Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness and improvement: school and college research compared

Abstract There are relatively well-established traditions of research in both school effectiveness and school improvement. These traditions are quite mature in that they have distinct research methodologies, agreed terms of reference and discourse and, not infrequently, some consensus around advice offered to both policy makers and practitioners. The position of colleges is quite different. For a variety of reasons, colleges have provided less of a focus for educational research. At first sight, moreover, there is no equivalent to the school effectiveness and improvement traditions. This article reviews the research that is currently available to argue that: there is more college effectiveness and improvement research than has sometimes been supposed; the theoretical foundations and methods of this research resemble but in some crucial ways are distinct from the research traditions focused on schools; some specific research issues and priorities need to be addressed in college-based research to enable it to make a profound contribution to educational theory, policy and practice; there are some opportunities, nevertheless, for school researchers to benefit from college research on retention, achievement and improvement issues.
Integration of smart parking in distributed ITS architecture

In this paper, a new architecture has been proposed to enable distributed sensing in intelligent transportation system (ITS) and to facilitate the transition of legacy systems by the use of gateways (GW) which provide the existing systems with their native interface while also implementing the new functions for local communication and intelligence. The prompt detection of smart parking events are reported by the pervasive wireless sensor network and coordinated by the deployed gateways, drivers are informed in real-time about the situation available services on their route to destination. This contributes to reduce destination time as well as the fuel consumption of each driver and therefore CO2 emissions. In addition, the provision of real-time information on parking availability will help drivers to park their vehicles in less time, thus relieving traffic congestion, reducing CO2 emissions and improving urban mobility. The smart parking sensors are deployed and results are obtained to validate the proposed architecture.
Ultra low-power radio design for wireless sensor networks

Power consumption and size are the most important challenges faced when designing radios for distributed wireless sensor networks (WSN). Reducing power consumption requires optimization across all the layers of the communication systems. Although the MAC layer plays a crucial role in the overall energy efficiency, the radio remains one of the bottleneck for implementing ultra low-power WSN. The power consumption of the radios available today does not allow for continuous operation and the radio has to be duty-cycled in order to reach the targeted several years autonomy. This clearly has an impact on how to design a radio for WSN. Reducing the node size can be partly achieved by a high level of integration of all the functions required by one node on a single chip. This leads to systems-on-chip (SoC) that are dedicated to WSN. This paper addresses the different issues in the design of ultra low-power WSN with a particular emphasis on the radio. It reviews the constraints imposed on the transceiver design by the low-power and low-voltage specifications, the duty-cycled operation and the modulation scheme. Several radio architectures that can potentially be used for WSN are discussed in the perspective of a CMOS implementation. As examples, the 1st-and 2nd-generation of WiseNET ultra low-power transceivers are presented. The 1st-generation WiseNET transceiver is integrated in a 0.5 /spl mu/m standard digital CMOS process. It operates in the 434 MHz band and consumes only 1 mW from a 1 V supply, while achieving a -95 dBm sensitivity for a 24 kb/s data rate with a 10/sup -3/ BER. The 2nd-generation WiseNET transceiver was designed and specifically optimized for the new WiseMAC protocol specially developed for WSN. It runs from a single 1.5 V battery and operates down to 0.9 V while consuming only 1.8 mW in receive mode. It achieves a -104 dBm sensitivity for 25 kb/s data rate with a 10/sup -3/ BER. In addition to this low-power radio, the 2nd-generation WiseNET system-on-chip (SoC) also includes all the functions required for data acquisition, processing and storage of the information provided by the sensor. The WiseNET solution comprising the WiseNET SoC together with the WiseMAC protocol consumes more than 30 times less power than comparable solutions available today, using for example the IEEE 802.15. 4 standard. Finally, some important blocks such as the frequency synthesizer and the ADC are discussed in the perspective of moving to higher data rates, higher operating frequency and phase modulation, taking as example the IEEE 802.15. 4 standard. Examples of injection locked oscillators and dividers are given. The conversion of I/Q phase modulated signals to digital are illustrated by an example of an I/Q /spl Delta/-/spl Sigma/ ADC and a direct phase ADC.
Robust Chinese Remainder Theorem Ranging Method Based on Dual-Frequency Measurements

