Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robotics as Means to Increase Achievement Scores in an Informal Learning Environment

Abstract This paper reports on a pilot study that examined the use of a science and technology curriculum based on robotics to increase the achievement scores of youth ages 9-11 in an after school program. The study examined and compared the pretest and posttest scores of youth in the robotics intervention with youth in a control group. The results revealed that youth in the robotics intervention had a significant increase in mean scores on the posttest and that the control group had no significant change in scores from the pretest to the posttest. In addition, the results of the study indicated that the evaluation instrument used to measure achievement was valid and reliable for this study.
System verification of autonomous underwater vehicles by model checking

The paper addresses formal systems verification of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). The verification process includes hybrid system modelling and formulation of the discrete representation using natural language programming (sEnglish) via compositional abstraction - employing data, perception and action abstraction methods; the translation of the discrete abstraction into interpreted script programming language (ISPL) of a mainstream multi-agent model checker (MCMAS) for reachability verification of undesirable states, and ultimately the bridging into the discrete event system representation in Stateflow formalism. Using this technique, modelling and model checking can include the complete physical system of the autonomous vehicle, its multi-agent software on board and also the human interface represented as an agent.
The catabolism of prostaglandins by rat skin.

The activities of NAD+-dependent 15-hydroxy prostaglandin dehydrogenase in soluble fractions of rat skin and lung were compared by using a radiochemical assay method. Tritiated prostaglandin F2 alpha was incubated with NAD+ and 120,000 g supernatant of tissue homogenate. Extracted prostaglandin substrate and reaction products were separated by t.l. c. and quantitatively determined by liquid-scintillation counting. With skin 120,000 g supernatant, 10 mM-NAD+ and an incubation time of 15 min, the mean Vmax. was 5.5 nmol of prostaglandin F2 alpha converted/s per litre of reaction mixture. With lung 120,000 g supernatant, 60 mM-NAD+ and an incubation time of 5 min, the mean Vmax. was 26.9 nmol/s per litre, demonstrating 5-fold greater dehydrogenase activity in lung per unit wet weight of tissue. However, the total wet weight of skin was about 23 times that of lung, on dissection of individual rats, indicating that the entire skin may contain 4.5 times the total 15-hydroxy prostaglandin dehydrogenase activity of the lungs. Skin may thus be an important organ of prostaglandin catabolism.
Diver characteristics, motivations, and attitudes: Chuuk Lagoon.

This study sought to gain an insight into the sociodemographic characteristics, motivations, and attitudes of divers to Chuuk Lagoon (Federated States of Micronesia). It did this by conducting a survey of divers participating in dive trips on a live aboard vessel at Chuuk Lagoon and supporting and enriching this data with in-depth interviews. Divers were primarily motivated to see historically significant shipwrecks, artifacts, marine life, penetrate wrecks, and to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the underwater environment. The interviews with wreck divers supported these findings and emphasized the importance of the historical aspect of wreck diving: notably seeing history and the human dimension of wrecks. Management controls over wrecks, such as penalties, permits, and dive guides, were generally supported.
Maternal serum invasive trophoblast antigen (hyperglycosylated hCG) as a screening marker for Down syndrome during the second trimester.

BACKGROUND Approximately two million pregnancies in the United States are screened for Down syndrome annually by use of second-trimester maternal serum markers. At present, a combination of four markers can identify 75% of affected pregnancies when 5% of screened women are classified as candidates for amniocentesis. Although not currently included in screening panels, invasive trophoblast antigen (ITA) is a promising screening marker in serum or urine in both the second and first trimesters. This study aims at better defining the screening performance of serum ITA in the second trimester. METHODS In an earlier study, serum samples from an unbiased sampling of 45 Down syndrome (cases) and 238 unaffected (control) pregnancies between 14 and 20 weeks of gestation were collected from various centers in the United States. Samples were aliquoted and stored at -20 degrees C for 8 years. We measured ITA in these samples and determined the screening performance both univariately and in combination with other screening markers. RESULTS The median ITA in Down syndrome pregnancies was >3.00 multiples of the median, higher than that found for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or free beta-hCG. At a 5% false-positive rate, ITA univariately detected 38% and 40% of Down syndrome pregnancies, respectively, when assigned by date of last menstrual period or ultrasound date. Modeling yielded rates of 45% and 48%. ITA correlated strongly with hCG and free beta-hCG. When substituted for either of these in a multiple marker panel, ITA performed comparably. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that serum ITA is an effective marker for Down syndrome. It is highly correlated with both hCG and free beta-hCG and could replace either of them in a multiple marker panel.
Cubistic Representation for Real-Time 3D Shape and Pose Estimation of Unknown Rigid Object

