Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study of the Relationship between Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) and Student Performance on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Scores.

A Study of the Relationship Between Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) and Student Performance on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Scores. (August 2012) Catherine Spotswood Berkeley-Jones, B.A., Trinity University; M.Ed., Trinity University; M.Ed., Houston Baptist University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Virginia Collier The purpose of this study was to examine teacher Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) self-ratings and student Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores. The study assessed the relationship between LoTi ratings and TAKS scores of 6, 7, and 8 grade students as reported in student records at Alamo Heights Independent School District (AHISD), San Antonio, Texas. The study determined the degree to which teacher LoTi self-ratings were a predictor of success on student TAKS exam scores for English Language Arts and Math, as reported in student records at Alamo Heights Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas. Further, the study examined whether teacher self-reported LoTi ratings were a predictor of success on student TAKS exam scores for the variable of socioeconomic status as reported in student records at Alamo Heights Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas.
The Effect of Time and of Vasoactive Drugs on Capillary Leakage Induced During Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography

Background: Premature ventricular contractions (PVC), capillary leakage, and petechial hemorrhage can occur during myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE). The effects occur as a result of the interaction of contrast agent microbubbles and the ultrasound, but the detailed etiology of the effects is not yet clear. This study tested the hypothesis that the capillary leakage results from a physiological response to injury, which might be protracted and modulated by vasoactive drugs. Methods: Hairless rats were anesthetized and transthoracically scanned with a diagnostic ultrasound system (GE Vingmed System V) at 1.7 MHz with 1:4 triggered frames at end systole. The scan head and rats were mounted in a 37°C water bath to assure free‐field conditions and placement of the heart at a similar focal distance as humans. A tail vein was cannulated for injections of Optison® contrast agent, vasoactive medications, and Evans Blue dye (EB). EB was injected as a marker of capillary leakage before or after scanning. Results: PVCs, petechia, and capillary leakage occurred during ultrasound exposure of microbubbles in myocardium, with no effects detected in shams. The influence of the vasoactive medications propranolol and isoproterenol on the effects did not support the hypothesis. Capillary leakage occurred during and postexposure, but diminished for EB injection 20 minutes after scanning with or without isoproterenol pretreatment. Conclusion: MCE induced PVCs, petechia, and capillary leakage, all of which ended immediately or within 20 minutes after the examination. Contrary to the hypothesis of a physiological mechanism, the capillary leakage appears to be primarily a mechanical effect rather than a physiological response. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 21, February 2004)
Regional framing: Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip in the eyes of the security elite

The dominant societal discourse of actors comprising Israel's security networks influences their choices for solutions to the perceived existential threat to the state from the demands and actions of the Palestinian authorities. Israeli elites, who are identified with the liberal discourse, propose to solve this problem by withdrawing, either unilaterally or via a peace process, from the Judea and Samaria region conquered in the 1967 war. This discourse requires the ‘securitization’ of the political process and the framing of Israeli control of Judea, Samaria and Gaza as an existential burden. By framing the security narrative in this way, the liberal elite seeks to draw support from most Israelis, who subscribe to an alternative ethno-national discourse, for abandoning the region.
Shared vision: a development tool for organizational learning

Purpose – The organizational behavior and management literature has devoted a lot attention to processes and technology in organizational learning. There has been little work to examine the effect of shared vision on organizational learning. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of shared vision as a development tool to build an organizational learning capability.Design/methodology/approach – The existing shared vision and organizational learning literature was reviewed, and the salient points on how shared vision promotes organizational learning discussed.Practical implications – The paper offers a view on how leaders can use shared vision to develop organizational learning capability. Practicing managers would then be able to help promote organizational learning with the shared vision as a guide on what to learn from the internal and external environment.Originality/value – This paper contributes to the existing organizational learning and leadership literature by introducing the idea.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Evidence and Consensus Statement for Clinical Use

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an essential tool for modern diabetes therapy. Randomized controlled studies have provided evidence that hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) results can be improved in patients with type 1 diabetes with elevated baseline HbA1c when using CGM frequently enough and that the frequency and duration of hypoglycemic events can be reduced in patients with satisfactory baseline HbA1c. The CGM group within the Working Group Diabetes Technology (AGDT) of the German Diabetes Association (DDG) has defined evidence-based indications for the practical use of CGM in this consensus statement related to hypoglycemia (frequent, severe, or nocturnal) or hypoglycemia unawareness, insufficient metabolic control despite use of all possible therapeutic options and patient compliance, pregnancy associated with inadequate blood glucose results, and the need for more than 10 blood glucose measurements per day. Contraindications and defined preconditions for the successful use of CGM should be considered.
Studying culture-cognition relations in collective practices of daily life: a research framework / El estudio de las relaciones cultura-cognición en las prácticas colectivas cotidianas: un modelo de investigación

