Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
"What Go Round Come Round": King in Perspective

The children are the future and hope of black America. Therefore, it is fitting and proper to begin with the words of those children who brought the federal lawsuit in the nationally prominent but widely misunderstood case of Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School Children v. Ann Arbor School District Board. Although this case has come to be known as the "Black English Case," it was as much a case about black children as about Black English. As Judge Charles W. Joiner himself said: "It is a straightforward effort to require the court to intervene on the children's behalf to require the defendant School District Board to take appropriate action to teach them to read in the standard English of the school, the commercial world, the arts, science and professions. This action is a cry for judicial help in opening the doors to the establishment. It is an action to keep another generation from becoming functionally illiterate" (Note 1).
A successful strategy for preimplantation genetic diagnosis of myotonic dystrophy using multiplex fluorescent PCR

The most common form of inherited muscular dystrophy in adults is myotonic dystrophy (DM), an autosomal‐dominant disease caused by the expansion of an unstable CTG repeat sequence in the 3′ untranslated region of the myotonin protein kinase (DMPK) gene. Expanded (mutant) CTG repeat sequences are refractory to conventional PCR, but alleles with a number of repeats within the normal range can be readily amplified and detected. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of DM has been successfully applied. However, a misdiagnosis using the reported protocol was recently documented. Two new PGD protocols for DM have been developed which utilise multiplex fluorescent PCR. Ideally a linked polymorphic marker, APOC2, is amplified in addition to the normal DMPK alleles, thus providing a back‐up diagnostic result. However, the two couples reported in the present study were not fully informative at the APOC2 locus and so an unlinked short tandem repeat (STR) marker, D21S1414, was substituted. The highly polymorphic nature of the D21S1414, DMPK and APOC2 loci means that a very simple genetic fingerprint can be generated by analyses of these loci. This allows most DNA contaminants to be detected. Contamination is a significant problem for PGD and is the primary reason for the inclusion of D21S1414 and APOC2 in this protocol. This paper reports the first clinical experience and pregnancies following PGD for DM using a multiplex fluorescent PCR protocol. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Teachers' Expectancy and Students' Attitude towards Science

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of teachers’ expectancy and students’ attitude towards science (ATS). The participants were 130 teachers and 300 students from secondary schools in Indonesia. The results indicated teachers’ expectancy significantly affected students’ ATS. Different kind of expectancy led teachers to have different classroom behavior. Teachers expect students from the science streams to have significantly higher potential to improve their academic achievements compared to the students from non-science stream. The results also showed that there is a significant correlation between teachers’ expectancy and students’ perception of teachers’ behavior. Furthermore, because students from science stream perceived that their teachers are supportive, they believe that the teachers expected them to score higher in science. In turn, this belief led them to possess higher ATS compared to the non-science stream students, which perceived that their teachers are focusing more on controlling their behavior. It could be concluded that teachers’ expectancy affected students’ ATS, moderated by the students’ perception of teachers’ behavior.
Functional Assessment and Treatment of Challenging Behavior

Considerable research has focused on challenging behaviors (e.g., aggressive/disruptive, self-injurious) in children and adults with developmental disabilities over the past 25 years. Numerous behavioral interventions have been evaluated with results showing varied degrees of success. Recently, researchers have begun developing functional assessment methods to analyze contingencies maintaining challenging behaviors. This has led to the development and evaluation of functional interventions. In this article the literature on functional assessment and treatment of challenging behavior in children with developmental disabilities is reviewed. Following a review of the studies evaluating functional assessment and treatment approaches, we discuss the implications for early childhood and issues for future research in this area.
An Improved Random Forest Classifier for Text Categorization

This paper proposes an improved random forest algorithm for classifying text data. This algorithm is particularly designed for analyzing very high dimensional data with multiple classes whose well-known representative data is text corpus. A novel feature weighting method and tree selection method are developed and synergistically served for making random forest framework well suited to categorize text documents with dozens of topics. With the new feature weighting method for subspace sampling and tree selection method, we can effectively reduce subspace size and improve classification performance without increasing error bound. We apply the proposed method on six text data sets with diverse characteristics. The results have demonstrated that this improved random forests outperformed the popular text classification methods in terms of classification performance.
Mathematical studies of the effects of acetylcholine on pacemaker activity in the mammalian sinoatrial node

