Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spiritual development: understanding and importance in schools: an analysis based on statements made by school directors from Valparaíso, Chile

ABSTRACT Chile’s General Law of Education states that one of the purposes of education is the spiritual development of all its schooled population. Furthermore, guidelines in Chile’s education system place school directors as key players in student’s learning. This article presents the results of a research involving school directors from Valparaíso, Chile. The aim of this research was to identify how directors of secular and religious schools understand their students’ spiritual development. We studied this aspect in particular through semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 participants. Results show that directors understand spirituality as a typically human ability that can be strengthened in schools and, thus, they believe it to be highly important in schools. In addition, they see a strong relation between spiritual development and ethical and moral development. This study also shows differences in how secular and religious schools’ directors understand this relation. This opens the way for more in-depth analysis regarding spiritual development in Chile’s education system, especially considering that directors generally believe it to be a part of a holistic and quality education.
Application of Dijkstra's weakest precondition calculus to Dining Philosophers problem

Dijkstra's weakest precondition calculus is used to model the well known Dining Philosophers problem. Process and state definitions are done in such a manner that only the deadlock property of the system is highlighted. Care has been taken to choose the proper details such that it is not too elaborate to obscure the requirements also not be too abstract to mask the actual analytical needs. State transition rules specify the system behavior. Intuitive reasoning as well as formal technique has been applied to get the deadlock condition. Two well known solutions are specified and proved. The proof technique being analytical, its complexity does not depend on the size of the problem. The second solution requires an event ordering and therefore a temporal ordering predicate has been used to prove its correctness.
Learning to complete the PhD thesis

Research competencies are pertinent to academic researchers. Due to increasingly demanding work situations, academic researchers are forced to rapidly develop competencies in both qualitative and quantitative research. However, studies on how doctoral candidates develop competencies to complete their PhD theses are limited. This study, therefore, examines the types of learning method including the processes and drivers of learning among academics, who have successfully employed qualitative methodologies in their doctoral research. We used the perspectives of learning theories, doctoral education processes and network perspective as the study’s conceptual framework. We employed a qualitative design comprising in-depth interviews with ten researchers in the field of management. The findings suggest that researchers learn qualitative methodologies through both formal and informal methods of learning. Selfstudy, guidance from supervisor and network support which are closely tied to one’s own self-reflection contribute to the successful application of qualitative methodology in doctoral research.
Self-consistent simulation of array-based CNFETs: Impact of tube pitch on RF performance

The quantum-mechanical Schrodinger equation, implemented in an NEGF (non-equilibrium Green's function) framework, is solved self-consistently with the Poisson equation to study the impact of the distance between the tubes (pitch) on the high-frequency (RF) performance of array-based, carbon nanotube, field-effect transistors.
Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A) Contributes to Colorectal Tumorigenesis via Activation of the Wnt/Β-Catenin Pathway by Down-Regulating Dickkopf-1 (DKK1)

We collected paired samples of tumor and adjacent normal colorectal tissues from 22 patients with colorectal carcinoma to compare the differences in the expression of lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) in these two tissues. The results showed that in 19 paired samples (86.4%), LSD1 is more highly expressed in tumor tissue than in normal tissue. To explore the role of LSD1 in colorectal tumorigenesis, we used somatic cell gene targeting to generate an LSD1 knockout (KO) HCT 116 human colorectal cancer cell line as a research model. The analysis of phenotypic changes showed that LSD1 KO colorectal cancer cells are less tumorigenic, both in vivo and in vitro. The differential expression analysis of the cells by mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) yielded 2,663 differentially expressed genes, and 28 of these genes had highly significant differences (Q <0.01). We then selected the 4 colorectal cancer-related genes ADM, DKK1, HAS3 and SMURF2 for quantitative real-time PCR verification. The results showed that the differences in the expression of ADM, DKK1 and HAS3 were consistent with those measured using the RNA-Seq data. As DKK1 was the gene with the most significant differential expression, we analyzed the key proteins of the DKK1-related Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and found that, after knocking out LSD1, the amount of free β-catenin translocated to the nucleus was significantly reduced and that the transcription of the signaling pathway target gene c-Myc was down-regulated. Our studies show that LSD1 activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by down-regulating the pathway antagonist DKK1, which may be one of the mechanisms leading to colorectal tumorigenesis.
Evaluation of a Graduate Level Data Mining Course with Industry Participants

Data mining courses are increasingly being taught at many universities at both undergraduate and graduate levels. This paper reports on a new graduate level data mining course run for the first time in 2007 at a major Australian university. The course had almost 20% enrolments of industry based participants from both private and public sector organisations. This paper discusses the student population and presents the course structure and assessment. An empirical evaluation of student responses, conducted at the end of the course, is then provided, with an emphasis on differences in responses from graduate students and external participants. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first such detailed empirical evaluation of a data mining course.
INTEGRATING LOGICAL OPERATORS IN QUERY EXPANSION IN VECTOR SPACE MODEL

