Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Designing Science Learning Environments That Support Emerging Bilingual Students to Problematize Electrical Phenomena

This dissertation investigates how emerging bilingual students make sense of natural phenomena through engaging in certain epistemic practices of science, and the elements of the learning environment that created those opportunities. Specifically, the dissertation focuses on how emerging bilingual students problematized electrical phenomena, like electric flow and electrical resistance, and how the design features of the environment (e.g., sequencing of activities, linguistic practices) may have supported students as they made sense of phenomena. The first study describes how for students presented and evaluated mechanistic models of electric flow, focusing specifically on how students identified and negotiated a disagreement between their explanatory models. The results from this study highlight the complexity of students’ disagreements, not only because of the epistemological aspects related to presenting and evaluating knowledge, but also due to interpersonal dynamics and the discomfort associated with disagreeing with another person. The second study focuses on the design features of the learning environment that supported emerging bilingual students’ investigations of electrical phenomena. The findings from this study highlight how a carefully designed set of activities, with the appropriate material resources (e.g., experimental tools), could support students to problematize electrical resistance. The third study describes how emerging bilingual students engaged in translanguaging practices and the contextual features of the learning environment that created and hindered opportunities for translanguaging. The findings from this study identify and articulate how emerging bilingual students engaged in translanguaging practices when iv problematizing electrical resistance, and strengthen the perspective that, in order to be equitable for emerging bilingual students, science learning environments need to act as translanguaging spaces. This dissertation makes three contributions to how science educators understand how elementary-aged emerging bilingual students learning science. First, I offer a detailed account of how emerging bilingual students engaged in epistemic practices to problematize electrical phenomena. Secondly, I argue learning environments need to create opportunities for emerging bilingual students to engage in productive epistemic work through leveraging multiple kinds of resources from their semiotic repertoires. Finally, this dissertation contributes to our understanding of how emerging bilingual students engage in translanguaging practices as they investigate and talk about the natural world.
Salt generates anti-inflammatory Th17 cells but amplifies their pathogenicity in pro-inflammatory cytokine microenvironments.

T helper cells integrate signals from their microenvironment to acquire distinct specialization programs for efficient clearance of diverse pathogens or for immunotolerance. Ionic signals have recently been demonstrated to affect T cell polarization and function. Sodium chloride (NaCl) was proposed to accumulate in peripheral tissues upon dietary intake and to promote autoimmunity via the Th17 cell axis. Here we demonstrate that high NaCl conditions induced a stable, pathogen-specific, anti-inflammatory Th17 cell fate in human T cells in vitro. The p38/MAPK pathway, involving NFAT5 and SGK1, regulated FoxP3 and interleukin (IL)-17A-expression in high-NaCl conditions. The NaCl-induced acquisition of an anti-inflammatory Th17 cell fate was confirmed in vivo in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model, which demonstrated strongly reduced disease symptoms upon transfer of T cells polarized in high NaCl conditions. However, NaCl was coopted to promote murine and human Th17 cell pathogenicity, if T cell stimulation occurred in a pro-inflammatory and TGF-β-low cytokine microenvironment. Taken together, our findings reveal a context-dependent, dichotomous role for NaCl in shaping Th17 cell pathogenicity. NaCl might therefore prove beneficial for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases in combination with cytokine-blocking drugs.
Plasma levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide can be increased with ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ diets and do not correlate with the extent of atherosclerosis but with plaque instability

