Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The logographic nature of English alphabetics and the fallacy of direct intensive phonics instruction

US government mandates to implement intensive phonics instruction in elementary classrooms invoke an alleged scientific superiority of this approach over more meaning-centered models. But curiously absent from this scientific enterprise is a study of the phonics system itself. Advocates of intensive phonics have not demonstrated that the commonly taught patterns are capable of imparting the desired amount of decoding abilities to developing readers. In fact, the English phonics system operates at a level of complexity that essentially defies teachability. The explanation for this level of complexity is the logographic nature of English alphabetics. Recent neuroimaging research does not independently support intensive phonics, despite claims to the contrary, because the capacity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines to identify brain regions used for decoding says nothing about the role of decoding in reading. Neuroimaging does not distinguish the phonological processing of a decoding model of reading from the graphophonic processing of a meaning-centered model. A recent multiclassroom study comparing distinct reading instruction practices found that letter-sound patterns were actually learned better by children in whole language classrooms than children in intensive phonics classrooms. We conclude that neither linguistic, neuroscientific, nor classroom research has demonstrated the superiority of intensive phonics over meaning-centered approaches to reading.
Photovoltaic plants generation improvement using Li-ion batteries as energy buffer

this paper analyzes the PV power plants operability improvement obtained when introducing energy storage (ES) systems which allow decoupling the power received from the sun on the photovoltaic (PV) panels from the power injected by the power plant into the grid. Two energy management strategies are presented and analyzed, using Li-ion batteries as the energy storage buffer. The generated power redistribution and its variability reduction are All the results obtained in this paper are based on one year long simulations which used real irradiance data sampled every two minutes.
A Nomogram based on Inflammatory Factors C-Reactive Protein and Fibrinogen to Predict the Prognostic Value in Patients with Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: This study aimed to develop an effective nomogram for predicting survival in surgically treated non-small cell lung cancer patients. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 856 NSCLC in this study. Cox regression analyses were performed to identify significant prognostic factors for developing a nomogram to predict overall survival (OS). The discriminative ability was assessed with the concordance index (C-index). Results: On multivariate analysis of the 856 cohort, independent factors for survival were CRP, fibrinogen, tumor status, nodal status, distant metastasis and clinical stage, which were entered into the nomogram. The C-index of the established nomogram 0.720 (95% CI: 0.671-0.769) was higher than that of the seventh edition TNM staging system 0.689 (95% CI: 0.668-0.709) for predicting OS (P < 0.05). Compared with patients with low CRP levels (< 8.6 g/L) and low fibrinogen levels (< 3.7 g/L), patients with high CRP and fibrinogen levels had shorter OS. Subgroup analyses revealed that the nomogram was a favorable prognostic parameter in stage I-IV NSCLC (P < 0.05). Conclusion: A nomogram integrating CRP and fibrinogen, which could be convenient and feasible to obtain from the serum preoperatively, may assist in risk stratification for individual patient with resected NSCLC.
Efficient Cross-Layer Negotiation

Internet evolution often depends on either inserting new protocol layers or upgrading existing layers to new protocols, but both of these evolutionary paths are obstructed by the difficulty and inefficiency of determining which protocols a pair of hosts mutually support and prefer. We propose a novel cross-layer Negotiation Protocol that sets up a complete stack of connection-oriented protocols at once, concurrently performing handshaking for multiple layers and choosing among alternative protocols for each layer in as few round trips as possible, often just one. The initiator proposes a protocol graph explicitly encoding possible configurations along with protocol-specific handshake data; the peers then prune, refine, and atomically commit to a final configuration, exchanging messages over a specialized transport that can operate in-line with the negotiated protocol stack. Although a practical Negotiation Protocol presents many challenges, our initial exploration suggests that these challenges are solvable, and we believe addressing them is a necessary step toward a more evolvable Internet.
Dynamic Permission Mechanism on Android

This paper discusses the implementation of protecting user's data on mobile device based on Android platform. The mobile platform surpasses computers in its popularity in many aspects of one daily routine. Protection of data is one of the basic security feature of each operating system. Android platform raise its protection with every new version of the system. This paper covers the new approach of the data protection against data leakage. The dynamic permission mechanism tracks the data flow of the application and restricts the application permission rules related to an input of the current application. The implementation shows the example of protection against data leakage from mobile device. This protection can be applied on every mobile device with an Android operating system and does not need the root access.
The Linguistic Relativity of Person Cognition: An English-Chinese Comparison

