Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Presence And Interaction In An Inquiry-Based Learning Environment

This mixed-methods study examined how interactions facilitated cognitive, social, and teaching presence in inquiry-based learning in a course where learners had the option to choose whether to conduct group work online or in person. Findings suggest that the knowledge learners gained from the course resulted from chats and discussions within their small groups and not from threaded discussions with the entire class. Results also indicate that learners with a high degree of social presence within their small groups developed a relationship that appeared to overshadow their relationship with classmates in other groups. Teaching presence may be affected by whether learners choose to collaborate in person or online and by where they choose to collaborate. The further the group moved away from the instructor’s online or physical presence, the lower the degree of teaching presence the learners felt.
Concordance-Based Entity-Oriented Search

We consider the problem of finding the relevant named entities in response to a search query over a given text corpus. Entity search can readily be used to augment conventional web search engines for a variety of applications. To assess the significance of entity search, we analyzed the AOL dataset of 36 million web search queries with respect to two different sets of entities: namely (a) 2.3 million distinct entities extracted from a news text corpus and (b) 2.9 million Wikipedia article titles. The results clearly indicate that search engines should be aware of entities, for under various criteria of matching between 18-39% of all web search queries can be recognized as specifically searching for entities, while 73-87% of all queries contain entities. Our entity search engine creates a concordance document for each entity, consisting of all the sentences in the corpus containing that entity. We then index and search these documents using open-source search software. This gives a ranked list of entities as the result of search. Visit http://www.textmap. com for a demonstration of our entity search engine over a large news corpus. We evaluate our system by comparing the results of each query to the list of entities that have highest statistical juxtaposition scores with the queried entity. Juxtaposition score is a measure of how strongly two entities are related in terms of a probabilistic upper bound. The results show excellent performance, particularly over well-characterized classes of entities such as people.
One-Year Results of the Multilayer Flow Modulator Stent in the Management of Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms and Type B Dissections

Purpose To report 1-year results from the first subgroup of patients treated with the Multilayer Flow Modulator (MFM) stent for aortic aneurysm and dissection. Methods Up to December 2012, 243 patients have been treated worldwide for aortic aneurysm and dissection with the Cardiatis MFM under the established indications for use. This retrospective review encompasses the first 55 of these patients (41 men; mean age 64.5±18 years), who were treated on a compassionate basis in 11 countries. There were 31 thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (8 Crawford type I, 3 type II, 9 type III, and 11 type IV), 7 arch aneurysms, 3 infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms, 8 suprarenal aortic aneurysms, and 6 type B dissections. Mean aneurysm diameter was 6.04±1.66 cm, and the mean length was 11.58±7.62 cm. The primary endpoint at 1 year was a composite of rupture and aneurysm-related death. The secondary endpoints were all-cause mortality, visceral branch occlusion, adverse events (i.e., stroke and paraplegia), and reintervention. Results Technical success was 98.2%; there was no paraplegia or perioperative visceral or renal insult. The mean number of side branches covered was 3.7±1.3 per case (range 0–6); 108 stents were deployed (range 1–5). At 1 year, aneurysm-related survival was 93.7%, all-cause survival was 84.8%, intervention-free survival was 92.4%, and all of the 202 side branches were patent. There were no stent fractures. At 6 months, the mean rate of sac volume increase was 0.36% per month, resulting in a mean volume increase of 2.14%. At 12 months, the rate of increase had slowed to 0.28% per month, resulting in a total average increase in sac volume of 3.26%. The ratio of thrombus to total volume stayed almost constant over the 12 months at 0.48, while the ratio of flow to total volume fell from 0.21 to 0.12 at 12 months. Conclusion MFM implantation instigates a process of aortic remodeling involving initial thrombus deposition, which slowed between 6 and 12 months. Increasing sac size did not herald rupture, and the MFM was not associated with loss of native side branches. With physiological modulation of the aneurysm, the MFM offers promise for resolution of complex thoracoabdominal pathology with off-the-shelf availability, but this disruptive technology requires further development and technical refinement. Long-term follow-up of the registry patients is mandatory before establishing a randomized controlled study.
Evaluation of the Abbott LCx Mycobacterium tuberculosis Assay for Direct Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Human Samples

