Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EXPLORING COLLABORATIVE ONLINE

An investigation was carried out to determine the extent to which evidence of collaborative learning could be identified in students’ textual interactions in an online learning environment. The literature on collaborative learning has identified a range of behaviors that characterize successful collaborative learning in face-to-face situations. Evidence of these behaviors was sought in the messages that were posted by students as they interacted in online work groups. Analysis of students’ contributions reveals that there is substantial evidence of collaboration, but that there are differences between conventional face-to-face instances of collaborative learning and what occurs in an asynchronous, networked environment.
REQUIREMENT OF PLASMINOGEN FOR CORRELATED CHANGES IN CELLULAR MORPHOLOGY~ COLONY FORMATION IN AGAR~ AND CELL MIGRATION*

We have previously confirmed the original repor t of Fischer (1) tha t fibrob las t cultures from several species, t ransformed to mal ignancy b y viruses or b y chemicals, generate high levels of f ibrinolytic ac t iv i ty under condit ions in which cultures of normal cells do not. We have since found t ha t a comparable fibrinolytic enzyme is produced by p r imary cultures of a large number of avian and mammal ian tumors (2, 3) and by human tumor cell l ines? The enzymat ic basis for this tumor-associated fibrinolysis has been shown to depend on two proteins: one of these (the cell factor) is a prote in produced by transformed cells, and the other (the serum factor) is a protein found in all vertebra te sera tested (2, 3). The serum factor has now been purified and rigorously identified as the known zymogen plasminogen;3 the cell factor is a specific serine protease tha t functions as a plasminogen ac t iva tor3
Force concept inventory

Every student begins physics with a well-established system of commonsense beliefs about how the physical world works derived from years of personal experience. Over the last decade, physics education research has established that these beliefs play a dominant role in introductory physics. Instruction that does not take them into account is almost totally ineffective, at least for the majority of students. Specifically, it has been established that (1) commonsense beliefs about motion and force are incompatible with Newtonian concepts in most respects, (2) conventional physics instruction produces little change in these beliefs, and (3) this result is independent of the instructor and the mode of instruction. The implications could not be more serious. Since the students have evidently not learned the most basic Newtonian concepts, they must have failed to comprehend most of the material in the course. They have been forced to cope with the subject by rote memorization of isolated fragments and by carrying out meaningless tasks. No wonder so many are repelled! The few who are successful have become so by their own devices, the course and the teacher having supplied only the opportunity and perhaps inspiration.
GABI-Kat SimpleSearch: an Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA mutant database with detailed information for confirmed insertions

Insertional mutagenesis approaches, especially by T-DNA, play important roles in gene function studies of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. GABI-Kat SimpleSearch () is a Flanking Sequence Tag (FST)-based database for T-DNA insertion mutants generated by the GABI-Kat project. Currently, the database contains >108 000 mapped FSTs from ∼64 000 lines which cover 64% of all annotated A.thaliana protein-coding genes. The web interface allows searching for relevant insertions by gene code, keyword, line identifier, GenBank accession number of the FST, and also by BLAST. A graphic display of the genome region around the gene or the FST assists users to select insertion lines of their interests. About 3500 insertions were confirmed in the offspring of the plant from which the original FST was generated, and the seeds of these lines are available from the Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre. The database now also contains additional information such as segregation data, gene-specific primers and confirmation sequences. This information not only helps users to evaluate the usefulness of the mutant lines, but also covers a big part of the molecular characterization of the insertion alleles.
Quantifying the Expected Utility of Communicating Constraint Information ∗

In this paper we investigate methods for analyzing the expected value of communicating information in multi-agent planning and scheduling problems. As these problems are NPcomplete, no polynomial algorithms exist for evaluating the impact a certain constraint, or relaxing the same constraint, will have on the global problem. We present a general approach where distributed agents estimate their problem tightness, or how constrained their local subproblem is. Agents can then immediately identify many problems which are not constrained, and will not benefit from sending or receiving further information. Finally, agents use traditional machine learning methods based on their specific local problem attributes to attempt to identify which of the constrained problems will most benefit from human attention. We evaluated this approach within a distributed c-TAEMS scheduling domain and found that this approach was overall effective.
A New, Rapid, Standardized Method for Harvesting Split Skin Grafts in Rodents

