Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing student understanding of assessment standards: a nested hierarchy of approaches

This paper presents a framework of approaches to sharing meaningful knowledge of assessment standards amongst an academic community, particularly students. Presented as a nested hierarchy, these approaches encompass: a ‘laissez faire’ approach in which students’ knowledge of standards is acquired in ad hoc and serendipitous ways; an ‘explicit’ approach focusing on the explicit articulation of standards; a ‘social constructivist’ approach where active use and application of standards develops understanding; and finally, a ‘community of practice’ approach that centres on how students and teachers are absorbed into and become part of the academic practices of their disciplinary community. We propose three practical ways in which such a community approach within the assessment environment may be prompted and enhanced through the use of: social learning space, both physical and virtual; social learning and collaborative assessment practices within curricula; developing student ‘pedagogical intelligence’ (Hutchings 2005).
Original Encounter with Antigen Determines Antigen-Presenting Cell Imprinting of the Quality of the Immune Response in Mice

Background Obtaining a certain multi-functionality of cellular immunity for the control of infectious diseases is a burning question in immunology and in vaccine design. Early events, including antigen shuttling to secondary lymphoid organs and recruitment of innate immune cells for adaptive immune response, determine host responsiveness to antigens. However, the sequence of these events and their impact on the quality of the immune response remain to be elucidated. Here, we chose to study Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) which is now replacing live Smallpox vaccines and is proposed as an attenuated vector for vaccination strategies against infectious diseases. Methodology/Principal findings We analyzed in vivo mechanisms triggered following intradermal (i.d.) and intramuscular (i.m.) Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) administration. We demonstrated significant differences in the antigen shuttling to lymphoid organs by macrophages (MΦs), myeloid dendritic cells (DCs), and neutrophils (PMNs). MVA i.d. administration resulted in better antigen distribution and more sustained antigen-presenting cells (APCs) recruitment into draining lymph nodes than with i.m. administration. These APCs, which comprise both DCs and MΦs, were differentially involved in T cell priming and shaped remarkably the quality of cytokine-producing virus-specific T cells according to the entry route of MVA. Conclusions/Significance This study improves our understanding of the mechanisms of antigen delivery and their consequences on the quality of immune responses and provides new insights for vaccine development.
Brain Structure and Obesity

Obesity is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular health problems including diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. These cardiovascular afflictions increase risk for cognitive decline and dementia, but it is unknown whether these factors, specifically obesity and Type II diabetes, are associated with specific patterns of brain atrophy. We used tensor‐based morphometry (TBM) to examine gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume differences in 94 elderly subjects who remained cognitively normal for at least 5 years after their scan. Bivariate analyses with corrections for multiple comparisons strongly linked body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma insulin (FPI) levels, and Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM2) with atrophy in frontal, temporal, and subcortical brain regions. A multiple regression model, also correcting for multiple comparisons, revealed that BMI was still negatively correlated with brain atrophy (FDR <5%), while DM2 and FPI were no longer associated with any volume differences. In an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) model controlling for age, gender, and race, obese subjects with a high BMI (BMI > 30) showed atrophy in the frontal lobes, anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, and thalamus compared with individuals with a normal BMI (18.5–25). Overweight subjects (BMI: 25–30) had atrophy in the basal ganglia and corona radiata of the WM. Overall brain volume did not differ between overweight and obese persons. Higher BMI was associated with lower brain volumes in overweight and obese elderly subjects. Obesity is therefore associated with detectable brain volume deficits in cognitively normal elderly subjects. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On Robust and Energy-Limited Joint Source-Channel Coding

Author(s): Koken, Erman | Advisor(s): Tuncel, Ertem | Abstract: In this thesis we investigate the lossy transmission of single and bivariate Gaussian sources over bandwidth-mismatched additive Gaussian white noise and broadcast channels. For these scenarios we proposed novel hybrid digital/analog based joint source-channel coding schemes which generalize or outperform existing schemes. In the first scenario we assume that side information is available at the receiver, channel state information of additive interference is available at the transmitter, and power is limited. For this scenario we proposed hybrid digital/analog schemes, for both bandwidth expansion and bandwidth compression cases, which can attain the optimum reconstruction levels. For bandwidth expansion we showed that the scheme can attain optimum distortion levels for a set of receivers with different side information and channel qualities simultaneously with a single set of scheme parameters. In the second scenario, where no side information or interference are present, we consider the robustness of scheme where it must attain the optimal distortion at a target signal-to-noise-ratio and we would like to attain the best distortion pair for two possible receivers one with better and the other with worse channel quality. We extended Tian et al.’s result to a set of non-integer bandwidth expansion ratios. Then we investigate the transmission of bivariate sources over broadcast channels. For this scenario we proposed a scheme which outperforms the known schemes which are either purely digital or hybrid schemes. Finally we analyzed energy-distortion tradeoff for lossy transmission of a Gaussian source over bandwidth-unlimited channel. We performed asymptotical analyses as signal- to-noise-ratio goes to infinity. We also considered zero-delay transmission of the source.
Recognizing Emotions From Whispered Speech Based on Acoustic Feature Transfer Learning

