Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual Learning Induces Changes in Resting-State fMRI Multivariate Pattern of Information

When measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the resting state (R-fMRI), spontaneous activity is correlated between brain regions that are anatomically and functionally related. Learning and/or task performance can induce modulation of the resting synchronization between brain regions. Moreover, at the neuronal level spontaneous brain activity can replay patterns evoked by a previously presented stimulus. Here we test whether visual learning/task performance can induce a change in the patterns of coded information in R-fMRI signals consistent with a role of spontaneous activity in representing task-relevant information. Human subjects underwent R-fMRI before and after perceptual learning on a novel visual shape orientation discrimination task. Task-evoked fMRI patterns to trained versus novel stimuli were recorded after learning was completed, and before the second R-fMRI session. Using multivariate pattern analysis on task-evoked signals, we found patterns in several cortical regions, as follows: visual cortex, V3/V3A/V7; within the default mode network, precuneus, and inferior parietal lobule; and, within the dorsal attention network, intraparietal sulcus, which discriminated between trained and novel visual stimuli. The accuracy of classification was strongly correlated with behavioral performance. Next, we measured multivariate patterns in R-fMRI signals before and after learning. The frequency and similarity of resting states representing the task/visual stimuli states increased post-learning in the same cortical regions recruited by the task. These findings support a representational role of spontaneous brain activity.
Nucleosome positioning in a model of active chromatin remodeling enzymes

Accounting for enzyme-mediated active sliding, disassembly, and sequence-dependent positioning of nucleosomes, we simulate nucleosome occupancy over cell-cycle-scale times using a stochastic kinetic model. We show that ATP-dependent active nucleosome sliding and nucleosome removal processes are essential to obtain in vivo-like nucleosome positioning. While active sliding leads to dense nucleosome filling, sliding events alone cannot ensure sequence-dependent nucleosome positioning: Active nucleosome removal is the crucial remodeling event that drives positioning. We also show that remodeling activity changes nucleosome dynamics from glassy to liquid-like, and that remodeling dramatically influences exposure dynamics of promoter regions.
Muscle Damage During MIS Total Hip Arthroplasty: Smith-Peterson versus Posterior Approach

Decreased muscle damage is a reported benefit of minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approaches in total hip arthroplasty (THA). We compared the extent and location of muscle damage during THA using the MIS anterior Smith-Peterson and MIS posterior surgical approaches. THA was performed in six human cadavers (12 hips). One hip was assigned to the Smith-Peterson approach and the contralateral hip to the posterior approach. Muscle damage was graded with a technique of visual inspection to calculate a proportion of surface area damage. Less damage occurred in the gluteus minimus muscles and minimus tendon with the Smith-Peterson approach. A mean of 8% of the minimus muscle was damaged via the Smith-Peterson approach, compared to 18% via the posterior approach. The tensor fascia latae muscle was damaged (mean of 31%), as well as direct head of the rectus femoris (mean 12%) during the Smith-Peterson approach. The piriformis or conjoined tendon was transected in 50% of the anterior approaches to mobilize the femur. The posterior approach involved intentional detachment of the piriformis and conjoined tendon and measurable damage to the abductor muscles and gluteus minimus tendon in each specimen. Clinical outcome studies and gait analysis are necessary to ascertain the functional implications of these findings.
Nightguard vital bleaching and its effect on enamel surface morphology.

BACKGROUND The effect that nightguard vital bleaching (NGVB) has on enamel surface morphology is a subject of debate. Previous studies that have evaluated the effect of NGVB on the enamel surface report minimal changes to changes that appear to worsen post-treatment. The purpose of this in vivo NGVB study was to evaluate by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) the effects that 10% carbamide peroxide has on enamel morphology after 2 weeks of treatment and at 6 months post-treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten patients participated in the study. Each participant wore a guard filled with an active whitening solution for 8 to 10 hours per day for 14 treatment days. An impression of the study teeth (maxillary incisors) was taken at baseline, after 14 days of treatment, and at 6 months post-treatment, and an epoxy cast made. The epoxy casts were prepared for viewing under the SEM and photographs were taken at 200 times and 2,000 times magnification. Six examiners evaluated changes in enamel surface morphology by comparing the SEM photographs taken at baseline, on treatment day 14, and at 6 months post-treatment. Still masked, the examiners also compared each patient's baseline:treatment day 14 and baseline:6 months post-treatment photographs with photographs of a known standard. RESULTS This in vivo study demonstrated that a 14-day regimen of NGVB using a 10% carbamide peroxide solution had minimal effect on the surface morphology of enamel and that the effects did not worsen over time.
The LRC Machine Translation System

