Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing metacognition: a basis for active learning

The reasons to introduce formats of active learning in engineering (ALE) such as project work, problem-based learning, use of cases, etc. are mostly based on practical experience, and sometimes from applied research on teaching and learning. Such research shows that students learn more and different abilities than in traditional formats of teaching. These abilities are often required by the employers of the alumni and are therefore included in the curricula to educate competent practitioners. A major problem is, however, that a coherent theoretical background explaining the mechanisms underlying ALE is all but lacking. Therefore, it is not clear what the developmental objectives of ALE are. A theoretical basis embedded in learning psychology is needed. A promising concept to fill this gap seems to be the construct of metacognition (Vos 2001, Metacognition in Higher Education, PhD thesis (Enschede: Twente University Press)) as distinct from cognition. Cognition is concerned with what someone knows, metacognition with what people know about their knowledge (Flavell 1979, American Psychologist, 34, 906–911, Metcalfe and Shimamura (eds) 1994, On Knowing what we Know: Review of Metacognition (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press)). Our proposal is that ALE is focused on developing metacognition above or more than cognition. This foundation is important because education for cognitive objectives differs from that for metacognitive ones. Also, metacognitive objectives are more difficult to obtain. The use of founding ALE in the development of metacognition is that knowledge about metacognition serves to formulate clear goals of ALE. From knowledge about metacognitive development, hints can also be derived to raise the effectiveness of ALE.
Cultural aspects of pain: A study of Indian Asian women in the UK

OBJECTIVES Culture and ethnicity are acknowledged as important factors in the context of the biopsychosocial model. They may contribute to explaining the experience of pain, therapeutic encounters within healthcare, and the strategies that individuals use to cope with pain. The present study explored these issues in a sample of Indian Asian women in the UK. METHODS Based on a phenomenological approach, 17 women participated in five semi-structured group interviews. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis, so as to identify core themes and subthemes inductively from the data. RESULTS Six themes were identified: meaning of pain; personal experience of pain; causes of pain; coping strategies; family and friends; experience of healthcare. Pain was conceptualized in both physical and mental terms, and its experience was explained largely in terms of functional consequences. The causes of pain offered suggested externalized beliefs, relating to events in participants' lives, rather than being expressed in biomedical terms. Alongside culture-specific therapies, the women spoke of coping strategies based on rest and activity. Although satisfaction with healthcare appeared to be high overall, problems due to communication - sometimes related to a language barrier - were voiced by some participants. CONCLUSIONS Greater attention to cultural aspects of the pain experience may assist health professionals in communicating with and managing patients with pain from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Heterogeneity and learning in inflation expectation formation: an empirical assessment

Relying on Michigan Survey's monthly micro data on inflation expectations we try to determine the main features - in terms of sources and degree of heterogeneity - of inflation expectation formation over different phases of the business cycle. Different learning rules have been applied to the data, in order to test whether agents are learning and whether their expectations are converging towards perfect foresight. Results suggest that behaviour of agents in the right hand side of the distribution is more associated with learning dynamics. Tests for "static" and "dynamic" versions of sticky information are also conducted. Only agents in the middle of the distribution are regularly updating their information sets. Evidence of rational inattention has been found for agents comprised in the upper end of the distribution. We identify three regions of the overall distribution corresponding to different expectation formation processes, which display a heterogeneous response to main macroeconomic indicators : a static or highly autoregressive (LHS) group, a "nearly" rational group (middle), and a group of agents (RHS) behaving in accordance to adaptive learning and sticky information. The latter, generally speaking, are too "pessimistic" as they overreact to macroeconomic fluctuations.
Some useful methods for measuring the benefits of social science research

What are the “returns” to policy-oriented research in the social sciences? One presumes that the positive net benefits to society, or at least a certain segment of society, would be treated as returns, but how does one determine what these benefits are? Clearly benefits to some social science research are available because society continued to fund it, albeit at different levels in different locations and times. This paper cannot fully answer the questions of what it is we seek to measure in any empirical sense, although it will discuss this issue. The returns in the marketplace for social science research are those that exist in the eye of the customer who bears the cost of the research. This paper's primary goal is to offer the client some ways of measuring these returns. It does this with particular emphasis on methods that are often overlooked, even though some of them have been available to the analyst for decades. It also explains some of the costs and benefits of each method and explains how some of them may be used together in order to achieve a higher level of efficacy in measurement.
Enveloping cell-layer differentiation at the surface of zebrafish germ-layer tissue explants

