Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Achieving Middle Schools for Latino Students in Poverty

This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of middle schools in which Latino students from low-income families made substantial achievement gains. Nine schools in Texas were selected where Latino students had shown strong gains in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. Data from onsite interviews, focus groups, and documents were reviewed for evidence of 57 characteristics of effective schools. As expected, schools were characterized by strong leadership; a clear focus on achievement; positive climate, including supportive relationships among students and teachers; and good communications with parents. Surprisingly little attention was paid to providing culturally relevant curriculum or bilingual instruction. The schools generally exhibited a strong coherence, marked by articulation of common goals and a strong sense of guiding purpose, shared norms, consistent messages, and consistency of beliefs and practices. The schools could be further improved by drawing more explicitly on the cultural knowledge of home and community.
Interleukin-32 , CCL 2 , PF 4 F 1 and GFD 10 are the only cytokine / chemokine genes differentially expressed by in vitro cultured rheumatoid and osteoarthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes

Since cytokines and chemokines are important actors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the aim of this study was to compare the gene expression profiles in cultured fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) obtained from patients with either RA, or osteoarthritis (OA), focusing our analysis on genes for cytokines and chemokines, and their respective receptors. Gene expression in cultured FLS (third passage) from eight patients with RA (RA-FLS) were compared with gene expression in cultured FLS from nine patients with OA (OA-FLS) using Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array microarray, allowing analysis of over 54,000 transcripts. Among the 171 genes studied (241 probes), limiting the selection of differentially expressed genes to a significant value (p < 0.05), and a differential ratio of expression > 1.6, only four genes, namely IL-32, CCL2, PF4F1 and GDF10 were found to be differentially expressed. Out of these four genes, only higher expression of CCL2 has been reported previously in RA. The newly described cytokine IL-32 was the most prominently differentially expressed gene in the present study, with higher expression in RA-FLS than in OA-FLS (p < 0.0073). IL-32 might have a previously unidentified pivotal role in RA.
Human expression recognition from motion using a radial basis function network architecture

In this paper a radial basis function network architecture is developed that learns the correlation of facial feature motion patterns and human expressions. We describe a hierarchical approach which at the highest level identifies expressions, at the mid level determines motion of facial features, and at the low level recovers motion directions. Individual expression networks were trained to recognize the "smile" and "surprise" expressions. Each expression network was trained by viewing a set of sequences of one expression for many subjects. The trained neural network was then tested for retention, extrapolation, and rejection ability. Success rates were 88% for retention, 88% for extrapolation, and 83% for rejection.
Universities as a meeting point with new academic knowledge, society and culture: cognitive and emotional transitions during higher education

This paper examines how exposure to a different culture, acquired knowledge and everyday practices at Israeli universities affected the identities of the ‘First Women’ students from the Druze minority who broke gender roles and turned to acquire higher education. The short distance between the Druze villages and the university required a longer and far more complex journey than the women imagined when they decided to study. The paper analyses ways in which the university atmosphere imparts values, norms, knowledge and practices that enable individuals to reassess their identities. Thirty‐four interviews with Druze women, who were the first in their community or their respective villages to obtain higher education, were analysed, allowing a study of the different experiences and various paths of change and their intricate effects on framing identity.
Queen's College Step Test as an Alternative of Harvard Step Test in Young Indian Women

Indian women often report premature exhaustion in the lower limb while performing the Harvard step test (HST) for measurement of physical fitness index (PFI) whereas they can easily perform the Queen's college step test (QCT). 155 sedentary females of 19-24 years were selected for the study from Institute of Dental Sciences, UP, India to evaluate the applicability of QCT as an alternative of HST. They were divided into study group (n=100) and confirmatory group (n=55). All subjects performed QCT comfortably but 35 (20 from study group and 15 from confirmatory group) of them could not properly perform the HST due to premature fatigue in their legs and therefore these 35 subjects were discarded from the study. Existence of significant correlation (r =-0.90, P <0.001) between PFI and QCT heart rate depicted the following prediction norm for PFI from QCT heart rate : Y=195.06-3.09 X (SEE=3.09). Prediction of PFI by this norm in the confirmatory group showed insignificant variation with the directly measured value from the HST. Bland and Altman's analysis also indicated that QCT norm predicts the PFI with 95% confidence interval. Moreover, QCT is easy to perform and the derived norm from QCT predicted the PFI score with substantially small standard error of estimate. Therefore, QCT is recommended as a valid and authentic test for evaluating PFI in young sedentary females of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Democracy and Globalization