ABSTRACT Seven hundred thirty-seven clinical samples from 460 patients were processed for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by a semiautomated ligase chain reaction commercial assay, the LCx Mycobacterium tuberculosis Assay (LCx assay) from Abbott Laboratories. Results were compared to those of direct microscopy and standard microbiological culture. Of 26 patients (5.7%) with a culture positive for M. tuberculosis, 22 (84.6%) were found positive by the LCx assay. The sensitivity of the LCx assay was 98% for smear-positive samples and 27% for smear-negative samples. With an overall culture positivity rate forM. tuberculosis of 8.3% (61 of 737 samples) and after resolution of discrepant results according to clinical data, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the LCx assay were 78, 100, 95, and 98%, respectively, compared to 85, 100, 100, and 98%, respectively, for culture and 67, 99, 87, and 97%, respectively, for acid-fast staining. In conclusion, the LCx assay proved satisfactory and appears to be an easy-to-use 1-day test which must be used with standard culture methods but can considerably reduce diagnosis time versus culture. However, its clinical interest appears to be limited in our population with low mycobacterial prevalence because of its cost considering the small gain in sensitivity versus direct microscopy.
Le magmatisme acide Plio-Pleistocène de la Marge Tyrrhénienne (Italie Centrale) : Géochronologie, Pétrogénèse et Implications Géodynamiques.

Le magmatisme Neogene italien est caracterise par une grande variete petrologique et geochimique, couvrant presque entierement le spectre des roches magmatiques connues dans le monde entier. Le volcanisme recent, Quaternaire, comprenant des laves de composition basiques et intermediaires, est a la base de la majorite des modeles geodynamiques. Comparativement, le magmatisme acide, correspondant aux premieres manifestations sur la marge Tyrrhenienne est beaucoup pour les edifices de la Province Toscane (San Vincenzo, Roccastrada et Amiata). Pour le volcan de Monte Amiata, de nouvelles donnees isotopiques Sr-Nd et Pb confirment qu'il est en terme de sources un hybride entre les Province Toscane et Romaine. Nous proposons grâce aux âges obtenus un nouveau scenario pour sa mise en place. L'analyse en composantes principales (ACP) des donnees isotopiques du Pb de toutes les manifestations acides etudiees dans cette these a permis d'identifier les deux composants source a l'origine de ces roches. Le composant le plus important est un pole mantellique correspondant a un melange entre DM et HIMU, tandis que le second, dont le role est mineur compare au premier, est un pole enrichi de type crustal. Les roches acides les plus au Sud (Pontines) montrent une influence plus forte du composant DM+HIMU. Ainsi, meme sur des roches aussi differenciees et a plus petite echelle (l'Italie centrale), on retrouve la tendance generale propre a l'ensemble de la peninsule Italienne et de la Sicile, derivee de l'etude isotopique des roches basiques, qui montre un melange general entre DM et HIMU auquel s'ajoute un composant derive de la croute. L'influence du pole DM-HIMU est croissante du Nord au Sud de l'Italie. Etendue a l'echelle de la marge Tyrrhenienne italienne, l'ACP permet d'identifier deux domaines sources, delimites par une discontinuite lithospherique majeure de l'Italie centrale, le 41eme Parallele, dans lesquels les composants evoluent differemment. Les caracteristiques du domaine Nord pourraient etre controlees par un processus de delamination de la lithosphere inferieure, celles du domaine Sud par un retrait rapide du slab, les deux phenomenes provoquant une remontee asthenospherique.
Estimating Cybersickness of Simulated Motion Using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ): A Controlled Study

