cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
title: Usability of Markerless Motion Capture for Conducting 3D Instrumented Gait Analysis with Children
Creators: name: Rande, Amanda
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Clinical Gait Analysis
subject: Motion Capture
subject: Pediatrics
subject: Movement Impairments
subject: Cerebral Palsy
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Artificial Intelligence

description: Three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) provides important data for informing clinical decisions for children living with cerebral palsy and other mobility impairments. However, marker-based motion capture —the current clinical standard for conducting 3DGA— may be uncomfortable or even intolerable for many children. Marker-based assessments require the accurate placement of reflective markers on bony landmarks, which requires participants to wear tight clothing or clothing with a waistband that can be rolled down enabling markers to be placed on the pelvis. Marker placement can be time-consuming, especially for participants with non-typical anatomical development, increasing their fatigue level throughout the assessment. Markerless motion capture technologies that utilize computer vision to identify key landmarks may increase the patient-friendliness of 3DGA. The purposes of this research were to a) compare markerless technologies with marker-based technologies for 3DGA with pediatric populations including those with mobility impairments, and b) to determine the factors that impact the usability of markerless motion capture for clinical gait assessments. The first study concurrently compared a markerless motion capture system to a marker-based system. Our results indicated that markerless and marker-based motion capture had good agreement in the sagittal plane for pediatric populations with and without mobility impairments. The second study investigated the impact of clothing on kinematic data when markerless systems are used, explored participant and caregiver perceptions of 3DGA, and assessed the time required to complete a markerless assessment. We found that many clothing styles had minimal impact on the kinematic data; however, clothing that was baggy or obstructed the joints reduced data quality. Our participants preferred completing markerless assessments as they could wear their own clothing, did not have to have markers placed, and appreciated the brevity of the assessment. This study combined with the literature, provides good evidence that markerless motion capture is an accurate method of assessing joint angles in the sagittal plane of children with and without mobility impairments that enables a more participant-friendly assessment.
Stable complexity and simplicial volume of manifolds
Creators: name: Francaviglia, Stefano
name: Frigerio, Roberto
name: Martelli, Bruno
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Geometric Topology (math.GT)
subject: Differential Geometry (math.DG)
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: Let the complexity of a closed manifold M be the minimal number of simplices in a triangulation of M. Such a quantity is clearly submultiplicative with respect to finite coverings, and by taking the infimum on all finite coverings of M normalized by the covering degree we can promote it to a multiplicative invariant, a characteristic number already considered by Milnor and Thurston, which call the "stable complexity" of M. We study here the relation between the stable complexity of M and Gromov's simplicial volume ||M||. It is immediate to show that ||M|| is smaller or equal than the stable complexity of M and it is natural to ask whether the two quantities coincide on aspherical manifolds with residually finite fundamental group. We show that this is not always the case: there is a constant C_n<1 such that ||M|| is smaller than C_n times the stable complexity for any hyperbolic manifold M of dimension at least 4. The question in dimension 3 is still open in general. We prove that the stable complexity equals ||M|| for any aspherical irreducible 3-manifold M whose JSJ decomposition consists of Seifert pieces and/or hyperbolic pieces commensurable with the figure-eight knot complement. The equality holds for all closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds if a particular three-dimensional version of the Ehrenpreis conjecture is true.
description: 35 pages, 5 figures, minor corrections and few arguments added following referees' suggestions
Aerosols are not Spherical Cows: Using Discrete Dipole Approximation to Model the Properties of Fractal Particles
Creators: name: Lodge, Matt G.
name: Wakeford, Hannah R.
name: Leinhardt, Zoe M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The optical properties of particulate-matter aerosols, within the context of exoplanet and brown dwarf atmospheres, are compared using three different models: Mie theory, Modified Mean Field (MMF) Theory, and Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA). Previous results have demonstrated that fractal haze particles (MMF and DDA) absorb much less long-wavelength radiation than their spherical counterparts (Mie), however it is shown here that the opposite can also be true if a more varying refractive index profile is used. Additionally, it is demonstrated that absorption and scattering cross-sections, as well as the asymmetry parameter, are underestimated if Mie theory is used. Although DDA can be used to obtain more accurate results, it is known to be much more computationally intensive; to avoid this, the use of low-resolution aerosol models is explored, which could dramatically speed up the process of obtaining accurate computations of optical cross-sections within a certain parameter space. The validity of DDA is probed for wavelengths of interest for observations of aerosols within exoplanet and brown dwarf atmospheres (0.2 to 15 micrometres). Finally, novel code is presented to compare the results of Mie, MMF and DDA theories (CORAL: Comparison Of Radiative AnaLyses), as well as to increase and decrease the resolution of DDA shape files accordingly (SPHERIFY). Both codes can be applied to a range of other interesting astrophysical environments in addition to exoplanet atmospheres, for example dust grains within protoplanetary disks.
description: 24 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society"
MOESM1 of Augmentation of peripheral lymphocyte-derived cholinergic activity in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Creators: name: Yuan, Meng
name: Han, Bin
name: Xia, Yiping
name: Liu, Ye
name: Wang, Chunyang
name: Zhang, Chao
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Biochemistry
subject: Medicine
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Physiology
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Computational Biology

