Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Intelligent Tutoring Systems: How, When, and Why

Certain learners are less sensitive to learning environments and can always learn, while others are more sensitive to variations in learning environments and may fail to learn (Cronbach & Snow, 1977). We refer to the former as high learners and the latter as low learners. One important goal of any learning environment is to bring students up to the same level of mastery. We showed that an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) teaching a domain-independent problem-solving strategy indeed closed the gap between high and low learners, not only in the domain where it was taught (probability) but also in a second domain where it was not taught (physics). The strategy includes two main components: one is solving problems via backward chaining (BC) from goals to givens, called the BC strategy, and the other is drawing students' attention to the characteristics of each individual domain principle, called the principle-emphasis skill. Evidence suggests that the low learners transferred the principle-emphasis skill to physics while the high learners seemingly already had such skill and thus mainly transferred the other skill, the BC strategy. Surprisingly, the low learners learned just as effectively as the high learners in physics. We concluded that the effective element of transfer seemed not to be the BC strategy, but the principle-emphasis skill.
Cyber Bullying: An Old Problem in a New Guise?

Abstract Although technology provides numerous benefits to young people, it also has a ‘dark side’, as it can be used for harm, not only by some adults but also by the young people themselves. E-mail, texting, chat rooms, mobile phones, mobile phone cameras and web sites can and are being used by young people to bully peers. It is now a global problem with many incidents reported in the United States, Canada, Japan, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. This growing problem has as yet not received the attention it deserves and remains virtually absent from the research literature. This article explores definitional issues, the incidence and potential consequences of cyber bullying, as well as discussing possible prevention and intervention strategies.
Combined Sewer Overflow forecasting with Feed-forward Back-propagation Artificial Neural Network

A feed-forward, back-propagation Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model has been used to forecast the occurrences of wastewater overflows in a combined sewerage reticulation system. This approach was tested to evaluate its applicability as a method alternative to the common practice of developing a complete conceptual, mathematical hydrological-hydraulic model for the sewerage system to enable such forecasts. The ANN approach obviates the need for a-priori understanding and representation of the underlying hydrological hydraulic phenomena in mathematical terms but enables learning the characteristics of a sewer overflow from the historical data. The performance of the standard feed-forward, back-propagation of error algorithm was enhanced by a modified data normalizing technique that enabled the ANN model to extrapolate into the territory that was unseen by the training data. The algorithm and the data normalizing method are presented along with the ANN model output results that indicate a good accuracy in the forecasted sewer overflow rates. However, it was revealed that the accurate forecasting of the overflow rates are heavily dependent on the availability of a real-time flow monitoring at the overflow structure to provide antecedent flow rate data. The ability of the ANN to forecast the overflow rates without the antecedent flow rates (as is the case with traditional conceptual reticulation models) was found to be quite poor.
Chronic fatigue syndrome with history of severe infection combined altered blood oxidant status, and reduced potassium efflux and muscle excitability at exercise

It is documented that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) combines enhanced oxidative stress with altered muscle excitability. We hypothesized that these disorders may be accentuated when severe infection preceded the CFS symptoms. This case-control study compared 55 CFS patients to a matched control group of 40 healthy subjects. In twenty-five CFS patients, severe infection was reported within the three to seven month period preceding the CFS symptoms. The others had practiced sport at high level. Plasma concentrations of potassium, a marker of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS), and an endogenous antioxidant (reduced ascorbic acid, RAA) were measured. Action potential (M-wave) was evoked in the vastus lateralis muscle to explore the muscle membrane excitability. All subjects performed a maximal incremental cycling exercise. Compared to control subjects, all CFS patients presented an elevated resting TBARS level and, during and after exercise, an altered M-wave configuration. History of infection was associated with marked significant increase in resting TBARS level, enhanced M-wave alterations, and also reduced exercise-induced potassium efflux. The magnitude of exercise-induced M-wave alterations was proportional to the baseline TBARS level. Severe infection preceding CFS seems to constitute a stressor inducing altered blood oxidant status and a reduced muscle excitability at work.
Learning, Reward, and Decision Making

