Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conceptual Learning in Mathematics: How Number Talks Benefit Students with Math Anxiety

This Master of Teaching Research Project is a qualitative study focused on math anxiety that looks specifically at how number talks impact students with math anxiety. Math anxiety can be described as a feeling of nervousness and/ or fear that prevents an individual from performing in math. The current literature on math anxiety shows how it is a problem that negatively impacts peoples’ self-esteem and ability in math throughout their lives. Limited research suggests strategies that teachers can use to support students with math anxiety such as adjusting teaching styles and making classrooms more inclusive spaces. While these strategies are beneficial, there is little information about specific practices teachers can use in the classroom to support math anxious students. With this in mind the main research question that guided this study is: How do a sample of Ontario elementary school teachers use number talks in their classroom and what outcomes do they observe from their students who are showing signs of math anxiety? To answer this question I collected information from three experienced primary math teachers. These teachers elaborated on what is currently found in the literature by describing the challenges and successes they have had with math anxious students during number talks. The information I have gathered from the interviews and literature indicates that math anxiety is a serious issue that needs attention. Key Words: Math, Math Anxiety, Universal Design for Learning, Conceptual Understanding, Number Talks HOW NUMBER TALKS BENEFIT STUDENTS WITH MATH ANXIETY 3
Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Long-Term Non-Progression in HIV Disease

Long-term non-progressors (LTNP) were identified after 10–15 years of the epidemic, and have been the subject of intense investigation ever since. In a small minority of cases, infection with nef/3′LTR deleted attenuated viral strains allowed control over viral replication. A common feature of LTNP is the readily detected proliferation of CD4 T-cells in vitro, in response to p24. In some cases, the responding CD4 T-cells have cytotoxic effector function and may target conserved p24 epitopes, similar to the CD8 T-cells described below. LTNP may also carry much lower HIV DNA burden in key CD4 subsets, presumably resulting from lower viral replication during primary infection. Some studies, but not others, suggest that LTNP have CD4 T-cells that are relatively resistant to HIV infection in vitro. One possible mechanism may involve up-regulation of the cell cycle regulator p21/waf in CD4 T-cells from LTNP. Delayed progression in Caucasian LTNP is also partly associated with heterozygosity of the Δ32 CCR5 allele, probably through decreased expression of CCR5 co-receptor on CD4 T-cells. However, in approximately half of Caucasian LTNP, two host genotypes, namely HLA-B57 and HLA-B27, are associated with viral control. Immunodominant CD8 T-cells from these individuals target epitopes in p24 that are highly conserved, and escape mutations have significant fitness costs to the virus. Furthermore, recent studies have suggested that these CD8 T-cells from LTNP, but not from HLA-B27 or HLA-B57 progressors, can cross-react with intermediate escape mutations, preventing full escape via compensatory mutations. Humoral immunity appears to play little part in LTNP subjects, since broadly neutralizing antibodies are rare, even amongst slow progressors. Recent genome-wide comparisons between LTNP and progressors have confirmed the HLA-B57, HLA-B27, and delta32 CCR5 allelic associations, plus indicated a role for HLA-C/KIR interactions, but have not revealed any new genotypes so far. Nevertheless, it is hoped that studying the mechanisms of intracellular restriction factors, such as the recently identified SAMHD1, will lead to a better understanding of non-progression.
C-Peptide-Based Assessment of Insulin Secretion in the Zucker Fatty Rat: A Modelistic Study

