored, 3D manipulation with multi-touch displays remains largely uncovered. Based on an analysis of the integration and separation of degrees of freedom, we propose a taxonomy for 3D manipulation techniques with multi-touch displays. Using that taxonomy, we introduce DS3 (Depth-Separated Screen Space), a new 3D manipulation technique based on the separation of translation and rotation. In a controlled experiment, we compare DS3 with Sticky Tools and Screen-Space. Results show that separating the control of translation and rotation significantly affects performance for 3D manipulation, with DS3 being at least 22% faster.
“I learned by watching my mentor.” Nurturing teacher leadership with an induction program

ABSTRACT How do educators learn to be teacher leaders? In this qualitative survey research study, we explored perceptions of 227 former induction program participants concerning teacher leadership (65% response rate). Methodologically, we conducted qualitative coding of open-ended survey data. Defined teacher leadership, participants often referred to their mentor. They reported currently serving in a wide variety of teacher leadership roles. They suggested the induction program and their mentors nurtured them to become teacher leaders. Examining the data, we conclude that during the program mentors demonstrate to novices teacher leader characteristics, as they share best practices, model professionalism, and offer support. They normalize that leadership is simply a part of good teaching. When the participants graduate and work in classrooms, many draw upon their induction experiences and emerge as teacher leaders. Data suggest that to increase teacher leadership, more comprehensive, full-time mentoring induction programs are warranted.
Combined Multi-Temporal Optical and Radar Parameters for Estimating LAI and Biomass in Winter Wheat Using HJ and RADARSAR-2 Data

Leaf area index (LAI) and biomass are frequently used target variables for agricultural and ecological remote sensing applications. Ground measurements of winter wheat LAI and biomass were made from March to May 2014 in the Yangling district, Shaanxi, Northwest China. The corresponding remotely sensed data were obtained from the earth-observation satellites Huanjing (HJ) and RADARSAT-2. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the relationships of LAI and biomass with several optical spectral vegetation indices (OSVIs) and radar polarimetric parameters (RPPs), (2) to estimate LAI and biomass with combined OSVIs and RPPs (the product of OSVIs and RPPs (COSVI-RPPs)), (3) to use multiple stepwise regression (MSR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) to test and compare the estimations of LAI and biomass in winter wheat, respectively. The results showed that LAI and biomass were highly correlated with several OSVIs (the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and modified triangular vegetation index 2 (MTVI2)) and RPPs (the radar vegetation index (RVI) and double-bounce eigenvalue relative difference (DERD)). The product of MTVI2 and DERD (R2 = 0.67 and RMSE = 0.68, p < 0.01) and that of MTVI2 and RVI (R2 = 0. 68 and RMSE = 0.65, p < 0.01) were strongly related to LAI, and the product of the optimized soil adjusted vegetation index (OSAVI) and DERD (R2 = 0.79 and RMSE = 148.65 g/m2, p < 0.01) and that of EVI and RVI (R2 = 0. 80 and RMSE = 146.33 g/m2, p < 0.01) were highly correlated with biomass. The estimation accuracy of LAI and biomass was better using the COSVI-RPPs than using the OSVIs and RPPs alone. The results revealed that the PLSR regression equation better estimated LAI and biomass than the MSR regression equation based on all the COSVI-RPPs, OSVIs, and RPPs. Our results indicated that the COSVI-RPPs can be used to robustly estimate LAI and biomass. This study may provide a guideline for improving the estimations of LAI and biomass of winter wheat using multisource remote sensing data.
The Near-Infrared and Optical Spectra of Methane Dwarfs and Brown Dwarfs

