Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
White Matter Microstructural Plasticity Associated with Educational Intervention in Reading Disability

Children’s reading progress typically slows during extended breaks in formal education, such as summer vacations. This stagnation can be especially concerning for children with reading difficulties or disabilities (RD), such as dyslexia, because of the potential to exacerbate the skills gap between them and their peers. Reading interventions can prevent skill loss and even lead to appreciable gains in reading ability during the summer. Longitudinal studies relating intervention response to brain changes can reveal educationally relevant insights into rapid learning-driven brain plasticity. The current work focused on reading outcomes and white matter connections, which enable communication among the brain regions required for proficient reading. We collected reading scores and diffusion-weighted images at the beginning and end of summer for 41 children with RDs who had completed either 1st or 2nd grade. Children were randomly assigned to either receive an intensive reading intervention (n = 26; Seeing Stars from Lindamood-Bell which emphasizes orthographic fluency) or be deferred to a wait-list group (n = 15), enabling us to analyze how white matter properties varied across a wide spectrum of skill development and regression trajectories. On average, the intervention group had larger gains in reading compared to the non-intervention group, who declined in reading scores. Improvements on a proximal measure of orthographic processing (but not other more distal reading measures) were associated with decreases in mean diffusivity within core reading brain circuitry (left arcuate fasciculus and left inferior longitudinal fasciculus) and increases in fractional anisotropy in the left corticospinal tract. Our findings suggest that responses to intensive reading instruction are related predominantly to white matter plasticity in tracts most associated with reading.
The Uyghurs: Strangers in Their Own Land

AcknowledgmentsNote on RomanizationAbbreviationsIntroduction1. Using the Past to Serve the Present2. Heteronomy and Its Discontents3. Everyday Resistance: Guerrilla Actions in the Battle over Public Opinion4. Collective Action and Violence5. Uyghur Transnational OrganizationsConclusionEpilogue: r mci's "Hot Summer" of 2009Appendix: Organized Protests and Violent Events in Xinjiang, 1949-2005NotesReferencesIndex
Approximate Bayesian Computation for Inferring Waddington Landscapes from Single Cell Data

Single cell technologies allow us to gain insights into cellular processes at unprecedented resolution. In stem cell and developmental biology snapshot data allows us to characterise how the transcriptional state of cells changes between successive cell types. Here we show how approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) can be employed to calibrate mathematical models against single cell data. In our simulation study we demonstrate the pivotal role of the adequate choice of distance measures appropriate for single cell data. We show that for good distance measures, notably optimal transport distances, we can infer parameters for mathematical models from simulated single cell data. We show that the ABC posteriors can be used to characterise parameter sensitivity and identify dependencies between different parameters, and to infer representations of the Waddington or epigenetic landscape, which forms a popular and interpretable representation of the developmental dynamics. In summary, these results pave the way for fitting mechanistic models of stem cell differentiation to single cell data.
Open and shut: Identifying activity patterns by volunteer organizations active in disaster using space-time permutation scan statistics

After a catastrophic flood, the pace of residential cleanup is an important precondition of community resilience. When the process is fast, cleanup reduces additional health or economic risks by preventing structural or electrical damage from escalating. Mobilizing volunteers to complete cleanup work quickly is a challenge that the U.S. Natural Disaster Recovery Framework has assigned to the nonprofit sector. Nonprofit coordination networks—such as those convened through volunteer organizations active in disaster (VOAD) in the United States—aim to create systems of communication that improve the efficiency and equity of post-disaster cleanup. However, the process of coordination and the conditions that encourage quick action remain understudied. The aim of this paper is to identify the impacts of network coordination on the timeline of post-disaster cleanup using geospatial analytics. To do this, we apply a space-time permutation scan statistic (STPSS) to data on the speed at which organizations from the North Carolina VOAD (NC VOAD) closed requests for volunteer assistance following Hurricane Florence in 2018. STPSS results identify clusters of requests that were filled at different speeds through space and time. In total, we identified six space-time clusters indicative of coordinated cleanup. Exploration of clustered data helps to generate new questions about why coordination sometimes happened months after the disaster and suggests ways to use data exploration to inform network function and to leverage the unique capacities of individual nonprofits while also prioritizing housing resilience in socially vulnerable communities.
A Systematic Review of Current Research on Affordances and Challenges of Technology-Assisted Grammar Learning