Abstract This article sketches a framework for the study and analysis of culture-cognition relations that I present in my recent book, Cultural Development of Mathematical Ideas: Papua New Guinea Studies. Taking an historical approach, I focus on the reproduction and alteration of representational forms for number and the functions that representational forms serve in collective practices in and out of school. My key argument is that, in the context of their goal-directed communicative activities in collective practices in daily life, people unwittingly reproduce and alter representational forms and the functions that these forms serve. The process leads to continuities and discontinuities in form-function relations in communities over historical time. To provide evidence for this process and its role in the cultural development of ideas, I report selected findings from research conducted in 1978, 1980 and 2001 in Oksapmin communities; I focus on historical shifts in the forms and functions of the Oksapmin body part counting system over time. I then update that body of research with a sketch of a recent 2014 follow-up study. I close with reflections on the utility of my framework for the study of culture-cognition relations in other communities and on cognitive domains other than mathematics.
Neutrophil migration across model intestinal epithelia: monolayer disruption and subsequent events in epithelial repair.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Acute inflammation of the intestine is associated with transepithelial migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and epithelial wounds that rapidly reseal. The aim of this study was to determine mechanisms by which such PMN-induced epithelial wounds reseal. METHODS Epithelial wound closure was modeled in vitro using T84 intestinal epithelial cells and PMNs. Wound closure was analyzed by confocal microscopy and by determination of barrier function. Wounds were highlighted by apical labeling with antibody to a basolaterally restricted ligand, beta1-integrin. RESULTS High-density PMN transepithelial migration for 70-110 minutes produced multifocal epithelial wounds that were 1-120 microm in diameter and markedly diminished epithelial barrier function that returned to baseline within 12-20 hours. Large wound closure was initiated by cell flattening and extension of F-actin/vinculin/paxillin-enriched lamellipodia at the leading edge. As wounds became small (approximately <30 microm), epithelial cells at the wound edges assumed columnar phenotype with poorly formed or absent lamellipodia. Apical localized circumferential, dense F-actin/myosin II rings were found to encircle such wounds, suggesting final closure by a sphincter-like contraction. CONCLUSIONS These data model mucosal repair in acute inflammatory conditions and, for the first time, show sequential early and late mechanisms by which epithelial discontinuities repair.
Time and money explain social class differences in students’ social integration at university

Working-class students tend to be less socially integrated at university than middle-class students. The present research investigated two potential reasons for this working-class social exclusion effect. First, working-class students may have fewer finances available to participate in social activities. Second, working-class students tend to be older than middle-class students and, consequently, they are likely to have more work and/or childcare commitments. These additional commitments may prevent them from attending campus which, in turn, reduces their opportunity for social integration. These predictions were confirmed among undergraduate students at an Australian university (N = 433) and a US university (N = 416). Strategies for increasing working-class students' social integration at university are discussed.
Theory on Economic Development: From Growth of Wealth to Expansion of Freedom

In Economic Theory, development is the topic, which delves into human welfare. Its aim is linked to welfare expansion in the context of regions. In this working paper, I am assuming that aims and strategies of development are linked to the evolution of welfare notion. At the same time, this paper supports the perspective that regional development occurs when there is a freedom expansion for living a full human life in that region.
Design of variable bandedge FIR filters with extremely large bandedge variation range

The computational complexities of digital variable bandedge finite impulse response (FIR) filters heavily depend on the frequency response approximation precision and bandedge variation range, for given transition width and ripple requirements. In this paper, a non-uniform filter bank approach is proposed for the design of variable bandedge FIR filters with extremely large variation range, but low computational complexity, while the frequency response of the variable filters are precisely approximated, especially for the filter with sharp transition band.
Magnetic properties of epitaxial Co/sub 2/Cr/sub 1-x/Fe/sub x/Al full Heusler alloy thin films with the L2/sub 1/ structure

Co/sub 2/Cr/sub 1-x/Fe/sub x/Al full Heusler alloy thin films (x/spl ges/0.4) have been epitaxially grown on GaAs(001) substrates under the optimized condition. Structural analysis reveals the detailed growth mechanism of the films and confirms that the films form the perfectly ordered L2/sub 1/ structure. A magnetization measurement also shows the films possess very strong uniaxial crystalline anisotropy due to the epitaxial growth. By using these films as bottom electrodes of magnetic tunnel junctions, the maximum tunnel magnetoresistance ratio of 8.8% is observed after post-annealing with Al-O insulating barriers for x=1.
Inducible NO synthase confers chemoresistance in head and neck cancer by modulating survivin

