Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Teacher identity in TESOL : A frames perspective

Two different orientations to teacher identity can be presented as relevant to a consideration of identity in TESOL. One is an orientation derived from social psychology, which provides perspectives on teachers’ social identity. The other is an orientation derived from the teacher education literature, which provides perspectives on teachers’ professional identity. These two orientations can serve as a basis for a consideration of teacher identity in TESOL and how questions of identity impact on teacher preparation, continuing development, and quality in TESOL education.
A Spatial Logic based on Regions and Connection

We describe an interval logic for reasoning about space. The logic simpli(cid:12)es an earlier theory developed by Randell and Cohn, and that of Clarke upon which the former was based. The theory supports a simpler ontology, has fewer de(cid:12)ned functions and relations, yet does not su(cid:11)er in terms of its useful expressiveness. An axiomatisationof the new theory and a comparison with the two original theories is given.
Precision grasp synergies for dexterous robotic hands

In this paper we present a method for the generation of hand postural synergies for different precision grasp types to be used in dextrous robot hands. Our method records the robot hand motions while teleoperated by human subjects via a dataglove, doing different grasp types on a series of objects. This exploits the fact that humans automatically compensate for calibration errors on the glove to robot mapping. The method is applied to the Shadow Robot Hand and to the iCub Hand. Despite the significantly different kinematics and different number and mechanism of actuators, the analysis results in useful postural synergies for both hands. The effective number of degrees-of-freedom to reproduce the recorded variance using the synergies is shown to be 2.6 for the different grasps, corresponding to a massive reduction of grasp-search complexity. Therefore, the existing actuators are enough to drive the hands with realistic human-like postures and in-hand movements. While previous work on synergies mostly concentrated on static grasping and power-grasps, our work confirms that human precision grasps and manipulation motions also lie on low-dimensional spaces.
Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth as an alternative cell source in bio-root regeneration

A stem cell-mediated bioengineered tooth root (bio-root) has proven to be a prospective tool for the treatment of tooth loss. As shown in our previous studies, dental follicle cells (DFCs) are suitable seeding cells for the construction of bio-roots. However, the DFCs which can only be obtained from unerupted tooth germ are restricted. Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs), which are harvested much more easily through a minimally invasive procedure, may be used as an alternative seeding cell. In this case, we compared the odontogenic characteristics of DFCs and SHEDs in bio-root regeneration. Methods: The biological characteristics of SHEDs and DFCs were determined in vitro. The cells were then induced to secrete abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) and form macroscopic cell sheets. We combined the cell sheets with treated dentin matrix (TDM) for subcutaneous transplantation into nude mice and orthotopic jaw bone implantation in Sprague-Dawley rats to further verify their regenerative potential. Results: DFCs exhibited a higher proliferation rate and stronger osteogenesis and adipogenesis capacities, while SHEDs displayed increased migration ability and excellent neurogenic potential. Both dental follicle cell sheets (DFCSs) and sheets of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDSs) expressed not only ECM proteins but also osteogenic and odontogenic proteins. Importantly, similar to DFCSs/TDM, SHEDSs/TDM also successfully achieved the in vivo regeneration of the periodontal tissues, which consist of periodontal ligament fibers, blood vessels and new born alveolar bone. Conclusions: Both SHEDs and DFCs possessed a similar odontogenic differentiation capacity in vivo, and SHEDs were regarded as a prospective seeding cell for use in bio-root regeneration in the future.
Children with pneumonia: how do they present and how are they managed?