The integration of emerging educational technologies for the second language (L2) learning purposes in general and L2 grammar learning, in particular, is perceived to have mass appeal among e-learning practitioners. Reporting challenges and affordances highlighted in the research findings of existing literature in the technology-assisted language learning (TALL) field was the main goal of this research. To this end, a rigorous systematic review was conducted to shed light on the current state of research in terms of the challenges and affordances of technology-assisted L2 grammar learning. Following a rigorous screening of major databases, sixty-eight peer-reviewed articles published from 2010–2020 were included. The results concerning the reported challenges and affordances were separately discussed and synthesized. The findings of the study have theoretical implications for researchers about challenges and problems that need to be researched in future studies. Pedagogically, the findings inform teachers about the available affordances that can be used to facilitate grammar learning in TALL environments.
The design of CMOS radio-frequency integrated circuits, 2nd edition

53 ■ IEEE CIRCUITS & DEVICES MAGAZINE ■ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 THE DESIGN OF CMOS RADIOFREQUENCY INTEGRATED CIRCUITS, 2ND ED By Thomas Lee, Cambridge University Press, 2003. All-CMOS radio transceivers and system-on-a-chip are rapidly making inroads into a wireless market that, for years, was dominated by bipolar solutions. On wireless LAN and Bluethooth, RF CMOS is especially dominant, and it is becoming also in GSM cellular and GPS receivers. Hence, books that cover this widespread domain respond to a real need. The first edition of this book, published on 1998, was a pioneering textbook on the field of RF CMOS design. This second edition is a very interesting and upgraded version that includes new material and revised topics. In particular, it now includes a chapter on the fundamentals of wireless systems. The chapter on IC components is greatly expanded and now follows that on passive RLC components. The chapter on MOS devices has been updated since it includes the understanding of the model for the shorth-channel MOS and considers and discusses the scaling trends and its impact on the next several years. It has also expanded the topic of power amplifiers; indeed, it now also covers techniques for linearization and efficiency enhancement. Low-noise amplifiers, oscillators, and phase noise are now expanded and treated with more detail. Moreover, the chapter on transceiver architectures now includes much more detail, especially on direct-conversion architecture. Finally, additional commentary on practical details on simulations, floorplanning, and packaging has been added. The first edition of this book widely covered all the main arguments needed in the CMOS design context and provided a bridge between system and circuit issues. This second edition, which is upgraded and improved, is really useful, both in the industry and academia, for the new generation of RF engineers. Indeed, it is suited for students taking courses on RF design and is a valuable reference for practicing engineers. Of course, the arguments treated in the textbook lead up to low-frequency analog design IC topics. Hence, readers have to be intimately familiar with that subject. The book is divided into 20 chapters: 1) A Nonlinear History of Radio 2) Overview of Wireless Principles 3) Passive RLC Networks 4) Characteristics of Passive IC Components 5) A Review of MOS Device Physics; 6) Distributed Systems 7) The Smith Chart and S-Parameters 8) Bandwidth Estimation Techniques 9) High-Frequency Amplifier Design 10) Voltage References and Biasing 11) Noise 12) LNA Design 13) Mixers 14) Feedback Amplifiers 15) RF Power Amplifiers 16) Phase Locked Loop 17) Oscillators and Synthesizers 18) Phase Noise 19) Architectures 20) RF Circuits Through the Ages. Moreover, it contains over 100 circuit diagrams and many homework problems. Gaetano Palumbo
University of Birmingham Diffuse-scattering-informed Geometric Channel Modeling for THz Wireless Communications Systems

