Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of letter names in children's learning of phoneme–grapheme relations

ABSTRACT Three studies were performed to explore the role of letter names in children's learning of correspondences between phonemes and graphemes. Some preschoolers and kindergartners were found to spell initial /w/ as y. They made this error because the name of y, /wai/, begins with /w/. Kindergartners in another study often said that y makes the sound /wdoubt/, even after they had been taught otherwise. Other results suggested that children benefit from letter-name knowledge to spell phonemes such as /b/, which occur at the beginning of a consonant-vowel letter name. Letter-name knowledge is less helpful for phonemes such as /1/, which occur at the end of a vowel-consonant letter name. Our findings suggest that children use their knowledge of letter names and their phonological segmentation skills when they learn the correspondences between phonemes and graphemes. They do not memorize these links in a rote, paired-associate manner.
Chemokine and Free Fatty Acid Levels in Insulin-Resistant State of Successful Pregnancy: A Preliminary Observation

Increased insulin resistance and inflammatory action are observed in pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), but similar insulin resistance is observed also in successful pregnancy. To estimate insulin resistance and inflammatory activity in normal pregnancy and PIH, serum concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA; corrected with albumin to estimate unbound FFA), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin were measured in severe PIH patients with a BMI less than 25 kg/m2 and were measured 3 times during the course of pregnancy in women with normal pregnancies. FFA/albumin, MCP-1, and HMW adiponectin concentrations were significantly higher in PIH patients than in women with normal pregnancies. The 3 measurements of FFA/albumin showed a significant increase through the course of uncomplicated pregnancies. In contrast, MCP-1 and HMW adiponectin were significantly decreased during the course of pregnancy. These results suggest that the reduced MCP-1 concentration in normal pregnancy may be a pathway to inhibit the induction of pathological features from physiological insulin resistance and homeostatic inflammation.
Fostering Neighborhood Democracy: Legitimacy and Accountability within Loosely Coupled Systems

This article explores the range of organizations and participatory mechanisms that take on some aspect of the role of neighborhood-based governance (in some way speaking for or acting on behalf of their neighborhoods) in three cities. It describes the extent to which they perform similar or different functions and discusses the strengths and weaknesses presented by the system of relationships as they are currently structured. It also explores two key issues—legitimacy and accountability—in an attempt to distill lessons about the relative roles and effectiveness of these different participatory mechanisms and community organizations and the relationships among them. The article suggests ways that sponsors (including foundations and government) can more effectively engage with neighborhoods and promote neighborhood-based decision making and action and highlights some unanswered questions that might be pursued as part of a larger research agenda to inform the practical pursuit of participatory, community-building strategies.
Transcriptomic Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes during Flower Organ Development in Genetic Male Sterile and Male Fertile Tagetes erecta by Digital Gene-Expression Profiling

Tagetes erecta is an important commercial plant of Asteraceae family. The male sterile (MS) and male fertile (MF) two-type lines of T. erecta have been utilized in F1 hybrid production for many years, but no report has been made to identify the genes that specify its male sterility that is caused by homeotic conversion of floral organs. In this study, transcriptome assembly and digital gene expression profiling were performed to generate expression profiles of MS and MF plants. A cDNA library was generated from an equal mixture of RNA isolated from MS and MF flower buds (1 mm and 4 mm in diameter). Totally, 87,473,431 clean tags were obtained and assembled into 128,937 transcripts among which 65,857 unigenes were identified with an average length of 1,188 bp. About 52% of unigenes (34,176) were annotated in Nr, Nt, Pfam, KOG/COG, Swiss-Prot, KO (KEGG Ortholog database) and/or GO. Taking the above transcriptome as reference, 125 differentially expressed genes were detected in both developmental stages of MS and MF flower buds. MADS-box genes were presumed to be highly related to male sterility in T. erecta based on histological and cytological observations. Twelve MADS-box genes showed significantly different expression levels in flower buds 4 mm in diameter, whereas only one gene expressed significantly different in flower buds 1 mm in diameter between MS and MF plants. This is the first transcriptome analysis in T. erecta and will provide a valuable resource for future genomic studies, especially in flower organ development and/or differentiation.
Quantifying the global cellular thiol–disulfide status

