Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tareas del docente en la enseñanza flexible (el caso de UNAB Virtual)

Resumen Las nuevas tecnologias de la informacion y de la comunicacion introducidas en la labor educativa hacen necesario elreplanteamiento de las practicas de ensenanza por parte de los profesores. Si bien la reflexion pedagogica asociada a laeducacion virtual hace especial hincapie en el alumno como centro del proceso, no se puede desestimar la importanciaque en la ensenanza adquiere el docente.En este texto se presenta la manera como en UNAB Virtual (de la Universidad Autonoma de Bucaramanga, Colombia)se aborda la cuestion de la ensenanza flexible que conduce al aprendizaje abierto. Estos aspectos son los que se tienenen cuenta para buscar la excelencia en la labor docente. Palabras clave ensenanza flexible, competencias del docente, roles del docente, tareas del docente, aprendizaje abierto ENSENANZA FLEXIBLE Y APRENDIZAJE ABIERTOEN UNAB VIRTUAL En el modelo pedagogico de UNAB Virtual (de la Universi-dad Autonoma de Bucaramanga, Colombia) entendemosla educacion como una «accion», no como un «suceso». Enese sentido, como sugiere Brezinka (1990), la educacion es-ta mediada por la conciencia y la voluntad de quienes enella intervienen: maestros y estudiantes. Lo que determinaque exista educacion es que sus protagonistas saben lo quehacen y desean hacerlo. Al contrario de lo que algunos pe-dagogos plantean, lo anterior significa que lo educativo es,necesariamente, deseado, planeado, investigado… La edu-cacion no es un suceso que acaece, un acontecimiento arbi-trario o inconsciente. La educacion no se da por azar.La educacion consiste en la influencia que un sujeto reci-be desde el exterior. Esa influencia, que viene dada enterminos de «tutela» (Nassif, 1984) y que se establece enla relacion profesor- alumno, tiene por finalidad permitirque este ultimo haga sus propias elaboraciones a partirde las opciones que el primero presenta y se vaya tornan-do cada vez mas autonomo. La relacion profesor-alumnose caracteriza por ser asimetrica: es una relacion de des-igualdad (Jover, 1991). En ella el primero lleva ventaja so-bre el segundo justamente en aquello en lo que es profe-sor. La desigualdad indica que en tal relacion una de laspartes es mas que otra. Si bien en cuanto a la dignidadhumana hay igualdad, en lo que se refiere al objeto de es-tudio la desigualdad es notable: hay una persona que lodomina mas que la otra; de ahi que el alumno busque enel profesor la posibilidad de aumentar ese dominio. Ental relacion asimetrica una de las partes, el profesor, bus-ca que la otra parte, el alumno, logre crecientes nivelesde autonomia. El proceso educativo tiene sentido en tan-to se da el paso de la heteronomia a la autonomia; en esoconsiste el trayecto de la formacion.En UNAB Virtual entendemos que la formacion es el hori-zonte de sentido de la educacion. Que cada persona con-
A critical role for macrophages in neovessel formation and the development of stenosis in tissue‐engineered vascular grafts

The primary graft‐related complication during the first clinical trial evaluating the use of tissue‐engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) was stenosis. We investigated the role of macrophages in the formation of TEVG stenosis in a murine model. We analyzed the natural history of TEVG macrophage infiltration at critical time points and evaluated the role of cell seeding on neovessel formation. To assess the function of infiltrating macrophages, we implanted TEVGs into mice that had been macrophage depleted using clodronate liposomes. To confirm this, we used a CD11b‐diphtheria toxin‐receptor (DTR) transgenic mouse model. Monocytes infiltrated the scaffold within the first few days and initially transformed into M1 macrophages. As the scaffold degraded, the macrophage infiltrate disappeared. Cell seeding decreased the incidence of stenosis (32% seeded, 64% unseeded, P= 0.024) and the degree of macrophage infiltration at 2 wk. Unseeded TEVGs demonstrated conversion from M1 to M2 phenotype, whereas seeded grafts did not. Clodronate and DTR inhibited macrophage infiltration and decreased stenosis but blocked formation of vascular neotissue, evidenced by the absence of endothelial and smooth muscle cells and collagen. These findings suggest that macrophage infiltration is critical for neovessel formation and provides a strategy for predicting, detecting, and inhibiting stenosis in TEVGs. —Hibino, N. , Yi, T. , Duncan, D. R. , Rathore, A. , Dean, E. , Naito, Y. , Dardik, A. , Kyriakides, T. , Madri, J., Pober, J. S. , Shinoka, T. , Breuer, C. K. A critical role for macrophages in neovessel formation and the development of stenosis in tissue‐engineered vascular grafts. FASEB J. 25, 4253–4263 (2011). www.fasebj. org
Injectable Hydrogels for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

