Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Instructional Leadership in Schools: Reflections and empirical evidence

This paper examines the notion of instructional leadership. The paper opens with a review of current work on school leadership, arguing that more inclusive, differentiated, holistic and learning-centred accounts are needed. Next the paper examines definitions of 'instructional leadership'. In the third section the discussion looks at the empirical evidence we have about such leadership, drawing upon work in the USA and England. The latter study was conducted into leadership in small primary schools. Parallels between the studies are drawn and links made with the definitions of instructional leadership. The concluding section highlights the importance of leaders being learners, the implications for leadership development and the importance of creating and sustaining certain organisational conditions which facilitate instructional leadership. The paper ends with the point that instructional leadership is becoming more significant with the growing emphasis on organisational learning.
Natural perceptual wayfinding for urban accessibility of the elderly with early-stage AD

Population ageing and the increase in neurodegenerative diseases that lead to dementia, together with growing urbanisation, cause us to reflect on an important aspect of life in the city for elderly people: the ability to move around independently without getting lost and to find their way back home. By reviewing the existing literature on the theme of wayfinding and analysing some data on residual capacities in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, the concept of ‘natural perceptual wayfinding’ is introduced, aimed, on the one hand, at improving urban accessibility of people with dementia and, on the other, at reconsidering a topic of vital importance, even if normally neglected in the dwelling design.
Consideration of Electrical Parasitics in Conjunction with Thermal Behaviour of Power Semiconductor Components

Capacitive and inductive parasitics of every electrically conducting structure are inseparably associated with geometry. Especially in power electronics thermal optimisation along with minimisation of occupied circuit layer area has the demand for a thick metallisation to improve heat spreading. Electrical optimisation by means of minimisation of formation of parasitics instead aims on flat structures. Multi-objective optimisation aims on best compromise solutions. The paper considers a half-bridge configuration of transistors and diodes to investigate aforementioned parasitics by use of simulation. Validation of the results by measurements provide the possibility to use dispersed parameters of simulation results for optimisation purposes.
Using information state to improve dialogue move identification in a spoken dialogue system

In this paper we investigate how to improve the performance of a dialogue move and parameter tagger for a taskoriented dialogue system using the information-state approach. We use a corpus of utterances and information states from an implemented system to train and evaluate a tagger, and then evaluate the tagger in an on-line system. Use of information state context is shown to improve performance of the system. Index Terms: spoken dialogue systems, dialogue management, tagging
Construction of wiretap codes from ordinary channel codes

From an arbitrary given channel code over a discrete or Gaussian memoryless channel, we construct a wiretap code with the strong security. Our construction can achieve the wiretap capacity under mild assumptions. The key tool is the new privacy amplification theorem bounding the eavesdropped information in terms of the Gallager function.
Providing Security in 4G Systems: Unveiling the Challenges

Several research groups are working on designing new security architectures for 4G networks such as Hokey and Y-Comm. Since designing an efficient security module requires a clear identification of potential threats, this paper attempts to outline the security challenges in 4G networks. A good way to achieve this is by investigating the possibility of extending current security mechanisms to 4G networks. Therefore, this paper uses the X.805 standard to investigate the possibility of implementing the 3G’s Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) protocol in a 4G communication framework such as YComm. The results show that due to the fact that 4G is an open, heterogeneous and IP-based environment, it will suffer from new security threats as well as inherent ones. In order to address these threats without affecting 4G dynamics, Y-Comm proposes an integrated security module to protect data and security models to target security on different entities and hence protecting not only the data but, also resources, servers and users.
Intakes for Calcium , Phosphorus , Magnesium , Vitamin D , and Fluoride

Two university researchers presented information about Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) research recommendations contained in the Calcium and Related Nutrients Report (IOM, 1997). Bess Dawson-Hughes of Tufts University, who served on the panel for the report, highlighted a number of research recommendations that were considered to be of major importance for each of the five nutrients covered in the report and then made some comments about progress in those areas. Bruce W. Hollis of Medical University of South Carolina focused on the dietary requirement for vitamin D, which is his area of research.
Comparison of methods to quantify loss of hydraulic conductivity in Norway spruce

