Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Making the Connection: Using Mobile Devices and PollEverywhere for Experiential Learning for Adult Students

Technology integration has significantly influenced the way students access and retain knowledge gained in the classroom (Ahmed, 2016). This is particularly relevant in classrooms for adult learners who engage in continuing education. This paper used a descriptive case study (Yin, 2014) to share how an instructor utilized mobile learning with a web-based polling tool, PollEverywhere, to gamify experiential learning for adult students in various roles within a southeastern state’s court administration—prosecutors, defense lawyers, mag-istrates, and jail administrators—and improve students’ engagement in the course and connection to course material.
An oral dosage formulation of azacitidine: A pilot pharmacokinetic study

7084 Background: Azacitidine, a cytidine analog, induces DNA demethylation that leads to tumor suppressor gene expression. Cellular effects of azacitidine treatment include differentiation, cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. There is a complex, non-linear relationship between plasma exposure and pharmacodynamic effect of azacitidine that can be fully explored with an oral formulation of azacitidine, enabling alternate dosing strategies ranging from intermittent high dose to continuous, low-dose approaches to DNA demethylation. Methods and Results: A pharmacokinetic study in dogs given oral azacitidine demonstrated rapid absorption with absolute bioavailability of 67% (compared to 71% following SC dosing). When comparing a single parenteral dose of 75 mg/m2 (∼2 mg/kg) given SC to humans vs. a single oral dose of 16 mg/m2 (0.8 mg/kg) given to dogs, plasma concentrations of azacitidine were similar despite the 4- to 5-fold difference in dose as calculated by body surface area (BSA). A 14-day toxicology stud.
Deep Learning for Computer Vision IMVIP 2019 : Irish Machine Vision and ImageProcessing 2019 Entropic Regularisation of Robust Optimal Transport

Grogan et al. [11, 12] have recently proposed a solution to colour transfer by minimising the Euclidean distance L2 between two probability density functions capturing the colour distributions of two images (palette and target). It was shown to be very competitive to alternative solutions based on Optimal Transport for colour transfer. We show that in fact Grogan et al’s formulation can also be understood as a new robust Optimal Transport based framework with entropy regularisation over marginals.
A Road Information Sharing Scheme with a Still-Picture Internet Broadcasting System

With an increase in navigation systems by portable terminals and car navigation devices, ITS which supports comfortable and effective driving has been evolved. However, in existing systems, it is difficult to offer real-time information to users since it needs to collect information from sensors and to analyze the collected information. Road information has to be provided timely so that drivers can pass through safe and comfortable roads. In this research, we use a still-picture Internet broadcasting system as a technique to share road information. It enables users to share the road information timely and to choose a road which is easy to pass. In addition, we implement an automatic photography function and conduct an experiment of the photography timing as a broadcaster. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of our proposed system and evaluation experiments about the right photography timing of the automatic photography function. From the result of the experiments, we found road information was required more in the bad road situation such as rain and snow, and the road information could be grasped easily by introducing audience requests to the photography timing.
EFFECT OF SULFUR SPECIATION ON CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HEAVILY REDUCED

