Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Geometry of Interpretable Features: Infl in English and Spanish

This article proposes a feature-geometric analysis of the interpretable features of Infl, using MINIMALIST syntax and DISTRIBUTED MORPHOLOGY. A small universal set of monovalent interpretable features and a set of entailment relations among them provide the basis for a principled account of the tense systems of English and Spanish. While each feature, each lexical item, and each vocabulary item has a unified representation, surface polysemy is shown to arise from the mappings between them. Crosslinguistic variation is shown to arise from the different features chosen by each language and from the ways in which each language assembles its features into lexical items and vocabulary items. In addition, the presence or absence of a dependent feature F in a given language is shown to have important consequences for the semantic interpretation of the feature dominating F. These three possible differences interact to produce the significant superficial differences between the tense systems of the two languages.
Changing Attributions with an Attribution Training Technique Related to Basketball Dribbling

There is a shortage of research in which the effect of attribution training interventions on sport performance has been investigated. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to determine the influence of an attribution training program on individuals who attribute their sport performance to dysfunctional attributions. Sixty college recreational basketball players were oriented to perceive their performance in a basketball skill task as due to (a) controllable, unstable factors, (b) uncontrollable, stable factors, or (c) no specific factors. Dependent variables included attributions and performance time. Using MANOVA and repeated measures factorial ANOVAs, results revealed that it is possible to modify attributions and performance in regard to a basketball performance task. The data are supportive of the potential influence of attribution training in a sport setting and the use of a controllable, unstable dimensional orientation as a means to improve performance.
Examining Dilemmas of Practice Associated With the Integration of Technology Into Mathematics Classrooms Serving Urban Students

This article contributes to research on contextual influences on technology integration in urban mathematics classrooms through an investigation of five middle-grade teachers’ participation in a laptop program. Drawing on activity theory, findings illuminate teachers’ dilemmas and coping strategies in their efforts to integrate technology. Dilemmas of practice included (a) determining the role of technology, (b) meeting misaligned expectations, and (c) gaining knowledge and skills despite limited professional development. Coping strategies included (a) integrating multiple institutional goals, (b) breaking rules, and (c) redistributing instructional responsibilities across colleagues and students. Implications for administrative practice, teacher education, and future research are discussed.
An examination of the variation in maternal placentae across the genus Poeciliopsis (Poeciliidae)

Placentae show considerable diversity in a number of nonmammalian, viviparous organisms, including amphibians, reptilian sauropsids, teleost fish, and chondrichthyes. However, the evolutionary processes driving the evolution of placenta are still debated. In teleost fishes, the genus Poeciliopsis (Poeciliidae) offers a rare opportunity for studying placental evolution: extensive placentation has evolved three independent times within the last 750,000 years and there is substantial interspecific variation in the degree of embryonic, maternal nutrient provisioning and development of the placenta. In poeciliids, the placenta is composed of a hypertrophied maternal follicular epithelium apposed to a highly vascularized embryonic pericardial sac. To better understand placental evolution, we have undertaken a comprehensive comparative study of the maternal follicle in eight closely related Poeciliopsis species that span the range in postfertilization, embryonic, maternal nutrient provisioning (from lecithotrophs, to moderate matrotrophs, to extensive matrotrophs). Using light and scanning electron microscopy, we found that the species that provide extensive postfertilization maternal nutrient provisioning (extensive matrotrophs) have thicker follicles and more extensive folding of the follicular epithelium compared to the lecithotrophs and moderate matrotrophs. Follicle sections and histology revealed that epithelial folds of the extensive matrotrophs are comprised primarily of cuboidal and columnar cells and are richly supplied with capillaries. Among the extensive matrotrophs, enhancements of follicle traits corresponded with increases in the level of maternal nutrient provisioning. Hypertrophied maternal follicles with richly vascularized folds can serve to increase the surface area and, thus, facilitate the transfer of substances between the mother and developing embryo. Finally, we found egg envelopes in the lecithotrophs and moderate matrotrophs, but not in the extensive matrotrophs. Morphological studies, like this one, can provide a better understanding of the natural variation in the structure and functioning of maternal and offspring traits associated with matrotrophy and, thus, insights into the processes driving placental evolution. J. Morphol. 276:707–720, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reduced Milk Triglycerides in Mice Lacking Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase in Mammary Gland Adipocytes and White Adipose Tissue Contribute to the Development of Insulin Resistance in Pups

