Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining students’ attitudes toward blended learning in adult literacy and basic skills programs

Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs offer adult learners, with low literacy and basic skills, opportunities to improve employment skills and pre-requisite courses for entrance into post-secondary education. Barriers to learning that students encounter in LBS programs might be reduced through a blended learning instructional approach. Due to limited access to technology in LBS programs, little is known about attitudes of LBS students toward online learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of community college students at three LBS sites toward blended learning, perceived success in blended learning, and individual differences among students with respect to their attitudes toward blended learning. Over 90% of 149 LBS students (94 male, 55 female) who participated in the study agreed that they achieved success in the program; their learning needs were met through face-to-face class attendance, and they indicated that in-class communication with instructors and peers was important for learning. By comparison, 40% of students agreed that the online activities met their learning needs, and less than 25% of students agreed they could learn online effectively. Some students avoided online content due to their limited computer skills or because they viewed the content as unnecessary for course requirement. Students preferred face-to-face learning over online learning because they viewed the face-to-face format as encouraging, supportive, and collaborative. Students reported that more online learning opportunities were needed when they were not able to attend class or for support of specific learning skills. Age and time out of formal education was significantly and positively correlated with preference for face-to-face learning. Level of education was significantly, negatively correlated with preference for online learning.
Cotton Premium Rate Heterogeneities and Implications under Climate Change

Response to adverse weather conditions by cotton and other major crops are likely to be heterogeneous across varieties, but it is unclear whether this translates into yield risk heterogeneity across varieties. Crop insurance is the dominant agricultural policy instrument and will play an important role for any potential adaptation path to climate change. However, the impact of climate change on the performance of crop insurance programs is not well established and currently the Risk Management Agency does not offer alternative premium rates across varieties. This study utilizes Mississippi cotton variety trial data for the period 1998 to 2013 to identify whether there are heterogeneous crop insurance premium rates across varieties using a moment-based model. Warming impacts on these rates will then be measured. Our results identified heterogeneities for both the mean and variance of cotton yields across varieties. These differences extended to the coefficient of variation – a commonly used measure of yield risk – as well as actuarially fair premium rates, which capture a producer’s exposure to downside risk. Our findings provide evidence of yield risk heterogeneity across varieties. The finding of heterogeneous premium rates across varieties presents an interesting problem for the FCIP.
Biochemical and Folding Defects in a RAG1 Variant Associated with Omenn Syndrome1

The RAG1 and RAG2 proteins are required to assemble mature Ag receptor genes in developing lymphocytes. Hypomorphic mutations in the gene encoding RAG1 are associated with Omenn syndrome, a primary immunodeficiency. We explored the biochemical defects resulting from a mutation identified in an Omenn syndrome patient which generates an amino acid substitution in the RAG1 RING finger/ubiquitin ligase domain (C325Y in murine RAG1) as well as an adjacent substitution (P326G). RAG1 C325Y demonstrated a 50-fold reduction in recombination activity in cultured pro-B cells despite the fact that its expression and localization to the nucleus were similar to the wild-type protein. The C325Y substitution severely abrogated ubiquitin ligase activity of the purified RAG1 RING finger domain, and the tertiary structure of the domain was altered. The P326G substitution also abrogated ubiquitin ligase activity but had a less severe effect on protein folding. RAG1 P326G also demonstrated a recombination impairment that was most pronounced when RAG1 levels were limiting. Thus, a correctly folded RAG1 RING finger domain is required for normal V(D)J recombination, and RAG1 ubiquitin ligase activity can contribute when the protein is present at relatively low levels.
Comparison of major bleeding risk in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation receiving direct oral anticoagulants in the real-world setting: a network meta-analysis

