Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
D-branes in a plane wave from covariant open strings

We derive boundary conditions for the covariant open string corresponding to D-branes in an Hpp-wave by requiring kappa-symmetry of its bulk action. Both half-supersymmetric and quarter-supersymmetric branes are seen to arise in this way, and the analysis furthermore agrees fully with the existing probe brane and supergravity computations. We elaborate on the origin of dynamical and kinematical supersymmetries from the covariant point of view. In particular we focus on the D-string which only preserves half of the dynamical supersymmetries and none of the kinematical ones. We discuss its origin in AdS5×S5 and its world-volume spectrum.
The development of reading in children from diverse linguistic backgrounds : a 5-year longitudinal study

The development of early reading and language was examined in native English speaking children (L1) and English as a second language (ESL) speaking children who were receiving instruction in English. Patterns of reading development from kindergarten to grade 4 were examined, which skills identify those children in kindergarten as at-risk for reading failure from all language backgrounds, and individual growth curve analysis was employed to examine the influence of kindergarten language background (L1 or ESL) and phonological processing skills on initial reading ability in grade 1 and on the development of reading from grades 1 through 4. The participants of the study were 860 grade 4 children who were part of a longitudinal study that began in their kindergarten year. Within the sample, there were 728 L1 speakers and 132 L2 speakers. In kindergarten, participants were administered standardized tasks of reading and memory as well as experimental tasks of phonological awareness, letter identification, rapid naming, and phonological memory. At the end of grade 4, children were administered various tasks of reading, spelling, language, arithmetic, and memory. All children received phonological awareness instruction in kindergarten and systematic phonics instruction in grade 1 in the context of a balanced early literacy program. By the end of grade 4, the L2 speakers had attained reading skills that were similar to the L1 speakers, and even performed at a superior level to the L1 speakers on tasks of word reading, spelling, arithmetic and rapid naming. However, there were differences on each of the measures between average and disabled readers in grade 4, regardless of native language. The results provide evidence that language background in kindergarten does not have a significant effect on initial status of grade 1 reading, nor on the underlying growth patterns of reading, and that ESL speakers reading comprehension develops in a similar manner to their L1 peers. The results also provide support for the universality of reading problems, the persistent nature of the phonological difficulties, and the need for effective early reading instruction for all children.
A Dialogue of Necessity

Many teacher candidates (preservice teachers) in a Bachelor of Education degree cross the threshold into an elementary music methodology course with trepidation. Thus, teacher educators (music education professors) ought to explore the ways in which they can attend to students’ music experiences so as to increase teacher competence. This article explores three relevant areas of literature: fear of teaching music, relevance of informal music learning on influencing teacher identity, and influence of such experiences on teacher education programs. Building on this literature, the article concludes with highlighting a 2-year narrative inquiry exploring how the daily music experiences of teacher candidates’ inform their teaching practices. Through the use of visual narratives (body maps), oral and written narratives, and conversational interviews, 20 participants gave voice to their multilayered experiences that influenced their perceptions about music teaching. Findings deepen conceptualizations concerning the power of informal music learning in shaping teacher identity and practice.
The reliability and validity of pain interference measures in persons with cerebral palsy.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the reliability and validity of 2 measures of pain interference in persons with cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN Standardized interviews to assess pain and impact of pain on activities. SETTING University medical center. PARTICIPANTS Fifty adults with CP. INTERVENTIONS Patients asked to rate pain's intensity, interference with general activities, and depression levels. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Pain interference scales: Chronic Pain Grade (CPG) and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI); rating of disability: Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART); rating of depression: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. RESULTS Mean interference of pain on 3 CPG items (pain interference with daily activities, social activities, work) were 1.74 +/- 2.45, 1.06 +/- 2.05, and.89 +/- 1.84 (out of 10), respectively. Mean interference on 10 modified BPI interference items ranged from 2.28 +/- 3.01 to 3.67 +/- 3.15 (out of 10). The composite CPG interference score did not correlate significantly with pain intensity. However, the composite BPI interference score did correlate significantly with pain intensity (r = .66, P < .01). There was no significant association shown between average pain and the CHART score (r = -.21, NS). Pain showed a significant association with CES-D score (r = .45, P < .05). Internal consistency of the 3 CPG items was inadequately low (Cronbach alpha = .59), whereas that of the 10 BPI items was excellent (.89). CONCLUSIONS The pain interference items of the BPI serve as a reliable and valid measure of pain's impact on persons with CP-related pain.
Protection against Influenza A Virus Challenge with M2e-Displaying Filamentous Escherichia coli Phages

