Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using the Reggio Exhibit to Enrich Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of How Children Construct and Represent Knowledge

This teacher research study explores the changes in early childhood teacher candidates' perceptions of how children construct and represent knowledge following repeated exposure to “The Wonder of Learning: the Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit. When the renowned exhibit from Reggio Emilia was housed on the study participants' campus for 6 months, a unique opportunity was afforded area educators and future teachers interested in gaining a deeper appreciation of the many facets of this exhibit. After viewing the exhibit, participants wrote four one-minute reflections, which were later unitized and coded for emergent themes. Results indicated a notable expansion of teacher candidates' understanding of the multiple ways children can express and make visible their learning.
A cyber-space creation by mixing ray space data with geometric models

This paper presents a method for constructing a cyber-space with a high degree of reality by integrating the generation of images with an arbitrary viewpoint from the actually taken image, with the computer graphics (CG) techniques based on the geometric model. There are intensive studies of image-based rendering, which reproduces space based on actually taken images. This paper presents a new method that combines such a method and an existing geometric model, while maintaining the features of those techniques. In this paper, the ray space is used for the image-based rendering, and efforts are made to define the base plane so that the entire surroundings of the object can be observed. In order to represent the space with the mixed ray-space data and the geometric model, the same data structure as used in VRML is employed. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 29(9): 2131, 1998
Importers, Exporters, and Exchange Rate Disconnect

Large exporters are simultaneously large importers. In this paper, we show that this pattern is key to understanding low aggregate exchange rate pass-through as well as the variation in pass-through across exporters. First, we develop a theoretical framework that combines variable markups due to strategic complementarities and endogenous choice to import intermediate inputs. The model predicts that firms with high import shares and high market shares have low exchange rate pass-through. Second, we test and quantify the theoretical mechanisms using Belgian firm-product-level data with information on exports by destination and imports by source country. We confirm that import intensity and market share are the prime determinants of pass-through in the cross-section of firms. A small exporter with no imported inputs has a nearly complete pass-through, while a firm at the 95th percentile of both import intensity and market share distributions has a pass-through of just above 50%, with the marginal cost and markup channels playing roughly equal roles. The largest exporters are simultaneously high-market-share and high-import-intensity firms, which helps explain the low aggregate pass-through and exchange rate disconnect observed in the data.
First-time mothers' knowledge and beliefs regarding early communication development

Limited literature exists in the Australian context about first-time mothers' knowledge of early communication milestones, their strategies to facilitate speech and language development and understanding of the relationship between early communication skills and future development. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 53 first-time mothers using SurveyMonkey®. Most participants had a single child between 0 and 12 months old, lived in outer regional areas and were tertiary educated. Friends were a greater source of information than health professionals and mothers varied in their knowledge of early communication milestones. Mothers were aware of a range of strategies to help their child learn communication skills. Thematic analysis revealed first-time mothers had a high level of insight into the importance of early communication development for future learning and social/emotional well-being. The findings indicate a need for increased information provision to first-time mothers regarding early communication development.
Is there such a thing as a problem situation?

Behavior that solves a problem is distinguished by the fact that it changes another part of the solver's behavior and is strengthened when it does so. Problem solving typically involves the construction of discriminative stimuli. Verbal responses produce especially useful stimuli, because they affect other people. As a culture formulates maxims, laws, grammar, and science, its members behave more effectively without direct or prolonged contact with the contingencies thus formulated. The culture solves problems for its members, and does so by transmitting the verbal discriminative stimuli called rules. Induction, deduction, and the construction of models are ways of producing rules. Behavior that solves a problem may result from direct shaping by contingencies or from rules constructed either by the problem solver or by others. Because different controlling variables are involved, contingencyshaped behavior is never exactly like rule-governed behavior. The distinction must take account of (1) a system which establishes certain contingencies of reinforcement, such as some part of the natural environment, a piece of equipment, or a verbal community; (2) the behavior shaped and maintained by these contingencies; (3) rules, derived from the contingencies, which specify discriminative stimuli, responses, and consequences, and (4) the behavior occasioned by the rules.
Estradiol-17&bgr; and Its Cytochrome P450- and Catechol-O-Methyltransferase–Derived Metabolites Stimulate Proliferation in Uterine Artery Endothelial Cells: Role of Estrogen Receptor-&agr; Versus Estrogen Receptor-&bgr;

