Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Participant Comfort with and Application of Inquiry-Based Learning: Results from 4-H Volunteer Training

This article explores how a one-time training designed to support learning transfer affected 4-H volunteers' comfort levels with the training content and how comfort levels, in turn, affected the volunteers' application of tools and techniques learned during the training. Results of a follow-up survey suggest that the training participants experienced increases in comfort with guiding inquiry-based learning and achieved high levels of application of the tools and techniques presented during the training. The data indicate that providing participants with opportunities during training to experience tools and build skills by practicing techniques helps them more effectively guide learning in the future.
An enhanced approach to dynamic power management for the Linux cpuidle subsystem

This paper presents an enhanced approach for improving the prediction efficiency of the processor idle state selection of the cpuidle subsystem in the Linux kernel. Two methods for improving the prediction rate of processor idle states are proposed. The first is based on reinforcement learning and the second is based on the recent history of idle states. Their individual performance upon real workloads is analyzed and a comparison between them and the existing implementation is performed. A variant of the history based approach is implemented and benchmarked using a modified kernel. The obtained results show that there is room for improvement regarding the processor idle state management. These results suggest that with little overhead the hit rate of the predictor can be boosted and thus less power consumption can be achieved.
An anti-spoofing technique using multiple textural features in fingerprint scanners

Fingerprint verification systems may be circumvented by fake fingerprints produced using inexpensive materials like gelatin or silicon. An efficient countermeasure against these attacks is given by liveness detection. In the recent literature, different algorithms for detecting signs of vitality have been proposed. The cheapest techniques are software-based and utilize acquired fingerprint images in order to extract static or dynamic characteristics. In this paper, we propose a novel software-based solution for liveness detection based on static features coming out from the visual texture of the image. The reported results show that the use of our features effectively improves the discriminative power (between live and fake fingerprints) achieved by the algorithms proposed during the Liveness Detection Competition 2009.
EQUIVALENCE THEOREMS IN NUMERICAL ANALYSIS : INTEGRATION, DIFFERENTIATION AND INTERPOLATION

We show that if a numerical method is posed as a sequence of operators acting on data and depending on a parameter, typically a measure of the size of discretization, then consistency, convergence and stability can be related by a Lax-Richtmyer type equivalence theorem - a consistent method is convergent if and only if it is stable. We define consistency as convergence on a dense subspace and stability as discrete well-posedness. In some ap- plications convergence is harder to prove than consistency or stability since convergence requires knowledge of the solution. An equivalence theorem can be useful in such settings. We give concrete instances of equivalence theorems for polynomial interpolation, numerical differentiation, numerical integration using quadrature rules and Monte Carlo integration. For a numerical method the three most important aspects are its consistency, convergence and stability. These three were related in the well known equivalence theorem of Lax and Richtmyer for finite difference methods for certain partial differ- ential equations (13). We show that in a very general setting of numerical methods, in which a numerical method is posed as a family of operators acting on data, there is a Lax-Richtmyer type equivalence theorem : a consistent method is convergent if and only if it is stable. After proving the theorem in two general settings (Theo- rem 3.3 and Theorem 3.5), we prove it in specific instances of numerical integration using quadrature, numerical integration using Monte Carlo methods, numerical differentiation and polynomial interpolation. Consistency is a measure of how good the discretization is. Roughly, it says that the discretization is close to the smooth operator in some sense. If the discrete solution converges to the smooth solution then the numerical method is said to be convergent. Note that for discussing consistency and convergence one needs some information about the smooth problem and the smooth solution. However, numerical stability is purely a property of the discrete scheme. Roughly, stability means that the propagated error is controlled by the error in the data. Hence there is a similarity between numerical stability and well-posedness. In practice, convergence can be the hardest to prove among consistency, conver- gence and stability, since the actual solution is usually not known. Hence equiva- lence theorems can be useful in such situations. Equivalence theorems essentially say that we need not worry about the convergence while solving a problem nu- merically as long as its discretization is consistent with the smooth problem and
Structure‐Preserving Reshape for Textured Architectural Scenes

Modeling large architectural environments is a difficult task due to the intricate nature of these models and the complex dependencies between the structures represented. Moreover, textures are an essential part of architectural models. While the number of geometric primitives is usually relatively low (i.e., many walls are at surfaces), textures actually contain many detailed architectural elements.
Calcium, Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease

The relationship between calcium and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been explored for a long time. Studies exploring the effect of calcium intake or calcium supplementation on cardiovascular risk suggest that systolic blood pressure increases under low calcium intake and decreases with calcium supplementation. A lower calcium intake has been associated with an increased risk of stroke. However, the impact of calcium supplementation on stroke risk remains unclear. Calcium supplementation may increase the risk of myocardial infarction. The relationship between vitamin D and CVD has been explored more recently. Negative correlations between vitamin D levels and the risk of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and stroke have been reported in several observational studies. The effect of vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure is still unclear and no effect of vitamin D supplementation on coronary heart disease or stroke has been clearly demonstrated. There is a lack of randomized clinical trials primarily addressing the effect of these parameters on CVD. Therefore, the real impact of calcium and vitamin D on cardiovascular outcomes remains to be documented by appropriate experimental data.
Factors affecting children’s judgement of culturally deviant acts: findings from an international school in Japan

This study explored the relationship between perceptions of culturally deviant acts and multicultural experiences of elementary-school children attending an international school in Japan. Findings indicated that children judged a Japanese harsher than a foreigner, irrespective of the children’s age. It was also found that younger children were more susceptible to cultural factors such as their own experience abroad and mother’s activities, which encouraged the formation of less stereotypical images of foreigners.
LEARNING MODELS FOR LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

In this paper, we present a model of language acquisition which can be used to explain how children learn a grammar by interacting with their surroundings. We build upon the model proposed by Komarova et al in the context of evolution of grammars. We test our model for two situations : One, in which an individual is trying to learn a grammar in an environment where everybody uses the same grammar, and the other in which different groups in the population use different grammars.
Early Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces AIDS Progression/Death in Individuals with Acute Opportunistic Infections: A Multicenter Randomized Strategy Trial

Background Optimal timing of ART initiation for individuals presenting with AIDS-related OIs has not been defined. Methods and Findings A5164 was a randomized strategy trial of “early ART” - given within 14 days of starting acute OI treatment versus “deferred ART” - given after acute OI treatment is completed. Randomization was stratified by presenting OI and entry CD4 count. The primary week 48 endpoint was 3-level ordered categorical variable: 1. Death/AIDS progression; 2. No progression with incomplete viral suppression (ie HIV viral load (VL) ≥50 copies/ml); 3. No progression with optimal viral suppression (ie HIV VL <50 copies/ml). Secondary endpoints included: AIDS progression/death; plasma HIV RNA and CD4 responses and safety parameters including IRIS. 282 subjects were evaluable; 141 per arm. Entry OIs included Pneumocytis jirovecii pneumonia 63%, cryptococcal meningitis 12%, and bacterial infections 12%. The early and deferred arms started ART a median of 12 and 45 days after start of OI treatment, respectively. The difference in the primary endpoint did not reach statistical significance: AIDS progression/death was seen in 20 (14%) vs. 34 (24%); whereas no progression but with incomplete viral suppression was seen in 54 (38%) vs. 44 (31%); and no progression with optimal viral suppression in 67 (48%) vs 63 (45%) in the early vs. deferred arm, respectively (p = 0.22). However, the early ART arm had fewer AIDS progression/deaths (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.27–0.94) and a longer time to AIDS progression/death (stratified HR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.30–0.92). The early ART had shorter time to achieving a CD4 count above 50 cells/mL (p<0.001) and no increase in adverse events. Conclusions Early ART resulted in less AIDS progression/death with no increase in adverse events or loss of virologic response compared to deferred ART. These results support the early initiation of ART in patients presenting with acute AIDS-related OIs, absent major contraindications. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00055120
Identification of Novel Small RNAs and Characterization of the 6S RNA of Coxiella burnetii

Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes Q fever, undergoes a biphasic developmental cycle that alternates between a metabolically-active large cell variant (LCV) and a dormant small cell variant (SCV). As such, the bacterium undoubtedly employs complex modes of regulating its lifecycle, metabolism and pathogenesis. Small RNAs (sRNAs) have been shown to play important regulatory roles in controlling metabolism and virulence in several pathogenic bacteria. We hypothesize that sRNAs are involved in regulating growth and development of C. burnetii and its infection of host cells. To address the hypothesis and identify potential sRNAs, we subjected total RNA isolated from Coxiella cultured axenically and in Vero host cells to deep-sequencing. Using this approach, we identified fifteen novel C. burnetii sRNAs (CbSRs). Fourteen CbSRs were validated by Northern blotting. Most CbSRs showed differential expression, with increased levels in LCVs. Eight CbSRs were upregulated (≥2-fold) during intracellular growth as compared to growth in axenic medium. Along with the fifteen sRNAs, we also identified three sRNAs that have been previously described from other bacteria, including RNase P RNA, tmRNA and 6S RNA. The 6S regulatory sRNA of C. burnetii was found to accumulate over log phase-growth with a maximum level attained in the SCV stage. The 6S RNA-encoding gene (ssrS) was mapped to the 5′ UTR of ygfA; a highly conserved linkage in eubacteria. The predicted secondary structure of the 6S RNA possesses three highly conserved domains found in 6S RNAs of other eubacteria. We also demonstrate that Coxiella’s 6S RNA interacts with RNA polymerase (RNAP) in a specific manner. Finally, transcript levels of 6S RNA were found to be at much higher levels when Coxiella was grown in host cells relative to axenic culture, indicating a potential role in regulating the bacterium’s intracellular stress response by interacting with RNAP during transcription.
Block-matching disparity map estimation using controlled search range

