Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Impact of Classified Staff Interactions on the Student Experience: A Multiple Case Study Approach

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF CLASSIFIED STAFF INTERACTIONS ON THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY APPROACH Mary Ann Schmitt Old Dominion University, 2011 Director: Dr. Mary H. Duggan This qualitative multiple case study explored front-line classified staff interactions with students as a possible strategy for increasing student success. The study was based on the premise that too few students stay at a community college long enough to achieve their academic goals. Therefore, college leaders must identify new strategies to increase student retention and success. A literature review revealed positive student experiences increase the likelihood of student persistence. Since classified staff members interact with students throughout the college, the author examined their interactions as one potential strategy to increase the likelihood of student success. The study explored classified staff interactions with students from the staff perspective. The research questions focused on how front-line workers interacted with students, how important the interactions were to the staff members, and what the personnel knew about the students they served. The author collected data using interviews, observations, and focus groups. She then analyzed the data, related the findings to the research questions, and identified emerging trends. Findings indicated staff interactions with students encompassed a wide range of content and complexity. Participants contributed to the educational process through skill building, encouragement, engagement, and administrative tasks. They promoted the college mission by supporting open access, student success, and institutional excellence. Respondents reported being satisfied with their roles; however, they expressed concerns with negative student encounters, work conditions, and policy issues. Participants demonstrated student knowledge by identifying shared characteristics, unique traits of special populations, and various barriers to success. They expected students to be respectful and work hard. The five over-arching themes that emerged during data analysis revealed front-line staff members (a) served as a human connection to students in an increasingly technological world, (b) offered students practical strategies for success, (c) provided support to special populations, (d) recognized work conditions affected their interactions, and (e) desired more involvement in policy development. College leaders can use these findings to enhance classified staff interactions with students by clarifying hiring procedures, improving office policies, and developing training activities. Further research is needed to more fully understand the role of classified staff members in community colleges.
Beach Soccer Injuries During the Japanese National Championships

Background: The frequency and severity of injury in beach soccer are unknown. Purpose: To estimate the incidence rates, characteristics, and risk factors for injuries associated with beach soccer. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The same sports physician examined and recorded injuries incurred during the Japanese National Beach Soccer Championships in 2013 and 2014. Posttournament follow-up was made for all injuries. Match exposure for each player was recorded through video review to examine individual risk factors. Results: A total of 58 injuries were recorded during 54 matches. The overall injury rate was 179.0 (95% CI, 138.4-231.6), and the time-loss injury rate was 28.2 (95% CI, 14.7-54.1) per 1000 player-hours. The foot/toe (34.9%) was the most frequently injured area, followed by the lower leg (22.2%) and thigh (11.1%). There was only 1 ankle injury (1.6%). The most frequent injury type was contusions (60.3%), followed by lacerations/abrasions (14.3%) and sprains/ligament injuries (6.3%). Only 4 injuries resulted in ≥30 days of time-loss (7.4%). After adjusting for age, a previous history of severe injury and longer experience of beach soccer were significantly associated with injury risk. Conclusion: The time-loss injury rate in this study was comparable to the rates reported during the matches of soccer or futsal tournaments. However, a greater incidence of foot/toe injury and lacerations/abrasions as well as a lower incidence of ankle injury distinguished beach soccer from soccer and futsal, possibly related to the specific playing conditions of being barefoot on a sand surface.
Dynamics of Normalization Underlying Masking in Human Visual Cortex

Stimulus visibility can be reduced by other stimuli that overlap the same region of visual space, a process known as masking. Here we studied the neural mechanisms of masking in humans using source-imaged steady state visual evoked potentials and frequency-domain analysis over a wide range of relative stimulus strengths of test and mask stimuli. Test and mask stimuli were tagged with distinct temporal frequencies and we quantified spectral response components associated with the individual stimuli (self terms) and responses due to interaction between stimuli (intermodulation terms). In early visual cortex, masking alters the self terms in a manner consistent with a reduction of input contrast. We also identify a novel signature of masking: a robust intermodulation term that peaks when the test and mask stimuli have equal contrast and disappears when they are widely different. We fit all of our data simultaneously with family of a divisive gain control models that differed only in their dynamics. Models with either very short or very long temporal integration constants for the gain pool performed worse than a model with an integration time of ∼30 ms. Finally, the absolute magnitudes of the response were controlled by the ratio of the stimulus contrasts, not their absolute values. This contrast–contrast invariance suggests that many neurons in early visual cortex code relative rather than absolute contrast. Together, these results provide a more complete description of masking within the normalization framework of contrast gain control and suggest that contrast normalization accomplishes multiple functional goals.
Solving SAT Problem with Boolean Algebra