Estradiol-17&bgr; (E2&bgr;) and its metabolites, which are sequentially synthesized by cytochrome P450s and catechol-O-methyltransferase to form 2 and 4-hydroxyestradiol (OHE2) and 2- and 4-methoxestradiol (ME2), are elevated during pregnancy. We investigated whether cytochrome P450s and catechol-O-methyltransferase are expressed in uterine artery endothelial cells (UAECs) and whether E2&bgr; and its metabolites modulate cell proliferation via ER-&agr; and/or ER-&bgr; and play roles in physiological uterine angiogenesis during pregnancy. Cultured ovine UAECs from pregnant and nonpregnant ewes were treated with 0.1 to 100.0 nmol/L of E2&bgr;, 2-OHE2, 4-OHE2, 2-ME2, and 4-ME2. ER-&agr; or ER-&bgr; specificity was tested using ICI 182 780, ER-&agr;–specific 1,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methyl-5-[4-(2-piperidinyleth oxy)phenol]-1H-pyrazole dihydrochloride, ER-&bgr;–specific 4-[2-phenyl-5,7-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolo [1,5-a]pyrim idin-3-yl]phenol antagonists and their respective agonists ER-&agr;–specific 4,4′,4"-(4-propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl)trisphenol and ER-&bgr;–specific 2,3-bis(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-propionitrile. Angiogenesis was evaluated using 5-bromodeoxyuridine proliferation assay. Using confocal microscopy and Western analyses to determine enzyme location and levels, we observed CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, CYP3A4, and catechol-O-methyltransferase expression in UAECs; however, expressions were similar between nonpregnant UAECs and pregnant UAECs. E2&bgr;, 2-OHE2, 4-OHE2, and 4-ME2 treatments concentration-dependently stimulated proliferation in pregnant UAECs but not in nonpregnant UAECs; 2-ME2 did not stimulate proliferation in either cell type. Proliferative responses of pregnant UAECs to E2&bgr; were solely mediated by ER-&bgr;, whereas responses to E2&bgr; metabolites were neither ER-&agr; nor ER-&bgr; mediated. We demonstrate an important vascular role for E2&bgr;, its cytochrome P450- and catechol-O-methyltransferase–derived metabolites, and ER-&bgr; in uterine angiogenesis regulation during pregnancy that may be dysfunctional in preeclampsia and other cardiovascular disorders.
Functional perturbation of classical natural killer and innate lymphoid cells in the oral mucosa during SIV infection

Despite the fact that the majority of human pathogens are transmitted across mucosal surfaces, including the oral mucosae, oral immunity is poorly understood. Furthermore, because the normal flora of the oral cavity is vast and significantly diverse, host immunity must balance a complex system of tolerance and pathogen recognition. Due to the rapid recognition and response to pathogens, the innate immune system, including natural killer (NK) cells, likely plays a critical role in mediating this balance. Because logistical and ethical restraints limit access to significant quantities of human mucosal tissues, non-human primate models offer one of the best opportunities to study mucosal NK cells. In this study we have identified both classical NK cells, as well as innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in tonsillar and buccal tissues and oral-draining lymph nodes. Identified by mutually exclusive expression of NKG2A and NKp44, NK cells, and ILCs in the oral mucosa are generally phenotypically and functionally analogous to their gut counterparts. NKG2A+ NK cells were more cytotoxic while NKp44+ ILCs produced copious amounts of IL-17 and TNF-α. However, in contrast to gut, oral NK cells and ILCs both produced large quantities of IFN-γ and the beta-chemokine, MIP-1β. Also in contrast to what we have previously found in gut tissues of SIV-infected macaques, we found no reduction in NK cells during chronic SIV infection, but rather an expansion of ILCs in oral-draining lymph nodes and tonsils. These data suggest that the lentivirus-induced depletion of the NK cell/ILC compartment in the gut may be absent in the oral mucosa, but the inherent differences and SIV-induced alterations are likely to have significant impact on preventing oral opportunistic infections in lentiviral disease. Furthermore, these data extend our understanding of the oral innate immune system in general and could aid future studies evaluating the regulation of both normal oral flora and limiting transmission of oral mucosal pathogens.
GROUPING BEHAVIOR OF NORMAL PERSONS AND OF PERSONS WITH LESIONS OF THE BRAIN: FURTHER ANALYSIS

