Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) Procedures on Special Education Students

Effects of Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) Procedures on Special Education Students. (August 2009) Kelly Dyan Bergman, B.S., The University of Houston-Downtown; Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Mack Burke Dr. Bowman-Perrott Several research studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of checkin/check-out (CICO) procedures in behavior education programs (BEPs). However, little research has been conducted on implementing CICO procedures specifically for special education students. This study examined the effects of CICO procedures on six junior high students receiving special education services. Baseline data of targeted behaviors were collected during the first two weeks of the third six weeks grading period. The participants were receiving special education services due to a previous Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee decision. CICO procedures are part of a secondary level behavior support system typically found in the BEP. The CICO procedures include a morning check-in, teacher feedback on a daily behavior report card (DBRC), an afternoon check-out, and weekly parent notification of student performance. A token economy system and behavior team meetings are two components also involved in implementing the CICO procedures. Intervention data were collected during implementation of the CICO procedures during the remaining three weeks of the third six weeks grading period. The intervention was not
Teachers’ sense of efficacy and implications for implementation of inclusive education1

Numerous studies confirm that self-efficacy positively correlates with teachers’ readiness to accept innovations in teaching and meet students’ needs, and with their satisfaction and performance at work. The aim of this research is to examine teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and, by analyzing it, to point to teachers’ existing strengths and weaknesses in the implementation of inclusive education. The sample consists of 148 teachers, 54.7% of whom are primary school teachers, and 45.3% are subject teachers. The research was conducted in five primary schools in Serbia. The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale - TSES/Long form was used for the purpose of this research. Overall answers of the teachers from our sample are within “I have quite a bit of influence” self-assessment framework in the Scale (AM 7.14, SD 0.66), with minimum self-efficacy assessment in “I have some influence”. Distribution of answers in the subscales is similar to the distribution of overall answers, but it is observed that in the subscale “Efficacy in Challenging Goals”, regardless of high arithmetic mean (AM 6.50, SD 1.09), minimum self-efficacy assessment is closer to “I have very little influence”. Teachers’ sense of self-efficacy is a construct which can significantly influence teachers’ readiness to work in a challenging environment, and as such, has to be included in considering the implications for the implementation of inclusive education. Key words : sense of self-efficacy, inclusive teaching
Negative Regulation of Leptin-induced Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Formation by Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Activation in Hypothalamic Neurons

Background: In hypothalamic neurons, leptin induces ROS production via PPAR-γ inhibition. Results: CB1 agonism prevents leptin-induced ROS accumulation by reversing PPAR-γ and catalase inhibition. Inhibition of endocannabinoid inactivation also counteracts leptin effects. Conclusion: CB1 inhibits effects of leptin that underlie part of its anorexic actions. Significance: During conditions of increased endocannabinoid tone CB1 might reduce leptin activity in the hypothalamus. The adipocyte-derived, anorectic hormone leptin was recently shown to owe part of its regulatory effects on appetite-regulating hypothalamic neuropeptides to the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in arcuate nucleus (ARC) neurons. Leptin is also known to exert a negative regulation on hypothalamic endocannabinoid levels and hence on cannabinoid CB1 receptor activity. Here we investigated the possibility of a negative regulation by CB1 receptors of leptin-mediated ROS formation in the ARC. Through pharmacological and molecular biology experiments we report data showing that leptin-induced ROS accumulation is 1) blunted by arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide (ACEA) in a CB1-dependent manner in both the mouse hypothalamic cell line mHypoE-N41 and ARC neuron primary cultures, 2) likewise blocked by a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) agonist, troglitazone, in a manner inhibited by T0070907, a PPAR-γ antagonist that also inhibited the ACEA effect on leptin, 3) blunted under conditions of increased endocannabinoid tone due to either pharmacological or genetic inhibition of endocannabinoid degradation in mHypoE-N41 and primary ARC neuronal cultures from MAGL−/− mice, respectively, and 4) associated with reduction of both PPAR-γ and catalase activity, which are reversed by both ACEA and troglitazone. We conclude that CB1 activation reverses leptin-induced ROS formation and hence possibly some of the ROS-mediated effects of the hormone by preventing PPAR-γ inhibition by leptin, with subsequent increase of catalase activity. This mechanism might underlie in part CB1 orexigenic actions under physiopathological conditions accompanied by elevated hypothalamic endocannabinoid levels.
Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cell Transplantation into Organotypic Cerebellar Shiverer Slices: A Model to Study Myelination and Myelin Maintenance