In this paper, disparity map estimation algorithm targeting for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is described. A disparity map estimation algorithm for ADAS needs to be both accurate and to be able to work in real time. These algorithms can be classified into two categories: global estimation and local estimation. While global estimation algorithms tend to output a less noisy disparity map, most of them cannot operate in real time. In this paper, disparities are estimated locally by block matching and information acquired by calculating a disparity value for a pixel is transferred to its neighborhood by restricting the search range. Thus, in this way, while great efficiency is achieved during the block matching process, the effect of outliers is also minimized. The proposed algorithm suggests a new disparity calculations order which makes it possible for a pixel to get support from three different neighborhood directions (i.e. left, right and bottom). Using Horizontal support (from both directions) along with vertical support further reduces the noise compared to using support from only one direction (bottom). Thus, an accurate disparity map can be calculated while low computational complexity is maintained. Experimental results are quantified using KITTI data-sets and the percentage of erroneous pixels in non-occluded areas (Out-Noc) is calculated as 8.86%, while run-time is estimated as 0.84 seconds on an i7-870 CPU using single thread C implementation.
Simplifying Active Memory Clusters by Leveraging Directory Protocol Threads

Address re-mapping techniques in so-called active memory systems have been shown to dramatically increase the performance of applications with poor cache and/or communication behavior on shared memory multiprocessors. However, these systems require custom hardware in the memory controller for cache line assembly/disassembly, address translation between re-mapped and normal addresses, and coherence logic. In this paper we make the important observation that on a traditional flexible distributed shared memory (DSM) multiprocessor node, equipped with a coherence protocol thread context as in SMTp or a simple dedicated in-order protocol processing core as in a CMP, the address re-mapping techniques can be implemented in software running on the protocol thread or core without custom hardware in the memory controller while delivering high performance. We implement the active memory address re-mapping techniques of parallel reduction and matrix transpose (two popular kernels in scientific, multimedia, and data mining applications) on these systems, outline the novel coherence protocol extensions needed to make them run efficiently in software protocols, and evaluate these protocols on four different DSM multiprocessor architectures with multi-threaded and/or dual-core nodes. The proposed protocol extensions yield speedup of 1.45 for parallel reduction and 1.29 for matrix transpose on a 16-node DSM multiprocessor when compared to non-active memory baseline systems and achieve performance comparable to the existing active memory architectures that rely on custom hardware in the memory controller
Novel Routes for Improving Biocontrol Activity of Bacillus Based Bioinoculants

Biocontrol (BC) formulations prepared from plant-growth-promoting bacteria are increasingly applied in sustainable agriculture. Especially inoculants prepared from endospore-forming Bacillus strains have been proven as efficient and environmental-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides due to their long shelf life, which is comparable with that of agrochemicals. However, these formulations of the first generation are sometimes hampered in their action and do not fulfill in each case the expectations of the appliers. In this review we use the well-known plant-associated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens type strain FZB42 as example for the successful application of different techniques offered today by comparative, evolutionary and functional genomics, site-directed mutagenesis and strain construction including marker removal, for paving the way for preparing a novel generation of BC agents.
Effect of compositions in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) on skin hydration and occlusion

Purpose To study the effects of varying lipid concentrations, lipid and oil ratio, and the addition of propylene glycol and lecithin on the long-term physical stability of nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLC), skin hydration, and transepidermal water loss. Methods The various NLC formulations (A1–A5) were prepared and their particle size, zeta potential, viscosity, and stability were analyzed. The formulations were applied on the forearms of the 20 female volunteers (one forearm of each volunteer was left untreated as a control). The subjects stayed for 30 minutes in a conditioned room with their forearms uncovered to let the skin adapt to the temperature (22°C ± 2°C) and humidity (50% ± 2%) of the room. Skin hydration and skin occlusion were recorded at day one (before treatment) and day seven (after treatment). Three measurements for skin hydration and skin occlusion were performed in each testing area. Results NLC formulations with the highest lipid concentration, highest solid lipid concentration, and additional propylene glycol (formulations A1, A2, and A5) showed higher physical stability than other formulations. The addition of propylene glycol into an NLC system helped to reduce the particle size of the NLC and enhanced its long-term physical stability. All the NLC formulations were found to significantly increase skin hydration compared to the untreated controls within 7 days. All NLC formulations exhibited occlusive properties as they reduced the transepidermal water loss within 7 days. This effect was more pronounced with the addition of propylene glycol or lecithin into an NLC formulation, whereby at least 60% reduction in transepidermal water loss was observed. Conclusion NLCs with high lipid content, solid lipid content, phospholipid, and lecithin are a highly effective cosmetic delivery system for cosmetic topical applications that are designed to boost skin hydration.
Transmission power regulation in cooperative Cognitive Radio systems under uncertainties