In an investigation of grouping behavior in patients with cerebral lesions and in normal persons, Halstead1found both quantitative and qualitative deviations from the normal in the performances of certain patients with cerebral injury. It was found, for example, that patients with a primary lesion in either the right or the left frontal lobe (1) employed fewer objects "spontaneously" from a field of 62 test objects in response to the instruction to place those together which "seem to belong together"; (2) recalled fewer objects after an interval of five minutes; (3) manifested little or no differential recall of grouped as opposed to ungrouped objects; (4) produced a smaller total number of groups, and (5) deviated characteristically in the distribution of the types of groups created, as determined by an adaptation of Kluver's method of equivalent and nonequivalent stimuli. This work, based on neurosurgical cases, seemed to indicate that various
The nonlinear pathway of Y ganglion cells in the cat retina

Retinal ganglion cells of the Y type in the cat retina produce two different types of response: linear and nonlinear. The nonlinear responses are generated by a separate and independent nonlinear pathway. The functional connectivity in this pathway is analyzed here by comparing the observed second-order frequency responses of Y cells with predictions of a "sandwich model" in which a static nonlinear stage is sandwiched between two linear filters. The model agrees well with the qualitative and quantitative features of the second-order responses. The prefilter in the model may well be the bipolar cells and the nonlinearity and postfilter in the model are probably associated with amacrine cells.
Strategies in relational inference

Three experiments are reported in which the relationships between task format, item type, and strategy usage were investigated for a two-dimensional relational inference task. Contrary to past findings with linear syllogisms, it was found that parallel presentation (presenting problem statements simultaneously) did not result in any increased use of deduction rule processes compared with serial presentation (presenting problem statements individually). Instead, the results suggested that mental models were used by the majority of subjects, and that multiple models were more likely to be constructed with parallel presentation. It is proposed that, in general, multiple model construction will be more frequent for deduction tasks where the cognitive load is relatively low. Hence, contrary to suggestions by Polk and Newell (1995), reasoning in this way appears to be prevalent and highly robust—where supported by task format—even where the use of this strategy is disadvantageous.
Developmental effects of some newly induced Ultrabithorax alleles of Drosophila.

Nine X-ray-induced mutations of the bithorax complex (BX-C) have been isolated and characterized. They all show the typical features of the Ultrabithorax mutations. They are homozygous lethal, produce a slight enlargement of the haltere in heterozygous condition and fail to complement the mutations at the bx, bxd and pbx loci. Some of them are associated with chromosomal aberrations in the regions 89E 1-4, where the BX-C lies, while others appear normal cytologically. The effect of six of these mutants in the adult cuticle has been studied, producing mutant marked clones in heterozygous individuals. The clones were generated by X-radiation at two points in development: the blastoderm stage and the second larval period. In all cases mutant clones showed the same phenotype: clones appearing in the dorsal structures transform metathorax and first abdominal segment towards mesothorax. That is the additive effect of bx, bxd and pbx mutations. Clones in the legs, if induced during the larval period, show an effect homologous to that seen in the dorsal structures. However, when produced at blastoderm they show in addition a transformation of the posterior second (mesothoracic) and third (metathoracic) legs into the posterior first (prothoracic) leg. This transformation, named postprothorax ( ppx ) has been recently described for the alleles Ubx 130 and Ubx 1 (Morata & Kerridge, 1981) and appears to be general for the Ubx mutations. It is concluded that the realm of action of the Ubx gene is defined by part of the rflesothoracic segment (posterior second leg compartment) and the entire metathoracic and first abdominal segments.
Expression and characterization of a cellobiohydrolase (CBH7B) from the thermophilic fungus Thielavia terrestris in Pichia pastoris