Tissue surface tension (TST) is an important mechanical property influencing cell sorting and tissue envelopment. The study by Manning et al. (1) reported on a mathematical model describing TST on the basis of the balance between adhesive and tensile properties of the constituent cells. The model predicts that, in high-adhesion cell aggregates, surface cells will be stretched to maintain the same area of cell–cell contact as interior bulk cells, resulting in an elongated and flattened cell shape. The authors (1) observed flat and elongated cells at the surface of high-adhesion zebrafish germ-layer explants, which they argue are undifferentiated stretched germ-layer progenitor cells, and they use this observation as a validation of their model.
Mechanism design for energy efficiency in wireless networks

Network mechanism design aims to achieve system level goals such as efficiency or social welfare maximization through resource allocation mechanisms on networks, where individual users are selfish and independent decision-makers. This paper focuses on mechanisms for energy efficiency in uplink of multi-carrier wireless systems and rate control in wireless networks. The problem is modeled as strategic (nonco-operative) game with a resource pricing scheme, where the prices are imposed by a mechanism designer. The users decide on their actions according to both own preferences and given prices. The rules and incentives of the mechanism are designed in such a way that the system objective which is a combination of social welfare and energy efficiency is maximized. A weighting parameter in the objective function allows to smoothly vary the emphasis from social welfare to energy efficiency according to the preference of the designer. The users are assumed initially to be concerned only about their throughput. However, the designer modifies their incentives using pricing so that they become more energy-aware. A distributed optimization framework is developed accordingly in which users have general concave utilities (in terms of throughput) that are unknown to the designer and the energy-efficiency objective is expressed as a convex function of user power levels. An iterative pricing mechanism is obtained as a result, and illustrated through simulations.
The synergistic effect of miglitol plus metformin combination therapy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and safety of miglitol in combination with metformin in improving glycemic control in outpatients in whom type 2 diabetes is insufficiently controlled by diet alone. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 324 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized, after an 8-week placebo run-in period, to treatment with either placebo, miglitol alone, metformin alone, or miglitol plus metformin for 36 weeks. The miglitol was titrated to 100 mg three times a day and metformin was administered at 500 mg three times a day. The primary efficacy criterion was change in HbA(1c) from baseline to the end of treatment. Secondary parameters included changes in fasting and postprandial plasma glucose and insulin levels, serum triglyceride levels, and responder rate. RESULTS A total of 318 patients were valid for intent-to-treat analysis. A reduction in mean placebo-subtracted HbA(1c) of -1.78% was observed with miglitol plus metformin combination therapy, which was significantly different from treatment with metformin alone (-1.25; P = 0.002). Miglitol plus metformin also resulted in better metabolic control than metformin alone for fasting plasma glucose (-44.8 vs. -20.4 mg/dl; P = 0.0025), 2-h postprandial glucose area under the curve (-59.0 vs. -18.0 mg/dl; P = 0.0001), and responder rate (70.6 vs. 45.52%; P = 0.0014). All therapies were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS In type 2 diabetic patients, miglitol in combination with metformin gives greater glycemic improvement than metformin monotherapy.
Molecular Mechanisms of GPCR Signaling: A Structural Perspective

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are cell surface receptors that respond to a wide variety of stimuli, from light, odorants, hormones, and neurotransmitters to proteins and extracellular calcium. GPCRs represent the largest family of signaling proteins targeted by many clinically used drugs. Recent studies shed light on the conformational changes that accompany GPCR activation and the structural state of the receptor necessary for the interactions with the three classes of proteins that preferentially bind active GPCRs, G proteins, G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), and arrestins. Importantly, structural and biophysical studies also revealed activation-related conformational changes in these three types of signal transducers. Here, we summarize what is already known and point out questions that still need to be answered. Clear understanding of the structural basis of signaling by GPCRs and their interaction partners would pave the way to designing signaling-biased proteins with scientific and therapeutic potential.
Side Lobe Suppression Based on Optimized Phase Rotation Sequence

This paper proposes an optimized phase rotation sequence method for side lobe suppression by complementing and regulating the side lobe suppression sequence set. The sequence set is efficiently enhanced through the quadratically constrained least square model. The theoretical suppression performance of our method is discussed. Furthermore, our scheme is also suitable for cognitive radio, which is analyzed in the simulation part. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of our schemes.
Developmental regulation of active and passive membrane properties in rat vibrissa motoneurones