Query expansion is an effective way to extend the coverage of retrieval to the related documents. Various approaches have been proposed and many of them are based on the vector space model. The expansion process consists of simply adding expansion terms into the original vector. In this paper we argue that this simple expansion method can bias the focus of the original query, because the expanded terms add additional emphasis to the original term. Instead of adding expansion terms into the vector, we propose to combine them with the original terms by means of the logical OR operator. In this way, the expansion terms are considered as alternatives to the original terms, and the focus of the whole query remain unchanged. Our experiments on a TREC collection show that this expansion approach is more appropriate than the simple addition approach.
EMERGENT PHENOMENA IN GENETIC PROGRAMMING 1

Evolutionary computation systems exhibit various emergent phenomena, primary of which is adaptation. In genetic programming, because of the indeterminate nature of the representation, the evolution of both recombination distributions and representations can emerge from the population dynamics. A review of ideas on these phenomena is presented, including theory on the evolution of evolvability through differential proliferation of subexpressions within programs. An analysis is given of a model of genetic programming dynamics that is supportive of the “Soft Brood Selection” conjecture, which was proposed as a means to counteract the emergence of highly conservative code, and instead favor highly evolvable code.
Reprints Available Directly from the Publisher Photocopying Permitted by License Only the Recognition of Hypothalamo-neurohypophysial Functions by Developing T Cells

Neuropeptide signals and specific neuropeptide receptors have been described in the thymus supporting the concept of a close dialogue between the neuroendocrine and the immune systems at the level of early T-cell differentiation. In this paper, we review recent data about neurohypophysial (NHP)-related peptides detected in the thymus from different species. We suggest that we are dealing in fact with other member(s) of the NHP hormone family, which seems to exert its activity locally through a novel model of cell-to-cell signaling, that of cryptocrine communication. This model involves exchange of signals between thymic epithelial cells and developing thymocytes. The NHP-related peptides have been shown to trigger thymocyte proliferation and could induce immune tolerance of this highly conserved neuroendocrine family.
GENEVA: Streaming Control Algorithm Using Generalized Multiplicative-increase/additive-decrease

Motivated by the deployment of wide-area high-speed networks, we propose GENEVA, the streaming control algorithm using generalized multiplicative-increase/additive-decrease (GMIAD). Because current typical con- gestion controllers such as a TCP-friendly rate control prevent occurrences of network congestion reacting susceptibly to packet loss, it causes a significant degradation of streaming quality due to low-achieving throughput (i.e., lower throughput than the maximum throughput that a streaming flow requires in maximum audio/video quality) and data packet losses. GENEVA avoids this problem by allowing a streaming flow to maintain moderate network congestion while trying to recover lost data packets that other competing flows cause during the process of probing for available bandwidth. Using the GMIAD mechanism, the FEC window size (the degree of FEC redundancy per unit time) is adjusted to suppress occurrences of bursty packet loss, while trying to effectively utilize network resources that other competing flows cannot consume due to reductions in the transmission rate in response to packet loss. We describe the GENEVA algorithm and evaluate its effectiveness using an NS-2 simulator. The results show that GENEVA enables high-performance streaming flows to retain higher streaming quality under stable conditions while minimizing the adverse impact on competing TCP performance.
Gaussian Approximation Based Mixture Reduction for Joint Channel Estimation and Detection in MIMO Systems

A novel Gaussian approximation based mixture reduction algorithm is proposed for semi-blind joint channel tracking and symbol detection for spatial multiplexing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with frequency-flat time-selective channels. The proposed algorithm is based on a modified sequential Gaussian approximation detector (SGA) which takes into account channel uncertainty, and the first order generalized pseudo-Bayesian (GPB1) channel estimator. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm performs better than the conventional and computationally expensive decision-directed method with Kalman filter based channel estimation and a posteriori probability (APP) symbol detection.
Depth image improvement for 3D applications

This paper uses the area-based canny edge detector to keep the boundaries intact while applying the boundary-based depth image improvement technique to the flat areas. The proposed method will provide a better sense of depth by addressing image quality deterioration, which may take place in acquiring depth images in a limited environment, through post-or pre-treatment. We expect such improvement in depth images to be applied to various 3D applications, such as depth-based 3D body gesture recognition/interaction, depth-based image rendering (DBIR), 3D TV.
A 20 bp Duplication in Exon 2 of the Aristaless-Like Homeobox 4 Gene (ALX4) Is the Candidate Causative Mutation for Tibial Hemimelia Syndrome in Galloway Cattle

