Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to Examine the Influence of Principal Servant Leadership on New Teacher Engagement in Urban Public Schools: From the Teacher's Perspective.

Principals in urban public schools are tasked with addressing many challenges and this often leaves very little time to explore the influence of leadership style on the engagement of new teachers. Daily professional demands often prevent principals from researching and implementing a leadership style that would reduce the significant number of new teachers who exit the profession between years one and five. While principals have a primary goal to increase academic achievement of their students; in urban public schools it is equally as important for these leaders to focus on the engagement of new teachers who will remain in their schools and provide the necessary instruction to increase student achievement. This interpretative phenomenological analysis explored the lived experiences of 8 teachers employed in urban public schools in the city of Baltimore to examine how principal servant leadership practices impacted new teacher engagement. The literature which explored the impact of principal leadership and student engagement in urban public schools was exhaustive. However, additional investigation was needed to close the gaps in the literature which examined the impact of principal servant leadership and new teacher engagement in urban public schools. As such, the findings obtained from the study participants were defined in five themes: 1) reaching back and responsibility, 2) rise above, 3) respect me as a person first, 4) relationships matter and 5) reality check. Each of the eight participants identified principal leadership style as the primary factor which influenced their decisions around remaining engaged in their current school, in their school district or in the profession.
VP5, the nonstructural polypeptide of infectious bursal disease virus, accumulates within the host plasma membrane and induces cell lysis.

Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) encodes a 17-kDa nonstructural polypeptide known as VP5. This polypeptide is not essential for virus replication in vitro but it plays an important role in in vivo dissemination and pathogenesis. We have characterized the expression of VP5 in three eukaryotic systems: (i) IBDV-infected chicken embryo fibroblasts; (ii) BSC-1 cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus vector; and (iii) Cos-1 cells transiently transfected with a plasmid vector. Immunofluorescence analyses showed that upon expression VP5 accumulates within the plasma membrane. This finding was consistent with sequence-based topology predictions, indicating that VP5 is a class II membrane protein with a cytoplasmic N-terminus and an extracellular C-terminal domain. Brefeldin A treatment of VP5-expressing cells prevented the accumulation of this polypeptide in the plasma membrane, thus showing the requirement of an active exocytic pathway to reach that compartment. Expression of VP5 was shown to be highly cytotoxic. Induction of VP5 expression resulted in the alteration of cell morphology, the disruption of the plasma membrane, and a drastic reduction of cell viability. VP5-induced cytotoxicity was prevented by blocking its transport to the membrane with Brefeldin A. Our findings suggest that VP5 plays an important role in the release of the IBDV progeny.
Tapembol as an Innovative Pedagogical Practice of School Physical Education

The search for innovative activities in school has become important and of great relevance in the school context, especially in Physical Education classes. With a proposal to always innovate, to bring something different to the curricular activities, Tapembol is incorporated in this context because it is a pedagogical practice that develops the experimentation, the discovery, the development of the creativity, the imagination, the attention, and the inclusion, besides to work on the affective, cognitive, social and motor aspects that are so important in the school stage. This research is a work that aims to identify the importance of tapembol as an innovative pedagogical practice in School Physical Education classes. The methodology used in the present study was through research in scientific articles, books and Internet sites. After the studies, it was possible to perceive that Tapembol can be an innovative pedagogical practice of School Physical Education, contributing to acquire new knowledge of the students, favoring them greater autonomy in the elaboration of corporal activities, as well as in the capacity to discuss and modify sports rules, bringing together elements of various manifestations of the body culture of movement, significantly interfering in the students' integral development in addition to doing, involving the conceptual, procedural and attitudinal dimensions.
UPSEC: An Algorithm for Classifying Unaligned Protein Sequences into Functional Families

To classify proteins into functional families based on their primary sequences, popular algorithms such as the k-NN-, HMM-, and SVM-based algorithms are often used. For many of these algorithms to perform their tasks, protein sequences need to be properly aligned first. Since the alignment process can be error-prone, protein classification may not be performed very accurately. To improve classification accuracy, we propose an algorithm, called the Unaligned Protein SEquence Classifier (UPSEC), which can perform its tasks without sequence alignment. UPSEC makes use of a probabilistic measure to identify residues that are useful for classification in both positive and negative training samples, and can handle multi-class classification with a single classifier and a single pass through the training data. UPSEC has been tested with real protein data sets. Experimental results show that UPSEC can effectively classify unaligned protein sequences into their corresponding functional families, and the patterns it discovers during the training process can be biologically meaningful.
Direct in situ investigation of milling reactions using combined X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy.