Background: Harvesting split skin grafts in rodents has proven to be challenging, as the presence of panniculus carnosus tissue in rodent skin causes high flexibility and mobility of the upper skin layer. Thus, fixation is indispensable for granting precise manipulation during the grafting process. All techniques established in the literature achieve stability by dissecting a subcutaneous pocket beneath the panniculus carnosus. In this article, the authors present a method that excludes inflicting additional wounds other than that to the donor site but takes advantage of the elasticity of rat skin. Methods: A customized sturdy support plate is held laterally beside the skin area where the split skin is to be cut. The skin is mobilized, pulled over the support plate, and fixed with the nondominant hand on the bottom of the device. Using a dermatome, the split skin graft is cut on the metal plate, which provides a flat surface to permit a precise harvesting process. Results: A total of 208 split skin grafts were harvested, of which nine had to be rejected. The average time to perform a split skin graft on one animal, not considering preparation time, was 2 minutes. All of the harvested grafts were 2 × 2.5 cm (0.79 × 0.98 inch), with a mean thickness of 0.3 mm. Reharvesting could be performed on postoperative day 7. Conclusions: Using this new standardized method, grafts of equal size and thickness can be obtained rapidly. It is cheap and highly reproducible and can be carried out by a single surgeon. It provides a rapid healing process with fewer complications and immensely reduced stress for the animals.
Distinct Gene Expression Profiles in Egg and Synergid Cells of Rice as Revealed by Cell Type-Specific Microarrays1[W][OA]

Double fertilization in flowering plants refers to a process in which two sperm cells, carried by the pollen tube, fertilize both the egg and the central cell after their release into a synergid cell of the female gametophyte. The molecular processes by which the female gametophytic cells express their unique functions during fertilization are not well understood. Genes expressed in egg and synergid cells might be important for multiple stages of the plant reproductive process. Here, we profiled genome-wide gene expression in egg and synergid cells in rice (Oryza sativa), a model monocot, using a nonenzymatic cell isolation technique. We found that the expression profiles of the egg and synergid cells were already specified at the micropylar end of the female gametophyte during the short developmental period that comprises the three consecutive mitotic nuclear divisions after megaspore generation. In addition, we identified a large number of genes expressed in the rice egg and synergid cells and characterized these genes using Gene Ontology analysis. The analysis suggested that epigenetic and posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms are involved in the specification and/or maintenance of these cells. Comparisons between the rice profiles and reported Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) profiles revealed that genes enriched in the egg/synergid cell of rice were distinct from those in Arabidopsis.
Random word retrieval for automatic story generation

Over the past forty years, significant research has been done on story/narrative generation in which the computer is the author. Many existing systems generate stories by filling in a template or copying an analogous story (and changing the time, place, etc.) or by prompting the user to provide a start to the story. Very few systems generate variable stories without these techniques. While it is impossible to quantify a human writer's inspiration, we can consider a common exercise that authors perform; namely `writing prompts'. A writing prompt is just a topic or idea around which to start writing. The prompt can simply be a few words, which becomes the basis for a story. In this paper we present story generation from the perspective of how human authors create stories via writing prompts. The system will select a few random words as a prompt, which will form the basic parameters for generating a story. But unlike a human writer, a computer cannot intuitively know the context of a chosen word. Therefore, the Internet (and existing `Concept Knowledge' systems) will be used to find the context for the selected words, thus guiding the story generation process.
Estimating cancer risk in relation to tritium exposure from routine operation of a nuclear-generating station in Pickering, Ontario.

INTRODUCTION Evidence suggests that current levels of tritium emissions from CANDU reactors in Canada are not related to adverse health effects. However, these studies lack tritium-specific dose data and have small numbers of cases. The purpose of our study was to determine whether tritium emitted from a nuclear-generating station during routine operation is associated with risk of cancer in Pickering, Ontario. METHODS A retrospective cohort was formed through linkage of Pickering and north Oshawa residents (1985) to incident cancer cases (1985-2005). We examined all sites combined, leukemia, lung, thyroid and childhood cancers (6-19 years) for males and females as well as female breast cancer. Tritium estimates were based on an atmospheric dispersion model, incorporating characteristics of annual tritium emissions and meteorology. Tritium concentration estimates were assigned to each cohort member based on exact location of residence. Person-years analysis was used to determine whether observed cancer cases were higher than expected. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to determine whether tritium was associated with radiation-sensitive cancers in Pickering. RESULTS Person-years analysis showed female childhood cancer cases to be significantly higher than expected (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] = 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-3.38). The issue of multiple comparisons is the most likely explanation for this finding. Cox models revealed that female lung cancer was significantly higher in Pickering versus north Oshawa (HR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.23-4.46) and that tritium was not associated with increased risk. The improved methodology used in this study adds to our understanding of cancer risks associated with low-dose tritium exposure. CONCLUSION Tritium estimates were not associated with increased risk of radiationsensitive cancers in Pickering.
Portraiture as Pedagogy: Learning Research through the Exploration of Context and Methodology.

