Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elusive Connections: Music Integration and the Elementary Classroom.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a project involving the integration of music with the elementary curriculum. This year-long interpretive study involved co-investigation with an elementary music teacher at a suburban elementary school. The evolution of the project revealed the role of music in the school community, pervasive teacher isolation reinforced by formal and informal means, and the uniqueness of one teacher s implementation of interdisciplinary instruction.
Cerebral Amyloid and Hypertension are Independently Associated with White Matter Lesions in Elderly

In cognitively normal (CN) elderly individuals, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly viewed as a marker of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). SVD is due to exposure to systemic vascular injury processes associated with highly prevalent vascular risk factors (VRFs) such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. However, cerebral amyloid accumulation is also prevalent in this population and is associated with WMH accrual. Therefore, we examined the independent associations of amyloid burden and VRFs with WMH burden in CN elderly individuals with low to moderate vascular risk. Participants (n = 150) in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) received fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI at study entry. Total WMH volume was calculated from FLAIR images co-registered with structural MRI. Amyloid burden was determined by cerebrospinal fluid Aβ1-42 levels. Clinical histories of VRFs, as well as current measurements of vascular status, were recorded during a baseline clinical evaluation. We tested ridge regression models for independent associations and interactions of elevated blood pressure (BP) and amyloid to total WMH volume. We found that greater amyloid burden and a clinical history of hypertension were independently associated with greater WMH volume. In addition, elevated BP modified the association between amyloid and WMH, such that those with either current or past evidence of elevated BP had greater WMH volumes at a given burden of amyloid. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that cerebral amyloid accumulation and VRFs are independently associated with clinically latent white matter damage represented by WMHs. The potential contribution of amyloid to WMHs should be further explored, even among elderly individuals without cognitive impairment and with limited VRF exposure.
Project portfolio adjustment and balance : a case study in the chemical sector

This paper aims to understand the adjustment stage in the project portfolio management, highlighting their relationship with the processes of categorization and balancing. The research is qualitative, and adopted the longitudinal case study approach. The research carried out in a Brazilian chemical company. Several sources of evidence were collected through interviews, documents and data from enterprise systems. To understand the project portfolio data from 1000 projects were collected and analyzed, in the period 2001 to 2005. The results indicate that more attention is given to the selection stage, neglecting the adjustment stage. The adoption of balancing tools highlighted gaps and sources of imbalance in the project portfolio, promoting discussion among decision makers regarding the bias introduced by the criteria in the selection stage and raising the need to introduce a systematic adjustment and balance. It was observed that without a proper project categorization, it would be difficult to promote the balancing analysis.
On a special class of broadcast channels with confidential messages

It is shown that Csiszar and Korner's (1978) characterization of a discrete memoryless channel (DMC)X/spl rarr/Y as being less noisy than the DMC X/spl rarr/Z is equivalent to the condition that the mutual-information difference I(X;Y)-I(X;Z) be a convex-/spl cap/ function of the probability distribution for X. This result is used to obtain a simple determination of the capacity region of the broadcast channel with confidential messages (BCC), which is a DMC X/spl rarr/(Y,Z), when the DMC X/spl rarr/Y to the legitimate receiver is less noisy than the DMC X/spl rarr/Z to the enemy cryptanalyst and there is a probability distribution for X having strictly positive components that achieves capacity on both these channels. In particular, when these DMC's are both symmetric, then the secrecy capacity of the BCC is the difference of their capacities. It is shown further that the less-noisy condition in this result cannot be weakened to the condition that the DMC X/spl rarr/Y be more capable than the DMC X/spl rarr/Z in the sense of Csiszar and Korner.
Ameliorative potential of Psidium guajava in induced arsenic toxicity in Wistar rats.

