1,012 research outputs found
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF AUTISM AWARENESS INTERVENTIONS FOR GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS: A META-ANALYSIS
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses are on the rise, increasing the likelihood of having a student with ASD in the general education classroom. Students with ASD may be included in the general education setting; however, inclusive educational experiences are negative for many students with ASD. ASD awareness interventions have been implemented to help general education students improve their attitudes, behavioral intentions, and understand their peers with ASD. In the current study, empirical articles evaluating the effectiveness of ASD awareness interventions were identified and quantified. Two research questions were addressed: (a)Are ASD awareness interventions effective for general education students? and (b) Do ASDawareness interventions increase general education studentsâ attitudes, behavioral intentions, orknowledge of students with ASD? In addition, the following moderators: (a) age (b) gender (c) school level, and (d) message were evaluated. Results showed that ASD awareness interventionsare effective for general education students, and that ASD awareness interventions improveattitudes, behavioral intentions, and knowledge of ASD. In addition, age, school level, andmessage moderate the effectiveness of ASD awareness intervention
Cobalt and chromium exposure affects osteoblast function and impairs the mineralization of prosthesis surfaces in vitro.
Cobalt (Co) and chromium (Cr) ions and nanoparticles equivalent to those released through tribo-corrosion of prosthetic metal-on-metal (MOM) bearings and taper junctions are detrimental to osteoblast activity and function in-vitro when examined as individual species. Here we examined the effects of Co(2+) :Cr(3+) and Co(2+) :Cr(6+) combinations on osteoblast-like SaOS-2 cellular activity, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralization to better reflect clinical exposure conditions in vivo. We also assessed the effect of Co(2+) :Cr(3+) combinations and Co:Cr nanoparticles on SaOS-2 cell osteogenic responses on grit-blasted, plasma-sprayed titanium-coated and hydroxyapatite-coated prosthesis surfaces. Cellular activity and ALP activity were reduced to a greater extent with combination treatments compared to individual ions. Co(2+) and Cr(3+) interacted additively and synergistically to reduce cellular activity and ALP activity respectively, whilst the Co(2+) with Cr(6+) combination was dominated by the effect of Cr(6+) alone. Mineralization by osteoblasts was greater on hydroxyapatite-coated surfaces compared to grit-blasted and plasma-sprayed titanium-coated surfaces. Treatments with Co(2+) :Cr(3+) ions and Co:Cr nanoparticles reduced the percentage mineralization on all surfaces, with hydroxyapatite-coated surfaces having the least reduction. In conclusion, our data suggests that previous studies investigating individual metal ions underestimate their potential clinical effects on osteoblast activity. Furthermore, the data suggests that hydroxyapatite-coated surfaces may modulate osteoblast responses to metal debris. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Classification of Multiwavelength Transients with Machine Learning
With the advent of powerful telescopes such as the Square Kilometer Array and
the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, we are entering an era of multiwavelength
transient astronomy that will lead to a dramatic increase in data volume.
Machine learning techniques are well suited to address this data challenge and
rapidly classify newly detected transients. We present a multiwavelength
classification algorithm consisting of three steps: (1) interpolation and
augmentation of the data using Gaussian processes; (2) feature extraction using
wavelets; and (3) classification with random forests. Augmentation provides
improved performance at test time by balancing the classes and adding diversity
into the training set. In the first application of machine learning to the
classification of real radio transient data, we apply our technique to the
Green Bank Interferometer and other radio light curves. We find we are able to
accurately classify most of the 11 classes of radio variables and transients
after just eight hours of observations, achieving an overall test accuracy of
78 percent. We fully investigate the impact of the small sample size of 82
publicly available light curves and use data augmentation techniques to
mitigate the effect. We also show that on a significantly larger simulated
representative training set that the algorithm achieves an overall accuracy of
97 percent, illustrating that the method is likely to provide excellent
performance on future surveys. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of
simultaneous multiwavelength observations by showing how incorporating just one
optical data point into the analysis improves the accuracy of the worst
performing class by 19 percent.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure
Price Prediction in a Trading Agent Competition
The 2002 Trading Agent Competition (TAC) presented a challenging market game
