Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of technology-based lessons on primary school students working in mixed and single-gender groupings

This study investigated primary school students working in mixed and single­ gender groupings around a computer during technology-based lessons. In particular it observed the patterns of peer interaction that took place when students worked co-operatively in groups in lessons. In so doing, this study attempted to explain the effects of gender of the student and gender composition of the group, on peer interaction in such a situation. The study also focussed on the effect of gender groupings on the motivation of students and children's collaborative behaviours. The subjects for the study were twenty-nine students (sixteen boys and thirteen girls) in year 5/6 with an age range of ten to eleven. These students were randomly assigned to different groups: Male-Gender Groups, Female-Gender Groups and Mixed-Gender Groups. A series of lessons on finding information about endangered animals provided the context. The students were taught to use PowerPoint (Microsoft Office, 1998) to make slides on endangered animals, and Web sites were used as sources of information on endangered animals. This research method adopted was descriptive and analytical and aimed for broad as well as specific understandings. Data that was analysed included data collected through interviews and observations, as well as the quantitative analysis of Peer Interaction Categories (Lee, 1990). The results of the analyses showed whether the students' interactions were primarily task-related, collaborative, and positive or not and whether girls and boys had significantly different experiences across groups of varied gender composition in regard to the specific categories of intera�tion as well as the total interaction. In conclusion, the findings have led to a number of assertions which potentially can guide primary classroom practice in fostering technology-based learning.
PacBio metabarcoding of Fungi and other eukaryotes: errors, biases and perspectives.

Second-generation, high-throughput sequencing methods have greatly improved our understanding of the ecology of soil microorganisms, yet the short barcodes (< 500 bp) provide limited taxonomic and phylogenetic information for species discrimination and taxonomic assignment. Here, we utilized the third-generation Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RSII and Sequel instruments to evaluate the suitability of full-length internal transcribed spacer (ITS) barcodes and longer rRNA gene amplicons for metabarcoding Fungi, Oomycetes and other eukaryotes in soil samples. Metabarcoding revealed multiple errors and biases: Taq polymerase substitution errors and mis-incorporating indels in sequencing homopolymers constitute major errors; sequence length biases occur during PCR, library preparation, loading to the sequencing instrument and quality filtering; primer-template mismatches bias the taxonomic profile when using regular and highly degenerate primers. The RSII and Sequel platforms enable the sequencing of amplicons up to 3000 bp, but the sequence quality remains slightly inferior to Illumina sequencing especially in longer amplicons. The full ITS barcode and flanking rRNA small subunit gene greatly improve taxonomic identification at the species and phylum levels, respectively. We conclude that PacBio sequencing provides a viable alternative for metabarcoding of organisms that are of relatively low diversity, require > 500-bp barcode for reliable identification or when phylogenetic approaches are intended.
Relationship between Financial Sector Development and Sustainable Economic Development: Time Series Analysis from Pakistan

The study empirically investigated the contribution of financial sector in sustainable economic development of Pakistan. Annual data were used from the period of 1973 to 2007. The main objectives of the study were to analyze the long run relationship between financial sector development and sustainable economic development along with direction of causality between financial sector indicators and sustainable development. Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound testing technique for cointegration was applied to estimate the long run relationship. A stable long run relationship was found between financial sector indicators and the sustainable economic development. Error Correction coefficient was statistically significant. It was concluded that financial sector had positive impact on the sustainable economic development in short run as well as in the long run. Causality test revealed that financial sector development was the basis for economic development.
Gene expression changes in the retina following subretinal injection of human neural progenitor cells into a rodent model for retinal degeneration