This paper introduces Cubistic Representation as a novel 3D surface shape model. Cubistic representation is a set of 3D surface fragments, each fragment contains subject's 3D surface shape and its color and redundantly covers the subject surface. By laminating these fragments using a given pose parameter, the subject's appearance can be synthesized. Using cubistic representation, we propose a real-time 3D rigid object tracking approach by acquiring the 3D surface shape and its pose simultaneously. We use the particle filter scheme for both shape and pose estimation, each fragment is used as a partial shape hypothesis and is sampled and refined by a particle filter. We also use the RANSAC algorithm to remove wrong fragments as outliers to refine the shape. We also implemented an online demonstration system with GPU and a Kinect sensor and evaluated the performance of our approach in a real environment.
Are Cross-Domain Mappings Psychologically Deep, but Conceptually Shallow? What is Still Left to Test for Conceptual Metaphor Theory

Abstract This article assesses two objections directed at Conceptual Metaphor Theory: (1) it is circular in that it only provides linguistic evidence for the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings, intended to explain the empirical reality of metaphorical expressions in language; (2) it does not support the conclusion that the massive existence of metaphorical expressions in language reflects the metaphorical structuring of abstract concepts. It is my aim to disentangle these objections. Evidence abounds that makes the first objection obsolete, proving the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings. However, this does not imply that abstract concepts are metaphorically structured: experiments that prove objection (1) wrong cannot be invoked to reject objection (2). Some even tend to justify it.
Combined intravitreal bevacizumab and photodynamic therapy with vertiporfin for management of choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration

Purpose To test the results for patients treated with combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) with vertiporfin (Visudyne, Novartis AG) and intravitreal bevacizumab for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Patients and methods This is a prospective study including 18 eyes with subfoveal or juxtafoveal CNV secondary to AMD. Patients were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab 2.5 mg in the morning then PDT with vertiporfin in the evening of the same day. All patients were followed up for 6 months. The main outcome measures were stabilization (no change) or improvement of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with no leakage in fluorescein angiography (FLA) and reduction of central retinal thickness, and retreatment rate. Results At the end of 6 months follow up, all cases had either stabilization or improved BCVA. Fifteen eyes (80%) showed improved BCVA. The overall mean improvement in BCVA (n = 18) was 2.17 lines. Fifteen eyes (80%) required single combined treatment. Only 3 eyes (20%) required retreatment with the same protocol. No systemic or ocular complications were reported. Conclusion Combined intravitreal bevacizumab and PDT as a treatment of CNV secondary to AMD either for predominantly classic or occult subtypes has a positive therapeutic effect with stabilization or improvement of final BCVA and also might reduce the need for retreatment compared with literature retreatment rates of either modality alone. Summary Eighteen patients receiving combined therapy with PDT and intravitreal bevacizumab for CNV secondary to AMD, showed not only significant visual improvement but also reduction in the frequency of retreatment when compared to the results of monotherapy with each modality.
The acute pulmonary toxicity in mice induced by multiwall carbon nanotubes, benzene, and their combination

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized and produced on large scale for their wide application. They have high absorption ability to organic contaminants (such as benzene) and can form CNTs‐benzene combination with benzene. In this article, the acute pulmonary toxicity, induced by multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), benzene, and their combination, was studied by administrating the three test materials into mice lungs via intratracheal instillation. The biochemical parameters in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and pathological lesions in lungs were used as endpoints to evaluate the pulmonary toxicity of the three test materials at 3‐day and 7‐day postexposure, respectively. After the mice were intratracheally instilled with MWCNTs, benzene and MWCNTs‐benzene combination at doses of 6.67 mg/kg, 2.67 mg/kg, and 9.34 mg/kg (containing 6.67 mg/kg MWCNTs and 2.67 mg/kg benzene), the total protein, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acid phosphatase (ACP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in BALF and pathological lesions in lungs were examined. At 3‐day postexposure, MWCNTs induced obvious pulmonary toxicity and benzene only induced slight pulmonary toxicity, whereas their combination induced very severe pulmonary toxicity. At 7‐day postexposure, MWCNTs and benzene did not induce pulmonary toxicity individually, whereas their combination still induced severe pulmonary toxicity. These data indicated that, at the instilled doses in this experiment, the MWCNTs can alone induce acute pulmonary toxicity in mice and the benzene does not induce pulmonary toxicity, but the pulmonary toxicity of MWCNTs is enhanced after they form MWCNTs‐benzene combination with low dose of benzene. The enhanced pulmonary toxicity may be due to the change of MWCNTs aggregation ability after benzene is adsorbed on them. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 25: 409–417, 2010.
Moving average crossovers for short-term equity investment with L-GEM based RBFNN

