Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meaningful gamification and students’ motivation: A strategy for scaffolding reading material

Gamification is an innovative pedagogical strategy where digital games are used in an educational setting and as an aid to learning. Recent publications on gamification in the classroom investigate the concept of “meaningful gamification” where, in line with Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory, competency, autonomy and relatedness are prioritized (Ryan and Deci, 2000, p. 68). The paradigm of meaningful gamification works well as a catalyst in motivating students to read background material and grasp key concepts that facilitate a flipped classroom, and this study measures the impact of this intervention by meaningful gaming on students’ motivation at a higher education level. The context for this study is the module ‘Women in Film’, which is part of the Ideas and Exposition Programme at the Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore.
SKEIN THEORY AND THE MURPHY OPERATORS

The Murphy operators in the Hecke algebra Hn of type A are explicit commuting elements whose sum generates the centre. They can be represented by simple tangles in the Homfly skein theory version of Hn. In this paper I present a single tangle which represents their sum, and which is obviously central. As a consequence it is possible to identify a natural basis for the Homfly skein of the annulus, . Symmetric functions of the Murphy operators are also central in Hn. I define geometrically a homomorphism from to the centre of each algebra Hn, and find an element in , independent of n, whose image is the mth power sum of the Murphy operators. Generating function techniques are used to describe images of other elements of in terms of the Murphy operators, and to demonstrate relations among other natural skein elements.
A Multiscale Variable-Grouping Framework for MRF Energy Minimization

We present a multiscale approach for minimizing the energy associated with Markov Random Fields (MRFs) with energy functions that include arbitrary pairwise potentials. The MRF is represented on a hierarchy of successively coarser scales, where the problem on each scale is itself an MRF with suitably defined potentials. These representations are used to construct an efficient multiscale algorithm that seeks a minimal-energy solution to the original problem. The algorithm is iterative and features a bidirectional crosstalk between fine and coarse representations. We use consistency criteria to guarantee that the energy is nonincreasing throughout the iterative process. The algorithm is evaluated on real-world datasets, achieving competitive performance in relatively short run-times.
Significant Depletion of CD4+ T Cells Occurs in the Oral Mucosa during Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection with the Infected CD4+ T Cell Reservoir Continuing to Persist in the Oral Mucosa during Antiretroviral Therapy

Human and simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV and SIV) infections are characterized by manifestation of numerous opportunistic infections and inflammatory conditions in the oral mucosa. The loss of CD4+ T cells that play a critical role in maintaining mucosal immunity likely contributes to this process. Here we show that CD4+ T cells constitute a minor population of T cells in the oral mucosa and display a predominantly central memory phenotype mirroring other mucosal sites such as the rectal mucosa. Chronic SIV infection was associated with a near total depletion of CD4+ T cells in the oral mucosa that appear to repopulate during antiretroviral therapy (ART). Repopulating CD4+ T cells harbored a large fraction of Th17 cells suggesting that ART potentially reconstitutes oral mucosal immunity. However, a minor fraction of repopulating CD4+ T cells harbored SIV DNA suggesting that the viral reservoir continues to persist in the oral mucosa during ART. Therapeutic approaches aimed at obtaining sustainable CD4+ T cell repopulation in combination with strategies that can eradicate the latent viral reservoir in the oral mucosa are essential for better oral health and long-term outcome in HIV infected patients.
High-performance code generation for stencil computations on GPU architectures

Stencil computations arise in many scientific computing domains, and often represent time-critical portions of applications. There is significant interest in offloading these computations to high-performance devices such as GPU accelerators, but these architectures offer challenges for developers and compilers alike. Stencil computations in particular require careful attention to off-chip memory access and the balancing of work among compute units in GPU devices. In this paper, we present a code generation scheme for stencil computations on GPU accelerators, which optimizes the code by trading an increase in the computational workload for a decrease in the required global memory bandwidth. We develop compiler algorithms for automatic generation of efficient, time-tiled stencil code for GPU accelerators from a high-level description of the stencil operation. We show that the code generation scheme can achieve high performance on a range of GPU architectures, including both nVidia and AMD devices.
Constructivist learning paradigm in the introduction to education subject

This study examines the content of constructivist learning paradigms in the textbook and students' understanding of the Introduction to Education course. Data collection methods are the textbook, student answer documentation, focused review session and assignment of student resume. The textbook analysis found five substances of constructivist learning paradigm, namely the nature of human, lifelong education, learning independence, the role of information technology, and the integration of educational benchmarks, which are parts of the textbook chapters. Analysis of the answers to the tasks, quizzes and student exams indicates that the students' understanding of the substance of this material is still medium or partial but has increased significantly after a focused review session was held, i.e. 75% or more students have a good and complete understanding. From the results of this study, it is suggested that (1) the textbook of Introduction to Education is rewritten, to put the five substances of constructivist learning paradigm as separate chapters so as to obtain their broader and deeper study portion; and (2) the materials not yet understood well by the students should be reviewed through a focused review session.
ChameleonMask: Embodied Physical and Social Telepresence using Human Surrogates

