Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of subtraction scene understanding using a story‐generation task

The present study used a new assessment technique, the story‐generation task, to examine students’ understanding of subtraction scenes. The students from four grade levels (110 first‐, 107 third‐, 110 fourth‐ and 119 sixth‐graders) generated stories under the constraints provided by a picture (representing Change, Combine or Compare scene) and a number sentence. The results showed that the Change scene was the most intuitive, and the students tended to reinterpret Combine and Compare scenes as a form of Change scene, even when they understood that the identity of the objects in the Combine and the Compare scenes was different. The number of students generating correct stories for the Combine scene increased through the elementary school grades while for the Compare scene the number of students generating correct stories remained fairly constant from Grade 3 to Grade 6. This study also examined students’ exposure to subtraction scenes in mathematics textbooks and discussed educational implications for supporting students’ understanding of subtraction scenes.
Learning decision trees using the Fourier spectrum

This work gives apolynomial time algorithm for learning decision trees with respect to the uniform distribution. (This algorithm uses membership queries.) The decision tree model that is considered is an extension of the traditional boolean decision tree model that allows linear operations in each node (i.e., summation of a subset of the input variables over GF(2)). This paper shows how to learn in polynomial time any function that can be approximated (in norm L2) by a polynomially sparse function (i.e., a function with only polynomially many nonzero Fourier coefficients). The authors demonstrate that any functionf whose L -norm (i.e., the sum of absolute value of the Fourier coefficients) is polynomial can be approximated by a polynomially sparse function, and prove that boolean decision trees with linear operations are a subset of this class of functions. Moreover, it is shown that the functions with polynomial L -norm can be learned deterministically. The algorithm can also exactly identify a decision tree of depth d in time polynomial in 2 a and n. This result implies that trees of logarithmic depth can be identified in polynomial time.
Quantum limit for two-dimensional resolution of two incoherent optical point sources

We obtain the quantum Cramér-Rao (QCR) bound for estimating the 2-D separation of two incoherent optical point sources. The bound is independent of the x- and y-separations. We also propose an interferometric scheme that approaches the bound for sub-Rayleigh separations.
On-line order selection for communications

We address the problem of on-line order determination for communications and show that the penalized partial likelihood criterion provides a suitable likelihood framework for the problem by allowing correlations among samples and online processing ability. An on-line, efficient order selection scheme is developed assuming that the observations can be modeled by a finite normal mixture model without imposing any additional conditions on the unknown system, such as linearity. Channel equalization by finite normal mixtures is considered as an example for which correct order determination is critical and examples are presented to show the application and effectiveness of the approach.
Expectancies, values, and achievement in junior high school.

Many theorists have suggested that students' motivation to achieve in school depends on their expectancies for success and the value they attach to success. There are few data, however, on the relation between expectancies and values or their relative contribution to achievement. To examine these issues, we asked 153 seventh graders to complete multiple measures of academic expectancies and values. We used students' report card grades and academic track placements in English and math as indicators of their achievement
A Revised Definition for Suppressor Variables: a Guide To Their Identification and Interpretation

In the two-predictor situation it is shown that traditional and negative suppressors increase the predictive value of a standard predictor beyond that suggested by the predictor's zero order validity. This effect of suppression is used to provide a revised definition of suppression and completely accounts for traditional and negative suppression. The revised definition, in conjunction with a two factor model, is shown to lead to a previously undetected type of suppression (reciprocal suppression) which occurs when predictors with positive zero order validities are negatively correlated with one another. In terms of the definition and parameters of the model, limits are determined in which the types of suppression can occur. Furthermore, it is shown how suppressors can be identified in multiple regression equations and a procedure is given for interpreting whether the variables are contributing directly (by predicting relevant variance in the criterion) or indirectly (by removing irrelevant variance in another predictor) or both.
Rapid fluctuation of the vaginal microbiota measured by Gram stain analysis

Background The aetiology of bacterial vaginosis (BV) remains unknown. Objective To describe longitudinal changes in vaginal microbiota. Methods Thirty-nine women (mean age 36.8 years; 22 (56.4%) African-American) self-collected vaginal specimens twice weekly for 16 weeks as part of a vaginal douching cessation study. In an analysis where each woman serves as her own control, conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate daily, time-varying factors associated with a woman's incident BV episode(s) as compared with her persistently BV-negative sample(s). BV was defined by a Nugent's Gram stain score ≥7. Results 46.2% of participants had BV in the first 4 weeks of observation. Rapid fluctuation of vaginal microbiota was observed in 226 transitions to BV or spontaneous remission. Duration of BV was often short: 51% of the episodes lasted for only one sample interval (3 days). Among women who had at least one BV episode, the median number of episodes per woman was 8.7 (SD 7.4, range 1–22). Lubricant use 1 day before specimen collection (adjusted OR (aOR)=11.75, 95% CI 1.96 to 70.27) and rectal sex 2 days before (aOR=4.48, 95% CI 2.79 to 7.17) were associated with BV onset. Conclusion Rapid fluctuation of the vaginal microbiota was seen. Longitudinal studies with long intervals between sampling are likely to miss episodes of BV. Recent report of lubricant use and rectal sex were associated with incident BV.
Biosynthesis of constitutive nitric oxide synthase-derived nitric oxide attenuates coronary vasoconstriction and myocardial depression in a model of septic heart failure induced by Staphylococcus aureus &agr;-toxin

