Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical Literacy in the Early Years : Emergence and Sustenance in an Age of Accountability

The work of early childhood educators in facilitating young children’s literacy acquisition has never received more attention than in the new millennium. Media hype about literacy crises, falling standards, teacher quality and government promises of minimum standards for all children have simultaneously increased the ‘visibility’ of literacy and the stakes for school performance. Indeed the last two decades could be seen as an age of pronouncements with respect to literacy, with politicians internationally promising to cure supposed low literacy with standardized tests and mandated programmes. As the rhetoric around literacy intensifies many late-capitalist economies are experiencing shifts that have increased the gaps between rich and poor, changed the very nature of work, and fundamentally altered the cultural mix of their populations. More and more children attending schools where English is the language of instruction speak it as a second or third language. Many children have experienced the effects of war, terrorism, migration and poverty. Many live in fractured, fragmented and changing families. Teacher populations are changing too. In some places aging teacher workforces mean that there is already a shortage of qualified teachers. Literacy is also changing as the impact of digital technologies on global and local communication, economies and knowledges begins to bite in everyday and working lives. It is challenging to think about how spaces for the emergence and sustenance of critical literacy in early childhood education might be created.
PROST: Parallel robust online simple tracking

Tracking-by-detection is increasingly popular in order to tackle the visual tracking problem. Existing adaptive methods suffer from the drifting problem, since they rely on self-updates of an on-line learning method. In contrast to previous work that tackled this problem by employing semi-supervised or multiple-instance learning, we show that augmenting an on-line learning method with complementary tracking approaches can lead to more stable results. In particular, we use a simple template model as a non-adaptive and thus stable component, a novel optical-flow-based mean-shift tracker as highly adaptive element and an on-line random forest as moderately adaptive appearance-based learner. We combine these three trackers in a cascade. All of our components run on GPUs or similar multi-core systems, which allows for real-time performance. We show the superiority of our system over current state-of-the-art tracking methods in several experiments on publicly available data.
Simulation of focusing high intensity ultrasound by time reversal method

Numerical simulations are used to investigate the validation of using time reversal to focus sound beams in high intensity ultrasound. Time reversal is a method based on linear and lossless sound field. But the high intensity of HIFU sound field brings with high nonlinearity and body tissues brings with thermoviscous absorption. So it is necessary to investigate whether time reversal is feasible in focusing sound beams in HIFU, whether it is preferable to normal methods. Nonlinearity and absorption is considered in numerical simulation based on KZK nonlinear parabolic wave equation. A time-domain algorithm with two-dimensional finite difference is used to solve the equation. Layered biological tissue model is created. Numerical results with various parameters are calculated to investigate the influence of nonlinearity and absorption on time reversal results respectively. Moreover, results are calculated both using time reversal and phased array method, to compare the differences on beam focusing behavior. It is founded that thermoviscous absorption has less effect on time reversal, while the influence of nonlinearity is greater. It is shown that in the presence of nonlinearity and thermoviscous absorption in HIFU, the ability of time reversal to focus the sound beams is also robust. Comparison results are shown that time reversal method is more accurate than normal method in inhomogeneous media considering nonlinearity and thermoviscous absorption. So time reversal method has a great prospect to focus sound beams in HIFU.
Effects of white space on consumer perceptions of value in e-commerce

EFFECTS OF WHITE SPACE ON CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS OF VALUE IN E-COMMERCE By Sin Lee Loh As e-commerce becomes an increasingly large industry, questions remain about how the isolated effects of design elements on websites influence consumer perceptions and purchasing behavior. This study used a quantitative approach to measuring the effect of a ubiquitous element of design, white space, on the perception of the monetary value of individual items. White space is a key component of design and website usability, yet it has been shown to be related to the perception of luxury. Little is known about the direct relationship between manipulation of white space and the outcomes on consumer perceptions of value in an e-commerce context. This study found no significant difference between two levels of total white space area (large vs. small) measured by participants’ perceived cost of items (chairs). In contrast, while holding total white space constant, the effect of white space distance between images was significant for males but not for females. Additionally, no significant relationship between gender and frequency of online shopping behavior was found, χ 2 (1) = 3.19, p = . 07, φ = . 17. Gender and amount of time spent per month online were significantly related, χ 2 (1) = 6.21, p = . 013, φ = . 24.
The Amazing Digital Gloves That Give Voice to the Voiceless

