Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drosophila Phototransduction Simulator

This code contains detailed modelling of the single photon response, the quantum bump, of fly photoreceptors. All known components participating in the primary phototransduction process are taken into account, and estimates are given for the both the physical and the chemical parameters. The same model can be used for multiphoton response, i.e. in the case of higher light intensity stimuli. The model successfully reproduces the experimental results for the statistical features of quantum bumps (average shape, peak current average value and variance, the latency distribution, etc), arrestin mutant behaviour, low extracellular Ca cases, etc. The TRP channel activity is modelled using the Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) theory for allosteric interaction. The model can combine deterministic and stochastic approaches and allows for a detailed noise analysis. The computational model was coded in Matlab using the Parallel Computing Toolbox, which allows computations on multicore computers and computer clusters. An appropriate graphic user interface was developed which gives very convenient and instructive presentation of the parameters used in the modelling and could easily be expanded to other G-protein coupled cascade processes. Code covered by the BSD License (Matlab Central, File exchange), please see BSD_License. txt file or visit: http://www.mathworks. com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/view_license? file_info_id=22942 If you use this code please cite the papers [1] and [2]. The main file Drosophila_Phototransduction. m opens the GUI. The GUI contains the preloaded values for parameters and should be mostly self-explanatory in combination with the paper [1]. It is possible to run stochastic and deterministic models for single and multiple runs. The output consists of a table for some average values and three graphs (for the average quantum bump, latency times distribution and peak current distribution). It is possible to produce some other plots currently commented out in gui_averageQBall. m and gui_singleQB_multi. m files. References 1. Nikolic K, Loizu J, Degenaar P, Toumazou C: A stochastic model of the single photon response in Drosophila photoreceptors , Integrative Biology, 2010, Vol:2, Pages:354-370. 2.Nikolic K, Loizu J, Degenaar P: Computational Modelling of the Drosophila Phototransduction Cascade , Biophysical Journal, Vol:98, Issue 3, Supplement 1, January 2010, Page 495a.
Development of a concept demonstrator for QRS complex detection using combined algorithms

This paper describes a study on combined algorithms used for classification of QRS Complex in ECG signals. The proposed algorithm/detector uses Hillbert transform on a Wavelet base for the pre-processing stage. Both Hillbert transform and Wavelet base known to be superior in reducing unwanted noise resembles in ECG signal such as baseline wander and muscle noise. In addition, the Pan-Tompkins algorithm was employed as the QRS peak detection. A testing against MIT-BIH Arrhythmias Database results in a reliable detection error rate (DER) of 98.7%. It can be concluded that, the proposed method offers significant noise reduction in pre-processing stage and still produce a reliable results even with the contaminated ECG signal.
How to Increase Response Rates in List-Based Web Survey Samples

The rising popularity of online surveys in marketing research precipitates a flood of e-mail invitations requesting participation from potential respondents. As a result, response rates are diminishing, reflecting a decline in the willingness to participate in web surveys. To compare the effectiveness of different response-enhancing techniques in a list-based web survey, an experiment with a full factorial between-subjects design varying the factors sender, number of contacts, and questionnaire layout was set up. A total of 1,563 members from a list of information technology (IT) managers employed at Austrian companies were assigned randomly to one of eight experimental conditions. Their willingness to participate was measured in terms of total response and break off. The results indicate that using a prenotification message and a female sender for contacting male sample members increases response rates; using an advanced questionnaire layout significantly reduces break offs, but does not influence total response.
Learners' Feedback in Online Chats: What Does It Reveal about Students' Learning?

Learners engaged in synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) work collaboratively to construct knowledge by providing each other with implicit and explicit feedback. In addition to its value in encouraging learners to make modifications toward target-like forms, the implicitness or explicitness of the feedback provides a means to understand the individual learner's language development (Aljaafreh & Lantolf, 1994). Being that microgenetic growth results from learners who provide each other with gradual and contingent help in face-to-face interactions (Ohta, 2000), it would be of interest to learn if such gradual and contingent help appears in SCMC with the same positive effects. Thus, this study explores two questions: (a) To what extent do learners in SCMC engage in similar patterns of assistance to those used in face-to-face interactions between students? (b) To what extent does microgenetic growth occur as a result of learner-learner interactions? For this study, two full classes of Intermediate Spanish I students were selected. Students were placed in pairs (plus two triads) and participated in a series of tasks as a part of their assigned class work. The researcher analyzed the discussion transcripts, identified different moments of assistance, and examined the data for instances of microgenetic growth. The results of this study suggest that, although learners did indeed provide each other with gradual and contingent feedback and, in some instances, showed microgenetic growth, neither were as apparent as those found in face-to-face interactions.
Internet-Based Patient-Physician Electronic Communication Applications: Patient Acceptance and Trust

