Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linguistic Games as a Way to Introduce Reading and Writing in Preschool Groups

I n the Nordic countries, interest in studying young children’s literacy has increased over the last 10 to 20 years. Different education traditions in the region have influenced the debate about literacy instruction in preschools and in primary schools. One tradition-with its roots in the whole language approach-argues that letters and words should be introduced in a meaningful context (Liberg, 1990; Siiderbergh, 1979), and suggests that reading and writing should be introduced during the 1 preschool years. Another tradition argues that preschool should prepare children for learning to read and write, and that formal instruction should not begin until primary school (Amqvist, 1991; Lundberg, 1984). The first approach implies that letters and words should be part of preschool activities, so that children can work with words and letters in a playful way. The second approach implies that one should not introduce letters and words until the child is linguistically prepared to learn reading and writing. This article illustrates how these two approaches have influenced literacy teaching in Nordic preschools, kindergartens, and primary schools. These different opinions about reading and writing are reflected in research and practice. Liberg (1990) and Siiderbergh (1979) both found that young children are able to read and write long before they enter school. They argue that written language is acquired in the same way as spoken language. On the whole, their studies were performed with small samples of children and few attempts were made to evaluate their suggestions in a preschool context. The results did have a significant impact, however, on the Swedish preschool curriculum, which clearly states that letters and words should be introduced in a playful way. Lundberg and TornCIus (1978) focused on the stages before children start to read and write, and investigated the role of linguistic competence and cognitive ability. The researchers explored whether general cognitive abilities were necessary preconditions for developing reading and writing competence. The results did not support the argument that general cognitive ability has a direct influence on reading and writing. Instead, a clear link between general linguistic competence and reading and writing emerged. One important result was that an awareness of sub-lexical units, such as phonemes and syllables, was crucial to learning to read and write. When researchers investigated the specific relationship between linguistic abilities and reading and writing, they found that all aspects of language competence in some way influenced children’s reading and writing abilities. Of vital interest was the finding that awareness of the
Incomplete occlusion treatment of intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms-case report

The incidence of intracranial vertebral artery (VA) dissecting aneurysms is 0.001-0.0015% in the general population and intracranial VA dissecting aneurysms are lesions associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Ruptured intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm is associated with poor functional outcome and high mortality. More immediate treatments are needed due to the high rebleeding rate in this disease condition. Endovascular treatment may be a useful option for ruptured intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms. The incomplete occlusion of the true lumen and the proximal parent artery by endovascular treatment may present a viable alternative strategy, especially when the VA dissecting aneurysm involving PICA origin and with sufficient compensation of contralateral VA blood flow.
Employment condition differences based on gender : A case of adventure tourism employees in Gauteng , South Africa

Previous studies show evidence of gender discrepancies in tourism employment, usually to the disadvantage of the women. The tourism industry is notorious for having unfavourable employment conditions, ranging from long working hours, part time or seasonal employment and low-skill jobs. This study sought to find if men and women employed within the adventure tourism industry experienced these conditions based on their gender. The research adopted a quantitative methodology to enable statistical representation of findings. Data was collected by means of a self-completion survey which was published online and also handed out to adventure tourism employees in Gauteng. STATA-V13 was the statistical package used to analyse findings of the study. An Exploratory Factor Analysis and fisher’s exact tests were conducted. The EFA clustered 8 factors, namely; Intrinsic factors, extrinsic factors, labour relations, health and safety, employment relations, remuneration, physical equipment and basic conditions. The surprising finding was that adventure tourism employees in Gauteng did not experience varying employment conditions because of their gender. Owing to a paucity in literature, sources used for secondary data were extracted from the wider tourism and hospitality industry, while primary data was collected from adventure tourism employees.
Alpha-amylase expression in pAncreas of an animal model of undernutrition