The aim of this experiment was to determine which cybersickness symptoms are associated with simulated motion, by comparing responses to the Simulated Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) between a control and experimental condition. Using non-parametric statistical tests, we found that general discomfort, fatigue, headache, eyestrain, difficulty in focusing eyes, increased sweating, nausea, difficulty in concentrating, stomach awareness and blurred vision were significantly higher in a high simulated motion task compared with a low simulated task. The implications for preventing cybersickness in virtual environments are discussed.
Multistation measurements of high‐latitude ionospheric convection

Satellite and ground-based observations of the ionospheric drift velocity taken during a MITHRAS campaign have been combined to determine instantaneous pictures of the high-latitude convection pattern. These data, taken when the interplanetary magnetic field has a relatively stable southward/away orientation, show the existence of an asymmetric convection pattern under these conditions. A stability in the high latitude convection geometry can also be seen and changes in response to magnetic disturbances are inferred. Changes in the convection pattern as the interplanetary field turns northward possibly provide some information about the nature of the magnetosphere-solar wind interaction.
Liquid Spills on Permeable Soil Surfaces: Experimental Confirmations

Predictive tools for assessing the quantity of a spill on a soil from the observed spreading area could contribute to improving remediation when it is necessary. On a permeable soil, the visible spill area only hints about the amount of liquid that might reside below the surface. An understanding of the physical phenomena involved with spill propagation on a soil surface is key to assessing the liquid amount possibly present beneath the surface. The objective of this study is an improved prediction capability for spill behavior.
Middle Ear Effusion, Attention, and the Development of Child Behavior Problems *

Objective: Much interest centers on whether middle ear effusion (MEE) early in life has lasting developmental conse-quences. It was hypothesized that episodic loss of hearing acuity associated with MEE results in a deficit in attention, a core factor in the development of child behavior problems, and that impaired attention is related to behavior prob-lems during the early years of childhood. Method: This was a prospective study of a large sample of children (n = 698) that was representative of the local population in terms of socioeconomic and ethnic characteristics. The children were recruited at birth and were monitored with regular home visits for 3 years to check for the presence of MEE. Assessment of attention occurred at 2, 3, 5, and 7 years. Behavior problems were assessed at 3, 5, and 7 years. Results: The results did not support the hypothesis that children with greater duration of MEE experience greater attention deficits and more behavior problems than children with a shorter duration of MEE. Structural Equation Modeling parameter estimates resulted in no support for the primary hypothesis. Correlational analyses also did not support the hypothesis. Attention and behavior problems were related significantly. Conclusions: Our negative findings call into question the results of previous studies relating MEE to behavior and attention problems, studies that may have been biased by small, non-representative samples and retrospective designs that lacked careful documentation of MEE.
Uncertainty Assessment in Long Term Urban Drainage Modelling

In numerical modelling of rainfall caused runoff in urban sewer systems an essential parameter is the hydrological reduction factor which defines the percentage of the impervious area contributing to the surface flow towards the sewer. As the hydrological processes during a rainfall are difficult to determine with significant precision the hydrological reduction factor is implemented to account all hydrological losses except the initial loss. This paper presents an inconsistency between calculations of the hydrological reduction factor, based on measurements of rainfall and runoff, and till now recommended literature values for residential areas. It is proven by comparing rainfall-runoff measurements from four different residential catchments that the literature values of the hydrological reduction factor are over-estimated for this type of catchment. In addition, different catchment descriptions are presented in order to investigate how the hydrological reduction factor depends on the level of detail regarding the catchment description. When applying a total survey of the catchment area, including all possible impervious surfaces, a hydrological reduction factor of approximately 0.5 for residential areas with mainly detached houses is recommended– contrary to the literature recommended values of 0.7–0.9.
A general theory of almost convex functions

