Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
E-Learning Applications and Challenges

This paper discusses the definition of e-learning (Electronic Learning) at first. And then, reviews e-learning’s application, especially provides the practices. Thirdly, some issues in e-learning are also discussed, including: Pedagogical Elements, Pedagogical Approaches or Perspectives, Communication Technologies Used in E-learning and Exploring new Approaches. Finally, forecasts and analyses the e-learning 2.0.
A Multi-Scale Approach to Airway Hyperresponsiveness: From Molecule to Organ

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a characteristic of asthma that involves an excessive reduction in airway caliber, is a complex mechanism reflecting multiple processes that manifest over a large range of length and time scales. At one extreme, molecular interactions determine the force generated by airway smooth muscle (ASM). At the other, the spatially distributed constriction of the branching airways leads to breathing difficulties. Similarly, asthma therapies act at the molecular scale while clinical outcomes are determined by lung function. These extremes are linked by events operating over intermediate scales of length and time. Thus, AHR is an emergent phenomenon that limits our understanding of asthma and confounds the interpretation of studies that address physiological mechanisms over a limited range of scales. A solution is a modular computational model that integrates experimental and mathematical data from multiple scales. This includes, at the molecular scale, kinetics, and force production of actin-myosin contractile proteins during cross-bridge and latch-state cycling; at the cellular scale, Ca2+ signaling mechanisms that regulate ASM force production; at the tissue scale, forces acting between contracting ASM and opposing viscoelastic tissue that determine airway narrowing; at the organ scale, the topographic distribution of ASM contraction dynamics that determine mechanical impedance of the lung. At each scale, models are constructed with iterations between theory and experimentation to identify the parameters that link adjacent scales. This modular model establishes algorithms for modeling over a wide range of scales and provides a framework for the inclusion of other responses such as inflammation or therapeutic regimes. The goal is to develop this lung model so that it can make predictions about bronchoconstriction and identify the pathophysiologic mechanisms having the greatest impact on AHR and its therapy.
Modeling and using a web-based and tutored portfolio to support certification of professional competence in transfusion medicine

In order to manage a nationwide assessment program leading to certification of professional competence in blood transfusion throughout France, the National Institute of Blood Transfusion (INTS) and the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis designed and developed a structured and tutored web-based portfolio. The entire process of certification has been approved by the national healthcare agency (HAS). Eleven assessment programs have been written. The structure of this e-portfolio is based on a matrix of actions defined according to standards of practice. For each action, elements of proof are uploaded by the physician and peer-reviewed by an expert (a tutor) before validation. The electronic portfolio stores all the history of the actions performed by users. This tracking feature generates alerts which are e-mailed to users (physicians and tutors) according to a list of monitored events. After one year of design and development, the application is now being used routinely.
A Review in Management of Testicular Cancer: Single Center Review

Background Testicular cancer is one of the few solid cancers that can be cured even when it is metastasized with overall survival rate of more than 90%. The aim of this study was to establish the age adjusted incidence of testicular cancer and to critically assess the management of testicular tumor. Methods This is a quantitative retrospective study utilizing a review of clinical notes for patients who underwent testicular orchidectomy. The number of cancer cases, types of pathology and cancer staging were examined. Results There is no substantial difference between the crude and the age-standardized incidence, moreover no difference from the reported crude incidence by the Scottish intercollegiate guidelines. We found 55.1% of seminoma, 14.28% of non-seminoma and 30.61% of combined (seminoma and non-seminoma), and stage I disease in 61.22% of cases, stage II in 36.73% of cases, and stage IV in 2.04% of cases. Most of the cancers were in the age group 20 - 50 with the majority (48.97%) in the age group 31 - 40. About 42.85% of cases were identified with high tumor markers; higher percentage of seminoma at stage II (40.74%). Conclusions There is no substantial difference between the crude and the age-standardized incidence, moreover no difference from the reported crude incidence. Most of the cancers were in the age group 20 - 50 with the majority (48.97%) in the age group 31 - 40. Only 25% of seminomas had elevated tumor markers. Moreover, it is important to re-enforce strict adaptation to the IGCCCG prognostic factor-based classifications.
Reflex pupillary dilatation in response to skin incision and alfentanil in children anaesthetized with sevoflurane: a more sensitive measure of noxious stimulation than the commonly used variables.

