Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of a Multiyear Curricular and Professional Development Intervention on Elementary Teachers ’ Science Content Knowledge

This study examined the effectiveness of a fifth grade science curriculum and professional development intervention at increasing teachers’ science content knowledge (SCK) over the period of 3 years. The intervention included an inquiry-based science curriculum and ongoing professional development opportunities concentrating on both science content and pedagogy. SCK was measured using a science knowledge test written at the fifth grade content level and a questionnaire scale asking teachers how knowledgeable they felt teaching science at the fifth grade level. Longitudinal multilevel modeling was used to examine change in the treatment group and the control group. The treatment group demonstrated an increase in both measures of SCK after the first year, with continued improvement in self-report throughout the 3-year period. The control group demonstrated smaller consistent growth in test scores, reaching a level comparable to the treatment group at the end of 3 years, but there was no significant change in self-report over the 3year period. These results led to the conclusion that the intervention increased the rate at which teachers learned science content, as well as increasing their confidence in their SCK.
An improved nonlocal means filter for image processing

Recently the nonlocal means filter introduced by Buades-Coll-Morel plays an important role in image processing. By introducing nonlocal operators, Gilboa-Osher proposed various nonlocal models, which improved the nonlocal means filter. In recent papers with Jost and Wang [1], [2] we presented new nonlocal operators and various new nonlocal models for image processing, among which a nonlocal H model was proposed. Motivated by this new nonlocal H model we propose in this paper a simpler model for image processing, which is a suitable improvement of the nonlocal means filter. We compare this model with the nonlocal means filter, both theoretically and in experiments.
Self-Phase Modulation Based Wavelength Conversion using Different Types of Fibers

We demonstrate Self-Phase Modulation (SPM) based wavelength conversion at 1.55 μm using three different commercial types of optical fibers. A numerical simulation is used to predict the performance of each type of fibers and to address the potential of each fiber type in wavelength conversion applications utilizing self-phase modulation. It is shown that a wavelength conversion over ± 5 nm can be achieved with around 30 mW output peak signal power leading to a remarkable better performance.
Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh . Offers Excellent Potential to Reduce NO 3 ̄ Concentration in Groundwater

Geologic and fertilizer N negatively impact the groundwater in the Gareh Bygone Plain (GBP) in southeastern I.R. Iran. Moreover, the floodwater used since 1983 for the artificial recharge of groundwater (ARG) to alleviate the water crisis in the GBP contains 60.30 ± 21.60 mg L -1 geologic NO3 ̄ on average. This has the potential to intensify the contamination. As the Agha Jari Formation, which supplies the NO3 ̄contaminated runoff, covers 27680 km 2 in the southern I.R. Iran, an untold number of people will be affected with nitrate poisoning where such waters are inevitably used for the ARG. Dissolved NO3 ̄ concentrations were monitored monthly for a year in 30 shallow wells in a sandy-gravelly aquifer in the GBP to quantify the effects of different landuse and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. on nitrogen retention. A laboratory experiment was also conducted to verify the potential nitrate absorption of the eucalyptus and NO3 ̄ surface adsorption potential of the calcareous sand. Our results suggest that landuse and management practices significantly impacted groundwater NO3 ̄ (P<0.05), EC (P<0.01), and its pH (P<0.05) in the GBP. Floodwater NO3 ̄ was highly reduced when passed through the vadose zone where NO3 ̄ was absorbed by the eucalyptus roots and adsorbed by the free CaCO3 in the calcareous alluvium. The amount of NO3 ̄ retained by the roots was 770 fold the amount retained by the free CaCO3 particles on the surface area basis. Therefore, establishing forested filter zones within the ARG systems using more efficient and native plant species supplies safer drinking water for rural inhabitants and desert-dwellers.
Environmental quality of an urban stream . The case of Pikrodafni stream in Athens

