Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eurographics/ Ieee-vgtc Symposium on Visualization (2007) Hardware-accelerated Stippling of Surfaces Derived from Medical Volume Data

We present a fast hardware-accelerated stippling method which does not require any preprocessing for placing points on surfaces. The surfaces are automatically parameterized in order to apply stippling textures without major distortions. The mapping process is guided by a decomposition of the space in cubes. Seamless scaling with a constant density of points is realized by subdividing and summarizing cubes. Our mip-map technique enables arbitrarily scaling with one texture. Different shading tones and scales are facilitated by adhering to the constraints of tonal art maps. With our stippling technique, it is feasible to encode all scaling and brightness levels within one self-similar texture. Our method is applied to surfaces extracted from (segmented) medical volume data. The speed of the stippling process enables stippling for several complex objects simultaneously. We consider application scenarios in intervention planning (neck and liver surgery planning). In these scenarios, object recognition (shape perception) is supported by adding stippling to semi-transparently shaded objects which are displayed as context information.
Learning Advanced Leadership

Given the lack of preparation incoming school district superintendents receive and the many challenges they face, this article reviews the approach of the few existing programs for new superintendents and describes the leadership development strategies that would be beneficial. With this background, the article presents the findings from an evaluation of the New Superintendents Seminar Series, a pilot program created and managed by a major research university. Over a single calendar year the New Superintendents Seminar Series provided five weekend sessions and a week-long summer institute to six participants with less than three years of experience as superintendents. The series created learner-centered, action-oriented and reflection-rich learning strategies to develop self-directed learning, peer-mediated learning and engagement with experts. An action research evaluation demonstrated that, in general, the program faculty observed and the participants rated the series high as a learning experience and as a means for developing their leadership capabilities. They also reported that the series had an important impact on their approach to leadership and concrete work in their districts.
Counselling in Schools: Looking Back and Looking Forward.

The history of counselling in schools is briefly outlined. Recent educational reforms have led to a fragmented approach which represents a return to the earlier view that counselling should be provided by outside specialists. This is particularly evident in relation to the issue of student exclusion from schools. It goes against the growing emphasis on the inclusion of students and on attention to the student voice in education. Counselling has an important part to play in enhancing both learning and effective schooling. Interviews with staff and students in two schools are drawn upon. It is argued that a polarisation of the cognitive and the personal/social is false and shortsighted.
Implementation and Outcomes of Supplemental Educational Services: The Tennessee State-Wide Evaluation Study

Supplemental Educational Services (SES), a component of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, provides free tutoring to economically disadvantaged children who are attending Title I schools in their 2nd or more years of school improvement. This research evaluated SES in Tennessee to determine the: (a) impacts on student achievement, and (b) perceptions of SES implementation and outcomes by teachers, district coordinators, principals/site coordinators, and parents. Using value-added methodology, statistical analyses of achievement data controlled for both student ability and teacher effects in 2 alternative models. Not surprisingly, parent reactions to SES were highly positive, whereas those by the 3 other stakeholder groups were more mixed. Achievement results from both analytical models yielded mostly small and nonsignificant provider effects. The implications of the findings for evaluating SES are discussed with regard to both research and policy issues. Recommendations are offered for broadening the evaluation of SES through smaller mixed-methods studies to examine implementation and educational outcomes in more highly controlled contexts.
Epidemiological and Genetic Diversity of Staphylococcus aureus Causing Bloodstream Infection in Shanghai, 2009-2011

Objectives Staphylococcus aureus or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been an important pathogen causing bloodstream infections. Our study aimed to investigate the epidemiological and genetic diversity of clinical S. aureus isolates from patients with bloodstream infection in four hospitals of Shanghai from 2009 to 2011. Methods A collection of S. aureus isolates causing bloodstream infection from four hospitals in the central part of Shanghai was carried out. Antimicrobial susceptibility testings of collected isolates were performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines, and spa-type, multi-locus sequence typing, agr type and toxin gene profiling were performed to explore the molecular diversity. Moreover, MRSA strains were also characterized by Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. Results The drugs such as linezolid, teicoplanin and vancomycin were efficacious for treating S. aureus including MRSA bloodstream infection. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strains displayed distinct diversity in molecular characterization and toxin genes, and three virulent MSSA strains encoding at least five toxins were detected. Five community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains were found, but the majority (88.7%) of MRSA strains belonged to two epidemic clones (ST239-MRSA- III and ST5-MRSA- II) with different toxin gene profiles among patients with bloodstream infection. Conclusions Healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) strains were still the main pathogen causing bloodstream infections in spite of the emergence of CA-MRSA strains in hospital setting.
Research into environmental marketing/management: a bibliographic analysis

