Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent advances in neural development

A surprisingly small number of signalling pathways are used reiteratively during neural development, eliciting very different responses depending on the cellular context. Thus, the way a neural cell responds to a given signal is as important as the signal itself and this responsiveness, also called competence, changes with time. Here we describe recent advances in elucidating the signalling pathways that operate in brain development.
Class Size and Student Achievement: Research-Based Policy Alternatives

This article is about policy related to class size and student achievement. Class size is an ongoing education policy issue that ebbs and flows over time. Class size reductions have been proposed recently in many states and enacted in a few. This article reviews the literature on class size and student achievement and suggests policy alternatives. It has four sections: First, some introductory comments are made to set subsequent comments about class size policy into a broader context; second, the research on class size and student achievement is presented; third, the policy implications of this research are developed; fourth, a short summary of policy recommendations is provided.
Reward learning deficits in Parkinson’s disease depend on depression

Background Depression is one of the most common and debilitating non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The neurocognitive mechanisms underlying depression in PD are unclear and treatment is often suboptimal. Methods We investigated the role of striatal dopamine in reversal learning from reward and punishment by combining a controlled medication withdrawal procedure with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 22 non-depressed PD patients and 19 PD patients with past or present PD-related depression. Results PD patients with a PD-related depression (history) exhibited impaired reward versus punishment reversal learning as well as reduced reward versus punishment-related BOLD signal in the striatum (putamen) compared with non-depressed PD patients. No effects of dopaminergic medication were observed. Conclusions The present findings demonstrate that impairments in reversal learning from reward versus punishment and associated reward-related striatal signalling depend on the presence of (a history of) depression in PD.
Spinal Cord Cells from Pre-metamorphic Stages Differentiate into Neurons and Promote Axon Growth and Regeneration after Transplantation into the Injured Spinal Cord of Non-regenerative Xenopus laevis Froglets

Mammals are unable to regenerate its spinal cord after a lesion, meanwhile, anuran amphibians are capable of spinal cord regeneration only as larvae, and during metamorphosis, this capability is lost. Sox2/3+ cells present in the spinal cord of regenerative larvae are required for spinal cord regeneration. Here we evaluate the effect of the transplantation of spinal cord cells from regenerative larvae into the resected spinal cord of non-regenerative stages (NR-stage). Donor cells were able to survive up to 60 days after transplantation in the injury zone. During the first 3-weeks, transplanted cells organize in neural tube-like structures formed by Sox2/3+ cells. This was not observed when donor cells come from non-regenerative froglets. Mature neurons expressing NeuN and Neurofilament-H were detected in the grafted tissue 4 weeks after transplantation concomitantly with the appearance of axons derived from the donor cells growing into the host spinal cord, suggesting that Sox2/3+ cells behave as neural stem progenitor cells. We also found that cells from regenerative animals provide a permissive environment that promotes growth and regeneration of axons coming from the host. These results suggest that Sox2/3 cells present in the spinal cord of regenerative stage (R-stage) larvae are most probably neural stem progenitor cells that are able to survive, proliferate, self-organize and differentiate into neurons in the environment of the non-regenerative host. In addition, we have established an experimental paradigm to study the biology of neural stem progenitor cells in spinal cord regeneration.
Telomere Length Varies By DNA Extraction Method: Implications for Epidemiologic Research

Background: Both shorter and longer telomeres in peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) DNA have been associated with cancer risk. However, associations remain inconsistent across studies of the same cancer type. This study compares DNA preparation methods to determine telomere length from patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: We examined PBL relative telomere length (RTL) measured by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in 1,033 patients with colorectal cancer and 2,952 healthy controls. DNA was extracted with phenol/chloroform, PureGene, or QIAamp. Results: We observed differences in RTL depending on DNA extraction method (P < 0.001). Phenol/chloroform-extracted DNA had a mean RTL (T/S ratio) of 0.78 (range 0.01–6.54) compared with PureGene-extracted DNA (mean RTL of 0.75; range 0.00–12.33). DNA extracted by QIAamp yielded a mean RTL of 0.38 (range 0.02–3.69). We subsequently compared RTL measured by qPCR from an independent set of 20 colorectal cancer cases and 24 normal controls in PBL DNA extracted by each of the three extraction methods. The range of RTL measured by qPCR from QIAamp-extracted DNA (0.17–0.58) was less than from either PureGene or phenol/chloroform (ranges, 0.04–2.67 and 0.32–2.81, respectively). Conclusions: RTL measured by qPCR from QIAamp-extracted DNA was less than from either PureGene or phenol/chloroform (P < 0.001). Impact: Differences in DNA extraction method may contribute to the discrepancies between studies seeking to find an association between the risk of cancer or other diseases and RTL. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(11); 2047–54. ©2013 AACR.
The Effect of Marital Status on Person Perception.

