Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the bonding of self-adhesive cement sensitive to root region and curing mode?

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the influence of two curing techniques on the degree of conversion (DC) of resin cements and on bond strength (BS) of fiber posts in different regions of root dentin. Material and Methods Twenty single-rooted premolars were endodontically treated, and the post spaces were prepared. The roots were randomly divided into two groups (n=10), according to the activation mode of the resin cement RelyX™ U200 (3M ESPE Saint Paul, MN, USA): conventional (continuous activation mode) and soft-start activation mode (Ramp). The posts (WhitePost DC/FGM) were cemented according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and, after one week, the roots were cross-sectioned into six discs each of 1-mm thickness, and the cervical, medium, and apical thirds of the root canals were identified. The DC was evaluated under micro-Raman spectroscopy and the BS was evaluated by the push-out test. The data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test (α=0.05). Results Neither the activation mode nor the root regions affected the DC of the resin cement. Higher BS was achieved in the soft-start group (p=0.036); lower BS was observed in the apical third compared to the other root regions (p<0.001). Irrespective of the activation mode and root region, the mixed failure mode was the most prevalent. Conclusion The BS of fiber posts to root canals can be improved by soft-started polymerization. The DC was not affected by the curing mode.
Predictors of Hepatitis B Cure Using Gene Therapy to Deliver DNA Cleavage Enzymes: A Mathematical Modeling Approach

Most chronic viral infections are managed with small molecule therapies that inhibit replication but are not curative because non-replicating viral forms can persist despite decades of suppressive treatment. There are therefore numerous strategies in development to eradicate all non-replicating viruses from the body. We are currently engineering DNA cleavage enzymes that specifically target hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA (HBV cccDNA), the episomal form of the virus that persists despite potent antiviral therapies. DNA cleavage enzymes, including homing endonucleases or meganucleases, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), TAL effector nucleases (TALENs), and CRISPR-associated system 9 (Cas9) proteins, can disrupt specific regions of viral DNA. Because DNA repair is error prone, the virus can be neutralized after repeated cleavage events when a target sequence becomes mutated. DNA cleavage enzymes will be delivered as genes within viral vectors that enter hepatocytes. Here we develop mathematical models that describe the delivery and intracellular activity of DNA cleavage enzymes. Model simulations predict that high vector to target cell ratio, limited removal of delivery vectors by humoral immunity, and avid binding between enzyme and its DNA target will promote the highest level of cccDNA disruption. Development of de novo resistance to cleavage enzymes may occur if DNA cleavage and error prone repair does not render the viral episome replication incompetent: our model predicts that concurrent delivery of multiple enzymes which target different vital cccDNA regions, or sequential delivery of different enzymes, are both potentially useful strategies for avoiding multi-enzyme resistance. The underlying dynamics of cccDNA persistence are unlikely to impact the probability of cure provided that antiviral therapy is given concurrently during eradication trials. We conclude by describing experiments that can be used to validate the model, which will in turn provide vital information for dose selection for potential curative trials in animals and ultimately humans.
On Mediated Equilibria of Cheap-Talk Games ∗

In the Crawford-Sobel (uniform, quadratic utility) cheap-talk model, we consider mediation in which the informed agent reports one possible element of a partition to a mediator (a communication device) and then the mediator suggests an action to the uninformed decision-maker according to the probability distribution of the device. We show that a mediated equilibrium involving exactly N elements to report and N actions to choose from, cannot improve upon the unmediated N-partition Crawford-Sobel equilibrium when the preference divergence parameter is small.
Percepciones de Alumnos del Grado en Maestro en Educación Primaria con Mención en Educación Física sobre la Adquisición de Competencias

espanolRESUMEN: El objetivo de este trabajo fue conocer y comparar la percepcion sobre competencias adquiridas que tienen los estudiantes del Grado en Magisterio con mencion en Educacion Fisica al finalizar sus estudios. Se realizo un estudio descriptivo de poblaciones de tipo transversal, en el que 699 estudiantes de diez universidades publicas espanolas cumplimentaron el Cuestionario sobre competencias docentes en la formacion inicial del profesorado de Educacion Fisica (CCDFIPEF). Globalmente, los estudiantes consideraron que su formacion inicial como maestros habia desarrollado sus competencias personales generales, docentes genericas y especificas de Educacion Fisica de forma similar, en un punto intermedio entre “medianamente” y “mucho”. Especificamente, existieron dos competencias que los estudiantes manifestaron haber desarrollado mucho, mientras que cinco obtuvieron una baja valoracion y las 41 restantes se situaron en posiciones intermedias. Esta investigacion tambien concluye que existen similitudes y diferencias de percepcion atendiendo a la universidad donde se realizaron los estudios. EnglishABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to determine and compare the perceptions of students in a primary education - physical education concentration degree program regarding the competences they acquired by the end of their studies. A cross-sectional, descriptive population study was designed in which 699 students from ten Spanish public universities completed a questionnaire on teaching competences in physical education teacher education (CCDFIPEF). The overall results showed that the students considered that their initial training as teachers had developed their generic personal skills, generic teaching skills, and specific physical education teaching skills in a similar way, with responses for most skills falling between “moderately” and “considerably. ” Additionally, there were two competences that students expressed they had developed more than considerably, while five obtained scores lower than moderately. The remaining 41 competences received intermediate scores. This research also concludes that there were both similarities and differences in students’ perceptions of competences based on which university they attended.
Predict and Analyze Protein Glycation Sites with the mRMR and IFS Methods

