Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of Teacher Value-Added Estimates to Student and Peer Control Variables

Abstract Teacher value-added models (VAMs) must isolate teachers’ contributions to student achievement to be valid. Well-known VAMs use different specifications, however, leaving policymakers with little clear guidance for constructing a valid model. We examine the sensitivity of teacher value-added estimates under different models based on whether they include student and peer background characteristics, and a double-lagged achievement score. We also consider two previously unexplored model variations: (a) replacing classroom peer characteristics with teacher-level averages, and (b) allowing demographics to influence the relationship between current and prior achievement. Using data from a northern state, we find that teacher effectiveness estimates are highly correlated across specifications. However, up to 26% of teachers in the bottom quintile using one specification are ranked higher using another specification. Differences between VAMs have direct implications for which estimates change. In particular, teachers in a district with a large fraction of disadvantaged students receive lower ratings when background characteristics are omitted. Other modeling choices have smaller practical consequences, and none are as important as selecting which assessment to use as the outcome measure.
Cognitive interventions to reduce diagnostic error: a narrative review

Background Errors in clinical reasoning occur in most cases in which the diagnosis is missed, delayed or wrong. The goal of this review was to identify interventions that might reduce the likelihood of these cognitive errors. Design We searched PubMed and other medical and non-medical databases and identified additional literature through references from the initial data set and suggestions from subject matter experts. Articles were included if they either suggested a possible intervention or formally evaluated an intervention and excluded if they focused solely on improving diagnostic tests or provider satisfaction. Results We identified 141 articles for full review, 42 reporting tested interventions to reduce the likelihood of cognitive errors, 100 containing suggestions, and one article with both suggested and tested interventions. Articles were classified into three categories: (1) Interventions to improve knowledge and experience, such as simulation-based training, improved feedback and education focused on a single disease; (2) Interventions to improve clinical reasoning and decision-making skills, such as reflective practice and active metacognitive review; and (3) Interventions that provide cognitive ‘help’ that included use of electronic records and integrated decision support, informaticians and facilitating access to information, second opinions and specialists. Conclusions We identified a wide range of possible approaches to reduce cognitive errors in diagnosis. Not all the suggestions have been tested, and of those that have, the evaluations typically involved trainees in artificial settings, making it difficult to extrapolate the results to actual practice. Future progress in this area will require methodological refinements in outcome evaluation and rigorously evaluating interventions already suggested, many of which are well conceptualised and widely endorsed.
A Simple, Monolithically Integrated Optical Receiver

A monolithic integrated optical receiver is demonstrated by using the asymmetric twinwaveguide (ATG) technology. This device shows a peak responsivity of 8±0.2 A/W, and a 3dB optical bandwidth of 10±1 GHz, equivalent to a 265 GHz gain-bandwidth product.
The biomechanical role of the chondrocranium and sutures in a lizard cranium

The role of soft tissues in skull biomechanics remains poorly understood. Not least, the chondrocranium, the portion of the braincase which persists as cartilage with varying degrees of mineralization. It also remains commonplace to overlook the biomechanical role of sutures despite evidence that they alter strain distribution. Here, we examine the role of both the sutures and the chondrocranium in the South American tegu lizard Salvator merianae. We use multi-body dynamics analysis (MDA) to provide realistic loading conditions for anterior and posterior unilateral biting and a detailed finite element model to examine strain magnitude and distribution. We find that strains within the chondrocranium are greatest during anterior biting and are primarily tensile; also that strain within the cranium is not greatly reduced by the presence of the chondrocranium unless it is given the same material properties as bone. This result contradicts previous suggestions that the anterior portion (the nasal septum) acts as a supporting structure. Inclusion of sutures to the cranium model not only increases overall strain magnitudes but also leads to a more complex distribution of tension and compression rather than that of a beam under sagittal bending.
Width-constrained wire sizing for non-tree interconnections

With the use of non-tree topology in signal nets, the delay issue in non-tree topologies has become an important problem. In this paper, based on the transformation-based timing analysis for a non-tree interconnection, an iterative wire-sizing approach is proposed to assign feasible widths onto the wire segments to minimize the timing delay in the critical path for a non-tree interconnection under a maximum-width constraint Compared with the original non-tree interconnection with the assignment of minimum width, the experimental results show that our proposed approach achieves 15.6%, 19.6% and 22.1% of delay reduction on the average under 0. 36µm, O. S4µm and ft 72fan maximum-width constraints, respectively.
Translational Research in Acute Lung Injury and Pulmonary Fibrosis c-Abl mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin regulates LPS-induced endothelial dysfunction and lung injury

