Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of reading comprehension on solving mathematical word problems: A situation model approach

Tasks presenting mathematical information as text, known as word problems, are one of the key components in the teaching of mathematics in primary school. Still, they are also one of the most difficult ones. Studies have revealed that word problems are solved up to 30% less successfully than tasks in numerical notation (Duarte et al., 2011). This discrepancy indicates that besides mathematical competence aspects of language play a significant role in the processing of word problems as well (Duarte et al., 2011; Gürsoy, 2016; Heinze et al., 2011; Prediger et al., 2015; Verschaffel et al., 2000). In order to solve a word problem, students not only need to perform the necessary mathematical operations, they also need to understand the text of the task. There are two intertwining factors central to understanding the text of a word problem: the task text itself and the problem solver’s individual reading competence. Both can cause difficulties. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the task text and its linguistic characteristics that are considered to challenge the processing of the task, such as academic language (Abedi & Lord, 2001; Gürsoy, 2016; Haag et al., 2015; Martinello, 2008; Prediger et al., 2015). However, there have only been a few studies that focus on reading skills as a factor in explaining students’ difficulties in dealing with word problems. Since reading and understanding the text of a task are fundamental for solving word problems, it can be assumed that, in addition to the linguistic characteristics of the task text itself, reading competence also has an important influence on the solution process. Hence, the present study examines the impact of reader characteristics on the handling of word problems in primary school and explores aspects of reading competence that may be relevant for their solution. Putting mathematical content and processes aside, word problems are primarily texts that have to be read and understood. In addition to the mathematical perspective on solving word problems (Section 2), the reading process is therefore examined from a cognitive-psychological perspective to transfer relevant conclusions to mathematics (Section 3). This may lead to important conclusions on ways of promoting
Bioreactor for the cultivation of Arthrospira platensis under controlled conditions

A vertical flat-type bioreactor consisting of transparent polyethylene (food safe) was constructed, which is characterized by a flexible design and allows the adjustment of a light path of 1 cm – 8.5 cm and a working volume of 1.5 l – 4 l. To characterize the performance of the bioreactor, cultivation experiments were performed with the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis (AP). The growth was assessed continuously by monitoring optical density and intermittently by measuring the dry weight of the AP biomass. An on-line measurement technique for estimating biomass production rate in a photosynthetic microalgae culture was developed. The oxygen produced by AP in the culture medium was flushed out sparging using a mixture of air and CO2 (1%). Factors which might influence the AP growth were monitored: pH, temperature, oxygen concentration and the filling level were corrected automatically to compensate evaporation losses. As an example, the huge influence of the light intensity on the AP growth was tested. The increase of the photon flux density of 15 to 1200μmol/(l · d) led to a 22-fold increase of the productivity and a 3.1-fold shorter doubling time. Using an online measurement technique - together with the control of the growth process via a wireless local area network (WLAN) router and virtual private network - allows monitoring the growth of Arthrospira platensis remotely.
A computationally efficient adaptive robust control scheme for a quad-rotor transporting cable-suspended payloads

This article proposes a computationally efficient adaptive robust control scheme for a quad-rotor with cable-suspended payloads. Motion of payload introduces unknown disturbances that affect the performance of the quad-rotor controlled with conventional schemes, thus novel adaptive robust controllers with both integer- and fractional-order dynamics are proposed for the trajectory tracking of quad-rotor with cable-suspended payload. The disturbances acting on quad-rotor due to the payload motion are estimated by utilizing adaptive laws derived from integer- and fractional-order Lyapunov functions. The stability of the proposed control systems is guaranteed using integer- and fractional-order Lyapunov theorems. Overall, three variants of the control schemes, namely adaptive fractional-order sliding mode (AFSMC), adaptive sliding mode (ASMC), and classical Sliding mode controllers (SMC)s) are tested using processor in the loop experiments, and based on the two performance indicators, namely robustness and computational resource utilization, the best control scheme is evaluated. From the results presented, it is verified that ASMC scheme exhibits comparable robustness as of SMC and AFSMC, while it utilizes less sources as compared to AFSMC.
Coding‐decoding‐based sliding mode control for networked persistent dwell‐time switched systems