Purpose Retinal degenerative diseases (RDDs) affect millions of people and are the leading cause of vision loss. Although treatment options for RDDs are limited, stem and progenitor cell–based therapies have great potential to halt or slow the progression of vision loss. Our previous studies have shown that a single subretinal injection of human forebrain derived neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) into the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) retinal degenerate rat offers long-term preservation of photoreceptors and visual function. Furthermore, neural progenitor cells are currently in clinical trials for treating age-related macular degeneration; however, the molecular mechanisms of stem cell–based therapies are largely unknown. This is the first study to analyze gene expression changes in the retina of RCS rats following subretinal injection of hNPCs using high-throughput sequencing. Methods RNA-seq data of retinas from RCS rats injected with hNPCs (RCShNPCs) were compared to sham surgery in RCS (RCSsham) and wild-type Long Evans (LEsham) rats. Differential gene expression patterns were determined with in silico analysis and confirmed with qRT-PCR. Function, biologic, cellular component, and pathway analyses were performed on differentially expressed genes and investigated with immunofluorescent staining experiments. Results Analysis of the gene expression data sets identified 1,215 genes that were differentially expressed between RCSsham and LEsham samples. Additionally, 283 genes were differentially expressed between the RCShNPCs and RCSsham samples. Comparison of these two gene sets identified 68 genes with inverse expression (termed rescue genes), including Pdc, Rp1, and Cdc42ep5. Functional, biologic, and cellular component analyses indicate that the immune response is enhanced in RCSsham. Pathway analysis of the differential expression gene sets identified three affected pathways in RCShNPCs, which all play roles in phagocytosis signaling. Immunofluorescent staining detected the increased presence of macrophages and microglia in RCSsham retinas, which decreased in RCShNPCs retinas similar to the patterns detected in LEsham. Conclusions The results from this study provide evidence of the gene expression changes that occur following treatment with hNPCs in the degenerating retina. This information can be used in future studies to potentially enhance or predict responses to hNPC and other stem cell therapies for retinal degenerative diseases.
In Vitro Study of the Effects of Precore and Lamivudine-Resistant Mutations on Hepatitis B Virus Replication

ABSTRACT Understanding the consequences of mutation in the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome on HBV replication is critical for treating chronic HBV infection. In this study, HBV replication in HepG2 cells initiated by transduction with precore (PC), rtM204I, and wild-type (wt) HBV recombinant baculoviruses was compared. The pattern and magnitude of HBV replication initiated by the PC HBV recombinant baculovirus were similar to those observed for wt HBV throughout the time course examined. In contrast, when the rtM204I mutation was introduced into wt HBV, by day 10 postinfection the levels of intra- and extracellular HBV DNA were markedly reduced compared to those for wt HBV. Although the rtM204I mutation reduced the production of HBV replicative intermediates, no effect on the level of covalently closed circular DNA or HBV transcripts was observed at late time points. Coinfection studies with different ratios of wt and rtM204I baculoviruses showed that the rtM204I variant did not produce a product that inhibited HBV replication. However, the combination of the wt and rtM204I baculoviruses yielded HBV DNA levels at late time points that were greater than those for the wt alone, suggesting that wt polymerase may function in trans to boost rtM204I replication. We concluded that the rtM204I mutation generates a polymerase that is not only resistant to lamivudine but also replicates nucleic acids to lower levels in vitro.
Then and Now: Examining How Consumer Communication and Attitudes of Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising Have Changed in the Last Decade

This study examines changes over a 10-year period in consumer reports of communication with health care providers about direct-to-consumer advertised (DTCA) medications. Two rounds of survey data were collected in 2003 and 2012 using repeated cross-sectional procedures to examine consumer willingness to discuss DTCA medications, content and tone of those conversations, and attitudes about the advertisements. In total, 472 surveys were analyzed. Generally, we found physician–patient conversations, attitudes, and behaviors regarding DTCA have changed. Consumers in 2012 reported talking significantly less about the names of the advertised drug, comparing the advertised drug with their current medication, and sharing general information than consumers in 2003. Attitudes toward the advertisements were significantly more negative in 2012 compared to 2003. Of those who specifically asked for a prescription, the proportion of patients who received the prescription was significantly lower in 2012, despite research suggesting increased rates of prescriptions. These results are interpreted in light of previous research about the lack of research examining the actual communication between physicians and patients on this topic. Limitations of the study are provided along with directions for future research about DTCA and physician–patient communication.
Efficiency comparison of channel allocation schemes for digital mobile communication networks

