Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learner‐Centered Tasks in the Foreign Language Classroom

The article first discusses communicative language teaching and self-directed learning, then introduces an analytical framework for designing a task, using Nunan's framework. This is followed by a case study done in the Department of Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore involving 220 first-year Japanese language students. The case study is a description and analysis of a task which is communicatively based, learner-centered and which promotes self-directed learning. Then some suggestions are made for course and task designers.
Nonfinancial Information Preferences of Professional Investors

ABSTRACT: Academics, regulators, and the general business community have called for the assessment of the decision-usefulness of three key categories of nonfinancial information: economic, governance, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). This study builds on prior research by examining the nonfinancial information preferences of professional investors, how their demand for the nonfinancial information categories compares to those of nonprofessional investors, and whether these demands vary across subgroups of professional investors. Based on survey responses from 228 professional investors, the results show that this investor class prefers nonfinancial information that is concise, comprehensive, comparable, and credible. Similar to prior research, the results indicate that professional and nonprofessional investors have similar demand orderings: they are most interested in economic information, then governance information, and then CSR information. However, professional investors demand greater deta.
Genetic Dissection of a Major Anthocyanin QTL Contributing to Pollinator-Mediated Reproductive Isolation Between Sister Species of Mimulus

Prezygotic barriers play a major role in the evolution of reproductive isolation, which is a prerequisite for speciation. However, despite considerable progress in identifying genes and mutations responsible for postzygotic isolation, little is known about the genetic and molecular basis underlying prezygotic barriers. The bumblebee-pollinated Mimulus lewisii and the hummingbird-pollinated M. cardinalis represent a classic example of pollinator-mediated prezygotic isolation between two sister species in sympatry. Flower color differences resulting from both carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments contribute to pollinator discrimination between the two species in nature. Through fine-scale genetic mapping, site-directed mutagenesis, and transgenic experiments, we demonstrate that a single-repeat R3 MYB repressor, ROSE INTENSITY1 (ROI1), is the causal gene underlying a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) with the largest effect on anthocyanin concentration and that cis-regulatory change rather than coding DNA mutations cause the allelic difference between M. lewisii and M. cardinalis. Together with the genomic resources and stable transgenic tools developed here, these results suggest that Mimulus is an excellent platform for studying the genetics of pollinator-mediated reproductive isolation and the molecular basis of morphological evolution at the most fundamental level—gene by gene, mutation by mutation.
outputs Does growth in private schooling contribute to Education for All ? Evidence from a longitudinal , two cohort study in Andhra Pradesh , India

This paper informs debates about the potential role for low-fee private schooling in achieving Education for All goals in India. It reports Young Lives’ longitudinal data for two cohorts (2,906 children) in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Eight year olds uptake of private schooling increased from 24 per cent (children born in 1994-5) to 44 per cent (children born in 2001-2). Children from rural areas, lower socioeconomic backgrounds and girls continue to be under represented. While some access gaps decreased, the gender gap seems to be widening. Evidence on risks to equity strengthen the case for an effectively regulated private sector, along with reforms to government sector schools.
A survey of the cold molecular gas in gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxies at z > 2

Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we conducted a survey of CO J = 1 − 0 and J = 2 − 1 line emission towards strongly lensed high-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) previously discovered with the South Pole Telescope (SPT). Our sample comprises 17 sources that had CO-based spectroscopic redshifts obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. We detect all sources with known redshifts in either CO J = 1 − 0 or J = 2 − 1. 12 sources are detected in the 7-mm continuum. The derived CO luminosities imply gas masses in the range (0.5–11) × 10^(10) M⊙ and gas depletion time-scales t_(dep) < 200 Myr, using a CO to gas mass conversion factor αCO = 0.8 M⊙ (K km s^(−1) pc^2)^(−1). Combining the CO luminosities and dust masses, along with a fixed gas-to-dust ratio, we derive α_(CO) factors in the range 0.4–1.8 M⊙ (K km s^(−1) pc^2)^(−1), similar to what is found in other starbursting systems. We find small scatter in αCO values within the sample, even though inherent variations in the spatial distribution of dust and gas in individual cases could bias the dust-based α_(CO) estimates. We find that lensing magnification factors based on the CO linewidth to luminosity relation (μCO) are highly unreliable, but particularly when μ < 5. Finally, comparison of the gas and dynamical masses suggest that the average molecular gas fraction stays relatively constant at z = 2–5 in the SPT DSFG sample.
The Effectiveness of Cataract Surgery in Reducing Motor Vehicle Crashes: A Whole Population Study Using Linked Data