description: Additional file 1. Intracellular VAChT, AChE and ChAT activity in PBMCs in acute ischemic stroke. a-b The relative expression of both VAChT and AChE mRNA decreased significantly in sufferers of acute stroke within 24â h, regardless of concomitant pneumonia. c Represented as OD values, AChE activity was essentially similar in controls and patients on day 10 after stroke onset, but was significantly lower in patients with acute ischemic stroke with and without pneumonia. d ChAT mRNA expression resulting in levels indistinguishable among the groups. Levels of mRNA expression were relative to the amount of GAPDH.
title: Catholic Teacher Preparation and Faith Permeation: An Exploratory Case Study
Creators: name: Fawcett, Brett Graham
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Catholic teacher preparation
subject: Catholic faith permeation
subject: Catholic postsecondary institutions
subject: Education--Religious
subject: Education--Teacher Training
subject: Education--Curriculum and Instruction

description: The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore the ways that Catholic postsecondary institutions were perceived by their Catholic educator graduates to prepare Catholic teachers for the work of faith permeation in Catholic schools. Faith permeation is the process of integrating Catholicism into every aspect of a Catholic school. Church teaching suggests that a sort of permeation should also exist in Catholic postsecondary institutions and that their graduates should be equipped with qualities that are similar to those the Church expects of its teachers. This study therefore set out to explore the ways that Catholic teachers felt they were prepared for permeation by Catholic postsecondary institutions using qualitative methods and a critical realist ontology. The case studied was Alberta Catholic educators who hold an education-relevant qualification from a Catholic postsecondary institution and have worked in a Catholic school for at least one full school year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven such educators to explore how they practice permeation and how the Catholic postsecondary institutions they attended informed their practice. Document analysis was also conducted into the standards used to assess Catholic teachers in Alberta, which found that they align with the Church’s expectations for teachers. The findings suggested that permeation is a structure that operates through both the implicit and the explicit curriculum of a school and that the Catholic postsecondary institution is a concrete universal with the causal power to effectively prepare teacher graduates for permeation through its explicit and implicit curriculum, including graduates who were not well-formed when they entered the institution. However, this power can be mitigated if instructors are perceived to contradict Church teaching either in their overt instruction or in the way they live their lives, as well as by other ways the postsecondary institution is mediated. Recommendations are made regarding Catholic postsecondary teacher preparation based on the research. The findings of this study provide a foundation for future research into the ways that Catholic teachers can be formed to effect faith permeation in Catholic schools.
title: Investigating the Role of KAP1 in Mammary Gland Development
Creators: name: Govindrajan, Nayantara
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: mammary gland development
subject: cell fate specification
subject: novel mouse knockout models
subject: gene expression profiling
subject: pregnancy
subject: lactogenic differentiation
subject: cholesterol biosynthesis
subject: Biology--Cell

description: KAP1 controls cell fate specification of spermatogonial, skeletal, and hematopoietic progenitors, and promotes embryonic and breast cancer stem cell renewal. It regulates cell proliferation and DNA damage repair, with the latter further linking it to mammary progenitor specification. KAP1 could thus act as a master regulator of mammary lactogenic specification. My studies aimed to test the hypothesis that KAP1 is required for proliferation and lactogenic differentiation during mammary gland development. I generated novel, mammary epithelial-specific KAP1 knockout models using MMTV-cre in mice and CRISPR-Cas9 in the mouse mammary epithelial cell line HC11. KAP1 loss was heterogeneous due to cre mosaicism in knockout mice, but there were strong morphological defects like decreased tertiary branching and alveolar formation during pregnancy. Alveolar defects persisted in lactation. HC11 acted as a complementary system and lacked KAP1 in every cell. Knockout HC11 cells had decreased proliferation and migration, and blocked lactogenic differentiation, as seen by the lack of milk domes and the milk protein β casein. Bulk RNA sequencing identified potential KAP1-controlled genes and pathways mediating knockout phenotypes in HC11 cells. This included the downregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis in differentiated knockout cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified the downregulation of luminal and alveolar progenitor genes and pathways controlling growth and morphogenesis in knockout pregnancy day 10 glands. Clustering identified progenitors with intermediate gene expression profiles between common luminal and alveolar progenitors. Knockout alveolar progenitors lacked casein 2, which encodes β casein, confirming knockout phenotypes observed in HC11 cells. Knockouts showed significant reductions in genes controlling cholesterol uptake and lipid droplet formation. Total cholesterol levels were decreased in both knockout models. The link between cholesterol biosynthesis and mammary lactogenesis was strengthened in statin-treated HC11 cells where defects in proliferation, dome formation, and casein expression were observed, like those seen with KAP1 loss. While the knockout proliferative defect was rescued by adding the cholesterol pathway metabolite mevalonate, the lactogenic defect was partially rescued. I have identified a novel link between cholesterol metabolism and mammary lactogenesis, potentially mediated by KAP1. This could inform the decision of women with familial hypercholesteremia using statins during pregnancy, due to possible effects on maternal lactation capacity.
Finite domination and Novikov rings. Iterative approach
Creators: name: Huettemann, Thomas
name: Quinn, David
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: K-Theory and Homology (math.KT)
subject: Algebraic Topology (math.AT)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 55U15, 18G35