Objective: To describe the spectrum of clinical features and management of community acquired pneumonia in the UK. Design: Prospectively recorded clinical details for all children with possible pneumonia and chest x ray (CXR) changes in 13 hospitals in the North of England between 2001 and 2002. Results: 89% of 711 children presenting to hospital with pneumonia were admitted; 96% received antibiotics, 70% intravenously. 20% had lobar CXR changes, 3% empyema and 4% required intensive care. Respiratory rate (RR), hypoxia and dyspnoea all correlated with each other and prompted appropriate interventions. Admission in children, not infants, was independently associated with RR, oxygen saturation, lobar CXR changes and pyrexia. Neither C-reactive protein, lobar CXR changes or pyrexia were associated with severity. Children over 1 year old with perihilar CXR changes more often had severe disease (p = 0.001). Initial intravenous antibiotics were associated with lobar CXR changes in infants and children and with dyspnoea, pyrexia and pleural effusion in children. The presence of pleural effusion increased duration of antibiotic treatment (p<0.001). Cefuroxime was the most often used intravenous antibiotic in 61%. Oral antibiotics included a penicillin in 258 (46%), a macrolide in 192 (34%) and a cephalosporin in 117 (21%). Infants stayed significantly longer (p<0.001) as did children with severe disease (p<0.01), effusions (p = 0.005) or lobar CXR changes (p⩽0.001). Conclusions: There is a high rate of intravenous antibiotic administration in hospital admissions for pneumonia. Despite lobar CXR changes not being independently associated with severe disease, initial lobar CXR changes and clinical assessment in children independently influenced management decisions, including admission and route of antibiotics.
Functional imaging of the central auditory system using PET

In the last few decades functional neuroimaging tools have emerged to study the function of the human brain in vivo. These techniques have increased the knowledge of how the brain processes stimuli of different sensory modalities, including auditory processing. Positron emission tomography (PET) has been used for nearly 20 years to study changes in cerebral blood flow associated with auditory stimulation in normal and hearing impaired subjects. PET studies gave insight into the neural base of processing basic sound features such as frequency and intensity, but complex stimuli such as speech and music have also been investigated extensively. Knowledge of the normal auditory function of the brain helps us to understand the neural base of hearing deficits and provides ideas for possible treatments. Although functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is replacing PET in many neuroimaging studies nowadays, PET still holds unique advantages and can give us valuable knowledge about the auditory cortex and auditory perception.
In Vitro Anticercarial Activities of some Sudanese Medicinal Plants of the Family Combretaceae

Eight ethanolic extracts of four Sudanese medicinal plants belonging to the family Combretaceae were investigated for their anticercarial activity. Those extracts were of Combretum aculeatum (leaves and roots), C. hartmannianum (leaves), C. glutinosum (leaves, stem and roots) and Terminalia laxiflora (leaves and seeds). All extracts showed varying degrees of anticercarial activity against cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni within 6 hours period of time. Cercariae exposed to Terminalia laxiflora seeds extract showed 100% mortality at concentration 5 ppm after one hour. Lowest calculated LC90 of C. glutinosum stem was 3.71 ppm after 3 hours of exposure, LC90 of C. glutinosum leaves was 5 ppm after 6 hours, of C. aculeatum leaves was 8.78 ppm after 2 hours, of C. aculeatum roots was 12.6 ppm after 5 hours, LC90 of Terminalia laxiflora leaves was 13.48 ppm after 6 hours, LC90 of C. glutinosum roots was 23.64 ppm after 6 hours and LC90 of C. hartmannianum leaves was 38.58 after one hour of exposure. Preliminary phytochemical screening conducted on studied plant extracts revealed that they are rich of tannins, unsaturated sterol and/or triterpenes, saponins and flavonoids. MTT assay verified the safety of the examined extracts.
The Mus81-Mms4 structure-selective endonuclease requires nicked DNA junctions to undergo conformational changes and bend its DNA substrates for cleavage

