Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rethinking Cooling Out at Public Community Colleges: An Examination of Fiscal and Demographic Trends in Higher Education and the Rise of Statewide Articulation Agreements

Recent data indicate that a large proportion of students entering community colleges are identifying terminal certificate or occupational associate degrees instead of academic majors or transfer as their short-term goal. Despite this, throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, states established articulation agreements as policy instruments to enhance the transfer of students from public 2-year institutions to 4-year institutions. This conundrum raises an interesting two-part question: In the absence of a significant increase in the demand for transfer by community colleges entrants, why have states enacted these agreements, and what potential impacts may arise from these legislative trends? Applying the state relative autonomy theory, we contend that the rise of articulation agreements constitutes a new state strategy to cope with the stagnation of higher education appropriations, the spiraling costs of tuition, and an excess demand for affordable higher education.
Teacher Learning in a School-University Partnership: Exploring the Role of Social Trust and Teaching Efficacy Beliefs

Teacher learning has been studied in numerous contexts using a variety of theoretical frameworks. Our research examines variation in teacher learning in a school-university partnership. We explore the personal characteristics of social trust and teaching efficacy beliefs in relation to teachers’ levels of learning. We classify teachers in the partnership into three categories based on their demonstrated affective and pedagogical learning and discuss how differences among these teachers in terms of social trust and efficacy beliefs may have influenced their learning. Our research demonstrates that although school-university partnerships may hold promise for school improvement efforts, individual teacher factors can mediate the influence of these partnerships on teacher learning and pedagogical change.
Deciding to Forgo College: Non-College Attendees’ Reflections on Family, School, and Self

This article, based on work funded by the American Association of University Women, examines how personal and environmental factors shape non-college attendees’ decisions to forgo college directly after high school. Group interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 48 racially diverse recent high school graduates (27 men and 21 women) who had not attended any 2-year or 4-year college since completing high school. All graduated from public high schools in Los Angeles, California, and were between 18 and 21 years of age at the time that were interviewed. Findings highlight study participants’ current pursuits, their perspectives on college, the factors that influenced their post-high school life decisions (particularly home and school environments), and their reflections on whether they would do anything differently given the opportunity to turn back time. Considered within Persell's multidimensional framework, the findings lend support to the combined effects of societal, institutional, interactional, and intrapsychic variables in producing differential educational outcomes and post-high school life paths. Especially noteworthy is the transcendent effect across race, gender, and socioeconomic status of efficacy beliefs in shaping educational choices.
On Becoming College Prep: Examining the Challenges Charter School Staff Members Face While Executing a School's Mission

This article draws from a case study investigating the organizational characteristics of a college preparatory charter high school and the impact of that college preparatory climate on the postsecondary plans of the school's graduating classes. Although charters provide local communities with alternatives to existing educational institutions, many recently chartered schools face organizational trials that can limit their effectiveness. This article reports findings from the base-year data collection of a multiyear case study of a recently chartered college preparatory high school. The findings show how logistical constraints and staff turnover affected the implementation of the school's mission, which is to prepare educationally and socially disadvantaged students for college.
Analysis of receptors responsible for the dysfunction of the human immune system by different viral infections

There are difficulties in creating direct anti-viral drugs for all viruses, including new, suddenly arising infections, such as COVID-19. Therefore, pathogenetic therapy is often used to treat severe viral infections. Despite significant distinctions in the etiopathogenesis of viral diseases, they are often associated with the substantial dysfunction of the immune system. To identify shared mechanisms of immune dysfunction during infection by nine different viruses (cytomegalovirus, Ebstein-Barr virus, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, Hepatitis B and C viruses, human immunodeficiency virus, Dengue virus, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2), we applied analysis of corresponding transcription profiles from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). As a result, we revealed common pathways, cellular processes, and master regulators for studied viral infections. We found that all nine viral infections cause immune activation, exhaustion, cell proliferation disruption, and increased susceptibility to apoptosis. An application of network analysis allowed us to identify receptors of PBMC that are the proteins at the top of signaling pathways, which may be responsible for the observed transcription changes. The identified relationships between some of them and virus-induced immune disfunction are new, with little or no information in the literature, e.g., receptors for autocrine motility factor, insulin, prolactin, angiotensin II, and immunoglobulin epsilon.
Close up and Personal: The Effect of a Research Relationship on an Educational Program Evaluation