Chameleonmask is a telepresence system that shows a remote user's face on the other user's face. While most telepresence systems have been designed to provide a remote user's existence with a teleoperated robot, the system uses a real human as a surrogate for another remote user. To do this, a surrogate user wears a mask-shaped display that shows a remote user's live face, and a voice channel transmits a remote user's voice. A surrogate user mimics a remote user by following the remote user's directions. This design is based on our hypothesis assuming physical and social telepresence can be embodied by such a surrogate human who imitates the remote user. It also eliminates many difficulties of teleoperated robots wandering in the environment. Our pilot study confirmed that people could regard the masked person as a right person.
Hexagonal Approach and Modeling for the Visual Cortex

In this paper, the hexagonal approach was proposed for modeling the functioning of cerebral cortex, especially, the processes of learning and recognition of visual information. This approach is based on the real neurophysiological data of the structure and functions of cerebral cortex. Distinctive characteristic of the proposed neural network is the hexagonal arrangement of excitatory connections between neurons that enable the spreading or cloning of information on the surface of neuronal layer. Cloning of information and modification of the weight of connections between neurons are used as the basic principles for learning and recognition processes. Computer simulation of the hexagonal neural network indicated a suitability and prospectiveness of proposed approach in the creation, together with other modern concepts, of artificial neural network which will realize the most complicated processes that take place in the brain of living beings, such as short-term and long-term memory, episodic and declarative memory, recall, recognition, categori- sation, thinking, and others. Described neural network was realized with computer program written on Delfi 3 language named the first order hexagon brainware (HBW-1).
Progressive Ankylosis Protein (ANK) in Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts Controls Bone Formation and Bone Remodeling

The progressive ankylosis gene (ank) encodes a transmembrane protein that transports intracellular inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) to the extracellular milieu. ank/ank mice, which express a truncated nonfunctional ANK, showed a markedly reduced bone mass, bone‐formation rate, and number of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase–positive (TRAP+) multinucleated osteoclasts. ANK function deficiency suppressed osteoblastic differentiation of ank/ank bone marrow stromal cells, as indicated by the decrease in the expression of bone marker genes, including osterix, reduced alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization. Runx2 gene expression levels were not altered. Conversely, overexpression of ANK in the preosteoblastic cell line MC3T3‐E1 resulted in increased expression of bone marker genes, including osterix. Whereas runx2 expression was not altered in ANK‐overexpressing MC3T3‐E1 cells, runx2 transcriptional activity was increased. Extracellular PPi or Pi stimulated osteoblastogenic differentiation of MC3T3‐E1 cells or partially rescued delayed osteoblastogenic differentiation of ank/ank bone marrow stromal cells. A loss of PPi transport function ANK mutation also stimulated osteoblastogenic differentiation of MC3T3‐E1 cells. Furthermore, ANK function deficiency suppressed the formation of multinucleated osteoclasts from ank/ank bone marrow cells cultured in the presence of macrophage colony‐stimulating factor and receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand. In conclusion, ANK is a positive regulator of osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation events toward a mature osteoblastic and osteoclastic phenotype. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
A free boundary model for Korteweg fluids as a limit of barotropic compressible Navier-Stokes equations

We consider the limit of some barotropic compressible fluid model with Korteweg forcing term, studied in (Bresch, Desjardin and Lin, 2002), as the exponent of the barotropic law goes to infinity. This provides a free boundary problem model, with capillary effects, and therefore generalizes the free boundary model obtained by (Lions and Masmoudi, 1999). Our interest for such free boundary problem stems from a study of the Leidenfrost effect.
Foreign Firms and the Di⁄usion of Entrepreneurial Skills (cid:3)

Foreign (cid:133)rms may enhance a developing country(cid:146)s formation of know-how by exposing or directly transferring local entrepreneurs the productive ideas of developed countries. How-ever, foreign (cid:133)rms may also reduce the domestic entrepreneurs(cid:146) incentive to accumulate know-how by increasing their competition and reducing the returns to entrepreneurial skills. It is shown that if externalities drive the formation of skills, after openness, initial conditions determine if a country converges to one of two steady states or to exhibit non(cid:146)monotone dynamics. If instead, the costs and bene(cid:133)ts of skill formation are fully internalized, openness gradually removes the pre-existing sector, generates a new sector of domestic (cid:133)rms, and the country catches up with developed countries. In both models, convergence requires the destruction of pre-existent (cid:133)rms. The implications for empirical work are also discussed. the presume (cid:21) ; the the basic of a simple shooting algorithm on R O;t to compute for the transition dynamics of a closed economy starting in a BGP to the (cid:133)nal steady state after openness.
Prognostic value of automated quantification of 99mTc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion imaging.