Current in vitro models to investigate the consequence of oligodendrocyte-specific loss-of-function mutations on myelination are primarily limited to co-culture experiments, which do not accurately recapitulate the complex in vivo environment. Here, we describe the development of an in vitro model of myelination and myelin maintenance in which oligodendrocyte precursor cells are transplanted into organotypic cerebellar slice cultures derived from dysmyelinated shiverer mice. Compared to neuron-oligodendrocyte co-cultures, organotypic slices more closely mimic the environment in vivo, while utilizing a genetic background that allows for straight-forward identification of myelin generated by transplanted cells. We show at the ultrastructural level that the myelin generated by wild-type transplanted oligodendrocytes is compact and terminates in cytoplasmic loops that form paranodal junctions with the axon. This myelination results in the appropriate sequestering of axonal proteins into specialized domains surrounding the nodes of Ranvier. We also demonstrate the applicability of this approach for xenograft transplantation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells derived from rat or human sources. This method provides a time-efficient and cost-effective adjunct to conditional knockout mouse lines or in vivo transplantation models to study oligodendrocyte-specific loss-of-function mutations. Furthermore, the approach can be readily used to assess the effect of pharmacological manipulations on myelin, providing a tool to better understand myelination and develop effective therapeutic strategies to treat myelin-related diseases.
Controlling nanoparticle aggregation in colloidal microwave absorbers via interface chemistry

Interface chemistry can be implemented to modulate the aggregation and dispersion of nanoparticles in a colloidal solution. In this experimental study, we demonstrate the controlled aggregation of superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles in organic and aqueous solutions. With decrease in solution pH, individual nanoparticles (12-14 nm) reproducibly cluster to form ~52 nm monodisperse aggregates in toluene. Spin-spin (T2) proton relaxation measurements of the micellated clusters before and after aggregation show a change in the molar relaxation rate from 303 sec-1mol-1 to 368 sec-1mol-1 for individual and clustered nanoparticles, respectively. DNA-mediated aggregation of micellated nanoparticles in the colloidal solution is also demonstrated where the number of single-stranded DNA per particle determines the ultimate size of the nanoparticle aggregate.
Biopsychosocial predictors of fatigue in quiescent and mild ulcerative colitis - an explorative study

In 37 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) and 40 patients without IPAA fatigue was measured using the Short Form Gießen Subjective Complaints List GBB 24. Age, sex, disease activity (measured by the Colitis Activity Index CAI or the Pouch Disease Activity Index PDAI) and depressiveness (measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale or the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale), active medical comorbidities and therapy by corticosteroids were tested for their predictive capacity regarding fatigue. One third of the patients indicated fatigue scores above the 95th percentile of the score of the general German population. The amount of fatigue in patients without IPAA was best predicted by the degree of depressiveness (corrected R2=0.30, β=0.57, p<0.001). The amount of fatigue in patients with IPAA was best predicted by the PDAI-score (corrected R2=0.20, β=1.35, p=0.03).
Germanium/HfO/sub 2//TiN gate stacks for advanced nodes: influence of surface preparation on MOS capacitor characteristics

For the first time, we report electrical and physical characterization of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors fabricated on 2.5/spl mu/m epitaxial germanium layers grown on (100) silicon. These capacitors were made using HfO/sub 2/ as the dielectric and TiN as the metal gate electrode. We have studied the influence of the Ge surface preparation on the MOS electrical characteristics. It is demonstrated that a surface anneal step in a NH/sub 3/ ambient before the HfO/sub 2/ deposition results in significant improvements in both the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) and the gate leakage current. We show that it is possible to achieve Ge/GeON/HfO/sub 2//TiN gate stacks with an EOT of 0.7 nm and a leakage current of 0.84 A/cm/sup 2/ at -2 V gate bias. The better transport properties of Ge and these performances show the interest of Ge and GeOI for the ITRS advanced nodes.
A Field Mental Health Team In The General Support Medical Setting

The recent conflict in the Gulf saw the large-scale deployment of Field Mental Health Teams (FMHT), in support of 1 UK Division and its constituent brigades. This article describes the activities and findings from a FMHT deployed alongside a General Support Medical Regiment covering the divisional rear area. The rate of psychiatric casualties was much lower than anticipated, but the expected bias towards less experienced personnel and reservists was noted. The article covers all stages of the operation from pre-deployment training, reception, staging and onward integration, operations, redeployment and homecoming, describing the core activities of the FMHT at each stage.
A Macaque's-Eye View of Human Insertions and Deletions: Differences in Mechanisms

