Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance gaps and nature of intervention Definition and characteristics of job aids

developing countries are due to a myriad of causes (e.g., lack of resources, low supervision and feedback, poor incentives, and undefined work processes). Regardless of the cause of poor provider performance, the traditional solution has been to provide off-site training or continuing medical education. However, there is growing evidence that these resource-intensive interventions are not always appropriate. Thus, demand is growing for other interventions that might help enhance health worker performance in developing countries more efficiently and effectively.
Rapid switch‐like sea ice growth and land ice–sea ice hysteresis

[1] Rapid and extensive growth of sea ice cover was suggested to play a major role in the sea ice switch mechanism for the glacial cycles as well as on shorter millennial scales [Gildor and Tziperman, 2000]. This mechanism also predicts a hysteresis between sea ice and land ice, such that land ice grows when sea ice cover is small and withdraws when sea ice cover is more extensive. The switch-like sea ice growth and the hysteresis were previously demonstrated using a simple, highly idealized box model. In this work we demonstrate a switch-like sea ice behavior as well as the sea ice–land ice hysteresis using a coupled climate model that is continuous in the latitudinal dimension. It is shown that the switch-like sea ice growth occurs when the initial meridional atmospheric temperature gradient is not too strong. It is also shown that the meridional extent to which sea ice grows in a switch-like manner is not affected by the intensity of the thermohaline circulation, which does, however, influence the climate cooling that is needed to trigger such rapid sea ice growth.
Parental Influence on Secondary School Students’ Attitudes towards Chemistry

The study investigated Parental Influence on Students’ Attitude towards Chemistry in selected secondary schools in Nyamaiya division, Nyamira County, Kenya. The study adopted an ex-post facto design and the target population comprised 2890 secondary school students. Simple random sampling was used to select 300 respondents. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The null hypothesis was tested using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient at α = 0.05 significance level. The study findings reported that, there was an average positive correlation (r =0.594) between parental influence and the students’ attitudes toward chemistry. The findings may further help parents to realise that they also play a role in shaping the academic attitudes and general behaviour of their children. The study findings provide relevant information to the education policy makers in formulating policies intended to promote performance in Chemistry at the secondary school level of education. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n20p1457
Men's Motivation to Perform the Testicle Self‐Exam: Effects of Prior Knowledge and an Educational Brochure

College men reported their attitude and intention to perform the testicle self-exam (TSE) and they rated the likelihood of various consequences of performing the TSE, as well as the likelihood that several other people approved of this behavior. Half of these men had read a brochure about the TSE before completing the questionnaire, and half had not. Also, about half had heard about the TSE prior to the experiment and the others had not. Men's beliefs about the consequences of doing the TSE clustered into two factors: Beliefs about practical consequences and beliefs about health consequences. Men with (vs. without) prior knowledge about the exam and men who read (vs. did not read) the brochure endorsed more positive beliefs about practical and health consequences and more positive TSE attitude and intention. However, the effect of the brochure was far stronger for men without than with prior knowledge. In addition, factors influencing TSE attitude and intention differed for men without versus with prior TSE knowledge. Although the findings were generally consistent with the theory of reasoned action, some findings supported elements of protection motivation theory. Implications for promoting the TSE are discussed.
Spatial variability in decapod community structure and recruitment in sub-tidal habitats

Sub-tidal populations of decapod crustaceans from 5 distinct benthic habitats were sampled at the end of the main settlement season. Divers, using SCUBA equipment, estimated substrate characteristics and complexity, removed sediment samples, and collected quantitative samples of the resident communities using suction sampling at each of the sites. Adult and young-of-the-year (YOY) components of the decapod assemblages were identified. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques were used to detect between-site differences in the community structure and community statistics of each component. Although YOY individuals were detected at each of the sites, community structure and statistics for the YOY component varied significantly among sites. Between-site differences in the adult component of the community were also identified. Between-site differences in the YOY assemblages varied from that of the adult component, indicating that post-settlement processes, such as predation and migration, play an important role in shaping the community. Variation in physical complexity and other habitat characteristics appeared to contribute to the significant differences in the YOY and adult assemblages. Due to the close proximity of the sample sites to one another, it seems unlikely that restrictions or spatial and temporal variations in larval supply resulted in the between-site differences observed. Substrate choice at settlement would appear to vary between species, with most species rejecting more marginal areas that offer little shelter to either post-larvae or individuals at later stages of development.
Essential role of PDK 1 in regulating endothelial cell migration

