Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Teaching academic writing to first year university students: A case study of feedback practicesat the former National University of Rwanda

Research has pointed out that assessment practices related to academic writing are often unclear to students and this has consequences to their styles of learning hence the overall outcomes of their university studies (Lillis, 2006, 1999; Ivanic, 1998; Lea & Street, 1998). The purpose of this paper is to critically examine to what extent feedback practices - as part of the strategies used in assessment of student work - are meaningful to the expected learning process. The study draws on a set of theories including development of student writing (Coffin et al., 2003), teacher feedback practices (Brown et al., 1997) and academic literacies in English as Second Language (Zamel, 2011), and uses qualitative case study methodology. Data are collected through analysis of key documents including student scripts, observation of classes and interviews of all lecturers involved in the concerned setting and a sample of 16 students. Findings reveal that the evaluated students are not likely to make appropriate use of assessment to improve their writing as the type of feedback practices observed is surrounded with confusion regarding what the lecturers’ expectations are and hence what is required of an academically acceptable text. It is recommended to open more space for a “dialogue of participation” with students to ensure their familiarity with the discourse strategies that are critical to the writing competences expected of them at university. Key words : English as second language, academic writing, first year university students, feedback practices, student assessment, Rwanda.
Human Capital or Cultural Taxation: What Accounts for Differences in Tenure and Promotion of Racialized and Female Faculty?

Achieving tenure and promotion are significant milestones in the career of a university faculty member. However, research often indicates that racialized and female faculty do not achieve tenure and promotion at the same rate as their non-racialized and male counterparts. Using new original survey data on faculty in eight Canadian universities, this paper examines differences in tenure and promotion among racialized and female faculty and investigates the extent to which explanations of human capital theory and cultural or identity taxation account for these disparities. Logistic regression confirms that controlling for human capital and cultural or identity taxation washes away the differences between male and female faculty for achieving both tenure and promotion. However, differences for racialized faculty remain, thereby offering evidence of discrimination in the academic system.
Noninvasive Assessment of the Right Ventricular Filling Pressure Gradient

Background— The physiological basis of right ventricular (RV) diastolic function remains incompletely studied in humans. The driving force responsible for RV filling, the pressure gradient along the RV inlet from the right atrium to the RV apex, has never been measured in the clinical setting. Methods and Results— We validated a method for measuring the RV filling pressure difference (RVFPD) from color Doppler M-mode recordings in 12 pigs undergoing interventions on RV preload, afterload, and lusitropic states (error, −0.1±0.4 mm Hg compared with micromanometers; intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.88). Peak early RVFPD correlated directly with mean right atrial pressure and inversely with the time constant of RV relaxation. In 21 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, the peak RVFPD was 1.0 mm Hg (95% CI, 0.8 to 1.2), significantly lower than in age-matched control subjects (1.4 mm Hg; 95% CI, 1.2 to 1.6). In another population of 19 young healthy volunteers, the peak RVFPD was 2.3 mm Hg (95% CI, 2.0 to 2.6), which was reduced by nitroglycerine and esmolol and was augmented by volume overload and atropine infusions. RVFPD was generated almost exclusively by inertial forces. Conclusions— For the first time, the RV driving filling force can be accurately measured noninvasively in the clinical setting, and the method is sensitive to detect the effects of preload, chronotropic, and lusitropic states. In patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, the RV filling force is markedly reduced, indicating severely impaired RV relaxation. These findings suggest that this is a useful tool for improving the clinical assessment of RV diastolic function.
Sensitivity analysis of a mixed-phase chemical mechanism using automatic differentiation

