Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connected learners : Implications for teaching in a connected world

This paper explores issues emerging in education as contemporary learners find more powerful alternatives to traditional classroom learning. Learning in the 21st century should be connected, engaged, relevant and challenging. 21st century learners are offered multiple ways to task. They can create weblogs and access people via SMS (short message service), send photos on mobile phones, communicate in chat rooms, author in collaborative online spaces, join multiple gaming strategies, access web authoring repositories and digital content. The opportunities for providing connectivity in learning environments are growing rapidly. Online communications provide easy access to information, knowledge and community. This revolution is changing the attitudes of teachers. Connecting is only the first step however, so a learning framework to support 21st century learners and examples of how it is used in classrooms is provided. This paper will explore some of the implications for teachers operating in a digital age. “Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. ” (Prensky, 2004)
Integrating Morphological Desegmentation into Phrase-based Decoding

When translating into a morphologically complex language, segmenting the target language can reduce data sparsity, while introducing the complication of desegmenting the system output. We present a method for decoder-integrated desegmentation, allowing features that consider the desegmented target, such as a word-level language model, to be considered throughout the entire search space. Our re-sults on a large-scale, English to Arabic translation task show signiﬁcant improvement over the 1-best desegmentation baseline.
Entkopplungsregelung und Reibungskompensation für einen Roboter mit elastischen verkoppelten Gelenken

Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag beschreibt die Regelung und Reibungskompensation von Robotern mit elastischen und differentiell getriebenen Gelenken (implementiert am Beispiel des DLR-Medizinroboters). Unter Berücksichtigung der Gelenkverkopplung wird ein MIMO-Zustandsregler (multi-input-multi-output) für die Doppelgelenkstruktur des Medizinroboters eingeführt, der auf der Rückführung der gemessenen Motorpositionen, abtriebsseitigen Drehmomente und deren Ableitungen basiert. Um die Positioniergenauigkeit des Roboters zu verbessern, wird zusätzlich ein Störgrößenbeobachter für die Reibungskompensation entwickelt. Es wird gezeigt, dass der Roboter mit dem MIMO-Zustandsregler und dem Störgrößenbeobachter global asymptotisch stabil ist. Abschließend werden experimentelle Ergebnisse mit dem DLR-Medizinroboter zur Validierung des Ansatzes vorgestellt. Abstract The paper describes the control and friction compensation of a robot with flexible joints (the DLR medical robot), which has strong mechanical couplings within pairs of joints realized with a differential gear-box. In consideration of this coupling, a MIMO state controller is designed for the strongly coupled joints. In addition a disturbance observer is developed to compensate the nonlinear effects of the friction and to improve the position accuracy of the robot. It is shown that the system is global asymptotically stable for the MIMO controller and the disturbance observer. Finally, experimental results with the DLR medical robot are presented validating the proposed concept.
Integration of growth and patterning during vascular tissue formation in Arabidopsis

How to plumb the root is the problem The vascular system of the plant root is generated from four seemingly similar cells. At some point, though, these cells' decendents need to follow different fates. Combining computational modeling with manipulation of hormone signaling in Arabidopsis, De Rybel et al. discovered the importance of a small bridge connecting two of the four cells (see the Perspective by Mellor and Bishopp). This feature locked in asymmetry in hormone signaling, so that those cells closest to the xylem delivered the maximal response. Two feedback loops in the model function distinctly, with one generating a domain rich in auxin and the other establishing a sharp boundary between domains. Science, this issue p. 10.1126/science.1255215; see also p. 622 A genetic network integrates hormonal inputs to establish a stable tissue pattern within a growing plant tissue. [Also see Perspective by Mellor and Bishopp] Coordination of cell division and pattern formation is central to tissue and organ development, particularly in plants where walls prevent cell migration. Auxin and cytokinin are both critical for division and patterning, but it is unknown how these hormones converge upon tissue development. We identify a genetic network that reinforces an early embryonic bias in auxin distribution to create a local, nonresponding cytokinin source within the root vascular tissue. Experimental and theoretical evidence shows that these cells act as a tissue organizer by positioning the domain of oriented cell divisions. We further demonstrate that the auxin-cytokinin interaction acts as a spatial incoherent feed-forward loop, which is essential to generate distinct hormonal response zones, thus establishing a stable pattern within a growing vascular tissue.
Designing Mobile Language Learning Applications Using Multimedia: Implications from a Small-scale Prospective Learner Study