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway mediates a multitude of cellular responses after extracellular stimulation by peptide growth factors and hormones (Cantley, 2002). Deregulation of this pathway is associated with human diseases such as cancer and diabetes (Vivanco and Sawyers, 2002). PI3K and its product, phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PtdIns[3,4,5]P3), are key signaling molecules in cell motility, particularly in chemotaxis, which is a process involved in a wide range of cellular responses, including morphogenesis, wound healing, immune response, angiogenesis, and metastasis of tumor cells (Stephens et al., 2002; Dormann and Weijer, 2003; Van Haastert and Devreotes, 2004). Upon chemoattractant stimulation, a PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 gradient is created and maintained at the leading edge of cells with amoeboid motility, such as leukocytes and Dictyostelium discoideum (Merlot and Firtel, 2003). This process involves both localized accumulation and activation of PI3Ks, which generate PtdIns(3,4,5)P3/ PtdIns(3,4)P2, and the phosphatase PTEN, which removes them (Servant et al., 2000; Funamoto et al., 2002). PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 serves as a docking site for a subclass of PH domain–containing proteins that are recruited at the leading edge. However, it is not clear which PI3K downstream effectors lead to activation of the actin polymerization machinery required for cell migration. Akt is one of the candidate molecules through which PI3K regulates chemotaxis, but the role of Akt in the control of cell polarity and chemotaxis has been established only in D. discoideum, where Akt phosphorylates PAKa, regulating its subcellular localization and myosin II assembly (Chung et al., 2001). Unfortunately, PAK1, the mammalian homologue of PAKa, lacks the Akt phosphorylation site, suggesting the existence of a different signaling pathway. One important downstream effector of PI3K is the 3-phosphoinositide–dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1; Alessi et al., 1997). PDK1 phosphorylates and activates a group of related protein kinases belonging to the AGC family (Vanhaesebroeck and Alessi, 2000). These include isoforms of Akt (Brazil and Hemmings, 2001), p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K; Volarevic Essential role of PDK1 in regulating endothelial cell migration
Recognizing and Supporting the Critical Roles of Teachers in Special Education Leadership

Most discussions about special education leadership address the work of principals and district administrators, without reference to the collective and distributed forms of leadership that have taken center stage in contemporary discussions about improving schools. To explore the contributions of and roles for teacher leadership in special education, selected teacher leadership literature in general education is reviewed, including the emergence of new teacher roles in schools, roots and meanings of teacher leadership, and possible benefits of teachers as leaders. Although no studies were found that specifically investigated the work of special education teacher leaders, illustrations of their work are provided as they lead through school-wide collaboration, participate as clinical faculty in Professional Development Schools (PDSs), serve as mentors to new colleagues, and work in district-wide professional development. After a review of several examples of teacher leadership in special education, barriers to teacher leadership and ways of supporting the work of teacher leaders are considered.
Phenotypic changes of human neuroblastoma cells in culture induced by 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate

SK‐N‐SH and SH‐SYSY human neuroblastoma cells treated by 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA) express morphological and biochemical changes, which indicate that differentiation towards more mature cells has occurred. The most prominent morphological changes were the development in 40–60% of the cells of cell‐surface projections longer than 50 μm and cytoplasmic neurosecretory granules demonstrated by electron microscopy. At the biochemical level, TPA induced a two‐fold increase in the relative activity of neuron‐specific enolase and 30‐ to 40‐fold increase in noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations. A decrease in proliferation rate of TPA‐treated cells was observed. The biological effects of TPA were slightly potentiated by nerve growth factor.
Space Science News: Special Edition, a resource for extending reading and promoting engagement with newspapers in the science classroom.

This paper describes the development of an innovative resource, comprising authentic newspaper articles and associated activities, designed to broaden the range of reading material available for use in the science classroom. Science teachers' response to the publication is discussed. The resource was very well received, indicating that, given appropriate material, science specialists demonstrate a willingness to use media text in their classrooms. However, while all viewed the publication as a valuable science resource and many saw its potential for promoting literacy through science, only a few recognised it as a vehicle for encouraging, among students, critical engagement with science in the media. This suggests that further intervention may be necessary if this outcome is to be achieved.
Dynamics of Intersubject Brain Networks during Anxious Anticipation