UNLABELLED Although human interpretation of (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging has been repeatedly validated in the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of coronary artery disease, it remains unclear if automated computer-derived quantitative indices of perfusion have similar or independent prognostic information. METHODS We studied 718 patients referred for (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging who were followed for 5.6 +/- 1.1 y (mean +/- SD). The SPECT studies were initially interpreted visually without benefit of computer-based analysis and were then subjected to a blinded reprocessing to extract quantitative indices of perfusion. Follow-up was through the Manitoba Population Health Research Data Repository. Acute myocardial infarction or cardiac death occurred in 79 individuals (11.0% of the cohort). RESULTS Visual and quantitative categorization of scan perfusion abnormalities showed similar prognostic value for predicting acute myocardial infarction or cardiac death. Discordance between the visual and quantitative categorizations defined a group at intermediate risk. There was a gradient of risk with increasing severity of the summed stress score (SSS) or summed difference score (SDS). The automated SSS and SDS provided incremental prognostic information over that obtained from visual interpretation. CONCLUSION Automated quantification of (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT myocardial perfusion scans provides objective prognostic information and may complement the conventional visual image interpretation.
Specialization for aggression in sexually dimorphic skeletal morphology in grey wolves (Canis lupus)

Aggressive behaviour is important in the life history of many animals. In grey wolves (Canis lupus), territory defence through direct competition with conspecifics is severe and often lethal. Thus, performance in aggressive encounters may be under strong selection. Additionally, grey wolves frequently kill large dangerous prey species. Because both sexes actively participate in aggressive activities and prey capture, wolves are expected to exhibit a low level of musculoskeletal sexual dimorphism. However, male wolves more often lead in agonistic encounters with conspecifics and must provision the nursing female during the pup‐rearing period of the breeding season. These behaviours may select for males that exhibit a higher degree of morphological adaptation associated with aggression and prey capture performance. To test this prediction, we assessed skeletal sexual dimorphism in three subspecies of grey wolves using functional indices reflecting morphological specialization for aggression. As expected, sexual dimorphism in skeletal shape was limited. However, in two of three subspecies, we found sexually dimorphic traits in the skull, forelimbs and hindlimbs that are consistent with the hypothesis that males are more specialized for aggression. These characters may also be associated with selection for improved prey capture performance by males. Thus, the sexually dimorphic functional traits identified by our analysis may be adaptive in the contexts of both natural and sexual selection. Several of these traits may conflict with locomotor economy, indicating the importance of aggression in the life history of male grey wolves. The presence of functional specialization for aggression in a generally monogamous species indicates that sexual dimorphism in specific musculoskeletal traits may be widespread among mammals.
FlexDM: Enabling robust and reliable parallel data mining using WEKA

Performing massive data mining experiments with multiple datasets and methods is a common task faced by most bioinformatics and computational biology laboratories. WEKA is a machine learning package designed to facilitate this task by providing tools that allow researchers to select from several classification methods and specific test strategies. Despite its popularity, the current WEKA environment for batch experiments, namely Experimenter, has four limitations that impact its usability: the selection of value ranges for methods options lacks flexibility and is not intuitive; there is no support for parallelisation when running large-scale data mining tasks; the XML schema is difficult to read, necessitating the use of the Experimenter's graphical user interface for generation and modification; and robustness is limited by the fact that results are not saved until the last test has concluded. FlexDM implements an interface to WEKA to run batch processing tasks in a simple and intuitive way. In a short and easy-to-understand XML file, one can define hundreds of tests to be performed on several datasets. FlexDM also allows those tests to be executed asynchronously in parallel to take advantage of multi-core processors, significantly increasing usability and productivity. Results are saved incrementally for better robustness and reliability. FlexDM is implemented in Java and runs on Windows, Linux and OSX. As we encourage other researchers to explore and adopt our software, FlexDM is made available as a pre-configured bootable reference environment. All code, supporting documentation and usage examples are also available for download at this http URL
Kinematics Simulation of Sit to Stand Based on SimMechanics