The Linguistics Research Center (LRC) of the University of Texas at Austin is currently developing METAL, a fully-automatic high quality Machine Translation (MT) system. After outlining the history and status of the project, this paper discusses the system's projected application environment and briefly describes our general translation approach. After detailing the salient linguistic and computational techniques on which METAL is based, we consider some of the practical aspects of such an application, including experimental results that imply the system is now ready for production use. Two exhibits are appended: a German original text and its raw METAL translation. (This is not the best translation ever produced by METAL, but it is better than average.) We close by indicating some future directions for the project.
Mission Priorities of Community Colleges in the Southern United States

Executive-level administrators must provide strategic leadership of the institutional mission if their community colleges are to adapt and respond to learner needs in a rapidly changing environment. Through a content analysis of mission statements from 102 community colleges in the United States, this study reveals 7 salient themes regarding the mission priorities of contemporary community colleges in the southern United States. Confidence intervals indicate the probable proportions of community college mission statements reflecting each salient theme.
Unsupervised Construction of Large Paraphrase Corpora: Exploiting Massively Parallel News Sources

We investigate unsupervised techniques for acquiring monolingual sentence-level paraphrases from a corpus of temporally and topically clustered news articles collected from thousands of web-based news sources. Two techniques are employed: (1) simple string edit distance, and (2) a heuristic strategy that pairs initial (presumably summary) sentences from different news stories in the same cluster. We evaluate both datasets using a word alignment algorithm and a metric borrowed from machine translation. Results show that edit distance data is cleaner and more easily-aligned than the heuristic data, with an overall alignment error rate (AER) of 11.58% on a similarly-extracted test set. On test data extracted by the heuristic strategy, however, performance of the two training sets is similar, with AERs of 13.2% and 14.7% respectively. Analysis of 100 pairs of sentences from each set reveals that the edit distance data lacks many of the complex lexical and syntactic alternations that characterize monolingual paraphrase. The summary sentences, while less readily alignable, retain more of the non-trivial alternations that are of greatest interest learning paraphrase relationships.
To Assess the Age of Giving Complementary Feeding to Infants before Six Months and Reasons Given and the Nutritional Status of Lactating Mothers of Mwanamukia Area- Nairobi

Exclusive breastfeeding with appropriate complementary feeding can save infants from many problems later in life. The study found that majority of respondents were married (63.9%), single (25.5%). 43.1% had primary school education while 35.3% had attained Secondary ‘O’ level. The maximum household number was 12 while the average was 6. Most of them had Meru (25.5%) and Luhya (17.3%) ethnicity. The average monthly income was Kenya shilings27, 154.12. Business (28.6%) and housewives (23.9%). Household heads 51.2% men and 34.6 women. Most had 36-40 years age. 9.4% exclusively breastfed for 4 months while 2.7% breastfed exclusively for 6 months. 50% breastfed until one year while 27.84% breastfed for 1 and 11/2 years. Majority of the mothers (51.8%) introduced complementary feeds by three months. Cow’s milk was used (34.1 percent) foll
Deterministic Algorithms for Submodular Maximization Problems

Randomization is a fundamental tool used in many theoretical and practical areas of computer science. We study here the role of randomization in the area of submodular function maximization. In this area, most algorithms are randomized, and in almost all cases the approximation ratios obtained by current randomized algorithms are superior to the best results obtained by known deterministic algorithms. Derandomization of algorithms for general submodular function maximization seems hard since the access to the function is done via a value oracle. This makes it hard, for example, to apply standard derandomization techniques such as conditional expectations. Therefore, an interesting fundamental problem in this area is whether randomization is inherently necessary for obtaining good approximation ratios. In this work, we give evidence that randomization is not necessary for obtaining good algorithms by presenting a new technique for derandomization of algorithms for submodular function maximization. Our high level idea is to maintain explicitly a (small) distribution over the states of the algorithm, and carefully update it using marginal values obtained from an extreme point solution of a suitable linear formulation. We demonstrate our technique on two recent algorithms for unconstrained submodular maximization and for maximizing a submodular function subject to a cardinality constraint. In particular, for unconstrained submodular maximization we obtain an optimal deterministic 1/2-approximation showing that randomization is unnecessary for obtaining optimal results for this setting.
The Relationship Between Students’ Achievement and Early School Leaving in Rural Vietnam

