Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Concerns-Based Approach to Curriculum Change.

Paying attention to teachers' concerns as they begin using a new curriculum helps assure that they will use it successfully. Curriculum change isn't easy. Almost any edu cator can provide a list of reasons why it won't hap pen: "The teachers won't support it"; "The principal won't support it"; "The central office won't support it"; "The teachers have been around too long"; "The teachers haven't been around long enough"; "The school's too big"; "The school's too small. " Human nature is such that changing anything is usually more difficult than maintaining the status quo. Change is a complicated process, which until re cently had not been observed carefully enough to at tend to all of its complexities and therefore to ensure meaningful and long-lasting effects. We've delivered curriculum to teachers in bright, shiny new boxes and expected students to have made achievement gains by the end of the year. We've torn down classroom walls in July and expected to see proficient team teaching and individualizing in September. Frequently, we have different expectations from one year to the next. We rarely attend to the individual teacher in the process, and often do not involve the teacher at all until the new program is delivered. In too many cases, the re sults of our ignorance have been unfulfilled expecta tions and increased frustration. One reason for this situation is that until re cently a clear, logical, and practical approach to the conceptualization and implementation of change did not exist. Such a model is currently being tested in a collaborative effort between a national research center and a large school district: the Research and Develop ment Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin (UTR&D) and the Jefferson County, Colorado, Public School District (Jeffco). Researchers at UTR&D have developed a model for change called the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, 1 and have spent six years defining and initially
Children's Friendship with Place: A Conceptual Inquiry

Abstract:This paper explores the conceptual possibilities of place friendship, and posits it as a valid form of place relationship that is different from the more widely accepted place relationship concepts typically considered under the broader construct of sense of place. After reviewing the literature on friendship, a framework for envisioning child-friendly places based on six essential conditions of friendship is proposed: mutual affection and personal regard; shared interests and activities; commitment; loyalty; self-disclosure and mutual understanding; and horizontality. These concepts, when translated into environmental terms with the help of literature from the fields of environment-behavior, environmental psychology and children's geography, help to define a child-friendly place from a socio-physical perspective. This definition is in contrast to the broad, rhetorical, rights-based goals of health, education, safety, etc. that currently underpin the UN vision of the child-friendly city. This paper proposes that research needs to investigate the functional and phenomenological possibilities of places that children consider to be their friends in order for child-friendly cities to have any real meaning for children.
Solving Weighted Constraint Satisfaction Problems with Memetic/Exact Hybrid Algorithms

A weighted constraint satisfaction problem (WCSP) is a constraint satisfaction problem in which preferences among solutions can be expressed. Bucket elimination is a complete technique commonly used to solve this kind of constraint satisfaction problem. When the memory required to apply bucket elimination is too high, a heuristic method based on it (denominated mini-buckets) can be used to calculate bounds for the optimal solution. Nevertheless, the curse of dimensionality makes these techniques impractical on large scale problems. In response to this situation, we present a memetic algorithm for WCSPs in which bucket elimination is used as a mechanism for recombining solutions, providing the best possible child from the parental set. Subsequently, a multi-level model in which this exact/metaheuristic hybrid is further hybridized with branch-and-bound techniques and mini-buckets is studied. As a case study, we have applied these algorithms to the resolution of the maximum density still life problem, a hard constraint optimization problem based on Conway's game of life. The resulting algorithm consistently finds optimal patterns for up to date solved instances in less time than current approaches. Moreover, it is shown that this proposal provides new best known solutions for very large instances.
Balanced Auricular Reconstruction in Dystopic Microtia with the Presence of the External Auditory Canal

&NA; This article presents a new repositioning method in dystopic microtia (low‐set microtia, anteriorly tilted microtia, or both) with the presence of the external auditory canal. In the case of low‐set malformations, the dystopic auricular canal complex was freed from adjacent bony structure, shifted upward, and anchored to the thick periosteum of the suprameatal triangle or the adjacent superior portion of the temporal bone with nonabsorbable sutures. When the auricular vestige was large and dystopia was severe, the complex was shifted with attachment of the temporoparietal fascia on its cranial part. Meanwhile, when the auricular vestige was small and dystopia was mild, the complex was shifted without attachment of the temporoparietal fascia. Then, the ear framework fabricated with autogenous costal cartilage was positioned and wrapped with the temporoparietal fascial flap. In the case of anteriorly tilted malformations, the dystopic complex was freed, shifted posteriorly, and anchored to the periosteum of the suprameatal triangle. Preauricular dead space, resulting from shifting the complex, was obliterated with pieces of costal cartilage. Simultaneously, the ear framework was placed and wrapped with the temporoparietal fascial flap. No skin necrosis of the shifted complexes occurred in any of the cases. In one case, the facial nerve was transected during dissection and reanastomosed. Upward repositioning distances in low‐set microtias were between 1 and 3.5 cm. Posteriorly repositioning distances in anteriorly tilted microtias were 2 and 3 cm. Thirteen patients with low‐set malformations, two patients with anteriorly tilted malformations, and three patients with low‐set and anteriorly tilted malformations underwent reconstructive operations. The new repositioning method is relatively simple, safe, and effective. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 109: 1489, 2002.)
Integrin-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation in corneal fibroblasts.