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of first eye cataract surgery on drivers aged 60 years and over at a population level. Methods: A retrospective before and after comparison of all police reported crashes for patients who had undergone first eye cataract surgery using linked Western Australia data for the period 1997–2006. An economic analysis by the type of crash was performed on the cost savings from cataract surgery for this cohort. Results: Of the 27,827 patients who underwent cataract surgery in one eye only, 1715 patients were involved in 1762 police reported crash events, either 1 year before (n = 941 crashes) or 1 year after (n = 821 crashes) cataract surgery. Results from Poisson generalized estimating equations showed a significant reduction of 12.7% (P = 0.034) in all police reported crashes 1 year after cataract surgery. The corresponding cost savings amounted to $4.3 million. Conclusion: The findings are important for policy development to further improve driving outcomes among older drivers.
Maintaining The Humanity of Our Models

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have been major research interests in computer science for the better part of the last few decades. However, all too recently, both AI and ML have rapidly grown to be media frenzies, pressuring companies and researchers to claim they use these technologies. As ML continues to percolate into daily life, we, as computer scientists and machine learning researchers, are responsible for ensuring we clearly convey the extent of our work and the humanity of our models. Regularizing ML for mass adoption requires a rigorous standard for model interpretability, a deep consideration for human bias in data, and a transparent understanding of a model's societal effects.
AMERA CALIBRATION AND POSE ESTIMATION USING PLANAR FEATURES AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

In 3D computer vision, a camera model is a geometrical model that maps points of a 3D scene to corresponding image points; the latter being given in pixel coordinates. Many machine vision applications such as 3D object reconstruction, augmented reality (AR), visual servoing of robots or man-machine interfaces rely on the knowledge of this mapping [1]. In order to make use of a camera model, all or at least some of its parameters are usually calibrated off-line as a preliminary step using known world-to-image correspondences of some specific detectable features, typically corners, circular patches or linear segments. Many object and camera tracking applications make use of the a priori knowledge of the intrinsic camera parameters and continously re-compute the extrinsic parameters over time [1]. In this case, referred as pose estimation, only the six degrees-of-freedom (DoF) of the Euclidean transformation between camera and world needs to be recovered. The precision of pose estimation in object tracking or the accuracy of a reconstructed object geometry in 3D reconstruction always coheres intensely with the accuracy of the preliminary calibration, thus highlighting the importance of an accurate calibration and a comprehensive sensitivity analysis. This paper addresses preliminary camera calibration from static and planar features including a sensitivity analysis. Significant modifications are proposed herein to some existing methods. Two very practical applications of the proposed methods are outlined in brief. The aforementioned modifications and methods presented here are embodied in two recently developed Matlab GUI Toolboxes that are going to be freely available.
Association between anaerobic components of the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit and 30-second Wingate test

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the anaerobic components of the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) and of the 30-second Wingate anaerobic test (30-WAnT). Nine male physical education students performed: a) a maximal incremental exercise test; b) a supramaximal constant workload test to determine the anaerobic components of the MAOD; and c) a 30-WAnT to measure the peak power (PP) and mean power (MP). The fast component of the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and blood lactate accumulation were measured after the supramaximal constant workload test in order to determine the contributions made by alactic (ALMET) and lactic (LAMET) metabolism. Significant correlations were found between PP and ALMET (r=0.71; P=0.033) and between MP and LAMET (r=0.72; P=0.030). The study results suggested that the anaerobic components of the MAOD and of the 30-WAnT are similarly applicable in the assessment of ALMET and LAMET during high-intensity exercise.
Notice of Violation of IEEE Publication PrinciplesPractical implications of multi-agent transformer condition monitoring

This paper describes the transition of the transformer condition monitoring multi-agent system (COMMAS) from an off-line partial discharge defect diagnosis system to an online one. The practical difficulties encountered along the way have been highlighted, and solutions outlined. The main issues were related to identifying fragility in the existing system, and making changes to the architecture to produce a more robust system. Additionally, considerations about the processing resources available on site and the communications links to the site influenced the decision to distribute individual agents across multiple computers. Adding a Substation Manager agent to COMMAS satisfies various requirements for data storage and accessibility, and serves as a gateway between the diagnosis side of COMMAS and the user interface. The systempsilas stability was improved by moving to a newer agent platform, which brought additional benefits such as agent relocation abilities. By these means, COMMAS is now ready to be deployed on site, to perform on-line transformer monitoring.
Stable and flexible iBGP

