Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advisor-Advisee Programs in Middle Schools: Community Building in a State of Affective Disorder.

Researchers used a qualitative case-study methodology to examine the current status, strengths, and shortcomings of advisor-advisee programs in middle schools. Data came from six middle schools in two large metropolitan areas. At each school, researchers interviewed at least three teachers and three students. The teacher interviews focused on involvement in the advisor-advisee program, program organization, positive and negative program aspects, needed changes, feelings about being an advisor, activity selection for the program, responsibility for the advisory program, relationships with advisees, and changes in teacher and student attitudes. The student interviews asked about experiences in the program, relationships with adults in the program, ability to talk to the advisor, the advisor as a role model, pride in the school as a result of the program, relationships with other students as a result of the program, and talking with parents about the program. Data analysis indicated that participants believed in the importance of an adult who cares for an adolescent. There was great diversity in how programs were structured. Two themes emerged about the effect of advisory programs on the schools: teachers moving from attention provider to detention giver and the fact that everyone seemed to be able to point to something good no matter what the situation. (Contains 73 references.) (SM) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************
Performance analysis of MIMO link under fading channels

In modern wireless communication, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system plays an important role as it improves channel capacity, range and reliability without requiring any additional bandwidth or transmit power. This research presents a detailed analysis of capacity performance of MIMO systems under four fading cases i.e. Gaussian, Weibull, Rayleigh and Nakagami-m fading in the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. We first derive analytical expressions for the expectation of the trace of the complex channel matrix. Then we measure the low-SNR performance of MIMO system under four fading conditions with respect to minimum normalized energy per information bit and wideband slope. Also a comparative analysis has been performed between the channel capacity of spatial-multiplexing (SM) MIMO and Orthogonal Space Time block coded (OSTBC) MIMO system. Simulation results show that performance of the system depends on different criteria of MIMO fading channels. According to the capacity performance of MIMO system, four fading channels can be ordered as Gaussian, Nakagami-m, Rayleigh and Weibull fading channels respectively.
The Political Determinants of the Impact of Natural Disasters: A Cross-Country Comparison

While people all over the world are vulnerable to natural disasters, the available data clearly demonstrate a great deal of cross-country variance in the impact of catastrophic events. For example, while Hurricane Mitch took an estimated 13,000 lives when it struck Honduras and Nicaragua, the stronger Hurricane Andrew took only 26 lives when it impacted the United States. What factors explain this difference? Thus far, disaster researchers have emphasized economic and social vulnerability as determinants of disaster impact; the conventional wisdom accepts that poor and underdeveloped countries are more vulnerable than wealthy, developed countries. I argue that the political institutions of a country also matter and then examine the relative importance of political vulnerability as a determinant of disaster impact. I present evidence from case studies and large-N statistical analysis that demonstrates that, like social and economic vulnerability, political vulnerability is an important determinant of the impact of a natural disaster.
Iterative multiple reference tissue method for estimating pharmacokinetic parameters on prostate DCE MRI

Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters are probes of tissue status that can be assessed by analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI and are useful for prostate cancer (CaP) detection and grading. Traditionally, PK analysis requires knowledge of the time-resolved concentration of the contrast agent in the blood plasma, the arterial input function (AIF), which is typically estimated in an artery in the field-of-view (FOV). In cases when no suitable artery is present in the FOV, the multiple reference tissue method (MRTM) enables the estimation of PK parameters without the AIF by leveraging PK parameter values from the literature for a reference tissue in the FOV. Nevertheless, PK parameters estimated in the prostate vary significantly between patients. Consequently, population-based values obtained from the literature may introduce error into PK parameter estimation via MRTM. The objectives of this paper are two-fold. First we present a novel scheme, iterative MRTM (IMRTM), to estimate PK parameter values in the absence of the AIF without making assumptions about the PK constants associated with a reference tissue. Then, using IMRTM we investigate differences in PK constants between CaP in the peripheral zone (PZ) and CaP in the central gland (CG), as CG and PZ CaP have previously been shown to differ significantly in terms of both texture and prognosis. We apply IMRTM to 15 patients with CaP in either the CG or the PZ who were scheduled for a radical prostatectomy and a pre-operative MRI. Values for the PK parameters Ktrans and ve estimated via IMRTM average 0.29 and 0.60 for normal central gland (CG), 0.29 and 0.64 for normal peripheral zone (PZ), and 0.30 and 0.53 for CaP. It is noteworthy that PK constants estimated in PZ CaP are significantly higher than those estimated in CG CaP (p < 0:05). While both MRTM and IMRTM provide PK parameter values that are biologically feasible, IMRTM has the advantage that it invokes patient-specific information rather than relying on population-based PK constants in performing PK analysis.
Peer-to-peer unstructured anycasting using correlated swarms

