Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘Insane with courage’: free university experiments and the struggle for higher education in historical perspective

This article considers the role of experiments in learning in movements to democratise higher education ‘under the rule of capital’ (Gutierrez, Navarro and Linsalata 2017). It focuses on the emergence of a new generation of ‘free universities’ in the United Kingdom, situating these in a historical tradition of educational experimentation and a current context of global movements for autonomy from the state, capital and dominating epistemologies. It argues that free universities can contribute to transforming the relationship between knowledge, university and society, but that these contributions are often invisible within the logic of the dominant institutional systems. Conceptualising the projects as struggles for autonomy renders these contributions visible and valuable for educational reformers working both within and independently of the university.
Impact of Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) Polymorphism on Brain ApoE Levels

Inheritance of the apoE4 allele (ε4) increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease; however, the mechanisms underlying this association remain elusive. Recent data suggest that inheritance of ε4 may lead to reduced apoE protein levels in the CNS. We therefore examined apoE protein levels in the brains, CSF and plasma of ε2/2, ε3/3, and ε4/4 targeted replacement mice. These apoE mice showed a genotype-dependent decrease in apoE levels; ε2/2 >ε3/3 >ε4/4. Next, we sought to examine the relative contributions of apoE4 and apoE3 in the ε3/4 mouse brains. ApoE4 represented 30–40% of the total apoE. Moreover, the absolute amount of apoE3 per allele was similar between ε3/3 and ε3/4 mice, implying that the reduced levels of total apoE in ε3/4 mice can be explained by the reduction in apoE4 levels. In culture medium from ε3/4 human astrocytoma or ε3/3, ε4/4 and ε3/4 primary astrocytes, apoE4 levels were consistently lower than apoE3. Secreted cholesterol levels were also lower from ε4/4 astrocytes. Pulse-chase experiments showed an enhanced degradation and reduced half-life of newly synthesized apoE4 compared with apoE3. Together, these data suggest that astrocytes preferentially degrade apoE4, leading to reduced apoE4 secretion and ultimately to reduced brain apoE levels. Moreover, the genotype-dependent decrease in CNS apoE levels, mirror the relative risk of developing AD, and suggest that low levels of total apoE exhibited by ε4 carriers may directly contribute to the disease progression, perhaps by reducing the capacity of apoE to promote synaptic repair and/or Aβ clearance.
Integrating Morphology with Multi-word Expression Processing in Turkish

This paper describes a multi-word expression processor for preprocessing Turkish text for various language engineering applications. In addition to the fairly standard set of lexicalized collocations and multi-word expressions such as named-entities, Turkish uses a quite wide range of semi-lexicalized and non-lexicalized collocations. After an overview of relevant aspects of Turkish, we present a description of the multi-word expressions we handle. We then summarize the computational setting in which we employ a series of components for tokenization, morphological analysis, and multi-word expression extraction. We finally present results from runs over a large corpus and a small gold-standard corpus.
Manipulation of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) by Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (Tospovirus) Via the Host Plant Nutrients to Enhance Its Transmission and Spread

Earlier studies have shown that Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) influences the biology, performance, and behavioral patterns of its vector Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande. In this study, using Capsicum annuum L. as the host plant, we aimed to determine the manipulation of F. occidentalis by TSWV through switching of the diet (+ or −TSWV) during vector’s development. Behavioral patterns, fitness, as well as vector performance were evaluated. The specific parameters investigated included longevity/survival, fecundity, development time, feeding, and preferential behavior. F. occidentalis were reared on either TSWV-infected (exposed) or healthy leaves (non-exposed) throughout their larval stages. The emerging adults were then individually transferred to either healthy or TSWV-infected leaf disks. This resulted into four treatments, consisting of exposed or non-exposed thrips reared on either infected or healthy leaf disks as adults. All F. occidentalis exposed to TSWV in their larval stages had shorter development time regardless of the adults’ diet. Whereas, the ones that were later reared on healthy leaf disks as adults recorded the highest longevity and reproduction rate. Furthermore, adults of F. occidentalis that were exposed to TSWV in their larval stages showed preference toward healthy leaf disks (−TSWV), whereas the non-exposed significantly preferred the infected leaf disks (+TSWV). These are further indications that TSWV modifies the nutritional content of its host plants, which influences vector’s biology and preferential behavior, in favor of its multiplication and dispersal. The findings offer additional explanation to the often aggressive spread of the virus in crop stands.
Index Terms—Image, Ontology, OWL, Semantic Web,