Routing oscillation is highly detrimental. It can decrease performance and lead to a high level of update churn placing unnecessary workload on router the problem is distributed between many providers. However, iBGP --- the routing protocol used to distribute routes inside a single Autonomous System --- has also been shown to oscillate. Despite the fact that iBGP is configured by a single provider according to apparently straight forward rules, more than eight years of research has not solved the problem of iBGP oscillation. Various solutions have been proposed but they all lack critical features: either they are complicated to implement, restrict routing flexibility, or lack guarantees of stability. In this paper we propose a very simple adaptation to the BGP decision process. Despite its simplicity and negligible cost we prove algebraically that it prevents iBGP oscillation. We extend the idea to provide routing flexibility, such as respecting the MED attribute, without sacrificing network stability.
Impact of blood testing on patient disposition from the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether blood test results lead to a change in planned disposition of patients from the ED. METHODS A prospective review of the anticipated and actual disposition of patients from the ED before and after blood test results, including stratification by seniority of medical staff. RESULTS There were 256 patients enrolled, 53% had blood tests requested. Expected disposition was not altered by test results in 87% of patients having blood tests. Medical staff were poor at identifying those patients whose disposition would be altered by their blood results (sensitivity 44%, specificity 72%, negative predictive value 89%). Seniority of medical staff was not associated with an alteration in disposition due to the blood results (P = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS Blood test results have minimal impact on expected patient disposition from the ED. Recognition of this may improve resource utilisation with earlier discharge planning.
A Class-D Amplifier With Pulse Code Modulated (PCM) Digital Input for Digital Hearing Aid

A class-D amplifier with pulse code modulated (PCM) digital input is developed for a low-power digital hearing aid. A 16-bit 40-kbps PCM digital input is noise-shaped by a third-order digital sigma-delta modulator (SDM) which provides 1.5-bit digital output. The 1.5-bit digital output of the digital SDM is converted to a three-level analog signal by a simple digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and then applied to an analog SDM. The analog SDM provides pulse density modulated (PDM) signal to drive a power switch. The PDM output is fed back to the input of the analog SDM in order to suppress the noise of the power switch. While the integrators of the analog SDM are implemented with switched-capacitor (SC) circuits for a well-defined frequency response of the modulator loop filter, the feedback path from the power switch output is realized with a continuous-time (CT) integrator for effective noise suppression. The class-D amplifier with PCM digital input has been implemented in a standard 0.13-μm CMOS process. With 160-Ω load of speaker, the maximum output power delivered to the load is 1.14-mW while the efficiency of the power switch is 97-%. The signal\mathchar"702D to\mathchar"702D noise+distortion&nbsp;ratio (SNDR) and dynamic range (DR) of the class-D amplifier are measured to be 80.6-dB and 87-dB, respectively. The class-D amplifier consumes 0.38-mW from a 1.2-V power supply including the driving power of the power switch.
What Do Teaching Qualifications Mean in Urban Schools? A Mixed-Methods Study of Teacher Preparation and Qualification

The inequitable distribution of teachers in high-needs areas and the failure of teacher education programs have recently become focal points in the discussion of how to provide a quality education to all students. To address this concern, reformers have responded by mandating specific qualifications for teachers in all schools. These mandates have been established, however, without a real understanding of what these qualifications mean. This article adopts a mixed-methods approach to understanding what qualifications measure for novice teachers in urban districts in terms of teacher efficacy and one-year retention. Analysis of data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (2009-2010) and qualitative interviews reveal that qualifications do predict teacher efficacy, to an extent, yet they do not predict teacher retention. More research needs to be done to identify measurable qualifications that can actually predict what will happen in the first year of teaching.
Approximate SPARQL for error tolerant queries on the DBpedia knowledge base

The Resource Description Framework (RDF), a language for describing resources, is being used more commonly in information fusion systems. SPARQL is a standard query language that enables knowledge extraction from data encoded in RDF. A SPARQL query is, in essence, an exact subgraph matching problem. Unfortunately, many of the techniques that produce data in RDF (such as manual data entry, social network analysis, natural language processing, etc.) make annotation mistakes, which result in dirty RDF data. SPARQL performs suboptimally on RDF data containing errors since, as an exact graph matching tool, it is not designed to cope with noisy data. To improve knowledge extraction under these conditions, we propose an extension to SPARQL that permits approximate graph matches. This allows queries to cope with errors in the RDF graph, both on the attribute level (such as misspelled names) as well as on the structural level (missing or extra edges). We use the TruST heuristic algorithm to solve the underlying approximate graph matching problem and demonstrate the benefit it brings to answering questions on the DBpedia knowledge base.
STLN-based channel estimation using superimposed training and first-order statistics

In this paper, Channel estimation using superimposed training and first-order statistics is considered. Information-induced interference matrix in channel estimation is of Toeplitz structure, which can be utilized for deconvolution of the system equation. A structured total least norm (STLN) approach is introduced to improve the estimation performance. Simulation results show the enhancement performance of the STLN estimator when compared with the LS, total least squares (TLS) and data least squares (DLS) estimators.
A review of optical snow cover algorithms

