Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Change Is the Only Constant: Beginning Teacher Perceptions of Implementing the Current Top-Down Change

North Carolina adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010, implemented in 2012, and retracted in 2014. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to hear beginning teachers describe their challenges and realizations as they implemented top-down curriculum reform. Mandated reform has been linked to professional vulnerability (Day, Elliot, & Kingston, 2005), professional vulnerability has been linked to diminished teacher self-efficacy (Lasky, 2005), and diminished teacher self-efficacy has been linked to teacher attrition (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007). Semi-structured interviews with three elementary beginning teachers were analyzed to uncover key themes. Participants stated that the amount of state or district initiatives they had experienced in their short careers was unexpected and overwhelming. Unsurprisingly, participants reported spending the most amount of instructional time on mathematics and reading because of the State tests. A synthesis of the findings suggests participants perceived the mandated reforms negatively and the intrinsic factors of teaching positively. Findings may help policy-makers and teacher-leaders understand beginning teachers' experiences implementing reform in order to diminish rampant beginning teacher attrition.
Serotonin differentially modulates the electrical properties of different subsets of taste receptor cells in bullfrog

Serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamin, 5‐HT) is localized in taste bud cells of vertebrates. Effects of the external application of 5‐HT on the membrane currents of frog taste receptor cells (TRCs) were investigated using patch‐clamp technique in whole‐cell configuration. The 5‐HT (0.1–1 µm) and 5‐HT1A receptor agonist (+/–)‐8‐OH‐2‐(D1‐n‐propyl‐amino)tetralin (8‐OH‐DPAT) (1–20 µm) inhibited both voltage‐gated sodium current (INa) and voltage‐gated potassium current (IK) in 50% of TRCs, but potentiated IK without any significant effect on INa in another subset of 18% of TRCs. Voltage‐gated currents in the residual TRCs were not affected by 5‐HT or 8‐OH‐DPAT. External application of 10 µm forskolin and 300 µm 8‐cpt cAMP [8‐(4‐chlorophenylthio)adenosine 3′:5′‐cyclic monophosphate] mimicked the inhibitory effect of 5‐HT and 8‐OH‐DPAT on IK and INa while internal dialysis with 50 µm protein kinase A inhibitor prevented the 5‐HT‐mediated inhibitory effects on IK and INa in TRCs. Internal dialysis of TRCs with high Ca2+‐pipette solution (1 µm) increased the IK in 58% of TRCs. The 5‐HT reversibly increased the [Ca2+]i in 17% of TRCs when measured by Ca2+‐imaging using a Ca2+‐sensitive dye (fura‐2 AM). These results suggest that 5‐HT differentially modulates the voltage‐gated membrane currents in different subsets of TRCs.
Hydrocephalus in children less than 1 year of age in northern Mozambique

Background: In developed countries, the incidence of neonatal hydrocephalus ranges from 3 to 5 cases per 1000 live births, but little is known about the frequency of hydrocephalus in Africa. In Mozambique, there is no primary information related to this disorder, but using the above data, the expected incidence of neonatal hydrocephalus would range from 2900 to 4800 cases per year. Methods: This study is based on 122 children younger than 1 year with neonatal hydrocephalus, followed up between January 2010 and December 2012, their origin and treatment, and aims to evaluate difficulties with diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up in northern Mozambique. Results: Identified cases were mainly less than 6 months old (77%), with severe macrocephaly and the classic stigmata of this condition. A high rate of follow-up loss (44.3%) was detected, particularly among children from more distant locations. Our findings contrast with the expected 1000-1700 cases that would occur in the area during the study period, being considerably lower. Conclusions: Hydrocephalus is a serious problem in sub-Saharan Africa, whose effects can be minimized by a better organization of the health system in hydrocephalus prevention, referral, and follow-up. New management alternatives to provide treatment to more children with this disorder and reduction of the follow-up difficulties caused due to geographical reasons for the children undergoing treatment are essential.
p53 induction of heparin‐binding EGF‐like growth factor counteracts p53 growth suppression through activation of MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling cascades