A sensitivity analysis of a comprehensive mixed-phase chemical mechanism is conducted under a variety of atmospheric conditions. The local sensitivities of gas and aqueous phase species concentrations with respect to a variety of model parameters are calculated using the novel automatic differentiation ADIFOR tool. The main chemical reaction pathways in all phases, interfacial mass transfer processes, and ambient physical parameters that affect tropospheric O3 formation and O3-precursor relations under all modeled conditions are identified and analyzed. The results show that the presence of clouds not only reduces many gas phase species concentrations and the total oxidizing capacity but alters O3-precursor relations. Decreases in gas phase concentrations and photochemical formation rates of O3 can be up to 9% and 100%, respectively, depending on the preexisting atmospheric conditions. The decrease in O3 formation is primarily caused by the aqueous phase reactions of O2− with dissolved HO2 and O3 under most cloudy conditions.
PACE4 regulates apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells via endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial signaling pathways

Background PACE4 is a proprotein convertase capable of processing numerous substrates involved in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. However, the precise role of PACE4 during prostate cancer cell apoptosis has not been reported. Methods In the present study, human prostate cancer cell lines DU145, LNCaP, and PC3 were transfected with PACE4 small interfering (si)RNA to investigate the underlying mechanisms of apoptosis. Results We revealed that PACE4 siRNA exhibited antitumor activity by inducing apoptosis, as determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltet-razolium bromide (MTT) assay, cell cycle analysis, Hoechst staining, caspase-3/7 activity, and western blot analysis. In addition, PACE4 siRNA significantly increased the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, which led to the release of cytochrome c. Moreover, PACE4 siRNA also induced endoplasmic reticulum stress by increasing the expression of GRP78, GRP94, p-PERK, and p-eIF2α. The ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and GRP78 were also increased in PACE4 gene knockdown prostate cancer cells compared with the control cells. Conclusion These data demonstrate that PACE4 siRNA may exert its antitumor activity through mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling pathways, indicating it may be a novel therapeutic target for prostate cancer.
U Geminorum: A Test Case for Orbital Parameter Determination

High-resolution spectroscopy of U Gem was obtained during quiescence. We did not find a hot spot or gas stream around the outer boundaries of the accretion disk. Instead, we detected a strong narrow emission region near the location of the secondary star. We measured the radial velocity curve from the wings of the double-peaked Hα emission line and obtained a semiamplitude value that is in excellent agreement with that obtained from observations in the ultraviolet spectral region by Sion et al. We also present a new method to obtain K2, which enhances the detection of absorption or emission features arising in the late-type companion. Our results are compared with published values derived from the near-infrared Na I line doublet. From a comparison of the TiO band with those of late-type M stars, we find that a best fit is obtained for an M6 V star, contributing 5% of the total light at that spectral region. Assuming that the radial velocity semiamplitudes accurately reflect the motion of the binary components, then from our results Kem = 107 ± 2 km s-1 and Kabs = 310 ± 5 km s-1; using the inclination angle given by Zhang & Robinson, i = 69.7° ± 0.7°, the system parameters become MWD = 1.20 ± 0.05 M⊙, MRD = 0.42 ± 0.04 M⊙, and a = 1.55 ± 0.02 R⊙. Based on the separation of the double emission peaks, we calculate an outer disk radius of Rout/a ∼ 0.61, close to the distance of the inner Lagrangian point L1/a ∼ 0.63. Therefore, we suggest that, at the time of observations, the accretion disk was filling the Roche lobe of the primary and the matter leaving the L1 point was colliding with the disk directly, producing the hot spot at this location.
Activation of the mTOR pathway by low levels of xenoestrogens in breast epithelial cells from high-risk women

