Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Australian Developments in Distance Education and Their Implications for Rural Schools

Distance education has for many yearsplayed an important role in the delivery of education to rural parts of Australia. Recentdevelopments in information and communicationtechnologies, together with the advent of federally funded open learning at the tertiary level, arechallenging traditional notions of distance education in Australia. These developments have many implications for Australian ruraleducators who must now consider their applications forteachers and learners in remote parts of the country. Traditionally, rural and distance education have been seen as the provision of schooling for people who live in isolated areas. With changes in communication technologies, however, distance education is perhaps now inappropriately named; "tele-education" more accurately describes it in the late 20th century. ' In Australia, open learning­ has received commonwealth approval at the ter­ tiary level and is likely to become an increasingly popular way of delivering education for the rest of this decade, particularly to non-urban areas of the country. Distance education in Australia has always been paper-based, characterised by heavy depen­ dence on postal deliveries of correspondence courses. Although many distance education courses are likely to continue along these lines, new electronic forms of delivery of education to students are currently being examined and evalu­ ated. In the process, distance education in Aus­ tralia is undergoing a transformation and, with this, the notion of isolation is being reconsidered. Changes in modes of delivery of distance educa­ tion in Australia are likely to challenge the very notion of rural education. Some of the more significant developments in contemporary distance education in Australia in­ clude (a) the use of new communication technologies, particularly computers, electronic mail (e-mail), and faxes; (b) changes in the concept of Distance Education Centres (DECs) and the advent of open learning; and (c) the conceptof inter-institutional networking. These should be considered in relation to social and economic changes in Australia that are providing current developments in distance education with added significance: the rate of unemployment, currently estimated to be over one million people; the need to be competitive in international trade, particularly in relation to certain Asian econo­ mies; and the desire to strengthen industry-school relations. For rural communities, there is the ever-present
Monosomy 20 Mosaicism Revealed by Extensive Karyotyping in Blood and Skin Cells: Case Report and Review of the Literature

We describe a 13-year-old boy with developmental delay and proximal muscle weakness who has monosomy 20 mosaicism in blood and skin cells. Because of asymmetric features (difference in foot size, slightly asymmetric intergluteal cleft), we performed extensive cytogenetic studies in peripheral blood and skin. In cultured and uncultured blood lymphocytes, we found 0.9 and 6.5% of cells with monosomy 20, respectively. In addition, 3.3% of uncultured skin fibroblasts and 1.5% of buccal mucosa cells had monosomy 20. This is the fifth patient published with this chromosomal condition. These patients show variable clinical features, ranging from normal to delayed motor and speech development. There is no apparent relation between the percentage of monosomic cells as studied in blood and the severity of the phenotype. This could be due to different degrees of mosaicism in the other tissues and organs, which may vary considerably from patient to patient. The degree of monosomy 20 mosaicism in blood is in most patients below the detection limit of microarray technology. Therefore, this work illustrates the necessity of detailed cytogenetic investigation of multiple cell types in developmentally retarded patients with normal microarray results, especially when there are subtle physical indications of chromosomal mosaicism.
A method for constructing trivariate nonseparable compactly supported orthogonal wavelets

We first introduce trivariate multiresolution analysis and trivariate orthogonal wavlets. We then give a method for constructing a class of trivariate nonseparable compactly supported orthogonal scaling functions and the related wavelets. Finally, we study the regularity of these wavelets. We can get arbitrarily smooth trivariate orthogonal wavelets.
Detection of fatigue of vehicular driver using skin conductance and oximetry pulse: a neural network approach

Vehicular accidents are increasingly contributing towards loss of lives across the world. Timely detection of physiological and psychological parameters of the vehicular driver, which could cause various levels of physical and mental fatigue that lead to slower reflexes is therefore extremely important. As part of an ambitious research initiative, India is developing a pervasive computing solution for eliminating / reducing such accidents. As one of the component of such solution, a wearable computing system has been envisioned to be worn by the driver. A complex set of noninvasive and nonintrusive sensor-compute element integrated with appropriate e-textile would form the primary part of this wearable computer. Out of the initial set of physiological parameters such as Skin Conductance, Oximetry Pulse, Respiration, SPO2, the current work focuses on the first two parameters to detect and monitor the mental fatigue / drowsiness of a driver. Using Neural Network approach, Multilayer Perceptron Neural Networks (MLP NN) have been designed to classify Pre and Posting driving fatigue levels. The performance of single hidden layer and two hidden layers based MLP NN have been discussed using the performance measures such as, Percentage Classification Accuracy (PCLA), Mean Square Error (MSE), Normalized Mean Square Error (NMSE), Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AROC), Area under Convex Hull of ROC (AHROC). It was discovered that the performance of one hidden layer based MLP NN is comparable to the two hidden layers based MLP NN and there is slight rise in PCLA from One hidden layer to two hidden layer.
Understanding expressive action

