Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The TPM-Kurtilas Implementation Program of Children's Behavioral Changes in Kindergarten

The article aims to describe the result of TPM-Kurtilas Implementation program in changing children’s behavior in Bunda Balita Kindergarten. The writing of this article is based on the importance of input as a further revision program of TPMKurtilas in its pilot study. The method conducted in this study is qualitative approach using teacher’s interview, teacher’s field note, observer’s field note and teacher’s reflection note as collection data techniques in the implementation of TPMKurtilas made in thematic analysis. The result showed that the children in BB Kindergarten expressed a positive behavior changes especially in discipline, polite manners because of the presence of learning environment setting. The study concludes that a condusive learning environment setting which was implemented TPM-Kurtilas result in good impact through children’s behavioral changes namely discipline and polite manner.
Conceptions of musical understanding

Music can be understood in many ways. This has important implications for music education. The research reported here explored how groups of people conceptualise musical understanding and what they believe supports its acquisition. In this study 463 participants completed two statements: “Musical understanding is” and “You learn to understand music through”. Understanding music was viewed as complex and multidimensional with two overarching themes: personal musical understanding in context and understanding as process, with 10 main sub-themes of understanding: communication, kinaesthetic, emotional, personal, knowledge about music, critical evaluation, musical elements, analysis and comparison of music, internal representations, and creating music. Understanding was believed to be acquired through love and enjoyment of music, physical responses, emotional engagement, analytic processes, active engagement with music, education or guidance in formal or informal contexts, exposure to music, and listening. A model is set out illustrating the different ways in which it is possible to understand music and how these various understandings can be attained and supported.
Fish oil supplemented for 9 months does not improve glycaemic control or insulin sensitivity in subjects with impaired glucose regulation: a parallel randomised controlled trial

Abstract The effects of fish oil (FO) supplementation on glycaemic control are unclear, and positive effects may occur only when the phospholipid content of tissue membranes exceeds 14 % as n-3 PUFA. Subjects (n 36, thirty-three completed) were paired based on metabolic parameters and allocated into a parallel double-blind randomised trial with one of each pair offered daily either 6 g of FO (3·9 g n-3 PUFA) or 6 g of maize oil (MO) for 9 months. Hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic–euaminoacidaemic (HIEGEAA) clamps (with [6,6 2H2 glucose]) were performed at the start and end of the intervention. Endogenous glucose production (EGP) and whole-body protein turnover (WBPT) were each measured after an overnight fast. The primary outcome involved the effect of oil type on insulin sensitivity related to glycaemic control. The secondary outcome involved the effect of oil type on WBPT. Subjects on FO (n 16) had increased erythrocyte n-3 PUFA concentrations >14 %, whereas subjects on MO (n 17) had unaltered n-3 PUFA concentrations at 9 %. Type of oil had no effect on fasting EGP, insulin sensitivity or total glucose disposal during the HIEGEAA clamp. In contrast, under insulin-stimulated conditions, total protein disposal (P=0·007) and endogenous WBPT (P=0·001) were both increased with FO. In an associated pilot study (n 4, three completed), although n-3 PUFA in erythrocyte membranes increased to >14 % with the FO supplement, the enrichment in muscle membranes remained lower (8 %; P<0·001). In conclusion, long-term supplementation with FO, at amounts near the safety limits set by regulatory authorities in Europe and the USA, did not alter glycaemic control but did have an impact on WBPT.
Ketamine induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway in human lymphocytes and neuronal cells.

