Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
First retrieval of global water vapour column amounts from SCIAMACHY measurements

Abstract. Global water vapour column amounts have been derived for the first time from measurements of the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) on the European environmental satellite ENVISAT. For this purpose, two different existing retrieval algorithms have been adapted, namely the Air Mass Corrected Differential Absorption Spectroscopy (AMC-DOAS) which was originally designed for GOME and the Weighting Function Modified Differential Absorption Spectroscopy (WFM-DOAS) which was mainly designed for the retrieval of CH 4 , CO 2 and CO from SCIAMACHY near-infrared spectra. Here, both methods have been applied to SCIAMACHY's nadir measurements in the near-visible spectral region around 700 nm. Taking into account a systematic offset of 10%, the results of these two methods agree within a scatter of about ±0.5 g/cm 2 with corresponding SSM/I and ECMWF water vapour data. This deviation includes contributions from the temporal and spatial variability of water vapour. In fact, the mean deviation between the SCIAMACHY and the correlative data sets is much smaller: the SCIAMACHY total water vapour columns are typically about 0.15 g/cm 2 lower than the SSM/I values and less than 0.1 g/cm 2 lower than corresponding ECMWF data. The SCIAMACHY water vapour results agree well with correlative data not only over ocean but also over land, thus showing the capability of SCIAMACHY to derive water vapour concentrations on the global scale.
Notched Acoustic Stimulus and Tinnitus: A Treatment Intervention Using a Randomization Test Approach

NOTCHED ACOUSTIC STIMULUS AND TINNITUS: A TREATMENT INTERVENTION USING A RANDOMIZATION TEST APPROACH by Candice Amber Manning August, 2014 Co-Director of Dissertation: Deborah Culbertson, Ph. D. Co-Director of Dissertation: Gregg Givens, Ph. D. Major Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders Musical training has considerable effects on human brain plasticity and music listening has been investigated as a means of treating tinnitus. In a laboratory setting, tailor-made notched music has been shown to reduce the annoyance and loudness of tinnitus. This study utilized at-home notched music sound therapy in conjunction with counseling. The current study explores counseling benefit prior to initiation of un-filtered music and then a randomly determined treatment start date for the notched music treatment. The study includes a more extensive self-report test battery and daily pitch matching, loudness scaling, and annoyance scaling to examine for changes in everyday life. In addition, this study differs in that participants were not required to undertake the treatment within a research facility but were able to complete the treatment in their daily lives. Notched Acoustic Stimulus and Tinnitus: A Treatment Intervention Using a Randomization Test
On the Efficiency of Grey Modeling in Early-Stage Technological Diffusion Forecasting

The issue of how to obtain an accurate short-term forecast in the beginning stage of the technological diffusion is of great importance for policy makers, researchers and managers. Time-series forecasting has been noticeably neglected in the specific research area due to the prerequisite of having enough data in order to create a time-series. In this paper, Grey modeling is examined as an alternative tool for technology diffusion forecasting in the early diffusion process, where the commonly used aggregate diffusion models usually fail to deliver accurate forecasts. Grey modeling is a unique time-series methodology that requires only a few data points in order to make a forecast. The GM1,1 model is tested against a classic aggregate diffusion model, the Gompertz model, using only the first four data of mobile broadband diffusion to make an one-step-ahead prediction. The results in the EU15 countries reveal that the Grey model outperforms the Gompertz model in every case, thus stimulating new research guidelines in terms of combinations of the two approaches and further investigation of the value of Grey modeling in the specific area.
Adaptive traitor tracing for large anonymous attack

In this paper we focus on traitor tracing technologies for the anonymous re-broadcasting attack where the attackers re-distribute the per-content encrypting key or the decrypted plain content. To defend against an anonymous attack, content is usually built with different variations. For example, content is divided into multiple segments, each segment comes with multiple variations, and each variation is differently encrypted. Each user/player can only play back one variation per segment through the content. A typical traitor tracing scheme for re-broadcasting attack involves two basic steps, assigning the key/variation to devices (the assignment step) and detecting at least one traitor in the coalition when a series of pirated key/content are recovered (the coalition detection step). The traceability of a traitor tracing scheme is defined to be the number of recovered pirate copies of the content/keys needed in order to detect traitors. In [1] we presented a traitor detection scheme that tries to detect the entire coalition all together. This significantly improved the traditional one-by-one detection approaches in the literature. However, the traceability of the traitor detection scheme has a up limit that is constrained by the number of variations q one can build into the content. We are motivated to improve the traceability on a larger collusion attack and lift the up-limit on traceability with a given q. In this paper we will show a new traitor tracing approach that will assign the variations with skewed probabilities. Our approach not only lifts the tracing up-limit but also enables the tracing agency to assign the variations so as to maximize the traceability for a given coalition size. Our traceability results show that it is possible to achieve good traceability when traitor size exceeds q, and continue doing well even after the coalition size reaches q log q.
Directly " Evaluating " the " Cognitive " Impact " of " Search " User " Interfaces : " a " TwoF Pronged " Approach " with " fNIRS