ObjectiveMyocardial depression, which frequently occurs in the course of septic shock, has been attributed to the cardiodepressant properties of nitric oxide (NO) generated by either the inducible NO synthase (iNOS) or the constitutive isoform (cNOS). We have previously demonstrated that &agr;-toxin from Staphylococcus aureus induces thromboxane-mediated vasoconstriction accompanied by severe cardiodepression in isolated rat hearts. In the present study, we investigated the role of NO in the &agr;-toxin-induced vascular and contractile abnormalities. DesignProspective, experimental study. SettingResearch laboratory at a university hospital. SubjectsIsolated hearts from male Wistar rats. InterventionsIsolated hearts were perfused with purified staphylococcal &agr;-toxin for 60 mins. Measurements and Main Results At a concentration of 0.25 and 0.5 &mgr;g/mL, &agr;-toxin induced a rise in coronary perfusion pressure, depressed myocardial contractility, and caused edema formation. Simultaneously, a time- and dose-dependent rapid release of NO into the perfusate was noted as quantified by a chemiluminescence technique. L-NMMA, a nonselective inhibitor of NOS, but not PBITU, an iNOS-selective inhibitor, blocked NO synthesis, markedly increased the rise in coronary perfusion pressure and the loss in contractility, and enhanced edema formation in response to &agr;-toxin. In contrast, zaprinast, a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type V that is used for stabilization of cyclic guanosine monophosphate, attenuated the toxin-induced coronary vasoconstrictor response and the myocardial depression. l-arginine, the substrate of NOS, had similar, yet less potent, effects as zaprinast and slightly increased the release of NO caused by &agr;-toxin. Immunohistochemical analysis of the myocardium at the end of the perfusion period demonstrated a positive staining for cNOS but not for iNOS. In addition, no up-regulation of iNOS mRNA was detected in the tissue of toxin-exposed hearts. ConclusionsStaphylococcal &agr;-toxin provokes NO biosynthesis via activation of cNOS in rat hearts. NO partly antagonizes the deleterious effects of this pathogenicity factor on coronary vasoregulation and myocardial performance.
Tissue Specificity of Decellularized Rhesus Monkey Kidney and Lung Scaffolds

Initial steps in establishing an optimal strategy for functional bioengineered tissues is generation of three-dimensional constructs containing cells with the appropriate organization and phenotype. To effectively utilize rhesus monkey decellularized kidney scaffolds, these studies evaluated two key parameters: (1) residual scaffold components after decellularization including proteomics analysis, and (2) the use of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for recellularization in order to explore cellular differentiation in a tissue-specific manner. Sections of kidney and lung were selected for a comparative evaluation because of their similar pattern of organogenesis. Proteomics analysis revealed the presence of growth factors and antimicrobial proteins as well as stress proteins and complement components. Immunohistochemistry of recellularized kidney scaffolds showed the generation of Cytokeratin+ epithelial tubule phenotypes throughout the scaffold that demonstrated a statistically significant increase in expression of kidney-associated genes compared to baseline hESC gene expression. Recellularization of lung scaffolds showed that cells lined the alveolar spaces and demonstrated statistically significant upregulation of key lung-associated genes. However, overall expression of kidney and lung-associated markers was not statistically different when the kidney and lung recellularized scaffolds were compared. These results suggest that decellularized scaffolds have an intrinsic spatial ability to influence hESC differentiation by physically shaping cells into tissue-appropriate structures and phenotypes, and that additional approaches may be needed to ensure consistent recellularization throughout the matrix.
Overcoming the Separation Thesis

In his presentation at the 1993 Society of Business Ethics conference, Ed Freeman offered a provocative explanation for why the normative core of business and society (B&S) research is perceived as fundamentally at odds with the pervasive wisdom on business and the academic literature on management (e.g., "business ethics is an oxymoron"). He termed this explanation the separation thesis. This article explores the possibility that the separation thesis captures a pervasively held view about corporations, even among B &S researchers. To support this claim, the author looks at whether three value dichotomies, which provide the conceptual underpinnings of the separation thesis, are prevalent in the literature. The article provides evidence from the literatures in ethics, corporate social responsibility/ performance, and wider management issues to support its claims, and then looks at alternative possibilities for developing inquiry to avoid the pitfalls of these value dichotomies and, therefore, the separation thesis.
Risk of type 1 diabetes in childhood and maternal age at delivery, interaction with ACPI and sex

