Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online Discussion as a Mechanism of Conceptual Change Among Mathematics and Science Teachers

This study examines the extent to which conceptual change is stimulated and achieved through online discussion in the context of an online graduate course. Transcripts of discussions among 15 graduate students studying assessment issues in mathematics and science education were analyzed using an interaction analysis model developed to assess knowledge construction and conceptual change in the context of an online debate. Although evidence of authentic conceptual change was limited, significant cognitive activity supporting conceptual change was identified. We offer observations about course characteristics that contributed to conceptual change, discuss the limitations of applying an existing content analysis model to a new context, and suggest further research focusing on mathematical discourse and scientific inquiry in the online environment. Cette etude examine jusqu’a quel point un changement conceptuel est stimule et realise a travers une discussion en ligne dans le contexte d’un cours de deuxieme cycle en ligne. Les transcriptions des discussions entre quinze etudiants gradues etudiant l’evaluation en mathematique et en sciences de l’education ont ete analysees grace a un modele d’analyse de l’interaction developpe pour mesurer la construction de connaissance et le changement conceptuel dans le contexte d’un debat en ligne. Malgre le fait que les preuves qu’un changement conceptuel authentique se soit produit sont limitees, une activite cognitive significative supportant le changement conceptuel a ete identifiee. Des observations sont presentees sur les caracteristiques d’un cours contribuant au changement conceptuel, de meme qu’une discussion sur les limites de l’application d’un modele d’analyse de contenu dans un nouveau contexte. Des suggestions sont faites pour de nouvelles etudes centrees sur le discours en mathematique et en recherche scientifique dans les environnements en ligne.
Sufficient conditions for C^1,α parametrization and rectifiability

We say a measure is C d-rectifiable if there is a countable union of C d-surfaces whose complement has measure zero. We provide sufficient conditions for a Radon measure in R to be C d-rectifiable, with α ∈ (0, 1]. The conditions involve a Bishop-Jones type square function and all statements are quantitative in that the C constants depend on such a function. Along the way we also give sufficient conditions for C parametrizations for Reifenberg flat sets in terms of the same square function. Key tools for the proof come from David and Toro’s Reifenberg parametrizations of sets with holes in the Hölder and Lipschitz categories.
PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIP AMONG FOUR EGYPTIAN AND ONE SPANISH RABBIT POPULATIONS BASED ON MICROSATELLITE MARKERS

Seventeen microsatellite loci were used to identify the phylogenetic relationship among four Egyptian breeds and one Spanish line of rabbits. A total of 114 bucks rabbits belonging to four Egyptian breeds -Black Baladi (EBB), Gabali (EG), Red Baladi (ERB) and White Giza (EWG)and Spanish White New Zealand line from Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (NZW) were studied. All microsatellite loci typed were polymorphic. The average number of alleles per locus was 5.41, ranging from 2 to 12. A total of 16 private alleles were found in 7 out of 17 microsatellite loci used. Mean observed heterozygosity was 0.527, ranging from 0.477 in the NZW breed to 0.581 in the EWG. Lower values for Ho were found for all populations. The inbreeding coefficient of individuals relative to the total population (FIT) was 0.279. The overall within-population heterozygote deficit (FIS) was 0.165, ranging from 0.045 in NZW breed to 0.266 in EBB breed. The overall variation between population (FST) was 0.137, where the NZW breed showed the most differentiated population (FST = 0.194). The Neighbour-Joining tree of the Reynolds genetic distances (DR) among populations shows a clear separation of the Spanish population (NZW) from the Egyptians breeds and there is a population mixture in the Egyptian populations. Only the ERB may to cluster in one independent population.
Monolayer II-VI semiconductors: A first-principles prediction

Hui Zheng,1 Xian-Bin Li,1,* Nian-Ke Chen,1 Sheng-Yi Xie,1 Wei Quan Tian,1,2 Yuanping Chen,3 Hong Xia,1 S. B. Zhang,1,4,† and Hong-Bo Sun1,‡ 1State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China 2Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China 3Laboratory for Quantum Engineering and Micro-Nano Energy Technology, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China 4Department of Physics, Applied Physics, & Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA (Received 11 January 2015; revised manuscript received 14 May 2015; published 21 September 2015)
The Influence Of Mathematics Preparation On The Retention And Academic Achievement Of Underrepresented Engineering Students

