Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes towards Overseas Professional Experience: Implications for Professional Practice.

Reforms in Australia about the education of future teachers have placed a high degree of emphasis on the development of knowledge and skills that are necessary for practitioners who will ply their trade in culturally rich and diverse classrooms (Ramsey, 2000). There is now a broad consensus from key stakeholders (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2012) that pre-service teachers need to be provided with a range of opportunities that are grounded in classroom practices including exposure to teaching students overseas. The aim of this mixed mode study (Creswell, 2012) is to better understand the skills and knowledge that pre-service teachers need in order to function in and gain from their overseas professional experiences (OSPEX). In this study, we undertook semi-structured interviews, and then using the emerging themes compared a cohort of pre-service teachers’ perceptions of OSPEX before and after their completed their professional experiences in Fiji via the use of a questionnaire. Results indicate that preservice teachers need to be better prepared locally before attempting an OSPEX
A dissipative particle dynamics model of carbon nanotubes

A mesoscale dissipative particle dynamics model of single wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is designed and demonstrated. The coarse-grained model is produced by grouping together carbon atoms and by bonding the new lumped particles through pair and triplet forces. The mechanical properties of the simulated tube are determined by the bonding forces, which are derived by virtual experiments. Through the introduction of van der Waals interactions, tube–tube interactions were studied. Owing to the reduced number of particles, this model allows the simulation of relatively large systems. The applicability of the presented scheme to model CNT based mechanical devices is discussed.
Status of mercury and selenium in dental personnel: impact of amalgam work and own fillings.

Urinary mercury (U-Hg) and plasma mercury (P-Hg) levels were higher in 244 dental personnel than in 81 matched referents (U-Hg: 1.8 and 1.1 mumol/mol creatinine, respectively; p less than .001; P-Hg: 6.7 and 6.2 nmol/l, respectively; p = .03). The amalgam in the mouth influenced mercury levels in whole blood (B-Hg), plasma, and urine. The association was nonlinear: the more amalgam, the larger the relative increase in mercury levels. The number of amalgam surfaces accounted for more of the variance in blood and urine mercury levels than did the number of fillings (e.g., U-Hg: 44% and 36%, respectively). The estimated increases in mercury level with rising amalgam load were 3.0%, 2.0%, and 0.8% per filled surface for U-Hg, P-Hg, and B-Hg, respectively (p less than .0001 in all cases). The impact of occupational exposure on U-Hg in the dental personnel corresponded to approximately 19 amalgam surfaces. Ceramo metallic restorations were associated with higher (31%) U-Hg.
Amelioration of Tissue Fibrosis by Toll‐like Receptor 4 Knockout in Murine Models of Systemic Sclerosis

Bleomycin‐induced fibrosis and the tight skin (TSK/+) mouse are well‐established experimental murine models of human systemic sclerosis (SSc). Growing evidence has demonstrated the pivotal role of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) in several autoimmune inflammatory diseases, including SSc. This study was undertaken to determine the role of TLR‐4 in the fibrotic processes in these murine models.
Rapid CD4+ T-Cell Loss Induced by Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1NC in Uninfected and Previously Infected Chimpanzees

ABSTRACT To investigate the pathogenicity of a virus originating in a chimpanzee with AIDS (C499), two chimpanzees were inoculated with a plasma-derived isolate termed human immunodeficiency virus type 1NC (HIV-1NC). A previously uninfected chimpanzee, C534, experienced rapid peripheral CD4+ T-cell loss to fewer than 26 cells/μl by 14 weeks after infection. CD4+ T-cell depletion was associated with high plasma HIV-1 loads but a low virus burden in the peripheral lymph node. The second chimpanzee, C459, infected 13 years previously with HIV-1LAV, experienced a more protracted course of peripheral CD4+ T-cell loss after HIV-1NCinoculation, resulting in fewer than 200 cells/μl by 96 weeks postinoculation. The quantities of viral RNA in the plasma and peripheral lymph node from C459 were below the lower limits of detection prior to inoculation with HIV-1NC but were significantly and persistently increased after superinfection, with HIV-1NC representing the predominant viral genotype. These results show that viruses derived from C499 are more pathogenic for chimpanzees than any other HIV-1 isolates described to date.
Does BMI affect cholesterol, sugar, and blood pressure in general population?

