Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PARENT EXPECTANCIES OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY

A pilot study examined caregivers’ expectancies of their child’s speech-language therapy prior to treatment. Specific caregiver and family characteristics (i.e. socioeconomic status, caregiver stress levels, and family status) were analyzed to determine if these predicted high or low expectancies of speech-language therapy. Because of the low number of participants (15 respondents), the present study is not representative to draw conclusions about caregiver expectancies. Likely due to the small sample number, the lack of participation of single and low income caregivers, and the absence of ethnic minority participants, a relationship between caregiver expectancies and socioeconomic status, family status, ethnic status, and parenting stress could not be determined. The results based on the small sample indicated that socioeconomic status, caregiver stress, and family status did not predict high or low expectancies. Despite the small sample, statistical significance was identified in caregivers’ agreement to high expectancy statements and disagreement to low expectancy statements. Additional findings showed that 26.6% of the caregivers scored at a high total stress score. Within the group of the 26.6% that scored at a high total stress score, 75% scored at an even higher total stress score indicating clinically significant levels of stress. Overall, the findings have implications for the need to understand caregiver stress, the factors that influence caregiver stress, and its impact on intervention and treatment outcomes.
Prohibited Practice: Drug Use, Harm Reduction and Benefit Enhancement in Toronto Rave Culture

Based on fieldwork in Toronto, ON, I use ethnographic methods and analysis to answer the question of why people at electronic music events (‘raves’) and festivals use legal and illegal psychoactive drugs, exploring how the subjective effects of consciousness alteration factor into individual and group experiences of affective change. I examine the effects of stigma on the lives of these ‘drug practitioners’, as well as how the structures of prohibition shape the ways in which recreational substances are able to be consumed safely, resulting in a moral economy of trust and a culture of interreliance in the rave scene. Finally, I look at how mutually dependent practices of both harm reduction and ‘benefit enhancement’ are socially integrated into this community, and how this knowledge can be mobilized to improve harm reduction policy and practice.
Comparison of Human Papillomavirus Messenger RNA and DNA Detection: A Cross-sectional Study of 4,136 Women >30 Years of Age with a 2-Year Follow-up of High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion

The purpose of this study was to compare the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA with detection of mRNA. The study included 4,136 women >30 years of age. E6/E7 mRNA expression from the carcinogenic HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, and 45 was detected by the PreTect HPV-Proofer assay, whereas the presence of HPV DNA was detected by Gp5+/6+ consensus PCR followed by type-specific PCR. A total of 4.0% had an abnormal cytologic diagnosis, 3.0% were positive by PreTect HPV-Proofer, 4.4% by type-specific PCR, and 10.4% by consensus PCR. For detection of HPV in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), no significant difference was observed between PreTect HPV-Proofer and consensus PCR. For women with a cytologic normal, atypical squamous cell of uncertain significance, and low-grade SIL diagnosis, the detection rate of HPV was significantly higher by Gp5+/6+ consensus PCR (P < 0.005) than by PreTect HPV-Proofer. Histology confirmed 14 of 23 cytologic HSIL as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade >2. Of these women, PreTect HPV-Proofer and type-specific PCR detected 12, whereas consensus PCR detected 13. In conclusion, for HSIL, detection of E6/E7 transcripts from HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, and 45 are present to the same degree as DNA detected by consensus PCR. Equally important, only a small proportion of the HPV DNA–positive women with a normal, atypical squamous cell of uncertain significance or low-grade SIL diagnosis had a detectable mRNA expression. HPV E6/E7 mRNA detection by PreTect HPV-Proofer represents a new promising test as an adjunct to cytology.
Heat shock proteins: the search for functions

Not so long ago, in the olden (golden ? ) days, scientists interested in the biochemistry and cell biology of proteins attempted to explain an enzyme's catalytic and regulatory functions and the cytoskeleton's properties in terms of protein structure. But SDS PAGE, monoclonal antibodies, and cDNA libraries (nucleic acid sequences reverse transcribed from mRNAs and inserted into the genomes of bacteriophage or plasmids) changed things, and many of us now study proteins the other way around. We know structure, in the form of subunit molecular weights, isoelectric points, modifications by phosphate, sugars, methylations, etc., and in some cases, even primary sequences and the precise localization in the cell or tissue. What we search for is function. Such a search has been in progress over the past several years to discover what heat shock proteins (HSPs) l do. Here, I define an HSP by two criteria: (a) its synthesis is strongly stimulated by an environmental stress, in particular, that resulting from a change in temperature a few degrees centigrade above the normal physiological one, and (b) its gene contains a conserved sequence of 14 base pairs in the 5' noncoding region, the Pelham box (62). This sequence serves as the promoter for HSP mRNA transcription. The response of cells to a heat shock was first described about 25 years ago during a study of temperature effects on Drosophila embryos (65). A dramatic change was seen in the puffing pattern of polytene chromosomes in salivary glands, and this was later shown to be the result of very active gene transcription that led to the synthesis of a small set of proteins. For about 15 years, this selective induction of proteins by a heat shock was thought to be unique to the fly. In 1978, however, an analogous response in avian and mammalian tissue culture cells to heat shock was discovered in my laboratory (33), and others reported a similar activity in E. coli (39, 78) and Tetrahymena (21). Reports of proteins induced after heat shocking a variety of species quickly followed and we now recognize that virtually all organisms-from E, coli to man-have HSPs (see reference 68 for a more complete history). The major HSPs have been strongly conserved in structure through evolution, clearly indicating that they play a vital role in survival of the organism. Their presence appears to enhance the cell's ability to recover from stress but
Discursive construction of fatherly suicide

