Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Encouraging Active Parent Participation in IEP Team Meetings

Team Culture Let’s explore team attitudes and practices and the potential effect of the behavior of team members on active parent participation in decision making. Though all IEP teams come together for the purpose of developing an IEP, team culture usually dictates the process by which the meeting takes place (by culture, we mean the attitudes and beliefs that are valued by a particular team). Among other attributes, teams demonstrate their culture in the following ways: • The procedure by which people share information. • Who speaks at meetings. • How influential their perspective is in making decisions. • The specific recommendations people make. • The expressed beliefs about instructional strategies and their effectiveness. For example, one professional may serve as meeting facilitator and dominate the discussion, whereas on other teams, all members may actively participate in discussions. Some teams may be quick to recommend a particular instructional strategy or placement, and others may be reluctant to do so. Team culture dictates the ease or difficulty with which parents gain acceptance as team members (Briggs, 1997). Some teams, for example, may encourage parent participation throughout the meeting, whereas others may encourage such participation only at the end. Further, team culture may affect parent participation by the way the team strucNow answer thes e questions hones tly:
Implementation of a parallel conjugate gradient method for simulation of elastic light scattering

We simulate elastic light scattering with the coupled dipole method. The kernel of this method is a large set of linear equations. The n ×n system matrix is complex, symmetric, full, and diagonally dominant. This application is a typical example of problems arising in computational electromagnetics. The matrix equations are usually solved with (preconditioned) conjugate gradient methods. For realistic problems the size of the matrix is very large (n ~ 10 4 to 106). In that case sustained calculation speeds in the Gflop/s range are required to keep execution times acceptable.We introduce a methodology to parallelize the conjugate gradient method for this type of problems, with emphasis on coarse grain distributed memory implementations. We present results for an implementation on a transputer network.
Structural Basis for Recombinatorial Permissiveness in the Generation of Anaplasma marginale Msp2 Antigenic Variants

ABSTRACT Sequential expression of outer membrane protein antigenic variants is an evolutionarily convergent mechanism used by bacterial pathogens to escape host immune clearance and establish persistent infection. Variants must be sufficiently structurally distinct to escape existing immune effectors yet retain the core structural elements required for localization and function within the outer membrane. We examined this balance using Anaplasma marginale, which generates antigenic variants in the outer membrane protein Msp2 using gene conversion. The overwhelming majority of Msp2 variants expressed during long-term persistent infection are mosaics, derived by recombination of oligonucleotide segments from multiple alleles to form unique hypervariable regions (HVR). As a result, the mosaics are not under long-term selective pressure to encode a functional protein; consequently, we hypothesized that the Msp2 HVR is structurally permissive for mosaic expression. Using an integrated approach of predictive modeling with determination of the native Msp2 protein structure and function, we demonstrate that structured elements, most notably, β-sheets, are significantly concentrated in the highly conserved N- and C-terminal domains. In contrast, the HVR is overwhelmingly a random coil, with the structured α-helices and β-sheets being confined to the genomically defined structural tethers that separate the antigenically variable microdomains. This structure is supported by the surface exposure of the HVR microdomains and the slow diffusion-type porin function in native Msp2. Importantly, the predominance of the random coil provides plasticity for the formation of functional HVR mosaics and realization of the full potential of segmental gene conversion to dramatically expand the variant repertoire.
Search, Memory, and Choice Error: An Experiment

Multiple attribute search is a central feature of economic life: we consider much more than price when purchasing a home, and more than wage when choosing a job. An experiment is conducted in order to explore the effects of cognitive limitations on choice in these rich settings, in accordance with the predictions of a new model of search memory load. In each task, subjects are made to search the same information in one of two orders, which differ in predicted memory load. Despite standard models of choice treating such variations in order of acquisition as irrelevant, lower predicted memory load search orders are found to lead to substantially fewer choice errors. An implication of the result for search behavior, more generally, is that in order to reduce memory load (thus choice error) a limited memory searcher ought to deviate from the search path of an unlimited memory searcher in predictable ways-a mechanism that can explain the systematic deviations from optimal sequential search that have recently been discovered in peoples' behavior. Further, as cognitive load is induced endogenously (within the task), and found to affect choice behavior, this result contributes to the cognitive load literature (in which load is induced exogenously), as well as the cognitive ability literature (in which cognitive ability is measured in a separate task). In addition, while the information overload literature has focused on the detrimental effects of the quantity of information on choice, this result suggests that, holding quantity constant, the order that information is observed in is an essential determinant of choice failure.
Role of the Connecting Peptide in Insulin Biosynthesis*