The combination of two analytical methods including time-resolved in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy provides a new opportunity for a detailed analysis of the key mechanisms of milling reactions. To prove the general applicability of our setup, we investigated the mechanochemical synthesis of four archetypical model compounds, ranging from 3D frameworks through layered structures to organic molecular compounds. The reaction mechanism for each model compound could be elucidated. The results clearly show the unique advantage of the combination of XRD and Raman spectroscopy because of the different information content and dynamic range of both individual methods. The specific combination allows to study milling processes comprehensively on the level of the molecular and crystalline structures and thus obtaining reliable data for mechanistic studies.
Short-Segment Fixation of Lumbar Burst Fractures Using Pedicle Fixation at the Level of the Fracture

Study Design. Cadaveric biomechanical study and retrospective chart review. Objective. Biomechanical comparison of segmental versus nonsegmental fixation of lumbar burst fractures and clinical analysis of short-term radiographic outcomes. Summary of Background Data. Traditional short nonsegmental posterior fixation of thoracolumbar burst fractures suffers from high rates of failure. Construct stability may be improved by inserting additional screws at the fracture level. Methods. Six intact human spines (L1–L3) were biomechanically tested in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial torsion. The inferior half of the L2 vertebral bodies and L2–L3 discs were resected to mimic an unstable L2 burst fracture with loss of anterior column support. Pedicle screws were inserted in L1 and L3 for the control group (nonsegmental fixation). Screws were inserted at all levels for the experimental group (segmental fixation). Construct stiffness and L1–L2 disc pressure were analyzed. Twelve patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures treated with this type of segmental fixation were reviewed. Results. Construct stiffness during axial torsion was significantly higher for segmental constructs compared with nonsegmental constructs (P < 0.02) with no differences between flexion-extension and lateral bending. Disc pressure fluctuations during flexion-extension were significantly higher for segmental compared with nonsegmental constructs (P < 0.02), with no differences in lateral bending and torsion. Mean preoperative kyphotic deformity was 9° and improved by 15° after surgery. Follow-up films on 9 patients showed 5° of kyphosis correction loss. Mean anterior vertebral body height was 58% of normal before surgery. After surgery height was 89% of normal and at final follow-up, 78%. Conclusions. Segmental fixation of burst fractures with screws at the level of the fracture offers improved biomechanical stability. Theoretically, segmental fixation provides for additional fixation points that may aid in fracture reduction and kyphosis correction. This specific parameter is not evaluated in this study but will be an important outcome measure for a planned randomized controlled trial.
A smart cane with vibrotactile biofeedback improves cane loading for people with knee osteoarthritis

Nine million adults have symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) in the U.S. and almost half of those people have a walking aid such as a cane. Proper cane loading (e.g. 15% body weight [BW]) can reduce knee loading and may slow OA progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a novel smart cane with vibrotactile biofeedback that aims to facilitate increased cane loading. Ten subjects with knee OA performed a 50 m hallway walk test under four conditions: 1) naïve, 2) conventional cane with verbal instruction, 3) smart cane, and 4) conventional cane post smart cane. The cane load (% BW; mean ± 1 standard deviation) for the four conditions was 9.0 ± 1.9 (naïve), 12.7 ± 2.6 (conventional cane), 17.6 ± 2.4 (smart cane), and 15.6 ±3.1 (conventional cane post smart cane). These results indicate that the smart cane's vibrotactile biofeedback helped the users achieve the target cane loading of 15% BW or more as compared to naïve or verbal instruction alone. After using the smart cane, conventional cane loading was higher than the naïve and verbal instruction conditions demonstrating a potential smart cane training effect. Long term increased cane loading may reduce knee pain and improve joint function.
Energy-efficient spiking neural networks based on Tunnel FET

Tunnel FETs (TFETs) with steep switching slope have emerged as an attractive device for energy-efficient circuit implementations. In this work, we explore Spiking Neural Network (SNN) based on Tunnel FETs. Neuron and binary image edge detection circuits implemented using 22 nm predictive technology-based bulk MOSFET models and 20 nm Verilog-A-based table model GaSb-InAs heterojunction TFETs are studied. TFET-based implementation is seen to provide better performance at lower power consumption regime, while the MOSFET-based edge detection circuit produces superior performance at higher power regime.
Side-channel attack resistant AES cryptographic circuits with ROM reducing address-dependent EM leaks

