Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing Our Ways: Realigning Strategy, Structure, and Systems with Mission.

Strategic planning ties an institution's mission to its budgeting process, thus coordinating institutional planning efforts in the face of environmental uncertainty. This paper discusses how schools must arrange those systems that determine how strategies will be aligned with the schools' underlying mission and core values. The text focuses on the efforts of one moderately-sized school district to realign its strategy-making, system development, and structure building with its underlying mission and, in the process, provide the district with more inclusive planning and more responsive and creative leadership. The school district serves 2,200 students in a university town of 8,000 permanent residents. From 1992 to 1997 the district engaged in strategic planning. Twenty-nine administrators, teachers, and community representatives gathered for a 1-day retreat and created the district's mission statement. They then derived a statement of beliefs they felt undergirded the mission statement and a set of parameters within which the district should function. To move toward the objectives, the operational structure of the district underwent a series of changes, especially to solidify governance in order to ensure coordination and efficiency in district decision-making. Other parts of the process are reported. (Contains 16 references and 2 figures.) (RJM) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************************
Periodic Sorting on Two-Dimensional Meshes

We consider the following periodic sorting procedure on two-dimensional meshes of processors: Initially, each node contains one number. We proceed in rounds each round consisting of sorting the columns of the grid, and, in the second phase, of sorting the rows according to the snake-like ordering. We exactly characterize the number of rounds necessary to sort on an l × m-grid in the worst case, where l is the number of the rows and m the number of the columns. An upper bound of ⌈ log l⌉ + 1was known before. This bound is tight for the case that m is not a power of 2. Surprisingly, it turns out that far fewer rounds are necessary if m is a power of 2 (and m ≪ l) in this case, exactly min {log m + 1, ⌈ log l⌉ + 1} rounds are needed in the worst case.
Detailed Analysis of DC-RF Dispersion in AlGaN/GaN HFETs using Waveform Measurements

Detailed time-domain IV waveforms at RF frequencies are employed for characterisation of AlGaN/GaN HFETs in order to steer and advance device development. The IV time-domain data is used to isolate the separate effects of pinch-off and knee-walkout behaviour in limiting device performance. Furthermore, the waveform measurements which are obtained with a previously unseen level of detail, allowed the direct extraction of optimum device operating conditions
Reduced Cache Digests

One of the challenging issues in distributed caching cooperation is efficiently generating and disseminating cache directories. In switch-based distributed caching cooperation, layer 5 (L5) switches sits at the access points of networks, receiving incoming requests and making routing decisions, therefore is the center of caching cooperation. It is possible to take this advantage to free cache servers from the tasks of generating and disseminating cache directories by generating and disseminating cache directories at L5 switches. We propose a scheme, Reduced Cache Digest (RCD), for generating and disseminating cache directory by L5 switches to alleviate the overhead of cache servers. Through trace driven simulation, we show that RCD is feasible.
Randomized Distributed Mean Estimation: Accuracy vs. Communication

We consider the problem of estimating the arithmetic average of a finite collection of real vectors stored in a distributed fashion across several compute nodes subject to a communication budget constraint. Our analysis does not rely on any statistical assumptions about the source of the vectors. This problem arises as a subproblem in many applications, including reduce-all operations within algorithms for distributed and federated optimization and learning. We propose a flexible family of randomized algorithms exploring the trade-off between expected communication cost and estimation error. Our family contains the full-communication and zero-error method on one extreme, and an epsilon-bit communication and O(1/(epsilon n)) error method on the opposite extreme. In the special case where we communicate, in expectation, a single bit per coordinate of each vector, we improve upon existing results by obtaining O(r/n) error, where r is the number of bits used to represent a floating point value.
Application of OMTHD on the line voltage of cascaded multi-level inverters with adjustable DC sources