A C-peptide-based assessment of β-cell function was performed here in the Zucker fatty rat, a suitable animal model of human metabolic syndrome. To this aim, a 90-min intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was performed in seven Zucker fatty rats (ZFR), 7-to-9week-old, and seven age-matched Zucker lean rats (ZLR). The minimal model of C-peptide (CPMM), originally introduced for humans, was adapted to Zucker rats and then applied to interpret IVGTT data. For a comprehensive evaluation of glucose tolerance in ZFR, CPMM was applied in combination with the minimal model of glucose kinetics (GKMM). Our results showed that the present CPMM-based interpretation of data is able to: 1) provide a suitable fit of C-Peptide data; 2) achieve a satisfactory estimation of parameters of interest 3) quantify both insulin secretion by estimating the time course of pre-hepatic secretion rate, SR(t), and total insulin secretion, TIS, and pancreatic sensitivity by means of three specific indexes of β-cell responsiveness to glucose stimulus (first-phase, Ф1, second-phase, Ф2, and steady-state, Фss, never assessed in Zucker rats before; 4) detect the significant enhancement of insulin secretion in the ZFR, in face of a severe insulin-resistant state, previously observed only using a purely experimental approach. Thus, the methodology presented here represents a reliable tool to assess β-cell function in the Zucker rat, and opens new possibilities for the quantification of further processes involved in glucose homeostasis such as the hepatic insulin degradation.
Cognitive Function Related to the Sirh11/Zcchc16 Gene Acquired from an LTR Retrotransposon in Eutherians

Gene targeting of mouse S ushi- i chi-related r etrotransposon h omologue 11 / Z inc finger CCHC domain-containing 16 (Sirh11/Zcchc16) causes abnormal behaviors related to cognition, including attention, impulsivity and working memory. Sirh11/Zcchc16 encodes a CCHC type of zinc-finger protein that exhibits high homology to an LTR retrotransposon Gag protein. Upon microdialysis analysis of the prefrontal cortex region, the recovery rate of noradrenaline (NA) was reduced compared with dopamine (DA) after perfusion of high potassium-containing artificial cerebrospinal fluid in knockout (KO) mice. These data indicate that Sirh11/Zcchc16 is involved in cognitive function in the brain, possibly via the noradrenergic system, in the contemporary mouse developmental systems. Interestingly, it is highly conserved in three out of the four major groups of the eutherians, euarchontoglires, laurasiatheria and afrotheria, but is heavily mutated in xenarthran species such as the sloth and armadillo, suggesting that it has contributed to brain evolution in the three major eutherian lineages, including humans and mice. Sirh11/Zcchc16 is the first SIRH gene to be involved in brain function, instead of just the placenta, as seen in the case of Peg10, Peg11/Rtl1 and Sirh7/Ldoc1.
The Ubiquitin–proteasome System in Cardiac Dysfunction

a r t i c l e i n f o Since proteins play crucial roles in all biological processes, the finely tuned equilibrium between their synthesis and degradation regulates cellular homeostasis. Controlling the quality of proteome informational content is essential for cell survival and function. After initial synthesis, membrane and secretory proteins are modified, folded, and assembled in the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas other proteins are synthesized and processed in the cytosol. Cells have different protein quality control systems, the molecular chaperones, which help protein folding and stabilization, and the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) and lysosomes, which degrade proteins. It has generally been assumed that UPS and lysosomes are regulated independently and serve distinct functions. The UPS degrades both cytosolic, nuclear proteins, and myofibrillar proteins, whereas the lysosomes degrade most membrane and extracellular proteins by endocytosis as well as cytosolic proteins and organelles via autophagy. Over the last two decades, the UPS has been increasingly recognized as a major system in several biological processes including cell proliferation, adaptation to stress and cell death. More recently, activation or impairment of the UPS has been reported in cardiac disease and recent evidence indicate that autophagy is a key mechanism to maintain cardiac structure and function. This review mainly focuses on the UPS and its various components in healthy and diseased heart, but also summarizes recent data suggesting parallel activation of the UPS and autophagy in cardiac disease. 1. The cardiac ubiquitin–proteasome system The ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) is an ATP-dependent proteolytic system that requires the polyubiquitination of a protein intended for degradation by the 26S proteasome [1]. While it is known that the specificity of the system lies in the E3 ubiquitin ligases, recent evidence indicate that the cardiac 20S proteasome has functional partners involved in the β-adrenergic stimulation, underlying the importance of the UPS and its cardiac-specific components in the heart. Protein ubiquitination consists of the covalent linkage of ubiquitin molecules to one or more lysine residues of a protein. In general, degradation by the UPS requires the " canonical " ubiquitination, characterized by the covalent attachment of one or more chains of polyubiquitin linked through their lysine 48 (K48) to the targeted protein (Fig. 1). However, ubiquitination can form ubiquitin chains through linkage of other lysine residues (e.g. lysine 63, K63) and represents " non-canonical " ubiquitination (Fig. 1). In this case, the K63 chains are more extended and elongated than the …
Using concept maps in knowledge assessment of short and open answer questions

