Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Problematizing ‘Risk’ and the Principalship: The Risky Business of Managing Risk in Schools

Over the past two decades, risk in education has stimulated increasing attention and prominence, with principals bearing responsibility and liability for ‘managing’ risk in schools. As a consequence, compulsory risk compliance régimes have become increasingly complex, technical and time-consuming. This article focuses on the responses of principals to issues surrounding ‘risk’ and suggests that some risk processes themselves may be inherently risky. Principals fear that risk management régimes can incur professional and personal danger while ignoring some commonly known, politically sensitive, ‘risky’ areas. The article considers the scope of risk in schools before turning to ‘undiscussables’: how risk management puts principals at risk, and issues surrounding leaders as risk. Principals’ concerns about marginalization from systemic risk decision-making, the individuation of risk management responsibility and suggestions for action are discussed, along with areas for future research.
Benzodiazepine Binding Site Occupancy by the Novel GABAA Receptor Subtype-Selective Drug 7-(1,1-Dimethylethyl)-6-(2-ethyl-2H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylmethoxy)-3-(2-fluorophenyl)-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazine (TPA023) in Rats, Primates, and Humans

The GABAA receptor α2/α3 subtype-selective compound 7-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-6-(2-ethyl-2H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylmethoxy)-3-(2-fluorophenyl)-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazine (TPA023; also known as MK-0777) is a triazolopyridazine that has similar, subnanomolar affinity for the benzodiazepine binding site of α1-, α2-, α3-, and α5-containing GABAA receptors and has partial agonist efficacy at the α2 and α3 but not the α1 or α5 subtypes. The purpose of the present study was to define the relationship between plasma TPA023 concentrations and benzodiazepine binding site occupancy across species measured using various methods. Thus, occupancy was measured using either in vivo [3H]flumazenil binding or [11C]flumazenil small-animal positron emission tomography (microPET) in rats, [123I]iomazenil γ-scintigraphy in rhesus monkeys, and [11C]flumazenil PET in baboons and humans. For each study, plasma-occupancy curves were derived, and the plasma concentration of TPA023 required to produce 50% occupancy (EC50) was calculated. The EC50 values for rats, rhesus monkeys, and baboons were all similar and ranged from 19 to 30 ng/ml, although in humans, the EC50 was slightly lower at 9 ng/ml. In humans, a single 2-mg dose of TPA023 produced in the region of 50 to 60% occupancy in the absence of overt sedative-like effects. Considering that nonselective full agonists are associated with sedation at occupancies of less than 30%, these data emphasize the relatively nonsedating nature of TPA023.
The ins and outs of calcium in heart failure.

See related article, pages 1398–1405 Cardiac excitation–contraction coupling is akin to a biophysical juggling act that involves fast and slow ion movements overlapping in time and space across several compartments. In response to sarcolemmal depolarization, Ca2+ release from the large intracellular store in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is triggered by a rush of Ca2+ from the extracellular space through L-type Ca2+ channels into the very tiny junctional cleft (12 nm) to activate SR Ca2+ release channels in a tightly controlled signal amplification step. Local inactivation of the L-type Ca2+ channel mediated by the large junctional Ca2+ spike (peaking at >50 μmol/L) provides a mechanism of negative feedback on beat-to-beat Ca2+ influx; thus, an abrupt change in the size of cytosolic Ca2+ transient will impact the trigger for subsequent beats and reciprocally influence the SR Ca2+ content in a process known as autoregulation.1 Ca2+ removal processes, although kinetically slower, also play a major role in shaping the Ca2+ dynamics, and, ultimately, the contraction, of the myocyte. The 2 main pathways, Ca2+ reuptake into the SR by the Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2A) and Ca2+ efflux across the sarcolemma by the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX), compete for the job of removing Ca2+ ions in a species-dependent manner. In ventricular myocytes from rats and mice, ≈90% of the Ca2+ decline during a transient is mediated by SERCA2A, whereas NCX contributes only ≈7% to Ca2+ removal (the remainder is taken up by mitochondria or extruded from the cell by the sarcolemmal Ca2+ ATPase). 2 In most large animals (eg, rabbits, dogs, cats, ferrets), some small animals (eg, guinea pigs and hamsters), and humans,3 Ca2+ removal by SERCA2A accounts for only 60% to …
Data-driven Healthcare using Affordable Sensing: Screening, Diagnosis and Therapy