It is widely accepted that the redox status of protein thiols is of central importance to protein structure and folding and that glutathione is an important low-molecular-mass redox regulator. However, the total cellular pools of thiols and disulfides and their relative abundance have never been determined. In this study, we have assembled a global picture of the cellular thiol–disulfide status in cultured mammalian cells. We have quantified the absolute levels of protein thiols, protein disulfides, and glutathionylated protein (PSSG) in all cellular protein, including membrane proteins. These data were combined with quantification of reduced and oxidized glutathione in the same cells. Of the total protein cysteines, 6% and 9.6% are engaged in disulfide bond formation in HEK and HeLa cells, respectively. Furthermore, the steady-state level of PSSG is <0.1% of the total protein cysteines in both cell types. However, when cells are exposed to a sublethal dose of the thiol-specific oxidant diamide, PSSG levels increase to >15% of all protein cysteine. Glutathione is typically characterized as the “cellular redox buffer”; nevertheless, our data show that protein thiols represent a larger active redox pool than glutathione. Accordingly, protein thiols are likely to be directly involved in the cellular defense against oxidative stress.
A note on indirect objects

This paper reports an experimental investigation into the acquisition of indirect object constructions by English children between the ages of 5 ; o and 10; o. Two constructions were tested: one in which the indirect object precedes the direct object as in Give the dog a bone; the other in which the indirect object is a prepositional phrase starting with to and follows the direct object as in Give a bone to the dog. For the purpose of the following discussion the first construction will be labelled the ORDER construction; the second construction the TO construction. As yet little research has investigated the acquisition of these two constructions in English. Fraser, Bellugi & Brown (1963) found that the indirect object was the most difficult out of ten constructions that they tested with children with a mean age of 3 ; 4. Carrow (1968) showed that 60 % of children understood Show me the ball by at least 3 ; o but that the same percentage understood She showed the girl the boy only at 4 ; 6. Nelson (1973) reported that Give the —• to your mommy was more easily understood by children aged 1 ; 5 and 1 ; 8 than Give me the — , though the syntactic difference is here complicated by the other differences between mommy and me. Stayton (1972), in unpublished work reported in Waryas & Stremel (1974), showed that children between 2 ; 10 and 4 ; 4 responded better to the TO construction. Waryas & Stemel (1974) discovered an overwhelming preference among adults for the TO construction. Finally Cromer (1975) showed that the ORDER construction was understood by two-thirds of children only after the age of 8 ; 6. Existing research, therefore, while tending to show that all ages ' prefer' the TO construction, tells us little about the child's comparative acquisition of the two structures between 5 ; o and 10 ; o, and the following experiment was accordingly carried out.
Navigating in Virtual Worlds Using a Self-Paced SSVEP-Based Brain–Computer Interface with Integrated Stimulation and Real-Time Feedback

An open question in research nowadays is the usability of brain–computer interfaces (BCI) conceived to extend human capabilities of interaction within a virtual environment. Several paradigms are used for BCI, but the steady-state visual-evoked potential (SSVEP) stands out as it provides a higher information transfer rate while requiring less training. It is an electroencephalographic response detectable when the user looks at a flickering visual stimulus. This research proposes a novel approach for SSVEP-based BCI controller used here for navigation within a 3D virtual environment. For the first time, the flickering stimuli were integrated into virtual objects as a part of the virtual scene in a more transparent and ecological way. As an example, when navigating inside a virtual natural outdoor scene, we could embed the SSVEP flashes in the wings of virtual butterflies surrounding the user. We could also introduce the use of animated and moving stimulations when using SSVEP-based BCI, as the virtual butterflies were left with the possibility of moving and flying in front of the user. Moreover, users received real-time feedback of their mental activity and were thus aware of their detected SSVEP directly and continuously. An experiment has been conducted to assess the influence of both the feedback and the integrated controller on navigation performance and subjective preference. We found that the usage of a controller integrated within the virtual scene along with the feedback seems to improve subjective preference and feeling of presence, despite reduced performance in terms of speed. This suggests that SSVEP-based BCI interfaces for virtual environments could move on from static targets and use integrated and animated stimuli presented in an ecological way for controls in systems where performance demands could be relaxed to benefit an improvement in interaction naturalness.
A generalization of the SMA approach for tailing spectrum modeling in Tunisian semi-arid context

Field spectral data, measured on the ground by a spectroradiometer are very important and needed for tailing classification. The Spectral Modeling Approach SMA based on library reflectance's fusion is an optimal solution in absence of field data. In this study, we give a generalization of the approach we developed in [5]; [6] for other types of mine in Tunisia. The main contribution is to estimate the tailing components' spectral reflectance by direct means. This allows us to replace the lack of the field data needed for mine tailing mapping. Thus, we can generate tailing maps from multispectral data particularly those acquired in the previous date. The results indicate that SMA can be applied successfully.
Parenting the Internet