Fifty-six female and 112 male college students read a brief description of a person and rated the individual on 20 7-point bipolar scales that described personal traits and professional performance characteristics. Each subject rated one of eight persons who were described either as male or female, and either as married, widowed, divorced, or never married. As predicted, married individuals generally were evaluated more favorably than all groups of unmarried individuals, and widowed persons were rated more favorably than either divorced or never married persons. Males and females were perceived similarly on most characteristics.
Implied Recovery

In the absence of forward-looking models for recovery rates, market participants tend to use exogenously assumed constant recovery rates in pricing models. We develop a exible jump-to-default model that uses observables: the stock price and stock volatility in conjunction with credit spreads to identify implied, endogenous, dynamic functions of the recovery rate and default probability. The model in this paper is parsimonious and requires the calibration of only three parameters, enabling the identication of the risk-neutral term structures of forward default probabilities and recovery rates. Empirical application of the model shows that it is consistent with stylized features of recovery rates in the literature. The model is exible, i.e., it may be used with different state variables, alternate recovery functional forms, and calibrated to multiple debt tranches of the same issuer. The model is robust, i.e., evidences parameter stability over time, is stable to changes in inputs, and provides similar recovery term structures for different functional specifications. Given that the model is easy to understand and calibrate, it may be used to further the development of credit derivatives indexed to recovery rates, such as recovery swaps and digital default swaps, as well as provide recovery rate inputs for the implementation of Basel II.
Clinical and experimental features of MuSK antibody positive MG in Japan

We investigated the presence of antibodies (Abs) against muscle‐specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) in Japanese myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. MuSK Abs were found in 23 (27%) of 85 generalized seronegative MG (SNMG) patients but not in any of the ocular MG patients. MuSK Ab‐positive patients were characterized as having female dominance (M:F, 5:18), age range at onset 18 to 72 (median 45) years old, and prominent oculobulbar symptoms (100%) with neck (57%) or respiratory (35%) muscle weakness. Limb muscle weakness was comparatively less severe (52%), thymoma absent. Most patients had good responses to simple plasma exchange and steroid therapy. MuSK IgG from all 18 patients was exclusively the IgG 4 subclass and bound mainly with the MuSK Ig 1–2 domain. Serial studies of 12 individuals showed a close correlation between the variation in MuSK Ab titers and MG clinical severity (P = 0.01 by Kruskal–Wallis). MuSK Ab titers were sharply decreased in patients who had a good response to early steroid therapy or simple plasma exchange, but there was no change, or a rapid increase on exacerbation after thymectomy. Measurement of MuSK Ab titers aids in the diagnosis of MG and the monitoring of clinical courses after treatment.
Comparison of relative age of elite athletes participating in the 2008 Brazilian soccer championship series A and B

The relative age of athletes has raised the attention of many researchers. The focus of these investigations understands the interference of this parameter in the identification of talents and the training of future elite athletes. Thus, the aim of this paper was to to evaluate and compare the existence of differences between semesters and birth date quartiles in professional soccer participating in the Brazilian Soccer Championship Series A (1st division) and B (2nd division) in 2008. Fourty clubs that participated in the Brazilian Soccer Championship Series A and B were evaluated, totalizing 1022 players (483 players in the 1st division and 539 players in the 2nd division). The players were grouped per birth date into year quartiles and semesters. The data showed that there was a preference of clubs from the two championship series for hiring athletes born in the 1st semester. Further, differences were absent only between quartiles 2 and 3 and a clubs` preference for 1st quartile athletes was also observed. We can conclude that the relative age stands out as a variable in the elite soccer athlete selection and training, as the comparisons show the clubs` preference for athletes born early in the year.
Reflecting on Reflective Practice: (Re)Visiting Dewey and Schon.

