Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Personality, moral purpose, and the leadership of an education for sustainable development

This paper describes how two primary head teachers, nationally recognised as role models for the development of an education for sustainable development (ESD) in their schools, manage the implementation of this area. In doing so, it shows how they adopt two very different approaches to ESD and to their job generally, and suggests that whilst there are some commonalities between them, educational leadership needs to be seen as driven by a moral purpose, engaging and re-engaging with each situation, entering into a dialectic with others’ visions, leading to the re-conceptualisation of problems in different ways. This not only suggests a continued tension between such uniqueness and standardised approaches to headship, but raises questions about current policy imperatives for developing models of sustainable leadership.
Effects of topical application of Astragalus membranaceus on allergic dermatitis

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is one of the most popular health-promoting herbs in East Asia, and has been used in traditional medicine for more than 2000 years. This study was performed to examine whether AM suppresses atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in BALB/c mice. Seven-week-old female BALB/c mice were sensitized with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) to induce allergic dermatitis. Skin sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to assess epidermal and dermal hyperplasia, which were determined by measuring the thicknesses of the epidermis and dermis, respectively. The serum immunoglobulin G (IgE) concentration was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, the levels of interleukins (IL)-4, -5, -6, and -13 and tissue necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured in mouse serum. Significance was determined by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Topical AM markedly improved the AD skin lesions in DNCB-induced mice. The AD skin lesions were significantly thinner in the AM treatment group compared with untreated controls, and the hyperkeratosis disappeared. Topical treatment of AM also restored nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expression. In addition, the serum IgE level was reduced. AM suppressed the expression of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, -5, -6, and -13) and significantly decreased the TNF-α level. AM is effective for treating AD by regulating cytokines. AM may be an alternative or complementary therapeutic option for treating patients with AD. More in-depth studies are necessary to clarify the mechanisms of AM.
The Malmo Platform for Artificial Intelligence Experimentation

We present Project Malmo - an AI experimentation platform built on top of the popular computer game Minecraft, and designed to support fundamental research in artificial intelligence. As the AI research community pushes for artificial general intelligence (AGI), experimentation platforms are needed that support the development of flexible agents that learn to solve diverse tasks in complex environments. Minecraft is an ideal foundation for such a platform, as it exposes agents to complex 3D worlds, coupled with infinitely varied game-play. Project Malmo provides a sophisticated abstraction layer on top of Minecraft that supports a wide range of experimentation scenarios, ranging from navigation and survival to collaboration and problem solving tasks. In this demo we present the Malmo platform and its capabilities. The platform is publicly released as open source software at IJCAI, to support openness and collaboration in AI research.
Adjusting ferritin concentrations for inflammation: Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA) project

Background: The accurate estimation of iron deficiency is important in planning and implementing interventions. Ferritin is recommended as the primary measure of iron status, but interpretability is challenging in settings with infection and inflammation. Objective: We assessed the relation between ferritin concentrations and inflammation and malaria in preschool children (PSC) (age range: 6–59 mo) and women of reproductive age (WRA) (age range: 15–49 y) and investigated adjustment algorithms to account for these effects. Design: Cross-sectional data from 15 surveys for PSC (n = 27,865) and 8 surveys for WRA (24,844), from the Biomarkers Reflecting the Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA) project were analyzed individually and combined with the use of a meta-analysis. Several approaches were explored to estimate depleted iron stores (ferritin concentration <12 μg/L in PSC and <15 μg/L in WRA) in inflammation and malaria settings as follows: 1) increase ferritin-concentration cutoff to <30 μg/L; 2) exclude individuals with C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations >5 mg/L or α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) concentrations >1 g/L; 3) apply arithmetic correction factors; and 4) use a regression correction approach. Results: Depleted iron-store estimates incrementally increased as CRP and AGP deciles decreased (4% compared with 30%, and 6% compared with 29% from highest compared with lowest CRP deciles for pooled PSC and WRA, respectively, with similar results for AGP). Depending on the approach used to adjust for inflammation (CRP plus AGP), the estimated prevalence of depleted iron stores increased by 7–25 and 2–8 absolute median percentage points for PSC and WRA, respectively, compared with unadjusted values. Adjustment for malaria in addition to CRP and AGP did not substantially change the estimated prevalence of depleted iron stores. Conclusions: Our results lend support for the use of internal regression correction to estimate the prevalence of depleted iron stores in regions with inflammation. This approach appears to mathematically reflect the linear relation of ferritin concentrations with acute-phase proteins. More research is warranted to validate the proposed approaches, but this study contributes to the evidence base to guide decisions about how and when to adjust ferritin for inflammation.
“Kiss your brain”: A closer look at flourishing literacy gains in impoverished elementary schools

