Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Longitudinal-Sequential Study of Perceived Academic Competence and Motivational Beliefs for Learning Among Children in Middle School

The extent to which changes in children's self-assessments of their competence to master academic material are influenced by their developing beliefs about the causes of academic outcomes, goal orientation for learning, and study strategy use were examined in a longitudinal-sequential study. Fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-graders who transitioned to the middle level within the same school were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire for three consecutive years. Nearly two-thirds of the children were members of minority groups and slightly more than half were female students. Results showed that ability attributions for successful outcomes, mastery orientation, persistence, and self-monitoring strategy use predicted concurrent perceptions of academic competence for all grade levels. Initial self-perceived competence strongly predicted perceived academic competence one year later. No significant grade-level differences in self-perceptions of academic competence were found. The results were discussed in terms of a developing academic self-image.
Which Banks Are More Risky? The Impact of Business Models on Bank Stability

In this paper, we analyze the impact of business models on bank stability in 15 EU countries between 2002 and 2011. We represent banks’ business models by the share of non-interest income in total operating income and the share of non-deposit funding in total liabilities. In contrast to the literature, we include in our sample a large number of unlisted banks, which represent the majority of banks in the EU. We believe this to be important, since many unlisted banks typically have a more retail-oriented business model. We show that banks will be significantly more stable and profitable if they increase their share of non-interest income, indicating that substantial benefits are to be gained from income diversification. Such benefits are particularly large for savings and cooperative banks. Investment banks, in contrast, become significantly more risky. Diversifying into non-deposit funding has a different impact as well. While retail-oriented banks will be significantly less stable if they increase their share of non-deposit funding, investment banks will be significantly more stable. These findings indicate that it is important to enlarge the sample of banks and to include different types of banks with different business models in order to arrive at general conclusions about the effect of non-interest income and non-deposit funding on bank stability.
Thirty years of intracrinology.

BACKGROUND Intracrinology is the study of the intracellular actions, regulation, trafficking, and interactions of extracellular signaling peptides/proteins. METHODS We describe the development of intracrine biology since the term was defined in 1984. RESULTS Intracrine biology plays a role in many normal and pathological processes and represents a fertile field for the development of novel therapeutics. CONCLUSION Although 30 years old, the field of intracrinology is only now becoming widely accepted. Intracrine principles can be applied to the investigation of physiological processes and to the development of new therapies.
NADH Availability Limits Asymmetric Biocatalytic Epoxidation in a Growing Recombinant Escherichia coli Strain

ABSTRACT Styrene can efficiently be oxidized to (S)-styrene oxide by recombinant Escherichia coli expressing the styrene monooxygenase genes styAB from Pseudomonas sp. strain VLB120. Targeting microbial physiology during whole-cell redox biocatalysis, we investigated the interdependency of styrene epoxidation, growth, and carbon metabolism on the basis of mass balances obtained from continuous two-liquid-phase cultures. Full induction of styAB expression led to growth inhibition, which could be attenuated by reducing expression levels. Operation at subtoxic substrate and product concentrations and variation of the epoxidation rate via the styrene feed concentration allowed a detailed analysis of carbon metabolism and bioconversion kinetics. Fine-tuned styAB expression and increasing specific epoxidation rates resulted in decreasing biomass yields, increasing specific rates for glucose uptake and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and finally saturation of the TCA cycle and acetate formation. Interestingly, the biocatalysis-related NAD(P)H consumption was 3.2 to 3.7 times higher than expected from the epoxidation stoichiometry. Possible reasons include uncoupling of styrene epoxidation and NADH oxidation and increased maintenance requirements during redox biocatalysis. At epoxidation rates of above 21 μmol per min per g cells (dry weight), the absence of limitations by O2 and styrene and stagnating NAD(P)H regeneration rates indicated that NADH availability limited styrene epoxidation. During glucose-limited growth, oxygenase catalysis might induce regulatory stress responses, which attenuate excessive glucose catabolism and thus limit NADH regeneration. Optimizing metabolic and/or regulatory networks for efficient redox biocatalysis instead of growth (yield) is likely to be the key for maintaining high oxygenase activities in recombinant E. coli.
Ecoepidemiology of Laribacter hongkongensis, a Novel Bacterium Associated with Gastroenteritis

ABSTRACT In a territory-wide surveillance study, Laribacter hongkongensis was isolated solely from freshwater fish (60% of grass carps, 53% of bighead carps, and 25% of mud carps). Comparing the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of fish and patient isolates revealed that most patient isolates were clustered together, suggesting that some clones could be more virulent.
FPGA Implementation of a Data-Driven Stochastic Biochemical Simulator with the Next Reaction Method

