Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
stimating teacher effectiveness from two-year changes in students ’ est scores

Using a dataset covering over 10,000 Australian school teachers and over 90,000 pupils, I estimate how effective teachers are in raising students’ test scores. Since the exams are biennial, it is necessary to take account of the teacher’s work in the intervening year. Even adjusting for measurement error, the teacher fixed effects are widely dispersed, and there is a strong positive correlation between a teacher’s gains in literacy and numeracy. Teacher fixed effects show a significant association with some, though not all, observable teacher 24 23
A QoS-aware task allocation model for mobile cloud computing

Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) tries to offload computation from mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, to cloud providers to solve the limitations of mobile devices with the power of cloud computing. Providing cloud computing quality of service (QoS) in mobile devices is harder to achieve compared to fixed devices due to the limited computing resources, storage and energy in mobile devices. On the other hand, node mobility causes rapid changes in network topology. Tasks in cloud computing infrastructure are performed with different quality of service requirements. Using appropriate allocation of tasks to cloud computing resources, can improve QoS. In this paper, we formulate the task allocation problem as a minimum nonlinear optimization problem. A randomized algorithm is proposed in which the result is close to the optimal solution. It improves the QoS in mobile devices by choosing suitable cloud providers for a given user application. The results show that the proposed algorithm is faster and more scalable compared to optimal solution.
Insider and Ousider Threat-Sensitive SQL Injection Vulnerability Analysis in PHP

In general, SQL-injection attacks rely on some weak validation of textual input used to build database queries. Maliciously crafted input may threaten the confidentiality and the security policies of Web sites relying on a database to store and retrieve information. Furthermore, insiders may introduce malicious code in a Web application, code that, when triggered by some specific input, for example, would violate security policies. This paper presents an original approach based on static analysis to automatically detect statements in PHP applications that may be vulnerable to SQL-injections triggered by either malicious input (outsider threats) or malicious code (insider threats). Original flow analysis equations, that propagate and combine security levels along an inter-procedural control flow graph (CFG), are presented. The computation of security levels presents linear execution time and memory complexity
Irregular Indeterminate Repeated Facts in Temporal Relational Databases

Time is pervasive of reality, and many relational database approaches have been developed to cope with it. In practical applications, facts can repeat several times, and only the overall period of time containing all the repetitions may be known (consider, e.g., On January, John attended five meetings of the Bioinformatics project). While some temporal relational databases have faced facts repeated at (known) periodic time, or single facts occurred at temporally indeterminate time, the conjunction of non-periodic repetitions and temporal indeterminacy has not been faced yet. Coping with this problem requires an in-depth extension of current techniques. In this paper, we have introduced a new data model, and new definitions of relational algebraic operators coping with the above issues. We have studied the properties of the new model and algebra (with emphasis on the reducibility property), and how it can be integrated with other models in the literature.
Reliability of Pseudotyped Influenza Viral Particles in Neutralizing Antibody Detection

Background Current influenza control strategies require an active surveillance system. Pseudotyped viral particles (pp) together with the evaluation of pre-existing immunity in a population might satisfy this requirement. However, the reliability of using pp in neutralizing antibody (nAb) detection are undefined. Methodology/Principal Findings Pseudotyped particles of A(H1N1)pmd09 (A/California/7/2009) and HPAI H5N1 (A/Anhui/1/2005), as well as their reassortants, were generated. The reliability of using these pp in nAb detection were compared concurrently with the corresponding viruses by a hemagglutination inhibition test, as well as ELISA-, cytopathic effect-, and fluorescence-based microneutralization assays. In the qualitative detection on nAbs, the pp and their corresponding viruses were in complete agreement, with an R2 value equal to or near 1 in two different populations. In the quantitative detection on nAbs, although the geometric mean titers (95% confidence interval) differed between the pp and viruses, no significant difference was observed. Furthermore, humoral immunity against the reassortants was evaluated; our results indicated strong consistency between the nAbs against reassortant pp and those against naïve pp harboring the same hemagglutinin. Conclusion/Significance The pp displayed high reliability in influenza virus nAb detection. The use of reassortant pp is a safe and convenient strategy for characterizing emerging influenza viruses and surveying the disease burden.
Indoor path loss model for 4G wireless network at 2.6 GHz

In this paper, a short-range, narrowband indoor propagation at 2.6 GHz was measured and modeled. The measurement campaign was conducted to characterize the path loss (PL) of Radio frequency (RF) at the Razak School building corridor. The corridor has unique structure and segmented in different sections. The irregular structure of corridor, further with various interior material used gives the unique characterization to the received power. The research work made in this paper is predominately targets to characterizing radio link of 2.6 GHz frequency in typical indoor corridor.
Design and fabrication of a robotic tactile device for abdominal palpation

