Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theorical review of the Teaching of Mathematics in Student with Visual Functional Diversity

The purpose of this study is to analyze the teaching of mathematics in students with visual impairment, with mathematics being a key element in the training of any student. The main objective of this article is to review studies on mathematics in visual disability. We intend a systematized reflection of the synthetic quantitative estimation of all available studies, proposing a theoretical framework on the relationship of mathematics with the use of ICTs and their suitability for education, providing personal assessments. Among the conclusions obtained, the importance of the mathematical development of the students for the improvement of thought processing and problem solving is evident, as well as the relationship between short-term and long-term memory. To be able to use mathematical learning for creative development, achieving synergy with various subjects, which is why it is so important to use open curricula and learning through play and challenges, which encourage motivation, participation and this in relation to the passions of the students themselves.
The Performance of Socially Responsible Investments Across Different Market Regimes

This paper investigates the financial performance difference between seven U.S. socially responsible investment (SRI) indices and their corresponding benchmark indices during different stock market regimes. We employed the Markov Switching Model to precisely divide the study period into three regimes. After that, we compared the risk, return, and risk adjusted return of the SRI indices during each identified regime with their corresponding benchmark indices. We find that SRI has higher returns than non-SRI across three different regimes, but there is no difference between the SRI and the non-SRI in terms of risk-adjusted returns. Our results imply that there is no financial sacrifice by SRI investors even when market conditions change. We contribute to the literature by taking into consideration for the first time the effect of the stock market regimes on the financial performance comparison between SRI and non-SRI.
A High-Frequency Model of a Circular Beam with a T-Shaped Cross Section

This paper derives an analytical model of a circular beam with a T-shaped cross section for use in the high-frequency range, defined here as approximately 1 to 50 kHz. The T-shaped cross section is composed of an outer web and an inner flange. The web in-plane motion is modeled with two-dimensional elasticity equations of motion, and the left portion and right portion of the flange are modeled separately with Timoshenko shell equations. The differential equations are solved with unknown wave propagation coefficients multiplied by Bessel and exponential spatial domain functions. These are inserted into constraint and equilibrium equations at the intersection of the web and flange and into boundary conditions at the edges of the system. Two separate cases are formulated: structural axisymmetric motion and structural non-axisymmetric motion and these results are added together for the total solution. The axisymmetric case produces 14 linear algebraic equations and the non-axisymmetric case produces 24 linear algebraic equations. These are solved to yield the wave propagation coefficients, and this gives a corresponding solution to the displacement field in the radial and tangential directions. The dynamics of the longitudinal direction are discussed but are not solved in this paper. An example problem is formulated and compared to solutions from fully elastic finite element modeling. It is shown that the accurate frequency range of this new model compares very favorably to finite element analysis up to 47 kHz. This new analytical model is about four magnitudes faster in computation time than the corresponding finite element models.
Substantial evidence suggests that neuronal apoptosis evoked by DNA damage may be a critical event in neurodegener- ative disease and stroke. DNA lesions have been widely reported in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (Robison

Substantial evidence suggests that neuronal apoptosis evoked by DNA damage may be a critical event in neurodegenerative disease and stroke. DNA lesions have been widely reported in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (Robison and Bradley 1984; Alam et al. 1997; Jenner 1998), Alzheimer’s disease (Robison and Bradley 1984; Gabbita et al. 1998; Lovell and Markesbery 2001) and stroke (Tobita et al. 1995; Chen et al. 1997; Cui et al. 2000). Furthermore, defective response to DNA damage can lead to severe neurodegeneration (Deans et al. 2000; Frank et al. 2000; Culmsee et al. 2001; Vemuri et al. 2001). However, the mechanisms by which DNA damage triggers neuronal death in these neurological disorders are not fully understood. Previous studies have shown that DNA damage in neurons induces death signals that involve aberrant activation of multiple cell cycle elements (Becker and Bonni 2004). For example, in cultured embryonic neurons treated with DNA damaging agent camptothecin, cyclin D1-associated kinases (Cdk4/6) are rapidly activated (Park et al. 1996, 1998), which results in phosphorylation of Rb family members and subsequent release and activation of E2F transcription factors (Park et al. 2000). Over-expression of dominant-negative Cdk4/6, over-expression of Rb or loss of E2F activity
Homeostatic responses compensate for activity perturbations in the CNS both at a synaptic as well as cellular level