In single-chain insulins (SCIs), the C terminus of the insulin B-chain is contiguous with the N terminus of the A-chain, connected by a short bioengineered linker sequence. SCIs have been proposed to offer potential benefit for gene therapy of diabetes (Lee, H. C., Kim, S. J., Kim, K. S., Shin, H. C., and Yoon, J. W. (2000) Nature 408, 483–488) yet relatively little is known about their folding, intracellular transport, or secretion from mammalian cells. Because SCIs can be considered as mutant proinsulin (with selective shortening of the 35-amino acid connecting peptide that normally includes two sets of flanking dibasic residues), they offer insights into understanding the role of the connecting peptide in insulin biosynthesis. Herein we have explored the relationship of the linker sequence to SCI biosynthesis, folding, and intracellular transport in transiently transfected HEK293 or Chinese hamster ovary cells or in stably transfected AtT20 cells. Despite previous reports that direct linkage of B- and A-chains produces a structure isomorphous with authentic two-chain insulin, we find that constructs with short linkers tend to be synthesized at lower levels, with a significant fraction of molecules exhibiting improper disulfide bonding. Nevertheless, disulfide-mispaired isoforms from a number of different SCI constructs are secreted. While this suggests that a novel folded state goes unrecognized by secretory pathway quality control, we find that misfolded SCIs are detected at higher levels in Chinese hamster ovary cells with artificially activated unfolded protein response mediated by inducible overexpression of active ATF-6. Such a maneuver allows analysis of more seriously misfolded mutants with further foreshortening of the linker sequence or loss (by mutation) of the insulin interchain disulfide bonds.
Emotional Experience, Relationship Behavior and Glucose Regulation in Married Couples

This daily diary study investigated the emotional experiences and relationship behaviors of married couples coping with the husband's Type 2 diabetes, and how those experiences and behaviors affected his blood glucose levels. Repeated measures multilevel models examined the effects of husbands' and wives' absolute levels of positive and negative emotional experiences, balance of positive to negative emotional experiences, absolute levels of positive and negative behaviors, and balance of positive to negative behaviors on husbands' glucose. Husbands' negative emotional experience and wives' positive balance of relationship behaviors predicted lower blood glucose levels. For husbands who were younger, in poorer general health, and whose wives were more satisfied with their marriage, husbands' positive emotional experience predicted lower blood glucose levels. For husbands in better general health, wives' reports of a higher balance of positive as opposed to negative emotional experience also predicted lower blood glucose levels. Overall, results indicate that positive emotional experience and a balance of emotional experience and relationship behavior that is predominantly positive predicts positive diabetes outcomes as measured by lower daily blood glucose levels.
A long and winding road: defining the biological role and clinical importance of paraoxonases

Abstract Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an enzyme belonging to a three-member gene family, each of which is highly conserved in mammalian evolution. Whilst there is consensus that the paraoxonase family members have a general protective influence, their precise biological role has remained elusive. A toxicological role, protecting from environmental poisoning by organophosphate derivatives, drove much of the earlier work on the enzymes. More recently, clinical interest has focused on a protective role in vascular disease via a hypothesised impact on lipoprotein lipid oxidation. Recent confirmation that the primary activity of the paraoxonases is that of a lactonase considerably expands the potential sources of biological substrates for the enzyme. Studies on such substrates may shed further light on different mechanisms by which paraoxonases beneficially influence atherosclerosis, as well as defining possible roles in limiting bacterial infection and in innate immunity. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1052–9.
On the Structure of the Lower Troposphere in the Summertime Stratocumulus Regime of the Northeast Pacific

Data collected in situ as part of the second field study of the Dynamics and Chemistry of Marine Stratocumulus field program are used to evaluate the state of the atmosphere in the region of field operations near 30°N, 120°W during July 2001, as well as its representation by a variety of routinely available data. The routine data include both the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and NCEP–NCAR reanalyses, forecasts from their respective forecast systems (the Integrated and Global Forecast Systems), the 30-km archive from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), the Quick Scatterometer surface winds, and remotely sensed fields derived from radiances measured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. The analysis shows that outside of the boundary layer the state of the lower troposphere is reasonably represented by the reanalysis and forecast products, with the caveat of a slight warm bias at 850 hPa in the NCEP–NCAR products. Within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) the agreement is not as good: both the boundary layer depth and cloud amount are underpredicted, and the boundary layer temperature correlates poorly with the available data, which may be related to a poor representation of SSTs in this region of persistent cloud cover. ERA-40 also suffers from persistently weak zonal winds within the PBL. Among the satellite records the ISCCP data are found to be especially valuable, evincing skill in both predicting boundary layer depth (from cloud-top temperatures and TMI surface temperatures) and cloud liquid water paths (from cloud optical depths). An analysis of interannual variability (among Julys) based on ERA-40 and the 1983–2001 ISCCP record suggests that thermodynamic quantities show similar interannual and synoptic variability, principally concentrated just above the PBL, while dynamic quantities vary much more on synoptic time scales. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that the correlation between stratocumulus cloud amount and lower-tropospheric stability exhibits considerable spatial structure and is less pronounced than previously thought.
The Challenge of Managing Affordances in Computer Game Play