Palpation can be used as a manual technique for detecting normal and abnormal tissues. According to the recent applications of the robotic and control systems in medical fields, the design and fabrication of a device capable of abdominal palpation is of great importance. In this paper, a device has been designed and fabricated to be used for palpation examinations. A cable mechanism has been used to meet weight and size criteria of the device. The proposed design has been explained in detail. The device measures contact force between the probe and palpated tissue and also the deflection of the tissue as the probe is pressed against the body. Useful parameters of abdominal tissue such as stiffness can also be obtained.
Gender differences in autobiographical memory: females latently express communality more than do males

ABSTRACT Gender differences have been found in several aspects of autobiographical memory (i.e. personally experienced events). For example, previous studies have shown that females’ autobiographical memories contain more communal and emotional expressions than do males. However, an important question concerns whether these differences can be observed both in the manifest content (i.e. what is actually said) and in the latent content (i.e. the underlying meaning of what is said). In the present exploratory study, we extended the current knowledge concerning gender differences in autobiographical memory by investigating the manifestly expressed words, as well as the latently expressed words in autobiographical memory descriptions. We observed an overall gender difference in the latent content of the autobiographical memories. Furthermore, females latently described their memories in more communal terms than males did. No other gender differences were found. Our results indicate that females’ autobiographical memories are more communally oriented than male's.
Reactions of CHn + with H and H2 at Temperatures Relevant to Astrophysics

A presence of hydrocarbon molecules in interstellar clouds makes labora- tory research of astrophysically relevant ion-molecule reactions urgent. In this report, we discus experimental conditions required for the study of reactions of CHn + ions with atomic and molecular hydrogen using RF ion trap technique. We analyzed formation of these ions and their reactions in ion trap. We made numerical prediction of trans- formation CH + ions into CH3 + in reactions with H and H2.
Attitude control of a quad-rotor system using an acceleration-based disturbance observer: An empirical approach

This paper presents the disturbance observer design for attitude control of a quad-rotor system. The quad-rotor system is approximated by an inertial system of which an acceleration term is dominant in dynamic behaviors. Acceleration-based disturbance observer (AbDOB) is designed to reject any disturbances for robust attitude control of the system. Acceleration is measured by a gyro sensor and used to estimate control input to estimate the disturbance. Then disturbance is cancelled with the estimated disturbance. Experimental studies are demonstrated to confirm the proposed control scheme.
In silico modeling of smiling motions -aging in adulthood

in silico modeling of smiling motions (maximum lip corner retraction) was achieved using the recorded 3-dimensional motion data of 10 anatomical landmarks on a face for 60 women (30 young adults and 30 middle-aged adults). A total of 55 feature variables were extracted from the motion data to generate a feature vector. Sets of the feature vector and the age category were stored as knowledge in the model. The prediction of the age category (young adult or middle-aged adult) was performed by means of Nm-neighboring search in the model knowledge with the weight coefficient W. The prediction model was successfully optimized to provide the prediction accuracy of 75.3% and the feature elements to well represent the effect of aging on smiling motions were formulated objectively.
Functional analysis of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma primary tumor-associated gene interaction network

The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) primary tumor development through the identification of key genes using bioinformatics approaches. Using the GSE53819 microarray dataset, acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out between NPC primary tumor and control samples, followed by hierarchical clustering analysis. The Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database was utilized to build a protein-protein interaction network to identify key node proteins. In total, 1,067 DEGs, including 326 upregulated genes and 741 downregulated genes, were identified between the NPC and control samples. The results of the hierarchical clustering analysis demonstrated that 95% of the DEGs were sample-specific. Furthermore, PDZ binding kinase (PBK), centromere protein F (CENPF), actin-binding protein anillin (ANLN), exonuclease 1 (EXO1) and chromosome 15 open reading frame 42 (C15ORF42) were included in the obtained network module, which was closely associated with the cell cycle and nucleic acid metabolic process GO functions. The results of the present study revealed that EXO1, CENPF, ANLN, PBK and C15ORF42 may be involved in the mechanism of NPC via modulating the cell cycle and nucleic acid metabolic processes, and may serve as molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis of this disease.
Model-aided state estimation for quadrotor micro air vehicles amidst wind disturbances

This paper extends the recently developed Model-Aided Visual-Inertial Fusion (MA-VIF) technique for quadrotor Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) to deal with wind disturbances. The wind effects are explicitly modelled in the quadrotor dynamic equations excluding the unobservable wind velocity component. This is achieved by a nonlinear observability of the dynamic system with wind effects. We show that using the developed model, the vehicle pose and two components of the wind velocity vector can be simultaneously estimated with a monocular camera and an inertial measurement unit. We also show that the MA-VIF is reasonably tolerant to wind disturbances, even without explicit modelling of wind effects and explain the reasons for this behaviour. Experimental results using a Vicon motion capture system are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and validate our claims.
The endocytic pathway and formation of the Wingless morphogen gradient