Human influenza viruses are responsible for annual epidemics and occasional pandemics that cause severe illness and mortality in all age groups worldwide. Matrix protein 2 (M2) of influenza A virus is a tetrameric type III membrane protein that functions as a proton-selective channel. The extracellular domain of M2 (M2e) is conserved in human and avian influenza A viruses and is being pursued as a component for a universal influenza A vaccine. To develop a M2e vaccine that is economical and easy to purify, we genetically fused M2e amino acids 2–16 to the N-terminus of pVIII, the major coat protein of filamentous bacteriophage f88. We show that the resulting recombinant f88−M2e2-16 phages are replication competent and display the introduced part of M2e on the phage surface. Immunization of mice with purified f88−M2e2-16 phages in the presence of incomplete Freund’s adjuvant, induced robust M2e-specific serum IgG and protected BALB/c mice against challenge with human and avian influenza A viruses. Thus, replication competent filamentous bacteriophages can be used as efficient and economical carriers to display conserved B cell epitopes of influenza A.
Not a Knowledge Bank: The Divided History of Development Economics and Development Organizations

Development economics was born as a distinct disciplinary field in the aftermath of World War II, when the development of so-called Third World countries, due to the dynamics of decolonization and the Cold War, became an international priority. At the institutional level, the birth of development economics was paralleled by the reorientation of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (so-called the World Bank) from the support of European reconstruction to funding development policies worldwide. Not surprisingly, the paths of the Bank and of pioneers of development economics often crossed, and it is fair to say that the Bank and the new discipline—from the perspective of the history and sociology of social sciences—are part of the same story. Indeed, one would think that the Bank was the natural place for the breeding of development economics. This seems coherent with the image we have of the Bank today: the reign of economists. Yet, for most of the years when development theory was shaped, the Bank, although very active in development policies worldwide, was remarkably silent in the field of development economics. This paper will connect the study of economic ideas and economists in international organizations with the history of economic policies. Based on previously untapped archival sources, it will discuss how the history of development economics and of development organizations—and especially the largest among them, that is, the World Bank—proceeded separated for a long stretch of time, and how they later converged.
ESTIMATION OF HERITABILITY COEFFICIENTS OF NUMBER OF BORN ALIVE PIGLETS IN THE FIRST THREE FARROWINGS SWEDISH LANDRACE SOWS

The main objective of this study was to evaluate phenotypic and genetic variation of the number of piglets born alive (NBA) Swedish Landrace sows (SL) in three consecutive parities under the influence of sires, year and season of mating. The study included: 618 litters in the first, 470 in the second and 403 litter in the third farrowing. Testing the homogeneity of variance was performed with Levene’s test. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (Statistica Ver. 6.0., 2003). Heritability coefficients were evaluated by intra-class correlation. Swedish Landrace sires have influenced on the variability of the NBA's daughter in the first and second farrowing (p<0.05), but not in the third farrowing. Year and season of mating was not influenced on the variability of the NBA (p>0.05). The estimated heritability coefficients for the NBA were the highest in the second (0.123), then the first (0.092) and lowest in the third farrowing (0.030).
Conformation- and Fusion-Defective Mutations in the Hypothetical Phospholipid-Binding and Fusion Peptides of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Salmonid Rhabdovirus Protein G

ABSTRACT Fourteen single and two double point mutants in the highly conserved region (positions 56 to 159) of the G gene of viral hemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV), a salmonid rhabdovirus, were selected and obtained in plasmids by site-directed mutagenesis. Fish cell monolayers transfected with the mutant plasmids were then assayed for protein G (pG) expression, conformation-dependent monoclonal antibody (MAb) reactivity, and cell-cell fusion. Some mutations located in the phospholipid-binding p2 peptide (positions 82 to 110; mutants P86A, A96E, G98A, and R107A) abolished both MAb recognition and fusion activity, while others (P79A, L85S, and R103A) abolished MAb recognition but retained fusion at similar or lower pHs compared to those for the wild type. Phospholipid-binding assays of p2-derived synthetic peptides suggested that phosphatidylserine binding was not affected by the mutations studied. On the other hand, three (P79A, L85S, and T135E) of the four mutants retaining fusion activity mapped around two locations showing amino acid variation in 22 VHSV isolates and in neutralizing MAb-resistant mutants described previously. Mutations located in the hypothetical fusion peptide (positions 142 to 159; mutants F147K, P148K, and W154K) abolished both MAb recognition and fusion activity. The existence of mutants with altered conformation and defective fusion in both p2 and fusion peptides provides further evidence in favor of the participation of these and adjacent regions in some of the steps of the VHSV fusion processes, as suggested by previous studies. In addition, because the studied region induced strong immunological responses in trout, some of the mutants described here might be used to design attenuated VHSV vaccines.
Studies of Blood Pressure in Psychiatric Patients Under Stress