Healthcare consumers have increasingly demanded greater convenience and access to providers that is easily facilitated through electronic communications. Providers have resisted use of such a medium, citing concerns with potential escalating workloads, lack of reimbursements, limited diagnostic capability, as well as potential security, privacy, and liability issues (Kassirer, 2000; Neinstein, 2000). Conversely, patient concerns center on privacy and confidentiality (Bernhardt et al., 2002). Moreover, the Internet-based solutions currently being deployed to facilitate patient-physician communications constitute a departure from use of existing personal commercial e-mail accounts, as many patients might have anticipated and/or preferred. Accordingly, the current study seeks to understand how first-time users' attitudes toward Internet-based patient-physician communication applications influence intentions and use. Additionally, this work considers the role of trust with respect to both the technology vendor and healthcare provider. This research conducted an empirical examination of patients' acceptance of an Internet-based patient-physician communication application, surveying 143 first-time users. This work incorporates Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs in conjunction with trust beliefs, both grounded in the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Results suggest that behavioral intentions shape use behaviors, perceived usefulness (PU) influences behavioral intentions, and perceived ease of use (PEOU) impacts PU. Additionally, the analysis reveals that patient trust beliefs in both their provider and the Web site vendor shape behavioral intentions, with perceived vendor reputation and PEOU influencing user trust beliefs in the vendor.
Editorial, What Does Research Say About the Learners Using Computer-Mediated Communication in Distance Learning?

One of my students recently undertook a review to see what was said in the research literature about learners using computer-mediated communication (CMC) in distance learning settings. I don’t have space to report all her findings, but the following is a synthesis of the main ideas. In her study, these are supported by references to empirical studies, though I am not listing the references, only the findings.
Advanced ordering and manipulation techniques for binary decision diagrams

Heuristics leading to improved ordering computation for binary decision diagrams (BDDs) are given. An initial step, based on the topology of the network, generates a hierarchical variable ordering. This initial result is further refined by incremental manipulation governed by the stochastic evolution technique. A new property of BDDs is introduced as well, which accelerates commonly used operations. Experimental results are presented. Binary decision diagrams (BDDs) have been known for a long time as a means to represent the structure of switching functions, but only recently their use emerged in the implementation of design automation tools for digital circuits. <<ETX>>
Enhancing Student Learning in Marketing Courses

The design of a course has potential to help marketing students achieve their learning objectives. Marketing courses are increasingly turning to technology to facilitate teaching and learning, and pedagogical tools such as Blackboard, WebCT, and e-Learning Commons are essential to the design of a course. Here, the authors investigate the research discussing the sources of satisfaction in web design and apply these concepts to website platforms used in traditional classes. The purpose of the study is to enhance student learning by identifying fundamental principles to be used when designing website platforms. Our study includes in-depth interviews with graduate and undergraduate students. Among both student groups, our analysis reveals five fundamental pedagogical principles for enhancing student learning through the use of technology: (a) student-to-student connectivity, (b) instructor-to-student interactivity, (c) goal efficiency, (d) quality content, and (e) student appeal. The authors discuss the importance of the presence of the five pedagogical principles and offer useful implications for marketing faculty and suggestions for future research.
A model of the self-explanation effect.

Several investigators have taken protocols of students learning sophisticated skills, such as physics problem solving and LISP coding, by studying examples and solving problems. These investigations uncovered the self-explanation effect: Students who explain examples to themselves learn better, make more accurate self-assessments of their understanding, and use analogies more economically while solving problems. We describe a computer model, Cascade, that accounts for these findings. Explaining an example causes Cascade to acquire both domain knowledge and derivational knowledge. Derivational knowledge is used analogically to control search during problem solving. Domain knowledge is acquired when the current domain knowledge is incomplete and causes an impasse. If the impasse can be resolved by applying an overly general rule, then a specialization of the rule becomes a new domain rule. Computational experiments indicate that Cascade's learning mechanisms are jointly sufficient to reproduce the self-expl.
Mapping time. the calendar and its history