Abstract This study uses a qualitative methodology to explore the instructional reading practices of high achieving/low‐income elementary schools. Extensive interviews and observations were conducted to examine the nature of literacy gains on a statewide reading assessment from fall to spring. Detailed cases studies of four exceptional schools are presented along with a discussion of implications for the field of reading instruction.
The role of progesterone in maternal and fetal medicine

Progesterone is an essential hormone in the process of reproduction. It has been extensively studied in the treatment of different gynecological pathologies, as a contraceptive and in assisted reproductive technologies. However, the use of progesterone in the pathophysiology of pregnancy remains controversial. Progesterone, and its synthetic form 17 α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17 OHP-C), offer an effective intervention when the continuation of pregnancy is at risk from immunological factors, luteinic and neuroendocrine deficiencies, and myometrial hypercontractility. Progesterone has been successfully used as prophylaxis in the prevention of spontaneous miscarriage, with treatment beginning from the first trimester of pregnancy. There is substantial evidence, too, to indicate that women with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage may benefit from the immunomodulatory properties of progesterone in early pregnancy. The use of progesterone and 17 OHP-C has been extensively studied in the prevention of preterm birth in a variety of settings. Transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length in singleton pregnancies between 19 and 24 weeks’ gestation has been deemed the best way to identify women (approximately 2% of the pregnant population) who would benefit from prophylactic progesterone treatment for the prevention of spontaneous preterm birth. This paper reviews the evidence for the safety and efficacy of the use of progesterone in each of these indications.
Heterogeneous Upregulation of Apamin‐Sensitive Potassium Currents in Failing Human Ventricles

Background We previously reported that IKAS are heterogeneously upregulated in failing rabbit ventricles and play an important role in arrhythmogenesis. This study goal is to test the hypothesis that subtype 2 of the small‐conductance Ca2+ activated K+ (SK2) channel and apamin‐sensitive K+ currents (IKAS) are upregulated in failing human ventricles. Methods and Results We studied 12 native hearts from transplant recipients (heart failure [HF] group) and 11 ventricular core biopsies from patients with aortic stenosis and normal systolic function (non‐HF group). IKAS and action potential were recorded with patch‐clamp techniques, and SK2 protein expression was studied by Western blotting. When measured at 1 μmol/L Ca2+ concentration, IKAS was 4.22 (median) (25th and 75th percentiles, 2.86 and 6.96) pA/pF for the HF group (n=11) and 0.98 (0.54 and 1.72) pA/pF for the non‐HF group (n=8, P=0.008). IKAS was lower in the midmyocardial cells than in the epicardial and the endocardial cells. The Ca2+ dependency of IKAS in HF myocytes was shifted leftward compared to non‐HF myocytes (Kd 314 versus 605 nmol/L). Apamin (100 nmol/L) increased the action potential durations by 1.77% (−0.9% and 7.3%) in non‐HF myocytes and by 11.8% (5.7% and 13.9%) in HF myocytes (P=0.02). SK2 protein expression was 3‐fold higher in HF than in non‐HF. Conclusions There is heterogeneous upregulation of IKAS densities in failing human ventricles. The midmyocardial layer shows lower IKAS densities than epicardial and endocardial layers of cells. Increase in both Ca2+ sensitivity and SK2 protein expression contributes to the IKAS upregulation.
CMVpp65 Vaccine Enhances the Antitumor Efficacy of Adoptively Transferred CD19-Redirected CMV-Specific T Cells

