Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Education and Leadership

THE educational process can be analyzed from three points of view. One may start with the men who educate—the teachers—and the society that they represent. For them, education could be defined as a planned effort on behalf of the society to transmit its cultural values and treasures to the coming generation. No society can survive without perpetuation of its civilization. Education, being a transmission of culture from one generation to another, is performing this important task.
Inflation Targeting in South Africa: A Var Analysis

Abstract The first part of the paper analyses CPI inflation targeting in an open economy context. Inflation targeting makes the exchange rate less flexible in response to foreign shocks and thus lessens the automatic stabilisation provided by flexible exchange rates. The second part uses VAR techniques to study the relative frequencies of different kinds of shocks impinging on the South African, New Zealand and Canadian economies. The results suggest that South Africa is not a good candidate for an inflation target relative to the other two countries because of the relative importance of foreign shocks and of the weak linkage between monetary policy and inflation.
Cultivating Racial Diversity or Reproducing Whiteness?: A QuantCrit Analysis of School Districts’ Early Principal Hiring Practices

ABSTRACT The purpose of our study was to illuminate patterns in district early principal hiring practices (EPHPs) that suppress, reproduce, or build equity and diversity in the principalship. Using Quantitative Criticalism as a framework, we found that district EPHPs do not disrupt longstanding patterns of inequity and exclusion. Instead, the practices perpetuate the reproduction of Whiteness in the principal pipeline. We illustrate ways district leaders’ actions and inactions in EPHPs reproduce or disrupt historical patterns of BIPOC exclusion from the principalship.
Research Status and Prospect of Pipeline Inspection Robot Localization Technology

With the rapid growth of pipeline mileage,the development of pipeline inspection technology and the wide application of pipeline inspection robot,the localization technology for pipeline inspection robot has played more and more important role.The basic principles,advantages and disadvantages of several major localization technologies and methods in domestic and foreign were analyzed.The development trend of pipeline inspection robot localization technology and method was put forward.It provides reference and guidance for studying pipeline inspection robot positioning under different environmental conditions for further.
The Institutionalization of Teacher Education

For the past decade, since the publication of the Conant and Koerner volumes in 1963,1 popular knowledge inside and without the field of teacher education has employed such phrases as "interlocking directorate," "monolithic establishment," and "bureaucratic orthodoxy. " Such terms have been used to describe how teacher education is conducted in the United States as well as to explain its alleged rigidity, resistance to change, and ineffectiveness. The first purpose of this chapter is to describe the organizations which comprise this "bureaucracy"--their roles and functions. Secondly, the authors will attempt to re-examine, from an institutional viewpoint, the roles and relationships among the organizational components of the institution for American teacher education in an effort to offer a more valid explanation for why teacher education is as it is and where it is likely to be headed. The authors do not contend that institutional analysis is sufficient to explain the contemporary state of teacher education in this country. The vulnerability of the knowledge base, for example, is an element which will not be treated in this chapter but which is relevant to practices followed and innovations advocated in the field. We do contend, however, that teacher education has become institutionalized to the extent that the practices and programs of teacher education can be better understood when examined in an institutional context. While institutional analysis is an insufficient explanatory perspective, we believe it is a useful one. The institution for teacher education (including its three com-
High-Temperature Operation of Silicon Carbide CMOS Circuits for Venus Surface Application

Abstract In the last decade, significant effort has been expended towards the development of reliable, high-temperature integrated circuits. Designs based on a variety of active semiconductor devices including junction field effect transistors and metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors have been pursued and demonstrated. More recently1,2, advances in low-power complementary MOS devices have enabled the development of highly-integrated digital, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. The results of elevated temperature testing (as high as 500°C) for extended periods (up to 100 hours) of several building block circuits will be presented. These designs, created using the Raytheon UK's HiTSiC® CMOS process, present the densest, lowest-power integrated circuit technology capable of operating at these extreme temperatures for any period of time. Based on these results, Venus nominal temperature (470°C) SPICE m°dels and gate-level timing models were created using parasitic extracted simulations.
Some Theoretical Issues Relating to Educational Evaluation

There has been some controversy recently about the need for specifications as to the desired outcomes of a course of instruction, a Much of this controversy has been engendered by investigators who have observed teachers in the process of teaching a group of young children. Teachers appear to respond to individual students during the instructional period, and they appear to alter procedures and interactions rapidly as they focus on the needs of individuals or subgroups in the class. When probed, the teachers have difficulty in stating their objectives or in relating what they do in class to a set of long-term objectives for the subject matter. Other fuel has been added to the controversy by curriculummakers who have great difficulty in getting subject matter experts to state their objectives in other than the most general and vague terms. In contrast, curriculum-makers find the subject matter experts more explicit in defining the subject matter content that should be learned and quite skilful in suggesting instructional procedures to make explicit the ways in which they would like the interaction among teacher, student, and learning material to take place. Quite in contrast to this reluctance to state or use specifications is the great need for and rather avid use of specifications by per-
Immunohistochemical Characterisation of the Whale Retina