Telephone surveys of single and married mothers of teenagers in public schools, mothers of teenagers in religious schools, and mothers of homeschooled teenagers examined the influence that parenting styles and level of Internet access in the home have on parenting mediation of online content and time spent on the Internet (N =520). Specifically, how authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting styles as well as home and bedroom Internet access influence the evaluative and restrictive mediation techniques used by parents was investigated. Results indicate that parenting style has a significant effect on almost all mediation techniques studied, whereas increased access only influences time online. Additionally, technological blocking as a restrictive mediation technique was found to be highest among authoritative parents, followed by authoritarian and neglectful.
Serum Vitamin D3 Levels and Diffuse Hair Fall among the Student Population in South India: A Case–Control Study

Introduction and Aims: Hair fall is a common problem faced by many younger people, which has variety of risk factors. Vitamin D3has emerged as a molecule with key role to play in various disorders. This study was done to assess its role in diffuse hair fall among student population. Materials and Methods: This was a case–control study including young adults presenting with complaints of hair fall (>100 a day) as cases, with age-matched healthy controls. Vitamin D3levels were measured in all the patients. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 11.5 software and significance was tested using Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Atotal of 44 participants were enrolled; 22 in each arm. The mean age of the study population was 20.89 years (standard deviation: 1.49). The median value of Vitamin D was 6.80 (interquartile range - 5.350–16.63) for the study population. Overall, 81.8% cases had Vitamin D deficiency compared to 45.5% of controls and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.007). Furthermore, females had a statistically significant difference in Vitamin D levels between cases and controls. Higher level of full sleeve cloth usage, sunscreen lotion application, and lesser sun exposures were seen among cases although these differences were not statistically significant. The levels of Vitamin D3were not significantly different among Indians, nonresident Indians, and foreigners. None of the cases had normal Vitamin D values whereas 4.5% controls fell in the normal category. Conclusions: Female patients with diffuse hair fall were found to have significantly low Vitamin D3levels among student population.
Counselors’ attachment anxiety and avoidance and the congruence in clients’ and therapists’ working alliance ratings

Abstract Objective: To determine how counselors’ attachment anxiety and avoidance related to congruence between counselors’ and clients’ Working alliance (WA) ratings. Congruence strength was defined as the regression coefficient for clients’ WA ratings predicting counselors’ WA ratings. Directional bias was defined as the difference in level between counselors’ and clients’ WA ratings. Method: Twenty-seven graduate student counselors completed an attachment measure and they and their 64 clients completed a measure of WA early in therapy. The truth-and-bias analysis was adapted to analyze the data. Results: As hypothesized counselors’ WA ratings were significantly and positively related to clients’ WA ratings. Also as hypothesized, counselors’ WA ratings were significantly lower than their clients’ WA ratings (directional bias). Increasing counselor attachment anxiety was related to increasing negative directional bias; as counselors’ attachment anxiety increased the difference between counselors and clients WA ratings became more negative. There was a significant interaction between counselor attachment anxiety and congruence strength in predicting counselor WA ratings. There was a stronger relationship between client WA ratings and counselor WA ratings for counselors low versus high in attachment anxiety. Conclusion: Counselors’ attachment anxiety is realted to their ability to accurately percieve their clients’ WA.
Loss of Abaxial Leaf Epicuticular Wax in Medicago truncatula irg1/palm1 Mutants Results in Reduced Spore Differentiation of Anthracnose and Nonhost Rust Pathogens[W]

This study demonstrates that a loss-of-function mutation of a transcription factor involved in leaf morphogenesis impacts abaxial epicuticular wax loading, resulting in complete loss of wax crystals, which in turn affects fungal differentiation, suggesting a role for surface components of the leaf wax and hydrophobicity in differentiation of preinfection structures by rust pathogens. To identify genes that confer nonhost resistance to biotrophic fungal pathogens, we did a forward-genetics screen using Medicago truncatula Tnt1 retrotransposon insertion lines. From this screen, we identified an inhibitor of rust germ tube differentation1 (irg1) mutant that failed to promote preinfection structure differentiation of two rust pathogens, Phakopsora pachyrhizi and Puccinia emaculata, and one anthracnose pathogen, Colletotrichum trifolii, on the abaxial leaf surface. Cytological and chemical analyses revealed that the inhibition of rust preinfection structures in irg1 mutants is due to complete loss of the abaxial epicuticular wax crystals and reduced surface hydrophobicity. The composition of waxes on abaxial leaf surface of irg1 mutants had >90% reduction of C30 primary alcohols and a preferential increase of C29 and C31 alkanes compared with the wild type. IRG1 encodes a Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger transcription factor, PALM1, which also controls dissected leaf morphology in M. truncatula. Transcriptome analysis of irg1/palm1 mutants revealed downregulation of eceriferum4, an enzyme implicated in primary alcohol biosynthesis, and MYB96, a major transcription factor that regulates wax biosynthesis. Our results demonstrate that PALM1 plays a role in regulating epicuticular wax metabolism and transport and that epicuticular wax influences spore differentiation of host and nonhost fungal pathogens.
Success defined by television: The value system promoted by PM Magazine