BACKGROUND Estimation of analgesia in anaesthetized children is often imprecise, and consequently, anaesthesiologists commonly evaluate children's response to surgical stimulation by movement or haemodynamic changes. In adults reflex pupillary dilatation has been demonstrated to be a very sensitive measure of noxious stimulation, correlated with opioid concentrations. The autonomic nervous control changes with age, raising the hypothesis that mechanisms involved in pupillary autonomic functions regarding both sympathetic and parasympathetic components may also differ between adults and children. In this pilot study, we tested the hypothesis that the pupillary reflex dilatation might allow assessment of noxious stimulation and analgesic effect of alfentanil in children under sevoflurane anaesthesia, as an alternative to haemodynamic and bispectral measures. METHODS After sevoflurane induction, 24 children were maintained in steady-state conditions at 1.5 MAC of sevoflurane in O(2)-N(2)O (50-50). An intense noxious stimulation was provided by standardized skin incision on the lower limb. A bolus of alfentanil (10 microg kg(-1)) was administered either 1 min (n=16) or 2 min (n=8) after skin incision. Haemodynamic values, bispectral index (BIS) and pupillary diameter (PD) were recorded just before stimulation and at 30-60 s intervals during 4 subsequent minutes. RESULTS In all children PD increased significantly after noxious stimulation [+200 (40)%, at 60 s]. In contrast, mean heart rate and blood pressure increased only 11 (7)% and 10 (8)% respectively, 60 s after stimulation. BIS did not change significantly. In all children, alfentanil injection induced a rapid decrease of PD and restored pre-incision values in 2 min. CONCLUSION PD is a more sensitive measure of noxious stimulation than the commonly used variables of heart rate, arterial blood pressure and BIS in children anaesthetized with sevoflurane.
Network Coding Theory - Part I: Single Source

Store-and-forward had been the predominant technique for transmitting information through a network until its optimality was refuted by network coding theory. Network coding offers a new paradigm for network communications and has generated abundant research interest in information and coding theory, networking, switching, wireless communications, cryptography, computer science, operations research, and matrix theory.
Prestasi kemahiran motor halus dan motor kasar kanak-kanak masalah pembelajaran menggunakan instrumen Movement Assessment Battery For Children (MABC)

Perkembangan kemahiran motor halus dan motor kasar seseorang kanak-kanak banyak bergantung kepada perkembangan otak, keseimbangan badan dan peningkatan koordinasi badan. Namun kanak-kanak pendidikan khas berbeza daripada kanak-kanak biasa atupun sederhana dari segi mental, keupayaan deria, ciri-ciri saraf, otot, fizikal, tingkahlaku sosial ataupun emosi, keupayaan komunikasi dan pelbagai kekurangan. Oleh itu, objektif kajian ini dilakukan adalah untuk mengetahui prestasi kemahiran motor halus dan motor kasar kanak-kanak masalah pembelajaran. Kajian ini penting kerana pengukuran prestasi kemahiran motor halus dan motor kasar di kalangan kanak-kanak masalah pembelajaran menggunakan instrumen ujian yang telah diterima pakai di peringkat antarabangsa masih kurang dilaksanakan dan tiada hasil penyelidikan didokumenkan di Malaysia. Kajian ini berbentuk kajian eksperimental. Seramai 22 orang kanak-kanak bermasalah pembelajaran berumur 7 hingga 14 tahun daripada pelbagai jenis kecacatan seperti autisme, ceberal palsi, sindrom down dan slow learner di SK Taman Universiti 4, Skudai Johor terlibat dalam penyelidikan ini. Pengumpulan data melalui ujian Movement Assessment Battery For Children yang telah dibangunkan oleh Harcourt Assessment. Ujian ini mengandungi 3 bahagian iaitu Manual Dexterity, Ball Skill serta Static and Dinamic Balance. Data yang dikumpul untuk dianalisis dengan menggunakan Microsoft Excel. Melalui ujian yang dilakukan, 56.25 % daripada semua subjek telah menyelesaikan kesemua ujian. Daripada keputusan ujian, perbezaan umur dan kecacatan mempengaruhi tahap keupayaan kemahiran motor halus dan motor kasar kanak-kanak masalah pembelajaran. Kesimpulannya, kajian seperti ini amat diperlukan bagi membantu meningkatkan prestasi kanak-kanak masalah pembelajaran.
School experience in Taiwan: social class and gender differences