—The rapid growth of the Internet information sources has led to organizing proposals, such as the Semantic Web initiative, with its ontological level providing a formal structuring for this disparate data. But given the amount of information to be treated even in a restricted domain, manual organization becomes rapidly unmanageable, and automatic methodologies for ontology building are required. Here we describe techniques for the automatic construction of a image ontology based on multimedia data (text and images) for a specific class of objects, manmade tools. Our approach combines modification of existing lexical resources and search engine querying in order to obtain raw images. These images are then clustered into representative concepts for the ontology. Our automated approach can be applied to any subset of physical objects.
The perception- ... -action cycle cognitive architecture and autonomy: a view from the brain

Autonomous systems with reasoning capabilities are systems able to perceive their environment and act on it by performing complex tasks automatically. Autonomous systems are also able to adapt to unforeseen operating conditions or errors in a robust and predictable manner without the need for human guidance, instructions or programming. To accomplish such complex feats they must master the powers of perception, recognition, attention, learning and memory, cognitive control, reward and motivation, decision making, affordance extraction, action planning and action execution (step 1). Once these powers are successfully mastered, then these systems may be embodied into a robot able to act in the real world (step 2). Their embodiment, however, cannot guarantee that these systems will be able to operate autonomously in the environment as they will still need to solve the issues of the real-time system operation, resource management and meta-learning (step 2). In their article “Cognitive architectures and autonomy: a comparative review” Thórisson and Helgasson reviewed a number of “autonomous” systems and architectures with general “cognitive” capabilities and compared and contrasted their performance in a hypothetical example of autonomous exploration of an environment by a robot. Instead of their criteria focusing on how the powers of perception, recognition, attention, memory, cognition, decision making and action planning and execution are achieved by these systems (step 1), the authors ignored these powers, and compared and contrasted the systems based on step 2’s real-time processing, resource management, learning and meta-learning issues. The authors argued that the former functions (e.g. perception, recognition, attention, memory, etc.) are less important. I believe that dealing with the issues of real-time processing, resource management, learning and meta-learning first and comparing and contrasting the reasoning capabilities of systems based on them is similar to building a house from the roof down. The systems are forced to solve the real-time system operations of functionalities which they have not deciphered yet, so they will inevitably be dumb, as they will be empty shells not possessing any reasoning powers that will enable them to go beyond the information provided. Furthermore, though some of the reviewed systems are “biologically inspired” in that they depend on behavioral studies and test themselves by the replication of experimental behavioral data, none of these systems attempt reverse engineering of the brain circuitry that supports these behaviors. Reasoning is the highest faculty of the human brain and it depends on the majority of the brain components (perception, attention, learning and memory, decision making, action, etc.). The brain is a system that has evolved over a million or so years, so it is expected to provide a reasonably optimized solution to many of the cognitive tasks under consideration.
Improving Stability of Vision-based Camera Tracking by Smartphone Sensors

3D tracking is a trending issue in the field of augmented reality, which brings several challenges in a variety of situations, such as estimating the camera poses in dim conditions, obstructed scenes. It is difficult to stabilize the pose estimation results, especially when the result is dependent on only camera images under occlusions. However by using inertial sensors in smartphones, we can obtain image-independent pose estimation. In this study, we propose a simple sensor fusion method which supports imagebased 3D camera pose estimation method. We demonstrate tracking results that is more robust in an obstructed scene compared to the image-based tracking method
Design of an Ultra-Short Pulse Generator

An ultra-short pulse generator is presented, whose frequency, pulse width and amplitude are tunable. The design method is based on Marx circuit, which is made up of avalanche transistors mainly. The paper describes the avalanche transistor's characteristic, the basic pulse circuit, the generator's working principle and the selection of components in detail. Finally, the simulation and experimental results are shown and they are in accordance with each other perfectly. With the features such as simple structure, stable and reliable performance and low cost, the ultra-short pulse generator can be applied in ultra-wideband wireless communication system.
A self-labeling speech corpus: collecting spoken words with an online educational game

We explore a new approach to collecting and transcribing speech data by using online educational games. One such game, Voice Race, elicited over 55,000 utterances over a 22 day period, representing 18.7 hours of speech. Voice Race was designed such that the transcripts for a significant subset of utterances can be automatically inferred using the contextual constraints of the game. Game context can also be used to simplify transcription to a multiple choice task, which can be performed by non-experts. We found that one third of the speech collected with Voice Race could be automatically transcribed with over 98% accuracy; and that an additional 49% could be labeled cheaply by Amazon Mechanical Turk workers. We demonstrate the utility of the self-labeled speech in an acoustic model adaptation task, which resulted in a reduction in the Voice Race utterance error rate. The collected utterances cover a wide variety of vocabulary, and should be useful across a range of research.
Design of 6-Bit Flash Analog to Digital Converter Using Variable Switching Voltage CMOS Comparator