Sit to stand is one of the essential physical tasks of normal daily function, it requires coordinated constructions of the muscle of the lower extremities and truck. Specifically, subjects with movement disorder have reported to experience difficulties in rising from a seated position. Based on the captured signals, the angle and angular velocity of the STS, this paper simulate the STS on SimMechanics and get a similar result with the force plate.
AMiGA: the arthropodan mitochondrial genomes accessible database

UNLABELLED The Arthropodan Mitochondrial Genomes Accessible database (AMiGA) is a relational database developed to help in managing access to the increasing amount of data arising from developments in arthropodan mitochondrial genomics (136 mitochondrial genomes as of September 2005). The strengths of AMiGA include (1) a more accessible and up-to-date database containing a more comprehensive set of mitochondrial genomes for this phylum, (2) the provision of flexible search options for retrieving detailed information such as bibliographical data, genomic graphics, FASTA sequences and taxonomical status, (3) the possibility of enhanced comparative analyses by multiple alignment of single or concatenated sets of genes, (4) more accurate and updated information resulting from a specific curation process called AMiGA Notes and (5) the possibility of including unpublished sequences in a password-restricted area for comparative analysis with the other sequences stored in the database. AVAILABILITY http://amiga.cbmeg. unicamp.br CONTACT lessinger@amiga.cbmeg. unicamp.br SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Detailed information, including an illustrated tutorial, is available from the above URL.
Wireless Power Delivery to Flexible Subcutaneous Implants Using Capacitive Coupling

Implantable devices need sustainable wireless powering for safe long-term operations. In this paper, we present a near-field capacitive coupling (NCC)-based wireless powering scheme to transfer power to implants efficiently. By modeling the power link, we identify that the optimal operating frequency of the NCC scheme for subcutaneous power delivery is in the sub-GHz frequency range. The proposed scheme has desirable features, such as flexible and conformal power receiver realizations, and complies well with IEEE C95.1 specific absorption rate safety standards. The NCC link was designed and tested in a nonhuman primate cadaver, and the experimental results showed that it could safely deliver up to 100 mW of power to an implant with a peak operating efficiency of over 50%. A bending deformation study of the transmitter–receiver patches was also performed to demonstrate the reliability of the NCC powering scheme, in realistic postimplantation scenarios. Our studies validate the NCC method as a safe wireless powering scheme, which can be used as an alternative to the near-field resonant inductive coupling method, for chronic use in subcutaneous implants.
So Far, Yet So Close

The rise of digital journalism allows users to access regional news content from anywhere in the world. In this situation the content is local, but the audience may not be. Drawing on the sociological concept of translocality, the communicative linkage of dispersed geographic locations, this study investigated these emerging long-distance audiences. We combined automated and manual content analyses to (a) investigate the Twitter followership of 146 regional German newspapers and (b) explain the proportion of translocal followers they attract. Roughly one third of followers came from a different German federal state than the newspaper they followed. Papers with a high percentage of translocal followers tended to have older Twitter accounts and came from larger cities than those with fewer translocal followers. Furthermore, they covered regional sports and human-interest stories more, while those with fewer translocal followers placed greater emphasis on infrastructure, event notes, and current traffic information.
Adaptive Vectorization of Line Drawing Images

A novel method for vectorizing line drawing images is presented. The method is based on a sequence of a standard vectorization algorithm and maximum threshold morphology, which can be iterated until a fitting criterion is met. First, “anchor points” are found in a coarse vectorization. The position of each anchor point is corrected by morphological operations, after which it is fixed. Next, the vectorization is refined between the anchor points. The method is adaptive because the original input image is used for correcting and improving the vectorization. Postprocessing modules can be added to anticipate specific properties of the line drawings to be vectorized. The vectorization method is evaluated using line drawings differing in scale and resolution.
A novel fuzzy logic control for bidirectional DC-DC converter and comparison with dual phase-shift control method in medium voltage applications

In this study, operation, design and comparison of Dual Phase-Shift and Novel Fuzzy Logic control methods on isolated bidirectional DC-DC converter are discussed. The major components (DC link capacitors and inductors) are created for dual phase shifting method in order to obtain maximum efficiency. Triggering signals, voltage-current waveforms are compared and efficiencies are listed for all of these control methods at buck and boost modes of the full-bridge converter topology without using snubber capacitors to reduce cost feasibility. The main contribution of this paper, applying one of the most common used phase-shift control method, dual phase-shift and comparing with proposed novel Fuzzy Logic control method (Fuzzy-PSO-PI) on efficiency way for medium voltage applications. In this paper, isolated bidirectional DC-DC converter topology is modelled and control algorithms are written by FORTRAN programming language.