Tumor suppressor p53 induction in response to cellular stresses activates the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade through pathways involving Ras and Raf. p53's ability to activate this pathway is dependent on p53‐mediated transcription. In order to investigate potential p53 target gene(s) involved, we utilized expression array analysis and identified heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor‐like growth factor (HB‐EGF) as being markedly up‐regulated by p53. In response to DNA damage, HB‐EGF was induced in wild‐type, but not in mutant p53‐containing cells, implying its p53 dependence. HB‐EGF neutralizing antibody and inhibitors of EGF receptor signaling abrogated p53‐induced MAPK activation. Expression of HB‐EGF was shown to protect cells from H2O2‐induced apoptosis through MAPK activation. Additionally, the PI3K/Akt pathway was activated in response to p53 signaling through HB‐EGF induction, and inhibition of MAPK and Akt activation after DNA damage decreased cell survival in wild‐type p53‐containing cells. All these findings point to a novel aspect of p53 function. Namely, p53‐induced growth factors such as HB‐EGF, which activate MAPK and Akt signaling, may be involved in a compensatory mechanism to alleviate adverse effects of cellular stresses.
Optimal urban development density along a multimodal linear travel corridor with time–distance toll scheme

ABSTRACT Consider a travel corridor with a multimodal transport system (highway and railway) that connects continuous residential locations to the city center. All commuters travel along the corridor from home to work in the morning peak hour. The spatial dynamics of the traffic congestion on both transportation systems are determined by the trip-timing condition. The flow dynamics on the highway will be considered by applying the Lighthill–Whitham–Richards model. A time–distance road pricing scheme is applied to achieve the system optimal condition. The urban population is assumed to be located continuously along the corridor. This study aims to find the optimal urban population density distribution leading to optimal transportation system performance, with a basic assumption that it follows some given distribution pattern. The problem is eventually formulated into a mathematical program with complementarity constraints and an efficient solution algorithm is applied. Finally, numerical examples are applied to test the validity of the model formulation.
Expedition Health and Safety: A Risk Assessment

Little has been published on the risks of participating in an expedition. A questionnaire survey was conducted to quantify those risks and to determine how expedition organizers plan for medical mishaps. 246 expeditions, taking 2381 participants to more than one hundred countries, were studied retrospectively. 65 expeditions (26%) reported no medical incidents; the remaining 181 reported 835 in 130 000 man-days (6.4 per 1000 man-days). 59% of the medical incidents seen on expeditions were preventable, one-third of these being due to gastrointestinal upsets. 78% of medical incidents were classified as minor and only 5% (40) as serious. There was no excess of serious incidents in any particular organizational group or environment. The findings of this survey suggest that the health risks of participating in a well-planned expedition are similar to those encountered during normal active life.
Association testing by DNA pooling: An effective initial screen

With an ever-increasing resource of validated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the limiting factors in genome-wide association analysis have become genotyping capacity and the availability of DNA. We provide a proof of concept of the use of pooled DNA as a means of efficiently screening SNPs and prioritizing them for further study. This approach reduces the final number of SNPs that undergo full, sample-by-sample genotyping as well as the quantity of DNA used overall. We have examined 15 SNPs in the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene, a gene previously demonstrated to be associated with serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The SNPs were amplified in two pools of DNA derived from groups of individuals with extremely high and extremely low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, respectively. P values <0.05 were obtained for 14 SNPs, supporting the described association. Genotyping of the individual samples showed that the average margin of error in frequency estimate was ≈4% when pools were used. These findings clearly demonstrate the potential of pooling techniques and their associated technologies as an initial screen in the search for genetic associations.
[Analysis of 12 children with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection].