The effect of acetylcholine (ACh) on ionic currents responsible for pacemaking activity at the sinoatrial node was investigated using a mathematical model based on the DiFrancesco Noble equations. Two membrane currents in particular were examined in detail. Inhibition of the slow-inward calcium current iCaf yielded an increase in maximum diastolic potential (contrary to experimental evidence) and resulted in a limited range of control over the cardiac period as intracellular processes began to dominate. Activation of an additional potassium current iK, ACh however, yielded a substantial degree of variation in cardiac period, and shifted the maximum diastolic potential more negative. We conclude that iK, Ach is the most plausible mechanism for ACh induced bradycardia in the mammalian sinoatrial node. It was also observed that intracellular processes which regulated free calcium levels contributed significantly to normal pacing activity.
Ranking Authors and Institutions by Publications in Regional Science Journals: 2010–2014

In this paper, authors and institutions are ranked based on the number of publications in ten core regional science journals during the period 2010-2014. Alternative rankings are constructed by considering only publications in the top four of the ten journals and also by adjusting for journal impact factors. Two impact factors are calculated for each journal based first on citations by the other nine core regional science journals and then by all journals in the database Scopus. Discussion is included regarding the patterns and consistency of the rankings across alternative criteria. Comparisons also are made to previous regional science publication rankings of authors and institutions.
Dextro‐amphetamine increases phosphoinositol cycle activity in volunteers: an MRS study

To help determine the effects of dextro‐amphetamine on the phosphoinositol cycle (PI‐cycle) in humans, 1H and 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was utilized in 17 healthy volunteers. This was an open‐label study carried out before and after administration of 20 mg oral dextro‐amphetamine. Subjects also rated the subjective effects of dextro‐amphetamine administration using visual analog scales (VAS).
The Meanings of Family in Substance Users’ Change Talk During Motivational Interviewing: A Qualitative Study

Only a very small number of studies have examined the meaning of significant others in motivational interviewing (MI) sessions. The aim of this qualitative study is to provide insights into substance users’ experience of the meaning of family in the change process and to expand current understanding about the significance of family relationships in change talk during MI. The analyses are based on videotaped data consisting of 98 MI sessions in the Finnish Probation Service. The results show that family relationships are important and diverse factors that promote or hinder motivation to change in substance users’ change talk.
Direct Quantification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter lanienae in Feces of Cattle by Real-Time Quantitative PCR

ABSTRACT Campylobacter species are fastidious to culture, and the ability to directly quantify biomass in microbiologically complex substrates using real-time quantitative (RTQ) PCR may enhance our understanding of their biology and facilitate the development of efficacious mitigation strategies. This study reports the use of nested RTQ-PCR to directly quantify Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter lanienae in cattle feces. For C. jejuni, the single-copy mapA gene was selected. For C. lanienae, the three-copy 16S rRNA gene was targeted. RTQ-PCR primers were tested alone or they were nested with species-specific primers, and amplification products were detected using the intercalating dye SYBR Green. Nesting did not increase the specificity or sensitivity of C. jejuni quantification, and the limit of quantification was 19 to 25 genome copies (≈3 × 103 CFU/g of feces). In contrast, nested RTQ-PCR was necessary to confer specificity on C. lanienae by targeting the 16S rRNA gene. The limit of quantification was 1.8 genome copies (≈250 CFU/g of feces), and there was no discernible difference between the two C. lanienae secondary primer sets evaluated. Detection and quantification of C. jejuni in naturally infested cattle feces by RTQ-PCR were comparable to the results of culture-based methods. In contrast, culturing did not detect C. lanienae in 6 of 10 fecal samples positive for the bacterium and substantially underestimated cell densities relative to nested RTQ-PCR. The results of this study illustrate that RTQ-PCR can be used to directly quantify campylobacters, including very fastidious species, in a microbiologically and chemically complex substrate. Furthermore, targeting of a multicopy universal gene provided highly sensitive quantification of C. lanienae, but nested RTQ-PCR was necessary to confer specificity. This method will facilitate subsequent studies to elucidate the impact of this group of bacteria within the gastrointestinal tracts of livestock and studies of the factors that influence colonization success and shedding.
Temporally Agnostic Rumor-Source Detection

We revisit the problem of inferring the source of a rumor on a network, given a snapshot of the extent of its spread. We differ from prior work in two aspects: We consider settings where additional relative information about the infection times of a fraction of node pairs is also available to the estimator and instead of only considering the most likely spreading pattern, we take a complementary approach where our estimator for general networks ranks each node based on counting the number of possible spreading patterns with a given node as root that are compatible with the observations. We first consider the case where additional information is available about infection incidents in the form of a set of directed pairs of neighboring nodes with the implication that the first is known to have infected the second. Under this hypothesis, we derive an estimator for the most likely rumor source based on the Markov chain tree theorem and propose a Markov Chain Monte Carlo scheme to find it. Empirical studies of various performance measures are provided, along with comparisons with the popular scheme of Shah and Zaman adapted to this framework. A further variant of the problem considered is when such pairwise temporal precedence is known for a fraction of pairs of nodes which, however, are not necessarily neighbors. For this case, we again propose a Markov Chain Monte Carlo based scheme for rumor source detection, which combines Aldous's algorithm for uniform sampling of arborescences with rejection sampling.
Beyond Standardized Test Scores: An Examination of Leadership and Climate as Leading Indicators of Future Success in the Transformation of Turnaround Schools.

