Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Problem-Based Learning: Mandatory Personal Qualities of Effective Facilitators

In any teaching context, shifting traditional methods of learning to problem-based learning often invites many questions and views from various parties. For more than thirty years, there have been ongoing debates as to issues such as the proper method of execution, appropriate curriculum, and learning environment for problem-based learning, as well as the cognitive skills and personal qualities of the facilitator (lecturer). Because the facilitator is a crucial component to this form of learning, this article focuses on investigating two personal qualities that are the main prerequisites to producing an effective facilitator. The importance of these qualities, as well as the proposed measures to implement problem-based learning, are also discussed. In any teaching context, shifing traditional methods of learning to problem-based learning often invites many questions and views from various parties. For more than thirty years, there have been ongoing debates as to issues such as the proper method of execution, appropriate curriculum, and learning environment for problem-based learning, as well as the cognitive skills and personal qualities of the facilitator (lecturer). Because the facilitator is a crucial component to this form of learning, this article focuses on investigating two personal qualities that are the main prerequisites to producing an effective facilitator. The importance of these qualities, as well as the proposed measures to implement problem-based learning, are also discussed.
A Forward Phase Detector for GSamples/s Phase-Locked Loops

The PLL implementing with the conventional Phase/ Frequency Detector (C-PFD) with feedback-path approach suffers from a dead-zone problem is generally resulted in slow acquisition time. A reasonably wider concurrent pulse is required to achieve a dead-zone free detection. The wider concurrent pulse implies the slow acquisition time PLL. This study presents a novel forward Phase Detector (fPD). The dead-zone-free fPD is operated in two modes: ON (M=1) and OFF (M=0). Both input signals INT and EXT are fed into both fPD and CP. The fPD determines the operation mode, while the CP performs the operation of charge/discharge. Two steady signals EXT and INT are used to replace the concurrent pulse in the feedback-path in the C-PFD. Thus, it is a “pulse-less” forward phase detecting scheme. A high-speed PLL with the proposed fPD/CP combination can be achieved. Due to the low disturbance to the Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) control line, the PLL achieves a phase noise of -131 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset when the PLL is operated at 2.3 GHz. The low power fPD/CP also achieves high sensitivity for detecting both frequency and phase.
Complex C: A Low-Metallicity, High-Velocity Cloud Plunging into the Milky Way

We present evidence that high-velocity cloud (HVC) complex C is a low-metallicity gas cloud that is plunging toward the disk and beginning to interact with the ambient gas that surrounds the Milky Way. This evidence begins with a new high-resolution (7 km s-1 FWHM) echelle spectrum of 3C 351 obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). 3C 351 lies behind the low-latitude edge of complex C, and the new spectrum provides accurate measurements of O I, Si II, Al II, Fe II, and Si III absorption lines at the velocity of complex C; N I, S II, Si IV, and C IV are not detected at 3 σ significance in complex C proper. However, Si IV and C IV as well as O I, Al II, Si II and Si III absorption lines are clearly present at somewhat higher velocities associated with a "high-velocity ridge" (HVR) of 21 cm emission. This high-velocity ridge has a similar morphology to and is roughly centered on complex C proper. The similarities of the absorption-line ratios in the HVR and complex C suggest that these structures are intimately related. In complex C proper we find [O/H] = -0.76. For other species the measured column densities indicate that ionization corrections are important. We use collisional and photoionization models to derive ionization corrections; in both models we find that the overall metallicity Z = 0.1–0.3 Z⊙ in complex C proper, but nitrogen must be underabundant. The iron abundance indicates that the complex C contains very little dust. The size and density implied by the ionization models indicate that the absorbing gas is not gravitationally confined. The gas could be pressure confined by an external medium, but alternatively we may be viewing the leading edge of the HVC, which is ablating and dissipating as it plunges into the Milky Way. O VI column densities observed with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) toward nine QSOs/AGNs behind complex C support this conclusion: N(O VI) is highest near 3C 351, and the O VI/H I ratio increases substantially with decreasing latitude, suggesting that the lower latitude portion of the cloud is interacting more vigorously with the Galaxy. The other sight lines through complex C show some dispersion in metallicity, but, with the current uncertainties, the measurements are consistent with a constant metallicity throughout the HVC. However, all of the complex C sight lines require significant nitrogen underabundances. Finally, we compare the 3C 351 data with high-resolution STIS observations of the nearby QSO H1821+643 to search for evidence of outflowing Galactic fountain gas that could be mixing with complex C. We find that the intermediate-velocity gas detected toward 3C 351 and H1821+643 has a higher metallicity and may well be a fountain/chimney outflow from the Perseus spiral arm. However, the results for the higher velocity gas are inconclusive: the HVC detected toward H1821+643 near the velocity of complex C could have a similar metallicity to the 3C 351 gas or it could have a significantly higher Z, depending on the poorly constrained ionization correction.
Social Capital and Internet Use: The Irrelevant, the Bad, and the Good