How do large-scale brain networks reorganize during the waxing and waning of anxious anticipation? Here, threat was dynamically modulated during human functional MRI as two circles slowly meandered on the screen; if they touched, an unpleasant shock was delivered. We employed intersubject correlation analysis, which allowed the investigation of network-level functional connectivity across brains, and sought to determine how network connectivity changed during periods of approach (circles moving closer) and periods of retreat (circles moving apart). Analysis of positive connection weights revealed that dynamic threat altered connectivity within and between the salience, executive, and task-negative networks. For example, dynamic functional connectivity increased within the salience network during approach and decreased during retreat. The opposite pattern was found for the functional connectivity between the salience and task-negative networks: decreases during approach and increases during approach. Functional connections between subcortical regions and the salience network also changed dynamically during approach and retreat periods. Subcortical regions exhibiting such changes included the putative periaqueductal gray, putative habenula, and putative bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Additional analysis of negative functional connections revealed dynamic changes, too. For example, negative weights within the salience network decreased during approach and increased during retreat, opposite what was found for positive weights. Together, our findings unraveled dynamic features of functional connectivity of large-scale networks and subcortical regions across participants while threat levels varied continuously, and demonstrate the potential of characterizing emotional processing at the level of dynamic networks.
The proximal promoter region of the human vascular endothelial growth factor gene has a G-quadruplex structure that can be targeted by G-quadruplex–interactive agents

Previous studies on the functional analysis of the human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promoter using the full-length VEGF promoter reporter revealed that the proximal 36-bp region (−85 to −50 relative to transcription initiation site) is essential for basal or inducible VEGF promoter activity in several human cancer cells. This region consists of a polypurine (guanine) tract that contains four runs of at least three contiguous guanines separated by one or more bases, thus conforming to a general motif capable of forming an intramolecular G-quadruplex. Here, we show that the G-rich strand in this region is able to form an intramolecular propeller-type parallel-stranded G-quadruplex structure in vitro by using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay, dimethyl sulfate footprinting technique, the DNA polymerase stop assay, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and computer-aided molecular modeling. Two well-known G-quadruplex–interactive agents, TMPyP4 and Se2SAP, stabilize G-quadruplex structures formed by this sequence in the presence of a potassium ion, although Se2SAP is at least 10-fold more effective in binding to the G-quadruplex than TMPyP4. Between these two agents, Se2SAP better suppresses VEGF transcription in different cancer cell lines, including HEC1A and MDA-MB-231. Collectively, our results provide evidence that specific G-quadruplex structures can be formed in the VEGF promoter region, and that the transcription of this gene can be controlled by ligand-mediated G-quadruplex stabilization. Our results also provide further support for the idea that G-quadruplex structures may play structural roles in vivo and therefore might provide insight into novel methodologies for rational drug design. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(4):880–9]
Design of a micro power amplifier for neural signal recording

This paper describes a micro power amplifier for neural signal recording. We describe an amplifier using a differential pair as input stage. Given that neural amplifiers must include differential input pair to achieve a high commonmode rejection ratio (CMRR). The amplifier has been designed in the AMS 0.35 µm, 3-metal, 2-poly, n-well standard CMOS process. The amplifier current consumption is 4.61 µA at ±1V supply, which gives a power consumption of 9.22 µW. The CMRR is 113 dB and the power supply rejection ratio (PSRR ≫ 73dB). The input referred noise is 14.8 µVrms over 100 ∼ 10 KHz. The amplifier gives an input DC offset of 196 µV and an output swing of ±0.8 V with minimum distortion.
Impact of explicit information on implicit motor-sequence learning following middle cerebral artery stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recovery of motor skills following stroke is supported, in part, by the implicit memory system. However, attempts to guide learning commonly use explicit instructions concerning "how to" perform a movement task. The purpose of this work was to systematically investigate the impact of explicit information (EI) on implicit motor-sequence learning using the ipsilesional arm in people with damage in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) distribution. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Ten people with unilateral stroke in the MCA distribution affecting the sensorimotor cortical areas and 10 people with no known pathology or impairment (control participants) were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group was provided with EI and one group was not (EI and No-EI groups, respectively) as the participants practiced an implicit motor-sequencing task over 3 days, with a retention test on day 4. RESULTS A 3-way interaction demonstrated that, across days of practice, EI had opposite effects on implicit motor-sequence performance for the 2 groups. Post hoc tests confirmed that EI facilitated the performance of the control participants in the EI group but interfered with the performance of the participants with stroke in the EI group. This interference effect persisted, and was evident during the retention test in the participants with stroke in the EI group. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Explicit information was detrimental for implicit motor-sequence learning following MCA stroke. Rehabilitation outcomes may benefit from consideration of stroke location when determining the degree to which EI can augment implicit motor skill learning.
Holistic face processing among school children, younger and older adults