Breast cancer is an estrogen-driven disease. Consequently, hormone replacement therapy correlates with disease incidence. However, increasing male breast cancer rates over the past three decades implicate additional sources of estrogenic exposure including wide spread estrogen-mimicking chemicals or xenoestrogens (XEs), such as bisphenol-A (BPA). By exposing renewable, human, high-risk donor breast epithelial cells (HRBECs) to BPA at concentrations that are detectable in human blood, placenta and milk, we previously identified gene expression profile changes associated with activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway genesets likely to trigger prosurvival changes in human breast cells. We now provide functional validation of mTOR activation using pairwise comparisons of 16 independent HRBEC samples with and without BPA exposure. We demonstrate induction of key genes and proteins in the PI3K-mTOR pathway—AKT1, RPS6 and 4EBP1 and a concurrent reduction in the tumor suppressor, phosphatase and tensin homolog gene protein. Altered regulation of mTOR pathway proteins in BPA-treated HRBECs led to marked resistance to rapamycin, the defining mTOR inhibitor. Moreover, HRBECs pretreated with BPA, or the XE, methylparaben (MP), surmounted antiestrogenic effects of tamoxifen showing dose-dependent apoptosis evasion and induction of cell cycling. Overall, XEs, when tested in benign breast cells from multiple human subjects, consistently initiated specific functional changes of the kind that are attributed to malignant onset in breast tissue. Our observations demonstrate the feasibility of studying renewable human samples as surrogates and reinforce the concern that BPA and MP, at low concentrations detected in humans, can have adverse health consequences.
Toward visualization-specific heuristic evaluation

This position paper describes heuristic evaluation as it relates to visualization and visual analytics. We review heuristic evaluation in general, then comment on previous process-based, performance-based, and framework-based efforts to adapt the method to visualization-specific needs. We postulate that the framework-based approach holds the most promise for future progress in development of visualization-specific heuristics, and propose a specific framework as a starting point. We then recommend a method for community involvement and input into the further development of the heuristic framework and more detailed design and evaluation guidelines.
The effects of almond consumption on fasting blood lipid levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials was undertaken to determine the effects of almond consumption on blood lipid levels, namely total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), TAG and the ratios of TC:HDL-C and LDL-C:HDL-C. Following a comprehensive search of the scientific literature, a total of eighteen relevant publications and twenty-seven almond-control datasets were identified. Across the studies, the mean differences in the effect for each blood lipid parameter (i.e. the control-adjusted values) were pooled in a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. It was determined that TC, LDL-C and TAG were significantly reduced by −0·153 mmol/l (P < 0·001), −0·124 mmol/l (P = 0·001) and −0·067 mmol/l (P = 0·042), respectively, and that HDL-C was not affected (−0·017 mmol/l; P = 0·207). These results are aligned with data from prospective observational studies and a recent large-scale intervention study in which it was demonstrated that the consumption of nuts reduces the risk of heart disease. The consumption of nuts as part of a healthy diet should be encouraged to help in the maintenance of healthy blood lipid levels and to reduce the risk of heart disease.
A new cranium of Dryopithecus from Rudabánya, Hungary.

Late Miocene great ape crania are rare, mostly fragmentary, and the focus of much debate on great ape and human origins (Brown & Ward, 1988; Bonis et al., 1990; Moyà-Solà & Köhler, 1993, 1995; Begun, 1994; Kordos & Begun, 1997; Schwartz, 1997). Due to poor preservation, information on important features of cranial anatomy (facial angulation, prognathism, relative and absolute brain size) must be estimated from incomplete or reconstructed specimens. This has led to disagreement on the evolutionary history of hominid cranial morphology and contributes to uncertainty with regard to the origin and composition of the clades of living hominids (pongines and hominines). In this preliminary communication we report on the discovery of a new cranium of Dryopithecus brancoi from Rudabánya, Hungary. It is the most complete cranium of this taxon ever recovered. The specimen, RUD 197–200, includes a nearly complete dentition and, for the first time in Dryopithecus, a neurocranium with a complete glabella to inion chord with direct bony contact to the maxilla. Standard anatomical landmarks are lacking, preventing unambiguous measurement of facial hafting, and the neurocranium is not complete
A New Word-Parallel Bit-Serial Normal Basis Multiplier over GF(2 m )

Hardware implementations of finite field arithmetic using normal basis are advantageous due to the fact that the squaring operation can be done at almost no cost. In this paper, a new word-parallel bit-serial finite field multiplier using normal basis is presented. The proposed architecture takes w clock cycles to compute the product bits, where the value for w, 1≤w≤ m, can be arbitrarily selected by the designer to set the trade-off between area and speed. It has been shown that the proposed architecture has significantly lower complexity and critical path delay in comparison to the previously proposed architectures.
From Little Science to Big Science