BACKGROUND Higher BMI in child hood is also associated with an increase risk for coronary heart disease in adulthood. Impaired glucose tolerance is highly prevalent in children and adolescents with severe obesity. Positive correlations between BMI and glucose, lipids and BP have previously been reported. The objective of this study was to find the correlation of BMI with cholesterol and sugar level in general population. METHODS This study was a part of 'Peshawar Heart Study', performed at Cardiology Department, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar in 2008-2009. Individuals with different ages, gender, professions, socioeconomic class were randomly selected from general population. Random blood sugar and cholesterol was measured with strip method. Height and weight of each individual was recorded and BMI calculated. All individuals were asked about any current medical illness and whether they were performing any exercise or not. Using SPSS-13, descriptive statistics were used for frequencies. Bivariate correlations were used for measuring correlation between BMI, sugar and cholesterol. Partial correlations were used to factor out the effect of other variables. RESULTS A total of 2,270 individuals, 1,798 (79.2%) male and 472 (20.8%) female were examined. Mean age was 38.47 +/- 12.66. Mean BMI was 26.38 +/- 4.97. Mean RBS was 113.7 +/- 47.145. Mean cholesterol was 168.47 +/- 28.23. Exercise was performed by 929 (40.90%) individuals. Diabetes was present in 113 (5.0%) and history of high cholesterol in 25 (1.1%) persons. When bivariate correlation analysis were done systolic BP, diastolic BP, RBS and cholesterol had positive correlation with BMI [correlation coefficient of 0.317 (p < 0.000), 0.319 (p < 0.000), 0.125 (p < 0.000) and 0.205 (p < 0.000) respectively]. These variables also showed a positive correlation among themselves. After factoring out the effects of age, exercise, gender and current medical status on the above correlations, the correlation of RBS and cholesterol with BMI decreased to 0.025 (p = 0.232) and 0.135 (p < 0.000) respectively and between sugar and cholesterol decreased to 0.018 (p = 0.401). CONCLUSION In general population BMI is positively correlated with RBS and cholesterol. With the effect of age, sex, exercise and current medical status, this correlation is reduced.
Lung perfusion studies after detachable coil occlusion of persistent arterial duct

OBJECTIVE To evaluate relative lung perfusion following complete occlusion of persistent arterial duct with detachable Cook coils. METHODS Ductal occlusion using detachable coils was performed in 35 patients (median age 3.9 years, range 0.5 to 16; 32 native ducts, three patients with previous devices). If the duct could be crossed with a 0.035 inch guidewire and a 4 F catheter after coil implantation, a further coil was implanted. Between one and seven coils were used (median two). RESULTS Complete ductal occlusion was confirmed by echocardiography 24 hours after the procedure in all patients. Lung perfusion scans were performed three months after the procedure in 33 of 35 patients (two older patients with a single coil each did not attend). Decreased perfusion to the left lung (defined as < 40% of total lung flow) was observed in only one patient, who had previously had a 17 mm Rashkind umbrella implanted. There was no correlation between left lung perfusion and peak left pulmonary artery Doppler velocities (r = 0.27 and p = 0.125 for the entire group; r = 0.29 and p = 0.124 after excluding patients with previous devices). CONCLUSIONS Coil occlusion is effective in achieving complete closure of the duct. An aggressive approach using multiple coils did not compromise perfusion to the left lung.
COMBINED EFFECTS OF UV‐B RADIATION AND NITRATE FERTILIZER ON LARVAL AMPHIBIANS