The study was undertaken to determine the effect of Psidium.guajava leaf extract on arsenic induced biochemical alterations in Wistar rats. Significant (P<0.05) increased glucose serum urea nitrogen and serum creatinine was observed whereas non significant decrease in total protein, calcium and phosphorus was observed. It is concluded that kidney damage caused by arsenic can be repaired up to some extent by AEPG50.
Hospice home death, hospital death, and coping abilities of widows

A descriptive study explored the ramifications of home deaths on widows of home hospice patients, as compared with widows following the deaths of their husbands within hospital settings. The hypothesis stated that differences existed in coping abilities between these groups. Data were collected from the F-COPES inventory, the Jalowiec Coping Scale, and a demographic data sheet in the homes of 32 widows whose husbands had died at home, as well as 36 widows whose spouses had died within a hospital, approximately 1 year after the death. Interviews were conducted with five widows from each group. Descriptive analyses, chi-square tests, t test techniques, and multiple regression analyses were used to identify differences in coping behaviors between the groups, as well as strengths and weaknesses of the instruments. The results of this study (p > 0.05) demonstrated that widows following death at home of their husbands utilized different coping mechanisms during the bereavement period than widows who did not participate in a hospice program. Thus, the hypothesis was supported. A theoretical framework for this project was developed on the basis of recent sociological endeavors in the study of coping and social support. Findings indicated areas for further hospice program development, recognition of some problems of widows, and recommendations for use of home hospices. Ideas for further research were generated.
An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between transformational and transactional leadership behaviors and the self-efficacy of participants involved in a structured 10-week exercise program. Three weeks into their exercise classes 174 females (M age = 25.36 years, SD = 8.48) provided ratings of their exercise instructor’s leadership behaviors as well as their personal efficacy related to scheduling, over-coming barriers and within-class capabilities. Results revealed that for exercise initiates, contingent rewards behaviors were able to explain unique variation in scheduling self-efficacy and barrier self-efficacy, but not within-class self-efficacy. For experienced exercisers, none of the leadership behaviors assessed in this study were associated with participant self-efficacy.
Versatile in situ powder X-ray diffraction cells for solid–gas investigations

Two multipurpose sample cells of quartz (SiO2) or sapphire (Al2O3) capillaries, developed for the study of solid–gas reactions in dosing or flow mode, are presented. They allow fast change of pressure up to 100 or 300 bar (1 bar = 100 000 Pa) and can also handle solid–liquid–gas studies.
Structural changes in a hydrophobic domain of the prion protein induced by hydration and by ala-->Val and pro-->Leu substitutions.

X-ray diffraction was used to study the structure of assemblies formed by synthetic peptide fragments of the prion protein (PrP) that include the hydrophobic domain implicated in the Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) mutation (P102L). The effects of hydration on polypeptide assembly and of Ala-->Val substitutions in the hydrophobic domain were characterized. Synthetic peptides included: (i) Syrian hamster (SHa) hydrophobic core, SHa106-122 (KTNMKHMAGAAAAGAVV); (ii) SHa104-122(3A-V), with A-->V mutations at 113, 115 and 118 (KPKTNMKHMVGVAAVGAVV); (iii) mouse (Mo) wild-type sequence of the N-terminal hydrophobic domain, Mo89-143WT; and (iv) the same mouse sequence with leucine substitution for proline at residue number 101, Mo89-143(P101L). Samples of SHa106-122 that formed assemblies while drying under ambient conditions showed X-ray patterns indicative of 33 A thick slab-like structures having extensive H-bonding and intersheet stacking. By contrast, lyophilized peptide that was equilibrated against 100 % relative humidity showed assemblies with only a few layers of beta-sheets. The Ala-->Val substitutions in SHa104-122 and Mo89-143(P101L) resulted in the formation of 40 A wide, cross-beta fibrils. Observation of similar size beta-sheet fibrils formed by peptides SHa104-122(3A-V) and the longer Mo89-143(P101L) supports the notion that the hydrophobic sequence forms a template or core that promotes the beta-folding of the longer peptide. The substitution of amino acids in the mutants, e.g. 3A-->V and P101L, enhances the folding of the peptide into compact structural units, significantly enhancing the formation of the extensive beta-sheet fibrils.
Part-of-Speech Tagging by Latent Analogy