The satisfiability (SAT) problem is an important problem of automated reasoning. In the past decades, many methods of SAT are proposed, such as method based on resolution, method based on tableau and method based on extension rule. Based on the study of extension rule, we find that the SAT problem can be solved with hitting set algorithms. If we can find a hitting set of a clause set, and if there is not any pair of complementary literals in the hitting set, the clause set is satisfiable. Algorithm BHS based on Boolean algebra proposed by Jiang is an efficient hitting set algorithm. SSBF proposed in this paper is a revised algorithm of BHS that can be used to judge the satisfiability of a clause set. The test result shows that SSBF is an efficient algorithm.
Understanding the structure of large, diverse collections of shapes

Due to recent developments in modeling software and advances in acquisition techniques for 3D geometry, large numbers of shapes have been digitized. Existing datasets include millions of real-world objects, cultural heritage artifacts, scientific and engineering models, all of which capture the world around us at nano- to planetary scales. As large repositories of 3D shape collections continue to grow, understanding the data, especially encoding the inter-model similarity and their variations, is of the utmost importance. In this dissertation we address the challenge of deriving structure from a large, unorganized, and diverse collection of 3D polygonal models. By structure we refer to how objects correspond to each other, how they are segmented into semantic parts, and how the parts deform and change across the models. While previous work has generally dealt with small and relatively homogeneous datasets, in this dissertation we concentrate on diverse and large collections. Our contribution is three-fold. First, we present an algorithm for establishing correspondences between pairs of shapes related by a non-uniform deformation. Second, we develop a robust and efficient algorithm for computing per-point similarities between all shapes in a collection of 3D models using only a small subset of all pairwise alignments. And third, we describe an algorithm for finding structure in an unorganized, unlabeled collection of diverse 3D shapes, which is achieved by jointly optimizing for point-to-point correspondences, part segmentations and an explicit model of part deformations. These algorithms enable finding correspondences in large diverse datasets where models are related by non-uniform deformations and model parts have different multiplicity and geometry. These methods also make it possible to segment large collections into consistent sets of parts and to represent most prominent geometric variations in the entire collection.
MCDM Methods for Territorial Services Planning in an Andine Rural Area

For election of a system of disposal of urban residues in small andine cities of the Provincia de Salta, Argentina, some discrete MCDM methods were found adequate and were used choosing between three alternatives {direct filling, sanitary filling+compost and transport out of the city}, after a local team defined and elicited a comprehensive set of criteria. ELECTRE-I and PROMETHEE methods were performed, requiring elicitation of weights and some adaptations. A.H. P. was locally performed. The second alternative was preferred with the three methods.
Charmed baryon strong decays in a chiral quark model

Charmed baryon strong decays are studied in a chiral quark model. The data for the decays of ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}^{+}(2593)$, ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}^{+}(2625)$, ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{c}^{++,+,0}$, and ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{c}^{+,0}(2520)$ are accounted for successfully, which allows one to fix the pseudoscalar-meson-quark couplings in an effective chiral Lagrangian. Extending this framework to analyze the strong decays of the newly observed charmed baryons, we classify that ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}(2880)$ and ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}(2940)$ as $D$-wave states in the $N=2$ shell; ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}(2880)$ could be $|{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}^{2}D_{\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\lambda}}{\frac{3}{2}}^{+}⟩$ and ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}(2940)$ could be $|{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}^{2}D_{\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\lambda}}{\frac{5}{2}}^{+}⟩$. Our calculation also suggests that ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}(2765)$ is very likely a $\ensuremath{\rho}$-mode $P$-wave excited state in the $N=1$ shell, and favors a $|{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}^{4}P_{\ensuremath{\rho}}{\frac{1}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}⟩$ configuration. The ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{c}(2800)$ favors being a $|{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{c}^{2}P_{\ensuremath{\lambda}}{\frac{1}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}⟩$ state. But its being $|{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{c}^{++}^{4}P_{\ensuremath{\lambda}}{\frac{5}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}⟩$ cannot be ruled out.
High Order Recurrent Neural Control for Wind Turbine with a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator

In this paper, an adaptive recurrent neural control scheme is applied to a wind turbine with permanent magnet synchronous generator. Due to the variable behavior of wind currents, the angular speed of the generator is required at a given value in order to extract the maximum available power. In order to develop this control structure, a high order recurrent neural network is used to model the turbine-generator model which is assumed as an unknown system; a learning law is obtained using the Lyapunov methodology. Then a control law, which stabilizes the reference tracking error dynamics, is developed using Control Lyapunov Functions. Via simulations, the control scheme is applied to maximum
Huffman Coding-Based Compression Unit for Embedded Systems