The dual role of the inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and NO signaling in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a complex and can both promote or inhibit tumor progression. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet resolved in detail. We show for the first time that conditions, favoring low NO levels conferred resistance against cisplatin/taxol‐induced apoptosis in HNSCC cell lines. Cytoprotection was mediated by survivin, because we observed its upregulation subsequent to low doses of the NO donors S‐nitroso‐N‐acetyl‐penicillamine (SNAP) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or ectopic expression of physiologic amounts of iNOS. Also, RNAi‐mediated depletion of survivin blocked NOs anti‐apoptotic effects. Induction of survivin involves activation of the phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) pathway, which was antagonized by the PI3K‐inhibitor LY294002. Importantly, application of the iNOS‐specific inhibitor 1400W combined with RNAi‐mediated downregulation of survivin cooperatively enhanced drug‐induced cell death. The iNOS/survivin‐axis appears to be also of clinical relevance since immunohistochemistry revealed that iNOS expression correlated with enhanced survivin levels in HNSCC specimens. In contrast, high NO concentrations suppressed survivin levels in HNSCC but also in non‐malignant cells resulting in apoptosis. Cell death induced by high amounts of SNAP/SNP or by strong overexpression of iNOS involved activation of p38MAP‐kinase, which was counteracted by the p38MAP‐kinase inhibitor SB202190. Here, we provide evidence for a novel molecular mechanism how NO signaling may contribute to therapy resistance in HNSCC by modulating survivin expression. Our data further suggest pursuing pharmacogenetic iNOS/survivin‐targeting approaches as potential therapeutic strategies in head and neck cancer. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Annotation: The similarities and differences between autistic disorder and Asperger's disorder: a review of the empirical evidence.

BACKGROUND The ongoing controversy over the distinction between autistic disorder and Asperger's disorder is important to resolve because of the implications regarding an understanding of the aetiology and prognosis, and the diagnostic and clinical practices relating to these conditions. This paper provides a critical evaluation of current published research evidence. METHOD Databases, such as PsychINFO and Medline, as well as book chapters, reference lists from relevant articles, and recent editions of key journals were searched for all relevant studies (until 2002) which incorporated participants diagnosed with high-functioning autism and Asperger's disorder using either cluster analysis or comparative approaches to examine similarities and differences between these groups. Keywords used in the searches included autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, autism, high-functioning autism, and pervasive developmental disorder. RESULTS On the basis of the available evidence, there seem to be few qualitative differences between autistic disorder and Asperger's disorder. CONCLUSION There is currently insufficient evidence to establish the validity of Asperger's disorder as a syndrome distinct from high-functioning autism. The findings are consistent with the view that these disorders belong on an autism spectrum.
An Approach in Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning: A Fast, GPU-Based Monte Carlo Method

An accurate and fast radiation dose calculation is essential for successful radiation radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to implement a new graphic processing unit (GPU) based radiation therapy treatment planning for accurate and fast dose calculation in radiotherapy centers. A program was written for parallel running based on GPU. The code validation was performed by EGSnrc/DOSXYZnrc. Moreover, a semi-automatic, rotary, asymmetric phantom was designed and produced using a bone, the lung, and the soft tissue equivalent materials. All measurements were performed using a Mapcheck dosimeter. The accuracy of the code was validated using the experimental data, which was obtained from the anthropomorphic phantom as the gold standard. The findings showed that, compared with those of DOSXYZnrc in the virtual phantom and for most of the voxels (>95%), <3% dose-difference or 3 mm distance-to-agreement (DTA) was found. Moreover, considering the anthropomorphic phantom, compared to the Mapcheck dose measurements, <5% dose-difference or 5 mm DTA was observed. Fast calculation speed and high accuracy of GPU-based Monte Carlo method in dose calculation may be useful in routine radiation therapy centers as the core and main component of a treatment planning verification system.
Accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure measurement according to the relation between cuff size and upper‐arm circumference in critically ill patients

