Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Operationalizing and Detecting Disengagement Within Online Science Microworlds

In recent years, there has been increased interest in engagement during learning. This is of particular interest in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics domains, in which many students struggle and where the United States needs skilled workers. This article lays out some issues important for framing research on this topic and provides a review of some existing work with similar goals on engagement in science learning. Specifically, here we seek to help better concretize engagement, a fuzzy construct, by operationalizing and detecting (i.e., identifying using a computational method) disengaged behaviors that are antithetical to engagement. We, in turn, describe our real-time detector (i.e., machine learned model) of disengaged behavior and how it was developed. Last, we address our ongoing research on how our detector of disengaged behavior will be used to intervene in real time to better support students' science inquiry learning in Inq-ITS (Inquiry-Intelligent Tutoring System; Gobert, Sao Pedro, Baker, Toto, & Montalvo, 2012; Gobert, Sao Pedro, Raziuddin, & Baker, 2013).
Importance of stable velocity in agile maintenance

Agile maintenance is the best choice if you want to keep step with your customer needs. It is a result of trying to respond to customer change requests with the high efficiency. High involvement of the customer in the maintenance process is good but also can have negative effects. Change in the behavior of the customer can influence the execution of the change management process or cause the change of the release plan, etc. All that can destabilize normal maintenance velocity and lead to a chaotic relationship with the customer, if not controlled or prevented. This paper describes problems in agile maintenance caused mostly by the change of the customer behavior at the beginning of the economic crisis. It also presents results of the analysis of these problems and recommendations how to identify them and how to prevent them.
Cure Translational Research : Walking the Bridge between Idea and Updated Version

Advances in the understanding of normal and malignant cell biology are allowing the development of biologically targeted drugs directed at specific differences between host and tumor. The array of potential new targets is vast, but drugs currently in development are targeted at cellcycle regulators, growth factors and their receptors, signal transduction intermediates, angiogenesis, and the mechanisms that mediate apoptosis and DNA repair. Recent results raise the possibility that novel biologically targeted agents, perhaps in combination with traditional cytotoxic agents, may finally cure cancer. However, the development of a biologically targeted drug raises unique challenges in the design of clinical trials to demonstrate its efficacy, and despite the promising preclinical data that exist for most of the agents in development, the clinical trial remains the critical, final step across the bridge from basic research to clinical appli cation. In this review, we discuss some of the challenges in the clinical development of biologically targeted agents and the implications for clin ical trial design.
Detecting the MB1 with Higher-Order Statistics

MB1 is a very promising steganography. In this paper, a novel steganalysis scheme is presented to detect MB1. Many experiments are carried out based on high order features, and some useful propositions are learned from those experimental results. Based on those propositions we propose an effective MB1 detection algorithm. Experimental results show that the new proposed method has outperformed the existing MB1 steganalysis method in detection reliability.
Improving generation performance of speech emotion recognition by denoising autoencoders

A speech emotion recognition algorithm should generalize well when the target person's speech samples and prior knowledge about their emotional content are not included in the training data. In order to achieve this objective, we utilize denoising autoencoders based approach to solve this task. In this study, a relatively small dataset, which contains close to 1500 persons' emotion sentences, is introduced. By unsupervised pre-training with this dataset, denoising autoencoders learn features which contain more emotion-specific information than speaker-specific information in data successfully. Experiment results in CASIA dataset show that this denoising autoencoders based approach can improve the generation performance of speech emotion recognition significantly.
On the structure of almost Moore digraphs containing selfrepeats

An almost Moore digraph G of degree d > 1, diameter k > 1 is a diregular digraph with the number of vertices is one less than the Moore bound. If G is an almost Moore digraph, then for each vertex u ∈ V (G) there exists a vertex v ∈ V (G), called repeat of u and denoted by r(u) = v, Such that there are two walks of lenght ≤ k from u to v. The smallest positive integer p such that the composition r(u) = u is called the order of u. If the order of u is 1 then u is called a selfrepeat. It is known that if G is an almost Moore digraph then G contains exactly k selfrepeats or none. In this paper, we present the possible vertex orders of an almost digraph containing selfrepeats for d ≥ 4, k ≥ 3.
Timing and topography of cell genesis in the rat retina