In this paper, the Optimal Minimization of the Total Harmonic Distortion (OMTHD) technique is improved to calculate minimum phase THD and approximate line to line THD versus variable Modulation Indices (M). In Developed single-phase OMTHD technique, the Fitness function is proposed to minimize phase THD, and fundamental component as a constraint is separately added to Fitness function to adjust the fundamental component of the phase voltage at the desired value. In developed three-phase approximate OMTHD technique, the Fitness function is proposed to minimize approximate line to line THD, and fundamental component as a constraint is separately added to Fitness function to adjust the fundamental component of the line to line voltage at the desired value. In this paper, Genetic algorithm is applied to minimize Fitness functions. Most control methods used in cascaded multi-level inverters are based on the assumption that the DC sources all have the constant and equal value whereas employing adjustable DC sources if it is possible can improve the total harmonic distortion (THD) in both the developed single-phase and three-phase approximate OMTHD techniques. First, the structure of cascaded multi-level inverter is briefly explained. Then, the switching algorithm for the inverter based on developed single-phase OMTHD technique and developed three-phase approximate OMTHD technique are proposed. Afterwards, the proposed techniques are applied to the multi-level inverter with adjustable DC sources and constant DC sources. Ultimately, an accurate comparison of THD between multi-level inverter with constant and adjustable DC sources is performed. Comparisons show that employing adjustable DC sources which can be controlled results in substantial improvement in the harmonic minimization both in single-phase OMTHD technique and three-phase approximate OMTHD technique.
BitTorrent Worm Sensor Network : P2P Worms Detection and Containment

Peer-to-peer (p2p) networking technology has gained popularity as an efficient mechanism for users to obtain free services without the need for centralized servers. Protecting these networks from intruders and attackers is a real challenge. One of the constant threats on P2P networks is the propagation of active worms. In 2007, Worms have caused damages worth the amount of 8,391,800 USD in the United States alone. Nowadays, BitTorrent is becoming more and more popular, mainly due to its fair load distribution mechanism. Unfortunately, BitTorrent is particularly vulnerable to active worms. In this paper, we propose a novel worm detection system in BitTorrent and evaluate it. We show that our solution can detect various worm scans before 1% of the vulnerable hosts are infected in worst case scenarios. Our solution, the BitTorrent Worm Sensor Network, is built over a network of immunized agents, which their main job is to efficiently stop worm spread in BitTorrent.
Synthesising Functional Invariants in Separation Logic

In [2] we introduced a system which used term synthesis to generate correct loop invariants. The CORE system extends this and is capable of automatically proving fully functional properties of programs involving pointers, by utilising existing systems to eliminate shape parts, and extracting function from the structural statements. The system is capable of synthesising correct functional invariants which allow proofs to succeed. We describe below how we define these terms.
Open Access Research Article Transcriptomic Epidemiology of Smoking: the Effect of Smoking on Gene Expression in Lymphocytes

article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background: This investigation offers insights into system-wide pathological processes induced in response to cigarette smoke exposure by determining its influences at the gene expression level. Methods: We obtained genome-wide quantitative transcriptional profiles from 1,240 individuals from the San Antonio Family Heart Study, including 297 current smokers. Using lymphocyte samples, we identified 20,413 transcripts with significantly detectable expression levels, including both known and predicted genes. Correlation between smoking and gene expression levels was determined using a regression model that allows for residual genetic effects. Results: With a conservative false-discovery rate of 5% we identified 323 unique genes (342 transcripts) whose expression levels were significantly correlated with smoking behavior. These genes showed significant over-representation within a range of functional categories that correspond well with known smoking-related pathologies, including immune response, cell death, cancer, natural killer cell signaling and xenobiotic metabolism. Conclusions: Our results indicate that not only individual genes but entire networks of gene interaction are influenced by cigarette smoking. This is the largest in vivo transcriptomic epidemiological study of smoking to date and reveals the significant and comprehensive influence of cigarette smoke, as an environmental variable, on the expression of genes. The central importance of this manuscript is to provide a summary of the relationships between gene expression and smoking in this exceptionally large cross-sectional data set. Background Tobacco use is responsible for more than 5 million deaths per year [1] and is the leading preventable cause of premature death worldwide. Smoking is known to have a major impact on human health, adversely affecting almost every organ. Exposure to cigarette smoke increases the risk of many diseases, including a wide range of cancers (from lung to pancreatic cancer), cardio-vascular diseases (including atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease), a range of respiratory diseases (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia), as well as various other adverse health effects such as
Lizard Learning Algorithm for Invariant Pattern Recognition

Researches are keen to know astonishing and intricate details of the nature. Each creature has its own admiring abilities and performs their routine task in more efficient manner. The bug navigation system has drawn keen attention among research community to know how they are able to perform their routine task in utmost skillful manner. The lizard is capable of identifying slowly varying features and able to trap the insects with more admiring skill set. The Lizard Learning Algorithm (LLA) was proposed for tracking invariant features which uses modified slow feature analysis. The article covers mathematical treatment for the slow feature analysis, proposed modification, higher order neural network training and ORL database for experimentation purpose. The results are most pleasing compared to conventional classifiers for the invariant features.
Feature-based 3D motif filtering for ribosomal RNA