We strain our eyes, cramp our necks, and destroy our hands trying to interact with computer on their terms. At the extreme, we strap on devices and weigh ourselves down with cables trying to re-create a sense of place inside the machine, while cutting ourselves off from the world and people around us. The alternative is to make the real environment responsive to our actions. It is not enough for environments to respond simply to the presence of people or objects: they must also be aware of the subtleties of changing situations. If all the spaces we inhabit are to be responsive, they must not require encumbering devices to be worn and they must be adaptive to changes in the environment and changes of context. This dissertation examines a body of sophisticated perceptual mechanisms developed in response to these needs as well as a selection of human-computer interface sketches designed to push the technology forward and explore the possibilities of this novel interface idiom. Specifically, the formulation of a fully recursive framework for computer vision called Dyna that improves performance of human motion tracking will be examined in depth. The improvement in tracking performance is accomplished with the combination of a three-dimensional, physics-based model of the human body with modifications to the pixel classification algorithms that enable them to take advantage of this high-level knowledge. The result is a novel vision framework that has no completely bottom-up processes, and is therefore significantly faster and more stable than other approaches. Thesis Supervisor: Alex P. Pentland Title: Academic Head, Program in Media Arts & Sciences Professor of Media Arts & Sciences
Effect of Microwave Irradiation on the Synthesis of Carbonated Hydroxyapatite (CHA) from Chicken Eggshell

The main inorganic constituent of human bone is carbonated-hydroxyapatite (CHA). Chicken eggshells (CES) become potential waste which can be used for biomaterial synthesis because it contains of 94% calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This research aims to synthesize CHA by microwave assisted methods. CHA was successfully synthesized by mixing a calcium solution from CES with aqueous solution of NaHCO3 and H3PO4. Microwave assist offers many advantages such as fast reaction, easy reproducibility, high yield, high purity, efficient energy transformation, and throughout volume heating. After precipitation process, samples were irradiated in microwave oven for 30, 35, and 40 minutes by using microwave power 40, 200 and 400W. The functional groups of CHA powder was determined by FTIR. There are functional groups of phosphate (PO43−), hydroxyl (OH−), and carbonate (CO32−). The FTIR spectrum indicates that the prepared sample is B-type carbonated substituted HA because part of phosphate groups in the HA structure is replaced by carbonated groups. The phase composition was evaluated by XRD and indicated the presence of HA and CHA. The quantitative analysis showed that Ca/P ratio is 1.64, which indicates that the obtained product is non-stoichiometric HA. The successful synthesis of CHA is a critical step forward in our efforts to fabricate bone tissue engineering scaffold.
Lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin Disease: A Comprehensive Overview

Lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin disease is a rare form of Hodgkin lymphoma that is recognized as a separate histopathological entity. This disease tends to have multiple relapses, but has an overall good prognosis. Owing to its rarity, and the prolonged time period between recurrence and transformation events, there is no consensus regarding optimal management. However, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines indicate that for early stages, appropriate treatment is radiotherapy. Several management options have been reported including observation, radiation, chemotherapy, combined chemoradiotherapy, and anti-CD20 antibody therapy. Salvage therapy remains effective in inducing prolonged remission in patients with relapsed/refractory disease.
Factorial design and statistical analysis of smectite clay treatment by hydrocyclone

Bentonite clays are materials composed by one or more smectite clay minerals and some accessory minerals, mainly quartz, cristobalite, mica, feldspars and other clay minerals such as kaolinite. These contaminants present in clays have a large distribution of particle sizes which severely restrict their industrial applications, with the use of hydrocyclone as a likely solution for their reduction. This study aims to analyze the treatment of smectite clays from the state of Paraíba using modeling, simulation and optimization of the variable average particle diameter in relation to various process variables related to the hydrocyclone. In this study, the average diameter of smectite clays was evaluated as a function of the factors: pressure, apex diameter and vortex diameter of the hydrocyclone. Complete factorial design and addition in the central points were used to model the hydrocycloning process. The results evidenced reduction in equivalent average particle size of approximately 19.2%. Regarding the simulations, the optimum point with the lowest value was found for the average diameter of 4.033 μm, with a pressure of 4.3 bar, apex opening of 5.3 mm, and vortex opening of 6.3 mm, all at a 95% confidence level.
Intracranial EEG potentials estimated from MEG sources: A new approach to correlate MEG and iEEG data in epilepsy