In this reflective essay, five members of a research team involving graduate students and a faculty member offer individual “studies” of specific moments in the field in which lessons about methodology, the research context, and the researcher herself/himself crystallized. The article highlights the pedagogical possibilities of portraiture for introducing graduate students to qualitative research methodology. Each “study” illuminates how different kinds of boundaries are negotiated: whether it is the boundaries of access to a research site; the boundaries of personal or professional recognition; the boundaries of the body and physical space; the boundaries of racial identification; or the boundaries of the interior and exterior
Motion planning for a steering-constrained robot through moderate obstacles

Most mobile robots use steering mechanisms to guide their motion. Such mechanisms have stops that constrain the rate at which the robot can change its direction. We study a point robot in the plane subject to such constraints, in the presence of a class of obstacles we call moderate obstacles. We consider the case in which the robot has a reverse gear that allows it to back up, as well as the case when it does not, All our algorithms run in polynomial time and produce paths whose lengths are either optimal or within an additive constant of optimal.
On parametric representations of the modified group delay

The modified group delay (MODGD) is a group delay based representation suited for processing speech signals. The MODGD is parameterized by three entities, alpha, gamma and lifteromega. Typically, optimal values of these parameters have to be determined by experimentation. In this paper, we propose a method to automatically determine an optimal value for lifteromega^, which enables the other two parameters to be set to 1.0. This will reduce the optimisation required to obtain meaningful MODGD values directly from the speech signal.
A survey of methods that combine local search and exact algorithms

Exact algorithms like Branch-and-Bound or Dynamic Programming and local search techniques are traditionally seen as being two general but distinct approaches for the effective solution of combinatorial optimisation problems, each having particular advantages and disadvantages. It is only rather recently that true hybrid algorithms, which take ideas from both fields, have been proposed. In this article we present the main underlying ideas behind currently explored such combinations, illustrating them with examples from the literature, and we give a classification of the available combinations. Our main focus here is on algorithms that have the main framework given by the local search and use exact algorithms to solve subproblems.
Support from the underground: Induced plant resistance depends on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Summary 1. Mycorrhizal symbiosis is thought to affect interactions between plants and herbivores by its influence on plant growth, nutrition and the plants defence system. Moreover, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may enhance the inducibility of resistance responses. Until now, induction of plant resistance has not been considered to be a mechanism affecting the outcome of mycorrhization for plant-herbivore interactions. 2. Here, we test the hypothesis that the resistance of plants against herbivores depends on the induction of plant resistance by previous herbivory and mycorrhization. With a full factorial experiment in a greenhouse, we examined responses in growth of seven herbaceous plant species to AMF and the induction of resistance. To evaluate whether induced resistance is higher in plants with AMF we analyzed the combined effects of AMF and induction on herbivory, using bioassay caterpillars (Spodoptera littoralis). 3. Across all species, mycorrhization increased growth of plants and performance of the bioassay herbivore feeding on them. If, however, we induced resistance by allowing a caterpillar to feed for a short period on the plants, mycorrhization did not increase plant growth and performance of a subsequent herbivore that fed on the plant. This suggests that the increased plant resistance after induction was dependent on the symbioses with AMF. 4. Our results indicate that induction interacts with the allocation of the additional resources provided by mycorrhization towards plant growth and plant resistance. Therefore, mycorrhiza may play an important but hitherto overlooked role in the induction of plant resistance against herbivores.
A Fast H.264/AVC-Based Stereo Video Encoding Algorithm Based on Hierarchical Two-Stage Neural Classification

