Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online guided learning

The increasing student populations in Higher Education require methods of course delivery to be re- engineered in order to maintain their relevance and effectiveness. While traditional lectures are effective for relatively small groups, where good interaction is possible when dealing with large numbers, they tend to be one way events. In the authors' experience, the result can be a mode of teaching that is less satisfactory for both student and lecturer, and less a effective learning experience. This paper describes the transformation of an undergraduate Computer Networks module, from a conventionally taught unit, to one incorporating Networked Open Learning techniques. It will describe how new materials were developed to support Open Learning, and how the delivery of the unit was changed to a model that moves towards an online student-centred approach.
Gender divisions and gentrification: a critique

This article presents a critique of the treatment of gender issues within analyses of gentrification. Despite frequent references to the importance of changes in the position of women in the labour market and the family, very few studies examine the possibility that gentrification might entail processes of gender constitution as well as processes of class constitution. Moreover those that do, focus on gender divisions of labour to the neglect of gender identities. I argue here for an approach that examines how ideas about gender are reworked and renegotiated through the social practices of gentrification.
A study of learners' intuitions behind the use of utterance verbs in English

Verbs of utterance are some of the most fundamental verbs in the English language, yet their usage patterns are exceptionally diverse. Learners of English should be able to use these words correctly and comfortably, but without an understanding of their core meanings acquisition of their various patterns of use can be daunting. The present research investigates the differences between English learners’ and native speakers’ intuitions regarding the utterance verbs ‘‘speak,’’ ‘‘talk,’’ ‘‘say,’’ and ‘‘tell. ’’ The participants were 80 users of English in four proficiency groups (Low, Mid, High, and native). The participants were polled via questionnaire on their intuitions regarding various uses of the four utterance verbs. Data were analyzed and compared with descriptive statistics and t tests. Although the intuitions of learners of increasing proficiency increasingly resembled those of NS, the verbs ‘‘speak’’ and ‘‘talk’’ posed special problems, indicating a lack of understanding of these verbs’ core meanings. Language educators are recommended to pay particular attention to these verbs’ more idiomatic uses (e.g. ‘‘talk politics’’) to address these deficiencies.
Automatic Selection of Search-guiding Heuristics for Theorem Proving

Theorem proving essentially amounts to solving search problems. The intricacy of these in general undecidable problems makes the use of appropriate search-guiding heuristics indispensable. However, the appropriateness of a heuristic critically depends on the problem to be solved. Given a set of heuristics to choose from, selecting a suitable heuristic is hence a crucial, but also a very diicult task. It is usually taken care of by a proocient user, because it is very hard to determine the suitability of a certain heuristic based on a given problem to be solved. We propose here to automate the selection of heuristics using machine-learning techniques which ground their decisions on past problem-solving experience. Experimental studies conducted in a very diicult area of theorem proving, namely equational reasoning, demonstrate the capacity of the techniques and underline their potential to be a very useful tool for eliminating human interaction requiring expert knowledge.
The Effects of Saline Water Drip Irrigation on Tomato Yield, Quality, and Blossom-End Rot Incidence --- A 3a Case Study in the South of China

Saline water resources are abundant in the coastal areas of south China. Most of these resources still have not been effectively utilized. A 3-year study on the effects of saline water irrigation on tomato yield, quality and blossom-end rot (BER) was conducted at different lower limits of soil matric potential (-10 kPa, -20 kPa, -30 kPa, -40 kPa and -50 kPa). Saline water differing in electrical conductivity (EC) (3 dS/m, 4 dS/m, 4.5 dS/m, 5 dS/m and 5.5 dS/m) was supplied to the plant after the seedling establishment. In all three years, irrigation water with 5.5 dS/m salinity reduced the maximum leaf area index (LAIm) and chlorophyll content the most significantly when compared with other salinity treatments. However, compared with the control treatment (CK), a slight increase in LAIm and chlorophyll content was observed with 3~4 dS/m salinity. Saline water improved tomato quality, including fruit density, soluble solid, total acid, vitamin C and the sugar-acid ratio. There was a positive relationship between the overall tomato quality and salinity of irrigation water, as analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). The tomato yield decreased with increased salinity. The 5.5 dS/m treatment reduced the tomato yield (Yt) by 22.4~31.1%, 12.6~28.0% and 11.7~27.3%, respectively in 2012, 2013 and 2014, compared with CK. Moreover, a significant (P≤0.01) coupling effect of salinity and soil matric potential on Yt was detected. Saline water caused Yt to increase more markedly when the lower limit of soil matric potential was controlled at a relatively lower level. The critical salinity level that produced significant increases in the BERi was 3 dS/m~4 dS/m. Following the increase in BERi under saline water irrigation, marketable tomato yield (Ym) decreased by 8.9%~33.8% in 2012, 5.1%~30.4% in 2013 and 10.1%~32.3% in 2014 compared with CK. In terms of maintaining the Yt and Ym, the salinity of irrigation water should be controlled under 4 dS/m, and the lower limit of soil matric potential should be greater than -20 kPa.
A game-theoretic approach to the socialization of utility-based agents