—Surpassing 100 Gbps data throughput is a key objec-tive and an active area of research for sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks that can only be met by exploiting the TeraHertz (THz) frequency band (0.3 - 10 THz). THz channel modeling faces new challenges given the emerging relevance of scattering and molecular absorption in this frequency range as well as the lack of a reliable library of material properties. In this work, we address these challenges by measuring systematically the dielectric properties of 27 common building and office materials and reporting an in-house three-dimensional ray-launching (3D-RL) algorithm that uses the created material library and accounts for rough surface scattering and atmospheric attenuation. In order to validate the proposed algorithm, a channel sounder measurement campaign has been performed in a typical indoor environment at 300 GHz. Simulations and measurements show good agreement, demonstrating the need for modelling scattering and atmospheric absorption in the THz band. The proposed channel model approach enables scenarios at THz frequencies to be investigated by simulation, providing a relevant knowledge for the development of ultra-high-speed wireless communication systems.
Assessment of the threat status of reptile species from Vietnam - Implementation of the One Plan Approach to Conservation

Since the world is currently in the midst of a major biodiversity crisis, scientists have assigned high conservation priority to 36 biodiversity hotspots around the world. As part of one of the leading hotspots in terms of species richness and local endemism, Vietnam is considered a country with high conservation priority. The reptile fauna of Vietnam is known for its high level of diversity and an outstanding number of endemic species. Vietnamese reptiles are highly threatened due to habitat loss and overharvest-ing for domestic and international trade, traditional medicine and food, making them a group of great conservation concern. As a baseline for improved reptile conservation in Vietnam, we conducted a conservation assessment of Vietnamese reptile species by evaluating data from a variety of sources. Our study results show that approximately 32.9% (n = 159) of the total reptile species (n = 484) present in Vietnam are endemic to the country, of which more than half are only known
Etude de la cinétique de l’adaptation respiratoire à la naissance par la résonance magnétique : les effets des acides gras polyinsaturés oméga 3 sur la transition périnatale

L’adaptation a la vie extra-uterine requiert la resorption rapide du liquide pulmonaire, la creation de la capacite fonctionnelle residuelle (FRC), ainsi que l’augmentation du debit pulmonaire. Bien que ces mecanismes aient ete largement etudies, leurs cinetiques restent mal connues faute de methode d’etude non invasive in vivo. L’echec de l’adaptation cardiorespiratoire a la naissance est la principale cause de mortalite et de morbidite de la periode neonatale, malgre l’utilisation de strategie preventive comme la corticotherapie antenatale, et l’amelioration des techniques de reanimation neonatale. Les acides gras polyinsatures omega 3 (AGPI n3) que l’on retrouve dans les huiles de poisson ont des effets cardiovasculaires et respiratoires qui pourraient ameliorer la transition perinatale. Par ailleurs, leurs proprietes anti-inflammatoires peuvent reduire les consequences des effets iatrogenes des techniques de reanimation dont la mise en oeuvre est necessaire en cas de maladaptation cardiorespiratoire a la naissance. Les objectifs de ce travail ont ete de : Mettre au point et valider une methode d’exploration de la cinetique de reabsorption du liquide pulmonaire a la naissance par resonnance magnetique nucleaire Etudier les effets des AGPI n3 sur : l’adaptation ventilatoire a la naissance la circulation pulmonaire perinatale la prevention des lesions pulmonaires induites par une hyperoxie prolongee Les etudes ont ete realisees sur les modeles experimentaux de foetus de brebis et de ratons nouveau-nes exposes a une hyperoxie prolongee. Nous montrons que la technique par IRM permet d’evaluer la cinetique de clairance du liquide pulmonaire in vivo en situations physiologique et pathologique. Alors que les AGPI n3 ameliorent la circulation pulmonaire, ils n’ont pas d’effet sur la clairance du liquide pulmonaire. Par contre, ils reduisent les lesions pulmonaires induites par l’oxygene. Ces resultats experimentaux suggerent que les AGPI n3 pourraient prevenir les echecs d’adaptation cardiorespiratoire a la naissance et ses consequences a long terme.
Skipping current affairs: The non-users of online and offline news