Promoted for its unique production style, syndication arrangement, appeal to regionalism and local community needs, PM Magazine was a fixture in early evening television throughout the 1980s. But was the program really unique in terms of its overall message? What values did the program promote as being most important? By examining the value system present within a large group of PM Magazine stories broadcast during the summer of 1985, a clear picture emerged. The program was hardly just a random mix of upbeat local stories from around the US. Instead, PM Magazine emphasized and promoted a dominant personal success value system that revolved around recognition, achievement, financial success, excitement, and physical attributes. Arguably, this value system existed because it appealed to a particular demographic, making the program highly marketable to national advertisers; on a broader level, the value system functioned to reinforce existing traditional and conservative power structures within American soc.
Differential Effect of l-Cysteine in Isolated Whole-Bladder Preparations from Neonatal and Adult Rats

The present study was undertaken to compare the effects of the thiol reagents l-cysteine and (diazene dicarboxylic acid bis 5N,N-dimethylamide) diamide on contractile activity of neonatal and adult rat bladders. In vitro whole-bladder preparations from Wistar rats were used to study the modulation of spontaneous bladder contractions by thiol reagents. After blocking cholinergic and adrenergic transmission with atropine and guanethidine, l-cysteine facilitated spontaneous bladder contractions in neonatal rat bladders. The effect of l-cysteine was suppressed by diamide. Diamide alone did not change basal activity of the neonatal rat bladder. The facilitatory effects of l-cysteine were reduced by the L-type Ca2+ channel-blocking agent nifedipine and the calcium-activated K+ channel opener NS1619 [1,3-dihydro-1-[2-hydroxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-5-(trifluoromethyl)-2H-benzimidazol-2-one]. ATP or suramin, a purinergic receptor antagonist, significantly inhibited the effect of l-cysteine in neonatal bladders, whereas the nitric-oxide synthase inhibitor Nω-nitro-l-arginine was ineffective. l-cysteine did not elicit any detectable effects in the adult rat bladder; whereas diamide caused a large-amplitude sustained tonic contraction. The contraction induced by diamide in adult bladder did not occur when the preparation was pretreated with l-cysteine. Also, l-Cysteine administered during the diamide-evoked contraction completely inhibited the contraction to diamide. In conclusion, our results suggest that l-cysteine has markedly different effects in isolated whole-bladder preparations from neonatal and adult rats. Thus thiol-sensitive mechanisms may modulate contractility by regulation of Ca2+ and K+ channels and/or purinergic transmission in the neonatal bladder. The effects of l-cysteine and diamide were reversed in adult bladders, indicating that the regulation of bladder contractility by thiols is markedly altered during postnatal development.
The Experience and Positioning of Affect in the Context of Intersubjectivity: The Case of Premenstrual Syndrome

The experience and positioning of affect is a material-discursive-intrapsychic experience, which can be interrogated through the examination of the intersubjective realm. This paper examines ways in which women experience and negotiate premenstrual change in affect, positioned as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with 58 women. All of the women interviewed described premenstrual changes in affect in a similar manner, as being characterised by intolerance, irritation, emotional sensitivity, feeling more negative towards others, and feeling overwhelmed in the face of life’s demands. Without exception, women expressed a desire to be alone premenstrually, in order to escape relational demands and responsibilities, to reduce stimulation, or to avoid conflict. The way that these premenstrual changes and the woman’s desire to be alone were positioned by the woman’s partner, and dealt with within relationships, provided the material and discursive context for the woman’s experience and negotiation of PMS. Women whose partners were accepting and supportive were more likely to take up a position of awareness, acceptance and self-care in relation to premenstrual change, whilst women whose partners were unsupportive were more likely to engage in self-castigation and self-pathologization. This suggests that intersubjectivity, the examination of subjectivity and affect in the context of relatedness, will be a fruitful avenue of exploration for critical psychologists, as well as for researchers interested in the complexity of women’s premenstrual experiences.
Application of conventional- and dual-energy X-ray tomography in process engineering

For years, conventional X-ray tomography has been used successfully to study the flow structures of vertical two-phase gas-solid flows. As a result, the different flow structures of downward- and upward-arranged currents have been described. The additional implementation of a dual-energy technique provides the opportunity to investigate multiphase (three phase) systems. The dual-energy technique makes use of the absorption coefficient which varies with the material and the X-ray energy, respectively. Applications in research are, e.g., suspension bubble columns or an injected liquid phase in a gas-solid fluidized bed. Therefore, implementations of computer tomography in process engineering are increasing.