The need for an efficient way to store data makes compression a common task. Huffman Coding is a technique used for loss less compression of data. In an embedded system whose main memory resources are limited, to perform the coding could be risky because it could construct very deep or wide trees. The purpose of this article is to show the design and implementation of a circuit that performs a coding of text files without using the main memory of the system. This circuit was added to a FPGA with embedded processor, therefore creating an embedded system or a system on a chip (SoC).
Beyond Mechanical Turk: An Analysis of Paid Crowd Work Platforms

While Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (AMT) helped launch online crowd work in 2005, a myriad of newer vendors now oﬀer alternative feature sets and workﬂow models for accomplishing quality crowd work. Unfortunately, research on crowd work has remained largely focused on AMT, with little exploration of other platforms. Such near-exclusive focus on AMT risks its particular vagaries and limitations overly shaping research questions and directions, as well as our understanding of broader capabilities and limitations of crowd work. To address this, we present a qualitative content analysis of seven alternative platforms. After organizing prior AMT studies around a set of key problem types encountered, we deﬁne our process for inducing categories for qualitative assessment of platforms. We then contrast the key problem types with AMT vs. platform features from content analysis, informing both methodology of use and directions for future research. Our cross-platform analysis represents the only such study by researchers for researchers, intended to enrich diversity of research on crowd work and accelerate progress.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) VEGF incorporated into calcium phosphate ceramics promotes vascularisation and bone formation in vivo

Bone formation and osseointegration of biomaterials are dependent on angiogenesis and vascularization. Angiogenic growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were shown to promote biomaterial vascularization and enhance bone formation. However, high local concentrations of VEGF induce the formation of malformed, nonfunctional vessels. We hypothesized that a continuous delivery of low concentrations of VEGF from calcium phosphate ceramics may increase the efficacy of VEGF administration. VEGF was co-precipitated onto biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics to achieve a sustained release of the growth factor. The co-precipitation efficacy and the release kinetics of the protein were investigated in vitro. For in vivo investigations BCP ceramics were implanted into critical size cranial defects in Balb/c mice. Angiogenesis and microvascularization were investigated over 28 days by means of intravital microscopy. The formation of new bone was determined histomorphometrically. Co-precipitation reduced the burst release of VEGF. Furthermore, a sustained, cell-mediated release of low concentrations of VEGF from BCP ceramics was mediated by resorbing osteoclasts. In vivo, sustained delivery of VEGF achieved by protein co-precipitation promoted biomaterial vascularization, osseointegration, and bone formation. Short-term release of VEGF following superficial adsorption resulted in a temporally restricted promotion of angiogenesis and did not enhance bone formation. The release kinetics of VEGF appears to be an important factor in the promotion of biomaterial vascularization and bone formation. Sustained release of VEGF increased the efficacy of VEGF delivery demonstrating that a prolonged bioavailability of low concentrations of VEGF is beneficial for bone regeneration.
An Algorithm for Fast Software Encryption

A waste water treatment system including an oxidation vessel which receives waste water and has at least one wall and is adapted to introduce oxygen into the waste water contained therein. A clarifier is mounted on the wall at the outlet from the vessel and is narrow in comparison to the vessel. The clarifier includes generally vertical end walls and an imperforate elongated generally vertical sidewall defining upper and lower ends of the clarifier. The lower end of the clarifier is opened to provide for admission of waste water into the clarifier and an apertured plate extends along the length of the clarifier at the upper end and is hydraulically interposed between the clarifier and the vessel outlet.
Properties of the Dwarf Galaxy Population in Galaxy Clusters

We present the observational properties of the dwarf galaxy population (Mr > Mr* + 1) corresponding to one of the largest samples of spectroscopically confirmed nearby galaxy cluster members reported in the literature. We have observed that red dwarf galaxies (u − r > 2.22) share the same cluster environment as the brightest cluster members (Mr < − 21), but are not in dynamical equilibrium. We computed the dwarf-to-giant ratio (DGR) using a spectroscopically selected sample. The DGR was found to vary with clustercentric distance, essentially due to the blue dwarf population (u − r < 2.22). The u − r color of red dwarf galaxies was independent of their environment and similar to the color of red isolated dwarfs. Blue dwarf galaxies located outside r200 show similar u − r colors to those of the field population, while strong reddening was observed toward the cluster center. We also present evidence that the fraction of red to blue dwarf galaxies in clusters is larger in the innermost cluster regions. We conclude that the present red dwarf population observed in the central regions of nearby galaxy clusters could be related to the blue dwarf population observed in clusters at high redshift.
The labor market implications of international trade