OBJECTIVE Since late March 2009, a novel influenza H1N1 strain emerged in humans in Mexico and the United States. It has rapidly spread to many countries on different continents, prompting unprecedented activation of pandemic preparedness plans. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of children with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. METHOD Twelve cases with influenza A (H1N1) infection were diagnosed according to the criteria of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of China during 1 May to 15 July 2009 in the Pediatric Hospital of Fudan University were analyzed. Influenza A (H1N1) RNA was detected by RT-PCR in CDC Shanghai China. RESULT All the 12 children with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection were imported cases, aged from 11 months to 14 years 7 months, 7 of whom were boys, 5 were girls. Five cases contacted closely with influenza A (H1N1) patients; 12 cases had fever and no vomiting or diarrhea; 7 had cough or runny nose or anorexia. One had shortness of breath. Of the 11 cases who could tell about symptoms correctly, 6 had sore throat, 3 had stomachache, and none had muscle pain. Two of the 12 cases had pneumonia, and the disease in 1 of them was fatal and needed intensive care. One case was isolated and treated at home. The 11 cases hospitalized were treated according to the guidance of influenza A (H1N1) diagnosis and treatment issued by the Ministry of Health of China. Ten hospitalized cases were treated with oseltamivir. All the cases recovered completely. The median length of hospital stay was 8.1 days (range, 6 to 16), and the time of negative test results of influenza A (H1N1) RNA from illness onset to collection of samples for viral testing was from 5 to 15 days. CONCLUSION Symptoms among children with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection were classic and the majority of the cases we treated had a mild clinical course if they were isolated and treated promptly. Antivirals appears to have not had any major adverse effects. More data from different regions and large samples are needed to illuminate the characteristics of children with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.
IgG4‐related disease with hypergammaglobulinemic hyperviscosity and retinopathy

Immunoglobulin G4‐related disease (IgG4‐RD) is a recently described entity with protean manifestations. We describe a novel case of IgG4‐RD with hypergammaglobulinemic hyperviscosity responsive to fludarabine and rituximab. A 33‐year‐old Asian man developed bilateral lacrimal gland and submandibular salivary gland swelling with cervical lymphadenopathy. Biopsies of the affected tissues revealed reactive follicular hyperplasia. Seven years later, he presented with bilateral retinal hemorrhages due to hyperviscosity syndrome from profound polyclonal increase in IgG, including marked IgG4 elevation. Despite plasmapheresis, overproduction of IgG continued and he was refractory to systemic steroids, azathioprine, interferon alpha, and cyclophosphamide. IgG4‐RD was suspected following a myocardial infarction and detection of aneurysmal coronary arteries indicating large vessel vasculitis. Review of the cervical lymph node and lacrimal gland biopsies with immunohistochemical staining for IgG4‐positive plasma cells confirmed IgG4‐RD. B‐cell depletion with rituximab produced a partial response, but clinical symptoms and elevated protein levels persisted. Fludarabine was added to rituximab to suppress T‐cell activity, and this resulted in an excellent clinical and biochemical response. Combination therapy with fludarabine and rituximab in IgG4‐RD has not previously been reported and can be considered in patients with severe refractory disease.
A retrospective analysis of antifungal susceptibilities of Candida bloodstream isolates from Singapore hospitals.

INTRODUCTION Worldwide, Candida albicans is the most common Candida species implicated in bloodstream infections. However, the proportion of non-albicans bloodstream infections is increasing. Fluconazole resistance is known to be more common in non-albicans species, but is also reported in C. albicans. This retrospective study was performed to determine the species epidemiology of Candida bloodstream infections in Singapore hospitals, and to perform susceptibility testing to a range of antifungal drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Candida spp. isolated from bloodstream infections from October 2004 to December 2006 were collected from 3 participating hospitals: a tertiary referral hospital (Singapore General Hospital), a secondary referral hospital (Changi General Hospital) and an obstetrics/paediatric hospital [KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKWCH)]. Isolate collection was also retrospectively extended to January 2000 for KKWCH because of the limited number of cases from this hospital. Isolates were identified by a common protocol, and antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by microbroth dilution (Sensititre One, Trek Diagnostics, United Kingdom). RESULTS The most common isolates were C. albicans (37%), C. tropicalis (27%) and C. glabrata (16%). There were differences in species distribution between institutions, with C. parapsilosis and C. albicans predominant in KKWCH, and C. albicans and C. tropicalis predominant in the other 2 institutions. Fluconazole resistance was detected in 3.2% of all Candida spp. , and 85.3% were classified as susceptible. All C. albicans and C. parapsilosis were susceptible to fluconazole and voriconazole, while susceptibility to fluconazole was much more variable for C. glabrata and C. krusei. CONCLUSION This study shows that C. albicans remains the predominant Candida species isolated from bloodstream infections in the 3 participating hospitals. However, non-albicans species accounted for nearly two-thirds of all cases of candidaemia. Resistance to fluconazole was uncommon, and was generally confined to C. krusei and C. glabrata.
Estimating production benefits through simulation of group and individual feeding of dairy cows.