The pancreas is both an exocrine and an endocrine organ. The exocrine pancreas plays a key role in digestive process by producing important digestive enzymes, among which amylase, which is exocytocised in response to ingestion of carbohydrates. Several studies have reported that malnutrition, which includes both overnutrition and undernutrition, leads to functional impairment of several major organs, including pancreas. In the present study, we investigated whether the exocrine pancreas activity and morphology is affected by undernutrition in mice. A light microscopic morphometry and immunohistochemical expression of α-amylase were undertaken. The area and perimeter of pancreatic acini in mice of the control and experimental group were compared, and no significant differences (P<0.05) were found. Likewise, no obvious difference in α-amylase immunostaining in acini of control and undernourished group of mice was found. In conclusion, our results suggest this level of undernutrition and/or with this duration did not induce morphological changes or the expression of α-amylase in pancreas.
Effect of enriched vermicompost manure in improve of iron and zinc deficiencies and quality characteristics of peach trees

In order to determine the effect of compost and vermicompost enriched with iron and zinc on iron and zinc nutritional status of peach trees a randomized complete block design with three replications carried in agro-industry and livestock cooperation of Moghan in Parsabad town of Ardabil province. Treatments included manure compost, vermicompost manure, vermicompost enriched with iron and zinc, vermicompost enriched with iron, zinc and sulfur, vermicompost enriched with sulfur, vermicompost enriched with iron filings, and control. Data were analyzed using SAS software. Duncan's multiple range test was used for mean comparison. The results showed that the concentration of iron, zinc and chlorophyll of peach leaves in various treatments was statistically different (p<0.05). The maximum concentrations of iron, zinc and chlorophyll of leaves, were observed in treatments that vermicompost enriched with iron, zinc and sulfur.
The interactive stance : meaning for conversation

1. Interaction, Grammar, and the Behavioural Sciences 2. From Communitarian to Interactive Semantics 3. A Semantic Ontology for Dialogue 4. Basic Interaction in Dialogue 5. A Grammar for Dialogue 6. Grounding and CRification 7. Non Sentential Utterances in Conversation 8. Extensions 9. An Interaction-Oriented Theory of Meaning Appendix References
Low Power 1-Bit Full Adder Circuit Using Modified Gate Diffusion Input ( GDI )

Low Power techniques are becoming important and useful as the number of transistors is increasing every day. It is crucial to reduce the power dissipation for long life, more reliable and high performance systems. Gate Diffusion Input (GDI) is one technique to achieve low power. GDI requires less number of transistors as compared to corresponding CMOS logic. The basic GDI cell consists of only two transistors, where all the three terminals Gate, Source and Drain of the transistors are treated as inputs. GDI technique also has the advantage of less delay and reduced area. But the disadvantage of GDI is the output does not have a full swing of logic 1 and logic 0. In this paper basic GDI cell is modified to get a full swing for logic 1 and 0. This modified GDI cell is used to implement the full adder. Comparison results of basic GDI, Modified GDI, CMOS circuits are shown. These results are obtained from CADENCE VIRTUOSO based on 45nm technology with the supply voltage of 1.2V. Keyword s— Full Adder, Low Power, GDI
TUBER PRODUCTION OF YAM BEAN (Pachyrhizus spp.) DUE TO SINK-REPRODUCTIVE PRUNING