Introduction: Mercury evolved as a geochemical and mechanical endmember among the terrestrial planets, largely due to its low oxygen fugacity. The Earth, Moon, and Mars have similar mantle ƒO2 between IW2 and IW+2 [1]. S solubility in magmas is low at these conditions and is present as an important but minor element (<0.1wt%) [2]. In contrast, the Mercurian surface exhibits high S concentrations (1.5-4wt%) [3], and if these values reflect magma compositions then a mantle ƒO2 between IW-3 and IW-7 is implied from silicate-metal-sulfide equilibria [4]. Studies of low ƒO2 systems also are also applicable to the petrologic evolution of enstatite chondrite parent bodies [5] and perhaps early Earth [6] and exoplanets orbiting C-rich suns. High S solubility has been observed in numerous experimental melts [2,5,7-12] at highly reducing conditions. Due to the decreasing O at these low ƒO2 conditions, S2fills in as a 2nd major anion, changing the partitioning behavior of many elements and modifying the structure and physical properties of the silicate melt. Enstatite chondrite-derived thermodynamic models [13] and Raman spectra [2] suggest S bonds with Fe, Mg, and Ca in silicate melts at these reducing conditions. In this study, we use S K-edge X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy to quantify the coordination chemistry of S in silicate melts at heavily reduced conditions [14,15]. The results provide insights into the effect of S on the chemical and physical properties of Mercurian melts. Methods: Experimental samples consistent with Mercurian surface [3] and estimated mantle compositions were prepared in the TZM pressure vessel and piston cylinder (PC) at Brown University. MESSENGER-derived Northern Smooth Plains (NSP) [3] composition was used for the surface and CH chondrite Allan Hills 85085 [16] was used as a primitive Mercurian mantle analog. Experiments ranged from 177-196 bar and 1225-1400 °C in the TZM for the surface, and 1-2 GPa and 1250-1475 °C in the PC for mantle studies, with ƒO2 in the range estimated for Mercury (IW-3 to IW-7). Pure sulfide standards for XANES were synthesized by reaction of the elements at high T in a sealed evacuated silica tube (MgS, FeS, Ni1-xS, NiS2, Ni7S6, Ni3S2) or purchased from Alfa Aesar© (CaS, MnS, Na2S, Al2S3). Glass compositions were measured using the SX100 elecron microprobe at Brown University. For a more detailed description of experimental methods see [22]. S K-edge XANES spectra were collected in a helium environment using an undulator-based, hard X-ray microprobe at Argonne National Laboratory. Data collection and creation of micro-X-ray fluorescence (XRF) maps were performed in Larch [17]. Processing and linear combination fitting (LCF) of the resultant XANES spectra were performed in Athena[18] to calculate proportions of S species in the sulfide saturated Mercurian glasses. The set of endmembers used in the LCF was narrowed down through statistical analysis
Affective Variables and Motivation as Predictors of Proficiency in English as a Foreign Language

English has become a key subject of educational systems worldwide. Thus, researchers have centered their attention on psychosocial processes that influence English proficiency in EFL settings. The aim of our study was to investigate the relation between affective variables, motivation and proficiency and assess which attitudinal/motivational domains can better predict English proficiency. Mini AMTB and English Proficiency test were employed to a sample of 354 university students. Our findings showed that students’ achievement was significantly associated with their motivational intensity, their attitude towards learning English and their desire to learn it, as well as with their opinion of English native speakers and their perception of the quality of the English course. Secondly, instrumental orientation, motivational intensity, attitude towards learning English, and students’ perception of the quality of the English course were found to be the predictors of achievement. Thus, creating a culturally enriching in-class environment based on student-centered strategies could impact on pupils’ proficiency more than teachers’ teaching abilities and in-class attitude.
Use of Direct Numerical Simulation to Assess the Performance of Acoustic Doppler Technology Characterizing Turbulent Flows

This work presents a systematic analysis of the uncertainty associated to spatial and time sampling strategies used to determine flow discharge with acoustic profilers from moving platforms. The study is performed using data sets with high temporal and spatial resolution from direct numerical simulations of turbulent open channel flow. The simulations results are validated with laboratory scale experimental observations previously reported in the literature. A function of the maximum uncertainty as a function of an appropriately defined measurement time is developed and validated with field scale measurements. The results show that the measurement time is as important as the number of transects performed. The findings of this work are useful tools to define the optimal sampling strategies to perform a good characterization of the flow fields using acoustic profilers.
Unified Policy Optimization for Robust Reinforcement Learning