We have investigated the possible role of ACP1 (also known as cLMWPTP: cytosolic low molecular weight phosphotyrosine phosphatase), a highly polymorphic enzyme involved in signal transduction of T‐cell receptor, insulin receptor and other growth factors in the relationship between maternal age at delivery and risk of type 1 diabetes in the offspring.
Adult Correctional Treatment

Adult correctional treatment is effective in reducing criminal recidivism. Meta-analyses of adult and juvenile correctional interventions demonstrate that juvenile interventions are more effective than those designed for adults. Behavioral/cognitive treatments, on average, produce larger effects than other treatments. Analyses of specific treatment domains indicate effective interventions. Cognitive skills training seems successful with adult probationers and specific subgroups of offenders. Intensive, in-prison drug treatment is effective, especially when combined with community aftercare. Education, vocational training, and prison labor programs have modest effects on reducing criminal recidivism and increase positive behavior in prison. Evidence on sex offender treatment interventions is less positive, probably because the target population is heterogeneous and treatments need to be tailored to specific offender deficits.
Human Lung Tissue Explants Reveal Novel Interactions during Legionella pneumophila Infections

ABSTRACT Histological and clinical investigations describe late stages of Legionnaires' disease but cannot characterize early events of human infection. Cellular or rodent infection models lack the complexity of tissue or have nonhuman backgrounds. Therefore, we developed and applied a novel model for Legionella pneumophila infection comprising living human lung tissue. We stimulated lung explants with L. pneumophila strains and outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) to analyze tissue damage, bacterial replication, and localization as well as the transcriptional response of infected tissue. Interestingly, we found that extracellular adhesion of L. pneumophila to the entire alveolar lining precedes bacterial invasion and replication in recruited macrophages. In contrast, OMVs predominantly bound to alveolar macrophages. Specific damage to septa and epithelia increased over 48 h and was stronger in wild-type-infected and OMV-treated samples than in samples infected with the replication-deficient, type IVB secretion-deficient DotA− strain. Transcriptome analysis of lung tissue explants revealed a differential regulation of 2,499 genes after infection. The transcriptional response included the upregulation of uteroglobin and the downregulation of the macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO). Immunohistochemistry confirmed the downregulation of MARCO at sites of pathogen-induced tissue destruction. Neither host factor has ever been described in the context of L. pneumophila infections. This work demonstrates that the tissue explant model reproduces realistic features of Legionnaires' disease and reveals new functions for bacterial OMVs during infection. Our model allows us to characterize early steps of human infection which otherwise are not feasible for investigations.
Effects on the Function of Three Trophic Levels in Marine Plankton Communities under Stress from the Antifouling Compound Zinc Pyrithione

This study aimed to investigate functional responses of natural marine planktonic communities to stress from the antifouling compound zinc pyrithione (ZPT). Isotope labelling techniques (14C) were applied to study bacterial incorporation of leucine, photosynthetic activity of phytoplankton and grazing of labelled prey by zooplankton communities for 6 days after exposures to nominal concentrations of 0, 5, 25, 50 nM ZPT in a mesocosm experiment in Isefjord, Denmark. Significant direct effects were visible on chlorophyll α concentrations, which decreased in all exposed communities, to between 48 and 36% of control concentrations on Day 3, 1 day after the last exposure. Phytoplankton activities were also significantly affected on Day 3 with activities between 9 and 26% of control levels, as was zooplankton activities in the 25 and 50 nM exposures. In the 50 nM exposure the total community zooplankton activity was reduced to 25 ± 4%, and per individual to 46 ± 11% of control levels. Bacterial communities showed positive indirect effects with high activities (up to 183 ± 40%) due to higher amounts of available substrate from algal death. Pollution induced community tolerance analyses performed on phytoplankton and bacterial communities at the end of the experiment indicated a development of increased tolerance for phytoplankton in the 50 nM exposed communities, whereas there were no changes in tolerance in the bacterial communities. Multivariate analysis of the integrated functional response by the plankton communities revealed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between exposed communities compared to controls in the first 3 days after last exposure and in the end of the experiment. The study provides evidence of diverse effects on the functions of marine plankton communities under stress from a pollutant. Direct effects lead to cascading indirect effects throughout the community, eventually causing different developments. Continuous exposure to ZPT could lead to severe long-term effects, causing more permanent changes in structure and function than observed here. The study demonstrates that it is possible to assess the functional effects of a stressor in a complex mesocosm system, and to determine effects in a complex plankton community, which were not predictable from laboratory studies.
Partial polymorphic type inference and higher-order unification