The sliding mode control (SMC) problem for a class of discrete‐time networked switched systems under the coding‐decoding communication protocol (CDCP) is studied in this note. In the networked control systems, the CDCP is adopted to improve the efficiency and security of data transmission. First, based on the uniform quantization method, the criteria to ensure the detectability of the system are given, which establishes the theoretical framework of the CDCP. In addition, a mode‐dependent switched sliding surface and control law are constructed in terms of the decoded signal. Then, on the basis of the mode‐dependent Lyapunov function and matrix decoupling technique, sufficient conditions are given to ensure the exponential boundedness of the system, and the proof of reachability shows that the state responses can reach the sliding surface region in a finite time. Finally, the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed SMC scheme are demonstrated by a numerical example.
The performance and genetic variation of first and second generation tropical alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Suwignyo B, Arifin L, Umami N, Muhlisin, Suhartanto B. 2021. The performance and genetic variation of first and second generation tropical alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Biodiversitas 22: 3265-3270. This study aimed to compare the growth performance, nutrient content, seed viability, and genetic variation of firstand second-generation alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). First and secondgeneration alfalfa seeds were obtained from the Forage and Pasture Science Laboratory, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, Indonesia. First generation alfalfa (F1) seeds were obtained from cross breeding of two different parental alfalfa varieties, namely, Canadian and local. The second-generation (F2) seeds were obtained from plants of the first-generation alfalfa (F1). A randomized design experiment was conducted using the two types of alfalfa (firstand second generation). Alfalfa from Canada as female parent was used as the baseline in the genetic masker test. Seeds were planted in a polybag, watered twice a day, and received 12 hours of daylight and 4 hours of artificial light. Plants were then harvested 8 weeks after planting by cutting the plant canopy. Genetic variation was examined using the Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) method followed by descriptive analysis. Germination, plant height, dry matter content, organic matter, and crude protein were assessed as variables using a Student’s T-test. Our results showed that germination, plant height, leaf color, and nutrient content (dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein) of the firstand second-generation alfalfa plants were not significantly different. However, the second-generation alfalfa demonstrated better seed viability than the first generation plants, then it can be categorized as a new genotype (tropical alfalfa) based on genetic variation analysis.
Hub-and-spoke social networks among Indonesian cocoa farmers homogenize farming practices

Smallholder farms support the livelihoods of 2.5 billion people and their decisions on fertilizers use have profound sustainability implications. We investigated if and how social influence exerted through peer-to-peer information exchange affect the use of fertilizer among 2734 Indonesian cocoa farmers across 30 different villages. Results show that the structures of these village-based social networks strongly relate to farmers’ use of fertilizer. In villages with highly centralized networks (i.e. where one or very few farmers holds disproportionately central position in the village network), a large majority of farmers report the same fertilizer use. By contrast, in less centralized networks, fertilizer use varies widely. The observed community-level distributions of fertilizer use are consistent with complex contagion mechanisms in which social influence is only exerted by opinion leaders that are much more socially connected than others. Our findings suggest significant policy implications for development programs targeting smallholder farming communities.
Synthetic lethality of LP-184, a next generation acylfulvene, in ex vivo PDX models with homologous recombination defects.

e15064 Background: The clinical success of PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in homologous recombination (HR) deficient (HRD+) solid tumors has broadened the scope of identifying additional agents and vulnerabilities in cancers with DNA repair deficiencies. However, with more than 40% of BRCA1/2-deficient patients failing to respond to PARPi or acquiring resistance with prolonged PARPi administration, newer agents are also needed. LP-184, an acylfulvene, is a prodrug activated by PTGR1. Threshold expression levels of PTGR1 are higher in several tumors, providing a window of specificity for its cytotoxic action. DNA damage inflicted by acylfulvene (AF) agents is reliant upon HR pathway genes including BRCA1 for correction and removal. We hypothesized that tumors with high PTGR1 expression and HR deficiency will therefore be uniquely targeted and demonstrate synthetic lethality when exposed to LP-184. Methods: We evaluated ex vivo antitumor activity of LP-184 in selected PDX models representing lung, pancreatic and prostate cancers with high PTGR1 and known HR defects. Dissociated tumor fragments were treated with LP-184 across a concentration range of 5 nM to 36 uM for 5 days. Cell viability was quantified by CellTiter Glo. LP-184 IC50s were compared with PARPi efficacy. We further confirmed the dependency of PTGR1 in HR deficient tumor cells by comparing LP-184 sensitivity in the BRCA2 deficient cell line CAPAN-1 and the ATM mutant cell line PANC03.27, with and without PTGR1 suppression following an engineered CRISPR knockout of PTGR1. We also analyzed TCGA data to estimate the percentage of tumors with elevated PTGR1 and co-occurring damaging mutations in a panel of 60 HR genes. Results: The mean LP-184 IC50 across 15 HRD+ PDX models tested was 288 nM (range 31 - 2900 nM). LP-184 turned out to be 6 - 340X more potent ex vivo than the PARPi Olaparib in these models. 9 of 15 models were associated with no clinical response to or initial response followed by progression on approved standard of care (SOC) agents. 6 of 15 models showed < 10% tumor growth inhibition in vivo with SOC treatment. Regardless of cancer type, models with high-impact, loss-of-function mutations in ATM, ATR and BRCA1 showed exquisite sensitivity to LP-184 (mean IC50 ̃ 60 nM). CRISPRi-mediated stable suppression of PTGR1 in the pancreatic cancer cell lines CAPAN-1 and PANC03.27 entirely abrogated LP-184 sensitivity relative to isogenic parental cell lines. 17.6% of lung adenocarcinomas (n = 517), 4.5% of pancreatic adenocarcinomas (n = 179) and 9.6% of prostate adenocarcinomas (n = 498) displayed elevated PTGR1 along with damaging HR related mutations, and are likely to be responsive to LP-184 based on analysis of TCGA data. Conclusions: LP-184 is broadly effective in HRD+ tumors that may be less responsive to SOC including PARPi and could be useful clinically in a subset of tumors with high PTGR1 and HR defects.
Change of Potential Distribution Area of a Forest Tree Acer davidii in East Asia under the Context of Climate Oscillations

