Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of knowledge about electricity and magnetism during a visit to a science museum and related post‐visit activities

This article reports on part of a larger study of how 11- and 12-year-old students construct knowledge about electricity and magnetism by drawing on aspects of their experiences during the course of a school visit to an interactive science museum and subsequent classroom activities linked to the science museum exhibits. The significance of this study is that it focuses on an aspect of school visits to informal learning centers that has been neglected by researchers in the past, namely the influence of post-visit activities in the classroom on subsequent learning and knowledge construction. This study provides evidence that the integrated series of post-visit activities resulted in students constructing and reconstructing their personal knowledge of science concepts and principles represented in the science museum exhibits, sometimes toward the accepted scientific understanding and sometimes in different and surprising ways. A descriptive interpretive approach was adopted, with principal data sources comprising student-generated concept maps and semistructured interviews at three stages of the study. Findings demonstrate the interrelationships between learning that occurs at school, home, and in informal learning settings. The study also underscores for classroom teachers and staff of science museums and similar centers the importance of planning pre- and post-visit activities. The importance of this planning is not only to support the development of scientific conceptions, but also to detect and respond to alternative conceptions that may be produced or strengthened during a visit to an informal learning center. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed84:658–679, 2000.
Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth of Pakistan

Given contrasting evidence in the literature pertaining to the impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the host country’s economy, we take the case of Pakistan and test the said association for this nation. The data used for this study has spanned over the period of 1981 till 2010. Besides FDI, four other variables including Debt, Trade, Inflation and Domestic Investment have been included in the study, to regress upon GDP of this country. The methodology to test the impact of these variables on Pakistan’s economy has been limited to the least squares method. The co-integration of the variables has been ascertained through application of Augmented Dickey Fuller Test and is found to hold in the long run. Our findings indicate that Pakistan’s economic performance is negatively affected by foreign investment while its domestic investment has benefitted its economy. Moreover, the nation’s debt, trade and inflation have found to have negative impact on its GDP.
Probabilistic Models to Describe the Dynamics of Migrating Microbial Communities

In all but the most sterile environments bacteria will reside in fluid being transported through conduits and some of these will attach and grow as biofilms on the conduit walls. The concentration and diversity of bacteria in the fluid at the point of delivery will be a mix of those when it entered the conduit and those that have become entrained into the flow due to seeding from biofilms. Examples include fluids through conduits such as drinking water pipe networks, endotracheal tubes, catheters and ventilation systems. Here we present two probabilistic models to describe changes in the composition of bulk fluid microbial communities as they are transported through a conduit whilst exposed to biofilm communities. The first (discrete) model simulates absolute numbers of individual cells, whereas the other (continuous) model simulates the relative abundance of taxa in the bulk fluid. The discrete model is founded on a birth-death process whereby the community changes one individual at a time and the numbers of cells in the system can vary. The continuous model is a stochastic differential equation derived from the discrete model and can also accommodate changes in the carrying capacity of the bulk fluid. These models provide a novel Lagrangian framework to investigate and predict the dynamics of migrating microbial communities. In this paper we compare the two models, discuss their merits, possible applications and present simulation results in the context of drinking water distribution systems. Our results provide novel insight into the effects of stochastic dynamics on the composition of non-stationary microbial communities that are exposed to biofilms and provides a new avenue for modelling microbial dynamics in systems where fluids are being transported.
An essential role of the JAK-STAT pathway in ischemic preconditioning