Glove-based systems represent one of the most important efforts aimed at acquiring hand movement data. Generally dumb people use sign language for communication but they find difficulty in communicating with others who do not understand sign language. It is based on the need of developing an electronic device that can translate sign language into speech in order to make the communication take place between the mute communities with the general public possible, a Wireless data gloves is used which is normal cloth driving gloves fitted with flex sensors along the length of each finger and the thumb. Mute people can use the gloves to perform hand gesture and it will be converted into speech so that normal people can understand their expression. This paper provides the map for developing such a digital glove. It also analyzes the characteristics of the device and discusses future wok. A foremost goal of this paper is to provide readers with a basis for understanding glove system technology used in biomedical science.
Micro-foundationsfor Zipf ’ s Law Axtell and Florida 1 I Introduction

The tendency for human beings, economic firms and social institutions to locate together has been the subject of intellectual inquiry for centuries. People and firms are not spread ubiquitously across the globe but have a powerful tendency to organize in well-defined geographic units, cities. First Auerbach (1913) and then Zipf (1941; 1949) observed a striking regularity in this process, noting the distribution in cities is highly skewed and follows a simple “rank-size rule” (Zipf’s law). Despite considerable research on these issues, there does not as exist an explanation for Zipf’s law based on behaviorallycredible micro-foundations. This article offers such a model, using the fact that business firms also have Zipf distributed sizes. The basic model is simple: people form together in firms, and firms co-locate. The agents in the model have heterogeneous abilities, exhibit bounded rationality, and interact directly with one another out of equilibrium in team production environments. Each agent is part of a firm and each firm has a spatial location. Agents periodically search for positions in other firms that would give them higher payoffs. Agents can also start-up new firms, at either their current location or a new location. Over time the movement of individual agents across firms combines with the movement of firms across locations to yield clusters of agents and firms. From these basic micro-foundations the model reproduces, under a wide range of conditions, a distribution of cities that follows Zipf’s law. This model constitutes the first behaviorally-plausible, microscopic explanation of the city size distribution, on the one hand, and the mutual existence of Zipfian firm and city sizes on the other.
Time‐reversal imaging of seismic sources and application to the great Sumatra earthquake

The increasing power of computers and numerical methods (like spectral element methods) allows continuously improving modelization of the propagation of seismic waves in heterogeneous media and the development of new applications in particular time reversal in the three‐dimensional Earth. The concept of time‐reversal (hereafter referred to as TR) was previously successfully applied for acoustic waves in many fields like medical imaging, underwater acoustics and non destructive testing. We present here the first application at the global scale of TR with associated reverse movies of seismic waves propagation by sending back long period time‐reversed seismograms. We show that seismic wave energy is refocused at the right location and the right time of the earthquake. When TR is applied to the Sumatra‐Andaman earthquake (26 Dec. 2004), the migration of the rupture from the south towards the north is retrieved. Therefore, TR is potentially interesting for constraining the spatio‐temporal history of complex earthquakes.
What shapes the self-esteem of elderly Filipinos working beyond the retirement age? A structural equation model (SEM)

ABSTRACT Previous studies have indicated that major transitions in life such as retirement or exit from working life may contribute to the normative decline in self-esteem. A growing trend on elderly’s labor force beyond retirement invites the conduct of more empirical studies on the dynamics of self-esteem among the elderly group. Anchored on the Self-Determination Theory, this study is an attempt to test a model that examines the impact of social support, health promotion, activities of daily living and anxiety on the self-esteem of a select group of Filipino elderly working beyond the retirement age. Two-hundred eighteen (218) working elderly from the capital of the Philippines participated in this exploratory study. Data gathered from a multi-aspect questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS version 19 and AMOS version 19. Results of structural equation model (SEM) indicated that social support; activities of daily living and health promotion have direct effects on self-esteem, thus supporting the hypotheses. A direct relationship exists between elderly activities of daily living and their social support and anxiety. Notably, an inverse relationship exists between elderly anxiety and factors such as health promotion and self-esteem. The emerged model in this study could serve as valuable tool for nurses in enhancing nursing care aimed at promoting the psychological-well-being and occupational health among the elderly.
Do students recognize an opportunity cost when they see one? Evidence from introductory economics

The well-known study by Ferraro and Taylor (2005) on the understanding of opportunity cost has sparked considerable debate. This paper addresses one specific aspect of the question, namely the issue of units of measurement when converting goods to dollars for comparison purposes. Results strongly suggest that the source of difficulty with the original question stems from the confusion over units of measurement rather than with the concept of opportunity cost itself.
Title : A biomechanical comparison of the traditional squat , powerlifting squat and box squat . Short Title : Comparison of squatting exercises