C urrent clinical practices to treat damaged cartilage include the use of tissue transplants and prosthetic implants. While these surgical procedures restore joint function they can also present long-term complications. Tissue engineering is a discipline that focuses on the creation or regeneration of tissues that presents an alternative to cartilage replacements. Through the integration of engineering and the life sciences, tissues can be generated using scaffolds that support encapsulated cells and their production of tissue matrix. Hydrogels are a class of materials used for scaffold development and have been proven to sustain cellular and tissue function. Hydrogels have also been implanted in vivo through minimally invasive techniques, providing therapeutic treatments without invasive surgical procedures. This chapter presents an introduction to tissue engineering and hydrogels with a focus on cartilage repair, followed by reviews on selected polymers that may be used to synthesize hydrogels. A study of the biological response of stem cells to a synthetic-biological composite hydrogel is also presented. The composite was synthesized by photopolymerization of a liquid composition of poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate and Cartrigel, an extract of cartilage. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were encapsulated in the hydrogels and cultured with a chondrogenic stimulus, TGF-β3. Results indicated that the presence of Cartrigel altered MSC genetic expression and matrix production. Synthetic-biological composite hydrogels therefore demonstrated the ability to support MSC function and affect cell response to extracellular bioactive factors.
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and Proposed Personality Traits for the Dsm-v: Association with Mood Disorder Symptoms

The current work assesses the relationship between reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) and Personality Traits for the DSM-5 (PID-5), to explore the degree to which they are associated with mood disorder symptoms. Participants (N = 138) from a large public university in the South were administered a semi-structured interview to assess for current mood disorder and anxiety symptoms. They were also administered self-report inventories, including the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and Behavioral Approach System (BAS) scales and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). Results indicate that both the BIS/BAS scales and the PID-5 scales were strongly associated with current mood symptoms. However, the maladaptive personality traits demonstrated significantly greater associations with symptoms compared to the BIS/BAS scales. Results also indicated support for using a 2-factor model of BIS as opposed to a single factor model. Personality models (such as the five factor model) are strongly associated with mood symptoms. Results from this study add to the literature by demonstrating credibility of an alternative five-factor model of personality focused on maladaptive traits. Knowledge of individual maladaptive personality profiles can be easily obtained and used to influence case conceptualizations and create treatment plans in clinical settings.
Pulse wave velocity distribution in a cohort study: from arterial stiffness to early vascular aging

Background: By contrast with other southern European people, north Portuguese population registers an especially high prevalence of hypertension and stroke incidence. We designed a cohort study to identify individuals presenting accelerated and premature arterial aging in the Portuguese population. Method: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured in randomly sampled population dwellers aged 18–96 years from northern Portugal, and used as a marker of early vascular aging (EVA). Of the 3038 individuals enrolled, 2542 completed the evaluation. Results: Mean PWV value for the entire population was 8.4 m/s (men: 8.6 m/s; women: 8.2 m/s; P < 0.02). The individuals were classified with EVA if their PWV was at least 97.5th percentile of z-score for mean PWV values adjusted for age (using normal European reference values as comparators). The overall prevalence of EVA was 12.5%; 26.1% of individuals below 30 years presented this feature and 40.2% of individuals in that same age strata were placed above the 90th percentile of PWV; and 18.7% of the population exhibited PWV values above 10 m/s, with male predominance (17.2% of men aged 40–49 years had PWV > 10 m/s). Logistic regression models indicated gender differences concerning the risk of developing large artery damage, with women having the same odds of PWV above 10 m/s 10 years later than men. Conclusion: The population PWV values were higher than expected in a low cardiovascular risk area (Portugal). High prevalence rates of EVA and noteworthy large artery damage in young ages were found.
Unifying Count-Based Exploration and Intrinsic Motivation

