Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Randomized Evaluation of Ohio's Personalized Assessment Reporting System (PARS)

In the 2006–07 school year, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) launched a pilot of its Personalized Assessment Reporting System (PARS) for the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT). The PARS program included several new OGT test score reports for teachers, administrators, students, and parents along with two new websites for educators and students. The new PARS test score reports and associated websites are designed to provide teachers, administrators, students and parents with more detailed information about student performance as well as numerous suggestions and resources for improving performance. One of the primary goals of PARS is to increase student motivation to pass the OGT and graduate high school. ODE hopes that by providing clear and detailed information to each student about his or her performance relative to the state standards, along with resources for improving performance and planning for the future, PARS may lead to improvements in student attitudes and behaviors that are fundamental to success in high school and beyond. Research suggests that grades or scores in the absence of constructive feedback can have a detrimental effect on student achievement (Butler 1987; 1988). The PARS reports are designed to provide this kind of detailed constructive feedback. Furthermore, by providing clear and detailed information to teachers and administrators about student performance, along with tools for making sense of the data and resources for improving and targeting instruction, PARS has the potential to inform numerous aspects of instruction. This research report presents program evaluation findings from the first-year pilot of PARS. The primary goals for the evaluation were to (a) document the implementation of the program and (b) provide scientifically based evidence of potential impacts on instruction and student learning. The evaluation involved a district random assignment design and a mixed-methods approach to measuring program implementation and impacts. A total of 100 high schools in 60 school districts participated in this research, with 51 schools in 30 districts randomly assigned to participate in the PARS pilot during the 2006–07 school year. A subsample of 5 schools agreed to site visits during which researchers conducted interviews with teachers and students to learn more about PARS. Disciplines Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Administration and Supervision | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods Comments View on the CPRE website. This report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/cpre_researchreports/50 December 2007 University of Pennsylvania Teachers College Columbia University
IDENTIFICATION OF AN ISOLATE OF ZUCCHINI YELLOW MOSAIC POTYVIRUS INFECTING SQUASH IN EGYPT

Squash is considered as one of the important vegetable crops worldwide including Egypt. Zucchini yellow mosaic potyvirus (ZYMV) is reported to be the most series viruses infecting cucurbits. In this study, an Egyptian isolate of ZYMV infecting squash plant (Cucurbita pepo cv. Eskandarani) was identified based on its biological, serological, and molecular properties. The isolate appeared severe mosaic, vein banding and deformation the infected squash plant under open field and greenhouse conditions. Positive reactions with polyclonal antibodies specific to ZYMV were obtained when samples were subjected to direct antigen coated (DAC)-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The electron microscopy of purified virus prepared from ZYMV-infected squash plants, showed the presence of filamentous virus-like particles measuring 750X13 nm. The viral isolate was confirmed to be belonging to Potyviruses group through producing cylindrical inclusions (pinwheels, scroll, and laminated aggregates) in the cytoplasm of cells infected with ZYMV. At the level of molecular characterization, the cylindrical inclusions (CI) protein and nuclear inclusions (NIb) genes of the ZYMV-EG isolate comprised 1902, and 1551 nucleotides, and encoding 634 and 517 amino acids protein, respectivelyand their similarities to some overseas isolates were addressed. The two genes appeared 100% homology compared to ZYMV TW-TN3 strain (AF127929).
The Rapid Growth of Indigenous Populations in Lowland Latin America

In contrast to the rich scholarship documenting the traumatic postcontact destruction of indigenous populations in the Latin American tropics, little is known about their contemporary population dynamics. What accounts for the “demographic turnaround” reported for some groups? How widespread is population recovery, and what are its implications for indigenous political resurgence? We address these questions by compiling recent (post-1980) demographic indicators for over one hundred lowland indigenous populations. Despite remarkable socioeconomic and cultural diversity among these groups, we find compelling evidence that they nevertheless share a common trajectory of very rapid growth over the past two decades, especially in contrast to non-indigenous populations. We briefly review the implications of their dramatic physical resurgence and show how closer attention to this phenomenon is overdue. We discuss the relevance of indigenous societies’ recovery to scholarship and praxis in the areas of health and education, cultural and political gains, and demographic theory.
Carb / Protein Hydrolysate & Time-Trial Performance 1 CARBOHYDRATE AND PROTEIN HYDROLYSATE CO-INGESTION IMPROVES LATE-EXERCISE TIME-TRIAL PERFORMANCE