Mus81-Mms4/EME1 is a DNA structure-selective endonuclease that cleaves joint DNA molecules that form during homologous recombination in mitotic and meiotic cells. Here, we demonstrate by kinetic analysis using physically tethered DNA substrates that budding yeast Mus81-Mms4 requires inherent rotational flexibility in DNA junctions for optimal catalysis. Förster Resonance Energy Transfer experiments further reveal that recognition of 3′-flap and nicked Holliday junction substrates by Mus81-Mms4 involves induction of a sharp bend with a 100° angle between two duplex DNA arms. In addition, thiol crosslinking of Mus81-Mms4 bound to DNA junctions demonstrates that the heterodimer undergoes a conformational change induced by joint DNA molecules with preferred structural properties. The results from all three approaches suggest a model for catalysis by Mus81-Mms4 in which initial DNA binding is based on minimal structural requirements followed by a rate-limiting conformational transition of the substrate and protein. This leads to a sharply kinked DNA molecule that may fray the DNA four base pairs away from the junction point to position the nuclease for cleavage between the fourth and fifth nucleotide. These data suggest that mutually compatible conformational changes of Mus81-Mms4 and its substrates tailor its incision activity to nicked junction molecules.
Low alpha-synuclein 126 mRNA levels in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer disease

Alpha-synuclein, a main component of Lewy bodies in synucleinopathies and senile plaques in Alzheimer disease, is centrally involved in neurodegeneration. Three different isoforms (&agr;-synuclein 112, 126, and 140) resulting from alternative splicing have been described so far. The present study explores &agr;-synuclein 126 mRNA expression levels in the prefrontal cortex of six patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, eight patients with Lewy body variant of Alzheimer disease, eight patients with Alzheimer disease, and 10 controls. Relative &agr;-synuclein 126 expression levels were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction with competimer technology. Alpha-synuclein 126 mRNA expression was markedly decreased in the three dementias in comparison with controls, suggesting an important role of this &agr;-synuclein isoform in the normal brain.
Implementation of Space-Time Turbo Coded MC-CDMA Systems

In this paper, the performances of space-time turbo-code (STTuC) and space-time trellis code (STTC) in conjunction with multi-carrier code-division multiple-access (MC-CDMA) systems are evaluated. The minimum mean-square error (MMSE) detection technique is used with multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna diversity in quasi static fading channel. The symbol error rate (SER) is obtained using simulation by employing maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoding technique for turbo code and Viterbi algorithm for trellis code system. It is observed that the STTuC-MC-CDMA system performs better then STTC-MC-CDMA system. It is also noted that by increasing the number of iterations the performance gain can be increased up to a certain limit. On the other hand, this improvement in performance comes at the cost of increased computational complexity.
CD9 Negatively Regulates CD26 Expression and Inhibits CD26-Mediated Enhancement of Invasive Potential of Malignant Mesothelioma Cells

CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase IV is a cell surface glycoprotein which consists of multiple functional domains beside its ectopeptidase site. A growing body of evidence indicates that elevated expression of CD26 correlates with disease aggressiveness and invasive potential of selected malignancies. To further explore the molecular mechanisms involved in this clinical behavior, our current work focused on the interaction between CD26 and CD9, which were recently identified as novel markers for cancer stem cells in malignant mesothelioma. We found that CD26 and CD9 co-modulated and co-precipitated with each other in the malignant mesothelioma cell lines ACC-MESO1 and MSTO-211H. SiRNA study revealed that depletion of CD26 led to increased CD9 expression, while depletion of CD9 resulted in increased CD26 expression. Consistent with these findings was the fact that gene transfer of CD26 into CD26-negative MSTO-211H cells reduced CD9 expression. Cell invasion assay showed that overexpression of CD26 or gene depletion of CD9 led to enhanced invasiveness, while CD26 gene depletion resulted in reduced invasive potential. Furthermore, our work suggested that this enhanced invasiveness may be partly mediated by α5β1 integrin, since co-precipitation studies demonstrated an association between CD26 and α5β1 integrin. Finally, gene depletion of CD9 resulted in elevated protein levels and tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK and Cas-L, which are downstream of β1 integrin, while depletion of CD26 led to a reduction in the levels of these molecules. Collectively, our findings suggest that CD26 potentiates tumor cell invasion through its interaction with α5β1 integrin, and CD9 negatively regulates tumor cell invasion by reducing the level of CD26-α5β1 integrin complex through an inverse correlation between CD9 and CD26 expression. Our results also suggest that CD26 and CD9 serve as potential biomarkers as well as promising molecular targets for novel therapeutic approaches in malignant mesothelioma and other malignancies.
Neurobiology of Serotonin in Depression and Suicide a