The gene encoding a cellobiohydrolase 7B (CBH7B) of the thermophilic fungus Thielavia terrestris was identified, subcloned, and expressed in Pichia pastoris. CBH7B encoded 455 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 51.8 kDa. Domain analysis indicated that CBH7B contains a family 7 glycosyl hydrolase catalytic core but lacks a carbohydrate‐binding module. Purified CBH7B exhibited optimum catalytic activity at pH 5.0 and 55 °C with 4‐methylumbelliferryl‐cellobioside as the substrate and retained 85% of its activity following 24 H incubation at 50 °C. Despite the lack of activity toward microcrystalline substrates, this enzyme worked synergistically with the commercial enzyme cocktail Cellic® CTec2 to enhance saccharification by 39% when added to a reaction mixture containing 0.25% alkaline pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB). Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested a reduction of lignin and crystalline cellulose in OPEFB samples supplemented with CBH7B. Scanning electron microscopy revealed greater destruction extent of OPEFB strands in samples supplemented with CBH7B as compared with the nonsupplemented control. Therefore, CBH7B has the potential to complement commercial enzymes in hydrolyzing lignocellulosic biomass.
Interpersonal cognitive problem solving and primary prevention: Programming for preschool and kindergarten children 1

Abstract A competence‐building model of primary prevention was evaluated on 131 inner‐city black nursery and kindergarten children over a two year period. The major question is whether enhancing interpersonal cognitive problem solving (ICPS) skills of four‐and five‐year‐olds could improve inhibited and impulsive behaviors when they already exist, and prevent them from emerging when they do not. Findings suggest that ICPS training does reduce and prevent such behaviors, that the ICPS and behavioral impact of such programming lasts at least one full year following intervention, and that for youngsters not trained in nursery, kindergarten is not too late. However, more children do begin kindergarten at a better behavioral van‐tagepoint if lCPS‐programming is implemented a year earlier, in nursery.
What is the best similarity measure for motion correction in fMRI time series?

It has been shown that the difference of squares cost function used by standard realignment packages (SPM and AIR) can lead to the detection of spurious activations, because the motion parameter estimations are biased by the activated areas. Therefore, this paper describes several experiments aiming at selecting a better similarity measure to drive functional magnetic resonance image registration. The behaviors of the Geman-McClure (GM) estimator, of the correlation ratio, and of the mutual information (MI) relative to activated areas are studied using simulated time series and actual data stemming from a 3 T magnet. It is shown that these methods are more robust than the usual difference of squares measure. The results suggest also that the measures built from robust metrics like the GM estimator may be the best choice, while MI is also an interesting solution. Some more work, however, is required to compare the various robust metrics proposed in the literature.
FULL-malaria: a database for a full-length enriched cDNA library from human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

FULL-malaria is a database for a full-length-enriched cDNA library from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (http://133.11. 149.55/). Because of its medical importance, this organism is the first target for genome sequencing of a eukaryotic pathogen; the sequences of two of its 14 chromosomes have already been determined. However, for the full exploitation of this rapidly accumulating information, correct identification of the genes and study of their expression are essential. Using the oligo-capping method, we have produced a full-length-enriched cDNA library from erythrocytic stage parasites and performed one-pass reading. The database consists of nucleotide sequences of 2490 random clones that include 390 (16%) known malaria genes according to BLASTN analysis of the nr-nt database in GenBank; these represent 98 genes, and the clones for 48 of these genes contain the complete protein-coding sequence (49%). On the other hand, comparisons with the complete chromosome 2 sequence revealed that 35 of 210 predicted genes are expressed, and in addition led to detection of three new gene candidates that were not previously known. In total, 19 of these 38 clones (50%) were full-length. From these observations, it is expected that the database contains approximately 1000 genes, including 500 full-length clones. It should be an invaluable resource for the development of vaccines and novel drugs.
Direct kinematics of zero-torsion parallel mechanisms