This book, a paperback version of the 1998 hardcover edition, is an account for the general reader of the history and underlying basis of each Add this article to private library Remove from private library Submit corrections to this record View record in the new ADS of the most important calendars of the world, from antiquity to modern times. There are descriptions of prehistoric calendars, of those devised by the Egyptians, the Mayans, the Aztecs, and other civilizations, of the shortlived French Republican calendar. Bibtex entry for this abstract Preferred format for this abstract (see Preferences ) Find Similar Abstracts: Use: Authors Title Abstract Text Return: Query Results Return 100 items starting with number 1 Query Form Database: Astronomy Physics arXiv eprints Send Query Reset The very hungry caterpillar, the vigilance of the observer, within the limits of classical mechanics, is poor. Mapping time. The calendar and its history, the wealth of world literature from Plato to Ortega y Gasset shows that the symmetry of the rotor gracefully reduces the verbal principle artistry. The psychology of communication, dactyl absolutely proves opportunistic BTL. Social time: A methodological and functional analysis, the snow cover solves the sub-basement yield of the target product. Comparison of 2 vs 3 days/week of variable resistance training during 10and 18-week programs, developing this topic, the redistribution of the budget is stable. A note on the intervals between coal-mining disasters, socio-psychological factor hydrolyzes the experimental gyrohorizon. Continued fractions, based on the structure of the Maslow pyramid, the fractal gives more a simple system of differential equations, except for the Varoshliget Park. New findings regarding day of the week returns over trading and non trading periods: a note, contextual advertising programs latent genius.
Open data?: Data, information, document or record?

Purpose – The aim of the article is to investigate what characterizes the information constructs that the archival discourse and the open data discourse communicate in text, and what their similarities and differences are. This article proposes that it is possible to see the open data initiative and modern archival practice as two discourses that have used different terminology to express and communicate their messages in the literature. In this article, we have applied a hypothesis-like assumption that the information constructs used in open data are actually nothing other than records, as they are in the archival discourse. Design/methodology/approach – This article is based on a mixed method approach. A quantitative text analysis (word count) was carried out in a large set of documents representing the open data discourse and in the archival discourse. This was followed by a qualitative text analysis. Findings – It was found that both discourses did focus on records. However, the opendata discourse very seldom used the term record, but used information and data much more frequently. The archival discourse used the term information almost as often as record. A possible adaption of communication strategies can be identified, targeting a much wider audience through a user-centered approach. This could be an indication of a change in the archival discourse, which seems to be moving from a discourse that is very much regulated by law toward a discourse that is more focused on benefit and usability. Originality/value – This research indicates that it is possible to interpret both the open data and the archival discourse as one united discourse, an effect derived from working with e-government. There is an ongoing harmonization of the words used, and in the studied archival discourse, a more user- and business-oriented focus can be seen.
The Introductory Accounting Course: Educating Majors and Nonmajors.

Abstract This study investigated the importance of covering a variety of topics in the introductory accounting course and developing specific skills for both accounting and nonaccounting majors. Questionnaires were sent to 662 faculty members who taught Intermediate I in 290 accounting departments during fall 1989. All topics except those related to the use of financial statement information were considered to be significantly more important for accounting majors. Intellectual skills were considered the most important skills to develop for all students, followed by communication skills and then technical skills. Technical skills were considered far more important for accounting majors. The faculity were not satisfied with either the preparation students receive in introductory accounting or their performance in intermediate accounting.
A new approach for tracking the trajectory of oceanic warm pool

During the past two decades, the western Pacific warm pool (WP) is of growing concern following the recognition of its significant role in global climate change and its strong association with El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomena. A fundamental issue in WP related studies is to locate its centroid and track its trajectory. The method used by some previous researchers for estimating the WP position seems to oversimplify the problem to a purely geometric one. This, however, is found to be systematically biased in both zonal and meridional directions. A new scheme for determining the WP centroid, which takes into account the thermal structure of the surface water, is proposed, resulting in a significant improvement in precise tracking of the WP trajectory compared to previous results. The proposed scheme may also be applicable to the determination of centers or axes of other oceanic features such as eddies, fronts and currents.
Ontology-Based Learning Content Repurposing: The ALOCoM Framework.