PREAMBLE Since I began work in reflective practice, at first informally in the late 1970s and then more formally in the mid-1980s, I have always looked at reflective practice as a compass of sorts to guide teachers when they may be seeking direction (and I was and still am) as to what they are doing in their classrooms. The metaphor of reflection as a compass enables teachers to stop, look, and discover where they are at that moment and then decide where they want to go (professionally) in the future. My beginnings in reflective practice were very tentative, but I realized early in my second language teaching career in Korea that I was always interested in, and even worried about, the impact my classes were having (or not having) on students’ learning. For example, I remember wondering in the middle of one particular class if the group work I was making them do was actually useful for them or just easy for me to monitor and easier than teaching particular grammar items. Yes, I had all the latest readings at that time, especially those suggesting that it is better not to teach grammar overtly but to provide opportunities for students to use the language in class. I bought into all of this even though I wondered many times if the students in my classes were at times just practicing their mistakes—at that time, too, I had read that it is best not to correct each mistake because it threatens the students’ motivation to speak, so I let them practice speaking and only went over common errors at the end of each lesson. I remember thinking at the time that it was fine for me as a teacher
Setting up Community Policing Centers: Participatory Action Research in Decentralized Policing Services

Using the methodology of participatory action research (PAR), and utilizing focus groups made up of community, municipal and police representatives, chosen for their location and professional affiliation, four new community-policing centers were set up in a large city in Israel. The decentralization of policing services to neighborhoods, in the form of community policing centers, is part of the implementation strategy of community policing in the Israel Police which began in the mid 1990s. During the research study, the new community policing officers were able to build a framework for their daily activity, including a function profile and procedures that will enable them to work with all their potential partners effectively. The article describes the methodology, the findings of the research and provides practitioners - both police officers as well as their partners in the community - with recommendations for the steps necessary for setting-up a decentralized service suited to the community's specific needs.
Executive Functioning and Memory Strategy Use in Children with Autism

An executive functioning deficit in autism should be reflected in a low level of active strategy use on memory tasks. This study was a direct examination of memory strategy use in two problem-solving situations by children with autism. Two groups with autism were tested, one high-functioning group and one with moderate cognitive impairments. All participants took part in two memory experiments to examine the effect of changing the nature of the learning situation on strategy use: one experiment used a serial recall task, and the other a recall readiness task. In contrast to previous studies, significant spontaneous strategy use was found on both memory tasks, particularly among the high-functioning group. Similarly, changing task structure was found to have an important impact on increasing strategy use, particularly for the moderate-functioning group. However, the overall rate of strategy use for the children with autism was still lower than would be expected for non-handicapped groups. The results support an executive functioning deficit interpretation, but a deficit that is less extensive among high-functioning individuals. Practical implications of the study in terms of cognitive training are also discussed.
Antigen-Presenting Cells and their Fcγ and Toll-Like Receptors: Leading Suspects in Autoimmunity

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) play an important role in the development of autoimmune diseases. These cells recognize pathogen associated molecular patterns but also endogenously produced ligands through toll-like receptors (TLRs). Aberrant activation of these receptors and the following intracellular signaling pathways can induce the deleteri- ous production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In genetically predisposed individuals this might lead to a breach in toler- ance and eventually autoimmunity. IgG and IgG immune complexes (ICs), which are abundantly present in autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are recognized by APCs via Fc gamma receptors (Fc￻ Rs) and can also modulate their activation state. Upon their uptake specific antigens present in ICs are capable of stimulating APCs via their intracellular TLRs, increasing their capability to induce (autoreac- tive) T and B cell responses. This underscores their likely role in the generation and maintenance of autoimmunity. By fo- cusing on three autoimmune diseases, SLE, RA and SSc, we will illustrate the importance of TLRs and Fc￻ Rs in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.
The Big Five Personality Factors and Personal Values

The authors relate Big Five personality traits to basic values in a sample of 246 students. As hypothesized, Agreeableness correlates most positively with benevolence and tradition values, Openness with self-direction and universalism values, Extroversion with achievement and stimulation values, and Conscientiousness with achievement and conformity values. Correlations of values with facets of the five factors reveal nuances of the facets and clarify ambiguities in the meanings of the factors. Values and personality traits exhibit different patterns of correlation with religiosity and positive affect. Findings support the idea that the influence of values on behavior depends more on cognitive control than does the influence of traits.
'There but for the grace'...? Developing multi-disciplinary training following a local child death inquiry

This article describes the process of planning and running a training course for multi-disciplinary professionals in the wake of a local child death inquiry. The factors which influenced the content and management of the training experience are discussed, in particular the trainers' determination to encourage course participants to develop practice foresight rather than defensive reactions to what had emerged in the inquiry's findings. How the course was received by the practitioners, the work that was accomplished and the impact on the trainers of running a course in such circumstances are then highlighted.
Arterial epistaxis