Over the recent years, social network analysis has received renewed interest because of the significant increase in the number of users relying on applications based on them. An important criterion for the success of any social-networking based application is the efficiency of search. In this paper, we propose and analyze a method of anycast search based on correlated communities or subgroups, i.e., using group-to-group caching. It works by restricting search to peers that belong to communities which are highly correlated with the requested community. We analytically prove that our proposed method works better than basic random walk, which remains a widely used method for performing search in these networks. Indeed our experiments prove that the proposed method reduces the search time by as much as 30% to that based on random walk. Our experiments also indicate that the proposed method outperforms basic random walk even under considerable peer-churn.
Computing Maximum Flow with Augmenting Electrical Flows

We present an Õ (m 7/10 U 1/7)-time algorithm for the maximum s-t flow problem (and the minimum s-t cut problem) in directed graphs with m arcs and largest integer capacity U. This matches the running time of the Õ (mU)10/7)- time algorithm of Madry [30] in the unit-capacity case, and improves over it, as well as over the Õ (m√n log U)-time algorithm of Lee and Sidford [25], whenever U is moderately large and the graph is sufficiently sparse. By well-known reductions, this also implies similar running time improvements for the maximum-cardinality bipartite b-matching problem. One of the advantages of our algorithm is that it is significantly simpler than the ones presented in [30] and [25]. In particular, these algorithms employ a sophisticated interior-point method framework, while our algorithm is cast directly in the classic augmenting path setting that almost all the combinatorial maximum flow algorithms use. At a high level, the presented algorithm takes a primal dual approach in which each iteration uses electrical flows computations both to find an augmenting s-t flow in the current residual graph and to update the dual solution. We show that by maintain certain careful coupling of these primal and dual solutions we are always guaranteed to make significant progress.
Demo: do event-based systems have a passion for sports?

The ubiquity of sensor data calls for automatic processing to extract valuable information. Realtime Locating Systems (RTLS) provide many parallel position data streams for interacting objects, and event-based systems are the method of choice to analyze them. We demonstrate a distributed event processing system for position stream data from a Realtime Locating System used for a soccer application. Our system can deal with the insufficient knowledge on object and system behavior, and thus the event data loads at runtime. To do so, it dynamically adapts to the variations in the observed environment: events are ordered with respect to their delays, event detectors are reconfigured and migrated between nodes at runtime, and the system is scalable as the number of trackable objects and sensors changes. We demonstrate the efficiency of our system architecture and provide tools to visualize data and to configure detection units at runtime.
Platform-Based Design Methodology and Modeling for Aircraft Electric Power Systems

In an aircraft electric power system (EPS), a supervisory control unit must actuate a set of switches to distribute power from generators to loads, while satisfying safety, reliability and real-time performance requirements. To reduce expensive re-design steps in current design methodologies, such a control problem is generally addressed based on minor incremental changes on top of consolidated solutions, since it is difficult to estimate the impact of earlier design decisions on the final implementation. In this paper, we introduce a methodology for the design space exploration and virtual prototyping of EPS supervisory control protocols, following the platform-based design (PBD) paradigm. Moreover, we describe the modeling infrastructure that supports the methodology. In PBD, design space exploration is carried out as a sequence of refinement steps from the initial specification towards a final implementation, by mapping higher-level behavioral models into a set of library components at a lower level of abstraction. In our flow, the system specification is captured using SysML requirement and structure diagrams. State-machine diagrams enable verification of the control protocol at a high level of abstraction, while lowerlevel hybrid models, implemented in Simulink, are used to verify properties related to physical quantities, such as time, voltage and current values. The effectiveness of our approach is illustrated on a prototype EPS control protocol design.
Combining parametric and nonparametric topic model to discover microblog event

Compared with traditional news media, microblog holds overwhelming superiority in fast-diffusion and comprehensive coverage of topics. Microblog becomes an effective, particular and important carrier of affair information and many other text analysis tasks, e.g., event discovering based on microblog have special significance. Common tools of content analysis, such as topic model, however, experience severe data sparsity problems due to short length of microblog. Following previous researchers' idea, such as separating personal interest post from global event post, we further differentiate general topics from event topics and adopt nonparametric method to model the birth and death of event. We conduct experiments on Twitter data set, and the experimental results demonstrate that our method can not only discover event effectively, but also mine higher quality general topics.
Bargaining Power, Strike Durations, and Wage Outcomes: An Analysis of Strikes in the 1880s