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are growing problems worldwide in adults and children. This study focused on understanding the patterning of insulin resistance as a result of altered perinatal nutrition. We analyzed mice in which the binding site for peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was deleted from the promoter of the cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene (Pck1) (PPARE−/−). We analyzed pups from dams with the same genotype as well as fostered and cross‐fostered pups. Pck1 expression and triglyceride content in the milk were measured. The PPARE mutation reduced Pck1 expression in WAT to 2.2% of wild type (WT) and reduced Pck1 expression in whole mammary gland tissue to 1% of WT. The female PPARE−/− mice presented reduced lipid storage in mammary gland adipocytes and in WAT, resulting in a 40% reduction of milk triglycerides during lactation. Pups from PPARE−/− dams exhibited insulin resistance as early as 14 days after birth, a condition that persisted into adulthood. Wild type pups fostered by PPARE−/− dams have lower body weights and plasma insulin concentrations compared to WT pups reared by WT dams. PPARE−/− pups fostered by WT dams have improved glucose clearance compared to pups raised by PPARE−/− dams. PPARE+/− and PPARE−/− dams patterned the newborn pup for reduced growth and insulin resistance in utero as well. Thus, in utero environment and altered nutrition in the perinatal period cause epigenetic changes that last into adulthood and contribute to the development of insulin resistance. J Nutr. 139:1–9, 2009.
A Single-Session Preliminary Evaluation of an Affordable BCI-Controlled Arm Exoskeleton and Motor-Proprioception Platform

Traditional, hospital-based stroke rehabilitation can be labor-intensive and expensive. Furthermore, outcomes from rehabilitation are inconsistent across individuals and recovery is hard to predict. Given these uncertainties, numerous technological approaches have been tested in an effort to improve rehabilitation outcomes and reduce the cost of stroke rehabilitation. These techniques include brain–computer interface (BCI), robotic exoskeletons, functional electrical stimulation (FES), and proprioceptive feedback. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have combined all these approaches into a rehabilitation platform that facilitates goal-directed motor movements. Therefore, in this paper, we combined all these technologies to test the feasibility of using a BCI-driven exoskeleton with FES (robotic training device) to facilitate motor task completion among individuals with stroke. The robotic training device operated to assist a pre-defined goal-directed motor task. Because it is hard to predict who can utilize this type of technology, we considered whether the ability to adapt skilled movements with proprioceptive feedback would predict who could learn to control a BCI-driven robotic device. To accomplish this aim, we developed a motor task that requires proprioception for completion to assess motor-proprioception ability. Next, we tested the feasibility of robotic training system in individuals with chronic stroke (n = 9) and found that the training device was well tolerated by all the participants. Ability on the motor-proprioception task did not predict the time to completion of the BCI-driven task. Both participants who could accurately target (n = 6) and those who could not (n = 3), were able to learn to control the BCI device, with each BCI trial lasting on average 2.47 min. Our results showed that the participants’ ability to use proprioception to control motor output did not affect their ability to use the BCI-driven exoskeleton with FES. Based on our preliminary results, we show that our robotic training device has potential for use as therapy for a broad range of individuals with stroke.
Few multiyear precipitation–reduction experiments find a shift in the productivity–precipitation relationship

Well‐defined productivity–precipitation relationships of ecosystems are needed as benchmarks for the validation of land models used for future projections. The productivity–precipitation relationship may be studied in two ways: the spatial approach relates differences in productivity to those in precipitation among sites along a precipitation gradient (the spatial fit, with a steeper slope); the temporal approach relates interannual productivity changes to variation in precipitation within sites (the temporal fits, with flatter slopes). Precipitation–reduction experiments in natural ecosystems represent a complement to the fits, because they can reduce precipitation below the natural range and are thus well suited to study potential effects of climate drying. Here, we analyse the effects of dry treatments in eleven multiyear precipitation–manipulation experiments, focusing on changes in the temporal fit. We expected that structural changes in the dry treatments would occur in some experiments, thereby reducing the intercept of the temporal fit and displacing the productivity–precipitation relationship downward the spatial fit. The majority of experiments (72%) showed that dry treatments did not alter the temporal fit. This implies that current temporal fits are to be preferred over the spatial fit to benchmark land‐model projections of productivity under future climate within the precipitation ranges covered by the experiments. Moreover, in two experiments, the intercept of the temporal fit unexpectedly increased due to mechanisms that reduced either water loss or nutrient loss. The expected decrease of the intercept was observed in only one experiment, and only when distinguishing between the late and the early phases of the experiment. This implies that we currently do not know at which precipitation–reduction level or at which experimental duration structural changes will start to alter ecosystem productivity. Our study highlights the need for experiments with multiple, including more extreme, dry treatments, to identify the precipitation boundaries within which the current temporal fits remain valid.
Age, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Patterns in Early Computer Use