In Little Science, Big Science (1963), Derek J. de Solla Price undertook a sociology of science that dealt with the growth and changing shape of scientific publishing and the social organization of science. The focus of Price’s work was on the long-term, gradual shift from “little science,” with the solo scientist, small laboratory, and minimal research funds, to “big science,” with collaborative research teams, large-scale research hardware, extensive funding, and corporate-political suitors of scientists. We extend Price’s focus on scientific publications by moving beyond his analysis of practices in physics and chemistry to examine a social science; namely, sociology. Specifically, we analyze 3,000 articles in four long-standing sociology journals over the fifty-year period from 1960-2010 to determine the gender of authors, the prestige of authors’ departments, length of articles, number of references, sources of data for studies, and patterns of funding for research. We find that sociology is not immune from the shift from “little science” to “big science. ”
Expression of the p53 oncogene in acute myeloblastic leukemia

We have investigated whether the p53 oncogene is expressed in the blast cells of patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. p53 protein was detected in the blast cells of 19 out of 34 patients, but not in normal myelopoietic cells. We find a highly significant correlation between p53 protein synthesis in leukemic blast cells and the secondary plating efficiency of these cells (p = 0.0001). The latter provides an estimate for the self renewal capacity of progenitor cells in the blast population. These data indicate that p53 may be involved in leukemic stem cell renewal.
The Information Society: Technological, Socioeconomic and Cultural aspects - Prolegomena for a sustainability-oriented ethics of ICT, with glossary and PhD prop.

This thesis studies the enabling properties of ICT and their effects and potential for social change, and prepares the ground for a sustainability-oriented ethico-political assessment of this technology. It primarily builds on interdisciplinary scholarship to describe and explain the multifaceted co-evolution between the global deployment of ICTs and the emergence of the Information Society, understood as a socio-economic restructuring of capitalism. Beyond the role of ICTs in this regime transition, the thesis delivers other philosophical insights about crucial aspects of ICT development, applications and management. These include arguments about how we should conceptualize ICTs on the basis of their different roles in extending human communication and in performing or facilitating the remote control of humans and animals, machines and systems operations; about the entanglement between telecommunications, transport networks, urban development and work and organization; and about the relations between ICTs, culture and human values. Examples are offered to illustrate the potential that these empirical and philosophical lessons may hold for the construction of a framework for the ethico-political assessment of ICTs.
Workplace spirituality buffers the effects of emotional labour on employee well-being

ABSTRACT This research examines how workplace spirituality buffers the detrimental relationship between emotional labour and subjective well-being among two samples of service workers in the United States and southern China. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, we found that the negative relationship between surface acting and subjective well-being was moderated by workplace spirituality. Specifically, employees with high spirituality were buffered from the harmful effects of surface acting on subjective well-being, whereas employees with low spirituality were not. We found no evidence of a moderating effect on the relationship between deep acting and subjective well-being. These findings shed light on individual differences that influence the emotional labour process and expand our knowledge of cross-cultural similarities and differences in emotion management.
Cultivating Consent: Nonstate Leaders and the Orchestration of State Legibility1

In recent decades, the sociology of the state has become engrossed in the relationship between knowledge and modern statecraft. Heeding recent calls for “society-centered” approaches, this article investigates the role of nonstate leaders in the production of state knowledge. It takes up the following question: How have nonstate leaders (i.e., civil leaders and community advocates) contributed to what James Scott has termed “state legibility”? While historical traces suggest that these actors have worked to lessen opposition to state projects, this activity remains empirically understudied and conceptually underdeveloped. Addressed to this problem, this article introduces the concept of consent building and proposes an analytic approach that focuses on the motivations of nonstate leaders, the obstacles of noncompliance they confront, and the persuasive tactics used to foster public cooperation. To illustrate the purchase of this approach, it presents a case study of local Latino promoters of the 2010 U.S. census. This analysis reveals how nonstate leaders can enable, rather than impede, the capacity to “see like a state. ”
The Combined Influence of Distance and Neighbourhood Deprivation on Emergency Department Attendance in a Large English Population: A Retrospective Database Study