Whispered speech, as an alternative speaking style for normal phonated (non-whispered) speech, has received little attention in speech emotion recognition. Currently, speech emotion recognition systems are exclusively designed to process normal phonated speech and can result in significantly degraded performance on whispered speech because of the fundamental differences between normal phonated speech and whispered speech in vocal excitation and vocal tract function. This study, motivated by the recent successes of feature transfer learning, sheds some light on this topic by proposing three feature transfer learning methods based on denoising autoencoders, shared-hidden-layer autoencoders, and extreme learning machines autoencoders. Without the availability of labeled whispered speech data in the training phase, in turn, the three proposed methods can help modern emotion recognition models trained on normal phonated speech to reliably handle also whispered speech. Throughout extensive experiments on the Geneva Whispered Emotion Corpus and the Berlin Emotional Speech Database, we compare our methods to alternative methods reported to perform well for a wide range of speech emotion recognition tasks and find that the proposed methods provide significant superior performance on both normal phonated and whispered speech.
Linear birefringence and imperfect quarter wave plate effects on optic-fiber current sensor

The scale factor of optic-fiber current sensor is nonlinearized because of the linear birefringence and the imperfection of quarter wave plate (QWP). In this paper, we analyze the effects of birefringence and show that modified scale factor performs better by using Faraday rotate mirror (FRM) and harmonic division method. The scale factor error associated with integrating imperfect quarter wave plate is also analyzed. Moreover, a certain linear birefringence may be helpful to compensate for deviation of QWP's alignment.
Pitch then power: limitations to acceleration in quadrupeds

Rapid acceleration and deceleration are vital for survival in many predator and prey animals and are important attributes of animal and human athletes. Adaptations for acceleration and deceleration are therefore likely to experience strong selective pressures—both natural and artificial. Here, we explore the mechanical and physiological constraints to acceleration. We examined two elite athletes bred and trained for acceleration performance (polo ponies and racing greyhounds), when performing maximal acceleration (and deceleration for ponies) in a competitive setting. We show that maximum acceleration and deceleration ability may be accounted for by two simple limits, one mechanical and one physiological. At low speed, acceleration and deceleration may be limited by the geometric constraints of avoiding net nose-up or tail-up pitching, respectively. At higher speeds, muscle power appears to limit acceleration.
Real time replanning based on A* for collision avoidance in multi-robot systems

This paper deals with collision avoidance for multiple robots and methods to allow robots to replan their routes in real time, taking into account a dynamic environment. A number of collision types are defined for multiple robots and, in particular, between pairs of robots that need to be handled by any real-time collision avoidance system. A novel extension to the standard A* algorithm is presented (Super A*) that solves these collision types by using dynamic real time monitoring and iterative move-evaluate-move cycles. The proposed extension to A* is capable of avoiding not just other moving robots but also static obstacles. Also, the proposed extension allows robots to replan their routes as optimally as possible. Simulations of the algorithm are conducted in different state-space configurations. The algorithm is tested on two minibots in real world, small-scale environments containing obstacles. The results show that the collision avoidance and replanning approach is effective and useful for managing possible collisions between robots working independently in a shared physical environment and needing to traverse the environment to undertake and complete their tasks.
Prognostic factors for survival in previously treated patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE To describe survival in previously treated patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who are candidates for clinical trials of new agents as second-line therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS The relationship between pretreatment clinical features and survival was studied in 251 patients with advanced RCC treated during 29 consecutive clinical trials between 1975 and 2002. Clinical features were first examined in univariate analyses, and then a stepwise modeling approach based on Cox regression was used to form a multivariate model. RESULTS Median survival for the 251 patients was 10.2 months and differed according to year of treatment, with patients treated after 1990 showing longer survival. In this group, the median overall survival time was 12.7 months. Because the purpose of this analysis was to establish prognostic factors for present-day clinical trial design, prognostic factor analysis was performed on these patients. Pretreatment features associated with a shorter survival in the multivariate analysis were low Karnofsky performance status, low hemoglobin level, and high corrected serum calcium. These were used as risk factors to categorize patients into three different groups. The median time to death in patients with zero risk factors was 22 months. The median survival in patients with one of these prognostic factors was 11.9 months. Patients with two or three risk factors had a median survival of 5.4 months. CONCLUSION Treatment with novel agents during a clinical trial is indicated for patients with metastatic RCC after progression to cytokine treatment. Three prognostic factors for predicting survival were used to categorize patients into risk groups. These risk categories can be used in clinical trial design and interpretation.
Direct observations of rotationally distorted stars