The eye of the largest adult mammal in the world, the whale, offers a unique opportunity to study the evolution of the visual system and its adaptation to aquatic environments. However, the difficulties in obtaining cetacean samples mean these animals have been poorly studied. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterise the different neurons and glial cells in the whale retina by immunohistochemistry using a range of molecular markers. The whale retinal neurons were analysed using different antibodies, labelling retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), photoreceptors, bipolar and amacrine cells. Finally, glial cells were also labelled, including astrocytes, Müller cells and microglia. Thioflavin S was also used to label oligomers and plaques of misfolded proteins. Molecular markers were used to label the specific structures in the whale retinas, as in terrestrial mammalian retinas. However, unlike the retina of most land mammals, whale cones do not express the cone markers used. It is important to highlight the large size of whale RGCs. All the neurofilament (NF) antibodies used labelled whale RGCs, but not all RGCs were labelled by all the NF antibodies used, as it occurs in the porcine and human retina. It is also noteworthy that intrinsically photosensitive RGCs, labelled with melanopsin, form an extraordinary network in the whale retina. The M1, M2, and M3 subtypes of melanopsin positive-cells were detected. Degenerative neurite beading was observed on RGC axons and dendrites when the retina was analysed 48 h post-mortem. In addition, there was a weak Thioflavin S labelling at the edges of some RGCs in a punctuate pattern that possibly reflects an early sign of neurodegeneration. In conclusion, the whale retina differs from that of terrestrial mammals. Their monochromatic rod vision due to the evolutionary loss of cone photoreceptors and the well-developed melanopsin-positive RGC network could, in part, explain the visual perception of these mammals in the deep sea.
Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution of Enrofloxacin Following Single Oral Administration in Yellow River Carp (Cyprinus carpio haematoperus)

The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of enrofloxacin were determined in Yellow River carp (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus) reared at 20°C after single oral administration of enrofloxacin at 10 mg·kg−1 body weight (BW). Plasma, bile, and different tissue samples, including liver, kidney, gill, gut, and skin-muscle, were collected at predetermined times points. An HPLC method was developed to simultaneously determine the concentrations of enrofloxacin and its metabolite, ciprofloxacin. However, ciprofloxacin was only detectable in some liver samples with trace levels. Then the average enrofloxacin concentrations vs. time data were subjected to a non-compartmental analysis using WinNonLin 5.2 software. Multiple peaking profiles were observed in all enrofloxacin concentration-time curves. The peak concentration (Cmax) values were observed as 0.79, 1.01, 2.09, 2.85, 4.34, 10.78, and 13.07 μg·ml−1 (or g−1) in plasma, skin-muscle, gill, kidney, liver, bile, and gut, respectively, and the corresponding time to reach peak concentration (Tmax) was 8, 8, 1, 8, 1, 72, and 4 h, respectively. The values of elimination half-life (T1/2λZ) of enrofloxacin in different tissues was in the following order: gill (291.13 h) > liver (222.29 h) > kidney (157.22 h) > plasma (129.44 h) > gut (91.47 h) > skin-muscle (87.77 h) > bile (86.22 h). The present results showed that enrofloxacin had a wide distribution in different tissues, however slow absorption and elimination in Yellow River carp. Additionally, enrofloxacin exhibited large distribution in bile, indicating that bile excretion might be the primary elimination route of enrofloxacin in Yellow River carp. A withdrawal period was calculated as 379.2 °C-day for single oral dosing of enrofloxacin at 10 mg/kg BW. Based on the calculated PK/PD indices of AUC/MIC or Cmax/MIC, the current enrofloxacin dosing regimen might have a positive therapeutic effect on the infection of Flavobacterium columnare, Aeromonas sobria, or Aeromonas hydrophila. However, the depletion study following multiple oral doses should be carried out in Yellow River carp reared at lower temperatures, and the withdrawal period should also be further calculated.
Case Report: One-Year Delay in the Effect of Conversion Surgery Therapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Systemic Therapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A 58-year-old man visited his local hospital due to abdominal discomfort and was diagnosed with lung metastasis. After admission to our hospital in April 2020, he received two cycles of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC-Folfox), sorafenib, and camrelizumab every 3 weeks. Due to the end of HAIC treatment, he underwent drug-eluting transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (dTACE) once, sorafenib, and camrelizumab. However, because of worsening liver function, we interrupted TACE and only gave sorafenib and camrelizumab in August 2020. Although he received systemic therapy, the tumors still rapidly progressed and we considered the possibility of tumor resistance. Subsequently, regorafenib was given. In September, the patient underwent conventional TACE (cTACE) once, regorafenib, and camrelizumab. After half a year of comprehensive treatment, the treatment effect was not satisfactory, and he returned to the local hospital to received regorafenib every day and camrelizumab once every 3 weeks. The patient found that the tumor and lung metastasis had shrunk significantly after 1 year of the initial diagnosis, then he was admitted to our hospital and received surgery treatment, and now he has survived disease-free for 6 months.
A Spatial Assessment of Wildfire Risk for Transmission-Line Corridor Based on a Weighted Naïve Bayes Model