Insertions and deletions (indels) cause numerous genetic diseases and lead to pronounced evolutionary differences among genomes. The macaque sequences provide an opportunity to gain insights into the mechanisms generating these mutations on a genome-wide scale by establishing the polarity of indels occurring in the human lineage since its divergence from the chimpanzee. Here we apply novel regression techniques and multiscale analyses to demonstrate an extensive regional indel rate variation stemming from local fluctuations in divergence, GC content, male and female recombination rates, proximity to telomeres, and other genomic factors. We find that both replication and, surprisingly, recombination are significantly associated with the occurrence of small indels. Intriguingly, the relative inputs of replication versus recombination differ between insertions and deletions, thus the two types of mutations are likely guided in part by distinct mechanisms. Namely, insertions are more strongly associated with factors linked to recombination, while deletions are mostly associated with replication-related features. Indel as a term misleadingly groups the two types of mutations together by their effect on a sequence alignment. However, here we establish that the correct identification of a small gap as an insertion or a deletion (by use of an outgroup) is crucial to determining its mechanism of origin. In addition to providing novel insights into insertion and deletion mutagenesis, these results will assist in gap penalty modeling and eventually lead to more reliable genomic alignments.
Relationship Between the Kinetics and Kinematics of a Unilateral Horizontal Drop Jump to Sprint Performance

Jonsson Holm, D, Stålbom, M, Keogh, JWL, and Cronin, J. Relationship between the kinetics and kinematics of a unilateral horizontal drop jump to sprint performance. J Strength Cond Res 22(5): 1589-1596, 2008-The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the kinematics and kinetics of a single-leg horizontal drop jump (SLDJ) to sprint performance. Twenty regional-level male team-sport athletes gave informed consent to participate in this study. All subjects performed a series of 25-m sprints (measured by dual-beam infrared timing lights) and SLDJ (with both legs) in randomized block order during the same testing session. The SLDJ required the subjects to step downwards off a 20-cm box, land on the force plate (operating at 500 Hz) with the specified foot, and jump for maximal horizontal distance while minimizing ground-contact time. Jump distance, particularly when normalized to a subject's height, was the strongest correlate to sprinting time for all three (5, 10, and 25 m) distances (−0.44 < r < −0.65). Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that the SLDJ could account for a high level of variance in sprint time (0.49 < r2 < 0.68) and that these predictions had a relatively low standard error of estimate (0.02-0.10 seconds). These results further support the contention that jump (particularly horizontal) and sprint ability for short distances are highly related. Whereas practitioners should consider using more horizontal than vertical jumps in the training and testing of most team-sport athletes, additional research into the kinetic determinants of jumping and sprinting may allow a more specific and individualized exercise prescription for improving certain aspects of sprinting such as step length or step rate or the vertical vs. horizontal contributions to propulsion.
Glaucoma medication and aqueous humor dynamics.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review evaluates current concepts regarding the effects of glaucoma medication on aqueous humor dynamics and the impact of this on intraocular pressure control and drug selection in clinical practice. RECENT FINDINGS Calculations based on the Friedenwald and Goldmann equations have predicted that glaucoma medications that increase pressure-sensitive aqueous outflow will dampen intraocular pressure spikes and therefore may be advantageous over drugs that do not increase outflow facility. SUMMARY Further experimental research is required to verify the influence of increased outflow facility on intraocular pressure fluctuation and the effect of this on glaucoma progression.
Prevalence of opportunistic infections in AIDS patients in Mangalore, Karnataka

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of opportunistic infections in HIV-seropositive patients at Kasturba Medical College Hospital, Mangalore. Three hundred and seven HIV-positive patients were screened for various opportunistic pathogens. Tuberculosis was the most common infection followed by candidiasis, cryptosporidiosis and cryptococcal meningitis.
INCORPORATING PRONUNCIATION IN THE FIRST-YEAR SPANISH CLASSROOM: AN EARLY INTERVENTION

There is currently no consensus about the role of pronunciation instruction in beginning L2 classrooms. Trofimovich and Gatbonton (2006), and Hurtado and Estrada (2010) found that focusing on form and meaning resulted in greater improvement in the pronunciation of intermediate than beginning learners, and Hurtado and Estrada (2010), and Arteaga (2000) suggest that perceptual training could be beneficial for beginners.
Paranasal and orbital anatomy revisited: identification of the ethmoid arteries on coronal CT scans.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify recognizable landmarks on coronal CT (CCT) scans for the localization of the anterior and posterior ethmoid arteries, which are important anatomic structures and surgical landmarks within the ethmoid sinuses. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four series of plastinated cadaver specimens and 80 CCT examinations were evaluated to identify the anatomical landmarks that define the course of the anterior and posterior ethmoid arteries within the ethmoid sinuses. RESULTS The following anatomic landmarks: the indentations into the medial orbital wall, the relationship between the superior oblique and medial rectus orbital muscles, and the lateral ethmoid fovea wall thinning proved to be useful CCT landmarks for the localization of the anterior and posterior ethmoid arteries. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that familiarity with the above-mentioned landmarks on routine CCT images facilitates the localization of the anterior and posterior ethmoid arteries as they enter the ethmoid sinus.
Supermassive black hole demography: the match between the local and accreted mass functions

