Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobile VR in Education: From the Fringe to the Mainstream

This paper explores the development of virtual reality VR use in education and the emergence of mobile VR based content creation and sharing as a platform for enabling learner-generated content and learner-generated contexts. The author argues that an ecology of resources that maps the user content creation and sharing affordances of mobile devices, social media, mobile head mounted displays and mobile VR cameras, provides an opportunity to design authentic VR learning experiences. The design of these VR learning experiences are informed by networked student-centred pedagogies. Based upon this background the paper provides a conceptual framework for implementing student-generated mobile VR embedded within a design based research methodology across three discipline contexts: paramedicine, journalism, and new media production.
A Phenomenological Study of Cultural Responsiveness in Special Education

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the factors affecting elementary teacher’s ability to understand the academic needs of their racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse special education students and the ways in which their values and beliefs influenced their use of culturally responsive practices in the special education classroom. This study revealed five major reasons for the disproportionate number of Black students in special education as perceived by three White teachers in North Carolina: (a) the inadequate coursework in teacher education programs regarding teaching strategies to effectively teach racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse (RCED) students, (b) the cultural dissonance that created a divide between White teachers and their racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse students, (c) lack of knowledge on the instructional strategies that should be utilized in order to effectively teach racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse students, (d) cultural considerations for Response to Interventions (RtIs) and (e) a disconnect between the home-school cultures. It is significant because findings from this study could add to the knowledge base of strategies to close or eliminate the achievement gap of racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse students in special education programs. Furthermore, these experiences may provide an additional opportunity for local educational agencies (LEAS) to examine the impact of culturally responsive teaching practices on the achievement of RCED students in the special education classroom.
Loading and activation of DNA replicative helicases: the key step of initiation of DNA replication

Evolution has led to diversification of all living organisms from a common ancestor. Consequently, all living organisms use a common method to duplicate their genetic information and thus pass on their inherited traits to their offspring. To duplicate chromosomal DNA, double‐stranded DNA must first be unwound by helicase, which is loaded to replication origins and activated during the DNA replication initiation step. In this review, we discuss the common features of, and differences in, replicative helicases between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Analysis of collagen fiber domain organization by Fourier second harmonic generation microscopy

Abstract. We present an automated and systematic two-dimensional discrete Fourier transform (2D-FFT) approach to analyze collagen fiber organization through the use of second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy. Average orientations of individual domains and Ising-like order parameters introduced to characterize the correlation between orientations of adjacent domains may be used to quantitatively characterize fibrous tissues. Our approach was applied to analyze tissues including rat tail tendon, mouse skin, bovine corneas, and human corneas. We also show that collagen fiber organization in normal and keratokonus human corneas may be distinguished. The current approach may be used for the quantitative differentiation of SHG collagen fiber morphology in different tissues and may be applied for diagnostic purposes.
A spatio-temporal probabilistic model for multi-sensor object recognition

This paper presents a general framework for multi-sensor object recognition through a discriminative probabilistic approach modelling spatial and temporal correlations. The algorithm is developed in the context of Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) trained with virtual evidence boosting. The resulting system is able to integrate arbitrary sensor information and incorporate features extracted from the data. The spatial relationships captured by are further integrated into a smoothing algorithm to improve recognition over time. We demonstrate the benefits of modelling spatial and temporal relationships for the problem of detecting cars using laser and vision data in outdoor environments.
Persuasive argumentation in systemic therapy interaction : a conversation analytic study

One of the core tasks of systemic therapy is to facilitate change which is largely considered to occur in an affiliative and non-interventionist manner. In this thesis I examine the role of an under-reported practice in the pursuit of 'change' in systemic therapy encounters, by focusing on a therapist's attempts to facilitate change in the client's perspective through persuasive argumentation. An interactional account of argumentation is offered through the means of conversation analysis which is the primary methodological framework for the research. The data consists of 13 hours of recorded and faithfully transcribed interaction between a person living with HIV and a systemic psychotherapist. I report three persuasion mechanisms that the therapist mobilises in the attempt to induce change. In the first,-subsequently to a display by the client of a negative stance the therapist solicits the client's grounds (or strongest grounds) in support of this stance. Pragmatically the move invites a defeasible account which the therapist then challenges or rebuts. In the second, the therapist launches a series of questions which progressively uncover a contradiction in the client's understanding of her lived experience. In the third, the therapist delivers a concession to which she attaches an account or elaboration which in fact opposes the client's trajectory and which renders the concession a tactical one. Based on the findings, I discuss some core characteristics of argumentation in therapy interaction. I also discuss the role of epistemic accessibility in the accomplishment of opposition in systemic therapy practice. Finally, I argue that argumentation in the data arises from the use of habitual systemic therapy techniques which reveals their argumentative potential and the under-theorised role of argumentation in facilitating psychotherapeutic change.
Multiple Ethnic Origins of Mitochondrial DNA Lineages for the Population of Mauritius

