Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
”How does the computer carry out digitalRead()?” Notional Machines Mediated Learner Conceptual Agency within an Introductory High School Electronic Textiles Unit

Learners in computing classrooms must develop and adopt viable conceptions of program dynamics to read, write, and debug programs within a given programming context. Learners find support in notional machines, or simplified notions about underlying program behavior within a programming context, that educators provide them. While prior studies have examined students’ use of notional machines to trace program execution during interviews or quizzes, learners’ interactions with them within classrooms is understudied. Framing learning with notional machines as a sociocultural process, I conducted an interaction analysis of high school students’ learning across eight class periods during a 14-week introductory computing electronic textiles online unit to answer the questions: (1) How did students interact with program dynamics during the unit? (2) Did notional machines support students with computing conceptual agency? If so, how? Findings revealed that learners interacted with program dynamics in agentic ways as they adopted notional machines to reason, ask questions about, reveal and revise their notions of program execution. While prior studies have explored notional machines’ affordance for mental model development, this study revealed their situated nature and their role in making program dynamics visible and accessible for sustained joint exploration within classrooms. Findings from this analysis make a three-fold contribution: they highlight the mediating role of notional machines in supporting agentic learner interaction with program dynamics, their role in sustaining joint meaning-making within computing classrooms, and their evolving nature as a result of continuous interactions between the learners and the teacher.
Using Electrodermal Activity Measurements to Understand Student Emotions While Programming

Programming can be an emotional experience, particularly for undergraduate students who are new to computer science. While researchers have interviewed novice programmers about their emotional experiences, it can be difficult to pinpoint the specific emotions that occur during a programming session. In this paper, we argue that electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors, which measure the physiological changes that are indicative of an emotional reaction, can provide a valuable new data source to help study student experiences. We conducted a study with 14 undergraduate students in which we collected EDA data while they worked on a programming problem. This data was then used to cue the participants’ recollections of their emotions during a retrospective interview about the programming experience. Using this methodology, we identified 21 distinct events that triggered student emotions, such as feeling anxiety due to a lack of perceived progress on the problem. We also identified common patterns in EDA data across multiple participants, such as a drop in their physiological reaction after developing a plan, corresponding with a calmer emotional state. These findings provide new information about how students experience programming that can inform research and practice, and also contribute initial evidence of the value of EDA data in supporting studies of emotions while programming.
A Decade of Demographics in Computing Education Research: A Critical Review of Trends in Collection, Reporting, and Use

Computing education research (CER) has used demographic data to understand learners’ identities, backgrounds, and contexts for efforts such as culturally-responsive computing. Prior work indicates that failing to elucidate and critically engage with the implicit assumptions of a field can unintentionally reinforce power structures that further marginalize people from non-dominant groups. The goal of this paper is two-fold: to understand what populations CER researchers have studied, and to surface implicit assumptions about how researchers have collected, reported, and used demographic data on these populations. We conducted a content analysis of 510 peer-reviewed papers published in 12 CER venues from 2012 to 2021. We found that (1) 60% of papers studied older learners in formal contexts (i.e. post-secondary education); (2) 68% of papers left unclear how researchers collected demographic data; and (3) while 94% of papers were single-site studies, only 14% addressed the limitations of their contexts. We also identified hegemonic norms through ambiguous aggregate term usage (e.g. underrepresented, diverse) in 23% of papers, and through incomplete reporting of demographics (i.e. leaving out demographics for some participants in their sample) in 35% of papers. We discuss the implications of these findings for the CER field, raising considerations for CER researchers to keep in mind when collecting, reporting, and using demographic data.
A Pair of ACES: An Analysis of Isomorphic Questions on an Elementary Computing Assessment