Purpose: T cells engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) recognizing CD19 can induce complete remission of B-cell malignancies in clinical trials; however, in some disease settings, CAR therapy confers only modest clinical benefit due to attenuated persistence of CAR T cells. The purpose of this study was to enhance persistence and augment the antitumor activity of adoptively transferred CD19CAR T cells by restimulating CAR+ T cells through an endogenous cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T-cell receptor. Experimental Design: CMV-specific T cells from CMV seropositive healthy donors were selected after stimulation with pp65 protein and transduced with clinical-grade lentivirus expressing the CD19R:CD28:ζ/EGFRt CAR. The resultant bispecific T cells, targeting CMV and CD19, were expanded via CD19 CAR-mediated signals using CD19-expressing cells. Results: The bispecific T cells proliferated vigorously after engagement with either endogenous CMVpp65 T-cell receptors or engineered CD19 CARs, exhibiting specific cytolytic activity and IFNγ secretion. Upon adoptive transfer into immunodeficient mice bearing human lymphomas, the bispecific T cells exhibited proliferative response and enhanced antitumor activity following CMVpp65 peptide vaccine administration. Conclusions: We have redirected CMV-specific T cells to recognize and lyse tumor cells via CD19CARs, while maintaining their ability to proliferate in response to CMV antigen stimulation. These results illustrate the clinical applications of CMV vaccine to augment the antitumor activity of adoptively transferred CD19CAR T cells in patients with B-cell malignancies. Clin Cancer Res; 21(13); 2993–3002. ©2015 AACR.
A short German version of the Self Description Questionnaire I: theoretical and empirical comparability

This study aims to develop a short German version of the Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ I-GS) in order to present a robust economical instrument for measuring German preadolescents' multidimensional self-concept. A full German version of the SDQ I (SDQ I-G) that maintained the original structure and thus length of the English original SDQ I instrument (Marsh, Herbert W. 1990b. Self Description Questionnaire – I (SDQ I). Manual. Macarthur, NSW, Australia: University of Western Sydney. ) served as a basis for empirically deriving the SDQ I-GS. Using a sample of German students in grades 3–6 (N = 1958), the construct validity of the SDQ I-GS was tested by both a within-network approach using confirmatory factor analyses and a between-network approach examining the relations of self-concept to external validity criteria (academic achievement and self-concept factors of another instrument). Construct validity for both the full (SDQ I-G) and the short version (SDQ I-GS) was consistent. Hence, the SDQ I-GS was demonstrated as a shorter and yet psychometrically sound instrument for measuring the multiple facets of self-concept of German preadolescents. The production of an economical instrument may stimulate wider use of self-concept instruments to further advances in self-concept research and theory.
Does the EGFR and VEGF Expression Predict the Prognosis in Colon Cancer?

Background/Aim: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are frequently encountered with aggressive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis, but the relationship between EGFR/VEGF expression and survival remains unclear. The aim of our study was to further investigate the prognostic value of EGFR and VEGF expression in colon cancer. Materials and Methods: The pathological specimens of 60 colon carcinoma patients were retrospectively evaluated and grouped according to EGFR and VEGF staining intensity and percentage of stained neoplastic cells. A final score was assigned to each case by multiplying percentage and staining score. The patients were stratified into the following categories: negative (score 0), low expression (score 1 or 2), and high expression (score 4). The remaining patient data were filtered out from the institutional cancer database. Results: The mean survival time was 28.93 ± 14.1 (range 2–52) months in the EGFR-negative group, 23.92 ± 14.0 (range 6–46) months in the group with a low EGFR expression, and 17.00 ± 12.8 (range 10–40) months in the group with a high EGFR expression. The median survival time was 27.50 ± 14.7 (range 4–52) months in the VEGF-negative group, 29.33 ± 12.8 (range 6–48) months in the group with a low VGEF expression, and 14.50 ± 14.2 (range 2–40) months in the group with a high VGEF expression. The expression of EGFR and VEGF was not an independent factor that affects survival. Conclusions: The EGFR and VEGF expression rates of colon tumors do not predict the survival. In addition, the EGFR expression in the primary tumor was not predictive of metastatic lymph nodes. The prognostic value of EGFR/VEGF staining may be further questioned.
The contribution of morphology to the consistency of spelling-to-sound relations: A quantitative analysis based on French elementary school readers