Nitric oxide (NO) has been proposed to down-regulate NMDA receptors (NMDA-Rs) in a homeostatic manner. However, NMDA-R-dependent NO synthesis also can cause excitotoxic cell death. Using bicuculline-stimulated hippocampal and cortical cell cultures, we have addressed the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-NO pathway in NMDA-R down-regulation. This pathway protected cortical cells from NMDA-induced death and led to NMDA-R inhibition. In contrast, no evidence was gained for the presence of this protective pathway in hippocampal neurons, in which NMDAinduced NO synthesis was confirmed to be toxic. Therefore, opposing effects of NO depended on the activation of different signalling pathways. The pathophysiological relevance of this observation was investigated in synaptosomes and postsynaptic densities isolated from rat hippocampi and cerebral cortices following kainic acid-induced status epilepticus. In cortical, but not in hippocampal synaptosomes, brain-derived neurotrophic factor induced NO synthesis and inhibited NMDA-R currents present in isolated post-synaptic densities. In conclusion, we identified a NO-dependent homeostatic response in the rat cerebral cortex induced by elevated activity. A low performance of this pathway in brain areas including the hippocampus may be related to their selective vulnerability in pathologies such as temporal lobe epilepsy.
DECREASED COMFORT FOOD INTAKE AND ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN ADOLESCENTS CARRYING THE A 3669 G VARIANT OF THE GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR GENE Running title : A 3669 G polymorphism and adolescent feeding behavior

Background: The A3669G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene NR3C1 is associated with altered tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids (GCs). GCs modulate the food reward circuitry and are implicated in increased intake of palatable foods, which can lead to the metabolic syndrome and obesity. We hypothesized that presence of the G variant of the A3669G SNP would affect preferences for palatable foods and alter metabolic, behavioural, and neural outcomes. Methods: One hundred thirty-one adolescents were genotyped for the A3669G polymorphism, underwent anthropometric assessment and nutritional evaluations, and completed behavioural measures. A subsample of 74 subjects was followed for 5 years and performed a brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm to verify brain activity in response to food cues. Results: Sugar and total energy consumption were lower in A3669G G allele variant carriers. On follow-up, this group also had reduced serum insulin concentrations, increased insulin sensitivity, and lower anxiety scores. Because of our unbalanced sample sizes (31/37 participants non-G allele carriers/total), our imaging data analysis failed to find whole brain-corrected significant results in between-group ttests. Conclusion: These results highlight that a genetic variation in the GR gene is associated, at the cellular level, with significant reduction in GC sensitivity, which, at cognitive and behavioral levels, translates to altered food intake and emotional stress response. This genetic variant might play a major role in decreasing risk for metabolic and psychiatric diseases.
Graphene nanoribbon conductance model in parabolic band structure

Many experimental measurements have been done on GNR conductance. In this paper, analytical model of GNR conductance is presented. Moreover, comparison with published data which illustrates good agreement between them is studied. Conductance of GNR as a one-dimensional device channel with parabolic band structures near the charge neutrality point is improved. Based on quantum confinement effect, the conductance of GNR in parabolic part of the band structure, also the temperature-dependent conductance which displays minimum conductance near the charge neutrality point are calculated. Graphene nanoribbon (GNR) with parabolic band structure near the minimum band energy terminates Fermi-Dirac integral base method on band structure study. While band structure is parabola, semiconducting GNRs conductance is a function of Fermi-Dirac integral which is based on Maxwell approximation in nondegenerate limit especially for a long channel.
KeySlide: using directional gestures on keyboard for cursor positioning