Glycation is a nonenzymatic process in which proteins react with reducing sugar molecules. The identification of glycation sites in protein may provide guidelines to understand the biological function of protein glycation. In this study, we developed a computational method to predict protein glycation sites by using the support vector machine classifier. The experimental results showed that the prediction accuracy was 85.51% and an overall MCC was 0.70. Feature analysis indicated that the composition of k-spaced amino acid pairs feature contributed the most for glycation sites prediction.
Teacher's and Teacher Leaders' Perceptions of the Formal Role of Teacher Leadership

TEACHERS‟ AND TEACHER LEADERS‟ PERCEPTIONS OF THE FORMAL ROLE OF TEACHER LEADERSHIP by Jerry Kelley The accountability and responsibilities of schools have intensified greatly over the past two decades and school improvement has become a strong focus of many schools, thus requiring a greater understanding and use of formal teacher leadership if schools are to meet high standards. This research studied teachers‟ and teacher leaders‟ beliefs concerning the formal role of teacher leadership in three elementary schools. A qualitative study was conducted, utilizing surveys and interviews to collect data concerning teachers‟ and teacher leaders‟ perceptions of the formal role of teacher leadership. All teachers at three elementary schools were invited to complete an electronic survey and nominate teachers they believed were formal teacher leaders. Nominated teachers meeting the study‟s criteria as a formal teacher leader were invited to complete a self-administered teacher leader self-assessment survey. Based on the results from the surveys, nine teachers, three from each school, were invited to participate in an interview process with the researcher. Analysis of all data collected throughout the study suggests that even though formal teacher leadership is valued by most teachers, there exists a disconnect between teachers‟ and teacher leaders‟ beliefs of what formal teacher leadership should look like ideally in their schools versus their perceived reality of formal teacher leadership. Areas such as collaboration, recognition, and understanding of the formal role of teacher leadership, as well as policies that affects these areas were all found to hold discrepancies
Who is Authoritative? Understanding Reputation Mechanisms in Quora

As social Q&A sites gain popularity, it is important to understand how users judge the authoritativeness of users and content, build reputation, and identify and promote high quality content. We conducted a study of emerging social Q&A site Quora. First, we describe user activity on Quora by analyzing data across 60 question topics and 3917 users. Then we provide a rich understanding of issues of authority, reputation, and quality from in-depth interviews with ten Quora users. Our results show that primary sources of information on Quora are judged authoritative. Also, users judge the reputation of other users based on their past contributions. Social voting helps users identify and promote good content but is prone to preferential attachment. Combining social voting with sophisticated algorithms for ranking content might enable users to better judge others’ reputation and promote high quality content.
Inhibitory Effects of Edaravone in β-Amyloid-Induced Neurotoxicity in Rats

Amyloid protein can damage nerve cells through a variety of biological mechanisms including oxidative stress, alterations in calcium homeostasis, and proapoptosis. Edaravone, a potent free radical scavenger possessing antioxidant effects, has been proved neuroprotective effect in stroke patients. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of EDA in an Aβ-induced rat model of AD, by studying Aβ 1–40-induced voltage-gated calcium channel currents in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, learning and memory behavioral tests, the number of surviving cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain, and the acetylcholine level in the hippocampus in this rat model of AD. The results showed that the Aβ 1–40-induced increase of I Ca can be inhibited by EDA in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with EDA significantly improved Aβ 1–40-induced learning and memory performance. Choline acetyltransferase positive cells in basal forebrain and acetylcholine content in the hippocampus were increased by the administration of EDA as compared with the non-EDA treated Aβ 1–40 group. These results demonstrate that EDA can inhibit the neurotoxic effect of Aβ toxicity. Collectively, these findings suggest that EDA may serve as a potential complemental treatment strategy for AD.
Regulatory changes in two chemoreceptor genes contribute to a Caenorhabditis elegans QTL for foraging behavior

