Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FLIP THE SCRIPT: USING THE REFINED FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL TO REDUCE THE BAME ATTAINMENT GAP

Higher Education (HE) within the UK faces a number of significant challenges, including the need to rethink the way in which degree programmes are delivered to an increasingly culturally diverse cohort wherein white students no longer represent the majority of students but, in many instances, account for only the second or third largest ethnic group of students enrolled on a University course. Both Banks (2006) and Pewewardy (2008) observe that minority students differ in the ways they learn and communicate. However, as Morgan (2010) notes, these students only differ "from what a given culture considers appropriate or normal. " Consequently, within the UK Higher Education sector, where the assumed norm has traditionally been based on provision of an education strategy targeted at a predominantly white student cohort, the concept of ‘appropriate or normal’ is now, rightly, being questioned. Indeed, it is an issue which HE institutions must address in order to respond effectively to this changing cultural environment. In this regard, the National Union of Students (NUS, 2009) noted that “Black students are less likely to be satisfied with their educational experience and to attain first-class degrees in comparison to their White peers’, going on to observe that ‘a simple explanation for the attainment and satisfaction gap of Black students does not exist”’. The author argues that despite a number of NUS and HEA reports over the past decade that have highlighted the BAME attainment gap, few sector-wide initiatives have been undertaken so as to address these concerns. The underlying pedagogy of many HE institution liberal arts programmes has remained largely unchanged for decades. As such, the author suggests that courses which were originally designed for a cohort predominantly comprised of white students, remains the underlying model despite a distinct change in the cultural diversity of current HE student bodies. This paper examines the use of a refined flipped-classroom model across an entire undergraduate programme which has resulted in a significant reduction in the BAME attainment gap. Pioneered by Bergmann and Sams, the traditional flipped-classroom is not a ‘model’, as such, but a means by which time may be saved (Tucker, 2012). It allows students to watch lectures on multiple occasions and at times that suit the individual. It also provides students with a cache of stored information to refer back to when it is time to revise. When refined, this approach provides an effective and inclusive mode for teaching and learning.
Analysis of Stakeholder/Value Dependency Patterns and Process Implications: A Controlled Experiment

Different classes of information system stakeholders depend on different values to be successful. Understanding stakeholders' value dependencies is critical for developing software intensive systems. However, there is no universal one-size-fits-all stakeholder/ value metric that can be applied for a given system. This paper presents an analysis of major classes of stakeholders' value priorities using the win-win prioritization results from 16 real-client graduate software engineering course projects. Findings from this controlled experiment further verify and extend the hypotheses that "different stakeholders have different value propositions", bridge the value understanding gaps among different stakeholders, beneficial for further reasoning about stakeholders' utility functions and for providing process guidance for software projects involving various classes of stakeholders.
A Study of the Low-Latitude Boundary Layer

The low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) is encountered at the interface between two plasma regions – the magnetosheath and plasma sheet and contains a mixture of both plasma populations. Plasma parameters inside the LLBL are variable, the spacecraft usually observes different layers of plasma populations. In our paper, we analyse mechanisms of formation of the LLBL. We found it very useful to draw the electron temperature as a function of the electron density to analyze LLBL profiles under different upstream conditions. We discuss preliminary results of the IMF BZ and IMF BY influences on the LLBL profile.
Promoter Methylation of MLH1, PMS2, MSH2 and p16 Is a Phenomenon of Advanced-Stage HCCs

Epigenetic silencing of tumour suppressor genes has been observed in various cancers. Looking at hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specific protein silencing was previously demonstrated to be associated with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, the proposed HCV dependent promoter methylation of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes and thereby enhanced progression of hepatocarcinogenesis has been the subject of controversial discussion. We investigated promoter methylation pattern of the MMR genes MLH1, MSH2 and PMS2 as well as the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A gene (p16) in 61 well characterized patients with HCCs associated with HCV, Hepatitis B virus infection or alcoholic liver disease. DNA was isolated from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumour and non-tumour adjacent tissue and analysed by methylation-specific PCR. Moreover, microsatellite analysis was performed in tissues showing methylation in MMR gene promoters. Our data demonstrated that promoter methylation of MLH1, MSH2, PMS2 and p16 is present among all considered HCCs. Hereby, promoter silencing was detectable more frequently in advanced-stage HCCs than in low-stage ones. However, there was no significant correlation between aberrant DNA methylation of MMR genes or p16 and HCV infection in related HCC specimens. In summary, we show that promoter methylation of essential MMR genes and p16 is detectable in HCCs most dominantly in pT3 stage tumour cases. Since loss of MMR proteins was previously described to be not only responsible for tumour development but also for chemotherapy resistance, the knowledge of mechanisms jointly responsible for HCC progression might enable significant improvement of individual HCC therapy in the future.
Detection, identification and differentiation of Pectobacterium and Dickeya species causing potato blackleg and tuber soft rot: a review