Background and Context. With increasing efforts to bring computing education opportunities into elementary schools, there is a growing need for assessments, with arguments for validity, to support research evaluation at these grade levels. After successfully piloting a 10-question computational thinking assessment (Assessment of Computing for Elementary Students – ACES) for 4th graders in Spring 2020, we used our analyses of item difficulty and discrimination to iterate on the assessment. Objectives. To increase the number of potential items for ACES, we created isomorphic versions of existing questions. The nature of the changes varied from incidental changes that we did not believe would impact student performance to more radical changes that seemed likely to influence question difficulty. We sought to understand the impact of these changes on student performance. Method. Using these isomorphic questions, we created two versions of our assessment and piloted them in Spring 2021 with 235 upper-elementary (4th grade) students. We analyzed the reliability of the assessments using Cronbach’s alpha. We used Chi-squared tests to analyze questions that were identical across the two assessments to form a baseline of comparison and then ran Chi-Squared and Kruskal-Wallis H tests to analyze the differences between the isomorphic copies of the questions. Findings. Both assessment versions demonstrated good reliability, with identical Cronbach’s alphas of 0.868. We found statistically similar performance on the identical questions between our two groups of students, allowing us to compare their performance on the isomorphic questions. Students performed differently on the isomorphic questions, indicating the changes to the questions had a differential impact on student performance. Implications. This paper builds on existing work by presenting methods for creating isomorphic questions. We provide valuable lessons learned, both on those methods and on the impact of specific types of changes on student performance.
Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University A Welfare Analysis of Capital Account Liberalization A Welfare Analysis of Capital Account Liberalization

We develop a model of a small open economy with credit market frictions to analyze the consequences of capital account liberalization. We show that ﬁnancial opening facilitates the inﬂows of cheap foreign funds and improves production eﬃciency. Reforms increasing labor market ﬂexibility can further improve such eﬃciency gains. However, capital account liberalization also has important distributional consequences. Speciﬁcally, it may be impossible to use public transfers to fully compensate the loss of those negatively aﬀected by capital account liberalization. This explains why ﬁnancial opening often meets ﬁerce opposition even though it leads to eﬃciency gains for the economy as a whole. From a practical perspective, capital controls should be lifted gradually for a smooth transition.
Goodpasture with a Peptide Derived from the Glomerulopathy Induced by Immunization

Mouse experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis, a model of human antiglomerular basement membrane disease, depends on both Ab and T cell responses to the Goodpasture Ag noncollagenous domain 1 of the a 3-chain of type IV collagen ( a 3IV-NC1). The aim of our study was to further characterize the T cell–mediated immune response. Repeated immunization with mouse a 3IVNC1 caused fatal glomerulonephritis in DBA/1 mice. Although two immunizations were sufﬁcient to generate high a 3IV-NC1– speciﬁc IgG titers, Ab and complement deposition along the glomerular basement membranes, and a nephrotic syndrome, two additional immunizations were needed to induce a necrotizing/crescentic glomerulonephritis. Ten days after the ﬁrst immunization, a 3IV-NC1–speciﬁc CD4 + cells producing TNF- a , IFN- g , or IL-17A were detected in the spleen. With the emergence of necrotizing/crescentic glomerulonephritis, ∼ 0.15% of renal CD4 + cells were speciﬁc for a 3IV-NC1. Using peptides spanning the whole a 3IV-NC1 domain, three immunodominant T cell epitopes were identiﬁed. Immunization with these peptides did not lead to clinical signs of experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis or necrotizing/crescentic glomerulonephritis. However, mice immunized with one of the peptides (STVKAGDLEKIISRC) developed circulating Abs against mouse a 3IV-NC1 ﬁrst detected at 8 wk, and 50% of the mice showed mild proteinuria at 18–24 wk due to membranous glomerulopathy. Taken together, our results suggest that autoreactive T cells are able to induce the formation of pathologic autoantibodies. The quality and quantity of a 3IV-NC1–speciﬁc Ab and T cell responses are critical for the phenotype of the glomerulonephritis. The Journal of Immunology , 2015, 194: 000–000.
Diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Crohn Disease: Current Status and Recommendations