Panfeng Fu, Peter V. Usatyuk, Abhishek Lele, Anantha Harijith, Carol C. Gregorio, Joe G. N. Garcia, Ravi Salgia, and Viswanathan Natarajan Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona; Department of Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona; and Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Potential Application of Nanotechnology in Health Care: An Insight

Nanotechnology uses very small molecular and intracellular structures ranging from 1 to 100-nanometer in size to create, employ and qualify materials and devices. It is a well-established branch of science having significant applications in wide range of medicine. It has wide usage in pharmaceutics for targeted delivery of drugs and genes into cells. Various targeted procedures in the animal body have been accomplished using nano instruments, especially nano-robotics. Scientific bodies have also set the status of nanomedicine in health fields especially neurological and cancerous antidotes. Thus, nanoparticles of extremely small size have vast prominence in almost all medical fields for facilitating mankind.
Anterior pituitary function in patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis.

Hormonal dysfunction involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, prolactin (PRL) secretion and sex hormone status has been supposed to contribute to the development or persistence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, a reduced number of glucocorticoid receptors on circulating lymphocytes has been found in patients with RA. However, so far most studies have been performed in pre-treated patients. A combined test for total anterior pituitary reserve was performed in 10 patients with newly diagnosed untreated RA. Before and after stimulation with the respective hypothalamic releasing hormones, RA patients showed no difference in plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, prolactin (PRL) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) when compared to healthy controls. In contrast, the growth hormone (GH) response to growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) was blunted in RA patients. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid/gonadal and adrenal axes seem to be unaltered in RA. However, if one considers the presence of chronic inflammation, normal plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations must be considered as inappropriately low. The observed blunted GH release could be mediated by cytokines (e.g. IL-1), which are known to be elevated in RA.
Error Analysis of 2-tierM-ary Star QAM Modulation in Shadowed Fading Channels

The error performance of the 2-tier star shaped Quadrature Amplitude Modulation scheme over K and KG fading channels are analyzed and evaluated. Novel closed form expressions for Symbol Error Rate (SER) have been derived for M -ary 2-tier circular Star QAM transmitted over the K and KG fading channels. The expressions derived are in the form of sum of single definite integrals of hypergeometric functions which are calculated using numerical methods. The expressions are validated by extensive Monte Carlo simulation. A simple relationship between SER and bit error rate (BER) is proposed and experimentally verified. Using the expressions for SER, the optimum values of ring ratio are calculated for various values of M . It has also been established that the error performance of 2-tier Star QAM is considerably superior to that of the M -ary Square QAM for high and moderate fading.
Comparative support for the niche variation hypothesis that more generalized populations also are more heterogeneous

There is extensive evidence that some species of ecological generalists, which use a wide diversity of resources, are in fact heterogeneous collections of relatively specialized individuals. This within-population variation, or “individual specialization,” is a key requirement for frequency-dependent interactions that may drive a variety of types of evolutionary diversification and may influence the population dynamics and ecological interactions of species. Consequently, it is important to understand when individual specialization is likely to be strong or weak. The niche variation hypothesis (NVH) suggests that populations tend to become more generalized when they are released from interspecific competition. This niche expansion was proposed to arise via increased variation among individuals rather than increased individual niche breadth. Consequently, we expect ecological generalists to exhibit stronger individual specialization, but this correlation has been repeatedly rejected by empiricists. The drawback with previous empirical tests of the NVH is that they use morphological variation as a proxy for niche variation, ignoring the role of behavior and complex phenotype–function relationships. Here, we used diet data to directly estimate niche variation among individuals. Consistent with the NVH, we show that more generalized populations also exhibit more niche variation. This trend is quite general, appearing in all five case studies examined: three-spine stickleback, Eurasian perch, Anolis lizards, intertidal gastropods, and a community of neotropical frogs. Our results suggest that generalist populations may tend to be more ecologically variable. Whether this translates into greater genetic variation, evolvability, or ecological stability remains to be determined.
Extended MOBILIS: A integration of learning management system with mobile application to m-Learning environment

The present article presents the Extended MOBILIS architecture, which allows the integration of Virtual Learning Environments with Mobile Applications, using a layer of web services as the communications mediator between the two entities. In order to validate the architecture, the creation process of an application was started to introduce the utilization of voice in a web-forum through a mobile application made for the Android platform. In the process of development of the application, aspects of usability were taken into consideration in order to facilitate the use of the application in cell phones and enhance its resources in the context of Mobile Learning.
Transformable semantic map based navigation using autonomous deep learning object segmentation