The soft rot Enterobacteriaceae (SRE) Pectobacterium and Dickeya species (formerly classified as pectinolytic Erwinia spp.) cause important diseases on potato and other arable and horticultural crops. They may affect the growing potato plant causing blackleg and are responsible for tuber soft rot in storage thereby reducing yield and quality. Efficient and cost-effective detection and identification methods are essential to investigate the ecology and pathogenesis of the SRE as well as in seed certification programmes. The aim of this review was to collect all existing information on methods available for SRE detection. The review reports on the sampling and preparation of plant material for testing and on over thirty methods to detect, identify and differentiate the soft rot and blackleg causing bacteria to species and subspecies level. These include methods based on biochemical characters, serology, molecular techniques which rely on DNA sequence amplification as well as several less-investigated ones.
Convex multiclass segmentation with shearlet regularization

Segmentation plays an important role in many preprocessing stages in image processing. Recently, convex relaxation methods for image multi-labelling were proposed in the literature. Often these models involve the total variation (TV) semi-norm as regularizing term. However, it is well known that the TV-functional is not optimal for the segmentation of textured regions. In recent years, directional representation systems were proposed to cope with curved singularities in images. In particular, curvelets and shearlets provide an optimally sparse approximation in the class of piecewise smooth functions with C 2 singularity boundaries. In this paper, we demonstrate that the discrete shearlet transform is suited as regularizer for the segmentation of curved structures. Neither the shearlet nor the curvelet transform where used as regularizer in a segmentation model so far. To this end, we have implemented a translation invariant finite discrete shearlet transform based on the fast Fourier transform. We describe how the shearlet transform can be incorporated within the multi-label segmentation model and show how to find a minimizer of the corresponding functional by applying an alternating direction method of multipliers. Here, the Parseval frame property of our shearlets comes into play. We demonstrate by numerical examples that the shearlet-regularized model can better segment curved textures than the TV-regularized one and that the method can also cope with regularizers obtained from non-local means.
The Selectivity of Neurons in the Macaque Fundus of the Superior Temporal Area for Three-Dimensional Structure from Motion

Motion is a potent cue for the perception of three-dimensional (3D) shape in primates, but little is known about its underlying neural mechanisms. Guided by recent functional magnetic resonance imaging results, we tested neurons in the fundus of the superior temporal sulcus (FST) area of two macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta, one male) using motion-defined surface patches with various 3D shapes such as slanted planes, saddles, or cylinders. The majority of the FST neurons (>80%) were selective for stimuli depicting specific shapes, and all the surfaces tested were represented among the selective FST neurons. Importantly, this selectivity tolerated changes in speed, position, size, or between binocular and monocular presentations. This tolerance demonstrates that the 3D structure-from-motion (3D-SFM) selectivity of FST neurons is a higher-order selectivity, which cannot be reduced to a lower-order speed selectivity. The 3D-SFM selectivity of FST neurons was unaffected by removal of the opposed-motion cue that supplemented the speed gradient cue in the standard stimuli. When tested with the same standard stimuli, fewer neurons in the middle temporal/visual 5 (MT/V5) area were selective than FST neurons. In addition, selective MT/V5 neurons represented fewer types of surfaces and were less tolerant of stimulus changes than FST neurons. Overall, these results indicate that FST neurons code motion-defined 3D shape fragments, underscoring the central role of FST in processing 3D-SFM.
Chapter 1 Categories , Prototypes , and Default Inheritance

Researchers in typological and functional approaches to language have argued that the cross-linguistic properties of nominalizations follow from the univeral semantic properties of syntactic categories. Specifically, nouns denote objects and verbs denote actions in the prototypical case. In this paper I argue that this prototypical association of semantic type with syntactic category can be represented in an HPSG lexical type hierarchy as a default constraint. Unmarked words will inherit from the categorial default, while words that do not inherit from the prototype will be structurally or behaviorally marked. Thus, default constraints provide a way to import insights about grammatical prototypes from more cognitively oriented work on language into a formal theory of grammatical
Simulating ventricular elastance with a heart-arterial interaction model

Mathematical models are necessary to understand the cardiovascular system and can assist in clinical conditions. The purpose of this paper is to describe a simple model based on the interaction of the ventricle with the arterial system that is able to simulate ventricular properties, such as ventricular elastance or blood pressure, using arterial pressure as an input. To achieve this aim, an already validated heart-arterial interaction model is adapted. It consists in the coupling of a Windkessel model for the arterial system with the time-varying elastance concept for the ventricular function. During the ejection phase ventricular elastance can be calculated from arterial pressure using differential equations. For the rest of the cardiac cycle the elastance curve needs to be extended appropriately. The model is tested using an invasively measured pressure data set for simulation. Measured aortic pressure is used to compute ventricular elastance, which is then used as an input to the original model and the resulting ventricular pressure curve is compared to the measurement. The simulation results show overall a good agreement with the measured data and therefore suggest that the model could be used to assess ventricular properties.
Metacognition in psychotic disorders