The general equilibrium analysis of many important labor market issues is very different in an economy that is open to international trade than an economy (like the US in the 1950s) in which trade is not very important. Despite the fact that individual national economies have become increasingly interdependent over the last few decades, labor economists have generally used a closed economy framework to attack many important issues (such as the determinants of the distribution of earnings) that should, in fact, be approached very differently in an open economy setting. A major task of this paper is the exposition of the correct approach to labor market analysis for the case in which the focus economy is open rather than closed. Perhaps the most important implication of neoclassical trade theory for labor economics is that, under certain conditions, the skill distribution of wages in a particular economy is unaffected by the skill distribution of the supply of labor in that economy. Our review of the trade literature focuses on the question of the degree to which these conditions are likely to be satisfied. Our general conclusion -- inspired more from the empirical than the purely theoretical branch of the trade field -- is that the correct specification of the behavior of the labor market is a blend of the closed and open models.
On location privacy and quality of information in participatory sensing

Participatory sensing applications typically bind sensor data to locations. Location privacy preserving mechanisms protecting the location of users introduce therefore an uncertainty in the collected data distributions. We consider two strategies to reconstruct a data distribution after k-anonymity has been applied to the users' location information. We investigate how different parameters for the location privacy preserving mechanism influence both the quality of information and the location privacy of the users. Our results show that the cloak area resulted from applying k-anonymity has a higher impact on both the quality of information and the location privacy than the number of users, k, that are cloaked together.
Review Article Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Targets for the Treatment of Metabolic Diseases

Metabolic syndrome is estimated to affect more than one in five adults, and its prevalence is growing in the adult and pediatric populations. The most widely recognized metabolic risk factors are atherogenic dyslipidemia, elevated blood pressure, and elevated plasma glucose. Individuals with these characteristics commonly manifest a prothrombotic state and a proinflammatory state as well. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) may serve as potential therapeutic targets for treating the metabolic syndrome and its related risk factors. The PPARs are transcriptional factors belonging to the ligand-activated nuclear receptor superfamily. So far, three isoforms of PPARs have been identified, namely, PPAR-í µí»¼, PPAR-í µí»½/í µí»¿, and PPAR-í µí»¾. Various endogenous and exogenous ligands of PPARs have been identified. PPAR-í µí»¼ and PPAR-í µí»¾ are mainly involved in regulating lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and glucose homeostasis, and their agonists are used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and T2DM. Whereas PPAR-í µí»½/í µí»¿ function is to regulate lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, anti-inflammation, and fatty acid oxidation and its agonists are used in the treatment of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. This review mainly focuses on the biological role of PPARs in gene regulation and metabolic diseases, with particular focus on the therapeutic potential of PPAR modulators in the treatment of thrombosis.
Synthesis of Sparse Arrays With Focused or Shaped Beampattern via Sequential Convex Optimizations

An iterative procedure for the synthesis of sparse arrays radiating focused or shaped beampattern is presented. The algorithm consists in solving a sequence of weighted l1 convex optimization problems. The method can thus be readily implemented and efficiently solved. In the optimization procedure, the objective is the minimization of the number of radiating elements and the constraints correspond to the pattern requirements. The method can be applied to synthesize either focused or shaped beampattern and there is no restriction regarding the array geometry and individual element patterns. Numerical comparisons with standard benchmark problems assess the efficiency of the proposed approach, whose computation time is several orders of magnitude below those of so-called global optimization algorithms.
Targeting Infeasibility Questions on Obfuscated Codes

Software deobfuscation is a crucial activity in security analysis and especially, in malware analysis. While standard static and dynamic approaches suffer from well-known shortcomings, Dynamic Symbolic Execution (DSE) has recently been proposed has an interesting alternative, more robust than static analysis and more complete than dynamic analysis. Yet, DSE addresses certain kinds of questions encountered by a reverser namely feasibility questions. Many issues arising during reverse, e.g. detecting protection schemes such as opaque predicates fall into the category of infeasibility questions. In this article, we present the Backward-Bounded DSE, a generic, precise, efficient and robust method for solving infeasibility questions. We demonstrate the benefit of the method for opaque predicates and call stack tampering, and give some insight for its usage for some other protection schemes. Especially, the technique has successfully been used on state-of-the-art packers as well as on the government-grade X-Tunnel malware -- allowing its entire deobfuscation. Backward-Bounded DSE does not supersede existing DSE approaches, but rather complements them by addressing infeasibility questions in a scalable and precise manner. Following this line, we propose sparse disassembly, a combination of Backward-Bounded DSE and static disassembly able to enlarge dynamic disassembly in a guaranteed way, hence getting the best of dynamic and static disassembly. This work paves the way for robust, efficient and precise disassembly tools for heavily-obfuscated binaries.