The microbiome-derived metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has attracted major interest and controversy both as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target in atherothrombosis. the underlying mechanism was unclear. Therefore, in order to assess the relationship of TMAO to dietary context, and whether TMAO was related to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk, we examined divergent routes of TMAO generation in an ‘unhealthy’ (choline supplementation) and ‘healthy’ (high dietary fibre) dietary context, and explored its relationship to atherosclerosis in three different mouse models. We examined stable atherosclerosis using the most commonly used models of atherosclerosis: atherosclerosis-prone ApoE -/- and Ldlr -/- mice, and a tandem-stenosis model of plaque instability in ApoE -/- mice (see Supplementary material online, Figure S1 ). The aims of this study were: (i) to evaluate the effect of ‘unhealthy’ (high choline) and ‘healthy’ (high fibre) diets on plasma TMAO levels and describe the different generative pathways in each case; (ii) to examine the relationship between circulating TMAO levels and atherosclerosis in model systems and humans; and (iii) to characterize the relationship of TMAO and related metabolites to unstable plaque, the mechanism underlying cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction. To address these specific aims, our sequence of experiments was: (i) administer high-choline and high-fibre diets to mice and examine the effects on microbiome, faecal/plasma metabolite changes, and TMA oxidation enzyme expression; (ii) in atherosclerosis-prone mice, examine the effect of choline supplementation on atherosclerosis, gut microbiome, and metabolites relevant to TMAO generation; (iii) in parallel, examine the relationship of plasma TMAO to atherosclerosis in a well-characterized Abstract
INSIGHTS FROM MODEL SYSTEMS The Yeast Connection to Friedreich Ataxia

There have been both genetic and biochemical advances in the understanding of inherited neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington disease (HD) and Friedreich ataxia (FA). In FA, these advances have come from the following two approaches: the mapping of the disease gene in humans, and work with a distantly related model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These two approaches converged, with the study of the human gene leading to the yeast homologue and the study of the yeast mutant phenotypes leading to the human homologue and its associated disease. FA has an estimated prevalence of 1/50,000 in European populations, making it the most common inherited ataxia. The neurologic symptoms, which start during adolescence, include gait and limb ataxia, lower limb areflexia and pyramidal weakness, loss of proprioception, and dysarthria. Most patients develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and skeletal abnormalities, and some become diabetic (Durr et al. 1996). These symptoms progress with age, such that most patients become wheelchair-bound by their late twenties and die by their mid-thirties—most commonly of congestive heart failure. Genetically, FA belongs to a class of neurodegenerative disorders in which the underlying gene, FRDA1, carries an unstable trinucleotide-repeat sequence. At least eight other members of this class have been identified, including HD and many types of spinocerebellar ataxia. However, key genetic features separate FA from the other trinucleotide-repeat disorders. First, the sequence of the trinucleotide repeat in the FRDA1 gene is GAA (Campuzano et al. 1996), whereas a CAG repeat occurs in the other trinucleotide-associated ataxias, and other repeats (CTG or CGG) are seen in other trinucleotide dis-
Puberty is Associated with a Rising HbA1c, Even in Youth with Normal Weight

Our objective was to explore the longitudinal trajectory of HbA1c in well-characterized youth (n=84) with normal weight and obesity during puberty. HbA1c rose from early puberty to Tanner 5, even in healthy, normal weight youth, revealing important implications for defining normal glycemia and prediabetes in adolescents. With the rise in pediatric obesity, has come a parallel rise in youth-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) incidence, with devistating consequences for those affected (1). However, even among those with risk factors, pediatric T2D incidence remains relatively low, hampering our ability to understand factors influencing progression to T2D. Large studies would be required to longitudinally define youth-specific predictors of T2D, including defining glycemic cut-points (ie, prediabetes) predicting progression. More fundamentally, little is known about the glycemic trajectory in adolescence and the impact of physiologic transient pubertal changes in insulin sensitivity and secretion. In a large cross-sectional study of 6 th – 8 th graders (HEALTHY Study), we demonstrated that the HbA1c normal distribution extends into the prediabetes range in healthy, normal weight adolescents (2). In fact, 2% of lean youth in HEALTHY had a prediabetes-range HbA1c; the highest among African American youth. The Health Influences of Puberty (HIP) Study was designed to assess changes in insulin sensitivity and secretion in youth with normal weight and obesity as they progressed from early puberty to Tanner stage 5 (T5). HIP demonstrated that, though youth with obesity were substantially more insulin resistant during puberty, their compensatory insulin response, estimated by disposition index (DI), was similar to normal weight youth (3). However, in the
Phosphorylation of BLM, Dissociation from Topoisomerase III (cid:2) , and Colocalization with (cid:3) -H2AX after Topoisomerase I-Induced Replication Damage