This paper provides network designers and operators with simple guidelines on traffic measurements and efficiency evaluation of various channel allocation schemes in digital mobile telecommunications networks. The paper evaluates the efficiency obtained by implementing the following channel allocation schemes: (1) fixed uniform channel allocation (FUCA); (2) fixed nonuniform channel allocation (FNCA); (3) dynamic channel allocation (DCA) where the number of frequency carriers is adaptive and dependent on the load; and (4) dynamic frequency/time channel allocation (DFTCA) (a new scheme which is the most efficient) where the number of channels is adaptive (based on the load), allowing two channels of the same frequency carrier to be used in two neighboring cells. The analysis is based on standard queuing models under the following assumptions: (1) Poisson call arrivals in each cell; (2) exponential call holding time; (3) exponential mobile travel time; and (4) exponential sojourn time of a mobile in a cell. Numerical results are presented to provide insight into the accuracy of the models and efficiency gain by dynamic frequency time channel allocation under different traffic conditions (including conditions related to highway traffic).
Two-Tier CHORD for Decentralized Location Management

To conceive the full potential of ubiquitous mobile computing, mobile nodes must be able to roam seamlessly across different networks. However, the location i.e. IP address, of a called mobile nodes must be determined within a certain amount of time, before the services are blocked. With the upcoming 3G, 4G and wireless LAN technologies, it is necessary to have an efficient location management system that adapts to such dynamic environments, and augment problems like center point of failure, delay and lack of reliability. One approach is to provide decentralized location management, using CHORD, whose key vale mapping can efficiently determine the required name to IP mapping. However, a major issue concerning this technique is the presence of unstable chord nodes, which brings instability to the framework. Nodes with minimum computation capabilities can slow down the lookup mechanism, and hence terminates the ongoing session. This paper provides a solution to this problems using well-known two-tier CHORD architecture. Nodes with high computation power and stability will act as Location Servers, which will be responsible for storing and distributing temporary locators i.e. IP addresses of the called mobile node. Suitability of the proposed framework is tested using analytical analysis in comparison with the existing chord mobility framework. Such an approach can bring stability to the framework, with its decentralization feature still intact.
PROGRESSIVE EXERCISE PRECONDITIONING PROTECTS AGAINST CIRCULATORY SHOCK DURING EXPERIMENTAL HEATSTROKE

Heat shock protein (HSP) 72 expression protects against arterial hypotension in rat heatstroke. HSP72 can also be induced in multiple organs, including hearts from rats with endurance exercise. We validated the hypothesis that progressive exercise preconditioning may confer cardiovascular protection during heatstroke by inducing the overexpression of HSP72 in multiple organs. To deal with the matter, we assessed the effects of heatstroke on mean arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, stroke volume, total peripheral vascular resistance, colonic temperature, blood gases, and serum or tissue levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in urethane-anesthetized rats pretreated without or with progressive exercise training for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. In addition, HSP72 expression in multiple organs was determined in different groups of animals. Heatstroke was induced by exposing the rats to a high blanket temperature (43°C); the moment at which mean arterial pressure decreased from the peak value was taken as the time of heatstroke onset. Previous exercise training for 3 weeks, but not 1 or 2 weeks, conferred significant protection against hyperthermia, arterial hypotension, decreased cardiac output, decreased stroke volume, decreased peripheral vascular resistance, and increased levels of serum or tissue TNF-α during heatstroke and correlated with overexpression of HSP72 in multiple organs, including heart, liver, and adrenal gland. However, 10 days after 3 weeks of progressive exercise training, when HSP72 expression in multiple organs returned to basal values, the beneficial effects exerted by 3 weeks of exercise training were no longer observed. These results strongly suggest that HSP72 preconditioning with progressive exercise training protects against hyperthermia, circulatory shock, and TNF-α overproduction during heatstroke.
Response to Kay Haugaard: Comic Books Revisited.