When faced with a poor set of document summaries on the first page of returned search results, a user may respond in various ways: by proceeding on to the next page of results; by entering another query; by switching to another service; or by abandoning their search. We analyse this aspect of searcher behaviour using a commercial search system, comparing a deliberately degraded system to the original one. Our results demonstrate that searchers naturally avoid selecting poor results as answers given the degraded system; however, the depth of the ranking that they view, their query reformulation rate, and the amount of time required to complete search tasks, are all remarkably unchanged.
Systemic Antibacterial Activity of Novel Synthetic Cyclic Peptides

ABSTRACT Cyclic peptides with an even number of alternating d,l-α-amino acid residues are known to self-assemble into organic nanotubes. Such peptides previously have been shown to be stable upon protease treatment, membrane active, and bactericidal and to exert antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and other gram-positive bacteria. The present report describes the in vitro and in vivo pharmacology of selected members of this cyclic peptide family. The intravenous (i.v.) efficacy of six compounds with MICs of less than 12 μg/ml was tested in peritonitis and neutropenic-mouse thigh infection models. Four of the six peptides were efficacious in vivo, with 50% effective doses in the peritonitis model ranging between 4.0 and 6.7 mg/kg against methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). In the thigh infection model, the four peptides reduced the bacterial load 2.1 to 3.0 log units following administration of an 8-mg/kg i.v. dose. Activity against methicillin-resistant S. aureus was similar to MSSA. The murine pharmacokinetic profile of each compound was determined following i.v. bolus injection. Interestingly, those compounds with poor efficacy in vivo displayed a significantly lower maximum concentration of the drug in serum and a higher volume of distribution at steady state than compounds with good therapeutic properties. S. aureus was unable to easily develop spontaneous resistance upon prolonged exposure to the peptides at sublethal concentrations, in agreement with the proposed interaction with multiple components of the bacterial membrane canopy. Although additional structure-activity relationship studies are required to improve the therapeutic window of this class of antimicrobial peptides, our results suggest that these amphipathic cyclic d,l-α-peptides have potential for systemic administration and treatment of otherwise antibiotic-resistant infections.
Chromosomal non-disjunction in human oocytes: is there a mitochondrial connection?

The frequency of chromosome abnormalities due to non-disjunction of maternal chromosomes during meiosis is a function of age, with a sharp increase in the slope of the trisomy-age curve between the ages of 30 and 40 years. The basis of this increase, which is a major cause of birth defects, is unknown at present. In recent years, mutations in mitochondrial (mt) DNA have been associated with a growing number of disorders, including those associated with spontaneous deletions of mtDNA (deltamt DNAs). Intriguingly, these pathogenic deltamtDNAs, which are present at extremely high levels in certain patients, are also present at extremely low levels (detectable only by polymerase chain reaction) in normal individuals. The proportion of such deltamtDNAs in normal muscle is a function of age; the shape of this curve is exponential, with the accelerating part of the curve beginning at approximately 30-40 years. We postulate that, as well as muscle and brain, a similar time-dependent accumulation of deltamtDNAs also occurs in normal oocytes. Since deltamtDNAs are functionally inactive, an accumulation of such aberrant genomes could eventually compromise ATP-dependent energy-utilization in these cells. Furthermore, these deficiencies would also affect the function of the somatic follicular cells that surround, and secrete important paracrine factors to, the oocyte. If there is indeed an age-associated relationship between deltamtDNAs and oocyte age, perhaps errors in meiosis (which is almost certainly an energy, and ATP, dependent process) are related to mutations in mtDNA (primarily deletions, but perhaps point mutations as well) in oocytes and/or the surrounding somatic cells, which result in deficiencies in both mitochondrial function in general and oxidative energy metabolism in particular. This hypothesis would explain many of the non-Mendelian features associated with maternal age-related trisomies, e.g. Down's syndrome.
Analyse structurelle comparative des composantes des systèmes de valeurs selon Kahle et Rokeach

