Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bringing Non-programmer Authoring of Intelligent Tutors to MOOCs

Learning-by-doing in MOOCs may be enhanced by embedding intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs). ITSs support learning-by-doing by guiding learners through complex practice problems while adapting to differences among learners. We extended the Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools (CTAT), a widely-used non-programmer tool kit for building intelligent tutors, so that CTAT-built tutors can be embedded in MOOCs and e-learning platforms. We demonstrated the technical feasibility of this integration by adding simple CTAT-built tutors to an edX MOOC, "Big Data in Education. " To the best of our knowledge, this integration is the first occasion that material created through an open-access non-programmer authoring tool for full-fledged ITS has been integrated in a MOOC. The work offers examples of key steps that may be useful in other ITS-MOOC integration efforts, together with reflections on strengths, weaknesses, and future possibilities.
An Approach to Answer Selection in Question-Answering Based on Semantic Relations

A usual strategy to select the final answer in factoid Question-Answering (QA) relies on redundancy. A score is given to each candidate answer as a function of its frequency of occurrence, and the final answer is selected from the set of candidates sorted in decreasing order of score. For that purpose, systems often try to group together semantically equivalent answers. However, they hold several other semantic relations, such as inclusion, which are not considered, and candidates are mostly seen independently, as competitors. Our hypothesis is that not just equivalence, but other relations between candidate answers have impact on the performance of a redundancy-based QA system. In this paper, we describe experimental studies to back up this hypothesis. Our findings show that, with relatively simple techniques to recognize relations, systems' accuracy can be improved for answers of categories NUMBER, DATE and ENTITY.
Waste management and household effort: toward an enhanced ADF policy

Advanced Disposal Fees (ADF) are rather popular in waste management policies, but they cease any waste reduction effort at the household level. We propose a waved ADF policy which enhances this system by giving to the households the possibility to sign a waste reduction contract in counterpart of a lower fee. These contracts satisfy an incentive, a budget balancing and a participation constraints. For these feasible contracts, we show that this enriched ADF policy is welfare improving and always induces a waste reduction e¤ort.
Bacterial contaminants of African indigenous leafy vegetables and their antibiotics sensitivity characteristics: A case study of Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania

A study was conducted in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania to investigate the bacterial load found on African indigenous leafy vegetables, their sources and their sensitivity to commonly used antibiotics. A total of 126 samples of fresh African indigenous leafy vegetables (amaranth, nightshade and sweet potato leaves), water used for irrigation from rivers and shallow wells and manure fertilised soils were collected at farm sites and market outlets for bacteriological analysis. Bacterial counts were calculated as colony forming units (CFU) per millilitre (CFU/ml) of vegetable washing. The isolates sensitivity or resistances to antibiotics were determined on Muller – Hinton agar plates by the disk diffusion technique. Data was subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using SAS Statistical software. Results showed that microorganisms were abundant on the surfaces of the African indigenous leafy vegetables, with nightshade having 1.8 × 10 CFU/ml while amaranth and sweet potato leaves having 1.7 × 10 CFU/ml and 1.5 × 10 CFU/ml respectively. The water used for irrigation from the lower section of the river had significantly (P = 0.03) higher bacterial loads 1.8 × 10 CFU/ml than water from the higher sections. Biochemical tests indicated bacterial isolates from the studied vegetables to be Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus spp, Staphylococcus albus and Bacillus spp. The results show that Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes and Proteus spp (coliforms) were highly sensitive (>75 %) to enrofloxacin, sulphamethoxazole and ofloxacin antibiotics but resistant to rifampicin. The observed bacterial loads, and sensitivity patterns to commonly used antibiotics reveal the potential adverse health impact of the vegetables on consumers. Proper handling and preparation of vegetables before consumption is highly recommended. Further research covering different African indigenous leafy vegetables in wider agro-ecological areas and sensitivity patterns to commonly used antibiotics is also strongly recommended.
Text to video generation via knowledge distillation

Text-to-video generation (T2V) has recently attracted more attention due to the wide application scenarios of video media. However, compared with the substantial advances in text-to-image generation (T2I), the research on T2V remains in its early stage. The difficulty mainly lies in maintaining the text-visual semantic consistency and the video temporal coherence. In this paper, we propose a novel distillation and translation GAN (DTGAN) to address these problems. First, we leverage knowledge distillation to guarantee semantic consistency. We distill text-visual mappings from a well-performing T2I teacher model and transfer it to our DTGAN. This knowledge serves as shared abstract features and high-level constraints for each frame in the generated videos. Second, we propose a novel visual recurrent unit (VRU) to achieve video temporal coherence. The VRU can generate frame sequences as well as process the temporal information across frames. It enables our generator to act as a multi-modal variant of the language model in neural machine translation task, which iteratively predicts the next frame based on the input text and the previously generated frames. We conduct experiments on two synthetic datasets (SBMG and TBMG) and one real-world dataset (MSVD). Qualitative and quantitative comparisons with state-of-the-art methods demonstrate that our DTGAN can generate results with better text-visual semantic consistency and temporal coherence.
Ketamine Inhibits Proliferation of Neural Stem Cell from Neonatal Rat Hippocampus in Vitro