Abstract• Percent loss of hydraulic conductivity (PLC) is an important measure in plant water relations, but the available methods differ and results have rarely been compared. • We compared PLC measured in Norway spruce (Picea abies) by quantifying conductivity before and after removing emboli, either by flushing with high water pressure or by infiltration under a partial vacuum, with relative water loss and staining conductive xylem to test advantages and possible problems of commonly applied methods. • Infiltration removed nearly all gas from sections of drought-stressed and unstressed twigs, and flushing and infiltration efficiently removed emboli. Infiltration appears less prone to producing clogged xylem elements than high pressure flushing. Relative water loss (RWL) and the proportion of xylem stained with phloxine B (PSX) was also highly correlated with PLC, the latter can be quantified by image analysis, and also shows the pattern of xylem dysfunction. Loss of conductivity was more common in the inner annual rings, in early wood within an annual ring, and in compression wood, though pattern differed substantially between branches. • Advantages and potential problems of these methods are discussed and it is suggested that RWL or PSX may be used as proxy measures for PLC in species when the correlations have been established. Résumé• Le pourcentage de perte de conductivité hydraulique (PLC) est un paramètre important des relations hydriques des plantes, mais les méthodes de mesure disponibles diffèrent et les résultats ont rarement été comparés. • Nous avons comparé des valeurs de perte de conductivité chez Picea abies obtenues en quantifiant la conductivité hydraulique avant et après suppression de l’embolie, soit par un flush d’eau sous haute pression soit par infiltration sous un vide partiel, avec les pertes relatives en eau et avec des méthodes de coloration du xylème conducteur coloré; cette comparaison a permis de tester les avantages et les inconvénients potentiels des méthodes couramment utilisées. • L’infiltration élimine presque tous les gaz des sections de petites branches, alors que de l’eau sous pression et l’infiltration suppriment l’embolie. L’infiltration paraît moins susceptible de provoquer une obstruction des éléments de xylème, qu’un flush à haute pression. Perte relative en eau (RWL) et proportion de xylème coloré avec de la phloxine B (PSX) étaient hautement corrélées avec la perte de conductivité. Une analyse d’image de xylème permet également de quantifier la perte de conductivité et de mettre en évidence la distribution spatiale des vaisseaux embolisés. La perte de conductivité a été très visible dans les cernes interne du tronc, dans le bois initial du cerne de l’année et dans le bois de compression, quoique les patrons diffèrent considérablement entre branches. • Les avantages et les inconvénients potentiels de ces méthodes sont discutés et il est proposé que RWL ou PSX puissent être utilisées comme des estimateurs indirects de perte de conductivité une fois les corrélations établies pour chaque espèce.
Understanding Inexpressibility of Model-Based ABox Evolution in DL-Lite

Evolution of Knowledge Bases (KBs) expressed in Description Logics (DLs) proved its importance. Recent studies of evolution in DLs mostly focussed on model-based approaches. They showed that evolution of KBs in tractable DLs, such as DL-Lite, suffers from inexpressibility, i.e., the result of evolution cannot be captured in DL-Lite. What is missing in these studies is understanding: in which DL-Lite fragments evolution can be captured, what causes the inexpressibility, which logics is sufficient to express evolution, and whether one can approximate it in DL-Lite. This paper provides some understanding of these issues for both update and revision. We found what DL-Lite formulas make evolution inexpressible and how to capture evolution in their absence. We introduce the notion of prototypes that gives an understanding of how to capture evolution for a rich DL-Lite fragment in FO[2]. Decidability of FO[2] gives possibility for approximations.
Platelets as an innate defence mechanism against Schistosoma mansoni infections in mice