Cet article compare au niveau conceptuel les systèmes de valeurs tels que définis et mesurés par Kahle et Rokeach. La première partie resitue la place des valeurs dans l'étude de la consommation ainsi que les fondements et principales caractéristiques de ces deux démarches. La deuxième partie expose les résultats empiriques obtenus lors de la comparaison, au moyen d'un modèle structurel (PLS), de ces deux approches. Il en résulte que celles-ci sont assez similaires quant à leur structure. Le choix d'une démarche semble résider avant tout dans la nature du contexte d'utilisation. L'approche de Kahle centrée sur l'individu semble préférable pour l'étude du comportement de consommation répondant à des besoins personnels. Au contraire, des études à connotation sociétale plus importante paraissent mieux correspondre à la démarche de Rokeach qui fait une part plus grande aux valeurs concernant la société dans son ensemble.
Human Trafficking for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation Within the United States and Denver Colorado

The topic of human trafficking is not a new concept to the majority of individuals involved in any aspect of criminology. Human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, including prostitution, is dramatically increasing in the number of incidents opened for investigation since 2000; the increased public interest in the various elements of the sex industry only add to this problem. Human trafficking within the United States (U.S.) is not a new concept however; diminutive amounts of research as a whole have been conducted in and around the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. This research project aimed to answer: whether experts in the field of human trafficking perceive Denver, Colorado as an incubator for human trafficking and sexual exploitation? Results determined Colorado's geographical location influenced the prosperity of human trafficking due to the layout of the state's two major highways, Interstate 25 and Interstate 70. Results obtained from experts at the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, Prax(us) and the Safe Streets Task Force disclosed that sex trafficking is closely associated with sexual exploitation through prostitution. Results determined the populations with the highest risk of becoming a trafficking victim are homeless or chronic runaway youth. Areas for future research indicate that education and public service announcements centered on the sex industry may reduce the number of individuals falling victim to this crime.
Teacher spatial skills are linked to differences in geometry instruction

BACKGROUND Spatial skills have been linked to better performance in mathematics. AIM The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher spatial skills and their instruction, including teacher content and pedagogical knowledge, use of pictorial representations, and use of gestures during geometry instruction. SAMPLE Fifty-six middle school teachers participated in the study. METHODS The teachers were administered spatial measures of mental rotations and spatial visualization. Next, a single geometry class was videotaped. RESULT Correlational analyses revealed that spatial skills significantly correlate with teacher's use of representational gestures and content and pedagogical knowledge during instruction of geometry. Spatial skills did not independently correlate with the use of pointing gestures or the use of pictorial representations. However, an interaction term between spatial skills and content and pedagogical knowledge did correlate significantly with the use of pictorial representations. Teacher experience as measured by the number of years of teaching and highest degree did not appear to affect the relationships among the variables with the exception of the relationship between spatial skills and teacher content and pedagogical knowledge. CONCLUSION Teachers with better spatial skills are also likely to use representational gestures and to show better content and pedagogical knowledge during instruction. Spatial skills predict pictorial representation use only as a function of content and pedagogical knowledge.
Evaluation of the Microangioarchitecture of Tumors by Use of Monochromatic X-Rays

Yamashita T. Evaluation of the microangioarchitecture of tumors by use of monochromatic x-rays. Invest Radiol 2001; 36:713–720. rationale and objectives. The purpose was to compare differences in the depiction of small vessels in tumors seen on microangiograms from a conventional soft x-ray system with those from a synchrotron radiation system and to evaluate the microangioarchitecture of these tumors and the growth of neovascularization. methods. VX2 carcinomas transplanted to the auricles of 15 rabbits randomized into three groups were investigated after 1, 3, and 7 days. Five normal rabbits were the controls. Barium sulfate, to which sufficient gelatin had been added, was injected into the auricular artery. Microangiograms of auricle specimens were obtained with both a conventional soft x-ray system and a synchrotron radiation system. results. The conventional x-ray system could detect vessels with diameters of approximately 100 &mgr;m, whereas the monochromatic synchrotron radiation system could detect small vessels with diameters of less than 25 &mgr;m. On day 1, there was moderate vascularization and flexure vessels were present in the transplantation area. On day 3, dilated vessels were present in the peripheral areas of the tumors and tortuous vessels in the central areas. On day 7, hypovascular areas had increased in the central area. conclusions. The synchrotron radiation system confirmed the growth of neovascularization in the tumors. This system should provide a useful tool for evaluating the microangioarchitecture of tumors.
Active Learning using Adaptive Curiosity

Exploratory activities seems to be crucial for our cognitive development. According to spychologists, exploration is an intrinsically rewarding behaviour. That explains the autonomous and active development of children. The developmental robotics aim to design computational systems that are endowed with such an intrinsic motivation mechanism. There are possible links between developmental robotics and classical machine learning. Active learning strategies aim to the most informative examples and adaptive curiosity allows a robot to explore its environement in an intelligente way. In this article, the adaptive curiosity framework is reformulated in terms of active learning terminology, and compared directly to existing algorithms in this field. The main contribution of this article is a new criterion evaluating the potential interestingness of zones of the sensorimotor space.
Discrete paired-bacteria optimizer for solving traveling salesman problem