Educational attainment has been a central debate in the field of educational research for a long time. Moreover, regarding inequality in educational attainment, social research has been dominated by questioning the association between educational attainment and gender, ethnic and social class inequalities. When considering social class inequality, one universal conclusion can be drawn: the higher family social status,the better academic attainment. This is also true in Taiwan, as is the case elsewhere. However, I want to ask: does social status influence other educational outcomes in addition to academic attainment, and if so, how? With respect to this question, I argue that beside educational attainment, students’ school experiences can be considered as an important educational outcome; furthermore, it may be influenced by social status and gender. The aim of this research is to investigate the experiences of year 8 students in Taiwan: what are their perceptions of school experiences? , and more specifically, what extent family social status and gender are associated with different students’ perception of parents’ educative capital and their own educational habitus, which in turn influences pupils’ school experience. Indeed, this study intends to expand the relationship between social status/gender and education; moreover, to examine a dynamic structure between family social status/gender influence and personal perception. After the process of data analysis, many meaningful findings are examined. Family socioeconomic status did not make direct impact on students’ relationship with peers and teachers; and parents’ educative capital did not affect educational attainment directly either. In addition, surprisingly, gender difference made no difference on all measured aspects. By holding such information, it will be possible examine the phenomenon of youth development and secondary education in Taiwan.
Triggers to entice an audience to 'perform as interface' in an interactive installation

The paper investigates how an audience can be challenged to 'perform as interface' pointing towards the activation of a certain attitude; an active mind-set which constantly leads the attention back to the experience of our body; to perceive, critically read and make sense of this experience in relation to the interaction with(in) the technologically mediated world [16]. As a case, the paper focuses on the interactive installation "CHAIR_JUMP_CHUTE" and on the various ways the audience was induced to interact with it. The paper identifies triggers stimulating the participant to become fully - as in physically and mentally - engaged in the interaction with a technological installation in the semi-public setting of a cultural institute. Furthermore, it explores how the perceived thresholds (like other people watching, physical challenges or "apparative resistance" [9], become more than 'elements to overcome' as they can also be seen as giving meaning and depth to the interactive experience. The paper sums up what factors trigger this challenging and at the same time demanding (embodied) interaction, in order for this interaction to become an important actual / critical part of the aesthetic experience of interactive art, as it challenges the participant to perform as interface.
Interdecadal Amplitude Modulation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Its Impact on Tropical Pacific Decadal Variability*

AbstractThe amplitude of El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) displays pronounced interdecadal modulations in observations. The mechanisms for the amplitude modulation are investigated using a 2000-yr preindustrial control integration from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model, version 2.1 (GFDL CM2.1). ENSO amplitude modulation is highly correlated with the second empirical orthogonal function (EOF) mode of tropical Pacific decadal variability (TPDV), which features equatorial zonal dipoles in sea surface temperature (SST) and subsurface temperature along the thermocline. Experiments with an ocean general circulation model indicate that both interannual and decadal-scale wind variability are required to generate decadal-scale tropical Pacific temperature anomalies at the sea surface and along the thermocline. Even a purely interannual and sinusoidal wind forcing can produce substantial decadal-scale effects in the equatorial Pacific, with SST cooling in the west, subsurface warming along.
Chronic Heart Failure in Congenital Heart Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