PURPOSE A major pathway for intracellular signaling from cell surface receptors, such as integrins, involves intracellular phosphorylation. In corneal fibroblasts, the authors have investigated the role of tyrosine phosphorylation in integrin-dependent cell adhesion to extracellular matrix. METHODS Antibodies were used to detect phosphotyrosine-containing proteins, including focal adhesion kinase in lysates and immunoprecipitates of corneal fibroblasts. The authors used anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies to localize phosphotyrosines in fixed cultured corneal fibroblasts. Similarly, immunocytochemical detection of vinculin was used to identify focal adhesions, the subcellular structures in which integrins organize attachment to matrix extracellularly and to cytoskeletal components intracellularly. RESULTS Suspension of corneal fibroblasts produced a dramatic decrease in detectable phosphotyrosines. During integrin-dependent fibroblast attachment to exogenously supplied fibronectin, the cytoplasmic phosphotyrosine kinase, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), pp125FAK, became tyrosine phosphorylated. However, FAK was not phosphorylated during fibroblast attachment to vitronectin or polylysine or when cells were kept in suspension. In addition, the treatment of suspended cells with antibody to the extracellular domain of fibronectin receptor caused FAK phosphorylation. Phosphotyrosine was colocalized with vinculin in newly formed focal adhesions. Focal adhesion formation was prevented by herbimycin A, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases. CONCLUSIONS In corneal fibroblasts, fibronectin receptor-specific signal transduction from extracellular matrix during the formation of focal adhesions requires tyrosine kinase activation, including phosphorylation of FAK. This underscores a role for the fibronectin receptor in signaling from the extracellular matrix in corneal fibroblasts.
Mg2+–RNA interaction free energies and their relationship to the folding of RNA tertiary structures

Mg2+ ions are very effective at stabilizing tertiary structures in RNAs. In most cases, folding of an RNA is so strongly coupled to its interactions with Mg2+ that it is difficult to separate free energies of Mg2+– RNA interactions from the intrinsic free energy of RNA folding. To devise quantitative models accounting for this phenomenon of Mg2+-induced RNA folding, it is necessary to independently determine Mg2+–RNA interaction free energies for folded and unfolded RNA forms. In this work, the energetics of Mg2+–RNA interactions are derived from an assay that measures the effective concentration of Mg2+ in the presence of RNA. These measurements are used with other measures of RNA stability to develop an overall picture of the energetics of Mg2+-induced RNA folding. Two different RNAs are discussed, a pseudoknot and an rRNA fragment. Both RNAs interact strongly with Mg2+ when partially unfolded, but the two folded RNAs differ dramatically in their inherent stability in the absence of Mg2+ and in the free energy of their interactions with Mg2+. From these results, it appears that any comprehensive framework for understanding Mg2+-induced stabilization of RNA will have to (i) take into account the interactions of ions with the partially unfolded RNAs and (ii) identify factors responsible for the widely different strengths with which folded tertiary structures interact with Mg2+.
A Distributed Representation-Based Framework for Cross-Lingual Transfer Parsing

This paper investigates the problem of cross-lingual transfer parsing, aiming at inducing dependency parsers for low-resource languages while using only training data from a resource-rich language (e.g., English). Existing model transfer approaches typically don't include lexical features, which are not transferable across languages. In this paper, we bridge the lexical feature gap by using distributed feature representations and their composition. We provide two algorithms for inducing cross-lingual distributed representations of words, which map vocabularies from two different languages into a common vector space. Consequently, both lexical features and non-lexical features can be used in our model for cross-lingual transfer. Furthermore, our framework is flexible enough to incorporate additional useful features such as cross-lingual word clusters. Our combined contributions achieve an average relative error reduction of 10.9% in labeled attachment score as compared with the delexicalized parser, trained on English universal treebank and transferred to three other languages. It also significantly outperforms state-of-the-art delexicalized models augmented with projected cluster features on identical data. Finally, we demonstrate that our models can be further boosted with minimal supervision (e.g., 100 annotated sentences) from target languages, which is of great significance for practical usage.
Ocular onchocerciasis: current management and future prospects