Let Δ m = {(t 0 ,., t m ) ∈ R m+1 : t i > 0,Σ m i=0 t i = 1} be the standard m-dimensional simplex and let ∅ ≠ S C ∪ ∞ m=1 Δ m . Then a function h: C → R with domain a convex set in a real vector space is S-almost convex iff for all (t 0 ,., t m ) ∈ S and x 0 ,. , x m ∈ C the inequality h(t 0 x 0 + ··· + t m x m ) ≤ 1 + t 0 h(x 0 ) + ··· + t m h(x m ) holds. A detailed study of the properties of S-almost convex functions is made. If S contains at least one point that is not a vertex, then an extremal S-almost convex function Eg: Δ n → R is constructed with the properties that it vanishes on the vertices of An and if h: Δ n → R is any bounded S-almost convex function with h(e k ) ≤ 0 on the vertices of An, then h(x) ≤ E S (x) for all x ∈ An. In the special case S = {(1/(m+1),. , 1/(m+1))}, the barycenter of Δ m , very explicit formulas are given for Eg and κ S (n) = sup x∈Δn E S (x). These are of interest, as E S and κ S (n) are extremal in various geometric and analytic inequalities and theorems.
Managing Data in Help4Mood

Help4Mood is a system that supports the treatment of people with depression in the community. It collects rich cognitive, psychomotor, and motor data through a Personal Monitoring System and a Virtual Agent, which is then analysed by a Decision Support System; analysis results are fed back to patients and their treating clinicians. In this paper, we describe how the complex data is managed and discuss ethical issues. Data is stored in functional units that correspond to treatment relevant entities. Custom XML DTDs are defined for each unit, which are used to exchange information between system components. As far as possible, observations and findings are coded using SNOMED CT to ensure interoperability with other applications such as Electronic Health Records.
Developing new notations for a learnable mathematics in the computational era

Not for the first time we are at a turning point in intellectual history. The appearances of new computational forms and literacies are pervading the social and economic lives of individuals and nations alike. Yet nowhere is this upheaval correspondingly represented in educational systems, in classrooms, or in school curricula. As far as mathematics is concerned, the massive changes to mathematics that characterize the late twentieth century—in terms of the way it is done, and what counts as mathematics—are almost invisible in the classrooms of our schools and, to only a slightly lesser extent, our universities.
Selfie Detection by Synergy-Constraint Based Convolutional Neural Network

Categorisation of huge amount of data on the multimedia platform is a crucial task. In this work, we propose a novel approach to address the subtle problem of selfie detection for image database segregation on the web, given rapid rise in the number of selfies being clicked. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is modeled to learn a synergy feature in the common subspace of head and shoulder orientation, derived from Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) features respectively. This synergy was captured by projecting the aforementioned features using Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). We show that the resulting network's convolutional activations in the neighbourhood of spatial keypoints captured by SIFT are discriminative for selfie-detection. In general, proposed approach aids in capturing intricacies present in the image data and has the potential for usage in other subtle image analysis scenarios apart from just selfie detection. We investigate and analyse the performance of the popular CNN architectures (GoogleNet, Alexnet), used for other image classification tasks, when subjected to the task of detecting the selfies on the multimedia platform. The results of the proposed approach are compared with these popular architectures on a dataset of ninety thousand images comprising of roughly equal number of selfies and non-selfies. Experimental results on this dataset shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A RSSI-based algorithm for indoor localization using ZigBee in wireless sensor network

For the various applications in home automation, the service system requires to precisely estimate user’s locations by certain sensors. It is considered as a challenge to automatically serve a mobile user in the house. However, indoor localization cannot be carried out effectively by the well-know Global Positioning System (GPS). In recent years, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are thus popularly used to locate a mobile object in an indoor environment. Some physical features are widely discussed to solve indoor localization in WSN. In this paper, we inquired about the RSSI solutions on indoor localization, and proposed a Closer Tracking Algorithm (CTA) to locate a mobile user in the house. The proposed CTA was implemented by using ZigBee CC2431 modules. The experimental results show that the proposed CTA can accurately determine the position with error distance less than 1 meter. At the same time, the proposed CTA has at least 85% precision when the distance is less than one meter.
Assessment of rice fields by GIS／GPS-supported classification of MODIS data