Background/Aims: Ketamine is a widely used anesthetic in obstetric and pediatric anesthesia. In the developing brain, the widespread neuron apoptosis triggered by ketamine has been demonstrated. However, little is known about its effect on neural stem cells (NSCs) function. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ketamine on proliferation of NSCs from neonatal rat hippocampus. Methods: Neural stem cells were isolated from the hippocampus of Sprague-Dawley rats on postnatal day 3. In dose-response experiments, cultured neural stem cells (NSCs) were exposed to different concentrations of ketamine (0-1000 µM) for 24 hrs. The proliferative activity of NSCs was evaluated by 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay. Apoptosis of neural stem cells were assessed using caspase-3 by western blot. The intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in NSCs was analyzed by flow cytometry. The activation of protein kinase C-α (PKCα) and the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) were measured by western blot analysis. Results: Clinical relevant concentration of ketamine (10, 20 and 50 µM) did not markedly alter the proliferation of NSCs from neonatal rat hippocampus in vitro. However, ketamine (200, 500, 800 and 1000μM) significantly inhibited the proliferation of NSCs and did not affect the expression of caspase-3. Meanwhile, ketamine (200, 500, 800 and 1000μM) also markedly decreased [Ca2+]i as well as suppressed PKCα activation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in NSCs. A combination of subthreshold concentrations of ketamine (100 μM) and Ca2+ channel blocker verapamil (2.5 μM), PKCα inhibitor chelerythrine (2.5 μM) or ERK1/2 kinase inhibitor PD98059 (5 μM) significantly produced suprathreshold effects on PKCα activation, ERK1/2 phosphorylation and NSC proliferation. Conclusion: Ketamine inhibited proliferation of NSCs from neonatal rat hippocampus in vitro. Suppressing Ca2+-PKCα-ERK1/2 signaling pathway may be involved in this inhibitory effect of ketamine on NSCs proliferation.
Les minéraux argileux des sédiments récents du golfe de Cariaco (Vénézuela)

La phase argileuse des sediments recents du Golfe de Cariaco est constituee pour sa plus grande partie par des illites dont l'etat de cristallinite varie d'une facon spectaculaire en fonction de la position geographique consideree. Par la definition et l'utilisation d'un parametre permettant d'etudier la repartition de cet etat («etat d'ouverture», mesurable sur diffract ogramme X), on a pu mettre en evidence le role fondamental de l'heritage continental ainsi que l'importance de la sedimentation differentielle dans la repartition des illites. Si l'on excepte les discrets phenomenes degradation observables dans la partie orientale du golfe, il semble bien que le role des transformations au cours de la sedimentation soit ici negligeable. Parmi les autres mineraux argileux observes , la kaolinite represente environ le quart de la phase argileuse ; montmorillonite et chlorite ont un role tout a fait accessoire.
Probabilistic Model to Access the Possible Information using Query Representation

searching of data Process end users search their data needs using query representation, by using this way of retrieving data may not meet their expectations. To achieve end users goal, developers implement several techniques. Previously end users follow greedy algorithm with IQp (1). But in this paper we will work forward with n-gram Language model. In this approach, end user selects the searchable keyword with the length of minimum n+1 data units. With n data units users failed to retrieve their expectations. This approach includes Probabilistic algorithms used for large vocabulary word correction system with language model. This paper explains data search using n gram data model (5), web server and allows users to interact via browser front end. We outline the challenges and discuss the implementation of our system including results of extensive experimental evaluation.
Diversity of Maize Kernels from a Breeding Program for Protein Quality: I. Physical, Biochemical, Nutrient, and Color Traits