This article reports on the first genetic assessment of the contemporary Mauritian population. Small island nodes such as Mauritius played a critical role in historic globalization processes and revealing high-resolution details of labour sourcing is crucial in order to better understand early-modern diaspora events. Mauritius is a particularly interesting case given detailed historic accounts attesting to European (Dutch, French and British), African and Asian points of origin. Ninety-seven samples were analysed for mitochondrial DNA to begin unravelling the complex dynamics of the island's modern population. In corroboration with general demographic information, the majority of maternal lineages were derived from South Asia (58.76%), with Malagasy (16.60%), East/Southeast Asian (11.34%) and Sub-Saharan African (10.21%) also making significant contributions. This study pinpoints specific regional origins for the South Asian genetic contribution, showing a greater influence on the contemporary population from northern and southeast India. Moreover, the analysis of lineages related to the slave trade demonstrated that Madagascar and East Asia were the main centres of origin, with less influence from West Africa.
Quantitative and qualitative shifts in defensive metabolites define chemical defense investment during leaf development in Inga, a genus of tropical trees

Abstract Selective pressures imposed by herbivores are often positively correlated with investments that plants make in defense. Research based on the framework of an evolutionary arms race has improved our understanding of why the amount and types of defenses differ between plant species. However, plant species are exposed to different selective pressures during the life of a leaf, such that expanding leaves suffer more damage from herbivores and pathogens than mature leaves. We hypothesize that this differential selective pressure may result in contrasting quantitative and qualitative defense investment in plants exposed to natural selective pressures in the field. To characterize shifts in chemical defenses, we chose six species of Inga, a speciose Neotropical tree genus. Focal species represent diverse chemical, morphological, and developmental defense traits and were collected from a single site in the Amazonian rainforest. Chemical defenses were measured gravimetrically and by characterizing the metabolome of expanding and mature leaves. Quantitative investment in phenolics plus saponins, the major classes of chemical defenses identified in Inga, was greater for expanding than mature leaves (46% and 24% of dry weight, respectively). This supports the theory that, because expanding leaves are under greater selective pressure from herbivores, they rely more upon chemical defense as an antiherbivore strategy than do mature leaves. Qualitatively, mature and expanding leaves were distinct and mature leaves contained more total and unique metabolites. Intraspecific variation was greater for mature leaves than expanding leaves, suggesting that leaf development is canalized. This study provides a snapshot of chemical defense investment in a speciose genus of tropical trees during the short, few‐week period of leaf development. Exploring the metabolome through quantitative and qualitative profiling enables a more comprehensive examination of foliar chemical defense investment.
Multiple Styles of Self-Control Predict College Students' Alcohol Consumption

Two hundred thirty-nine college students were administered Higgins' Revised Self-Control Scale, Huang, DeJong, Schneider, and Towvim's Composite Drinking Scale, and our own Multiple Styles of Self-Control Scale. Greater amounts of alcohol consumption were associated with two styles of self-control—Sociopathic and Consequence-Oriented styles—and lesser amounts of drinking were associated with 2 more of the 14 styles under study—Suppressive and Self-Soothing styles. These findings suggest that the most effective way to negate an impulse is to weaken the impulse itself—through either suppression or self-soothing—and that the least effective way is to try rationally to counteract the impulse by thinking about the consequences of giving in to it.
Modifying Culture Conditions in Chemical Library Screening Identifies Alternative Inhibitors of Mycobacteria

ABSTRACT In this study, application of a dual absorbance/fluorescence assay to a chemical library screen identified several previously unknown inhibitors of mycobacteria. In addition, growth conditions had a significant effect on the activity profile of the library. Some inhibitors such as Se-methylselenocysteine were detected only when screening was performed under nutrient-limited culture conditions as opposed to nutrient-rich culture conditions. We propose that multiple culture condition library screening is required for complete inhibitory profiling and for maximal antimycobacterial compound detection.
Towards an "Optimal" Level of Information System Flexibility - A Conceptual Model

