Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Visual Literacy to Teach Science Academic Language: Experiences from Three Preservice Teachers

This original pedagogical study captured three preservice teachers’ experiences using visual literacy strategies as an approach to teaching English language learners (ELLs) science academic language. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What are the experiences of preservice teachers’ use of visual literacy to teach science academic language with ELLs in an elementary classroom? and (2) What are the strengths/limitations of incorporating visual literacy into the classroom with ELLs? Data revealed that preservice teachers recognized the significance and benefits of utilizing visual literacy as a method to teaching science academic language to ELLs. Results also indicated that elementary students employed self-discovery, knowledge, and the contextual use of academic language during three different lessons. Findings from this study suggest that even though there were some limitations to incorporating visual literacy strategies into the science classroom, preservice teachers find the approach helpful to teaching academic language to ELLs. Along similar lines, teachers of this study appeared to be motivated and eager to use the strategy again in the future. Implications for practice and further directions for research are discussed.
Well-defined design procedure for a three-stage CMOS OTA

A simple and well-defined design procedure for a three-stage CMOS OTA is presented in this paper. The approach is suited for a pencil-and-paper design and yields accurate performance optimization without introducing unnecessary circuit constraints. Simulations on a circuit implemented in a 0.35-/spl mu/m technology closely agree the results expected.
A Novel Routing Protocol that Guarantees Swiftness and Reliability for Wireless Sensor Network

sensor network has been used in many real-time applications that require reliable and timely delivery of data. This paper presents a real-time communication protocol with data recovery at each hop level to guarantee reliability and also uses the latency of link to determine the shortest path and promises speedy delivery for wireless sensor networks. The proposed protocol provides services such as route discovery based on the reaching speed of the node, multipath forwarding using required reliability and data recovery in single hop. Simulation result shows that the proposed protocol significantly improves the effective capacity of a sensor network in terms of reliability and quickness. Moreover the protocol is highly responsive to the various error conditions experienced and adaptive to large-scale dynamic sensor networks.
Cache Covert-Channel Mitigation in Cloud Virtualization with XEN's Credit Scheduler

Covert- and side-channels as well as techniques to establish them in cloud computing are in focus of research for quite some time. However, not many concrete mitigation methods have been developed and even less have been adapted and concretely implemented by cloud providers. Thus, we recently conceptually proposed C³-Sched a CPU scheduling based approach to mitigate L2 cache covert-channels. Instead of flushing the cache on every context switch, we schedule trusted virtual machines to create noise which prevents potential covert-channels. Additionally, our approach aims on preserving performance by utilizing existing instead of artificial workload while reducing covert-channel related cache flushes to cases where not enough noise has been achieved. In this work we evaluate cache covert-channel mitigation and performance impact of our integration of C³-Sched in the XEN credit scheduler. Moreover, we compare it to naive solutions and more competitive approaches.
Space Vector Modulated and Vector Controlled Vienna I Rectifier with Active Filter Function

Diode and thyristor converters are widely used in electric drive systems. These nonlinear loads produce current harmonics that reduce the power quality by distorting the supply network voltages. One possibility is to compensate the harmonics with a six-switch voltage source active power filter. In this paper the Vienna I rectifier operating in combined rectifying and active filtering mode is studied. The paper presents a novel adaptive space vector modulation method that improves the harmonic compensation capabilities of the space vector controlled Vienna I rectifier. The theoretical analysis is verified with simulations and measurements from laboratory prototype feeding 5 kW load.
Characterization of Saa, a Novel Autoagglutinating Adhesin Produced by Locus of Enterocyte Effacement-Negative Shiga-ToxigenicEscherichia coli Strains That Are Virulent for Humans