Side-channel attacks reveal the secret key of a cryptographic circuit by measuring power consumption or electromagnetic radiation during cryptographic operations. Side-channel information leaks that are exploited by power analysis (PA) and electromagnetic analysis (EMA) attacks are thought to be caused by consumption current. However, our research group recently found novel geometric leaks that only EMA attacks can target successfully. This paper studies the causes of memory-dependent EM geometric leaks. We find that the current flow from bit-lines to the ground through the activated ROM cell causes the geometric leaks. We propose a new ROM structure to reduce geometric leak, and use the new ROM to design an AES cryptographic circuit that is resistant to side-channel attacks. Our experiments confirm that the new ROM greatly reduces geometric leak and reveals no key data during PA or EMA attacks.
Correlation-based Diversification and Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation of India

Measurement of diversification has always remained one of the critical issues in diversification literature. During the past half-century, many measures of corporate diversification have been suggested and applied. Traditionally, diversification as a continuous variable has been measured through ‘entropy’ and ‘Herfindahl index’. While both measures are able to capture related and/or unrelated diversification, they fail to capture degree of relatedness of group firms. To address this, a new measure of diversification is proposed, which is based on correlation of firms’ sales. It will not only capture degree of relatedness of group firms but also decompose the components into additive structure and would vary between zero and one. We have found a quadratic relationship between a firm’s profitability and its degree of diversification. Further, it was observed that diversified firms are performing better irrespective of their degree of diversification if performance is measured in terms of accounting variables (return on asset and return on equity); however, market-based variable (Jensen’s alpha) is higher in case of very low and very high degree of diversification.
Oral Spore Vaccine Based on Live Attenuated Nontoxinogenic Bacillus anthracis Expressing Recombinant Mutant Protective Antigen

ABSTRACT An attenuated nontoxinogenic nonencapsulated Bacillus anthracis spore vaccine expressing high levels of recombinant mutant protective antigen (PA), which upon subcutaneous immunization provided protection against a lethal B. anthracis challenge, was found to have the potential to serve also as an oral vaccine. Guinea pigs immunized per os with the recombinant spore vaccine were primed to B. anthracis vegetative antigens as well as to PA, yet only a fraction of the animals (30% to 50%) mounted a humoral response to all of these antigens. Protective immunity provided by per os immunization correlated with a threshold level of PA neutralizing antibody titers and was long-lasting. Protection conferred by per os immunization was attained when the vaccine was administered in the sporogenic form, which, unlike the vegetative cells, survived passage through the gastrointestinal tract. A comparison of immunization of unirradiated spores with immunization of γ-irradiated spores demonstrated that germination and de novo synthesis of PA were prerequisites for mounting an immune protective response. Oral immunization of guinea pigs with attenuated B. anthracis spores resulted in a characteristic anti-PA immunoglobulin isotype profile (immunoglobulin [G1 IgG1] versus IgG2), as well as induction of specific anti-PA secretory IgA, indicating development of mucosal immunity.
Heuristic Rules in Real Options Applications

The purpose of this paper is two fold. Firstly, we intend to shorten the theory-practice gap by translating real options frameworks into common capital investment practices. Secondly, we explore how arbitrage rules of thumb can approximate real options into these valuation techniques and provide the results close to optimality. In the paper, the equivalent expressions of capital budgeting techniques under uncertainty are first derived, given various stochastic process assumptions such as geometric Brownian motion (GBM), mixed diffusion-jump, and mean reversion. These equivalent valuation techniques include NPV, hurdle rate, profitability index, cash flow trigger, and (discounted) payback. The heuristic decision rules are then proposed to approximate real options valuation. Under the GBM assumption, the heuristic hurdle rate can be easily derived by the "4-8 rule", i.e. the sum of 0.4 times project volatility and 0.8 times discount rate. Similarly, the "3-9 rule" and the "2-10 rule" can also apply to the mixed diffusion-jump projects and the mean-reverting projects, respectively. Monte Carlo simulation reveals that these heuristic investment rules provide a robust performance close to the optimal rules with forecast errors minimized. The implication is that corporate practitioners can accommodate sophisticated real options to common valuation practices without involving complicated real options techniques.
International prevalence, recognition, and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in outpatients with atherothrombosis.

