Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toward Authentic Participation: Deconstructing the Discourses of Participatory Reforms in Education

Current educational reforms in the U.S. contain a pervasive discourse of participation. Although calls for participation of teachers, students, parents, communities, business, and numerous other stakeholders in schools are central to most reforms, there is increasing evidence that much participatory reform is either bogus, superficial, or ineffective (Beare, 1993; Hargreaves, 1994; Malen & Ogawa, 1988; Smyth, 1993). In this article, I discuss the various influences on the discourse of participation and the ways it is currently being promoted and implemented by diverse constituencies. More specifically, I analyze (a) how participation becomes a form of public relations to create greater institutional legitimacy for current educational practices, (b) how participation mechanisms, viewed as disciplinary practices, become more sophisticated technologies of control, (c) how structures set up for greater participation often become sites for collusion, and (d) how movements promoting parental school choice in an educational marketplace are framed as providing greater parental participation. Finally, in an effort to sort out these issues and move toward more authentic forms of participation, a conceptual framework guided by five fundamental questions that orient participation efforts will be provided.
Using Hypermedia as a Metacognitive Tool for Enhancing Student Learning? The Role of Self-Regulated Learning

Research shows that learners of all ages have difficulties deploying key cognitive and metacognitive self-regulatory skills during learning about complex and challenging topics when using open-ended learning environments such as hypermedia. This article provides an overview of the research my students and I have conducted on how the use of self-regulated learning can foster and enhance students' learning about complex science topics using hypermedia. In this article, the term metacognitive tool is used deliberately to highlight (a) the role of metacognitive and self-regulatory processes used by learners during learning and (b) the role of computer environments in prompting, supporting, and modeling students' self-regulatory processes during learning in specific learning contexts (see Azevedo, 2005). I provide an overview of research regarding the use of hypermedia to learn about complex science topics and learning more generally, illustrate how self-regulated learning can be used as a guiding theoretical framework to examine learning with hypermedia, and provide a synthesis of the laboratory and classroom research conducted by our group. Last, I propose several methods for using our findings to facilitate students' self-regulated learning of complex and challenging science topics.
Verbs in Tzotzil (Mayan) early syntactic development

The verb is the primary component in the development of early Tzotzil syntax. Language-specific patterns and factors of input play a critical role in the development of the verb category in this Mayan language. Production data from two Tzotzil children show that transitivity distinctions are drawn very early. However, the children do not follow the same strategy. In one child the earliest marking of transitivity occurs with the use of imperative suffixes for different verb subclasses. In the other child, two strategies seem to operate: (i) the use of the "generic” or "light” verb k'an `want' plus lexical arguments, and (ii) the morphological strategy of imperative suffixation to distinguish verb subclasses. Given the early preference for the use of transitive verbs by both girls, there is little doubt that broad cognitive factors related to "manipulative activity scenes” serve as a ground to construct the Tzotzil verb at the early stages (MLU 1.5—2.0). However, finer cognitive factors (e.g., "generic” or "light” verbs) appear to be less important than such language specific features as morphological patterning, preferred argument structure, and, to some degree, semantic specificity to lead the child to develop the verb category further in this language.
Efficacy and Safety of 1-Hour Infusion of Recombinant Human Atrial Natriuretic Peptide in Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

AbstractThe aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 1-h infusion of recombinant human atrial natriuretic peptide (rhANP) in combination with standard therapy in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). This was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Eligible patients with ADHF were randomized to receive a 1-h infusion of either rhANP or placebo at a ratio of 3:1 in combination with standard therapy. The primary endpoint was dyspnea improvement (a decrease of at least 2 grades of dyspnea severity at 12 h from baseline). Reduction in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) 1 h after infusion was the co-primary endpoint for catheterized patients. Overall, 477 patients were randomized: 358 (93 catheterized) patients received rhANP and 118 (28 catheterized) received placebo. The percentage of patients with dyspnea improvement at 12 h was higher, although not statistically significant, in the rhANP group than in the placebo group (32.0% vs 25.4%, odds ratio=1.382, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.863–2.212, P = 0.17). Reduction in PCWP at 1 h was significantly greater in patients treated with rhANP than in patients treated with placebo (−7.74 ± 5.95 vs −1.82 ± 4.47 mm Hg, P < 0.001). The frequencies of adverse events and renal impairment within 3 days of treatment were similar between the 2 groups. Mortality at 1 month was 3.1% in the rhANP group vs 2.5% in the placebo group (hazard ratio = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.34–4.26; P > 0.99). 1-h rhANP infusion appears to result in prompt, transient hemodynamic improvement with a small, nonsignificant, effect on dyspnea in ADHF patients receiving standard therapy. The safety of 1-h infusion of rhANP seems to be acceptable. (WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform [ICTRP] number, ChiCTR-IPR-14005719.)
Average optical performance of the human eye as a function of age in a normal population.