The Chinese remainder theorem (CRT) is an effective tool to solve the phase ambiguity problem in phase-based range estimation. However, existing methods suffer from problems such as requiring special measuring frequency, low spectrum efficiency, noise sensitivity, etc. To overcome these problems, this paper presents a CRT ranging method using two “adjacent” frequencies. As a result, all the frequencies in the given frequency span can be used, which greatly increases spectrum utilization. Moreover, since the same distance is measured by different frequency pairs, statistical processing can be performed on the results, which further improves estimation accuracy. Simulations verify the validity of the proposed method.
DO WE AGREE? MEASURING AGREEMENT ON THE HUMAN JUDGMENTS IN EMOTION ANNOTATION OF NEWS SENTENCES

An emotional text may be judged to belong to multiple emotion categories because it may evoke different emotions with varying degrees of intensity. For emotion analysis of text in a supervised manner, it is required to annotate text corpus with emotion categories. Because emotion is a very subjective entity, producing reliable annotation is of prime requirement for developing a robust emotion analysis model, so it is wise to have the data set annotated by multiple human judges and generate an aggregated data set provided that the emotional responses provided by different annotators over the data set exhibit substantial agreement. In reality, multiple emotional responses for an emotional text are common. So, the data set is a multilabel one where a single data item may belong to more than one category simultaneously. This article presents a new agreement measure to compute interannotator reliability in multilabel annotation. The new reliability coefficient has been applied to measure the quality of an emotion text corpus. The procedure for generating aggregated data and some corpus cleaning techniques are also discussed.
On the Simulation of Nonlinear Bidimensional Spiking Neuron Models

Bidimensional spiking models are garnering a lot of attention for their simplicity and their ability to reproduce various spiking patterns of cortical neurons and are used particularly for large network simulations. These models describe the dynamics of the membrane potential by a nonlinear differential equation that blows up in finite time, coupled to a second equation for adaptation. Spikes are emitted when the membrane potential blows up or reaches a cutoff θ. The precise simulation of the spike times and of the adaptation variable is critical, for it governs the spike pattern produced and is hard to compute accurately because of the exploding nature of the system at the spike times. We thoroughly study the precision of fixed time-step integration schemes for this type of model and demonstrate that these methods produce systematic errors that are unbounded, as the cutoff value is increased, in the evaluation of the two crucial quantities: the spike time and the value of the adaptation variable at this time. Precise evaluation of these quantities therefore involves very small time steps and long simulation times. In order to achieve a fixed absolute precision in a reasonable computational time, we propose here a new algorithm to simulate these systems based on a variable integration step method that either integrates the original ordinary differential equation or the equation of the orbits in the phase plane, and compare this algorithm with fixed time-step Euler scheme and other more accurate simulation algorithms.
Differential Group Space-Time Block Coded CPM

Motivated by the desirable attributes of unitary space-time (ST) codes and constant envelope modulations, we introduce an ST continuous phase modulation (CPM) methodology and its companion noncoherent receiver. We consider M-ary full-response CPMs, with a modulation index of 1/M and multiple transmit antennas. Through careful selection of an underlying differential group code, the defining characteristics of the CPM transmissions (constant envelope and spectral bandwidth) are effectively maintained. Using a set of interference suppressed statistics and taking advantage of the underlying ST differential encoding, the receiver performs conventional differential detection (CDD). Results for M = 2 with four transmit antennas show that the proposed CDD performs within 4 dB of the coherent detection lower bound, at a symbol-error-rate of 10-. Furthermore, due to the underlying unitary structure of the ST-CPM, the CDD achieves a diversity order comparable to that of coherent detection at high SNR.
GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION FOR WING SHAPE IN DROSOPHILA SERRATA