Topoisomerase I-associated DNA single-strand breaks selectively trapped by camptothecins are lethal after being converted to double-strand breaks by replication fork collisions. BLM (Bloom’s syndrome protein), a RecQ DNA helicase, and topoisomerase III (cid:1) (Top3 (cid:1) ) appear essential for the resolution of stalled replication forks (Holliday junctions). We investigated the involvement of BLM in the signaling response to Top1- mediated replication DNA damage. In BLM-complemented cells, BLM colocalized with promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) nuclear bodies and Top3 (cid:1) . Fibroblasts without BLM showed an increased sensitivity to camptothecin, enhanced formation of Top1-DNA complexes, and delayed histone H2AX phosphorylation ( (cid:2) -H2AX). Camptothecin also induced nuclear relocalization of BLM, Top3 (cid:1) , and PML protein and replica-tion-dependent phosphorylation
The D 1 /D 5 dopamine partial agonist PF-06412562 in advanced­ stage Parkinson’s disease: a feasibility study

Background: Current drug treatments have limited efficacy and intolerable side effects in advanced-to-end-stage Parkinson’s disease (advPD). D 1 agonists have the potential to provide symptomatic benefit, but there are no data on safety and feasibility in this population. Methods: A two-week, randomized, double blind, crossover phase Ib study was performed in advPD patients to compare standard-of-care (SoC) carbidopa/levodopa with PF-06412562, a selective D 1 /D 5 dopamine receptor partial agonist. Each week, there was a Day 1 baseline evaluation with overnight levodopa washout, then treatment on Days 2 and 3 with either SoC or PF-06412562 (split dose 25+20 mg), followed by discharge on Day 4. Primary endpoints were safety and tolerability. Conclusions: PF-06412562 was tolerated in advPD patients. This study provides the feasibility for future safety and efficacy studies in this population with unmet needs.
Antigen-Specific T Lymphocyte Function Following Cord Blood Transplantation

It has not been possible to determine the singular contribution of naïve T lymphocytes to antigen-specific immunity following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) because of the confounding effects of donor-derived antigen-specific T lymphocytes present in most HSC products. Since umbilical cord blood contains only naïve T lymphocytes, we longitudinally evaluated the recipients of unrelated cord blood transplants (UCBT) for the presence of T lymphocytes with specificity for herpes viruses to determine the contribution of the naïve T lymphocytes to antigen-specific immune reconstitution after HSCT. Antigen-specific T lymphocytes were detected early after UCBT (Day 29, herpes simplex virus; Day 44, cytomegalovirus; Day 94, varicella zoster virus). Overall, 66 of 153 UCBT recipients developed antigen-specific T lymphocytes to 1 or more herpes viruses during the evaluation period. The likelihood of developing antigen-specific T lymphocyte function was not associated with immunophenotypic T lymphocyte reconstitution, transplant cell dose, primary disease, or acute and chronic graft versus host disease. These results indicate that naïve T lymphocytes present in the HSC inoculum can contribute to the generation of antigen-specific T lymphocyte immunity early after transplantation.
An overview of the flexural post‐cracking behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete

This paper provides a general overview of recent developments in the study of the flexural post‐cracking behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC). The results of three‐point‐bending tests (3PBTs) performed at the University of Brescia during the last lustrum were collected in a broad database consisting of 81 series for a total amount of 528 beams. Several experimental parameters were investigated: strength of concrete matrix, fiber dosage, fiber aspect ratio, fiber filament tensile strength, as well as fiber orientation. The latter was deeply studied by means of image analysis of cut cross sections. The results, discussed in terms of post‐cracking flexural residual strengths, highlight that all the parameters studied contribute to the post‐cracking performances exhibited by SFRCs.
Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Borderline Personality Disorder Features as Risk Factors for Suicidal Ideation among Male Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