Knowledge Assessment is an important part of the learning process as it allows the learner to keep track of their progress in the knowledge acquisition process. There are several types of assessment techniques. Among them, we find questions with short and open answers (SOA Questions). The evaluation of these questions with open and short answers, where the learner has to develop a response going of some words to 5 lines, constitutes a type of complex assessment technique. This paper presents a novel approach regarding knowledge assessment of SOA questions using concept maps. We propose a scenario for using this type of questions in online learning environments and describe our approach for automatically evaluating this type of questions using concept maps and similarities measures.
Structural clues in the sequences of the aquaporins.

The large number of sequences available for the aquaporin family represents a valuable source of information to incorporate into three-dimensional structure determination. Phylogenetic analysis was used to define type sequences to avoid extreme over-representation of some subfamilies, and as a measure of the quality of multiple sequence alignment. Inspection of the sequence alignment suggested eight conserved segments that define the core architecture of six transmembrane helices and two functional loops, B and E, projecting into the plane of the membrane. The sum of the core segments and the minimum lengths of the interlinking loops constitute the 208 residues necessary to satisfy the aquaporin architecture. Analysis of hydrophobic and conservation periodicity and of correlated mutations across the alignment indicated the likely assignment and orientation of the helices in the bilayer. This assignment is examined with respect to the structure of the erythrocyte aquaporin 1 determined by electron crystallography. The aquaporin 1 tetramer is described as three rings of helices, each ring with a different exposure to the lipid environment. The sequence analysis clearly suggests that two helices are exposed along their whole lengths, two helices are exposed only at their N termini, and two helices are not exposed to lipid. It is further proposed that, besides loops B and E, the highly conserved motifs on helices 1 and 4, ExxxTxxF/L, could line the water channel.
Encouraged or Weeded Out: Perspectives of Students of Color in the STEM Disciplines on Faculty Interactions

Abstract: For this multisite qualitative case study, framed in Bourdieu’s social reproduction theory, we examined mentoring experiences among Students of Color majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines at both a predominantly White institution and a historically Black institution. Findings revealed that faculty served as gatekeepers for accessing STEM-related careers for Students of Color. Students of Color at the historically Black college experienced positive mentoring and professional development, whereas those at the predominantly White institution found the faculty unwilling to mentor them professionally and perceived the faculty as “weeding them out” of the STEM field.
How Does Light Rail Transit (LRT) Impact Gentrification? Evidence from Fourteen US Urbanized Areas

This study examines the relationship between light rail transit (LRT) stations and changes in neighborhood characteristics associated with gentrification using spatial regression analyses with longitudinal data across 14 US urbanized areas (UAs). Overall, we do not find evidence of prevalent gentrification in LRT station areas. An analysis of UA-specific impacts shows heterogeneous outcomes across different UAs, particularly: strong transit-oriented development (TOD) effects accompanied by gentrification in San Francisco and TOD with countergentrification in Portland. Our results highlight that different local and regional planning efforts can lead to different types of changes in transit station neighborhoods.
Myosin Va binding to neurofilaments is essential for correct myosin Va distribution and transport and neurofilament density