Abstract Geographic variation in wing shape in female Drosophila serrata was examined by characterizing isofemale strains from 19 localities collected along a transect on the eastern coast of Australia. Shape variation was analyzed by Procrustes superimposition of landmark data followed by canonical variate analysis. The first extracted canonical variate showed a nonlinear association with latitude and accounted for 43% of the variance. There was a sharp increase in this variate at low latitudes as well as a gradual increase at high latitudes. These shape changes were associated with two landmarks at the edge of the wing. There was also a linear change in wing aspect. The isofemale heritability for two measures of shape was around 30%. Allometric relationships were weak both between localities and among isofemale strains within localities. The possibility that wing shape parameters are under selection independent of wing size is discussed. Corresponding Editor: T. Kawecki
Anticipatory development: Mobilizing civil society in Tanzania

This article examines the globalization of civil society through the proliferation of non-governmental organizations in developing countries. By focusing on the technologies and methods through which these new forms are globalized their expansion becomes explicable without recourse to theories of neoliberal governmentality. New organizational templates and the role of writing are highlighted in the dissemination of civil society forms in developing countries. These organizations do not represent an extension of state power but a multiplicity of peripheral positions from which actors seek contractual engagement in development relations.
TFIIB-Related Factor 2 Over Expression Is a Prognosis Marker for Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Correlated with Tumor Angiogenesis

Background The aim of this study was to examine BRF2 expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore the relationship of BRF2 protein with clinicopathologic factors, tumor angiogenesis and prognosis. Methods Both BRF2 protein and intratumoral microvessels were examined by immunohistochemical staining in 107 non-small cell lung cancer patients. Intratumoral m icrovessel density (MVD) was measured by counting CD-34 positive immunostained endothelial cells. Western blot and RT-PCR analyses were utilized to investigate the BRF2 expression status in tissues Results A notably higher level of BRF2 expression was found in NSCLC tissues at protein levels. In addition, univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated that BRF2 protein over-expression and high MVD were significantly associated with tumor relapse. Although BRF2 overexpression and high MVD indicated poor 5-year overall survival (p = 0.004 and p = 0.019, respectively), multivariate analysis demonstrated that only BRF2 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for unfavorable overall survival (P = 0.021). Conclusions BRF2 is a promising biomarker to identify individuals with poor prognostic potential and a possible target for anti-angiogenic therapy for patients with early-stage NSCLC.
Numerical Calculation of Three-Dimensional Interfacial Potential Flows Using the Point Vortex Method

A pre-fabricated welded tubular coupling particularly adapted for use in the construction of offshore platforms comprises a tubular elbow tangentially secured to a straight pipe segment solely along the line of intersection therebetween. A cutout or opening in the backwall of the elbow is configured to complementally receive a portion of the periphery of the pipe to enhance the integrity of the interconnection between the latter and the elbow. The opening has a marginal edge which defines a continuous line of contact with the pipe for welding of the components to form a unitary coupling. In preferred forms, the elbow presents a 90 DEG arc and is arranged such that each leg forms approximately a 45 DEG angle with the pipe. In another embodiment, the elbow extends through 135 DEG and is attached to the pipe in a manner to form approximately 90 DEG and 45 DEG angles between the respective legs and the pipe.
THE USE OF SIGNING AND FINGER SPELLING TO IMPROVE SPELLING PERFORMANCE WITH HEARING CHILDREN

Single Case Experiments (N=l), while initially developed for clinical studies, are gaining respectability for classroom research. This report of the use of finger spelling and signing as an asset to spelling proficiency is an example. Using an AB (N=l) design this experiment is labeled pre‐experimental. It suggests, however, that finger spelling and signing should be studies in more precise designs (ABAB, for example) since the results reported here are encouraging. That each first grade student using the independent variable improved spelling performance in the N=l experiment encourages further investigation.
Requirements for ribosomal protein S1 for translation initiation of mRNAs with and without a 5′ leader sequence