Detection of epileptic spikes in MagnetoEncephaloGraphy (MEG) requires synchronized neuronal activity over a minimum of 4cm2. We previously validated the Maximum Entropy on the Mean (MEM) as a source localization able to recover the spatial extent of the epileptic spike generators. The purpose of this study was to evaluate quantitatively, using intracranial EEG (iEEG), the spatial extent recovered from MEG sources by estimating iEEG potentials generated by these MEG sources. We evaluated five patients with focal epilepsy who had a pre‐operative MEG acquisition and iEEG with MRI‐compatible electrodes. Individual MEG epileptic spikes were localized along the cortical surface segmented from a pre‐operative MRI, which was co‐registered with the MRI obtained with iEEG electrodes in place for identification of iEEG contacts. An iEEG forward model estimated the influence of every dipolar source of the cortical surface on each iEEG contact. This iEEG forward model was applied to MEG sources to estimate iEEG potentials that would have been generated by these sources. MEG‐estimated iEEG potentials were compared with measured iEEG potentials using four source localization methods: two variants of MEM and two standard methods equivalent to minimum norm and LORETA estimates. Our results demonstrated an excellent MEG/iEEG correspondence in the presumed focus for four out of five patients. In one patient, the deep generator identified in iEEG could not be localized in MEG. MEG‐estimated iEEG potentials is a promising method to evaluate which MEG sources could be retrieved and validated with iEEG data, providing accurate results especially when applied to MEM localizations. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1661–1683, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Severity of meningococcal disease associated with genomic bacterial load.

BACKGROUND Diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of Neisseria meningitidis has enabled accurate quantification of the bacterial load in patients with meningococcal disease. METHODS Quantification of the N. meningitidis DNA level by real time-PCR was conducted on whole-blood samples obtained from patients presenting with meningococcal disease to hospitals throughout England and Wales over a 3-year period. Levels were correlated with clinical outcome, infecting serogroup, and host factors including, interleukin-1 genotype (IL-1). RESULTS Bacterial loads were available for 1045 patients and were not associated with the age of the patient, delay in sample submission, or administration of antibiotics prior to admission. The median log bacterial load was higher in 95 patients who died (5.29 log(10)copies/mL; interquartile range, 4.41-6.30 log(10)copies/mL) than in 950 patients who survived (3.79 log(10)copies/mL; interquartile range, 2.87-4.71 log(10)copies/mL). Logistic regression revealed that age (odds ratio, 1.04 per 1-year increase in age) and bacterial load (odds ratio, 2.04 per log(10)-copies/mL increase) had a statistically significant effect on the risk of death. Infection with N. meningitidis serogroup C was associated with increased risk of death and an increased bacterial load. Also associated with a higher bacterial load were prolonged hospitalization (duration, >10 days); digit, limb, or soft-tissue loss; and requirement of hemodialysis. Carriage of IL-1RN(+2018) was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio, 2.14; P=.07) but not with a higher bacterial load. CONCLUSIONS In meningococcal disease, bacterial load is associated with likelihood of death, development of permanent disease sequelae, and prolonged hospitalization. The bacterial load was relatively higher in patients infected with N. meningitidis serogroup C than in those infected with other serogroups. The effects of age and IL-1 genotype on mortality are independent of a high genomic bacterial load.
A Grid workflow infrastructure

In this paper we propose a Grid workflow infrastructure, which serves as the base for specifying and executing collaborative interactive workflows within computational Grids. The infrastructure is based on the Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA) and leverages the concepts of the Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL4WS). Using OGSA enables the exploitation of advanced Grid features such as factories, lifecycle management and notifications. Leveraging BPEL4WS to a Grid enabled workflow language has the advantage that basic workflow functionalities, which are similar for Grid and Web services, do not have to be developed again. The result is a state‐of‐the‐art Grid workflow infrastructure that was developed within a relatively short period. The main building blocks of the infrastructure are the specification of the Grid Workflow Execution Language (GWEL) notation and the implementation of a Grid workflow execution engine, using Globus Toolkit 3 (GT3) technology, for processing e‐Science specific workflows specified in GWEL documents. The workflow engine itself is a high‐level Grid service, hence automatically Grid aware, which can be used within any GT3 environment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Probing early heart development to instruct stem cell differentiation strategies

Scientists have studied organs and their development for centuries and, along that path, described models and mechanisms explaining the developmental principles of organogenesis. In particular, with respect to the heart, new fundamental discoveries are reported continuously that keep changing the way we think about early cardiac development. These discoveries are driven by the need to answer long‐standing questions regarding the origin of the earliest cells specified to the cardiac lineage, the differentiation potential of distinct cardiac progenitor cells, and, very importantly, the molecular mechanisms underlying these specification events. As evidenced by numerous examples, the wealth of developmental knowledge collected over the years has had an invaluable impact on establishing efficient strategies to generate cardiovascular cell types ex vivo, from either pluripotent stem cells or via direct reprogramming approaches. The ability to generate functional cardiovascular cells in an efficient and reliable manner will contribute to therapeutic strategies aimed at alleviating the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease and morbidity. Here we will discuss the recent discoveries in the field of cardiac progenitor biology and their translation to the pluripotent stem cell model to illustrate how developmental concepts have instructed regenerative model systems in the past and promise to do so in the future. Developmental Dynamics 245:1130–1144, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fluorescent Organic Planar pn Heterojunction Light‐Emitting Diodes with Simplified Structure, Extremely Low Driving Voltage, and High Efficiency

Fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes capable of radiative utilization of both singlet and triplet excitons are achieved via a simple double-layer planar pn hetero-junction configuration without a conventional emission layer, leading to high external quantum efficiency above 10% and extremely low driving voltages close to the theoretical minima.
Mathematical Modeling and Computer Simulation of Non-monotonic Quenching

Numerical modeling of phase transformations and hardness distribution in non-monotonic quenched steel specimen was developed based on the results of simple experimental test i.e. Jominy test. Differences between the cooling curves of investigated steel specimen and cooling curves of Jominy specimen were taken in the account in the model. The hardness in specimen points was estimated by the conversion of cooling time results to hardness by using both, the relation between cooling time and distance from the quenched end of Jominy specimen, and by using the Jominy hardenability curve. The cooling curves at the specimen points was predicted by numerical modeling of cooling by using the finite volume method. Besides characteristic cooling times, t8/5, it takes into account the history of cooling. Developed method was compared with methods of simulation of as- quenched hardness based on characteristic cooling times from 800 to 500 °C, t8/5 without taking in account history of cooling. Moreover developed model was compared by methods that are based on continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram and isothermal transformation (IT) diagram by using Scheil’s additivity rule. Developed numerical model for computer simulation of quenching was also experimentally verified. Limitations of proposed numerical model were found out as well. It has been shown that proposed numerical model can be successfully applied for purposes of simulation of interrupted quenching of carbon and low alloyed steel specimens.
Impact analysis of fiber-reinforced composites by means of carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) can be profitably embedded into the matrix of composite structure to obtain a distributed sensor able to estimate deformations due to vibrations, impacts or high load applied. In this paper electrical measurements of carbon nanotube multiscale GFRPs have been carried out to monitor low velocity impacts and to estimate the severity of corresponding damages. The work has been developed experimentally, by monitoring the variation of the structure electrical impedance as a consequence of impacts. Electrical measurements show that there is an initial decrease of electrical resistance due to plate compression, followed by an increase due to tunneling effect of carbon nanotubes. Criteria based on the dynamic variation of electrical impedance were proposed and their correlation with the impact energy was studied. Severity of damages has been estimated with different approaches, by measuring the damage extends through the microscope. The analysis shows that CNT can properly describe the dynamics of impact. Synthetic indexes proposed in this work to estimate the severity of damages from CNTs electrical measurements have some limitations and, at now, only partially fit with experimental data.
Comparison of fabrication methods for the effective loading of Ag onto PVA nanofibers

We investigated and compared three different methods for synthesizing Ag/PVA nanofibers by effectively dispersing and loading Ag particles onto PVA nanofibers and preventing the detachment of Ag from the nanofibers. The three methods were: (a) the solution reduction method (Method 1) in which the reduction of Ag+ was conducted before electrospinning, resulting in mixing the polymer and the Ag nanoparticles in the electrospinning solution; (b) the immersion method (Method 2) in which electrospun PVA nanofibers were immersed in the Ag+ solution, resulting in loading the Ag particles onto the PVA nanofibers; and (c) the nanofiber reduction method (Method 3) in which the Ag+/PVA solution underwent electrospinning followed by the reduction process with Ag+/PVA nanofibers. All of the electrospun nanofibers had a crosslinked structure that resulted from the chemical reaction of glutaraldehyde with the hydroxyl group of PVA, to prevent dissolution in the aqueous solution. Fourier transform infrared spectra provided evidence of the successful formation of the crosslinked structure of the nanofibers, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the loading of Ag nanoparticles onto the nanofibers. The release profiles were investigated by inductively coupled plasma, and the morphology of the nanofibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Method 3 had the best performances for loading Ag particles onto the nanofibers and for minimizing the loss of Ag nanoparticles from the nanofibers. These findings identified an effective method for fabricating metal/polymer composite nanofibers, and will allow the expansion of the applications of metal/polymeric composite nanofibers.
Hyperemia Causing Delayed Recovery in Traumatic Brain Injury

Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a common manifestation of traumatic brain injury. A clinical deterioration in Glasgow Coma Scale score without an accompanying radiological worsening is suggestive of vasospasm. However, hyperemia could be another possibility which can easily be considered with corroborating transcranial Doppler (TCD) features. This case report reiterates the value of TCD in such instances.