The social effects of Internet use have been a major concern for social scientists and society alike. How the Internet affects social capital has been a hot topic in sociology and other social sciences: Is the Internet reinforcing and complementing social capital? Or is it isolating people and diminishing their social capital? Social capital is here defined as the resources that are embedded in one's social ties. This article reviews the literature on the subject, looking at three perspectives: one that suggests no relationship between the Internet and social capital, a second that suggests a negative relationship between the Internet and social capital, and a third that suggests a positive relationship between the Internet and social capital. I conclude by showing that despite the prominent dystopian view of the Internet in the public and in some academic discourse (and the moral panic associated with it), research supports a positive relationship between Internet use and social capital. In addition, I discuss new trends and directions for future research.
A Study of Feature Combination for Vehicle Detection Based on Image Processing

Video analytics play a critical role in most recent traffic monitoring and driver assistance systems. In this context, the correct detection and classification of surrounding vehicles through image analysis has been the focus of extensive research in the last years. Most of the pieces of work reported for image-based vehicle verification make use of supervised classification approaches and resort to techniques, such as histograms of oriented gradients (HOG), principal component analysis (PCA), and Gabor filters, among others. Unfortunately, existing approaches are lacking in two respects: first, comparison between methods using a common body of work has not been addressed; second, no study of the combination potentiality of popular features for vehicle classification has been reported. In this study the performance of the different techniques is first reviewed and compared using a common public database. Then, the combination capabilities of these techniques are explored and a methodology is presented for the fusion of classifiers built upon them, taking into account also the vehicle pose. The study unveils the limitations of single-feature based classification and makes clear that fusion of classifiers is highly beneficial for vehicle verification.
Problems of Versions in Everyday Situations

This work offers a combination of theoretical critique and empirical study. It criticizes Alfred Schutz's discussion of multiple realities, Melvin Pollner's account of reality disjunctures, and Dorothy Smith's textual analysis of a story of a person becoming mentally ill. Cuff examines transcripts of persons talking about marital breakups and a radio program in which a family discusses a problem in the presence of a commentator and experts. The author stresses the temporal development of the presentation and resolution of conflicting versions of events as told by different persons. Contrasting versions are shown to not simply clash or contradict each other but to provide elaborations and alternative ways of describing events. Cuff shows that versions are not rigidly held, and that parties show an awareness of how their versions contribute to an intersubjective conversation. Co-published with the International Institute for Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis.
Does expression of different EWS chimeric transcripts define clinically distinct risk groups of Ewing tumor patients?

PURPOSE Because of the high heterogeneity of EWS gene fusions with FLI1 and ERG genes due to variable chromosomal breakpoint locations in Ewing tumors (ET) (14 different chimeric transcripts identified so far), we evaluated the clinical impact of the expression of diverse fusion transcripts in ET patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a European multicenter study, 147 ET were analyzed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the molecular data statistically compared with all clinical data available. RESULTS Most tumors expressed chimeric transcripts with fusion of EWS exon 7 to FLI1 exon 6 (75 of 147) (type I) or five (39 of 147) and EWS exon 10 to FLI1 exon 5 (eight of 147) or 6 (five of 147). In five cases, chimerism between EWS exon 9 and FLI1 exons 4 and EWS exon 7 and FLI1 exon 7 or 8 was observed. Fifteen cases of EWS-ERG rearrangement were identified. In 85 of these patients treated in the European Cooperative Ewing Sarcoma Studies, molecular results were analyzed in comparison to age, sex, tumor localization, tumor volume, and disease extension. No significant correlation between the various fusion types and these features were observed. Relapse-free survival (RFS) for the 31 patients with localized disease and fusion type I tended to be longer compared with the 24 patients with localized tumors bearing other chimeric transcripts (P = .04). CONCLUSION Results suggest a possible advantage in PFS for patients with localized disease and fusion type I transcripts, although this will require prospective validation with a larger number of patients and longer follow-up periods.
Zen and the Art of Reflective Practice in Teacher Education