This paper introduces a scalable FPGA implementation of a stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA) called the next reaction method. There are some hardware approaches of SSAs that obtained high-throughput on reconfigurable devices such as FPGAs, but these works lacked in scalability. The design of this work can accommodate to the increasing size of target biochemical models, or to make use of increasing capacity of FPGAs. Interconnection network between arithmetic circuits and multiple simulation circuits aims to perform a data-driven multi-threading simulation. Approximately 8 times speedup was obtained compared to an execution on Xeon 2.80 GHz.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress mediate the physiological impairment induced by the disruption of autophagy

Impaired or deficient autophagy is believed to cause or contribute to aging, as well as a number of age-related pathologies. The exact mechanism through which alterations in autophagy induce these various pathologies is not well understood. Here we describe the creation of two in vivo mouse models that allow for the characterization of the alteration in mitochondrial function and the contribution of the corresponding oxidative stress following deletion of Atg7. Using these models we demonstrate that isolated mitochondria obtained from Atg7-/- skeletal muscle exhibit a significant defect in mitochondrial respiration. We further show that cells derived from Atg7-/- mice have an altered metabolic profile characterized by decreased resting mitochondrial oxygen consumption and a compensatory increase in basal glycolytic rates. Atg7-/-cells also exhibit evidence for increased steady state levels of reactive oxygen species. The observed mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress is also evident in a mouse model where Atg7 is deleted within the pancreatic β cell. In this model, the simple administration of an antioxidant can significantly ameliorate the physiological impairment in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in autophagy related pathology.
Extract of Ginkgo biloba promotes neuronal regeneration in the hippocampus after exposure to acrylamide

Previous studies have demonstrated a neuroprotective effect of extract of Ginkgo biloba against neuronal damage, but have mainly focused on antioxidation of extract of Ginkgo biloba. To date, limited studies have determined whether extrasct of Ginkgo biloba has a protective effect on neuronal damage. In the present study, acrylamide and 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg extract of Ginkgo biloba were administered for 4 weeks by gavage to establish mouse models. Our results showed that 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg extract of Ginkgo biloba effectively alleviated the abnormal gait of poisoned mice, and up-regulated protein expression levels of doublecortin (DCX), brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) in the hippocampus. Simultaneously, DCX- and GAP-43-immunoreactive cells increased. These findings suggest that extract of Ginkgo biloba can mitigate neurotoxicity induced by acrylamide, and thereby promote neuronal regeneration in the hippocampus of acrylamide-treated mice.
Cr (VI) induced oxidative stress and toxicity in cultured cerebellar granule neurons at different stages of development and protective effect of Rosmarinic acid

Chromium (Cr) is a widespread metal ion in the workplace, industrial effluent, and water. The toxicity of chromium (VI) on various organs including the liver, kidneys, and lung were studied, but little is known about neurotoxicity. In this study, neurotoxic effects of Cr (VI) have been investigated by cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). Immature and mature neurons were exposed to different concentrations of potassium dichromate for 24 h and cytotoxicity was measured by MTT assay. In addition, immature neurons were exposed for 5 days as regards cytotoxic effect in development stages. The reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the protective effect of Rosmarinic acid on mature and immature neurons exposed to potassium dichromate, were measured. Furthermore, lipid peroxidation, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and acetylcholinesterase activity in mature neurons were assessed following exposure to potassium dichromate. The results indicate that toxicity of Cr (VI) dependent on maturation steps. Cr (VI) was less toxic for immature neurons. Also, Cr (VI) induced MMP reduction and ROS production in both immature and mature neurons. In Cr (VI) treated neurons, increased lipid peroxidation and GPx activity but not acetylcholinesterase activity was observed. Interestingly, Rosmarinic acid, as a natural antioxidant, could protect mature but not immature neurons against Cr (VI) induced toxicity. Our findings revealed vulnerability of mature neurons to Cr (VI) induced toxicity and oxidative stress. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 269–277, 2016.
Is the Household-Based Convoy a Role-Related Support Network?

Based on role theory, a household-based convoy (HbC) was proposed as a support system comprised of four kinds of networks: household types, family, kinship, and friendship. To test the feasibility of the support network concept, data from the 2001 Taiwan Social Change Survey were used to derive a latent structure with four latent classes. These classes consisted of the “prefamily convoy,” “pro-social convoy,” “mature convoy,” and the “extended convoy. ” Their network characteristics revealed that the four latent classes corresponded to stages in the family life course. Moreover, these convoy subtypes had differential intergenerational support functions. Respondents from the pre-family and the pro-social convoys were found to provide fewer types of support to their parents but received more types of support from them. The findings also indicate that the household-based convoy is a role-related support network.
Gender and Conflict Transformation in Israel/Palestine