description: Suppose C is a bounded chain complex of finitely generated free modules over the Laurent polynomial ring L = R[x,1/x]. Then C is R-finitely dominated, ie, homotopy equivalent over R to a bounded chain complex of finitely generated projective R-modules, if and only if the two chain complexes C((x)) and C((1/x)) are acyclic, as has been proved by Ranicki. Here C((x)) is the tensor product over L of C with the Novikov ring R((x)) = R[[x]][1/x] (also known as the ring of formal Laurent series in x); similarly, C((1/x)) is the tensor product over L of C with the Novikov ring R((1/x)) = R[[1/x]][x]. In this paper, we prove a generalisation of this criterion which allows us to detect finite domination of bounded below chain complexes of projective modules over Laurent rings in several indeterminates.
description: 15 pages; diagrams typeset with Paul Taylor's "diagrams" macro package. Version 2: clarified proof of main theorem, fixed minor typos; Version 3: expanded introduction, now 16 pages; Version 4: corrected mistake on functoriality of mapping tori
Genetic instrumental variable regression: Explaining socioeconomic and health outcomes in nonexperimental data
Creators: name: DiPrete, Thomas A.
name: Burke, Casper A. P.
name: Koellinger, Philipp D.
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: Gene expression
subject: Monogenism and polygenism
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Social status
subject: Health

description: Identifying causal effects in nonexperimental data is an enduring challenge. One proposed solution that recently gained popularity is the idea to use genes as instrumental variables [i.e., Mendelian randomization (MR)]. However, this approach is problematic because many variables of interest are genetically correlated, which implies the possibility that many genes could affect both the exposure and the outcome directly or via unobserved confounding factors. Thus, pleiotropic effects of genes are themselves a source of bias in nonexperimental data that would also undermine the ability of MR to correct for endogeneity bias from nongenetic sources. Here, we propose an alternative approach, genetic instrumental variable (GIV) regression, that provides estimates for the effect of an exposure on an outcome in the presence of pleiotropy. As a valuable byproduct, GIV regression also provides accurate estimates of the chip heritability of the outcome variable. GIV regression uses polygenic scores (PGSs) for the outcome of interest which can be constructed from genome-wide association study (GWAS) results. By splitting the GWAS sample for the outcome into nonoverlapping subsamples, we obtain multiple indicators of the outcome PGSs that can be used as instruments for each other and, in combination with other methods such as sibling fixed effects, can address endogeneity bias from both pleiotropy and the environment. In two empirical applications, we demonstrate that our approach produces reasonable estimates of the chip heritability of educational attainment (EA) and show that standard regression and MR provide upwardly biased estimates of the effect of body height on EA.
Improved Performance of Organic Light-Emitting Transistors Enabled by Polyurethane Gate Dielectric
Creators: name: Barreto, Arthur R. J.
name: Candiotto, Graziâni
name: Avila, Harold J. C.
name: Carvalho, Rafael S.
name: Santos, Aline Magalhães dos
name: Prosa, Mario
name: Benvenuti, Emilia
name: Moschetto, Salvatore
name: Toffanin, Stefano
name: Capaz, Rodrigo B.
name: Muccini, Michele
name: Cremona, Marco
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Applied Physics (physics.app-ph)
subject: Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs) are multifunctional optoelectronic devices that combine in a single structure the advantages of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). However, low charge mobility and high threshold voltage are critical hurdles to practical OLETs implementation. This work reports on the improvements obtained by using polyurethane films as dielectric layer material in place of the standard poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) in OLET devices. It was found that polyurethane drastically reduces the number of traps in the device thereby improving electrical and optoelectronic device parameters. In addition, a model was developed to rationalize an anomalous behavior at the pinch-off voltage. Our findings represent a step forward to overcome the limiting factors of OLETs that prevent their use in commercial electronics by providing a simple route for low-bias device operation.
description: 25 pages, 5 figures, 1 table
MOESM2 of Augmentation of peripheral lymphocyte-derived cholinergic activity in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Creators: name: Yuan, Meng
name: Han, Bin
name: Xia, Yiping
name: Liu, Ye
name: Wang, Chunyang
name: Zhang, Chao
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Physiology
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Mental Health
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences

description: Additional file 2. Differential expression of lymphocyte-derived cholinergic components in patients with mild stroke and moderate/severe stroke. a The relative expression of AChE mRNA decreased significantly in patients of moderate/severe stroke within 24â h, regardless of concomitant pneumonia. b-c Both ChAT and VAChT mRNA expression resulted in levels without significance between the two groups. Levels of mRNA expression were relative to the amount of GAPDH.
Air plasma spraying of copper-based SOFC anodes for direct oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels
Creators: name: Light, Nir
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: This thesis investigates the utilization of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) utilizing a DC axial injection torch to produce porous composite SOFC anodes for direct oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels based on samaria doped ceria (SDC) or gadolinia doped ceria (GDC) and Cu or Cu-Co. Currently, these anodes are manufactured by multi-step wet ceramic processes, which makes them difficult to produce economically at moderate volumes. In contrast to wet ceramic processing, APS allows rapid, easy-to-automate processing and easy scale-up to mass production of SOFCs. The main challenge in producing these anodes by APS is to co-deposit materials with a large difference between their melting temperatures in a coating having a porous structure, which is required in SOFC anodes for good mass transport and high performance. In addition, in the case of Cu-Co based anodes, surface alloying of the Cu and Co phases enriches the surface of this mixture with Cu. This mechanism was suggested to explain the excellent tolerance of Cu-Co anodes manufactured by wet ceramics process for carbon deposition. However, it is not clear whether surface alloying occurs during APS due to the larger mixing scale and rapid solidification of the deposited materials. A range of plasma process parameters has been examined in this work for the production of homogeneously mixed anode coatings from pre-mixed spray dried micron-sized agglomerated feedstock powders. Fine and coarse powders have been used to produce anode coatings, which were characterized for crystallography, composition, microstructure, porosity, and gas permeation. Anode electrochemical performances were also characterized by impedance spectroscopy, and the extent of carbon deposition was determined by weight gain of the anode during exposure to methane. By adequate control and refinement of processing parameters and starting powders, it is possible to achieve coatings with properties not typical to the plasma spray process. This work overcame processing challenges stemming from a material set having a large difference between the melting temperatures of each material, demonstrating the feasibility of obtaining fairly homogenous Cu-SDC and Cu-Co-SDC/GDC anodes with performances comparable to those of Cu-based anodes fabricated by wet ceramic processing.
Developing a molecular dynamics force field for both folded and disordered protein states
Creators: name: Robustelli, Paul
name: Piana, Stefano
name: Shaw, David Elliot
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: Molecular dynamics
Computer simulation
Proteins
Protein folding

description: Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a valuable tool for characterizing the structural dynamics of folded proteins and should be similarly applicable to disordered proteins and proteins with both folded and disordered regions. It has been unclear, however, whether any physical model (force field) used in MD simulations accurately describes both folded and disordered proteins. Here, we select a benchmark set of 21 systems, including folded and disordered proteins, simulate these systems with six state-of-the-art force fields, and compare the results to over 9,000 available experimental data points. We find that none of the tested force fields simultaneously provided accurate descriptions of folded proteins, of the dimensions of disordered proteins, and of the secondary structure propensities of disordered proteins. Guided by simulation results on a subset of our benchmark, however, we modified parameters of one force field, achieving excellent agreement with experiment for disordered proteins, while maintaining state-of-the-art accuracy for folded proteins. The resulting force field, a99SB-disp, should thus greatly expand the range of biological systems amenable to MD simulation. A similar approach could be taken to improve other force fields.
title: AI as a Journey Toward Memory, Loss, and Nostalgia
Creators: name: Marshall, Gregory F.
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Artificial Intelligence
subject: AI
subject: generative AI
subject: Midjourney
subject: Media Art Installation
subject: Photography
subject: Fine Arts