PURPOSE To determine the average optical performance of the human eye, in terms of the modulation transfer function (MTF), as a function of age. METHODS An apparatus was constructed to measure the ocular MTF, based on the recording of images of a green, 543-nm laser-point source after reflection in the retina and double pass through the ocular media. MTFs were computed from the average of three 4-second-exposure double-pass images recorded by a slow-scan, cooled charge-coupled device camera. The ocular MTF was measured for three artificial pupil diameters (3 mm, 4 mm, and 6 mm) with paralyzed accommodation under the best refractive correction in 20 subjects for each of three age categories: young subjects aged 20 to 30 years, middle-aged subjects aged 40 to 50 years, and older subjects aged 60 to 70 years. The selected subjects passed an ophthalmologic examination, excluding subjects with any form of ocular or retinal disease, spherical or cylindrical refractive errors exceeding 2 D, and corrected visual acuity lower than 1 (0.8 in the older age group). RESULTS The average MTF was determined for each age group and pupil diameter. A two-parameter analytical expression was proposed to represent the average MTF in each age group for every pupil diameter. The ocular MTFs declined as age increased from young to older groups. The SD of the MTF results within age groups was lower than the differences between the mean for each group. CONCLUSIONS The average optical performance of the human eye progressively declines with age. These MTF results can serve as a reference for determining mean ocular optics according to age.
Gamma-Secretase Inhibitor Treatment Promotes VEGF-A-Driven Blood Vessel Growth and Vascular Leakage but Disrupts Neovascular Perfusion

The Notch signaling pathway is essential for normal development due to its role in control of cell differentiation, proliferation and survival. It is also critically involved in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. A key enzyme in the activation of Notch signaling is the gamma-secretase protein complex and therefore, gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSIs)—originally developed for Alzheimer's disease—are now being evaluated in clinical trials for human malignancies. It is also clear that Notch plays an important role in angiogenesis driven by Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A)—a process instrumental for tumor growth and metastasis. The effect of GSIs on tumor vasculature has not been conclusively determined. Here we report that Compound X (CX), a GSI previously reported to potently inhibit Notch signaling in vitro and in vivo, promotes angiogenic sprouting in vitro and during developmental angiogenesis in mice. Furthermore, CX treatment suppresses tumor growth in a mouse model of renal carcinoma, leads to the formation of abnormal vessels and an increased tumor vascular density. Using a rabbit model of VEGF-A-driven angiogenesis in skeletal muscle, we demonstrate that CX treatment promotes abnormal blood vessel growth characterized by vessel occlusion, disrupted blood flow, and increased vascular leakage. Based on these findings, we propose a model for how GSIs and other Notch inhibitors disrupt tumor blood vessel perfusion, which might be useful for understanding this new class of anti-cancer agents.
Change in strategies of training lead toward implementation of Pakistan , does it matter ?

Motivation to implement and identical element on in Pakistan. Regression and correlation done for data analysis. implementation don’t media implementation. Participants may profit more from regarding polio eradication when the training better participants’ work circumstances. Organizations and trainers also create the atmosphere of learning and strategies. Consequently, prog and training. Polio policy makers should adopt the vigorous Motivate the staff to learn, explore Expected ent and create Motivation for eradication program in Pakistan. Training, Polio eradication, Program, Data analysis, Motivation which is the largest city in Pakistan and one of the last remaining strongholds of the virus poses a serious threat to the population across the country more because of the fact that it is the home of large numbers of migrant workers and residents from all ove presence of the virus in Pakistan’s largest metropolis has not become a cause for public concern despite the threat it poses to millions of children (Faris, 2012). The international community shows its great interest in effective Motivation to learn,
Reconciling Situation Calculus and Fluent Calculus

The Situation Calculus and the Fluent Calculus are successful action formalisms that share many concepts. But until now there is no formal relation between the two calculi that would allow to formally analyze the relationship between the two approaches as well as between the programming languages based on them, Golog and FLUX. Furthermore, such a formal relation would allow to combine Golog and FLUX and to analyze which of the underlying computation principles is better suited for different classes of programs. We develop a formal translation between domain axiomatizations of the Situation Calculus and the Fluent Calculus and present a Fluent Calculus semantics for Golog programs. For domains with deterministic actions our approach allows an automatic translation of Golog domain descriptions and execution of Golog programs with FLUX.
Algebraic tools to build modulation schemes for fading channels

A unified framework is presented in order to build lattice constellations matched to both the Rayleigh fading channel and the Gaussian channel. The method encompasses the situations where the interleaving is done on the real components or on two-dimensional signals. In the latter case, a simple construction of lattices congruent to the densest binary lattices with respect to the Euclidean distance is proposed. It generalizes, in a sense to be clarified later, the structural construction proposed by Forney (1991). These constellations are next combined with coset codes. The partitioning rules and the gain formula are similar to those used for the Gaussian channel.
The effect of treatment on the treated: a decision theoretic perspective