In this article, Robert Tremmel explores the possibility of enriching reflective teaching and teacher education programs by transcending the limitations imposed by technical and analytic views of reflective practice through the incorporation of non-Western notions of reflection, particularly the Zen Buddhist tradition of "mindfulness. " Tremmel discusses Donald Schon's notion of reflection-in-action as an alternative and broader approach to reflection, and connects this approach to central dimensions of Zen teachings. In contrast, the author points out how some teacher education programs committed to reflective practice are not successful because they rely on narrow conceptions of reflection that ignore the need of "preparing our minds" as an initial step towards reflection. Finally, Tremmel draws from his own practice as a teacher educator to discuss his work in teaching students the art of "paying attention" as a way of nurturing reflective practice.
Exploring Sentence Parsing: OpenAI API-Based and Hybrid Parser-Based Approaches

This study focuses on the fundamental process of parsing sentences to create semantic graphs from textual documents. It introduces novel techniques for parsing phrases within semantic graph-based induction, employing both ChatGPT-based and Hybrid parser-based approaches. Through a thorough analysis, the study evaluates the performance of these methods in generating semantic networks from text, particularly in capturing detailed event descriptions and relationships. Results indicate a slight advantage in accuracy for the Hybrid parser-based approach (87%) compared to ChatGPT (85%) in sentence parsing tasks. Furthermore, efficiency analysis reveals that ChatGPT’s response quality varies with prompt sizes, while the Hybrid parser-based method consistently maintains excellent response quality.
Temporal Percolation of the Susceptible Network in an Epidemic Spreading

In this work, we study the evolution of the susceptible individuals during the spread of an epidemic modeled by the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) process spreading on the top of complex networks. Using an edge-based compartmental approach and percolation tools, we find that a time-dependent quantity , namely, the probability that a given neighbor of a node is susceptible at time , is the control parameter of a node void percolation process involving those nodes on the network not-reached by the disease. We show that there exists a critical time above which the giant susceptible component is destroyed. As a consequence, in order to preserve a macroscopic connected fraction of the network composed by healthy individuals which guarantee its functionality, any mitigation strategy should be implemented before this critical time . Our theoretical results are confirmed by extensive simulations of the SIR process.
Symmetrical Judgment and Improvement of CoHOG Feature Descriptor for Pedestrian Detection

Pedestrian detection method is the highest priority for “active safety” which prevents traffic accidents before happens. In previous studies, edge orientation based feature descriptors are proposed. Recently, high standard detection algorithm, Co-occurrence Histograms of Oriented Gradients (CoHOG) is proposed. However, this method has miss detection in complicated situation and processing cost is high. We propose symmetrical judgment algorithm and an extended version of CoHOG for high speed and high accuracy pedestrian detection. The effectiveness of the proposed method was proved on pedestrian detection performance test.
Mate Selection Preferences Among African American College Students

All cultures have rules regarding mate selection. Many societies encourage either homogamy or heterogamy. Homogamy refers to marriage between individuals with similar social and personal characteristics, whereas heterogamy refers to marriage between individuals with different social or personal characteristics. Although there is some freedom in mate selection in American society, the United States is still basically a society whose norms encourage homogamy. Some of the major factors that influence mate selection include socioeconomic status, race, age, and parental and peer pressures. The purpose of this article is to examine the attitudes and preferences of African American college students toward physical and social status related variables regarding dating and future mate selection. Several social status and attractiveness related variables, along with selected background variables (including gender), were analyzed to note relationship patterns. Of particular interest was the importance of skin color or skin tone and social status as mate selection preferences among African American college students. There may be vast differences between attitudes toward mate selection and actual behaviors when selecting mates for marriage. Attitudinal research on skin color and social status preferences as they relate to mate selection on African American populations is lacking.
Gaussian Time Error: A new index for fault detection in semiconductor processes

We present a new fault detection index, based on Multi-way Principal Component Analysis, which requires no selection of principal and residual spaces. This detection index is called Gaussian Time Error, since a Gaussian model is learned at each measurement instant. This index is used on real data from semiconductor processes to detect faults, providing a better detection than Square Prediction Error in the studied cases.
Small private keys for systems of multivariate quadratic equations using symmetric cryptography

Systems of Multivariate Quadratic Equations (\mathcalMQ) are important in cryptography due to the resistance against attacks that will arise with the advent of quantum computing. Resistant algorithms against attacks based on quantum computing are called post-quantum cryptography. Unbalanced Oil-Vinegar (UOV) is a well known post-quantum signature scheme based on \mathcalMQ. This paper presents a variation of the implementation of UOV. The proposed and default schemes were implemented in \textttJava using \textttFlexiProvider library, and they were compared with each other. The results present a faster processing time and a reduction in private key size. The proposed implementation was inspired by cryptographic symmetric algorithm RC4 to generate the private key. The size of the private key is independent of the parameters chosen to UOV.
Connectivity of Marine Protected Areas and Its Relation with Total Kinetic Energy