### Introduction The past 60 years have brought remarkable advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD). Early diagnosis and improvements in cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology have resulted in unprecedented survival of patients with CHD, even those with the most complex lesions. Despite remarkable success in treatments, many interventions are palliative rather than curative, and patients often develop cardiac complications, including heart failure (HF). HF management in the setting of CHD is challenged by the wide range of ages at which HF occurs, the heterogeneity of the underlying anatomy and surgical repairs, the wide spectrum of HF causes, the lack of validated biomarkers for disease progression, the lack of reliable risk predictors or surrogate end points, and the paucity of evidence demonstrating treatment efficacy. The purposes of this statement are to review the literature pertaining to chronic HF in CHD and to elucidate important gaps in our knowledge, emphasizing the need for specific studies of HF mechanisms and improving outcomes for those with HF. In this document, the definition of CHD severity is the definition common in CHD documents, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines1 for the management of adults with CHD (Table 11–3). The definition of HF corresponds to that found in the multiple guidelines on diagnosis and management of HF. Although nuances and specific details may be controversial,4 the broad definition from the Heart Failure Society of America guidelines states the following: “In physiologic terms, HF is a syndrome characterized by either or both pulmonary and systemic venous congestion and/or inadequate peripheral oxygen delivery, at rest or during stress, caused by cardiac dysfunction. ”5 The definition of chronic HF in this document concurs with that of the European Society of Cardiology guidelines, which emphasize chronic HF …
Polymorphisms in estrogen related genes may modify the protective effect of isoflavones against prostate cancer risk in Japanese men

Soy isoflavones and estrogen related genes may play a major role in the etiology of prostate cancer. This study examined whether the genetic polymorphisms of estrogen receptors (ESR-&agr; and ESR-&bgr;) and cytochrome P450 19A1 (CYP19A1) modified the protective effect of isoflavones against prostate cancer. One hundred and eighty cases and 177 controls were selected from three geographic areas of Japan. The odds ratio for more than or equal to 60 versus less than 60 mg/day of the intake of isoflavones was 0.63 (95% confidence interval=0.41–0.96). The TTTA long repeat was significantly associated with an increased risk (odds ratio=1.76, 95% confidence interval=1.15–5.70). The interaction between the polymorphisms and the intake of isoflavones on prostate cancer risk was analyzed by the multifactor dimensionality reduction method. The combination of the TTTA long repeats and the minor alleles of rs10046 in CYP19A1 and rs2077647 in ESR-&agr; was a high risk for prostate cancer despite greater than or equal to 60 mg isoflavones/day. The combination of the TTTA short repeat and those homozygous for the major allele of rs10046 in CYP19A1 was low risk despite less than 60 mg isoflavones/day. In conclusion, the findings of this case–control study suggest that the protective effect of isoflavones may differ between the genotypes of estrogen related genes.
Diminished Sense of Self-Existence and Self-Reported Aggression among Japanese Students

This study examined the relationship between a diminished sense of self-existence and self-reported aggression among Japanese undergraduate students. Based on the previous scales, 81 items were developed to measure the diminished sense of self-existence and were assumed to represent three dimensions: self, others, and time. 286 undergraduate students rated themselves on the Diminished Sense of Self-existence Scale and the 1992 Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Analysis indicated that men and women had low scores on Verbal Aggression and high scores on Hostility with the diminished sense of self-existence. The diminished sense of self-existence was not generally related to Anger or Physical Aggression in men, whereas in women, Anger and Physical Aggression were found particularly when the sense of self-existence in relations with others was diminished.
Standard cell routing via Boolean satisfiability