Controlling the spread of morphogens is crucial for pattern formation during development. In the Drosophila wing disc, Wingless secreted at the dorsal-ventral compartment boundary forms a concentration gradient in receiving tissue, where it activates short- and long-range target genes. The glypican Dally-like promotes Wingless spreading by unknown mechanisms, while Dynamin-dependent endocytosis is thought to restrict Wingless spread. We have utilized short-term expression of dominant negative Rab proteins to examine the polarity of endocytic trafficking of Wingless and its receptors and to determine the relative contributions of endocytosis, degradation and recycling to the establishment of the Wingless gradient. Our results show that Wingless is internalized via two spatially distinct routes: one on the apical, and one on the basal, side of the disc. Both restrict the spread of Wingless, with little contribution from subsequent degradation or recycling. As previously shown for Frizzled receptors, depleting Arrow does not prevent Wingless from entering endosomes. We find that both Frizzled and Arrow are internalized mainly from the apical membrane. Thus, the basal Wingless internalization route must be independent of these proteins. We find that Dally-like is not required for Wingless spread when endocytosis is blocked, and propose that Dally-like promotes the spread of Wingless by directing it to lateral membranes, where its endocytosis is less efficient. Thus, subcellular localization of Wingless along the apical-basal axis of receiving cells may be instrumental in shaping the Wingless gradient.
The Prosodic Word as a Unit in Poetic Meter

The epic decasyllable is a traditional South Slavic folk metrical form. The poems created in this rich oral tradition are of a highly formulaic nature, and possess a discernible metrical organization. My focus will be on the so-called Serbo-Croatian poems within this tradition (cf. Maretić 1907, 1935, Jakobson 1933, 1952), which have been documented in numerous volumes of verse. Among the most notable are the five volumes of Serbian epic poetry collected and published by Vuk Karadžić between 1814 and 1847, which will be the principal basis of this study. Although extensively documented, this verse form has eluded clear characterization. Each line of the epic decasyllable has ten metrical positions, with a caesura after the fourth, which divides it into two cola. A metrical position corresponds, strictly, to a syllable, while colon boundaries coincide with word breaks.
An active-passive variable stiffness elastic actuator for safety robot systems

For classical robotic applications, robotic systems consist of servo motors, high-ratio reduction and rigid links; mechanical designers prefer to designing robotic applications as stiff as possible to make robots manipulate with remarkable speed and precise position movements. However, these robotic applications can hardly interact with people and environments under safety constraints. It poses the very fundamental problem of ensuring safety to humans and protecting the robot. This paper presents an active-passive variable stiffness elastic actuator (APVSEA) which is designed for safety robot systems. The APVSEA consists of two DC-motors: one is used to control the position of the joint and the other is used to adjust the stiffness of the system. The stiffness is generated by two antagonistically nonlinear springs. By changing the preload length of the two antagonistically nonlinear springs, APVSEA has the ability to minimize large impact forces due to shocks, to safely interact with the user and/or become as stiff as possible to make precise position movements or trajectory tracking control easier. Experiment results are presented to show that APVSEA is capable of providing precise position movements while offering safe human-robot interaction.
Prevalence of factors associated with malnutrition among acute geriatric patients in Norway: a cross-sectional study

Objectives Data on acute geriatric patients' nutritional status are lacking, and the associations among physical function, sarcopenia, health status and nutritional status are not sufficiently investigated in this population. The aims of this study are to investigate (1) nutritional status and sarcopenia in a group of acute geriatric patients, (2) the association between nutritional status, physical function and sarcopenia in acute geriatric patients, controlling for health status. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting Two acute geriatric hospital wards in Norway. Participants This study included 120 patients with a mean age of 82.6±8 years. The following inclusion criteria were used: age ≥65 years and admitted to an acute geriatric ward. The exclusion criteria included terminal illness, Mini-Mental State Examination <23, language difficulties or severe aphasia. Main outcome measures Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Physical function was measured using the Barthel activities of daily life index and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the mid-arm muscle circumference, gait speed and grip strength, in accordance with the EWGSOP algorithm. Diseases are organised by organ system classification. Results On the basis of the MNA classification, nearly one in two patients were at risk of malnutrition, while one in four were malnourished. Sarcopenia was present in 30% of the patients. A multivariate linear regression model was estimated and showed significant independent associations between SPPB score (β 0.64, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.90), sarcopenia (β −3.3, 95% CI −4.9 to −1.7), pulmonary disease (β −2.1, 95% CI −3.7 to −0.46), cancer (β −1.7, 95% CI −3.4 to −0.033) and nutritional status. Conclusions Our study shows a high prevalence of risk of malnutrition, malnutrition and sarcopenia. Further, the results indicate that a low total SPPB score, sarcopenia, cancer and pulmonary disease are significantly associated with declines in nutritional status, as measured by the MNA, in acute geriatric patients.
Practical Issues Concerning the Use of Bicoherence for the detection of quadratic phase coupling