Being able to think about one’s own thoughts and feelings (metacognition) is often difficult for persons with a psychotic disorder. These difficulties have a negative influence on the (interpersonal) functioning. In the first part of this dissertation, we discuss different definitions of metacognitions which are used and the associated treatments, the link between metacognitive abilities and work experience, and risk of violence. In the second part of this dissertation we discuss our research into the effectiveness of a new psychotherapy aimed at metacognitive capacity in psychosis. First, we report our findings in the treatment of a single patient (case study), then a group of patients with whom we found encouraging results (pilot study), and finally a large study into the effectiveness of 40 sessions of this treatment in 35 patients compared to 35 patients who did not receive any treatment. Our results are modestly encouraging: immediately after treatment we find no differences between the groups; both groups had improved. In the control group, however, this effect disappears after 6 months, while the group which had received therapy continued to improve on metacognitive capacity.
An Implementation of Faster RCNN with Study for Region Sampling

We adapted the join-training scheme of Faster RCNN framework from Caffe to TensorFlow as a baseline implementation for object detection. Our code is made publicly available. This report documents the simplifications made to the original pipeline, with justifications from ablation analysis on both PASCAL VOC 2007 and COCO 2014. We further investigated the role of non-maximal suppression (NMS) in selecting regions-of-interest (RoIs) for region classification, and found that a biased sampling toward small regions helps performance and can achieve on-par mAP to NMS-based sampling when converged sufficiently.
Central overexpression of angiotensin AT(1A) receptors prevents dopamine D(2) receptor regulation of alcohol consumption in mice.

BACKGROUND While angiotensin receptors are found on the soma and terminals of dopaminergic neurons, controversy surrounds the potential role of angiotensin in alcohol consumption. METHODS Using a transgenic mouse with a brain-specific overexpression of angiotensin AT(1A) receptors (NSE-AT(1A) mice), we have examined the role of angiotensin in alcohol consumption and alcohol-induced regulation of the dopaminergic system. RESULTS The functional relevance of the overexpressed AT(1A) receptors was confirmed by an exaggerated rehydration response following 24-hour dehydration. NSE-AT(1A) mice showed a high preference for alcohol (similar to wild-type mice); yet, raclopride treatment had no effect on alcohol consumption in NSE-AT(1A) mice, while significantly reducing consumption in wild-type mice. In contrast, NSE-AT(1A) mice showed enhanced sensitivity to raclopride compared with wild types in terms of D(2) receptor up-regulation within the ventral mesencephalon. In addition, striatal D(2) receptors in NSE-AT(1A) mice were sensitive to up-regulation by chronic alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these data imply that while expression of angiotensin AT(1A) receptors on striatal neurons has no impact upon basal alcohol consumption or preference, AT(1A) receptors do modulate the sensitivity of dopamine D(2) receptors to regulation by alcohol and the ability of a D(2) receptor antagonist to reduce consumption.
EFFECT OF FLURIDONE ON PLANT DEVELOPMENT, LEAF ANATOMY AND PLASTID ULTRASTRUCTURE OF BARLEY PLANTS

Summary. The effect of fluridone on leaf anatomy and plastid ultrastructure was studied in barley plants grown under light and dark conditions. The appearance of defective mesophyll cells and chloroplasts with a destroyed thylakoid membrane system was found in fluridone-treated plants grown at a photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) of 600 µmol. m –2 . s –1 . Treatment of barley plants with fluridone in the absence of light led to alterations in leaf anatomy and to ultrastructural disorders.
Measuring coupling and cohesion in object-oriented systems

- As the role that software metrics in general and coupling in particular play with respect to maintain-ability of software products is widely accepted, current approaches to handle coupling and / or cohesion in object-oriented systems are evaluated. Having identiﬁed some in-adequacies, we provide a comprehensive framework to deal with all sorts of coupling. This framework takes into account the distinction be-tween object level - and class level coupling. This distinction refers to dynamic dependencies between objects on one hand and static dependencies between implementations on the other hand, representing important aspects of software quality at run-time and during the maintenance phase, respectively. As far as cohesion is concerned, we analyze a well known metric put forward by Chidamber and Kemerer and re-stated by Li and Henry. As a result, we present a graph theoretic improved version of this metric.
The relationship between Lewis/Secretor genotypes and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels in a Korean population.

