Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Roles of Parents and Teachers in the Identification and Development of Gifted/Talented Students

Gifted and talented students are the hinges and future hopes of any human society. They are like precious metals which need to be hold tenaciously and nurture carefully starting with parents at home to teachers in variant classrooms. In the Nigerian context, innumerable gifted and talented students have faded away unnoticed, several are still diminishing each day like a flower, and many more are yet to be spotted out and developed. To this effect, parents and teachers are indispensible in the discovering and developing many hidden gifts and talents of children and students. This essay is a snapshot and attempt to reflect on how parents and teachers can help in the discovering and developing of gifts and talents in so many Nigerian children and students. Furthermore, the author wishes to examine some concepts of some writers regarding gifted/talented students, characteristics of gifted/talented students, ways to identify and assess them, challenges they may face, impacts of undeveloped gifts/talents on individual and society, and some recommendations on what to do to see that no gifted/talented child or student is left behind.
Les employeurs, un autre acteur de la politique familiale ? Un état des lieux de leur participation dans la conciliation vie familiale-vie professionnelle

This article considers the aid afforded employees by their employers to reconcile work and family life, an issue rarely treated quantitatively. The authors begin by developing an overview of the various measures proposed in France before analysing their variations according to the characteristics of employer establishments (size, sector, proportion of female employees, public/ private sector, etc.). The measures contributing to the work-family balance have two main features which are not necessarily cumulative : the possibility of flexible working hours on the one hand and benefits (monetary or in kind) on the other. Cash and non-cash benefits tend to be cumulative, in particular in large-scale establishments, although working hours are less flexible. The overall observation is that reconciliation policies are more prevalent in the public sector. The proportion of women among employees also has a positive effect on services offered, albeit less so on working time flexibility, which depends strongly on organisational constraints.
DETECTING AGENTS OF EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION AMONG IRANIAN LANGUAGE TEACHERS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF ATTRIBUTION THEORY

This study aimed at recognizing sources of emotional problems of nine English language teachers and proposing strategies to obviate the potential contributors. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to 105 language teachers. Among those with very high scores on emotional exhaustion subscale of the inventory, nine were chosen on account of convenience sampling. More than eight hours of unstructured interviews with the participants were recorded and transcribed. First, Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used to extract the recurring themes. Second, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was utilized to reveal the loci of attribution with emotionally exhausted language teachers. The result indicated that agents of attribution are mainly external to the teachers with underpayment as the top contributor. The linkages of the findings with the related literature are discussed and potential preventive strategies are suggested aligned with the results of this study and others in the literature. This study can help educational policymakers, administrators and teacher training programmers to understand the emotional problems of language teachers in particular and teachers in all disciplines in general and plan to prevent further repercussions.
Pentachlorophenol Induction of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa mexAB-oprM Efflux Operon: Involvement of Repressors NalC and MexR and the Antirepressor ArmR

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) induced expression of the NalC repressor-regulated PA3720-armR operon and the MexR repressor-controlled mexAB-oprM multidrug efflux operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PCP's induction of PA3720-armR resulted from its direct modulation of NalC, the repressor's binding to PA3720-armR promoter-containing DNA as seen in electromobility shift assays (EMSAs) being obviated in the presence of this agent. The NalC binding site was localized to an inverted repeat (IR) sequence upstream of PA3720-armR and overlapping a promoter region whose transcription start site was mapped. While modulation of MexR by the ArmR anti-repressor explains the upregulation of mexAB-oprM in nalC mutants hyperexpressing PA3720-armR, the induction of mexAB-oprM expression by PCP is not wholly explainable by PCP induction of PA3720-armR and subsequent ArmR modulation of MexR, inasmuch as armR deletion mutants still showed PCP-inducible mexAB-oprM expression. PCP failed, however, to induce mexAB-oprM in a mexR deletion strain, indicating that MexR was required for this, although PCP did not modulate MexR binding to mexAB-oprM promoter-containing DNA in vitro. One possibility is that MexR responds to PCP-generated in vivo effector molecules in controlling mexAB-oprM expression in response to PCP. PCP is an unlikely effector and substrate for NalC and MexAB-OprM - its impact on NalC binding to the PA3720-armR promoter DNA occurred only at high µM levels - suggesting that it mimics an intended phenolic effector/substrate(s). In this regard, plants are an abundant source of phenolic antimicrobial compounds and, so, MexAB-OprM may function to protect P. aeruginosa from plant antimicrobials that it encounters in nature.
Regulation of DARPP‐32 dephosphorylation at PKA‐ and Cdk5‐sites by NMDA and AMPA receptors: distinct roles of calcineurin and protein phosphatase‐2A