As part of a global loss of biodiversity, amphibian populations are declining worldwide. Numerous factors may be involved in these declines, including environmental changes and the spread of contaminants. Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation (280-315 nm) and chemical pollution are two factors that have become increasingly important as contributing to amphibian mortality and, perhaps, to amphibian population declines. Therefore, we studied the combined effects of ambient UV-B radiation and nitrate fertilizer pollution on larval amphibians in outdoor experiments at low and high elevation sites in Oregon. Recent studies have shown that UV-B radiation and nitrate fertilizer pollution have differential effects on amphibians. Some species are more susceptible than others when exposed to either UV-B or to nitrate. Moreover, depending upon other environmental conditions, UV- B levels are often greater in intensity at higher elevation sites compared to lower elevation sites. Therefore, our experiments were designed to include amphibians from both low and high elevations. Very little is known about interpopulational variation regarding the effects of environmental stressors. We tested the combined effects of UV-B and nitrate on larval survival, mass, and length in Pacific treefrogs ( Hyla regilla) and long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum ). In the low elevation experiment, we found that UV-B and nitrate together reduced the mass of larval H. regilla. In the high elevation experiment, we found that UV-B and nitrate together reduced the survival of larval H. regilla. In both the low elevation and the high elevation experiment, nitrate increased the mass of larval A. macrodactylum. However, in the high elevation experiment, this result occurred only when UV-B was blocked. This result indicates that the effects of nitrate addition could depend upon the presence of other factors such as UV-B. Results emphasize the importance of considering the effects of multiple stressors.
Asymptotic policies for stochastic differential linear quadratic games with intermittent state feedback

In this paper, we consider infinite horizon linear quadratic stochastic differential games where the games are neither open-loop nor closed-loop. The state of the game dynamics is measured only when a certain switch is closed. The switch requires unanimous operation by the players, and continuum state measurements are not possible. There is an upper bound on the number of times the switch can be closed. Each player is given a quadratic cost function and the objective of each player is to design a switching strategy and a control strategy in order to optimize their respective cost function. We investigate the Nash control strategy and optimal switching policy for this game with two different cost structures: discounted cost and average-time cost.
FL Vocabulary Learning of Undergraduate English Majors in Western China: Perspective, Strategy Use and Vocabulary Size.

The present study, by use of questionnaire and vocabulary tests, has investigated the foreign language vocabulary learning situation of 481 undergraduates in terms of their perspective of vocabulary learning, strategy use and vocabulary size. Based on the questionnaire investigation and vocabulary level tests, the characteristics of the subjects’ foreign language vocabulary learning have been outlined: (1) Objects have the belief that vocabulary should be learned by using them; the most frequently used strategies include dictionary use, guessing the meaning and note-taking; objects average out to a small vocabulary size. (2) Significant differences exist in the use of some strategies between different graders and different majors. (3) Four strategies (cognitive & meta-cognitive) significantly correlate with vocabulary size. In order to facilitate learners’ foreign language vocabulary development, four tentative solutions have been offered to solve the relevant problems: (1) Raising learners’ awareness of FL vocabulary development and try to enlarge their vocabulary size; (2) Developing learners’ productive vocabulary by using the target words in authentic contexts; (3) Fostering learners’ awareness of using appropriate vocabulary learning strategies; (4) Broadening learners’ vocabulary learning approaches by utilizing both the intentional (direct) learning methods and the incidental (indirect) ones. The research results may probably offer empirical reference for the foreign language vocabulary teaching and learning in China.
Anomalies in conventional T and invariant natural killer T‐cell populations in Fabry mice but not in Fabry patients

Potential consequences of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor administration. Cancer, 110, 1568–1577. Nowis, D. , McConnell, E.J., Dierlam, L. , Palamarchuk, A. , Lass, A. & Wojcik, C. (2007) TNF potentiates anticancer activity of bortezomib (velcade) through reduced expression of proteasome subunits and dysregulation of unfolded protein response. International Journal of Cancer, 121, 431–441. Schneider, A. , Kruger, C. , Steigleder, T. , Weber, D. , Pitzer, C. , Laage, R. , Aronowski, J., Maurer, M.H. , Gassler, N. , Mier, W. , Hasselblatt, M. , Kollmar, R. , Schwab, S. , Sommer, C. , Bach, A. , Kuhn, H.G. & Schabitz, W.R. (2005) The hematopoietic factor G-CSF is a neuronal ligand that counteracts programmed cell death and drives neurogenesis. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 115, 2083–2098.
Trends in clinical indicators of care for adult peritoneal dialysis patients in the United States from 1995 to 1997. ESRD Core Indicators Workgroup.