KeySlide is a novel interaction technique to position the text cursor in text editors by refashioning standard physical keyboard used in desktop and laptop devices. The technique enables users to position the cursor at the desired location on text documents using natural and intuitive finger-sliding gestures over the keys of the keyboard. The natural mapping of the gesture to the action eliminates the learnability of the action, and minimises the disruption caused due to switching between the keyboard and the mouse. The design, implementation and evaluation of KeySlide is presented. While the theoretical simulation study found that KeySlide is 52% faster than standard keyboard shortcuts for cursor positioning, a comparison user study consisting of 18 participants, found that text editing performance using KeySlide is 19% slower than using keyboard shortcuts. The discrepancy is discussed.
Inequality, trust, and sustainability

Instrumental arguments linking inequality to sustainability often suppose a negative relationship between inequality and social cohesion, and empirical studies of inequality and social trust support the assumption. If true, then redistribution should increase levels of social cohesion and thereby ease the implementation of policies that require collective action to achieve shared benefits. However, an examination of the data suggests that at least part of the relationship may be explained by income level, rather than income distribution, suggesting that growth, rather than redistribution, may achieve the same goal. This paper tests for the possibility and suggests that income is indeed important in explaining differences in levels of social trust. However, the effect of income level is insufficient to explain all of the dependence on income inequality; both income level and income distribution are correlated with social trust. The analysis is done at the income decile level using individual response data from the World Values Survey. While the analysis is limited by the availability and reliability of the underlying data, the results suggest that neither redistribution nor growth alone is sufficient to raise a low-trust country to a position of medium or high trust. Rather, using the parameters estimated in this paper, a combination of growth with narrowing income distributions could, over a period of perhaps two decades, produce a significant change in levels of social trust.
of the European study ESEMeD / MHEDEA on the epidemiology of the mental disorders or the DASMAP study on prevalence of mental disorders

Article history: Received 29 June 2010 Received in revised form 17 February 2011 Accepted 17 February 2011 Available online 12 March 2011 Objective: To estimate the cost of depression for the adult population in Catalonia (Spain) for 2006. Method: The total adult population of Catalonia for the reference year was close to 6 million. A cross-design synthesis study was conducted, combining “top-down” and “bottom-up” data from secondary data sources, as well as expert opinion (nominal groups). A societal perspective was adopted. Estimates included direct health costs (hospital, primary, specialised and pharmacological care) and the indirect costs derived from the productivity lost due to morbidity and mortality. Sensitivity analyses were carried out for primary and specialised care resource utilisation. A Monte Carlo simulation model was developed to handle the uncertainty of the unit costs of primary care, specialised care and hospital visits. Results: The total annual cost of depression in Catalonia for 2006 was 735.4 million Euros. Of this figure, 21.2% corresponded to direct costs, including 41 million Euros in primary care (5.6%), 8.1 million Euros in mental health specialised care (1.1%), 5.6 million Euros due to hospitalisation (0.8%) and 101.1 million Euros due to pharmacological care (13.7%); and 78.8% to indirect costs due to productivity loss. 3.7 million work days were lost to temporary disability for depression with a cost of 199.6 million Euros (27.1%), and 353.3 million Euros due to permanent disability (48%). Mortality attributed to suicide accounted for 26.9 million Euros (3.7%). The average annual cost of an adult with depression was close to 1800 Euros. Limitations: The heterogeneity of the data sources, the uncertainty in several estimates (i.e. proportion of psychotropic expenditure attributed to the treatment of depression, suicide rate attributed to depression), and the difficulty in disaggregating anxiety and depressive disorders in a number of databases are study limitations. Conclusions: The burden of depression for the Catalan public health system and society as awhole due to the consumption of resources and, more importantly, the loss of productivity is significant. Inefficiencies may be found in the overuse of pharmaceuticals and in the eligibility criteria of disability for work. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The transcription factor Elk-1 belongs to the ternary complex factor family of erythroblast transformation specific (ETS)-

