Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Everyday Experiences In Teaching Mathematics: A Case Study Of Change In Malawian Classrooms

Abstract Proponents of education reform in Malawi have recently recognized the need to provide secondary education that is more responsive to the needs and realities of society. The research being reported in this article investigated teachers' experiences in experimenting with the use of everyday experiences in teaching mathematics in two schools in Malawi. This study explored the extent to which teachers' classroom practices and their views of mathematics teaching changed, as a consequence of using everyday experiences in their classrooms. The results show that there were limited changes in teachers' practices and their views of mathematics teaching due to teachers' emphasis on meeting school examination requirements. For these changes to have occurred, considerable teaching commitments were required.
Fibromatosis: a potential sequela of neuromuscular choristoma.

OBJECT Neuromuscular choristoma (NMC) is a rare peripheral nerve lesion in which mature skeletal muscle fibers lie within the nerve and its fascicles. Given limited follow-up, its natural history is poorly understood. The occurrence of aggressive fibromatosis in one of the authors' patients and its occurrence in reported cases suggests an etiological relationship between the 2 lesions. This study attempts to explain the association and its frequency. METHODS All cases of NMCs seen in consultation or treated at the Mayo Clinic were identified. Demographic and clinical data were reviewed in cases with coexistent aggressive fibromatosis. Pathology and neuroimaging studies were reexamined. In addition, an extensive literature review was performed to explore the association of NMC with aggressive fibromatosis, with special attention given to pathological and imaging characteristics and the development of aggressive fibromatosis. RESULTS The authors identified 10 patients with a diagnosis of NMC who were treated at the Mayo Clinic between 1992 and 2010. Four of 5 with adequate follow-up had developed a definite or suspected aggressive fibromatosis. A review of the initial pathological specimens in these cases revealed no evidence of fibromatosis, but all of the lesions exhibited accompanying hypocellular collagenous tissue. On MR images, all cases showed areas of low signal intensity, which significantly differed from muscle, nerve, and NMC components. On available serial MR imaging studies, aggressive fibromatosis seemed to originate in such lower-intensity regions. In the 18 previously reported cases of NMC, 5 patients developed recurrent masses diagnosed as either definite (2 cases) or possible (3 cases) fibromatosis. Review of the published imaging studies in these cases suggests the presence of lower intensity areas similar to those observed in the 10 patients treated at the Mayo Clinic. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms that the development of aggressive fibromatosis in patients with NMC has been underreported. A direct relationship between the NMC and the development of aggressive fibromatosis is suggested by pathological and neuroimaging evidence.
Hyperthermia increases sensitivity of pulmonary C‐fibre afferents in rats

This study was carried out to investigate whether an increase in tissue temperature alters the excitability of vagal pulmonary C‐fibres. Single‐unit afferent activities of 88 C‐fibres were recorded in anaesthetized and artificially ventilated rats when the intrathoracic temperature (Tit) was maintained at three different levels by isolated perfusion of the thoracic chamber with saline: control (C: ∼36°C), medium (M: ∼38.5°C) and high (H: ∼41°C), each for 3 min with 30 min recovery. Our results showed: (1) The baseline fibre activity (FA) of pulmonary C‐fibres did not change significantly at M, but increased drastically (>5‐fold) at H. (2) The C‐fibre response to right‐atrial injection of capsaicin (0.5 μg kg−1) was markedly elevated at H (ΔFA = 5.94 ± 1.65 impulses s−1 at C and 13.13 ± 2.98 impulses s−1 at H; P < 0.05), but not at M. Similar increases in the C‐fibre responses to other chemical stimulants (e.g. adenosine, etc.) were found at H; all the enhanced responses returned to control in 30 min. (3) The C‐fibre response to lung inflation was also significantly potentiated at H. In sharp contrast, there was no detectable change in either the baseline activity or the responses to lung inflation and deflation in 10 rapidly adapting pulmonary receptors and 10 slowly adapting pulmonary receptors at either M or H. (4) The enhanced C‐fibre sensitivity was not altered by pretreatment with indomethacin or capsazepine, a selective antagonist of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptor, but was significantly attenuated by ruthenium red that is known to be an effective blocker of all TRPV channels. (5) The response of pulmonary C‐fibres to a progressive increase in Tit in a ramp pattern further showed that baseline FA started to increase when Tit exceeded 39.2°C. In conclusion, a pronounced increase in the baseline activity and excitability of pulmonary C‐fibres is induced by intrathoracic hyperthermia, and this enhanced sensitivity probably involves activation of temperature‐sensitive ion channel(s), presumably one or more of the TRPV receptors, expressed on the C‐fibre endings.
Comparison of DNA apoptosis in mouse and human blastocysts after vitrification and slow freezing