There are several terms such as early school leaving, early school departure and dropping out from school to categorise the phenomenon of students ceasing to attend school before completing a certain school cycle. While the term 'early-school leaving' has been used in Australian literature, the term 'dropping out from school' is used in most of academic literature in the United States. In Vietnam, the term 'dropping out from school' has also been widely used in literature. Compulsory education in Vietnam is only for primary education. There are three cycles or levels in the Vietnamese education system: primary (grade 1 to grade 5); lower secondary (grade 6 to grade 9); and secondary (grade 10 to grade 12). There has not been an agreement reached as to what grade, levels or age students can leave school. Thus in Vietnam, the term 'dropping out' from a certain grade or school cycle is used frequently as it facilitates the specification of the cycle from which students withdraw from school. In this article, in order to avoid the stigma associated with the expression 'dropping out from school', the term 'early school leaving' will be used. Early school leaving students referred to in this article are those students who ceased school before completing lower secondary education. In Vietnam, early school leaving issues were largely ignored until the rates of students leaving school early became unusually high in the 1988-1989 academic year. Since 1986, Vietnam has implemented a policy of economic renovation (Dot mot), which has profound effects not only on economic growth but also on social
Antioxidant and calcium channel blockers counteract endothelial barrier injury induced by acute pancreatitis in rats.

BACKGROUND Multiple organ failure is the major mortality-related complication in severe acute pancreatitis. Endothelial barrier injury may be involved in its pathophysiology. METHODS The present study evaluated alterations in endothelial barrier integrity in different organs/tissues 12 h after induction of acute pancreatitis by intraductal infusions of bile. Potential effects of oxygen free radicals and calcium influx were evaluated by pretreatment with an antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and calcium channel antagonists, verapamil and diltiazem. RESULTS Tissue edema, reflected by an increase in tissue water content, was noted in the stomach, proximal small intestine, cecum, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, and brain in rats with pancreatitis. Also, an increased endothelial barrier permeability, as evidenced by the leakage of radiolabeled human serum albumin from blood to tissues, occurred in the stomach, proximal small intestine, colon, peritoneum, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, liver, lungs, and heart, accompanied by altered liver functions, increased levels of pancreatic enzymes, compromised renal function, and delayed intestinal motility. N-acetyl-L-cysteine prevented tissue edema and endothelial permeability changes in most organs/tissues, whereas the effects of verapamil and diltiazem were less marked. The preventive effects occurred in an organ-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS Endothelial barrier injury is found in all investigated organs/tissues in acute experimental pancreatitis. Oxygen free radicals and calcium influx may play a role in the development of these changes.
Sex Differences, Repression-Sensitization, and Self-Disclosure: A Behavioral Look

Sex differences in the relationship between three classes of verbal self-references and repression-sensitization were examined in behavioral samples from male and female disclosures to a same-sexed and an opposite-sexed interviewer. Subjects made a significantly greater proportion of negative self-references to a same-sexed interviewer than either positive or neutral self-references. There was a significant interaction between sex, repression-sensitization, and type of self-reference in the analysis of data for the opposite-sexed interviewer. Further examination of this interaction indicated that sex and repression-sensitization interacted for the percentage of negative self-references only. Results re-emphasize the need to examine the relationship between personality variables and self-disclosure not only within the context of specific relationships and settings but also in terms of relevant verbal dimensions.
A wealth of evidence strongly supports the paramount importance of the ER – estrogen signaling pathway to breast cancer development

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908-0733, USA; Tokyo Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Toxicokinetic Modeling of Parathion and its Metabolites in Humans for the Determination of Biological Reference Values

Abstract A multi-compartment kinetic model was developed to describe the kinetics of parathion and its metabolites, p-nitrophenol (p-NP) and alkyl phosphates (AP), in order to assess worker exposure and health risks. Model compartments represent body burdens and excreta of parathion and its metabolites; to minimize the number of compartments and free parameters, regrouping was carried out on the basis of the time scales of the kinetic processes involved. Burden variations in time were described mathematically by differential equations that ensure conservation of mass on a mole basis. Model parameter values were determined from statistical fits to published in vivo kinetic data in humans. Except for the dermal absorption fraction and absorption rate, which are known to be subject to wide intra- and inter-individual variability, a single set of parameter values for the internal body kinetics enabled the model to simulate accurately the available kinetic data. For dermal exposure to parathion, with a typical absorption rate of 0.085 h−1, model simulations show that it takes 20 h to recover half of the total amounts of p-NP eventually excreted in urine and 30 h for the AP. The model can be used to estimate the dose of parathion absorbed under different exposure routes and temporal scenarios, based on measurements of amounts of metabolites accumulated in urine over given time periods. Using the above dose-excreta links and the human no-observed-effect level for parathion reported in the literature for the inhibition of cholinesterase activities, biological reference values are proposed in the form of specific amounts of urinary metabolites excreted over chosen time periods.
Renal carcinogenesis induced by ferric nitrilotriacetate in mice, and protection from it by Brazilian propolis and Artepillin C

