Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring First-Year Preservice Teachers' Confidence to Teach Art Education

There is a lack of confidence amongst generalist primary teachers to teach art (Green & Mitchell, 1998). Welch (1995) claimed that poorly designed tertiary art education programs may negatively affect the confidence of preservice teachers to teach art. Hence, this study employs a pretestposttest survey (n=160, n=148, respectively) linked to suggested art activities in the NSW Creative Arts K-6 syllabus (2000), pretest-posttest questionnaire (n=160, n=148, respectively), interviews (n=10) and researcher field notes to gather data to explore and describe the confidence of first-year preservice teachers as they engage in a tertiary art education unit. Survey results indicated an increase in these preservice teachers’ confidence to teach art on each of the 14 survey items, and the qualitative data suggested that previous experiences in art education and tertiary art education can influence their confidence to teach art. Indeed, “art anxiety” (see Metcalf & Smith-Shank, 2001) that was first detected in the beginning weeks seemed to diminish as the participants gained more experience in the art activities. It was concluded that university-based courses can positively influence the confidence of preservice teachers to teach art, which may be instrumental for implementing art education in primary schools. The New South Wales (NSW) Education Act of 1990 states that art education must “be included in the key learning area of Creative and Performing Arts” (Board of Studies, 2000, p. 5). This has implications for generalist primary teachers if they lack the skills, knowledge and confidence to teach art in the primary classroom. Indeed, many preservice teachers enter the profession with little background and low confidence in art (Russell-Bowie, 2002). According to Green and Mitchell (1998) there is a long established lack of confidence amongst generalist primary teachers to teach art. Furthermore, Duncum (1999) notes that many generalist art teachers are of the view that if they cannot draw, then they cannot teach art. This lack of confidence, combined with the already overcrowded curriculum, has meant that many generalist primary teachers often omit art from the classroom timetable (Hudson & Hudson, 2000). It is therefore important that institutions facilitate teacher education programs to ensure the training presented to preservice teachers provide the skills, experiences and confidence to teach art.
Three Dimensional Stochastic Reconfiguration of Modular Robots

Here we introduce one simulated and two physical three-dimensional stochastic modular robot systems, all capable of self-assembly and self-reconfiguration. We assume that individual units can only draw power when attached to the growing structure, and have no means of actuation. Instead they are subject to random motion induced by the surrounding medium when unattached. We present a simulation environment with a flexible scripting language that allows for parallel and serial selfassembly and self-reconfiguration processes. We explore factors that govern the rate of assembly and reconfiguration, and show that self-reconfiguration can be exploited to accelerate the assembly of a particular shape, as compared with static self-assembly. We then demonstrate the ability of two different physical three-dimensional stochastic modular robot systems to self-reconfigure in a fluid. The second physical implementation is only composed of technologies that could be scaled down to achieve stochastic self-assembly and self-reconfiguration at the microscale.
Analysis of multiloop control strategies for LC/CL/LCL-filtered voltage-source and current-source inverters

Multiloop control strategies have commonly been used to control power inverters of both the voltage-source and current-source topologies for power conversion applications including uninterruptible power supplies and utility interfaces for distributed power generation. However, these control strategies tend to be developed and comparatively evaluated for a particular application, with strategies for other applications presented as independent new developments. This paper presents a generalized analysis of different multiloop control approaches using alternative feedback control variables for several popularly adopted system configurations, highlighting similarities and identifying a generalized optimal control-variable selection criterion that is applicable across most multiloop-controlled inverter systems. The generality of the presented optimal variable selection criterion has been verified through the close similarities between the time-domain waveforms of the different inverter systems simulated in MATLAB Simulink and implemented experimentally in the laboratory.
Racial Microaggressions by Secondary School Teachers against Students of Color