Vitrification is a novel cryopreservation method for mammalian blastocysts. This study was designed to compare different vitrification methods and slow freezing for their effects on survival rate and DNA integrity in mouse and human blastocysts. In Experiment 1, embryo survival and DNA integrity were compared between mouse blastocysts with collapsed and non‐collapsed blastoceles. In Experiment 2, embryo survival and DNA integrity were compared between vitrified and slow‐frozen mouse blastocysts. In Experiment 3, embryo survival and DNA integrity were compared between vitrified and slow‐frozen human blastocysts. Fresh blastocysts were used as controls in all experiments. Higher (P < 0.05) blastocyst survival rates were obtained in mouse blastocysts vitrified with collapsed versus intact blastoceles, although DNA‐integrity indices in the surviving blastocysts were the same among vitrified and fresh blastocysts. More mouse blastocysts (P < 0.05) survived after vitrification (100%) as compared to slow freezing (82.5%). DNA‐integrity indices examined in the surviving blastocysts were also higher (P < 0.001) in fresh (93.6%) and vitrified/warmed (93.7%) blastocysts than in slow‐frozen/thawed (75.8%) ones. More human blastocysts survived with a higher DNA‐integrity index after vitrification/warming than after slow freezing/thawing. These results indicate that higher survival rates can be obtained by vitrification of blastocele‐collapsed blastocysts, and that vitrification causes less cell apoptosis in both mouse and human blastocysts compared to slow freezing. Vitrification of blastocysts after blastocele collapse by single laser pulse supports a higher survival rate and less DNA apoptosis, suggesting that laser blastocele collapse is a safe procedure for blastocyst vitrification. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 229–236, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Diminution of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The substantia nigra was examined immunohistochemically using the antibody to tyrosine hydroxylase in 15 patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The number of dopaminergic neurons was diminished in the substantia nigra of seven cases. The diminution was not related to the age, duration of the illness or use of respirators. Supranuclear ophthalmoplegia developed in four and dementia in three out of seven patients with reduction of nigral dopaminergic neurons. In addition, five out of the seven patients developed respiratory failure within 2 years after the onset of the illness. The nigral dopaminergic system may be involved in rapidly progressive ALS patients with supranuclear ophthalmoplegia and/or dementia.
Pravastatin attenuates lower torso ischaemia-reperfusion-induced lung injury by upregulating constitutive endothelial nitric oxide synthase.

OBJECTIVES to elicit whether pre-treatment with pravastatin will prevent or ameliorate the acute lung injury that occurs following lower torso ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) in an experimental animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomised into three groups (n=7/group). The control group underwent a sham laparotomy and aortic dissection. The second group underwent infrarenal aortic cross clamping for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 120 min. The third group pre-treated with pravastatin sodium (0.4 mg/kg/day over 5 days) were again subjected to an ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. The parameters used to assess lung injury included: Wet to dry lung weight ratio (W:D), myeloperoxidase activity (MPO), protein concentration (BALprot) and neutrophil count (BAL PMN) of bronchoaveolar lavage fluid. Western blotting was used to determine the expression of constitutive endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) within lung tissue. RESULTS IR causes an acute lung injury as indicated by statistically significant differences in W:D lung weight ratios, MPO activity, neutrophil count and BALprotein concentration in the IR group over that of controls. Pre-treatment with pravastatin attenuated this neutrophil infiltration and microvascular leakage. The pravastatin group showed a marked increased expression of ecNOS over that of the IR group and controls. CONCLUSION this data indicates that pre-treatment with pravastatin protects against ischaemia-reperfusion induced lung injury in an experimental animal model. We believe that its mechanism of action involves an upregulation of ecNOS, which increases basal expression of nitric oxide providing protective effects on the pulmonary circulation against microvascular injury.
Cross-species transferability of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) nuclear microsatellite markers to five Mexican white pines.