We consider an agent's uncertainty about its environment and the problem of generalizing this uncertainty across observations. Specifically, we focus on the problem of exploration in non-tabular reinforcement learning. Drawing inspiration from the intrinsic motivation literature, we use density models to measure uncertainty, and propose a novel algorithm for deriving a pseudo-count from an arbitrary density model. This technique enables us to generalize count-based exploration algorithms to the non-tabular case. We apply our ideas to Atari 2600 games, providing sensible pseudo-counts from raw pixels. We transform these pseudo-counts into intrinsic rewards and obtain significantly improved exploration in a number of hard games, including the infamously difficult Montezuma's Revenge.
Neurophysiological, metabolic and cellular compartments that drive neurovascular coupling and neuroimaging signals

Complete understanding of the mechanisms that coordinate work and energy supply of the brain, the so called neurovascular coupling, is fundamental to interpreting brain energetics and their influence on neuronal coding strategies, but also to interpreting signals obtained from brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. Interactions between neuronal activity and cerebral blood flow regulation are largely compartmentalized. First, there exists a functional compartmentalization in which glutamatergic peri-synaptic activity and its electrophysiological events occur in close proximity to vascular responses. Second, the metabolic processes that fuel peri-synaptic activity are partially segregated between glycolytic and oxidative compartments. Finally, there is cellular segregation between astrocytic and neuronal compartments, which has potentially important implications on neurovascular coupling. Experimental data is progressively showing a tight interaction between the products of energy consumption and neurotransmission-driven signaling molecules that regulate blood flow. Here, we review some of these issues in light of recent findings with special attention to the neuron-glia interplay on the generation of neuroimaging signals.
Mutation at Residue 523 Creates a Second Receptor Binding Site on Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 1 Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase Protein

ABSTRACT The paramyxovirus hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) is a multifunctional protein mediating hemagglutination (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and fusion promotion activities. It has been a matter of debate whether HN contains combined or separate sites for HA and NA activities. To clear the issue, we determined the presence of the second binding site on human parainfluenza virus (hPIV) type 1, 2, and 3 and Sendai virus (SeV) HN proteins. Results of virus elution from erythrocytes at an elevated temperature and HA inhibition by NA inhibitor BCX-2798 suggest that all hPIVs bind to the receptor only through the NA catalytic site, while SeV HN has an additional receptor binding site. Comparison of SeV and hPIV1 HN sequences revealed two amino acid differences at residues 521 and 523 in the region close to the second binding site identified in Newcastle disease virus HN. We mutated hPIV1 HN at position 523 from Asn to the residue of SeV HN, Asp, and rescued a recombinant SeV that carries the mutated hPIV1 HN by a reverse genetics system. The hPIV1 HN with Asp at position 523 hemagglutinated in the presence of BCX-2798, suggesting that the amino acid difference at position 523 is critical for the formation of a second binding site. Creation of the second binding site on hPIV1 HN, however, did not significantly affect the growth or fusion activity of the recombinant virus. Our study indicates that the presence and requirement of a second binding site vary among paramyxoviruses.
Doing Well with Executive Coaching: Psychological and Behavioral Impacts