It has previously been proposed that Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S1 is required for the translation of highly structured mRNAs. In this study, we have examined the influence of structural features at or near the start codon of different mRNAs. The requirement for ribosomal protein S1 for translation initiation was determined when (i) the ribosome‐binding site (RBS) was either preceded by a 5′ non‐translated leader sequence; (ii) the RBS was located 5′ proximal to a mRNA start codon; and (iii) the start codon was the 5′ terminal codon as exemplified by leaderless mRNAs. In vitro translation studies revealed that the leaderless lambda cI mRNA is translated with Bacillus stearothermophilus ribosomes, naturally lacking a ribosomal protein S1 homologue, whereas ompA mRNA containing a 5′ leader is not. These studies have been verified by toeprinting with E. coli ribosomes depleted for S1. We have shown that S1 is required for ternary complex formation on ompA mRNA but not for leaderless mRNAs or for mRNAs in which the RBS is close to the 5′ end.
A comparison of methods to estimate premorbid intelligence in an Australian sample: data from the Macquarie University Neuropsychological Normative Study (MUNNS)

A variety of methods for estimating premorbid intelligence were compared in an Australian sample participating in the Macquarie University Neuropsychological Normative Study (MUNNS). Predictors included a contextual version of the AUSNART, the WRAT-3 Reading subtest, Spot-the-Word Test and sub-tests from the WAIS-R. The study involved 244 healthy participants aged between 18 and 34 years, with half of them serving as a cross-validation sample. Multiple regression was used for all analyses. When taking into account both the statistical results and clinical utility of the methods, the Sydney Premorbid Intelligence Estimate (SPIE), consisting of Vocabulary and Picture Completion subtests from the WAIS-R, was considered to be the best predictor. Combining all measures into one regression did not substantially increase the amount of variance explained. Base rate tables for predicted IQ versus obtained IQ, and the discrepancy between predicted 10 and Delayed Recall Index of the WMS-R are provided for each of the prediction methods. Further research to examine the clinical utility of these methods is required.
The Chromis programme: from conception to evaluation

Abstract Offenders with high levels of psychopathic traits present particular challenges to the criminal justice system. These offenders are at high risk of re-offending and have a range of complex issues impacting on their response to treatment. This paper outlines the development, structure and implementation of the Chromis programme: a programme designed specifically to reduce the risk of violence in offenders with high levels of psychopathic traits. It outlines the context in which the programme currently runs and the challenges faced in evaluating its impact. Initial findings and plans for evaluation are discussed.
Comparison of the PREMIER cryptococcal antigen enzyme immunoassay and the latex agglutination assay for detection of cryptococcal antigens

A new enzyme immunoassay (EIA), PREMIER Cryptococcal Antigen, was compared with latex agglutination (LA) for the detection and quantitation of circulating capsular polysaccharide antigen from Cryptococcus neoformans. The clinical evaluation of PREMIER EIA as a screening assay, including 475 specimens with 120 LA and EIA positives, resulted in 99% sensitivity and 97% specificity. The clinical specimens included sera and cerebrospinal fluids as well as 10 rheumatoid factor-positive and 20 anti-nuclear antibody-positive serum samples. This monoclonal antibody-based assay detects serotypes A to D at 0.63, 0.63, 7.8, and 62 ng/ml, respectively. With three different known positive specimens, the assay was found to yield coefficients of variation of 2 to 12% for intra- and interassay comparisons of precision and reproducibility. The primary use for semiquantitative values derived with the LA or EIA is to follow the course of disease and monitor drug therapies. The present data suggest that the PREMIER EIA will be a valuable method for this purpose. We conclude that the PREMIER Cryptococcal Antigen EIA provides a rapid, convenient, and reliable antigen detection method for screening and semiquantitative determination of antigen levels.
Butyrylcholinesterase in Human Brain and Acetylcholinesterase in Human Plasma: Trace Enzymes Measured by Two‐Site Immunoassay