Resume Dans les systemes alphabetiques, la consistance des relations grapheme-phoneme et phoneme-grapheme est un facteur cle dans la progression de l’apprentissage de la lecture et de l’ecriture. Les difficultes rencontrees par l’apprenti lecteur dans les differentes orthographes sont donc classiquement evaluees par des etudes quantitatives des relations graphophonologiques des mots ecrits adresses a l’enfant. Toutefois, jusqu’a present, ces estimations sont realisees independamment de l’analyse morphologique. La presente etude a pour objectif d’examiner l’apport de l’information morphologique, essentiellement flexionnelle, sur les consistances des correspondances grapheme-phoneme et phoneme-grapheme d’un ensemble de pres de 10000 mots francais rencontres dans les livres scolaires a l’ecole elementaire (Lete et al., 2004). La base de donnees elaboree au cours de cette etude, Manulex_morpho, est rendue accessible sur internet.
Kolb's Learning Style Inventory: a review of its applications in nursing research.

This article reviews the application of the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) in the examination of learning styles among nursing students, as reported in the current literature. In general, a lack of significant relationships between learning style and other variables was revealed in the research on nursing students. In addition, studies undertaken specifically to investigate the measurement properties of the LSI reported major criticisms which seem to have been ignored. In spite of numerous charges of serious instrument weakness, the Kolb LSI has become the most frequently used method of measuring learning styles among nursing students. Continued use of the Kolb LSI in nursing research or as an experiential technique is not recommended. There has been a veritable deluge of research on learning styles among health professionals in recent years. Upon examination of the learning style literature, one finds a sometimes puzzling array of research. Not only are the terms "learning styles" and "cognitive styles" used almost indiscriminately, but also the sheer numbers of instruments used to measure these constructs are baffling. Nursing students are among the most frequently studied groups of health professionals with regard to the learning style construct. Unfortunately, the innumerable instruments used to measure this construct are strikingly dissimilar. Not only are the instruments' designs grossly disparate, but the theoretical constructs upon which they are based contain tenuous connections to one another (Ferrell, 1983; Partridge, 1983). Each instrument yields a predominant learning style or several strong modes of learning, but the categories for the most part are not similar. The Kolb's LSI was the instrument used most frequently for measuring the learning styles of nursing students. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Racial disparities in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among incident end-stage renal disease patients.

BACKGROUND Prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart failure (HF) is higher among blacks as compared with whites in general population. This study describes unexpected racial differences in the prevalence of CHD and HF among incident dialysis patients, with whites being at a disadvantage. METHODS Data were obtained from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2728 form for incident dialysis patients in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina in 1995-2003. The CHD and HF prevalence between races were compared using adjusted odds ratios (ORs). The potential for case ascertainment bias was assessed. RESULTS Compared with whites (n = 23 951), black patients (n = 32 642) had lower prevalence of CHD (15.7 vs 31.2%) and HF (28.1 vs 34.1%). After controlling for age, gender, diabetes, hypertension and smoking, the association of race with CHD varied by gender and diabetes status: OR ranged from 0.36 (0.34-0.39) for non-diabetic males to 0.57 (0.53-0.61) for diabetic females. Racial differences were not fully explained by case ascertainment bias. The race-HF association varied by age, gender and diabetes: among patients aged <55, blacks tended to have higher prevalence than whites (OR ranged from 0.99 (0.90-1.09) for diabetic males to 1.25 (1.13-1.39) for non-diabetic females), but among those aged above 55, blacks were less likely to HF (OR ranged from 0.62 (0.58-0.67) for diabetic males to 0.79 (0.73-0.85) for non-diabetic females). CONCLUSIONS Substantial racial disparities exist in CHD/HF prevalence among incident dialysis patients that persist after controlling for confounders and cannot be fully explained by disease misclassification.
The Importance of Peers in Alcohol Use Among Latino Adolescents: The Role of Alcohol Expectancies and Acculturation