Purpose – This study seeks to identify, synthesize, and evaluate extant research on environmental marketing and management, with the ultimate aim of unveiling trends in this field. Specifically, it aims to focus on: the characteristics of authors and manuscripts written on the subject; the methodological aspects of empirical studies, in terms of design, scope and methodology; and the thematic areas tackled, as well as the specific issues raised within each area.Design/methodology/approach – Relevant articles were identified using both electronic and manual bibliographic search methods. Altogether, 530 articles were identified in 119 academic journals published during the period 1969‐2008. Each article was content‐analyzed along six major dimensions, namely authorship profile, manuscript characteristics, research design, scope of research, research methodology, and topical area.Findings – Overall, it was revealed that this body of research has undergone a serious transformation, moving from an early stage .
Radiation Recall Reaction: Two Case Studies Illustrating an Uncommon Phenomenon Secondary to Anti-Cancer Agents

Radiation recall phenomenon is a tissue reaction that develops throughout a previously irradiated area, precipitated by the administration of certain drugs. Radiation recall is uncommon and easily neglected by physicians; hence, this phenomenon is underreported in literature. This manuscript reports two cases of radiation recall. First, a 44-year-old man with nasopharyngeal carcinoma was treated with radiotherapy in 2010 and subsequently developed multi-site bone metastases. A few days after the docetaxel-based chemotherapy, erythema and papules manifested dermatitis, as well as swallowing pain due to pharyngeal mucositis, developed on the head and neck that strictly corresponded to the previously irradiated areas. Second, a 19-year-old man with recurrent nasal NK/T cell lymphoma initially underwent radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy after five weeks. Erythema and edema appeared only at the irradiated skin. Both cases were considered chemotherapeutic agents that incurred radiation recall reactions. Clinicians should be knowledgeable of and pay attention to such rare phenomenon.
Measurement and predictors of young adults' perceived ability to cope with dental life events

The purpose of the present study was to assess coping skills and predictors of the ability to cope with dental life events employing a 10-item rather than a 48-item rating questionnaire. A representative random sample of 1490 subjects aged 25 years from 3 Norwegian counties received a mail questionnaire in March 1997. The response rate was 62% after 1 reminder. Eight selected items from the Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire (SRRQ) plus 2 dental items were presented as graphic rating scales with the endpoints 'not difficult at all' and 'more difficult than anything'. Mean values were used to rank the life events and for comparison with findings from a previous study. Information was also collected for 16 predictor variables (Table 2). The informants found it moderately difficult to cope with losing one or more teeth and with getting dentures. A 10- and a 48-item rating scale seemed to give comparable results. In multiple logistic regression analysis, controlling for having experienced extraction during the previous 5 years, gender, and dental anxiety were significant predictors of both dental life events; education, many cavities, and belief in keeping teeth for life influenced coping with getting dentures. The identified predictors of dental life events explained <11% of the variance. In addition to extending the list of predictors of perceived need for skills to adjust to dental life events, the study also provided evidence to suggest that it may be acceptable to rely on a shorter rating questionnaire.
Fast-Paced Precalculus Mathematics for Talented Junior High Students: Two Recent SMPY Programs

For ten years, the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY), based at The Johns Hopkins University, has been concerned with identifying and facilitating the education of youths who can reason extremely well mathematically. ’ The principal means of identification used by SMPY has been the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) (see George, 1979a). Since 1971, SMPY has used the SAT in seven talent searches for individuals of predominantly seventh-grade age. In an effort to develop programs for the mathematically talented students who have been identified, SMPY has sponsored a dozen accelerated and enriched precalculus mathematics classes. A detailed description of the earlier classes is given by Fox (1974), George (1976), Stanley (1976), George and Denham (1976), and George (1979b). During the summers of 1978 and 1979, mathematics classes sponsored by SMPY were held primarily for seventh-grade-age (12 or 13 years old) students. The objective of both summer programs was that each participant learn well and at a high level of understanding as much precalculus mathematics as was feasible during the eight-week program. The students who were selected
Evaluation of Laser-Assisted Trans-Nail Drug Delivery with Optical Coherence Tomography