ABSTRACT In this article we are interested in stories of sons and daughters about their fathers who completed suicide. The data come from 10 interviews with survivors of suicidal death of their fathers. Taking a constructionist view of discourse, we aim to analyse sons’ and daughters’ narratives in the context of two conflicting discourses of (positive) fatherhood and (negative) suicide. We shall show how they use the discursive strategies of distancing in the narratives about fathers’ suicide as a means of coping with the two conflicting discourses. And so, first, they avoid labelling the act as suicide, second, they avoid direct reference to the fact that it was their father who completed the act, third, they dilute the father’s responsibility for the act.
Modeling Urban Population Growth from Remotely Sensed Imagery and TIGER GIS Road Data

We modeled population growth from 1990 to 2000 in the north Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex using two different methods: a conventional model based on remote sensing land-use change detection, and a newly devised approach using GIS-derived road development measurements. These methods were applied at both city and census-tract levels and were evaluated against the actual population growth. It was found that accurate population growth estimates are achieved by both methods. At the census-tract level, our models yielded a comparable result with that obtained from a more complex commercial demographics model. At both city and census-tract levels, models using road development were better than those using land-use change detection. In addition to being efficient in cost and time, our models provide direct visualization of the distribution of the actual population growth within cities and census tracts when compared to commercial demographic models.
THE ACS NEARBY GALAXY SURVEY TREASURY. III. CEPHEIDS IN THE OUTER DISK OF M81

The ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury (ANGST) has acquired deep ACS imaging of a field in the outer disk of the large spiral galaxy M81. These data were obtained over a total of 20 Hubble Space Telescope orbits, providing a baseline long enough to reliably identify Cepheid variable stars in the field. Fundamental mode and first overtone types have been distinguished through comparative fits with corresponding Cepheid light curve templates derived from principal component analysis of confirmed Cepheids in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), Small Magellanic Cloud, and Milky Way. A distance modulus of 27.78 ± 0.05r ± 0.14s with a corresponding distance of 3.60 ± 0.23 Mpc has been calculated from a sample of 11 fundamental mode and two first overtone Cepheids (assuming an LMC distance modulus of μLMC = 18.41 ± 0.10r ± 0.13s).
The Effects of Sleep Hygiene Program on Sleep Quality in the Elderly Women

Objectives: This research was tried to investigate effects of implementation of sleep hygiene education to elderly women people living in some local communities on Pittsburgh sleep quality index, sleep hygiene knowledge and depression of elderly women. Methods/Statistical Analysis: This study used quasi-experimental study design. Eligible participants were female seniors aged 60 or older living in a local community. A total of 50 participants were assigned to an 8-session sleep hygiene program (n=25) or control group (n=25). The collected data materials were processed with SPSS 18.0 program. Descriptive statistical method χ 2 test, t-test, and Paired t-test were utilized. The outcome variables were sleep quality, depression, and sleep hygiene education. Findings: The findings showed that the program was effective in decreasing sleep disorder. This study experimental group and control group were tested for their homogeneity. As a result, the two groups showed no statistically significant difference in their family member cohabitation status and number of physical illnesses whereas their age and educational background showed significant difference. The homogeneity between experiment and control groups was tested before the experiment regarding the dependent variables of sleep quality and depression. And the sleep quality in experiment group was found at 12.8; and control group, 11.16, representing a significant gap (t=2.52, p=.02). The depression status of experiment group was found at 4.56; and control group, 4.88, showing no significant gap (t=-.27, p=.79). Through the result of impact of sleep hygiene program on sleep quality in the elderly women, Pittsburgh sleep disorder score in participation group was much lower than in non-participation group (t=2.34, p<.05). The depression status represented no significant difference. Level of sleep hygiene knowledge and satisfaction of the program of participation group was increased after program. Improvements/Applications: Sleep hygiene program is helpful to acquire life habit knowledge that is needed to improve quality of sleep and to improve quality of sleep.
The Financial and Operating Performance of Newly Privatized Firms: Evidence from Developing Countries