One of the most conspicuous features of politics at the turn of the millennium is the emergence of issues which transcend national frontiers. Processes of economic internationalization, the problem of the environment and the emergence of regional and global networks of communication are increasingly matters of concern for the international community as a whole. The nature and limits of national democracies have to be reconsidered in relation to processes of social and economic globalization; that is, in relation to shifts in the transcontinental or interregional scale of human social organization and of the exercise of social power. This paper seeks to explore these changing circumstances and to examine, albeit tentatively, their implications for democratic theory.
QRAC-the-Code

Requirements for reading and ascertaining information from text increase as students advance through the educational system, especially in content-rich classes; hence, monitoring comprehension is especially important. However, this is a particularly challenging skill for many students who struggle with reading comprehension, including students with learning disabilities. A randomized pre–post experimental design was employed to investigate the effectiveness of a comprehension monitoring strategy (QRAC-the-Code) for improving the reading comprehension of 323 students in Grades 6 and 7 in inclusive social studies classes. Findings indicated that both general education students and students with learning disabilities who were taught a simple comprehension monitoring strategy improved their comprehension of textbook content compared to students who read independently and noted important points. In addition, students in the comprehension monitoring condition reported using more reading strategies after the intervention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Home and away: constructing family and childhood in the context of working parenthood

Little is known about children's views and experiences of their parents’ work−life reconciliation and how these are negotiated in everyday family practices. This article examines families' experiences of work−life reconciliation from both children's and parents' perspectives, drawing on a qualitative longitudinal study with 14 families in Scotland. Such experiences have implications for the spatial and temporal construction of family and childhood in the UK, where working parenthood is increasingly the norm.
Graduate entrepreneurs: intentions, barriers and solutions

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the factors that influenced seven graduates in the creative and digital industries to start their own businesses in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK – an area with lack of employing establishments and locally registered businesses.Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews identified the constraining and enabling factors graduates may encounter when attempting to start a business, and explored the impact of support provided.Findings – Perceived constraining factors were: lack of general business knowledge, contradictory advisory support from external agencies, lack of sector‐specific mentors, lack of finance, and experience of familial entrepreneurship. Perceived enabling factors were: co‐mentoring from business partners, course content, financial gain, creativity and innovative ideas, control and risk taking, and the overarching package of support. Linkages between internal and external support could be improved.Research limitations/i.
Cigarette Use, Smoking Cessation, and Quit Intentions Among Active-Duty Military Personnel in Taiwan

This study investigates the impact of a variety of sociodemographic, behavioral, and contextual risk factors on cigarette use, abstinence success, and intentions to quit based on a survey of active-duty military personnel in Taiwan. Being male and of lower educational background increased the likelihood of tobacco use. About 80% of current smokers showed intention to quit in the immediate future, whereas stress and depression were leading causes for cigarette smoking and relapse. Other prominent predictors include attention to antismoking advertising, health concerns, social pressure, and support for a tobacco-free military. Implications for effective antismoking campaigns in the Taiwanese military are discussed.
The Zebrafish as a New Model for the In Vivo Study of Shigella flexneri Interaction with Phagocytes and Bacterial Autophagy

Autophagy, an ancient and highly conserved intracellular degradation process, is viewed as a critical component of innate immunity because of its ability to deliver cytosolic bacteria to the lysosome. However, the role of bacterial autophagy in vivo remains poorly understood. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as a vertebrate model for the study of infections because it is optically accessible at the larval stages when the innate immune system is already functional. Here, we have characterized the susceptibility of zebrafish larvae to Shigella flexneri, a paradigm for bacterial autophagy, and have used this model to study Shigella-phagocyte interactions in vivo. Depending on the dose, S. flexneri injected in zebrafish larvae were either cleared in a few days or resulted in a progressive and ultimately fatal infection. Using high resolution live imaging, we found that S. flexneri were rapidly engulfed by macrophages and neutrophils; moreover we discovered a scavenger role for neutrophils in eliminating infected dead macrophages and non-immune cell types that failed to control Shigella infection. We observed that intracellular S. flexneri could escape to the cytosol, induce septin caging and be targeted to autophagy in vivo. Depletion of p62 (sequestosome 1 or SQSTM1), an adaptor protein critical for bacterial autophagy in vitro, significantly increased bacterial burden and host susceptibility to infection. These results show the zebrafish larva as a new model for the study of S. flexneri interaction with phagocytes, and the manipulation of autophagy for anti-bacterial therapy in vivo.
Lymph node metastasis in patients with clinical early-stage cervical cancer: detection with integrated FDG PET/CT.