BACKGROUND Ketamine has been shown to have neurotoxic properties, when administered neuraxially. The mechanism of this local toxicity is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated the mechanism of cytotoxicity in different human cell lines in vitro. METHODS We incubated the following cell types for 24 h with increasing concentrations of S(+)-ketamine and racemic ketamine: (i) human Jurkat T-lymphoma cells overexpressing the antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 protein, (ii) cells deficient of caspase-9, caspase-8, or Fas-associated protein with death domain and parental cells, and (iii) neuroblastoma cells (SHEP). N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and caspase-3 cleavage were identified by immunoblotting. Cell viability and apoptotic cell death were evaluated flowcytometrically by Annexin V and 7-aminoactinomycin D double staining. Mitochondrial metabolic activity and caspase-3 activation were measured. RESULTS Ketamine, in a concentration-dependent manner, induced apoptosis in lymphocytes and neuroblastoma cell lines. Cell lines with alterations of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis were protected against ketamine-induced apoptosis, whereas alterations of the death receptor pathway did not reduce apoptosis. S(+)-Ketamine and racemic ketamine induced the same percentage of cell death in Jurkat cells, whereas in neuroblastoma cells, S(+)-ketamine was slightly less toxic. CONCLUSIONS Ketamine at millimolar concentrations induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway, independent of death receptor signalling. At higher concentrations necrosis is the predominant mechanism. Less toxicity of S(+)-ketamine was observed in neuroblastoma cells, but this difference was minor and therefore unlikely to be mediated via the NMDA receptor.
The Interaction between Enterobacteriaceae and Calcium Oxalate Deposits

Background The role of calcium oxalate crystals and deposits in UTI pathogenesis has not been established. The objectives of this study were to identify bacteria present in pediatric urolithiasis and, using in vitro and in vivo models, to determine the relevance of calcium oxalate deposits during experimental pyelonephritis. Methods Pediatric kidney stones and urine were collected and both cultured and sequenced for bacteria. Bacterial adhesion to calcium oxalate was compared. Murine kidney calcium oxalate deposits were induced by intraperitoneal glyoxalate injection and kidneys were transurethrally inoculated with uropathogenic Escherichia coli to induce pyelonephritis Results E. coli of the family Enterobacteriaceae was identified in patients by calcium oxalate stone culture. Additionally Enterobacteriaceae DNA was sequenced from multiple calcium oxalate kidney stones. E. coli selectively aggregated on and around calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals. Mice inoculated with glyoxalate and uropathogenic E. coli had higher bacterial burdens, increased kidney calcium oxalate deposits and an increased kidney innate immune response compared to mice with only calcium oxalate deposits or only pyelonephritis. Conclusions In a murine model, the presence of calcium oxalate deposits increases pyelonephritis risk, likely due to preferential aggregation of bacteria on and around calcium oxalate crystals. When both calcium oxalate deposits and uropathogenic bacteria were present, calcium oxalate deposit number increased along with renal gene transcription of inner stone core matrix proteins increased. Therefore renal calcium oxalate deposits may be a modifiable risk factor for infections of the kidney and urinary tract. Furthermore, bacteria may be present in calcium oxalate deposits and potentially contribute to calcium oxalate renal disease.
Phagocytosis of Nonapoptotic Cells Dying by Caspase- Independent Mechanisms1

Caspase activation, exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) on the outer surface of the plasma membrane, and rapid phagocytic removal of dying cells are key features of apoptosis. Nonapoptotic/necrotic modes of death occur independent of caspase activation, but the role of phagocytosis is largely unknown. To address this issue, we studied phagocytosis by human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDM) and rat microglial cells. Target cells (Jurkat) were stimulated by several different methods that all caused caspase-independent death. First, we induced necrosis by combining toxins with ATP-depleting agents. Under these conditions, neither PS was exposed nor were such cells phagocytosed before their death. However, once the plasma membrane integrity was lost, the dead cells were rapidly and efficiently engulfed by HMDM. Next, we triggered Jurkat cell death with staurosporine in the presence of the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk. Under these conditions, death occurred by delayed necrosis and without exposure of PS. Nevertheless, such lethally challenged cells were phagocytosed before the loss of membrane integrity. Finally, we triggered Ca2+ influx in Jurkat cells with an ionophore, or in neurons by glutamate receptor stimulation, respectively. In both models, PS was exposed on the cell surface. Ca2+-stressed cells were phagocytosed starting at 30 min after stimulation. Protein kinase C inhibitors prevented Ca2+-mediated PS exposure and phagocytosis. Essentially, similar phagocytosis data were obtained for all models with HMDM and microglia. We conclude that also cells dying nonapoptotically and independent of caspase activation may be recognized and removed before, or very quickly after, membrane lysis.
Basolateral Aamygdala circuits for differentiating positive and negative associations

