Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of an Activity-Based Text-Processing Strategy in Mixed-Age Child Dyads

The authors examined an activity-based listening strategy with first- and third-grade children in mixed-grade dyads. On the basis of theories of cognitive development and previous research, the authors predicted the following: (a) children in an activity-based strategy would recall more story events compared with those in a repetition strategy and (b) children who performed activity would recall more events compared with those who observed activity. In addition, previous visual imagery research suggested that (c) recall in favor of the activity-based strategy would be observed when the toys were removed and imagery instructions were provided. The results confirmed the first prediction that the activity-based strategy would improve children's memory for story content. The second prediction was not supported: Physical manipulation did not improve memory beyond observing the actions performed by a peer. Last, third-grade students benefited from imagery instructions after training, whereas first-grade students did not. The authors discuss the theoretical and education implications of the results.
Real-Time Digital Hardware Simulation of Power Electronics and Drives

Summary form only given. This paper presents a digital hardware realization of a real-time simulator for a complete induction machine drive using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as the computational engine. The simulator was developed using very high speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL), making it flexible and portable. A novel device-characteristic based model suitable for FPGA implementation has been proposed for the 2-level 6- pulse IGBT-based voltage source converter (VSC). The VSC model is computed at a fixed time-step of 12.5 nanoseconds allowing a highly detailed and precise accounting of gating signals. The simulator also models a squirrel cage induction machine, a direct field-oriented control system, a space-vector pulse-width modulation scheme (SVPWM) and a measurement system. A multi-rate simulation of the system shows the slow (machine) as well as the fast (VSC and control) dynamic components. Real time simulation results under steady-state and transient conditions demonstrate modeling accuracy and efficiency.
THE AFTERGLOW AND EARLY-TYPE HOST GALAXY OF THE SHORT GRB 150101B AT z = 0.1343

We present the discovery of the X-ray and optical afterglows of the short-duration GRB 150101B, pinpointing the event to an early-type host galaxy at z = 0.1343 ± 0.0030. This makes GRB 150101B the most nearby short gamma-ray burst (GRB) with an early-type host galaxy discovered to date. Fitting the spectral energy distribution of the host galaxy results in an inferred stellar mass of , stellar population age of ≈2–2.5 Gyr, and star formation rate of ≲0.4 M⊙ yr−1. The host of GRB 150101B is one of the largest and most luminous short GRB host galaxies, with a B-band luminosity of and half-light radius of ≈8 kpc. GRB 150101B is located at a projected distance of 7.35 ± 0.07 kpc from its host center and lies on a faint region of its host rest-frame optical light. Its location, combined with the lack of associated supernova, is consistent with an NS–NS/NS–BH merger progenitor. From modeling the evolution of the broadband afterglow, we calculate isotropic-equivalent gamma-ray and kinetic energies of erg and erg, respectively, a circumburst density of cm−3, and a jet opening angle of ≳9°. Using observations extending to ≈30 days, we place upper limits of erg s−1 on associated kilonova emission. We compare searches following previous short GRBs to existing kilonova models and demonstrate the difficulty of performing effective kilonova searches from cosmological short GRBs using current ground-based facilities. We show that at the Advanced LIGO/VIRGO horizon distance of 200 Mpc, searches reaching depths of ≈23–24 AB mag are necessary to probe a meaningful range of kilonova models.
Integrating technology readiness into technology acceptance: The TRAM model

Based on previous theoretical streams, the present study integrates technology readiness (TR) into the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the context of consumer adoption of e-service systems, and theorizes that the impact of TR on use intention is completely mediated by both perceptions of usefulness and ease of use. TAM was originally developed to predict people's technology-adopting behavior at work environments, but this research stemmed from a questioning of its applicability in marketing (i.e., non-work) settings. The differences between the two settings are exhibited by consumers' self-determining selection behavior and their high involvement in the e-service creation and delivery process. This paper first reviews the TAM and the construct of technology readiness, and then proposes and empirically tests an integrated Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM) to augment TAM by taking technology readiness construct into the realm of consumers' adoption of innovations. The results indicate that TRAM substantially broadens the applicability and the explanatory power of either of the prior models and may be a better way to gauge technology adoption in situations where adoption is not mandated by organizational objectives. Further, theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DC and microwave performance of high-current AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors grown on p-type SiC substrates