ABSTRACT The capacity of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli(STEC) to adhere to the intestinal mucosa undoubtedly contributes to pathogenesis of human disease. The majority of STEC strains isolated from severe cases produce attaching and effacing lesions on the intestinal mucosa, a property mediated by the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island. This element is not essential for pathogenesis, as some cases of severe disease, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), are caused by LEE-negative STEC strains, but the mechanism whereby these adhere to the intestinal mucosa is not understood. We have isolated a gene from the megaplasmid of a LEE-negative O113:H21 STEC strain (98NK2) responsible for an outbreak of HUS, which encodes an auto-agglutinating adhesin designated Saa (STEC autoagglutinating adhesin). Introduction of saacloned in pBC results in a 9.7-fold increase in adherence of E. coli JM109 to HEp-2 cells and a semilocalized adherence pattern. Mutagenesis of saa in 98NK2, or curing the wild-type strain of its megaplasmid, resulted in a significant reduction in adherence. Homologues of saa were found in several unrelated LEE-negative STEC serotypes, including O48:H21 (strain 94CR) and O91:H21 (strain B2F1), which were also isolated from patients with HUS. Saa exhibits a low degree of similarity (25% amino acid [aa] identity) with YadA of Yersinia enterocolitica and Eib, a recently described phage-encoded immunoglobulin binding protein fromE. coli. Saa produced by 98NK2 is 516 aa long and includes four copies of a 37-aa direct repeat sequence. Interestingly, Saa produced by other STEC strains ranges in size from 460 to 534 aa as a consequence of variation in the number of repeats and/or other insertions or deletions immediately proximal to the repeat domain.
Specific Expression of the Vacuolar Iron Transporter, TgVit, Causes Iron Accumulation in Blue-Colored Inner Bottom Segments of Various Tulip Petals

Several flowers of Tulipa gesneriana exhibit a blue color in the bottom segments of the inner perianth. We have previously reported the inner-bottom tissue-specific iron accumulation and expression of the vacuolar iron transporter, TgVit1, in tulip cv. Murasakizuisho. To clarify whether the TgVit1-dependent iron accumulation and blue-color development in tulip petals are universal, we analyzed anthocyanin, its co-pigment components, iron contents and the expression of TgVit1 mRNA in 13 cultivars which show a blue color in the bottom segments of the inner perianth accompanying yellow- and white-colored inner-bottom petals. All of the blue bottom segments contained the same anthocyanin component, delphinidin 3-rutinoside. The flavonol composition varied with cultivar and tissue part. The major flavonol in the bottom segments of the inner perianth was rutin. The iron content in the upper part was less than that in the bottom segments of the inner perianth. The iron content in the yellow and white petals was higher in the bottom segment of the inner perianth than in the upper tissues. TgVit1 mRNA expression was apparent in all of the bottom tissues of the inner perianth. The result of a reproduction experiment by mixing the constituents suggests that the blue coloration in tulip petals is generally caused by iron complexation to delphinidin 3-rutinoside and that the iron complex is solubilized and stabilized by flavonol glycosides. TgVit1-dependent iron accumulation in the bottom segments of the inner perianth might be controlled by an unknown system that differentiated the upper parts and bottom segments of the inner perianth.
Understanding the creative economy: A tale of two cities' clusters

Abstract This article investigates underlying constraints within China's creative economy. Drawing on two studies of creative clusters in Suzhou and Foshan, it identifies the importance of knowledge transfer and internationalization to the generation of higher value-added products and services. Both examples illustrate relationships between resources, activities, routines and entrepreneurship. The article argues that the examples notwithstanding, the vast majority of what is accounted for in data collection as China's creative industries are more appropriately cultural industries. The focus on cultural industries drives local development and increases land values but the benefits are rarely dispersed internationally or into the broader economy.
Agent-Assisted Internet Browsing