This paper presents a formal framework in which to study the socialization processes evolving among utility-based agents. These agents are self-interested, being their different social attitudes (cooperativeness, competitiveness or indifference) a consequence of this behavior. The dynamics of the socialization process are captured by a relation that measures the similarities between the desires of two groups of agents. This similitude relation is derived from the system's model, defined as a probabilistic transition system and a set of individual preference relations. Game-theoretic concepts are used in order to determine the rational(or expected) transitions of the system.
Optical recording of calcium currents during impulse conduction in cardiac tissue

Abstract. We explore the feasibility of obtaining a spatially resolved picture of Ca2+ inward currents (ICa) in multicellular cardiac tissue by differentiating optically recorded Ca2+ transients that accompany propagating action potentials. Patterned growth strands of neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were stained with the Ca2+ indicators Fluo-4 or Fluo-4FF. Preparations were stimulated at 1 Hz, and Ca2+ transients were recorded with high spatiotemporal resolution (50 μm, 2 kHz analog bandwidth) with a photodiode array. Signals were differentiated after appropriate digital filtering. Differentiation of Ca2+ transients resulted in optically recorded calcium currents (ORCCs) that carried the temporal and pharmacological signatures of L-type Ca2+ inward currents: the time to peak amounted to ∼2.1 ms (Fluo-4FF) and ∼2.4 ms (Fluo-4), full-width at half-maximum was ∼8 ms, and ORCCs were completely suppressed by 50 μmol/L CdCl2. Also, and as reported before from patch-clamp studies, caffeine reversibly depressed the amplitude of ORCCs. The results demonstrate that the differentiation of Ca2+ transients can be used to obtain a spatially resolved picture of the initial phase of ICa in cardiac tissue and to assess relative changes of activation/fast inactivation of ICa following pharmacological interventions.
Leader Member Exchange and Employee Attitudes: A Study in the Indian Context

This study examined outcomes of leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships in the Indian context. Using data collected from 110 employees, the author investigated the relationship between LMX and subordinates' reports of outcome variables. Results indicated that job satisfaction, commitment, intention to quit, leadership effectiveness, satisfaction with leader and extra effort were positively related to LMX. Intention to quit was negatively related to LMX. Implications and limitations of the study are identified.
A Review of the Cognitive Effects Observed in Humans Following Acute Supplementation with Flavonoids, and Their Associated Mechanisms of Action

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds found in varying concentrations in many plant-based foods. Recent studies suggest that flavonoids can be beneficial to both cognitive and physiological health. Long term flavonoid supplementation over a period of weeks or months has been extensively investigated and reviewed, particularly with respect to cognitive ageing and neurodegenerative disease. Significantly less focus has been directed towards the short term effects of single doses of flavonoids on cognition. Here, we review 21 such studies with particular emphasis on the subclass and dose of flavonoids administered, the cognitive domains affected by flavonoid supplementation, and the effect size of the response. The emerging evidence suggests that flavonoids may be beneficial to attention, working memory, and psychomotor processing speed in a general population. Episodic memory effects are less well defined and may be restricted to child or older adult populations. The evidence also points towards a dose-dependent effect of flavonoids, but the physiological mechanisms of action remain unclear. Overall, there is encouraging evidence that flavonoid supplementation can benefit cognitive outcomes within an acute time frame of 0–6 h. But larger studies, combining cognitive and physiological measures, are needed to strengthen the evidence base.
Wildlife disease and conservation in Hawaii: Pathogenicity of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) in experimentally infected Iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea)