Abstract: Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and for butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were markedly more specific than conventional assays using selective enzyme inhibitors. The new assays were used with blood and brain samples containing traces of one enzyme dominated by large amounts of the other. The results showed that human plasma does contain AChE (8 ng/ml), even though its major cholinesterase is BuChE (3,300 ng/ml). BuChE immunoreactivity was not detected in human red blood cells but occurred in all brain regions. The cerebellum was the richest region tested (540 ng of BuChE/g of tissue), whereas the cerebral cortex was the poorest (240 ng of BuChE/g). However, because of the small local AChE content (99 ng/g), BuChE was the major cortical cholinesterase. The picture was reversed in the putamen, where BuChE immunoreactivity (340 ng/g) was far outweighed by that of AChE (6,100 ng/g).
Occupational hazards control of hazardous substances in clean room of semiconductor manufacturing plant using CFD analysis

The manufacturing processes in chip industries are complex, and many kinds of raw materials and solvents of different nature are used, most of which are highly toxic and dangerous. During the machine preventive maintenance period, these toxic and harmful substances will escape from the sealed reaction chamber to the clean workshop environment and endanger the health of the workers on-site, resulting in occupational diseases. From the perspective of prevention, the spread and prediction of hydrochloric acid (HCl) that escaped from the metal-etching chamber during maintenance were studied in this article. The computational fluid dynamics technology was used for a three-dimensional numerical simulation of the indoor air velocity field and the HCl concentration field, and the simulation results were then compared with the on-site monitoring data to verify the correctness and feasibility. The occupational hazards and control measures were analyzed based on the numerical simulation, and the optimal control measure was obtained. In this article, using the method of ambient air to analyze the occupational exposure can provide a new idea to the field of occupational health research in the integrated circuit industry and had theoretical and practical significance.
An in-sequence guaranteed space-memory-memory Clos-network architecture

Out-of-sequence (OOS) is a problem faced by most multistage Clos-network switches. One classical three-stage Clos-network switch structure is to use round-robin to achieve load balancing at the first stage, then switch stage by stage at the latter two stages, using SAR (segments and reassemble) which has to deal with OOS. To address this problem, we propose Frame-based Fair Round-robin (FFRR) for the first stage. Theoretical analyses and simulation results show that FFRR achieves excellent performance - 100% throughput and low delay. Then we develop a three-stage Clos-network structure, which performs outstandingly without speedup.
An alternative robust and High Reliability optical flow based on Horn-Schunck Algorithm using median filter and confidence based technique

Optical flow is a technique for identifying the density velocity or motion vector (MV) in each pixel for motion estimation of image sequences. Under the real situation, many undesired conditions usually generate noises over the sequences and therefore this situation is corrupts the performance in reliability of optical flow. In order to increase the reliability of the density velocity, this paper proposes a novel Horn-Schucnk optical flow algorithm based on the robust estimation that using median filter and effective confidence technique using bidirectional symmetry of forward and backward flow. Comprehensive evaluations demonstrate the effectiveness results of our proposed algorithm under several standard sequences such as AKIYO, COASTGUARD, CONTAINER, and FOREMAN. These sequences have differences in foreground and background movement and speed in characteristic. These sequences are contaminated by the Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) at several noise power levels (such as AWGN at 25 dB, 20 dB, and 15 dB respectively) over each sequence. Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) is used as the performance indicator in our experiment.
A Mild and Regioselective Ring-Opening of Aziridines with Acid Anhydride Using TBD or PS-TBD as a Catalyst

The ring-opening of N-tosylaziridines with various acid anhydrides catalyzed by 5 mol % of 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4,4,0]dec-5-ene (TBD) afforded the corresponding β-amino esters in excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. Polymer-supported catalyst, PS-TBD also acts as a good catalyst for this reaction. PS-TBD was easily recovered and reused with minimal loss of activity.