This article addresses the construction of “critical friendships” within the practice of one particular program evaluation. It focuses on the evolution of relationships developed during one 2-year program evaluation study that examined a collaborative educational project. Findings show that a caring interest and mentoring rapport developed between program constituents and evaluator (the author of the study). Further, this study suggests that these relationships were essential to how formative and summative feedback was used. This article suggests that the interplay between evaluator and constituents is best practiced through what House and Howe call a methodological advocacy stance. Finally, it encourages further discourse and investigations into the ways that program evaluation is carried out in order to more thoroughly understand how relationships influence evaluation methodology and practice.
Indigenous peoples in eastern Brazil: insights from 19th century genomes and metagenomes

Although Brazil was inhabited by more than 3,000 Indigenous populations prior to European colonization, today’s Indigenous peoples represent less than 1% of Brazil’s census population. Some of the decimated communities belonged to the so-called “Botocudos” from central-eastern Brazil. These peoples are thought to represent a case of long-standing genetic continuity bearing a strong craniometric resemblance to that of the oldest Indigenous Americans (“Paleoamericans”). Yet, little is known about their origins and genetic relationship to other Native Americans, as only two “Botocudo” genomes have been sequenced so far and those were surprisingly of Polynesian ancestry. To deepen our knowledge on the genomic history of pre-contact Indigenous Americans and the pathogens they were exposed to, we carbon-dated and sequenced 24 ancient Brazilians (including 22 “Botocudos”) whose remains were hosted at the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro and recovered prior to the tragic 2018 fire. The resulting genomes’ depth of coverage ranged from 0.001× to 24×. Their genetic ancestry was found to be Indigenous American without gene flow from external populations such as Europeans, Africans or Polynesians. Unlike Mesoamericans, the “Botocudos” and Amazonians do not seem to have experienced a population expansion once in the Americas. Moreover, remarkably, their genomes exhibit amongst the lowest levels of heterozygosity worldwide and long runs of homozygosity, which could be explained by unique social practices or a very small effective size. Finally, whole genomes of likely ancient pathogens were recovered, including lineages of Human parvovirus B19 that were possibly introduced after the European contact. Significance statement To better understand the genetic relationship among Indigenous populations in Brazil, we sequenced the genomes of 24 ancient individuals (22 of which labelled as “Botocudos”, a term used to describe hunter-gatherer tribes) whose remains were hosted at the Museu Nacional of Rio de Janeiro prior to the tragic fire that consumed it in 2018. Unlike two previously published “Botocudo” genomes, the 22 “Botocudos” from this study have Indigenous American-related ancestry without any Polynesian-related ancestry, and they are similarly related to several Native Brazilian populations. Finally, unlike Eurasian hunter-gatherers, the “Botocudos” exhibit among the lowest heterozygosity and longest runs of homozygosity worldwide – compatible with a very small effective size and suggesting a unique social structure among hunter-gatherers in the Americas.
Growth cone macropinocytosis of neurotrophin receptor and neuritogenesis are regulated by neuron navigator 1

Neuron Navigator 1 (Nav1) is a cytoskeleton-associated protein expressed during brain development that is necessary for proper neuritogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we show that Nav1 is present in elongating axon tracts during mouse brain embryogenesis. We found that depletion of Nav1 in cultured neurons disrupts growth cone morphology and neurotrophin-stimulated neuritogenesis. In addition to regulating both F-actin and microtubule properties, Nav1 promotes actin-rich membrane ruffles in the growth cone, and promotes macropinocytosis at those membrane ruffles, including internalization of the TrkB receptor for the neurotrophin BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor). Growth cone macropinocytosis is important for downstream signaling, neurite targeting, and membrane recycling, implicating Nav1 in one or more of these processes. Depletion of Nav1 also induces transient membrane blebbing via disruption of signaling in the Rho GTPase signaling pathway, supporting the novel role of Nav1 in dynamic actin-based membrane regulation at the cell periphery. These data demonstrate that Nav1 works at the interface of microtubules, actin, and plasma membrane to organize the cell periphery and promote uptake of growth and guidance cues to facilitate neural morphogenesis during development.
How concerning is a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern? Computational predictions and the variants labeling system

We herein report a study to evaluate the use of computational prediction of SARS-CoV-2 genetic variations in improving the current variants labeling system. First, we reviewed the basis of the system developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the labeling of SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants and the adaptations made to it by the United States Center of Diseases Control (CDC). We observed that the labeling system is based upon the virus’ major attributes. However, we found that the labeling criteria of the SARS-CoV-2 variants derived from these attributes are not accurately defined and are used differently by the two health management agencies. Consequently, discrepancies exist between the labels given by WHO and CDC to same variants. Our observations suggest that giving the VOC label to a new variant is premature and might not be appropriate. Therefore, we carried out a comparative computational study to predict the effects of the mutations on the virus structure and functions of five VOCs. By linking these data to the criteria used by WHO and the CDC for variant labeling, we ascertained that comparative computational predictions of the impact of genetic variations are a better ground for rapid and more accurate labelling of SARS-CoV-2 variants. We propose to label all emergent variants VUM or VBM and to carry out computational predictive studies and thorough variants comparison, upon which more appropriate and informative labels can be attributed. Furthermore, harmonization of the variants labeling system would be globally beneficial to communicate about and fight COVID-19 pandemic.
Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation disrupts neuroplasticity of intracortical motor circuits