SUMMARY Native Hawaiian forest birds are facing a major extinction crisis with more than 75% of species recorded in historical times either extinct or endangered. Reasons for this catastrophe include habitat destruction, competition with non-native species, and introduction of predators and avian diseases. We tested susceptibility of Iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea), a declining native species, and Nutmeg Mannikins (Lonchura punctulata), a common non-native species, to an isolate of Plasmodium relictum from the island of Hawaii. Food consumption, weight, and parasitaemia were monitored in juvenile Iiwi that were infected by either single (low-dose) or multiple (high-dose) mosquito bites. Mortality in both groups was significantly higher than in uninfected controls, reaching 100% of high-dose birds and 90% of low-dose birds. Significant declines in food consumption and a corresponding loss of body weight occurred in malaria-infected birds. Both sex and body weight had significant effects on survival time, with males more susceptible than females and birds with low initial weights more susceptible than those with higher initial weights. Gross and microscopic lesions in malaria fatalities included massive enlargement of the spleen and liver, hyperplasia of the reticuloendothelial system with extensive deposition of malarial pigment, and overwhelming anaemia in which over 30% of the circulating erythrocytes were parasitized. Nutmeg Mannikins, by contrast, were completely refractory to infection. Our findings support previous studies documenting high susceptibility of native Hawaiian forest birds to avian malaria. This disease continues to threaten remaining high elevation populations of endangered native birds.
The role of organic intellectuals in mediating management ideas: a case from Turkish academia

Over the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the history of management thought in peripheral countries. The consequent body of literature often focuses on the contestation among different Western traditions in social sciences or institutional models. In turn, it largely downplays the social context of intellectual production and the transformational actions of agents. Using the Gramscian notion of ‘organic intellectual’ as a point of departure, this article explores the function business education and educators perform within the context of early capitalist development in a late developing country: Turkey. By doing so, it analyses the role of the cadre of administrative and organization sciences, moving back-and-forth across the institutions of civil society and operating in various parts of the state apparatus, in socializing people into particular values and legitimating management as an academic discipline and a field of practice.
Indexing the Polarization of Social Groups in a Multi-Purpose Senior Center

Small-group interaction plays an important communication role in multi-purpose senior centers. Many aged members are actively participating in goal attainment and are also involved in serving the community through club activities. Guided by Hemphill's concept of polarization, the study explored the shared organizational goals of 9 clubs in a multi-ethnic senior center. The findings have implications for participants' greater involvement and accountability
The Elements of Stroke Rehabilitation

The primary goals of stroke rehabilitation are to encourage and foster functional improvement and neurological recovery. Organised stroke care, processes of care, early timing of rehabilitation and high intensity of rehabilitation therapies are important factors which have been identified as promoting better overall outcomes for individuals with stroke. This chapter examines the evidence for those elements which have been proven to be important in the effectiveness of stroke rehabilitation.
DNA and Cellular Effects of Charged Particles

AbstractDevelopment of new radiotherapy strategies based on the use of hadrons, as well as reduction of uncertainties associated with radiation health risk during long-term space flights, requires increasing knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the biological effects of charged particles. It is well known that charged particles are more effective in damaging biological systems than photons. This capability has been related to the production of spatially correlated and/or clustered DNA damage, in particular two or more double-strand breaks (DSB) in close proximity or DSB associated with other lesions within a localized DNA region. These kinds of complex damages are rarely induced by photons. They are difficult to repair accurately and are therefore expected to produce severe consequences at the cellular level. This paper provides a review of radiation-induced cellular effects and will discuss the dependence of cell death and mutation induction on the linear energy transfer of various light and heavy ions. This paper will show the inadequacy of a single physical parameter for describing radiation quality, underlining the importance of the characteristics of the track structure at the submicrometer level to determine the biological effects. This paper will give a description of the physical properties of the track structure that can explain the differences in the spatial distributions of DNA damage, in particular DSB, induced by radiation of different qualities. In addition, this paper will show how a combined experimental and theoretical approach based on Monte Carlo simulations can be useful for providing information on the damage distribution at the nanoscale level. It will also emphasize the importance, especially for DNA damage evaluation at low doses, of the more recent functional approaches based on the use of fluorescent antibodies against proteins involved in the cellular processing of DNA damage. Advantages and limitations of the different experimental techniques will be discussed with particular emphasis on the still unsolved problem of the clustered DNA damage resolution. Development of biophysical models aimed to describe the kinetics of the DNA repair process is underway, and it is expected to support the experimental investigation of the mechanisms underlying the cellular radiation response.
Loss of mitofusin 2 links beta‐amyloid‐mediated mitochondrial fragmentation and Cdk5‐induced oxidative stress in neuron cells

Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in age‐related degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Maintenance of mitochondrial dynamics is essential for regulating mitochondrial function. Aβ oligomers (AβOs), the typical cause of AD, lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal loss. AβOs have been shown to induce mitochondrial fragmentation, and their inhibition suppresses mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal cell death. Oxidative stress is one of the earliest hallmarks of AD. Cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) may cause oxidative stress by disrupting the antioxidant system, including Prx2. Cdk5 is also regarded as a modulator of mitochondrial fission; however, a precise mechanistic link between Cdk5 and mitochondrial dynamics is lacking. We estimated mitochondrial morphology and alterations in mitochondrial morphology‐related proteins in Neuro‐2a (N2a) cells stably expressing the Swedish mutation of amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is known to increase AβO production. We demonstrated that mitochondrial fragmentation by AβOs accompanies reduced mitofusin 1 and 2 (Mfn1/2) levels. Interestingly, the Cdk5 pathway, including phosphorylation of the Prx2‐related oxidative stress, has been shown to regulate Mfn1 and Mfn2 levels. Furthermore, Mfn2, but not Mfn1, over‐expression significantly inhibits the AβO‐mediated cell death pathway. Therefore, these results indicate that AβO‐mediated oxidative stress triggers mitochondrial fragmentation via decreased Mfn2 expression by activating Cdk5‐induced Prx2 phosphorylation.
Alternative splicing of platelet cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting

Summary Recently, we cloned from platelet mRNA a novel cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 splice variant, designated COX-2a, which is characterized by a partial deletion of exon 5. Preliminary studies of mRNA distribution of COX-2 isoforms in platelets from coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients showed a variable increase in COX-2a mRNA expression after cardiac surgery. Thus, we assessed whether this variant may play a functional role in these patients. We report a marked (about 20346-fold) increase in the expression of COX-2a mRNA after CABG. Evidence is presented that ribosomal frame-shifting may correct the coding sequence resulting in the expression of a full-length COX-2a pro-tein. In addition, a reading frame-corrected COX-2a mutant (COX-2aΔG) was generated by site-directed mutagenesis and expressed in COS-7 cells using an adenoviral expression system. However, COX-2a protein was not active in terms of prostaglandin formation. Thus, alternative mRNA splicing might represent an intriguing posttranscriptional mechanism to oppose a transcriptional activation of the COX-2 gene. Evolutionary, this mechanism may prevent COX-2-dependent thromboxane synthesis in the platelet, which would potentiate the likelihood of thrombosis; pharmacologically, this mechanism would prevent an aspirin-insensitive pathway of thromboxane formation.
Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) gives exact results under the assumption of model error

Abstract Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) or likelihood-free inference algorithms are used to find approximations to posterior distributions without making explicit use of the likelihood function, depending instead on simulation of sample data sets from the model. In this paper we show that under the assumption of the existence of a uniform additive model error term, ABC algorithms give exact results when sufficient summaries are used. This interpretation allows the approximation made in many previous application papers to be understood, and should guide the choice of metric and tolerance in future work. ABC algorithms can be generalized by replacing the 0–1 cut-off with an acceptance probability that varies with the distance of the simulated data from the observed data. The acceptance density gives the distribution of the error term, enabling the uniform error usually used to be replaced by a general distribution. This generalization can also be applied to approximate Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms. In light of this work, ABC algorithms can be seen as calibration techniques for implicit stochastic models, inferring parameter values in light of the computer model, data, prior beliefs about the parameter values, and any measurement or model errors.
Rapid Sample Processing for Detection of Food-Borne Pathogens via Cross-Flow Microfiltration

ABSTRACT This paper reports an approach to enable rapid concentration and recovery of bacterial cells from aqueous chicken homogenates as a preanalytical step of detection. This approach includes biochemical pretreatment and prefiltration of food samples and development of an automated cell concentration instrument based on cross-flow microfiltration. A polysulfone hollow-fiber membrane module having a nominal pore size of 0.2 μm constitutes the core of the cell concentration instrument. The aqueous chicken homogenate samples were circulated within the cross-flow system achieving 500- to 1,000-fold concentration of inoculated Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and naturally occurring microbiota with 70% recovery of viable cells as determined by plate counting and quantitative PCR (qPCR) within 35 to 45 min. These steps enabled 10 CFU/ml microorganisms in chicken homogenates or 102 CFU/g chicken to be quantified. Cleaning and sterilizing the instrument and membrane module by stepwise hydraulic and chemical cleaning (sodium hydroxide and ethanol) enabled reuse of the membrane 15 times before replacement. This approach begins to address the critical need for the food industry for detecting food pathogens within 6 h or less.
Combining Semantic and Multilingual Search to Databases with Recommender Systems

IR is a difficult task to do when dealing with free text fields of databases. This paper describes, through Seman-Query, how a search system can be combined with a recommender system in order to make it easier. The search part provides a solution to improve the functionality of database search techniques when dealing with IR from the text fields of databases, while the recommender part is responsible with adding documents that are similar to the results.