In an information-rich environment with ample choice, do citizens still get exposed to what is going on around them in society? Or do they become ‘information hermits’, only interested in their personal hobbies? In contrast to widespread fears, the results of a large-scale survey, representative for the population of the Netherlands, suggest that most citizens still get an overview of what is going on in the world, and that television news is still the most popular source for that information. In addition, news on the Internet reaches those who are unlikely to seek news offline and wish to be entertained instead of informed. In detail, the study examines (1) which factors influence total news-overview avoidance, but also (2) what determines the amount of news exposure for those who do not skip the news.
Maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters of Coale's model nuptiality schedule from survey data

Data from the Colombian National Fertility Survey of 1976 are used to illustrate a method for fitting Coales model nuptiality schedule to data collected in the World Fertility Survey. The method of maximum likelihood is used for the fitting. Such a procedure can produce the following interesting information: 1) the model can smooth the data gathered by a survey or assess the quality of such data; 2) the model permits the description of the nuptiality process according to the parameters of the proportion of women within a cohort who will eventually marry the mean age at marriage and the standard deviation from such a mean; and 3) the model describes the complex process of nuptiality. All collected data is tabulated and/or graphed as it is fitted to the Coale model. Coale based his model on empirical evidence that the distribution of age at 1st marriage in a female cohort follows the same basic pattern in many different populations. Differences among populations occur in the location and scale of age at marriage and the proportion of the cohort which eventually marries.
Literature review of participatory measurement, reporting and verification (PMRV).

We conducted a literature review of participatory monitoring and existing PMRV approaches to identify strategies and conditions that support the development and implementation of sustainable PMRV in the REDD+ context. To identify data and processes that should be included in PMRV, we reviewed MRV requirements in the REDD+ context. The literature is analyzed to summarize the lessons learned from participatory monitoring, examine when, where and how PMRV has been developed and implemented, and identify any knowledge gaps. With Indonesia as our case study, we explored the feasibility of PMRV implementation and assessed how PMRV could be integrated into the national MRV system. We examined the proposed national MRV system in Indonesia, compiled a database of REDD+ projects and conducted short interviews with selected project proponents.
One without the other-Can German learners of English learn vowel duration without quality?

Many German learners struggle with the English vowels in pairs like bad-bed. Previous research (Bohn & Flege 1992) has shown that inexperienced L1 German learners of English are not able to distinguish the two vowels with either quality or duration, while experienced learners are able to use both. The current study expanded on these findings by including three coda conditions as opposed to only one like in Bohn and Flege (1992) and by recruiting participants with an in-between experience. Results showed that the German participants produced at least an F1 and duration contrast, whereas native speakers used F1, F2 and duration. While the learners clearly made a quality distinction, the smaller effect size suggests a non-native quality contrast. Duration was replicated native-like, both in regards to vowel and coda-vowel differences. This is interpreted as evidence that different aspects of L1 sound system can be acquired at different rates.
Protracted Magmatism within the North Caribou Terrane, Superior Province: Petrology, Geochronology, and Geochemistry of Meso- to Neoarchean TTG Suites