In recent years, the Internet has become a resource relied upon for a constantly growing number of needs: research, news, shopping, entertainment, travel, etc. However, as a growing number of individuals and organizations keep contributing an increasing volume of data, the users, especially novice ones, become more confused and lost in a quagmire of hard to reach, often contradicting pieces of information. Given a specific task, the problem facing the users is no longer the lack of availability of information related to that task, but extracting it from the huge amount of useless, uninformed, or outright misleading data that has been made available on the Internet. The process of separating useful data from noise, verifying its validity, and integrating multiple sources of information can be extremely time consuming and inefficient if done manually. The waste of time explodes if the need for information is not sporadic, but repetitive. During the last few years, automating the task of gathering information has been a hot topic in AI and agents research. Many solutions have been proposed, especially in the form of meta-search engines (e.g., (Dreilinger )), WWW browser proxies (e.g., (Chen & Sycara 1998)), and recommendation systems (e.g., (Alexa Internet Co. )). Although these systems have been tremendously helpful, the problem with many of these solutions is that they are centralized – intended to be used by a large number of people. Because of this, their help may be either too general (their model of a “user” is averaged over all people using the service), or too invasive (personalized help from a centralized service requires the user to surrender trust and personal information).
T-cell-independent elimination of Borrelia turicatae

Mice deficient or deprived of thymus-derived lymphocytes eliminated blood-borne Borrelia turicatae with efficiency comparable to that observed in normal littermates. When challenged with 10(5) borreliae, nude mice had mean (+/- standard deviation) primary spirochetemias lasting 3.1 +/- 0.2 days and mean (+/- standard deviation) peak bacterial counts of 3.0 X 10(7) +/- 0.5 X 10(7) cells per ml of blood; in comparison, heterozygous littermates and normal mice had respective primary spirochetemias lasting 3.4 +/- 0.6 and 3.2 +/- 0.2 days and respective peak counts of 8.0 X 10(7) +/- 1.5 X 10(7) and 5.5 X 10(7) +/- 0.9 X 10(7) bacterial cells per ml of blood. No increased responsiveness to concanavalin A was observed in infected nude mice, indicating the sustained lack of maturate T cells in these animals. Thymectomized and steroid-treated mice were also found to eliminate circulating borreliae with efficiency comparable to that observed in control animals. Irradiation of mice abrogated responsiveness to borreliae, but reconstitution with T-cell-depleted splenocytes restored antibody production. It is proposed that elimination of B. turicatae is mediated by a T-cell-independent immune response mechanism.
Real-time Text Queries with Tunable Term Pair Indexes

Term proximity scoring is an established means in information retrieval for improving result quality of full-text queries. Integrating such proximity scores into efficient query processing, however, has not been equally well studied. Existing methods make use of precomputed lists of documents where tuples of terms, usually pairs, occur together, usually incurring a huge index size compared to termonly indexes. This paper introduces a joint framework for trading off index size and result quality, and provides optimization techniques for tuning precomputed indexes towards either maximal result quality or maximal query processing performance under controlled result quality, given an upper bound for the index size. The framework allows to selectively materialize lists for pairs based on a query log to further reduce index size. Extensive experiments with two large text collections demonstrate runtime improvements of several orders of magnitude over existing text-based processing techniques with reasonable index sizes.
Long-circulating liposomes for i.v. targeted delivery of glucocorticoids in arthritis.