For daily assistive robots working in home environment, it is important to use geometry-free representation for navigation which can deal with dynamic environmental changes. In this paper we propose semantic map based navigation which consists of 1) generating deep learning enabled semantic map from annotated world and 2) object based navigation using learned semantic map representation. One point of our proposed framework is to let robots autonomously generate a dataset for deep learning method and transfer existing geometric map based task execution system to semantic map based one which is invariant to changes of object location. Since deep learning for object segmentation technique enables end-to-end learning of object features, it is not necessary to design segmentation and labeling methods for each objects manually. We confirmed the effectiveness of our approach by performing task in dynamic environment and adaptability for two type of robots with experiments.
Photothermolysis mediated by gold nanorods modified with EGFR monoclonal antibody induces Hep-2 cells apoptosis in vitro and in vivo

Gold nanorods (AuNRs) have been used in plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT), which is thought to be more efficient and selective than conventional photothermal therapy. The efficiency and safety of PPTT can be improved by functionally modifying the gold nanorods with proteins or biomolecules. In this study, AuNRs were modified with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody (mAb), and the apoptotic potential of EGFRmAb-AuNR was assessed in Hep-2 cells in vitro and in vivo. The EGFRmAb modification had no obvious influence on the original optical property of the AuNRs, but it significantly increased the entry of AuNRs into Hep-2 cells. EGFRmAb-AuNRs, with appropriate laser irradiation, resulted in higher Hep-2 cells apoptosis than AuNRs did alone, in vitro, and was accompanied by alteration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, Ca2+ release, change in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), cytochrome c (Cyt-c) release, active caspase-3 expression, and level of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and B-cell lymphoma 2 protein-associated X protein (Bax). EGFRmAb-AuNR-mediated apoptosis in Hep-2 cells was also observed in vivo and had an inhibitive effect on growth of Hep-2 tumor xenografts. Our data suggest that the EGFRmAb modification improves AuNR-mediated apoptosis and may have the potential to be used clinically.
Structural Analysis of Cryptosporidium parvum

Cryptosporidium parvum (Apicomplexa, formerly Sporozoa) is the causative agent of cryptosporidiosis, an enteric disease of substantial medical and veterinary importance. C. parvum shows a number of unique features that differ from the rest of the class of coccidea in which it is currently grouped taxonomically. Differences occur in the overall structure of the transmission form and the invasive stages of the parasite, its intracellular location, the presence of recently described additional extracellular stages, the host range and target cell tropism, the ability to autoinfection, the nonresponsiveness to anticoccidial drugs, the immune response of the host, and immunochemical and genetic characteristics. These differences have an important impact on the infectivity, the epidemiology, the therapy, and the taxonomy of the parasite. The present article describes the structural analysis of the parasite using light and electron microscopy with an emphasis on structural details unique to C. parvum.
A 30W, 46% PAE S-band GaN HEMT MMIC power amplifier for radar applications

This paper deals with the performances of 30 W GaN HEMT MMIC power amplifiers designed for Radar applications in S-band. These amplifiers deliver 30 W, 46% PAE with ~20 dB power gain in the [2.7 - 3.7 GHz] frequency band, and 34W, 50% PAE with ~20.5 dB power gain in the [2.9 - 3.5GHz] frequency band, in pulsed conditions (50μs/10%). The device processing and the transistor performances are presented, as well as the design and the characterizations of the amplifiers. Pulse to pulse stability measurements were also carried out in order to evaluate their behavior under radar waveforms constraints.
Halting in Random Walk Kernels

Random walk kernels measure graph similarity by counting matching walks in two graphs. In their most popular form of geometric random walk kernels, longer walks of length k are downweighted by a factor of λk (λ < 1) to ensure convergence of the corresponding geometric series. We know from the field of link prediction that this downweighting often leads to a phenomenon referred to as halting: Longer walks are downweighted so much that the similarity score is completely dominated by the comparison of walks of length 1. This is a naive kernel between edges and vertices. We theoretically show that halting may occur in geometric random walk kernels. We also empirically quantify its impact in simulated datasets and popular graph classification benchmark datasets. Our findings promise to be instrumental in future graph kernel development and applications of random walk kernels.
Pathotyping bla CTX-M Escherichia coli from Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Escherichia coli have become the enterobacteriaceae species most affected by extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) in view of the emergence of CTX-M-type ESBLs. These CTX-M-positive E. coli have been reported in numerous regions worldwide. Virulence determinants of already reported CTX-M-positive E. coli were investigated. METHODOLOGY To gain insights into the mechanism underlying this phenomenon, we assessed serogroup, susceptibility pattern and diversity of virulence profiles within a collection of nine bla CTX-M-positive E. coli strains and their virulent determinant using miniaturized DNA microarray techniques. The nine ESBL-positive E. coli isolates were from eight male and one female patient(s) selected for study based on previous work. Virulence potential was inferred by detection of 63 virulence factor (VF) genes. RESULTS Four (44.4%) of the 9 E. coli isolates exhibited the same set of core characteristics: serotype O8:Hnt, while all were positive for OXA-1, ciprofloxacin resistance. Five of the isolates exhibited highly similar (91% to 100%) VF profiles. CONCLUSION The findings describe a broadly disseminated, bla CTX-M-positive and virulent E. coli serogroup with highly homogeneous virulence genotypes, suggesting recent emergence in this zone. Understanding how this clone has emerged and successfully disseminated within the hospital and community, including across national boundaries, should be a public health priority.
A New Family of Four-Valued Cross Correlation Between  $m$-Sequences of Different Lengths