Racial microaggressions are the subtle, oftentimes unconscious words or actions that are committed against people of color that denigrate them and may cause emotional and physical harm (Sue, Capodilupo et al., 2007). Because children are so vulnerable, it is important that educators understand the negative effects of racial microaggressions in a school setting and how to avoid them. The purpose of this research is to study the racial microaggressions that secondary school teachers may enact against students of color. Most research on racial microaggressions has taken place in higher education in the form of qualitative studies of focus groups. Few quantitative research studies have been found in secondary schools that study teachers being responsible for racial microaggressions against students. The current investigation utilizes the Student Life Experiences Survey (SLES), a twenty-one question survey that was administered to 342 twelfth grade students in a large, racially diverse public high school. The SLES measured the student’s perception of the frequency of racial microaggressions they encountered by teachers over a four-year period and how bothered the students were by the racial microaggressions. The survey also allowed students to record written instances of racial microaggressions they experienced or observed. Through ANOVA analysis, the results of the survey
Identifying Elementary School Student Understanding of Learning Disabilities

Identifying Elementary School Student Understanding of Learning Disabilities Michael Q. Bair Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU Educational Specialist This school-based study examined the knowledge level of third through fifth grade students who are not being served in special education regarding learning disabilities, personal learning styles, and their perceptions of their peers with learning disabilities. This study circumvents teachers’, administrators’, and parents’ awareness which has been thoroughly researched and instead, directly assesses through interviews what elementary students (n=45) know about learning disabilities. The goal of this study was to gain a greater understanding of what the students’ perceptions are of their learning experience in general and what their understanding of learning disabilities are more specifically through interviews to give educators greater insight into how we can improve the education offered to students. Findings indicate that participants had a generally accurate understanding of learning disabilities and how learning disabilities affect success in school. Results underscore the importance of parents and educators working closely with students to gain firsthand knowledge from those that are being taught.
Oncogenic c-kit transcript is a target for binase

Mutational activation of c-Kit receptor tyrosine kinase is common in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). One such activating point mutation is the N822K replacement in the c-Kit protein. Here we investigate the selective cytotoxic effect of binase - RNase from Bacillus intermedius - on FDC-P1-N822K cells. These cells were derived from myeloid progenitor FDC-P1 cells, in which ectopic expression of N822K c-kit gene induces interleukin-3 independent growth. In order to determine whether the sensitivity of these cells to binase is caused by the expression of c-kit oncogene, the cytotoxicity of the RNase was studied in the presence of selective inhibitor of mutated c-Kit imatinib (Gleevec). Inhibition of mutated c-Kit protein leads to the loss of cell sensitivity to the apoptotic effect of binase, while the latter still decreases the amount of cellular RNA. Using green fluorescent protein as an expression marker for the c-Kit oncoprotein, we demonstrate that the elimination of c-Kit is the key factor in selective cytotoxicity of binase. Quantitative RT-PCR with RNA samples isolated from the binase-treated FDC-P1-N822K cells shows that binase treatment results in 41% reduction in the amount of с-kit mRNA. This indicates that the transcript of the activated mutant c-kit is the target for toxic action of binase. Thus, the combination of inhibition of oncogenic protein with the destruction of its mRNA is a promising approach to eliminating malignant cells.
p53 mutations associated with increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation in human head and neck cancer cell lines

The p53 tumour suppressor gene is activated following cellular exposure to DNA‐damaging agents. The functions of wild‐type p53 protein include transient blocking of cell cycle progression, direct or indirect stimulation of DNA repair machinery and triggering of apoptosis if DNA repair fails. Therefore, the status of p53 protein may be critically associated with tumour cell radiosensitivity.
Interaction of iron deficiency and lead and the hematologic findings in children with severe lead poisoning.