While previous research using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) suggest that cerebellum (CB) influences the neuroplastic response of primary motor cortex (M1), the role of different indirect (I) wave inputs in M1 mediating this interaction remains unclear. The aim of this study was therefore to assess how CB influences neuroplasticity of early and late I-wave circuits. 22 young adults (22 ± 2.7 years) participated in 3 sessions in which I-wave periodicity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (iTMS) was applied over M1 during concurrent application of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation over CB (tDCSCB). In each session, iTMS either targeted early I-waves (1.5 ms interval; iTMS1.5), late I-waves (4.5 ms interval; iTMS4.5), or had no effect (variable interval; iTMSSham). Changes due to the intervention were examined with motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude using TMS protocols measuring corticospinal excitability (MEP1mV) and the strength of CB-M1 connections (CBI). In addition, we indexed I-wave activity using short-interval intracortical facilitation (SICF) and low-intensity single-pulse TMS applied with posterior-anterior (MEPPA) and anterior-posterior (MEPAP) current directions. Following both active iTMS sessions, there was no change in MEP1mV, CBI or SICF (all P > 0.05), suggesting that tDCSCB broadly disrupted the excitatory response that is normally seen following iTMS. However, although MEPAP also failed to facilitate after the intervention (P > 0.05), MEPPA potentiated following both active iTMS sessions (both P < 0.05). This differential response between current directions suggests that the disruptive effects of CB modulation on M1 plasticity may be selectively mediated by AP-sensitive circuits (also likely recruited with MEP1mV, CBI, and SICF).
Enrichment of specific GABAergic neuronal types in the mouse perirhinal cortex

GABAergic neurons represent 10-15% of the neuronal population of the cortex but exert a powerful control over information flow in cortical circuits. GABAergic neurons show an extraordinary diversity in their morphology, physiology, molecular markers and connectivity. This diversity allows GABAergic neurons to participate in a wide variety of microcircuit motifs. The diversity of GABAergic neurons has been shown to be conserved across cortical regions. The GABAergic population can be broadly divided in three major classes parvalbumin, somatostatin and 5HT3aR groups. The largest GABAergic class in the cortex is represented by the parvalbumin-expressing fast-spiking neurons, which provide powerful somatic inhibition to their postsynaptic targets. Recently, the density of parvalbumin-expressing neurons has been shown to be lower in associative areas of the mouse cortex, including the perirhinal cortex, as compared to sensory and motor areas. In the present study we investigated whether this reduction in parvalbumin-expressing neurons leads to a decreased GABAergic population, or to an enrichment of other GABAergic cell-types. We found that the GABAergic population of the perirhinal cortex is comparable to that of a primary sensory area, and it is enriched of neurons belonging to the 5HT3aR group. We also demonstrate that, despite the low density of parvalbumin-expressing neurons, the perirhinal cortex contains a comparable population of fast-spiking neurons, most of which do not express parvalbumin. Our results demonstrate a yet uncharacterized diversity within the fast-spiking population across cortical regions.
Ornithine Lipid Activates Both TLR4 and the non-canonical NLRP3 Inflammasome

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are proteins that act as the sentinels of mammalian cells by detecting bacteria and viruses motifs such as the phospholipid lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Gram-negative bacterial membrane, among others. Bacteria like Vibrio cholerae, when grow in phosphate-depleted medium are unable to produce LPS and other phospholipids and therefore increase the synthesis of ornithine lipids (OLs) to keep membrane integrity and survival. We found that, although the huge structural differences between OL and LPS, our immune system is still able to detect OL and trigger immune response through TLR4 and the non-canonical Nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing pyrin protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Similar to LPS, OL induced TLR4-dependent tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α secretion and Nuclear Factor (NF)-κB activation and therefore also elicited the priming of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Moreover, incubation of macrophages with OL causes caspase-dependent cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD) and consequent K+ efflux-dependent NLRP3 activation and interleukin (IL)-1β secretion. Results abstract (if needed) In bone-marrow derived murine macrophages (BMDM) from wild type mice, OLs induced hallmarks of NF-κB activation such as TNF-α secretion and the expression of pro-IL-1β and NLRP3. OL induced NF-κB activation dependent on TLR4 as demonstrated by the NF-κB activation measured in HEK293 reporting cells expressing uniquely TLR4 and by the decrease of TNF-α secretion in macrophages caused by antibodies blocking TLR4. OLs also induced IL-1β secretion dependent on cellular K+ efflux and NLRP3/caspase-1 inflammasome, as it was blocked by specific inhibitors and absent on Nlrp3−/−, Pycard−/− or Casp1/11−/− macrophages.
Family Help and Homework Management in Urban and Rural Secondary Schools