BACKGROUND The Lewis histo-blood group system consists of 2 major antigens-Lea and Leb-and a sialyl Lewis antigen-carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9. We investigated the distribution of Lewis genotypes and evaluated the relationship between the Lewis/Secretor genotypes and the serum level of CA 19-9 in a Korean population to identify whether the serum CA 19-9 levels are influenced by the Lewis/Secretor genotypes. METHODS The study included 242 individuals who had no malignancies. Lewis genotyping was performed for the 59T>G, 508G>A and 1067T>A polymorphic sites. The Secretor genotype was determined through analysis of the 357C>T and 385A>T polymorphic sites and the fusion gene. Serum CA 19-9 level was analyzed using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS Individuals carrying the 3 common genotypes-Le/Le, Le/le(59,508), and Le/le(59,1067)-accounted for 95% of the study population. In the Korean population, the allelic frequencies of Le, Le(59), le(59,508), and le(59,1067) were 0.731, 0.010, 0.223, and 0.035, respectively. We found a significant difference in serum CA 19-9 concentrations among the 9 Lewis/Secretor genotype groups (P<0.001). The serum CA 19-9 levels in subjects with genotype groups 1 and 2 (Le/- and se/se) were higher than those with genotype groups 3-6 (Le/- and Se/-; 15.63 vs 6.64 kU/L, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Le/Le, Le/le(59,508), and Le/le(59,1067) are frequent Lewis genotypes in Koreans. Because serum CA 19-9 levels are significantly influenced by the Lewis/Secretor genotypes, caution is suggested when interpreting the serum CA 19-9 levels.
The effect of a cognitive-motor intervention on voluntary step execution under single and dual task conditions in older adults: a randomized controlled pilot study

Background This randomized controlled pilot study aimed to explore whether a cognitive-motor exercise program that combines traditional physical exercise with dance video gaming can improve the voluntary stepping responses of older adults under attention demanding dual task conditions. Methods Elderly subjects received twice weekly cognitive-motor exercise that included progressive strength and balance training supplemented by dance video gaming for 12 weeks (intervention group). The control group received no specific intervention. Voluntary step execution under single and dual task conditions was recorded at baseline and post intervention (Week 12). Results After intervention between-group comparison revealed significant differences for initiation time of forward steps under dual task conditions (U = 9, P = 0.034, r = 0.55) and backward steps under dual task conditions (U = 10, P = 0.045, r = 0.52) in favor of the intervention group, showing altered stepping levels in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion A cognitive-motor intervention based on strength and balance exercises with additional dance video gaming is able to improve voluntary step execution under both single and dual task conditions in older adults.
Cortical effects of bromocriptine, a D‐2 dopamine receptor agonist, in human subjects, revealed by fMRI

Studies of human subjects performing cognitive tasks on and off dopaminergic drugs have suggested a specific role of dopamine in cognitive processes, particularly in working memory and prefrontal “executive” functions. However, the cortical effects of these drugs have been poorly understood. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine both task‐specific and general changes in cortical activity associated with bromocriptine, a selective agonist for D‐2 dopamine receptors. Bromocriptine resulted in task‐specific modulations of task‐related activity in three cognitive tasks. Across tasks, the overall effect of the drug was to reduce task‐related activity. We also observed drug effects on behavior that correlated with individual differences in memory span. We argue that bromocriptine may show both task‐specifc modulation and task‐general inhibition of neural activity due to dopaminergic neurotransmission. Hum. Brain Mapping 12:246–257, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gender differences in the association between C-reactive protein, lung function impairment, and COPD

Individuals with COPD have systemic inflammation that can be assessed by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP). In this paper we evaluated whether CRP is related to COPD, lung function and rate of lung function decline. We included 1237 randomly selected subjects (mean age 42, range 28–56 years) from three centers in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey: Reykjavik, Uppsala and Tartu. CRP was measured at the end of the follow-up (mean 8.3 years) and the values were divided into 4 quartiles. Fifty-three non-asthmatic subjects fulfilled spirometric criteria for COPD (FEV1/FVC < 70%). COPD occurred more often in the 4th CRP quartile (OR (95% CI) 3.21 (1.13–9.08)) after adjustment for age, gender, body weight and smoking. High CRP levels were related to lower FEV1 values in both men (−437 (−596, −279) mL) and women (−144 (−243, −44) mL). The negative association between CRP and FEV1 was significantly larger in men than women (p = 0.04). The decline in FEV1 was larger (16 (5, 27) mL) in men with high CRP levels whereas no significant association between CRP and FEV1 decline was found in women. Higher CRP values are significantly associated with COPD and lower lung function in men and women. In men higher CRP values are related to a larger decline in FEV1.