Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing Student Driven Learning: Impact on Knowledge and Attitude

It has been identified that some teaching strategies when applied encourage behavioral changes among students that will lead to better performance. Current teaching strategy in most engineering curricula is teacher-centered which gives scope to invent ways to enhance students learning by training them to selfconsciously adopt behaviours that can generate excellent outcomes. The main objective of this study is to investigate if self-driven learning, within a course format, can generate higher level of learning, motivation and attitude. In this view, the investigation was conducted on two levels. Firstly, students were given autonomy to self-select the laboratory work within the scope of the study in contrast to the traditional way where the laboratory work is assigned to the students by the lecturer. Secondly, in most cases students have little prior experience of the topics that are covered in the lecture thus, students were required to do pre-lecture reading on those specific topics to assess if it resulted in better understanding. Later, students submitted reading summaries on specific topics prior to the lecture and participated in quiz later on. The strategies executed were developing a multidimensional survey, that was run twice, that is pre-laboratory and post-laboratory to evaluate any measureable effect on student’s learning, motivation and self-efficacy. The results indicated a growth in self-efficacy and motivation and ability to perform task right from collection of data to interpretation and projecting application of knowledge. Preand postsurvey data plugs at statistically significant margin in self-efficacy of students with p  0.03. In addition, pre-lecture reading led to a better understanding of the assigned topics which became evident by extensive questions, arguments taking place during the class. Survey of poststrategies also showed motivation and confidence in the subject resulting in median=5 out of 5 and mean=4.19. Additionally, evidence suggest boosting the quality of learning generates positive attitudes, higher levels of confidence and problem solving abilities. Survey results and classroom discussions also indicate that students can engage into more in-depth and need-based learning that can improve the overall quality of both learning and teaching.
Longitudinal standards for mid-life cognitive performance: Identifying abnormal within-person changes in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention

A major challenge in the field of cognitive aging is differentiating disease-related cognitive change that has not yet become overt impairment from the more gradual decline in performance expected with normal aging. Published normative reference values are nearly always for single time point performances rather than longitudinal change in performance. To gain insight into how we might tackle the problem of identifying worrisome trajectories, we borrow a method from anthropometry: the development of standards that are conditional on an individual’s past measurements. We use quantile regression to create growth-curve-like models of performance on several common neuropsychological tests of memory and executive function while accounting for age, sex, education, estimated verbal ability, and past performance on the test, and then use these to estimate individuals’ percentile ranks. Choosing the 7th percentile as a threshold (corresponding to approximately 1.5 standard deviations below the expected mean), we then explore relationships between subthreshold performance, clinical outcomes, and subjective impairment. Participants whose performance fell below the 7th percentile were more likely to be given an abnormal research diagnosis at the current visit, but not at later visits. Performance below this threshold was also linked to subjective and informant reports of worsening memory function. We discuss potential uses of this method in theoretical and applied research and clinical settings.
Mechanism of large-scale flow reversals in turbulent thermal convection

Rare massive eruption of thermal plumes causes random reversals of the large-scale flow in turbulent thermal convection. It is commonly believed that heat flux passing through a closed thermal convection system is balanced so that the convection system can remain at a steady state. Here, we report a new kind of convective instability for turbulent thermal convection, in which the convective flow stays over a long steady “quiet period” having a minute amount of heat accumulation in the convection cell, followed by a short and intermittent “active period” with a massive eruption of thermal plumes to release the accumulated heat. The rare massive eruption of thermal plumes disrupts the existing large-scale circulation across the cell and resets its rotational direction. A careful analysis reveals that the distribution of the plume eruption amplitude follows the generalized extreme value statistics with an upper bound, which changes with the fluid properties of the convecting medium. The experimental findings have important implications to many closed convection systems of geophysical scale, in which massive eruptions and sudden changes in large-scale flow pattern are often observed.
Coordinated histone modifications and chromatin reorganization in a single cell revealed by FRET biosensors