The new Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite image offers a large choice of opportunities for operational applications. The 1-km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) image is not suitable for retrieval of field level parameter and Landsat data are not frequent enough for monitoring changes in crop parameters during the critical crop growth periods.A methodology to map areas of paddy fields using MODIS,geographic information system (GIS) and global position system (GPS) is introduced in this paper. Training samples are selected and located with the help of GPS to provide maximal accuracy.A concept of assessing areas of potential cultivation of rice is suggested by means of GIS integration. By integration of MODIS with GIS and GPS technologies the actual areas of rice fields in 2002 have been mapped. The classification accuracy was 95.7% percent compared with the statistical data of the Agricultural Bureau of Zhejiang Province.
Approximation hardness of graphic TSP on cubic graphs

We prove explicit approximation hardness results for the Graphic TSP on cubic and subcubic graphs as well as the new inapproximability bounds for the corresponding instances of the (1,2)-TSP. The proof technique uses new modular constructions of simulating gadgets for the restricted cubic and subcubic instances. The modular constructions used in the paper could be also of independent interest.
Identification of an inhibitor of the EWS-FLI1 oncogenic transcription factor by high-throughput screening.

BACKGROUND Chromosomal translocations generating oncogenic transcription factors are the hallmark of a variety of tumors, including many sarcomas. Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFTs) are characterized by the t(11;22)(q24;q12) translocation that generates the Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 and Friend leukemia virus integration 1 (EWS-FLI1) fusion transcription factor responsible for the highly malignant phenotype of this tumor. Although continued expression of EWS-FLI1 is believed to be critical for ESFT cell survival, a clinically effective small-molecule inhibitor remains elusive likely because EWS-FLI1 is a transcription factor and therefore widely felt to be "undruggable. " METHODS We developed a high-throughput screen to evaluate more than 50 000 compounds for inhibition of EWS-FLI1 activity in TC32 ESFT cells. We used a TC32 cell-based luciferase reporter screen using the EWS-FLI1 downstream target NR0B1 promoter and a gene signature secondary screen to sort and prioritize the compounds. We characterized the lead compound, mithramycin, based on its ability to inhibit EWS-FLI1 activity in vitro using microarray expression profiling, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunoblot analysis, and in vivo using immunohistochemistry. We studied the impact of this inhibition on cell viability in vitro and on tumor growth in ESFT xenograft models in vivo (n = 15-20 mice per group). All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Mithramycin inhibited expression of EWS-FLI1 downstream targets at the mRNA and protein levels and decreased the growth of ESFT cells at half maximal inhibitory concentrations between 10 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8 to 13 nM) and 15 nM (95% CI = 13 to 19 nM). Mithramycin suppressed the growth of two different ESFT xenograft tumors and prolonged the survival of ESFT xenograft-bearing mice by causing a decrease in mean tumor volume. For example, in the TC32 xenograft model, on day 15 of treatment, the mean tumor volume for the mithramycin-treated mice was approximately 3% of the tumor volume observed in the control mice (mithramycin vs control: 69 vs 2388 mm(3), difference = 2319 mm(3), 95% CI = 1766 to 2872 mm(3), P < . 001). CONCLUSION Mithramycin inhibits EWS-FLI1 activity and demonstrates ESFT antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo.
A simulation model for improving a non-linear sensor response using linear source separation

This paper presents an empirical simulation model for the frequency response of an eddy-current sensor to a distance measurement disturbed by target temperature variations. In previous papers [3, 4], we have shown that source separation [6, 2] could be a method to obtain a good distance measurement independently from temperature variations. The linearisation of the nonlinear frequency response of the sensor using a model based on a calibration curve seems not to be sufficient to always obtain good and precise enough results. The aim of the simulation model is then to represent the mean behavior of the sensor, in order to test the applicability of linear separation techniques for this problem. Hence, exploitation of experimental results permits to obtain mathematically a linear mixing of distance and temperature. We show that despite a mixing matrix close to singularity, good results can be obtained using linear BSS with simulated signals, and comparison is given between separation of real signals and simulated ones.