The fabrication and characterization of high performance AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) grown on p-type SiC substrates are reported for the first time. The HFETs were fabricated with gate lengths of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 /spl mu/m. These devices exhibited simultaneously high drain currents, high extrinsic transconductances, and excellent frequency response. The 0.25-/spl mu/m gate-length devices produced a peak drain current of 1.43 A/mm, a transconductance of 229 mS/mm, a unity current-gain cutoff frequency of 53 GHz, and a maximum frequency of oscillation of 58 GHz. The unity current-gain cutoff frequency also exhibited little degradation as the drain-source bias was swept up to 20 V. These results represent a significant improvement over similar HFETs grown on sapphire substrates and are attributed to the higher thermal conductivity and reduced lattice mismatch associated with SiC substrates.
Rational Combination of Peptides Derived from Different Mycobacterium leprae Proteins Improves Sensitivity for Immunodiagnosis of M. leprae Infection

ABSTRACT The stable incidence of new leprosy cases suggests that transmission of infection is continuing despite the worldwide implementation of multidrug therapy programs. Highly specific tools are required to accurately diagnose asymptomatic and early stage Mycobacterium leprae infections which are the likely sources of transmission and cannot be identified by using the detection of antibodies against phenolic glycolipid I. One of the hurdles hampering T-cell-based diagnostic tests is that M. leprae antigens cross-react at the T-cell level with antigens present in other mycobacteria, like M. tuberculosis or M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Using comparative genomics, we previously identified five candidate proteins highly restricted to M. leprae which showed promising features with respect to application in leprosy diagnostics. However, despite the lack of overall sequence homology, the use of recombinant proteins includes the risk of detecting T-cell responses that are cross-reactive with other antigens. To improve the diagnostic potential of these M. leprae sequences, we used 50 synthetic peptides spanning the sequences of all five proteins for the induction of T-cell responses (gamma interferon) in leprosy patients, healthy household contacts (HHC) of leprosy patients, and healthy controls in Brazil, as well as in tuberculosis patients, BCG vaccinees, and healthy subjects from an area of nonendemicity. Using the combined T-cell responses toward four of these peptides, all paucibacillary patients and 13 out of 14 HHC were detected without compromising specificity. The peptides contain HLA binding motifs for various HLA class I and II alleles, thereby meeting an important requirement for the applicability of diagnostic tools in genetically diverse populations. Thus, this study provides the first evidence for the possibility of immunodiagnostics for leprosy based on mixtures of peptides recognized in the context of different HLA alleles.
Agency, communion, and well-being: Extending Helgeson's (1994) model.

V S. Helgeson (1994) offered a promising model to explain sex differences in well-being. Three meta-analyses of gender research relevant to this model are provided along with an empirical investigation of the relations between agency and communion, unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion, and self- and peer reports of well-being and distress in a sample of 201 college students. The results extended Helgeson's model by showing that agency and communion can be assessed at the level of interests and role behaviors and that the association of agentic traits with well-being may be inflated by self-reports. Results also point to problems in distinguishing trait measures of agency from unmitigated communion and communion from unmitigated agency.
THE INFLUENCE OF PRIMING ATTACHMENT STYLES ON EXCESSIVE REASSURANCE SEEKING AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK SEEKING IN DEPRESSION