This paper presents the design of 6-bit flash analog to digital Converter (ADC) using the new variable switching voltage (VSV) comparator. In general, Flash ADCs attain the highest conversion speed at the cost of high power consumption. By using the new VSV comparator, the designed 6-bit Flash ADC exhibits significant improvement in terms of power and speed of previously reported Flash ADCs. The simulation result shows that the converter consumes peak power 2.1 mW from a 1.2 V supply and achieves the speed of 1 GHz in a 65nm standard CMOS process. The measurement of maximum differential and integral nonlinearities (DNL and INL) of the Flash ADC are 0.3 LSB and 0.6 LSB respectively.
Differential diagnosis of pelvic cystic lesions caused by hemorrhage from inflammatory abscess using CT attenuation in women with acute abdomen

ABSTRACT To determine the efficacy of computed tomography (CT) attenuation of cystic lesions measured on an image browsing system to distinguish abscess from hematoma in women with acute abdomen. The medical records of female patients of reproductive age with acute abdomen who were treated over a 7-year period in a single center and who had undergone laparotomy or laparoscopic surgery and preoperative pelvic CT scanning were retrospectively analyzed to identify those with hematoma or abscess cyst formation. Nineteen patients with tubo-ovarian abscess (abscess group) and six patients with hematoma (hematoma group) formation in the pelvis were included in the analysis. The preoperative CT images of the tubo-ovarian cyst were retrospectively investigated on the basis of cyst attenuation. CT attenuation of the cyst measured by both two gynecologists could be used to clearly distinguish inflammatory disease with abscess formation from bleeding disease with hematoma. CT attenuation on a picture archiving and communication system can distinguish hematoma from abscess in women with acute abdomen. This may significantly contribute to making differential diagnosis without interpretation by a medical radiologist.
HTF: a novel feature for general crack detection

Recent years, image-based crack detection has attracted more and more attentions for its potential applications on the inspection, diagnosis, and maintenance of various products, e.g. metal workpiece, concrete structure, asphalt road and etc. Generally, the applications are inevitably confronted with noises such as non-uniform illuminated conditions, shadings, stains and nature textures. To ease the problem, traditional methods usually focused on a special application and are carried out with strictly controlled image acquisition environments or an adhoc preprocessing procedure. In this paper, we propose a general crack detection method which can deal with various products as well as the noises in a unified fashion, and even with the same parameters. The method partitions an image into overlapped small grid cells and determines whether the cells contain cracks using a well designed feature descriptor. Experiments using real images of various products show the effectiveness of the proposed feature as well as the method.
A Plea For a Naturalistic Ontology

In philosophy, Naturalism is understood to be a paradigm that confers a certain direction on our thinking and on scientific research. 1 In conjunction with this, there are often in the foreground conceptual and methodical constraints that a naturalistic orientation implies. Thus, it is characteristic of naturalists’ self-understanding to reject as unscientific any inquiries whose presuppositions exceed the bounds of empirical knowledge. Inquiries of that sort are to be found in all realms of philosophy. Traditionally, it was the questions of metaphysics, ethics and theology that attracted the criticism of the Naturalists. Nowadays, this debate has shifted a bit, and it is issues in epistemology and the philosophy of mind to which the attention of both the detractors and champions of Naturalism are directed.
TerraGuide: Design and Evaluation of a Multi-Surface Environment for Terrain Visibility Analysis

Terrain visibility analysis is a challenging task that is currently supported by complex digital tools with cumbersome interfaces. In this paper, we present TerraGuide, a novel multi-surface environment for exploratory terrain analysis. TerraGuide provides three tightly coupled displays including a real-time viewshed, a 3D panoramic view, and a helicopter view controlled by an optically tracked tablet. A user study compared these techniques and identified users' strategies in solving a complex terrain analysis problem. Users overwhelmingly adopted a bi-manual use of the tabletop viewshed and tablet-based helicopter techniques. This paper gives insight into how multi-surface environments can be designed to allow complementary use of and fluid switching between techniques.
Depth Map Boundary Enhancement Using Random Walk

Depth information is essential for depth image-based rendering (DIBR), which is one of the rendering processes for the virtual view using a color image and its corresponding depth map. Although there are several depth estimation methods, more accurate depth estimation is still required. Since inaccurate depth information along object boundaries causes serious rendering errors, depth boundary information is very important. In this paper, we propose a new depth map filtering algorithm to solve the boundary mismatch problem. In order to preserve depth boundaries, we smooth depth values of the non-boundary region using the random walk probability. After calculating a similarity measure between the current pixel and its neighboring pixels using the random walk probability model, we have applied a weighted averaging filter based on the random walk probability. Finally, we have obtained a depth map with higher quality compared to other methods. Experimental results showed enhancement of depth boundaries.
ADAPT: Design assistance for iterative analog synthesis

This paper presents an analog circuit design assistance tool called Adapt. The tool can perform automatic circuit sizing over a wide range of heterogeneous design parameters. We present Adapt’s architecture and the design flow, discuss important user-interface aspects of the tool, disclose details on the optimization algorithms incorporated in the tool, and demonstrate the practical strength of the tool. The industrial-strength capabilities of the tool are showcased using an RF low-noise amplifier that is used in Bluetooth applications.
Impacts of Comprehensive Teacher Induction: Final Results from a Randomized Controlled Study. NCEE 2010-4027.