We characterized the electrophysiological properties of vibrissa motoneurones (vMNs) in rat. Intracellular recordings of vMNs in brainstem slices from animals aged P4 to P5 and P9 to P11, i.e. newborn animals, showed that the subthreshold membrane impedance has the form of passive decay. In particular, the impedance follows the 1/√f signature for long dendrites beyond a cut‐off frequency of fc= 8 Hz. In contrast, the impedance has the form of a resonant filter in vMNs from slices prepared from animals aged P17 to P23, i.e. young animals. The resonance has a peak near 4 Hz and an amplitude of 1.2 times that at low frequencies (f∼ 0.1Hz). The low frequency onset of the resonance is shown to depend on a hyperpolarization‐activated depolarizing current, Ih. This current functions as a high‐pass filter. The high frequency cut‐off of the resonance results from passive decay in long dendrites, similar to the case with newborn animals but with fc= 20Hz. In addition to a resonance in subthreshold properties, an enhanced resonance in spiking is observed in young as opposed to newborn animals. The transition from solely passive decay in vMNs from newborn animals to resonance in young animals coincides with the onset of whisking. Further, the width of the resonance encompasses the 4–15Hz range of exploratory whisking. Nonetheless, it remains to be shown if there is a causal relation between the regulation of currents in vMNs and the onset of whisking. In particular, we further observed that the membrane impedance of hypoglossal motoneurones from both newborn and young animals exhibits a subthreshold resonance that also peaks near 4Hz. The amplitude of this resonance increases from 1.1 to 1.4 times that at low frequencies in newborn versus young animals. We conjecture that resonance properties in vibrissa, hypoglossal, and potentially other motoneurones, may serve to transiently and purposely synchronize different orofacial behaviours.
Disparity between timed-kill and checkerboard methods for determination of in vitro bactericidal interactions of vancomycin plus rifampin versus methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The role of rifampin as an adjunctive agent to vancomycin in the therapy of serious systemic staphylococcal infections remains controversial. Several in vitro studies utilizing differing methodologies to define the bactericidal interactions of vancomycin plus rifampin versus Staphylococcus aureus have yielded markedly disparate results. The in vitro bactericidal synergistic activities of vancomycin plus rifampin were examined versus 48 clinical isolates of S. aureus, both methicillin susceptible and resistant. Each strain was tested simultaneously in timed-kill curve and checkerboard systems. By timed-kill curve, vancomycin plus rifampin usually had either an indifferent (67%) or synergistic (19 to 29%) effect, with a frequency dependent on sampling times; bactericidal antagonism was infrequently noted after 48 h of incubation (4%). Indifference was seen as a prevention of rifampin resistance by vancomycin. Synergy was more commonly noted at 48 than at 24 h of incubation. The bactericidal interaction results were similar for both methicillin-susceptible and -resistant strains. In contrast to the killing curve data, the checkerboard technique uniformly demonstrated bactericidal antagonism of vancomycin plus rifampin against all 48 staphylococci. We conclude that the nature of the in vitro bactericidal interactions of vancomycin plus rifampin against S. aureus is difficult to establish in vitro. This fact relates to the markedly disparate findings, which depended on both the synergy technique utilized and the test system conditions employed. In vivo studies are required to delineate the bactericidal interaction potentials of vancomycin plus rifampin versus S. aureus.
When is Foreign Aid Effective in Fighting Terrorism? Threshold Evidence

ABSTRACT Building on the previous literature, we assess when foreign aid is effective in fighting terrorism using quantile regressions on a panel of 78 developing countries for the period 1984–2008. Bilateral, multilateral and total aid indicators are used whereas terrorism includes: domestic, transnational, unclear and total terrorism dynamics. We consistently establish that foreign aid (bilateral, multilateral and total) is effective at fighting terrorism exclusively in countries where existing levels of transnational terrorism are highest. This finding is consistent with our theoretical underpinnings because donors have been documented to allocate more aid towards fighting transnational terrorist activities in recipient countries because they are more likely to target their interests. Moreover, the propensity of donor interest at stake is likely to increase with initial levels of transnational terrorism, such that the effect of foreign aid is most significant in recipient countries with the highest levels of transnational terrorism. Policy implications and future research directions are discussed.
Examining the long‐term impact of collaborative action research on teacher identity and practice: the perceptions of K–12 teachers

This study focused on teacher perceptions of the long‐term impacts of engaging in collaborative action research on professional identity and practice. This qualitative, phenomenological study focused on understanding the lived experiences of 10 teachers before, during, and after engaging in action research. Each teacher was interviewed before engaging in action research, after one year of engaging in action research, and two to four years after completing an action research project. Outcomes revealed that several aspects of teacher identity and classroom practice were changed. In addition, the impact of teacher engagement in action research on the broader educational context is discussed.
Socioeconomic Inequality in the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from a U.S. Cross-Sectional Study