Yam bean (Pachyrizhusspp) can be used as new alternative food resource. To increase yam bean production including tuber quality traits, can be acquired troughintraspesific and interspesific crosses between P. erosus and P. ahipa. Simultaneous sink-reproductive pruning treatment is conducted to increased the tuber production, because the treatment can divert assimilate flow to tuber which consequently change the tuber dimensions. Materials used in this experiment were 9 yam bean genotypes coll ection of A. Karuniawan (Plant Breeding Laboratory, Padjadjaran University). Nine genotypes consisted of three genotypes of P. Erosus, one genotype of P. Ahipa, two genotypes of P. erosus intraspecific hybrid and three genotypes resulted from interspecific between P. erosus and P. ahipa. The field trial was conducted at experimental field of Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University Jatinangor located at an altitude of 753 m above sea level with Inceptisols soil type and type C rainfall according to Schmidt-Fergusson. The experiment was conducted from August 2009 until March 2010. The experiment was arranged in split plot design which was repeated twice. The main plot consisted of two treatments: without sinkreproductive pruning and with sink-reproductive pruning. The main plot was divided into nine subplots based on genotypes. Characters observed were tuber fresh weight (g), tuber dry matter (%), total starch content (% WB), and protein content of tuber (% WB). Pruning affected the increasing of tuber fresh weight. Interspesific hybrid genotype AC 216-139 d x EC 550 produced the highest value for dry matter content. The highest starch and protein content contained on P. ahipa genotype AC 216-139 d. There was interaction between pruning and genotype on dry matter content, which the best result shown by AC 216-139 d with pruning treatment. The genotype which was good for food resource material with high starch and protein production was intraspecific crosses genotype x B56/CJ EC 550.
Market Reaction to Analyst Rounding

We examine whether, and to what extent, analysts’ r ounding of forecasts, i.e. the occurrence of zeros or fives in the second place after the dec imal point, helps explain the market reaction to forecast revisions. We find evidence that invest ors place lower weight on analyst forecast revisions when the revised forecast is rounded. Rou nding is the factor with the second highest market weight among other analyst and forecast char a teristics, even though rounding only marginally predicts forecast accuracy. These result s pertain to repeated rounding rather than ‘ad-hoc’ rounding. Our findings provide insights on how forecast-specific salience influences the market reaction to analyst forecasts.
Design and Modeling for Computer Experiments

PART I AN OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION Experiments and Their Statistical Designs Some Concepts in Experimental Design Computer Experiments Examples of Computer Experiments Space-Filling Designs Modeling Techniques Sensitivity Analysis Strategies for Computer Experiments and An Illustration Case Study Remarks on Computer Experiments Guidance of Reading This Book PART II DESIGNS FOR COMPUTER EXPERIMENTS Latin Hypercube Sampling and its Modifications Uniform Experimental Design Optimization in Construction of Designs for Computer Experiments PART III MODELING FOR COMPUTER EXPERIMENTS METAMODELING Model Interpretation Functional Response APPENDIX Abbreviation References Index Author Index
Digital signal processing and artificial intelligence for the automated classification of food allergy

A S a by-product of the ‘information revolution’ which is currently unfolding, lifetimes of man (and indeed computer) hours are being allocated for the automated and intelligent interpretation of data. This is particularly true in medical and clinical settings, where research into machine-assisted diagnosis of physiological conditions gains momentum daily. Of the conditions which have been addressed, however, automated classification of allergy has not been investigated, even though the numbers of allergic persons are rising, and undiagnosed allergies are most likely to elicit fatal consequences. On the basis of the observations of allergists who conduct oral food challenges (OFCs), activity-based analyses of allergy tests were performed. Algorithms were investigated and validated by a pilot study which verified that accelerometer-based inquiry of human movements is particularly well-suited for objective appraisal of activity. However, when these analyses were applied to OFCs, accelerometer-based investigations were found to provide very poor separation between allergic and non-allergic persons, and it was concluded that the avenues explored in this thesis are inadequate for the classification of allergy. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is known to provide very significant diagnostic information for many conditions. Owing to this, electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded during OFCs for the purpose of assessing the effect that allergy induces on HRV features. It was found that with appropriate analysis, excellent separation between allergic and nonallergic subjects can be obtained. These results were, however, obtained with manual QRS annotations, and these are not a viable methodology for real-time diagnostic applications. Even so, this was the first work which has categorically correlated changes in HRV features to the onset of allergic events, and manual annotations yield undeniable affirmation of this. Niall Twomey Chapter 0: Fostered by the successful results which were obtained with manual classifications, automatic QRS detection algorithms were investigated to facilitate the fully automated classification of allergy. The results which were obtained by this process are very promising. Most importantly, the work that is presented in this thesis did not obtain any false positive classifications. This is a most desirable result for OFC classification, as it allows complete confidence to be attributed to classifications of allergy. Furthermore, these results could be particularly advantageous in clinical settings, as machine-based classification can detect the onset of allergy which can allow for early termination of OFCs. Consequently, machine-based monitoring of OFCs has in this work been shown to possess the capacity to significantly and safely advance the current state of clinical art of allergy diagnosis.
TCP-friendliness of rate-based congestion control protocols