Two studies examined the associations among attachment styles, excessive reassurance seeking (ERS) and negative feedback seeking (NFS) in depression. In Study 1 (n = 303), undergraduate students completed measures assessing attachment style, depressive symptoms, and ERS following either an imaginary interpersonal (friend and partner) or achievement prime. In Study 2 (n = 202), undergraduates completed the same measures in addition to completing an index of NFS following an imaginary interpersonal (partner) and achievement prime. Controlling for symptoms of depression, anxious attachment was positively related to ERS, and avoidant attachment was negatively related to ERS and positively associated with NFS. These results suggest that ERS and NFS may be a function of non-secure attachment rather than symptoms of depression per se. More specifically, anxiously attached individuals may attempt to reduce fears of abandonment by seeking reassurance from close others, whereas avoidantly attached individuals may s.
The conflicted individualism of Japanese college student volunteers

Abstract This article examines how Japanese college students' motivation to volunteer reflects tension between public, relational and private identities in contemporary Japan. The article first explores the students' diverse motivations to become volunteers in a country where volunteering has not been a widespread social phenomenon, particularly among college students. It argues that Japanese college student volunteers are not primarily motivated to volunteer in order to strengthen Japanese communities or to help solve or alleviate contemporary social problems, despite discourse by both the state and civil society proponents that encourage, for different reasons, these kinds of motivations. Instead, many volunteers offer more individualistic and personal motivations to volunteer, such as the opportunity for self-discovery or the opportunity to make diverse friendships. This is often mediated, however, by the strong attachments volunteers often form with those they help and social conventions that stress the importance of relational bonds. However, their role as college students, in a liminal period lacking in strong institutional attachment in an increasingly individualistic contemporary Japan, leads them to place precedence on their own personal growth and individual interests. The opposition and integration of these two competing motivations help explain the uncertainty and ambiguity of their motivations to volunteer.
Role of donor and host cells in muscle‐derived stem cell‐mediated bone repair: differentiation vs. paracrine effects

Murine muscle‐derived stem cells (MDSCs) have been shown capable of regenerating bone in a critical size calvarial defect model when transduced with BMP 2 or 4; however, the contribution of the donor cells and their interactions with the host cells during the bone healing process have not been fully elucidated. To address this question, C57/BL/6J mice were divided into MDSC/BMP4/GFP, MDSC/GFP, and scaffold groups. After transplanting MDSCs into the critical‐size calvarial defects created in normal mice, we found that mice transplanted with BMP4GFP‐transduced MDSCs healed the bone defect in 4 wk, while the control groups (MDSC‐GFP and scaffold) demonstrated no bone healing. The newly formed trabecular bone displayed similar biomechanical properties as the native bone, and the donor cells directly participated in endochondral bone formation via their differentiation into chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and osteocytes via the BMP4‐pSMAD5 and COX‐2‐PGE2 signaling pathways. In contrast to the scaffold group, the MDSC groups attracted more inflammatory cells initially and incurred faster inflammation resolution, enhanced angiogenesis, and suppressed initial immune responses in the host mice. MDSCs were shown to attract macrophages via the secretion of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 and promote endothelial cell proliferation by secreting multiple growth factors. Our findings indicated that BMP4GFP‐transduced MDSCs not only regenerated bone by direct differentiation, but also positively influenced the host cells to coordinate and promote bone tissue repair through paracrine effects. —Gao, X. , Usas, A. , Proto, J. D. , Lu, A. , Cummins, J. H. , Proctor, A. , Chen, C. ‐W. , Huard, J. Role of donor and host cells in muscle‐derived stem cell‐mediated bone repair: differentiation vs. paracrine effects. FASEB J. 28, 3792–3809 (2014). www.fasebj. org
TERMINAL INVESTMENT INDUCED BY IMMUNE CHALLENGE AND FITNESS TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX IN THE HOUSE SPARROW

