Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
American Students Abroad: Professional versus Personal Development*

Interview and questionnaire data from approxi mately four hundred American students in France and from over five thousand Fulbright and Smith-Mundt grantees pro vide information concerning the sojourners' overseas interac tion and postaward communication experiences as well as their evaluations of the personal development and professional con sequences of their work abroad. Multivariate analyses of the survey data reveal that evaluations of professional develop ment and prestige are closely related to the lecturers', research scholars', and exchange teachers' appraisals of personal de velopment and over-all satisfaction with their sojourns. For students, however, professional and personal development appear to be alternative outcomes of study abroad: those reporting more extensive interaction with host nationals and greater personal development and satisfaction tend to be less settled in adult roles and less committed to academic goals; whereas those indicating that study abroad furthered their professional development and advancement tend to be older, advanced graduate students who incorporated data gathered abroad in dissertations for advanced degrees, enabling them to obtain college faculty positions. Implications of these findings in terms of the goals of agencies sponsoring inter national educational exchange are discussed.
Independent prognostic significance of ischemic ST-segment response limited to recovery from treadmill exercise in asymptomatic subjects.

BACKGROUND Although exercise-induced ST depression is an independent predictor of future coronary events in asymptomatic populations, the predictive value of ST depression beginning after exercise cessation is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed the treadmill exercise tests of 825 healthy volunteers who were 22 to 89 years of age from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. All subjects were free from coronary heart disease by history, physical examination, and resting ECG. From 825 participants, 611 (group 0) had no ischemic ST-segment changes during or after treadmill exercise, while 214 subjects developed > or = 1-mm flat or downsloping ST depression: 151 (group 1) had ST changes starting during exercise, and 63 (group 2) had changes limited to recovery. Groups 1 and 2 were similar in age, sex, smoking status, hypertension prevalence, fasting plasma glucose, and serum cholesterol (CHOL). However, both groups were older and had higher CHOL and prevalence of hypertension than group 0. Treadmill exercise duration, peak oxygen consumption, and maximal heart rate were similar between groups 1 and 2 but were lower than in group 0 (each P < 0.05). During a mean follow-up time of 9 years, 55 subjects developed coronary events (angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or coronary death): 21 of 611 (3.4%) in group 0, 22 of 151 (14.6%) in group 1, and 12 of 63 (19%) in group 2 (P = 0.001). By survival analysis, the risk of coronary events was similar in groups 1 and 2 but significantly higher than in group 0 (P < 0.0001). Multiple logistic regression showed that age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07 per year, P = 0.00001), CHOL (OR = 1.02 per 1 mg, P = 0.0001), and presence of ST-segment depression (OR = 2.59, P = 0.007 and OR = 2.38, P = 0.04 for groups 1 and 2, respectively) were independent predictors of events. CONCLUSIONS Thus, ischemic ST-segment changes developing during recovery from treadmill exercise in apparently healthy individuals have adverse prognostic significance similar to those appearing during exercise.
Circulating Tumor Cells as a Biomarker of Response to Treatment in Patient-Derived Xenograft Mouse Models of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells shed from solid tumors into circulation and have been shown to be prognostic in the setting of metastatic disease. These cells are obtained through a routine blood draw and may serve as an easily accessible marker for monitoring treatment effectiveness. Because of the rapid progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), early insight into treatment effectiveness may allow for necessary and timely changes in treatment regimens. The objective of this study was to evaluate CTC burden as a biomarker of response to treatment with a oral phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitor, BKM120, in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models of PDAC. PDX mice were randomized to receive vehicle or BKM120 treatment for 28 days and CTCs were enumerated from whole blood before and after treatment using a microfluidic chip that selected for EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule) positive cells. This microfluidic device allowed for the release of captured CTCs and enumeration of these cells via their electrical impedance signatures. Median CTC counts significantly decreased in the BKM120 group from pre- to post-treatment (26.61 to 2.21 CTCs/250 µL, p = 0.0207) while no significant change was observed in the vehicle group (23.26 to 11.89 CTCs/250 µL, p = 0.8081). This reduction in CTC burden in the treatment group correlated with tumor growth inhibition indicating CTC burden is a promising biomarker of response to treatment in preclinical models. Mutant enriched sequencing of isolated CTCs confirmed that they harbored KRAS G12V mutations, identical to the matched tumors. In the long-term, PDX mice are a useful preclinical model for furthering our understanding of CTCs. Clinically, mutational analysis of CTCs and serial monitoring of CTC burden may be used as a minimally invasive approach to predict and monitor treatment response to guide therapeutic regimens.
A Dual-Criticality Memory Controller (DCmc): Proposal and Evaluation of a Space Case Study