Abstract Objective: To conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) and network meta-analysis (NMA) of real-world studies comparing major bleeding risk among patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) or warfarin. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in MEDLINE and Embase for full-text articles published between January 1, 2003 and March 18, 2017. Eligible studies compared at least two of the following in a real-world setting: warfarin, apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or edoxaban. A Bayesian NMA was conducted to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for major bleeding using a random-effects model. Results: Eleven studies were included in the NMA. Nine studies included DOACs vs Warfarin comparisons, and four studies included DOACs vs DOACs comparisons (two studies included both comparisons). Median follow-up duration ranged from 2.6–31.2 months. No evidence was identified for edoxaban. Apixaban was associated with a significantly lower risk of major bleeding compared to other oral anticoagulants (warfarin HR = 0.58; 95% credible interval [CrI] = 0.48–0.69; dabigatran = 0.73; 0.61–0.87; rivaroxaban = 0.55; 0.46–0.66). Dabigatran was associated with a significantly lower risk than warfarin (0.79; 0.71–0.88) and rivaroxaban (0.76; 0.67–0.85), and rivaroxaban was not statistically different from warfarin (1.05; 0.91–1.19). Sensitivity analyses with standard dose and sponsorship showed consistent results. Conclusion: DOACs were associated with lower or similar risk of major bleeding compared with warfarin in NVAF patients. Apixaban was associated with a significantly lower risk of major bleeding than other DOACs. Dabigatran was associated with a significantly lower risk of major bleeding compared to rivaroxaban and warfarin.
Does more competition increase business-level innovation? Evidence from domestically focused firms in emerging economies

ABSTRACT This paper explores the relationship between the level of competition and innovation output for domestically focused businesses in emerging economies in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It uses survey data from 5054 businesses from the fifth Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey. A multivariate probit estimation of the likelihood of different innovation types finds that higher levels of competition are associated with greater likelihood of innovation, but this rises at a decreasing rate as competitor numbers grow. Also, firms operating in economies where competition policy is more effectively enforced are more likely to innovate. However, there is a point where ‘too much’ competition leads to less innovation – suggesting a tipping point effect. This suggests that policies to maximise competition, as measured by number of competitors, may not be optimal for promoting innovation in emerging economies. This requires a need for more nuanced competition policy approaches. The paper also finds that businesses relying on local markets are significantly less likely to introduce innovations than businesses trading domestically outside their local area, but increased competition in local markets increases the likelihood of businesses introducing product innovation. This points to a local rivalry effect.
Foreign investors’ influence on the real estate market capitalization rate – evidence from a small open economy

ABSTRACT This article adds to the scarce literature on the influence of international investment flows on local real estate values. We hypothesize that a greater foreign-investor presence in a real estate market results in a lower capitalization rate and examine whether this holds true in the Helsinki CBD office market in Finland. This market provides an interesting case study by being part of a small open economy, in which the presence of foreign investors has substantially varied over time. The Dynamic OLS estimations using data for the period 1990–2015 provide support for the hypothesis. The baseline results show a highly statistically significant negative impact of foreign-investor participation on the capitalization rate, the point estimates indicating that a 10% point growth in the share of foreign buyers of the total transaction volume decreases the cap rate by approximately 30 basis points.
Semliki Forest virus A7(74) transduces hippocampal neurons and glial cells in a temperature-dependent dual manner