Abstract The terminal investment hypothesis predicts that individuals should invest more in their present reproduction if they are less likely to survive to future reproductive events. Infections, which reduce viability, may be used by individuals as a cue of a diminishing residual reproductive value and could therefore theoretically trigger an intensification of breeding effort. We tested this hypothesis in a natural population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We manipulated the immune system of breeding females by injecting them with a vaccine against the Paramyxo virus, the agent of Newcastle disease. Females were captured and treated immediately after completion of their first clutch either with the vaccine (NDV) or with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The entire clutch was subsequently removed. We also screened Mhc class I genes of females to assess possible genotype-by-immune treatment interactions on reproductive investment. Our results indicate that vaccinated females were more likely to lay replacement clutches and that the difference in number of eggs between first and replacement clutches was greater for NDV females than for controls. In addition, chick size, both in terms of tarsus length and body mass, was affected by immune activation but in interaction with nestling age and female body mass, respectively. Mhc genotype-by-immune treatment interactions were never significant; however, allelic diversity was positively correlated with nestling survival. These results show that immune system activation is potentially used as a cue of reduced survival prospect and appears to induce a costly terminal investment behavior, and Mhc diversity might be under selection in a natural population of house sparrows.
Left Brain vs. Right Brain: Findings on Visual Spatial Capacities and the Functional Neurology of Giftedness

As neuroimaging technologies increase their sensitivity to assess the function of the human brain and results from these studies draw the attention of educators, it becomes paramount to identify misconceptions about what these data illustrate and how these findings might be applied to educational contexts. Some of these neuromyths have influenced our understanding of giftedness and visuospatial ability. One common neuromyth regarding visuospatial talent (VST) is that of hemispheric lateralization, the idea that the discrete abilities of VST are associated with activations identified primarily in the right hemisphere of the brain. This article reviews the behavioral and neuroimaging literature to trace and untangle the origins of this misconception, parsing our current understanding of brain functions associated with VST and giftedness in order to dispel the myth of hemispheric lateralization and offer a more comprehensive account for the observed functional asymmetries.
Polscope analysis of meiotic spindle changes in living metaphase II human oocytes during the freezing and thawing procedures.

BACKGROUND The clinical efficacy of the current methods used for cryopreservation of metaphase II human oocytes is low. Meiotic spindle disorders are thought to be largely responsible for this situation. METHODS Supernumerary fresh metaphase II human oocytes were cryopreserved in 1,2-propanediol with 0.1 M sucrose using a slow freezing/rapid thawing programme. Meiotic spindles were analysed in these living metaphase II oocytes at sequential steps of the freezing and thawing procedures with the use of a computer-assisted polarization microscopy system (Polscope). RESULTS The meiotic spindle was detected in all 56 oocytes (from 16 patients) before freezing and remained visible in all these oocytes throughout the preparation for freezing up to the time that they were loaded into cryopreservation straws. Immediately after thawing, the spindle was visible in 35.7% of oocytes, but it disappeared in all of the thawed oocytes during the subsequent washing steps. However, the spindle reappeared in all surviving thawed oocytes after washing (57.4%), by 3 h of incubation at 37 degrees C in culture medium. CONCLUSIONS The current techniques of oocyte freezing and thawing inevitably cause meiotic spindle destruction. All spindles observed in thawed oocytes result from post-thaw reconstruction.
The Structure of Public Confidence in Education

Recent studies indicate that Americans have lost faith in public schools. Polls trace a steady decline of confidence in the educational system extending over the past two decades. The general trend masks two anomalies, however. First, several indicators associated with increased confidence in the schools are on the rise--students staying in school instead of dropping out, parents enrolling their children in public schools over private schools, governments boosting financial outlays for public education. Second, poll respondents are more likely to express dissatisfaction with the nation's schools than with their own local schools. This essay explores ways of reconciling the conflicting evidence and argues that we need a more sophisticated definition of public confidence in education.
Self-rated health and a healthy lifestyle are the most important predictors of survival in elderly women.