The cross-correlation function between m-sequences of period 2m - 1, where m = 6k, and m-sequences of shorter period 2m/2 - 1 is investigated. The first infinite family of pairs of m-sequences with four-valued cross correlation is constructed and the complete correlation distribution of this family is determined.
The Tumor Suppressor Gene WWOX at FRA16D Is Involved in Pancreatic Carcinogenesis

Purpose: WWOX (WW domain containing oxidoreductase) is a tumor suppressor gene that maps to the common fragile site FRA16D. We showed previously that WWOX is frequently altered in human lung and esophageal cancers. The purpose of this study was to delineate more precisely the role of WWOX in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Experimental Design: We analyzed 15 paired pancreatic adenocarcinoma samples and 9 pancreatic cancer cell lines for WWOX alterations. Colony assay and cell cycle analysis were also performed to evaluate the role of the WWOX as a tumor suppressor gene. Results: Loss of heterozygosity at the WWOX locus was observed in 4 primary tumors (27%). Methylation analysis showed that site-specific promoter hypermethylation was detected in 2 cell lines (22%) and treatment with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine demonstrated an increase in the expression of WWOX. In addition, 2 primary tumor samples (13%) showed promoter hypermethylation including the position of site-specific methylation. Transcripts missing WWOX exons were detected in 4 cell lines (44%) and in 2 tumor samples (13%). Real-time reverse transcription PCR revealed a significant reduction of WWOX expression in all of the cell lines and in 6 primary tumors (40%). Western blot analysis showed a significant reduction of the WWOX protein in all of the cell lines. Furthermore, transfection with WWOX inhibited colony formation of pancreatic cancer cell lines by triggering apoptosis. Conclusion: These results indicate that the WWOX gene may play an important role in pancreatic tumor development.
Learning an Integrated Distance Metric for Comparing Structure of Complex Networks

Graph comparison plays a major role in many network applications. We often need a similarity metric for comparing networks according to their structural properties. Various network features - such as degree distribution and clustering coefficient - provide measurements for comparing networks from different points of view, but a global and integrated distance metric is still missing. In this paper, we employ distance metric learning algorithms in order to construct an integrated distance metric for comparing structural properties of complex networks. According to natural witnesses of network similarities (such as network categories) the distance metric is learned by the means of a dataset of some labeled real networks. For evaluating our proposed method which is called NetDistance, we applied it as the distance metric in K-nearest-neighbors classification. Empirical results show that NetDistance outperforms previous methods, at least 20 percent, with respect to precision.
GABA inactivation of visual area MT modifies the responsiveness and direction selectivity of V2 neurons in Cebus monkeys

Abstract We investigated the contribution of the projections from area MT to the receptive field properties of cells in visual area V2 in anesthetized and paralyzed Cebus apella monkeys. We recorded extracellular single-unit activity using tungsten microelectrodes in three monkeys before and after pressure injection of a 0.25-mol/l GABA solution. The visual stimulus consisted of a single bar moving in one of eight directions. In total, 72 V2 neurons were studied in 18 sessions of GABA injection into area MT. A group of 22 neurons was investigated over a shorter period of time ranging from 15 to 60 min, during which the activity did not return to baseline levels. The remaining 50 neurons were studied over a period of at least 2 h, and no statistical difference was observed in the neuronal response before and long after GABA inactivation. The effects on these 50 neurons consisted of an early (1–20 min) significant general decrease in excitability with changes in either orientation or direction selectivity. The differential decrease in excitability resulted in an intermediate improvement (20–40 min) of the signal-to-noise ratio for the stimulus-driven activity. The inactivation depended on the quantity of GABA injected into area MT and persisted for a period of 2 h. The GABA inactivation in area MT produced inhibition of most cells (72%) and a significant change of direction tuning in the majority (56%) of V2 neurons. Both increases and also decreases in the direction tuning of V2 neurons were observed. These feedback projections are capable of modulating not only the levels of spontaneous and driven activity of V2 neurons but also the V2 receptive field properties, such as direction selectivity.