Stereo video, targeting at matching what the humans see in the real world, offers depth perception on observed scenes. The problem of compressing such a huge amount of video data has received considerable attention in the past few years. Its challenge comes from the much more complicated parameter selection (e.g., mode decision) process than single-channel video coding. To cope with this problem, the currently developed H.264/AVC-based JMVM platform is adopted here for implementation, where the encoding of the left-view channel is purely based on predictions from the temporal domain, while for the right-view channel, combined predictions from the temporal and the inter-view domains are exploited and a hierarchical two-stage neural classifier is designed for fast mode decision. The first-stage neural classifier determines candidates of block partition for each macroblock, while the second-stage classifier aims to choose the most probable prediction sources among the temporally forward/backward and inter-view directions. All input features for both stages of neural classifiers are calculated from simple inter-frame and inter-view analyses. In our scheme, the popular fast motion estimation schemes can be also cooperated for further speedup. Experiment results reveal that our proposed algorithm is capable of achieving up to 97% of time savings with nearly ignorable quality degradation and acceptable bit-rate increase (up to 5.67%).
Reducing complexity in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): Remote and proximate factors and the consolidation of democracy

Abstract. Comparative methods based on set theoretic relationships such as ‘fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis’ (fs/QCA) represent a useful tool for dealing with complex causal hypotheses in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions under the constraint of a medium-sized number of cases. However, real-world research situations might make the application of fs/QCA difficult in two respects – namely, the complexity of the results and the phenomenon of limited diversity. We suggest a two-step approach as one possibility to mitigate these problems. After introducing the difference between remote and proximate factors, the application of a two-step fs/QCA approach is demonstrated analyzing the causes of the consolidation of democracy. We find that different paths lead to consolidation, but all are characterized by a fit of the institutional mix chosen to the societal context in terms of power dispersion. Hence, we demonstrate that the application of fs/QCA in a two-step manner helps to formulate and test equifinal and conjunctural hypotheses in medium-size N comparative analyses, and thus to contribute to an enhanced understanding of social phenomena.
The Empirical Assessment of Technology Differences: Comparing the Comparable

Since the first statement of Hicks's induced innovation hypothesis in 1932, a large number of theoretical and empirical studies have analyzed the issue of price-induced technological changemany of them on the basis of substitution elasticities. This note compares technologies across space and time on the basis of factual and counterfactual substitution elasticities and argues that differences in estimated substitution elasticities should be decomposed into two counterfactual components. The first component is designed to indicate how the ease of substitution is altered by varied economic circumstances; the second addresses the question of how technologies would compare under genuinely comparable situations. This argument is illustrated by the example of energy-price elasticities of capital before and after the oil crisis of the early 1970s.
Relating Descriptive Sensory Analysis to Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry of Palm Sugars Using Partial Least Squares Regression

Sensory attributes of four different palm sugars were related to gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis using partial least squares regression (PLS). The sweet caramel and burnt-like sensory attributes were strongly associated with 2-furfural and 2-furan methanol volatile compounds. The sensory scores for roasty and nutty were also associated with the GC/MS ratings for roasty and nutty-like aroma by its highest scores obtained from 2-ethyl-5- methyl pyrazine, 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine and 2,3-dimethyl pyrazine volatile compounds along the PC1 dimension. PLS analysis did not show correlation for the character impact compound furaneol, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl pyrazine (EDMP) and 2,3-diethyl-5-methyl pyrazine (DEMP), which are perceived to be responsible for the sweet caramel-like and roasty/nutty attributes of palm sugars, respectively. This lack of relationship could partially be explained by covariance among the sensory ratings for the samples.
The Experience of Social Mobility and the Formation of Attitudes Towards Income Redistribution

The study aims to explain the genesis of welfare state attitudes by applying the theory of causal attribution to the phenomenon of subjective social mobility. Social mobility has always been a major theme in sociology and is associated to important ethical questions, in particular, equality of opportunity. The question of whether an individuals’ experience of social mobility aects attitudes towards redistribution refers to a potential feedback process between a welfare state’s success in providing equal opportunities and individual attitudes towards welfare state actions. The hypotheses are deduced from a theoretical model which is based on the theory of causal attribution. Generally, the support for redistribution is expected to be positively aected by the experience of downward mobility and to be negatively aected by the experience of upward mobility. Additionally, the eect of upward mobility is assumed to depend on cultural norms of attribution. The hypotheses are tested with a multi-level design based on 21 countries and three time-points using international survey data from the ISSP (International Social Survey Programme) modules on \Social Inequality". The results strongly support the hypothesis that the experience of downward mobility leads to an increase in the support for redistribution. A negative effect of upward mobility could be identied only for the population of males. Moreover, the results give support for the hypothesis that the individual eect of being upwardly mobile is moderated by the cultural context. In particular, the analysis shows that the eect of upward mobility is amplied in strongly individualistic countries while it is weakened in collectivistic countries.