A, LRTERIAL blood pressure rise under conditions of emotional disturbance or stress is one of the best established phenomena in the physiology of emotion (2). Since the psychoneuroses are characterized by emotional responses of pathologically increased intensity and duration, one would predict that the blood pressure of psychoneurotic patients should deviate from normal. This prediction has been tested in several studies (4, 8, 18), with inconclusive results.
TRANSFERABILITY OF NORMS: NORMING THE NAGLIERI NONVERBAL ABILITY TEST (NNAT) IN THE PHILIPPINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TEST (NNAT) IN THE PHILIPPINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS by ALVIN D. VISTA (Under the Direction of Tarek C. Grantham) ABSTRACT This is a normative study to investigate the transferability of norms to Filipino students. More than 2,700 Filipino sixth graders were sampled across the country and administered the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT). Scores were then compared to the US normative sample. The results showed no significant difference in mean scores. However, further analysis revealed that the proportion of students within each stanine equivalent does not correspond with the expected values as presented in the US norms. As such, it is not valid to transfer the US norms directly for Filipino students without any modification. Based on the results, a new stanine equivalence tables for NNAT scores were developed for sixth grade Filipino students. A significant difference in mean scores was also found among the three geographic regions. Although the difference is relatively small, separate regional norms were also developed for the Filipino students.
Brain Network Organization in Focal Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Normal brain functioning is presumed to depend upon interacting regions within large-scale neuronal networks. Increasing evidence exists that interictal network alterations in focal epilepsy are associated with cognitive and behavioral deficits. Nevertheless, the reported network alterations are inconclusive and prone to low statistical power due to small sample sizes as well as modest effect sizes. We therefore systematically reviewed the existing literature and conducted a meta-analysis to characterize the changes in whole-brain interictal focal epilepsy networks at sufficient power levels. We focused on the two most commonly used metrics in whole-brain networks: average path length and average clustering coefficient. Twelve studies were included that reported whole-brain network average path length and average clustering coefficient characteristics in patients and controls. The overall group difference, quantified as the standardized mean average path length difference between epilepsy and control groups, corresponded to a significantly increased average path length of 0.29 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12 to 0.45, p = 0.0007) in the epilepsy group. This suggests a less integrated interictal whole-brain network. Similarly, a significantly increased standardized mean average clustering coefficient of 0.35 (CI: 0.05 to 0.65, p = 0.02) was found in the epilepsy group in comparison with controls, pointing towards a more segregated interictal network. Sub-analyses revealed similar results for functional and structural networks in terms of effect size and directionality for both metrics. In addition, we found individual network studies to be prone to low power due to the relatively small group differences in average path length and average clustering coefficient in combination with small sample sizes. The pooled network characteristics support the hypothesis that focal epilepsy has widespread detrimental effects, that is, reduced integration and increased segregation, on whole brain interictal network organization, which may relate to the co-morbid cognitive and behavioral impairments often reported in patients with focal epilepsy.
Assessment of cortisol and ACTH responses to the desmopressin test in patients with Cushing's syndrome and simple obesity

The desmopressin test has recently been introduced in clinical practice as an adjunctive tool in the differential diagnosis of ACTH–dependent Cushing's syndrome (CS). It has been reported that the majority of patients with pituitary‐dependent CS (Cushing's disease, CD) respond to desmopressin, while no such response is usually observed in other forms of this syndrome. In the present study, the responsiveness of the HPA axis to desmopressin was studied in a group of obese subjects. In addition, the ability of desmopressin administration to differentiate between patients with obesity and the various forms of Cushing's syndrome was investigated.
L'inégalité sociale devant la mort à Genève au XVIIIe siècle

Résumé La question de la différence de mortalité selon la classe ou la catégorie sociale a été soulevée par Moheau dès 1778. Mais ce sont surtout les études du dr Villermé, qui, au temps de la grande misère ouvrière, ont attiré l'attention sur le sujet. Depuis cette date, les recherches ont été nombreuses, mais souvent contrariées par l'insuffisance de la documentation; les interprétations non justifiées ont, en outre, été fréquentes. Diverses études ont paru dans Population sur ce sujet difficile. M. Alfred Perrenoud, professeur d'histoire économique à l'Université de Genève, présente ici les résultats d'une importante recherche sur la ville de Genève au XVIIe siècle, dans le cadre d'une large étude historique, dont les résultats seront publiés ultérieurement.
A Theory of the Currency Denomination of International Trade