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) market is young and energetic. Evidence exists that the returns from emerging markets like the SSE are influenced by a different set of factors than those of developed markets. The Moving Average (MA) crossover technique is one of the popular technical analysis tools used by investors in financial markets. However, not all MA crossovers give accurate predictions of uptrends in stock prices. This motivates us to investigate the use of MA crossovers in short-term investment with Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) trained via a minimization of the Localized Generalization Error (L-GEM). Experiments show that the proposed method can yield statistically significant profits when compared with a random investment strategy.
Analytic computation of the integrated response in nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems

In this work we analytically derive the time-integral of a class of nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems commonly found in networks of biochemical reactions. This formula is inferred using the Laplacian Spectral Decomposition method, which approximates the solution of the Partial Differential Equations by a finite series capturing the most relevant dynamics. The time-integrals allow us to understand how signal transmission depends on initial and boundary conditions, spatial geometry and the turnover rates of some species.
Thymic output generates a new and diverse TCR repertoire after autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis patients

Clinical trials have indicated that autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can persistently suppress inflammatory disease activity in a subset of patients with severe multiple sclerosis (MS), but the mechanism has remained unclear. To understand whether the beneficial effects on the course of disease are mediated by lympho-depletive effects alone or are sustained by a regeneration of the immune repertoire, we examined the long-term immune reconstitution in patients with MS who received HSCT. After numeric recovery of leukocytes, at 2-yr follow-up there was on average a doubling of the frequency of naive CD4+ T cells at the expense of memory T cells. Phenotypic and T cell receptor excision circle (TREC) analysis confirmed a recent thymic origin of the expanded naive T cell subset. Analysis of the T cell receptor repertoire showed the reconstitution of an overall broader clonal diversity and an extensive renewal of clonal specificities compared with pretherapy. These data are the first to demonstrate that long-term suppression of inflammatory activity in MS patients who received HSCT does not depend on persisting lymphopenia and is associated with profound qualitative immunological changes that demonstrate a de novo regeneration of the T cell compartment.
Mapping the political discourse of globalisation and European integration in the United Kingdom and Ireland empirically1

Recent years have seen growing interest in the political power of ideas, especially in debates about globalisation and European integration. As is now widely noted, constructions of globalisation and European integration may play a powerful causal role in shaping policy prescriptions across Europe. Yet, while a substantial body of theoretical literature has pointed to the need for sustained empirical analysis of such discourses, little systematic and comparative analysis has been undertaken into policy makers' attitudes towards globalisation, European integration and the relationship between the two. This article presents the initial findings of a survey of elite political attitudes to globalisation and European integration in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The authors develop and apply a theoretical schema for the classification and mapping of such discourses. Their analysis reveals, on the one hand, the range and diversity of discourses of globalisation and European integration among elite political actors and, on the other, the continued prevalence of specific conceptions (and indeed misperceptions) of globalisation in particular that have now been challenged empirically. They identify a series of core tensions and contradictions within elite political discourse in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. This suggests a certain frailty in the prevalent understanding of globalisation to which elite political actors would otherwise seem committed when confronted with its distributive consequences.
Can Legislation Reduce Gender Differences in Subject Choice? A Survey of GCSE and A level Entries Between 1970 and 1995

This paper investigates the extent of gender differences in subject choice patterns at GCSE and A level between 1970 and 1995. A Gender Inequality Index (GII) is derived to analyse national examination entry data, in particular to compare the impact of the Sex Discrimination Act and National Curriculum on the overall time trends. The paper finds that the GII slopes downwards over time, but that neither intervention had a significant impact on the rate of decline at A level and only the National Curriculum did so at GCSE level.
Akt/Protein Kinase B-Dependent Phosphorylation and Inactivation of WEE1Hu Promote Cell Cycle Progression at G2/M Transition

ABSTRACT The serine/threonine kinase Akt is known to promote cell growth by regulating the cell cycle in G1 phase through activation of cyclin/Cdk kinases and inactivation of Cdk inhibitors. However, how the G2/M phase is regulated by Akt remains unclear. Here, we show that Akt counteracts the function of WEE1Hu. Inactivation of Akt by chemotherapeutic drugs or the phosphatidylinositide-3-OH kinase inhibitor LY294002 induced G2/M arrest together with the inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc2. Because the increased Cdc2 phosphorylation was completely suppressed by wee1hu gene silencing, WEE1Hu was associated with G2/M arrest induced by Akt inactivation. Further analyses revealed that Akt directly bound to and phosphorylated WEE1Hu during the S to G2 phase. Serine-642 was identified as an Akt-dependent phosphorylation site. WEE1Hu kinase activity was not affected by serine-642 phosphorylation. We revealed that serine-642 phosphorylation promoted cytoplasmic localization of WEE1Hu. The nuclear-to-cytoplasmic translocation was mediated by phosphorylation-dependent WEE1Hu binding to 14-3-3θ but not 14-3-3β or -σ. These results indicate that Akt promotes G2/M cell cycle progression by inducing phosphorylation-dependent 14-3-3θ binding and cytoplasmic localization of WEE1Hu.
Specific Syndecan-1 Domains Regulate Mesenchymal Tumor Cell Adhesion, Motility and Migration