This paper discusses affordance with respect to computer games and game play activity. The game environment, with its complex and seemingly multiple affordances, presents a challenge, for players as well as researchers, since it consists of two worlds: the virtual and the real one. For games to be played successfully, affordances of both worlds need to be integrated. However, since Gibson’s The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception (1986), numerous different opinions on what constitutes an affordance have appeared, most of them deviating from the original Gibsonian conceptualisation. This has lead to confusion and misunderstandings among researchers, and is now also spreading into computer games research. This paper aims to raise awareness of what the affordance concept can, and cannot, explain and of the fact that some of the possible actions perceived by a player in a game also are rooted in socio-cultural conventions and the player’s experience of having a body.
DOE-ILP Assisted Conjugate-Gradient Optimization of High- /Metal-Gate Nano-CMOS SRAM

Low power consumption and stability in Static Random Access Memories (SRAMs) is essential for embedded multimedia and communication applications. This paper presents a novel design flow for power minimization of nano-CMOS SRAMs, while maintaining their stability. A 32 nm High- /Metal-Gate SRAM has been used as example circuit. The baseline SRAM circuit is subjected to power minimization using a dual-Vth assignment based on a novel combined Design of Experiments and Integer Linear Programming (DOE-ILP) approach. However, this leads to a 15% reduction in the Static Noise Margin (SNM) of the SRAM cell, which is an indicator of the stability of the cell. The conjugate gradient optimization overcomes this SNM degradation while reducing the power consumption. The final SRAM design shows 86% reduction in power consumption (including leakage) and 8% increase in the SNM compared to the baseline design. The variability analysis of the optimized cell is performed considering the effect of 12 parameters. SRAM arrays of different sizes are constructed to deminstrate the feasibility of the proposed SRAM cell. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which makes use of Design of Experiments, Integer Linear Programming and conjugate gradient method for simultaneous stability and power optimization in High- /Metal-Gate SRAM circuits.
Effects of prostaglandin analogs on blood flow velocity and resistance in the ophthalmic artery of rabbits.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of prostaglandin analogs on blood flow in the ophthalmic artery of clinically healthy rabbits. METHODS Fifty-five clinically healthy New Zealand white rabbits were divided into six groups, and the left eyes were treated for four weeks with the preservative benzalkonium chloride (BAK) only or a topical formulation of different prostaglandin analogs (bimatoprost BAK, tafluprost BAK-free, travoprost BAK, travoprost POLYQUAD, and latanoprost BAK). Color Doppler imaging was performed before and after the treatments. The mean values of the peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity and the resistive index (RI) were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the differences pre- and post-treatment for each drug and post-treatment among the drugs. RESULTS The prostaglandin analogs did not affect PSV. Bimatoprost BAK, travoprost POLYQUAD, and latanoprost BAK did not change RI. Tafluprost BAK-free and travoprost BAK therapy resulted in similar reductions in RI. No significant differences pre- and post-treatment were found when BAK was administered alone. CONCLUSION The prostaglandin analogs tafluprost BAK-free and travoprost BAK improved blood flow in the ophthalmic artery in healthy New Zealand white rabbits, which suggests that these drugs enhance the prevention of the progression the progression of glaucoma.
Gating of Human Theta Oscillations by a Working Memory Task

Electrode grids on the cortical surface of epileptic patients provide a unique opportunity to observe brain activity with high temporal–spatial resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio during a cognitive task. Previous work showed that large-amplitude theta frequency oscillations occurred intermittently during a maze navigation task, but it was unclear whether theta related to the spatial or working memory components of the task. To determine whether theta occurs during a nonspatial task, we made recordings while subjects performed the Sternberg working memory task. Our results show event-related theta and reveal a new phenomenon, the cognitive “gating” of a brain oscillation: at many cortical sites, the amplitude of theta oscillations increased dramatically at the start of the trial, continued through all phases of the trial, including the delay period, and decreased sharply at the end. Gating could be seen in individual trials and varying the duration of the trial systematically varied the period of gating. These results suggest that theta oscillations could have an important role in organizing multi-item working memory.
The Life Interventions for Family Effectiveness (LIFE) Project: Preliminary Findings on Alternative School Intervention for Adolescents.