Districts throughout the nation are engaged in comprehensive transformation to “turn around” low performing schools. Standardized test scores are used to gauge student achievement; however, academic gains may lag behind leading indicators such as improved school climate and effective leadership. This study examines 16 underperforming schools to discover what factors may be considered leading indicators. Turnaround and traditional schools were compared on three factors: leadership, climate and achievement. Assessment tools included the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Avolio & Bass, 2004), standardized assessments, and participant ratings of overall school climate on an A to F grading scale. Findings show that turnaround teachers rated their leader significantly higher on all MLQ subscales and assigned significantly higher climate “grades,” to their schools than traditional school teachers but demonstrated no significant academic gains. The authors assert that leading indicators may be indicative of the future growth of lagging indicators such as test scores, and should be considered benchmarks in the transformation process.
Born Entrepreneurs? : Immigrant Self-Employment in Spain

De toename van wereldmigratie zorgt ervoor dat economen, beleidsmakers en academici steeds meer aandacht besteden aan immigranten en ondernemerschap. Zijn immigranten meer ondernemend dan autochtone Spanjaarden? Hoe succesvol zijn migrantenondernemers ten opzichte van ondernemers in land van herkomst? Born Entrepreneurs? bestudeert hoe het allochtoon-zijn een immigrant beinvloedt om succesvol te gaan ondernemen. Ook komen de mogelijke economische en sociale voordelen van zelfstandige arbeid en de unieke factoren die een rol spelen bij het zogenoemde etnische en immigrante ondernemerschap aan de orde.
Conflict stress and reduced well-being at work: The buffering effect of third-party help

This study among 108 Dutch social services workers examined whether particularly the intrapsychic tension directly associated with interpersonal conflict at work, i.e., conflict stress, is responsible for reduced well-being in terms of emotional exhaustion, absenteeism, and turnover intentions. Furthermore, we explored whether these detrimental effects were buffered by third-party help. Factor analyses showed that third-party help could be considered an additional conflict management style, next to more traditional behavioural styles such as problem solving and forcing. As expected, conflict stress was positively related to emotional exhaustion, absenteeism, and turnover intentions even when controlled for task and relationship conflict. Furthermore, this relationship was strong for respondents who report low third-party help and nonexistent for respondents who report high third-party help. These findings suggest that third-party help is a successful conflict management strategy to prevent negative outcomes of interpersonal conflict in organizations.
Enantiomeric Excesses in Meteoritic Amino Acids

Gas chromatographic-mass spectral analyses of the four stereoisomers of 2-amino-2,3-dimethylpentanoic acid (DL-α-methylisoleucine and DL-α-methylalloisoleucine) obtained from the Murchison meteorite show that the L enantiomer occurs in excess (7.0 and 9.1%, respectively) in both of the enantiomeric pairs. Similar results were obtained for two other α-methyl amino acids, isovaline and α-methylnorvaline, although the α hydrogen analogs of these amino acids, α-amino-n-butyric acid and norvaline, were found to be racemates. With the exception of α-amino-n-butyric acid, these amino acids are either unknown or of limited occurrence in the biosphere. Because carbonaceous chondrites formed 4.5 billion years ago, the results are indicative of an asymmetric influence on organic chemical evolution before the origin of life.
On Covariate Shift Adaptation via Sparse Filtering

A major challenge in machine learning is covariate shift, i.e., the problem of training data and test data coming from different distributions. This paper studies the feasibility of tackling this problem by means of sparse filtering. We show that the sparse filtering algorithm intrinsically addresses this problem, but it has limited capacity for covariate shift adaptation. To overcome this limit, we propose a novel semi-supervised sparse filtering algorithm, named periodic sparse filtering. Our proposed algorithm is formally analyzed and empirically evaluated with an elaborated synthetic data set and real speech emotion data sets. As a result, we argue that, as an alternative methodology, feature distribution learning has enormous potential in carrying out covariate shift adaptation.
Incidence of Intentional Vehicle–Reptile Collisions