PURPOSE To prospectively determine the accuracy of combination positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) in lymph node staging in patients with early-stage cervical cancer, with histopathologic results as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was institutional review board approved, and all patients gave informed consent. Forty-seven consecutive women aged 29-71 years with clinical stage IA or IB cervical carcinoma were included in the study. All 47 patients were scheduled for radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. Before surgery, all patients underwent fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT. PET/CT findings were interpreted by two readers in consensus and then compared with histopathologic results. At histopathologic examination, the dissected lymph nodes were classified as nonmetastatic or metastatic. RESULTS Fifteen (32%) patients had metastatic lymph nodes at histopathologic examination, and 32 (68%) had no histopathologically confirmed nodal metastasis. Of the total 1081 lymph nodes histopathologically sampled, 18 were found to be positive for malignant cells. The overall node-based sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of PET/CT were 72% (13 of 18), 99.7% (1060 of 1063), 81% (13 of 16), 99.5% (1060 of 1065), and 99.3% (1073 of 1081), respectively. Corresponding values for PET/CT-based diagnosis of lymph nodes larger than 0.5 cm in diameter were 100% (13 of 13), 99.6% (675 of 678), 81% (13 of 16), 100% (675 of 675), and 99.6% (688 of 691), respectively. The overall patient-based sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of PET/CT were 73% (11 of 15), 97% (31 of 32), 92% (11 of 12), 89% (31 of 35), and 89% (42 of 47), respectively. CONCLUSION PET/CT proved to be valuable for lymph node staging in patients with early-stage cervical cancer, with short-axis diameter greater than 0.5 cm being the size threshold for accurate depiction of metastatic nodes.
Mothers caring for children and young people with developmental disabilities: intent to work, patterns of participation in paid employment and the experience of workplace flexibility

Caring alters plans to return to work and changes career trajectories for many primary caregivers of children with disabilities, most of whom are mothers. The Juggling Work & Care study was a South Australian cross-sectional mail-out and online survey for carers of children and young adults with developmental disabilities aged 0–25 years, which investigated work participation, work–life balance and psychological well-being. This study shows that mothers who were in a couple relationship and primary caregivers for their child (n = 287) were less likely to be in paid employment and worked fewer hours than mothers in the general population, regardless of age of child. Work participation was shown to be strongly related to the severity of child disability. Impacts of caring for mothers were significant. Over a quarter of mothers who had intended to work after the birth of their child had not done so. As well, many mothers who had returned to work reported reduced job opportunities and career progression. Of concern, 9 out of 10 mothers were unaware of their right to request a change in working arrangements to assist them to care. Changes in workplace support for carers, for example, awareness of legislation and flexible leave entitlements, as well as increased community supports such as appropriate and accessible (child)care, could improve the financial and social circumstances of families and result in significant benefits to Australia's economy.
A phase II clinical trial of weekly paclitaxel and carboplatin in combination with panitumumab in metastatic triple negative breast cancer

Purpose: Women with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) can have a poor prognosis with treatment limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy. The identification of effective therapies that may limit exposure to cytotoxic chemotherapy and lead to prolonged survival is an unmet medical need. We tested an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor, panitumumab in combination with chemotherapy. Methods: We conducted a single arm clinical trial in women with metastatic or locally advanced TNBC to paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC of 2 on days 1, 8, and 15 and panitumumab 6 mg/kg on days 1 and 15 for a cycle length of 28 days. The objectives were to evaluate the response rate and safety of the combination in comparison to historical controls. Results: Fourteen patients with TNBC were enrolled with a median age of 53 years. The majority of women were African American (64.3%) with visceral metastasis (64.2%). Hematologic toxicities, particularly neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, were a major cause of missed chemotherapy and delayed treatment in this study. The overall response rate (complete and partial response) of the 13 evaluable patients was 46%. The median time to best response was 2.4 months and the median time to disease progression was 3.6 months. We were able to perform the PAM50 analysis on tumors from 7 of our subjects. All the samples tested clustered within the basal-like subtype. Conclusions: In our experience the response rate of carboplatin, paclitaxel and panitumumab was consistent with other reports of response for cytotoxic chemotherapy in metastatic TNBC.
Passenger-based predictive modeling of airline no-show rates