The Grove School of Engineering (SOE) at the City College of New York (CCNY) is an urban institution of higher learning. One of the School’s missions is to provide education to a highly diverse student body, including traditionally underrepresented minorities, women, working adults, and immigrants in the greater New York metropolitan area. The admissions criteria of the School of Engineering are under continuous review and one of the purposes of this study is to provide data to support decisions about those criteria. We wish to determine what actually influences the success or failure of an engineering student. This will help the School to develop more effective tools to increase retention and academic achievement. This paper focuses on the impact of math preparation on academic achievement and retention among students in the cohort of fall 1999. Special attention is paid to transfer students and predictors of retention and academic achievement that are specific to transfer students, such as the number of transfer credits in subjects relevant to engineering, possession of an associate degree, and the nature of the transferring institution. The results show that the number of credits in math and science and previous GPA are the strongest predictors of retention and academic achievement among transfers in the School of Engineering.
Accumulation of Biogenic Amines in Wine: Role of Alcoholic and Malolactic Fermentation

Biogenic amines (BAs) are detrimental to health and originate in foods mainly from decarboxylation of the corresponding amino acid by the activity of exogenous enzymes released by various microorganisms. BAs can be generated at different stages of the wine production. Some of them are formed in the vineyard and are normal constituents of grapes with amounts varying with variety, soil type and composition, fertilization and climatic conditions during growth and degree of maturation. BAs can be also formed by the yeasts during the alcoholic fermentation (AF), as well as by the action of bacteria involved in the malolactic fermentation (MLF). As aminogenesis is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, the studies carried out to identify the main vinification stage of BAs production yielded contradictory results. In particular, there is not a general consensus yet on which fermentation supports mostly the accumulation of BAs in wine. In this context, the aim of the present paper deals with the most recent results related with the influence of alcoholic and malolactic fermentation parameters on BAs-producer microorganism in wine.
Clinical Psychophysical Assessment of the ON- and OFF-Systems of the Magnocellular and Parvocellular Visual Pathways

We developed a psychophysical paradigm for the clinical assessment of the contrast sensitivity (CS) mediated by the ON- and OFF-systems of the Magnocellular and Parvocellular pathways. We designed a stimulus considering two dimensions: two spatial frequencies (0.5 and 4.5 cpd) and two temporal rates of flicker (33 ms and 1500 ms). To evidence the ON- and OFF responses, the CS was measured for two polarities of light with luminance changes of 0.6 dB steps above and below the medium luminance grey background. We tested 38 healthy volunteers. The results shows that Magnocellular contrast sensitivity was higher than Parvocellular for the 33 ms flickering stimulus and the Parvocellular contrast sensitivity was higher than Magnocellular for 1500 ms stimuli. The reliability of the test was checked and confirmed. We concluded that the test performs a rapid measurement of the CS mediated by the ON and OFF systems of Magnocellular and Parvocellular pathways. It is useful in clinical protocols due to its high sensitivity and good reliability.
Dental Anxiety among Dental , Medical , and Nursing Students in India and Its Correlation with Their Field of Study

Contributors: 1Professor, Department of Periodontics, PSM College of Dental Sciences and Research, Akkikavu, Trichur, Kerala, India; 2Reader, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Navodaya Dental College & Hospital, Raichur, Karnataka, India; 3Professor and Head, Department of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, MNR Dental College and Hospital, Sangareddy, Medak, Telangana, India; 4Reader, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, PSM College of Dental Sciences and Research, Akkikavu, Trichur, Kerala, India; 5Reader, Department of Oral Pathology & Microbiology, PSM College of Dental Sciences and Research, Akkikavu, Trichur, Kerala, India; 6Reader, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, MNR Dental College and Hospital, Sangareddy, Medak, Telangana, India. Correspondence: Dr. Reddy Ealla KK. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, MNR Dental College and Hospital, Sangareddy, Medak 502 294, Telangana, India. Phone: +91-9849409070. Email: drekkr@yahoo.co.in How to cite the article: Thomas M, Kumar V, Sooraparaju SG, Mathew T, Kumar A, Reddy Ealla KK. Dental anxiety among dental, medical, and nursing students in India and its correlation with their field of study. J Int Oral Health 2016;8(8):860-864. Abstract: Background: Rejection of dental treatment could be attributed due to dental fear and anxiety in many patients. Health sciences students are educational resources for the general population. Their reaction to dental treatment is very important to know their dental behavior. This study was designed to evaluate dental anxiety levels among medical, dental, and nursing students and its correlation between faculties. Materials and Methods: A total of 500 undergraduate students from the faculties of medicine, nursing, and dentistry were recruited into the study. Dental anxiety among study group was measured using modified dental anxiety scale. Results: Around 425 complete questionnaires were returned, which accounts for a response rate of 82% (425/500). The mean anxiety scores were the following: Dental students, 28.6% (40/140); medical students, 35.4% (70/198), and nursing students, 46.0% (40/87). Women exhibited higher anxiety level but the difference was not statistically significant. Most of the participants were anxious about local anesthetic injection (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Most of the medical and nursing students exhibited high dental anxiety. Inadequate knowledge about dental health education may result in a high level of dental anxiety among non-dental students. Further studies are required to identify the correlation of dental anxiety among health sciences students.
Oxidation of Formamidines by Cerium(IV) in Aqueous Perchlorate Solutions: A Kinetics and Mechanistic Approach