BACKGROUND This article describes the changes in four core indicator variables: dialysis adequacy, hematocrit, serum albumin, and blood pressure in peritoneal dialysis CAPD and cycler patients over a three-year period. METHODS A national random sample of adult peritoneal dialysis patients in the United States was drawn each study period. Clinical data abstraction forms were completed by facility staff for patients selected for the sample, returned to the respective network, then forwarded to the Health Care Financing Administration for analysis. RESULTS The mean weekly Kt/V urea for CAPD patients increased from 1.91 in 1995 to 2.12 in 1997 (P < 0.001) and for cycler patients, from 2.12 in 1996 to 2.24 in 1997 (P < 0.05). The mean weekly creatinine clearance for CAPD patients increased from 61.48 liter/week/1.73 m2 in 1995 to 65.84 liter/week/1.73 m2 in 1997 (P < 0.05). For cycler patients, it increased from 63.37 liter/week/1.73 m2 in 1996 to 67.45 liter/week/1.73 m2 in 1997 (P < 0.05). Despite this increase in adequacy values, less than 40% of peritoneal dialysis patients in 1997 had weekly Kt/V urea or creatinine clearance values that met subsequently published National Kidney Foundation's Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (DOQI) guidelines. These data suggest that the dialysis prescription may not be adequately modified to compensate for increased body weight and for decreased residual renal function as years on dialysis increase. The average hematocrit value increased modestly in both CAPD and cycler patients from 1995 to 1997, and the number of patients with a hematocrit of less than 25% decreased from 6% in 1995 to 1.4% in 1997 (P < 0.001). Both serum albumin values and systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were essentially unchanged during the three-year period of observation. CONCLUSIONS Despite improvements in dialysis adequacy and hematocrit values, there remains much room for improvement in these core indicator values.
The impact of C4d and microvascular inflammation before we knew them

It is important to identify prognostically important morphologic criteria in post‐transplant management to tailor therapy and improve outcomes. Therefore, using biopsies carried out for cause <1‐yr post‐transplant, from an era when C4d staining and microvascular inflammation (MVI) were not clinically utilized, we studied the importance of C4d and MVI on graft survival. Snap‐frozen first renal allograft biopsy specimens (done for cause) in the first post‐transplant year from 1996 to 2001 were stained/examined for C4d, and pathology re‐examined by a separate blinded pathologist. Graft outcomes in patients with and without MVI and/or C4d were compared.
Development of a novel postnatal neurobehavioral scale for evaluation of common marmoset monkeys

Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) monkeys when compared to rhesus macaques (Macaca mullatta) present several advantages for disease modeling, especially transgenic initiatives, as they commonly give birth to twins, which increases sample size, have accelerated development and a shorter life span that facilitates the analysis of the onset of age‐related diseases. Yet, no tools are currently available to assess marmoset neurodevelopment during the initial first month of life. Here we report the creation of a novel Primate Postnatal Neurobehavioral Assessment Scale for marmoset monkeys (PPNAS‐M) that was based on currently available scales for human and rhesus monkeys. Twenty‐four healthy marmoset infants (12 females, 12 males) from 12 families were evaluated. The infant assessments involved 10‐minute testing administered at 15 and 30 days after birth. The PPNAS‐M consists of 41 noninvasive tests grouped into 5 testing categories: visual orienting, auditory and spatial orienting, motor responses, righting and body strength, and temperament tests. Testing at these two ages did not affect the overall health of the infants, suggesting that the PPNAS‐M is a non‐invasive testing tool. Significant maturation was demonstrated by increased scores in each of the five testing categories from postnatal day 15 to 30, with developmental patterns unique to marmosets. Principal component analysis defined 4 item groups (Orientation, State Control, Motor Maturity and Sensory Sensitivity) with 5 variables each. Orientation and State Control factors were highly similar to each other at both ages and correlated highly with previous item groupings used with rhesus macaques. Our results indicate that the PPNAS‐M is a useful assessment tool for detecting neuromotor, attention, and temperament status of infant marmosets and that it is sensitive to developmental effects. Further studies to validate the PPNAS‐M for the assessment of normal development versus early effects of developmental perturbations associated to prenatal exposures and transgenesis are warranted. Am. J. Primatol. 77:401–417, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interexaminer reproducibility of ordinal and interval-scaled plaque indices.