Objectives were 1) to develop DMI and milk prediction equations, 2) to use these equations to simulate group and individual feeding of dairy herds, and 3) to estimate effects of group and individual feeding on FCM production. University of New Hampshire data were used to predict DMI from previous DMI and cow and ration characteristics. The same data were used to predict milk production from DMI and previous milk production. Feeding was simulated for 100 cows over 50 4-wk periods in a number of trials. Effects of individual feeding, additional groups, herd calving intervals, and within-herd variation of annual milk production per cow on daily FCM per cow were isolated in average and high producing herds. Changing from one group to individual feeding can increase daily FCM per cow by . 5 to 1.1 kg and two groups to individual feeding by 0 to . 8 kg without changing total herd nutrient intake. Reallocation of the same amount of nutrients to two groups instead of one can increase daily milk production by . 15 to . 8 kg of FCM per cow, reallocation to three groups instead of two by 0 to . 6 kg of FCM per cow, and reallocation to four groups instead of three by 0 to . 35 kg of FCM per cow.
Air pollution and childhood asthma emergency hospital admissions: Estimating intra-city regional variations

In recent years childhood asthma has increased. Although the precipitants of childhood asthma are yet to be established possible contributing factors are local ambient air pollutants. This study aims to assess associations of regional ambient air pollutants on emergency department childhood asthma presentations across four regions of the city of Melbourne, Australia. Daily emergency department (ED) presentations for asthma in children were studied for the years 2000 and 2001. Estimates of local air pollutant levels were obtained using simulation modelling techniques. Generalized Additive Models were used to examine associations between combined local levels of air pollutants and childhood asthma ED presentations adjusting for seasonal variation, day of week effects, and meteorological variables. There was consistent associations between childhood ED asthma presentations and regional concentration of PM10, with a strongest association of RR = 1.17 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.31) in the central district of Melbourne. NO2 and Ozone was associated with increased childhood asthma ED presentations in the Western districts. This study suggests that regional concentrations of PM10 may have a significant effect on childhood asthma morbidity. In addition, ozone may play a role however, its effect may vary by geographical region.
Recurrence of Symptoms after Chiari Decompression and Duraplasty with Nonautologous Graft Material

Nonautologous material is commonly used for dural grafting. Although good results have been reported with the use of some of these materials in cranial surgery, there is a paucity of information regarding their use in craniocervical decompressive surgery. We report three cases of patients with Chiari malformation type I who experienced recurrent or new-onset Chiari symptoms after surgical decompression and duraplasty with bovine pericardium, Gore-Tex or cadaveric dura. We review the use of these materials and propose possible mechanisms by which a reaction to a nonautologous graft could cause recurrent Chiari symptoms. The preferential use of autologous material for dural grafts during posterior fossa decompressive surgery should prevent this cause of symptom recurrence.
Spectrum Sensing Performance in Cognitive Radio Networks With Multiple Primary Users