We show that the problem of partial type inference in the nth-order polymorphic &lgr;-calculus is equivalent to nth-order unification. On the one hand, this means that partial type inference in polymorphic &lgr;-calculi of order 2 or higher is undecidable. On the other hand, higher-order unification is often tractable in practice, and our translation entails a very useful algorithm for partial type inference in the &ohgr;-order polymorphic &lgr;-calculus. We present an implementation in &lgr;Prolog in full.
KineticStudy of the Jaff # { 233 } Reactionfor QuantifyingCreatininein Serum : 1 . AlkalinityControlled with NaOH

We studied the kinetic behavior of the reaction of alkaline picrate and creatinine and evaluated a nonlinear curve-fitting method for quantifying creatinine in serum. Using a 3 x 3 factorial experimental design, we evaluated interactive effects among temperature and concentrations of creatinine, picrate, and NaOH. We found no evidence of interference by glucose or unconjugated bilirubin; the effects of the acetoacetate reaction, which is fast, are easily compensated by the curve-fitting method. The reaction with human serum albumin is very complex, but its effects are compensated by the curve-fitting method and by preparing standards containing 50 g of albumin per liter. Calibration plots are linear under a wide variety of conditions for both aqueous standards and standard additions of creatinine to pooled serum. Reproducibility studies with standards containing creatinine at 2, 10, and 20 mg/L yielded relative standard deviations (RSD) of 8.2, 2.5, and 1.3%, corresponding to absolute variations of 0.16, 0.25, and 0.26 mg/L. The average SD for 17 sera containing creatinine at 15-50 mg/L was 0.7 mg/L. The averages of ratios (as percent) of determined vs expected concentrations in 17 sera with added creatinine (7.27 mg/L) were 97.8% for aqueous standards, 99.9% for standards with added albumin.
Evaluation of PD-L1 Expression in Tumor Tissue of Patients with Lung Carcinoma and Correlation with Clinical and Demographic Data

Lung cancer is the leading world cause of cancer-related death, in both genders, and smoking is the main etiological factor. The discovery of immune checkpoints corroborates the hypothesis that ligands presented in tumors modulate the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and the immune activity of tumor microenvironment. Among the most studied coregulatory molecules, PD-1 (programmed cell death 1) and its ligand PD-L1 (programmed cell death 1 ligand 1) are noteworthy. The present study aims to enhance the understanding of the tumor microenvironment of lung cancer patients who underwent surgery, by means of analysis of PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and in intratumoral immune cells (IICs). It was found that PD-L1 expression was more frequent in tumor cells than in IICs. Collective analysis by Tissue Microarray Assay (TMA) for PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and IICs did not reproduce the findings for separate individual analysis of tumor tissues. Patients with past history of smoking were more likely to express PD-L1 in tumor cells than those who never smoked. Patients with past history of smoking were less likely to have PD-L1 positive IICs compared to those who had never smoked. The immunohistochemical expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells and IICs did not correlate with survival.
Interactive Exploration of Implicit and Explicit Relations in Faceted Datasets

Many datasets, such as scientific literature collections, contain multiple heterogeneous facets which derive implicit relations, as well as explicit relational references between data items. The exploration of this data is challenging not only because of large data scales but also the complexity of resource structures and semantics. In this paper, we present PivotSlice, an interactive visualization technique which provides efficient faceted browsing as well as flexible capabilities to discover data relationships. With the metaphor of direct manipulation, PivotSlice allows the user to visually and logically construct a series of dynamic queries over the data, based on a multi-focus and multi-scale tabular view that subdivides the entire dataset into several meaningful parts with customized semantics. PivotSlice further facilitates the visual exploration and sensemaking process through features including live search and integration of online data, graphical interaction histories and smoothly animated visual state transitions. We evaluated PivotSlice through a qualitative lab study with university researchers and report the findings from our observations and interviews. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of PivotSlice using a scenario of exploring a repository of information visualization literature.
Aging Successfully: A Four-Factor Model

The study was designed to validate a model for a successful aging process and examine the gender differences in the aging process. Three hundred twelve participants who were 65 or older completed a Taiwan Social Change Survey that measures four factors that define successful aging process: including physical, psychological, social support, and leisure activity. Structural equation modeling analysis shows in addition to the three supporting variables, leisure activities is a significant factor related to successful aging process. The findings of the study verified that the proposed model is well supported by the data and fits well for both female and male populations. The findings of the study also suggest that, for gerontological researchers, leisure activities of old people deserve their attention when helping the old generation age well.