The interaction between Schistosoma mansoni and platelets of non‐immune mice has been studied in vivo and in vitro. A moderate thrombocytopaenia was observed in mice 2 days after they had been infected percutaneously with 200 cercariae. A rabbit anti‐mouse platelet antiserum, 25 µL of which injected subcutaneously induced a nearly 90% reduction in blood platelet count 24 h later, was used to investigate the effects of severe thrombocytopaenia on S. mansoni infections. In replicate experiments worm burdens were significantly increased in mice that were thrombocytopaenic at the time of infection when compared with untreated mice. Induction of thrombocytopaenia on day 4 after infection had no effect on worm count. Platelets isolated from non‐immune mice were shown to adhere to the surfaces of and kill mechanically transformed schistosomula in vitro. Platelets may thus be an innate mechanism of defence against schistosome infection, and the thrombocytopaenia that occurs during patent schistosome infections may be a strategy that helps secondarily incoming parasites evade this type of host defensiveness.
The Mediating Effect of Leader–Member Dyadic Communication Style Agreement on the Relationship Between Servant Leadership and Group-Level Organizational Citizenship Behavior

This research examines how dyadic communication agreement in the workplace may operate at the dyadic-within group level as a process variable that mediates the relationship between servant leadership and group organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). In doing so, we propose a model of leader–member dyadic communication whereby communication style agreement mediates the relationships between servant leadership and group-level OCB in work groups. The model is tested by using hierarchical linear modeling with data obtained from a sample of 510 employees and 59 work groups in three Malaysian organizations. Results show that servant leadership is related to leader–member dyadic communication style agreement in the workplace at the individual level and that the servant leadership–group-level OCB link is partially mediated by leader–member dyadic communication style agreement in the workplace. These findings partially validate our proposed model and provide empirical support for the central roles of communication exchange processes in work groups.
Endothelial receptor tyrosine kinases involved in angiogenesis

D EVELOPMENTAL growth, the remodeling and regeneration of adult tissues as well as solid tumor growth, can only occur accompanied by blood vessel formation. Angioblasts and hemopoietic precursor cells differentiate from the mesoderm and form the blood islands of the yolk sac and the primary vascular system of the embryo (vasculogenesis). The formation of the rest of the vascular tree is thought to occur as a result of vascular sprouting from pre-existing vessels, a process called angiogenesis (9). Endothelial cells can give rise to several types of functionally and morphologically distinct vessels. Upon angiogenic stimuli, endothelial ceils can re-enter the cell cycle, degrade the underlying basement membrane and migrate, forming capillary sprouts that projectinto theperivascular stroma, and again withdraw from the cell cycle and subsequently differentiate to form new vessels that are functionally adapted to their tissue environment. Thus, angiogenesis, concurrent with tissue development and regeneration depends on the tightly controlled processes of endothelial cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and survival. On the other hand, dysfunction of the endothelial cell regulatory system is a key feature of many diseases. Most importantly, tumor growth and metastasis have been shown to be angiogenesis dependent (9). Key signals regulating cell growth and differentiation are mediated by polypeptide growth factors and their transmembrane receptors, many of which are tyrosine kinases. Several families of receptor tyrosine kinases have been characterized (46). The main currently known growth factors and receptors transducing angiogenic stimuli are schematically shown in Fig. 1. Some of them, such as the receptors for fibroblast growth factors (FGFR), 1 platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGFRB), transforming growth factor-ol (epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR), and hepatocyte growth factor (Met oncoprotein) are widely expressed in many tissues and cell types, whereas others are strictly endothelial cell specific (46). FGFs (for a review see reference 1) have been shown to be mitogenic and chemotactic for cultured endothelial cells. FGFs also stimulate the production of proteases such as col-
Metallo-β-Lactamase Producers in Environmental Microbiota: New Molecular Class B Enzyme inJanthinobacterium lividum