BACKGROUND Although many plaque scoring indices have been proposed for clinical or research purposes, only few of them are commonly used in the dental literature. Owing to the ordinal nature of these established indices, only nonparametric tests can be performed, while statistical analysts usually prefer parametric methodologies. Furthermore, these indices do not discriminate between the proximal and the broad surfaces of the teeth. AIMS The aim of this study was to assess the interexaminer reproducibility for one established ordinal plaque index and two recently proposed interval-scaled indices. METHOD Six subjects received a professional tooth cleaning and stopped all oral hygiene measures during 48-62 h. Accumulated plaque was disclosed and separately scored on all teeth except third molars by two examiners using the visual plaque index (VPI), the axial plaque extension index (APEI) and the proximal plaque extension index (PPEI). In total, 168 teeth (48 molars, 48 premolars, 24 canines and 48 incisors) were scored. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were found between the means of buccal VPI (p<0.05, Wilcoxon test), mesiobuccal, mesiolingual and distolingual APEI, and distobuccal, mesiolingual and distolingual PPEI (p<0.05, t-test). Spearman correlation values between the duplicate VPI measurements were 0.84 for buccal and 0.64 for lingual VPI, while Pearson correlation values varied between 0.51 and 0.83 for APEI and between 0.48 and 0.74 for PPEI. For VPI, 71% of the buccal (kappa=0.60) and 74% of the lingual (kappa=0.53) scores were identical. For APEI and PPEI scores, a linear regression was found with slopes ranging between 0.50 and 0.80. Mean measurement errors were 7.7% for buccal and 0.4% for lingual VPI, and ranged between 0.9% and 46.1% for APEI and PPEI. CONCLUSION The interexaminer reproducibility of all three indices showed fair to good agreement. Buccal VPI and buccal APEI in particular showed good agreement.
Predicting Dispersion Coefficient in Free-Flowing Zones of Rivers by Genetic Programming

— Transient storage zones along the flow paths of rivers have great influence on the dispersion of pollutants that are either accidentally or otherwise led into them. The speed with which these pollution clouds get transported and dispersed downstream is, to a large extent, explained by the longitudinal dispersion coefficients in the free-flowing zones of rivers (K f ). In the present work, a new empirical expression for K f has been derived employing genetic programming (GP) on published dispersion data. The proposed expression uses few hydraulic and geometric characteristics of a river that are readily available to field engineers. Based on various performance indices, the proposed expression is found superior to other existing expression for K f .
Dentofacial development in long‐term survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A comparison of three treatment modalities

Ninety‐seven children who were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia before 10 years of age and treated with chemotherapy alone, chemotherapy plus 1800‐cGy cranial irradiation (RT), or chemotherapy plus 2400‐cGy RT were evaluated for effects of therapy on dentofacial development. All patients were seen at least 5 years postdiagnosis. Dental abnormalities were determined from panoramic radiographs, and craniofacial evaluations were made from lateral cephalometric radiographs. Ninety‐one (94%) of all patients and 41 (100%) of patients younger than 5 years of age at diagnosis had abnormal dental development. the severity of these abnormalities was greater in children who received treatment before 5 years of age and in those who received RT. Observed dental abnormalities included tooth agenesis, arrested root development, microdontia, and enamel dysplasias. Craniofacial abnormalities occurred in 18 of 20 (90%) of those patients who received chemotherapy plus 2400‐cGy RT before 5 years of age. Mean cephalometric values of this group showed significant deficient mandibular development. the results of this study suggest that the severity of dentofacial‐developmental abnormalities secondary to antileukemia therapy are related to the age of the patient at the initiation of treatment and the use of cranial RT.