Glutamatergic inputs from corticostriatal and thalamostriatal pathways have been shown to modulate dopaminergic signaling in neostriatal neurons. DARPP‐32 (dopamine‐ and cAMP‐regulated phosphoprotein of Mr 32 kDa) is a signal transduction molecule that regulates the efficacy of dopamine signaling in neostriatal neurons. Dopamine signaling is mediated in part through phosphorylation of DARPP‐32 at Thr34 by cAMP‐dependent protein kinase, and antagonized by phosphorylation of DARPP‐32 at Thr75 by cyclin‐dependent protein kinase 5. We have now investigated the effects of the ionotropic glutamate NMDA and AMPA receptors on DARPP‐32 phosphorylation in neostriatal slices. Activation of NMDA and AMPA receptors decreased the state of phosphorylation of DARPP‐32 at Thr34 and Thr75. The decrease in Thr34 phosphorylation was mediated through Ca2+‐dependent activation of the Ca2+‐/calmodulin‐dependent phosphatase, calcineurin. In contrast, the decrease in Thr75 phosphorylation was mediated through Ca2+‐dependent activation of dephosphorylation by protein phosphatase‐2A. The results provide support for a complex effect of glutamate on dopaminergic signaling through the regulation of dephosphorylation of different sites of DARPP‐32 by different protein phosphatases.
Mobile robot motion estimation by 2D scan matching with genetic and iterative closest point algorithms

The paper reports on mobile robot motion estimation based on matching points from successive two‐dimensional (2D) laser scans. This ego‐motion approach is well suited to unstructured and dynamic environments because it directly uses raw laser points rather than extracted features. We have analyzed the application of two methods that are very different in essence: (i) A 2D version of iterative closest point (ICP), which is widely used for surface registration; (ii) a genetic algorithm (GA), which is a novel approach for this kind of problem. Their performance in terms of real‐time applicability and accuracy has been compared in outdoor experiments with nonstop motion under diverse realistic navigation conditions. Based on this analysis, we propose a hybrid GA‐ICP algorithm that combines the best characteristics of these pure methods. The experiments have been carried out with the tracked mobile robot Auriga‐α and an on‐board 2D laser scanner. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cardiomyogenic potential of human adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of adult human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to differentiate towards a cardiomyogenic phenotype IN VITRO. METHODS Bone marrow samples were aspirated from 30 patients undergoing open heart surgery from the anterior iliac crest. Second passaged cells were treated with 10 microM 5-azacytidine. As control groups we used cells not expanded in culture and cells untreated with 5-azacytidine. Morphologic characteristics were analysed by confocal and electron microscopy. The expression of the cytoskeletal protein vimentin and muscle-specific myocin heavy chain was analysed by immunohistochemistry. The expression of the cardiomyocyte specific genes alpha-cardiac actin, beta-myocin heavy chain and cardiac troponin-T was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Mesenchymal stem cells were spindle-shaped with irregular processes. Cells treated with 5-azacytidine assumed a stick-like morphology. They connected with adjoining cells to form myotube-like structures. Numerous myofilaments were detected in induced cells which were immunohistochemically positive for myosin heavy chain and vimentin. The mRNAs of all specific cardiac genes were expressed in both induced and uninduced cells. CONCLUSION These results indicate that adult human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells treated with 5-aza can differentiate towards a cardiomyogenic lineage IN VITRO.
Brain Adipocytokine Action and Metabolic Regulation

Adipose tissue secretes factors that control various physiological systems. The fall in leptin during fasting mediates hyperphagia and suppresses thermogenesis, thyroid and reproductive hormones, and immune system. On the other hand, rising leptin levels in the fed state stimulate fatty acid oxidation, decrease appetite, and limit weight gain. These divergent effects of leptin occur through neuronal circuits in the hypothalamus and other brain areas. Leptin also regulates the activities of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism, e.g., AMP-activated protein kinase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1, and also interacts with insulin signaling in the brain. Adiponectin enhances fatty acid oxidation and insulin sensitivity, in part by stimulating AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation and activity in liver and muscle. Moreover, adiponectin decreases body fat by increasing energy expenditure and lipid catabolism. These effects involve peripheral and possibly central mechanisms. Adipose tissue mediates interconversion of steroid hormones and secretes proinflammatory cytokines, vasoactive peptides, and coagulation and complement proteins. Understanding the actions of these “adipocytokines” will provide insight into the pathogenesis and treatment of obesity and related diseases.
The Future of the Academy: Who’s Looking for Whom?

