Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Examination of the McCall-Crabbs Standard Test Lessons in Reading.

methodology at the University of Virginia, Kirkland does research in children's linguistic, cognitive/social and personality development. Selden is an Education Policy Fellow with the National Institute of Education, Teaching and Learning Program. He conducts research in reading, and syntax related to readability. ■ The McCall-Crabbs Standard Test Lessons in Reading (McCall and Crabbs 1925a, 1925b, 1961) have had a long and useful history in readabilty work. Since their publication in 1926, these graded test lessons have provided the criterion of reading comprehension difficulty for the readability formulas of Lorge, Flesch, Dale-Chall, and Gunning and for other formulas which were derived from these. In 1961 a revised version the test lessons was published. Since the revision, E.B. Coleman has conducted a continuing line of res arch on readability (prose complexity) which is primarily based on cloze scores of the revised tests, and Harris and Jacobson's continuing readability research is partially based on this revision.
Pathways of equality through education: impact of gender (in)equality and maternal education on exclusive breastfeeding among natives and migrants in Belgium

Abstract Even though breastfeeding is typically considered the preferred feeding method for infants worldwide, in Belgium, breastfeeding rates remain low across native and migrant groups while the underlying determinants are unclear. Furthermore, research examining contextual effects, especially regarding gender (in)equality and ideology, has not been conducted. We hypothesized that greater gender equality scores in the country of origin will result in higher breastfeeding chances. Because gender equality does not operate only at the contextual level but can be mediated through individual level resources, we hypothesized the following for maternal education: higher maternal education will be an important positive predictor for exclusive breastfeeding chances in Belgium, but its effects will differ over subsequent origin countries. Based on IKAROS data (Geïntegreerd Kind Activiteiten en Regio Ondersteunings Systeem), we perform multilevel analyses on 27 936 newborns. Feeding method is indicated by exclusive breastfeeding 3 months after childbirth. We measure gender (in)equality using Global Gender Gap scores from the mother's origin country. Maternal education is a metric variable based on International Standard Classification of Education indicators. Results show that 3.6% of the variation in breastfeeding can be explained by differences between the migrant mother's country of origin. However, the effect of gender (in)equality appears to be non‐significant. After adding maternal education, the effect for origin countries scoring low on gender equality turns significant. Maternal education on its own shows strong positive association with exclusive breastfeeding and, furthermore, has different effects for different origin countries. Possible explanations are discussed in‐depth setting direction for further research regarding the different pathways gender (in)equality and maternal education affect breastfeeding. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Impact of Topology on BGP Convergence

For a few decades, the Boarder Gateway Protocol (BGP) realized Internet to be robust and acceptably stable despite its overwhelming growth. Although it is a fairly simple peer to peer protocol, yet because of the scale of Internet at which BGP is deployed, it is very difficult to understand behavior of BGP. It is considered a complex task to state what trends BGP may show if different internal factors (i.e. routing table size, parameter setting at BGP routers etc. ) or external factors (such as size and shape of network, flow of BGP traffic, underlying protocols, performance and capacity of BGP routers, etc.) are varied. In addition certain emergent behaviors may only arise when protocol is simulated at Internet wide scale. We attempt to understand how the underlying topology; one of the factors effecting BGP; at which protocol is deployed influences BGP performance. We use a highly scalable simulator, capable of simulating current full scale AS-level Internet, and give diverse topologies as input to it. The topologies that we use have operational semantics like the real Internet. We found that BGP is sensitive to certain topological characteristics of Internet, while remains completely unaffected on variation in some other characteristics.
Hypothesis Generation in Signaling Networks

Biological signaling networks comprise the chemical processes by which cells detect and respond to changes in their environment. Such networks have been implicated in the regulation of important cellular activities, including cellular reproduction, mobility, and death. Though technological and scientific advances have facilitated the rapid accumulation of information about signaling networks, utilizing these massive information resources has become infeasible except through computational methods and computer-based tools. To date, visualization and simulation tools have received significant emphasis. In this paper, we present a graph-theoretic formalization of biological signaling network models that are in wide but informal use, and formulate two problems on the graph: the Constrained Downstream and Minimum Knockout Problems. Solutions to these problems yield qualitative tools for generating hypotheses about the networks, which can then be experimentally tested in a laboratory setting. Using established graph algorithms, we provide a solution to the Constrained Downstream Problem. We also show that the Minimum Knockout Problem is NP-Hard, propose a heuristic, and assess its performance. In tests on the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) network, we find that our heuristic reports the correct solution to the problem in seconds. Source code for the implementations of both solutions is available from the authors upon request.
A Closed Conformation of Bacillus subtilis Oxalate Decarboxylase OxdC Provides Evidence for the True Identity of the Active Site*