Nominal rigidities due to menu costs have become a standard element in closed economy macroeconomic modeling. The ''New Open Economy Macroeconomics'' literature has investigated the implications of nominal rigidities in an open economy context and found that the currency in which prices are set has significant implications for exchange rate pass-through to import prices, the level of trade and net capital flows, and optimal monetary and exchange rate policy. While the literature has exogenously assumed in which currencies goods are priced, in this paper we solve for the equilibrium optimal pricing strategies of firms. We find that the higher the market share of an exporting country in an industry, and the more differentiated its goods, the more likely its exporters will price in the exporter's currency. Country size and the cyclicality of real wages play a role as well, but are empirically less important. We also show that when a set of countries forms a monetary union, the new currency is likely to be used more extensively in trade than the sum of the currencies it replaces.
Variable preferences for sexual dimorphism in height as a strategy for increasing the pool of potential partners in humans

Human mate preferences are known to be related to a number of morphological traits. Those relating to female waist–to–hip ratio or body mass index and to male height appear to be distinctive mate–choice criteria and are known to be related to reproductive success. In addition to absolute height, a possibly important mate–choice criterion may be relative height, i.e. the extent of sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS = male height/female height) between oneself and a potential partner. Here, I demonstrate that people adjust their preferences for SDS in relation to their own height in order to increase the potential pool of partners. This causes nonlinearity in assortative mating in relation to height and shows that in relation to intrapopulational SDS both men and women are responsible for stabilizing selection.
A review of segmentation method for MR image

Magnetic resonance (MR) is a typical medical imaging technique. It can provide high resolution 3D image with anatomical and function information through analyzing MRI sequence, which facilitates and improves diagnosis and patient treatment. The first important step in image analysis is image segmentation. In this paper, numerous methods that have been developed for segmentation in MRI are reviewed. We study these segmentation strategies and perform a qualitative discussion according to 3 categories, i.e. traditional image processing method, statistical-based segmentation method and partition technique with bias field estimation.
Environmental constraints influencing survival of an African parasite in a north temperate habitat: effects of temperature on development within the host

SUMMARY The monogenean Protopolystoma xenopodis has been established in Wales for >40 years following introduction with Xenopus laevis from South Africa. This provides an experimental system for determining constraints affecting introduced species in novel environments. Parasite development post-infection was followed at 15, 20 and 25°C for 15 weeks and at 10°C for ⩾1 year and correlated with temperatures recorded in Wales. Development was slowed/arrested at ⩽10°C which reflects habitat conditions for >6 months/year. There was wide variation in growth at constant temperature (body size differing by >10 times) potentially attributable in part to genotype-specific host-parasite interactions. Parasite density had no effect on size but host sex did: worms in males were 1·8 times larger than in females. Minimum time to patency was 51 days at 25°C and 73 days at 20°C although some infections were still not patent at both temperatures by 105 days p.i. In Wales, fastest developing infections may mature within one summer (about 12 weeks), possibly accelerated by movements of hosts into warmer surface waters. Otherwise, development slows/stops in October–April, delaying patency to about 1 year p.i. , while wide variation in developmental rates may impose delays of 2 years in some primary infections and even longer in secondary infections.
The Bacteriophage EF-P29 Efficiently Protects against Lethal Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis and Alleviates Gut Microbiota Imbalance in a Murine Bacteremia Model

Enterococcus faecalis is becoming an increasingly important opportunistic pathogen worldwide, especially because it can cause life-threatening nosocomial infections. Treating E. faecalis infections has become increasingly difficult because of the prevalence of multidrug-resistant E. faecalis strains. Because bacteriophages show specificity for their bacterial hosts, there has been a growth in interest in using phage therapies to combat the rising incidence of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. In this study, we isolated a new lytic phage, EF-P29, which showed high efficiency and a broad host range against E. faecalis strains, including vancomycin-resistant strains. The EF-P29 genome contains 58,984 bp (39.97% G+C), including 101 open reading frames, and lacks known putative virulence factors, integration-related proteins or antibiotic resistance determinants. In murine experiments, the administration of a single intraperitoneal injection of EF-P29 (4 × 105 PFU) at 1 h after challenge was sufficient to protect all mice against bacteremia caused by infection with a vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis strain (2 × 109 CFU/mouse). E. faecalis colony counts were more quickly eliminated in the blood of EF-P29-protected mice than in unprotected mice. We also found that exogenous E. faecalis challenge resulted in enrichment of members of the genus Enterococcus (family Enterococcaceae) in the guts of the mice, suggesting that it can enter the gut and colonize there. The phage EF-P29 reduced the number of colonies of genus Enterococcus and alleviated the gut microbiota imbalance that was caused by E. faecalis challenge. These data indicate that the phage EF-P29 shows great potential as a therapeutic treatment for systemic VREF infection. Thus, phage therapies that are aimed at treating opportunistic pathogens are also feasible. The dose of phage should be controlled and used at the appropriate level to avoid causing imbalance in the gut microbiota.