MOTIVATION RNA 3D motifs are recurrent substructures in an RNA subunit and are building blocks of the RNA architecture. They play an important role in binding proteins and consolidating RNA tertiary structures. RNA 3D motif searching consists of two steps: candidate generation and candidate filtering. We proposed a novel method, known as Feature-based RNA Motif Filtering (FRMF), for identifying motifs based on a set of moment invariants and the Earth Mover's Distance in the second step. RESULTS A positive set of RNA motifs belonging to six characteristic types, with eight subtypes occurring in HM 50S, is compiled by us. The proposed method is validated on this representative set. FRMF successfully finds most of the positive fragments. Besides the proposed new method and the compiled positive set, we also recognize some new motifs, in particular a π-turn and some non-standard A-minor motifs are found. These newly discovered motifs provide more information about RNA structure conformation. AVAILABILITY Matlab code can be downloaded from www.cs. cityu.edu. hk/~yingshen/FRMF.html CONTACT cshswong@cityu.edu. hk SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Work-life Balance for Administrators in the Academy: under Ideal Worker Pressure

Work-life balance is an issue for all employees. Within the academy, much research has focused on the work-life balance experiences of faculty and the ways in which workplace norms and subcultures can pressure faculty to conform to the ideal worker model. Less is known, however, about these influences on the remainder of the higher education workforce, particularly administrators, who comprise a growing segment of the academy's employee population. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the work-life balance experiences of administrators at one institution of higher education and how those experiences varied based on workplace norms and subcultures. Participants were recruited from the population of administrators in the Division of Finance and Technology and in the Division of Student Affairs at Plains University, a private, doctoral-granting institution in the Northeast. All 32 participants were between the ages of 25 and 60 and had worked at the university for at least two years. The study employed a qualitative methodology that utilized constructivist grounded theory to answer the research questions. The ideal worker model was used as a lens to understand workplace norms and subcultures in the Division of Finance and Technology and in the Division of Student Affairs. Results indicate that work-life balance is problematic for administrators and that ideal worker norms impact and influence administrators' experiences of balance. In the absence of formal work-life policies at Plains University, work-life balance for administrators was supervisor-driven; administrators who worked in different divisions and in different areas within those divisions had varied work-life experiences. The findings suggest the need for greater research regarding the work-life balance experiences of administrators in the academy. They
Force Assistance System for Standing-Up Motion

In our current research, we are developing a force assistance system for standing up motion. Our developing system realizes the standing up motion using the support bar with two degrees of freedom and the bed system which can move up and down. In this paper, we develop the force assistance system which realizes the natural standing up motion using remaining strength of the patient. Our key ideas are two topics. The first topic is distributed system which controls the support bar and the bed system with coordination among them. The second topic is the combination of force and position control. According to the patient's posture during standing up, our control system selects more appropriate control method from them. We use the reference of standing-up motion which is based on the typical standing up motion by nursing specialist for realizing the natural assistance. The performance of our proposed control scheme is experimented by computer simulations
Learning algorithms For intelligent agents based e-learning system

Requirements are the basic entity which makes the project to be successfully implemented. In the development of the software, theses requirements must be measured accurately and correctly. The requirements of the end users may be changed with respect to different individual personality. As different requirements are given by different customers, all of them cannot be processed by single software system. In such a case, it is essential to make the changes in the software systems automatically which fulfills all the requirements of the user. Such condition is met by the systems with intelligent agents. In this paper, algorithms of intelligent agents adviser agent, personalization agent and content managing agent are proposed to automatically gather the requirements of the students and fulfill them. The algorithms are structured using reinforcement learning. Theses algorithm makes the agents to sense the needs of the students and evolve in the course of their operation. These intelligent agents are applied after the deployment of the e-learning software. All the algorithms have been implemented successfully.
Star-Forming Galaxies at z~2: An Emerging Picture of Galaxy Dynamics and Assembly