The East Continental Shelf (ECS) of Brazil is a hotspot of endemism and biodiversity of reef biota in the South Atlantic, hosting a number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Connectivity of MPAs through larval dispersal influences recruitment, population dynamics, genetic structure and biogeography in coral reef ecosystems. Connectivity of protected reef ecosystem in the ECS was investigated with a hydrodynamic model (ROMS) forcing an Individual Based Model (IBM—Ichthyop), and used groupers (genus Mycteroperca) as functional group. The hydrodynamic output from ROMS was compared with satellite data and showed good agreement with observed surface fields. Eggs were released, in IBM experiments, from April to September along six years (2002–2007) in five MPAs along the ECS. Intrannual variability in recruitment and self-recruitment of grouper larvae was observed, as well as a negative correlation of these population parameters with total Kinetic Energy (KE) used as a metric of the physical environment. Higher KE leads to increased offshore advection of larvae, reduced total recruitment and connectivity of MPAs. Our results indicate high and uni-directional connectivity between MPAs from north to south influenced by the Brazil Current flowing in the same direction. Results also showed that some MPAs act predominantly as “sink” while others are mainly “source” areas.
"Serial Drawing": A Therapeutic Approach with Young Children.

The serial drawing technique is described and examples are used from two cases.With the moderately disturbed youngster, significant change tends to occur over ten sessions. The drawings often reflect a movement from initial feelings of violence, grief, loss of control and helplessness to self-disclosure of very painful experiences. Finally, feelings of growth, mastery and competence in relating to the outside world are manifested both in the drawings and improved behavior.
Machine Learning Techniques for Contactless Fast Body Temperature Imaging Portable Device

After the COVID-19 outbreak, it has been absolutely important at mass gatherings and events to check the body temperature of all the attendees before giving them entry to avoid the massive spread of diseases like COVID-19. In traditional temperature measurement methods, the time required is high, and some of them are non-hygienic due to the involvement of contact between the temperature-measuring device and the patient. So, in this paper, we have proposed a contactless, fast, portable, and safe IR-based temperature measurement system (called ThermoMudra) for simultaneously measuring the temperature of multiple people. In the proposed approach, the Haar Cascade algorithm is used for face detection in a video stream. The device is based on the thermal imaging of people, which can detect elevated temperatures to prevent contact with others. The device can be connected via hotspot to any device, and an Android app is used to monitor the temperature of people in the frame. The whole system is enclosed in a 3D printed case designed keeping in mind the self-heating of devices. It is wireless, making it a feasible portable solution for mass public gatherings. The results have been validated against a standard temperature measuring device, i.e., a digital thermometer, to understand the device’s accuracy.
Improving model predictive controller turnaround time using restricted Lagrangians

We present a new application of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to optimal control. By restricting the Lagrangian of an optimal control problem to a suitable affine subspace, we can achieve a reduction in computational cost leading to faster turnaround times with minimal degradation in controller performance. An explicit algorithm for nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) reduction using POD is presented along with some initial error analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time such an approach has been presented. We applied this approach to the control of a vehicle during a double lane change maneuver using NMPC and achieved 2 times faster turnaround times with excellent controller performance. This reduction approach for the development of real-time optimal controls is very promising and introduces some new research directions.
SEGMENTATION OF LIVER IMAGES BY TEXTURE AND GENETIC SNAKES

The liver is a common site of metastatic disease. The diagnosis of liver metastases in patients at high risk is straightforward, but estimating the gravity is more problematic. We investigate the use of Computed Tomography (CT) scans. The first problem is to segment the liver itself in the CT scan; the second is to segment the metastases in the liver to evaluate their relative volume. In this pre-study, we propose a new method to segment the whole liver based on textural properties of the image and active contour models.
Design and Verification of Low Power SRAM using 8T SRAM Cell Approach

SRAM cell stability will be a primary concern for future technologies due to variability and decreasing power supply voltages. Advances in chip designing have made possible the design of chips at high integration and fast performance. Lowering power consumption and increasing noise margin have become two central topics in every state of SRAM designs.The Conventional 6T SRAM cell is very much prone to noise during read operation. To overcome the read SNM problem in 6T SRAM cell, researchers have considered different configurations for SRAM cells such as 8T, 9T, 10T etc. bitcell design. These designs can improve the cell stability but suffer from bitline leakage noise. This paper targets reduction of power consumption and evaluates the static noise margin of 8T SRAM bitcells. In this paper, we propose a novel 8T SRAM topology that achieves both cell stability and also reduces Power Consumption. With the proposed 8T SRAM circuit, the Read Static Noise Margin is nearly twice that of the Conventional 6T SRAM Cell. General Terms CMOS logic, SRAM and VLSI.