An algorithm for power control in cooperative Cognitive Radio networks is proposed. The algorithm utilizes Medium Access Control layer mechanisms for message exchange between the nodes, in order to achieve interference mitigation. A fuzzy logic reasoner is used to cope for uncertainties that appear in real life systems, caused from parameters such as non-ideal message exchange or high user mobility. The proposed algorithm is applied in Filter Bank Multicarrier as well as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing systems under various scenarios and its performance is evaluated through extensive simulations. Experimental results indicate improved behavior compared to previous schemes, especially in the case of uncertainties that cause underestimation of the interference levels.
ALBERT CLAUDE AND THE BEGINNINGS OF BIOLOGICAL ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

The grcat potential value of electron microscopy for biological research was often strcsscd and quickly understood in the middle 1930s, at the time when thc first laboratory models of transmission electron microscopes were being built by Ruska, yon Borrics (1, 2), and Marton (3, 4). The reasons were clear: the new instruments were expected to have a resolving power 40-50 times higher than the best light microscopes then available. I t was also understood from the bcginning that a new technology was needed for preparing biological specimens for electron microscopy, definitely more refined and in some respects quite different from the traditional histological technology then in use for light microscopy. The limited pcnctrafion power of electrons, and the ease with which thcy arc scattered by any atom required that specimens of unusual thinness--for the thinking and experience of thosc t imes--bc examined in a relatively high vacuum ( ~ 10 -4 torr). The microtomcs then in use for light microscopy could not cut tissue sections thinner than I t~, while the desirable specimen thickness for electron microscopy was estimated at ~-~0.1 ~ or less. In addition, since the specimens were examined in vacuo, they had to withstand the removal of their volatile components, primarily the removal of water, without collapse or deterioration of their structure.
Understanding Types of Users on Twitter

People use microblogging platforms like Twitter to involve with other users for a wide range of interests and practices. Twitter profiles run by different types of users such as humans, bots, spammers, businesses and professionals. This research work identifies six broad classes of Twitter users, and employs a supervised machine learning approach which uses a comprehensive set of features to classify users into the identified classes. For this purpose, we exploit users' profile and tweeting behavior information. We evaluate our approach by performing 10-fold cross validation using manually annotated 716 different Twitter profiles. High classification accuracy (measured using AUC, and precision, recall) reveals the significance of the proposed approach.
Pair programming produces more proficient , confident programmers — and may help increase female representation in the field . PAIR PROGRAMMING IMPR OVES RETENTION , CONFIDENCE

I n recent years, the growth of extreme programming (XP) has brought considerable attention to collaborative programming. Developed over a 15-year period by Kent Beck and his colleagues , Ron Jeffries and Ward Cunningham [1], XP is a computer software development approach that credits much of its success to the use of pair programming by all programmers, regardless of experience [9]. The pair programming dimension of XP requires that teams of two programmers work simultaneously on the same design, algorithm, code, or test. Sitting shoulder to shoulder at one computer, one member of the pair is the " designated driver, " actively creating code and controlling the keyboard and mouse. The " non-driver " constantly reviews the keyed data in order to identify tactical and strategic deficiencies, including erroneous syntax and logic, misspellings, and implementations that don't map to the design. After a designated period of time, the partners reverse roles. Code produced by only one partner is discarded, or reviewed collaboratively before it is integrated. Women and minorities continue to be underrepresented in computer science, and the number of women pursuing college majors in this area is declining. In 1985, 37% of computer science bachelor's degrees were awarded to women; in 2001 that percentage was down to 28% [11]. A number of variables have been proposed to account for this gender difference, including traditional socialization practices that reinforce math and science as male domains, lower confidence ratings and greater math anxiety among women, and women's tendency to take fewer advanced mathematics courses. The belief that computer science is a competitive, alienating field may further discourage women from pursuing careers in this area [5]. Pair programming, when used as a form of collaborative learning, has been shown to increase the number of women (and men) persisting in their previously stated intent to pursue degrees in computer science. In addition , paired teams have been found to significantly outperform individual programmers in terms of program functionality and read-ability, to report greater satisfaction with the problem-solving process, to have greater confidence in their solutions, and to be more Pair programming produces more proficient, confident programmers—and may help increase female representation in the field.