This paper focuses on implementing a Discrete Paired-Bacteria Optimizer (DPBO) to solve the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). As a well-studied NP-hard problem, it is known that the running time for any optimization algorithm for the TSP increases exponentially with the number of cities. Therefore, in order to reduce the optimization computational complexity, this research introduces a swarm algorithm inspired from the bacteria behavior. According to its performance on TSP benchmark cases, DPBO is able to solve the TSP problem with a superior advantage on time consumption.
To develop the ubiquitous adventure RPG (role play game) game-based learning system

Now a day, due to the advanced computer and network technologies, we could find that more and more e-learning platforms has been developed. But they may not easily acceptable for learners and to promote their learning motivation efficiently. Game-Based Learning could be a way to attract people to enjoy their learning activities. In this research, we have developed the Ubiquitous Adventure RPG (Role Play Game) Game-Based Learning system. We also make an effort on development the system according to the learning game experience. We hope that the Game-Based Learning system could provide the authentic research example on the Game-Based Learning domain.
M-band wavelets application to palmprint recognition based on texture features

In this paper, a new texture feature set based on M-band wavelet analysis is proposed for online palmprint identification. First, the central part of a palm was decomposed by M-band wavelets transformation, then, l-norm energy was extracted out as our features, at last, the candidate was found by matching process. The presented experimental results demonstrate the validity of our approach.
Multiphoton microscopy as a diagnostic imaging modality for pancreatic neoplasms without hematoxylin and eosin stains

Abstract. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of tissue samples is the standard approach in histopathology for imaging and diagnosing cancer. Recent reports have shown that multiphoton microscopy (MPM) provides better sample interface with single-cell resolution, which enhances traditional H&E staining and offers a powerful diagnostic tool with potential applications in oncology. The purpose of this study was to further expand the versatility of MPM by establishing the optical parameters required for imaging unstained histological sections of pancreatic neoplasms, thereby providing an efficient and environmentally sustainable alternative to H&E staining while improving the accuracy of pancreatic cancer diagnoses. We found that the high-resolution MPM images clearly distinguish between the structure of normal pancreatic tissues compared with pancreatic neoplasms in unstained histological sections, and discernable differences in tissue architecture and cell morphology between normal versus tumorigenic cells led to enhanced optical diagnosis of cancerous tissue. Moreover, quantitative assessment of the cytomorphological features visualized from MPM images showed significant differences in the nuclear–cytoplasmic ratios of pancreatic neoplasms compared with normal pancreas, as well as further distinguished pancreatic malignant tumors from benign tumors. These results indicate that the MPM could potentially serve as an optical tool for the diagnosis of pancreatic neoplasms in unstained histological sections.
Development and Validation of Teacher Computer Self Efficacy Scale

I. Introduction Self-efficacy is a strong and consistent predictor of grade point average and expectations of academic success. Self-efficacy which refers to a person's judgment of own capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated type of performance has also been found to be a major contributor to an individual's academic achievement (Bandura, 1986). it can be concluded that self efficacy plays a critical role in educational achievement. Schrand (2008) suggests the use of technology in education has several benefits for motivating students. Schrand further states that technology can facilitate more active student learning in the classroom, and appeal to multiple intelligences, and different learning styles. In the modern communication era, many computer based technologies have entered into the teaching learning processes. The review of researchers in integration of these technologies reveals that effective ways of integrating these technologies depends mostly on the computer efficacy of teachers and the learners. The concept of Computer efficacy is the extension of the efficacy concept of Bandura. Adapted from the self-efficacy concept, computer self-efficacy is the extent of an individual's perceived ability to use a computer. Delcourt & Kinzie (1993) defined computer self-efficacy as a measure of how confident computer users are with their ability to understand, use, and apply computer knowledge and skills. The authors found that individuals who have high computer self-efficacy will feel competent in using different computer hardware and software. However, a low computer self-efficacy leads to the belief that individuals will encounter difficulty in using computers hardware and software. Ertmer, Addison, Lane, Ross & Woods (1999) suggested that educators with higher computer self-efficacy are likely to be more enthusiastic to use technology in their classrooms than those with lower levels of self-efficacy. They concluded that educators' personal beliefs with regard to their computer proficiency are the main factors in determining whether or not they will use computers in teaching and learning. The researchers also noted that many newly graduated teachers are more proficient at using computers than their more experienced colleagues. These skills, however, often could not be used because routine teaching obligations often hindered their efforts. Furthermore, a study by Czaja et al. (2006) among 1,204 adults (men = 454, female =750) ranging in age from 18 to 91 years found that computer self-efficacy was an important predictor of general use of technology and that people with lower self-efficacy are less likely to …