To understand the mechanisms of cell fate determination in the vertebrate retina, the time course of the generation of the major cell types needs to be established. This will help define and interpret patterns of gene expression, waves of differentiation, timing and extent of competence, and many of the other developmental processes involved in fate acquisition. A thorough retinal cell “birthdating” study has not been performed for the laboratory rat, even though it is the species of choice for many contemporary developmental studies of the vertebrate retina. We investigated the timing and spatial pattern of cell genesis using 3H‐thymidine (3H‐TdR). A single injection of 3H‐TdR was administered to pregnant rats or rat pups between embryonic day (E) 8 and postnatal day (P) 13. The offspring of prenatally injected rats were delivered and all animals survived to maturity. Labeled cells were visualized by autoradiography of retinal sections. Rat retinal cell genesis commenced around E10, 50% of cells were born by approximately P1, and retinogenesis was complete near P12. The first postmitotic cells were found in the retinal ganglion cell layer and were 9–15 μm in diameter. This range includes small to medium diameter retinal ganglion cells and large displaced amacrine cells. The sequence of cell genesis was established by determining the age at which 5, 50, and 95% of the total population of cells of each phenotype became postmitotic. With few exceptions, the cell types reached these developmental landmarks in the following order: retinal ganglion cells, horizontal cells, cones, amacrine cells, rods, bipolar cells, and Müller glia. For each type, the first cells generated were located in the central retina and the last cells in the peripheral retina. Within the sequence of cell genesis, two or three phases could be detected based on differences in timing, kinetics, and topographic gradients of cell production. Our results show that retinal cells in the rat are generated in a sequence similar to that of the primate retina, in which retinogenesis spans more than 100 days. To the extent that sequences reflect underlying mechanisms of cell fate determination, they appear to be conserved. J. Comp. Neurol. 474:304–324, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
BITS-Tree-An Efficient Data Structure for Segment Storage and Query Processing

In this paper, a new and novel data structure is proposed to dynamically insert and delete segments. Unlike the standard segment trees[3], the proposed data structure permits insertion of a segment with interval range beyond the interval range of the existing tree, which is the interval between minimum and maximum values of the end points of all the segments. Moreover, the number of nodes in the proposed tree is lesser as compared to the dynamic version of the standard segment trees, and is able to answer both stabbing and range queries practically much faster compared to the standard segment trees.
Effects of non-thermal tails in Maxwellian electron distributions on synchrotron and Compton processes

We investigate how the presence of a non-thermal tail beyond a Maxwellian electron distribution affects the synchrotron process as well as Comptonization in plasmas with parameters typical for accretion flows on to black holes. We find that the presence of the tail can significantly increase the net (after accounting for self-absorption) cyclo-synchrotron emission of the plasma, which then provides seed photons for Compton upscattering. Thus, the luminosity in the thermally Comptonized spectrum is enhanced as well. The importance of these effects increases with both increasing Eddington ratio and black hole mass. The enhancement of the Comptonized synchrotron luminosity can be as large as ∼103 and ∼105 for stellar and supermassive black holes, respectively, when the energy content in the non-thermal tail is 1 per cent. The presence of the tail only weakly hardens the thermal Comptonization spectrum but it leads to the formation of a high-energy tail beyond the thermal cut-off, which two effects are independent of the nature of the seed photons. Since observations of high-energy tails in Comptonization spectra can constrain the non-thermal tails in the electron distribution and thus the Comptonized synchrotron luminosity, they provide upper limits on the strength of magnetic fields in accretion flows. In particular, the measurement of an MeV tail in the hard state of Cyg X-1 by McConnell et al. implies the magnetic field strength in this source to be at most an order of magnitude below equipartition.
Energy Efficient Deployment and Scheduling of Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks being energy constrained systems, one major problem is to deploy the sensor nodes in such a manner so as to ensure maximum coverage and connectivity with optimal number of nodes and furthermore elongate network lifetime with maximum energy utilization. In this paper, the above problem has been tackled for a linear array and the concept has been extended to two-dimensional array of sensor nodes. A node deployment strategy has been devised which ensures equal energy dissipation for all the nodes through a trade-off between idle and sleep times while ensuring minimal energy dissipation for the entire network during each data gathering cycle. Furthermore the deployment scheme being developed for equidistant placement of nodes, a 100 percent coverage and connectivity has been guaranteed with radio ranges remaining within appreciable limits. Extensive simulations have been carried out with encouraging outcomes and the results that have been obtained show that the network lifetime is also enhanced compared to previous schemes. Keywords— Wireless sensor networks, coverage, connectivity, equal energy dissipation, idle and sleep times.
Polarized Axonal Surface Expression of Neuronal KCNQ Potassium Channels Is Regulated by Calmodulin Interaction with KCNQ2 Subunit