In central nervous system (CNS) tissue preparations, wild-type Semliki Forest virus (SFV) mainly infects neurons, and in vivo it causes lethal encephalitis in neonatal and adult rodents. The SFV strain A7(74), by contrast, is avirulent in adult rodents, triggering only limited CNS infection. To examine A7(74) infection in hippocampal tissue, the authors constructed a replicon, termed SFV(A774nsP)-GFP, expressing green fluorescent protein. The results were compared to replication-proficient recombinant A7(74) encoding GFP, named VA7-EGFP. As nonstructural gene mutations can confer temperature sensitivity, the authors also tested whether infection was temperature-dependent. Indeed, at 31°C both viral recombinants transduced significantly more baby hamster kidney cells than at 37°C. When rat hippocampal slices and dissociated cells were incubated at 37°C, SFV(A774nsP)-GFP transduced glial cells but virtually no neurons—the opposite of conventional SFV. For VA7-EGFP at 37°C, the preferred GFP-positive cells in hippocampal slices were also non-neuronal cells. At 31°C, however, a more wild-type phenotype was found, with 33% and 94% of the GFP-positive cells being neurons for SFV(A774nsP)-GFP in slices and dissociated cells, respectively, and 94% neurons for VA7-EGFP in slices. Immunochemical and electrophysiological analyses confirmed that at 37°C virtually all cells transduced by SFV(A774nsP)-GFP in slices were astrocytes, while at 31°C they also contained neurons. These results show that in addition to the developmental age, the temperature determines which cell type becomes infected by A7(74). Our data suggest that A7(74) is avirulent in adult animals because it does not readily replicate in mature neurons at body temperature, whereas it still does so at lower temperatures.
Partial purification and characterization of dihydrodipicolinic Acid reductase from maize.

Dihydrodipicolinic acid reductase, an enzyme which catalyzes the pyridine nucleotide-linked reduction of dihydrodipicolinic acid to tetrahydrodipicolinic acid in the biosynthetic pathway leading to l-lysine, has been partially purified from maize (Zea mays cv Pioneer 3145) kernels. The crude maize extract and the partially purified enzyme were assayed for dihydrodipicolinic acid reductase by their ability to restore the capability of crude extracts of a mutant Escherichia coli (CGSC 4549; defective in dihydrodipicolinic acid reductase) to synthesize diaminopimelic acid from aspartic acid and pyruvic acid.In a study of its properties, the Michaelis constant obtained for dihydrodipicolinic acid was 4.3 x 10(-4) and for NADPH the K(m) was 4.6 x 10(-5). The enzyme had a pH optimum close to 7 and was much more temperature labile than the bacterial enzyme. Its molecular weight was 8.0 x 10(4). Several compounds, viz., alpha-picolinic acid, l-pipecolic acid, isophthalic acid, and isocinchomeronic acid, with structures similar to dihydrodipicolinic acid inhibited the reductase reaction. Dipicolinic acid, the most potent of these inhibitors, acted as a competitive inhibitor with a K(i) of 9.0 x 10(-4). The competitive inhibition of the reductase reaction by dipicolinic acid (oxidized dihydrodipicolinic acid) suggests that the substrate for this enzyme was in the ring rather than the open chain form. Oxidized pyridine nucleotide inhibited the activity slightly.
A Randomised Trial of the Impact of New Faecal Haemoglobin Test Technologies on Population Participation in Screening for Colorectal Cancer

OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect on participation in colorectal cancer screening of testing for blood products in faeces using technologies that remove dietary restrictions (i.e. immunochemical tests) and simplify faecal sampling (i.e. tests that use brush sampling). METHODS SETTING Urban residents (n=1818) of Adelaide, Australia, aged between 50 and 69 years, randomly selected from the electoral roll. DESIGN Three randomised cohorts of 606 invitees were offered a screening test by mail in 2001. The Hemoccult SENSA and FlexSure OBT cohorts were instructed to sample three stools using a spatula while the InSureTM cohort sampled two stools using a brush. The Hemoccult SENSA cohort was asked to restrict certain (high-peroxidase) foods and drugs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Participation (i.e. return of completed sample kits within 12 weeks) and generalised linear modelling (GLM) of relationships between participation, test technologies and demographic variables. RESULTS Participation was 23.4%, 30.5% and 39.6% for the Hemoccult, FlexSure and InSure cohorts, respectively (chi(2)=37.1, p<0.00001). GLM demonstrated that participation was increased by 28% by removal of restrictions (p=0.01) and by 30% by simplification of sampling (p=0.001); both together increased participation by 66% (p<0.001). The differences in participation between tests occurred in the first three weeks. Socio-economic status, gender or age did not significantly influence technology-based improvements in participation. CONCLUSIONS The brush-sampling faecal immunochemical test for haemoglobin (InSure) achieves the best participation rates by simplifying sampling and removing the need for restrictions of diet and drugs. Because participation in screening is vital to detection, this new technology should contribute to better detection of neoplasia at the population level.
Support Vector Machines Used to Estimate the Battery State of Charge