description: The recent rapid rise of artificial intelligence represents a watershed moment in the evolution of automated computing technology and its effects on industry and society, including our notions of contemporary art. My artistic research explores some of these dilemmas within contemporary art using three significant themes: memory, loss, and nostalgia. Through the media art installation Phalanx, I merge AI-assisted imagery with vintage slide projection, with nearly 600 AI-assisted slide images cycling to the viewer, sampled from the source images of my father’s Kodachrome collection from the mid to late 1960s. I examine personal history as a stand-in element reflected against different geographic contexts authored through the generative AI program Midjourney. With dataveillance wrapped within the ethos of a vast dataset as a product of deep learning through generative AI image making, I loosely borrow ‘chance aesthetics’ to explore how Midjourney affects my creative process and consider its potential as an artistic tool. The project’s origin stemmed from the fact that my elderly parents and the last remaining relatives will soon be gone, where it perhaps serves as a tribute through a creative therapeutic nostalgic process. It is an experiment that invites viewers to possibly engage with notions of memory, loss, and nostalgia resulting from massive global datasets tapped through avenues of our personal histories that are re-imagined around the globe.
Human plasma and serum extracellular small RNA reference profiles and their clinical utility
Creators: name: Max, Klaas E. A.
name: Bertram, Karl
name: Akat, Kemal Marc
name: Bogardus, Kimberly A.
name: Li, Jenny
name: Morozov, Pavel
name: Ben-Dov, Iddo Z.
name: Li, Xin
name: Weiss, Zachary R.
name: Azizian, Azadeh
name: Sopeyin, Anuoluwapo
name: Diacovo, Thomas G.
name: Adamidi, Catherine
name: Williams, Zev
name: Tuschl, Thomas
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: RNA
Biochemical markers
MicroRNA
Cell separation
Nucleic acids
Cytology

description: Circulating extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) have the potential to serve as biomarkers for a wide range of medical conditions. However, limitations in existing exRNA isolation methods and a lack of knowledge on parameters affecting exRNA variability in human samples may hinder their successful discovery and clinical implementation. Using combinations of denaturants, reducing agents, proteolysis, and revised organic extraction, we developed an automated, high-throughput approach for recovery of exRNAs and exDNA from the same biofluid sample. We applied this method to characterize exRNAs from 312 plasma and serum samples collected from 13 healthy volunteers at 12 time points over a 2-month period. Small RNA cDNA library sequencing identified nearly twofold increased epithelial-, muscle-, and neuroendocrine-cell–specific miRNAs in females, while fasting and hormonal cycle showed little effect. External standardization helped to detect quantitative differences in erythrocyte and platelet-specific miRNA contributions and in miRNA concentrations between biofluids. It also helped to identify a study participant with a unique exRNA phenotype featuring a miRNA signature of up to 20-fold elevated endocrine-cell–specific miRNAs and twofold elevated total miRNA concentrations stable for over 1 year. Collectively, these results demonstrate an efficient and quantitative method to discern exRNA phenotypes and suggest that plasma and serum RNA profiles are stable over months and can be routinely monitored in long-term clinical studies.
Ultra-generalized Wannier bases: Are they relevant to topological transport?
Creators: name: Moscolari, Massimo
name: Panati, Gianluca
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: 81V70, 81Q70

description: We generalize Prodan's construction of radially localized generalized Wannier bases [E. Prodan, On the generalized Wannier functions. J. Math. Phys. 56(11), 113511 (2015)] to gapped quantum systems without time-reversal symmetry, including in particular magnetic Schrödinger operators, and we prove some basic properties of such bases. We investigate whether this notion might be relevant to topological transport by considering the explicitly solvable case of the Landau operator.
description: 19 pages, no figures. The text corresponds to the paper published in Journal of Mathematical Physics
A note on topological insulator phase in non-hermitian quantum systems
Creators: name: Ghosh, Pijush K.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Other Condensed Matter (cond-mat.other)
subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Examples of non-hermitian quantum systems admitting topological insulator phase are presented in one, two and three space dimensions. All of these non-hermitian Hamiltonians have entirely real bulk eigenvalues and unitarity is maintained with the introduction of appropriate inner-products in the corresponding Hilbert spaces. The topological invariant characterizing a particular phase is shown to be identical for a non-hermitian Hamiltonian and its hermitian counterpart, to which it is related through a non-unitary similarity transformation. A classification scheme for topological insulator phases in pseudo-hermitian quantum systems is suggested.
description: Latex, 12 pages, no figure; Added discussions, Version to appear in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
title: A Phenomenological Case Study of Nigerian Graduate Students’ Experiences Using Mobile Learning Technologies in a Faculty of Education
Creators: name: Amaechi, Emmanuel Chukwunenye
Publisher: name: Werklund School of Education
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Technology
subject: Education
subject: Digital Inclusion
subject: Learning and Development
subject: Education--Technology
subject: Education