The protective effect of Brazilian propolis and its extract Artepillin C against ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe‐NTA)‐induced renal lipid peroxidation and carcinogenesis was studied in male ddY mice. Fe‐NTA‐induced renal lipid peroxidation leads to a high incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in mice. Administration of propolis by gastric intubation 2 h before or Artepillin C at either the same time, 2 h, or 5 h before the intraperitoneal injection of Fe‐NTA (7 mg Fe/kg) effectively inhibited renal lipid peroxidation. This was evaluated from the measurement of renal thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS) or histochemical findings of 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal (4‐HNE)‐modified proteins and 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG). Repeated injection of Fe‐NTA (10 mg Fe/kg per day, twice a week for a total of 16 times in 8 weeks) caused subacute nephrotoxicity as revealed by necrosis and pleomorphic large nuclear cells in the renal proximal tubules, and gave rise to RCC 12 months later. A protective effect from carcinogenicity was observed in mice given propolis or Artepillin C. Furthermore, the mice given Fe‐NTA only developed multiple cysts composed of precancerous lesions with multilayered and proliferating large atypical cells. Mice treated with propolis and Artepillin C also had cysts, but these were dilated and composed of flat cells. These results suggest that propolis and Artepillin C prevent oxidative renal damage and the carcinogenesis induced by Fe‐NTA in mice.
Challenges Facing Professional Accounting Education in a Commercialised Education Sector

Abstract Aligning curricula and assessment with the skills required by employers and, more recently, government standards is easier said than done. Through detailing a case study in failure to incorporate required graduate attributes into a postgraduate accounting programme, we explore the tensions among competing interests within Australian universities and their impact on teaching and learning. A content analysis of programme documents and results from a student survey demonstrate the ease of aligning formal programme and course outcomes with students' perceived learning while ignoring the graduate attributes required by the profession. While examples of best practice in curriculum development are common, analyses of failure are few. Understanding failure highlights common but taken-for-granted practices and assumptions that once recognised may lead to reflection and correction. Through our description of a simple means to review an accounting programme, we invite discussion among accounting educators about the opportunities for, and barriers to, programme improvement.
Institutional Work to Maintain Professional Power: Recreating the Model of Medical Professionalism

The creation of new roles commonly threatens the power and status of elite professionals through the substitution of their labour. In this paper we examine the institutional work carried out by elite professionals to maintain their professional dominance when threatened. Drawing on 11 case sites from the English National Health Service (NHS) where new nursing or medical roles have been introduced, threatening the power and status of specialist doctors, we observed the following. First, the professional elite respond through institutional work to supplant threat of substitution with the opportunity for them to delegate routine tasks to other actors and maintain existing resource and control arrangements over the delivery of services in a way that enhances elite professionals’ status. Second, other professionals outside the professional elite, but relatively powerful within their own professional group, are co-opted by the professional elite to engage in institutional work to maintain existing arrangements. Our work extends Lawrence and Suddaby’s typology of institutional work in three ways. First, we reveal how different types of institutional work interact, and how different types of institutional work cross categories of creating or maintaining institutions. Second, we show how an actor’s social position or status, both intra-professionally as well as inter-professionally, in the institutional field frame the institutional work they engage in. Third, the institutional work of ‘theorizing’ by professional elites appears particularly significant, specifically the focus of the institutional work to invoke the concept of ‘risk’ associated with any change in service delivery, which maintains the model of medical professionalism.
“Where do you Think the Water Comes From?” Teacher–Pupil Dialogues about Water as an Environmental Phenomenon

This article presents results from a study of 36 pupils (8–10 years of age) in face‐to‐face conversations with their teachers about water as an environmental phenomenon based on a photograph of a rainforest. The teachers’ rather vague goal was to have the pupils talk about the water cycle. The sessions were audio‐recorded and analyzed with respect to: (1) scaffolding strategies used by the teachers, (2) possible implications of these strategies on the pupils’ sense‐making, and (3) what accounts of the water cycle as a school‐science learning‐content were made. Three different patterns of scaffolding strategies were found. Some pupils did not even come close to talking about the water cycle, whereas others arrived at a rather fragmented picture.