Microcytic anemia, long considered an effect of lead poisoning, may in fact result from coexisting iron deficiency. In this study, how RBC size, hemoglobin, and zinc protoporphyrin vary as a function of iron status in a group of children with high lead levels was examined. Charts of all children (N = 51) admitted to Cook County Hospital for treatment of lead poisoning in 1981 to 1983 were reviewed for data on age, blood lead level, hemoglobin concentration, MCV, transferrin saturation and zinc protoporphyrin level. The mean lead level was 86 micrograms/dL and the range was 63 to 190 micrograms/dL. Children with transferrin saturation values less than 7% had a mean MCV of 56 microL, hemoglobin of 8.9 g/dL, and zinc protoporphyrin of 693 micrograms/dL; for those with saturations of 7% to 16%, the values were 61 microL, 10.1 g/dL, and 581 micrograms/dL, respectively; the children with saturations greater than 16% had normal mean MCVs and hemoglobin concentrations (74 microL and 11.4 g/dL) and a mean zinc protoporphyrin value of 240 micrograms/dL (P less than .0005). Multiple linear regression was used to correct for effect of age, and transferrin saturation remained the most important predictor of MCV, hemoglobin, and zinc protoporphyrin levels; the addition of lead did not improve the models. Results of this study suggest that iron deficiency is strongly associated with some of the observed toxicities of lead. Also, lead poisoning can exist without producing microcytosis or anemia, and zinc protoporphyrin concentration may not be a sensitive indicator of lead level in the absence of iron deficiency.
An On-Demand Queue Management Architecture for a Programmable Traffic Manager

A queue manager (QM) is a core traffic management (TM) function used to provide per-flow queuing in access and metro networks; however current designs have limited scalability. An on-demand QM (OD-QM) which is part of a new modular field-programmable gate-array (FPGA)-based TM is presented that dynamically maps active flows to the available physical resources; its scalability is derived from exploiting the observation that there are only a few hundred active flows in a high speed network. Simulations with real traffic show that it is a scalable, cost-effective approach that enhances per-flow queuing performance, thereby allowing per-flow QM without the need for extra external memory at speeds up to 10 Gbps. It utilizes 2.3%-16.3% of a Xilinx XC5VSX50t FPGA and works at 111 MHz.
Effects of Chicken Manure on Growth, Yield and Quality of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) 'Taina' Under a Lath House in a Semi-Arid Sub-Tropical Environment

Chicken manure is natural, locally available and relatively cheap material that the organic vegetable growers can obtain. Inorganic fertilizers are relatively expensive and can potentially contaminate the environment. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the widely used salad vegetable crops in Swaziland. This experiment was carried out in a lath house at Luyengo Campus, Horticulture Farm, University of Swaziland to assess the effects of varied levels of chicken manure on growth, yield and quality of lettuce. The cultivar used was 'Taina'. The levels of chicken manure used were 60, 40 and 20 t/ha. A control of inorganic fertilizer 2:3:2 (22) + 0.5% Zn was used at a rate of 955 kg/ha basal dressing and limestone ammonium nitrate (LAN 28%) at a rate of 100 kg/ha as side dressing. The results showed that chicken manure levels significantly (P 0.5) difference in iron content on fresh mass basis for all treatments. Results of this experiment showed that inorganic fertilizer was less suitable in lettuce production. Lettuce may be grown using 60 ton/ha chicken manure for a more productive enterprise.
PI3K/Akt responses to oxytocin stimulation in Caco2BB gut cells