in the domain of travel shopping. One of the pivotal issues in this domain is
uncertainty about hotel prices, which have a significant influence on the
relative cost of alternative trip schedules. Thus, virtually all participants
employ some method for predicting hotel prices. We survey approaches employed
in the tournament, finding that agents apply an interesting diversity of
techniques, taking into account differing sources of evidence bearing on
prices. Based on data provided by entrants on their agents' actual predictions
in the TAC-02 finals and semifinals, we analyze the relative efficacy of these
approaches. The results show that taking into account game-specific information
about flight prices is a major distinguishing factor. Machine learning methods
effectively induce the relationship between flight and hotel prices from game
data, and a purely analytical approach based on competitive equilibrium
analysis achieves equal accuracy with no historical data. Employing a new
measure of prediction quality, we relate absolute accuracy to bottom-line
performance in the game
Automatic Optic Nerve Measurement: A New Tool to Standardize Optic Nerve Assessment in Ultrasound B-Mode Images
Transorbital sonography provides reliable information about the estimation of intra-cranial pressure by measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), whereas the optic nerve (ON) diameter (OND) may reveal ON atrophy in patients with multiple sclerosis. Here, an AUTomatic Optic Nerve MeAsurement (AUTONoMA) system for OND and ONSD assessment in ultrasound B-mode images based on deformable models is presented. The automated measurements were compared with manual ones obtained by two operators, with no significant differences. AUTONoMA correctly segmented the ON and its sheath in 71 out of 75 images. The mean error compared with the expert operator was 0.06 ± 0.52 mm and 0.06 ± 0.35 mm for the ONSD and OND, respectively. The agreement between operators and AUTONoMA was good and a positive correlation was found between the readers and the algorithm with errors comparable with the inter-operator variability. The AUTONoMA system may allow for standardization of OND and ONSD measurements, reducing manual evaluation variability
Bistability of vortex core dynamics in a single perpendicularly magnetized nano-disk
Microwave spectroscopy of individual vortex-state magnetic nano-disks in a
perpendicular bias magnetic field, , is performed using a magnetic resonance
force microscope (MRFM). It reveals the splitting induced by on the
gyrotropic frequency of the vortex core rotation related to the existence of
the two stable polarities of the core. This splitting enables spectroscopic
detection of the core polarity. The bistability extends up to a large negative
(antiparallel to the core) value of the bias magnetic field , at which the
core polarity is reversed. The difference between the frequencies of the two
stable rotational modes corresponding to each core polarity is proportional to
and to the ratio of the disk thickness to its radius. Simple analytic
theory in combination with micromagnetic simulations give quantitative
description of the observed bistable dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, 16 references. Submitted to Physical
Review Letters on December 19th, 200
Destruction of the Mott Insulating Ground State of Ca_2RuO_4 by a Structural Transition
We report a first-order phase transition at T_M=357 K in single crystal
Ca_2RuO_4, an isomorph to the superconductor Sr_2RuO_4. The discontinuous
decrease in electrical resistivity signals the near destruction of the Mott
insulating phase and is triggered by a structural transition from the low
temperature orthorhombic to a high temperature tetragonal phase. The magnetic
susceptibility, which is temperature dependent but not Curie-like decreases
abruptly at TM and becomes less temperature dependent. Unlike most insulator to
metal transitions, the system is not magnetically ordered in either phase,
though the Mott insulator phase is antiferromagnetic below T_N=110 K.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B (Rapid Communications
Maritime Navigation: Characterizing Collaboration in a High-Speed Craft Navigation Activity
acceptedVersio
Rms-flux relation of Cyg X-1 with RXTE: dipping and nondipping cases
The rms (root mean square) variability is the parameter for understanding the
emission temporal properties of X-ray binaries (XRBs) and active galactic
nuclei (AGN).
The rms-flux relation with Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) data for the
dips and nondip of black hole Cyg X-1 has been investigated in this paper. Our
results show that there exist the linear rms-flux relations in the frequency
range 0.1-10 Hz for the dipping light curve. Moreover, this linear relation
still remains during the nondip regime, but with the steeper slope than that of
the dipping case in the low energy band. For the high energy band, the slopes
of the dipping and nondipping cases are hardly constant within errors. The
explanations of the results have been made by means of the ``Propagating
Perturbation'' model of Lyubarskii (1997).Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
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