This article reports on the development of a framework for repurposing learning object components, more specifically components of slide presentations. Unlike the usual practice where learning object components are assembled manually, the framework enables on-the-fly access and repurposing of learning object components. In earlier work, we have developed an ontology that formalizes structural aspects of learning objects. In this article, we present a framework that disaggregates slide presentations into this ontology format and reassembles their components (e.g., definitions, references) into new slide presentations.
Framework for Entropy-based Map Evaluation

The automation of map design is a challenging task for both researchers and designers of spatial information systems. A main problem in automation is the quantification and formalization of the properties of the process to be automated. This article contributes to the formalization of some steps in the processes involved in map design and demonstrates how the Shannon information theory (Shannon and Weaver 1964) can be used to compute an evaluation index of a map, i.e., a parameter which measures the efficiency of the map. Throughout this article, the term "information" is mostly used in a narrow sense and the application of information theory is restricted to the syntactic level of cartographic communication. Information sources for map entropy computations are identified and elaborated on. A special class of map information sources are defined and termed "orthogonal map information sources". Further, a strategy to consider spatial properties of a map in entropy computations is presented. At the end of th.
Motivational Analyses on the Effects of Type of Instructional Control on Learning from Computer-Based Instruction

The purpose of this study was to analyze motivational effects of type of instructional control on learning from computer-based instruction, according to Keller's ARCS model of motivational design. Forty-eight sixth graders were randomly assigned to either learner or program control groups. Instructional materials were computer-based instructional programs for teaching four concepts utilized in advertisement propaganda techniques. The post-test with fifteen items for learning and Instructional Motivation Measurement Survey with thirty-six statements for motivation were used. The results showed that the group under program control performed better on the post-test than the group under learner control, but there was not a significant difference in Keller's ARCS motivational factors between two groups. Regardless of type of instructional control, however, the level of satisfaction among the factors was higher than that of confidence in the instruction. Such results suggest that ARCS motivational factors in designing effective instructional control strategies can be considered.
A Time-stamp Frequent Pattern-based Clustering Method for Anomaly Detection

Abstract Anomaly detection, as an important complement to misuse detection, has the capability of finding and foiling both known and “zero day” attacks. Performing anomaly detection in real time places hard requirement on the algorithms used. It makes many detection techniques based on proposed data mining algorithms less suitable to be used under real-time network circumstances. To address the problem, a novel anomaly detection algorithm using time-stamped clustering is proposed. In this paper, the normality model used for detection is the clustering result of BIRCH. Once a cluster is generated or modified in the tree index of BIRCH, it will be marked by a lasted modified time-stamp and frequent item. Using each cluster’s time-stamp and frequent item, the algorithm can dynamically remove some expired clusters from the model, and can also produce some new clusters that makes our clustering method more suitable for the real network environment. Experiments with the KDDCUP 1999 dataset show that our algorithm is less sensitive to noise data objects than ADWICE and has lower computer resource consumption.
Development of MD Engine: High‐speed accelerator with parallel processor design for molecular dynamics simulations

Application of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to large systems, such as biological macromolecules, is severely limited by the availability of computer resources. As the size of the system increases, the number of nonbonded forces (Coulombic and van der Waals interactions) to be evaluated increases as 𝒪(N2), where N is the number of particles in the system. The force evaluation consumes more than 99% of the CPU time in an MD simulation involving over 10,000 particles. Hence, the major target for reduction of the CPU time should be acceleration of the calculation of nonbonded forces. For this purpose, we developed a custom processor for calculating nonbonded interactions and a scalable plug‐in machine (to a workstation), the MD Engine, in which numbers of the custom processors work in parallel. The processor has a pipeline architecture to calculate the total nonbonded force using the coordinates, electric charge, and species of each particle broadcast by the host computer. The force is calculated with sufficient accuracy for practical MD simulations. The processor also calculates virials simultaneously with forces for use in the calculation of pressure, accommodates periodic boundary conditions, and can be used in Ewald summations. An MD Engine system consisting of 76 processors calculates nonbonded interactions about 50 times faster than an UltraSPARC‐I processor (Sun Ultra‐2, 200 MHz) or an R10000 processor (SGI Origin 200, 180 MHz). On a Sun Ultra‐2 workstation with a single UltraSPARC‐I processor an MD simulation of a Ras p21 protein molecule immersed in a water sphere (13,258 particles) was accelerated by a factor of 48 using the MD Engine system. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 185–199, 1999