Today's Healthcare systems are built around an "illness"-driven model where all the stakeholders benefit when people become "ill". There needs to be a paradigm shift to convert this into a "wellness"-driven model. However, in order to create such systems, one needs to build affordable, easily-usable and mass-deployable solutions. We look at three use cases and try to provide solutions -- a) It is seen that a vast majority of the population is affected by "silent-killer" lifestyle diseases like cardiac artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes -- early detection and screening for such diseases are really useful. In this paper, we present how to detect early onset of these using mobile phones and low-cost attachments to mobile phones followed by signal processing and machine learning based analytics b) In rural / semi-urban areas of developing countries, a big problem is early diagnosis of hypertension among pregnant mothers -- it is seen a large number of complications during birth can be avoided if hypertension of pregnant mothers are controlled. In this paper we present how to measure cuff-less blood pressure affordably using just a smart phone and its camera for this. c) Finally, there is a huge number of stroke patients who need rehabilitation therapy -- such treatment typically requires sophisticated rehab-labs in hospitals which is not only costly, but also has accessibility issues. We discuss how a Kinect-sensor based system at home can be used followed by sensor data analytics to help in diagnosis, guidance and compliance to the therapy.
Erythrocyte survival is controlled by microRNA-142

Hematopoietic–specific microRNA-142 is a critical regulator of various blood cell lineages, but its role in erythrocytes is unexplored. Herein, we characterize the impact of microRNA-142 on erythrocyte physiology and molecular cell biology, using a mouse loss-of-function allele. We report that microRNA-142 is required for maintaining the typical erythrocyte biconcave shape and structural resilience, for the normal metabolism of reactive oxygen species, and for overall lifespan. microRNA-142 further controls ACTIN filament homeostasis and membrane skeleton organization. The analyses presented reveal previously unappreciated functions of microRNA-142 and contribute to an emerging view of small RNAs as key players in erythropoiesis. Finally, the work herein demonstrates how a housekeeping network of cytoskeletal regulators can be reshaped by a single micro-RNA denominator in a cell type specific manner.
Visual speaker localization aided by acoustic models

The following paper presents a novel audio-visual approach for unsupervised speaker locationing. Using recordings from a single, low-resolution room overview camera and a single far-field microphone, a state-of-the art audio-only speaker localization system (traditionally called speaker diarization) is extended so that both acoustic and visual models are estimated as part of a joint unsupervised optimization problem. The speaker diarization system first automatically determines the number of speakers and estimates "who spoke when", then, in a second step, the visual models are used to infer the location of the speakers in the video. The experiments were performed on real-world meetings using 4.5 hours of the publicly available AMI meeting corpus. The proposed system is able to exploit audio-visual integration to not only improve the accuracy of a state-of-the-art (audio-only) speaker diarization, but also adds visual speaker locationing at little incremental engineering and computation costs.
Challenges in 4K UHD multimedia device testing

As 4K UHD market constantly increases, the development of 4K UHD multimedia devices is becoming more important and profitable. Important aspect in 4K multimedia devices development and deployment is testing which can be done using black-box approach. In this paper, two main challenges regarding 4K UHD device black-box testing are identified and explored, namely problem of raw 4K UHD video transmission and its real-time processing for the purpose of video quality analysis.
Housing Wealth Effects: Cross‐Sectional Evidence from New Vehicle Registrations