description: This study investigates the experiences of Nigerian graduate students using mobile learning technologies at a faculty of education at a University in Western Canada. and highlights the potentials of mobile technologies as tools to enhance teaching and learning. For this thesis research, I employed a phenomenological case study approach, to provide a comprehensive understanding of how mobile learning technologies are integrated into the academic lives of international graduate students from Nigeria, the benefits they derive, and the challenges they face. Data was collected through in-depth interviews to capture the nuanced experiences and perceptions of the participants. Data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to generate findings and themes. The findings reveal that mobile learning technologies significantly enhance accessibility, allowing students to access educational content and resources anytime and from anywhere. Unfettered access provides flexibility that is crucial for students in balancing academic, professional, and personal commitments. The interactive and multimedia features of mobile learning platforms are shown to increase student engagement and motivation, fostering a more dynamic and engaging learning environment. Mobile learning supports personalized learning experiences, enabling students to learn at their own pace and according to their individual preferences. This study also identifies several challenges, including technical issues such as device compatibility with research tools such as NVivo. Some students identified their inability to use some mobile learning technology well because they were not adequately oriented on how to use it. These challenges underscore the need for a more inclusive infrastructure, continuous technical support, and effective orientation programs to help graduate students maximize the benefits of mobile learning technologies. The implications of these findings suggest that while mobile learning technologies can offer substantial benefits, the successful implementation of these technologies requires graduate students and programs to address the associated challenges. Recommendations for educators include integrating mobile learning into the curriculum in ways that complement existing teaching methods and to provide ongoing support for graduate students’ optimal use of technology for learning.
Magneto-transport in a binary alloy ring
Creators: name: Dutta, Paramita
name: Maiti, Santanu K.
name: Karmakar, S. N.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Magneto-transport properties are investigated in a binary alloy ring subjected to an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) flux ϕwithin a single-band non-interacting tight-binding framework. In the first part, we expose analytically the behavior of persistent current in an isolated ordered binary alloy ring as functions of electron concentration N_e and AB flux ϕ. While, in the second part of the article, we discuss electron transport properties through a binary alloy ring attached to two semi-infinite one-dimensional metallic electrodes. The effect of impurities is also analyzed. From our study we propose that under suitable choices of the parameter values the system can act as a p-type or an n-type semiconductor.
description: 7 pages, 8 figures
title: Exploring Ageism in Young Children: Attitudes Toward Older Adults and Influencing Factors
Creators: name: Czarnecki, Natalia
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Education--Early Childhood
subject: Psychology--Social
subject: Psychology--Developmental

description: Being exposed to negative stereotypes about older adults and aging from a young age may have long-term negative impacts on individuals' physical and mental health, cognitive performance, and life expectancy. This thesis investigates the attitudes of young children toward older adults and the potential influencing factors such as contact with grandparents, priming effects, and parents' cultural orientation. The study utilized interview responses from younger children, which was a modified version of the Children’s Attitudes Toward the Elderly (CATE) scale, and a cultural orientation scale filled out by parents. The findings indicate that while young children hold positive attitudes toward older adults, they also hold negative stereotypes towards older adults’ competence. Quality of contact with older adults was found to play a significant role in the development of attitudes toward older adults while frequency did not. Additionally, priming and parents’ cultural orientation did not significantly influence children’s attitudes. The findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of the development of attitudes toward older adults in early childhood and highlight the importance of quality contact with older adults in their shaping.
title: Characterizing GATA6+ cells in the kidney
Creators: name: Belay, Sisay Getie
Publisher: name: Graduate Studies
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: GATA6+ cells
subject: Stromal cells
subject: Resolution and reparative role
subject: Acute kidney disease
subject: Chronic kidney disease
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine

description: Globally, acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) cause an estimated 13 million and 700 million cases/year, and 1.7 million and 1.2 million deaths/year, respectively. Kidney disease is the result of many different insults. Kidney injury promotes the recruitment and proliferation of different leukocyte populations, including macrophages to the kidney that play a major role in disease pathogenesis. Recruitment of resolution and reparative macrophages induce anti-inflammatory responses and promote kidney repair, but the characteristics of these cell populations are not clearly defined. GATA6+ macrophages had been reported to facilitate tissue repair following injury in organs other than the kidney. However, whether GATA6+ macrophages are resolution and repair macrophages in the kidney is not known. Using immunofluorescence imaging, flow cytometry, and nCounter transcriptome techniques, we assessed GATA6+ cells in normal and diseased kidney of mouse and human while probing common tissue macrophage markers specifically CD206+ and CD163+ as a benchmark. We showed that both CD206+ and CD163+ macrophages were detectable in normal and diseased mouse and human kidney. In mouse, both CD206+ and CD163+ macrophages were upregulated in various kidney compartments especially during CKD. Whereas in human, CD206+ and CD163+ macrophages appeared to be resident in the kidney and upregulated in diseased states. Using the same technique, significant population of GATA6+ cells were identified in mouse and human kidney particularly during CKD. GATA6+ cells were mainly localized in the tubulointerstitial area of the kidney cortex. In mouse and human kidney, the majority of GATA6+ cells did not co-express common leukocyte/macrophage markers. Conversely, in mouse and human CKD, GATA6+ cells mostly co-expressed the stromal cell marker αSMA. Using nCounter transcriptome profile of mouse samples, GATA6+ cells represented a distinct non-immune cell population that expressed genes associated with stromal cell identity, inflammation regulation, angiogenesis and collagen biosynthesis. The role of GATA6+ cells in CKD will require further exploration to unravel specific pathological and/or repair mechanisms that may lead to improved management of kidney disease.
Suppression of inelastic electron-electron scattering in Anderson Insulators
Creators: name: Ovadyahu, Z.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We report on measurements of absorption from applied ac fields in Anderson-localized indium-oxide films. The absorption shows a roll-off at a frequency that is much smaller than the electron-electron scattering rate measured at the same temperature in diffusive samples of this material. These results are interpreted as evidence for discreteness of the energy spectrum.
description: 4 figures
MOESM3 of Augmentation of peripheral lymphocyte-derived cholinergic activity in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Creators: name: Yuan, Meng
name: Han, Bin
name: Xia, Yiping
name: Liu, Ye
name: Wang, Chunyang
name: Zhang, Chao
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Neuroscience
subject: Physiology
subject: Pharmacology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine

description: Additional file 3. Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis with Backward Elimination of Factors that may be Associated with Anterior Circulation Infarction.
Endocast morphology of Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa
Creators: name: Holloway, Ralph L.
name: Hurst, Shawn D.
name: Marvin, Heather M.
name: Schoenemann, P. Thomas
name: Vanti, William B.
name: Berger, Lee R.
name: Hawks, John
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: Homo naledi
subject: Morphology
subject: Fossil hominids--Craniology
subject: Behavior evolution
subject: Anthropology
subject: FOS: Sociology

description: Hominin cranial remains from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa, represent multiple individuals of the species Homo naledi. This species exhibits a small endocranial volume comparable to Australopithecus, combined with several aspects of external cranial anatomy similar to larger-brained species of Homo such as Homo habilis and Homo erectus. Here, we describe the endocast anatomy of this recently discovered species. Despite the small size of the H. naledi endocasts, they share several aspects of structure in common with other species of Homo, not found in other hominins or great apes, notably in the organization of the inferior frontal and lateral orbital gyri. The presence of such structural innovations in a small-brained hominin may have relevance to behavioral evolution within the genus Homo.
PROBABLY APPROXIMATELY CORRECT BOUNDS FOR ESTIMATING MARKOV TRANSITION KERNELS
Creators: name: Banerjee, Imon
Publisher: name: Purdue University Graduate School
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 490509
subject: Statistical theory
classificationCode: 490506
subject: Probability theory