Teacher induction programs are designed to support new teachers and reduce teacher turnover. Comprehensive teacher induction, however, goes beyond traditional induction by relying on carefully selected and trained full-time mentors and also includes an intensive curriculum involving instructional support and professional development, opportunities to observe experienced teachers, and assessment tools for teachers that permit ongoing evaluation of practice and constructive feedback. Final results from Mathematicaâ€™s national evaluation show that compared to business-as-usual induction programs, two years of comprehensive induction can boost student achievement. For teachers who received one year of comprehensive induction, however, there was no impact. The study found no impacts on other outcomes.
WDM overlay of distributed base stations in deployed passive optical networks using coherent optical OFDM transceivers

It is proposed to reuse the deployed PON infrastructure by overlaying distributed radio base stations by means of very dense WDM with narrow channel spacings. In order to cope with that while minimizing its impact onto the performance of legacy equipment, coherent optical OFDM technology is used. Furthermore, the case of a practical implementation using CPRI is analyzed by means of simulations for several use cases. Within the analyzed use cases, a rural PON with 50 km reach has proven to support splitting ratios of up to 32 users, whereas an urban radio access network has been demonstrated to support ratios of up to 256 users within a radius of 2 km.
Noise suppression and improved edge texture analysis in kidney ultrasound images

Due to the characteristic speckle noise of ultrasound kidney images, a noise reducing filter must be first applied before image processing stage like segmentation, registration etc. In addition the speckle suppression methods are highly required to improve the quality of the ultrasound image in retaining the edge features of the kidney images. The effect of this stage increases the dynamic range of gray levels which in turn increase the image contrast.
Neurofeedback and Mindfulness in Peak Performance Training Among Athletes

Years of research have demonstrated that biofeedback, neurofeedback, and mindfulness, individually and in various combinations, have been employed to effectively improve sport performance. The present article discusses the literature supporting the combination of these techniques, the neurophysiologic measures that support the use of these techniques for performance enhancement, and practical methods for implementing a combination of biofeedback and mindfulness with athletes. Finally, a case study is presented to offer practical steps on implementing mindfulness and biofeedback for the purpose of performance enhancement.
Tama Samoa Stories: Experiences and Perceptions of Identity, Belonging and Future Aspirations at Secondary School

This thesis investigates the experiences of twelve strong, articulate and thoughtful tama Samoa (Samoan boys) through their participation in secondary schools and lives outside the classroom and through the stories of others. The study looked at how the students enacted their identities as Samoans, as learners and as young men who are anticipating the future. The study is premised on the view that Pacific identities are fluid, diverse, multi-dimensional and include a range of different perspectives relating to social class, ethnicity, culture and gender. Such a view of identity as complex is not generally taken into consideration in the literature on educational success and achievement of Pacific students in New Zealand. The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design, using focus groups and semi-structured interviews by talanoa (conversations). As the study involved a group of indigenous tama Samoa, the Samoan fa’afaletui method was used. Participants were a group of twelve tama Samoa in three Wellington secondary schools and their twelve nominated persons. The study found that there are key aspects to making the experiences of tama Samoa positive and successful within the secondary school. These include acknowledging tama Samoa and their multiple identities while attending secondary school; supporting the development of a sense of belonging through everyday interactions with peers and teachers, and affirming the belief by tama Samoa that secondary school socialisation serves to help them make future decisions. This study argues that the experiences of tama Samoa are deeply embedded within wider social, economic and political trends. Indeed, their “voices” are shaped in part by these broader forces that construct and represent them as being historically “disadvantaged” and socio-economically “underserved. ” Further, this study advocates for the diverse voices of tama Samoa, along with their experiences, stories, hopes, aspirations and dreams to be brought to light and placed alongside the official accounts of Pacific “disadvantage” to enable more balanced critical discourses taking place. It is hoped that this study will offer further insights into the experiences of tama Samoa in the New Zealand secondary school context, from which valuable knowledge is derived to inform and support schools in improving the New Zealand secondary school experiences of Samoan adolescent boys.