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure measurement according to the relation between cuff size and upper‐arm circumference in critically ill patients. Design: Prospective data collection. Setting: Emergency department in a 2,000‐bed inner city hospital. Patients: Thirty‐eight patients categorized into three groups according to their upper‐arm circumference (group I: 18‐25 cm; group II: 25.1‐33 cm; and group III: 33.1‐47.5 cm) were enrolled in the study protocol. Interventions: In each patient, all three cuff sizes (Hewlett‐Packard Cuff 40401 B, C, and D) were used to perform an oscillometric blood pressure measurement at least within 3 mins until ten to 20 measurements for each cuff size were achieved. Invasive mean arterial blood pressure measurement was done by cannulation of the contralateral radial artery with direct transduction of the systemic arterial pressure waveform. The corresponding invasive blood pressure value was obtained at the end of each oscillometric measurement. Measurement and Main Results: Overall, 1,494 pairs of simultaneous oscillometric and invasive blood pressure measurements were collected in 38 patients (group I, n = 5; group II, n = 23; and group III, n = 10) over a total time of 72.3 hrs. Mean arterial blood pressure ranged from 35 to 165 mm Hg. The overall discrepancy between oscillometric and invasive blood pressure measurement was −6.7 ± 9.7 mm Hg (p < .0001), if the recommended cuff size according to the upper‐arm circumference was used (539 measurements). Of all the blood pressure measurements, 26.4% (n = 395) had a discrepancy of ≥10 mm Hg and 34.2% (n = 512) exhibited a discrepancy of ≥20 mm Hg. No differences between invasive and noninvasive blood pressure measurements were noted in patients either with or without inotropic support (−6.6 + 7.2 vs. −8.6 + 6.8 mm Hg; not significant). Conclusion: The oscillometric blood pressure measurement significantly underestimates arterial blood pressure and exhibits a high number of measurements out of the clinically acceptable range. The relation between cuff size and upper‐arm circumference contributes substantially to the inaccuracy of the oscillometric blood pressure measurement. Therefore, oscillometric blood pressure measurement does not achieve adequate accuracy in critically ill patients.
Role of adenovirus-mediated retinoblastoma 94 in the treatment of human non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality despite the fact that great advances have been made in therapeutic treatment methods. Therefore, in the present study, the role of adenovirus-mediated retinoblastoma 94 (Ad-RB94) gene therapy in NSCLC was investigated. Following treatment with Ad-RB94, the proportion of A549 cells in the G2/M phase was increased. In the mouse xenograft model, the overexpression of RB94 inhibited the tumor growth compared with the control group and the Ad-LacZ-treated group. In the transplanted tumors, the overexpression of RB94 induced the apoptosis of tumors as well as an increase in the mRNA levels of cyclinB1. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that RB94 may effectively inhibit NSCLC tumor cell growth by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, indicating that RB94 may be a promising candidate for adjuvant therapy with radiation or chemotherapy in NSCLC.
Improved Schemes for Subcarrier, Bit, and Power Allocation in Multiuser OFDM Systems

In this paper, the subcarrier, bit, and power allocation problem for minimizing total transmit power in multiuser OFDM systems is considered and a near-optimal allocation scheme is developed. The heuristic algorithms based on initial subcarrier assignment and iterative improvement two steps have been proposed by Wong et al. and Chen et al. for real-time services [4- 5]. However, an appropriate method for the initial assignment should be selected or designed to offer even better performance. In this paper, one subcarrier allocation algorithm proposed by Zhang [6] is adopted as an initial subcarrier assignment method for the allocation problem. Its advantage is that there is no need to pre-determine the number of the assigned subcarriers for each user, and it outperforms the constructive initial assignment method proposed by Wong et al. We adopt the subcarrier allocation algorithm proposed by Zhang along with iterative improvement schemes to obtain better performance. Detailed discussions of the subcarrier allocation algorithm proposed by Zhang are presented in this paper. As indicated in the simulation results, it reveals that the better initial subcarrier assignment with the iterative improvement schemes achieves better performance. We utilize the linear integer programming-based branch-and-bound algorithm to provide the optimum solution as the performance bound. The simulation results show that the performance is improved with the new proposed heuristic polynomial time algorithm and is close to that of the optimum solution.
A TEORIA CRÍTICA E A ESTRATÉGIA EMPRESARIAL: UMA ANÁLISE DO PROCESSO DE FORMULAÇÃO

The article presents a critique of the business strategies that disconnect the organization’s members from the goals and objectives defined by the top management, mostly as a result of the visions of international gurus. In the modern world, where it is impossible to live without depending on some organization, what is experienced within the organizations is passed on to the whole society, which stresses the importance of an overall understanding of the business strategies. The Critical Theory derived from the Frankfurt School provides a significant instrument for the analysis of all forms of domination of which human beings are victims, showing the need for people to participate in the decision-making processes.