Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the tension between academic standards and inclusion for disabled students: the impact on marking of individual academics' frameworks for assessment

This article draws on developing theory regarding assessment and marking to explore the impact of staff values regarding widening participation on grading decisions. It reports on an innovative creative arts module delivered for students with complex disabilities. Data collection included observation of teaching, interviews with staff, students and learning support staff, recordings of two academic team discussions and a questionnaire on moderation issues completed by staff. Whilst the students were very positive about the experience, the data identified pace of learning, the role of support workers and issues in authenticating student learning as aspects for future development. In particular, the research suggests that staff tackled the tension between valuing academic standards and inclusion by recasting student achievement as different rather than inferior, interpreting assessment rubrics in the light of their individual ‘frameworks’ for assessment. The article considers whether this recasting of standards illuminates the problematic nature of standards and assessment criteria in higher education.
Flexible Mentoring: Adaptations in Style for Women's Ways of Knowing

This study examines the influence of epistemology on women's perceptions of the workplace, themselves, and their work, and the relationship of these perceptions to career mentoring. Three epistemological categories, based upon theoretical definitions provided by Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule (1986), in Women's Ways of Knowing, are identified and tested for differences in workplace perceptions and mentoring relationships: constructivists, proceduralists, and subjectivists. The sample is drawn from the membership of American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) (n = 454). The three groups differ significantly in perceptions of self-efficacy, career opportunities, and effective mentoring roles and similarities that exist between mentor and protégé. Personal, in-depth interviews with 41 women in broadcast management provided texture to find ings from the quantitative data.
Culture and cognition in information technology education

This paper aims at explaining the outcomes of information technology education for international students using anthropological theories of cultural schemas. Even though computer science and engineering are usually assumed to be culture-independent, the practice in classrooms seems to indicate that learning patterns depend on culture. The situation in a college in Finland is evaluated based on study records, surveys on learning experiences, learning logs by students and classroom observations. Reasons for the educational outcome are discussed theoretically using cultural anthropology and the socio-cultural theory of learning. The universality of Western scientific thinking is questioned, and a need to recognise different cultural schemas in the thinking of international students is acknowledged. The study concludes that a view of human cognition as social and embodied gives new insights to information technology education when there is a great diversity of student backgrounds and their culturally produced mental schemas.
Causal versus diagnostic contingencies: On self-deception and on the voter's illusion.

Abstract : Two experiments were conducted to test the notion that people select actions that are diagnostic of favorable outcomes even though the actions do not cause those outcomes. In the first experiment, subjects immersed their forearm into a chest of circulating cold water before and after physical exercise. Depending on condition, subjects learned that a long life expectancy was associated either with increases or decreases in tolerance in cold water after the exercise. As predicted, subjects showed changes in tolerance on the second trial in the direction correlated with a long, healthy life. In the second experiment, subjects encountered one of two theories about the sort of voters who determine the margin of victory in an election. Only one of the theories would enable voting subjects to imagine that they could induce other like-minded persons to vote. As predicted, more subjects indicated that they would vote given that theory than given a theory in which the subject's vote would not be diagnostic of the electoral outcome, although the causal impact of the subject's vote is the same under both theories. (Author)
A Comparative Analysis Between $k$-Mers and Community Detection-Based Features for the Task of Protein Classification

Machine learning algorithms are widely used to annotate biological sequences. Low-dimensional informative feature vectors can be crucial for the performance of the algorithms. In prior work, we have proposed the use of a community detection approach to construct low dimensional feature sets for nucleotide sequence classification. Our approach used the Hamming distance between short nucleotide subsequences, called k-mers, to construct a network, and subsequently used community detection to identify groups of k-mers that appear frequently in a set of sequences. Whereas this approach worked well for nucleotide sequence classification, it could not be directly used for protein sequences, as the Hamming distance is not a good measure for comparing short protein k-mers. To address this limitation, we extended our prior approach by replacing the Hamming distance with substitution scores. Experimental results in different learning scenarios show that the features generated with the new approach are more informative than k-mers.
Epidemiological studies on intestinal schistosomiasis in Wondo Genet, southern Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was made on intestinal schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma mansoni in Wondo Genet, southern Ethiopia, in 1999 to generate preintervention parasitological and malacological baseline data to be used as a reference in evaluation of community-based pilot control trial to be launched using wild-growing Endod. A total of 3000 stool specimens were collected from schoolchildren enrolled in 14 schools and microscopically examined using Kato method. The overall prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis mansoni was 34.6% and 184 eggs per gram of stool (EPG), respectively. Children excreting Schistosoma mansoni eggs were found in all of the 14 schools surveyed with a prevalence of infection ranging from 1.9% in Abaye School to 80.6% in Shesha Kekele School. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection among males and females was 38.4% and 27.3%, respectively (P = 0.0001, 95% C.I = 7.5%-14.7%) where as the intensity of infection was 186 EPG and 181 EPG, respectively (P = 0.8045, 95% C.I = 1.17%-1.23%). Malacological surveys of 27 water contact sites revealed the occurrence of Biomphalaria pfeifferi in 8 sites out of which 3 harbored infected snails shedding schistosome cercariae. The necessity for initiating community-based sustainable control programme is discussed.
Effect of Prestimulus Alpha Power, Phase, and Synchronization on Stimulus Detection Rates in a Biophysical Attractor Network Model