The identification of molecular motors that modulate the neuronal cytoskeleton has been elusive. Here, we show that a molecular motor protein, myosin Va, is present in high proportions in the cytoskeleton of mouse CNS and peripheral nerves. Immunoelectron microscopy, coimmunoprecipitation, and blot overlay analyses demonstrate that myosin Va in axons associates with neurofilaments, and that the NF-L subunit is its major ligand. A physiological association is indicated by observations that the level of myosin Va is reduced in axons of NF-L–null mice lacking neurofilaments and increased in mice overexpressing NF-L, but unchanged in NF-H–null mice. In vivo pulse-labeled myosin Va advances along axons at slow transport rates overlapping with those of neurofilament proteins and actin, both of which coimmunoprecipitate with myosin Va. Eliminating neurofilaments from mice selectively accelerates myosin Va translocation and redistributes myosin Va to the actin-rich subaxolemma and membranous organelles. Finally, peripheral axons of dilute-lethal mice, lacking functional myosin Va, display selectively increased neurofilament number and levels of neurofilament proteins without altering axon caliber. These results identify myosin Va as a neurofilament-associated protein, and show that this association is essential to establish the normal distribution, axonal transport, and content of myosin Va, and the proper numbers of neurofilaments in axons.
Quality measures in unimodal and multimodal biometric verification

Real-world deployment of unimodal and multimodal biometric systems often have to contend with degraded signal quality and erratic behaviour of the biometric data being modelled. We review approaches that have been used to extract additional information about the biometric data that can then be used to improve performance in degraded conditions, with a special emphasis on speech (where we present new approaches for signal quality estimation in biometric verification), face, fingerprint, and signature modalities. We also present approaches that do not depend on specific modalities, including new user-model based quality measure. We show how this information can be used in a unimodal and multimodal context, and we perform objective evaluation of quality measures on multimodal benchmarking databases.
Immunosuppressive therapy after solid-organ transplantation: does the INTERMED identify patients at risk of poor adherence?

Background: Lack of adherence to medication is a trigger of graft rejection in solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to assess whether a biopsychosocial evaluation using the INTERMED instrument before transplantation could identify SOT recipients at risk of suboptimal post-transplantation adherence to immunosuppressant drugs. We hypothesized that complex patients (INTERMED>20) might have lower medication adherence than noncomplex patients (INTERMED≤20). Methods: Each patient eligible for transplantation at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, has to undergo a pre-transplantation psychiatric evaluation. In this context the patient was asked to participate in our study. The INTERMED was completed pre-transplantation, and adherence to immunosuppressive medication was monitored post-transplantation by electronic monitors for 12 months. The main outcome measure was the implementation and persistence to two calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporine and tacrolimus, according to the dichotomized INTERMED score (>20 or ≤20). Results: Among the 50 SOT recipients who completed the INTERMED, 32 entered the study. The complex (N=11) and noncomplex patients (N=21) were similar in terms of age, sex and transplanted organ. Implementation was 94.2% in noncomplex patients versus 87.8% in complex patients (non-significant p-value). Five patients were lost to follow-up: one was non-persistent, and four refused electronic monitoring. Of the four patients who refused monitoring, two were complex and withdrew early, and two were noncomplex and withdrew later in the study. Conclusion: Patients identified as complex pre-transplant by the INTERMED tended to deviate from their immunosuppressant regimen, but the findings were not statistically significant. Larger studies are needed to evaluate this association further, as well as the appropriateness of using a nonspecific biopsychosocial instrument such as INTERMED in highly morbid patients who have complex social and psychological characteristics.
Modular Multilevel Converters for HVDC Applications: Review on Converter Cells and Functionalities

In this paper, the principle of modularity is used to derive the different multilevel voltage and current source converter topologies. The paper is primarily focused on high-power applications and specifically on high-voltage dc systems. The derived converter cells are treated as building blocks and are contributing to the modularity of the system. By combining the different building blocks, i.e., the converter cells, a variety of voltage and current source modular multilevel converter topologies are derived and thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, by applying the modularity principle at the system level, various types of high-power converters are introduced. The modularity of the multilevel converters is studied in depth, and the challenges as well as the opportunities for high-power applications are illustrated.
Self-reflective identity processing and psychological maturity: Examining the link between identity and wisdom.