A non-randomized control trial was conducted to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the Life Interventions for Family Effectiveness (LIFE) project: a family-based, evidence based comprehensive substance abuse intervention for at-risk adolescents and their families. The Matrix Adolescent Treatment Model of program delivery was utilized in the LIFE intervention; it is a comprehensive therapeutic approach that includes activities at school, at community locations, and at the students' homes. School activities included computer literacy programs, computer assisted graphic arts, and musical
Identification of a Polycystin-1 Cleavage Product, P100, That Regulates Store Operated Ca2+ Entry through Interactions with STIM1

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a genetic disorder resulting in large kidney cysts and eventual kidney failure. Mutations in either the PKD1 or PKD2/TRPP2 genes and their respective protein products, polycystin-1 (PC1) and polycystin-2 (PC2) result in ADPKD. PC2 is known to function as a non-selective cation channel, but PC1's function and the function of PC1 cleavage products are not well understood. Here we identify an endogenous PC1 cleavage product, P100, a 100 kDa fragment found in both wild type and epitope tagged PKD1 knock-in mice. Expression of full length human PC1 (FL PC1) and the resulting P100 and C-Terminal Fragment (CTF) cleavage products in both MDCK and CHO cells significantly reduces the store operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) resulting from thapsigargin induced store depletion. Exploration into the roles of P100 and CTF in SOCE inhibition reveal that P100, when expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, directly inhibits the SOCE currents but CTF does not, nor does P100 when containing the disease causing R4227X mutation. Interestingly, we also found that in PC1 expressing MDCK cells, translocation of the ER Ca2+ sensor protein STIM1 to the cell periphery was significantly altered. In addition, P100 Co-immunoprecipitates with STIM1 but CTF does not. The expression of P100 in CHO cells recapitulates the STIM1 translocation inhibition seen with FL PC1. These data describe a novel polycystin-1 cleavage product, P100, which functions to reduce SOCE via direct inhibition of STIM1 translocation; a function with consequences for ADPKD.
Computational modeling of face-to-face social interaction

The computational modeling of face-to-face interactions using nonverbal behavioral cues is an emerging and relevant problem in social computing. Studying face-to-face interactions in small groups helps in understanding the basic processes of individual and group behavior; and improving team productivity and satisfaction in the modern workplace. Apart from the verbal channel, nonverbal behavioral cues form a rich communication channel through which people infer - often automatically and unconsciously - emotions, relationships, and traits of fellow members.
Regulation of androgen receptor levels: Implications for prostate cancer progression and therapy

Androgen deprivation has been the standard therapy for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer for over half a century, as prostate tumors are initially dependent on androgens for growth and survival. Unfortunately, in most patients undergoing androgen ablation, relapse (recurrent tumor growth) eventually occurs. The actions of the principal androgens, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), are mediated via androgen receptors (ARs), ligand‐activated transcription factors that belong to the nuclear receptor superfamily. Because of the presence of transcriptionally active ARs in tumors from recurrent or androgen‐independent disease, there is a heightened interest in new therapeutic paradigms that target the AR and its regulatory pathways. The regulation of AR levels is highly complex with control exerted by several pathways and in a cell‐, tissue‐, and developmental‐stage specific manner. Androgens are important regulators of AR mRNA and protein through transcriptional and post‐transcriptional mechanisms. This article reviews the evidence implicating the AR in recurrent prostate cancer and discusses the multiple mechanisms that regulate AR levels in normal and neoplastic cells. The complexity of AR regulation suggests that there will be an ample array of potential new drug targets for modulating levels of this receptor, a key signaling molecule in prostate cancer. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Investigation of the effects of microbubble shell disruption on population scattering and implications for modeling contrast agent behavior

In a previous study, quantitative measurement of nonlinear scattering revealed some quantitative discrepancies with a model for ultrasound scattering by a population ensemble of microbubbles. This study is designed to investigate the effect of the shell on single-pulse scattering by a population of contrast microbubbles. Nonlinear scattering was measured shortly (15 /spl mu/s) after exposure to a previous ultrasound pulse with variable intensity. The short time delay eliminated the influence of gas diffusion and focused the study on the consequence of ultrasound exposure. The results suggest that single-pulse scattering is dependent on the disruption properties of the bubble shell and confirm the significance of the shell properties.