CONTEXT Atherothrombosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality around the globe. To date, no single international database has characterized the atherosclerosis risk factor profile or treatment intensity of individuals with atherothrombosis. OBJECTIVE To determine whether atherosclerosis risk factor prevalence and treatment would demonstrate comparable patterns in many countries around the world. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry collected data on atherosclerosis risk factors and treatment. A total of 67,888 patients aged 45 years or older from 5473 physician practices in 44 countries had either established arterial disease (coronary artery disease [CAD], n = 40,258; cerebrovascular disease, n = 18,843; peripheral arterial disease, n = 8273) or 3 or more risk factors for atherothrombosis (n = 12,389) between 2003 and 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Baseline prevalence of atherosclerosis risk factors, medication use, and degree of risk factor control. RESULTS Atherothrombotic patients throughout the world had similar risk factor profiles: a high proportion with hypertension (81.8%), hypercholesterolemia (72.4%), and diabetes (44.3%). The prevalence of overweight (39.8%), obesity (26.6%), and morbid obesity (3.6%) were similar in most geographic locales, but was highest in North America (overweight: 37.1%, obese: 36.5%, and morbidly obese: 5.8%; P<.001 vs other regions). Patients were generally undertreated with statins (69.4% overall; range: 56.4% for cerebrovascular disease to 76.2% for CAD), antiplatelet agents (78.6% overall; range: 53.9% for > or =3 risk factors to 85.6% for CAD), and other evidence-based risk reduction therapies. Current tobacco use in patients with established vascular disease was substantial (14.4%). Undertreated hypertension (50.0% with elevated blood pressure at baseline), undiagnosed hyperglycemia (4.9%), and impaired fasting glucose (36.5% in those not known to be diabetic) were common. Among those with symptomatic atherothrombosis, 15.9% had symptomatic polyvascular disease. CONCLUSION This large, international, contemporary database shows that classic cardiovascular risk factors are consistent and common but are largely undertreated and undercontrolled in many regions of the world.
The Cytoskeletal Regulator Zyxin is Required for Viability in Drosophila melanogaster

The zyxin family of proteins function as cytoskeletal regulators in adhesion, actin assembly, and cell motility. Though fibroblasts derived from zyxin‐null mice show striking defects in motility and response to mechanical stimuli, the mice are viable and fertile. In Drosophila melanogaster, the family is represented by a single homologue, Zyx102. To study the role of zyxin during development, we generated a zyx102 RNA‐interference transgenic line that allows for the conditional knockdown of Zyx102. When UAST‐zyx102‐dsRNAi expression is driven broadly by Actin5C‐GAL4, loss of Zyx102 results in lethality during the pharate adult stage, a narrow developmental window during which the fly must molt, resorb molting fluid, fill adult trachea with air, and execute a behavioral program to eclose. Zyx102 knockdown animals attempt to emerge, but their adult trachea do not fill with air. If dissected from the pupal case, knockdown individuals appear morphologically normal, but remain inviable. Anat Rec 293:1455–1469, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Understanding the nutrition transition: measuring rapid dietary changes in transitional countries

Abstract Objective: To understand methodological concerns related to dietary intake collection in transitional societies. Design: Three days of household weighing and measurement of all food used and repeated 24-hour recalls. Setting: Eight Chinese provinces. Subjects: Five thousand nine hundred and fifty-two and 5152 adults aged 20–45 years in 1989 and 1997, respectively. Results: Great variance exists in the types and quantity of animal products used in common recipes. For example, the proportion of pork from lean cuts in ‘stir-fried fresh pepper and pork’ varies between 14 and 24% in urban and rural areas and the total pork content for 100 g (dish) varies by 15 to 19 g between rural and urban areas in each of eight provinces. Another challenge relates to the variation in the edible vegetable oil content added during food preparation. Reliance on standard recipes for each fried dish would miss the variations in oil use over time, space and socio-economic status. Conclusions: Dietary change is rapid in transitional countries. Reliance on recipes standardised for animal food and edible oil contents will lead to very large systematic errors in the measurement of energy, fat and protein intakes.
Nice to be a fashion blogger, hard to be influential: An analysis based on personal characteristics, knowledge criteria, and social factors

Abstract The growing interest in fashion bloggers within the field of fashion is generating different kinds of research under the headings of communication and consumer behavior. However, one of the key issues within fashion, such as influence, has not been researched in any great depth so far. This paper seeks to shed some light on this matter and poses the question as to just how many fashion bloggers can really be considered influential. Through an analysis of the characteristics of what has been considered “influential” within the field of research, and based on a research project that focuses on Spanish bloggers, we can discover which bloggers are influential, what the attributes are that define them, and how we can locate them.
Photoprotection against the UVB‐induced oxidative stress and epidermal damage in mice using leaves of three different varieties of Lepidium meyenii (maca)

Background Skin exposure to ultraviolet (UV) B radiation leads to epidermal damage and generation of reactive oxygen species. The photoprotective effect of extracts of three varieties of leaves (red, yellow, and black) from maca (Lepidium meyenii), a plant from the Peruvian highlands, was assessed in mouse skin exposed to UVB radiation.