Natural isolates of C. elegans differ in their sensitivity to pheromones that inhibit exploratory behavior. Previous studies identified a QTL for pheromone sensitivity that includes alternative alleles of srx-43, a chemoreceptor that inhibits exploration through its activity in ASI sensory neurons. Here we show that the QTL is multigenic and includes alternative alleles of srx-44, a second chemoreceptor gene that modifies pheromone sensitivity. srx-44 either promotes or inhibits exploration depending on its expression in the ASJ or ADL sensory neurons, respectively. Naturally occurring pheromone insensitivity results in part from previously described changes in srx-43 expression levels, and in part from increased srx-44 expression in ASJ, which antagonizes ASI and ADL. Antagonism between the sensory neurons results in cellular epistasis that is reflected in their transcription of insulin genes that regulate exploration. These results and genome-wide evidence suggest that chemoreceptor genes may be preferred sites of adaptive variation in C. elegans. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.21454. 001
Validation of the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale among Chinese medical workers and firefighters: a cross-sectional study

Objectives To examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the C-Compassion Fatigue (CF)-Short Scale among 4 independent samples of Chinese emergency workers (medical workers and firefighters). Design Cross-sectional. Setting 6 hospitals in Zhejiang Province and 12 fire stations in Shanghai. Participants Emergency workers (medical and firefighters) were consecutively recruited and divided into 4 groups: the MW1 group (medical workers, n=167), the FF1 group (firefighters, n=157), the MW2 group (medical workers, n=265) and the FF2 group (firefighters, n=231). Interventions All patients completed the C-CF-Short Scale to identify factors associated with compassion fatigue. The MW1 and FF1 groups were used for the exploratory analyses. The MW2 and FF2 groups were used for the confirmatory factor analyses. Primary and secondary outcome measures Factor loading, correlations with previously validated questionnaires (the Ego-Resiliency Scale, the Social Support Questionnaire and the Job Pressure Scale) and Cronbach's α coefficient were tested for each factor. Results The C-CF-Short Scale demonstrated excellent construct validity and good internal consistency. Specifically, the results of exploratory factor analyses in the MW1 and FF1 groups showed that secondary trauma and job burnout were associated with compassion fatigue in these emergency workers. The confirmatory factor analyses in the MW2 and FF2 groups indicated that all the fit indices of the 2-factor model were satisfactory. Finally, the Cronbach's α coefficient of each factor was excellent. Conclusions The findings suggest that the C-CF-Short Scale has good psychometric properties and can be applied to study Chinese emergency workers.
Potential-based difference rewards for multiagent reinforcement learning

Difference rewards and potential-based reward shaping can both significantly improve the joint policy learnt by multiple reinforcement learning agents acting simultaneously in the same environment. Difference rewards capture an agent's contribution to the system's performance. Potential-based reward shaping has been proven to not alter the Nash equilibria of the system but requires domain-specific knowledge. This paper introduces two novel reward functions that combine these methods to leverage the benefits of both. Using the difference reward's Counterfactual as Potential (CaP) allows the application of potential-based reward shaping to a wide range of multiagent systems without the need for domain specific knowledge whilst still maintaining the theoretical guarantee of consistent Nash equilibria. Alternatively, Difference Rewards incorporating Potential-Based Reward Shaping (DRiP) uses potential-based reward shaping to further shape difference rewards. By exploiting prior knowledge of a problem domain, this paper demonstrates agents using this approach can converge either up to 23.8 times faster than or to joint policies up to 196% better than agents using difference rewards alone.
Executive control is shared between sentence processing and digit maintenance: Evidence from a strictly timed dual-task paradigm

We investigated whether the comprehension of syntactically difficult sentences taxes the executive control component of working memory more than the comprehension of their easier counterparts. To that end, we tested the effect of sharing executive control between sentence comprehension and the maintenance of a digit load in two dual-task experiments with strictly controlled timing (Barrouillet, Bernardin, & Camos, 2004). Recall was worse after participants had processed one (Experiment 2) or two (Experiment 1) difficult sentences than after they had processed one or two easy sentences, respectively. This finding suggests that sentence processing and the maintenance of a digit load share executive control. Processing syntactically difficult sentences seems to occupy executive control for a longer time than processing their easy counterparts, thereby blocking refreshments of the memory traces of the digits so that these traces decay more and recall is worse. There was no effect of the size of the digit load on sentence-processing performance (Experiment 2), suggesting that sentence processing completely occupied executive control until processing was complete.
An Autoethnography of a First-Time School District Superintendent: Experiences in Governance, Fiscal Stress, and Community Relations