The predictive relationship between the use of an informational identity processing style and wisdom was examined by focusing specifically on the mediating roles of self-reflective capacities (self-reflection, insight, mindfulness, and self-compassion). One hundred and eighty three young adult men (N= 5\) and women (N= 132) completed self-report measures o f identity styles, identity commitment, self-reflection, insight, mindfulness, self-compassion, and wisdom, with a subsample (N =60; 14 men and 46 women) also completing these measures one year later. The use of an informational style was positively related to all selfreflective capacities and to wisdom. In addition, each of the reflective capacities partially mediated the relationship between informational identity processing and wisdom. Contrary to predictions, informational style processing, self-reflection, and insight measured at Time 1 did not predict wisdom measured at Time 2. The results are discussed in terms how the reflective capacities o f informational individuals may promote wisdom development.
Normal intracortical excitability in developmental stuttering

Persistent developmental stuttering (PDS) shares clinical features with task‐specific dystonias. In these dystonias, intracortical inhibition is abnormally weak. We therefore sought to determine intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation in PDS. In 18 subjects with PDS since childhood (mean age, 39.4 [SD 13.0] years) and 18 speech‐fluent controls (43.6 [14.3] years), we investigated resting and active motor thresholds as well as intracortical inhibition and facilitation of the optimal representation of the abductor digiti minimi of the dominant hand using transcranial magnetic stimulation. In PDS, the resting and active motor thresholds were increased, whereas intracortical inhibition and facilitation were normal. Normal intracortical excitability makes a pathophysiological analogy between focal dystonia and PDS less likely. The enhanced motor threshold suggests reduced motor cortical neuronal membrane excitability in PDS. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Activité physique, sédentarité, inégalités sociales, surpoids et obésité à l’adolescence : contribution de PRALIMAP et PRALIMAP-INÈS, recherches interventionnelles en milieu scolaire

Contexte : Chez les adolescents, les differences sociales dans les pratiques d’activite physique (AP) et les comportements sedentaires restent peu expliquees. Les interventions universelles proportionnees visant la reduction des inegalites sociales chez les adolescents en situation de surpoids/obesite sont rares. Objectifs : Explorer les relations entre l’AP, la sedentarite, les facteurs sociaux, familiaux et scolaires chez les adolescents. Quatre axes de recherche ont ete definis : identification des facteurs associes a l'AP et a la sedentarite, etude de la participation des adolescents en situation de surpoids/obesite socialement moins favorises a une intervention universelle proportionnee en milieu scolaire, analyse de la perception des adolescents de leurs pratiques et evaluation de l'efficacite de l'intervention. Methodes : Ces travaux sont issus d’essais en milieu scolaire : PRALIMAP (PRomotion de l'ALIMentation et de l'Activite Physique) et PRALIMAP-INES (INEgalite de Sante). Le questionnaire international d’AP (IPAQ) a ete utilise pour mesurer l’AP et la sedentarite. Le niveau social a ete defini a partir des categories socioprofessionnelles et de l’echelle d’aisance familiale (FAS). Des entretiens individuels ont permis le recueil des perceptions. Des regressions logistiques ont ete realisees. Resultats : L'AP etait dependante des caracteristiques sociales, familiales et scolaires. La depense energetique totale n’etait pas suffisante pour identifier les differences sociales en AP. Les freins percus a la pratique d’AP etaient majoritairement individuels et etaient differents selon le niveau social et le sexe. Une intervention universelle proportionnee en milieu scolaire a permis la mobilisation de ces adolescents et de reduire les inegalites sociales d’AP. Conclusion : Ces travaux soulignent l’importance de la mise en œuvre en milieu scolaire d’actions specifiques en AP pour les adolescents en situation de surpoids/obesite socialement moins favorises