This paper examines the change in the financial and operating performance of 79 companies from 21 developing countries that experienced full or partial privatization during the period from 1980 to 1992. We use accounting performance measures adjusted for market effects in addition to unadjusted accounting performance measures. Both unadjusted and market-adjusted results show significant increases in profitability, operating efficiency, capital investment spending, output, employment level, and dividends. We also find a decline in leverage following privatization but this change is significant only for unadjusted leverage ratios. Our results are generally robust when we partition our data into various subsamples. Copyright The American Finance Association 1998.
Seasonal movement patterns in a subalpine population of the tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum

Seasonal movements of a subalpine population of metamorphic tiger salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum, were explored from 1990 to 1992. Metamorphic adults bred in permanent and semipermanent habitats during June of each year. After breeding, soma individuals returned to the terrestrial environment, but many remained and congregated in nonpermanent ponds. Metamorphic adults in nonpermanent ponds included those that moved from permanent ponds, those that bred and remained in semipermanent ponds, and those that did not breed but migrated from the terrestrial environment after the breeding season. Dietary analyses indicated that metamorphic adults in nonpermanent ponds have significantly greater numbers, biomass, and calories of prey in their gut than the few metamorphic adults remaining in permanent ponds. This difference was due to the presence of fairy shrimp (Branchinecta coloradensis), which composed 91 % of metamorphic adult diets in nonpermanent ponds and accounted for three times the average cal.
Optimizing the Use of Soccer Drills for Physiological Development

USING SOCCER DRILLS FOR CONDITIONING HAS CONSIDERABLE BENEFITS. HOWEVER, THE PRACTICALITIES OF CONDUCTING SUCH SESSIONS ARE MORE CHALLENGING THAN NON-SOCCER-SPECIFIC CONDITIONING METHODS. THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF SOCCER DRILLS AND PROVIDES GUIDANCE ON HOW TO OPTIMIZE TRAINING STRUCTURE WHEN USING SOCCER DRILLS FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT.
Honesty and Informal Agreements

We develop, and experimentally test, models of informal agreements. Agents are assumed to be honest but suffer costs of overcoming temptations. We extend two classical bargaining solutions -- split-the-difference and deal-me-out -- to this informal agreement setting. For each solution there are two natural ways to do this, leaving us with 2x2 models to explore. In the experiment, a temptations-constrained version of deal-me-out emerges as the clear winner.
The Implications of Reduced Testing for Teacher Accountability

Every-grade, every-year testing plays a prominent part in U.S. education policy and research, but the rise of standardized testing has been met with frustration and opposition. In response, policymakers have proposed legislation designed to curb the amount of standardized testing. There is little empirical evidence, however, about the potential impact of these alternate approaches on current evaluation systems. Using data from a large, urban school district, we compare value-added (VA) estimates from every-year, every-grade testing to those from two reduced-testing scenarios. We find marginal changes in the value-added estimates in both approaches relative to more traditional VA estimates. Estimates from annual testing in alternating subjects are slightly less precise but have lower associations with prior student achievement than biennial testing in both subjects. Further, there is significant decrease in the number of teachers for whom scores can be estimated in both approaches, exacerbating long-standing concerns with VA methodology.
Finding a Niche: Exploring Ethnic Identity Among Migrant Adolescents in Northwest Ohio

Dr. Margaret Booth, Advisor. This ethnographic case study explored ethnic identity development among migrant adolescents in Northwest Ohio. Fourteen migrant adolescents of Mexican heritage who were enrolled in a summer migrant education program in Northwest Ohio participated in this study. The study found that a strong identification with their Mexican heritage was important for many of the adolescents, and the relationship between language and the adolescents’ ethnic identity. Adolescence is an important time for both general identity development (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1980) and ethnic identity development (Phinney, 2006; Rotheram & Phinney, 1987). Several factors may affect ethnic identity development, such as the difficulties of maintaining cultural practices while migrating (Henning-Stout, 1996), possessing physical characteristics that are different from the majority culture (Phinney, 2008a; Spencer & Markstrom-Adams, 1990), and knowledge and use of the heritage language (Phinney & Ong, 2007). Furthermore, the role of the environment and the developmental niche of an adolescent influence the experiences he/she has within the environment. The physical settings, child-rearing practices and parental ethnotheories mutually mediate the experience within the larger culture (Super & Harkness, 1997).
Microbubbles shunting via a patent foramen ovale impair endothelial function