We examined cross-species transferability and usefulness of six nuclear microsatellite markers developed in consubgeneric eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) with regard to ecologically and commercially important Mexican white pine species of conservation genetics concern: Pinus chiapensis (Mart.) Andresen, P. flexilis James, P. strobiformis Engelm. , P. ayacahuite Ehrenb. Ex Schltdl, and P. ayacahuite var. veitchii (Roezl) G.R. Shaw. Four to six microsatellite loci were found to be polymorphic in different species, with moderate to high informativeness in a relatively small number of samples (PIC/HE=0.25-0.93). This successful transfer sidesteps the time- and resource-consuming development of species-specific microsatellite markers, and will facilitate population and conservation genetic studies and genetic resource management of the less studied Mexican white pines.
Cardiac Output Monitoring in Intensive Care Patients by Radial Artery Pressure Waveform Analysis

We have developed a novel technique for monitoring cardiac output (CO) changes by mathematically analyzing a single peripheral arterial blood pressure (ABP) waveform. In contrast to all previous techniques, our technique analyzes the ABP waveform over time scales greater than a cardiac cycle in which complex wave reflections are attenuated. We have previously validated the technique in swine instrumented with aortic flow probes. We present here an initial evaluation of the technique in 16 patient records of the MIMIC (Multi-parameter Intelligent Monitoring for Intensive Care) database, consisting of 122 simultaneous pairs of radial ABP waveforms and thermodilution CO. We report an overall error in the technique of 18.1% with respect to the error-prone clinical thermodilution measurements. This study promotes thorough future testing of the technique in humans.
Size dependence of the Burridge-Knopoff model

Earthquakes are not periodic phenomena and their size distribution obeys the power law, the so-called Gutenberg-Richter's law [1, 2]. It is well known that the Gutenberg-Richter's law is reproduced by the Burridge-Knopoff model [3], which is a kind of spring-block model between two tectonic plates. The mechanism of the Gutenberg-Richter's law is usually explained in the context of self-organized criticality (SOC) proposed by Bak et al. [4]. It is observed in recent research, however, that the deviation from the Gutenberg-Richter's law becomes larger for longer faults [5]. We simulated numerically the Burridge-Knopoff model in one dimension with special attention to the dependence on the model size, that is the number of blocks. It is shown that the range where the power law holds becomes narrower as the number of blocks increases [6]. We also discuss the relation between the dimensionality of the system and the size distribution.
Correlation between glucose transporter type-1 expression and 18F-FDG uptake on PET in oral cancer

Objectives: Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) is a non-invasive diagnostic tool for many human cancers wherein glucose uptake transporter-1 (GLUT-1) acts as a main transporter in the uptake of 18F-FDG in cancer cells. Increased expression of glucose transporter-1 has been reported in many human cancers. In this study, we investigated the correlation between 18F-FDG accumulation and expression of GLUT-1 in oral cancer. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 42 patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and malignant salivary gland tumor as confirmed by histology. 42 patients underwent pre-operative 18F-FDG PET, with the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) measured in each case. Immunohistochemical staining was done for each histological specimen, and results were evaluated post-operatively according to the percentage (%) of positive area, intensity, and staining score. Results: For OSCC, SUVmax significantly increased as T stage of tumor classification increased. For malignant salivary gland tumor, SUVmax significantly increased as T stage of tumor classification increased. For OSCC, GLUT-1 was expressed in all 36 cases. GLUT-1 staining score (GSS) increased as T stage of tumor classification increased, with the difference statistically significant. For malignant salivary gland tumor, GLUT-1 expression was observed in all 6 cases; average GSS was significantly higher in patients with cervical lymph node metastasis than that in patients without cervical lymph node metastasis. Average GSS was higher in OSCC (11.11±1.75) than in malignant salivary gland tumor (5.33±3.50). No statistically significant correlation between GSS and SUVmax was observed in OSCC or in malignant salivary gland tumor. Conclusion: We found no statistically significant correlation between GSS and SUVmax in OSCC or in malignant salivary gland tumor. Studies on the various uses of GLUT during 18F-FDG uptake and SUV and GLUT as tumor prognosis factor need to be conducted through further investigation with large samples.
Interparent Childrearing Disagreement, but not Dissimilarity, Predicts Child Problems after Controlling for Parenting Effectiveness