Purpose: This study examined if a CHO + casein hydrolysate (CHO+ProH) beverage improved time-trial performance versus a CHO beverage delivering ~60 g CHO·hr -1 . Markers of muscle disruption and recovery were also assessed. Methods: Thirteen male cyclists (VO2peak = 60.8±1.6 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 ) completed two computer-simulated 60 km time-trials, consisting of three laps of a 20 km course concluding with a 5 km climb (~5% grade). Subjects consumed 200 ml of CHO (6%) or CHO+ProH beverage (6% + 1.8% protein hydrolysate) every 5 km, and 500 ml of beverage immediately post-exercise. Beverage treatments were administered using a randomly counterbalanced, double-blind design. Plasma creatine phosphokinase (CK) and muscle soreness ratings were assessed immediately before and 24-hours following cycling. Results: Mean 60 km times were 134.4±4.6 and 135.0±4.0 min for CHO+ProH and CHO beverages, respectively. All of the time differences between treatments occurred during the final lap, with protein hydrolysate ingestion explaining a significant (p<0.05) proportion of between-trial differences over the final 20 km (44.3±1.6, 45.0±1.6 min) and final 5 km (16.5±0.6, 16.9±0.6 min). Plasma CK levels and muscle soreness ratings increased significantly following the CHO trial (161±53, 399±175 U·L -1 ; 15.8±5.1; 37.6±5.7 mm), but not the CHO+ProH trial (115±21, 262±88 U·L -1 ; 20.9±5.3; 32.2±7.1 mm). Conclusions: Lateexercise time-trial performance was enhanced with CHO+ProH beverage ingestion compared to a beverage containing carbohydrate provided at maximal exogenous oxidation rates during exercise. CHO+ProH ingestion also prevented increases in plasma CK and muscle soreness following exercise.
A PROBABILISTIC PROOF OF THE VITALI COVERING LEMMA

The classical Vitali Covering Lemma on R states that there exists a constant c > 0 such that, given a finite collection of intervals {Ij} in R, there exists a disjoint subcollection {Ĩj} ⊆ {Ij} such that | ∪ Ĩj | ≥ c| ∪ Ij |. We provide a new proof of this covering lemma using probabilistic techniques and Padovan numbers.
Genetic characterization of Cycas panzhihuaensis 2 ( Cycadaceae ) : crisis lurks behind a seemingly bright 3 prospect 4 5

Cycas panzhihuaensis L. Zhou & S. Y. Yang (Cycadaceae) is an endangered gymnosperm species endemic in the dry-hot valley of Jinsha River basin from southwest China. Although the wild C. panzhihuaensis population from Panzhihua Cycad Natural Reserve is well protected, other known populations that fall outside the natural reserve may preserve specific genetic resources while face with larger extinction risk because of lacking essential monitoring.
Durability of Bond between High-Temperature Cement Composites and Carbon Steel