If arterial ligation is contemplated and the site of bleeding has not been identified it is reasonable to ligate the external carotid or maxillary artery, on the basis that this vessel supplies the major part of the nose. If bleeding persists in spite of ligation, this does not mean that the wrong vessel has been tied off but that arterial anastomoses are allowing blood to seep from the ethmoidal to the sphenopalatine area of the nose. If the anterior ethmoidal artery is to be ligated it is worth remembering that in 14-3 per cent of cases the anterior ethmoidal artery is absent unilaterally and in 2-4 per cent of cases absent bilaterally (Shaheen, 1967). The presence of a foramen with a periosteal cuff going through it does not necessarily mean that there is an artery present (Fig. 23). Finally, the blood vessel changes which occur and which are responisble for the persistence of nose bleeds in the elderly are a collagenous change in the muscle coat of medium and small arteries and calcification (not atheroma) in the larger feeding vessels.
Computational Thermochemistry and Benchmarking of Reliable Methods

During the first and second years of the Computational Thermochemistry and Benchmarking of Reliable Methods project, we completed several studies using the parallel computing capabilities of the NWChem software and Molecular Science Computing Facility (MSCF), including large-scale density functional theory (DFT), second-order Moeller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory, and CCSD(T) calculations. During the third year, we continued to pursue the computational thermodynamic and benchmarking studies outlined in our proposal. With the issues affecting the robustness of the coupled cluster part of NWChem resolved, we pursued studies of the heats-of-formation of compounds containing 5 to 7 first- and/or second-row elements and approximately 10 to 14 hydrogens. The size of these systems, when combined with the large basis sets (cc-pVQZ and aug-cc-pVQZ) that are necessary for extrapolating to the complete basis set limit, creates a formidable computational challenge, for which NWChem on NWMPP1 is well suited.
Symmetry and sexual dimorphism in human faces: interrelated preferences suggest both signal quality

Symmetry and masculinity in human faces have been proposed to be cues to the quality of the owner. Accordingly, symmetry is generally found attractive in male and female faces, and femininity is attractive in female faces. Women's preferences for male facial masculinity vary in ways that may maximize genetic benefits to women's offspring. Here we examine same- and opposite-sex preferences for both traits (Study 1) and intercorrelations between preferences for symmetry and sexual dimorphism in faces (Study 1 and Study 2) using computer-manipulated faces. For symmetry, we found that male and female judges preferred symmetric faces more when judging faces of the opposite-sex than when judging same-sex faces. A similar pattern was seen for sexual dimorphism (i.e., women preferred more masculine male faces than men did), but women also showed stronger preferences for femininity in female faces than men reported. This suggests that women are more concerned with female femininity than are men. We also found that in women, preferences for symmetry were positively correlated with preferences for masculinity in male faces and that in men preferences for symmetry were positively correlated with preferences for femininity in female faces. These latter findings suggest that symmetry and sexual dimorphism advertise a common quality in faces or that preferences for these facial cues are dependent on a common quality in the judges. Collectively, our findings support the view that preferences for symmetry and sexual dimorphism are related to mechanisms involved in sexual selection and mate choice rather than functionless by-products of other perceptual mechanisms. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
A nonlinear model predictive control framework approximating noise corrupted systems with hybrid transition densities

In this paper, a framework for nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) for heavily noise-affected systems is presented. Within this framework, the noise influence, which originates from uncertainties during model identification or measurement, is explicitly considered. This leads to a significant increase in the control quality. One part of the proposed framework is the efficient state prediction, which is necessary for NMPC. It is based on transition density approximation by hybrid transition densities, which allows efficient closed-form state prediction of time-variant nonlinear systems with continuous state spaces in discrete time. Another part of the framework is a versatile value function representation using Gaussian mixtures, Dirac mixtures, and even a combination of both. Based on these methods, an efficient closed-form algorithm for calculating an approximate value function of the NMPC optimal control problem employing dynamic programming is presented. Thus, also very long optimization horizons can be used and furthermore it is possible to calculate the value function off-line, which reduces the on-line computational burden significantly. The capabilities of the framework and especially the benefits that can be gained by incorporating the noise in the controller are illustrated by the example of a miniature walking robot following a given path.
Understanding the CEO/CIO Relationship

The need for top management involvement in the exploitation of information technology (IT) is a recurring theme of information management. Previous research has suggested that this involvement is linked, with a two-way relationship between CEO and CIO. This paper reports on an exploratory research study that set out to identify the determinants of a successful two-way relationship. CEOs and ClOs were interviewed in-depth in 14 large organizations based in the United Kingdom. This paper describes an explanatory framework that links the quality of the CEO/CIO relationship to identified attributes of each of the parties, and of their host organization. Successful relationships seem to be linked to a shared vision of the role of IT as an agent of transformation. The ClOs in these successful relationships may have extensive IT backAn earlier version of this paper appears in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems, held in Dallas, Texas, December 13-16, 1992. grounds, but they are accepted into the top management team and are seen to contribute beyond their functional responsibilities.