The transcription factor Elk-1 has been revealed as neuroprotective against toxic stimuli. In this study, we explored the neuroprotective capacity of Elk-1 in Huntington’s disease. To this aim, we used two exon-1 mutant huntingtin (mhtt) mouse models (R6/1 and R6/2), and a full-length mhtt striatal cell model (STHdh). Analysis of Elk-1 and pElk-1 in the striatum of R6 mice revealed increased levels during the disease progression. Similarly, Elk-1 and pElk-1 levels were increased in STHdh cells when compared with wild-type cells. In addition, we observed a predominant nuclear localization of Elk-1 in STHdh cells, and in the striatum of 30-week-old R6/1 mice. Nuclear Elk-1 did not colocalize with mhtt aggregates, suggesting a higher transcriptional activity. In agreement, the knock-down of Elk-1 decreased immediate early genes expression in STHdh cells, but not in wild-type cells. Interestingly, reduction of Elk-1 levels by siRNAs transfection promoted cell death and caspase 3 cleavage in STHdh cells, but not in wild-type cells. In summary, we propose that increased protein levels, phosphorylation and nuclear localization of Elk-1 observed in exon-1 and full-length Huntington’s disease models could be a compensatory mechanism activated by striatal cells in response to the presence of mhtt that contributes to neuroprotection.
DNA damage in post-mitotic neurons is proposed to contribute to neuronal loss and/or functional deficits in several neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and neurotoxicity of anticancer chemotherapy (Nou-

DNA damage in post-mitotic neurons is proposed to contribute to neuronal loss and/or functional deficits in several neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and neurotoxicity of anticancer chemotherapy (Nouspikel and Hanawalt 2003; Fishel et al. 2007). Reduced gene transcription has been observed after neuronal DNA damage and suggested to contribute to functional decline in the aging brain or neurodegenerative diseases (Lu et al. 2004). On the other hand, de novo gene expression including transcription is required for apoptotic cell death that is induced by neuronal DNA damage (Martin et al. 1990; Morris and Geller 1996). Apoptosis of DNA-damaged neurons is mediated by the tumor suppressor transcription factor/cell death regulator p53 (Morrison and Kinoshita 2000; Jacobs et al. 2006). It is unclear whether transcriptional deficits and the p53-mediated apoptotic pathway represent separate or interacting modes of neuronal response to DNA damage. Inhibitors of DNA topoisomerases, including the DNA toposimorease-I poison camptothecin (CPT), induce apoptosis in proliferating cells and in post-mitotic neurons (Morris
Reactive dissolved organic carbon dynamics in a changing environment : Experimental evidence from soil and water

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the major form of organic carbon in aquatic ecosystems. Biological and photochemical degradation of DOC are major causes of greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic ecosystems. In response to current changes in climate, studies at different northern-hemisphere locations have shown both increases and decreases in total DOC export from land to water. However, there is lack of knowledge on the effect of changing environmental conditions on bio- and photo-degradation potentials. Therefore, this thesis aimed to combine empirical and experimental methods to determine the dynamics of DOC reactivity in response to key environmental parameters related to soil frost conditions and hydrology. I collected samples from the boreal region to carry out laboratory degradation experiments and to analyze the DOC degradation potentials in relation to environmental variables and intrinsic properties of the DOC.In a boreal forest region that has seasonal soil frost, the DOC bio-reactivity decreased with experimental reductions in the extent and duration of soil frost, while photo-reactivity remained constant. However, DOC from experimentally thawed permafrost peat in the subarctic north showed higher bio- and photo-degradation potentials than the DOC from active peat layers above the permafrost. The nature of the soil and intrinsic DOC properties explained these patterns in soil DOC reactivity. In the surface water network, bio-degradation was the dominant DOC degradation mechanism in brow-water lakes, while photo-degradation played a relatively larger role in clearer waters. The surface water photo-reactivity per unit of light absorption was high at both acidic and at alkaline conditions, while lower at intermediate pH, probably due to effects of the protonation state of DOC on photo-reactivity. Therefore, pH change along the aquatic network caused extrinsic control on the photo-reactivity at the landscape scale.In conclusion the results show that climate warming decreases the export of bio-reactive DOC in a boreal forest, but it likely increases the export of bio- and photo-reactive DOC in a permafrost peatland. In a wetter climate with shorter residence times, clear waters may experience browning and relative shift from photo-degradation to bio-degradation, while already brown lakes will remain brown and dominated by bio-degradation. Furthermore, the loss of photo reactive DOC during transport in aquatic network may be counter balanced by the changes in extrinsic variables such as pH.
Egyptian H 5 N 1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in naïve and vaccinated chickens