This work evaluates cement-carbon-steel (CS) bond strength for cement composites cured in simulated field environments (water, alkali carbonate, geothermal brine) at 300C and the bond durability under thermal-shock conditions (TS), in acidic brine and scCO2 brine at 90C. The formulations included alkali-activated cements (Thermal Shock Resistant Cement, TSRC; fly ash F and C blend; slag/SiO2 blend, all activated with sodium metasilicate), chemical bond cement (calcium phosphate cement, CaP) and class G/ SiO2 blend. All blends were modified with carbon and glass microfibers for improved performance. TSRC performed the best under all conditions, showing the strongest and most durable bond. Class G/SiO2 survived TS tests but lost 80% of the original bond strength. Slag/SiO2 crumbled during the first heating cycle at 300C. All bonds survived the scCO2/brine exposure. Only TSRC-CS bond lasted 30 days in the strongly acidic brine.
Assessment of C-reactive protein titer in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is acute-phase reactant that is increased during inflammation, infection and tissue damage. CRP titer can be a useful marker for disease progression and effectiveness of treatment. Objectives: To evaluate the serum Creactive protein titer as a predictive marker for the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Patients and methods: one hundred and five patients with chronic HBV infection and 117 apparently healthy individuals as a control group were enrolled in the present study. The patients include 69 (65.7%) males with mean age 32.4 ± 11.8 years and 36 (34.3%) females with mean age 35.2 ±12.2 years. The control group includes 57(48.7%) females with mean age 23.2 ± 5.9 years and 60 (51.3%) males with mean age 28.7 ± 5.9 years. The diagnosis of chronic HBV infection was based on detection of HbsAg in the patient's sera. Assessment of CRP titer was done using semi-quantitative tube agglutination test. All data were statistically analyzed. Results: Using the 95% percentile, the baseline CRP titer among healthy controls was 1/8 (16 mg/L), and for patients with chronic HBV infection was 1:32 (64 mg/L), with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.001). The validity of CRP titer at 1:16 as cut-off value was found to be reasonably sensitive (55%) and highly specific (96%) with a test accuracy of (77%) for differentiating between healthy controls and patients when the clinical suspicion was 50%. Conclusion: When the clinical suspicion was 50%, the CRP titer at 1:16 may be of value as a predictive marker for differentiation between healthy individuals and patients with chronic HBV infection.
Productivity Growth across European Regions : the Impact of Structural and Cohesion Funds ∗

This paper analyses the impact of the European Union regional policy on the productivity growth of European regions. In the three programming periods we examined (1975-1988, 1989-1993 and 1994-1999) we find that Structural and Cohesion Funds have a positive effect on productivity growth, but the main effect is exerted by Objective 1 funds. Funds distributed to reach Objectives different from 1 have a negative (Objective 2) or nonsignificant effect on productivity. Secondly, the largest effect is found for the programming periods 1989-1993 and 1994-1999 when the size of the funds significantly increased and the allocation rules were reformed. Finally, the results are robust to funds’ endogeneity and spatial dependence.
COMPARISON OF NUTRITIONAL INTAKE OF HOME SCHOOL CHILDREN AND PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN: A COMPARISON STUDY

OF THESIS COMPARISON OF NUTRITIONAL INTAKE OF HOME SCHOOL CHILDREN AND PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN: A COMPARISON STUDY: Purpose: To compare selected food /nutrient consumption between families that educate their children at home with those that educate their children in the public school system. Methods: The study sample included 112 children aged 7-11 years in Fayette Co Kentucky. The children were divided into groups according type of education. There were 65 home-schooled children and 47 children who attend public school. Subjects recorded their dietary intake for one week. The data were analyzed using Nutrition Data Software for Research (2006). Comparisons were made for the intake of selected nutrients using two tailed independent sample t-tests. Results: The public school students had a lower intake of Total Energy (calories, P=0.01), Total Fat (P= 0.02), Total Carbohydrate (P= 0.04), Total Protein (P= 0.004) and Total Dietary Fiber (P= 0.02) and selenium (P= 0.000) than did their home-schooled counterparts. Conclusion: Interpretation of the statistical analysis indicates that differences for consumption exist between the groups. The results of this study indicate that the public school children consumed less fat, protein, carbohydrates and sucrose than did their home school cohort.
Evaluation of the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative: First Annual Report