Recently, we discovered oxytocin receptor (OTR) expression in the developing gut villus epithelium that emerges in villus–crypt junctions after weaning. Oxytocin (OT) and OTR regulate many physiological functions in various tissues; however, their function in gut epithelium is unknown. We explored responses of PI3K and Akt phosphoisoforms to OT stimuli in the Caco2BB human gut cell line. In Caco2BB cells, PI3K and pAkt levels peaked at 62.5 nM OT. At higher concentrations, PI3K decreased more gradually than pAktS473 suggesting that the pAktS473 response is separate from PI3K. At ≤7.8 nM OT, pAktT308 increased while pAktS473 decreased. Using a specific OTR antagonist, we demonstrated that responses of pAktT308 to OT depend on OTR in contrast to the partial OTR‐dependence of the pAktS473 response. Differential pAkt phosphoisoform responses included pAkt phosphoserine 473 persistently free of phosphothreonine 308. The reduction in PI3K after 62.5 nM OT for 30 min coincided with OTR internalization. The PI3K/Akt activation profile was somewhat different in other cell lines (MCF‐7 breast cancer cells, HT29 gut cells), which have PI3K activating mutations, that were examined to establish experimental parameters. In Caco2BB cells, the divergent effects of OT upon pAkt phosphoisoforms suggests separate sub‐pathways; pAkt T308 activation depends on OTR via the PI3K pathway and pAktS473 presumably results from its specific kinase mTORC2 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2). Thus, OT may modulate gut cell functions downstream of mTOR complexes (e.g., translation control as suggested by others in uterine cells). We will next explore OT‐stimulated kinase activities downstream of mTOR related to pAkt phosphoisoforms. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 3216–3226, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Analysis of CM Volt-Second Influence on CM Inductor Saturation and Design for Input EMI Filters in Three-Phase DC-Fed Motor Drive Systems

Common-mode (CM) choke saturation is a practical problem in CM filter applications. It is generally believed that the leakage inductance of CM chokes makes the core saturated. This paper analyzes two new mechanisms for CM choke saturation due to CM voltage, and these mechanisms are verified in experiment. CM choke saturation is particularly important for motor drive systems, which have a high CM voltage and comparably higher stray grounding capacitance. A model is established to describe the relationship between the CM voltage and the volume of the CM magnetic components. According to the analysis, line impedance stabilization networks (LISNs) play an important role in the design of CM magnetic components.
A Point Mutation That Confers Constitutive Activity to CXCR4 Reveals That T140 Is an Inverse Agonist and That AMD3100 and ALX40-4C Are Weak Partial Agonists*

CXCR4 is a G protein-coupled receptor for stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) that plays a critical role in leukocyte trafficking, metastasis of mammary carcinoma, and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 infection. To elucidate the mechanism for CXCR4 activation, a constitutively active mutant (CAM) was derived by coupling the receptor to the pheromone response pathway in yeast. Conversion of Asn-119 to Ser or Ala, but not Asp or Lys, conferred autonomous CXCR4 signaling in yeast and mammalian cells. SDF-1 induced signaling in variants with substitution of Asn-119 to Ser, Ala, or Asp, but not Lys. These variants had similar cell surface expression and binding affinity for SDF-1. CXCR4-CAMs were constitutively phosphorylated and present in cytosolic inclusions. Analysis of antagonists revealed that exposure to AMD3100 or ALX40-4C induced G protein activation by CXCR4 wild type, which was greater in the CAM, whereas T140 decreased autonomous signaling. The affinity of AMD3100 and ALX40-4C binding to CAMs was less than to wild type, providing evidence of a conformational shift. These results illustrate the importance of transmembrane helix 3 in CXCR4 signaling. Insight into the mechanism for CXCR4 antagonists will allow for the development of a new generation of agents that lack partial agonist activity that may induce toxicities, as observed for AMD3100.
Reactive oxygen species detoxification by catalase is a major determinant of fecundity in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae

The mosquito Anopheles gambiae is a primary vector of Plasmodium parasites in Africa. The effect of aging on reproductive output in A. gambiae females from three strains that differ in their ability to melanize Plasmodium and in their systemic levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a reactive oxygen species (ROS), was analyzed. The number of eggs oviposited after the first blood meal decreases with age in all strains; however, this decline was much more pronounced in the G3 (unselected) and R (refractory to Plasmodium infection) strains than in the S (highly susceptible to Plasmodium) strain. Reduction of ROS levels in G3 and R females by administration of antioxidants reversed this age-related decline in fecundity. The S and G3 strains were fixed for two functionally different catalase alleles that differ at the second amino acid position (Ser2Trp). Biochemical analysis of recombinant proteins revealed that the Trp isoform has lower specific activity and higher Km than the Ser isoform, indicating that the former is a less efficient enzyme. The Trp-for-Ser substitution appears to destabilize the functional tetrameric form of the enzyme. Both alleles are present in the R strain, and Ser/Ser females had significantly higher fecundity than Trp/Trp females. Finally, a systemic reduction in catalase activity by dsRNA-mediated knockdown significantly reduced the reproductive output of mosquito females, indicating that catalase plays a central role in protecting the oocyte and early embryo from ROS damage.
Role of antibiotics in sinusitis