ABSTRACT: Alternations in serotonin neurotransmission have been implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression and suicide. However, a clear picture of serotonergic abnormalities has not emerged from postmortem studies of depression and suicide. In suicide victims with major depression and psychiatrically normal control subjects, we have examined various indices of serotonergic neuro transmission in axonal projection areas such as prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and cell bodies of origin within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR). Although there were no significant differences between suicide victims with major depression and psychiatrically normal control subjects in serotonin‐1A or serotonin‐2A receptors in the right prefrontal cortex (area 10) or the hippocampus, there were region‐specific alternations in suicide victims with major depression in G‐proteininduced activation of the phosphoinsitide signal transduction system and in the levels of G‐protein alpha subunits involved in cyclic AMP synthesis. A pilot study examining the ventrolateral subnucleus of the DR (DRvl) reveals that serotonin‐1A receptors are increased in suicide victims with major depression as compared to normal control subjects. Altered signal transduction in cerebral cortex and altered regulation of serotonin neurons in the DR may be important in the pathophysiology of major depression and suicide.
Sea level: measuring the bounding surfaces of the ocean

The practical need to understand sea level along the coasts, such as for safe navigation given the spatially variable tides, has resulted in tide gauge observations having the distinction of being some of the longest instrumental ocean records. Archives of these records, along with geological constraints, have allowed us to identify the century-scale rise in global sea level. Additional data sources, particularly satellite altimetry missions, have helped us to better identify the rates and causes of sea-level rise and the mechanisms leading to spatial variability in the observed rates. Analysis of all of the data reveals the need for long-term and stable observation systems to assess accurately the regional changes as well as to improve our ability to estimate future changes in sea level. While information from many scientific disciplines is needed to understand sea-level change, this review focuses on contributions from geodesy and the role of the ocean's bounding surfaces: the sea surface and the Earth's crust.
Is Profit Evil ? Associations of Profit with Social Harm

Though firms can earn profit through either socially harmful or socially beneficial practices, five studies show that people view profit as necessarily socially harmful. Studies 1 and 2 find a strong negative correlation between profit and perceived social value across both real firms and entire industries. Study 3 shows that otherwise identically described organizations are seen as more harmful when they are labeled for-profit versus non-profit. Study 4 finds that people feel society would be better off without even good, short-term profits that reward socially beneficial innovations. Finally, Study 5 demonstrates that people see harmful business practices as profitable even when focused on long run consequences. Together, these results suggest that people neglect the positive incentive value of profit and tend not to acknowledge the possibility of “good” profit. Lay judgments are consistent with belief in a widespread market failure in which supply and demand do not determine prices.
Utilization of dried blood spots for assessing dusky kob (Argyrosomus japonicus) glycaemia and metabolome in South African aquaculture.

ii Preface and Declarations . iv Acknowledgements . vii Chapter 1: General Introduction and Literature Review . 1 1.1 South African Aquaculture: Brief Overview . 1 1.2 Argyrosomus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843). 2 1.2.1 General Overview . 2 1.2.2 Growth and Reproduction . 3 1.2.3 Global Distribution . 4 1.2.4 Commercial Significance of Dusky kob in South Africa and Potential Challenges . 5 1.2.4.1 Parasite Infection as an Aquaculture Problem . 6 1.2.4.2 Diplectanum oliveri Williams, 1989 (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) . 7 1.4 Biomarkers in Aquaculture and Dried Blood Spots (DBS) . 9 1.4.1 Blood and Plasma Biomarkers in Fish . 9 1.5 Research Aims . 13 1.6 References . 14 Chapter 2: Use of Dried Blood Spots (DBS) to Diagnose Hyperand Hypoglycaemia in Farmed Dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus in South Africa* . 21 2.1 Abstract . 22 2.2 Introduction . 23 2.3 Materials and Methods . 25 2.3. 1 Sample Collection . 25 2.3. 2 Dried Blood Spot Analyses . 27 2.3. 3 Plasma and Whole Blood Analysis . 28 2.3. 4 Comparison to Subsequent Sampling Event . 28 2.3. 5 Statistical analyses . 28 2.4 Results . 29 2.4.1 Between-Method Analysis . 29 2.4.2 Between-Sampling Analysis . 32
The value of stereotactic vacuum assisted breast biopsy in the investigation of microcalcifications. A six-year experience with 853 patients.