Aristaless-like homeobox 4 (ALX4) gene is an important transcription regulator in skull and limb development. In humans and mice ALX4 mutations or loss of function result in a number of skeletal and organ malformations, including polydactyly, tibial hemimelia, omphalocele, biparietal foramina, impaired mammary epithelial morphogenesis, alopecia, coronal craniosynostosis, hypertelorism, depressed nasal bridge and ridge, bifid nasal tip, hypogonadism, and body agenesis. Here we show that a complex skeletal malformation of the hind limb in Galloway cattle together with other developmental anomalies is a recessive autosomal disorder most likely caused by a duplication of 20 bp in exon 2 of the bovine ALX4 gene. A second duplication of 34 bp in exon 4 of the same gene has no known effect, although both duplications result in a frameshift and premature stop codon leading to a truncated protein. Genotyping of 1,688 Black/Red/Belted/Riggit Galloway (GA) and 289 White Galloway (WGA) cattle showed that the duplication in exon 2 has allele frequencies of 1% in GA and 6% in WGA and the duplication in exon 4 has frequencies of 23% in GA and 38% in WGA. Both duplications were not detected in 876 randomly selected German Holstein Friesian and 86 cattle of 21 other breeds. Hence, we have identified a candidate causative mutation for tibial hemimelia syndrome in Galloway cattle and selection against this mutation can be used to eliminate the mutant allele from the breed.
Kinetics of the onset of catabolite repression in Escherichia coli as determined by lac messenger ribonucleic acid initiations and intracellular cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate levels

The rates of synthesis of beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) and the intracellular levels of cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) soon after the addition of glucose or glycerol to exponentially growing cultures of Escherichia coli have been determined. Within 10 s of its addition, glucose, but not glycerol, lowered the apparent initiation frequency of lac messenger ribonucleic acid. The glucose-generated reduction in initiations is identified as catabolite repression by its reversibility with cAMP. The intracellular cAMP levels respond virtually identically to glucose and glycerol additions. Thus, no correlation was observed between the rate of messenger ribonucleic acid initiation and the level of cAMP.
Detection of Promoter Hypermethylation of Tumor Suppressor Genes in Urine from Kidney Cancer Patients

Abstract: Kidney cancer is curable by surgical resection and therapy, if detected at an early stage. Using sensitive methylation‐specific polymerase chain reaction, we screened matched tumor DNA and preoperative urine DNA from 50 kidney cancer patients, for hypermethylation of a panel of six normally unmethylated tumor suppressor genes: VHL, p16/CDKN2a, p14ARF, APC, RASSF1A, and Timp‐3. When compared to the tumor DNA, an identical pattern of gene hypermethylation was found in the matched urine DNA from 44 of 50 patients (88% sensitivity) including 27 of 30 cases of stage I disease. By contrast, hypermethylation was not observed in normal and benign disease controls (100% specificity). We conclude that promoter hypermethylation is a common and early event in kidney tumorigenesis and can be detected in the urine DNA from patients with organ‐confined renal cancer of all histologic types.
Development of robot hand for therapist education/training on rehabilitation

Students studying to become therapists have few opportunities for repeated training for the rehabilitation of contracture joints. This paper proposes the concept of a robot hand system for repeated rehabilitation training. A novel robot hand and artificial skin are developed in collaboration with doctors and therapists. Development of the robot hand is based on new design concepts aimed at imitating a human hand with a disability. The joint torque of a disabled person can be estimated by distributed tactile sensors. A model of contracture joints with tendon adhesion is introduced. The robot hand in imitation of contracture joints is governed by the force control based on torque control. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated experimentally.
Temporary Price Changes and the Real Effects of Monetary Policy

In the data, prices change both temporarily and permanently. Standard Calvo models focus on permanent price changes and take one of two shortcuts when confronted with the data: drop temporary changes from the data or leave them in and treat them as permanent. We provide a menu cost model that includes motives for both types of price changes. Since this model accounts for the main regularities of price changes, its predictions for the real effects of monetary policy shocks are useful benchmarks against which to judge existing shortcuts. We find that neither shortcut comes close to these benchmarks. For monetary policy analysis, researchers should use a menu cost model like ours or at least a third, theory-based shortcut: set the Calvo model's parameters so that it generates the same real effects from monetary shocks as does the benchmark menu cost model. Following either suggestion will improve monetary policy analysis.
Chronic intermittent hypoxia and obstructive sleep apnea: an experimental and clinical approach