Over the past years, technological improvements and refinements in magnetic resonance imaging hardware have made high quality diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) routinely possible for the bowel. DWI is promising for the detection and characterization of lesions in Crohn disease (CD) and has been advocated as an alternative to intravenous gadolinium-based contrast agents. Furthermore, quantification using the apparent diffusion coefficient may have value as a biomarker of CD activity and has shown promise. In this article, we critically review the literature pertaining to the value of DWI in CD for detection, characterization and quantification of disease activity and complications. Although the body of supportive evidence is growing, it is clear that well-designed, multicenter studies are required before the role of DWI in clinical practice can be fully established.
Novel mechanisms of action of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists on the skeleton

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) leads to bone fragility and predisposes to increased risk of fracture, poor bone healing and other skeletal complications. In addition, some anti-diabetic therapies for T2DM can have notable detrimental skeletal effects. Thus an appropriate therapeutic strategy for T2DM should not only be effective in re-establishing good glycaemic control but also in minimising skeletal complications. There is increasing evidence that Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1r) agonists, now greatly prescribed for the treatment of T2DM, have beneficial skeletal effects although the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. This review provides an overview of the direct and indirect effects of GLP-1RAs on bone physiology, focusing on bone quality and novel mechanisms of action on the vasculature and hormonal regulation. The overall experimental studies indicate significant positive skeletal effects of GLP-1RAs on bone quality and strength although their mechanisms of actions may differ according to various GLP-1RAs and clinical studies supporting their bone protective effects are still lacking. The possibility that GLP-1RAs could improve blood supply to bone, which is essential for skeletal health, is of major interest and suggests that GLP-1 anti-diabetic therapy could benefit the rising number of elderly T2DM patients with osteoporosis and high fracture risk. Lay Abstract Bone weakening is an important complication in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This review summarises the effects on skeletal health of drugs that are similar to the hormone Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which are now used increasingly for the treatment of T2DM and could lead to a stronger skeleton.
ACANTHOSIS NIGRICANS, Β-CELL FUNCTION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN TYPE 2 DIABETIC SUBJECTS

acanthosis resistance. The present is an descriptive study which planned to evaluate analyze the acanthosis nigricans, insulin resistance function in type 2 ABSTRACT Objective: To study the acanthosis nigricans (AN) as marker of β-cell function and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic subjects. Study design: Observational study. Place and duration: Department of Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro/Hyderabad from March 2016 to September 2016. Subjects and Methods: A sample of 70 type 2 DM subjects was divided into 2 groups with and without AN. Random and fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, blood lipids, serum creatinine and bilirubin were detected and HOMA-IR model was calculated on computer. Data was analyzed on SPSS 22.0 (USA) software at 95% confidence interval (P ≤ 0.05). Results: Type 2 diabetics with acanthosis nigricans showed association with insulin resistance. The %β-cell function and %S (insulin sensivity) showed negative correlation and HOMA-IR (insulin resistance) showed positive correlation with acanthosis nigricans. Systolic and diastolic BP, random and fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, triglycerides, LDLc, HDLc, and total cholesterol showed significant derangement in type 2 diabetics with Acanthosis nigricans. Conclusion: The present study proposes the acanthosis nigricans is a marker of insulin resistance which may be utilized in clinical practice and the HOMA-IR can serve as a marker of insulin resistance.
DINarIC karst INtermItteNt rIvers harbOur sOme rare mayflIes (INseCta, ePhemerOPtera)

F. , R. , K. , A. : Dinaric karst intermittent rivers harbour some rare mayflies (Insecta, Ephemeroptera). Nat. Croat. , Vol. 30, No. 2, 377–387, Zagreb, 2021. While investigating the aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna of four intermittent Dinaric karst rivers in Croatia, we confirmed or recorded new distribution data and ecological features for several mayfly species rare in Croatian freshwater habitats: Nigrobaetis niger (Linnaeus, 1761), Procloeon pennulatum (Eaton, 1870) and Paraleptophlebia werneri Ulmer, 1920. To our knowledge, this is the first record of N. niger in intermittent lotic habitats. We discuss their substrate preferences in the studied habitats as well as their relationships with measured physico-chemical water parameters. The newly obtained results confirm that our knowledge about Croatian mayfly fauna and species ecological requirements in intermittent Mediterranean rivers is still incomplete and is increasing with systematic studies.
Autophagy modulates cell fate decisions during lineage commitment