The stream of Pikrodafni, at the SW part of Attica, is a perennial stream with length of 9300m that springs from Hymettus mountain, and its estuary is at the Saronikos Gulf. Pikrodafni flows through urban areas and is affected by various anthropogenic activities.For the evaluation of the environmental quality of the stream water and its influence on the marine environment, water samples were collected from nine sampling sites, every two months, during the period 2012-13. The main physico-chemical parameters of the water were measured in situ whereas the concentrations of major ions, nutrients, heavy metals and organic carbon were determined in the laboratory. Microbiological analyses were also performed.The concentrations of nutrients were high at all sampling sites and sampling periods and their values increased downstream causing nutrient enrichment in the coastal environment. The stream water quality was found to be moderate to bad regarding the studied nutrients.Heavy metals values didn’t exceed the permitted legal limits, but the percentage of Cr(VI) was high. With few exceptions, metals in the streamwater were found mainly in dissolved forms.The results from the microbiological analyses indicated that there were high concentrations of pathogenic microorganisms in the water of the stream and decreasing outside the mouth of the stream. At all sampling sites the water had bad quality with regards to the microbiological parameters.
Beam Alignment and User Scheduling in mmWave Networks under Mobility

In this paper, we study beam alignment in a millimeter wave (mmWave) network with multiple users, and consider an optimal transmission scheduling algorithm. The problem is posed as an infinite horizon average cost constrained Markov decision process (CMDP) with the goal of minimizing the average beam alignment overhead subject to the average rate constraint on each user. By using a structural result derived from the Lagrangian formulation of the CMDP, we show that the optimal policy should keep scheduling the users that are scheduled in the previous time slot unless an abrupt change in the beam direction happens. Using this result, the complexity of the problem decreases to polynomial in the number of users. We also provide a heuristic deterministic algorithm that achieves (1+ ∊) approximation of the optimal solution, with smaller ∊ at the cost of longer transmission interval of each user.
CTNNA 1 promotor hypermethylation in chronic myeloid leukemia

Aberrant DNA methylation plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). CTNNA1 has been found to be low-expressed in some hematologic malignancies and various solid cancers. In the current study, we analyzed the methylation status of CTNNA1 promoter in 70 Chinese patients with CML using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and examined CTNNA1 expression in 36 patients using real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR). CTNNA1 promoter hypermethylation was present in 21 (30.0%) CML cases. No significant differences were found in sex, white blood cells, hemoglobin concentration, platelet counts, chromosomal abnormalities and BCR-ABL transcript between CTNNA1 hypermethylated and unmethylated groups (P>0.05). However, the age in methylated patients was significant higher than unmethylated patients (median 56 vs 41.5 years, P = 0.016). The frequency of CTNNA1 promoter hypermethylation in chronic phase, in accelerated phase and in blast crisis were 30.9% (17/55), 33.3% (1/3) and 25.0% (3/12), respectively (P>0.05). Patients with CTNNA1 hypermethylation had significantly lower level of CTNNA1 expression (median 0.04) than those with CTNNA1 unmethylation (median 0.51) (P = 0.020). Our data suggest that hypermethylation of CTNNA1 promoter is a frequent molecular alteration in the CML patients.
R & DDirection and North-South Diffusion , Human Capital , Growth , andWages

This paper highlights some recent components related to the endogenous growth literature; in particular, (i) research and development progress, direction, and diffusion; (ii) human-capital accumulation; (iii) wage inequality; (iv) nonscale economic growth, showing how each one has been treated by the existing seminal literature and the expected impact of bringing them together. The connection of the different components is mainly done by involving the leading literature on North-South technologicalknowledge diffusion by imitation under trade, and the prevailing literature on intraand intercountry wage inequality.
Substrate Dependent Production and Isolation of an Extracellular Biosurfactant from Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2031