It is a challenge to breed maize (Zea mays L.) varieties with enhanced levels of protein, oil, starch, and essential amino acid contents while maintaining competitive agronomic capability. We used multivariate statistical procedures to quantify total diversity and its components for 31 physical, biochemical, nutrient, and color traits of 1348 accessions from 13 maize populations. The germplasm belonged to stiff and non-stiff stalk heterotic groups at different stages of inbreeding and with opaque or translucent kernel endosperm. Cluster, principal components, and variance components analyses resulted in separating populations and traits into statistically different groups and helped to identify physical and color traits that may be useful for selecting accessions with high protein, amino acid, oil, and nutrient contents. We identified correlative relationships between groups of biochemical and nutrient traits linked to certain populations or physical or kernel color traits. Diversity analysis revealed variable relationships between and within total diversity and its components depending on kernel physical, biochemical, nutrient, and color traits. Sources of variation in and amount of variation attributed to total diversity for each of these traits were identified and quantified. populations and genotypes within populations were identified as sources of variation for multiple kernel quality traits that can be used in developing high-quality maize varieties. A.A. Jaradat, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 803 Iowa Ave., Morris MN 56267; W. Goldstein, Mandaamin Institute, W2331 Kniep Road, Elkhorn WI 53121. Received 21 July 2012. *Corresponding author (abdullah.jaradat@ars.usda.gov; jarad001@umn.edu). Abbreviations: a*, redness–greenness; ANN, artificial neural network; b*, yellowness–blueness; BSSS, Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic; GEM, Germplasm Enhancement of Maize; Gst, population differentiation; Hs, diversity within populations; Ht, total diversity; ISU, Iowa State University; L*, darkness–lightness; MFAI, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, NG, Nokomis Gold; NIRS, near-infrared spectroscopy; PC, principal component; PCA, principal components analysis; PLS, partial least squares, Q2, validation coefficient of determination; UPGMA, unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average. Published in Crop Sci. 53:956–976 (2013). doi: 10.2135/cropsci2012.07. 0437 © Crop Science Society of America | 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission for printing and for reprinting the material contained herein has been obtained by the publisher.
Effects of wind turbines on the operational products of the German weather radar network

Due to the promotion of the use of renewable energy sources in many European countries, new wind turbines are increasingly raised and existing wind farms are repowered. As wind turbines – like weather radar stations – are primarily installed at exposed locations, they can induce interference on radars in terms of clutter. This has led to conflicts of interest between the operators of wind turbines on the one hand and weather radar operators on the other. This conference article reports on the effects of wind turbines on the operational products of the German meteorological service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD). The investigation reveals that reflectivity threshold values, which are operationally used to indicate thunderstorms and hailstorms, are more frequently exceeded at wind turbine coordinates than at reference coordinates. At coordinates that contain wind turbines extending into the radar beam, the determined mean reflectivity values are higher than at reference coordinates. This is true for the two-year period as well as for the specified sub-periods with uniform meteorological conditions.
Gaze Shifts between Text and Illustrations are Negatively Related to Reading Fluency in Beginning Readers

Learning to read is often considered the most important skill taught in school because reading is a gateway to other learning. Many children struggle to acquire this fundamental skill. Suboptimal design of books for beginning readers may contribute to the difficulties children experience as close proximity between text and illustrations could promote attentional competition hampering literacy skills. The present work utilized eye-tracking technology to examine how beginning readers allocate attention and whether these patterns are related to fluency (Experiment 1) and comprehension (Experiment 2). Results suggest when reading books in which text and illustrations are in close proximity, children frequently shift attention away from the text. This pattern of attention was negatively associated with fluency, but not associated with comprehension. This line of research aims to provide theoretical insights about design principles for reading materials that can be employed to optimize instructional materials and promote literacy development in young children.
Adenosine Increases the Immunosuppressive Capacity of Cervical Cancer Cells by Increasing PD-L1 Expression and TGF-β Production through Its Interaction with A2AR/A2BR

The present study provides evidence showing that adenosine (Ado) increases the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in cervical cancer (CeCa) cells by interacting with A2AR/A2BR and that TGF-β1 acts in an autocrine manner to induce PD-L1 expression, enhancing the immunosuppressive effects of CeCa cells on activated T lymphocytes (ATLs) and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for antigenic peptides derived from E6 and E7 proteins of HPV-16. Interestingly, the addition of the antagonists ZM241385 and MRS1754, which are specific for A2AR and A2BR, respectively, or SB-505124, which is a selective TGF-β1 receptor inhibitor, to CeCa cell cultures significantly inhibited PD-L1 expression. In addition, supernatants from CeCa cells that were treated with Ado (CeCa-Ado Sup) increased the expression of PD-1, TGF-β1, and IL-10 and decreased the expression of IFN-γ in ATLs. Interestingly, the addition of an anti-TGF-β neutralizing antibody strongly reversed the effect of CeCa-Ado Sup on PD-1 expression in ATLs. These results strongly suggest the presence of a feedback mechanism that involves the adenosinergic pathway, the production of TGF-β1, and the upregulation of PD-L1 expression in CeCa cells that suppresses the antitumor response of CTLs. The findings of this study suggest that this pathway may be clinically important and may be a therapeutic target.
Characterization of Avt1p as a vacuolar proton/amino acid antiporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Several genes for vacuolar amino acid transport were reported in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but have not well been investigated. We characterized AVT1, a member of the AVT vacuolar transporter family, which is reported to be involved in lifespan of yeast. ATP-dependent uptake of isoleucine and histidine by the vacuolar vesicles of an AVT exporter mutant was lost by introducing avt1∆ mutation. Uptake activity was inhibited by the V-ATPase inhibitor: concanamycin A and a protonophore. Isoleucine uptake was inhibited by various neutral amino acids and histidine, but not by γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, and aspartate. V-ATPase-dependent acidification of the vesicles was declined by the addition of isoleucine or histidine, depending upon Avt1p. Taken together with the data of the amino acid contents of vacuolar fractions in cells, the results suggested that Avt1p is a proton/amino acid antiporter important for vacuolar compartmentalization of various amino acids. Avt1p is a proton/amino acid antiporter involved in vacuolar uptake of histidine and various neutral amino acids
Qualitative analysis of unilateral spatial neglect in relation to laterality of cerebral lesions