Background This study was designed to evaluate the hypothesis that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children in the United States is positively associated with socioeconomic status (SES). Methods A cross-sectional study was implemented with data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, a multiple source surveillance system that incorporates data from educational and health care sources to determine the number of 8-year-old children with ASD among defined populations. For the years 2002 and 2004, there were 3,680 children with ASD among a population of 557 689 8-year-old children. Area-level census SES indicators were used to compute ASD prevalence by SES tertiles of the population. Results Prevalence increased with increasing SES in a dose-response manner, with prevalence ratios relative to medium SES of 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64, 0.76) for low SES, and of 1.25 (95% CI 1.16, 1.35) for high SES, (P<0.001). Significant SES gradients were observed for children with and without a pre-existing ASD diagnosis, and in analyses stratified by gender, race/ethnicity, and surveillance data source. The SES gradient was significantly stronger in children with a pre-existing diagnosis than in those meeting criteria for ASD but with no previous record of an ASD diagnosis (p<0.001), and was not present in children with co-occurring ASD and intellectual disability. Conclusions The stronger SES gradient in ASD prevalence in children with versus without a pre-existing ASD diagnosis points to potential ascertainment or diagnostic bias and to the possibility of SES disparity in access to services for children with autism. Further research is needed to confirm and understand the sources of this disparity so that policy implications can be drawn. Consideration should also be given to the possibility that there may be causal mechanisms or confounding factors associated with both high SES and vulnerability to ASD.
Effects of a 1-year dietary intervention with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched olive oil on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients: a preliminary study

Abstract Background and aims Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a worldwide diffuse condition due to alimentary, environment and genetic factors. The aim of our preliminary study was to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term consumption of food enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in patients with NAFLD. Methods Eleven patients were enrolled; six (four males, two females) were planned for oral administration of 6.5 ml olive oil enriched with n-3 PUFA for 12 months, while five (four males, one female) were used as controls. Results Consumption of olive oil enriched with n-3 PUFA demonstrated a significant improvement of liver echo-texture and of the Doppler Perfusion Index after 12 months (after: 0.19 ± 0.02 vs. pre: 0.15 ± 0.03; P < 0.05), whereas no significant changes were seen at the end of follow-up in controls. Moreover, patients who consumed the olive oil enriched with n-3 PUFA showed a significant amelioration of liver enzymes, and of triglycerides (post: 132.8 ± 63.7 vs. pre: 164.5 ± 85.5 mg/dl; P = 0.04) in a general linear model adjusted for age and gender. Interestingly, patients reported to have a significant increase of adiponectin levels (post: 1,487.9 ± 96.7 vs. pre: 1,143 ± 24.8 μg/ml; P = 0.04). Conclusion The results of this preliminary study showed that long-term consumption of olive oil enriched with n-3 PUFA in patients with NAFLD is able to decrease circulating liver enzymes and triglycerides, with a significant improvement of adiponectin levels.
Occurrence and Prevalence of Insect Pathogens in Populations of the Codling Moth, Cydia pomonella L.: A Long-Term Diagnostic Survey

About 20,550 larvae, pupae and adults of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella L. , were diagnosed for pathogens during long-term investigations (1955–2012) at the Institute for Biological Control in Darmstadt, Germany. The prevailing entomopathogens diagnosed in these studies were insect pathogenic fungi, especially Beauveria bassiana and Isaria farinosa, the microsporidium, Nosema carpocapsae, the Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV), as well as mostly undetermined bacteria. While the CpGV was observed exclusively in larvae and pupae from laboratory colonies or from field experiments with this virus, entomopathogenic fungi were most frequently diagnosed in last instars in autumn and in diapausing larvae and pupae in spring. B. bassiana was identified as the major fungal pathogen, causing larval prevalences of 0.9% to 100% (mean, about 32%). During prognostic long-term studies in larvae and adults of C. pomonella, N. carpocapsae was diagnosed in codling moth populations from various locations in Germany. The mean prevalence generally ranged between 20% and 50%. Experiments revealed that the fecundity and fertility of microsporidia-infected female adults were significantly reduced compared to healthy ones. The results underpin the importance of naturally occurring microbial antagonists and represent a base for further ecological studies on developing new or additional biological and integrated control strategies.
Conditional nonlinear optimal perturbations as the optimal precursors for El Nino–Southern Oscillation events

[1] We used the approach of conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) to investigate optimal precursors for El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events with a theoretical coupled ocean-atmosphere model. The CNOPs of the annual cycle of the coupled system were computed for different time periods, and the derived CNOPs were compared with the linear singular vectors (LSVs). The results show the existence of the CNOPs of annual cycle and local CNOPs. These CNOPs have the robust optimal patterns, which have opposite polarities in sea surface temperature and thermocline depth anomalies in the eastern equatorial Pacific. We demonstrate that the CNOP (local CNOP), rather than LSVs, has the highest likelihood to develop into an El Nino (La Nina) event; thus the CNOPs (local CNOPs) can be regarded as the optimal precursors for El Nino (La Nina) events. These optimal precursors agrees qualitatively well with the observations of period of 1980–2002. On the basis of the nonlinear oscillation described by the model, the physical mechanism of the optimal precursors for ENSO is discussed.