While insufficient flexibility of an information system to support a given business process precludes system use in certain cases, excessive flexibility can limit system usability (Silver 1991), in addition to presenting an unnecessary investment. Despite a wealth of research on flexibility and its impacts on organizations and business processes (esp. manufacturing), the value of flexibility and the price at which it comes have rarely been included into the analysis, with the result that guidelines to determine an appropriate (let alone optimal) level of flexibility of organizations, business processes or information systems have not been developed. To support decisions regarding information system flexibility, the current paper presents a conceptual model that determines the performance of a given business process during the lifetime of a supporting information system, with performance measured as costefficiency. The focus of the model is on the trade-off between investments in two types of flexibility: flexibility to use and flexibility to change an information system. After presenting the conceptual model, directions for further research are pointed out.
A dual-band circular-polarized Dielectric Loaded Antenna (DLA)

We present a circular-polarization design of the dual-band Dielectric Loaded Antenna (DLA) for indoor access point applications. The DLA is different from the conventional DRA by inserting air gap between the dielectric resonator and the ground plane, which offers more degrees of design freedom and wider bandwidth. The proposed box-matched DLA propossess two wide-bands operation on 3.36-4.47 GHz (28.3%) and 4.60-6.78 GHz (38.3%), and keeps a 3 dB boresight axial ratio on 3.72-4.25 GHz (13.2%) and 5.45-5.85 GHz (7.08%). Consistant, directional radiation performance and antenna gain (4.7-6.5 dBi) over the two frequency ranges have been obtained. A simple fabrication process is employed, making the proposed DLA a low-cost candidate for indoor access point.
Endocrine Antecedents of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Fetal and Infant Prenatally Androgenized Female Rhesus Monkeys1

Abstract Experimentally induced fetal androgen excess induces polycystic ovary syndrome-like traits in adult female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Developmental changes leading to this endocrinopathy are not known. We therefore studied 15 time-mated, gravid female rhesus monkeys with known female fetuses. Nine dams received daily s.c. injections of 15 mg of testosterone propionate (TP), and six received injections of oil vehicle (control) from 40 through 80 days of gestation (term, 165 days; range, ±10 days). All fetuses were delivered by cesarean section using established methods at term. Ultrasound-guided fetal blood sample collection and peripheral venous sample collection of dams and subsequent infants enabled determination of circulating levels of steroid hormones, LH and FSH. The TP injections elevated serum testosterone and androstenedione levels in the dams and prenatally androgenized (PA) fetuses. After cessation of TP injections, testosterone levels returned to values within the reference range for animals in these age groups, whereas serum androstenedione levels in PA infants were elevated. The TP injections did not increase estrogen levels in the dams or the PA fetuses or infants, yet conjugated estrogen levels were elevated in the TP-injected dams. Serum levels of LH and FSH were elevated in late-gestation PA fetuses, and LH levels were elevated in PA infants. These studies suggest that experimentally induced fetal androgen excess increases gonadotropin secretion in PA female fetuses and infants and elevates endogenous androgen levels in PA infants. Thus, in this nonhuman primate model, differential programming of the fetal hypothalamo-pituitary unit with concomitant hyperandrogenism provides evidence to suggest developmental origins of LH and androgen excess in adulthood.
Panic disorder and a possible treatment approach by means of high-frequency rTMS: A case report

Panic disorder still remains a pervasive, life quality impairing disorder requiring adequate treatment options. In this case report we present the data of a patient with panic disorder and comorbid depression who was treated with high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to the left prefrontal cortex over a course of 3 weeks. Measurements of the cerebral oxygenation with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during an emotional Stroop task before and after the rTMS treatment suggests that rTMS may modulate panic-related prefrontal brain dysfunctions in panic patients and that it may serve as a possible treatment option for anxiety disorders.
FtsZ Protofilaments Use a Hinge-Opening Mechanism for Constrictive Force Generation