&NA; In this review, we summarize findings supporting the existence of multiple behavioral strategies for controlling reward‐related behavior, including a dichotomy between the goal‐directed or model‐based system and the habitual or model‐free system in the domain of instrumental conditioning and a similar dichotomy in the realm of Pavlovian conditioning. We evaluate evidence from neuroscience supporting the existence of at least partly distinct neuronal substrates contributing to the key computations necessary for the function of these different control systems. We consider the nature of the interactions between these systems and show how these interactions can lead to either adaptive or maladaptive behavioral outcomes. We then review evidence that an additional system guides inference concerning the hidden states of other agents, such as their beliefs, preferences, and intentions, in a social context. We also describe emerging evidence for an arbitration mechanism between model‐based and model‐free reinforcement learning, placing such a mechanism within the broader context of the hierarchical control of behavior.
Route-Learning and the Mozart Effect

The ‘Mozart effect’ refers to an increase in spatial reasoning performance following exposure to music composed by Mozart. Empirical tests of the effect have resulted in an inconsistent pattern of findings with some studies producing the effect and others failing to do so. The majority of the investigations have relied on paper-and-pencil tests. It is argued that in order for the effect to be of value in education, music needs to be shown to benefit performance in both laboratory and naturalistic settings. This study was a first attempt to examine performance employing a more naturalistic task. Participants repeatedly negotiated a series of computer-simulated rooms immediately after they listened to a sonata by Mozart or a piece by Philip Glass. Evidence of significant learning was observed in both conditions, but there was no difference between listening conditions. It is concluded that critical variables affecting the relationship between music and spatial reasoning ability are yet to be discovered.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Replication and Regulation of APOBEC3G by Peptidyl Prolyl Isomerase Pin1

ABSTRACT APOBEC3G (A3G) is a cytidine deaminase that restricts human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication. HIV-1 synthesizes a viral infectivity factor (Vif) to counter A3G restriction. Currently, it is poorly understood how A3G expression/activity is regulated by cellular factors. Here, we show that the prolyl isomerase Pin1 protein modulates A3G expression. Pin1 was found to be an A3G-interacting protein that reduces A3G expression and its incorporation into HIV-1 virion, thereby limiting A3G-mediated restriction of HIV-1. Intriguingly, HIV-1 infection modulates the phosphorylation state of Pin1, enhancing its ability to moderate A3G activity. These new findings suggest a potential Vif-independent way for HIV-1 to moderate the cellular action of A3G.
La Eficacia del Paradigma de Producción para Promover la Recuperación de Análogos Interdominio

Experimental studies using a reception paradigm show that interdomain analog retrieval is intrinsically dif fi cult, and far less likely to occur than intradomain analogue retrieval. Using a production paradigm, Blanchette and Dunbar (2000) obtained contradictory results. In Experiment 1 we replicated Blanchette and Dunbar’s study using materials that give more validity to their results. Experiment 2 was designed to test the hypothesis that a structural encoding of the base and target analogs promotes the high rate of interdomain retrieval observed under a production paradigm. Our results showed that interdomain retrieval was scarce and less frequent than intradomain retrieval, suggesting that the hypothesis advanced by Blanchette and Dunbar doesn’t account for the data obtained using a production paradigm.
Activation of Photosynthesis and Resistance to Photoinhibition in Cyanobacteria within Biological Desert Crust1[w]

Filamentous cyanobacteria are the main primary producers in biological desert sand crusts. The cells are exposed to extreme environmental conditions including temperature, light, and diurnal desiccation/rehydration cycles. We have studied the kinetics of activation of photosynthesis during rehydration of the cyanobacteria, primarily Microcoleus sp. , within crust samples collected in the Negev desert, Israel. We also investigated their susceptibility to photoinhibition. Activation of the photosynthetic apparatus, measured by fluorescence kinetics, thermoluminescence, and low temperature fluorescence emission spectra, did not require de novo protein synthesis. Over 50% of the photosystem II (PSII) activity, assembled phycobilisomes, and photosystem I (PSI) antennae were detected within less than 5 min of rehydration. Energy transfer to PSII and PSI by the respective antennae was fully established within 10 to 20 min of rehydration. The activation of a fraction of PSII population (about 20%–30%) was light and temperature-dependent but did not require electron flow to plastoquinone [was not inhibited by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea]. The cyanobacteria within the crusts are remarkably resistant to photoinhibition even in the absence of protein synthesis. The rate of PSII repair increased with light intensity and with time of exposure. Consequently, the extent of photoinhibition in high-light-exposed crusts reached a constant, relatively low, level. This is in contrast to model organisms such as Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 where PSII activity declined continuously over the entire exposure to high illumination. Ability of the crust's organisms to rapidly activate photosynthesis upon rehydration and withstand photoinhibition under high light intensity may partly explain their ability to survive in this ecosystem.
Defining classes of spinal interneuron and their axonal projections in hatchling Xenopus laevis tadpoles