ABSTRACT Early events during development leading to exit from a pluripotent state and commitment toward a specific germ layer still need in-depth understanding. Autophagy has been shown to play a crucial role in both development and differentiation. This study employs human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells to understand the early events of lineage commitment with respect to the role of autophagy in this process. Our data indicate that a dip in autophagy facilitates exit from pluripotency. Upon exit, we demonstrate that the modulation of autophagy affects SOX2 levels and lineage commitment, with induction of autophagy promoting SOX2 degradation and mesendoderm formation, whereas inhibition of autophagy causes SOX2 accumulation and neuroectoderm formation. Thus, our results indicate that autophagy-mediated SOX2 turnover is a determining factor for lineage commitment. These findings will deepen our understanding of development and lead to improved methods to derive different lineages and cell types. Abbreviations: ACTB: Actin, beta; ATG: Autophagy-related; BafA1: Bafilomycin A1; CAS9: CRISPR-associated protein 9; CQ: Chloroquine; DE: Definitive endoderm; hESCs: Human Embryonic Stem Cells; hiPSCs: Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; LAMP1: Lysosomal Associated Membrane Protein 1; MAP1LC3: Microtubule-Associated Protein 1 Light Chain 3; MTOR: Mechanistic Target Of Rapamycin Kinase; NANOG: Nanog Homeobox; PAX6: Paired Box 6; PE: Phosphatidylethanolamine; POU5F1: POU class 5 Homeobox 1; PRKAA2: Protein Kinase AMP-Activated Catalytic Subunit Alpha 2; SOX2: SRY-box Transcription Factor 2; SQSTM1: Sequestosome 1; ULK1: unc-51 like Autophagy Activating Kinase 1; WDFY3: WD Repeat and FYVE Domain Containing 3.
‘Class Against Class’: The leadership of the Communist Party of Great Britain during the Comintern’s Third Period, 1928–1934

ABSTRACT A prosopographical survey employed statistical analysis of data detailing the origins, occupations, prior affiliations, political careers and destinations of the 66 leading Communists who served on the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) during the Comintern’s Third Period, 1928–1934. There was significant innovation in composition: consonant with transformed politics, around 62% of CC representatives were newcomers, turnover accelerated significantly compared with 1923–1927 and the Old Guard was discarded. The committees were younger, although mean age only declined from 37 to 34 years, and female representation more than doubled. The CC remained overwhelmingly working-class – slightly more than in earlier years – with strong representation from skilled manual workers and miners. Only a small minority met the Comintern prescription that the committee be revitalised by electing factory militants; by the end of the Third Period, 90% of members were paid party workers. Short-term change failed to produce an enduring renewal of the Communist leadership. Some 75% of Newcomers during the ‘Class Against Class’ years failed to survive beyond them as CC representatives, with negative implications for the construction of an experienced cadre. A core of 12 who served before, during and after the Third Period was reinforced by 10 Newcomers who continued in the leadership after 1934. In succeeding decades, none of them challenged in prominence and prestige the core of leaders in place prior to 1929.
Use a high resolution melting assay to compare and env diversity in adults with different stages of HIV infection.