This paper reviews the current management of onchocerciasis and its future prospects. Onchocerciasis is a disease affecting millions of people in Africa, South and Central America, and Yemen. It is spread by the blackfly as a vector and caused by the filarial nematode, Onchocerca volvulus. A serious attempt was made by the Onchocerciasis Control Program between 1975 and 2002 to eliminate the vector in eleven of the endemic countries in West Africa, and with remarkable success. Formerly, the treatment was with diethyl carbamazine for the microfilaria and suramin for the adult worm. These drugs are now known to be toxic and unsuitable for mass distribution. In particular, they precipitate optic nerve disease. With the discovery of ivermectin, a much safer microfilaricide, and the decision of Merck to distribute the drug free of charge for as long as needed, the strategy of control switched to mass drug administration through community-directed treatment with ivermectin. So far, millions have received this annual or biannual treatment through the African Program for Onchocerciasis Control and the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas. However, the problem with ivermectin is that it is a monotherapy microfilaricide which has limited effect on the adult worm, and thus will need to be continued for the life span of the adult worm, which may last up to 15 years. There are also early reports of resistance. Serious encephalopathy and death may occur when ivermectin is used in subjects heavily infested with loiasis. It seems unlikely that a break in transmission will occur with community-directed treatment with ivermectin in Africa because of population migrations and the highly efficient vector, but in the Americas some countries such as Columbia and the Oaxaca focus in Mexico have reported eradication. Vector control is only now applicable in selected situations, and particularly to control the nuisance value of the blackfly. Trials are ongoing for alternatives to ivermectin. Candidate drugs include moxidectin, a macrofilaricide, doxycycline which targets the Wolbachia endosymbiont, and flubendazole, which shows promise with the newer oral cyclodextrin formulation.
MYB Transcription Factors Regulate Glucosinolate Biosynthesis in Different Organs of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis)

In this study, we investigated the expression of seven MYB transcription factors (a total of 17 genes that included Dof1.1, IQD1-1, MYB28, MYB29, MYB34, MYB51, and MYB122 and their isoforms) involved in aliphatic and indolic glucosinolate (GSL) biosynthesis and analyzed the aliphatic and indolic GSL content in different organs of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapassp. Pekinensis). MYB28 and MYB29 expression in the stem was dramatically different when compared with the levels in the other organs. MYB34, MYB122, MYB51, Dof1.1, and IQD1-1 showed very low transcript levels among different organs. HPLC analysis showed that the glucosinolates (GSLs) consisted of five aliphatic GSLs (progoitrin, sinigrin, glucoalyssin, gluconapin, and glucobrassicanapin) and four indolic GSLs (4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, glucobrassicin, 4-methoxygluco-brassicin, and neoglucobrassicin). Aliphatic GSLs exhibited 63.3% of the total GSLs content, followed by aromatic GSL (19.0%), indolic GSLs (10%), and unknown GSLs (7.7%) in different organs of Chinese cabbage. The total GSL content of different parts (ranked in descending order) was as follows: seed > flower > young leaves > stem > root > old leaves. The relationship between GSLs accumulation and expression of GSLs biosynthesis MYB TFs genes in different organs may be helpful to understand the mechanism of MYB TFs regulating GSL biosynthesis in Chinese cabbage.
Which jet launching mechanism(s) in T Tauri stars

Aims. We examine whether ejection phenomena from accreting T Tauri stars can be described by only one type of self-collimated jet model. Methods. We present analytical kinematic predictions valid soon after the Alfven surface for all types of steady magnetically s elf-confined jets. Results. We show that extended disc winds, X-winds, and stellar winds occupy distinct regions in the poloidal speed vs. specific an gular momentum plane. Comparisons with current observations of T Tauri jets yield quantitative constraints on the range of la unching radii, magnetic lever arms, and specific energy input in disc and stellar wind s. Implications on the origin of jet asymmetries and disc magnetic fields are outlined. Conclusions. We argue that ejection phenomena from accreting T Tauri stars most likely include three dynamical components: (1) an outer self-collimated steady disc wind carrying most of the mass-flux in the optical jet (when present), confining (2) a pressur e-driven coronal stellar wind and (3) a hot inner flow made of blobs sporadically ejecte d from the magnetopause. If the stellar magnetic moment is parallel to the disc magnetic field, then the highly variable inner flow resem bles a "Reconnection X-wind", that has been proven to effi ciently brake down an accreting and contracting young star. If the magnetic moment is anti-parallel, then larger versions of the solar coro nal mass ejections are likely to occur. The relative importance of these three components in the observed outflows and the range of radii involve d in the disc wind are expected to vary with time, from the stage of embedded source to the optically revealed T Tauri star phase.
Clinical criteria for the diagnosis of vascular dementia: a multicenter study of comparability and interrater reliability.