Strike outcomes in the 1880s had a "winner-take-all" character. Successful strikes ended with a discrete wage gain; failed strikes ended with a return to work at the prestrike wage. We present a theoretical interpretation of these outcomes based on a war-of-attrition model. We fit an empirical model specifying the capitulation times of the two parties and the size of the wage gain in the event of a strike success. The results show a systematic relation between the determinants of strike success and the determinants of the wage gain for a successful strike.
Efficient Implementation of AES Algorithm in FPGA Device

This paper presents an efficient FPGA implementation approach of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Algorithm. The architectural optimization has been incorporated which includes pipelining techniques. Speed is increased by processing multiple rounds simultaneously but at the cost of increased area. Algorithmic optimization techniques have also been used which includes exclusion of shift row stage and on the fly round key generation. The corresponding hardware realization is optimal in terms of area and offers high data throughout. An optimized code for the implementation of Rijndael algorithm for 128 bits has been developed and experimentally tested using Xilinx Virtex XC2VP70-7 device. A 119.954 MHz clock frequency is achieved which translates to a throughput of 1.18 Gbps using 6279 Slices and 5 BRAMs. The design handles both encryption and decryption and fits into a single FPGA.
The r-Process in the Neutrino Winds of Core-Collapse Supernovae and U-Th Cosmochronology

The discovery of the second highly r-process-enhanced, extremely metal poor star, CS 31082-001 ([Fe/H] = -2.9) has provided a powerful new tool for age determination by virtue of the detection and measurement of the radioactive species uranium and thorium. Because the half-life of 238U is one-third that of 232Th, the U-Th pair can, in principle, provide a far more precise cosmochronometer than the Th-Eu pair that has been used in previous investigations. In the application of this chronometer, the age of (the progenitor of) CS 31082-001 can be regarded as the minimum age of the Galaxy, and hence of the universe. One of the serious limitations of this approach, however, is that predictions of the production ratio of U and Th have not been made in the context of a realistic astrophysical model of the r-process. We have endeavored to produce such a model, based on the "neutrino winds" that are expected to arise from the nascent neutron star of a core-collapse supernova. In this model, the proto-neutron star mass and the (asymptotic) neutrino sphere radius are assumed to be 2.0 M☉ and 10 km, respectively. Recent hydrodynamic studies indicate that there may exist difficulties in obtaining such a compact (massive and/or small in radius) remnant. Nevertheless, we utilize this set of parameter choices since previous work suggests that the third r-process peak (and thus U and Th) is hardly reached when one adopts a less compact proto-neutron star in the framework of the neutrino-wind scenario. The temperature and density histories of the material involved in the neutron-capture processes are obtained with the assumption of a steady flow of the neutrino-powered winds, with general relativistic effects taken into account. The electron fraction is taken to be a free parameter, constant with time. The r-process nucleosynthesis in these trajectories is calculated with a nuclear reaction network code including actinides up to Z = 100. The mass-integrated r-process yields, obtained by assuming a simple time evolution of the neutrino luminosity, are compared to the available spectroscopic elemental abundance data of CS 31082-001. As a result, the "age" of this star is determined to be 14.1 ± 2.5 Gyr, in excellent agreement with lower limits on the age of the universe estimated by other dating techniques, as well as with other stellar radioactive age estimates. Future measurements of Pt and Pb in this star, as well as expansion of searches for additional r-process-enhanced, metal-poor stars (especially those in which both U and Th are measurable), are of special importance to constrain the current astrophysical models for the r-process.
Smell and taste recognition in early stages of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease

Problems of inadequate nutrition and energy intake are common in the aging population. Smell and taste deficits associated with Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD) may accentuate the decline in nutritional status of elderly individuals and indirectly enhance progression of cognitive problems in LOAD. The objective of this study was to explore and characterize smell and taste recognition abilities in early stages of LOAD, beyond that of normal healthy aging. A total of 29 healthy-younger subjects aged 18-40 (HY), 13 healthy-elderly (HA) and six elderly adults diagnosed with LOAD (AD) aged 60-85, were recruited from the Guelph community. The Sniffin’ Sticks Screening Test (SSST) and Taste Strips were used to test olfactory and gustatory functions, respectively. Participants also completed the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), clock test and word recall tests to assess cognitive/memory skills. Compared to HA individuals, people with AD had significant odour recognition impairment. Correlation analysis also revealed an age-associated decline in overall taste ability. When specific tastes were examined, impairments in sour and bitter identification were observed with increasing age. However, no significant differences in specific taste abilities were found between HA and AD individuals. In predicting health status (ie. presence or absence of LOAD), an assessment of all variables in this study was conducted using Generalized Linear Model (GLM). Results showed that sweet recognition and clock test scores were the best predictive variables of health status. However, this is a preliminary model that needs refinement through further research using more individuals.
Allometric scaling of insects and animals for biomimetic robot design considerations