The nail provides a functional protection to the fingertips and surrounding tissue from external injuries. The nail plate consists of three layers including dorsal, intermediate, and ventral layers. The dorsal layer consists of compact, hard keratins, limiting topical drug delivery through the nail. In this study, we investigate the application of fractional CO2 laser that produces arrays of microthermal ablation zones (MAZs) to facilitate drug delivery in the nails. We utilized optical coherence tomography (OCT) for real-time monitoring of the laser–skin tissue interaction, sparing the patient from an invasive surgical sampling procedure. The time-dependent OCT intensity variance was used to observe drug diffusion through an induced MAZ array. Subsequently, nails were treated with cream and liquid topical drugs to investigate the feasibility and diffusion efficacy of laser-assisted drug delivery. Our results show that fractional CO2 laser improves the effectiveness of topical drug delivery in the nail plate and that OCT could potentially be used for in vivo monitoring of the depth of laser penetration as well as real-time observations of drug delivery.
Gallai's Theorem for List Coloring of Digraphs

A classical theorem of Gallai states that in every graph that is critical for k-colorings, the vertices of degree $k-1$ induce a tree-like graph whose blocks are either complete graphs or cycles of odd length. We provide a generalization to colorings and list colorings of digraphs, where some new phenomena arise. In particular, the problem of list coloring digraphs with the lists at each vertex v having $\min\{d^{+}(v),d^{-}(v)\}$ colors turns out to be NP-hard.
Differential Developmental Pathways of High School Dropouts and Graduates

The authors examined the developmental pathways between high school graduates and dropouts. The authors obtained official school data via a random sample of 119 students enrolled across 4 cohorts. The authors postulated 2 research questions: (a) Do differences exist in the developmental pathways of high school graduates in comparison with high school dropouts? (b) If differences do exist in the developmental pathways of high school graduates in comparison with high school dropouts, when and across which variables do these differences occur? Multiple t tests demonstrated differences between high school graduates and dropouts as early as kindergarten. Further, the developmental progression of graduates and dropouts diverged over time, regardless of which subject data was studied.
The Impact of Interface Complexity on Failures : an Empirical Analysis and Implications for Tool Design

Information hiding is a cornerstone principle of modern software engineering. Interfaces are central to realizing the benefits of information hiding, but despite their widespread use, designing good interfaces is not a trivial activity. Particular design choices can have a significant detrimental effect on quality or development productivity. In this paper, we examine the relative impact of interface complexity on the failure proneness of source code files using data from two large-scale systems from two distinct software companies. Our analyses showed that increases in the complexity of interfaces are associated with increases the failure proneness of source code files. Building on our empirical results, we develop a set of implications for designing tools aimed at assisting developers to cope with the detrimental impact of interface complexity.
Use of mutual information to decrease entropy: Implications for the second law of thermodynamics.

Several theorems on the mechanics of gathering information are proved, and the possibility of violating the second law of thermodynamics by obtaining information is discussed in light of these theorems. Maxwell's demon can lower the entropy of his surroundings by an amount equal to the difference between the maximum entropy of his recording device and its initial entropy, without generating a compensating entropy increase. A demon with human-scale recording devices can reduce the entropy of a gas by a negligible amount only, but the proof of the demon's impracticability leaves open the possibility that systems highly correlated with their environment can reduce the environment's entropy by a substantial amount without increasing entropy elsewhere. In the event that a boundary condition for the universe requires it to be in a state of low entropy when small, the correlations induced between different particle modes during the expansion phase allow the modes to behave like Maxwell's demons during the contracting phase, reducing the entropy of the universe to a low value.
Gravitational Wave Bursts from the Galactic Massive Black Hole

The Galactic massive black hole (MBH), with a mass of M• = 3.6× 10 6 M⊙, is the closest known MBH, at a distance of only 8 kpc. The proximity of this MBH makes it possible to observe gravitational waves from stars with periapse in the observational frequency window of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna(LISA). This is possible even if the orbit of the star is very eccentric, so that the orbital frequency is many orders of magnitude below the LISAfrequency window, as suggested by Rubbo et al. (2006). Here we give an analytical estimate of the detection rate of such gravitational wave bursts. The burst rate is critically sensitive to the inner cut-off of the stellar density profile. Our model accounts for mass-segregation and for the physics determining the inner radius of the cusp, such as stellar collisions, energy dissipation by gravitational wave emission, and consequences of the finite number of stars. We find that stellar black holes have a burst rate of the order o f 1 yr −1 , while the rate is of order . 0.1 yr −1 for main sequence stars and white dwarfs. These analytical estimates are supported by a series of Monte Carlo samplings of the expected distribution of stars around the Galactic MBH, which yield the full probability distribution for the rates. We estimate that no burst will be observable from the Virgo cluster.
Target Preference of 15 Quinolones against Staphylococcus aureus, Based on Antibacterial Activities and Target Inhibition