The goal of this study was to determine the role of the Janus tyrosine kinase (JAK)–signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathway in the late phase of ischemic preconditioning (PC). A total of 230 mice were used. At 5 min after ischemic PC (induced with six cycles of 4-min coronary occlusion/4-min reperfusion), immunoprecipitation with anti-phosphotyrosine (anti-pTyr) antibodies followed by immunoblotting with anti-JAK antibodies revealed increased tyrosine phosphorylation of JAK1 (+257 ± 53%) and JAK2 (+238 ± 35%), indicating rapid activation of these two kinases. Similar results were obtained by immunoblotting with anti-pTyr-JAK1 and anti-pTyr-JAK2 antibodies. Western analysis with anti-pTyr-STAT antibodies demonstrated a marked increase in nuclear pTyr-STAT1 (+301 ± 61%) and pTyr-STAT3 (+253 ± 60%) 30 min after ischemic PC, which was associated with redistribution of STAT1 and STAT3 from the cytosolic to the nuclear fraction and with an increase in STAT1 and STAT3 γ-IFN activation site DNA-binding activity (+606 ± 64%), indicating activation of STAT1 and STAT3. No nuclear translocation or tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT2, STAT4, STAT5A, STAT5B, or STAT6 was observed. Pretreatment with the JAK inhibitor AG-490 20 min before the six occlusion/reperfusion cycles blocked the enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of JAK1 and JAK2 and the increased tyrosine phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and enhanced DNA-binding activity of STAT1 and STAT3. The same dose of AG-490 abrogated the protection against myocardial infarction and the concomitant up-regulation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) protein and activity observed 24 h after ischemic PC. Taken together, these results demonstrate that ischemic PC induces isoform-selective activation of JAK1, JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3, and that ablation of this response impedes the up-regulation of iNOS and the concurrent acquisition of ischemic tolerance. This study demonstrates that the JAK-STAT pathway plays an essential role in the development of late PC. The results reveal a signaling mechanism that underlies the transcriptional up-regulation of the cardiac iNOS gene and the adaptation of the heart to ischemic stress.
"It Takes a Village to Raise a Child": The Role of Social Capital in Promoting Academic Success for African American Men at a Black College

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were created to provide educational opportunities for African Americans when other higher education venues restricted their participation. HBCUs are credited with nurturing and producing leaders who embraced W. E. B. Du Bois's concept of the "Talented Tenth," and exhibiting fortitude in advancing social equality for all. Over the years, as legalized segregation was overturned and efforts were made to expand opportunities for African Americans, some have questioned the continuing need for HBCUs. A study of 11 African American men attending a public, urban HBCU, indicated that the university's rich supply of social capital (a direct consequence of its mission and history) makes it a unique fixture in the landscape of higher education, one whose special features have not been replicated by historically White institutions.
The Principle of Hamilton for Mechanical Systems with Impacts and Unilateral Constraints

An action integral is presented for Hamiltonian mechanics in canonical form with unilateral constraints and/or impacts. The transition conditions on generalized impulses and the energy are presented as variational inequalities, which are obtained by the application of discontinuous transversality conditions. The energetical behavior for elastic, plastic and blocking type impacts are analyzed. A general impact equation is obtained by the stationarity conditions, which is compatible with the most general impact laws and is applicable to various impactive processes straightforwardly. The crux in achieving energetical behaviour which conforms with the physics of the impactive process, is shown to be the consistency conditions on the impact time variations. Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation The Principle of Hamilton for Mechanical Systems with Impacts and Unilateral Constraints Kerim Yunt Senior Engineer Mechanical Development MAN Diesel and Turbo Schweiz AG Zurich, Switzerland 8005 Email: kerim.yunt@man.eu
Anger in families

We addressed three questions about anger in the family, including the derivation of anger, the presence of anger contagion, and the degree to which family members share perceptions about anger in the family. Seventh-grade children, mothers, and fathers independently reported on the frequency and intensity of anger in six family relationships (child to mother, mother to child, child to father, father to child, mother to father, and father to mother). Analyses based on the social relations model revealed that family members share the belief that anger in the family is the result of individuals’ own styles of anger and, to a lesser degree, is created within unique relationships. Family members also recognized emotion contagion effects across all familial relationships. Overall, children, mothers, and fathers seemed to share perceptions about anger in the family with one exception. Implications for further research and family relationships are discussed.
On the internet delay space dimensionality

We investigate the dimensionality properties of the Internet delay space, i.e., the matrix of measured round-trip latencies between Internet hosts. Previous work on network coordinates has indicated that this matrix can be embedded, with reasonably low distortion, into a 4- to 9-dimensional Euclidean space. The application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reveals the same dimensionality values. Our work addresses the question: to what extent is the dimensionality an intrinsic property of the delay space, defined without reference to a host metric such as Euclidean space? Is the intrinsic dimensionality of the Internet delay space approximately equal to the dimension determined using embedding techniques or PCA? If not, what explains the discrepancy? What properties of the network contribute to its overall dimensionality? Using datasets obtained via the King [14] method, we study different measures of dimensionality to establish the following conclusions. First, based on its power-law behavior, the structure of the delay space can be better characterized by fractal measures. Second, the intrinsic dimension is significantly smaller than the value predicted by the previous studies; in fact by our measures it is less than 2. Third, we demonstrate a particular way in which the AS topology is reflected in the delay space; subnetworks composed of hosts which share an upstream Tier-1 autonomous system in common possess lower dimensionality than the combined delay space. Finally, we observe that fractal measures, due to their sensitivity to non-linear structures, display higher precision for measuring the influence of subtle features of the delay space geometry.
The diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants: what do we know and why should we care?