Objectives Exposure to intravascular microbubbles after diving and during medical procedures alters endothelial function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a patent foramen ovale altered forearm endothelial function by facilitating microbubbles transfer. Design Patients attended on two separate visits, at least seven days apart receiving agitated saline or no active intervention in random order. On both days, flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery was measured using vascular ultrasound. On the intervention visit, agitated saline was injected and the passage of microbubbles into the arterial circulation was confirmed by echocardiography. Serial flow-mediated dilatation measurements were made after agitated saline and at the same time points after no intervention. Setting St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Participants Patients with a patent foramen ovale (PFO+n = 14, 9 male, mean ± SD age 42.2 ± 10.5 years) and patients without a patent foramen ovale (PFO− n = 10, 7 male, mean ± SD age 49.4 ± 18.4 years) were recruited. Main outcome measures Change in brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation. Results In patent foramen ovale + patients, flow-mediated dilatation did not change significantly on the control day but after agitated saline reduced by 2.3 ± 0.3%, 20 minutes after bubble injection (P < 0.005 vs. corresponding change in flow-mediated dilatation during control study). There was no significant change in flow-mediated dilatation for patent foramen ovale− patients at either visit. Conclusion These results suggest that the presence of a patent foramen ovale facilitated impairment of endothelial function acutely by the transfer of microbubbles into the arterial circulation. As a patent foramen ovale is a common condition, this may be relevant to microbubbles exposure in medical procedures and in decompression illness.
Aftermath of the MOOC Wars: Can Commercial Vendors Support Creative Higher Education?.

The large-scale massive open online course (xMOOC) rose to prominence in 2012–13 on the promise that its outcomes would be better and cheaper than those of face-to-face university instruction. By late 2013, xMOOC educational claims had been largely discredited, though policy interest in ed-tech carried on. What can we learn about the future of ed-tech by analysing this eighteen-month period in higher education history? This article gathers different types of evidence to suggest several conclusions: MOOC momentum was propelled by an administrative failure to apply due diligence to xMOOC educational claims. The MOOC path was also smoothed by a confusion among key commentators between xMOOCs and small-scale ‘connectivity’ MOOCs that did show meaningful learning outcomes. At the same time, online courses do not overcome race-based disparities of outcome and in some cases make them worse. In addition, student use of online courses appears to be instrumental, even cynical, further limiting their educational value. MOOCs will be back in modified form to endanger educational equity and quality unless faculty members articulate explicit goals and standards for public higher education to which ed-tech can be held accountable.
Clinical outcome of 31 patients with primary malignant melanoma of the vagina

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of and prognostic factors for primary malignant melanoma of the vagina. Methods Clinical data from 31 patients treated for primary malignant melanoma of the vagina at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between March 1970 and June 2005 were retrospectively analyzed. Results The median age was 58 years (range, 18 to 73 years), and the main symptoms reported were vaginal bleeding and vaginal discharge. Most tumors were of the nodular type and classified as stage I according to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging criteria. Surgery was performed on 22 patients, chemotherapy was administered to 7 patients, and immunotherapy was administered to 19 patients. Recurrent tumors developed in 11 patients (35.5%) during a median follow-up period of 20.2 months (range, 1 month to 18 years). The 5-year overall survival rate was 32.3%. Univariate analysis revealed that macroscopic tumor growth and the treatment method significantly affected survival outcome (p=0.039 and p<0.001, respectively), whereas the radicality of surgery did not (p=0.296). Multivariate analysis revealed that macroscopic tumor growth (hazard ratio [HR], 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 to 12.1; p=0.010) and treatment method (HR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1 to 0.9; p=0.025) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Conclusion Patients with primary vaginal melanoma have a poor prognosis. Macroscopic tumor growth and treatment method are prognostic factors for primary malignant melanoma of the vagina.
A Probabilistic Framework for Discriminative Dictionary Learning

In this paper, we address the problem of discriminative dictionary learning (DDL), where sparse linear representation and classification are combined in a probabilistic framework. As such, a single discriminative dictionary and linear binary classifiers are learned jointly. By encoding sparse representation and discriminative classification models in a MAP setting, we propose a general optimization framework that allows for a data-driven tradeoff between faithful representation and accurate classification. As opposed to previous work, our learning methodology is capable of incorporating a diverse family of classification cost functions (including those used in popular boosting methods), while avoiding the need for involved optimization techniques. We show that DDL can be solved by a sequence of updates that make use of well-known and well-studied sparse coding and dictionary learning algorithms from the literature. To validate our DDL framework, we apply it to digit classification and face recognition and test it on standard benchmarks.