Improvements of both biomass yield and emulsification activity are important criteria for profitable biosurfactant production. In this study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2031 gave the highest emulsification activity (E24 = 58%) by using Cooper and Paddock’s basal medium, containing glucose and waste cooking oil as carbon sources. Glucose and waste cooking oil were found to be essential for high biomass and emulsification activity. Emulsification activity of the biosurfactant increased to 76% after optimization of fermentation conditions. The optimum carbon source concentration for both glucose and waste cooking oil was 5%. Optimum pH for high biomass production was pH 5.0 – 8.0. Isolation of the biosurfactant by heat treatment of the S. cerevisiae 2031 cells effectively solubilised the extracellular biosurfactant.
Motion of a Ball on a Spinning Saddle

Physics is the study of the natural world through the creation and manipulation of models. Classical mechanics, for example, models the universe as a large, though finite, number of particles interacting through forces in predictable ways. Since the advent of quantum mechanical theory and general relativity, we have known that this model has its flaws, but it is still a useful way of describing and explaining our observations of the world. Even today, almost every student of physics begins with classical mechanics and builds more accurate models upon that foundation. Likewise, many students may find visual analogies useful aids to intuition and understanding in more abstract areas of physical theory, especially when dealing with electricity and magnetism. For the sake of this paper, I will focus on the analogy of a ball moving on a spinning saddle as a mechanical representation of an ion in an RF-electric-quadrupole trap.
1 p 53-responsive TLR 8 SNP enhances human innate immune response to respiratory syncytial virus

The Toll-Like Receptor 8 (TLR8) has an important role in innate immune responses to RNA viral infections including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We reported previously that TLR8 expression was increased directly by the tumor suppressor and transcription factor p53 via a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP: rs3761624) in the TLR8 promoter, thereby placing TLR8 in the p53/immune axis. Because this SNP is in linkage disequilibrium with other SNPs associated with several infectious diseases, we addressed the combined influence of p53 and the SNP on downstream inflammatory signaling in response to a TLR8 cognate ssRNA ligand. Using human primary lymphocytes, p53 induction by chemotherapeutic agents such as ionizing radiation caused SNP-dependent synergistic increases in IL-6 following incubation with an ssRNA ligand, as well as TLR8 RNA and protein expression along with p53 binding at the TLR-p53 SNP site. Because TLR8 is X-linked, the increases were generally reduced in heterozygous females. We found a corresponding association of the p53-responsive allele with RSV disease severity in infants hospitalized with RSV infection. We conclude that p53 can strongly influence TLR8 mediated immune responses and that knowledge of the p53 responsive SNP can inform diagnosis and prognosis of RSV disease and other diseases that might have a TLR8 component, including cancer. Research Genetics Infectious disease
An Evaluation of Bimodal Recognition Systems Based on Voice and Facial Images

Santamarina Maciá, Abel Sebastián; Feitosa, Raul Queiroz (advisor); An Evaluation of Bimodal Recognition Systems Based on Voice and Facial Images. Rio de Janeiro, 92p. Master Dissertation Departamento de Engenharia Elétrica, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. The main objective of this dissertation is to compare the most important approaches for score-level fusion of two unimodal systems consisting of facial and independent speaker recognition systems. Two classification methods for each biometric modality were implemented: a GMM/UBM and an I-Vector/GPLDA classifiers for speaker independent recognition and a GMM/UBM and LBP-based classifiers for facial recognition, resulting in four different multimodal combination of fusion explored. The score-level fusion methods investigated are divided in Density-based, Transformation-based and Classifier-based groups and few variants on each group are tested. The fusion methods were tested in verification mode, using two different databases, one virtual database and a bimodal database. The results of each bimodal fusion technique implemented were compared with the unimodal systems, which showed significant recognition performance gains. Density-based techniques of fusion presented the best results among all fusion approaches, at the expense of higher computational complexity due to the density estimation process.
Semantic Head Instance Head Class Box Mask logits Panoptic Head Image FPN Feature Semantic logits