Individuals seeking academic employment opportunities often do so by exploring hiring announcements that are advertised online through Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, American Society of Criminology, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Because limited educational resources and budget constraints can impact hiring decisions that are made at institutions of higher learning over time, it is important for candidates to consider exactly what employers are looking for in prospective professionals and to see how they measure up to the demands brought on by academic job searches. Using quantitative content analyses of recent job postings on popular academic job search websites, this study explores recent trends in the hiring of criminology and criminal justice professionals, paying particular attention to exactly which positions are being sought after by colleges and universities and how the presence of online technology has changed hiring trends within our field.
Induction of cell lysis in Escherichia coli: cooperative effect of nocardicin A and mecillinam

Nocardicin A and mecillinam are two beta-lactam antibiotics with poor bacteriolytic activity against Escherichia coli. However, the combined use of these drugs resulted in the induction of a fast lytic response in E. coli cells. For this cooperative effect to take place, the formation of a complex between penicillin-binding protein 2 and mecillinam is apparently necessary. This suggests that penicillin-binding protein 2 might be actively involved in the response of E. coli to bacteriolytic beta-lactam antibiotics.
NF1 exon 22 analysis of individuals with the clinical diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1

Café‐au‐lait macules are frequently seen in Ras‐MAPK pathway disorders and are a cardinal feature of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Most NF1 individuals develop age‐related tumorigenic manifestations (e.g., neurofibromas), although individuals with a specific 3‐bp deletion in exon 22 of NF1 (c.2970_2972delAAT) have an attenuated phenotype with primarily pigmentary manifestations. Previous reports identify this deletion c. 2970_2972delAAT in exon 17 of NF1 using NF Consortium nomenclature. For this report, we elected to use standard NCBI nomenclature, which places this identical deletion within exon 22. SPRED1 mutations cause Legius syndrome, which clinically overlaps with this attenuated NF1 phenotype. In an unselected cohort of 50 individuals who fulfilled NIH clinical diagnostic criteria from an NF Clinic and did not have SPRED1 mutations, we sequenced NF1 exon 22 in order to identify children and adolescents with multiple café‐au‐lait spots who could be projected to have lower likelihood to develop tumors. Two individuals with NF1 exon 22 mutations were identified: an 11‐year‐old boy with the c. 2970_2972delAAT in‐frame deletion and a 4‐year‐old boy with c.2866dupA. The father of the second patient had an attenuated form of NF1 and showed 24% germline mosaicism of the c.2866dupA mutation in whole blood. These individuals emphasize the need for mutation analysis in some individuals with the clinical diagnosis of NF1 who lack the tumorigenic or classic skeletal abnormalities of NF1. Specifically, with the identification of Legius syndrome, the need to recognize the attenuated phenotype of NF1 mosaicism and confirmation by mutation analysis is increasingly important for appropriate medical management and family counseling. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effects of cranberry juice on serum glucose, apoB, apoA-I, Lp(a), and Paraoxonase-1 activity in type 2 diabetic male patients

Background: Type 2 diabetic patients are faced with a higher risk of dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disorders. This study was undertaken to assess the effect of consumption of 1 cup cranberry juice by type 2 diabetic patients on serum paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) activity, apoA-1, apoB, glucose, and Lp(a). Methods: In a double-blind randomized clinical trial, 58 type 2 diabetic male patients were randomly divided to receive 1 cup cranberry juice (CJ) or placebo drink daily for 12 weeks. Fasting blood were obtained at beginning and at the end of study (12th week). Serum glucose and PON-1 activity were measured by enzymatic and colorimetric methods, respectively. ApoB, apoA-I, and Lp(a) were determined immunoturbidimetrically. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 16. Results: There were significant decrease in serum glucose and apoB (P>0.05 and P>0.01, respectively) and significant increase in serum apoA-1 and PON-1 activity (P>0.05 and P<0.01, respectively) at the end of study in CJ group compared with control group. In CJ group at the end of study, there were significant decrease in serum glucose and apoB (P<0.01 and P<0.01, respectively) and significant increase in serum apo A-1 and PON-1 activity (P<0.01 and P<0.01, respectively) compared with initial values. In CJ group, there was no significant change in Lp(a) at the end of study compared with initial values and also compared with control group. Conclusion: 1 cup CJ for 12 weeks is effective in reducing serum glucose and apoB and increasing apoA-1 and PON-1 activity, so may have favorite effects on reducing CVD risk factors in type 2 diabetic male patients.
Modelling Coevolution in Multispecies Communities.