Parental differences regarding childrearing may be operationalized as actual dissimilarity in the parenting actions or goals of the parents, or as perceived conflict or disagreement related to these dissimilarities. This study tested whether these two types of parental differences are each associated with child problems, independent of the contributions of parenting effectiveness. A community sample of 160 couples with a firstborn child (ages 2–5 years) participated. Mothers and fathers independently completed measures of childrearing disagreement, parenting behaviors and goals, and child behavior. Interparent childrearing disagreement accounted for unique variance in child internalizing and externalizing problems, even after controlling for family income, marital satisfaction, and parenting effectiveness. Dissimilarity in mother and father parenting behaviors (but not goals) was associated with child problems at the bivariate level, but not after controlling for parenting effectiveness.
Inactivation of Stac3 causes skeletal muscle defects and perinatal death in mice

The Src homology 3 domain (SH3) and cysteine rich domain (C1) 3 (Stac3) gene is a novel gene copiously expressed in skeletal muscle. The objective of this research was to determine the role of Stac3 in development, specifically in skeletal muscle. We achieved this objective by evaluating the phenotypic effects of Stac3 gene inactivation on development in mice. At birth homozygous Stac3 null (Stac3-/-) mice died perinatally and remained in fetal position with limp limbs, but possessed otherwise normal organs based on gross and histological evaluations. The primary phenotypes displayed at term in Stac3-/mice were reduced late gestational body weights, increased prevalence of myotubes with centrally located nuclei and severe deformities throughout all skeletal muscles. At embryonic day 18.5 (E18.5) Stac3-/mice displayed a 12.7% reduction (P < 0.001) in weight compared to wild type (Stac3+/+) or heterozygous (Stac3+/-) littermates while at E15.5 body weights and morphology were similar. At birth (P0) and at E17.5, Stac3-/mice had 59% and 24% (P < 0.001) more myotubes with centrally located nuclei, respectively, than Stac3+/or Stac3+/+ littermates. Stac3-/mice also displayed increased myotube and myofiber cross sectional area at P0 (P < 0.001) and E17.5 (P < 0.05) with disorganized fiber bundling. Overall, these data show Stac3 is necessary for development of viable offspring and suggest Stac3 plays a critical role in fetal development where its primary phenotype is exhibited in skeletal muscle.
Pharmacokinetics of Treprostinil Diolamine in Subjects With End-Stage Renal Disease On or Off Dialysis