Outline Motivation Counterfactual definition Problems Intro to Decision theoretic approach (DT) DT definition Identifiability Intrumental variables Conclusions Motivation Econometrics A programme for adult learning is opened in a community How do you evaluate its impact on income? Average treatment effect (ATE) is not informative Effect of treatement on the treated (ETT) focuses on motivated individuals who participate Motivation continued Epidemiology A drug is administered by a doctor to patients she feels will benefit The doctor's hunch is a confounder for the effect of treatment ATE cannot be identified unless additional assumptions are made ETT offers a substitute measure of effectiveness Econometric definition of ETT Counterfactual notation T is binary treatment, Y is response Y t (u) is the response of unit u to treatment T = t If u recieves T = 1, Y 0 (u) is counterfactual Counterfactual Definition Problems with ETT Well-defined? The ETT as defined above apparently depends on joint distribution of (Y 1 , Y 0 , T) Is ETT well defined? Identifiable? ETT involves term E(Y 0 |T = 1) Observational regimes-no intervention Possible approaches: instrumental variables and control functions Decision theoretic (DT) setup Motivation No counterfactuals Want to answer
Efficient Preamble Design Technique for Millimeter-Wave Cellular Systems with Beamforming

The processing time for beam training in millimeter-wave (mmWave) cellular systems can be significantly reduced by a code division multiplexing (CDM)-based technique, where multiple beams are transmitted simultaneously with their corresponding Tx beam IDs (BIDs) in the preamble. However, mmWave cellular systems with CDM-based preambles require a large number of cell IDs (CIDs) and BIDs, and a high computational complexity for CID and BID (CBID) searches. In this paper, a new preamble design technique that can increase the number of CBIDs significantly is proposed, using a preamble sequence constructed by a combination of two Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequences. An efficient technique for the CBID detection is also described for the proposed preamble. It is shown by simulations using a simple model of an mmWave cellular system that the proposed technique can obtain a significant reduction in the complexity of the CBID detection without a noticeable performance degradation, compared to the previous technique.
Adaptive Space-Time-Spreading-Assisted Wideband CDMA Systems Communicating over Dispersive Nakagami- Fading Channels

In this contribution, the performance of wideband code-division multiple-access (W-CDMA) systems using space-time-spreading- (STS-) based transmit diversity is investigated, when frequency-selective Nakagami- fading channels, multiuser interference, and background noise are considered. The analysis and numerical results suggest that the achievable diversity order is the product of the frequency-selective diversity order and the transmit diversity order. Furthermore, both the transmit diversity and the frequency-selective diversity have the same order of importance. Since W-CDMA signals are subjected to frequency-selective fading, the number of resolvable paths at the receiver may vary over a wide range depending on the transmission environment encountered. It can be shown that, for wireless channels where the frequency selectivity is sufficiently high, transmit diversity may be not necessitated. Under this case, multiple transmission antennas can be leveraged into an increased bitrate. Therefore, an adaptive STS-based transmission scheme is then proposed for improving the throughput of W-CDMA systems. Our numerical results demonstrate that this adaptive STS-based transmission scheme is capable of significantly improving the effective throughput of W-CDMA systems. Specifically, the studied W-CDMA system's bitrate can be increased by a factor of three at the modest cost of requiring an extra 0.4 dB or 1.2 dB transmitted power in the context of the investigated urban or suburban areas, respectively.
Synthetic Peptides as Structural Maquettes of Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme Catalytic Sites

The rational design of synthetic peptides is proposed as an efficient strategy for the structural investigation of crucial protein domains difficult to be produced. Only after half a century since the function of ACE was first reported, was its crystal structure solved. The main obstacle to be overcome for the determination of the high resolution structure was the crystallization of the highly hydrophobic transmembrane domain. Following our previous work, synthetic peptides and Zinc(II) metal ions are used to build structural maquettes of the two Zn-catalytic active sites of the ACE somatic isoform. Structural investigations of the synthetic peptides, representing the two different somatic isoform active sites, through circular dichroism and NMR experiments are reported.
Wnt signaling promotes AChR aggregation at the neuromuscular synapse in collaboration with agrin