We present infrared interferometric angular size measurements for rapidly rotating stars which indicate non-circular projected disk brightness distributions. For the A7IV-V star Altair, assuming that the apparent oblateness of the photosphere is due to the star's rapid rotation, a rigorous evaluation of the observation data in the context of a rigidly rotating Roche model shows that an estimate of v sin i == 210 ± 13 km S-l can be derived that is independent of spectroscopic techniques. Altair is the first main sequence star for which direct observations of an oblate photosphere have been reported, and the first star for which v sin i has been established from observations of the star's photospheric geometry. Future prospects for this technique are considered, and a prospective catalog of 67 rotationally oblate targets is presented.
Reduction of Materialized View Staleness Using Online Updates

Updating the materialized views stored in data warehouses usually implies making the warehouse unavailable to users. We propose MAUVE , a new algorithm for online incremental view updates that uses timestamps and allows consistent read-only access to the warehouse while it being updated. The algorithm propagates the updates to the views more often than the typical once a day in order to reduce view staleness. We have implemented MAUVE on top of the Informix Universal Server and used a synthetic workload generator to experiment with various update workloads and different view update frequencies. Our results show that, all kinds of update streams benefit from more frequent view updates, instead of just once a day. However, there is a clear maximum for the view update frequency, for which view staleness is minimal.
PERCEPTION OF THE WINSTON BRAND CIGARETTES BY YOUNG FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN TURKEY: A FOCUS GROUP STUDY

This study aims to find out why young female Turkish university students prefer the Winston brand, and how the brand, brand marks and the package affect smoking as well as their attitudes and behaviors towards a brand preference. Study uses a qualitative research method the phenomenology approach and the data of the research is collected through focus group interviews. The data of focus group interviews are collected from three mini focus group interviews conducted in November and December 2013 with 19 participants. During the interviews, a semi-structured questionnaire is administered and for the analysis of the data, a descriptive analysis technique is used. It was found that the Winston brand is preferred by young females mainly because of its flavor; it is seen as a high-quality product, but despite the fact that it is in middle-high price range, is considered as middle class. The fact that the elements of the package design used by the brand in its product range do not fit well with the desired positioning of the brand causes a confusion in its perception, and therefore there is no clear positioning for the brand in participants' minds.
Topological Mapping for Mobile Robots Using a Combination of Sonar and Vision Sensing

Topological maps represent the world as a network of nodes and arcs: the nodes are distinctive places in the environment and the arcs represent paths between places. A significant issue in building topological maps is defining distinctive places. Most previous work in topological mapping has concentrated on using sonar sensors to define distinctive places. However, sonar sensors are limited in range and angular resolution, which can make it difficult to distinguish between different distinctive places. Our approach combines a sonar-based definition of distinctive places with visual information. We use the robot's sonar sensors to determine where to capture images and use cues extracted from those images to help perform place recognition. Information from these two sensing modalities is combined using a simple Bayesian network. Results described in this paper show that our robot is able to perform place recognition without having to move through a sequence of places, as is the case with most currently implemented systems.
The Effective Education Professional: Politician, Psychologist, Philosopher, Professor, and Parent

The crisis in education, in part, has been caused by the rigidity of the education professional to continue in a traditional role. For the school to become more responsive to the psychosocial-educational needs of students, the education professional must expand the pedagogical role to the five P's: politician, psychologist, philosopher, professor, and parent.
Fencing in the past: Budapest's Statue Park Museum

This article focuses on an open-air museum established in Budapest in 1993 as a repository for the city's communist monuments. Following Raymond Williams's emphasis on the importance of studying the material processes through which culture is constructed, the Statue Park Museum is analyzed as an arena for the formation of collective memories about Hungarians' 40 years of experiences with communism. The article explores the political climate within which the decision was reached to transfer the monuments from their original sites to a museum, offers a discursive reading of the museum as a space that contributes to an emerging post-communist discourse of history and society, and argues that despite some public skepticism about its value, the museum provides a symbolic space for the common recollection of diverse narratives.
A sensor-based direct search algorithm for autonomous path planning on 3-D terrain surfaces