Part-of-speech tagging is often a critical first step in various speech and language processing tasks. High-accuracy taggers (e.g., based on conditional random fields) rely on well chosen feature functions to ensure that important characteristics of the empirical training distribution are reflected in the trained model. This makes them vulnerable to any discrepancy between training and tagging corpora, and, in particular, accuracy is adversely affected by the presence of out-of-vocabulary words. This paper explores an alternative tagging strategy based on the principle of latent analogy, which was originally introduced in the context of a speech synthesis application. In this approach, locally optimal tag subsequences emerge automatically from an appropriate representation of global sentence-level information. This solution eliminates the need for feature engineering, while exploiting a broader context more conducive to word sense disambiguation. Empirical evidence suggests that, in practice, tagging by latent analogy is essentially competitive with conventional Markovian techniques, while benefiting from substantially less onerous training costs. This opens up the possibility that integration with such techniques may lead to further improvements in tagging accuracy.
Pitx1 and Pitx2 are required for development of hindlimb buds

Two closely related homeobox transcription factors, Pitx1 and Pitx2, have been implicated in patterning of lateral plate mesoderm derivatives: Pitx1 for specification of hindlimb identity and Pitx2 for determination of laterality. We show that, together, Pitx1 and Pitx2 are required for formation of hindlimb buds and, when present in limited doses, for development of proximal (femur) and anterior (tibia and digit 1) hindlimb structures. Although Pitx1 is expressed throughout developing hindlimb buds, Pitx2 is not expressed in limb bud mesenchyme itself, but is co-expressed with Pitx1 in the presumptive hindlimb field before bud growth. Thus, Pitx1 and Pitx2 genes are required for sustained hindlimb bud growth and formation of hindlimbs.
Role of Potassium Channels in Regulation of Brain Arteriolar Tone: Comparison of Cerebrum Versus Brain Stem

Background and Purpose— Potassium channels are important regulators of resting tone in large cerebral arteries, but their activity and distribution may vary according to vessel location and species studied. In the cerebral microcirculation in vivo, however, these channels appear to be silent at rest. Our goal was to determine the activity of potassium channels of brain arterioles from 2 origins under basal conditions in vitro. Methods— Penetrating cerebral (40.9±2.2 &mgr;m control diameter) and brain stem (36.2±1.2 &mgr;m) arterioles of rats were prepared from middle cerebral and basilar arteries, respectively. The internal diameter of cannulated and pressurized vessel was monitored with the inverted microscope before and after administration of potassium channel inhibitors. In addition, we studied the effect of nitric oxide synthase inhibition on potassium channel activity. Results— Cerebral and brain stem arterioles were significantly constricted by 4-aminopyridine and low concentration of BaCl2 but not by glibenclamide. The addition of N&ohgr;-nitro-l-arginine to 4-aminopyridine further decreased diameters of both arterioles. Tetraethylammonium ion caused a significant constriction of brain stem but not cerebral arteriole. The brain stem arteriole was further constricted by additional N&ohgr;-nitro-l-arginine. Conclusions— Voltage-dependent and inward-rectifier, but not ATP-sensitive, potassium channels are active under basal conditions of rat cerebral and brain stem arterioles. There is a regional difference in the activity of calcium-activated potassium channels, which, at rest, are open in brain stem but silent in cerebral arterioles. In addition, basal endogenous nitric oxide may not contribute to the activation of voltage-dependent and calcium-activated potassium channels.
Effects of Single Versus Multiple Bouts of Resistance Training on Maximal Strength and Anaerobic Performance