Recent years have witnessed significant progress in solving challenging problems across various domains using deep reinforcement learning (RL). Despite the success, the weak robustness has risen as a big obstacle for applying existing RL algorithms into real problems. In this paper, we propose unified policy optimization (UPO), a sample-efficient shared policy framework that allows a policy to update itself by considering different gradients generated by different policy gradient (PG) methods. Specifically, we propose two algorithms called UPO-MAB and UPO-ES, to leverage these different gradients by adopting the idea of multi-arm bandit (MAB) and evolution strategies (ES), with the purpose of finding the gradient direction leading to more performance gain with less extra data cost. Extensive experiments show that our approach can lead to stronger robustness and better performance than baselines. 1
The role of IL-6 and its soluble receptor in chronic lung disease of prematurity

IL-6 trans-signalling was investigated in transformed airway epithelial cells (A549 and BEAS2B cells) and primary small airway epithelial cells (SAEC) in vitro. The cells expressed gp130 but not IL-6R. MCP-1 in response to IL-6 trans-signalling was variable and generally weak. Furthermore, IL-8 release was not downregulated by IL-6 trans-signalling. Instead, an increase in MCP-1 and IL-8 release was observed in response to a combined stimulation of IL-6 trans-signalling and IL-1[Special characters omitted]. This suggests that the pro-resolution paradigm of IL-6 trans-signalling may not be the case in airway epithelial cells.
Analysis of genetic diversity among Iranian populations of Ficus carica L. (Moraceae)

Ficus carica L. is a species of Moraceae family that has been cultivated in different parts of the world from ancient time. Its fruit is eaten by human and has several medicinal properties. This species widely grows and cultivated in various parts of Iran. For this, in the current study, we investigated infraspecific genetic variation and population structure of F. carica in the country. 14 natural populations of F. carica were collected and their genomic DNA were extracted and tested with RAPD molecular technique. Parameters of population’s genetic diversity varied among the studied populations. In addition, AMOVA test revealed significant variations among the populations. The studied populations clustered separately in UPGMA tree of RAPD data, moreover PCA and MDS plots produced similar results. STRUCTURE analysis revealed the best number of k = 9. Based on Nei’s genetic distance, we had nine distinct groups. Genetic clustering patterns according to UPGMA trees of RAPD data and Nei’s genetic distance were more similar with the results of STRUCTURE analysis. The small amount of Nm) the product of the effective size of individual populations (N) and the rate of migration among them (m) (value showed limited gene flow among the studied populations, therefore it seems that high genetic variations among these populations may be related less or few amount of gene exchange among populations.
Expression of miR-23a and miR-135 and tumor markers in gastric cancer patients and the significance in diagnosis

Correlation between the expression of miR-23a and miR-135 and tumor markers in gastric cancer patients and their significance in diagnosis was investigated. A total of 78 patients with gastric cancer admitted to Dongying People's Hospital from July 2015 to June 2017 were enrolled, and 80 healthy patients were selected as the control group during the same period. The expression levels of miR-23a and miR-135 in the serum of the two groups were detected by RT-qPCR, and the expression levels of tumor markers CEA and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) were detected by ELISA. The receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of miR-23a and miR-135 as diagnostic indicators. There was no significant difference between the observation and the control group (P>0.05). The expression levels of miR-23a and miR-135 in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The expression levels of CEA and CA199 in serum of patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Pearson's correlation test showed that the expression levels of miR-23a and miR-135 were positively correlated with CEA and CA199 (P<0.05). The specificity, sensitivity and AUC of miR-23a in the diagnosis of gastric cancer were 67.95, 87.50 and 0.805%, respectively. The specificity, sensitivity and AUC of miR-135 in the diagnosis of gastric cancer were 73.08, 82.50 and 0.824%, respectively. Both could be used in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. In conclusion, miR-23a and miR-135 are highly expressed in gastric cancer patients and positively correlated with tumor markers, which can be used in diagnosis for gastric cancer.
Wegener's Granulomatosis: A comprehensive review

Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) is a systemic multi-organ disease that is specifically characterised by inflammation of small and medium - sized vessels that could lead to tissue damage. Most commonly affected systems are the upper respiratory tract, the pulmonary, renal and ocular systems. Even though no diagnostic criteria have been established, the Chapel Hill Consensus definitions and the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria are widely used in clinical practice to identify WG. Definite diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy of the affected organ. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory markers, diagnosis and disease assessment and, finally, the conventional and therapeutic options in WG.
On G-Quadruplex And G-Assembly

A three and a half day conference focusing on nucleic acid structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s) and other guanine-based assemblies was held in Sorrento, Italy (June 28–July 1, 2011) and featured 35 invited talks and over 89 posters. The G-quadruplex field continues to expand at an explosive rate with the emergence of new connections to biology, chemistry, physics, and nanotechnology. Following the trend established by the previous two international G4 meetings, the conference touched upon all these areas and facilitated productive exchanges of ideas between researchers from all over the world.
Spontaneous Recovery of Radial Nerve Function Following Axonamonosis Caused by Impingement from Distal Locking Screws during Humeral Nailing

A 39-year-old man developed a radial nerve palsy following repair of a left segmental humerus fracture with a rigid interlocking intramedullary nail and screws. His palsy manifested as a wrist and finger drop, associated with numbness in the distribution of the radial nerve. This was managed conservatively with a wrist brace and passive extension exercises. The fracture repair was surgically explored again 9 months later because of a lack of recovery of the radial nerve palsy and fracture non-union leading to localized pressure and pain. During this period, there was no recordable recovery of the nerve; objective clinical assessments were regularly made and the findings were confirmed by neurophysiological studies. During the operation, it was found that the two distal locking screws were impinging on the radial nerve, trapping the epineurium and part of the perineurium. Careful neurolysis was performed and the screws were removed. The fracture was then reduced and fixed without further incident. Immediately following the operation, the patient almost immediately regained complete function in his left wrist and hand. The sensation was restored to normal and the power of his wrist and finger extension returned to Medical Research Council grade 4. As a result of the rapid rate of recovery, we have concluded that impingement by the screws on the patient's radial nerve had resulted in axonamonosis, an uncommon nerve lesion in which pressure on a nerve results in mechanical demyelinization of a length of nerve with interruption of conduction. On release of the pressure, early recovery follows the return of the myelin insulation.
The UCONN-PUF : ESC 2011 PUF Entry

We have designed a PUF that we have dubbed the “UCONN-PUF”. This PUF takes a 16-bit challenge and produces an 8-bit response. The randomness and repeatability aspects of the PUF are obtained through the use of relative comparisons between adjacent ring oscillators. The reconfigurability aspect of the PUF is obtained by making the ring oscillators configurable. With an inter-die variation of 49% between PUF instantiations, an intra-die variation of about 33% in the same PUF instantiation, and a measurement noise of about 6% at room temperature, this PUF could be used for identification purposes in FPGA or ASIC designs.
Comparison of Loss of Heterozygosity as a Marker of Various Histological Grades of Squamous Cell Cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy. Tumors have always been graded to assess the biological behaviour and predict the prognosis. However with development of Molecular science Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) has come out as an important marker for predicting disease progression.We need to correlate specific markers in various tumor grades to predict the overall prognosis. Methods: An observational study aimed at studying the LOH at 3p &9 p by PCR in HNSCC. Results: 30 cases were studied and LOH either at 3p or 9p was seen progressively more in MDSCC & PDSCCC. Interpretation: More studies for risk stratification and LOH collectively need to be done before incorporating LOH as a biomarker for predicting prognosis.
Multi-width Activation and Multiple Receptive Field Networks for Dynamic Scene Deblurring