Spontaneous oscillations measured by local field potentials, electroencephalograms and magnetoencephalograms exhibit a pronounced peak in the alpha band (8–12 Hz) in humans and primates. Both instantaneous power and phase of these ongoing oscillations have commonly been observed to correlate with psychophysical performance in stimulus detection tasks. We use a novel model-based approach to study the effect of prestimulus oscillations on detection rate. A previously developed biophysically detailed attractor network exhibits spontaneous oscillations in the alpha range before a stimulus is presented and transiently switches to gamma-like oscillations on successful detection. We demonstrate that both phase and power of the ongoing alpha oscillations modulate the probability of such state transitions. The power can either positively or negatively correlate with the detection rate, in agreement with experimental findings, depending on the underlying neural mechanism modulating the oscillatory power. Furthermore, the spatially distributed alpha oscillators of the network can be synchronized by global nonspecific weak excitatory signals. These synchronization events lead to transient increases in alpha-band power and render the network sensitive to the exact timing of target stimuli, making the alpha cycle function as a temporal mask in line with recent experimental observations. Our results are relevant to several studies that attribute a modulatory role to prestimulus alpha dynamics.
Navigating between people: A stochastic optimization approach

The objective of this paper is to present a strategy to safely move a robot in an unknown and complex environment where people are moving and interacting. The robot, by using only its sensor data, must navigate respecting humans' comfort. To obtain good results in such a dynamic environment, a prediction on humans' movement is also crucial. To solve all the aforementioned problems we introduce a suitable cost function. Its optimization is obtained by using a new stochastic and adaptive optimization algorithm (CAO). This method is very useful in particular when the analytical expression of the optimization function is unknown but numerical values are available for any state configuration. Additionally, the proposed method can easily incorporate any dynamical and environmental constraints. To validate the performance of the proposed solution, several simulation results are provided.
Classification of different degrees of adiposity in sedentary rats

In experimental studies, several parameters, such as body weight, body mass index, adiposity index, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, have commonly been used to demonstrate increased adiposity and investigate the mechanisms underlying obesity and sedentary lifestyles. However, these investigations have not classified the degree of adiposity nor defined adiposity categories for rats, such as normal, overweight, and obese. The aim of the study was to characterize the degree of adiposity in rats fed a high-fat diet using cluster analysis and to create adiposity intervals in an experimental model of obesity. Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats were fed a normal (n=41) or a high-fat (n=43) diet for 15 weeks. Obesity was defined based on the adiposity index; and the degree of adiposity was evaluated using cluster analysis. Cluster analysis allowed the rats to be classified into two groups (overweight and obese). The obese group displayed significantly higher total body fat and a higher adiposity index compared with those of the overweight group. No differences in systolic blood pressure or nonesterified fatty acid, glucose, total cholesterol, or triglyceride levels were observed between the obese and overweight groups. The adiposity index of the obese group was positively correlated with final body weight, total body fat, and leptin levels. Despite the classification of sedentary rats into overweight and obese groups, it was not possible to identify differences in the comorbidities between the two groups.
Analytical validation of serum proteomic profiling for diagnosis of prostate cancer: sources of sample bias.

BACKGROUND This report and a companion report describe a validation of the ability of serum proteomic profiling via SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry to detect prostatic cancer. Details of this 3-stage process have been described. This report describes the development of the algorithm and results of the blinded test for stage 1. METHODS We derived the decision algorithm used in this study from the analysis of serum samples from patients with prostate cancer (n = 181) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (n = 143) and normal controls (n = 220). We also derived a validation test set from a separate, geographically diverse set of serum samples from 42 prostate cancer patients and 42 controls without prostate cancer. Aliquots were subjected to randomization and blinded analysis, and data from each laboratory site were subjected to the decision algorithm and decoded. RESULTS Using the data collected from the validation test set, the decision algorithm was unsuccessful in separating cancer from controls with any predictive utility. Analysis of the experimental data revealed potential sources of bias. CONCLUSION The ability of the decision algorithm to successfully differentiate between prostate cancer, BPH, and control samples using data derived from serum protein profiling was compromised by bias.
Cognitive Analysis of Children's Mathematics Difficulties