Significance We have developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor to visualize in single live cells the histone H3 Lys-9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) dynamics. Together with another FRET biosensor for simultaneous monitoring of the neighboring histone H3 Ser-10 phosphorylation (H3S10p) in the same cell, we found an anticorrelation between the dynamics of H3K9me3 and H3S10p during cell cycles, with H3S10p facilitating the decrease of H3K9me3 at onset of mitosis. This decrease of H3K9me3 is accompanied by dissolution of heterochromatin structures before chromatin condensation and nuclear envelope dissolution. The coordinated regulation of H3S10p and H3K9me3 may enhance access of remodeling complexes to the chromatin. Our results hence provide insights on how histone modifications and chromatin structures are coordinated to regulate mitosis. The dramatic reorganization of chromatin during mitosis is perhaps one of the most fundamental of all cell processes. It remains unclear how epigenetic histone modifications, despite their crucial roles in regulating chromatin architectures, are dynamically coordinated with chromatin reorganization in controlling this process. We have developed and characterized biosensors with high sensitivity and specificity based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). These biosensors were incorporated into nucleosomes to visualize histone H3 Lys-9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and histone H3 Ser-10 phosphorylation (H3S10p) simultaneously in the same live cell. We observed an anticorrelated coupling in time between H3K9me3 and H3S10p in a single live cell during mitosis. A transient increase of H3S10p during mitosis is accompanied by a decrease of H3K9me3 that recovers before the restoration of H3S10p upon mitotic exit. We further showed that H3S10p is causatively critical for the decrease of H3K9me3 and the consequent reduction of heterochromatin structure, leading to the subsequent global chromatin reorganization and nuclear envelope dissolution as a cell enters mitosis. These results suggest a tight coupling of H3S10p and H3K9me3 dynamics in the regulation of heterochromatin dissolution before a global chromatin reorganization during mitosis.
Phase-based High-Precision Synchronization for Wireless Networks using FPGAs

In distributed systems, exact synchronization is essential for many applications. Wireless localization and communication systems, as well as high-precision sensor networks, demand time synchronization accuracies in the order of magnitude of nanoseconds or picoseconds. In this paper, we present a novel method of phase-based high-precision frequency and time synchronization for wireless devices. By observing the network traffic, the slave devices detect and compensate the drift of their local oscillator in relation to a master device. Once the frequency is synchronized, our new algorithm adjusts the system clock of the slaves. We realize our approach with the help of a software-defined radio consisting of a Field Programmable Gate Array and a radio frequency transceiver. By using a 5 GHz experimental setup based on IEEE 802.11a, the clock of a slave device is phase aligned to the clock of a master device with a precision of less than 5 ps and an accuracy of ±50 ps.
Control with Distributed Deep Reinforcement Learning: Learn a Better Policy

Distributed approach is a very effective method to improve training efficiency of reinforcement learning. In this paper, we propose a new heuristic distributed architecture for deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm, in which a PSO based network update mechanism is adopted to speed up learning an optimal policy besides using multiple agents for parallel training. In this mechanism, the update of neural network of each agent is not only according to the training result of itself, but also affected by the optimal neural network of all agents. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the proposed architecture is implemented on the Deep Q-Network algorithm (DQN) and the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient algorithm (DDPG) to train several typical control problems. The training results show that the proposed method is effective.
Perceptions and satisfaction of caregivers regarding rehabilitation services from selected rehabilitation centres in the Western Cape

Background Understanding caregivers’ views on rehabilitation services is important as it may assist in informing healthcare services and patient management. Objectives The aim of this study was to explore caregivers’ perceptions and satisfaction regarding rehabilitation services in the Western Cape, South Africa, and to inform clinical practice and policy in this emerging field. Method This study used a descriptive, qualitative design using in-depth interviews with conveniently selected participants. Interviews were conducted with 13 caregivers of patients with: amputations (3), cerebrovascular accidents (5) and neuromuscular disorders (5). Thematic content analysis was conducted with the transcripts. Results Four key themes emerged, which were (1) financial difficulties, (2) caregiver and therapist relationships, (3) facility management and (4) caregiver experience with service delivery. Conclusion Based on the participants’ feedback, the rehabilitation services seem to be meeting the basic rehabilitation needs of the patients; however, the needs of the caregivers require attention.
Effect of Na+-channel blockade on the three-dimensional substrate of atrial fibrillation in a model of endo-epicardial dissociation and transmural conduction.

Aims Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a progressive arrhythmia characterized by structural alterations that increase its stability. Both clinical and experimental studies showed a concomitant loss of antiarrhythmic drug efficacy in later stages of AF. The mechanisms underlying this loss of efficacy are not well understood. We hypothesized that structural remodelling may explain this reduced efficacy by making the substrate more three-dimensional. To investigate this, we simulated the effect of sodium (Na+)-channel block on AF in a model of progressive transmural uncoupling. Methods and results In a computer model consisting of two cross-connected atrial layers, with realistic atrial membrane behaviour, structural remodelling was simulated by reducing the number of connections between the layers. 100% of endo-epicardial connectivity represented a healthy atrium. At various degrees of structural remodelling, we assessed the effect of 60% sodium channel block on AF stability, endo-epicardial electrical activity dissociation (EED), and fibrillatory conduction pattern complexity quantified by number of waves, phase singularities (PSs), and transmural conduction ('breakthrough', BT). Sodium channel block terminated AF in non-remodelled but not in remodelled atria. The temporal excitable gap (EG) and AF cycle length increased at all degrees of remodelling when compared with control. Despite an increase of EED and EG, sodium channel block decreased the incidence of BT because of transmural conduction block. Sodium channel block decreased the number of waves and PSs in normal atrium but not in structurally remodelled atrium. Conclusion This simple atrial model explains the loss of efficacy of sodium channel blockers in terminating AF in the presence of severe structural remodelling as has been observed experimentally and clinically. Atrial fibrillation termination in atria with moderate structural remodelling in the presence of sodium channel block is caused by reduction of AF complexity. With more severe structural remodelling, sodium channel block fails to promote synchronization of the two layers of the model.
An investigation of multiple self-organizing feature maps for classification of multisource data