There are just over 1,000 sitting superintendents and like number of local educational agencies (LEA's) in California, serving 6.2 million students. Superintendents' ability to share knowledge and learn from each other is limited; this is especially true the further one's work is removed from concentrated urban populations. This study addresses the following question: As a first-time district superintendent, what roadblocks stand in the way of effectively leading the district? To consider the question, this inquiry interprets a representative sample of my experiences as a first-time superintendent over the past five years during a period characterized by constant fiscal stress, organizational uncertainty, and shifting demographic populations. The theoretical basis from which this inquiry draws includes three streams of qualitative research (a) autoethnography, (b) organizational sensemaking, sensegiving, and decision-making, and (c) Critical Race Theory. Using the emerging field of autoethnography to interpret selected experiences in a design study that makes sense of them, I hope to help other superintendents, and those interested in decision-making for schools and districts, to set a better course by measured, sense-making reflections of their own experiences. Similar to conventional ethnography, auto-ethnographic methods require the researcher to systemically gather and sort data, to express such data in a manner that follows the conventions of the field, and to present and interpret findings in a manner acceptable by the field's official journals and research publications.To apply a clearer lens to the question, I apply the theoretical perspectives of Critical Race Theory (CRT), its Latin derivative Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCRIT), and organizational sensemaking, sensegiving, and decision-making to inform my observations. I apply selected experiences to the narrative theme identified as board and administrative leadership relationships. The findings and conclusions drawn from this research are designed to offer additional understandings to first-time superintendents who serve in relatively small districts with rapidly changing demographics, specifically where growing populations of Latino students, with socio-economic, cultural, and linguistic challenges, require new service models and interventions. Even given the limitations and shortfalls of this methodology, there is sufficient acceptance of autoethnography as a qualitative device from which valuable conclusions and findings can be drawn. This research has the potential to raise other questions around effective leadership and governance for future researchers to consider. Perhaps the most important product of this study will be to support an end to the isolation superintendents feel, particularly those first-time superintendents who serve outside urban areas, far from the highway of shared, face-to-face experiences communicated by urban superintendents.
Functional Haplotypes in the Promoter Region of Transcription Factor Nrf2 in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) protects against oxidative stress which is important in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Three single nucleotide polymorphisms and 1 triplet repeat polymorphism are found in the promoter region of the Nrf2 gene. Molecular haplotyping of the Nrf2 promoter region was performed using DNA obtained from the peripheral blood of 69 COPD patients. The luciferase activities of Nrf2 promoter constructs containing all possible combinations of the 4 polymorphisms were determined and found to differ among the 16 haplotypes.The haplotypes isolated from the subjects were divided into 3 groups (L: low; M: medium; H: high) on the basis of luciferase activities. The proportions of subjects belonging to global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease stage 3 or 4 decreased from the group with the LL haplotype to that with the HH haplotype. Presence of the LH or MM haplotype (hazard ratio, 3.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–9.69), gender (0.13; 0.02–0.67), and post-bronchodilator FEV1 value of predicted (0.95; 0.91–0.99) are significant predictors of respiratory failure development.The haplotype of the Nrf2 gene promoter affects its activity, and is associated with the severity and the development of respiratory failure in COPD.
A Unified Framework for Enterprise Architecture Analysis

Enterprise Architecture (EA) analysis is an important tool for leveraging EA models. However, due to the diverse nature of the EA field, analysis techniques must be able to deal with variability caused by different modeling standards as well as their adaption to specific organizational needs. Additionally, the definitions of the relevant measures often vary between different stakeholders and organizations. To address these challenges we propose a (meta) model independent framework for the analysis of architecture models. Based on a generic representation of architectural data, we employ a data-flow based analysis approach to enable a context-sensitive evaluation of organization specific measures. We demonstrate the generic applicability of this framework through a re-implementation of three different analyses from literature.
FAMES: fully agent-based modeling & emergent simulation

Traditionally, defense uses human-based warfare simulation to assess risks, optimize missions, and make operational, tactical and strategic decisions. However, this approach is extremely expensive and does not enable analysts to explore all aspects of the problem or emergent behavior. The major goal of this paper is first to propose an AEEE principle (Abstraction, Endomorphism, Encapsulation, and Evolution) for designing an evolutionary intelligent agent system and then to introduce a FAMES (Fully Agent-based Modeling & Emergent Simulation) framework as a realization of AEEE principle that can extract the suitable tactics/strategies in the warfare environment. By combining the top-down paradigm for the constructive simulation with the bottom-up paradigm for the emergent simulation to model the agent-based warfare environment, FAMES is able to generate lots of possible simulation trajectories according to the evolution process for finding suitable tactical/strategic solution. To do this, we have employed the advanced modeling and simulation environment, SES/MB (System Entity Structure / Model Base) environment that can support suitable basis to model the event-based nature of the warfare behavior with evolutionary intelligent agent system. The intelligent battleship agent system has been successfully implemented and tested to demonstrate the emergent behavior of proposed framework.