In this paper, we propose a unified panoptic segmentation network (UPSNet) for tackling the newly proposed panoptic segmentation task. On top of a single backbone residual network, we first design a deformable convolution based semantic segmentation head and a Mask R-CNN style instance segmentation head which solve these two subtasks simultaneously. More importantly, we introduce a parameter-free panoptic head which solves the panoptic segmentation via pixel-wise classification. It first leverages the logits from the previous two heads and then innovatively expands the representation for enabling prediction of an extra unknown class which helps better resolve the conflicts between semantic and instance segmentation. Additionally, it handles the challenge caused by the varying number of instances and permits back propagation to the bottom modules in an end-to-end manner. Extensive experimental results on Cityscapes, COCO and our internal dataset demonstrate that our UPSNet achieves state-of-theart performance with much faster inference.
Dear Prof. Angelico, please find enclosed the manuscript entitled “A BAYESIAN METHODOLOGY TO IMPROVE PREDICTION OF EARLY GRAFT LOSS AFTER LIVER TRANSPLANTATION. THE LIVER

201 words) Background: To generate a robust predictive model of Early (3 month) Graft Loss (EGL), we used a Bayesian approach to combine evidence from a prospective European cohort (Liver-Match) and the UNOS registry. Methods: Liver-Match included 1480 consecutive primary LTs performed from 2007 to 2009 and the UNOS a time-matched series of 9740 LTs. There were 173 and 706 EGL, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified as significant predictors of EGL: donor age, donation after cardiac death, cold ischemia time, donor body mass index and height, recipient creatinine, bilirubin, disease etiology, prior upper abdominal surgery and portal thrombosis. Results: A Bayesian Cox model was fitted to Liver-Match data using the UNOS findings as prior information, allowing to generate an EGL-Donor Risk Index (EGL-DRI) and an EGL-Recipient Risk Index (EGL-RRI). A Donor-Recipient Allocation Model (DReAM), obtained by adding EGLDRI to EGL-RRI, was then validated in a distinct UNOS (year 2010) cohort including 2964 LTs. Further DReAM updating using the independent Turin Transplant Center dataset, allowed to predict EGL with rather good accuracy (c-statistic: 0.76). Conclusion: DReAM allows a reliable donor and recipient-based EGL prediction. The Bayesian approach permits to adapt the original DReAM by incorporating evidence from other cohorts, resulting in significantly improved predictive capability.
Influence of the demographic factors and clinical variation on the low-density lipoprotein level among low income patients with cardiovascular conditions in San Diego County

OF THE THESIS Influence of the Demographic Factors and Clinical Variation on the Low-Density Lipoprotein Level among Low Income Patients with Cardiovascular Conditions in San Diego County by Abdinasir K. Ali Master of Public Health with a Concentration in Health Management & Policy San Diego State University, 2014 Background: The San Diego Low Income Health Program (LIHP) uses one of the nine defined Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures to determine the clinical effectiveness of cholesterol management for patients with cardiovascular conditions. The percent compliance rate for the measure has been very low since the program was first implemented in July 2011. Study Questions: To determine whether all patients with cardiovascular conditions have been screened for lipids during the four quarters (Jul 2012-Jun 2013) analyzed in the study, and identify which demographic and clinical factors that were associated with LowDensity Lipoprotein, LDL>100 mg/dL. Methods: Using LIHP claims data from July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013; all enrollees with cardiovascular conditions were identified by International Classification of Diseases, ICD-9 and Current Procedural Terminology, CPT codes. The LIHP claims data were merged with the LDL data set that is collected separately from the LIHP claims data. Percent test rates for all providers and patient demographic characteristics such gender, race/ethnicity, and age were used as the independent variables to test the association between LDL and those demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: Not all the patients with cardiovascular conditions were screened during the four quarters analyzed for the study. Results from multiple logistic regression showed that percent LDL test was significantly associated with LDL above 100 mg/dL. For the gender variable, females showed 2.5 times more likelihood for LDL above 100 mg/dL. In race/ethnicity, non-white racial group showed 1.88 times as likely than white to have a bad LDL above 100 mg/dL. No significant association was found for the age variable. Conclusion: The majority of LIHP patients were found to have had a cardiovascular condition have not been screened for lipids during the four quarters analyzed. Clinical variations such as percent test rate and demographic factors such as gender, and race/ethnicity were found to be some of the factors that determined whether LDL was above 100 mg/dL for the San Diego county LIHP patients with cardiovascular conditions.
Predicting alignment performance