A careful examination of women‘s involvement in peacebuilding and conflict transformation in Israel and Palestine provides a unique perspective on key turning points in the history of the conflict in the past two and one-half decades, since the first Palestinian uprising, knows as the Intifada. The article analyzes the changes in modes of organizing, as well as in the broader vision and key strategies of women‘s organizing, mostly at the grassroots level, on both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli divide. By exposing the gendered dimensions of the conflict, women activists have began to transform the cultures of their respective collectivities, ensuring that gender and other inequalities and oppressions are not overlooked. Notwithstanding the challenges facing women in both communities, the article concludes that the women who have been working for justice and peace in the region constitute a critical mass that will not only impact the nature of conflict transformation but will also be instrumental in envisioning post-conflict realities.
Toxin–antitoxin regulation: bimodal interaction of YefM–YoeB with paired DNA palindromes exerts transcriptional autorepression

Toxin–antitoxin (TA) complexes function in programmed cell death or stress response mechanisms in bacteria. The YefM–YoeB TA complex of Escherichia coli consists of YoeB toxin that is counteracted by YefM antitoxin. When liberated from the complex, YoeB acts as an endoribonuclease, preferentially cleaving 3′ of purine nucleotides. Here we demonstrate that yefM-yoeB is transcriptionally autoregulated. YefM, a dimeric protein with extensive secondary structure revealed by circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, is the primary repressor, whereas YoeB is a repression enhancer. The operator site 5′ of yefM-yoeB comprises adjacent long and short palindromes with core 5′-TGTACA-3′ motifs. YefM binds the long palindrome, followed sequentially by short palindrome recognition. In contrast, the repressor–corepressor complex recognizes both motifs more avidly, impyling that YefM within the complex has an enhanced DNA-binding affinity compared to free YefM. Operator interaction by YefM and YefM–YoeB is accompanied by structural transitions in the proteins. Paired 5′-TGTACA-3′ motifs are common in yefM-yoeB regulatory regions in diverse genomes suggesting that interaction of YefM–YoeB with these motifs is a conserved mechanism of operon autoregulation. Artificial perturbation of transcriptional autorepression could elicit inappropriate YoeB toxin production and induction of bacterial cell suicide, a potentially novel antibacterial strategy.
Drinking Outcome Expectancies and Normative Perceptions of Students Engaged in University Sport in England

This study examined whether students engaged in university sport have different drinking outcome expectancies and normative beliefs than students who are not engaged in university sport. A cross-sectional survey of university students in England in 2008–2009 was undertaken. A questionnaire battery, including the Drinking Expectancies Questionnaire (DEQ) and a measure of normative beliefs, was completed by 770 students from seven universities across England. Responses from 638 students who were not abstaining from alcohol were analyzed. Students engaged in university sport have significantly higher drinking expectancies of assertion compared with students not engaged in university sport. Moreover, students engaged in university sport consistently report higher personal alcohol consumption and higher perceptions of consumption in those around them than students not engaged in university sport. Both assertion and the perception that students around them drink heavily provide only a partial explanation for why students engaged in university sport drink more than those not engaged in university sport. Further research is required to identify the reasons for heavy drinking among students involved in university sport in England.
RUNX‐2, OPN and OCN expression induced by grey and white mineral trioxide aggregate in normal and hypertensive rats

AIM To investigate whether hypertension affects mineralization associated with white and grey mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA Angelus® ) implanted subcutaneously into rats by assaying osteoblastic biomarkers. METHODOLOGY Polyethylene tubes containing grey MTA Angelus® , white MTA Angelus® , intermediate restorative material (IRM; positive control) or an empty tube (negative control) were implanted into the dorsal connective tissue of spontaneous hypertensive (n = 12) and Wistar (normotensive; n = 10) rats. Half of the rats in each group were killed after 7 days, and the remaining after 30 days. Tubes with surrounding tissue were removed, and immunostaining was performed to detect RUNX-2, OPN and OCN proteins. The normality of data was analysed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Comparison of two independent groups was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, to detect a significant difference. A post hoc test accounting for multiple comparisons was performed following Tukey's test (P < 0.05). RESULTS Under hypertensive conditions after 30 days, both MTA materials were associated with immunolabelling for RUNX-2 from low to moderate, which was less than that observed at normal blood pressure and the 7-day groups (P < 0.05). The expression of OPN and OCN proteins under both MTA conditions was considered low after both 7 and 30 days for the hypertensive condition, and was less than that in animals with normal blood pressure after 30 days (P < 0.05). No immunostaining for any biomarkers in the control and IRM groups was observed (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Hypertension decreased the immunostaining of RUNX-2, OPN and OCN biomarkers in response to MTA. Thus, hypertension can jeopardize the mineralization ability of MTA and may have a negative impact on endodontic treatment outcomes.
New Directions in Education Research: Using Data Mining Techniques to Explore Predictors of Grade Retention