Background Syndecans are proteoglycans whose core proteins have a short cytoplasmic domain, a transmembrane domain and a large N-terminal extracellular domain possessing glycosaminoglycan chains. Syndecans are involved in many important cellular processes. Our recent publications have demonstrated that syndecan-1 translocates into the nucleus and hampers tumor cell proliferation. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of syndecan-1 in tumor cell adhesion and migration, with special focus on the importance of its distinct protein domains, to better understand the structure-function relationship of syndecan-1 in tumor progression. Methodology/Principal Findings We utilized two mesenchymal tumor cell lines which were transfected to stably overexpress full-length syndecan-1 or truncated variants: the 78 which lacks the extracellular domain except the DRKE sequence proposed to be essential for oligomerization, the 77 which lacks the whole extracellular domain, and the RMKKK which serves as a nuclear localization signal. The deletion of the RMKKK motif from full-length syndecan-1 abolished the nuclear translocation of this proteoglycan. Various bioassays for cell adhesion, chemotaxis, random movement and wound healing were studied. Furthermore, we performed gene microarray to analyze the global gene expression pattern influenced by syndecan-1. Both full-length and truncated syndecan-1 constructs decrease tumor cell migration and motility, and affect cell adhesion. Distinct protein domains have differential effects, the extracellular domain is more important for promoting cell adhesion, while the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains are sufficient for inhibition of cell migration. Cell behavior seems to depend also on the nuclear translocation of syndecan-1. Many genes are differentially regulated by syndecan-1 and a number of genes are actually involved in cell adhesion and migration. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that syndecan-1 regulates mesenchymal tumor cell adhesion and migration, and different domains have differential effects. Our study provides new insights into better understanding of the role of syndecans in tumor progression.
Learning from monkey “talk”

Nonhuman primates are capable of several key elements of human language A fundamental problem for understanding the evolution of human language has been the lack of significant parallels among nonhuman primates. Most researchers have focused on vocal plasticity—that is, the ability to learn novel sounds or modify call structure in response to social or environmental variables. Although songbirds, whales, dolphins, and some other mammals have this ability, nonhuman primates have appeared not to have it (1). Other studies found that nonhuman primates do not have a vocal tract that would allow them to produce the sounds of human speech (2) and that primates cannot take turns, a critical aspect of human conversation (3). All three points have been challenged by recent research (see the table), suggesting that nonhuman primates may after all be valuable models for understanding the evolution of speech and language.
Study on Security Issue of Internet of Things Based on RFID

In recent years, the use of radio frequency identification technology (RFlD: Radio Frequency Identification) to establish the current system of things becomes one of the mainstream models. This paper analyzes the internet system structure of things based on RFID, elaborates on the limitations of RFID technology to the things security threats, and analyzes RFID-based things that should meet the security demand and the corresponding security policies.
Family Language Policy, Language Practice, Motivation, and Planning among Israeli Arab Students in Wingate Institute's Preparatory Program

Family language policy (FLP) and language use in different domains and relationships wasinvestigated in thirteen Israeli-Arab students enrolled in an institution of higher education inIsrael. Participants came from Arabic FLPs, communities, and schools. The study wascompleted through semi-structured interviews. Our research objectives were to investigate theFLP of the sample and a possible presence of differences in the ideologies concerning theirparent-led FLP and their future family's FLP, among other things. Our findings point to apossible change in ideologies toward the instrumentally oriented FLP which incorporatesHebrew language to a greater degree. Further investigations should focus on effects ofgenerational FLP change on identity and related psychological factors.
Likelihood Ratio Derivative Estimation for Finite-Time Performance Measures in Generalized Semi-Markov Processes

This paper investigates the likelihood ratio method for estimating derivatives of finite-time performance measures in generalized semi-Markov processes (GSMPs). We develop readily verifiable conditions for the applicability of this method. Our conditions mainly place restrictions on the basic building blocks (i.e., the transition probabilities, the distribution and density functions of the event lifetimes, and the initial distribution) of the GSMP, which is in contrast to the structural conditions needed for infinitesimal perturbation analysis. We explicitly show that our conditions hold in many practical settings, and in particular, for large classes of queueing and reliability models. One intermediate result we obtain in this study, which is of independent value, is to formally show that the random variable representing the number of occurring events in a GSMP in a finite time horizon, has finite exponential moments in a neighborhood of zero.