We present a planned project aimed at evaluating the performance of d ifferent word aligners under different conditions. We want to be able to choose the best word aligner for a given corpus and purpo se, and, more specifically, to predict a word aligner’s performance on the basis of properties of the data. Some of these prop rties relate to the languages used, while others concern the nature of the parallelism. Performance will be measured wrt both toke n matches and matches of translation units.
The role of high frequency data and regime changes in predicting economic activity with financial variables

When assessing the predictive content of financial variables for economic activity, researchers usually aggregated data available at higher frequency before estimating a forecasting model that takes the relation between the financial variable and the dependent variable as linear. This paper proposes a model that relaxes both these assumptions by directly using high frequency data while taking into account regime changes in the slope parameters, called smooth transition mixed data sampling (STMIDAS) regression. The model is applied to the use of financial variables, such as term spreads, short-term interest rates, and stock returns, for out-of-sample forecasting of UK and US output growth in real time. The empirical results suggest that regime changes have a more important role in affecting the measurement of the predictive ability of financial variables for economic activity than the direct use of high frequency data.
Implementation and Testing of Algorithm for Computing Effective Resistances Between Vertices in Graphs

The usual method of finding distances between vertices in a graph is not informative for certain applications. A different notion of distance is realized by looking at graphs as resistor networks: given a graph, we can treat each edge as a resistor. If the graph is unweighted, we will assume that the resistor has resistance 1. If an edge e has weight w(e), we will give the corresponding resistor resistance r(e) = 1/w(e). The reason is that when the weight of an edge is very small, the edge is barely there, so it should correspond to very high resistance. Having no edge corresponds to having a resistor of infinite resistance [1]. Another characterization is that in a social network with multiple paths connecting vertices, vertices with more paths connecting them can be thought of as having less resistance between them while isolated vertices can be thought of as having a high resistance between them and the rest of the graph.
CONTROL OF A SCALAR CONSERVATION LAW WITH A NONLOCAL VELOCITY

In this paper, we survey some results on control problems for a scalar conservation law with a nonlocal velocity, that models a highly re-entrant manufacturing system in semi-conductor production. For the open-loop system, we show the results on an optimal control problem, state controllability and out-flux controllability. While for the closed-loop system, we prove, by using a Lyapunov function approach, the exponential stabilization results in certain cases.
Early pulmonary rehabilitation for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

2 Acknowledgements 3 Table of contents 4 List of tables 12 List of figures 16 Abbreviations 21 Publications and abstracts arising from this work 24 Author’s declaration 26 Chapter 1: Introduction 27 1.1 Definition and epidemiology 27 1.2 Pathological process of COPD 28 1.3 Clinical features of COPD 29 1.4 Systemic features of COPD 30 1.4. 1 Skeletal muscle dysfunction 32 1.4. 2 Cachexia 36 1.4. 3 Ischaemic heart disease 37 1.4. 4 Cor pulmonale 38 1.4. 5 Depression 38 1.5 Therapies for COPD 39 1.6 Exacerbations of COPD 41 1.6. 1 Definition 41
Superstructure Fiber Bragg Grating based Sensors

For super structure fiber grating consisting of fiber bragg grating and long period fiber bragg grating, a similarity transformation method for the coupled mode equations is presented. The simulations show that the reflection spectrum and transmission spectrum corresponding to v-order cladding mode will shift independently with strain gradient or temperature gradient along the SFG according to a certain law. For fiber bragg grating problems, widely used theories and numerical methods such as coupled–mode theory and transfer matrix method will be applied in the analysis, modelling and simulation.