The kinetics of oxidation of one of the formamidine derivatives, namely, methylaminopyrazole formamidine (MAPF) by cerium(IV) has been investigated in aqueous perchlorate solutions at a constant ionic strength of 1.2 mol dm-3 and at 25°C. The progress of the reaction was followed spectrophotometrically. The reaction exhibited a first order kinetics with respect to [Ce(IV)], whereas the order with respect to [MAPF] was found to be less than unity. The reaction rate decreased with the increase in acid concentration with a negative less than unit order. The rate of reaction was not affected by increasing either ionic strength or dielectric constant of the medium. Furthermore, addition of cerium(III) product did not affect the reaction rate. The plausible oxidation mechanism involves formation of an intermediate complex between MAPF substrate and the kinetically active species of cerium(IV) in a pre-equilibrium step which decomposes in the slow step to give free radical derived from the substrate and Ce(III). The free radical is attacked by another Ce(IV) species to yield the final oxidation products which were identified by spectral and chemical analyses as methylaminopyrazole, dimethylamine and carbon dioxide. The activation parameters have been evaluated and discussed. The rate law associated with the reaction mechanism was derived.
Money and Capital

The effects of money (anticipated inflation) on capital formation is a classic issue in macroeconomics. Previous papers adopt reduced-form approaches, putting money in the utility function, or imposing cash in advance, but using otherwise frictionless models. We follow instead a literature that tries to be explicit about the frictions making money essential. This introduces new elements, including a two-sector structure with centralized and decentralized markets, stochastic trading opportunities, and bargaining. These elements matter quantitatively and numerical results differ from findings in the reduced-form literature. The analysis also reduces a gap between microfounded monetary economics and mainstream macro.
Population dynamics in wild boar Sus scrofa: ecology, elasticity of growth rate and implications for the management of pulsed resource consumers

Summary 1. In terrestrial ecosystems many species show large population fluctuations caused by pulsed resources, such as mast seeding. A prime example of a mammal strongly affected by mast seeding of trees is the wild boar Sus scrofa , a species that has become a pest in many parts of the world. We investigated the population dynamics of wild boar to assist the development of effective management strategies for this species and possibly for other pulsed resource consumers. 2. We analysed published vital rates of wild boar using Leslie matrix projection models and elasticity analysis. Models were based on vital rates of animals under poor, intermediate and good environmental conditions, which represent combinations of differences in food availability (particularly mast of beech Fagus sylvatica and/or oak Quercus spp.) and winter climate. 3. Interestingly, we observed a crossover in the ranking of elasticities ( e ; the relative impact of each vital rate on population growth rate λ ) when comparing different conditions. While the elasticity of λ to adult survival was highest in poor environments [ e ( P adult ) = 0·36, e ( P juvenile ) = 0·22], the elasticity of λ to juvenile survival was highest under good conditions [ e ( P adult ) = 0·16, e ( P juvenile ) = 0·28]. Thus juvenile survival becomes increasingly important for population growth as habitat conditions improve. 4. Our analysis of empirical beech mast records gave some indication of an increase of full masts over the last few decades. Modelling different beech mast scenarios showed that an increase in full mast frequency will lead to a rapid increase in λ . The availability of alternative food resources, namely agricultural crops, may also contribute to an expansion of wild boar populations. 5. Synthesis and applications . We suggest that, whenever possible, management strategies should be based on separate elasticity analyses for different environmental conditions, especially for species dependent on pulsed resources. For wild boar we suggest the following principal management strategies to stop further population increases: (i) supplementary feeding should be strictly avoided; (ii) under good environmental conditions, reducing juvenile survival will have the largest effect on λ , whereas strong hunting pressure on adult females will lead to most effective population control in years with poor conditions.
The first estimates of global nucleation mode aerosol concentrations based on satellite measurements