1 School of Health Sciences, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom 2 School of Social and Health Sciences, University of Abertay, Dundee, United Kingdom 3 Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand, School of Sport and Recreation, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. 4 Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia 5 Centre for Obesity Research and Epidemiology, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Adaptive Polar Samplingwith an application to a Bayes measure of Value-at-RiskLuc Bauwens

Adaptive Polar Sampling (APS) is proposed as a Markov chain Monte Carlo method for Bayesian analysis of models with ill-behaved posterior distributions. In order to sample eeciently from such a distribution, a location-scale transformation and a transformation to polar coordinates are used. After the transformation to polar coordinates, a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is applied to sample directions and, conditionally on these, distances are generated by inverting the CDF. A sequential procedure is applied to update the location and scale. Tested on a set of canonical models that feature near non-identiiability, strong correlation , and bimodality, APS compares favourably with the standard Metropolis-Hastings sampler in terms of parsimony and robustness. APS is applied within a Bayesian analysis of a GARCH-mixture model which is used for the evaluation of the Value-at-Risk of the return of the Dow Jones stock index. Support from HCM grant ERBCHRXCT 940514 is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Michel Lubrano and participants at ESEM'99 for helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.
Practical Top-K Document Retrieval in Reduced Space

Supporting top-k document retrieval queries on general text databases, that is, finding the k documents where a given pattern occurs most frequently, has become a topic of interest with practical applications. While the problem has been solved in optimal time and linear space, the actual space usage is a serious concern. In this paper we study various reduced-space structures that support top-k retrieval and propose new alternatives. Our experimental results show that our novel algorithms and data structures dominate almost all the space/time tradeoff.
Illustrating surfaces in volume

This paper presents a novel framework for illustrating surfaces in a volume. Surfaces are illustrated by drawing only feature lines, such as silhouettes, valleys, ridges, and surface hatching strokes, and are embedded in volume renderings. This framework promises effective illustration of both surfaces and volumes without occluding or cluttering each other. A two-step approach has been taken: the first step depicts surfaces; the second step performs volume rendering, at the same time embedding surfaces from the first step. We introduce Procedurally Perturbed Image Processing (PIP), a new method for enhancing both feature detection and depiction of surfaces. We also present implementation strategies, especially those leveraging modern graphics hardware, for delivering an interactive rendering system. Our implementation results have shown that this mixed form of rendering improves volume visualization and is efficient.
Genetic subdivision of the tectum and cerebellum into functionally related regions based on differential sensitivity to engrailed proteins

The genetic pathways that partition the developing nervous system into functional systems are largely unknown. The engrailed (En) homeobox transcription factors are candidate regulators of this process in the dorsal midbrain (tectum) and anterior hindbrain (cerebellum). En1 mutants lack most of the tectum and cerebellum and die at birth, whereas En2 mutants are viable with a smaller cerebellum and foliation defects. Our previous studies indicated that the difference in phenotypes is due to the earlier expression of En1 as compared with En2, rather than differences in protein function, since knock-in mice expressing En2 in place of En1 have a normal brain. Here, we uncovered a wider spectrum of functions for the En genes by generating a series of En mutant mice. First, using a conditional allele we demonstrate that En1 is required for cerebellum development only before embryonic day 9, but plays a sustained role in forming the tectum. Second, by removing the endogenous En2 gene in the background of En1 knock-in alleles, we show that Drosophila en is not sufficient to sustain midbrain and cerebellum development in the absence of En2, whereas En2 is more potent than En1 in cerebellum development. Third, based on a differential sensitivity to the dose of En1/2, our studies reveal a genetic subdivision of the tectum into its two functional systems and the medial cerebellum into four regions that have distinct circuitry and molecular coding. Our study suggests that an `engrailed code' is integral to partitioning the tectum and cerebellum into functional domains.
The Politics and Economics of the U.S. Crop Insurance Program

Bureau of Economic Research Volume Title: The Intended and Unintended Effects of U.S. Agricultural and Biotechnology Policies Volume Author/Editor: Joshua S. Graff Zivin and Jeffrey M. Perloff, editors Volume Publisher: University of Chicago Press Volume ISBN: 0-226-98803-1; 978-0-226-98803-0 (cloth) Volume URL: http://www.nber. org/books/perl10-1 Conference Date: March 4-5, 2010 Publication Date: February 2012
From Triadic FCA to Triclustering: Experimental Comparison of Some Triclustering Algorithms