ABSTRACT Eleven environmental samples from different sources were screened for the presence of metallo-β-lactamase-producing bacteria by using a selective enrichment medium containing a carbapenem antibiotic and subsequently testing each isolate for production of EDTA-inhibitable carbapenemase activity. A total of 15 metallo-β-lactamase-producing isolates, including 10 Stenotrophomonas maltophiliaisolates, 3 Chryseobacterium spp. , one Aeromonas hydrophila isolate, and one Janthinobacterium lividumisolate (a species in which production of metallo-β-lactamase activity was not previously reported), were obtained from 8 samples. In the J. lividum isolate, named JAC1, production of metallo-β-lactamase activity was elicited upon exposure to β-lactams. Screening of a JAC1 genomic library for clones showing a reduced imipenem susceptibility led to the isolation of a metallo-β-lactamase determinant encoding a new member (named THIN-B) of the highly divergent subclass B3 lineage of metallo-β-lactamases. THIN-B is most closely related (35.6% identical residues) to the L1 enzyme of S. maltophilia and more distantly related to the FEZ-1 enzyme of Legionella gormanii (27.8% identity) and to the GOB-1 enzyme of Chryseobacterium meningosepticum(24.2% identity). Sequences related toblaTHIN-B, and inducible production of metallo-β-lactamase activity, were also detected in the J. lividum type strain DSM1522. Expression of theblaTHIN-B gene in Escherichia coliresulted in decreased susceptibility to several β-lactams, including penicillins, cephalosporins (including cephamycins and oxyimino cephalosporins), and carbapenems, revealing a broad substrate specificity of the enzyme. The results of this study indicated that metallo-β-lactamase-producing bacteria are widespread in the environment and identified a new molecular class B enzyme in the environmental species J. lividum.
Hot‐melt co‐extrusion: requirements, challenges and opportunities for pharmaceutical applications

Co‐extrusion implies the simultaneous hot‐melt extrusion of two or more materials through the same die, creating a multi‐layered extrudate. It is an innovative continuous production technology that offers numerous advantages over traditional pharmaceutical processing techniques. This review provides an overview of the co‐extrusion equipment, material requirements and medical and pharmaceutical applications.
Spatially explicit epidemiological simulation system of influenza A (H1N1) in China

The outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) around the world has caused significant economic loss and human death. It is a urgent challenge to improve our response to pandemic influenza A (H1N1) outbreaks, and avoid its epidemic. Computer simulation is a pragmatic and effective methodology for analyses of influenza A (H1N1). A spatially explicit epidemiological simulation system is proposed to study the outbreak and transmission of influenza A (H1N1) in mainland China. In this system, a SEIR epidemic model is developed, and traffic between provinces and four kinds of prevention and control measures are considered. Additionally, Geographic Information System (GIS) tool is incorporated in the system to provide friendly interface for model development, epidemic simulation, and temporal-spatial analysis. Preliminary experimental results have shown the effectiveness of the system.
Um estudo exploratório sobre as metodologias empregadas em pesquisas na área de Contabilidade no ENANPAD

Este artigo examinou como as pesquisas academicas na area de Contabilidade tem sido desenvolvidas e mapeou como as metodologias tem sido empregadas na investigacao dos problemas contabeis. Com este objetivo, foram examinados 336 trabalhos apresentados nos encontros da ANPAD nos ultimos anos nas areas de Contabilidade e Controle Gerencial. Os dados foram coletados atraves dos anais dos congressos e foram usados metodos estatisticos para exames dos resultados da pesquisa. Pretende-se inicialmente dar uma contribuicao sobre as caracteristicas que definem uma metodologia de pesquisa para, em seguida, demonstrar como e de que maneira a pesquisa contabil foi evoluindo no Brasil.
A new well-formedness criterion for semantics debugging

We present a novel well-formedness condition for underspecified semantic representations which requires that every correct MRS representation must be a net. We argue that (almost) all correct MRS representations are indeed nets, and apply this condition to identify a set of eleven rules in the English Resource Grammar (ERG) with bugs in their semantics component. Thus we demonstrate that the net test is useful in grammar debugging.
Collision-free Operation in High Density WLAN Deployments