OBJECTIVE to test the hypothesis that morbidity and health related behavioural factors are stronger than social factors as predictors of death among older women. METHODS we used data from 12,422 participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health who were aged 70-75 in 1996. Proportional hazards models of survival up to 31 October 2005 were fitted separately for the whole cohort and those women who were initially in 'good health'. RESULTS among the whole cohort, 18.7% died during the follow_up period. The strongest predictor of death was 'poor' or 'fair' self-rated health (with 52.3% and 28.0%, respectively, of women in these categories dying). Among the women in 'good health' at baseline 11.5% died, with current cigarette smoking (hazard ratio HR = 2.19, 95% confidence interval (1.71, 2.81), physical inactivity (HR = 1.45 (1.17, 1.81)), and age (HR = 1.10 (1.04, 1.16) per year) as statistically significant predictors of death. DISCUSSION among older women, current health and health related behaviours are stronger predictors than social factors of relatively early mortality. Adopting a healthier lifestyle, by doing more exercise and not smoking, is beneficial even in old age.
Complications Associated With Posterior and Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

&NA; Posterior lumbar interbody fusion and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion are commonly performed to obtain a 360° arthrodesis through a posterior‐only approach. These techniques are currently used in the management of spondylolisthesis, degenerative scoliosis, pseudarthrosis, recurrent disk herniation, and chronic low back pain with associated degenerative disk disease. Several adverse events have been described, including intraoperative neurologic injury, implant migration or subsidence, dural tears, infection, heterotopic ossification, BMP‐related radiculitis, and osteolysis. Although the use of newer materials (eg, bone morphogenetic proteins) and procedures (eg, minimally invasive surgery) is on the rise, they are associated with unique concerns. Understanding the potential adverse events and steps that can be taken to prevent, detect, and manage complications is critical in patient counseling and perioperative decision making.
The effects of vitamin C and E supplementation on heat shock protein 70 response of ovary and brain in heat-stressed quail

1. The effects of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (α-tocopherol acetate) supplementation on egg production and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) response of ovary and brain in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) exposed to high ambient temperature were evaluated. 2. The birds (n = 540; 55 d old) were randomly assigned to 18 groups consisting of 3 replicates of 10 birds each in a 2 × 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Birds were kept in wire cages in a temperature-controlled room at either 22°C (thermo-neutral, TN) or 34°C (heat stress, HS) for 8 h/d (09:00 to 17:00 h; until the end of the study) and fed on a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with either three levels of vitamin C (0, 250 and 500 mg of L-ascorbic acid/kg of diet) or three levels of vitamin E (0, 250 and 500 mg of dl-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg of diet). 3. Feed intake and egg production were not affected by vitamin C and E supplementation under thermo-neutral conditions. However, feed intake and egg production were increased with the vitamin C or E supplementation either singly or in combination in heat-stressed quail. When vitamin was added, feed intake and egg production of quails under TN were different from those raised under HS. However, in the absence of supplemental vitamins, feed intake and egg production at TN and HS were no different. 4. Heat exposure increased serum corticosterone levels and Hsp70 expression. Serum corticosterone level was significantly decreased by vitamin C or E supplementation in HS groups for quail. Ovary and brain Hsp70 expression linearly decreased as dietary vitamin C or vitamin E supplementation increased in heat-stressed groups. However, Hsp70 expression of ovary and brain was not affected by vitamin C or E supplementation under thermo-neutral conditions. 5. The present study showed that a combination of dietary vitamin C (500 mg) and E supplementation (500 mg) may alleviate some heat stress effects of heat shock proteins of ovary and brain and egg production of Japanese quail.
Still Caught in a Trap: The Continued Povertization of Women

Structural decreases in access to services and income make women increasingly vulnerable to poverty. Guided by liberal feminist-structural theory, this article reviews three social constraints that uniquely contribute to women's poverty: the confines on the family system, the conditions ofwomen's work world, and the design of support systems. It then examines antipoverty programs in the United States and abroad and presents recommendations for social work practice.