In order to improve the wildfire prevention capacity of transmission lines, a wildfire risk assessment method for transmission-line corridors based on Weighted Naïve Bayes (WNB) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the importance of 14 collected types of wildfire-related factors is analyzed based on the information gain ratio. Then, the optimal factors set and the most accurate sampling table are constructed by deleting the factors in the lowest order of importance one by one. Finally, the performance of the WNB model is compared to that of NB and BNW models according to the ROC curve and visualization. A total of 76.36% of fire events in 2020 fell in high-risk and very-high-risk regions, indicating the acceptable accuracy of the proposed assessment method of wildfire risk.
Intraspecific Variation in Responses of a Montane Grass, Festuca thurberi, to Simulated Biological Invasion

High elevation plant populations, such as those found in sub-alpine meadows, are at the forefront of climate change and likely to experience novel interactions with migrating plants from lower elevations, including non-native species. Some of these non-native plants, particularly members of the Brassicaceae, produce secondary metabolites that have been shown to inhibit root fungi in other ecosystems. We conducted a growth experiment with plant leachates in order to evaluate the degree to which the dominant high elevation grass species, Festuca thurberi would be affected by future novel interactions with the non-native mustard, Thlaspi arvense, relative to a native mustard (Noccaea fendleri). We assessed growth, chlorophyll content, biomass, mortality, and percent colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) in different genotypes of F. thurberi exposed to leachates from native and non-native mustards as well as F. thurberi leachate and a deionized (DI) water control. New growth and mortality varied more by genotype than by treatment with leachate of F. thurberi, T. arvense, and N. fendleri. Treatment, genotype, and the treatment × genotype interaction all had significant effects on chlorophyll content, with N. fendleri treatments demonstrating higher relative greenness levels than control treatments. Percent of fine roots with dark septate endophytes was significantly affected by individual genotype and treatment × genotype interaction, but there were no effects of treatment, genotype, or their interaction on percent root colonization by arbuscules or vesicles. Overall, we show that performance of a dominant high-altitude grass species varies in its response to the presence of an expanding, non-native plant, which may become increasingly common due to climate change.
Retinal Degeneration: A Window to Understand the Origin and Progression of Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, manifests with motor and non-motor symptoms associated with two main pathological hallmarks, including the deterioration of dopaminergic cells and aggregation of alpha-synuclein. Yet, PD is a neurodegenerative process whose origin is uncertain and progression difficult to monitor and predict. Currently, a possibility is that PD may be secondary to long lasting peripheral affectations. In this regard, it has been shown that retinal degeneration is present in PD patients. Although it is unknown if retinal degeneration precedes PD motor symptoms, the possibility exists since degeneration of peripheral organs (e.g., olfaction, gut) have already been proven to antedate PD motor symptoms. In this paper, we explore this possibility by introducing the anatomical and functional relationship of retina and brain and providing an overview of the physiopathological changes of retinal structure and visual function in PD. On the basis of the current status of visual deficits in individuals with PD, we discuss the modalities and pathological mechanism of visual function or morphological changes in the retina and focus on the correlation between visual impairment and some representative structural features with clinical significance. To consider retinal degeneration as a contributor to PD origin and progress is important because PD evolution may be monitored and predicted by retinal studies through state-of-the-art techniques of the retina. It is significant to integrally understand the role of retinal morphological and functional changes in the neurodegenerative process for the diagnosis and therapeutic strategies of PD.
Serum Cystatin C Levels Are Associated With Obesity in Adolescents Aged 14–17 Years