description: This thesis presents probably approximately correct (PAC) bounds on estimates of the transition kernels of Controlled Markov chains (CMC’s). CMC’s are a natural choice for modelling various industrial and medical processes, and are also relevant to reinforcement learning (RL). Learning the transition dynamics of CMC’s in a sample efficient manner is an important question that is open. This thesis aims to close this gap in knowledge in literature.In Chapter 2, we lay the groundwork for later chapters by introducing the relevant concepts and defining the requisite terms. The two subsequent chapters focus on non-parametric estimation. In Chapter 3, we restrict ourselves to a finitely supported CMC with d states and k controls and produce a general theory for minimax sample complexity of estimating the transition matrices.In Chapter 4 we demonstrate the applicability of this theory by using it to recover the sample complexities of various controlled Markov chains, as well as RL problems.In Chapter 5 we move to a continuous state and action spaces with compact supports. We produce a robust, non-parametric test to find the best histogram based estimator of the transition density; effectively reducing the problem into one of model selection based on empricial processes.Finally, in Chapter 6 we move to a parametric and Bayesian regime, and restrict ourselves to Markov chains. Under this setting we provide a PAC-Bayes bound for estimating model parameters under tempered posteriors.
Numerical simulation of turbulent premixed flames with conditional source-term estimation
Creators: name: Salehi, Mohammad Mahdi
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: Conditional Source-term Estimation (CSE) is a closure model for turbulence-chemistry interactions. This model is based on the conditional moment closure hypothesis for the chemical reaction source terms. The conditional scalar field is estimated by solving an integral equation using inverse methods. CSE was originally developed for - and has been used extensively in - non-premixed combustion. This work is the first application of this combustion model to predictive simulations of turbulent premixed flames. The underlying inverse problem is diagnosed with rigorous mathematical tools. CSE is coupled with a Trajectory Generated Low-Dimensional Manifold (TGLDM) model for chemistry. The CSE-TGLDM combustion model is used with both Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence models to simulate two different turbulent premixed flames. Also in this work, the Presumed Conditional Moment (PCM) turbulent combustion model is employed. This is a simple flamelet model which is used with the Flame Prolongation of ILDM (FPI) chemistry reduction technique. The PCM-FPI approach requires a presumption for the shape of the probability density function of reaction progress variable. Two shapes have been examined: the widely used beta-function and the Modified Laminar Flamelet PDF (MLF-PDF). This model is used in both RANS and large-eddy simulation of a turbulent premixed Bunsen burner. Radial distributions of the calculated temperature field, axial velocity and chemical species mass fraction have been compared with experimental data. This comparison shows that using the MLF-PDF leads to predictions that are similar, and often superior to those obtained using the beta-PDF. Given that the new PDF is based on the actual chemistry - as opposed to the ad hoc nature of the beta-PDF - these results suggest that it is a better choice for the statistical description of the reaction progress variable.
Excitations of optically driven atomic condensate in a cavity: theory of photodetection measurements
Creators: name: Öztop, B.
name: Bordyuh, M.
name: Müstecaplıoğlu, Ö. E.
name: Türeci, H. E.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Recent experiments have demonstrated an open system realization of the Dicke quantum phase transition in the motional degrees of freedom of an optically driven Bose-Einstein condensate in a cavity. Relevant collective excitations of this light-matter system are polaritonic in nature, allowing access to the quantum critical behavior of the Dicke model through light leaking out of the cavity. This opens the path to using photodetection based quantum optical techniques to study the dynamics and excitations of this elementary quantum critical system. We first discuss the photon flux observed at the cavity face and find that it displays a different scaling law near criticality than that obtained from the mean field theory for the equivalent closed system. Next, we study the second order correlation measurements of photons leaking out of the cavity. Finally, we discuss a modulation technique that directly captures the softening of polaritonic excitations. Our analysis takes into account the effect of the finite size of the system which may result in an effective symmetry breaking term.
description: 18 pages, 5 figures
Iron promotes oxidative cell death caused by bisretinoids of retina
Creators: name: Ueda, Keiko
name: Kim, Hye Jin
name: Zhao, Jin
name: Song, Ying
name: Dunaief, Joshua L.
name: Sparrow, Janet R.
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2018
Subjects: Iron
Cell death
Oxidation-reduction reaction
Retinal (Visual pigment)
Lipofuscins
Ophthalmology

description: Intracellular Fe plays a key role in redox active energy and electron transfer. We sought to understand how Fe levels impact the retina, given that retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are also challenged by accumulations of vitamin A aldehyde adducts (bisretinoid lipofuscin) that photogenerate reactive oxygen species and photodecompose into damaging aldehyde- and dicarbonyl-bearing species. In mice treated with the Fe chelator deferiprone (DFP), intracellular Fe levels, as reflected in transferrin receptor mRNA expression, were reduced. DFP-treated albino Abca4−/− and agouti wild-type mice exhibited elevated bisretinoid levels as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography or noninvasively by quantitative fundus autofluorescence. Thinning of the outer nuclear layer, a parameter indicative of the loss of photoreceptor cell viability, was also reduced in DFP-treated albino Abca4−/−. In contrast to the effects of the Fe chelator, mice burdened with increased intracellular Fe in RPE due to deficiency in the Fe export proteins hephaestin and ceruloplasmin, presented with reduced bisretinoid levels. These findings indicate that intracellular Fe promotes bisretinoid oxidation and degradation. This interpretation was supported by experiments showing that DFP decreased the oxidative/degradation of the bisretinoid A2E in the presence of light and reduced cell death in cell-based experiments. Moreover, light-independent oxidation and degradation of A2E by Fenton chemistry products were evidenced by the consumption of A2E, release of dicarbonyls, and generation of oxidized A2E species in cell-free assays.
MOESM1 of Detection of Brucellae in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for monitoring therapeutic efficacy of brucellosis infection
Creators: name: Yang, Heng
name: Zhang, Guoxia
name: Luo, Peifang
name: He, Zuoping
name: Hu, Feihuan
name: Li, Linhai
name: Allain, Jean-Pierre
name: Li, Chengyao
name: Wang, Wenjing
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Information Systems not elsewhere classified
subject: Cancer
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Virology

description: Additional file 1: Table S1. Characterization of 154 brucellosis patients.
GIT and moduli with a twist
Creators: name: Laza, Radu
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Algebraic Geometry (math.AG)
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: We survey the role played by GIT in the study of moduli spaces, with an emphasis on the birational geometry of GIT quotients.
description: to appear in "Handbook of Moduli"