ABSTRACT The antibacterial activities and target inhibition of 15 quinolones against grlA and gyrA mutant strains were studied. The strains were obtained from wild-type Staphylococcus aureus MS5935 by selection with norfloxacin and nadifloxacin, respectively. The antibacterial activities of most quinolones against both mutant strains were lower than those against the wild-type strain. The ratios of MICs for the gyrA mutant strain to those for the grlA mutant strain (MIC ratio) varied from 0.125 to 4. The ratios of 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of quinolones against topoisomerase IV to those against DNA gyrase (IC50 ratios) also varied, from 0.177 to 5.52. A significant correlation between the MIC ratios and the IC50ratios was observed (r = 0.919; P < 0.001). These results suggest that the antibacterial activities of quinolones against the wild-type strain are involved not only in topoisomerase IV inhibition but also in DNA gyrase inhibition and that the target preference in the wild-type strain can be anticipated by the MIC ratios. Based on the MIC ratios, the quinolones were classified into three categories. Type I quinolones (norfloxacin, enoxacin, fleroxacin, ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin, trovafloxacin, grepafloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin) had MIC ratios of <1, type II quinolones (sparfloxacin and nadifloxacin) had MIC ratios of >1, and type III quinolones (gatifloxacin, pazufloxacin, moxifloxacin, and clinafloxacin) had MIC ratios of 1. Type I and type II quinolones seem to prefer topoisomerase IV and DNA gyrase, respectively. Type III quinolones seem to target both enzymes at nearly the same level in bacterial cells (a phenomenon known as the dual-targeting property), and their IC50 ratios were approximately 2.
The After-Potential that Follows Trains of Impulses in Frog Muscle Fibers

Intracellular recordings of the negative after-potential that follows a train of impulses in frog muscle are described. It is postulated that the cause of this after-potential is an accumulation of potassium, during the train, in an intermediary space that is located between the major portion of the sarcoplasm and the external fluid. The decline of the after-potential is then produced by the exchange of potassium from the intermediary space with sodium from the external fluid.
Diversion of the Metabolic Flux from Pyruvate Dehydrogenase to Pyruvate Oxidase Decreases Oxidative Stress during Glucose Metabolism in Nongrowing Escherichia coli Cells Incubated under Aerobic, Phosphate Starvation Conditions

ABSTRACT Ongoing aerobic metabolism in nongrowing cells may generate oxidative stress. It is shown here that the levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARSs), which measure fragmentation products of oxidized molecules, increased strongly at the onset of starvation for phosphate (Pi). This increase in TBARS levels required the activity of the histone-like nucleoid-structuring (H-NS) protein. TBARS levels weakly increased further in ΔahpCF mutants deficient in alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AHP) activity during prolonged metabolism of glucose to acetate. Inactivation of pyruvate oxidase (PoxB) activity decreased the production of acetate by half and significantly increased the production of TBARS. Overall, these data suggest that during incubation under aerobic, Pi starvation conditions, metabolic flux is diverted from the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex (NAD dependent) to PoxB (NAD independent). This shift may decrease the production of NADH and in turn the adventitious production of H2O2 by NADH dehydrogenase in the respiratory chain. The residual low levels of H2O2 produced during prolonged incubation can be scavenged efficiently by AHP. However, high levels of H2O2 may be reached transiently at the onset of stationary phase, primarily because H-NS may delay the metabolic shift from PDH to PoxB.
Bayesian Unsupervised Word Segmentation with Nested Pitman-Yor Language Modeling

In this paper, we propose a new Bayesian model for fully unsupervised word segmentation and an efficient blocked Gibbs sampler combined with dynamic programming for inference. Our model is a nested hierarchical Pitman-Yor language model, where Pitman-Yor spelling model is embedded in the word model. We confirmed that it significantly outperforms previous reported results in both phonetic transcripts and standard datasets for Chinese and Japanese word segmentation. Our model is also considered as a way to construct an accurate word n-gram language model directly from characters of arbitrary language, without any "word" indications.