In these proceedings, we summarize recent results from our "SINS" VLT/SINFONI integral-field survey, focusing on the 52 detected UV/optically-selected star-forming galaxies at z~2. Our H-alpha emission-line imaging and kinematic data of these systems illustrates that a substantial fraction (> 1/3) of these galaxies are large, rotating disks and that these disks are clumpy, thick, and forming stars rapidly. We compare these systems to local disk scaling relations and find that the backbones of these relations are already in place at z~2. Detailed analysis of the large disks in our sample provides strong evidence that this population cannot result from a merger-dominated formation history and instead must be assembled by the smooth but rapid inflow of gas along filaments. These systems will then secularly evolve from clump-dominated disks to bulge-dominated disks on short timescales, a phenomenon that is observed in our SINS observations and is consistent with predictions from numerical simulations. These results provide new and exciting insights into the formation of bulge-dominated galaxies in the local Universe.
A Machine Learning Approach to Webpage Content Exraction

—Apart from the main content, a webpage usually also contains boilerplate elements such as navigation panels, advertisements and comments. These additional elements are typically not related to the actual content and can be treated as noise that needs to be removed properly to improve the user’s reading experience. This is a difﬁcult problem as HTML is loose in semantics and ﬂexible in structure. In this paper, we model the webpage content extraction problem as a classiﬁcation problem and employ machine learning method to solve it. For each text block in the HTML document, we select a set of relevant features, based on which an SVM classiﬁer is used to predict whether this text block is content or non-content. The results show that our approach can achieve performance comparable to some popular existing algorithms in this ﬁeld.
Simvastatin Increases Fibulin-2 Expression in Human Coronary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells via RhoA/Rho-Kinase Signaling Pathway Inhibition

The composition and structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the vascular wall and in the atherosclerotic plaque are important factors that determine plaque stability. Statins can stabilize atherosclerotic plaques by modulating ECM protein expression. Fibulins are important components of the ECM. We evaluated the in vitro effect of simvastatin on the expression of fibulin-1, -2, -4 and -5 in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and the mechanisms involved. Cells were incubated with simvastatin (0.05–1 μM), mevalonate (100 and 200 μM), geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) (15 μM), farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) (15 μM), the Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632 (15 and 20 μM), the Rac-1 inhibitor (another member of Rho family) NSC23766 (100 μM), arachidonic acid (a RhoA/ROCK activator, 25–100 μM) and other fatty acids that are not activators of RhoA/ROCK (25–100 μM). Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, and fibulin protein levels were analyzed by western blotting and ELISA. Simvastatin induced a significant increase in mRNA and protein levels of fibulin-2 at 24 hours of incubation (p<0.05), but it did not affect fibulin-1, -4, and -5 expression. Mevalonate and GGPP were able to reverse simvastatin’s effect, while FPP did not. In addition, Y-27632, but not NSC23766, significantly increased fibulin-2 expression. Furthermore, activation of the RhoA/ROCK pathway with arachidonic acid decreased fibulin-2 mRNA. Simvastatin increased mRNA levels and protein expression of the ECM protein fibulin-2 through a RhoA and Rho-Kinase-mediated pathway. This increase could affect the composition and structure of the ECM.
The Duistermaat-Heckman formula and the cohomology of moduli spaces of polygons

We give a presentation of the cohomology ring of spatial polygon spaces $M(r)$ with fixed side lengths $r \in \mathbb R^n_+$. These spaces can be described as the symplectic reduction of the Grassmaniann of 2-planes in $\mathbb C^n$ by the $U(1)^n$-action by multiplication, where $U(1)^n$ is the torus of diagonal matrices in the unitary group U(n). We prove that the first Chern classes of the $n$ line bundles associated with the fibration $r$-level set $\rightarrow M(r)$ generate the cohomology ring $H^* (M(r), \mathbb C). $ By applying the Duistermaat--Heckman Theorem, we then deduce the relations on these generators from the piece-wise polynomial function that describes the volume of $M(r). $ We also give an explicit description of the birational map between $M(r) $ and $M(r')$ when the lengths vectors $r$ and $r'$ are in different chambers of the moment polytope. This wall-crossing analysis is the key step to prove that the Chern classes above are generators of $H^*(M(r))$ (this is well-known when $M(r)$ is toric, and by wall-crossing we prove that it holds also when $M(r)$ is not toric).
The missing piece in the gamification puzzle

Gamification, that is, employing game design elements to non-gaming applications to make them more fun, engaging, and motivating, has been growing in popularity and is seen in a large number of contexts. In this paper we present a framework that seeks to provide investigators with guidelines for the implementation of gamification. The proposed framework is an adaptation of a framework proposed by the Medical Research Council in 2000, and has been extensively applied to research in health services, public health, and social policy related to health. The use of this framework within the gamification field may help make gamification a more controlled intervention that can be documented, and evaluated, with replicated outcomes amongst differing contexts.