PURPOSE Vacuum Assisted Breast Biopsy (VABB) is a minimal invasive technique, in the diagnostic approach for non palpable lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of VABB in the investigation of breast microcalcifications, a significant mammographic sign of early breast cancer. The rate of histological underestimation and the false negative rate were assessed based on the follow up data and the histological examination of the surgical specimens. METHODS From January 2005 to November 2011, 853 women with mammographically detected microcalcifications, classified as BI-RADS 3-5, were referred to our Breast Unit for evaluation. During this 6-year period, 825 vacuum-assisted breast biopsies were performed, while 28 women (3.3%) were not submitted to VABB due to superficial location of microcalcifications. RESULTS VABB histology revealed 594 benign (69.6%), 66 high risk (7.7%) and 164 malignant (19.2%) lesions. Twenty- nine cases were classified as non diagnostic, as in one case (0.1%) the sample of the biopsy was maladjusted and not suitable to undergo histopathological examination due to mechanical alterations and in 28 (3.3%) cases microcalcifications were located in proximity to the skin and open surgical excision was performed. The overall documented underestimation rate was 4.6%, the false negative rate was 2.4%. The sensitivity of the method was 98.2%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100% and negative predictive value 97.6%. CONCLUSIONS VABB is a safe and accurate method for the evaluation of suspicious microcalcifications and diagnosis of early breast cancer.
Controlling for Time-dependent Confounding using Marginal Structural Models

Longitudinal studies in which exposures, confounders, and outcomes are measured repeatedly over time have the potential to allow causal inferences about the effects of exposure on outcome. There is particular interest in estimating the causal effects of medical treatments (or other interventions) in circumstances in which a randomized controlled trial is difficult or impossible. However, standard methods for estimating exposure effects in longitudinal studies are biased in the presence of time-dependent confounders affected by prior treatment. This article describes the use of marginal structural models (described by Robins, Hernán, and Brumback [2000]) to estimate exposure or treatment effects in the presence of time-dependent confounders affected by prior treatment. The method is based on deriving inverse-probability-of-treatment weights, which are then used in a pooled logistic regression model to estimate the causal effect of treatment on outcome. We demonstrate the use of marginal structural models to estimate the effect of methotrexate on mortality in persons suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
Design Parameters for Nanostructured Soft Magnetic Alloys

Magnetic properties of some nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloys are evaluated by means of a model obtained from literature. The influence of alloy elements in grain diameter, crystalline fraction and anisotropies are investigated in order to obtain information for the design of nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials. The study concerns materials with nanocrystalline composition of Fe, Fe-Si, Fe-Si-Al, and Fe-Ge, and is complemented with alloys containing nanocrystals of Fe and Fe-Co from literature. Results indicate that the reduction of grain diameter in Fe-based nanocrystal alloys is the main challenge to enhance the soft magnetic properties, when induced anisotropies are suppressed. For Fe-(Si,Al,Ge)-based nanocrystals, it is necessary to obtain a good balance of the magnetoelastic anisotropies. This can be achieved by modifying the amount of crystallized fraction via changes in the chemical composition of the nanocrystals and/or the matrix. In the case of Fe-Co, magnetic softness is attained by decreasing the Co content or with the addition of elements like Si or Al.