This paper sets out to provide a preliminary guidance on developing mobile language learning applications, with consideration for using multimedia. A set of initial findings are presented from a small-scale pilot learner study, along with other considerations from findings in the literature. These preliminary guidelines could be further developed in later iterations to provide an overall framework for developing and evaluating other multimedia elements in mobile language learning applications and possibly also other mobile learning applications that use multimedia extensively (e.g. musical learning).
Human METTL20 Is a Mitochondrial Lysine Methyltransferase That Targets the β Subunit of Electron Transfer Flavoprotein (ETFβ) and Modulates Its Activity*

Background: Many proteins are modified by lysine methylation. Results: It is shown that the previously uncharacterized enzyme METTL20 methylates electron transfer flavoprotein β (ETFβ), thereby inhibiting its ability to mediate electron transfer from acyl-CoA dehydrogenases. Conclusion: METTL20-mediated methylation modulates the function of ETFβ. Significance: The first mitochondrial lysine-specific protein methyltransferase in animals is reported, and the resulting methylation is shown to have functional consequences. Proteins are frequently modified by post-translational methylation of lysine residues, catalyzed by S-adenosylmethionine-dependent lysine methyltransferases (KMTs). Lysine methylation of histone proteins has been extensively studied, but it has recently become evident that methylation of non-histone proteins is also abundant and important. The human methyltransferase METTL20 belongs to a group of 10 established and putative human KMTs. We here found METTL20 to be associated with mitochondria and determined that recombinant METTL20 methylated a single protein in extracts from human cells. Using an methyltransferase activity-based purification scheme, we identified the β-subunit of the mitochondrially localized electron transfer flavoprotein (ETFβ) as the substrate of METTL20. Furthermore, METTL20 was found to specifically methylate two adjacent lysine residues, Lys200 and Lys203, in ETFβ both in vitro and in cells. Interestingly, the residues methylated by METTL20 partially overlap with the so-called “recognition loop” in ETFβ, which has been shown to mediate its interaction with various dehydrogenases. Accordingly, we found that METTL20-mediated methylation of ETFβ in vitro reduced its ability to receive electrons from the medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and the glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase. In conclusion, the present study establishes METTL20 as the first human KMT localized to mitochondria and suggests that it may regulate cellular metabolism through modulating the interaction between its substrate ETFβ and dehydrogenases. Based on the previous naming of similar enzymes, we suggest the renaming of human METTL20 to ETFβ-KMT.
Semidefinite Embedding Applied to Visualizing Folksonomies CS 6772 Project Proposal

This paper investigates using Semidefinite Embedding (SDE) to visualize data collected from a folksonomy. The del.icio. us social bookmarking service is a perfect example of a folksonomy; a community of users label websites with descriptive tags. Each tag exists in a high-dimensional space corresponding to the frequency of use of that tag among all the users of the system. We are motivated by the following question: can we find a simple low-dimensional structure for these tags that captures the significant relationships inherent in the data? In this paper we explore Semidefinite Embedding, an algorithm for non-linear dimensionality reduction, and its application to visualizing folksonomic systems, focusing on the effects of specifying different levels of connectivity for the data and the heuristics which can be used to find the best parameters for the algorithm.
Requirement of Split ends for Epigenetic Regulation of Notch Signal-Dependent Genes during Infection-Induced Hemocyte Differentiation

ABSTRACT Drosophila producing a mutant form of the putative transcription coregulator, Split ends (Spen), originally identified in the analysis of neuronal development, display diverse immune defects. In order to understand the role of Spen in the innate immune response, we analyzed the transcriptional defects associated with spen mutant hemocytes and their relationship to the Notch signaling pathways. Spen is regulated by the Notch pathway in the lymph glands and is required for Notch-dependent activation of a large number of genes involved in energy metabolism and differentiation. Analysis of the epigenetic marks associated with Spen-dependent genes indicates that Spen performs its function as a coactivator by regulating chromatin modification. Intriguingly, expression of the Spen-dependent genes was transiently downregulated in a Notch-dependent manner by the Dif activated upon recognition of pathogen-associated molecules, demonstrating the existence of cross talk between hematopoietic regulation and the innate immune response. Our observations reveal a novel connection between the Notch and Toll/IMD signaling pathways and demonstrate a coactivating role for Spen in activating Notch-dependent genes in differentiating cells.
Vision substitution and depth perception: Early blind subjects experience visual perspective through their ears