Multicore Dual-Criticality systems comprise two types of applications, each with a different criticality level. In the space domain these types are referred as payload and control applications, which have high-performance and real time requirements respectively. In order to control the interaction (contention) among payload and control applications in the access to the main memory, reaching the goals of high bandwidth for the former and guaranteed timing bounds for the latter, we propose a Dual-Criticality memory controller (DCmc). DCmc virtually divides memory banks into real-time and high-performance banks, deploying a different request scheduler policy to each bank type, which facilitates achieving both goals. Our evaluation with a multicore cycle-accurate simulator and a real space case study shows that DCmc enables deriving tight WCET estimates, regardless of the co-running payload applications, hence effectively isolating the effect of contention in the access to memory. DCmc also enables payload applications exploiting memory locality, which is needed for high performance.
DGR mutagenic transposition occurs via hypermutagenic reverse transcription primed by nicked template RNA

Significance Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are in vivo sequence diversification machines that are widely distributed in bacteria, archaea, and their viruses. DGRs use a reverse transcriptase (RT)-mediated mechanism to diversify protein-encoding genes to facilitate adaptation of their hosts to changing environments. Here, we demonstrate that the Bordetella phage DGR-encoded RT uses the 3′-OH of a nicked template RNA to initiate reverse transcription, during which random nucleotides are incorporated when adenine residues in the template are copied into complementary DNA (cDNA). We further show that this mutated, covalently linked RNA-cDNA molecule is required for DGR-mediated sequence diversification, revealing a mechanism of accelerated evolution with broad practical applications. Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are molecular evolution machines that facilitate microbial adaptation to environmental changes. Hypervariation occurs via a mutagenic retrotransposition process from a template repeat (TR) to a variable repeat (VR) that results in adenine-to-random nucleotide conversions. Here we show that reverse transcription of the Bordetella phage DGR is primed by an adenine residue in TR RNA and is dependent on the DGR-encoded reverse transcriptase (bRT) and accessory variability determinant (Avd ), but is VR-independent. We also find that the catalytic center of bRT plays an essential role in site-specific cleavage of TR RNA for cDNA priming. Adenine-specific mutagenesis occurs during reverse transcription and does not involve dUTP incorporation, indicating it results from bRT-catalyzed misincorporation of standard deoxyribonucleotides. In vivo assays show that this hybrid RNA-cDNA molecule is required for mutagenic transposition, revealing a unique mechanism of DNA hypervariation for microbial adaptation.
Did the Breakout of Laurentia Turn Gondwanaland Inside-Out?

Comparative geology suggests that the continents adjacent to northern, western, southern, and eastern Laurentia in the Late Proterozoic were Siberia, Australia-Antarctica, southern Africa, and Amazonia-Baltica, respectively. Late Proterozoic fragmentation of the supercontinent centered on Laurentia would then have been followed by rapid fan-like collapse of the (present) southern continents and eventual consolidation of East and West Gondwanaland. In this scenario, a pole of rotation near the Weddell Sea would explain the observed dominance of wrench tectonics in (present) east-west trending Pan-African mobile belts and subduction-accretion tectonics in north-south trending belts. In the process of fragmentation, rifts originating in the interior of the Late Proterozoic supercontinent became the external margins of Paleozoic Gondwanaland; exterior margins of the Late Proterozoic supercontinent became landlocked within the interior of Gondwanaland.
Modelling density‐dependent fish shoal distributions in the laboratory and field

Density-dependent variables have long been established as an important area of ecological research, but the effects of the local density of conspecifics on grouping behaviour are less well-studied. We compared the influence of the density of conspecifics on the shoal size distribution of killifish, Fundulus diaphanus, in the laboratory and the field. In both environments we observed an increase in shoal size and shoal number with the density of individuals present. The increase in shoal size was markedly steeper in the field than in the laboratory, but direct comparison of the two was complicated by the fact that the absolute numbers of fish present at the field site were considerably higher than those used in the laboratory trials. We developed an individual-based model that was first used as a null model of shoal formation (defined by proximity to others) in fish with no shoaling tendency over the same range of densities used in the laboratory. Group size increased much more rapidly with increasing density in the laboratory than predicted by the null model. When we incorporated shoaling behaviour into our model, the laboratory results could be reproduced with high accuracy. However, when extrapolated to match conditions in the field, the model predicted smaller, more numerous shoals than were actually observed. We suggest this is due to heterogeneity of the field environment because fish were found to be highly aggregated in certain areas of our field site. The predictive power of laboratory studies for the field is discussed with regards to using individual-based modelling as a tool for deriving such predictions.
IL-7R α polymorphisms in 60 Iranian multiple sclerosis patients