Understanding the relationship between housing wealth and consumption is important, because it informs the extent to which fluctuations in house prices might affect the broader economy. We investigate the relationship between housing wealth and consumption using postcode-level variation in house prices and administrative data on new passenger vehicle registrations as a proxy for consumption. In our preferred specification, we estimate an elasticity of new passenger vehicle registrations with respect to gross housing wealth of 0.4–0.5, and an average marginal propensity to consume (MPC) for new passenger vehicles of about 0.06 cents per dollar change in gross housing wealth. Assuming new vehicle registrations and total consumption have the same sensitivity to changes in housing wealth implies an MPC for total consumption of 2 cents per dollar change in gross housing wealth. But US evidence indicates that new vehicle consumption is particularly sensitive to changes in housing wealth. Assuming the same is true for Australia, our estimates imply an MPC for total consumption of less than 0.25 cents. Notably, we find evidence that the relationship between house prices and new vehicle registrations is heterogenous in income, with low-income households having a higher propensity to purchase a new vehicle following a rise in housing wealth than high-income households. This implies that the distribution of changes in house prices is relevant for understanding its effect on aggregate consumption.
Mothering under pressure: Environmental, child, and dyadic correlates of maternal self-efficacy among low-income women

In this study, the authors examine environmental, child, and dyadic correlates of mothers' perceptions of parenting self-efficacy among a group of women raising toddlers in an urban area of concentrated poverty (N = 44). Findings suggest that women's self-efficacy is inversely related to the number of environmental risks and to child's temperamental difficulty. Although observed measures of dyadic conflict were not directly related to women's ratings of self-efficacy, hierarchical regression analysis indicated that mother-toddler conflict served as a moderator. Specifically, higher maternal self-efficacy was associated with fewer risks for women experiencing higher levels of conflict. For mothers experiencing lower levels of conflict with their children, maternal self-efficacy was inversely associated with child's temperamental difficulty.
Institutional and Economic Influences on the Adoption and Extensiveness of Managerial Innovation in Hospitals: The Case of Reengineering

In the recent past, a number of managerial innovations—including product line management, total quality management, and reengineering—have swept through the hospital industry. Given their pervasiveness and their cost, understanding the mix of factors that influences their adoption is of theoretical interest and practical relevance. The research reported here focuses on this general question by examining influences on the adoption and extensiveness of a particular managerial innovation, hospital reengineering. The results suggest that while economic and institutional factors have influenced the adoption and extensiveness of hospital reengineering, institutional forces play a more important role. The greater influence of institutional forces may be attributed to the high degree of uncertainty in health care, the causal ambiguity of the innovation, and the anticipatory actions of hospitals attempting to position themselves in a rapidly changing environment.
Twenty-metre shuttle run test performance of English children aged 11 – 15 years in 2007: Comparisons with international standards

Abstract Recent international normative data for the 20-m shuttle-run test demonstrated a below-average performance index for UK children. The aims of the present study were to create an international comparison of 20-m shuttle-run test performance in a sample of English children and to identify age- and sex-specific differences in test performance. Mass, stature, body mass index, and 20-m shuttle-run test performance were measured in 2041 children aged 11 – 15 years (963 boys, 1078 girls). Performance was expressed as maximum running velocity and a performance index was created by generating z-scores. The shuttle-run test performance index was higher than the existing published value (−0.046, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.070 to −0.022) for all children (0.061, 95% CI = 0.006 to 0.115), for boys (0.075, 95% CI = −0.022 to 0.171), and for girls (0.048, 95% CI = −0.010 to 0.106). Boys' relative performance increased significantly (F = 4.43, P = 0.002) throughout the measured age range, whereas girls' relative performance tended to decrease (F = 1.98, P = 0.096). The results were favourable when compared with existing values. Differences in performance index may be due to the different geographical areas from which present and past samples were drawn. Reasons for differences in the performance indices between boys and girls warrant further investigation.
Systematic review of performance of non‐invasive biomarkers in the evaluation of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease

This systematic review evaluates the many studies carried out to discover and evaluate non‐invasive markers of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Many different strategies and methods have been used in this task, from the discovery of new markers by global ‘shotgun’ studies to hypothesis‐driven approaches, to the development of algorithm tests based on routinely available clinical and biochemical parameters. We examined the various different approaches, summarising the findings in an attempt to give an overview of the field of non‐invasive markers in NAFLD, encompassing markers of steatosis, necro‐inflammation and fibrosis. The body of literature surrounding this topic is complex and varied, encompassing not only different methodologies but also different patient characteristics, different disease definitions, as well as different end points. This reflects the heterogeneity of NAFLD, which, however, introduces considerably difficulty when trying to draw a conclusion between studies. We have divided this review into three main chapters based on the characteristics of the studies. The Genomics/Proteomics chapter reviews studies using a non‐hypothesis‐driven approach to biomarker discovery. Thereafter, we evaluate studies of association – studies that target‐specific markers, comparing levels between disease and control groups. Finally, we examine the algorithm tests – mathematical systems developed on the basis of previously described markers and assessed, usually, by receiver operator curve analysis. While radiological examination and investigations offer important diagnostic information, such studies are not discussed in this review – the body of literature surrounding blood and anthropological markers is complex and varied, demanding close attention.
Aspetti psicologici del ruolo di caregiver di pazienti affetti da Malattia di Alzheimer: tra Burden ed Empatia

Il termine burden esprime la ricaduta sul caregiver del fornire assistenza al paziente con demenza; secondo aspetto fondamentale nella relazione di cura e l’empatia. Questo studio esplora le relazioni tra burden, ansia, depressione ed empatia di 25 caregiver informali di pazienti affetti da Malattia di Alzheimer (AD) di grado lieve-moderato. Sono state somministrate: Caregiver Burden Inventory, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Empathy Quotient. I caregiver sperimentano significativi livelli di burden. La dimensione prevalente e quella inerente il tempo, mentre l’ambito emotivo e il meno percepito. Ansia e depressione sono assenti. La tendenza empatica e normale. Correlando le aree di burden si nota una relazione positiva tra burden dipendente dal tempo ed evolutivo, tra fisico e dipendente dal tempo, nonche evolutivo; quest’ultimo ed il burden fisico, inoltre, sono direttamente correlati con depressione e ansia. Vi e un’importante relazione diretta tra ansia e depressione stesse. L’empatia si correla inversamente a burden fisico, depressione e ansia. Dall’analisi caregiver-paziente emerge la correlazione negativa tra MMSE e burden evolutivo e fisico. Attraverso analisi multivariata e stata individuata l’ansia come predittore indipendente della tendenza empatica. Tali risultati suggeriscono che caregiver informali di pazienti con AD necessitano di interventi che delineino i livelli di burden, con attenzione anche ai meccanismi non consapevoli del caregiving, quindi all’empatia.
Always Under Construction

People’s activities vary dynamically from moment to moment, and analysis of level of skill complexity in successive activities provides a tool to portray and analyze variation as skills are learned. Systematic examination of these variations is crucial for illuminating the dynamic nature of learning and development – the ways that people construct activities under the influence of multiple factors interacting in complex ways, in context, over time. A study of adults learning to use a computer program illustrates three important patterns in the dynamic variation of adult cognitive microdevelopment: (1) each person’s performance levels vary within a range between upper and lower attractors during dynamic construction of a skill. (2) Performance moves through different pathways from a novice pattern to a transitional pattern characterized by scalloping (repeated building up and collapse of complex performance) to an expert pattern. Social scaffolding plays an important role in moving a learner toward the upper attractor. (3) Each person functions at diverse levels depending on demands of the task, domain, background, scaffolding, and capacity and thus shows asynchrony in level, not simple consistency. Tasks and situations attract specific skill levels that are often below people’s highest capacities.
Compound structures of two new chaotic attractors in a uniformly-coefficient jerk model with arctangent or hyperbolic tangent nonlinearity