Abstract This study examined the effects of one single bout daily versus triple bouts of resistance exercise for 12 weeks on muscular strength and anaerobic performance of the upper body. Twenty young male adults (age: 22.0 ± 1.0 years, bench press: 44.0 ± 10.3 kg) were randomly assigned to a single bout (SB) or triple bouts (TB) of resistance exercise group. Maximal strength and anaerobic performance of the upper body using the bench press (one-repetition maximum) and the modified 30 s Wingate test were determined before and after the intervention. Additionally, changes in lactate levels before and after the Wingate test were measured. Although the SB and TB groups showed a significant increase in maximal strength (post-intervention, SB: 67.2 ± 9.2 and TB: 67.6 ± 7.6 kg, respectively) compared with the values at pre-intervention (SB: 44.6 ± 11.4 and TB: 43.9 ± 8.7 kg, respectively), there was no significant difference for this variable between the two groups post-intervention (p > 0.05). The anaerobic performance of the upper body in the SB and TB groups also displayed improvements without significant difference between the two groups after the completion of different training regimes. On the basis of the same training volume, multiple bouts of resistance training showed similar improvements in maximal strength and anaerobic performance to one bout of resistance training in young adult men without prior experience in resistance training
THE EFFECT OF CONVECTIVE FIXED BED DRYING BASED ON A SOLAR COLLECTOR AND PHOTOVOLTAIC (CSD) TO THE QUALITY ATRIBUTES OF RED PEPPER COMPARED WITH CONVENTIONAL CONVECTIVE FIXED BED DRYING (CCD)

The effect of conventional convective drying (CCD) and convective solar drying (CSD) based on a solar collector and photovoltaic on the quality of dried red pepper was researched. The study was aimed to determine the effect of five drying system (CCD 50°C, CCD 60°C, CCD 70°C, CSD, and open sun drying) on the quality attributes of dried red pepper. The quality observed were rehydration ratio, ascorbic acid, capsaicin, non-enzymatic browning index, anthocyanin, and carotenoids. The results of the study confirmed that the drying system significantly affected the quality attributes of dried red pepper except for anthocyanin. The CSD had a satisfactory result, shown by some attributes (carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and ratio) which were not statistically different from the quality of dried red pepper gained from CCD 50°C.
Long-term avoidance memory formation is associated with a transient increase in mushroom body synaptic complexes in leaf-cutting ants

Long-term behavioral changes related to learning and experience have been shown to be associated with structural remodeling in the brain. Leaf-cutting ants learn to avoid previously preferred plants after they have proved harmful for their symbiotic fungus, a process that involves long-term olfactory memory. We studied the dynamics of brain microarchitectural changes after long-term olfactory memory formation following avoidance learning in Acromyrmex ambiguus. After performing experiments to control for possible neuronal changes related to age and body size, we quantified synaptic complexes (microglomeruli, MG) in olfactory regions of the mushroom bodies (MBs) at different times after learning. Long-term avoidance memory formation was associated with a transient change in MG densities. Two days after learning, MG density was higher than before learning. At days 4 and 15 after learning—when ants still showed plant avoidance—MG densities had decreased to the initial state. The structural reorganization of MG triggered by long-term avoidance memory formation clearly differed from changes promoted by pure exposure to and collection of novel plants with distinct odors. Sensory exposure by the simultaneous collection of several, instead of one, non-harmful plant species resulted in a decrease in MG densities in the olfactory lip. We hypothesize that while sensory exposure leads to MG pruning in the MB olfactory lip, the formation of long-term avoidance memory involves an initial growth of new MG followed by subsequent pruning.
Experimental validation of a commercial 3D dose verification system for intensity-modulated arc therapies