The main purpose of rate-based TCP-friendly congestion control protocols is to ensure that the application's traffic shares the network in a fairly and friendly manner with the dominant TCP traffic. In this work, we compare the performance of two rate-based TCP-friendly congestion control protocols, namely the rate adaptation protocol (RAP) and TCP-friendly rate control protocol (TFRC). Our experimental results reveal that the equation-based TFRC is able to achieve throughput that is close to the throughput of a TCP connection using the same network path under the same network conditions. Also, the results demonstrate that the TFRC is friendlier and robust in most of our experiments, as compared to RAP.
Nonlinear Control and Analytical Mechanics: A Computational Approach

Symmetries and Semi-invariants in the Analysis of Nonlinear SystemsNonlinear Dynamics and ControlsNonlinear Control Systems Design 1989LieTheoretic Ode Numerical Analysis, Mechanics and Differential SystemsIntroduction to Nonlinear Automatic Control SystemsNonlinear Control Systems IIControl and Dynamic Systems V34: Advances in Control Mechanics Part 1 of 2Geometric Control of Mechanical SystemsLagrangian and Hamiltonian Methods for Nonlinear Control 2003Approximate Analysis of Stochastic Processes in MechanicsMathematical ReviewsModel-Based Tracking Control of Nonlinear SystemsLagrangian and Hamiltonian Methods for Nonlinear Control 2000SIAM Journal on Control and OptimizationSTAREinführung in die Mechanik und SymmetrieJournal of Guidance, Control, and DynamicsAnalytical Mechanics of Space SystemsNonlinear Dynamical Systems and ControlLagrangian and Hamiltonian Methods For Nonlinear Control 2006Analysis and Design of Nonlinear Control SystemsNonholonomic Mechanics and ControlCartanian Geometry, Nonlinear Waves, and Control TheoryAdvanced Topics in Nonlinear Control SystemsApplied Mechanics ReviewsClassical MechanicsNonlinear Multivariable ControlProceedings
Human Dorsal Root Ganglia

Sensory neurons with cell bodies situated in dorsal root ganglia convey information from external or internal sites of the body such as actual or potential harm, temperature or muscle length to the central nervous system. In recent years, large investigative efforts have worked toward an understanding of different types of DRG neurons at transcriptional, translational, and functional levels. These studies most commonly rely on data obtained from laboratory animals. Human DRG, however, have received far less investigative focus over the last 30 years. Nevertheless, knowledge about human sensory neurons is critical for a translational research approach and future therapeutic development. This review aims to summarize both historical and emerging information about the size and location of human DRG, and highlight advances in the understanding of the neurochemical characteristics of human DRG neurons, in particular nociceptive neurons.
Synthesis of Pd/Ru Bimetallic Nanoparticles by Escherichia coli and Potential as a Catalyst for Upgrading 5-Hydroxymethyl Furfural Into Liquid Fuel Precursors