Parents were interviewed about the media habits of their 6-month to 6-year-old children. For children who had used computers, linear increases in computer usage occurred across this age range with a shift from using a computer on a parent’s lapat aboutage 21/2 to autonomous computer and mouse use at about age 31/2. There were almost no gender differences in early computer patterns. Families with higher incomes and higher education levels were more likely to own computers and to have Internet access from home. Latino families were least likely to own a computer; Latino and African American families were less likely than Caucasian families to have Internet access at home. Parents perceived computers favorably for children’s learning. No relationship was found between the frequency with which children play computer games and the likelihood that they can read, but increased nongame computer use was associated with increased likelihood of reading.
A Review and Reformulation of Adoptive Relationships from an Attachment Perspective

ABSTRACT From an attachment perspective, the formation and maintenance of adoptive relationships involve many atypical events and circumstances for both adoptive parents and adopted persons. The present analysis reviews the existing theoretical and empirical literature on several of these issues and examines the utility of conceptualizing them from an attachment perspective, focusing in particular on Bartholomew's (1990) categorical model of attachment styles. Inferences regarding the impact of attachment status (both for those who adopt and for those who have been adopted) on interpersonal and family functioning are formulated and critical areas in need of further research are outlined.
Potential Role of Hedgehog Pathway in Liver Response to Radiation

Radiation-induced fibrosis constitutes a major problem that is commonly observed in the patients undergoing radiotherapy; therefore, understanding its pathophysiological mechanism is important. The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway induces the proliferation of progenitors and myofibroblastic hepatic stellate cells (MF-HSCs) and promotes the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), thereby regulating the repair response in the damaged liver. We examined the response of normal liver to radiation injury. Male mice were sacrificed at 6 weeks and 10 weeks after exposure to a single dose of 6 Gy and the livers were collected for biochemical analysis. Irradiated (IR) and control mice were compared for progenitors, fibrosis, Hh pathway, and EMT at 6 and 10 weeks post irradiation. Fatty hepatocytes were observed and the expressions of Hh ligand, Indian Hh. were greater in the livers at 6 weeks, whereas expression of another Hh ligand, Sonic Hh, increased at 10 weeks post irradiation. Both Smoothened, Hh receptor, and Gli2, Hh-target gene, were up-regulated at 6 and 10 weeks after irradiation. Accumulation of progenitors (CD44, Pan-cytokeratin, and Sox9) was significant in IR livers at 6 and 10 weeks. RNA analysis showed enhanced expression of the EMT–stimulating factor, tgf-β, in the IR livers at 6 weeks and the upregulation of mesenchymal markers (α-SMA, collagen, N-cadherin, and s100a4), but down-regulation of EMT inhibitors, in IR mouse livers at 6 and 10 weeks. Increased fibrosis was observed in IR mouse livers at 10 weeks. Treatment of mice with Hh inhibitor, GDC-0449, suppressed Hh activity and block the proliferation of hepatic progenitor and expression of EMT-stimulating genes in irradiated mice. Therefore, those results demonstrated that the Hh pathway increased in response to liver injury by radiation and promoted a compensatory proliferation of MF-HSCs and progenitors, thereby regulating liver remodeling.
Effectiveness of teaching story grammar knowledge to pre-school children with language impairment. An exploratory study

Narrative intervention is becoming a common feature in clinical treatment. However, there is a lack of research to support clinicians in their endeavour to provide effective and efficient intervention for children with narrative deficits. For the current study, 13 preschool children with language impairment (ages from 4;8 to 6;4) participated in a narrative intervention programme. Narrative intervention activities explicitly taught story grammar components. A mixed group and single-subject experimental design was used. Two measures of content were used to analyse children’s story productions: story information and episode level. As a group, children included more story information and produced more structurally complex stories following intervention. Single-subject data revealed that half the children showed statistically significant improvements for story information and episode level. Although the results of the study are mixed it is clear that the narrative productions of pre-school children with language impairment improve after narrative intervention. Clinically significant results are discussed along with directions for further research.
Coping with a Cluttered Marketplace: Athlete Choice of Products to Support Training*

To determine whether athletes are confused about supplementation, this study examines the relative levels of adult runners’ and triathletes’ preferences for postexercise recovery drink attributes (price, fat, taste, scientific evidence, and endorsement by a celebrity athlete), and the ways those preferences segment. It then examines the effect of athlete characteristics on segment and drink choice. Only a plurality of athletes (40.6%) chose a carbohydrate-protein postexercise recovery drink (the optimal choice), despite the fact that they valued scientific evidence highly. Athletes disliked or were indifferent to endorsement by a celebrity athlete, moderately disliked fat, and slightly preferred better tasting products. Cluster analysis of part-worths from conjoint analysis identified six market segments, showing that athletes anchored on one or two product attributes when choosing among alternatives. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that media influence, hours trained, market segment, gender, and.
Regulated subset of G1 growth-control genes in response to derepression by the Wnt pathway