WiFi's popularity has led to crowded scenarios composed of many Access Points (AP) and clients, often operating on overlapping channels, producing interference that gravely degrades performance. This misallocation of resources is often the result of multiple WLANs ownership, that is, networks are frequently setup automatically without considering neighbouring APs. In this work we overview the effect of Overlapping BSS (OBSS) from the perspective of the MAC layer, taking special interest on describing the advantages of eliminating collisions with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Enhanced Collision Avoidance (CSMA/ECA). We propose a single Access Point (AP) and several multi-AP scenarios, including the residential building example proposed for testing the upcoming IEEE 802.11ax amendment. Results using the first NS-3 implementation of CSMA/ECA reveal the advantage of CSMA/ECA's deterministic backoff contention technique, confirming its suitability for very crowded scenarios.
Gun Violence and the Meaning of American Schools.

In the United States, targeted school shootings have become a distinct genre of violence. In this essay, Bryan Warnick, Sang Hyun Kim, and Shannon Robinson examine the social meanings that exist in American society that might contribute to this phenomenon, focusing on the question: “Why are schools conceptualized as appropriate places to enact this form of gun violence? ” The authors analyze the social meaning of American schooling by using empirical data, everyday observations, films, and poetry, and then connect these points of meaning to stories of individual school shooters. Through this analysis, three aspects of school stand out. First, schools are places of both real and symbolic violence, where force and power often rule the day. Second, schools are places connected to expectations of hope and refuge, friendship and romance, and when these expectations are not met, bitter resentment flows against schools. Third, suburban schools are seen as places of expressive individualism, which, in rare cases, is manifest in terms of “expressive violence. ” Together, these points of meaning can make schools, for some youth, seem like appropriate places to express violent intentions. The essay concludes by speculating about how this analysis can be applied to prevent school shootings.
Gender and offender status predicting treatment success in refugees and asylum seekers with PTSD

Background Current knowledge is limited regarding patient characteristics related to treatment outcome of posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in refugees and asylum seekers. Objective Gender, torture status, offender status, level of anger, and level of depression were investigated for possible effects on the treatment outcome. Method Patient characteristics were explored in 54 refugees and asylum seekers who had completed a treatment program for PTSD. Non-responders (10), those who had the same or higher levels of symptom severity after treatment, were compared with responders, those who had lower symptom severity after treatment (44). Symptom severity was measured by Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. The non-responders and responders constituted the dichotomous, dependent variable. The independent variables were gender, torture status, offender status, level of anger, and level of depression. T-tests and Exact Unconditional Homogeneity/Independence Tests for 2X2 Tables were used to study the relationship to treatment outcome. Results Being male and reporting to have been a violent offender were significantly more frequent characteristics among the non-responders compared to the responders. The levels of pretreatment anger, depression and torture status did not affect the treatment outcome. Conclusions The study adds support to findings that females benefit more from treatment of PTSD than males and that violent offenders are difficult to treat within the standard treatment programs.
Tracking With Sobolev Active Contours

Recently proposed Sobolev active contours introduced a new paradigm for minimizing energies defined on curves by changing the traditional cost of perturbing a curve and thereby redefining their gradients. Sobolev active contours evolve more globally and are less attracted to certain intermediate local minima than traditional active contours. In this paper we analyze Sobolev active contours in the Fourier domain in order to understand their evolution across different scales. This analysis shows an important and useful behavior of Sobolev contours, namely, that they move successively from coarse to increasingly finer scale motions in a continuous manner. Along with other properties, the previous observation reveals that Sobolev active contours are ideally suited for tracking problems that use active contours. Our purpose in this work is to show how a variety of active contour based tracking methods can be significantly improved merely by evolving the active contours according to the Sobolev method.