We identify the pressure-broadened red wings of the saturated potassium resonance lines at 7700 Å as the source of anomalous absorption seen in the near-infrared spectra of Gliese 229B and, by extension, of methane dwarfs in general. In broad outline, this conclusion is supported by the 1999 work of Tsuji et al. The WFPC2 I-band measurement of Gliese 229B is also consistent with this hypothesis. Furthermore, a combination of the blue wings of this K I resonance doublet, the red wings of the Na D lines at 5890 Å, and, perhaps, the Li I line at 6708 Å can explain in a natural way the observed WFPC2 R-band flux of Gliese 229B. Hence, we conclude that the neutral alkali metals play a central role in the near-infrared and optical spectra of methane dwarfs and that their lines have the potential to provide crucial diagnostics of brown dwarf properties. We speculate on the systematics of the near-infrared and optical spectra of methane dwarfs, for a given mass and composition, that stems from the progressive burial with decreasing Teff of the alkali metal atoms to larger pressures and depths. Moreover, we surmise that those extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) that achieve Teffvalues in the 800-1300 K range because of stellar insolation will show signatures of the neutral alkali metals in their albedo and reflection spectra. We estimate that, predominantly because of absorption by Na D lines, the geometric albedo of the EGP τ Boo b at λ = 0.48 μm is less than 0.1, which is consistent with the new (and low) upper limit of 0.3 recently obtained by Charbonneau et al. in 1999.
On sets of natural numbers whose difference set contains no squares

We show that if a sequence s/ of natural numbers has no pair of elements whose difference is a positive square, then the density of J/ n{l,. ,«} is O(l/log«) c »), cn->-oo. This improves previous results which showed that the density converges to zero, but at a slower rate. We use a technique based on the method of Hardy and Littlewood together with a combinatorial result that is of independent interest. The approach may be useful for other problems in additive number theory.
A Genetically Mediated Bias in Decision Making Driven by Failure of Amygdala Control

Genetic variation at the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) is associated with altered amygdala reactivity and lack of prefrontal regulatory control. Similar regions mediate decision-making biases driven by contextual cues and ambiguity, for example the “framing effect. ” We hypothesized that individuals hemozygous for the short (s) allele at the 5-HTTLPR would be more susceptible to framing. Participants, selected as homozygous for either the long (la) or s allele, performed a decision-making task where they made choices between receiving an amount of money for certain and taking a gamble. A strong bias was evident toward choosing the certain option when the option was phrased in terms of gains and toward gambling when the decision was phrased in terms of losses (the frame effect). Critically, this bias was significantly greater in the ss group compared with the lala group. In simultaneously acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging data, the ss group showed greater amygdala during choices made in accord, compared with those made counter to the frame, an effect not seen in the lala group. These differences were also mirrored by differences in anterior cingulate–amygdala coupling between the genotype groups during decision making. Specifically, lala participants showed increased coupling during choices made counter to, relative to those made in accord with, the frame, with no such effect evident in ss participants. These data suggest that genetically mediated differences in prefrontal–amygdala interactions underpin interindividual differences in economic decision making.
東南亞裔新移民母親之家長參與及與子女學校生活適應之關聯 Parental Involvement of Southeastern Asian Female Immigrants and Its Relationship to Their Children’s School Life Adjustments

The purpose of the current research was to investigate the relationship of parental involvement of female immigrants from Southeastern Asian countries to the school life adjustments of their children. Samples were collected from six counties: Taipei, Tao-Yuan, Tai-Chung, Yun-Lin, Ping-Tong, and Pen-Hu. Local children, who were in the same classroom as the immigrant parents’ children, were of the same gender, and had fathers with similar educational backgrounds, were selected as the control group. Altogether, 395 immigrant families and 509 local comparative families participated. Data were analyzed through factor analysis, chi-square test, and ANOVA. Results were as follows: 1. No ethnic differences in learning attitudes, curriculum and environment perceptions, and student-teacher relationships were noted. However, the immigrant children tend to have less positive perceptions regarding peer relationships than the local (control) group. 2. Other than school activity participation, the immigrant mothers participated less on various levels of parental involvement. For both ethnic groups, involvement of mothers in family discipline was positively related to the learning attitudes of children and school environment perception. However, the relationship between children’s peer network and mothers’ family discipline was shown in the local (control) group, but not in the immigrant group. Nevertheless, the higher the family enrichment was, the more favorable the children’s relationship with their teachers for both ethnic groups. Corresponding Author: Yuh-Yin Wu, E-mail: yuhyin@tea.ntue. edu.tw 186 吳毓瑩、蔡振州、蕭如芬 新移民母親家長參與
Academics’ perspectives of international students in UK higher education