Aim. Sensory substitution (SS) represents a unique opportunity to provide congenitally blind persons with visual-like experience. Although visual experience influences the way we perceive the external world, little is known about the effects of SS experience. Purpose. To investigate the effects of perceptual experience (visual versus sensory substitution) on depth perception through an SS system, object localization abilities of early blind (n = 10), and blindfolded sighted control subjects (n = 20) were assessed before and after a practicing period with a visual-to-auditory SS device. Method. During the pre- and post-test, subjects had to replace, by hand, an object previously localized using the device. The practicing phase consisted of three sessions during which subjects tried to localize and grasp an object using the device. Results. At the pre-test, sighted subjects spontaneously used efficiently different pictorial depth cues to estimate object distance while the blind subjects were affected by their lack of visual experience and were significantly less accurate. Post-test showed that the brief practicing phase sufficed to enable blind subjects to acquire the rules of visual depth and to use them efficiently with the device. Conclusions. These results suggest the possibility to compensate for some effects of early and long-lasting blindness by providing visual-like experience via SS. Theoretical implications are discussed.
Stem-Cell Work Yielding New Approach to Disease: Induced Pluripotent Stem-Cell Research Soars, Spurring Dreams of Clinical Applications

Interest in stem cells escalated in 2006 when scientists figured out how to reprogram some specialized adult cells to assume a stem-cell-like state. Called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), these cells opened the door to a range of potential applications, including generating cells and tissues to replace those that are faulty or missing in patients with cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or other maladies. Visions of new treatments and even cures for debilitating and fatal illnesses proliferated, and some of that work is well under way. Now, ten years later, those visions are looking more like real possibilities as research moves from the lab to the clinic and expands toward a greater understanding of the basic science behind stem cells and its applications.
Domain-theoretic foundations of functional programming

PCF and Its Operational Semantics The Scott Model of PCF Computational Adequacy Milner's Context Lemma The Full Abstraction Problem Logical Relations Some Structural Properties of the D Solutions of Recursive Domain Equations Characterisation of Fully Abstract Models Sequential Domains as a Model of PCF The Model of PCF in S is Fully Abstract Computability in Domains.
Profit-driven uniprocessor scheduling with energy and timing constraints

Energy-aware scheduling has received much attention in recent years, especially for systems with serious considerations on energy consumption. While most previous work focuses on the minimization of energy consumption, this paper exploits the maximization of the entire system profit under energy and timing constraints. We propose a greedy approximation algorithm with a 2-approximation ratio. A fully polynomial time approximation scheme (FPTAS) is also proposed, which is an optimal approximation algorithm unless P = NP. For each specified amount of error tolerant to users, the approximation algorithm could provide trade-offs among the specified error, the running time, the approximation ratio, and the memory space complexity. It provides ways for system engineers to trade performance with implementation constraints.
On the Nature of the Evanescent Wave

This is an unusual paper in that it does not address a particular research topic or present a novel experimental method or a new theoretical result. This paper addresses our basic understanding of the nature of the evanescent wave, the wave that is the basis of the entire field of Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) spectroscopy. I recently had the opportunity to reexamine the foundations of ATR spectroscopy and was surprised to have had to change my own mental picture of the evanescent wave that I have built over the last 25 years. Over the years I have had numerous discussions with a large number of workers in the field as well as with my former mentor, and one of the originators and the principal developer of ATR spectroscopy, the late N.J. Harrick. Everything brought up in all these discussions was perfectly consistent with my old mental picture of the evanescent wave. Thus, I believe that the picture of the evanescent wave that I had is virtually universally held by workers in the field. This paper describes the new picture of the evanescent wave that emerged from said reexamination process.
Final lengthening in Parkinsonian French Speech: Effects of position in phrase on the duration of CV syllables and speech segments

This study had two objectives. The first was to analyse the impact of Parkinson's disease (PD) on the duration of CV syllables and their components in different positions within phrases in French; the second was to examine the distribution of final lengthening (FL) on syllable sub-components. Two main tendencies emerged: (1) PD patients produced normal FL, and (2) FL influenced vowels more than consonants. These findings suggest that PD speakers had no difficulty with FL and that there is a progressive lengthening across the sub-constituents of the final syllable. More fundamentally, these results indicate that the syntactic function of prosody is intact in PD patients, at least during the early and mild stages of the disease.
Wireless communications with mobile devices in a Web-based teleoperations environment

Deploying robotic devices for Web-based teleoperation is currently the domain of academic researchers, commercial enterprises and a small group of dedicated hobbyists. Before more people can deploy their own devices, a number of difficult issues need to be addressed. In previous work, we presented a reusable framework for Web-based teleoperation of robotic devices and attempted to address some of these deployment issues. However, a number of problems still remain, including how to support communication with a mobile remote device. Any remotely operated device requires some form of communication channel to its operator. In many current systems, this communications channel is composed of a long-haul network connection as well as a short-range connection between the device and a base unit. For a mobile device, one traditional solution for this short-range connection has been tethered operation. Tethered operation imposes a number of undesirable limitations on mobile devices however, so many researchers have turned to wireless communication as an alternative. As both the monetary and power costs associated with wireless communications continue to decrease, it becomes more viable as a general solution to the problem of providing communication between a base unit and a mobile device. We present an overview of the current state of the art in commercially available wireless communications and its implications for Web-based teleoperations. We also discuss how the requirements and implementation of our existing reusable framework will be modi ed in response to the new requirements imposed by wireless communication.
Clinical Treatment of Dry Eye Using 0.03% Tacrolimus Eye Drops