AIMS To examine the literature pertaining to the diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants. METHODS Relevant literature was identified through comprehensive MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed searches. RESULTS The evidence to date suggests that the prevalence of diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants varies across adolescent and young adult student populations, but is higher than that among the general population, with the highest prevalence found among adults with attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and users of other illicit drugs. Concerns that these practices have become more prevalent as a result of increased prescribing are not supported by large-scale population surveys. Information on trends in misuse in countries where there have been recent increases in prescription and consumption rates, however, is limited. Little is known about the frequency and chronicity of misuse, or the extent of associated harms, particularly among those populations, i.e. adolescents, young adult student populations, those with ADHD and illicit drug users, where abuse may be more likely to occur. CONCLUSIONS Continued monitoring of the diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants is of major clinical importance. Despite recognition of the abuse liability of these medications, there is a paucity of data on the prevalence, patterns and harms of diversion and misuse among populations where problematic use and abuse may be most likely to occur (e.g. adolescents, young adults, illicit drug users). Comprehensive investigations of diversion and misuse among these populations should be a major research priority, as should the assessment of abuse and dependence criteria among those identified as regular users.
The Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Work Integration Following Stroke

Objective: To investigate the relationship between physical fitness and work integration following stroke. Design: Single-group study, measurement of physical fitness pre and post physical training, measurement of employment status in a follow-up assessment 2 to 36 months after rehabilitation. Setting: Interdisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation program. Participants: 58 stroke survivors (62% male, mean age at program start 46.7 years, mean time since stroke 1.1 years) who were consecutively referred to the program. Intervention: 11/2 hours of intensive training of cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength 1-3 times weekly as part of the 3-month program. Measures: Physical fitness was measured with a modified Harvard Step Test, the Astrand Cycling Test, and walking/running speed. The type of participants' employment as well as the amount of working hours was registered. Results: Good physical fitness as measured by the Harvard Step test, but not the Astrand Cycling Test and walking/running speed, was related to return to competitive, full-time employment. Test results from training tended to predict work reintegration better than test results from training start. Improvement of physical fitness as measured by the Harvard Step Test was also related to follow-up employment. Conclusions: The results imply a relationship between physical fitness and work integration following stroke and should be confirmed with a randomised controlled study design.
Religious aspects of coping with stress among adolescents from families with alcohol problems

The main focus of this research concerned disparities between two groups of adolescents from alcoholic and non-alcoholic families regarding religious coping strategies. Theoretical assumptions, being the basis of this research, refer to Pargament's conception of religion as an integral part of the process of coping with stress. The following hypotheses were stated: adolescents from alcoholic families more often use religious coping strategies, and individuals engaged in religious activity, compared to those not engaged, more often choose positive religious coping strategies. The research was conducted using a sample of 228 individuals, aged 17–19 years. All subjects declared Roman Catholic denomination. The survey was used to distinguish between the main groups. To evaluate religious coping strategies, the Polish version of the RCOPE was used. The results showed that adolescents from alcoholic families, compared to non-alcoholic families, more often perceived their situation as the Act of the Devil. They also expressed dissatisfaction more often with God and the Church. Adolescents from alcoholic families not engaged religiously more often perceived their situation as a punishment from God than those who were engaged religiously. Individuals engaged religiously and girls used religious coping strategies more often than those not engaged and more often than boys.
Large‐scale variations in the vegetation growing season and annual cycle of atmospheric CO2 at high northern latitudes from 1950 to 2011