DID YOU HEAR my "Amen! " way out there in Pasadena, Kay? (See "Comic books, conduits to culture? " by Kay Haugaard, October 73 RT.) As a mother and teacher, I, too, have witnessed the magnetic attraction comic books wield for children, but it never really surprised me. How could it? I can still remember all too clearly the day my own Captain Marvel collection was accidentally burned in the trash. Traumatic! As the wistful plea in your closing paragraph suggests, the "fantastic motivating power of comic books" does bear exami nation. Whether or not it can, or even should be, "bottled up and sprinkled around schoolrooms" though, is a question this response to your article will raise. Let us begin with a typical Archie comic book, and examine one story in it to determine why comic books were, are, and probably always will be fun for kids to read. In this epi sode, Betty and Veronica are ap proaching Archie and Jughead on a pier, "Happy's Landing. " The scene is set for the reader at a glance: the girls are telling Archie they've ar rived on time. The reader quickly understands that they were expected, but only by Archie, for Jughead is frowning and expressing annoyed surprise: "Huh? What are they doing here, Arch? " The conflict is revealed imme diately, capturing the reader's interest. Jughead leaves in disgust, saying, "Girls are bad luck on a fishing trip! " Betty describes the beautiful lunch the girls packed, and Jughead returns with visions of lus cious sandwiches floating around his head. He insists, however, that the girls ride in a separate rowboat. Ar chie is a good sport for Jughead's
[Is sudden sensorineural hearing loss a therapeutic emergency? Early results in a prospective cohort of 136 patients].

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss is one of the most controversial issues in otology. A prospective cohort study including 136 sudden hearing losses seen at the ENT emergency referral center of Lariboisiere Hospital during an 18-month period was conducted. Patients were hospitalized and a corticotherapy course was administered, eventually associated with an antiviral treatment, low molecular weight dextran or sedative. At the end of the 5-day hospitalization, 74% of the patients had recovered, at least partially, with a mean gain of 22 dB. The outcome was considered satisfactory, i.e. superior to 50% of the initial loss, in 30% of the patients. After 1 month, 86% of the patients recovered at least partially with a mean gain of 30 dB. The outcome was considered satisfactory in 44% of the patients. A prognosis analysis showed that vertigo, age of the patient and anacusis are pejorative factors. Ascending audiogram shapes seem to involve a better prognosis. The therapeutic delay is not correlated with the quality of the outcome, which questions the classical notion of therapeutic emergency.
Clusters of stars

We solve two open problems posed by Goodman and Pollack[GP84] about sets of signed circular permutations (clusters of stars) arising from generalized configurations of points: recognition and efficient reconstruction (drawing). As a biproduct we get an (7(n2 ) space data structure constructible in 0(n2 ) time, representing the order type of a (generalized) configuration of points and from which the orientation of each tride can be found in constant time. a moblem Dosed in ‘~HNJ.
Integrated Seat and Suspension Control for a Quarter Car With Driver Model

In this paper, an integrated vehicle seat and suspension control strategy for a quarter car with driver model is proposed to improve suspension performance on driver ride comfort. An integrated seat and suspension model that includes a quarter-car suspension, a seat suspension, and a 4-degree-of-freedom (DOF) driver body model is presented first. This integrated model provides a platform to evaluate ride comfort performance in terms of driver head acceleration responses under typical road disturbances and to develop an integrated control of seat and car suspensions. Based on the integrated model, an H∞ state feedback controller is designed to minimize the driver head acceleration under road disturbances. Considering that state variables for a driver body model are not measurement available in practice, a static output feedback controller, which only uses measurable state variables, is designed. Further discussion on robust multiobjective controller design, which considers driver body parameter uncertainties, suspension stroke limitation, and road-holding properties, is also provided. Last, numerical simulations are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. The results show that the integrated seat and suspension control can effectively improve suspension ride comfort performance compared with the passive seat suspension, active seat suspension control, and active car suspension control.
Differential Modulation of IgT and IgM upon Parasitic, Bacterial, Viral, and Dietary Challenges in a Perciform Fish