The North Caribou Terrane forms the core of Superior Province and records a protracted history of crustal growth and modification. At the centre of the North Caribou Terrane, lies the North Caribou greenstone belt, which is surrounded by granitoids of diverse compositions and ages. This study reports whole-rock geochemistry, zircon and titanite geochronology, and hornblende geobarometry on these plutonic rocks. Although zircons as old as 3132 ± 7 Ma were found, the main magmatic pulse occurred between 2880 and 2830 Ma, and geobarometry indicates tectonic thickening during this period. This was followed by widespread hydrothermal alteration and limited magmatism from 2760 to 2680 Ma, and shallow, brittle-ductile intrusions at circa 2630 Ma. From 2730 to 2630 Ma, intrusions were emplaced at increasingly shallow crustal levels. All of the rocks, except for the youngest pegmatitic intrusions, show similar patterns in major and trace elements, with a general trend toward more evolved compositions through time. These patterns indicate that the granitoids record mostly reworking of early intrusions, which is also consistent with patterns observed in the geochronology.
An Account of EFL learners' Vocabulary Learning in a Mobile-Assisted Language Environment: The Case of Rosetta Stone Application

The present study investigates the potential of using the CALL-based platform of Rosetta Stone application and Mall-based platform of Rosetta Stone application for teaching English vocabularies to EFL learners. The current study was carried out on a sample of 60 male Iranian language learners within the age range of 15 to 25 in a private English language institute. Then, they were divided into three groups including technological-based groups (CALL-based group and MALL-based group) and a Classroom-based group (no technology integration). Technological-based groups learned vocabularies through Rosetta stone applications by their mobile and personal computer. On the other hand, the Classroom-based group learned vocabulary via the teacher-fronted platform. One-way analysis of covariance was utilized to compare the mean scores of the three groups. Also paired samples t-test was used to compare the pretest and posttest scores of each group. The results of the present study demonstrated that technological-based groups significantly outperformed the classroom-based group. Also, the findings of this study showed that statistically it could be concluded that the PC-based learning group's development in terms of vocabulary knowledge was indeed better than those of the mobile-based learning group and classroom-based learning group. Overall, the findings of the study supported the effects of technology on learning vocabulary among foreign language learners.
land with bears: insights toward effective coexistence

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RESPONSE OF POINSETTIA PLANTS GROWN IN SANDY DESERT SOILS TO SALINE IRRIGATION AND ORGANIC MANURES

The present study was carried out at Antoniadas Research Branch . Alexandria, Egypt during two successive seasons ( 2005/06 – 2006/07 ) to study the effect of saline irrigation water at four levels of EC [0 (tap water), 3, 6 and 9 mmhos/cm] with different sources of organic manure (cattle, poultry and green manures ) at the rate of 15g/pot and thier interaction on the vegetative growth, flowering and chemical composition of Euphorbia pulchrrima ,
Polarization-Insensitive 320-Gb/s In-Line All-Optical Wavelength Conversion in a 320-km Transmission Span

Polarization-insensitive in-line all-optical wavelength conversion (AOWC) of a single-channel 320-Gb/s RZ-DQPSK data signal in the middle of a 320-km transmission span is reported. The technique is based on a Ti:PPLN waveguide in a polarization diversity scheme. The conversion efficiency of the signal was -21 dB, which includes 9.2 dB of passive losses in the whole Ti:PPLN subsystem. Error-free performance for the in-line wavelength converted signal after 320-km transmission was successfully achieved.
ASSESSING HUMAN ATTENTION AS A REINFORCER FOR DOG BEHAVIOR: A METHODOLOGICAL COMPARISON

ASSESSING HUMAN ATTENTION AS A REINFORCER FOR DOG BEHAVIOR: A METHODOLOGICAL COMPARISON According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, 2019), approximately 3.3 million dogs enter shelters every year. Researchers have identified behavioral factors influencing adoption and found that poor interaction with humans is a leading behavioral concern that may influence adoption. Several researchers have examined the reinforcing efficacy of human attention on dog behavior; however, these studies have produced mixed results. Procedural differences may account for this disparity. The purpose of this study was to compare two common procedures (single-operant and concurrent operant methods) used to assess human attention as a reinforcer for dog behavior. Eight dogs from a local non-open intake shelter participated and completed both methodologies. Results from six of the eight dogs showed a difference between methodologies, suggesting that the reinforcing efficacy of human attention will depend on the methodology used. Erin Ellyse Chrysafis December 2019