In October 2012, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in a unique collaboration between public and private health care payers, launched the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative to improve primary care delivery in seven regions across the United States. This first annual report to CMS describes the implementation and impacts of CPC over its first year.
A Dynamic Duopoly with Endogenous Horizontal and Vertical Differentiation ∗

We use a computational methodology to incorporate endogenous horizontal differentiation into a dynamic stochastic model of quality investment under duopolistic competition. Vertical differentiation takes the form of a quality ladder; horizontal differentiation is Hotelling competition. We first solve analytically for the Markov-perfect equilibria in a model with no quality investment and deterministic transitions in horizontal differentiation. We then use the Pakes-McGuire algorithm to compute equilibria when both horizontal and vertical differentiation are endogenous. Multiple equilibria are sometimes observed – we draw on the results of our deterministic model to argue for uniqueness in certain ranges of the parameters. Within these ranges we analyze the effects on the industry’s long-run innovation rate of changes in: (a) consumer transport costs, and (b) the costs of horizontal differentiation. More competition in the form of lower transport costs may have a U-shaped effect on innovation, rather than the inverse-U reported in earlier studies. The effect of less costly horizontal differentiation depends on the degree of consumer taste heterogeneity. Less costly differentiation raises innovation if taste heterogeneity is high, and lowers it otherwise. ∗We are grateful for helpful comments to seminar participants at Texas and Texas
ADMMBO: Bayesian Optimization with Unknown Constraints using ADMM

There exist many problems in science and engineering that involve optimization of an unknown or partially unknown objective function. Recently, Bayesian Optimization (BO) has emerged as a powerful tool for solving optimization problems whose objective functions are only available as a black box and are expensive to evaluate. Many practical problems, however, involve optimization of an unknown objective function subject to unknown constraints. This is an important yet challenging problem for which, unlike optimizing an unknown function, existing methods face several limitations. In this paper, we present a novel constrained Bayesian optimization framework to optimize an unknown objective function subject to unknown constraints. We introduce an equivalent optimization by augmenting the objective function with constraints, introducing auxiliary variables for each constraint, and forcing the new variables to be equal to the main variable. Building on the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) algorithm, we propose ADMM-Bayesian Optimization (ADMMBO) to solve the problem in an iterative fashion. Our framework leads to multiple unconstrained subproblems with unknown objective functions, which we then solve via BO. Our method resolves several challenges of state-of-the-art techniques: it can start from infeasible points, is insensitive to initialization, can efficiently handle 'decoupled problems' and has a concrete stopping criterion. Extensive experiments on a number of challenging BO benchmark problems show that our proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in terms of the speed of obtaining a feasible solution and convergence to the global optimum as well as minimizing the number of total evaluations of unknown objective and constraints functions.
SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN THE OVARY AND TESTIS OF ERIPHIA VERRUCOSA ( FORSKÅL , 1775 ) ( CRUSTACEA : DECAPODA ) FROM KARABURUN , SW BLACK SEA

The present study describes the gametogenic cycle in an economically important and endangered crab species Eriphia verrucosa (Forskål, 1775) in Black Sea. The ovary and testis developed throughout the year and spawning occurred from late July to the end of August. The change in water temperature correlated with the reproductive cycle of E. verrucosa, whereas the salinity and dissolved oxygen did not show any correlation.
Falling Demand Shock Declining Prices Balance Sheet Effects 1 2 3

This paper provides an introduction to the new economics of prudential capital controls in emerging economies. This literature is based on the notion that there are externalities associated with financial crises because individual market participants do not internalize their contribution to aggregate financial instability. We describe financial crises as situations in which an emerging economy loses access to international financial markets and experiences a feedback loop in which declining aggregate demand, falling exchange rates and asset prices, and deteriorating balance sheets mutually reinforce each other – a common phenomenon in recent emerging market crises. Individual market participants take aggregate prices and financial conditions as given and do not internalize their contribution to financial instability when they choose their actions. As a result they impose externalities in the form of greater financial instability on each other, and the private financing decisions of individuals are distorted towards excessive risk-taking. Prudential capital controls can induce private agents to internalize their externalities and thereby increase macroeconomic stability and enhance welfare. JEL Codes: F34, F41, E44, H23
Biocompatibil ity Of ReOss ® in Powder and Putty Configurations