Airlines routinely overbook flights based on the expectation that some fraction of booked passengers will not show for each flight. Accurate forecasts of the expected number of no-shows for each flight can increase airline revenue by reducing the number of spoiled seats (empty seats that might otherwise have been sold) and the number of involuntary denied boardings at the departure gate. Conventional no-show forecasting methods typically average the no-show rates of historically similar flights, without the use of passenger-specific information.We develop two classes of models to predict cabin-level no-show rates using specific information on the individual passengers booked on each flight. The first of these models computes the no-show probability for each passenger, using both the cabin-level historical forecast and the extracted passenger features as explanatory variables. This passenger-level model is implemented using three different predictive methods: a C4.5 decision-tree, a segmented Naive Bayes algorithm, and a new aggregation method for an ensemble of probabilistic models. The second cabin-level model is formulated using the desired cabin-level no-show rate as the response variable. Inputs to this model include the predicted cabin-level no-show rates derived from the various passenger-level models, as well as simple statistics of the features of the cabin passenger population. The cabin-level model is implemented using either linear regression, or as a direct probability model with explicit incorporation of the cabin-level no-show rates derived from the passenger-level model outputs.The new passenger-based models are compared to a conventional historical model, using train and evaluation data sets taken from over 1 million passenger name records. Standard metrics such as lift curves and mean-square cabin-level errors establish the improved accuracy of the passenger-based models over the historical model. All models are also evaluated using a simple revenue model, and it is shown that the cabin-level passenger-based model can produce between 0.4% and 3.2% revenue gain over the conventional model, depending on the revenue-model parameters.
Improved current regulation for voltage source inverters using zero crossings of the compensated current errors

This paper presents a consolidated strategy for closed loop current regulation of voltage source inverters by considering the zero crossings of the compensated (noninteractive) current errors. This approach leads to algorithms that can either vary a hysteresis bandwidth or directly modulate the phase leg switching times, and are implementable either with analogue hardware or digitally on a DSP. Two alternative approaches for generating the compensated current errors are presented. The merits and implementation of each scheme are examined and lead to a novel continuous switching delta current control scheme that minimises the current error, maintains a constant switching frequency with minimum harmonic generation, provides a rapid transient response and fully utilises the DC bus. The effectiveness of the consolidated control strategy has been verified by detailed simulation and experimental investigations.
Nitric Oxide Synthesis and by Endothelin-B Receptor Blockade Mediated Vasodilatation Is Attenuated by Inhibition of − Endothelin-A Receptor Antagonist

Marianne C. Verhaar, Fiona E. Strachan, David E. Newby, Nicholas L. Cruden, Hein A. Nitric Oxide Synthesis and by Endothelin-B Receptor Blockade Mediated Vasodilatation Is Attenuated by Inhibition of − Endothelin-A Receptor Antagonist Print ISSN: 0009-7322. Online ISSN: 1524-4539 Copyright © 1998 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. is published by the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231 Circulation doi: 10.1161/01.CIR. 97.8. 752 1998;97:752-756 Circulation. http://circ.ahajournals. org/content/97/8/752 World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the
Progress of Flexible Electronics in Neural Interfacing – A Self‐Adaptive Non‐Invasive Neural Ribbon Electrode for Small Nerves Recording

A novel flexible neural ribbon electrode with a self-adaptive feature is successfully implemented for various small nerves recording. As a neural interface, the selective recording capability is characterized by having reliable signal acquisitions from the sciatic nerve and its branches such as the peroneal nerve, the tibial nerve, and the sural nerve.
Measuring the Impact of Leptoglossus occidentalis (Heteroptera: Coreidae) on Seed Production in Lodgepole Pine Using an Antibody-Based Assay

Abstract We measured the impact of Leptoglossus occidentalis on seed production in lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta variety latifolia Engelmann, using an antibody marker developed to detect residual saliva in fed-on seeds. Nymphs, adult females, and adult males were caged on cones during early, mid- and late season cone development. Individual analysis of 12,887 seeds extracted from 365 cones revealed that 37.3% seeds tested positive for seed bug saliva. The antibody assay was 38 times more effective than radiography at detecting seed bug damage. Radiography can detect partially emptied seed but cannot discriminate between aborted seeds and those emptied by seed bugs. The antibody marker was least sensitive in detecting early season damage compared with mid- and late season damage. We hypothesize that residual saliva in seeds fed on early in the season was either absorbed by the damaged seed or degraded over time. Early season feeding resulted in the greatest number of seeds fused to cone scales and the extraction efficiency for cones exposed to feeding during this time was reduced by 64% compared with control cones. Adding fused seeds to antibody-positive seeds raised the proportion of damaged seeds to 48.3%. At all stages of cone development, adult females were the most destructive life stage, damaging up to two seeds per day late in the season. When seed losses were adjusted to damage per degree-day, female damage was greatest early in the season, while males caused the same amount of damage regardless of cone development period. The results of the antibody assay provide baseline data for developing damage prediction formulae, and establish L. occidentalis as a potentially serious pest in lodgepole pine seed orchards.