KCNQ potassium channels composed of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 subunits give rise to the M-current, a slow-activating and non-inactivating voltage-dependent potassium current that limits repetitive firing of action potentials. KCNQ channels are enriched at the surface of axons and axonal initial segments, the sites for action potential generation and modulation. Their enrichment at the axonal surface is impaired by mutations in KCNQ2 carboxy-terminal tail that cause benign familial neonatal convulsion and myokymia, suggesting that their correct surface distribution and density at the axon is crucial for control of neuronal excitability. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for regulating enrichment of KCNQ channels at the neuronal axon remain elusive. Here, we show that enrichment of KCNQ channels at the axonal surface of dissociated rat hippocampal cultured neurons is regulated by ubiquitous calcium sensor calmodulin. Using immunocytochemistry and the cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) membrane protein as a trafficking reporter, we demonstrate that fusion of KCNQ2 carboxy-terminal tail is sufficient to target CD4 protein to the axonal surface whereas inhibition of calmodulin binding to KCNQ2 abolishes axonal surface expression of CD4 fusion proteins by retaining them in the endoplasmic reticulum. Disruption of calmodulin binding to KCNQ2 also impairs enrichment of heteromeric KCNQ2/KCNQ3 channels at the axonal surface by blocking their trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum to the axon. Consistently, hippocampal neuronal excitability is dampened by transient expression of wild-type KCNQ2 but not mutant KCNQ2 deficient in calmodulin binding. Furthermore, coexpression of mutant calmodulin, which can interact with KCNQ2/KCNQ3 channels but not calcium, reduces but does not abolish their enrichment at the axonal surface, suggesting that apo calmodulin but not calcium-bound calmodulin is necessary for their preferential targeting to the axonal surface. These findings collectively reveal calmodulin as a critical player that modulates trafficking and enrichment of KCNQ channels at the neuronal axon.
Central Mechanisms of Abnormal Sympathoexcitation in Chronic Heart Failure

It has been recognized that the sympathetic nervous system is abnormally activated in chronic heart failure, and leads to further worsening chronic heart failure. In the treatment of chronic heart failure many clinical studies have already suggested that the inhibition of the abnormal sympathetic hyperactivity by beta blockers is beneficial. It has been classically considered that abnormal sympathetic hyperactivity in chronic heart failure is caused by the enhancement of excitatory inputs including changes in peripheral baroreceptor and chemoreceptor reflexes and chemical mediators that control sympathetic outflow. Recently, the abnormalities in the central regulation of sympathetic nerve activity mediated by brain renin angiotensin system-oxidative stress axis and/or proinflammatory cytokines have been focused. Central renin angiotensin system, proinflammatory cytokines, and the interaction between them have been determined as the target of the sympathoinhibitory treatment in experimental animal models with chronic heart failure. In conclusion, we must recognize that chronic heart failure is a syndrome with an abnormal sympathoexcitation, which is caused by the abnormalities in the central regulation of sympathetic nerve activity.
A compact 3.4/5.5 GHz dual band-notched UWB monopole antenna with nested U-shaped slots

A compact ultrawideband (UWB) monopole antenna with nested U-shaped slots in the radiating patch for the 3.4/5.5 GHz dual band-notched characteristics is presented. The antenna has a rectangular radiating patch with a staircase structure symmetrically in the bottom of it and fed by a 50-Ώ microstrip transmission line. By removing two nested U-shaped slots in the radiating patch, dual band-notched properties in the WiMAX/WLAN bands are achieved. The proposed antenna is effectively simulated and designed providing broadband impedance matching, appropriate gain and stable radiation pattern characteristics. A UWB and a single band-notched UWB antenna are also provided for the reference.
Longtime behavior of harvesting spam bots

This paper investigates the origins of the spamming process, specifically concerning address harvesting on the web, by relying on an extensive measurement data set spanning over three years. Concretely, we embedded more than 23 million unique spamtrap addresses in web pages. 0.5% of the embedded trap addresses received a total of 620,000 spam messages. Besides the scale of the experiment, the critical aspect of our methodology is the uniqueness of the issued spamtrap addresses, which enables the mapping of crawling activities to the actual spamming process. Our observations suggest that simple obfuscation methods are still efficient for protecting addresses from being harvested. A key finding is that search engines are used as proxies, either to hide the identity of the harvester or to optimize the harvesting process.
Exploratory analysis of time-varying functional connectivity in a visual task

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become a common tool in investigating brain activities on human subjects. Although each region of the brain was thought to be independent and responsible only for particular tasks and specialized functions, recent studies have shown that different regions of the brain interact with each other in performing specific tasks or even during the resting state. However, the temporal variations in functional connectivity have been largely overlooked by most studies. This study aims to explore time-varying properties of functional connectivity through comparing results from different correlation and regression analysis methods on a sample set of fMRI data acquired from a visual task. The results clearly show that functional connectivity in the visual task is transient, which suggests that simply assuming a sustained connectivity change during task period might not be sufficient to capture dynamic functional connectivity changes induced by tasks.
Dangerous human event understanding using human-object interaction model

Detection of complex human events in videos and images is a challenging problem of computer vision. The difficulty lies in constructing effective connection between human activities and specific events. In this paper we focus on dangerous human events, especially when people with handheld weapons are presented in images. By introducing Human-Object Interaction model, we are able to establish methods and systems to recognize events that are dangerous. In our approach, the process of event understanding is based on identifying dangerous objects in possible areas predicted by human body parts. The accuracy of dangerous human events understanding is improved when human body parts estimation is combined with objects detection. Utilizing a developed dangerous human events data set, we show our model and system outperform conventional event classification approaches in efficiency.
CAGExploreR: an R package for the analysis and visualization of promoter dynamics across multiple experiments