Purpose: To report the clinical outcome of the treatment of dry eyes using 0.03% tacrolimus eye drops (olive oil + tacrolimus 0.03%) (Ophthalmos, Sao Paulo, Brazil). Methods: Sixteen eyes of 8 patients with Sjögren syndrome dry eyes (age, 51.13 ± 9.45 years) were enrolled in this study (prospective noncontrolled interventional case series). Patients were instructed to use topical 0.03% tacrolimus eye drops twice a day (every 12 hours) in the lower conjunctival sac. Schirmer I test, break-up time, corneal fluorescein, and rose bengal staining score were performed in all patients 1 day before, and 14, 28, and 90 days after treatment with 0.03% tacrolimus eye drops. Results: The average fluorescein staining and rose bengal staining scores improved statistically significantly after 14 days of treatment and improved even more after 28 and 90 days. The average Schirmer I test did not improve statistically significantly after 28 days of treatment, although we did observe a significant improvement after 90 days of treatment with 0.03% tacrolimus eye drops. The average break-up time did not improve statistically after 14 days of treatment, although we observed a significant improvement after 28 and 90 days of treatment with 0.03% tacrolimus eye drops. Conclusions: Topical 0.03% tacrolimus eye drops successfully improved tear stability and ocular surface status in patients with dry eyes.
The mathematical abilities of children with cochlear implants

Research has shown that cochlear implants give rise to improvements in speech recognition and production in children with profound hearing loss but very few studies have explored mathematical abilities in these children. The current study compared the mathematical abilities of 24 children with cochlear implants (mean age 10 years 1 month) to a control group of 22 hearing children (mean age 9 years 8 months). The math questions were categorized into questions that tapped into arithmetic or geometrical reasoning. It was predicted that the cochlear implant group would perform below the hearing group on the arithmetic questions but not the geometrical reasoning questions. Unexpectedly, the results showed that the cochlear implant group performed significantly below the hearing group on both types of math questions, but that this difference was mediated by language skill as assessed by vocabulary knowledge. The clinical implications of these results and possible future research results are considered.
Rapid construction and screening of artificial microRNA systems in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

The unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a classic model for the study of flagella/cilia and photosynthesis, and it has recently been exploited for producing biopharmaceuticals and biofuel. Due to the low frequency of homologous recombination, reverse genetic manipulation in Chlamydomonas relies mainly on miRNA- and siRNA-based knockdown methods. However, the difficulty in constructing artificial miRNA vectors, laborious screening of knockdown transformants, and undesired epigenetic silencing of exogenous miRNA constructs limit their application. We have established a one-step procedure to construct an artificial miRNA precursor by annealing eight oligonucleotides of approximately 40 nucleotides. In the final construct, the Gaussia princeps luciferase gene (G-Luc) is positioned between the promoter and the artificial miRNA precursor so that knockdown strains may quickly be screened by visualizing luciferase luminescence using a photon-counting camera. Furthermore, the luciferase activity of transformants correlates with the knockdown level of two test target proteins: the chloroplast protein VIPP1 (vesicle inducing protein in plastids 1) and the flagellar protein CDPK3 (calcium-dependent protein kinase 3). Adding an intron from RBCS2 (ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase small subunit 2) to the miRNA construct enhanced both the luciferase activity and the miRNA knockdown efficiency. A second miRNA vector incorporated the promoter of the nitrate reductase gene to allow inducible expression of the artificial miRNA. These vectors will facilitate application of the artificial miRNA and provide tools for studying the mechanism of epigenetics in Chlamydomonas, and may also be adapted for use in other model organisms.
A Wireless Sensor Network for Hospital Security: From User Requirements to Pilot Deployment

Increasing amount of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications require low network delays. However, current research on WSNs has mainly concentrated on optimizing energy-efficiency omitting low network delays. This paper presents a novel WSN design targeted at applications requiring low data transfer delays and high reliability. We present the whole design flow from user requirements to an actual pilot deployment in a real hospital unit. The WSN includes multihop low-delay data transfer and energy-efficient mobile nodes reaching lifetime of years with small batteries. The nodes communicate using a low-cost low-power 2.4 GHz radio. The network is used in a security application with which personnel can send alarms in threatening situations. Also, a multitude of sensor measurements and actuator control is possible with the WSN. A full-scale pilot deployment is extensively experimented for performance results. Currently, the pilot network is in use at the hospital.