It is often diicult to apply the techniques of Higher Order Statistics (HOS) in practice, since many of the techniques require unrealistic signal assumptions to hold. In this paper a set of realistic restrictions on the experimental data is stipulated at the outset, and the use of the bispectrum as a detector of Quadratic Phase Coupling (QPC) is investigated. It is found that under these restrictions the squared bicoherence is not a good measure of QPC, since it shows peaks even if there is no QPC present. A new visualisa-tion of the problem is presented in the complex bispectral plane, and a new QPC detector is proposed based on the joint conditions of signiicant bicoherence magnitude and zero biphase. This detector, which is based on the empirical results of Sebert and Elgar 1989] performs well over a variety of SNR's, although some problems still persist. The main points of the paper are illustrated with simulated data and experimental speech data.
Taking Initiative in Response Generation

We present an approach to taking the initiative to provide unrequested but relevant information in responses to Yes-No questions. In our model, stimulus conditions represent types of discourse contexts in which a speaker would be motivated to provide unrequested information. Stimulus conditions can be thought of as situational triggers which give rise to new speaker goals, and which are the compiled result of "deeper" planning based upon intentional goals. Stimulus conditions are used as part of a discourse-plan based approach to response generation which enables the generation of coherent multiple-sentence responses, including indirect answers.
Determination and ranking of trajectory accuracy factors

Trajectory accuracy improvements provide the opportunity to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by increasing the predictability of the National Airspace System (NAS). In addition to the environmental benefits, the ability to improve trajectory prediction accuracy enables trajectory based operations (TBO). Because of the foundational reliance on accurate gate-to-gate four dimensional trajectory (4DT) predictions in TBO, trajectory predictors (TP) will have to meet stringent accuracy performance requirements. There have been significant advances in understanding the accuracy performance and limitations of different TP algorithms. However, implementation of TBO requires identification of the specific aspects of trajectory prediction that will need improvement in order to deliver the necessary accuracy. The challenge is not to select a single trajectory model approach but rather to define which modeling approaches can deliver better performance under different circumstances and to understand the limitations of each. A clear understanding of accuracy factors and the way they affect different modeling approaches allows development of hybrid algorithms that combine the strengths of different approaches. It is known, for instance, that kinetic models are affected by the uncertainty in aircraft mass, while parametric models are affected by the variance in the velocities encoded in lookup tables, but what is the relative contribution of these errors to the overall accuracy of predictions? The paper presents an accuracy factors analysis methodology to rank the sources of error according to their respective impact. This analysis facilitates the identification of the modeling issues that have the largest impact in prediction accuracy and the systematic evaluation of the potential improvements that could be expected from the use of aircraft intent information that will be available when air-ground data link is deployed. The sources of errors in trajectory prediction have been amply studied; however, a clear understanding of the relative contribution of these errors to accuracy performance using realistic scenarios is necessary in order to be able to improve the models. The accuracy factors ranking methodology presented here relies on the computation of the Past Maximum Deviation (PMD) metric for each error measurement and using the PMD to attribute the error to one of four possible error source categories: lateral, vertical, velocity and heading. The PMD metric keeps track of the largest track-trajectory deviation prior to the measurement along each of the four categories. PMD distributions serve as a diagnostic that reveal the performance of a trajectory predictor (TP) along the four dimensions discussed and can be used as an effective tool to compare two TPs or two variants of the same TP. Results of accuracy factor analysis based on the En Route Automation Modernization ERAM parametric algorithm using a live recorded scenario are presented.
Noise-enhanced M-ary hypothesis-testing in the minimax framework

In this study, the effects of adding independent noise to observations of a suboptimal detector are studied for M-ary hypothesis-testing problems according to the minimax criterion. It is shown that the optimal additional noise can be represented by a randomization of at most M signal values under certain conditions. In addition, a convex relaxation approach is proposed to obtain an accurate approximation to the noise probability distribution in polynomial time. Furthermore, sufficient conditions are presented to determine when additional noise can or cannot improve the performance of a given detector. Finally, a numerical example is presented.