The impact of vehicles on certain reptile species is well documented and population consequences of associated mortality from collisions with vehicles can be significant. Whether such collisions by motor vehicle drivers are intentional has been speculated on but not studied. The authors documented the response of motor vehicle drivers to a fake turtle, fake snake, an item frequently found on the road (i.e., disposable cup), and an inconspicuous control. Response was documented as a hit, miss, or rescue. Using log-linear analysis the study found evidence that reptile decoys were hit at a higher rate than by chance with approximately 2.7% of motorists intentionally hitting them. These results may be used to improve vehicle–reptile collision probability models and demonstrate the need for highly effective mitigation measures to prevent reptile access to roadways with moderate to heavy traffic volumes.
Solitary vs. Shared: Exploring the Social Dimension of Museum Learning

The literature suggests that the social dimension is an important aspect of museum learning. Many visitors report having discussed or shared information with their companions. There is also evidence, however, that some museum visitors prefer to visit alone or to learn by themselves. This study explores qualitative and quantitative differences in the nature and outcomes of solitary and shared museum learning experiences. Forty solitary adults and 40 adults visiting in pairs were observed and interviewed during their visit to a museum exhibition area, and a proportion of participants were contacted by telephone four weeks after the visit. The findings challenge the supposition that social interaction is more beneficial to learning than a solitary experience and suggest that, for adult learners, solitary and shared learning experiences can be equally beneficial but in different ways.
Excessive Sarcoplasmic/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase Expression Causes Increased Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+ Uptake but Decreases Myocyte Shortening

Background—Increasing sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) uptake activity is a promising therapeutic approach for heart failure. We investigated the effects of different levels of SERCA1a expression on contractility and Ca2+ cycling. We tested whether increased SERCA1a expression levels enhance myocyte contractility in a gene-dose–dependent manner. Methods and Results—Rabbit isolated cardiomyocytes were transfected at different multiplicities of infection (MOIs) with adenoviruses encoding SERCA1a (or &bgr;-galactosidase as control). Myocyte relaxation half-time was decreased by 10% (P=0.052) at SERCA1a MOI 10 and by 28% at MOI 50 (P<0.05). Myocyte fractional shortening was increased by 12% at MOI 10 (P<0.05) but surprisingly decreased at MOI 50 (−22%, P<0.05) versus control. SR Ca2+ uptake (in permeabilized myocytes) demonstrated a gene-dose–dependent decrease in Km by 29% and 46% and an increase in Vmax by 37% and 72% at MOI 10 and MOI 50, respectively (all P<0.05 versus control). Ca2+ transient amplitude was increased in Ad-SERCA1a–infected myocytes at MOI 10 (by 121%, P<0.05), but at MOI 50, the Ca2+ transient amplitude was not significantly changed. Caffeine-induced Ca2+ transients indicated significantly increased SR Ca2+ content in Ad-SERCA1a–infected cells, by 72% at MOI 10 and by 87% at MOI 50. Mathematical simulations demonstrate that the functional increase in SR Ca2+-ATPase uptake activity at MOI 50 (and increased cytosolic Ca2+ buffering) is sufficient to curtail the Ca2+ transient amplitude and explain the reduced contraction. Conclusions—Moderate SERCA1a gene transfer and expression improve contractility and Ca2+ cycling. However, higher SERCA1a expression levels can impair myocyte shortening because of higher SERCA activity and Ca2+ buffering.
Estimating the Prevalence of Substance Use, Abuse, and Dependence Among Social Security Disability Benefit Recipients

With the passage of Public Law 104-121, the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996, the federal Social Security Administration was no longer allowed to grant disability benefits to persons whose primary diagnosis was one of substance abuse or dependence. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2004a), a nationally representative household survey, uses validated scales to measure rates of substance abuse and dependence among the U.S. population. In 2002, for the first time, the NSDUH also included questions about disability. Data from the 2002 survey is examined to determine whether issues of substance abuse and dependence are still relevant for the 2 Social Security programs that serve persons with disabilities: Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Results indicate that a substantial portion of DI and SSI beneficiaries continue to struggle with issues of substance abuse.
The chloromethylketone protease inhibitor AAPFCMK also targets ATP‐dependent helicases and SAP‐domain proteins

We have been studying a nuclear protease, which appears to be involved in cellular transformation, as well as in infections with high‐risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs). This protease has a chymotrypsin‐like substrate specificity and the chloromethylketone inhibitor AAPFCMK is a potent (and relatively selective) inhibitor of it. Recently, we have observed that AAPFCMK has potent effects in some model systems which appear not to be mediated by decreases in the nuclear protease. Here we show that AAPFCMK selectively reacts with ATP‐dependent helicases as well as a limited spectrum of proteins in other DNA repair/chromatin remodeling nuclear complexes, including for example Cohesin complex components and proteins containing SAP‐domains. In vitro, AAPFCMK selectively reacts with SV40 large T antigen, and inhibits its helicase activity. J. Cell. Biochem. 100: 716–726, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.