In this paper, we propose an end-to-end multi-width activation and multiple receptive ﬁeld networks for the large-scale and complicated dynamic scene deblurring. Firstly, we design a multi-width activation feature extraction module, in which a multi-width activation residual block is proposed for making the activation function learn more the nonlinear information and extracting wider nonlinear features. Secondly, we design a multiple receptive ﬁeld (RF) feature extraction module, in which a multiple RF residual block is proposed for enlarging the RF eﬃciently and capturing more nonlinear information from distant locations. And then, we design the multi-scale feature fusion module, where a learning fusion structure is designed to adaptively fuse the multi-scale features and complicated blur information from the diﬀerent modules. Finally, we use a multi-component loss function to jointly optimize our networks. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the recent state-of-the-art deblurring methods, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Evaluation of physical , nutritional and sensorial properties cookie supplied with Hibiscus sabdariffa L . seed powder ( without shell )

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) seed is a valuable food resource owning to its high amount of nutrition such as protein, edible oil and fiber. Hence, this study researched on the application of roselle seed in a cookie product. Roselle seed was pre-treated turning into roselle seed powder without shell (RSP). To enhance the yield and soluble capacity of RSP, maltodextrin was used as supplement in RSP. Study was estimated the content of RSP was replaced to wheat flour in cookie’s recipe, the physical quality of dough and cookie was carried out. Nutrition value and sensory quality of cookie were also examined. Result was compared to control cookie (without RSP replaced), which was result of the supplement of maltodextrin value in RSP was 20% (RSP20) and 30% of RSP20 was replaced of wheat flour in cookie’s recipe. Compared to the dough and the cookie control, the dough with 30% of RSP20 replaced was significantly stickier and low in the hardness, adhesiveness and springiness. In overall acceptance, the cookie with 30% RSP20 scored the highest (7.01) among other formulations. The quality of cookie also showed a higher content of protein (9.51g/ 100g), lipid (23.8g/ 100g), total dietary fiber (1.25g/ 100 g) and improved its antioxidant activity with a higher total phenolic content (1.91 mgGAE/g cookie) and stronger radical scavenging capacity (73.98%).
How to run a multiple indicator RI-CLPM with Mplus

I have been asked repeatedly whether this model can be extended to allow for multiple indicators for each of the constructs. This is certainly possible, but it requires first to establish whether there is measurement invariance over time. Specifically, one should constrain the factor loadings over time to be identical; if this is not the case, the latent variable at one occasion cannot be compared in a meaningful way with the latent variable at another occasion, because they will represent qualitative different constructs (rather than mere quantitative differences on the same underlying construct).
An improved extended formulation for the odd cycle inequalities of the stable set polytope

Especially for sparse graphs, the odd cycle polytope can be used to compute useful bounds for the maximum stable set problem quickly. Yannakakis [8] introduced an extended formulation for the odd cycle inequalities of the stable set polytope in 1991, which provides a direct way to optimize over the odd cycle polytope in polynomial time, although there exist exponentially many odd cycles in given graphs in general. We present another extended formulation for the odd cycle polytope that uses less variables and inequalities than Yannakakis’ formulation. Moreover, we compare the running time of both formulations as relaxations of the maximum stable set problem in a computational study.
1 Public Trust and Press Freedom

According to World Public Opinion poll, no country leader enjoyed worldwide trust in 2008. Only the leaders of China, Iran, and Russia received consistently higher trust ratings domestically than abroad. Not incidentally, these countries also score low in political and press freedoms. We build a parsimonious regression model that seeks to explain differences in trust ratings using country and leader characteristics. We find that just nine variables can explain over 60% of the variation in leader trust ratings. One of the strongest associative determinants of leader trust is press freedom. We would like to thank the economics faculty at Duquesne University and anonymous referees for their invaluable comments and suggestions. Citation: Pavel Yakovlev and David Gilson, (2015) ''Public Trust and Press Freedom'', Economics Bulletin, Volume 35, Issue 1, pages 214225 Contact: Pavel Yakovlev yakovlevp@duq.edu, David Gilson gilsond@duq.edu. Submitted: August 21, 2014. Published: March 11, 2015.