Pitx2 is a bicoid-related homeodomain factor that is required for effective cell type-specific proliferation directly activating a specific growth-regulating gene cyclin D2. Here, we report that Pitx2, in response to the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and growth signals, also can regulate c-Myc and cyclin D1. Investigation of molecular mechanisms required for Pitx2-dependent proliferation, in these cases, further supports a nuclear role for β-catenin in preventing the histone deacetylase 1-dependent inhibitory functions of several DNA-binding transcriptional repressors, potentially including E2F4/p130 pocket protein inhibitory complex, as well as lymphoid enhancer factor 1 and Pitx2, by dismissal of histone deacetylase 1 and loss of its enzymatic activity. Thus, β-catenin plays a signal-integrating role in Wnt- and growth factor-dependent proliferation events in mammalian development by both derepressing several classes of repressors and by activating Pitx2, regulating the activity of several growth control genes.
ERP and fMRI measures of visual spatial selective attention

In two prior studies, we investigated the neural mechanisms of spatial attention using a combined event‐related potential (ERP) and positron emission tomography (PET) approach (Heinze et al. [1994]: Nature 392:543–546; Mangun et al. [1997]: Hum Brain Mapp 5:273–279). Neural activations in extrastriate cortex were observed in the PET measures for attended stimuli, and these effects were related to attentional modulations in the ERPs at specific latencies. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and ERPs in single subjects to investigate the intersubject variability in extrastriate spatial attention effects, and to qualitatively compare this to variations in ERP attention effects. Activations in single subjects replicated our prior group‐averaged PET findings, showing attention‐related increases in blood flow in the posterior fusiform and middle occipital gyri in the hemisphere contralateral to attended visual stimuli. All subjects showed attentional modulations of the occipital P1 component of the ERPs. These findings in single subjects demonstrate the consistency of extrastriate attention effects, and provide information about the feasibility of this approach for integration of electrical and functional imaging data. Hum. Brain Mapping 6:383–389, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Human Microglia Transplanted in Rat Focal Ischemia Brain Induce Neuroprotection and Behavioral Improvement

Background and Purpose Microglia are resident immunocompenent and phagocytic cells of central nervous system (CNS), which produce various cytokines and growth factors in response to injury and thereby regulate disease pathology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of microglial transplantation on focal cerebral ischemia model in rat. Methods Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats was induced by the intraluminal filament technique. HMO6 cells, human microglial cell line, were transplanted intravenously at 48 hours after MCAO. Functional tests were performed and the infarct volume was measured at 7 and 14 days after MCAO. Migration and cell survival of transplanted microglial cells and host glial reaction in the brain were studied by immunohistochemistry. Gene expression of neurotrophic factors, cytokines and chemokines in transplanted cells and host rat glial cells was determined by laser capture microdissection (LCM) and quantitative real time-PCR. Results HMO6 human microglial cells transplantion group demonstrated significant functional recovery compared with control group. At 7 and 14 days after MCAO, infarct volume was significantly reduced in the HMO group. In the HMO6 group, number of apoptotic cells was time-dependently reduced in the infarct core and penumbra. In addition, number of host rat microglia/macrophages and reactive astrocytes was significantly decreased at 7 and 14 days after MCAO in the penumbra. Gene expression of various neurotrophic factors (GDNF, BDNF, VEGF and BMP7) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL4 and IL5) was up-regulated in transplanted HMO6 cells of brain tissue compared with those in culture. The expression of GDNF and VEGF in astrocytes in penumbra was significantly up-regulated in the HMO6 group. Conclusions Our results indicate that transplantation of HMO6 human microglial cells reduces ischemic deficits and apoptotic events in stroke animals. The results were mediated by modulation of gliosis and neuroinflammation, and neuroprotection provided by neurotrophic factors of endogenous and transplanted cells-origin.
Music learning in preschool with mobile devices

ABSTRACT Mobile and game-based learning are novel approaches characterised by the use of mobile devices and enabling learning anywhere and at any time. In this paper, we share an experience-based design and a pilot study to introduce music learning in preschool education. SAMI (Software for music learning in early childhood education) is a mobile application consisting of four games which main objectives are ear training, sound discrimination and music composition. The pilot study carried out in a real-life setting with third-year kindergarten children provides empirical data about music learning outcomes and compares an experimental group of children using SAMI with a control group which follows the traditional Montessori bells method. Our study results reveal a number of key findings for the design of preschool mobile games and the potential of using mobile technologies for music learning in early childhood.