The aim of the study is to investigate the informal and formal mathematical knowledge of children suffering from "mathematics difficulty" (MD). The research involves comparisons among three groups: fourth-grade children performing poorly in mathematics but normal in intelligence; fourth-grade peers matched for intelligence but experiencing no apparent difficulties in mathematics; and a randomly selected group of third graders. These children were individually presented with a large number of tasks designed to measure key mathematical concepts and skills. The findings suggest that: (1) MD children are not seriously deficient in key informal mathematical concepts and skills; (2) MD children seem to have elementary concepts of base ten notation but experience difficulty in related enumeration skills, particularly when large numbers are involved; (3) MD children's calculational errors often result from common error strategies; (4) MD children display severe difficulty in recalling common addition facts; and (.
Regulation of Hepatic Drug-Metabolizing Enzyme Genes by Toll-Like Receptor 4 Signaling Is Independent of Toll-Interleukin 1 Receptor Domain-Containing Adaptor Protein

During inflammation, drug metabolism and clearance are altered due to suppression of hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme (DME) genes and their regulatory nuclear receptors (NRs) [pregnane X receptor, constitutive androstane receptor, and retinoid X receptor α (RXRα)]. The bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), induces expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the liver, which contribute to altered DME expression. LPS binds to the cell-surface receptor, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which initiates a signal transduction cascade, including recruitment of the Toll-interleukin 1 receptor domain-containing adaptor protein (TIRAP). However, the role of TLR4 and TIRAP in LPS-mediated regulation of hepatic DME gene expression is not known. Wild-type (C3HeB/FeJ), TLR4-mutant (C3H/HeJ), TIRAP+/+, and TIRAP-/- mice were injected i.p. with LPs. RNA levels of the major hepatic DME, Cyp3a11 and Ugt1a1, and the NRs were suppressed ∼60 to 70% by LPS in wild-type but not in the TLR4-mutant mice. The nuclear protein levels of RXRα were reduced by LPS in wild-type but not in TLR4-mutant mice. Induction of hepatic cytokines (interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6), c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and nuclear factor-κB was blocked in TLR4-mutant mice. Surprisingly, LPS had the same effect on cytokines, kinases, NRs, and DME genes in livers of both TIRAP+/+ and TIRAP-/- mice, indicating that TIRAP is not essential for TLR4-mediated suppression of NRs and DMEs in liver. However, TIRAP-/- mice have reduced serum cytokine expression compared with TIRAP+/+ mice in response to LPS. This shows that although TIRAP mediates inflammatory responses induced by LPS, it is not essential in regulating LPS-mediated alterations of gene expression in liver.
Alveolar cell carcinoma-like antigen and antibodies in patients with alveolar cell carcinoma and other cancers.

Antiserum was produced in sheep against a particle pellet recovered from human alveolar cell carcinoma (ACC). The antiserum was used for the detection of similar antigens in patients with ACC using the immunodiffusion method. Tumor cell lines were used in the indirect fluorescent technique for the detection of antibodies in the serum of patients with tumors and control serum. The results indicate that similar antigens are present in the serum of some patients with ACC, primary adenocarcinoma of the lung, and Hodgkin's disease. Antibodies develop in some patients with ACC and primary adenocarcinoma of the lung and in sheep inoculated with the agent.
Parent opinions about the appropriate ages at which adult supervision is unnecessary for bathing, street crossing, and bicycling.

OBJECTIVE To describe parent opinions about when typical children can engage in activities unsupervised. DESIGN Telephone survey combined with the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. SETTING Colorado. PARTICIPANTS Nine hundred forty-five households with children aged 1 to 14 years. Main Exposures Family and household characteristics and caregiver behaviors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mean ages at which the caregiver believes typical children can bathe without an adult present, cross busy streets without holding hands, and bicycle in busy streets unsupervised. RESULTS For bathing, the mean age was 6.6 (range, 2-15) years; mean ages were 1.0 year older among Hispanic white parents (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-1.4 years) and 0.8 year younger among parents whose child rode with an impaired driver in the past month (95% CI, -1.5 to -0.1 years). For street crossing, mean age was 9.0 (range, 3-16) years; mean ages were 1.2 years older among Hispanic white parents (95% CI, 0.6-1.8 years), 0.7 year older in single-parent households (95% CI, 0.1-1.3 years), and 0.3 year younger among parents whose child rode with a speeding driver in the past month (95% CI, -0.5 to 0.0 year). For bicycling, mean age was 12.2 (range, 6-21) years; mean ages were 1.5 years younger in households with a risky drinker (95% CI, -2.5 to -0.5 years) and 0.5 year younger among parents whose child rode with a speeding driver in the past month (95% CI, -0.9 to -0.1 year). CONCLUSIONS Parent opinions about when adult supervision is unnecessary varied with parent behavior and family and household characteristics. Differential supervision may partially explain reports of lower child injury rates among Hispanic and less educated families. Identification of parent and household factors associated with supervision practices might help pediatricians target counseling about age-appropriate supervision.
The signs of language