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosols play a key role in the Earth's climate system by scattering and absorbing solar radiation and by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. Satellites are increasingly used to obtain information on properties of aerosol particles with a diameter larger than about 100 nm. However, new aerosol particles formed by nucleation are initially much smaller and grow into the optically active size range on time scales of many hours. In this paper we derive proxies, based on process understanding and ground-based observations, to determine the concentrations of these new particles and their spatial distribution using satellite data. The results are applied to provide seasonal variation of nucleation mode concentration. The proxies describe the concentration of nucleation mode particles over continents. The source rates are related to both regional nucleation and nucleation associated with more restricted sources. The global pattern of nucleation mode particle number concentration predicted by satellite data using our proxies is compared qualitatively against both observations and global model simulations.
Land Surface Temperature and Urban Density: Multiyear Modeling and Relationship Analysis Using MODIS and Landsat Data

This work aims to model and relate the urban density and land surface temperature (LST) by a straightforward and efficient approach. Although the urban density-LST relation is widely addressed in literature, this study allows for its modeling and parameterization in an accurate way, providing a further scientific support for the city planning policy. The urban density and the LST analysis is carried out in the Bangkok area for the years 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016; in this time interval, the city exhibited an evident urban expansion. Firstly, by using land cover maps obtained from Landsat reflective observations, the urban land density growth across the years studied is evaluated by applying a ring-based approach, a method employed in urban theory, providing urban density curves as a function of the distance from the city center. For each year, the urban density curve is well modeled by an inverse S-shape function, the parameters of which highlight an urban sprawl over the years studied and an outskirt growth in recent years. Then, employing 237 MODIS LST images, the night-time and daytime mean LST patterns for each year were processed applying the same ring-based analysis, obtaining LST trends versus distance. Albeit the mean LST decreases away from the city core, the daytime and night-time trends are different in both shape and values. The daytime LST exhibits a trend also modeled by an inverse S-shape function, whereas the night-time one is modeled by a quadratic function. Finally, the urban density-LST relationship is inferred across the years: For daytime, the relation is quadratic with a coefficient of determination r2 around 0.98–0.99, whereas for night-time the relation is linear with r2 of the order of 0.95–0.96. The proposed approach allows for reliable modeling and to straightforwardly infer a very accurate urban density-LST relationship.
Internal migration around the world: comparing distance travelled and its frictional effect

This paper examines how internal migration distance and its frictional effect vary between countries. Such comparisons are hampered by differences in the number and configuration of spatial units for which data are available − the modifiable area unit problem (MAUP). We use the flexible aggregation routines embedded in the IMAGE Studio, a bespoke software platform which incorporates a spatial interaction model, to elucidate these scale and pattern effects in a set of countries for which finely grained origin-destination matrices are available. We model the relationship between mean migration distance and mean area size and we show that the frictional effect of distance remains remarkably stable across spatial scale, except where zones have small populations and are poorly connected. This stability allows robust comparisons between countries even though zonal systems differ. We find that mean migration distances vary widely, being highest in large, low-density countries and positively associated with urbanisation, HDI and GDP per capita. This suggests a positive link between development and migration distance, paralleling that between development and migration intensity. We find less variation in the beta parameter that measures distance friction but identify clear spatial divisions between more developed countries, with lower friction in larger, less dense countries undergoing rapid population growth.
Systematic review of dexamethasone as an adjuvant therapy for bacterial meningitis in children

Objective: To analyze the best available evidence from the last 15 years on the benefits of adjuvant therapy with dexamethasone for bacterial meningitis in children. Data sources: Randomized controlled trials comparing dexamethasone to placebo and/or other adjuvant therapies in patients with bacterial meningitis diagnosed by bioche- mical, cytological and/or microbiological data. Studies with patients from 29 days to 18 years of age, from 1996 to 2011, were searched at Medline, Lilacs and SciELO databases. The evaluated outcomes were mortality and development of neurological and/or hearing impairment. Studies related to tuberculous meningitis were excluded. Data synthesis: With the specified criteria, five publi- shed studies were identified corresponding to four study protocols. None of the studies showed differences between dexamethasone and placebo for the evaluated outcomes. All analyzed studies had high methodological quality (Ja- dad et al score=5). Conclusions: Current evidence is insufficient to su- pport routine adjuvant therapy with dexamethasone to reduce mortality, hearing impairment, or neurological sequelae in pediatric patients with non-tuberculous bac- terial meningitis.
Influences of weather phenomena on automotive laser radar systems

Abstract. Laser radar (lidar) sensors provide outstanding angular resolution along with highly accurate range measurements and thus they were proposed as a part of a high performance perception system for advanced driver assistant functions. Based on optical signal transmission and reception, laser radar systems are influenced by weather phenomena. This work provides an overview on the different physical principles responsible for laser radar signal disturbance and theoretical investigations for estimation of their influence. Finally, the transmission models are applied for signal generation in a newly developed laser radar target simulator providing – to our knowledge – worldwide first HIL test capability for automotive laser radar systems.