The climate oscillations of the quaternary periods have profoundly affected the geographic distributions of current species. Acer davidii is a deciduous forest tree species mainly distributed in East Asia and China, playing a dominant role in the local forest ecosystem. In order to study the potential changes of geographic distributions of A. davidii in climate fluctuations, we collected the relate geographical distribution data and six climatic variables, using maximum entropy modelling to determine the species distribution. The results showed that the Areas Under Curve (AUC) values of the working characteristic curves of the subjects in the five historical periods were all greater than 0.93, suggesting that the results of maximum entropy modelling were accurate. The simulation of species distribution showed that the suitable area of A. davidii was mainly concentrated in central and northern China in contemporary times. From the Last Interglacial Age (LIG) to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and then to the future (2050, 2070), the distribution area of this species experienced a decrease (LGM~Current; the high adaptability areas of central China became moderate) then an increase (Current~2050, the adaptation areas expanded to South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Siberia), and finally decreased (2050~2070, the suitable areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Siberia shrank returning to China at latitude 25 °N). Compared to the LGM, the area of contemporary suitable area increased. Interestingly, the area of suitable growth range under future climatic conditions (2050) increased by half than before, and the suitable distribution area moved from Midwest China to Northeast China. This study on the change of species distribution can provide a typical case for the model study on the response of plants to climate change in the north temperate and subtropical zones of East Asia. Meanwhile, it can also give a basis for planting planning, species protection, and management.
Pharmacology of Inflammation

We herewith report a successful attempt to measure objectively the irritant properties of cigarette smoke. We used the conjunctival sac of rabbits according to the technic of Hirschhorn and Mulinos. 1 In Fig. 1, smoke from the burning cigarette which is protected from drafts by a jacket h, is passed by way of the ammonia tube g, through 3 cc. of water, saline or Ringer solution, at room temperature (21 to 30°C), and at 37.5°C. maintained by artificial means, by immersion of cylinder f, in a water bath. A few experiments were performed using light mineral oil as a solvent for the smoke. By means of a filter pump, tube e sucks air through the cigarette and through the funnel-stopcock system b. The tipping bucket a empties water into the funnel, temporarily preventing ingress of air. This sucks air first through the cigarette and then the solution. The water drops to the bottom of the cylinder and leaves through tube d, by gravity. When the tube b, becomes free from water, all the air sucked through the system goes through this tube, and none through the cigarette. This cycle yields a puff, 100 of which averaged 24.8 cc. with the limits of 21 to 28 cc, and which requires 15 seconds to complete, 4 seconds of which are taken up by suction through the cigarette. It requires 15 minutes or 60 puffs to smoke one cigarette. Through each 3 cc. of solution is drawn the smoke from 5 cigarettes in order to insure saturation.
The Reshaping of West European Party Politics: Agenda-Setting and Party Competition in Comparative Perspective. By Christoffer Green-Pedersen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. 240p. $85.00 cloth.