ABSTRACT UK Higher Education (HE) is going through a process of unprecedented change, where large numbers of its student body now come from internationally diverse contexts. These students come from different cultures, backgrounds and educational systems which influence the way they interact, learn and engage with UK HE. Key participants in this engagement and interaction are UK HE academics, who play a significant role in the development of the international student teaching and learning experience. This paper aims to investigate this role and investigate the academic expectations and perceptions of 22 academic tutors across 3 UK HE Business Schools. Within this context the paper will explore how academic knowledge and understanding of international students influence their pedagogical approaches; the participants in the research each had a minimum of three years’ teaching experience. Data were analysed using template analysis through the lens of an interpretive approach. The findings indicate that more needs to be done to support the integration of international students in UK HE.
An Analysis of Ray Tracing Bandwidth Consumption

The trend in chip-multi-processors for the next several years is for on-chip FLOPS to grow much faster than bandwidth to off-chip DRAM. This trend is likely to emerge as a performance bottleneck for future real-time ray tracing systems. In this paper, we assess the impact of this bottleneck by measuring the DRAM bandwidth requirements for several different ray tracing algorithms, each running on simulated architectures with a variety of cache sizes. We conclude that for current packet-tracing algorithms, bandwidth will not be a bottleneck for primary rays, but that it will be a bottleneck for soft shadow rays. This bottleneck is caused primarily by dramatically lower cache hit rates, rather than by an increase in total working set, which suggests that substantial reductions in memory bandwidth requirements would be possible by designing algorithms that do a better job of scheduling ray traversals in a coherent fashion for divergent secondary rays. CR Categories: I.3. 7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism—Raytracing;
FLCN, a novel autophagy component, interacts with GABARAP and is regulated by ULK1 phosphorylation

Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD) syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant condition caused by mutations in the FLCN gene and characterized by benign hair follicle tumors, pneumothorax, and renal cancer. Folliculin (FLCN), the protein product of the FLCN gene, is a poorly characterized tumor suppressor protein, currently linked to multiple cellular pathways. Autophagy maintains cellular homeostasis by removing damaged organelles and macromolecules. Although the autophagy kinase ULK1 drives autophagy, the underlying mechanisms are still being unraveled and few ULK1 substrates have been identified to date. Here, we identify that loss of FLCN moderately impairs basal autophagic flux, while re-expression of FLCN rescues autophagy. We reveal that the FLCN complex is regulated by ULK1 and elucidate 3 novel phosphorylation sites (Ser406, Ser537, and Ser542) within FLCN, which are induced by ULK1 overexpression. In addition, our findings demonstrate that FLCN interacts with a second integral component of the autophagy machinery, GABA(A) receptor-associated protein (GABARAP). The FLCN-GABARAP association is modulated by the presence of either folliculin-interacting protein (FNIP)-1 or FNIP2 and further regulated by ULK1. As observed by elevation of GABARAP, sequestome 1 (SQSTM1) and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (MAP1LC3B) in chromophobe and clear cell tumors from a BHD patient, we found that autophagy is impaired in BHD-associated renal tumors. Consequently, this work reveals a novel facet of autophagy regulation by ULK1 and substantially contributes to our understanding of FLCN function by linking it directly to autophagy through GABARAP and ULK1.
Towards Closing the Loop : Active Learning for Robotics Robotics : Science and Systems 2010

This paper addresses a new challenge in active learning: objects are described in different levels of quality and we can obtain a better version of an object at a given cost. This setting is very useful in robotics, where computing and time resources are limited. We aim to improve and label only a few objects under a given budget in an active learning setting.
Primary Hippocampal Neurons, Which Lack Four Crucial Extracellular Matrix Molecules, Display Abnormalities of Synaptic Structure and Function and Severe Deficits in Perineuronal Net Formation