Abstract: Treprostinil diolamine sustained release (UT-15C SR) is being evaluated as an oral therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of treprostinil following administration of UT-15C SR in subjects with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) compared with healthy subjects with normal renal function (NRF) and the effect of hemodialysis on the PK parameters of treprostinil. Eight ESRD subjects (requiring dialysis, mean creatinine clearance = 11.5 mL/min) received 2 single doses of 1 mg of UT-15C SR (separated by 2 weeks), with the first dose given immediately after dialysis and the second given 4 hours before the start of dialysis. Eight NRF subjects received a single dose of 1 mg of UT-15C SR. The median Cmax, AUC0–inf, and t1/2 of treprostinil were 680 pg/mL, 3240 hours⋅pg/mL, and 2.35 hours, respectively, in ESRD subjects dosed after dialysis and were 551 pg/mL, 3152 hours⋅pg/mL, and 2.05 hours, respectively, in ESRD subjects dosed before dialysis. In comparison, corresponding values were 730 pg/mL, 3726 hours⋅pg/mL, and 3.54 hours, respectively, in NRF subjects. UT-15C SR of 1 mg was well tolerated by NRF and ESRD subjects. The most frequent adverse event was headache and nausea. There was no substantial difference in treprostinil PKs between ESRD and NRF subjects following administration of UT-15C SR tablets. Hemodialysis did not have clinically important effect on treprostinil PK in ESRD subjects.
Effects of Past and Present Intergroup Communication on Perceived Fit of an Outgroup Member and Desire for Future Intergroup Contact

We examine predictors of outgroup partner “fit” (the extent to which an individual is seen as representative of a group), and whether fit determines generalization from a discrete intergroup communication experience to intentions for future contact with the outgroup. In an experiment, 288 undergraduate students imagined a conversation with an older target who was presented either positively or negatively. The positively valenced older adult was seen as being more representative of older people in general (high fit), and this link was stronger for those with more past positive and fewer past negative communication experiences. Fit moderated the effects of imagined interaction valence on intentions for future intergroup contact. A positive older partner perceived as fitting the category “older people” resulted in greater intention to communicate with older people in the future than a negative partner; individuals who saw their partner as atypical showed the reverse pattern—they were less likely to report intentions for future intergenerational contact after a positive than a negative manipulated interaction. The findings demonstrate that negative intergroup communication can, at times, have positive effects, and positive contact can have negative effects.
SOCS-1 Localizes to the Microtubule Organizing Complex-Associated 20S Proteasome

ABSTRACT The regulation of cytokine signaling is critical for controlling cellular proliferation and activation during an immune response. SOCS-1 is a potent inhibitor of Jak kinase activity and of signaling initiated by several cytokines. SOCS-1 protein levels are tightly regulated, and recent data suggest that SOCS-1 may regulate the protein levels of some signaling proteins by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway; however, the cellular mechanism by which SOCS-1 directs proteins for degradation is unknown. In this report, SOCS-1 is found to colocalize and biochemically copurify with the microtubule organizing complex (MTOC) and its associated 20S proteasome. The SOCS-1 SH2 domain is required for the localization of SOCS-1 to the MTOC. Overexpression of SOCS-1 targets Jak1 in an SH2-dependent manner to a perinuclear distribution resembling the MTOC-associated 20S proteasome. Analysis of MTOCs fractionated from SOCS-1-deficient cells demonstrates that SOCS-1 may function redundantly to regulate the localization of Jak1 to the MTOC. Nocodazole inhibits the protein turnover of SOCS-1, demonstrating that the minus-end transport of SOCS-1 to the MTOC-associated 20S proteasome is required to regulate SOCS-1 protein levels. These data link SOCS-1 directly with the proteasome pathway and suggest another function for the SH2 domain of SOCS-1 in the regulation of Jak/STAT signaling.
The Linux-SRT integrated multimedia operating system: bringing QoS to the desktop

Current operating systems are being used to perform tasks for which they were not designed. Architectures conceived to provide fairness in timesharing systems are being asked to support applications needing quality of service (QoS) guarantees. Past research has focused on specialised multimedia operating systems; QoS features are now ready to be incorporated in mainstream operating systems, allowing existing applications to be used without modification. Appropriate user interface features are essential if QoS is to become widely used. We present the Linux-SRT (Ingram, 2000) system, a version of Linux enhanced with support for predictable scheduling and QoS management. It is binary compatible with standard Linux: existing applications can benefit from QoS without being modified in any way. CPU and disk bandwidth are scheduled, and scheduling policies are propagated to servers. Automated control and management features simplify the use of advanced features. Linux-SRT has been proven in everyday use. It provides an integrated system approach to QoS for multiple devices, from low-level scheduling to high-level user tools.