We have performed a detailed analysis of the local supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass function based on both kinematic and photometric data and we have derived an accurate analytical fit in the range 10 6 M BH/M� 5 × 10 9 . W efind a total SMBH mass density of (4.2 ± 1.1) × 10 5 MMpc −3 , about 25 per cent of which is contributed by SMBHs residing in bulges of late-type galaxies. Exploiting up-to-date luminosity functions of hard X-ray and optically selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we have studied the accretion history of the SMBH population. If most of the accretion occurs at constant ˙ MBH/MBH ,a s in the case of Eddington-limited accretion and consistent with recent observational estimates, the local SMBH mass function is fully accounted for by mass accreted by X-ray selected AGNs, with bolometric corrections indicated by current observations and a standard mass-to-light conversion efficiency � � 10 per cent. The analysis of the accretion history highlights that the most massive BHs (associated with bright optical quasi-stellar objects) accreted their mass faster and at higher redshifts (typically at z > 1.5), while the lower-mass BHs responsible for most of the hard X-ray background have mostly grown at z < 1.5. The accreted mass function matches the local SMBH mass function if, during the main accretion phases, � � 0.09 (+0.04, −0.03) and the Eddington ratio λ = L/L Edd � 0.3 (+0.3, −0.1) (68 per cent confidence errors). The visibility time, during which AGNs are luminous enough to be detected by the currently available X-ray surveys, ranges from �0.1 Gyr for present-day BH masses M 0 � 10 6 Mto �0.3 Gyr for M 0 10 9 M� . The mass accreted during luminous phases is 25-30 per cent even if we assume extreme values of � (� � 0.3-0.4). An unlikely fine tuning of the parameters would be required to account for the local SMBH mass function accommodating a dominant contribution from 'dark' BH growth (due, for example, to BH coalescence). Ke yw ords: black hole physics - galaxies: active - galaxies: evolution - galaxies: nuclei - cosmology: miscellaneous.
Modeling of dynamics of manipulators with geometrical consraints as a systems with redundant coordinates

The application of analytical mechanic methods based on introduction of redundant coordinates is studied for dynamics manipulator modeling. Such form of the motion equations is obtained for holonomic systems in the Lagrangian variables of the given work, which enables a detailed analysis of linear and nonlinear members of the perturbed motion equations. Stability of steady motions for systems with redundant coordinates is possible only in critical cases. The absence of the roots of the characteristic equation with positive real parts does not allow general solving the stability problem of such motion, but the analysis of the nonlinear members is necessary for decision of stability problem in any of such cases. We would like to attract attention to a fundamental distinction of the suggested method: the rigorous methods of nonlinear stability theory are necessary for rigorous foundation of developed modus operandi only. The qualified use of this method dispenses with full digestion of rigorous proofs and substitutions of critical cases theory. Using rigorous methods of analytical mechanics, the nonlinear stability theory, N.N. Krasovsky method solving linear-quadratic problems and previously obtained results, the procedure for a unique determination of the coefficients of the stabilizing control has been developed. For practical calculation of the coefficients, the Repin-Tretyakov procedure may be applied. The proposed method is used for solving the issue of stabilization of manipulator steady motion with geometrical constraints.
Using local anaesthetics to block neuronal activity and map specific learning tasks to the mushroom bodies of an insect brain

The formation of a stable olfactory memory requires activity within several brain regions. The honeybee provides a valuable model to map complex olfactory learning tasks onto certain brain areas. To this end, we used injections of the local anaesthetic procaine to reversibly block spike activity in a specific brain region, the mushroom body (MB). We first investigated the physiological effects of procaine on cultured MB neurons from adult honeybee brains. Using the whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique, we show that procaine blocks voltage‐gated Na+ and K+ currents in a dose‐dependent manner between 0.1 and 10 mm. The effects are reversible within a few minutes of wash. Lidocaine acts similarly, but is less effective at the tested concentrations. We then studied the role of the MBs during reversal learning by blocking the neural activity within these structures by injecting procaine. During reversal learning bees learn to revert their responses to two odorants, one rewarded (A+) and one unrewarded (B–), if their contingencies are changed (A– vs B+). Injecting procaine into the MBs impaired reversal learning. Procaine treatment during acquisition left the later retention of the initial learning (A+ vs B–) intact. Similarly, a differential conditioning task involving novel odorants (C+ vs D–) was intact under procaine treatment. Our experiments show that local injections of procaine can be used to map learning tasks onto specific regions of the insect brain. We conclude that intact MB activity is required for the acquisition of reversal learning, but not for simple differential learning tasks.
BRAF-targeted therapy and immune responses to melanoma

Type I BRAF inhibitors and immunotherapy constitute two new exciting approaches for the treatment of advanced malignant melanoma. We have recently elucidated a role for host C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) in the antineoplastic effects of type I BRAF inhibitors in mice, supporting the therapeutic potential of combining BRAF inhibitors with immunotherapy.