NEW DIRECTIONS IN EDUCATION RESEARCH: USING DATA MINING TECHNIQUES TO EXPLORE PREDICTORS OF GRADE RETENTION Deanna Kelley-Winstead, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2010 Dissertation Director: Dr. Clifton D. Sutton The purpose of this study was to use classification trees and logistic regression to identify subgroups of students more likely to be retained. The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) was used to identify the sociodemographic, family background and school related factors associated with grade retention. The sample size for this study consisted of 10,140 students, 1,570 of which had been held back. The NELS data were obtained from student questionnaires and surveys with the students’ parents, teachers, and school administrators. In order to identify the predictors of students more likely to be held back, models were built using classification trees and logistic regression. Overall, the current study identified the predictive factors of grade retention. Moreover, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of using classification trees in conjunction with stepwise logistic regression in educational research.
A parallel Particle swarm optimization algorithm for option pricing

Option pricing is one of the challenging problems of computational finance. Nature-inspired algorithms have gained prominence in real world optimization problems such as in mobile ad hoc networks. The option pricing problem fits very well into this category of problems due to the ad hoc nature of the market. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is one of the novel global search algorithms based on swarm intelligence. We first show that PSO could be effectively used for the option pricing problem. The results are compared with standard classical Black-Scholes-Merton model for simple European options. In this study, we developed two algorithms for option pricing using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The first algorithm we developed is synchronous option pricing algorithm using PSO (SPSO), and the second is parallel synchronous option pricing algorithm. The pricing results of these algorithms are close when compared with classical Black-Scholes-Merton model for simple European options. We test our Parallel Synchronous PSO algorithm in three architectures: shared memory machine using OpenMP, distributed memory machine using MPI and on a homogeneous multicore architecture running MPI and OpenMP (hybrid model). The results show that the hybrid model handles the load well as we increase the number of particles in simulation while maintaining equivalent accuracy.
From Repeatability to Reproducibility and Corroboration

Being able to repeat experiments is considered a hallmark of the scientific method, used to confirm or refute hypotheses and previously obtained results. But this can take many forms, from precise repetition using the original experimental artifacts, to conceptual reproduction of the main experimental idea using new artifacts. Furthermore, the conclusions from previous work can also be corroborated using a different experimental methodology altogether. In order to promote a better understanding and use of such methodologies we propose precise definitions for different terms, and suggest when and why each should be used.
Struggling to Move Beyond Acknowledgment: Celebrating Gay and Lesbian Families in Preschool Environments

Abstract Our qualitative study explores three phenomena: (a) the phenomenon of being a queer parent with a child in preschool; (b) the phenomenon of being a preschool teacher or administrator when children with queer parents are present in the classroom; and (c) the phenomenon of parents' and teachers' expectations and roles in adapting classrooms to fit queer identities. Twenty-three gay- or lesbian-identified parents of preschoolers and eight preschool teachers who have had gay- or lesbian-identified families in their classrooms participated in this study. Findings indicated that these preschool teacher participants and the gay and lesbian parent participants were challenged with expectations and logistics of how and when to incorporate queer family identities into the preschool classroom.
Elevated Intakes of Supplemental Chromium Improve Glucose and Insulin Variables in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes

Chromium is an essential nutrient involved in normal carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. The chromium requirement is postulated to increase with increased glucose intolerance and diabetes. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the elevated intake of supplemental chromium is involved in the control of type 2 diabetes. Individuals being treated for type 2 diabetes (180 men and women) were divided randomly into three groups and supplemented with: 1) placebo, 2) 1.92 μmol (100 μg) Cr as chromium picolinate two times per day, or 3) 9.6 μmol (500 μg) Cr two times per day. Subjects continued to take their normal medications and were instructed not to change their normal eating and living habits. HbA1c values improved significantly after 2 months in the group receiving 19.2 pmol (1,000 pg) Cr per day and was lower in both chromium groups after 4 months (placebo, 8.5 ± 0.2%; 3.85 pmol Cr, 7.5 ± 0.2%; 19.2 pmol Cr, 6.6 ± 0.1%). Fasting glucose was lower in the 19.2-μmol group after 2 and 4 months (4-month values: placebo, 8.8 ± 0.3 mmol/1; 19.2 μmol Cr, 7.1 ± 0.2 mmol/1). Two-hour glucose values were also significantly lower for the subjects consuming 19.2 μmol supplemental Cr after both 2 and 4 months (4-month values: placebo, 12.3 ± 0.4 mmol/1; 19.2 μmol Cr, 10.5 ± 0.2 mmol/1). Fasting and 2-h insulin values decreased significantly in both groups receiving supplemental chromium after 2 and 4 months. Plasma total cholesterol also decreased after 4 months in the subjects receiving 19.2 μmol/day Cr. These data demonstrate that supplemental chromium had significant beneficial effects on HbA1c, glucose, insulin, and cholesterol variables in subjects with type 2 diabetes. The beneficial effects of chromium in individuals with diabetes were observed at levels higher than the upper limit of the Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intake.