The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the brain plays crucial roles during the development, maturation, and regeneration of the CNS. In a subpopulation of neurons, the ECM condenses to superstructures called perineuronal nets (PNNs) that surround synapses. Camillo Golgi described PNNs a century ago, yet their biological functions remain elusive. Here, we studied a mouse mutant that lacks four ECM components highly enriched in the developing brain: the glycoproteins tenascin-C and tenascin-R and the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans brevican and neurocan. Primary embryonic hippocampal neurons and astrocytes were cultivated using a cell insert system that allows for co-culture of distinct cell populations in the absence of direct membrane contacts. The wild-type and knock-out cells were combined in the four possible permutations. Using this approach, neurons cultivated in the presence of mutant astrocytes displayed a transient increase of synapses after 2 weeks. However, after a period of 3 weeks or longer, synapse formation and stabilization were compromised when either neuron or astrocyte cell populations or both were of mutant origin. The development of PNN structures was observed, but their size was substantially reduced on knock-out neurons. The synaptic activity of both wild-type and knock-out neurons was monitored using whole-cell patch clamping. The salient observation was a reduced frequency of IPSCs and EPSCs, whereas the amplitudes were not modified. Remarkably, the knock-out neuron phenotypes could not be rescued by wild-type astrocytes. We conclude that the elimination of four ECM genes compromises neuronal function.
Promoter Transgenics Reveal Multiple Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-I-Expressing Cell Populations of Different Embryological Origin in Mouse Brain

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-I (GnRH-I) is thought to be expressed by a single, highly spatially restricted group of neurons, which originate in the olfactory placode and migrate through the nose into the medial septum and hypothalamus from where they control fertility. Transgenic mice bearing a 13.5 kb GnRH-I-lacZ reporter construct were derived and found to express high levels of β-galactosidase mRNA and protein within the septohypothalamic GnRH neurons in a correct temporal and spatial manner. Unexpectedly, low levels of β-galactosidase were also present in three further populations of cells within the lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and tectum. Analysis of wild-type mice with three different GnRH-I antibodies revealed distinct and transient patterns of GnRH-I peptide expression during development in all three of these populations revealed by transgenics. The synthesis of GnRH by cells of the lateral septum was the most persistent and remained until the third postnatal week. Embryonic “small eye” Pax-6 null mice, which fail to develop an olfactory placode, were also examined and shown to have equivalent populations of GnRH-I-immunoreactive cells in the lateral septum, tectum, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis but none of the migrating cells that form the septohypothalamic GnRH population. These results prove that so-called “ectopic” expression in promoter transgenic lines can reflect authentic developmental patterns of gene expression. They further provide the first demonstration in mammalian brain that multiple neuronal populations of different embryological origin express GnRH-I peptide during embryonic and postnatal development.
Semantic-based Optimal XML Schema Matching: A Mathematical Programming Approach

We propose a novel solution for semantic-based XML schema matching, taking a mathematical programming approach. This method identifies the globally optimal solution for the problem of matching two XML schemas by reducing the tree-to-tree matching problem to simpler problems of path-topath, node-to-node, and word-to-word matching. We formulate these matching problems as maximum weighted bipartite graph matching problems with different constraints, which are solved by different mathematical programming techniques, including integer programming and dynamic programming. Solutions to simpler problems provide weights for the next stage until the optimal tree-to-tree matching solution is obtained. The effectiveness of this approach has been verified and demonstrated by computer experiments.
Matrix Completion Under Monotonic Single Index Models

Most recent results in matrix completion assume that the matrix under consideration is low-rank or that the columns are in a union of low-rank subspaces. In real-world settings, however, the linear structure underlying these models is distorted by a (typically unknown) nonlinear transformation. This paper addresses the challenge of matrix completion in the face of such nonlinearities. Given a few observations of a matrix that are obtained by applying a Lipschitz, monotonic function to a low rank matrix, our task is to estimate the remaining unobserved entries. We propose a novel matrix completion method that alternates between low-rank matrix estimation and monotonic function estimation to estimate the missing matrix elements. Mean squared error bounds provide insight into how well the matrix can be estimated based on the size, rank of the matrix and properties of the nonlinear transformation. Empirical results on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate the competitiveness of the proposed approach.