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disorder with neurodegenerative aspects, is more common among young adults, particularly women. Methods This molecular study was designed to investigate the IL-7R α chain gene in Iranian MS patients. We studied 60 MS patients, diagnosed based on 2005 R-McDonald criteria and 60 apparently healthy individuals as the control group. DNA was extracted from whole blood cells using MBST/IRAN Extraction kit and all samples were screened for possible sequence variation in three regions including promoter, exon 2 and exon 4 with single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Results The alterations were confirmed with direct sequencing by ABI 3730XL. Although no mutation was detected in the studied regions, eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) consisting of rs71617734 in promoter; rs35967524, rs11567704, rs1494558, rs11567705 and rs969128 in exon 2 as well as rs1494555 and rs2228141 in exon 4 were observed. The rs1494558 in exon 2 and rs1494555 in exon 4 were missense variations. Our results also showed the substitution of isoleucine with threonine in rs1494558 (P.I66T) with this accession number, FR863587 submitted in EMBL bank. The study of exon4 areas revealed two SNPs and two sequence variations, where [p.V138I] Valine substituted with isoleucine (FR863588), as well as a silent nucleotide substitution [P. H165H] in the absence of amino acid alteration. The analysis of the SNP genotype in the controls and the patients, using χ2 showed no significant association with multiple sclerosis in this group. Conclusion Our study demonstrated the effects of some SNPs on the IL-7R α protein in MS. Further studies are required to reveal the effects of these SNPs on the IL-7R α protein in multiple sclerosis.
Learning in the workplace and the significance of school‐based education: a study of learning in a Danish vocational education and training programme

Over the last decades educational researchers and politicians have shown a growing interest in the concept of learning in practice, i.e. learning in the workplace. Learning in practice plays an important role in connection with lifelong learning, as the workplace is an obvious setting for realizing this aim. Theories about learning in practice often include a critique of school‐based learning by seriously questioning the idea that learning in school can be transferred to action and by emphasizing the context dependence of learning and acting. This article contributes to the debate by pointing out some advantages of combining school‐based and workplace‐based learning. The results of a study of learning in a vocational education and training (VET) programme for sales assistants show that both the theoretical training in the VET school and the practical training in the workplace are necessary to develop competency. Furthermore, the results indicate that a careful matching of specific parts of the curriculum with the learning setting (the workplace or the school) may improve the trainees’ achievements. The matching is not only useful in improving VET programmes but is also generally useful in planning lifelong learning as work‐related education.
Kajian Model Empiris Perilaku Berwirausaha UKM DIY dan Jawa Tengah

This research aims to test the entreprenurial behavior model. Subject in this research is micro enterprise entrepreneur in DIY and East Java. Sample selection is performed based on purposive sampling, there are 344 responder which have been fulfilling the conditions needed. Data collecting conducted by disseminating questionare. The analyzed use the Structural Equation Model (SEM). Result of research shows that the model is fit. Entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms and self efficacy have influence to entrepreneurial behavior through intention. Self efficacy by parsial don’t have significant effect to entrepreneurial behavior and antrepreneurial intention.
Copy number variants in a population‐based investigation of Klippel–Trenaunay syndrome

Klippel–Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare congenital vascular disorder that is thought to occur sporadically; however, reports of familial occurrence suggest a genetic component. We examined KTS cases to identify novel, potentially causal copy number variants (CNVs). We identified 17 KTS cases from all live‐births occurring in New York (1998–2010). Extracted DNA was genotyped using Illumina microarrays and CNVs were called using PennCNV software. CNVs selected for follow‐up had ≥10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and minimal overlap with in‐house controls or controls from the Database of Genomic Variants. We identified 15 candidate CNVs in seven cases; among them a deletion in two cases within transcripts of HDAC9, a histone deacetylase essential for angiogenic sprouting of endothelial cells. One of them also had a duplication upstream of SALL3, a transcription factor essential for embryonic development that inhibits DNMT3A, a DNA methyltransferase responsible for embryonic de novo DNA methylation. Another case had a duplication spanning ING5, a histone acetylation regulator active during embryogenesis. We identified rare genetic variants related to chromatin modification which may have a key role in regulating vascular development during embryogenesis. Further investigation of their implications in the pathogenesis of KTS is warranted. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Short-Term Effects of a Writing Intervention Among Adolescents in Gaza

This study evaluates the effect of a short-term group intervention titled Writing for Recovery in Gaza. Adolescents (N = 139) aged 12–17 were randomly assigned to an intervention or to a waiting list group. Levels of distress were assessed at baseline and at posttest. A follow-up assessment was conducted 5 months after both groups had received the intervention. Results at posttest showed a reduction in posttraumatic stress symptoms in both groups, an increase in depression in the intervention group, and no change in anxiety symptoms. At follow-up, a significant decline in depression scores was evident. Overall, no evidence for improvements due to the intervention was found.
Academic and social self-concept: effects of teaching styles and gender in English as a foreign language setting