While previous studies have mostly examined holistic face processing in childhood and young adulthood, the present study investigated developmental changes of holistic face processing under a lifespan perspective, including older adulthood. Children 5–7 and 9–10 years of age, as well as young and older adults were instructed to assign faces into two categories. The categories were constructed to allow either a holistic categorization according to the overall face similarities or an analytical categorization by focusing on single facial features. The results show an increase in holistic face processing from childhood to young adulthood and a decrease towards older adulthood. Features used for categorization changed from internal to external features with age. Thus, crucial changes of face processing occur beyond young adulthood.
Critical thinking in the operating theatre

We know very little about the cognitive skills used by clinicians in the operating theatre. The critical thinking of expert surgeons and anaesthetists has rarely been studied. In this article, we examine the methods that have been used, both in simulators and in vivo, to study critical thinking of operating theatre team members, such as surgeons and anaesthetists. With difficulties in access to expert practitioners and in implementing control conditions, key methods are principally qualitative in nature and include observations ‘in the wild’ and in simulation, verbal protocol analysis in simulation, and retrospective interviews. A brief review of such studies suggests that critical thinking in the operating theatre involves not only decision making, as one would expect, but also situation awareness, risk assessment and communication skills.
Validation of a literature-based adherence score to Mediterranean diet: the MEDI-LITE score

Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated a relationship between adherence to Mediterranean diet and prevention of chronic degenerative diseases. The aim of this study was to validate a novel instrument to measure adherence to Mediterranean diet based on the literature (the MEDI-LITE score). Two-hundred-and-four clinically healthy subjects completed both the MEDI-LITE score and the validated MedDietScore (MDS). Significant positive correlation between the MEDI-LITE and the MDS scores was found in the study population (R = .70; p < .0001). Furthermore, statistically significant positive correlations were found for all the nine different food groups. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, MEDI-LITE evidenced a significant discriminative capacity between adherents and non-adherents to the Mediterranean diet pattern (optimal cut-off point = 8.50; sensitivity = 96%; specificity = 38%). In conclusion, our findings show that the MEDI-LITE score well correlate with MDS in both global score and in most of the items related to the specific food categories.
A Framework for Environmental Social and Governance Considerations in Portfolio Design From the eyes of a quant where

It is often argued that the world is changing and that the impact of Environmental , Socia l and Governance (ESG) issues could pose a significant risk or potential opportunity for pension assets. While this argument may well have merit, it rarely leads to actionable steps or c lar i ty o f d i rect ion. In some sense i t i s a ca l l to arms aga ins t an unknown enemy. The inherent breadth and ambiguity of issues has resulted in the integration of ESG considerations into portfolio design remaining largely a philosophical push without clarity on the direct and indirect impacts on shareholder value.
The penile cuff test: A clinically useful non-invasive urodynamic investigation to diagnose men with lower urinary tract symptoms

Objectives: To summarize the development of a novel non-invasive test to categorize voiding dysfunction in men complaining of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) - the penile cuff test. Methods: The test involves the controlled inflation of a penile cuff during micturition to interrupt voiding and hence estimate isovolumetric bladder pressure (pves.isv). The validity, reliability, and clinical usefulness of the test were determined in a number of studies in men with LUTS. Results: The penile cuff test can be successfully performed in over 90% of men with LUTS. The reading of cuff pressure at flow interruption (pcuff.int) gives a valid and reliable estimate of invasively-measured pves.isv and when combined with the reading for maximum flow rate obtained during the test (Qmax) produces an accurate categorization of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Use of this categorization prior to treatment allows improved prediction of outcome from prostatectomy. Conclusion: The penile cuff test fulfils the criteria as a useful clinical measurement technique applicable to the diagnosis and treatment planning of men with LUTS.
A working memory, not bilingual advantage, in controlled attention

Abstract We explored the relationship between working memory (WM) and visually controlled attention (CA) in young bilingual and monolingual children. Previous research has shown that balanced bilingual children outperform monolinguals in CA. However, it is unclear whether this advantage is truly associated with bilingualism or whether potential WM and/or language differences led to the observed effects. Therefore, we examined whether bilingual and monolingual children differ on a visual measure of CA after potential differences in verbal and visual WM had been accounted for. We also looked at the relationship between visually CA and visual WM. Fifteen French monolingual children, 15 English monolingual children, and 15 early simultaneous bilingual children completed verbal short-term memory, verbal WM, visual WM, and visual CA tasks. Detailed information regarding language exposure was collected and abilities in each language were evaluated. A bilingual advantage was not found; that is, monolingual and bilingual children were equally successful in ignoring the irrelevant perceptual distraction on the Simon Task. However, children with better visual WM scores were also more faster and more accurate on the Simon Task. Furthermore, visual WM correlated significantly with the visual CA task.