Three different immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes can be found in teleost fish, IgM, IgD, and the teleost-specific IgT. IgM is considered to have a systemic activity, and IgT is attributed a mucosal role, similar to mammalian IgA. In this study, the complete sequence of gilthead sea bream IgM and IgT in their membrane (m) and soluble (s) forms are described for the first time in a perciform fish. Their constitutive gene expression is analyzed in different tissues, and their regulation upon viral, bacterial, parasitic, mucosal vaccination and dietary challenges are studied. GCB IgM and IgT have the prototypical structure when compared to other fish Igs. The constitutive expression of sIgM was the highest overall in all tissues, whereas mIgT expression was highest in mucosal tissues, such as gills and intestine. IgM and IgT were differentially regulated upon infection. IgT was highly upregulated locally upon infection with the intestinal parasite Enteromyxum leei or systemically after Nodavirus infection. Long-term intestinal parasitic infections increased the serum titer of both isotypes. Mucosal vaccination against Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida finely regulated the Ig response inducing a systemic increase of IgM titers in serum and a local IgT response in skin mucus when animals were exposed to the pathogen by bath challenge. Interestingly, plant-based diets inhibit IgT upregulation upon intestinal parasitic challenge, which was related to a worse disease outcome. All these results corroborate the mucosal role of IgT and emphasize the importance of a finely tuned regulation of Ig isotypes upon infection, which could be of special interest in vaccination studies.
CPB1 of Aedes aegypti Interacts with DENV2 E Protein and Regulates Intracellular Viral Accumulation and Release from Midgut Cells

Aedes aegypti is a principal vector responsible for the transmission of dengue viruses (DENV). To date, vector control remains the key option for dengue disease management. To develop new vector control strategies, a more comprehensive understanding of the biological interactions between DENV and Ae. aegypti is required. In this study, a cDNA library derived from the midgut of female adult Ae. aegypti was used in yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screenings against DENV2 envelope (E) protein. Among the many interacting proteins identified, carboxypeptidase B1 (CPB1) was selected, and its biological interaction with E protein in Ae. aegypti primary midgut cells was further validated. Our double immunofluorescent assay showed that CPB1-E interaction occurred in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the Ae. aegypti primary midgut cells. Overexpression of CPB1 in mosquito cells resulted in intracellular DENV2 genomic RNA or virus particle accumulation, with a lower amount of virus release. Therefore, we postulated that in Ae. aegypti midgut cells, CPB1 binds to the E protein deposited on the ER intraluminal membranes and inhibits DENV2 RNA encapsulation, thus inhibiting budding from the ER, and may interfere with immature virus transportation to the trans-Golgi network.
Kaumoebavirus, a New Virus That Clusters with Faustoviruses and Asfarviridae

In this study, we report the isolation of a new giant virus found in sewage water from the southern area of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), with morphological and genomic resemblance to Faustoviruses. This new giant virus, named Kaumoebavirus, was obtained from co-culture with Vermamoeba vermiformis, an amoeboid protozoa considered to be of special interest to human health and the environment. This new virus has ~250 nm icosahedral capsids and a 350,731 bp DNA genome length. The genome of Kaumoebavirus has a coding density of 86%, corresponding to 465 genes. Most of these genes (59%) are closely related to genes from members of the proposed order Megavirales, and the best matches to its proteins with other members of the Megavirales are Faustoviruses (43%) and Asfarviruses (23%). Unsurprisingly, phylogenetic reconstruction places Kaumoebavirus as a distant relative of Faustoviruses and Asfarviruses.