Glucocorticoids are highly potent anti-arthritic drugs. However, despite their efficacy a major drawback is their non-specific activity, which can result in a variety of adverse effects. We encapsulated prednisolone phosphate in PEG-liposomes aiming at enhanced local therapeutic activity at inflammatory sites and reduced systemic activity upon i.v. injection. Whole body radioscintigraphy in rats with experimental arthritis showed that glucocorticoid-liposomes are stable in the circulation and that, besides liver and spleen uptake; preferential targeting to inflamed joints is realized. Both in rat and in murine arthritis models, a strong anti-arthritic effect of i.v. liposomal prednisolone was observed. Fast, complete and lasting disappearance of joint inflammation was achieved with a single dose of 10 mg/kg and lasted up to a week post-injection. Unencapsulated prednisolone was not effective when administered at the same dose. Even an intensive daily dosing regimen of free drug could not match the anti-arthritic activity of a single dose liposomal prednisolone. In subsequent experiments, it was found that despite some localization and activity of glucocorticoid-liposomes in the inflamed spleen, rather the localization in the inflamed joints is decisive for the therapeutic effect. Liposomal dexamethasone proved to be five times more effective than liposomal prednisolone, which corresponds with their relative potency. However, significant weight loss and enhanced blood glucose values were observed with dexamethasone liposomes. These phenomena are known adverse effects of free glucocorticoid and could be associated with relatively high systemic plasma levels of released dexamethasone after injection of the liposomal formulation. The clearance rate of the released glucocorticoid appeared to determine the systemic plasma levels. For humans liposomal encapsulation of rapidly cleared topical glucocorticoids may therefore be preferable. An important representative of this group is budesonide. We achieved stable liposomal encapsulation with budesonide phosphate, a newly synthesized derivative. In subsequent therapeutic studies, liposomal budesonide proved to be as effective as liposomal dexamethasone while lower systemic levels of free glucocorticoid and less adverse effect were observed. In conclusion, besides an increased therapeutic activity, encapsulation of glucocorticoids in PEG-liposomes also results in an enhanced benefit-risk ratio. This
The role of organic complexation on ambient iron chemistry in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the response of a mesoscale iron addition experiment

We participated on the Iron‐Ex II study in the equatorial Pacific to investigate ambient iron chemistry and its response to a mesoscale iron addition experiment. As expected, dissolved iron values in the high‐nutrient, low‐chlorophyll surface waters of the South Equatorial Current (4–6°S, 105–109°W) were extremely low (∼20 pM). In studies of the chemical speciation of dissolved iron, we found two classes of Fe(III)‐binding organic ligands—a strong ligand class (L1) with a conditional stability constant and a mean concentration of 310 pM, and a weaker class (L2) with a conditional stability constant and a mean concentration of 190 pM. The total Fe(III)‐binding organic ligand concentrations were ∼25× higher than total dissolved iron concentrations (∼20 pM). Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations indicate that >99.9% of the ambient dissolved Fe(III) would be complexed with these organic ligands and exist as low‐molecular‐weight Fe(III) chelates, with <0.1% (15 fM or ∼10−14 M) existing as an inorganic Fe(III)′ fraction. In the primary Iron‐Ex II study, the total Fe(III)‐binding ligand concentrations increased by 400% to ∼2 nM within a day or two after the initial 2 nM mesoscale iron injection. Most of this increase was due to the stronger ligand class, L1, which increased from 0.3 nM to 1.3 nM. The weaker ligand class increased by a similar percentage, although the total magnitude was smaller. Similar increases in Fe(III)‐binding ligand concentrations were observed in a secondary Iron‐Ex II experiment within 17 h after an initial low‐iron 0.4 nM infusion. Results obtained from samples collected throughout the entire course of the iron‐enrichment experiments suggest that these Fe(III)‐binding organic ligands are produced rapidly in response to small iron additions to this low‐iron regime. The chelated iron appears to be directly or indirectly accessible for growth.
Control of a high dexterity micro-robot based catheter for aortic aneurysm treatment

Endovascular aortic aneurysm treatment is a minimally invasive surgery (MIS) which requires high dexterity for stentgraft delivering. In this paper, we propose and develop a new active catheter with a multi micro-robots stack arranged inside its external sheath. That serial-parallel type of robot is constituted by three bellows disposed 120/spl deg/ apart, providing three additional degrees of freedom. This paper deals with a brief design overview of the new micro-robot based catheter focusing on its inverse modeling. A Cartesian orientation control algorithm is then presented and an integration of multi purpose criterions is demonstrated.
Precompetition taper and nutritional strategies: special reference to training during Ramadan intermittent fast