This paper presents the closed-form solutions to the direct kinematics of three 3-DOF symmetric zero-torsion parallel mechanisms. These mechanisms are composed of three identical legs ending with a spherical joint that is constrained to move in one of three equally spaced planes intersecting at one line. The closed-form solutions are based on the use of a not-well-known intuitive orientation representation. The latter, previously introduced under the name of Tilt-and-Torsion angles, is briefly described. Then, the interdependence between the Cartesian coordinates of the general class of parallel mechanisms is derived. Finally, the direct kinematics of the mechanisms are derived and numerical examples are presented.
A Unied Model for Credit Derivatives

A framework is provided for pricing derivatives on defaultable bonds and other credit-risky contingent claims. The framework includes structural models (those in which the time of default is determined by the value of the issuing rm), general reduced-form models (those in which default is exogenous), and reducedform models in which default can occur only at specic
[6] M. Kass, A. Witkin, and D. Terzopoulos. Snakes: Active contour models. Int.

local level set method. [9] L. Vese and T. Chan. A multiphase level set framework for image segmentation using the Mumford and Shah model. Int. [11] N. Paragios and R. Deriche. Geodesic active regions and level set methods for supervised texture segmentation. Int.
19.1 Receiver with >20MHz bandwidth self-interference cancellation suitable for FDD, co-existence and full-duplex applications

In this paper, a 0.8-to-1.4GHz receiver with a tunable, reconfigurable RF SI canceller at the RX input is presented that supports >20MHz cancellation BW across a variety of antenna interfaces (nearly 10× improvement over a conventional canceller). This is accomplished by (i) a bank of tunable, reconfigurable 2nd-order high-Q RF bandpass filters in the canceller to emulate the antenna interface isolation (essentially RF frequency-domain equalization), and (ii) a linear N-path Gm-C filter implementation with embedded variable attenuation and phase shifting. For FDD, SIC enhances effective OOB IIP3 and IIP2 to +25-27d Bm and +90d Bm respectively. For SC-FD, SIC eliminates RX gain compression for as high as -8 dBm of peak in-band SI, and enhances effective in-band IIP3 and IIP2 by 22dB and 58 dB.
Grasp force and object impedance control for arm/hand systems

This paper deals with fine contact force control in robotic grasping. The main objective is to achieve tracking of the planned trajectory for a grasped object and, at the same time, ensure suitable grasp quality. Interaction of the grasped object with the external environment is considered as well. To this aim, an impedance control law is adopted to enforce a compliant behavior of the object when comes in contact with the environment. A simulation case study is developed to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
The Influence of Gender on Secondary School Students' Academic Performance in South-West, Nigeria

This study investigated the influence of gender on secondary schools students' academic performance in South-West, Nigeria. The results of 2003/2004 to 2007/2008 West African School Certificate Examin ations (WASCE) were collected on English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Geography, Government, Yoruba, Christian Religious Studies and French from 10 Secondary Schools selected from 5 States in Nigeria. The samples consisted of 2,305 students. Stratified random sampling was used to select 2 schools from each state. Purposive sampling was used to collect the WASCE results of students sampled. Chi-Square was used to test the 5 hypotheses raised. The study revealed that male and female students performed equally in English language. Males performed better than females in Mathematics, Science and Social Science while females also did better than males inArts except in Yoruba. It was, therefore, recommended that necessary materials/equipment should be provided to make Mathematics, Science and Social Science interesting to girls, French and Christian Religious Studies encouraging to boys.