Two new chaotic attractors in a uniformly-coefficient jerk model are proposed with new coefficients and new nonlinearity. The latter is based on either arctangent or hyperbolic tangent nonlinearity. In particular, compound structures of both attractors are demonstrated through a halfimage isolation using a control parameter C. The positive value of an appropriate C isolates the right half-image attractors whilst the negative value of an appropriate C isolates the left half-image attractor. Both images can then be merged together as a compound structure.
A highly power-efficient LED backlight driving system for LCD TVs

A highly power-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) backlight driving system for liquid crystal display televisions (LCD TVs) to optimize the output voltage of boost converter is proposed. To optimize the output voltage, the forward voltage of each LED channel is analyzed and the turn-on sequence of LED channels is rearranged according to the forward voltages of LED channels. As a result, the output voltage tracks the required output voltage to drive target current in each LED channel. Experimental results show that the improvement of power efficiency is 3.8% in the proposed LED backlight driving system with 1% on-duty ratio of the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal and 5 V forward voltage variation of LED channels.
A Bicyclic Autotrophic CO2 Fixation Pathway inChloroflexus aurantiacus *

Phototrophic CO2 assimilation by the primitive, green eubacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus has been shown earlier to proceed in a cyclic mode via 3-hydroxypropionate, propionyl-CoA, succinyl-CoA, and malyl-CoA. The metabolic cycle could be closed by cleavage of malyl-CoA affording glyoxylate (the primary CO2 fixation product) with regeneration of acetyl-CoA serving as the starter unit of the cycle. The pathway of glyoxylate assimilation to form gluconeogenic precursors has not been elucidated to date. We could now show that the incubation of cell extract with a mixture of glyoxylate and [1,2,3-13C3]propionyl-CoA affordederythro-β-[1,2,2′-13C3]methylmalate and [1,2,2′-13C3]citramalate. Similar experiments using a partially purified protein fraction affordederythro-β-[1,2,2′-13C3]methylmalyl-CoA and [1,2,2′-13C3]mesaconyl-CoA. Cell extracts of C. aurantiacus were also shown to catalyze the conversion of citramalate into pyruvate and acetyl-CoA in a succinyl-CoA-dependent reaction. The data suggest that glyoxylate obtained by the cleavage of malyl-CoA can be utilized by condensation with propionyl-CoA affordingerythro-β-methylmalyl-CoA, which is converted to acetyl-CoA and pyruvate. This reaction sequence regenerates acetyl-CoA, which serves as the precursor of propionyl-CoA in the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle. Autotrophic CO2 fixation proceeds by combination of the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle with the methylmalyl-CoA cycle. The net product of that bicyclic autotrophic CO2 fixation pathway is pyruvate serving as an universal building block for anabolic reactions.
A Decoupling Technique for Increasing the Port Isolation Between Two Strongly Coupled Antennas

A compact decoupling network for enhancing the port isolation between two closely spaced antennas is proposed in this paper. In the network, we first connect two transmission lines (TLs) individually to the input ports of two strongly coupled antennas. The length of the TLs is designed so that the trans-admittance between ports changes from a complex one at the antenna inputs to a pure imaginary one. A shunt reactive component is then attached in between the TL ends to cancel the resultant imaginary trans-admittance. Finally, a simple lumped-element circuit is added to each port for input impedance matching. The even-odd mode analysis is adopted to investigate the currents excited on the antennas for predicting the radiation pattern of the two-element antenna array. Two examples of printed antennas at 2.45 GHz are tackled by using the proposed decoupling structure. The measurement results agree quite well with the simulation ones. High antenna isolation and good input return loss are simultaneously achieved in both cases, which demonstrates the feasibility of the structure. The decoupled antenna array in each example radiates, as prediction, toward different but complementary directions when the input power is fed in turn to the two input ports. The array efficiency is estimated better than 75% in each example. This pattern diversity effect is helpful for reducing the channel correlation in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system.