Introduction PART I: The Two Faces of Sign 1. Iconicity in Signs and Signing 2. Properties of Symbols in a Silent Language 3. Historical Change: From Iconic to Arbitrary PART II: The Structure of the Sign 4. Remembering without Words: Manual Memory 5. Slips of the Hands 6. A Comparison of Chinese and American Signs 7. A Feature Analysis of Handshapes 8. The Rate of Speaking and Signing PART III: Grammatical Processes 9. On the Creation of New Lexical Items by Compounding 10. Linguistic Expression of Category Levels 11. Aspectual Modulations on Adjectival Predicates 12. The Structured Use of Space and Movement: Morphological Processes PART IV: The Heightened Use of Language 13. Wit and Plays on Signs 14. Poetry and Song in a Language without Sound Appendix A: Notation Appendix B: Conventions Employed in Illustrations Notes References Index
Deductive thematic analysis of a female paedophilia website

The role of the Internet and other technologies in sexual offending has recently received much attention. The literature, however, has focused largely on male sexual abusers and much has to be learned about deviant female arousal patterns. The purpose of this article was to investigate how women with a sexual interest in children engage with the Internet. Data taken from one female paedophilia website have been subjected to a deductive thematic analysis. The analysis generated five main categories: cognitive distortions, recognition barriers, sexual motivation, the role of the Internet, and personal factors. The findings indicate that women are using the Internet to express a sexual interest in children and that they display similar characteristics to male individuals engaged in the same processes.
The Use and Abuse of Models in the ESL Writing Class

Traditionally it has been assumed that a sure way to learn to write well, whether in your first language or another, is to imitate the style of those generally regarded as successful writers. Recent emphasis in SLA theory on the crucial importance of input may even be seen as reinforcing this assumption. And yet the basic challenge remains: How can the teacher best use an alien product to strengthen the original process of student composition? This paper attempts to answer that question by exploring: 1) the validity of the claims made for the usefulness of models in the teaching of ESL writing, 2) the range, goals and effectiveness of model-based exercises and writing-tasks found in ESL texts, 3) the advantages of a process-oriented approach to writing based on the integration of mutually enriching reading and writing activities.
Co-evolving E-tail and On-Line Communities: Conceptual Framework

This paper explores the problem of designing a Web site that meets the needs of both an evolving community and an evolving business. It reports a case study of a business that introduced an e-tail site and an associated on-line community. The site development used an existing community-centered development method. The study found that participants had different motivations for visiting the site—some only wanted product information and purchase, some were seeking social support and information, others sought a more intense experience and greater social involvement. Failure to recognize the separate needs of these clusters resulted in not fully achieving business- and community- building goals. The analysis of the relationship between Web site design, cluster needs, and business goals offers a conceptual framework for co-evolving community and business.
Insulin resistance-related factors, but not glycemia, predict coronary artery disease in type 1 diabetes: 10-year follow-up data from the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the independent risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 1 diabetes by type of CAD at first presentation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This is a historical prospective cohort study of 603 patients with type 1 diabetes diagnosed before 18 years of age between 1950 and 1980. The mean age and duration of diabetes at baseline were 28 (range 8-47) and 19 years (7-37), respectively, and patients were followed for 10 years. Patients with prevalent CAD were excluded from the study. Electrocardiogram (ECG) ischemia was defined by Minnesota Code (MC) 1.3, 4.1-3, 5.1-3, or 7.1; angina was determined by Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) study physician diagnosis; and hard CAD was determined by angiographic stenosis > or =50%, revascularization procedure, Q waves (MC 1.1-1.2), nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), or CAD death. RESULTS A total of 108 incident CAD events occurred during the 10-year follow-up: 17 cases of ECG ischemia, 49 cases of angina, and 42 cases of hard CAD (5 CAD deaths, 25 nonfatal MI or major Q waves, and 12 revascularization or > or =50% stenosis). Blood pressure, lipid levels, inflammatory markers, renal disease, and peripheral vascular disease showed a positive gradient across the groups of no CAD, angina, and hard CAD (P < 0.01, trend analysis, all variables), although estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) and physical activity showed inverse associations (P < 0.01, trend analysis, both variables). In addition, depressive symptomatology predicted angina (P = 0.016), whereas HbA(1) showed no association with subsequent CAD. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that although the standard CAD risk factors are still operative in type 1 diabetes, greater glycemia does not seem to predict future CAD events. In addition, depressive symptomatology predicts angina and insulin resistance (eGDR) predicts hard CAD end points.