We performed an experiment to test the possibility that distinct languages (in this case, English and Chinese) are capable of exerting language-specific effects on people's impressions of and memory for other individuals. Parallel English- and Chinese-language descriptions were created of two characters exemplifying personality schemas with economical labels in English but not in Chinese, and two characters exemplifying personality schemas with economical labels in Chinese but not in English. Three groups of subjects participated in the experiment: English monolingual^ Chinese-English bilinguals who read and responded in English, and Chinese-English bilinguals who read and responded in Chinese. We predicted that subjects processing the target descriptions in English would show greater evidence of schematic thinking in the case of the two characters representing Englishlabeled schemas, whereas subjects processing the target descriptions in Chinese would show greater evidence of schematic thinking in the case of the two characters representing Chinese-labeled schemas. This prediction was confirmed. Both impressions and memory were affected when the target's personality and behavior conformed to a labeled schema in the subject's language of processing. The results are discussed in relation to current social psychological conceptions of schematic processing and in relation to the Whorfian hypothesis of linguistic relativity. The idea that the particular language one speaks importantly affects the manner in which one perceives and thinks about the world—the linguistic relativity hypothesis—has a long but somewhat checkered history within the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and philosophy. Benjamin Lee Whorf, this century's most influential proponent of the linguistic relativity hypothesis, expressed its central proposition as follows:
The Cellular Prion Protein Prevents Copper-Induced Inhibition of P2X4 Receptors

Although the physiological function of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) remains unknown, several evidences support the notion of its role in copper homeostasis. PrPC binds Cu2+ through a domain composed by four to five repeats of eight amino acids. Previously, we have shown that the perfusion of this domain prevents and reverses the inhibition by Cu2+ of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-evoked currents in the P2X4 receptor subtype, highlighting a modulatory role for PrPC in synaptic transmission through regulation of Cu2+ levels. Here, we study the effect of full-length PrPC in Cu2+ inhibition of P2X4 receptor when both are coexpressed. PrPC expression does not significantly change the ATP concentration-response curve in oocytes expressing P2X4 receptors. However, the presence of PrPC reduces the inhibition by Cu2+ of the ATP-elicited currents in these oocytes, confirming our previous observations with the Cu2+ binding domain. Thus, our observations suggest a role for PrPC in modulating synaptic activity through binding of extracellular Cu2+.
Effect of Dissimulation Motivation and Anxiety on Response Pattern Appropriateness Measures

This study examined the effect of anxiety and dissi mulation motivation of job applicants on their perfor mance on an ability test. Two aspects of performance were considered: the total score and the appropriate ness score. Four IRT-based appropriateness indices for detecting aberrant response patterns were employed in this study. The results indicate a negative effect of dissimulation motivation on the performance of low anxiety scorers, with respect to both the total score and the appropriateness score, with a greater effect on the latter. This effect was evidenced by an erratic or aberrant response pattern on the ability test; that is, missing relatively easy items while answering more difficult ones correctly. The results are discussed in light of the diverse interpretations concerning the meaning of Lie scales.
Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Interconnect Channel Sizing in Discrete Design Rules

The lithography used for 32 nanometers and smaller VLSI process technologies restricts the admissible interconnect widths and spaces to very few discrete values with some interdependencies, making traditional interconnect sizing by continuous-variable optimization techniques impossible. Single-net bottom-up power-delay optimization for discrete wire widths has been solved and got a lot of attention in literature. This article presents a dynamic programming (DP) algorithm for interconnect width and space allocation yielding the optimal power-delay tradeoff function. It sets the width and spacing of all interconnects simultaneously, thus finding the global optimum. The DP algorithm is generic and can handle a variety of power-delay objectives, such as total power or delay, or weighted sum of both, power-delay product, max delay and alike. The algorithm consistently yields more than 10% dynamic power and 5% delay reduction for real data blocks designed in 32 nanometer process technology.
Theorizing therapeutic culture

Analyses of the influence of psychology and the growth of counselling during the 20th century commonly point to the deleterious effects of a cultural shift from reticence and self-reliance to emotional expressiveness and help-seeking. Indeed, the ascendancy of therapeutic culture has been widely interpreted as fostering cultural decline and enabling new forms of social control. Drawing on less pessimistic assessments of cultural change and recent directions in social theory, this article argues for greater recognition of the ambivalent legacy of the therapeutic turn. Through a reinterpretation of the consequences of the diminution of traditional authority, the weakening of the division between public and private life, and the rise of the confessional, the article challenges dominant readings of decline and control. In doing so, it draws attention to how psychological knowledge and therapeutic understandings of the self have given legitimacy to, and furnished a language with which to articulate, experiences of suffering formerly confined to private life. In advancing a less pessimistic interpretation of cultural change, it considers two historic moments in Australia: the advent of telephone counselling in the 1960s and the Royal Commission on Human Relationships in the 1970s.
Automatic test generation of linear analog circuits under parameter variations