Alternate promoter usage is an important molecular mechanism for generating RNA and protein diversity. Cap Analysis Gene Expression (CAGE) is a powerful approach for revealing the multiplicity of transcription start site (TSS) events across experiments and conditions. An understanding of the dynamics of TSS choice across these conditions requires both sensitive quantification and comparative visualization. We have developed CAGExploreR, an R package to detect and visualize changes in the use of specific TSS in wider promoter regions in the context of changes in overall gene expression when comparing different CAGE samples. These changes provide insight into the modification of transcript isoform generation and regulatory network alterations associated with cell types and conditions. CAGExploreR is based on the FANTOM5 and MPromDb promoter set definitions but can also work with user-supplied regions. The package compares multiple CAGE libraries simultaneously. Supplementary Materials describe methods in detail, and a vignette demonstrates a workflow with a real data example. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The package is freely available under the MIT license from CRAN (http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/CAGExploreR). CONTACT edimont@mail.harvard. edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Functional and morphological evidence of age‐related denervation in rat laryngeal muscles

Fast and constant laryngeal activity depends on reliable communication between motor neurons and laryngeal muscles at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). It is unclear how aging alters NMJ function in the intrinsic laryngeal muscles. This study tested the hypothesis that two laryngeal muscles (thyroarytenoid, TA, and posterior cricoarytenoid, PCA) become functionally denervated with age. The sensitivity of TA and PCA from Fischer 344‐Brown Norway rats (6 and 30 mo of age) to the neuromuscular blocker tubocurarine (TC, 0 – 20 μM) was examined in vitro. The ratio of force response to nerve stimulation (NS, pulse duration 0.2 ms) to force response to direct muscle stimulation (MS, pulse duration, 1.0 ms) was used as a TC sensitivity index. NMJ density was examined with fluorescence microscopy in 10 μm‐thick laryngeal cryosections labeled with FITC‐conjugated α‐bungarotoxin, an NMJ marker. TA and PCA were significantly weaker at 30‐ compared to 6‐mo (~20% decrease in peak force with MS). Without TC, TA and PCA peak forces in response to NS and MS were not different within each age group. TC (≥0.5 μM) steadily decreased NS/MS in TA and PCA muscles from 6‐mo old rats; full NS block was achieved at 5.0 μM. Muscles from 30‐mo old rats were more sensitive to TC: NS/MS started to decrease at 0.1 μM TC and full NS block occurred at 1.0 μM. Laryngeal cryosections at the motor innervation point demonstrated decreased NMJ abundance in both TA and PCA from 30‐mo old rats. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that aging rat PCA and TA muscles become functionally denervated. It is still unclear whether the degree of functional denervation corresponds to the loss of NMJ density in these muscles.
A common factor of stochastic volatilities between oil and commodity prices

ABSTRACT This article analyses the multivariate stochastic volatilities (SVs) with a common factor influencing volatilities in the prices of crude oil and agricultural commodities, used for both biofuel and nonbiofuel purposes. Modelling the volatility is crucial because the volatility is an important variable for asset allocation, risk management and derivative pricing. We develop a SV model comprising a latent common volatility factor with two asymptotic regimes with a smooth transition between them. In contrast to conventional volatility models, SVs are generated by the logistic transformation of latent factors, which comprise two components: the common volatility factor and an idiosyncratic component. We present a SV model with a common factor for oil, corn and wheat from 8 August 2005 to 10 October 2014, using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method to estimate the SVs and extract the common volatility factor. We find that the volatilities of oil and grain markets are persistent. According to the estimated common volatility factor, high volatility periods match the 2007–2009 recession and the 2007–2008 financial crisis quite well. Finally, the extracted common volatility factor exhibits a distinct pattern.
Economic Aspects of Network Coding

—This work focuses on a cellular system scenario of a single base station broadcasting incoming ﬁles (or users) to multiple receivers over a time-varying channel. The base-station sets a price per receiver and per ﬁle to maximize its proﬁt. The ﬁles may or may not enter the system depending on the price of service, the delay performance and their randomly determined valuations. Under this scenario, we consider the use of Network Coding and Scheduling as the transmission strategies. Our analysis provides approximate characterization of the optimal admission rate, price and revenue as functions of the ﬁrst and second moments of the service time processes under mild assumptions. We show that optimal network coding window size is highly insensitive to the number of receivers, which suggests that pricing and coding decisions can be decoupled. Moreover, we demonstrate that network coding leads to a signiﬁcant (almost ten-fold) gain in the revenue compared to scheduling.