biomaterial based on PLGA (Poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/nanoescale hydroxyapatite (ReOss®, Intra-Lock International) through microscopic morphology, in vitro cytotoxicity, biocompatibility and in vivo response as a bone substitute. SEM and EDS characterized the biomaterials before/after grafting. Cytocompatibility was assessed with murine preosteoblasts. Osteoconductivity and biocompatibility were evaluated in White New Zealand rabbits. Both configurations were implanted in the calvaria of eighteen animals in noncritical size defects, with blood clot as the control group. After 30, 60 and 90 days, the animals were euthanized and the fragments containing the biomaterials and controls were harvested. Bone blocks were embedded in paraffin (n=15) aiming at histological and histomorphometric analysis, and in resin (n=3) aiming at SEM and EDS. Before implantation, the putty configuration showed both a porous and a fibrous morphological phase. Powder revealed porous particles with variable granulometry. EDS showed calcium, carbon, and oxygen in putty configuration, while powder also showed phosphorus. After implantation EDS revealed calcium, carbon, and oxygen in both configurations. The materials were considered cytotoxic by the XTT test. Histological analysis showed new bone formation and no inflammatory reaction at implant sites. However, the histomorphometric analysis indicated that the amount of newly formed bone was not statistically different between experimental groups. Although both materials presented in vitro cytotoxicity, they were biocompatible and osteoconductive. The configuration of ReOss® affected morphological characteristics and the in vitro cytocompatibility but did not impact on the in vivo biological response, as measured by the present model. I n V i t r o a n d I n V i v o Biocompatibil ity Of ReOss® in Powder and Putty Configurations
Cytopathology of the lower female genital tract : an integrated approach

Cytology of the cervix the histology of the uterine cervix the macroscopic appearance of the uterine cervix molecular biology for the pathologist low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions squamous cell carcinoma adenocarcinoma of the cervix the papanicolaou smear of squamous atypia microorganisms of the cervix and vagina protocols for in situ hybridization and in situ localization of PCR-amplified DNA and CDNA challenging cases.
Hospice Volunteerism in Residents of a Skilled Nursing Facility

Volunteering within their community greatly benefits older adults, contributing to increased optimism, self-perceived health, and feelings of connectedness. However, most of the literature examines the volunteerism of community dwelling seniors, with few studies examining the experiences of older adult volunteers living in care facilities. The present study aims to compare the motives and experiences of community dwelling volunteers with a sample of four residents of Bayside Care Center that participated in hospice volunteer training. Two focus groups were conducted with the residents following their training, and the recorded contents were transcribed for qualitative analysis. Results indicated that this group of older adults exhibited similar motivations to community dwelling seniors in the existing literature. However, due to delays in the program’s implementation, the present study was unable to examine whether hospice volunteerism resulted in similar benefits for this population.
STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT ON A SCHOOL INVESTIGATION ABOUT SIMPLE ELECTRIC CIRCUITS

II Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação: Conhecimento e Inclusão Social, Belo Horizonte, MG Brasil. ABSTRACT: Laboratory in Physics teaching can serve many pedagogical objectives. One of the proposals to physics labs involves the use of investigative activities. In this paper, we present the results of a study about high school students’ engagement in an investigative activity about electrical circuits. The aim of this study was to characterize the engagement of these students in this activity. The research was conducted in a Brazilian federal high school located in Belo Horizonte/Minas Gerais. We recorded groups of three to four year students during physics lab lessons. The data analysis was based on the concept of engagement and its indicators established in research literature. The results reveal that all students exhibited involvement in the activity but not all engaged in tasks proposed in it. Among the students who engaged in tasks, we identified variations in the quality of their involvement.