Two unselected groups of patients, affected by a mono-hemispheric cerebral lesion, were studied in two seperate services by means of various tasks of copying drawings, in order to check the hypothesis of a qualitative difference between unilateral spatial neglect (USN) of right and left brain-damaged patients. In both experimental groups drawing asymmetries were found to be of slight importance among the left hemispheric patients, consisting chiefly in a tendency to omit some figures lying on the right half of the models, and to be definitely more severe in the right braindamaged patients, where the main pattern of USN seemed to be the tendency to leave unfinished the left half of the drawings. A second aim of the study was to describe some less frequent features of USN, sometimes found in patients who were recovering from a severe damage of the minor hemisphere. These patterns of USN seemed to suggest that the core of unilateral spatial neglect consists in a peculiar disorganization of the type of synthesis of the sensory data which seems characteristic of the minor hemisphere.
Correlation of Grade Prediction Performance with Characteristics of Lesson Subject

Learning analytics is valuable sources of understanding students' behavior and giving feedback to them so that we can improve their learning activities. Analyzing comment data written by students after each lesson helps to grasp their learning attitudes and situations. They can be a powerful source of data for all forms of assessment. In the current study, we break down student comments into different topics by employing two topic models: Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (PLSA), and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), to discover the topics that help to predict final student grades as their performance. The objectives of this paper are twofold: First, determine how the three time-series items: P-, C- and N-comments and the difficulty of a subject affect the prediction results of final student grades. Second, evaluate the reliability of predicting student grades by considering the differences between prediction results of two consecutive lessons. The results obtained can help to understand student behavior during the period of the semester, grasp prediction error occurred in each lesson, and achieve further improvement of the student grade prediction.
Pivotal Role of Protein Kinase C&dgr; in Angiotensin II–Induced Endothelial Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression: A Link to Vascular Inflammation

Objective—The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesis that angiotensin II (Ang II) induced endothelial cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, which in turn mediated the generation of proinflammatory cytokines. Methods and Results—Western blot analysis on primary rat endothelial cells showed Ang II induced COX-2 expression, which was abolished by cotreatment of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (SB 202190) and extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 (PD 98059) inhibitors. Protein kinase C&dgr; (PKC&dgr;) inhibitor (rottlerin) prevented extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation and COX-2 expression. The pivotal role of PKC&dgr; was further supported by a similar stimulatory effect of the PKC activator on COX-2 expression, signified by Ang II–stimulated translocation of PKC&dgr; to the plasma membrane, and confirmed by PKC&dgr; phosphorylation at Tyr311. Small interfering RNA targeting PKC&dgr; diminished COX-2 expression, which was further abrogated by SB 202190. Human mesenteric arteries incubated with Ang II showed increased levels of endothelial COX-2 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; the former was inhibited by SB 202190 plus rottlerin, whereas the latter was prevented by COX-2 inhibitor. Conclusion—The present study pinpoints a novel role of PKC&dgr; in Ang II–induced endothelial COX-2 upregulation and identifies a COX-2-dependent proatherosclerotic cytokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. The findings raise the possibility of curtailing endothelial COX-2 expression as a means of limiting or preventing vascular inflammation.
The acceptance of long-range weather forecasts: a question of perception?

These perceptions were examined by a survey of property managers across Queensland who were involved in a wide variety of agricultural activities. Results from the survey, which was conducted prior to the release of ENSO-based long-range forecasts in Australia, reveal that the acceptance and subsequent use of these forecasts as an effective planning tool may be initially limited by a number of factors. Desired levels of forecast reliability, forecast presentation style, use of terminology in forecasts and perceptions with regard to weather information services are discussed. -from Authors