Wnt proteins regulate the formation of central synapses by stimulating synaptic assembly, but their role at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is unclear. Wnt3 is expressed by lateral motoneurons of the spinal cord during the period of motoneuron-muscle innervation. Using gain- and loss-of-function studies in the chick wing, we demonstrate that Wnt signaling is necessary for the formation of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters without affecting muscle growth. Similarly, diaphragms from Dishevelled-1 mutant mice with deficiency in Wnt signaling exhibit defects in cluster distribution. In cultured myotubes, Wnt3 increases the number and size of AChR clusters induced by agrin, a nerve-derived signal critical for NMJ development. Wnt3 does not signal through the canonical Wnt pathway to induce cluster formation. Instead, Wnt3 induces the rapid formation of unstable AChR micro-clusters through activation of Rac1, which aggregate into large clusters only in the presence of agrin. Our data reveal a role for Wnts in post-synaptic assembly at the vertebrate NMJ by enhancing agrin function through Rac1 activation.
‘I Think That’s Bad’: Lay Normativity and Perceived Barriers to Employment in Primary Teaching in the UK

This article reports the results of a small-scale study into undergraduates’ perceptions of possible barriers to obtaining employment within primary teaching in the UK. The investigation focused upon barriers related to accent and gender. The study sample was a group of final-year undergraduates on an Education Studies degree at a university in South Wales. The study employed a three-part theoretical framework, drawing upon the work of Bourdieu, Andrew Sayer’s discussion of lay normativity and Nancy Fraser’s theory of two-dimensional social justice, to analyse the students’ perceptions of (in)justice deriving from perceived barriers. Results from seven focus groups indicated the students perceived employment-related impediments from processes of misrecognition and maldistribution in primary teaching recruitment. However, the students held complex views on these issues. The majority also voiced discourses which, it could be argued, serve to further the reproduction of such processes of maldistribution and misrecognition.
Virion functions of RNA+ temperature-sensitive mutants of Newcastle disease virus

Virions from Newcastle disease virus mutants in four temperature-sensitive RNA+ groups were grown in embryonated hen eggs at the permissive temperature, purified, and then analyzed for biological properties at both the permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. At the permissive temperature, virions of mutants in groups B, C, and BC (11 mutants) were all lower in specific (per milligram of protein) hemagglutination, neuraminidase, and hemolysis activities compared with the wild type. These deficiencies were related to decreased amounts of hemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycoprotein in the virions. Activities of these mutant virions at both the permissive and nonpermissive temperatures were similar, indicating that hemagglutinin-neuraminidase synthesized at the permissive temperature was not temperature sensitive in function. The three group D mutants displayed a different pattern. At the permissive temperature, they had wild-type hemagglutination and neuraminidase activities but were deficient compared with the wild type in hemolysis. Again, functions were similar at both temperatures. Most of the B, C, and BC mutants had specific infectivities similar to that of the wild type despite lower hemagglutination, neuraminidase, and hemolysis functions. However, the D mutants were all less infectious. This evidence is consistent with a shared hemagglutinin-neuraminidase defect in the B, C, and BC mutants and a defect in either the F glycoprotein or the M protein in the D mutants.
Orienting Dispositions in the Perception of Risk

Cultural biases based on the anthropological work of Mary Douglas and her colleagues are compared to contemporary worldviews deriving from a psychological approach to the issues of risk and culture. It is argued that these orienting dispositions guide the perception of risk at both the collective and individual levels, with cultural biases referring to shared beliefs and values, and contemporary worldviews representing a person's way of responding to controversies over technology and society. Drawing on day-long assessments of 300 San Francisco Bay area citizens, it is shown that the cultural biases of Hierarchy, Individualism, and Egalitarianism are predictive of distinctive rankings of possible dangers and preferences for risk taking at the societal level. Findings on the relations among personality, political ideology, and orienting dispositions advance and clarify a research agenda linking individuals, social structures, and cultural biases.
Calling time: an effective and affective evaluation of two versions of the MIT Beer Game

Playing a business game needs to be both educational and entertaining. Thus, evaluation of the experience of playing games needs to incorporate both effective and affective dimensions. This experiment compared the experience of playing the conventional MIT beer game with a prototype electronic version, which had been developed to reduce the complexity and costs associated with the original game. It suggested design enhancements in terms of effective and affective dimensions of play.
An analysis of the vowel misarticulations of five children with developmental apraxia of speech

Although vowel misarticulations have frequently been observed in cases of developmental apraxia of speech (DAS), systematic descriptions of such errors have not been provided. In the present study the vowel productions of five children (ranging in age from 8;2 to 10;9) diagnosed with DAS were described in detail. All five children had difficulty with rhotic vowels and diphthongs. The proportion correct of non-rhotic vowels varied across subjects, ranging from 0.56 to 0.96. Each child's productions were analysed for inventory constraints, segmental errors, and error patterns. Although each child exhibited individual patterns of errors, several common trends were also observed. Most subjects had difficulty with tense/lax vowel contrasts (e.g. [i] for /i/ or [i] for /i/). Other common patterns included diphthong reduction (e.g. [a] for /ai/) and backing (e.g. [a] or [a] for /ae/). Follow-up analyses of three subjects 1 year later revealed changes in the vowel systems of two children, but no changes for the th.