of (HRM) gag, pol, Abstract Background: Cross-sectional assessment of HIV incidence relies on laboratory methods to discriminate between recent and non-recent HIV infection. Because HIV diversifies over time in infected individuals, HIV diversity may serve as a biomarker for assessing HIV incidence. We used a high resolution melting (HRM) diversity assay to compare HIV diversity in adults with different stages of HIV infection. This assay provides a single numeric HRM score that reflects the level of genetic diversity of HIV in a sample from an infected individual. Methods: HIV diversity was measured in 203 adults: 20 with acute HIV infection (RNA positive, antibody negative), 116 with recent HIV infection (tested a median of 189 days after a previous negative HIV test, range 14–540 days), and 67 with non-recent HIV infection (HIV infected . 2 years). HRM scores were generated for two regions in gag , one region in pol , and three regions in env . Results: Median HRM scores were higher in non-recent infection than in recent infection for all six regions tested. In multivariate models, higher HRM scores in three of the six regions were independently associated with non-recent HIV infection. Conclusions: The HRM diversity assay provides a simple, scalable method for measuring HIV diversity. HRM scores, which reflect the genetic diversity in a viral population, may be useful biomarkers for evaluation of HIV incidence, particularly if multiple regions of the HIV genome are examined.
Aging Effects on Gut Microbiota in SAMP8 Mice †

: We have studied the effects of aging on the fecal microbiota composition in the senescence-accelerated prone mice SAMP8 strain. We compared animals two, four, and six months old. Feces were collected at the end of each period and a genomic study was carried out on fecal DNA using the Illumina MiSeq analyzer. The Shannon diversity index showed similar values along this period and the number of species was neither affected by aging. The phylum Verrucobacteria went up with age, showing a seven-fold increase at six months, compared to two-month old mice. At the family level, changes observed between two and six months of age involved significant increases in Bacteroidaceae ( q < 0.001) and strong reductions in Lactobacillaceae ( q < 0.0001) and Prevotellaceae ( q < 0.05); at the genus level, there was a significant reduction in probiotic Lactobacillus . At the species level, we observed an age-related reduction in Lactobacillus hayakitensis , a species involved in mucosal immune homeostasis, and in Blautia hansenii , which provides protection against Clostridium difficile infection. Interestingly, aging increases Parabacteroides goldsteiini , which is involved in the regulation of the TLR4 pathway. These results support the view that aging results in the proliferation of bacterial species that are associated with the immune deterioration of the gut mucosa.
with a semileptonic tagging method

We report a measurement of the ratio R ( D ∗ ) = B ( ¯ B 0 → D ∗ + τ − ¯ ν τ ) / B ( ¯ B 0 → D ∗ + ℓ − ¯ ν ℓ ), where ℓ denotes an electron or a muon. The results are based on a data sample containing 772 × 10 6 B ¯ B pairs recorded at the Υ(4 S ) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e + e − collider. We select a sample of B 0 ¯ B 0 pairs by reconstructing both B mesons in semileptonic decays to D ∗∓ ℓ ± . We measure R ( D ∗ ) = 0 . 302 ± 0 . 030(stat) ± 0 . 011(syst), which is within 1 . 6 σ of the Standard Model theoretical expectation, where the standard deviation σ includes systematic uncertainties. We use this measurement to constrain several scenarios of new physics in a model-independent approach.
Tritium Accountancy and Unmeasurable lnventories in Fusion Reactors

For the time being fusion technology development involves relatively small quantities of tritium. Consequently, it is sufficient to apply so-called "conventional" accountancy tools. However, it is foreseeable that tritium operationsand thus the amount of tritium-will increase substantially. An advanced accountancy methodology will satisfy the resulting new requirements. ln this study such an advanced accountancy methodolody is developed and applied to the situation envisaged with idealized experiments of the Karlsruhe Tritium Labaratory (TLK) as weil as an idealized ITERtype fuel cycle. Firstly, this task comprises modeling of fuel cycle operations, providing the "true" data of the in-process inventories. As both the fuel cycle subsystems and networking themselves are susceptible to changes, a measurement model takes care of the true data, handles data reduction, and applies mathematical methods to confirm the final inventories on a statistical basis. Then, in a third step, the test statistics might verify whether or not a tritium anomaly, e.g. a tritiumlass has occurred. Since the statistical analysis generates problems the solutions of which are not part of the standard statistical Iiterature in the Annex the results of the related original work is presented in mathematical-abstract form.