Purpose of review Sinusitis is a leading reason for outpatient antibiotic use, but symptoms are nonspecific. We review potential methods that might enhance the ability to appropriately prescribe antibiotics. Recent findings The evidence base for antibiotic use in acute rhinosinusitis is strongest in studies with stringent entry criteria. In less restrictive studies antibiotics and placebo perform equally. Bacteria from nasopharyngeal swabs in adults correlate with sinus cultures. A recent study showed that antibiotics shortened the duration of acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) symptoms in children. Tellingly, over 2000 children with symptoms were screened to enroll less than 10% who fulfilled the study's stringent criteria. In chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), two grade 1 studies on efficacy of long-term macrolide therapy showed conflicting results. Odontogenic sinusitis is underappreciated and frequently fails to grow on culture because of presumed difficulty in growing anaerobes. Summary There is currently no grade 1 evidence to support antibiotic use in CRS; however, studies to date have not been conducted in patients with isolated purulent sinusitis. Future use of cultures to direct antibiotic therapy, such as nasopharyngeal swabs in adults with ARS or endoscopically guided cultures, may aid in targeting antibiotic therapy more effectively.
Collateral Constraints in a Monetary Economy

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of collateral constraints as a transmission mechanism of monetary shocks. We do this by introducing money in the heterogeneous-agent real economy of Kiyotaki and Moore (1997). Money enters in a cash-in-advance constraint and is injected via open-market operations. In the model, a one-time exogenous monetary shock generates persistent movements in aggregate output, whose amplitude depends on the degree of debt indexation. Monetary expansions can trigger a large upward movement in output, while monetary contractions give rise to a smaller downward movement. This asymmetry occurs because full indexation of debt contracts can only be effective following a monetary contraction. In contrast, following a monetary expansion indexation can only be partial because debtors end up paying back just the market value of the collateral. Due to the existence of both cash-in-advance and collateral constraints, monetary shocks generate a highly persistent dampening cycle rather than a smoothly declining deviation.
A LINGUISTIC PROFILE OF POWER AND IDENTITY IN MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

Sociolinguists have claimed that a relationship exists between language and power. That being said, past studies addressing language and power have been concerned with issues of how language and power are created and maintained in face-to-face conversation (e.g., Brown & Gilman, 2003; Kiesling, 1996) and the role that institutions play in creating power roles and powerful language (e.g., Eckert & McConnell-Ginet, 2003; Fishman, 2006). Kiesling (1996) proposes a framework for studying language and power in face-to-face conversation in which he theorizes that "people place themselves in certain power roles by using language to index these roles; however, every speaker cannot simply use any strategy or form to index any role. They are limited by ascribed traits, previous roles they have filled in the community, the roles available in the situation, and their competence in a certain strategy or form" (Kiesling, 1996, p. 41). The purpose of the current study will be to adapt Kiesling's power framework to the study of language and power within virtual communities in order to explore the following research questions: 1) How is power defined in World of Warcraft? , 2) What are the power roles within World of Warcraft? , 3) How does a player's use of language create or reflect the power role(s) that they occupy within World of Warcraft? , and 4) Can language be used to create power ex nihilo or does language use reflect the power that an individual has according to their power roles? The answers to these research questions reveal that participants within World of Warcraft have a variety of beliefs about power, power roles, and powerful language. Additionally, participants may use language to both create powerful positions and reflect powerful positions that they already have.