We combine satellite and ground observations during 1950–2011 to study the long‐term links between multiple climate (air temperature and cryospheric dynamics) and vegetation (greenness and atmospheric CO2 concentrations) indicators of the growing season of northern ecosystems (>45°N) and their connection with the carbon cycle. During the last three decades, the thermal potential growing season has lengthened by about 10.5 days (P < 0.01, 1982–2011), which is unprecedented in the context of the past 60 years. The overall lengthening has been stronger and more significant in Eurasia (12.6 days, P < 0.01) than North America (6.2 days, P > 0.05). The photosynthetic growing season has closely tracked the pace of warming and extension of the potential growing season in spring, but not in autumn when factors such as light and moisture limitation may constrain photosynthesis. The autumnal extension of the photosynthetic growing season since 1982 appears to be about half that of the thermal potential growing season, yielding a smaller lengthening of the photosynthetic growing season (6.7 days at the circumpolar scale, P < 0.01). Nevertheless, when integrated over the growing season, photosynthetic activity has closely followed the interannual variations and warming trend in cumulative growing season temperatures. This lengthening and intensification of the photosynthetic growing season, manifested principally over Eurasia rather than North America, is associated with a long‐term increase (22.2% since 1972, P < 0.01) in the amplitude of the CO2 annual cycle at northern latitudes. The springtime extension of the photosynthetic and potential growing seasons has apparently stimulated earlier and stronger net CO2 uptake by northern ecosystems, while the autumnal extension is associated with an earlier net release of CO2 to the atmosphere. These contrasting responses may be critical in determining the impact of continued warming on northern terrestrial ecosystems and the carbon cycle.
Cell Wall Proteome in the Maize Primary Root Elongation Zone. II. Region-Specific Changes in Water Soluble and Lightly Ionically Bound Proteins under Water Deficit1[W][OA]

Previous work on the adaptation of maize (Zea mays) primary roots to water deficit showed that cell elongation is maintained preferentially toward the apex, and that this response involves modification of cell wall extension properties. To gain a comprehensive understanding of how cell wall protein (CWP) composition changes in association with the differential growth responses to water deficit in different regions of the elongation zone, a proteomics approach was used to examine water soluble and loosely ionically bound CWPs. The results revealed major and predominantly region-specific changes in protein profiles between well-watered and water-stressed roots. In total, 152 water deficit-responsive proteins were identified and categorized into five groups based on their potential function in the cell wall: reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, defense and detoxification, hydrolases, carbohydrate metabolism, and other/unknown. The results indicate that stress-induced changes in CWPs involve multiple processes that are likely to regulate the response of cell elongation. In particular, the changes in protein abundance related to ROS metabolism predicted an increase in apoplastic ROS production in the apical region of the elongation zone of water-stressed roots. This was verified by quantification of hydrogen peroxide content in extracted apoplastic fluid and by in situ imaging of apoplastic ROS levels. This response could contribute directly to the enhancement of wall loosening in this region. This large-scale proteomic analysis provides novel insights into the complexity of mechanisms that regulate root growth under water deficit conditions and highlights the spatial differences in CWP composition in the root elongation zone.
A Trust-Based Social Network Proposition for a Remote Homecare System

In the present work, we present a trust-based social network for a remote homecare system that has been implemented and validated. It consists of a Web platform where users can post contributions and interact among themselves by commenting and clicking the ”I like it” button on a given contribution. A group of 12 people took part in the testing of the work by actively participating on the social network over a period of 10 days. The main objective of this work is to introduce the concept of trust into this network and propose a way to sort information which is based both on timing and trust among users. Some interesting results have been achieved concerning the small-world social network structure of the resulting graph namely the presence of communities, a high clustering coefficient and a low average path size. Furthermore, we introduce the concept of reputation inside the social network by applying the PageRank algorithm on the resulting trust graph and suggest the incorporation of this concept as a future work on the attribution and evolution of trust in social networks. As for the proper validation, we show that the present work proposes an information sorting tool that fits better to the ideal information sorting for general users than a timestamp-based sorting, which is used in several applications nowadays.
Video Game Effects—Confirmed, Suspected, and Speculative

This literature review focuses on the confirmed, suspected, and speculative effects of violent and non-violent video game exposure on negative and positive outcomes. Negative outcomes include aggressive feelings, aggressive thoughts, aggressive behavior, physiological arousal, and desensitization, whereas positive outcomes include various types of learning. Multiple theories predict, and empirical findings reveal, that violent video game exposure is causally related to a host of negative outcomes and a few positive outcomes. Some non-violent video games have been causally related to some specific positive learning effects as well as certain types of visual cognition (e.g., spatial rotation abilities) and may be associated with some negative effects on executive control and attention disorders.