BACKGROUND Several clinical criteria have been developed to standardize the diagnosis of vascular dementia (VaD). Significant differences in patient classification have been reported, depending on the criteria used. Few studies have examined interrater reliability. OBJECTIVE To assess the concordance in classification and interrater reliability for the following 4 clinical definitions of VaD: the Hachinski Ischemic Score (HIS), the Alzheimer Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (ADDTC), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences (NINDS-AIREN), and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). METHODS Structured diagnostic checklists were developed for 4 criteria for VaD, 2 criteria for Alzheimer disease (AD), and 4 criteria for dementia. Twenty-five case vignettes, representing a spectrum of cognitive impairment and subtypes of dementia, were prepared in a standardized clinical format. Concordance in case classification using different criteria and interrater reliability among 7 ADDTCs given a specific set of criteria was assessed using the kappa statistic. RESULTS The frequency of a diagnosis of VaD was highest using the modified HIS or DSM-IV criteria, intermediate using the original HIS and ADDTC criteria, and lowest using the NINDS-AIREN criteria. Scores for interrater reliability ranged from kappa = 0.30 (ADDTC) to kappa = 0.61 (original HIS). CONCLUSIONS Clinical criteria for VaD are not interchangeable. Depending on the criteria selected, the reported prevalence of VaD will vary significantly. The traditional HIS has higher interrater reliability than the newer criteria for VaD. Prospective longitudinal studies with clinical-pathological correlation are needed to compare validity.
From Images to 3D Shape Attributes

Our goal in this paper is to investigate properties of 3D shape that can be determined from a single image. We define 3D shape attributes—generic properties of the shape that capture curvature, contact and occupied space. Our first objective is to infer these 3D shape attributes from a single image. A second objective is to infer a 3D shape embedding—a low dimensional vector representing the 3D shape. We study how the 3D shape attributes and embedding can be obtained from a single image by training a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for this task. We start with synthetic images so that the contribution of various cues and nuisance parameters can be controlled. We then turn to real images and introduce a large scale image dataset of sculptures containing 143K images covering 2197 works from 242 artists. For the CNN trained on the sculpture dataset we show the following: (i) which regions of the imaged sculpture are used by the CNN to infer the 3D shape attributes; (ii) that the shape embedding can be used to match previously unseen sculptures largely independent of viewpoint; and (iii) that the 3D attributes generalize to images of other (non-sculpture) object classes.
Knockdown of Hsc70-5/mortalin Induces Loss of Synaptic Mitochondria in a Drosophila Parkinson’s Disease Model

Mortalin is an essential component of the molecular machinery that imports nuclear-encoded proteins into mitochondria, assists in their folding, and protects against damage upon accumulation of dysfunctional, unfolded proteins in aging mitochondria. Mortalin dysfunction associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) increases the vulnerability of cultured cells to proteolytic stress and leads to changes in mitochondrial function and morphology. To date, Drosophila melanogaster has been successfully used to investigate pathogenesis following the loss of several other PD-associated genes. We generated the first loss-of-Hsc70-5/mortalin-function Drosophila model. The reduction of Mortalin expression recapitulates some of the defects observed in the existing Drosophila PD-models, which include reduced ATP levels, abnormal wing posture, shortened life span, and reduced spontaneous locomotor and climbing ability. Dopaminergic neurons seem to be more sensitive to the loss of mortalin than other neuronal sub-types and non-neuronal tissues. The loss of synaptic mitochondria is an early pathological change that might cause later degenerative events. It precedes both behavioral abnormalities and structural changes at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of mortalin-knockdown larvae that exhibit increased mitochondrial fragmentation. Autophagy is concomitantly up-regulated, suggesting that mitochondria are degraded via mitophagy. Ex vivo data from human fibroblasts identifies increased mitophagy as an early pathological change that precedes apoptosis. Given the specificity of the observed defects, we are confident that the loss-of-mortalin model presented in this study will be useful for further dissection of the complex network of pathways that underlie the development of mitochondrial parkinsonism.
Induction of IgE synthesis in normal human B cells. Sequential requirements for activation by an alloreactive T cell clone and IgE- potentiating factors

Two human alloreactive T cell clones were established from a one-way mixed lymphocyte culture involving two nonatopic donors, and were assessed for their capacity to induce IgE synthesis by B cells obtained from the original stimulator. The two alloreactive T cell clones studied induced IgG but not IgE synthesis in normal B cells. However, one of the two clones, clone 2H6, induced IgE synthesis in the presence of supernatants from T cell lines derived from patients with the hyper- IgE syndrome (HIE), and enriched for T cells bearing receptors for IgE. These supernatants by themselves caused no IgE synthesis in nonatopic B cells. The potentiating factors in these supernatants were shown to bind to IgE. Time sequence experiments indicated that interaction of the B cells with the alloreactive clone 2H6 renders them responsive to the action of the IgE-potentiating factors. These results indicate that induction of IgE synthesis in normal B cells involves at least two sequential T cell derived signals. Furthermore, T cell clones are heterogenous in their capacity to provide these signals.