Neurobiotin was injected into individual spinal interneurons in the Xenopus tadpole to discern their anatomical features and complete axonal projection patterns. Four classes of interneuron are described, with names defining their primary axon projection: Dorsolateral ascending and commissural interneurons are predominantly multipolar cells with somata and dendrites exclusively in the dorsal half of the spinal cord. Ascending interneurons have unipolar somata located in the dorsal half, but their main dendrites are located in the ventral half of the spinal cord. Descending interneurons show bigger variance in their anatomy, but the majority are unipolar, and they all have a descending primary axon. Dorsolateral commissural interneurons are clearly defined using established criteria, but the others are not, so cluster analysis was used. Clear discriminations can be made, and criteria are established to characterize the three classes of interneuron with ipsilateral axonal projections. With identifying criteria established, the distribution and axonal projection patterns of the four classes of interneuron are described. By using data from γ‐aminobutyric acid immunocytochemistry, the distribution of the population of ascending interneurons is defined. Together with the results from the axonal projection data, this allows the ascending interneuron axon distribution along the spinal cord to be estimated. By making simple assumptions and using existing information about the soma distributions of the other interneurons, estimates of their axon distributions are made. The possible functional roles of the four interneuron classes are discussed. J. Comp. Neurol. 441:248–265, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Criteria for selection and rejection of social relationships among children in urban and rural kindergartens in Greece

This paper reports on preschool children's social relationships developed in urban and rural kindergarten classes in Greece. We investigated the selection and rejection criteria children use and examined potential criteria differences as a function of a number of socio-demographic variables (children's age group, gender, parental job status, region of kindergartens’ base). The sample consisted of 70 children (30 boys and 40 girls), 4–6 years old, from one urban- and one rural-based kindergarten. The findings of the study indicated that: (1) the children used two criteria on average; (2) as they grow up, children’s choices and explanations present a quantitative increase; (3) rejections are attributed to the level of their classmates’ negative behaviour, mainly their aggressiveness; and (4) children's explanations for their positive selections seem to focus on their ‘common interests/play’, ‘closeness/kinship’ and ‘personality characteristics’. These findings are discussed in relation to the study's hypotheses, which they support in part.
Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and obesity in patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disease

Objective: Adults with hypothalamic-pituitary disease have increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, the prevalence of CVD and adequacy of treatment of cardiovascular risk factors (according to current treatment guidelines) was studied in a large group of patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disease. Study design: In 2005, 152 consecutive adult patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disease attending our neuro-endocrine centre were clinically examined and blood pressure (BP), lipid profile, type 2 diabetes mellitus, body composition and smoking status were assessed. Results: Of the 152 patients, 36.8% had treated hypertension and 28.2% had treated dyslipidaemia. Many of these patients had inadequate BP control (BP >140/85 mm Hg, 44.6%) and undesirable lipid levels (total cholesterol >4.0 mmol/l, 69%). Also, many of the untreated patients had BP and lipid levels which should have been considered for treatment (26 patients (27%) and 83 patients (76%), respectively). Smoking was admitted in 18% of patients. Central adiposity was present in 86% and obesity (body mass index ⩾30) was present in 50%. Conclusions: Cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent and often inadequately treated in adult patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disease. Aggressive treatment of these factors is essential to reduce mortality and morbidity from CVD in these patients.
Concerns About Crime for Self and Others

The purpose of this study was to examine how individual- and contextual-level factors affect both personal concerns about crime and concerns about crime for one’s spouse or significant other, family, and friends. We were also interested in whether and how these factors differed by gender. We combined individual-level data from a telephone survey of U.S. adults (N = 1,207) with contextual-level data from the U.S. Census, the American Community Survey, and the Uniform Crime Reports. We found that respondents were more concerned about crime for others than for themselves. Results from our ordered logit models showed that concerns about crime for self and others were greater for respondents who felt less safe from crime and for respondents who used constrained behaviors. Personal concerns about crime were greater for women and concerns about crime for one’s spouse or significant other were greater for men. Contextual-level factors had little or no effect on concerns about crime. Regarding concerns about crime for one’s self and one’s spouse or significant other, there were also important differences by gender. For example, weapons behaviors mattered only for women and quality of life mattered only for men.
SPECT-CT Somatostatin-Receptor Scintigraphy in Medullary Thyroid Cancer ( MTC )