shaping interests and behavior. Instead, he makes a case for a wider, more flexible conception of inequality that breaks away from the shackles of Gini coefficients and is sensitive to popular perceptions. He shows, for example, that it was not so much economic as political inequality that fueled urban protests in Bombay and Shanghai during the 1920s and 1930s. Political and economic elites, workers, and students came together to confront colonial rulers with claims for more equal legal-political citizenship. Similarly, protests in the 1950s and 1960s were directed against inequalities in urban citizenship, represented by exclusion from jobs and public goods and services. And finally, in neither Bombay nor Shanghai did the sharp rise in income inequalities beginning in the 1990s translate into a greater frequency or intensity of protests. In conclusion, it is worth noting that inasmuch as its empirical richness is a hallmark of Frazier’s fine book, it can also present a challenge. Frazier is clear that he does not trace variations in his primary outcome of urban social movements to quantitatively measured “causal variables” of urban geography. Yet, I wonder if this explicitly stated “purpose”might have been able to accommodate a specification inductively derived of what type of alteration (abundance versus scarcity, building or dismantling) in which specific dimension of the urban landscape (housing or industrial spaces) influences which particular elements of contentious politics (mobilizational strategies, nature of the claims). Such an analytical roadmap, in either narrative or graphic form,would make it easier to navigate Frazier’s wealth of archival and secondary-source material. It would also amplify the enormous potential of this superb study to illuminate the contentious politics reverberating in cities across the world today.
The Cycling of Organic Carbon in the St. Lawrence Estuary

The St. Lawrence River is one of the most important in the world in terms of water discharge to the global ocean. Several studies have been made to describe the environment, from its water dynamics to the activity of its phytoplankton communities. Despite this, a thorough characterization of the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) with respect to its organic carbon (OC) sources and sinks has not been done, and shortcomings pertaining to information needed for a comprehensive OC budget for the SLE have not been identified. Using samples collected over several sampling missions since 2003, quantitation and characterization of organic matter (OM) has been performed on dissolved, particulate and sedimentary samples. Measurements, using a DOC-analyzer coupled to an isotope mass spectrometer (IRMS), and elemental analyzer (EA) coupled to an IRMS, have shown that dissolved OC (DOC) and particulate OC (POC) concentrations decreased closer to the St. Lawrence Gulf. In addition, DOC, POC and sedimentary OC (SOC) samples closer to the gulf showed 13C enrichment in, and a decrease in C/N atomic ratios in particulate samples. Parallel to these trends, an increase in Fe-OC association was observed. In this thesis, major sources and sinks have been identified and a gradual shift from terrestrial to marine OM characteristics have been observed in carbon stable isotope signatures, C/N atomic ratios and degree of Fe-OC association. Furthermore, a simple budget was constructed to help direct future research efforts towards a more complete understanding of the SLE.
Graphene Growth on Pt(111) by Ethylene Chemical Vapor Deposition at Surface Temperatures near 1000 K

The nucleation and growth of graphene islands on a Pt(111) surface were examined at temperatures near 1000 K. Graphene was grown by chemical vapor deposition of ethylene, and a low-energy electron microscope (LEEM) was used to image the growing graphene islands with resolution of 10 nm and to perform spatially localized electron diffraction. It is shown that graphene grows bidirectionally over the step edges of Pt, and its formation can induce substantial changes in the platinum surface morphology. Average size and density of graphene islands strongly depend on surface temperature during deposition. Postdosing Auger electron spectroscopy was employed as a complementary macroscopic technique to measure the total carbon deposited as a result of ethylene dissociative sticking and decomposition. The initial dissociative sticking coefficient S0(Tg = 300 K, Ts) for ethylene was found to decrease with increasing surface temperature until a temperature of Ts = 850 K was reached whereupon it increased with tempera.
Translocations and their effect on population genetics in an endangered and cryptic songbird, the Noisy Scrub-bird Atrichornis clamosus

ABSTRACT Best practice for conservation translocations dictates that large founder cohorts be used, in part to ensure that the maximum genetic variation from the source population is captured. Population bottlenecks caused by low founder numbers are understood to typically have a detrimental effect on genetic diversity and promote inbreeding. However, for some species, translocating large numbers of individuals may require an unfeasible allocation of resources or have a harmful effect on the source. The Noisy Scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus) is a cryptic and rarely observed passerine that was once believed extinct, and translocations to successfully establish new populations have been instrumental in securing its future. However, due to the inherent difficulties in capturing this elusive bird, these populations have been founded from only 11 to 31 individuals. We used 10 microsatellite markers to compare the genetics of the original source to the two extant translocated populations. Allelic diversity and heterozygosity were generally low but highest in the source population. Although translocations seem not to have conferred significant additional losses, relatedness, inbreeding and mean kinship were highest in the population founded with just 11 individuals. Despite historical evidence to the contrary, we found a bottleneck signature in just one population. The two translocated populations displayed significant differentiation from each other and there was evidence of spatial genetic structure between these populations. Additionally, there was some evidence of cryptic subdivision (Wahlund Effect). In light of these findings, we make recommendations for future management actions to help retain what genetic diversity remains.