Multiple Self-Organizing Feature Maps (MSOMs) can be considered attractive for classification of remote sensing data with many input features. The MSOMs have several advantages, e.g., they are non-parametric, the computational cost for them only grows linearly as a function of the number of features, and they have been shown to approximate posterior probabilities. In the paper MSOMs are investigated for classification of a multisource remote sensing and geographic data set. In the experiments, the MSOM showed potential for classification of the multisource data set.
Interleukin 6 promotes an in vitro mineral deposition by stem cells isolated from human exfoliated deciduous teeth

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) plays various roles including stem cell regulation. The present study investigated the effect of IL-6 on cell proliferation, colony forming unit ability, stem cell marker expression and differentiation ability in stem cells isolated from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs). We reported that the isolated cells from dental pulp tissues for deciduous teeth expressed CD44, CD90 and CD105 but not CD45. These cells were able to differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes and neuronal-like cells. IL-6 treatment resulted in the significant increase of NANOG, SOX2 and REX1 mRNA expression. However, IL-6 had no effect on cell proliferation and colony forming unit ability. IL-6 did not alter adipogenic and neurogenic differentiation potency. IL-6 supplementation in osteogenic medium led to a significant increase of mineralization. Furthermore, IL-6 upregulated ALP, ANKH and PIT1 mRNA levels. In conclusion, IL-6 participates in the regulation of pluripotent marker expression and is also involved in mineralization process of SHEDs. Hence, IL-6 could be employed as a supplementary substance in culture medium to maintain stemness and to induce osteogenic induction in SHEDs for future regenerative cell therapy.
Pericentromeric hypomethylation elicits an interferon response in an animal model of ICF syndrome

Pericentromeric satellite repeats are enriched in 5-methylcytosine (5mC). Loss of 5mC at these sequences is common in cancer and is a hallmark of Immunodeficiency, Centromere and Facial abnormalities (ICF) syndrome. While the general importance of 5mC is well-established, the specific functions of 5mC at pericentromeres are less clear. To address this deficiency, we generated a viable animal model of pericentromeric hypomethylation through mutation of the ICF-gene ZBTB24. Deletion of zebrafish zbtb24 caused a progressive loss of 5mC at pericentromeres and ICF-like phenotypes. Hypomethylation of these repeats triggered derepression of pericentromeric transcripts and activation of an interferon-based innate immune response. Injection of pericentromeric RNA is sufficient to elicit this response in wild-type embryos, and mutation of the MDA5-MAVS dsRNA-sensing machinery blocks the response in mutants. These findings identify activation of the innate immune system as an early consequence of pericentromeric hypomethylation, implicating derepression of pericentromeric transcripts as a trigger of autoimmunity.
Use of high-resolution imagery to map wetland environments in south-central Ontario, Canada

Wetlands within the Great Lakes basin are among the most productive ecosystems in this region of North America. They provide habitat for many species of plants, fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. Acting as natural water purification systems, wetlands also filter contaminants and excessive nutrients. Despite the many functions and values of these ecosystems, human activities over the past 200 years have resulted in significant wetland degradation and loss within the Great Lakes basin. Wetland managers have identified the need to produce a detailed and accurate digital database of these ecosystems in order to better map and monitor their changes. To provide the detail that is necessary for management decisions, high-resolution imagery is often required. The overall goal of this study is to develop improved methods for wetland monitoring and management in Ontario. A specific objective of this is to investigate the capabilities of the Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) and Ikonos-2 sensors to provide detailed information on wetland vegetation and adjacent land-use/land-cover types in a shoreline wetland and in a series of inland wetland complexes located in south-central Ontario. In particular, the question arises as to what extent these data can be used to meet the operational mapping and monitoring requirements of governmental and nongovernmental agencies responsible for wetland management within this region. Spatial- and spectral-mode CASI as well as Ikonos-2 data were acquired over the selected study sites during the year 2000 growing season. Standard image analysis techniques were used to determine the information content of these data. Results to date indicate that high-resolution data can provide detailed information about wetlands and adjacent land-use and land-cover types. The most useful and accurate results were obtained by applying a maximum-likelihood classifier to selected green, red and near-infrared bands of the spatial-mode CASI data. These data permitted the greatest differentiation between vegetation types, particularly within the inland wetland site. Using these data, it was also possible to distinguish shallow open water and submergent aquatic communities, a task that has been difficult to accomplish with broad-band satellite data (e.g. Landsat TM). Discussions with resource managers indicate that the results of this study are useful to agencies responsible for wetland management in Ontario.
Human SPG11 cerebral organoids reveal cortical neurogenesis impairment