We introduce the Webworld model, which links together the ecological modelling of food web structure with the evolutionary modelling of speciation and extinction events. The model describes dynamics of ecological communities on an evolutionary time-scale. Species are defined as sets of characteristic features, and these features are used to determine interaction scores between species. A simple rule is used to transfer resources from the external environment through the food web to each of the species, and to determine mean population sizes. A time step in the model represents a speciation event. A new species is added with features similar to those of one of the existing species and a new food web structure is than calculated. The new species may (i) add stably to the web, (ii) become extinct immediately because it is poorly adapted, or (iii) cause one or more other species to become extinct due to competition for resources. We measure various properties of the model webs and compare these with data on real food webs. These properties include the proportions of basal, intermediate and top species, the number of links per species and the number of trophic levels. We also study the evolutionary dynamics of the model ecosystem by following the fluctuations in the total number of species in the web. Extinction avalanches occur when novel organisms arise which are significantly better adapted than existing ones. We discuss these results in relation to the observed extinction events in the fossil record, and to the theory of self-organized criticality.Copyright 1998 Academic Press
Mutldimensional Screening in Insurance Markets with Adverse Selection

Bundled coverage of different losses and distinct perils, along with differential deductibles and policy limits, are common features of insurance contracts. We show that, through these practices, insurers can implement multidimensional screening of insurance applicants who possess hidden knowledge of their risks, and thereby reduce the externality cost of adverse selection. Competitive forces drive insurers to exploit multidimensional screening, enhancing the efficiency of insurance contracting. Moreover, multidimensional screening allows competitive insurance markets to attain pure strategy Nash equilibria over a wider range of applicant pools, resolving completely the Rothschild-Stiglitz nonexistence puzzle in markets where the perils space is sufficiently divisible.
Early Inference in Energy-Based Models Approximates Back-Propagation

We show that Langevin MCMC inference in an energy-based model with latent variables has the property that the early steps of inference, starting from a stationary point, correspond to propagating error gradients into internal layers, similarly to back-propagation. The error that is back-propagated is with respect to visible units that have received an outside driving force pushing them away from the stationary point. Back-propagated error gradients correspond to temporal derivatives of the activation of hidden units. This observation could be an element of a theory for explaining how brains perform credit assignment in deep hierarchies as efficiently as back-propagation does. In this theory, the continuous-valued latent variables correspond to averaged voltage potential (across time, spikes, and possibly neurons in the same minicolumn), and neural computation corresponds to approximate inference and error back-propagation at the same time.
A Survey of Evolutionary Computation for Resource Management of Processing in Cloud Computing [Review Article]

Cloud computing is significantly reshaping the computing industry. Individuals and small organizations can benefit from using state-of-the-art services and infrastructure, while large companies are attracted by the flexibility and the speed with which they can obtain the services. Service providers compete to offer the most attractive conditions at the lowest prices. However, the environmental impact and legal aspects of cloud solutions pose additional challenges. Indeed, the new cloud-related techniques for resource virtualization and sharing and the corresponding service level agreements call for new optimization models and solutions. It is important for computational intelligence researchers to understand the novelties introduced by cloud computing. The current survey highlights and classifies key research questions, the current state of the art, and open problems.
Singleness and self-identity

Demographic trends in recent decades such as the delay and decline in marriage and increase in divorce have meant more men and women experiencing periods of singleness. For women in particular, singleness has long been considered anomalous: normative femininity, bound up with marriage and motherhood, has meant single woman being represented in terms of deficit or deviance. The increase in singleness is one aspect of wider social changes that have implications for the categories of identity available to single women. In this article, I draw on in-depth qualitative interviews with never-married single women in Britain to examine the single self-identities evident in their narratives. I consider the extent to which these suggest shifts in the centrality of partnership status in the context of the latter half of the 20th century.
Validity of Glycated Hemoglobin in Screening and Diagnosing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Subjects

Background/Aims The application of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) for the diagnosis of diabetes is currently under extensive discussion. In this study, we explored the validity of using HbA1c as a screening and diagnostic test in Chinese subjects recruited in Nanjing, China. Methods In total, 497 subjects (361 men and 136 women) with fasting plasma glucose (PG) ≥ 5.6 mmol/L were recruited to undergo the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HbA1c test. Plasma lipid, uric acid, and blood pressure were also measured. Results Using a receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cutoff point of HbA1c related to diabetes diagnosed by the OGTT was 6.3%, with a sensitivity and specificity of 79.6% and 82.2%, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 0.92). A HbA1c level of 6.5% had a sensitivity and specificity of 62.7% and 93.5%, respectively. When comparing the HbA1c ≥ 6.5% or OGTT methods for diagnosing diabetes, the former group had significantly higher HbA1c levels and lower levels of fasting and 2-hour PG than the latter group. No significant difference was observed in the other metabolism indexes between the two groups. Conclusions Our results suggest that HbA1c ≥ 6.5% has reasonably good specificity for diagnosing diabetes in Chinese subjects, which is in concordance with the American Diabetes Association recommendations.