Recently, biomimetic robots have received great attention as an alternative to overcome the limit of conventional robots. However, there is no standardized methodology to design and determine the specifications of biomimetic robots. In this paper, the concept of allometric scaling and its application to biomimetic robot design considerations are discussed. Also, characteristics of motion data of small insects and animals, which are eight species of crawling and eight species of flying creatures, all with less than 400 g in weight, are investigated. These are used to compare with those of recently presented biomimetic robots as a function of the body mass in several categories, including the velocity, angular velocity, acceleration, stride frequency, and wing beat frequency. The results show that the characteristics of most of the small biomimetic robots approximately fit in the allometric scaling of insects and animals. However, it is found that some small robots have characteristics which are quite different to those predictable from the allometric scaling law. Learning from nature may be a solution to design and determine the specifications of biomimetic robots, and the allometric scaling can be the one of the methods that can help define the achievable performance envelope.
A Study of the Dynamic Relationship between Crude Oil Price and the Steel Price Index

Bulk shipping providers predominantly supply transportation services for bulk cargo, such as iron ore, grain and coal. As steel price index is a leading indicator of Baltic Dry Index, the cost of marine fuel becomes one of the key costs for shipping providers. By collecting data and building a VARMA model, this study will attempt to discover the dynamic relationship between crude oil price and the global steel price index. The results of this study are as follows: (1) The outcomes of examining the unit root using the Phillips-Perron-test indicates that the two variables, the crude oil price and global steel price index, have a co-integration effect. This also proves that a long term balancing phenomenon exists between the crude oil price and global steel price index. (2) VARMA (3, 2) is the most suitable stage of the model for both the crude oil price and global steel price index. (3) There is a unidirectional relationship between crude oil price and the global steel price index, which means that the price of crude oil is only impacted from its own volatility. However, the global steel price index is impacted from both the movements of its own price and the volatility of crude oil price. (4) The crude oil price moves prior to movements in the global steel price index. When crude oil price increases, the global steel price index follows this upward movement. This study aims to provide a reference for investorsi¯ investment activities and shipping operatorsi¯ risk aversion decisions.
SEL Programs in High School

Adolescence is a time of personal and social development that requires a sophisticated repertoire of social-emotional skills for healthy adjustment. Teenagers often face considerable difficulties negotiating the biological, cognitive, and physiological changes associated with puberty (Yurgrlum-Todd, 2007). For example, as advances in neuroscience have shown, there is a marked shift toward reward seeking, while self-regulation skills struggle to keep pace (Steinberg, 2008). As adolescents increasingly interact with peers, they must simultaneously contend with peer pressure. Teenagers also must navigate the vicissitudes of identity development and the search for purpose and meaning as they transition into adulthood (Erikson, 1968, 1993). These developmental and contextual shifts challenge positive youth development and increase normative risk for problem behaviours such as violence, sexual risk taking, substance abuse, and school drop-out (Guerra & Bradshaw, 2008; Steinberg, Vandell, & Bornstein, 2011).
Digital controller design for interleaved boost converter in photovoltaic system

In this paper is presented the design of a discrete control system with double loop for a photovoltaic system using interleaved two levels boost converter. For design of discrete compensators used in this work the delay time of the digital systems is considered in order to improve response of controllers. An easy method to design the compensators it is presented using the continuous time analysis and the addition of the delay time. Finally, the discrete compensator is validated through the simulation results performed by using the PSIM software.
THE USE OF ANISOTROPIC HEIGHT TEXTURE MEASURES FOR THE SEGMENTATION OF AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER DATA

Airborne laser scanning data has proven to be a very suitable technique for the determination of digital surface models and is more and more being used for mapping and GIS data acquisition purposes, including the detection and modeling of man-made objects or vegetation. The aim of the work presented here is to segment raw laser scanner data in an unsupervised classification using anisotropic height texture measures. Anisotropic operations have the potential to discriminate between orientated and non-orientated objects. The techniques have been applied to data sets from different laser scanning systems and from different regions, mainly focussing on high-density laser scanner data. The results achieved in these pilot studies show the large potential of airborne laser scanning in the field of 3-D GIS data acquisition.