The aim of this study is to estimate the state of charge (SOC) of a high-capacity lithium iron manganese phosphate (LiFeMnPO4) battery cell from an experimental dataset using a support vector machine (SVM) approach. SVM is a type of learning machine based on statistical learning theory. Many applications require accurate measurement of battery SOC in order to give users an indication of available runtime. It is particularly important for electric vehicles or portable devices. In this paper, the proposed SOC estimator extracts model parameters from battery charging/discharging testing cycles, using cell current, cell voltage, and cell temperature as independent variables. Tests are carried out on a 60 Ah lithium-ion cell with the dynamic stress test cycle to set up the SVM model. The SVM SOC estimator maintains a high level of accuracy, better than 6% over all ranges of operation, whether the battery is charged/discharged at constant current or it is operating in a variable current profile.
The role of human emotion in decisions about credit: policy and practice considerations

ABSTRACT The emotional and moral context of high cost, small loan lending has an important bearing on how low-income people engage in the mixed economy of credit, which is a term used to describe the different sectors involved in providing credit, from informal transactions between family and friends to formal fringe financial lenders and multinational banks. Decisions about accessing credit are constrained by more than material circumstances or access to information about the financial cost of such transactions. How individuals perceive different credit options is also influenced by emotions such as shame, guilt or anger. The emotional dimension is critical for understanding how, where and when individuals access credit. The policy field needs to give more attention to these neglected dimensions of decision-making, particularly since ‘financial literacy’ programs targeted at low-income households assume that lack of financial and budgetary knowledge is the key issue. Here, we argue, drawing on an empirical study, that a wider range of cultural and emotional factors needs to be taken into account in making sense of the social relations of money, credit and debt.
High-dose pancreatic-enzyme supplements and fibrosing colonopathy in children with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND Fibrosing colonopathy has been reported in young children with cystic fibrosis, the majority of whom take high-strength pancreatic-enzyme supplements to control intestinal malabsorption. We conducted a case-control study in the United States to investigate the relation between dose and type of pancreatic-enzyme supplement and fibrosing colonopathy. METHODS Children with histopathologically confirmed cases of fibrosing colonopathy who required colectomy for colonic strictures from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 1994, were identified. Each of these patients was matched according to age at the time of surgery and medical center with up to four controls with cystic fibrosis who did not have fibrosing colonopathy. RESULTS We studied 29 patients (mean age, 5.0 years) with fibrosing colonopathy (case patients) and 105 controls (mean age, 5.2 years). The mean dose of pancreatic-enzyme supplement was 50,046 units of lipase per kilogram of body weight per day for the case patients and 18,985 units per kilogram per day for the controls. A history of gastrointestinal complications attributed to cystic fibrosis and the use of histamine H2-receptor blockers, corticosteroids, or recombinant human DNase (dornase alfa) were associated with a higher incidence of fibrosing colonopathy. After adjustment for a history of such complications and the use of these medicines, the relative risk of fibrosing colonopathy that was associated with a dose of 24,001 to 50,000 units of lipase per kilogram per day, as compared with a dose of 0 to 24,000 units per kilogram per day, was 10.9 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.6 to 71.8), and that associated with a dose of more than 50,000 units per kilogram per day was 199.5 (95 percent confidence interval, 9.9 to 4026.0). The strength, coating, and manufacturer of the products used were not associated with the risk of fibrosing colonopathy. CONCLUSIONS In young children with cystic fibrosis, we found a strong relation between high daily doses of pancreatic-enzyme supplements and the development of fibrosing colonopathy. Our findings support recommendations that the daily dose of pancreatic enzymes for most patients should remain below 10,000 units of lipase per kilogram.
Translation of the Flavivirus Kunjin NS3 Gene in cis but Not Its RNA Sequence or Secondary Structure Is Essential for Efficient RNA Packaging