The ability to differentiate between rewarding and threatening stimuli, and engaging the appropriate behavioral response is critical for survival. The Basolateral Amygdala (BLA) is an almond shaped structure in the brain where rewarding and fearful associations are encoded by different populations of neurons. However, identifying features of these populations have remained an enigma. My thesis work shows that populations of BLA neurons that differ in their long range anatomical connectivity play opposing roles in the acquisition of positive and negative associations, and dissects a mechanism by which these associations are encoded in the BLA. We show that BLA neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and BLA neurons projecting to the centromedial nucleus of the amygdala (CeM) undergo opposing changes at their input synapses after rewarding and fearful associations. We then establish the in vivo ramifications of these opposing changes in synaptic strength in response to rewarding and fearful associations by assaying neural activity from BLA neurons and identifying the NAc and CeM projectors. Finally, in order to compare and contrast the role of BLA neural populations in encoding positive and negative associations, we propose a model that parametrizes neural responses to positive and negative cues from large scale electrophysiological recordings. My thesis work identifies functional roles of specific circuit components based on their long range anatomical connectivity, identifies differentially expressed receptors within these circuit components and provides a mechanistic explanation, on synaptic, cellular, circuit and molecular levels, for how positive and negative associations can be formed within, and diverge from the BLA. Thesis Supervisor: Kay M. Tye Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Non-antecedent Suppression in American Sign Language

Previous studies have suggested that ASL pronouns may not suppress the activation of non-antecedents during sentence processing. Using a probe recognition task, Experiment 1 investigated whether lack of suppression may be due to the morphological ambiguity of an ASL pronoun when it is unassociated with a spatial locus. Suppression was predicted for unambiguous repeated nouns but not for spatially unassociated pronouns. The results indicated that neither repeated nouns nor ASL pronouns suppressed nonantecedents. The lack of suppression by repeated nouns was surprising and may have been due to the presence of a new discourse participant in the control sentence. Experiment 2 used a before-anaphor baseline condition, and the results indicated that both ASL pronouns and repeated nouns suppressed the activation of non-antecedents. These findings suggest that (1) spatial loci which disambiguate antecedents of ASL pronouns may be similar to gender marking in English with respect to ambiguity resolution and non-an.
Fourier Neural Networks for real-time harmonic analysis

Nowadays with the technological advances, real time determination of harmonic levels in power systems is a popular research topic. In this paper, to determine harmonics fast and accurately, a new method combining the advantages of Fourier Analysis (FA) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is used. This structure can be defined as Fourier Artificial Neural Network (FANN). The mathematical expressions of the structure are presented in details. Performance of the method was tested with the signal applications containing harmonics and noise in the simulation environment. We found that the method gives faster or more accurate results compared to ANN and FA methods in real time applications.
Of humans and avatars: how real world gender practices are brought into World of Warcraft

Date Approved: [Month dd, yyyy] To Ky, my alter-ego and other half. You gave me a whole world to explore. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I wish to thank Dr. Celia Pearce for always taking my crazy ideas seriously and letting me run with them. The support and guidance you have given me is something I'll never be able to forget or repay. I want to thank my entire committee for supporting what may be my craziest idea so far and having the patience to do so. I want to give thanks to the Knights of Osgilath for tolerating my endless questions, quirks, and otherwise weird scholarly behavior. I would also like thank Mario for giving me the necessary nudges, particularly during my undergraduate years. They were appreciated. Lastly I want to send thanks to Travis, for simply being Travis: editor, co-conspirator, and big brother. Thank you all for everything you have done and tolerated over the last seven years. I now have 88 pages as proof it amounted to something.
Toward a Theory of Evolution Strategies: Self-Adaptation