We propose a flow for routing nets within a standard cell that 1) generates candidate routes for point-to-point segments; 2) finds conflicts (electrical shorts and geometric design rule violations) between candidate routes; and 3) solves a SAT instance producing a legal and complete routing for all nets in the standard cell. This approach enables routing automation for cutting-edge process technology nodes. We present how to make this technique more effective by introducing pruning techniques to reduce the work required in all three steps. We also show how we can further optimize routing quality within the SAT formulation through the use of successively more stringent constraints. Recent improvements in the speed of SAT solvers make such a formulation practical for even complex standard cells. A routing tool based on our SAT formulation is currently being used to route real industrial standard cell layouts. It demonstrates acceptable runtime and 89% coverage of our industrial standard cell library, including scan flip-flops, adders, and multiplexers. We also observe a significant reduction in amount of metal 2 routing in comparison with industrial hand-crafted standard cells.
From a meso- to micro-scale connectome: array tomography and mGRASP

Mapping mammalian synaptic connectivity has long been an important goal of neuroscience because knowing how neurons and brain areas are connected underpins an understanding of brain function. Meeting this goal requires advanced techniques with single synapse resolution and large-scale capacity, especially at multiple scales tethering the meso- and micro-scale connectome. Among several advanced LM-based connectome technologies, Array Tomography (AT) and mammalian GFP-Reconstitution Across Synaptic Partners (mGRASP) can provide relatively high-throughput mapping synaptic connectivity at multiple scales. AT- and mGRASP-assisted circuit mapping (ATing and mGRASPing), combined with techniques such as retrograde virus, brain clearing techniques, and activity indicators will help unlock the secrets of complex neural circuits. Here, we discuss these useful new tools to enable mapping of brain circuits at multiple scales, some functional implications of spatial synaptic distribution, and future challenges and directions of these endeavors.
Innovative Analysis of the Sequenced Patterns of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Strains to Determine Clonal Transmission in a Hospital Setting

Isolates from patients who acquired vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were examined for the frequency of genetically indistinguishable strains on leukemia and stem cell transplant units at a major cancer center for 1 year. A total of 14 strains recurred, primarily on the same floor and in the same service unit an average of 49 days apart. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;36(12):1461–1463
A comparison of genetic regulatory network dynamics and encoding

Genetic Regulatory Networks (GRNs) implementations have a high degree of variability in their details. Parameters, encoding methods, and dynamics formulas all differ in the literature, and some GRN implementations have a high degree of model complexity. In this paper, we present a comparative study of different implementations of a GRN and introduce new variants for comparison. We use a modified Genetic Algorithm (GA) to evaluate GRN performance on a number of common benchmark tasks, with a focus on real-time control problems. We propose an encoding scheme and set of dynamics equations that simplifies implementation and evaluate the evolutionary fitness of this proposed method. Lastly, we use the comparative modifications study to demonstrate overall enhancements for GRN models.
Families of n-gonal curves with maximal variation of moduli

The aim of this paper is to generalize a lemma by Caporaso to families of n - gonal curves, namely curves that have a n to 1 map to P^1 . In order to explain the results we obtained and to give the ideas of our proofs, we first review the instructive proof of Caporaso’s lemma.
Nineteen-Month Stability of Revised NEO Personality Inventory Domain and Facet Scores in Patients With Personality Disorders

We lack knowledge of the temporal stability of major personality dimensions in patients with personality disorders (PDs). The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) is a self-report instrument that operationalizes the Five-Factor Model of personality. This study investigated the relative stability, mean level stability, and individual level stability of the NEO-PI-R scores in patients with PDs (n = 393) and patients with symptom disorders only (n = 131). The NEO-PI-R was administered at admission to short-term day treatment and after an average of 19 months. The results showed a moderate to high degree of stability of NEO-PI-R scale scores with no substantial difference in stability between patients with and without PD. Changes in NEO-PI-R scores were associated with changes in symptom distress. Neuroticism was the least stable domain. The study indicates that the Five-Factor Modelof personality dimensions and traits are fairly stable in patients with PDs. The lower stability of Neuroticism may partly be explained by its inherent state aspects.