The medullar thyroid cancer (MDC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumour made up of 5% to 8% of thyroid neoplasms. It arises from the parafollicular, calcitonin-secreting C-cells. The malignantly transformed thyroid C-cells eminent on the surface somatostatin receptors SSTR, based on their neuroendocrine component. During the last decades, the somatostatin receptor scintigraphy with 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC (99mTc-Tektrotyd, Polatom) has been introduced for imaging of neuroendocrine tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of SPECT-CT with 99mTc-Tektrotyd in patients with MTC. Twenty one patients, (14 females/7males) with MTC underwent somatostatin-receptor scintigraphy. Three of them were studied for initial pre-operative N/M-staging whereas 18 out of 21 were follow-up after total thyroidectomy. Plasma calcitonin level was measured as a tumor marker. Twenty-nine examinations including SPECT-CT studies of the neck and chest and/or abdomen and pelvis were carried out 2-4 hrs. post i.v. administration of average 740 MBq activity dose of 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC (Tektrotyd, Polatom). Somatostatin-receptor scintigraphy results were true positive in 16 patients, true negative in 5 patients and false positive in 1 case with high tracer uptake in the benign ovary cyst. False-negative results were obtained in 2 cases with positive cervical lymph node metastases but negative small 1-4 mm pulmonary military lesions. Sensitivity of SPECT-CT somatostatin-receptor scintigraphy with 99mTc Tektrotyd in the studied group was 88, 8% (16/18); specificity 83, 3% (5/6) and accuracy 87.5% (21/24). In conclusion our results showed that the main clinical applications of SPECT-CT somatostatin-receptor scintigraphy in MTC are as follows: 1) for pretreatment correct N/M staging of MTC. 2) For early determination of recurrence/metastases in cases with clinical and biochemical indices for presence and extent of MTC. 3) To assess SSTR expression in order to predict an individual response to therapy if PRRT is considered.
Climate change and marine fisheries: Least developed countries top global index of vulnerability

Future impacts of climate change on marine fisheries have the potential to negatively influence a wide range of socio-economic factors, including food security, livelihoods and public health, and even to reshape development trajectories and spark transboundary conflict. Yet there is considerable variability in the vulnerability of countries around the world to these effects. We calculate a vulnerability index of 147 countries by drawing on the most recent data related to the impacts of climate change on marine fisheries. Building on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change framework for vulnerability, we first construct aggregate indices for exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity using 12 primary variables. Seven out of the ten most vulnerable countries on the resulting index are Small Island Developing States, and the top quartile of the index includes countries located in Africa (17), Asia (7), North America and the Caribbean (4) and Oceania (8). More than 87% of least developed countries are found within the top half of the vulnerability index, while the bottom half includes all but one of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development member states. This is primarily due to the tremendous variation in countries’ adaptive capacity, as no such trends are evident from the exposure or sensitivity indices. A negative correlation exists between vulnerability and per capita carbon emissions, and the clustering of states at different levels of development across the vulnerability index suggests growing barriers to meeting global commitments to reducing inequality, promoting human well-being and ensuring sustainable cities and communities. The index provides a useful tool for prioritizing the allocation of climate finance, as well as activities aimed at capacity building and the transfer of marine technology.
A Nested Test for Common Yield Distributions with Applications to U.S. Corn

We propose the use of maximum-entropy techniques to nest and test the functional form of commonly used yield densities. We demonstrate how common parametric yield models can be nested within a maximum-entropy framework and subsequently tested for using standard hypothesis tests. We include an empirical application that tests the beta distribution against a more general maximum-entropy alternative using county-level corn yield data for the U.S. Corn Belt and find evidence in favor of the alternative generalized maximum-entropy distribution.
The Re‐Branding of Salsa in London’s Dance Clubs: How an Ethnicised Form of Cultural Capital was Institutionalised

Abstract This paper explores how participants in a popular dance scene renegotiate the aesthetics used to judge the acceptability of dances performed in those spaces. These issues are explored with reference to Bourdieu’s (1977) concepts of social fields and cultural capital and to ethnographic data collected in London’s Salsa clubs. The main argument is that Salsa dancing can function as a form of cultural capital that has with an ethnic dimension. This paper, based on participant observation in London’s clubs and the accounts of 31 of London’s Salsa club dancers, DJs and dance teachers, suggests that London’s Salsa dancers have competed with each other to establish a local de‐ethnicised interpretation of Salsa which refers to the forms of cultural capital to which they have access.