Executive coaching is a popular intervention in organizations. Large amounts of money are spent on programs designed to have positive personal and professional outcomes, but there is as yet little systematic empirical evidence to support its effects. The current study addresses this gap by exploring the effects of executive coaching on leaders psychological states and transformational leadership behavior. Participants were taking part in a year long leadership training program, of which executive coaching was one component. To delineate the effects of executive coaching from the other training interventions, participants were randomly assigned to training and control groups. Measures of self-efficacy, developmental support, positive affect, openness to new behaviors, developmental planning, and transformational leadership were collected after the training group completed executive coaching to enable us to compare the impact of executive coaching on these measures. The data supported our hypotheses - leaders who had completed executive coaching reported higher self-efficacy, developmental support, openness to new behaviors, and developmental planning than leaders who had not completed coaching. In addition, team members gave higher ratings of transformational leadership behavior to leaders who had completed executive coaching than to leaders who had not completed executive coaching.
Spontaneous regression of tumour and the role of microbial infection – possibilities for cancer treatment

This review deals with the role of microorganisms in spontaneous regression of a tumour. Spontaneous cancer regression is a phenomenon that has been described for many centuries. One of the most well known methods of inducing spontaneous regression of cancer is the application of Coley’s toxin (heat-killed Streptococcus pyogenes and Serratia marcescens), which has been used for the successful treatment of sarcomas, carcinomas, lymphomas, myelomas and melanomas. In clinical practice, the use of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine for the treatment of superficial urinary bladder cancer is the most common instance of the application of microorganisms for the treatment of cancer. This review provides further information on other tested bacteria – Clostridium spp. , Bifidobacterium spp. , Lactobacillus spp. and Salmonella spp. – in this field of study. Among new age methods, bactofection, alternative gene therapy, combination bacteriolytic therapy and bacteria-directed enzyme prodrug therapy are some of the potential cancer treatment modalities that use microorganisms. We have also provided information about the interconnection among microorganisms, immune system response, and the possible mechanisms involved in the spontaneous regression of tumours.
Resolution Graphs of Some Surface Singularities, I. (Cyclic Coverings)

The article starts with some introductory material about resolu- tion graphs of normal surface singularities (definitions, topological/homological properties, etc). Then we discuss the problem of N-cyclic coverings (Xf,N ,0) ! (X,0) of (X,0), branched along ({f = 0},0), where f : (X,0) ! (C,0) is the germ of an analytic function. We present non-trivial examples in order to show that from the embedded resolution graph ( X, f) of f it is not possible to recover the resolution graph of (Xf,N ,0). The main results are the con- struction of a "universal covering graph" of ( X, f) from the topology of the germ f, and the completely combinatorial construction of the resolution graph of (Xf,N ,0) from this universal graph of f and the integer N. For this we also prove some classification theorems of "graph coverings", results which are purely graph-theoretical. In the last part, we connect the properties of the universal covering graph with the topological invariants of f, e.g. with the nilpotent part of its algebraic monodromy.
Improvement of SIMS multilayer profile analysis

SIMS deconvolution of boron delta doped multilayer has been successfully performed using a synthetic algorithm without the requirement of specific and detailed knowledge of response functions from measurements of delta layers which often is not available. This algorithm is based on partial deconvolution and scale-frequency shrinkage. The contributions of high frequency noise are removed by scale-frequency shrinkage. The partial deconvolution addresses to remove the residual ion mixing effect. It is shown that this algorithm leads to an enhancement of the depth resolution by a factor 2 compared to that before deconvolution without producing artifacts and aberrations which are physically not accepted.
CO Band Head Spectroscopy of IC 342: Mass and Age of the Nuclear Star Cluster