This paper analyzes the self-adaptation (SA) algorithm widely used to adapt strategy parameters of the evolution strategy (ES) in order to obtain maximal ES performance. The investigations are concentrated on the adaptation of one general mutation strength (called SA) in (1, ) ESs. The hypersphere serves as the fitness model. Starting from an introduction to the basic concept of self-adaptation, a framework for the analysis of SA is developed on two levels: a microscopic level, concerning the description of the stochastic changes from one generation to the next, and a macroscopic level, describing the evolutionary dynamics of the SA over time (generations). The SA requires the fixing of a new strategy parameter, known as the learning parameter. The influence of this parameter on ES performance is investigated and rules for its tuning are presented and discussed. The results of the theoretical analysis are compared with ES experiments; it will be shown that applying Schwefel's -scaling rule guarantees the linear convergence order of the ES.
Spiral enteroscopy with the new DSB overtube: a novel technique for deep peroral small-bowel intubation.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS Spiral enteroscopy is a new technique for deep small-bowel intubation that uses a special overtube (Discovery Small Bowel, DSB) to pleat small bowel. The aims of this prospective study were to evaluate the use of a new-design DSB over new, longer and smaller-diameter enteroscopes, the Fujinon EN-450T5 and the Olympus SIF-Q180. PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a prospective study of 75 patients at two referral centers. All enteroscopies were performed by two experienced endoscopists. Patients underwent spiral enteroscopy perorally with the DSB and either the Fujinon EN-450T5 or the Olympus SIF-Q180 enteroscope. Procedure time and depth of insertion past the ligament of Treitz were determined for all patients. RESULTS Peroral spiral enteroscopy with DSB was performed in 50 patients with the Fujinon enteroscope and in 25 patients with the Olympus. Average estimated depth of insertion was 243 cm (range 50 - 380 cm) vs. 256 cm (range 50 - 400 cm) and the average time to reach this depth was 18.7 minutes (range 7 - 52 minutes) vs. 16.2 minutes (range 7 - 33 minutes) in the Fujinon and the Olympus groups respectively. Overall findings were 10 angiodysplasias, 2 small-bowel tumors, 1 Peutz-Jeghers polyp, 1 case of celiac sprue, 2 of small-bowel strongyloidiasis, and 2 small-bowel ulcers. All angiodysplasias were treated with bipolar cauterization. Biopsies were taken from the small-bowel tumors. There were no major complications. CONCLUSIONS The new DSB is a means of rapid, safe, and effective deep small-bowel intubation. Depth of insertion into the small bowel and total procedure time compare favorably with other deep enteroscopy techniques. The DSB performed equally well with both enteroscopes.
The shifting boundaries of (un)documentedness: a gendered understanding of migrants’ employment-based legalization pathways in Italy

ABSTRACT The paper provides a qualitative exploration of the experiences of migrants who have engaged in the last employment-based amnesties in Italy. To cross the illegal/legal divide migrants have to successfully perform societal expectations in terms of more or less deserving kinds of work embedded in legalization measures. The moral economy of domestic work favours the creation of employer–employee relationships, which – while sometimes highly exploitative – are more frequently capitalized for legalization purposes. Male workers have been instead disadvantaged by the frequent lack of long-term, dependent work positions and by policies’ favourable stance towards domestic work. However, migrants actively challenge marginalization manoeuvring their work identities through a varied network of intermediaries to exploit the greater legitimization of domestic work in a context marked by compliance and weak gatekeeping. The paper contributes to the literature on irregularity showing how work-related legalization processes are achieved and the role gender plays in this process.
Public Sociology When the “Public” Is under Attack: Response to Hartmann

ABSTRACT In his presidential address, Douglas Hartmann refines existing theoretical approaches to provide a more precise framework of public sociology. In this response piece, I consider several of his key points and elaborate on their implications for contemporary society. Specifically, I address whether distinctions between types of sociology remain essential and consider the challenges associated with doing public sociology in an increasingly fractured public sphere. I conclude with a call for sociologists to think through these issues in more detail to heighten our influence on the social spheres we research and discuss.
Cleaning Up the Clinic: Examining Mentor Teachers’ Perceptions of Urban Classrooms and Culturally Responsive Teaching

Abstract This study investigates the beliefs of mentor teachers with respect to urban classrooms as well as their confidence level with respect to working with a diverse array of urban students. When presented with a simple, unambiguous query concerning urban schools and the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale, mentor teachers in this sample expressed overwhelmingly negative views of the students, schools and communities in which they teach. Recommendations are made with respect to the preparation, support and supervision of mentor teachers who work in urban schools.
Özel Spor Merkezlerine Üye Olan Bireylerin Spora Yönelme Nedenleri ve Beklentilerinin Gerçekleşme Düzeyleri