A marked reduction in the training load in the lead-up to major competitions allows athletes to reduce the fatigue induced by intense training and improve competition performance. This tapered training phase is based on the reduction in training volume while maintaining pretaper training intensity and frequency. In parallel to training load reductions, nutritional strategies characterised by lowered energy intakes need to be implemented to match lowered energy expenditure. The Ramadan intermittent fast imposes constrained nutritional practices on Muslim athletes, inducing a shift to a greater reliance on fat oxidation to meet energy needs and a possible increase in protein breakdown. The training load is often reduced during Ramadan to match the absence of energy and fluid intake during daylight, which implies a risk of losing training induced adaptations. Should coaches and athletes decide to reduce the training load during Ramadan, the key role of training intensity in retaining training induced adaptations should be kept in mind. However, experienced elite Muslim athletes are able to maintain their usual training load during this month of intermittent fasting without decrements in measures of fitness and with only minor adverse effects.
Some Remarks on the Optimal Error Estimates for the Finite Element Method on the L-Shaped Domain

In the a priori L2 error analysis of the finite element method (FEM), the Aubin-Nitsche trick is often used. Usually, the convergence order of the L2 error estimates by the Aubin-Nitsche trick is one order higher than the H01 error estimates. As is well known, the convergence order obtained by this technique depends on the shape of the domain because it is dependent on the regularity of solutions for the associated dual problem on the same domain. In this paper, we introduce a technique for getting the optimal order L2 error estimates on the L-shaped domain without Aubin-Nitsche trick. From the numerical evidence based on the guaranteed computations, we could still expect that such a domain dependency is not essential.
Consciousness in second language acquisition: A review of field studies and laboratory experiments

Abstract This article addresses the roles of implicit learning, conscious hypothesis testing, and explicit instruction in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). In particular it asks (1) what is the role of consciousness in SLA, (2) what is the role of formal explicit instruction in SLA, (3) to what extent are the route, rate, and eventual levels of SLA affected by instruction, (4) does focusing learners’ attention on grammar facilitate SLA, (5) is there a role of negative evidence in SLA? In order to answer these questions it marshals relevant evidence from two complementary sources: (1) ecologically valid but methodologically weaker field studies of classroom SLA, (2) methodologically stronger laboratory experiments which investigate acquisition of artificial languages. These studies suggest that although much of the acquisition of language form comes as a result of implicit learning, there are demonstrable roles for explicit learning, for explicit instruction, particularly that which involves grammatical c.
Algorithms of trajectory planning with constrained deviation from a given end-effector path

In this paper two well known and two new methods, and corresponding algorithms, of trajectory planning with a constrained end-effector path tracking error are presented and compared. They are: an exact path following method, the Taylor's algorithm of following a straight line with prescribed accuracy, a local optimization method, and a method of local trajectory shortening. It appears that the last two methods provide path following with a prescribed accuracy while keeping a planned trajectory as short as possible. Presented algorithms can extend robot programming languages with a tool of trajectory planning.
Estratégia de manufatura e ambiente econômico: comparando desempenhos e trajetórias de Brasil e Argentina

The objective of this paper is to look for indications of possible relationships between economic environment and manufacturing strategy, based on a comparison of Brazilian and Argentinean firms belonging to the metal products, machinery, and equipment industry. More specifically, it is our intention to identify similarities and differences in the modernization paths followed by companies of both countries, and also to discuss possible explanations for the behavior of companies in a period of significant changes in the economic environment. Structural and historical differences, as well as the prevailing economic environment by the time of the research seem to have influenced Argentinean companies in the direction of a more technological based modernization path - investments in hardware. Brazilian companies, on the other side, have concentrated their modernization efforts in the software side, i. e. in changing management practices towards a lean manufacturing model. During biennial period previous to this research, Argentinean companies achieved superior relative improvements in performance, when compared to their Brazilian counterparts, probably because they started earlier and from a weaker performance base.