We have used the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) to observe the nuclear stellar cluster in the nearby, face-on, giant Scd spiral IC 342. From high-resolution (λ/Δλ = 21,500) spectra of the 12CO (2–0) band head at 2.3 μm, we derive a line-of-sight stellar velocity dispersion σ = (33 ± 3) km s-1. To interpret this observation we construct dynamical models based on the Jeans equation for a spherical system. The light distribution of the cluster is modeled using an archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) V-band image and a new ground-based K-band image. Under the assumption of an isotropic velocity distribution, the observed kinematics imply a K-band mass-to-light ratio M/LK = 0.05, and a cluster mass M ≈ 6 × 106 M☉. We compare the derived mass-to-light ratio with the "Starburst99" stellar population synthesis models of Leitherer and collaborators and infer a best-fitting cluster age in the range 106.8–7.8 yr. Although this result depends somewhat on a number of uncertainties in the modeling (e.g., the assumed extinction along the line of sight toward the nucleus, the initial mass function of the stellar population model, and the velocity dispersion anisotropy of the cluster), none of the model parameters can be plausibly modified to yield a significantly larger age. Also, the inferred age is consistent with that found in our previous study based on the near-infrared absorption-line equivalent widths of the cluster (Böker, Förster-Schreiber, & Genzel). Recent HST observations of large samples of spiral galaxies have shown that nuclear stellar clusters are very common in intermediate- to late-type spirals. The cluster in IC 342 is more luminous than the clusters found in most other nearby spiral galaxies. If the nuclear stellar clusters in spiral galaxies all have a mass similar to that of the cluster in IC 342, then stellar population synthesis models indicate a median age for these clusters of several Gyr. This may be consistent with a scenario in which each spiral galaxy has only one episode of nuclear star cluster formation. On the other hand, the incidence of young nuclear star clusters may be high enough to indicate that the formation of these clusters is a recurring phenomenon. Age and population studies for a larger sample of galaxies are necessary to distinguish between these scenarios and to determine how these nuclear stellar clusters are related to the secular evolution of their environment. As a by-product of our analysis, we infer that IC 342 cannot have any central black hole more massive than 5 × 105 M⊙. This is ∼6 times less massive than the black hole inferred to exist in our Galaxy, consistent with the accumulating evidence that galaxies with less massive bulges harbor less massive black holes.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Marital Status and Family Structure and on-the-job Productivity

Abstract : That married male workers earn more than their unmarried co-workers is now well established in the labor economics literature. Traditional estimates of this marriage premium range from 10 to 40 percent. However, the source of this wage difference between married and unmarried men remains obscure. Some economists attribute this wage differential to differences in Job productivity between married and single workers. Other economists attribute the wage differential to unobserved characteristics of married workers, i.e., selection effects. This thesis seeks to examine the possible causes of differences in job performance between married and single employers using data on Navy officers. The analysis shows that married male officers receive higher supervisor evaluation scores and promote at higher rates than single male officers. The results also show that there is a positive correlation between supervisor evaluations and promotion. The analysis of the effects of marital status shows that married officers achieved better performance than single officers. Unrestricted line (URL) male officers who have been married longer receive higher performance scores. For both URL and Staff/Restricted Line (STF/RL) male officers performance also increase as the number of dependents increase. OLS regression models also show that male officers who are married have attained more graduate education than single officers. The analysis of selection bias shows that single male officers who will marry in the future perform better than single officers who will remain single in the future. Fixed-effects models that control unobservable individual characteristics support the higher performance of married males. Finally, Heckman style two-step models that control for selection bias due to retention decisions show that the measured effect of marriage is biased upward in single stage models, but that the bias is not large.
Social Capital and Unemployment: A Macro-Quantitative Analysis of the European Regions

The policy of unemployment is probably one of the most controversial issues among economists, social scientists and politicians. In this article, we argue that European regions with higher levels of social capital will tend to have lower levels of unemployment. Using a macro-quantitative cross-sectional analysis of 134 European regions, we show that a great deal of variability in sub-national unemployment rates can be accounted for by a particular level of regionally aggregated measures of the density and depth of social networks between individuals. In other words, higher levels of social capital will lead to more efficient use of information about the labour market, to lower search and transaction costs on both sides of the market, to a higher quality of applicants, to the efficient placement of individual workers, to less conflict between insiders and outsiders and to more intensive efforts to find work. All in all, higher levels of social capital can be expected to limit the numbers of unemployed. Even when applying simultaneous equation modelling to counter against a possible endogeneity problem, our findings remain robust.