Gunumuzde spor, ekonomik kazanc saglayan, ulkeler arasinda rekabeti artiran ve dunyada farkli kultur ve sosyal statulerden insanlarin bir araya gelerek birlikte tuketebildigi ortak bir urundur. Bos zamanini spor yaparak degerlendiren bireylerin daha saglikli, hareketli ve daha bilincli oldugu bilindigine gore sporun yayginlastirilmasi genel toplum sagliginin dolayisi ile genel nufusun icersinde saglikli insan sayisinin artmasini saglayacaktir. Saglikli yasam icin sporun kitlelere yayginlastirilmasi ve gelistirilmesinde en etkili yollardan biri de ozel spor merkezleridir. Calisma; Ankara’daki ozel spor merkezlerine uye olan bireylerin spora yonelme nedenleri ile beklentilerini ve bu beklentilerin gerceklesme duzeylerini belirlemeye yonelik yapilmistir. Arastirmanin evreni, 15 adet ozel spor merkezine uye olan toplamda 24.500 kisiden olusmaktadir. Arastirma orneklemi bu merkezlere uye olan ve arastirmaya gonullu katilan 658 kisiden olusmustur. Veriler arastirmacilar tarafindan gelistirilen anket yoluyla toplanmistir. Anketlerden elde edilen verilerin yuzde ve frekans dagilimlari cikarilmis, degiskenler arasindaki iliskinin belirlenmesinde Ki-kare testi kullanilmistir. Anketin Cronbach Alfa degeri (α) 74,6’dir. Ozel spor merkezlerine uye olan bireylerin spor merkezlerine gelmedeki amaclarinin yas gruplari, cinsiyet, egitim ve ekonomik durum ozelliklerinde benzerlikler tasidigi belirlenmistir. Uyelerin beklentileri saglikli olmak, hareket etmek, stres atmak ve zayiflamak yonundedir. Sonuc olarak, Bireylerin spor merkezlerine yonlendirilmelerinde arkadas ve ikametgâh yeri faktorunun agirlikta oldugu, aile, isyeri ve okul faktorunun ise agirlikli etkiye sahip olmadigi belirlenmistir. Arastirmaya katilanlarin ozel spor merkezlerinden bekledikleri; saglikli olmak, form tutmak, zayiflamak, stres atmak, hareket etmek ve yeni deneyimler kazanmak beklentilerini karsilanmazken, oz saygi kazanmak ve yeni insanlar tanima beklentileri karsilanmistir.
Bessel processes, the integral of geometric Brownian motion, and Asian options

This paper is motivated by questions about averages of stochastic processes which originate in mathematical finance, originally in connection with valuing the so-called Asian options. Starting with research of Yor's in 1992, these questions about exponential functionals of Brownian motion have been studied in terms of Bessel processes using Yor's 1980 Hartman-Watson theory. Consequences of this approach for valuing Asian options proper have been spelled out by Geman and Yor in 1993 whose Laplace transform results were in fact regarded as a noted advance. Unfortunately, a number of difficulties with the key results of this last contribution have surfaced which are now addressed in this paper. One of them in particular is of a principal nature and originates with the Hartman-Watson approach itself: this approach is in general applicable without modifications only if it does not involve Bessel processes of negative indices. The main mathematical contribution of this paper is the developement of three principal ways to overcome these restrictions, in particular by merging stochastics and complex analysis in what seems a novel way, and the discussion of their consequences for the valuation of Asian options proper.
SOME APPLICATIONS OF SEMIDEFINITE OPTIMIZATION FROM AN OPERATIONS RESEARCH VIEWPOINT

This survey paper is intended for the graduate students and researchers who are interested in Operations Research, have solid understanding of linear optimization but are not familiar with Semidefinite Programming (SDP). Here, I provide a very gentle introduction to SDP, some entry points for further look into the SDP literature, and brief introductions to some selected well-known applications which may be attractive to such audience and in turn motivate them to learn more about semidefinite optimization.