The frequency of visits to Emergency Departments (ED) varies greatly between populations. This may reflect variation in patient behaviour, need, accessibility, and service configuration as well as the complex interactions between these factors. This study investigates the relationship between distance, socio-economic deprivation, and proximity to an alternative care setting (a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU)), with particular attention to the interaction between distance and deprivation. It is set in a population of approximately 5.4 million living in central England, which is highly heterogeneous in terms of ethnicity, socio-economics, and distance to hospital. The study data set captured 1,413,363 ED visits made by residents of the region to National Health Service (NHS) hospitals during the financial year 2007/8. Our units of analysis were small units of census geography having an average population of 1,545. Separate regression models were made for children and adults. For each additional kilometre of distance from a hospital, predicted child attendances fell by 2.2% (1.7%–2.6% p<0.001) and predicted adult attendances fell by 1.5% (1.2% –1.8%, p<0.001). Compared to the least deprived quintile, attendances in the most deprived quintile more than doubled for children (incident rate ratio (IRR) = 2.19, (1.90–2.54, p<0.001)) and adults (IRR 2.26, (2.01–2.55, p<0.001)). Proximity of an MIU was significant and both adult and child attendances were greater in populations who lived further away from them, suggesting that MIUs may reduce ED demand. The interaction between distance and deprivation was significant. Attendance in deprived neighbourhoods reduces with distance to a greater degree than in less deprived ones for both adults and children. In conclusion, ED use is related to both deprivation and distance, but the effect of distance is modified by deprivation.
Abundances in giant stars of the globular cluster NGC 6752

Recent theoretical yields and chemical evolution models demonstrate that intermediate-mass AGB stars cannot reproduce the observed abundance distributions of O, Na, Mg, and Al. As a further observational test of this finding, we present elemental abundance ratios [X/Fe] for 20 elements in 38 bright giants of the globular cluster NGC 6752 based on high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra obtained with UVES on the VLT. This is the most complete spectroscopic analysis of this cluster in terms of the number of elements considered and the number of stars in the sample. The stars span more than 1000 K in effective temperature and more than 3 visual magnitudes along the red giant branch. None of the abundance ratios [X/Fe] show a correlation with evolutionary status. For Si and heavier elements, the small scatter in [X/Fe] may be attributable to the measurement uncertainties. Our mean abundance ratios [X/Fe] are in good agreement with previous studies of this cluster and are also consistent with other globular clusters and field stars at the same metallicity. The mean abundance ratios [Ba/Eu] and [La/Eu] exhibit values, in agreement with field stars at the same metallicity, that lie approximately midway between the pure r -process and the solar ( s -process + r -process) mix, indicating that AGB stars have played a role in the chemical evolution of the proto-cluster gas. For the first time, we find possible evidence for an abundance variation for elements heavier than Al in this cluster. We find a correlation between [Si/Fe] and [Al/Fe] which is consistent with the abundance anomalies being synthesized via proton captures at high temperatures. Leakage from the Mg-Al chain into 28 Si may explain the Si excess in stars with the highest [Al/Fe]. We identify correlations between [Y/Fe] and [Al/Fe], [Zr/Fe] and [Al/Fe], and [Ba/Fe] and [Al/Fe] suggesting that Y, Zr, and Ba abundances may increase by about 0.1 dex as Al increases by about 1.3 dex. While the correlations are statistically significant, the amplitudes of the variations are small. If the small variations in Y, Zr, and Ba are indeed real, then the synthesis of the Al anomalies must have taken place within an unknown class of stars that also ran the s -process.