U.S. veterans are at increased risk for suicide compared to their civilian counterparts, accounting for approximately 20% of all deaths by suicide. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) have each been associated with increased suicide risk. Additionally, emerging research suggests that nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) may be a unique risk factor for suicidal behavior. Archival data from 728 male veterans with a PTSD diagnosis receiving care through an outpatient Veterans Health Administration (VHA) specialty PTSD clinic were analyzed. PTSD diagnosis was based on a structured clinical interview administered by trained clinicians. BPD features were assessed using a subscale of the Personality Assessment Inventory, and NSSI and suicidal ideation (SI) were assessed by self-report. Findings revealed that NSSI (58.8%) and BPD features (23.5%) were both relatively common in this sample of male veterans with PTSD. As expected, each condition was associated with significantly increased odds of experiencing SI compared to PTSD alone (ORs ranged from 1.2 to 2.6); moreover, co-occurring PTSD+NSSI+BPD was associated with significantly increased odds of experiencing SI compared with PTSD (OR = 5.68), PTSD+NSSI (OR = 2.57), and PTSD+BPD (OR = 2.13). The present findings provide new insight into the rates of NSSI and BPD features
The role of illness uncertainty in the relationship between disease knowledge and patient-reported outcomes among adults and adolescents with congenital heart disease

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Four-dimensional Blood Flow Model for Dose Calculation to Circulating Blood and Lymphocytes

Introduction: To better understand how radiotherapy delivery parameters affect the depletion of circulating lymphocytes in patients treated for intra-cranial tumors, we developed a computational human body blood flow model (BFM), that enables to estimate the dose to the circulating blood during the course of fractionated radiation therapy. Materials & Methods: A hemodynamic cardiovascular system based on human body reference values was developed to distribute the cardiac output to 24 different organs, described by a discrete Markov Chain. For explicit intracranial blood flow modeling, we extracted major cerebral vasculature from MRI data of a patient and complemented them with an extension network of generic vessels in the frontal and occipital lobes to guarantee even overall blood supply to the entire brain volume. An explicit Monte Carlo simulation was implemented to track the propagation of each individual blood particle (BP) through the brain and time-dependent radiation fields, accumulating dose along their trajectories. Results: The cerebral model includes 1050 path lines and explicitly simulates more than 266’000 BP at any given time that are tracked with a time resolution of 10 ms. The entire BFM for the whole body contains 22’178’000 BP, corresponding to 4200 BP per ml of blood. We have used the model to investigate the difference between proton and photon therapy, and the effect of different dose rates and patient characteristics on the dose to the circulating blood pool. The mean dose to the blood pool is estimated to be 0.06 and 0.13 Gy after 30 fractions of proton and photon therapy, respectively, and the highest dose to 1% of blood was found to be 0.19 Gy and 0.34 Gy. The fraction of blood volume receiving any dose after the first fraction is significantly lower for proton therapy, 10.1% compared to 18.4% for the photon treatment plan. 90% of the blood pool will have received dose after the 11 th fraction using photon therapy compared to the 21 st fraction with proton therapy. Higher dose rates can effectively reduce the fraction of blood irradiated to low doses
Prosumer Communities and Relationships in Smart Grids: A Literature Review, Evolution and Future Directions

Smart grids are robust, self-healing networks that allow bidirectional propagation of energy and information within the utility grid. This introduces a new type of energy user who consumes, produces, stores and shares energy with other grid users. Such a user is called a “prosumer. ” Prosumers’ participation in the smart grid is critical for the sustainability and long-term efficiency of the energy sharing process. Thus, prosumer management has attracted increasing attention among researchers in recent years. This paper systematically examines the literature on prosumer community based smart grid by reviewing relevant literature published from 2009 to 2018 in reputed energy and technology journals. We specifically focus on two dimensions namely prosumer community groups and prosumer relationships. Based on the evaluated literature, we present eight propositions and thoroughly describe several future research directions.
Deletion of the Brain-Speci ﬁ c a and d Isoforms of Adapter Protein SH2B1 Protects Mice From Obesity