Background The association between serum cystatin C levels and obesity has not been fully explored in adolescents. This study aimed to explore the association between serum cystatin C levels and obesity in adolescents of different sexes. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study including 481 adolescents aged 14−17 years. Cystatin C level was measured by immunoassay. Health examinations data, biochemical parameters, and questionnaire information were collected. The restricted cubic spline model analyzed the association between cystatin C levels and obesity in boys and girls. Results Boys exhibited significantly higher cystatin C levels than girls, with a mean level of 0.97 ± 0.10 mg/L in boys and 0.86 ± 0.09 mg/L in girls (P < 0.001). The restricted cubic spline model suggested that low or high cystatin C levels were associated with an increased risk of obesity in boys, whereas only higher cystatin C levels were associated with an increased risk of obesity in girls. Conclusions A U-shaped correlation was observed between serum cystatin C levels and the risk of obesity in boys. However, in girls, the risk of obesity showed a trend of initially increase and then decrease with increasing cystatin C levels. Longitudinal studies should be conducted to further investigate the diagnostic potential of cystatin C in the progression of early obesity in adolescents of different sexes.
Synergistic Immediate Cortical Activation on Mirror Visual Feedback Combined With a Soft Robotic Bilateral Hand Rehabilitation System: A Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Background Mirror visual feedback (MVF) has been widely used in neurological rehabilitation. Due to the potential gain effect of the MVF combination therapy, the related mechanisms still need be further analyzed. Methods Our self-controlled study recruited 20 healthy subjects (age 22.150 ± 2.661 years) were asked to perform four different visual feedback tasks with simultaneous functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) monitoring. The right hand of the subjects was set as the active hand (performing active movement), and the left hand was set as the observation hand (static or performing passive movement under soft robotic bilateral hand rehabilitation system). The four VF tasks were designed as RVF Task (real visual feedback task), MVF task (mirror visual feedback task), BRM task (bilateral robotic movement task), and MVF + BRM task (Mirror visual feedback combined with bilateral robotic movement task). Results The beta value of the right pre-motor cortex (PMC) of MVF task was significantly higher than the RVF task (RVF task: -0.015 ± 0.029, MVF task: 0.011 ± 0.033, P = 0.033). The beta value right primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) in MVF + BRM task was significantly higher than MVF task (MVF task: 0.006 ± 0.040, MVF + BRM task: 0.037 ± 0.036, P = 0.016). Conclusion Our study used the synchronous fNIRS to compare the immediate hemodynamics cortical activation of four visual feedback tasks in healthy subjects. The results showed the synergistic gain effect on cortical activation from MVF combined with a soft robotic bilateral hand rehabilitation system for the first time, which could be used to guide the clinical application and the future studies.
Biomarker Landscape in Neuroendocrine Tumors With High-Grade Features: Current Knowledge and Future Perspective

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are classified based on morphology and are graded based on their proliferation rate as either well-differentiated low-grade (G1) to intermediate (G2–G3) or poorly differentiated high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC G3). Recently, in gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NETs, a new subgroup of well-differentiated high-grade tumors (NET G3) has been divided from NEC by WHO due to its different clinical–pathologic features. Although several mutational analyses have been performed, a molecular classification of NET is an unmet need in particular for G3, which tends to be more aggressive and have less benefit to the available therapies. Specifically, new possible prognostic and, above all, predictive factors are highly awaited, giving the basis for new treatments. Alteration of KRAS, TP53, and RB1 is mainly reported, but also druggable alterations, including BRAF and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H), have been documented in subsets of patients. In addition, PD-L1 demonstrated to be highly expressed in G3 NETs, probably becoming a new biomarker for G3 neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) discrimination and a predictive one for immunotherapy response. In this review, we describe the current knowledge available on a high-grade NET molecular landscape with a specific focus on those harboring potentially therapeutic targets in the advanced setting.
Behavioral Lifestyles and Survival: A Meta-Analysis

The aim of the study is to determine the association between Behavioral Lifestyles (regular physical activity, healthy diet, sleeping, and weight control) and longevity in the elderly. A search strategy was conducted in the PsycInfo, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), and Scopus databases. The primary outcome was mortality/survival. Four variables (mean of participant's age at the baseline of the study, follow-up years of the study, gender, and year of publication) were analyzed to evaluate the role of potential moderators. Ninety-three articles, totaling more than 2,800,000 people, were included in the meta-analysis. We found that the lifestyles analyzed predict greater survival. Specifically, doing regular physical activity, engaging in leisure activities, sleeping 7–8 h a day, and staying outside the BMI ranges considered as underweight or obesity are habits that each separately has a greater probability associated with survival after a period of several years.