A practical path planning algorithm for 3-D terrain navigation is presented. Path planning is formulated as an unconstrained optimization problem of finding parameters of the parametric equations describing the paths on the terrain surface. When obstacles are present, a traversability test is performed on each candidate path during the searching process. Penalties are added to the cost of every path failing the traversability test. This algorithm produces paths of desired degrees of smoothness which are readily usable by the steering mechanisms of mobile robots. These planned paths optimize the cost of travel. The algorithm uses terrain information derived directly from the online range data. Experimental results reveal that the algorithm has significant computation advantage over existing ones for planning paths on 3-D terrain surfaces. <<ETX>>
Structural and Immunological Characteristics of a 28-Kilodalton Cruzipain-Like Cysteine Protease of Paragonimus westermani Expressed in the Definitive Host Stage

ABSTRACT A complete cDNA sequence encoding a 28-kDa cruzipain-like cysteine protease of adult Paragonimus westermani, termed Pw28CCP, was isolated from an adult cDNA library. The cDNA contained a single open reading frame of 975 bp encoding 325 amino acids, which exhibited the structural motif and domain organization characteristic of cysteine proteases of non-cathepsin Bs including a hydrophobic signal sequence, an ERFNIN motif, and essential cysteine residues as well as active sites in the mature catalytic region. Analysis of its phylogenetic position revealed that this novel enzyme belonged to the cruzipain-like cysteine proteases. The sequence of the first 13 amino acids predicted from the mature domain of Pw28CCP was in accord with that determined from the native 28-kDa enzyme purified from the adult worm. Expression of Pw28CCP was observed specifically in juvenile and adult worms, with a location in the intestinal epithelium, suggesting that this enzyme could be secreted and involved in nutrient uptake and immune modulation. The recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli was used to assess antigenicity by immunoblotting with sera from patients with active paragonimiasis and from those with other parasitic infections. The resulting sensitivity of 86.2% (56 of 65 samples) and specificity of 98% (147 of 150 samples) suggest its potential as an antigen for use in immunodiagnosis.
The Path to New Therapies for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Illness

Schizophrenia and bipolar illness are two of the most serious forms of mental illness. Until relatively recently, almost nothing was known about the molecular pathogenesis of either illness. The single largest risk factor that predisposes people to schizophrenia or bipolar illness is genetic risk. Heritability is high, and the incidence is significantly higher in identical twins than in nonidentical twins. Despite decades of work aimed at identifying the genes involved in these two illnesses, virtually no progress had been made until the past decade. With the knowledge and technologies that have been gained from the Human Genome Project, it has been possible to begin to understand the underlying genetics and to use the new information to begin the effort to discover new and better medicines to treat these illnesses. This article will describe the past decade of work toward this goal and articulate both the promise that now exists and what is still needed to bring dramatic and tangible change to patients. —Scolnick, E. M. The path to new therapies for schizophrenia and bipolar illness. FASEB J. 31, 1254–1259 (2017) www.fasebj. org
Light field acquisition from blurred observations using a programmable coded aperture camera

In this paper we deal with the problem of acquiring a scene light field using a programmable coded aperture camera when the angular observations are out-of-focus. We describe a portable programmable coded aperture prototype that can be attached to any DSLR camera lens and propose a blind deconvolution method to deblur light fields. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on synthetic and real images.
Parametric Model Generation Algorithm for Planar Microwave Structures based on Full – Wave analysis and Design of Experiment

The Design of Experiment approach (DoE) and an electromagnetic full–wave solver are combined in a single algorithm in order to produce parametric model of planar microwave and millimeter wave components. The DoE is a technique normally used to improve a process or a system and is here applied for conducting an electromagnetic analysis in which parameter levels, as geometrical dimensions, are made vary and the corresponding changes on the output are recorded. The results are then statistically processed by the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for determining which parameters or their combination is more significant. The electromagnetic analysis performed in time–domain by means of a Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) method provides a very broadband characterization. The given structure is simulated for each of the possible combination obtained from changing each parameter between two levels while keeping all the others constant. The two values correspond to the limit of a range of variation opportunely chosen. Once the parameters have been identified multiple linear regression (MLR) approach is applied to develop the model. This algorithm is here tested to two different test structures, as a microstrip (MS) patch antenna on teflon substrate and a coplanar waveguide (CPW) bend on silicon substrate. The accuracy analysis complete the algorithm description by giving an estimation of the model error .