In a FtsZ FtsZ is a guanosine triphosphatase that polymerizes into protofilaments at the bacterial division site. FtsZ recruits the accessory division proteins to the septum and also provides mechanical forces needed to constrict the membrane and reduce the cell width. However, how FtsZ generates mechanical force is unclear. While one popular model suggests that mechanical forces are generated by means of a change in FtsZ structure induced by guanosine triphosphate hydrolysis, nucleotide-dependent conformational transitions have yet to be observed in FtsZ monomer structures. Such transitions may be a feature of FtsZ only in its native protofilament-forming state. Li et al. (p. 392) sought to resolve this question by obtaining high-resolution structures of guanosine diphosphate–bound FtsZ filaments. The results suggest a complex and dynamic FtsZ protofilament network with a high degree of plasticity that is capable of generating forces to drive cytokinesis, during cycles of hydrolysis, while maintaining the structural integrity of individual monomers. The curved structure of a protein involved in cell division reveals the mechanism for Z-ring constriction during cytokinesis. The essential bacterial protein FtsZ is a guanosine triphosphatase that self-assembles into a structure at the division site termed the “Z ring”. During cytokinesis, the Z ring exerts a constrictive force on the membrane by using the chemical energy of guanosine triphosphate hydrolysis. However, the structural basis of this constriction remains unresolved. Here, we present the crystal structure of a guanosine diphosphate–bound Mycobacterium tuberculosis FtsZ protofilament, which exhibits a curved conformational state. The structure reveals a longitudinal interface that is important for function. The protofilament curvature highlights a hydrolysis-dependent conformational switch at the T3 loop that leads to longitudinal bending between subunits, which could generate sufficient force to drive cytokinesis.
Detection of Severe Human Metapneumovirus Infection by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Histopathological Assessment

Abstract BackgroundInfections with common respiratory tract viruses can cause high mortality, especially in immunocompromised hosts, but the impact of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in this setting was previously unknown MethodsWe evaluated consecutive bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial wash fluid samples from 688 patients—72% were immunocompromised and were predominantly lung transplant recipients—for hMPV by use of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and positive results were correlated with clinical outcome and results of viral cultures, in situ hybridization, and lung histopathological assessment ResultsSix cases of hMPV infection were identified, and they had a similar frequency and occurred in a similar age range as other paramyxoviral infections. Four of 6 infections occurred in immunocompromised patients. Infection was confirmed by in situ hybridization for the viral nucleocapsid gene. Histopathological assessment of lung tissue samples showed acute and organizing injury, and smudge cell formation was distinct from findings in infections with other paramyxoviruses. Each patient with high titers of hMPV exhibited a complicated clinical course requiring prolonged hospitalization ConclusionsOur results provide in situ evidence of hMPV infection in humans and suggest that hMPV is a cause of clinically severe lower respiratory tract infection that can be detected during bronchoscopy by use of real-time PCR and routine histopathological assessment
Connectivity-Tolerant Query Optimization over Distributed Mobile Repositories

Query processing and optimization in centralized and distributed environments is well-researched. Centralized query optimization focused on minimizing the number of input/output (or I/O) from disk. Distributed query processing focused mainly on maximizing local computation and minimizing data transfer between nodes. Here the distribution of data was pre-determined and both connectivity and bandwidth were pre-defined and guaranteed. Work on sensor data acquisition deal with non-join queries without taking mobility and connectivity interruptions into consideration. However, these assumptions are no longer true when queries are executed over repositories stored in mobile aerial vehicles which collect, process, and store data in real-time, and connectivity changes significantly over the duration of interest. Currently, only data in one vehicle can be queried by the ground control. This paper explores query processing and optimization issues along with concomitant metadata needed for processing/optimizing queries over distributed, mobile, connectivity-challenged environments. Since response-time and fault-tolerance are the main focus, we propose plans using join, semi-join, and replication-based approaches. We propose and evaluate several heuristics for this environment ranging from greedy to cumulative approaches along with the use of replicated copies of data. We have performed elaborate experimental analysis to validate heuristics that work well for this environment. As maintaining replication is a challenge in this environment, we summarize our initial approach. This work on connectivity-tolerant query optimization is part of a larger middleware-based, service-oriented architecture.
Efficient analysis of microstrip lines including edge singularities in spatial domains

Microstrip lines are analyzed by considering edge-singular behavior using closed-form Green's functions in a spatial domain. A Maxwell function which incorporates the appropriate edge conditions of the line is introduced for the derivations of a transverse correlation function. From calculations of excess lengths of an open-end discontinuity, the results of the proposed method using the edge conditions are in better agreement with the quasistatic results than those of transverse uniform current variations for conductor strips with relatively wider width.
Coding Reliability and Validity of Interview Data

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