This study examined the relationship between academic and social self-concept and teachers’ teaching styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive). The participants included 511 school students (53.2% females). They completed the Self-Definition Questionnaire (SDQ-I) and the Teacher Authority Questionnaire. Data were analysed to predict self-concept from teaching styles. On the one hand, females’ academic self-concept was positively predicted by authoritative and permissive teaching. However, their social self-concept was only predicted by permissive teaching. On the other hand, males’ academic and social self-concepts were not predicted by any of the teaching styles. Teaching styles seem to support learning self-concept in female students more strongly than in male students. The findings contribute to social cognitive theories when applied to cross-cultural settings.
A Long Goodbye to Bismarck? : The Politics of Welfare Reform in Continental Europe

AANGEPAST DOOR ANNE:[-]Dit boek geeft een uitgebreid overzicht van alle sociale hervormingen die de afgelopen dertig jaar in Europa zijn doorgevoerd. Aan bod komen Duitsland, Oostenrijk, Frankrijk, Belgi , Nederland, Spanje, Itali , Zwitserland, Tsjechi , Hongarije, Polen en Slowakije. Bruno Palier toont aan dat al deze landen vergaande hervormingen hebben doorgevoerd in hun zorgstelsel. De oudere structuren, gebaseerd op de eerste sociale zorgstelsels als die onder Bismarck, voldoen niet meer aan de hedendaagse maatschappelijke behoeften. Zo is met de emancipatie van werknemers de hi rarchische structuur veranderd en is de man niet langer vanzelfsprekend de kostwinner van het gezin. Tegenwoordig hebben veel landen een duaal systeem dat onderscheid maakt tussen bescherming van goedfunctionerende burgers en de ondersteuning en motivatie van 'atypische' deelnemers aan de samenleving. [-][-]Bruno Palier is onderzoeker aan de Fondation nationale des sciences politiques in Parijs en wetenschappelijk co rdinator van de European Network of Excellence, Reconciling Work and Welfare in Europe (RECWOWE). [-][-][-]During the 2000s, all continental European countries implemented important structural reforms of their welfare systems (a shift to multi-pillar pension systems, activation, competition in health insurance and care policies outside the family). Even though the changes only became fully apparent over the past decade, this book shows that they must be understood as the culmination of a longer reform trajectory. This book is devoted to the detailed analysis of this reform trajectory. Taken together, the reforms have contributed to a reorganisation of the Bismarckian welfare systems as a whole: they have lost their encompassing capacities, partly turned to activation and employment-friendliness, and weakened the strongest elements of their male breadwinner bias. Instead of the emergence of new hybrid welfare systems, the book concludes that Continental Europe witnessed the development of dual welfare systems that differentiate between the protection of the core workers and the activation of the -atypical (low skilled) ones, and thus contribute to the dualisation of Continental European societies.
The Experiences of the First South African Community Service Clinical Psychologists

The year 2003 saw the introduction of community service for all graduating clinical psychologists in South Africa. While this year of compulsory service in government health facilities brought the promise of much-needed mental health care to underserved areas, the incumbents' experiences and feedback are a vital source of information for the further development and improvement of this innovation. The present study attempted to survey the experiences of the country's entire first group of community service clinical psychologists. Over two-thirds (n = 52) of the group responded to the mail survey. Among the findings was that more than half the respondents experienced difficulty in finding accommodation. Office equipment, psychological tests and play therapy materials were not available in many cases. About half the sample felt their role was unclear to them and to others, and more than half the respondents were not proficient in the primary language spoken by their patients. Nearly three-quarters of the respondents managed to access supervisory assistance, at least telephonically. Mood disorders, suicidal behaviours and sexual violence were the most common problems encountered. Notwithstanding the difficulties, around 90% of the sample believed they made a difference in the communities they served and that their confidence levels improved during the community service. The results are discussed with recommendations.
Generic sensor network gateway architecture for plug and play data management in smart laboratory environments

During the last years, recent technological advances enabled the development of tiny devices equipped with radio, micro controller and sensors, called sensor nodes. Collaborating networks of such devices, known as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), are subject of many researches. A couple of network centric tasks like data transmission and aggregation, self-organisation, localization and energy awareness have been focused in various publications. Recent researches, e.g. IPv6 over Low power WPAN (6LoWPAN), are going to standardize the connection of sensor nodes with common internet protocols. Nevertheless, until now proprietary techniques are used within most networks, especially for the coupling towards the outside world as well as the data management. Depending on WSN hardware and software, the gateway software as well as storage and presentation of data differs for most sensor networks. In this work we present an infrastructure which bases upon a generic gateway. Standardized dataset will be stored by this device using Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) and standard protocols. By use of Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS) plug and play abilities as well as a comfortable query interface for presentation is realized.