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep disorder considered as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular consequences, such as systemic arterial hypertension, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, metabolic disorders, and cognitive dysfunction. The pathogenesis of OSA-related consequence is assumed to be chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) inducing alterations at the molecular level, oxidative stress, persistent systemic inflammation, oxygen sensor activation, and increase of sympathetic activity. Overall, these mechanisms have an effect on vessel permeability and are considered to be important factors for explaining vascular, metabolic, and cognitive OSA-related consequences. The present review attempts to examine together the research paradigms and clinical studies on the effect of acute and chronic IH and the potential link with OSA. We firstly describe the literature data on the mechanisms activated by acute and chronic IH at the experimental level, which are very helpful and beneficial to explaining OSA consequences. Then, we describe in detail the effect of IH in patients with OSA that we can consider “the human model” of chronic IH. In this way, we can better understand the specific pathophysiological mechanisms proposed to explain the consequences of IH in OSA.
The Indian Software Industry and its Evolving Service Capability

This paper examines the growth of dynamic capabilities among firms in the Indian software industry by looking in some detail at the changing constraints, opportunities and competition facing incumbent firms. It emphasizes the important role played by tight labour market conditions in inducing investment in process capability and the role of entrepreneurial experimentation in evolving a business model (out-sourced software) that was best suited to limited resource advantages of Indian software firms. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
Estimation of pKa for Druglike Compounds Using Semiempirical and Information-Based Descriptors

A pragmatic approach has been developed for the estimation of aqueous ionization constants (pKa) for druglike compounds. The method involves an algorithm that assigns ionization constants in a stepwise manner to the acidic and basic groups present in a compound. Predictions are made for each ionizable group using models derived from semiempirical quantum chemical properties and information-based descriptors. Semiempirical properties include the partial charge and electrophilic superdelocalizabilty of the atom(s) undergoing protonation or deprotonation. Importantly, the latter property has been extended to allow predictions to be made for multiprotic compounds, overcoming limitations of a previous approach described by Tehan et al. The information-based descriptions include molecular-tree structured fingerprints, based on the methodology outlined by Xing et al., with the addition of 2D substructure flags indicating the presence of other important structural features. These two classes of descriptor were found to complement one another particularly well, resulting in predictive models for a range of functional groups (including alcohols, amidines, amines, anilines, carboxylic acids, guanidines, imidazoles, imines, phenols, pyridines, and pyrimidines). A combined RMSE of 0.48 and 0.81 was obtained for the training set and an external test set compounds, respectively. The predictive models were based on compounds selected from the commercially available BioLoom database. The resultant speed and accuracy of the approach has also enabled the development of Web application on the Novartis intranet for pKa prediction.
Tox21Challenge to Build Predictive Models of Nuclear Receptor and Stress Response Pathways as Mediated by Exposure to Environmental Chemicals and Drugs

Tens of thousands of chemicals with poorly understood biological properties are released into the environment each day. High-throughput screening (HTS) is potentially a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional toxicity tests. Using HTS, one can profile chemicals for potential adverse effects and prioritize a manageable number for more in-depth testing. Importantly, it can provide clues to mechanism of toxicity. The Tox21 program has generated >50 million quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) data points. A library of several thousands of compounds, including environmental chemicals and drugs, is screened against a panel of nuclear receptor and stress response pathway assays. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has organized an International data challenge in order to “crowd-source” data and build predictive toxicity models. This Challenge asks a “crowd” of researchers to use these data to elucidate the extent to which the interference of biochemical and cellular pathways by compounds can be inferred from chemical structure data. The data generated against the Tox21 library served as the training set for this modeling Challenge. The competition attracted participants from 18 different countries to develop computational models aimed at better predicting chemical toxicity. The winning models from nearly 400 model submissions all achieved >80% accuracy. Several models exceeded 90% accuracy, which was measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). Combining the winning models with the knowledge already gained from Tox21 screening data are expected to improve the community’s ability to prioritize novel chemicals with respect to potential human health concern.
Halos of Spiral Galaxies. II. Halo Metallicity-Luminosity Relation

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, we have resolved individual red giant branch stars in the halos of eight nearby spiral galaxies. The fields lie at projected distances between 2 and 13 kpc along the galaxies' minor axes. The data set allows a first look at the systematic trends in halo stellar populations. We have found that bright galaxies tend to have broad red giant branch star color distributions with redder mean colors, suggesting that the heavy-element abundance spread increases with the parent galaxy luminosity. The mean metallicity of the stellar halo, estimated using the mean colors of red giant branch stars, correlates with the parent galaxy luminosity. The metallicity of the Milky Way halo falls nearly 1 dex below this luminosity-metallicity relation, suggesting that the halo of the Galaxy is more the exception than the rule for spiral galaxies; i.e., massive spirals with metal-poor halos are unusual. The luminosity-halo stellar abundance relation is consistent with the scaling relation expected for stellar systems embedded in dominant halos, suggesting that the bulk of the halo stellar population may have formed in situ.