Oxalate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.2) catalyzes the conversion of oxalate to formate and carbon dioxide and utilizes dioxygen as a cofactor. By contrast, the evolutionarily related oxalate oxidase (EC 1.2.3.4) converts oxalate and dioxygen to carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. Divergent free radical catalytic mechanisms have been proposed for these enzymes that involve the requirement of an active site proton donor in the decarboxylase but not the oxidase reaction. The oxidase possesses only one domain and manganese binding site per subunit, while the decarboxylase has two domains and two manganese sites per subunit. A structure of the decarboxylase together with a limited mutagenesis study has recently been interpreted as evidence that the C-terminal domain manganese binding site (site 2) is the catalytic site and that Glu-333 is the crucial proton donor (Anand, R., Dorrestein, P. C., Kinsland, C., Begley, T. P., and Ealick, S. E. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 7659–7669). The N-terminal binding site (site 1) of this structure is solvent-exposed (open) and lacks a suitable proton donor for the decarboxylase reaction. We report a new structure of the decarboxylase that shows a loop containing a 310 helix near site 1 in an alternative conformation. This loop adopts a “closed” conformation forming a lid covering the entrance to site 1. This conformational change brings Glu-162 close to the manganese ion, making it a new candidate for the crucial proton donor. Site-directed mutagenesis of equivalent residues in each domain provides evidence that Glu-162 performs this vital role and that the N-terminal domain is either the sole or the dominant catalytically active domain.
Intermittent hypoxia enhances cancer progression in a mouse model of sleep apnoea

To the Editors: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a very prevalent syndrome that induces or aggravates cardiovascular, metabolic and neurocognitive disorders. Among the various challenges imposed on a patient by OSA as a consequence of apnoeas (sleep disruption, increased inspiratory efforts and recurrent hypoxaemia), intermittent hypoxia plays a major role in the pathophysiology of this sleep breathing disorder. It has been well established that hypoxia plays an important role in regulating the various stages of tumour formation and progression [1]. Accordingly, the aim of the experimental study reported here was to test the hypothesis that high-rate intermittent hypoxia with a time course similar to that found in OSA (one or more hypoxic event per minute) enhances tumour growth. To avoid the interaction of any comorbidity, this investigation was carried out in a well-controlled animal model where the main variable under study was intermittent hypoxia. This study, which was approved by the Ethical Committee for Animal Research of the University of Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain), was conducted in 15 pathogen-free male C57BL/6J mice (25–30 g) using a conventional murine melanoma model consisting of tumour induction by subcutaneous injection of 106 B16F10 melanoma cells (ATCC-CRL-6475; American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA, USA) in the left flank region of the mouse [2]. This is a widely used cancer model in experimental research [3, 4], which has a response to hypoxia that is representative of a variety of cancer types …
Isolating Domain Dependencies in Natural Language Interfaces

Isolating the domain-dependent information within a large natural language system offers the general advantages of modular design and greatly enhances the portability of the system to new domains. We have explored the problem of isolating the domain dependencies within two large natural language systems, one for generating a tabular data base from text ("information formatting"), the other for retrieving information from a data base. We describe the domain information schema which is used to capture the domain-specific information, and indicate how this information is used throughout the two systems.
Low-Temperature and Daylength Cues Are Integrated to Regulate FLOWERING LOCUS T in Barley1[C][W][OA]

Interactions between flowering time genes were examined in a doubled haploid barley (Hordeum vulgare) population segregating for H. vulgare VERNALIZATION1 (HvVRN1), HvVRN2, and PHOTOPERIOD1 (PPD-H1). A deletion allele of HvVRN2 was associated with rapid inflorescence initiation and early flowering, but only in lines with an active allele of PPD-H1. In these lines, the floral promoter FLOWERING LOCUS T (HvFT1) was expressed at high levels without vernalization, and this preceded induction of HvVRN1. Lines with the deletion allele of HvVRN2 and the inactive ppd-H1 allele did not undergo rapid inflorescence initiation and were late flowering. These data suggest that HvVRN2 counteracts PPD-H1 to prevent flowering prior to vernalization. An allele of HvVRN1 that is expressed at high basal levels (HvVRN1-1) was associated with rapid inflorescence initiation regardless of HvVRN2 or PPD-H1 genotype. HvFT1 was expressed without vernalization in lines with the HvVRN1-1 allele and HvFT1 transcript levels were highest in lines with the active PPD-H1 allele; this correlated with rapid apex development postinflorescence initiation. Thus, expression of HvVRN1 promotes inflorescence initiation and up-regulates HvFT1. Analysis of HvVRN1 expression in different genetic backgrounds postvernalization showed that HvVRN2, HvFT1, and PPD-H1 are unlikely to play a role in low-temperature induction of HvVRN1. In a vernalization responsive barley, HvFT1 is not induced by low temperatures alone, but can be induced by long days following prolonged low-temperature treatment. We conclude that low-temperature and daylength flowering-response pathways are integrated to control expression of HvFT1 in barley, and that this might occur through regulation of HvVRN2 activity.
Stories Around You - A Two-Stage Personalized News Recommendation