ABSTRACT Our previous studies using trans-complementation analysis of Kunjin virus (KUN) full-length cDNA clones harboring in-frame deletions in the NS3 gene demonstrated the inability of these defective complemented RNAs to be packaged into virus particles (W. J. Liu, P. L. Sedlak, N. Kondratieva, and A. A. Khromykh, J. Virol. 76:10766-10775). In this study we aimed to establish whether this requirement for NS3 in RNA packaging is determined by the secondary RNA structure of the NS3 gene or by the essential role of the translated NS3 gene product. Multiple silent mutations of three computer-predicted stable RNA structures in the NS3 coding region of KUN replicon RNA aimed at disrupting RNA secondary structure without affecting amino acid sequence did not affect RNA replication and packaging into virus-like particles in the packaging cell line, thus demonstrating that the predicted conserved RNA structures in the NS3 gene do not play a role in RNA replication and/or packaging. In contrast, double frameshift mutations in the NS3 coding region of full-length KUN RNA, producing scrambled NS3 protein but retaining secondary RNA structure, resulted in the loss of ability of these defective RNAs to be packaged into virus particles in complementation experiments in KUN replicon-expressing cells. Furthermore, the more robust complementation-packaging system based on established stable cell lines producing large amounts of complemented replicating NS3-deficient replicon RNAs and infection with KUN virus to provide structural proteins also failed to detect any secreted virus-like particles containing packaged NS3-deficient replicon RNAs. These results have now firmly established the requirement of KUN NS3 protein translated in cis for genome packaging into virus particles.
Expression of Mcl-1 Splicing Variants in Clear-Cell Renal Cancer and Their Correlation with Histopathological Parameters and Prognosis

Background/Aims: Altered expression of the Bcl-2 family member Mcl-1 has been linked to the progression and outcome of various malignancies, but its expression and potential prognostic value has yet not been investigated in clear-cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCC). Methods: In this study, dual-colour real-time RT-PCR was used to quantify the expression of Mcl-1 splicing variants in malignant and paired normal renal tissue samples, obtained from 93 ccRCC patients (median follow-up: 45 months) undergoing radical nephrectomy. Results: Over-expression of the anti-apoptotic Mcl-1L variant in ccRCC occurred in nearly 60% of the paired samples (p = 0.004). Decreased expression, however, was related to poor tumour differentiation (p = 0.013) and independently predicted a higher risk for relapse (hazard rate 3.99; 95% CI 1.32–12.04; p = 0.014). Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed down-regulation of Mcl-1L in ccRCC to be associated with a markedly shortened recurrence-free and disease-specific survival, particularly in patients with locally advanced (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003) and poorly differentiated tumours (p = 0.004 and p = 0.011). Conclusion: These findings suggest Mcl-1L to provide a molecular parameter for outcome prediction in ccRCC patients, down-regulation indicating exceptionally aggressive tumour phenotypes.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) 2010 Rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria: an American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative Aletaha,

Aletaha, D. ; Neogi, T. ; Silman, A.J.; Funovits, J.; Felson, D.T. ; Bingham, C.O. ,3rd; Birnbaum, N.S. ; Burmester, G.R. ; Bykerk, V.P.; Cohen, M.D.; Combe, B. ; Costenbader, K.H. ; Dougados, M. ; Emery, P.; Ferraccioli, G. ; Hazes, J.M. ; Hobbs, K. ; Huizinga, T.W. ; Kavanaugh, A. ; Kay, J.; Kvien, T.K. ; Laing, T. ; Mease, P.; Ménard, H.A. ; Moreland, L.W. ; Naden, R.L. ; Pincus, T. ; Smolen, J.S. ; Stanislawska-Biernat, E. ; Symmons, D. ; Tak, P.P.; Upchurch, K.S. ; Vencovsky, J.; Wolfe, F. ; Hawker, G.