Abstract Spastic paraplegia gene 11(SPG11)-linked hereditary spastic paraplegia is a complex monogenic neurodegenerative disease that in addition to spastic paraplegia is characterized by childhood onset cognitive impairment, thin corpus callosum and enlarged ventricles. We have previously shown impaired proliferation of SPG11 neural progenitor cells (NPCs). For the delineation of potential defect in SPG11 brain development we employ 2D culture systems and 3D human brain organoids derived from SPG11 patients’ iPSC and controls. We reveal that an increased rate of asymmetric divisions of NPCs leads to proliferation defect, causing premature neurogenesis. Correspondingly, SPG11 organoids appeared smaller than controls and had larger ventricles as well as thinner germinal wall. Premature neurogenesis and organoid size were rescued by GSK3 inhibititors including the Food and Drug Administration-approved tideglusib. These findings shed light on the neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying disease pathology.
Almost a Revolution: Mental Health Law and the Limits of Change

As a prominent commentator and major investigator in the development of forensic psychiatry, Dr Paul Appelbaum has witnessed a profound change in the relationship between mental illness and the law. The civil rights movement of the 1960s not only dealt with racial equality but also extended to the mentally ill, as early optimism about benefits of psychiatric treatment gave way to doubts. Appelbaum, who experienced firsthand the "swirl of events," was a key participant in this "unprecedented epoch of change. " Now, in the 1990s, as cries for change have subsided, Appelbaum looks back at a tumultuous era and assesses four important mental health law reforms: (1) changes in civil commitment laws that included strict procedural protections for patients; (2) the imposition of liability on mental health professionals for violent acts committed by their patients; (3) a recognition of the right of psychiatric patients to refuse treatment, particularly with antipsychotic medications;
A Critical Literature Synthesis of Low-Income Oral Health Disparities in the United States and Interventions for Improved Access to Care

Over a decade ago the United States Surgeon General released a report about oral health in America which highlighted the disparities that exist between high and low-income populations. The current rates of untreated dental disease in low-income adults and children remain higher in low-income populations. This literature review examines low-income oral health disparities in the United States and the interventions that have been completed to increase access to dental treatment. An unequal distribution of dental providers and high costs for treatments contribute to the access issues that low-income individuals experience. This paper examines interventions at the individual, community, and policy levels. Innovations such as making changes in the dental workforce and expanding the role of mid-level dental providers are discussed. Evidence from the literature suggests that changes in government sponsored insurance policies have had the greatest impact on access to dental treatment. Behavioral interventions have been successful at changing oral health behaviors but further research needs to be done on how to best change the behavior of seeking dental treatment. Increasing the role of primary care providers was identified as an interdisciplinary collaboration to increase access for children. The untreated dental disease of low-income populations is a significant public health problem and further research needs to be done to determine the most effective innovations and interventions to increase access to care.
Another Diversity-Promoting Objective Function for Neural Dialogue Generation

Although generation-based dialogue systems have been widely researched, the response generations by most existing systems have very low diversities. The most likely reason for this problem is Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) with Softmax Cross-Entropy (SCE) loss. MLE trains models to generate the most frequent responses from enormous generation candidates, although in actual dialogues there are various responses based on the context. In this paper, we propose a new objective function called Inverse Token Frequency (ITF) loss, which individually scales smaller loss for frequent token classes and larger loss for rare token classes. This function encourages the model to generate rare tokens rather than frequent tokens. It does not complicate the model and its training is stable because we only replace the objective function. On the OpenSubtitles dialogue dataset, our loss model establishes a state-of-the-art DIST-1 of 7.56, which is the unigram diversity score, while maintaining a good BLEU-1 score. On a Japanese Twitter replies dataset, our loss model achieves a DIST-1 score comparable to the ground truth.