Escherichia coli cells support the nucleation and growth of ruthenium and ruthenium-palladium nanoparticles (Bio-Ru and Bio-Pd/Ru NPs). We report a method for the synthesis of these monometallic and bimetallic NPs and their application in the catalytic upgrading of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) to 2,5 dimethylfuran (DMF). Examination using high resolution transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) and high angle annular dark field (HAADF) showed Ru NPs located mainly at the cell surface using Ru(III) alone but small intracellular Ru-NPs (size ∼1–2 nm) were visible only in cells that had been pre-“seeded” with Pd(0) (5 wt%) and loaded with equimolar Ru. Pd(0) NPs were distributed between the cytoplasm and cell surface. Cells bearing 5% Pd/5% Ru showed some co-localization of Pd and Ru but chance associations were not ruled out. Cells loaded to 5 wt% Pd/20 wt% Ru showed evidence of core-shell structures (Ru core, Pd shell). Examination of this cell surface material using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed Pd(0) and Pd(II) and Ru(IV) and Ru(III), with confirmation by analysis of bulk material using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analyses. Both Bio-Ru NPs and Bio-Pd/Ru NPs were active in the conversion of 5-HMF into 2,5-DMF but commercial Ru on carbon catalyst outperformed 5 wt% bio-Ru by fourfold. While 5 wt% Pd/20 wt% Ru achieved 20% yield of DMF the performance of the 5 wt% Pd/5 wt% Ru bio-catalyst was higher and comparable to the commercial 5 wt% Ru/C catalyst in a test reaction using commercial 5-HMF (>50% selectivity). 5-HMF was prepared by thermochemical hydrolysis of starch and cellulose with solvent extraction of 5-HMF into methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF). Here, with MTHF as the reaction solvent the commercial Ru/C catalyst had little activity (100% conversion, negligible selectivity to DMF) whereas the 5 wt% Pd/5 wt% Ru bio-bimetallic gave 100% conversion and 14% selectivity to DMF from material extracted from hydrolyzates. The results indicate a potential green method for realizing increased energy potential from biomass wastes as well as showing a bio-based pathway to manufacturing a scarcely described bimetallic material.
Brown and Beige Adipose Tissue and Aging

Across aging, adipose tissue (AT) changes its quantity and distribution: AT becomes dysfunctional with an increase in production of inflammatory peptides, a decline of those with anti-inflammatory activity and infiltration of macrophages. Adipose organ dysfunction may lead to age-related metabolic alterations. Aging is characterized by an increase in adiposity and a decline in brown adipose tissue (BAT) depots and activity, and UCP1 expression. There are many possible links to age-associated involution of BAT, including the loss of mitochondrial function, impairment of the sympathetic nervous system, age-induced alteration of brown adipogenic stem/progenitor cell function and changes in endocrine signals. Aging is also associated with a reduction in beige adipocyte formation. Beige adipocytes are known to differentiate from a sub-population of progenitors resident in white adipose tissue (WAT); a defective ability of progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate has been hypothesized with aging. The loss of beige adipocytes with age may be caused by changes in trophic factors in the adipose tissue microenvironment, which regulate progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation. This review focuses on possible mechanisms involved in the reduction of BAT and beige activity with aging, along with possible targets for age-related metabolic disease therapy.
An Historical Overview: The Discovery of How NK Cells Can Kill Enemies, Recruit Defense Troops, and More

Natural killer (NK) cells were originally defined as effector lymphocytes of innate immunity characterized by the unique ability of killing tumor and virally infected cells without any prior priming and expansion of specific clones. The “missing-self” theory, proposed by Klas Karre, the seminal discovery of the first prototypic HLA class I-specific inhibitory receptors, and, later, of the Natural Cytotoxicity Receptors (NCRs) by Alessandro Moretta, provided the bases to understand the puzzling behavior of NK cells. Actually, those discoveries proved crucial also for many of the achievements that, along the years, have contributed to the modern view of these cells. Indeed, NK cells, besides killing susceptible targets, are now known to functionally interact with different immune cells, sense pathogens using TLR, adapt their responses to the local environment, and, even, mount a sort of immunological memory. In this review, we will specifically focus on the main activating NK receptors and on their crucial role in the ever-increasing number of functions assigned to NK cells and other innate lymphoid cells (ILCs).