This paper presents a simulation-based approach to automatic test-frequency generation of linear analog circuits considering parameter variations. It consists of two steps. First, a candidate set of frequencies-each detects robustly some faults-is generated by a concurrent and lazy fault simulation method. Next, the minimum number of test frequencies to detect all the possible faults is selected by solving the set covering problem. With an interval-mathematic algorithm to computer circuit responses under parameter variations and a decision-diagram-based algorithm for exact set covering, the proposed approach is fast and capable of finding an optimal set of test frequencies. The approach has been implemented, and some experimental results are described.
Clinical characteristics and treatment readiness of male and female problem gamblers calling a state gambling helpline

Helplines for problem gamblers play a critical role in a systems approach but more information is needed on the people who call. Men and women problem gamblers differ in the consequences of their gambling, and these differences likely affect motivation to change gambling behaviors. This study examined gender differences in gambling consequences and readiness to change gambling behaviors among callers to the State of Michigan Problem Gambling Helpline. In total, 202 callers (n = 118 women; n = 84 men) were interviewed by telephone and asked questions about their gambling severity, psychosocial consequences of gambling, experience with the help they received from the helpline, and treatment readiness as assessed using the Stages of Change model. Women reported significantly greater problem gambling severity and financial consequences than men. They were more likely to have a family history of alcoholism, more likely to have sought mental health and gambling treatment than men. Women also reported greater readiness for changing gambling behaviors, and this gender difference was mediated, in part, by problem gambling symptom severity. These data reveal some consistent and important differences between male and female problem gamblers that should be considered when developing helpline services.
Real-time estimation of human's intended walking speed for treadmill-style locomotion interfaces

This paper addresses the problem of estimating human's intended walking speed. Compared with previous researches on walking speed estimation, we predict the walking intention before gait action. In this paper, we find a composite force index which is significantly correlated with the intended walking speed. We did two experiments. One gives a conclusion that intended walking speed has strong linear correlation with the proposed force index; The other shows that the coefficients of the linear relation vary small, guaranteeing the tolerance of individual variation. Finally, we built a treadmill-style locomotion interface. Compared with the normal cases of treadmill control, the tested subject does not have to follow the speed of treadmill, but can actively changes the speed of treadmill by his (or her) feet. This locomotion interface not only shows the validity of the proposed solution, but also provides a promising human machine interface (HMI) for entertainment, healthcare and rehabilitation.
Empirical Evaluation of the Effects of Concept Complexity on Generalization Error

In this paper we focus on the relationship between concept complexity and generalization error of learned concept descriptions. After introducing the concept of compressibility, we suggest how it could be usefully exploited in order to estimate from the training data the (Kolmogorov) complexity of the concept to be learned. Then, we present an empirical apparatus which allows us to study the relationship between the estimated target concept complexity and the generalization error of different learning algorithms. Results show a linear relationship between the two variates: the generalization error appears to increase as the target concept becomes more complex. While this is expected, quite interesting is the fact that the relationship seems to be (only) linear. Moreover, while the degree of correlation changes for different learners, the "linear" relationship seems not to be affected by the particular learning algorithm.
Design and development of an autonomous omni-directional mobile robot with Mecanum wheels

In this paper the authors are presenting an omni-directional mobile robot, developed for educational and research purposes. The omni-directional motion capabilities of the robot are due to its special Mecanum wheels. The paper provides general information about Mecanum omni-directional wheels, mechanical design aspects of the wheels and the robot and it also describes the kinematic and dynamic models of the robot and the control system.
Rotor Flux-Barrier Design for Torque Ripple Reduction in Synchronous Reluctance and PM-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Motors

The torque produced by a synchronous reluctance machine (including the permanent-magnet-assisted machine) is studied analytically, with the aim of pointing out the effect of the position of the flux barriers on the torque ripple. It is verified that the position of the flux-barrier ends highly influences the torque waveform. With the aim of reducing torque harmonic contents, a new strategy is proposed based on the choice of couples of flux barriers of different shapes. The flux-barrier geometry is chosen so as to obtain a compensation between the torque harmonics produced by each couple. Experimental results on two prototypes confirm the analytical prediction.
EM reconstruction algorithm with resolution modeling applied to an RPC-PET prototype