Abstract The present study examined the potentially mediating effect of alcohol expectancies and moderating effect of acculturation on the relationship between peer alcohol use and Latino adolescent alcohol use. Participants were 115 adolescents recruited through alternative schools, community events, a community psychologist, and Latino groups at a midwestern university. Questionnaires in this study assessed adolescents' perceptions about both their own and their peers' alcohol use in addition to their expectancies about the effects of alcohol, and their level of acculturation. Demographic characteristics of the sample were also assessed in order to control for their possible effects (e.g., age, gender). Results from the present study indicated that a higher level of peer alcohol use was associated with a higher level of adolescent alcohol use. Additionally, adolescents' expectancies about the effect of alcohol on their social behavior mediated the relationship between peer alcohol use and adolescent alcohol use. Results support previous research suggesting the importance of peers as role models for Latino adolescent alcohol use. Acculturation did not moderate the relationship between peer and adolescent alcohol use. The present study adds understanding as to how Latino adolescents' beliefs regarding alcohol use may influence the relationship between peer alcohol use and adolescent alcohol use.
Estimation-Induced Outage Capacity of Ricean Channels

Classically, communication systems are designed assuming perfect channel state information at least at the receiver. However, in most practical situations, only an estimate of the channel is available that differs from the true channel. In this paper, we address this channel uncertainty scenario by introducing the notion of estimation-induced outage capacity. The maximum achievable outage rate for prescribed outage probability is analytically derived from a coding theorem. We provide numerical results for the case of Ricean fading channels and maximum-likelihood (ML) channel estimation. Our results provide intuitive insights on the impact of the channel estimate and the channel characteristics (SNR, Ricean K-factor, etc.) on the outage capacity. We furthermore compare our results with the capacity of a system where the receiver uses a mismatched ML decoder
22 Things I Hate

This article does not present one long rant about the state of our field. Rather, it articulates a series of 22 mini rants—short rants that do not exceed 116 words in length. The mini rants range from theory generation; to the positioning of articles in our field; to hypothesis generation; to data, methods analysis, and results; to academic writing; and to our field in general. The shotgun approach presented by mini rants serves as a device to maximize the number of potential thoughtful, or even rant-like, responses to each of the author's mini rants.
Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of the Extracts of Twelve Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Endemic Ecotypes of Southern Italy before and after Cooking

Beans are important dietary components with versatile health benefits. We analysed the extracts of twelve ecotypes of Phaseolus vulgaris in order to determine their phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity, and the in vitro antiproliferative activity. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (UPLC-DAD) admitted us to detect and quantify some known polyphenols, such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, myricetin, formononetin, caffeic acid, and kaempferol. The antioxidant activity (AA) ranged from 1.568 ± 0.041 to 66.572 ± 3.197 mg necessary to inhibit the activity of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical by 50% (EC50). The extracts, except those obtained from the nonpigmented samples, were capable of inhibiting the proliferation of the human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells, human breast cancer cells MCF-7, and A549 NSCLC cell line. Cultivars differed in composition and concentration of polyphenols including anthocyanins; cooking affected the antioxidant activity only marginally. Qualitative and quantitative differences in phenolic composition between the groups of beans influenced the biological activities; on the other hand, we did not find significant differences on the biological activities within the same variety, before and after cooking.