We validate the dosimetric performance of COMPASS®, a novel 3D quality assurance system for verification of volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans that can correlate the delivered dose to the patient's anatomy, taking into account the tissue inhomogeneity. The accuracy of treatment delivery was assessed by the COMPASS® for 12 VMAT plans, and the resulting assessments were evaluated using an ionization chamber and film measurements. Dose–volume relationships were evaluated by the COMPASS® for three additional treatment plans and these were used to verify the accuracy of treatment planning dose calculations. The results matched well between COMPASS® and measurements for the ionization chamber (⩽3%) and film (73–99% for gamma(3%/3 mm) < 1 and 98–100% for gamma(5%/5 mm) < 1) for the phantom plans. Differences in dose–volume statistics for the average dose to the PTV were within 2.5% for three treatment plans. For the structures located in the low-dose region, a maximum difference of <9% was observed. In its current implementation, the system could measure the delivered dose with sufficient accuracy and could project the 3D dose distribution directly on the patient's anatomy. Slight deviations were found for large open fields. These could be minimized by improving the COMPASS® in-built beam model.
Sarcopenia predicts minimal hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and sarcopenia impair the health‐related quality of life and prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis; however, the relationship between MHE and sarcopenia remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate their relationship and to identify the predictors of MHE in cirrhotic patients.
Supporting Transitions to Expertise in Hidden Toolbars

Hidden toolbars are becoming common on mobile devices. These techniques maximize the space available for application content by keeping tools off-screen until needed. However, current designs require several actions to make a selection, and they do not provide shortcuts for users who have become familiar with the toolbar. To better understand the performance capabilities and tradeoffs involved in hidden toolbars, we outline a design space that captures the key elements of these controls, and report on an empirical evaluation of four designs. Two of our designs provide shortcuts that are based on the user's spatial memory of item locations. The study found that toolbars with spatial-memory shortcuts had significantly better performance (700ms faster) than standard designs currently in use. Participants quickly learned the shortcut selection method (although switching to a memory-based method led to higher error rates than the visually-guided techniques). Participants strongly preferred one of the shortcut methods that allowed selections by swiping across the screen bezel at the location of the desired item. This work shows that shortcut techniques are feasible and desirable on touch devices, and shows that spatial memory can provide a foundation for designing shortcuts.
Prediction-error in the context of real social relationships modulates reward system activity

The human reward system is sensitive to both social (e.g., validation) and non-social rewards (e.g., money) and is likely integral for relationship development and reputation building. However, data is sparse on the question of whether implicit social reward processing meaningfully contributes to explicit social representations such as trust and attachment security in pre-existing relationships. This event-related fMRI experiment examined reward system prediction-error activity in response to a potent social reward—social validation—and this activity's relation to both attachment security and trust in the context of real romantic relationships. During the experiment, participants' expectations for their romantic partners' positive regard of them were confirmed (validated) or violated, in either positive or negative directions. Primary analyses were conducted using predefined regions of interest, the locations of which were taken from previously published research. Results indicate that activity for mid-brain and striatal reward system regions of interest was modulated by social reward expectation violation in ways consistent with prior research on reward prediction-error. Additionally, activity in the striatum during viewing of disconfirmatory information was associated with both increases in post-scan reports of attachment anxiety and decreases in post-scan trust, a finding that follows directly from representational models of attachment and trust.
Cypermethrin Toxicity in the Liver of Developing Chick Embryo

Toxicity of cypermethrin insecticide was evaluated in the liver of 16-day old chick embryo following administration of a single sub-lethal dose of cypermethrin into the eggs on day '0' of incubation. The biochemical analysis of the liver revealed that the activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly increased. The activities of amylase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase remained unchanged. Besides that hepatic glucose, total protein, total lipids, cholesterol, urea, uric acid and RNA contents were found to decrease, while, glycogen and DNA contents were elevated. The hepatic soluble protein and free amino acids contents, however, remained unaltered. Cypermethrin-induced histopathological changes in liver included increased sinusoidal spaces in hepatic parenchyma, cytoplasmic vacuolations in hepatocytes, hepatocytic nuclear condensation, fatty degeneration, hydropic degeneration and necrosis of hepatocytes.