In Egypt, two distinct lineages of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses, “classic 2.2. 1.2” and “variant 2.2. 1.1” strains, have evolved. The underlying host immune responses counteracting these viruses in chickens remain not well understood. In the present study, the cytokine responses to a classic strain (C121) and those to a variant strain (V1063) were compared in naïve and vaccinated chickens. In naïve chickens, the C121 replicated more efficiently than the V1063. Both the C121 and the V1063 increased interferon (IFN)- and interleukin (IL)-10 gene expression at 48 hours post inoculation (hpi) in the lung and spleen but the levels of these cytokines were lower in chickens infected with the C121 than those infected with the V1063. In contrast, in chickens vaccinated with inactivated C121-based vaccine, the C121 replicated less than the V1063. Both challenge with the C121 and that with the V1063 did not increase IFN- gene expression at 48 hpi; rather, the C121 increased IL-4 gene expression in the lung accompanied with lower viral titer and higher HI titers. These results suggested that the pathogenicity of HPAI viruses correlated with IFN--producing helper and/or cytotoxic T cell responses in naïve chickens, whereas vaccine efficacy to HPAI viruses correlated with IL-4 producing helper T cell responses in the lung in vaccinated chickens. It implies that IL-4 in the lung, in addition to the traditional serum HI titers, could be used to screen novel vaccine strategies, such as strains, adjuvant, prime/boost protocols, against HPAI in chickens.
The Personal is Political: Assessing Feminist Fundamentals in the Digital Age

The ‘personal is political’ has long been recognised as the definitive slogan of second-wave feminism but can it still inform our understanding of the contemporary practice of feminism? Questioning the importance of this claim now invites us to critically reflect upon the trajectory Western feminism has followed in light of the efforts made by the Women’s Liberation movement to politicise formerly unquestioned aspects of social relations. In this paper, the significance of this feminist slogan will be assessed by locating it within two broadly defined historical periods. Firstly we identify the critical work performed by the ideas expressed in the slogan in the early years of the 1970s and then assess their continued relevance within the context of the early 21st century. Drawing upon the empirical analysis of young women’s experience of and relationship to feminism via their engagement with social media in Britain, this research critically assesses digital spaces as places where young women explore their personal experiences. We aim to understand how this may constitute a contemporary form of feminist practice consistent with the claim that ‘the personal is political’.
Side channel attack on smartphone sensors to infer gender of the user: poster abstract

Smartphones incorporate a plethora of diverse and powerful sensors that enhance user experience. Two such sensors are accelerometer and gyroscope, which measure acceleration in all three spatial dimensions and rotation along the three axes of the smartphone, respectively. These sensors are used primarily for screen rotations and advanced gaming applications. However, they can also be employed to gather information about the user's activity and phone positions. In this work, we investigate using accelerometer and gyroscope as a side-channel to learn highly sensitive information, such as the user's gender. We present an unobtrusive technique to determine the gender of a user by mining data from the smartphone sensors, which do not require explicit permissions from the user. A preliminary study conducted on 18 participants shows that we can detect the user's gender with an accuracy of 80%.