Our group is developing a very high resolution positron emission tomography (PET) prototype based on RPCs (resistive plate chambers). In this work, we implemented a method for iterative image reconstruction using the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm, but using a factorization of the system matrix, in order to include resolution modeling. The system matrix is thus the product of a simple geometric matrix and a convolution matrix, modeling finite resolution effects. The multiplication of the latter by an image is equivalent to performing a convolution in image-space by a shift-invariant symmetric kernel. This method is compared with the standard filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm and with the EM algorithm without resolution modeling ("standard EM"). Tests were performed with point source data measured in the RPC-PET prototype and with synthesized data. Results indicate that the EM algorithm with resolution modeling performs better than its analytical counterpart and the standard EM algorithm, with an improvement of more than 25% in image spatial resolution for two point sources, achieving under 0.4 mm FWHM. In simulations with other object geometries, the images obtained with resolution modeling had the lowest noise levels.
HDR (Hypoparathyroidism, Sensorineural Deafness, Renal Dysplasia) Syndrome Presenting with Hypocalcemia-Induced Generalized Psoriasis

HDR syndrome is a newly recognized very rare syndrome defined by the combination of hypoparathyroidism, renal dysplasia and sensorineural deafness. Haplo-insufficiency of the GATA3 gene is the underlying mechanism of the HDR syndrome. Here we report a 16 year-old girl with HDR syndrome who presented with generalized psoriasis, which is an unusual presentation. Skin lesions rapidly disappeared after replacement therapy with calcium. It is suggested that generalized psoriasis might have been induced by hypocalcemia due to hypoparathyroidism associated with HDR syndrome.
Coupling schemes for the FSI forward prediction challenge: Comparative study and validation

This paper presents a numerical study in which several partitioned solution procedures for incompressible fluid‐structure interaction are compared and validated against the results of an experimental fluid‐structure interaction benchmark. The numerical methods discussed cover the three main families of coupling schemes: strongly coupled, semi‐implicit, and loosely coupled. Very good agreement is observed between the numerical and experimental results. The comparisons confirm that strong coupling can be efficiently avoided, via semi‐implicit and loosely coupled schemes, without compromising stability and accuracy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
La enfermedad de Alzheimer desde el análisis de redes sociales

El estudio de las redes personales de 23 cuidadores/as de personas afectadas por la enfermedad de Alzheimer pone de manifiesto los profundos cambios que se producen en el entorno social de estas personas. En general las redes se hacen mas pequenas y se concentran en las funciones de apoyo, siguiendo varias evoluciones posibles que hemos caracterizado segun una tipologia: redes reducidas, institucionalizadas, medicalizadas y normalizadas. Esta tipologia puede depender del estado de evolucion de la enfermedad.
Role of Src family tyrosine kinases in the down‐regulation of epidermal growth factor signaling in PC12 cells

Src family tyrosine kinases (SFKs) play pivotal roles as molecular switches for various intracellular signaling pathways. SFKs have been implicated in epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling, although their precise mechanisms of action in this pathway remain elusive. To address this issue, we focused on a membrane microdomain, lipid rafts, where SFKs are enriched. In PC12 cells, the EGF receptor (EGFR) is constitutively concentrated in lipid rafts, and further accumulation takes place upon EGF stimulation, followed by activation of SFKs, especially Src and Yes. Inhibition of SFK or disruption of lipid raft function causes EGF‐induced neurite extension of PC12 cells. These effects are accompanied by an extended duration of Erk1/2 activation and are suppressed by a MEK inhibitor. In Csk−/– fibroblasts, suppression of SFK results in prolonged EGF‐induced activation of Erk1/2, with concomitant suppression of EGFR degradation. Furthermore, analysis of the behavior of labeled EGF in PC12 cells reveals that suppression of SFK activity attenuates the rate of clustering of activated EGFR on the membrane. These results suggest that SFK activity in lipid rafts is required to facilitate the down‐regulation of EGF signaling, by regulating the clustering of activated EGFR on the membrane in PC12 cells.
Orthogonal and Nonnegative Graph Reconstruction for Large Scale Clustering

Spectral clustering has been widely used due to its simplicity for solving graph clustering problem in recent years. However, it suffers from the high computational cost as data grow in scale, and is limited by the performance of post-processing. To address these two problems simultaneously, in this paper, we propose a novel approach denoted by orthogonal and nonnegative graph reconstruction (ONGR) that scales linearly with the data size. For the relaxation of Normalized Cut, we add nonnegative constraint to the objective. Due to the nonnegativity, ONGR offers interpretability that the final cluster labels can be directly obtained without post-processing. Extensive experiments on clustering tasks demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.