Mice lacking SH2B1 and humans with variants of SH2B1 display severe obesity and insulin resistance. SH2B1 is an adapter protein that is recruited to the receptors of multiple hormones and neurotrophic factors. Of the four known alternatively spliced SH2B1 isoforms, SH2B1 b and SH2B1 g exhibit ubiquitous expression, whereas SH2B1 a and SH2B1 d are essentially restricted to the brain. To understand the roles for SH2B1 a and SH2B1 d in energy balance and glucose metabolism, we generated mice lacking these brain-speci ﬁ c isoforms ( ad knockout [ ad KO] mice). ad KO mice exhibit decreased food intake, protection from weight gain on standard and high-fat diets, and an adiposity-dependent improvement in glucose homeostasis. SH2B1 has been suggested to impact energy balance via the modulation of leptin action. However, ad KO mice exhibit leptin sensitivity that is similar to that of wild-type mice by multiple measures. Thus, decreasing the abundance of SH2B1 a and/or SH2B1 d relative to the other SH2B1 isoforms likely shifts energy balance toward a lean phenotype via a primarily leptin-independent mechanism. Our ﬁ ndings suggest that the different alternatively spliced isoforms of
long-term outcomes of major upper extremity replantations Les issues à long terme de réimplantations majeures des membres supérieurs

U pper extremity replantation, first performed by Dr Ronald Malt in Boston in 1962, is now widely used to manage patients with sharp, guillotine-type, minimally contaminated amputations of the thumb, multiple digits, hand, wrist and forearm (1,2). Survival of the replanted extremity is the most common parameter for which the success or failure of this procedure has been evaluated. It has been reported to be between 80% and 94% (3,4). However, this outcome measure only indicates that the replanted limb is viable at the follow-up visit. More useful outcome measures are those assessing the functional outcome of the surgery such as Chen’s criteria, the ability to resume work, range of motion relative to normal, sensibility and power (4). Ideal assessments are those that include patient-reported quality of life as well as functional outcomes. These offer a better indi-cation of success or failure of replantation. Physiological outcomes measured by clinicians provide valuable information regarding patient recovery status even if there is a threat of introducing bias. For example, a viable replanted arm may be considered a success from the point of view of the surgeon; however, if the patient is unable to perform most of his or her activities of daily living (ADL) and depends on social assistance, the procedure may be considered a failure. upper replantations of major upper extremity replantations. BACKgROUND: Long-term outcomes of major upper extremity replan- tations are infrequently reported. It is believed that replantation is indi-cated for amputations at all levels in children and for all distal amputations in adults. Replantations of arm or proximal forearm amputations in adults are controversial. OBjECTIVE: To evaluate the results of major upper extremity replantations, defined as those that are transmetacarpal, through the wrist, forearm, elbow or arm. METHODS: A review of these types of replantations performed at the authors’ institution from 2002 to 2012 was conducted. Patients’ strength, range of motion and two-point discrimination were assessed. Patients com- pleted the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), the Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS). RESULTS: Seventeen patients underwent major upper extremity replan- tation surgery. The majority (16 of 17 [94%]) of the included patients were male. Of 17 patients, 13 (76.5%) required reoperations. The mean (± SD) DASH score of seven patients who consented to completing all questionnaires was 75.4±14.2 of 100 (range 59.2 to 91.1). On the MHQ, the mean score for affected hand function was 16% compared with 84% in the unaffected hand. Patients generally demonstrated at least mild levels of anxiety and depression on the HADS. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that major upper extremity injuries and replantations have a significant impact on patients’ long-term hand function, and produce long-term anxiety and depressive symptoms. included. Patients with digital replantation were excluded.