This article calls attention to developmental and home conditions that affect the development of good work habits through homework. The first section examines recent studies that have alluded to the possibility of developing good work habits through family involvement with secondary school homework. The second section describes two survey studies, in urban and rural secondary schools, that explicitly link homework management to family help and grade level. The data suggest that secondary students could still benefit from clear expectations from adult assistance regarding how to foster the development of homework management strategies, regardless of helper's educational background. The data also suggest, however, that such help is overshadowed by increasing internal distractions students encounter as they move from middle school into high school. The final section discusses implications for future research and practice regarding how to foster adolescents’ work habits through homework, particularly for high school students.
Evaluating Parent Empowerment: A Look at the Potential of Social Justice Evaluation in Education

In an effort to improve our nation's underperforming schools, education reformers are designing programs to educate and empower urban school parents. Parent involvement can be critical to a child's academic success, yet the education community still knows very little about the impact of specific parent programs. We evaluated a parent program that was part of a major school-university partnership. A responsive evaluation approach initially guided the design of our qualitative case study evaluation. Our social justice-oriented values, however, prompted us to revise our approach and adhere more closely to a social justice evaluation model. This change caused us to highlight the perspectives of low-income Latina mothers and emphasize the gap between parents’ and educators’ notions of empowerment. In this article, we describe our evaluation and highlight key findings that offer insightful implications for education practitioners, researchers, and evaluators. The findings pertain to the challenge of educators sharing power with urban parents and developing partnerships that are sensitive to the social and cultural factors that affect parents’ values, goals, and modes of participation. We also emphasize the relationship between evaluation theory and practice and point to the potential impact of social justice evaluation in education.
Negotiating Power, Developing Trust: Transgressing Race and Status in the Academy

Exploring the experiences of African American students engaged in doctoral studies reveals disturbing realities. In this article, we use narrative inquiry to engage in a collaborative project between two White faculty members and three African American graduate students. Transgressive pedagogy provided a conceptual framework for both our initial study and our subsequent reflections on the need to create supportive networks for graduate students of color in the academy. In the project we conversed and reflected about how our understanding of race and status had an impact on our experiences in the academy. Our study contrasted student experiences in environments in which students expressed feeling like “casualties of war” with those in which they expressed feeling like valued colleagues. We found that unspoken assumptions about race and status often created a turbulent climate for the participating African American doctoral students and White faculty members who shared values of inclusivity.
Introduction to the Special Issue Work Habits and Work Styles: Volition in Education

This introduction to the special issue describes concepts and research principles from modern psychological theories of self-regulation that are relevant to the subject of work habits and work styles in school. Modern systems-based and situated views of volitional functioning are applicable to practice in clinical settings as well as education, but practitioners are not well acquainted with this body of work. The article discusses the assessment and development of volitional competence in students, showing teachers and policy makers how attention to the psychology of volition in education may be used to enhance academic work habits and work styles.
Unfolding and identification of membrane proteins in situ

Single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) uses the cantilever tip of an AFM to apply a force able to unfold a single protein. The obtained force-distance curve encodes the unfolding pathway, and from its analysis it is possible to characterize the folded domains. SMFS has been mostly used to study the unfolding of purified proteins, in solution or reconstituted in a lipid bilayer. Here, we describe a pipeline for analyzing membrane proteins based on SMFS, that involves the isolation of the plasma membrane of single cells and the harvesting of force-distance curves directly from it. We characterized and identified the embedded membrane proteins combining, within a Bayesian framework, the information of the shape of the obtained curves, with the information from Mass Spectrometry and proteomic databases. The pipeline was tested with purified/reconstituted proteins and applied to five cell types where we classified the unfolding of their most abundant membrane proteins. We validated our pipeline by overexpressing 4 constructs, and this allowed us to gather structural insights of the identified proteins, revealing variable elements in the loop regions. Our results set the basis for the investigation of the unfolding of membrane proteins in situ, and for performing proteomics from a membrane fragment.