In this paper we show the results of the experimental com- parison of five triclustering algorithms on real-world and synthetic data wrt. resource eciency and 4 quality measures. One of the algorithms, the OAC-triclustering based on prime operators, is presented first time in this paper. Interpretation of results for real-world datasets is provided.
Heterogeneous coupling on the Sumatra megathrust constrained from geodetic and paleogeodetic measurements

Geodetic and paleogeodetic measurements of interseismic strain above the Sumatran portion of the Sunda subduction zone reveal a heterogeneous pattern of coupling. Annual banding in corals provides vertical rates of deformation spanning the last half of the 20th century, and repeated GPS surveys between 1991 and 2001 and continuous measurements at GPS stations operated since 2002 provide horizontal velocities. Near the equator, the megathrust is locked over a narrow width of only a few tens of kilometers. In contrast, the locked fault zone is up to about 175 km wide in areas where great interplate earthquakes have occurred in the past. Formal inversion of the data reveals that these strongly coupled patches are roughly coincident with asperities that ruptured during these events. The correlation is most spectacular for rupture of the M_w 8.7 Nias-Simeulue earthquake of 2005, which released half of the moment deficit that had accumulated since its previous rupture in 1861, suggesting that this earthquake was overdue. Beneath the Mentawai islands, strong coupling is observed within the overlapping rupture areas of the great earthquakes of 1797 and 1833. The accumulated slip deficit since these events is slowly reaching the amount of slip that occurred during the 1833 earthquake but already exceeds the slip that occurred during the 1797 earthquake. Thus, rerupture of part of the Mentawai patch in September 2007 was not a surprise. In contrast, coupling is low below the Batu islands near the equator and around Enggano island at about 5°S, where only moderate earthquakes (M_w < 8.0) have occurred in the past two centuries. The correlation of large seismic asperities with patches that are locked during the interseismic period suggests that they are persistent features. This interpretation is reinforced by the fact that the large locked patches and great ruptures occur beneath persistent geomorphologic features, the largest outer arc islands. Depth- and convergence-rate-dependent temperature might influence the pattern of coupling, through its effect on the rheology of the plate interface, but other influences are required to account for the observed along-strike heterogeneity of coupling. In particular, subduction of the Investigator Fracture Zone could be the cause for the low coupling near the equator.
Reducing ATE Test Time by Voltage and Frequency Scaling

During wafer sort, the fabricated chips are subjected to tests that verify if they meet the design specification. Test application time plays a critical role while verifying large volume of dice in a given period of time. These tests are carried out on an automatic test equipment (ATE). The time spent on the ATE directly affects the final cost of the device. Hence it is paramount to reduce test application time such that the device can be verified reliably while keeping the test time to a minimum. While reducing test application time is important, power dissipation is also important while considering reduction in test time. Power dissipation is often a trade off when deciding the test frequency and becomes a major limiting factor. One of the major approaches to test time reduction during circuit design is to implement multiple scan chains. This approach reduces test time drastically when compared to a same device implemented using a single scan chain. Other approaches involve manipulating test hardware and test patterns to reduce test time and testing many dice in parallel. The objective of this thesis is to obtain an optimum solution to the trade off and the feasibility of such approaches which can lead to new test methods in hardware and software. The problem is approached in two ways (i) by scaling the supply voltage, and (ii) by scaling the test frequency. Additionally, the two methods can be combined to reduce test time further. These methods can be used in tandem with existing methods to provide additional gain in test time reduction. The proposed methodologies are verified by simulation and through experiments. The experiments were carried on the Advantest T2000GS ATE located at Auburn University, Alabama. The simulations were performed using ISCAS’89 benchmark circuits and results show up to 50% reduction in test time.
Nurse leaders' response to conflict and choice in the workplace

NURSE LEADERS' RESPONSE TO CONFLICT AND CHOICE IN THE WORKPLACE MAY, 1991 JOAN M. RILEY B.S., BOSTON COLLEGE M.S., BOSTON UNIVERSITY Ed.D. , UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS DIRECTED BY: PROFESSOR MICHAEL GREENEBAUM This study examined moral reasoning used by nurses to resolve conflict and choice in the workplace. This study also focused on how nurses saw themselves as leaders and caregivers. Ten nurse leaders were purposively selected from a large urban acute care magnet hospital. In openended, semi-structured interviews, each participant discussed an actual workplace conflict that they experienced, the course of action taken, and evaluation. Nurse leaders also described themselves as leaders and as caregivers. Demographic data was gathered on age, sex, educational background and career positions. Two research questions were addressed in this study: How do nurse leaders respond to conflict and choice in the workplace? Does level of leadership influence response to