The purpose of this report is to provide a review of optical snow cover algorithms to assist algorithm selection in the CryoRisk project. The first part of the report provides a brief review of the state of the art for snow cover retrieval algorithms developed internationally. The review covers classification algorithms (snow/non-snow algorithms), fractional snow cover algorithms (snow fraction per pixel) and multi-sensor algorithms. The report then goes into more details for algorithms developed and refined nationally by describing the algorithms, presenting results from algorithm evaluation and then discussing the evaluation results. The algorithms covered are the Norwegian-Linear-Reflectance-to-snow-cover (NLR) algorithm, NR’s cloud detection algorithm, NR’s new fractional snow cover algorithm and a multi-sensor time-series algorithm combining optical and synthetic aperture radar data. The algorithms and evaluations presented build on results from many projects carried out over a period of about ten years. The motivation for the national focus is that quite a lot of resources have been invested in research and development for snow cover retrieval algorithms in Norway, and it is then logical to build on this experience when developing an operational service. The last chapter provides recommendations for a process leading to operationalisation of algorithms in the CryoRisk project.
Theoretical and experimental analysis of the lateral modes of high-power broad-area lasers

For maximum fiber-coupled power, broad-area (BA) diode lasers must operate with small lateral far field angles. However, these structures are laterally multi-moded, with low beam quality and wide emission angles. We use a combination of device simulation and diagnostic measurements to determine the physical factors limiting the lateral far field angle in state of the art BA lasers emitting at 975 nm. Two-dimensional simulations of the optical field enable the dominant lateral waveguiding mechanisms to be diagnosed. Spectrally resolved near and far field measurements will allow us to determine the nature of the lateral modes.
Effects of caponization on fat metabolism-related biochemical characteristics of broilers.

A two-trial experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of caponization on fat metabolism-related biochemical characteristics of broilers. Male Redbro broilers were purchased, caponized at 3 weeks and reared until either the 18th (Trial 1) or the 24th (Trial 2) week. In Trial 1, five slaughters were performed at 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 weeks of age while in Trial 2 one slaughter at the end of the experiment (24 weeks). In each slaughter, the abdominal adipose tissue cellularity, the NADP dehydrogenase activity in the liver and some serum lipoproteins concentrations were assessed. Caponization had a marked effect on the adipocyte volume and NADP-malate dehydrogenase activity in the liver at 24 weeks but it did not affect adipocyte number or the activity of NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase activity at any age (p < 0.05). Regarding the lipoproteins, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were elevated in capon serum at 18 weeks of age while no difference was detected in the triglyceride concentration at any age. In conclusion, a relationship between fat deposition at the phenotypic level and the level of lipogenic enzymes and lipoproteins capons was established but not as pronounced as expected as some parameters displayed a constant increasing pattern while others did not.
THE RESISTANCE OF A2G MICE TO MYXOVIRUSES.

Inbred A2G mice were found to be more resistant than other laboratory mice with respect to the following viral infections: neurotropic influenza A virus given intracerebrally (strains NWS, WSNF and Neuro-Kunz) and intranasally (strains NWS and WSNF); pneumotropic influenza A virus given intranasally (strains Swine, WS and PR8); and Sendai parainfluenza 1 virus given intranasally. Two mouse-adapted strains of Asian influenza (A/Singapore/1/57) were the only myxoviruses studied to which there was no difference in susceptibility between A2G and control animals. Not many more virus particles were required to initiate neuro-infection in A2G mice as compared to control mice. Virus titers reached in the brains after inoculation of neurotropic influenza virus were 100 times lower in A2G mice; similarly, 100 times less virus was recovered from lungs of A2G mice inoculated with Lee influenza B virus of low mouse virulence. No differences were found in the susceptibility to the toxic action of influenza A virus between A2G and control animals. After comparable inocula of influenza A virus given intranasally, A2G mice developed lower levels of hemagglutination-inhibiting and complement-fixing antibodies than did surviving controls. A2G and control mice proved equally susceptible to the following viruses: Yellow Fever 17 D, West Nile, EMC, Polio type 2 (mouse-adapted), Herpes simplex and ECHO type 9.
Memory efficient software synthesis with mixed coding style from dataflow graphs

This paper presents a set of techniques to reduce the code and data sizes for software synthesis from graphical digital signal-processing programs based on the synchronous dataflow model. By sharing the kernel code among multiple instances of a block with a shared function, we can further reduce the code size below the previous results based on inline coding style. A systematic approach also is devised to give up the single appearance schedule for reducing the data buffer requirement. The proposed techniques have been evaluated with two real-life examples to prove their significance.