Radio spectrum sensing (SS) has been an active topic of research over the past years due to its importance to cognitive radio (CR) systems. However, in CR networks (CRNs) with multiple primary users (PUs), the secondary users (SUs) can often detect PUs that are located outside the sensing range, due to the level of the aggregated interference caused by the PUs. This effect, known as spatial false alarm (SFA), degrades the performance of CRNs because it decreases the SUs' medium access probability. This paper characterizes the SFA effect in a CRN, identifying possible actions to attenuate it. Adopting energy-based sensing (EBS) in each SU, this paper starts to characterize the interference caused by multiple PUs located outside a desired sensing region. The interference formulation is then used to write the probabilities of detection and false alarm, and closed-form expressions are presented and validated through simulation. The first remark to be made is that the SFA can be neglected, depending on the path-loss factor and the number of samples collected by the energy detector to decide the spectrum's occupancy state. However, it is shown that by increasing the number of samples needed to increase the sensing accuracy, the SUs may degrade their throughput, namely, if SUs are equipped with a single radio that is sequentially used for sensing and transmission (split-phase operation). Assuming this scenario, this paper ends by providing a bound for the maximum throughput achieved in a CRN with multiple active PUs and for a given level of PUs' detection inside the SUs' sensing region. The results presented in this paper show the impact of path loss and EBS parameterization on SUs' throughput and are particularly useful to guide the design and parameterization of multihop CRNs, including future ad hoc CRNs considering multiple PUs.
Dietary n-6 PUFA, carbohydrate:protein ratio and change in body weight and waist circumference: a follow-up study

Abstract Objective To investigate the association between the intake of n-6 PUFA and subsequent change in body weight and waist circumference at different levels of the carbohydrate:protein ratio. Design Follow-up study with anthropometric measurements at recruitment and on average 5·3 years later. Dietary intake was determined at recruitment by using an FFQ that was designed for the study and validated. We applied linear regression models with 5-year change in weight or waist circumference as outcome and including a two-way interaction term between n-6 PUFA and carbohydrate intakes, lower-order terms, protein intake, long-chain n-3 PUFA intake and other potential confounders. Due to adjustment for intake of protein, levels of carbohydrate indirectly reflect levels of the carbohydrate:protein ratio. Setting Diet, Cancer and Health follow-up study, Denmark. Subjects Women and men (n 29 152) aged 55 years. Results For a high intake of n-6 PUFA (6·9 % of energy) v. a low intake of n-6 PUFA (3·4 % of energy), the difference in 5-year weight change was −189·7 g (95 % CI −636·8, 257·4 g) at a low carbohydrate:protein ratio and −86·7 g (95 % CI −502·9, 329·6 g) at a high carbohydrate:protein ratio; the differences in 5-year waist circumference change were 0·26 cm (95 % CI −0·47, 0·98 cm) and −0·52 cm (95 % CI −1·19, 0·15 cm), respectively. Inclusion of the dietary glycaemic index did not change the results. Conclusions No consistent associations between the intake of n-6 PUFA and change in body weight or waist circumference at different levels of the carbohydrate:protein ratio were observed.
Measuring substantial reductions in functioning in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

Purpose. All the major current case definitions for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) specify substantial reductions in previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities to meet criteria. Difficulties have been encountered in operationalizing ‘substantial reductions. ’ For example, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) has been used to determine whether individuals met the CFS disability criterion. However, previous methods of using the SF-36 have been prone to including people without substantial reductions in key areas of physical functioning when diagnosing CFS. This study sought to empirically identify the most appropriate SF-36 subscales for measuring substantial reductions in patients with CFS. Method. The SF-36 was administered to two samples of patients with CFS: one recruited from tertiary care and the other a community-based sample; as well as a non-fatigued control group. Receiver operating characteristics were used to determine the optimal cutoff scores for identifying patients with CFS. Results. The SF-36 Role-Emotional subscale had the worst sensitivity and specificity, whereas the Vitality, Role-Physical, and Social Functioning subscales had the best sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion. Based on the evidence from this study, the potential criteria for defining substantial reductions in functioning and diagnosing CFS is provided.