With the tremendous growth of published news articles, a key issue is how to help users find diverse and interesting news stories. To this end, it is crucial to understand and build accurate profiles for both users and news articles. In this paper, we define a user profile based on (1) the set of entities she/he talked about it in her/his comments and (2) the set of key-concepts related to those entities on which the user has expressed a viewpoint. The same information is extracted from the content of each news article to create its profile. These profiles are then matched for the purpose of recommendation using a new similarity measure. We use also the news articles profiles to diversify the list of recommended stories. A first evaluation involving the activities of 150 real users in four news web sites, namely The Independent, The Telegraph, CNN and Aljazeera has shown the effectiveness of our approach compared to recent works.
Receptor Kinases in Plant-Pathogen Interactions: More Than Pattern Recognition[OPEN]

A current view of the role and regulation of plant receptor kinases that act as innate immune receptors or an Achilles’ heel targeted by phytopathogens. Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and Receptor-like proteins (RLPs) play crucial roles in plant immunity, growth, and development. Plants deploy a large number of RLKs and RLPs as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that detect microbe- and host-derived molecular patterns as the first layer of inducible defense. Recent advances have uncovered novel PRRs, their corresponding ligands, and mechanisms underlying PRR activation and signaling. In general, PRRs associate with other RLKs and function as part of multiprotein immune complexes at the cell surface. Innovative strategies have emerged for the rapid identification of microbial patterns and their cognate PRRs. Successful pathogens can evade or block host recognition by secreting effector proteins to “hide” microbial patterns or inhibit PRR-mediated signaling. Furthermore, newly identified pathogen effectors have been shown to manipulate RLKs controlling growth and development by mimicking peptide hormones of host plants. The ongoing studies illustrate the importance of diverse plant RLKs in plant disease resistance and microbial pathogenesis.
Ethnicity and cardiovascular disease prevention: practical clinical considerations

Purpose of review Globally, cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality. They differ in incidence and prevalence between ethnic groups both within and between countries. Traditional risk factors are increasing in many countries undergoing a transition to a more western style of life, but, as the risk factors were identified in western populations, it is important to establish the reasons for differences between different ethnic groups and the relative roles of lifestyle and genetics. In many developed countries, disparities exist between ethnic groups in uptake of cardiological interventions and the relative roles of ethnicity and socioeconomic status need to be determined to address these inequalities. Recent findings The role of conventional risk factors throughout the world has been confirmed by recent research such as INTERHEART; however, the relative importance of factors may differ between different ethnic groups. Much work has addressed the calculation of coronary and cardiovascular risk, particularly to take account of the underestimation of risk in particular groups such as South Asians in the United Kingdom. Summary Research needs to move on from descriptive analyses of disparities in healthcare and risk factors to focus on evaluating interventions to address these disparities.
Status of minimal residual disease testing in childhood haematological malignancies

In children with acute leukaemia, measurements of minimal residual disease (MRD) provide unique information on treatment response and have become a crucial component of contemporary treatment protocols. In acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the most useful MRD assays are based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of antigen‐receptor genes, and on flow cytometric detection of abnormal immunophenotypes. The latter is the only MRD assay available for most patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). PCR amplification of chromosomal breakpoints and fusion transcripts can also be used to track MRD in a minority of patients with ALL or AML. Because of the strong correlation between MRD levels and risk of relapse, several ongoing regimens include treatment intensification for children with higher MRD. Treatment de‐intensification for patients with early MRD clearance is also being tested. In addition to their direct clinical application, MRD measurements can be used to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of drug resistance in vivo. The identification of new markers of leukaemia and the use of increasingly sophisticated technologies for detection of rare cells should further facilitate routine monitoring of MRD and elucidate the features of drug‐resistant leukaemic cells.
Finance and the Sources of Growth at Various Stages of Economic Development

This paper studies the effects of financial development on the sources of growth in different groups of countries. Recent theoretical work shows that financial development may affect productivity and capital accumulation in different ways in industrial versus developing countries. This hypothesis is tested with panel data from 74 countries using GMM dynamic panel techniques. Results are consistent with the hypothesis: finance has a strong positive influence on productivity growth primarily in more developed economies. In less developed economies, the effect of finance on output growth occurs primarily through capital accumulation.
Phosphorylation of Tau by Fyn: Implications for Alzheimer's Disease

The abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein on serines and threonines is a hallmark characteristic of the neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The discovery that tau could be phosphorylated on tyrosine and evidence that Aβ signal transduction involved tyrosine phosphorylation led us to question whether tyrosine phosphorylation of tau occurred during the neurodegenerative process. In this study we determined that human tau tyr18 was phosphorylated by the src family tyrosine kinase fyn. By developing both polyclonal and monoclonal probes specific for phospho-tyr18, we found that the phosphorylation of tau at tyr18 occurred at early developmental stages in mouse but was absent in the adult. Our phosphospecific probes also revealed that paired helical filament preparations exhibited phospho-tyr18 reactivity that was sensitive to phosphotyrosine-specific protein phosphatase treatment. Moreover, immunocytochemical studies indicated that tyrosine phosphorylated tau was present in the neurofibrillary tangles in AD brain. However, the staining pattern excluded neuropil threads and dystrophic neurites indicating that tyrosine phosphorylated tau was distributed in AD brain in a manner dissimilar from other abnormally phosphorylated tau. We also found evidence suggesting that differentially phosphorylated tau existed within degenerating neurons. Our data add new support for a role for fyn in the neurodegenerative process.
Cognitive impairment in individuals with low educational level and homogeneous sociocultural background

Prevalence studies of dementia and cognitive impairment in different cultures and environments are necessary. Objective To verify the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia in a rural homogeneous population from flooded areas in the Amazonian Basin. Methods A total of 163 subjects were interviewed with neurological, cognitive and functional evaluation. The individuals were classified as demented or cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND). Results cognitive impairment was observed in 11.4% (n=18 individuals). Ten out of the 18 were diagnosed as CIND and eight with dementia. The prevalence rate of dementia was 4.9% in subjects aged 50 years or over and of CIND was 6.1%. Considering only the elder group (>64 years of age), there was a 12.3% prevalence of dementia and 7.7% of CIND. Conclusion In a homogeneous population, we observed a similar prevalence of dementia to rates reported by studies in Brazil and in other developed and developing countries.
Fixed-Antenna Pointing-Angle Calibration of Airborne Doppler Cloud Radar

AbstractDoppler velocity measurements from airborne meteorological Doppler radars require removal of the aircraft motion contribution in order to provide radial velocity of hydrometeor targets. This is a critical step for hydrometeor motion and wind retrievals. The aircraft motion contribution is defined as the scalar product between the radar antenna beam-pointing vector and the aircraft velocity vector at the antenna phase center. The accuracy in the removal of the aircraft velocity contribution is determined by the accuracy of the beam-pointing vector, the rigidity of the antenna mount, and the accuracy of the aircraft attitude and velocity measurements. In this paper an optimization technique is proposed to determine the antenna beam-pointing vector and to analyze its uncertainties using aircraft attitude and velocity data from a GPS-aided inertial measurement unit and radar observations of the earth surface. The technique is applied to Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR) on the University of Wyoming King Air (.
A Pilot Study of an Exercise-Based Patient Education Program in People with Multiple Sclerosis

There is increasing evidence that physical exercise leads to numerous positive effects in PwMS. However, long-term effects of exercise may only be achievable if training is implemented in daily routine. Enabling patients to exercise regularly, we developed a patient education program focused on evidence-based information of training. PwMS were educated in neurophysiological effects of physical exercise, exercise-induced benefits for PwMS, and risk factors (e.g., weather). Fifteen PwMS were analyzed before (T 0) and after (T 1) a 12-week patient education. Afterwards, participants performed their exercises autonomously for 32 weeks and were tested in sustainability tests (T 2). Guided interviews were carried out, additionally. Significant improvements from T 0 to T 1 were found in 6MWT, gait velocity, TUG, fatigue, and quality of life. Significant results of TUG and gait velocity from T 1 to T 2 demonstrated that participants kept few effects after the 32-week training phase. Qualitative analyses showed improved self-confidence and identified training strategies and barriers. This pilot study provides evidence that PwMS are able to acquire good knowledge about physical exercise and apply this knowledge successfully in training management. One might conclude that this exercise-based patient education seems to be a feasible option to maintain or improve patients' integral constitution concerning physical and mental health.
Entropy maximization networks: an application to breast cancer prognosis

Describes two artificial neural network architectures for constructing maximum entropy models using multinomial distributions. The architectures presented maximize entropy in two ways: by the use of the partition function (which involves the solution of simultaneous polynomial equations), and by constrained gradient ascent. Results comparing the convergence properties of these two architectures are presented. The practical use of these two architectures as a method of inference is illustrated by an application to the prediction of metastases in early breast cancer patients. To assess the predictive accuracy of the maximum entropy models, we compared the results with those obtained by the use of the multilayer perceptron and the probabilistic neural network.