Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CHILDREN'S KNOWLEDGE OF BINDING AND COREFERENCE: EVIDENCE FROM SPONTANEOUS SPEECH

In experiments requiring sentence comprehension, young children sometimes appear to accept coreference in sentences such as Thelma touched her. This has motivated the claim that 4- and 5-year-olds lack knowledge of the principles of binding and coreference. Another option, however, is that the requisite principles are present from the very start and children's poor performance is due to performance factors. We test this claim through a longitudinal analysis of the spontaneous speech of three children, analyzing their usage of the pronoun me and the reflexive myself. Even 2- and 3-year-olds virtually always use these forms in accord with the adult grammar-they will say John hit me and not John hit myself (obeying Principle A) and I hit myself and not I hit me (obeying Principle B). We argue that the best explanation for these results is that children understand the principles of binding and coreference at the earliest stages of language development. *
Poverty Reduction, Patronage, or Vote Buying? The Allocation of Public Goods and the 2001 Election in Madagascar

This article uses data from Madagascar to examine how an upcoming election or political patronage might induce governments to deviate from goals such as poverty reduction. Using a nationwide, commune‐level data set, the article tests three competing explanations of how public goods are allocated across districts. Projects can be allocated on the basis of local need with the goal of reducing poverty or rewarding one’s political base, or the desire to win votes for an upcoming election. The evidence from an analysis of three projects suggests that two of the three projects responded to local needs and a third seemed to be influenced by both election and patronage concerns. An analysis of the 2001 presidential election in Madagascar shows that voters do appear to reward the incumbent for projects received in their districts.
Relationship between cytochrome 3A activity, inflammatory status and the risk of docetaxel-induced febrile neutropenia: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND We hypothesized that cancer-related inflammation might increase the risk of febrile neutropenia (FN) induced by docetaxel (DCX, Taxotere), by both affecting the exposure to DCX and the tissue sensitivity. PATIENTS AND METHODS Advanced cancer patients with normal liver function, performance status (PS)<3, were included. Cytochrome P450 3A (CYP 3A) activity was estimated before the first cycle of DCX by a single determination of midazolam plasma concentration, 4 hours after 0.015 mg/kg i.v. bolus. Following the first cycle of 75-100 mg/m2 DCX, clearance and area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) were estimated using a limited sampling strategy. RESULTS Among 56 assessable patients, 7 FNs occurred after first cycle (13%). In univariate analysis, high midazolam concentration and free DCX AUC were associated with severe neutropenia and FN. In addition to DCX exposure-related parameters, the risk of FN was also correlated with poor PS, baseline lymphopenia and lung cancer, while high ferritin level, indicator of an inflammatory state, reached borderline significance (P=0.07). By multivariate analysis, total DCX AUC and baseline lymphopenia were associated with FN. High midazolam concentration was correlated with elevated ferritin level (r=0.32; P=0.02). CONCLUSION Inflammatory status and lymphocyte count should be included in the evaluation of the benefice/risk ratio before the initiation of DCX.
Doubly Generalized LDPC Codes over the AWGN Channel

In this paper, the design of doubly generalized low-density parity-check (DGLDPC) codes is proposed. This approach generalizes the structure of LDPC codes at both check and variable nodes. The performance of DGLDPC codes over the AWGN channel is analyzed using EXIT charts. Combined with differential evolution optimization, this analysis provides thresholds for DGLDPC codes that are better than that of LDPC and GLDPC codes with the same maximum variable degree. These theoretical thresholds are verified via simulations. Furthermore DGLDPC codes exhibit a lower error floor compared with their LDPC and GLDPC counterparts.
A UNICORE Globus Interoperability Layer

For several years, UNICORE and Globus have co-existed as approaches to exploiting what has become known as the ``Grid''. Both offer many services beneficial for creating and using production Grids. A cooperative approach, providing interoperability between Globus and UNICORE, would result in an advanced set of Grid services that gain strength from each other. This paper outlines some of these parallels and differences as they relate to the development of an interoperability layer between UNICORE and Globus. Given the increasing ubiquity of Globus, what emerges is the desire for a hybridised facility that utilises the UNICORE work-flow management of complex, multi-site tasks, but that can run on either UNICORE- or Globus-enabled resources. The technical challenge in achieving this, addressed in this paper, consists of mapping resource descriptions from both grid environments to an abstract format appropriate to work-flow preparation, and then the instantiation of work-flow tasks on the target systems. Other issues such as reconciling disparate security models and file transfer support are also addressed.
Evaluation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase stability in blood samples under different collection and storage conditions.

Fujimoto et al. (1) reported that the stability of galactose 1-phosphate in dried blood spots for neonatal screening was adversely affected by humidity and temperature, especially when low-value samples are evaluated. We extend these findings to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD; EC 1.1.1.49) activity, deficiency of which is by far the most common genetic disease worldwide (2) and accounts for more than one-half of the cases of severe jaundice among male newborns in Greece, China, and in Sephardic Jewish groups (3). Tests for G-6-PD deficiency are thus included in newborn screening programs in some regions. We collected whole-blood specimens from …
Music therapy with young people who have profound intellectual and developmental disability: Four case studies exploring communication and engagement within musical interactions

Abstract Background The impact of music therapy on the communicative behaviours of young people with profound intellectual and developmental disability has not yet been established. Method Four adolescents participated in individual music therapy (MT) and toy play sessions with the same therapist in a 6-month period. Sessions were video-recorded and analysed based on The Inventory of Potentially Communicative Acts (Sigafoos, J., Arthur-Kelly, M., & Butterfield, N. (2006). Enhancing everyday communication for children with disabilities. Baltimore, MA: Brookes) to compare the communicative behaviours within each condition. Results Both conditions successfully engaged the young people, with slightly more communicative behaviours observed in MT in response to singing, and more rejecting behaviours in toy play. MT was therefore considered equivalent to toy play in terms of quantity, but distinctive in eliciting more mutually enjoyable interpersonal encounters. Conclusion MT creates engaging and motivating conditions for interactions with others, which suggests the need for greater integration of music therapy into special education classrooms.
MMP2 activation by collagen I and concanavalin A in cultured human hepatic stellate cells

Fibrosis occurs in most chronic liver injuries and results from changes in the balance between synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix components. In fibrotic livers, there is a markedly increased activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), a major enzyme involved in extracellular matrix remodeling. We have previously shown that hepatic stellate cells secrete latent MMP2 and that MMP2 activation occurs in coculture of hepatic stellate cells and hepatocytes concomitantly with matrix deposition. In the present work we investigated the effects of various extracellular matrix components and concanavalin A, an inducer of immune‐mediated liver injuries, on MMP2 activation in cultured human hepatic stellate cells. Collagen I induced a dose‐dependent MMP2 activation, which was not blocked by both actinomycin and cycloheximide. Collagen VI, laminin, and a reconstituted basement membrane (matrigel) were ineffective in inducing activation. Specific antibodies against the subunits of α2β1 integrins, the major collagen I receptor, induced partial inhibition of MMP2 activation. Treatment of cells with concanavalin A resulted in a marked activation of MMP2 that correlated with the proteolytic processing of MT1‐MMP, the MMP2 activator, from a Mr=60 kd toward a Mr=43 kd polypeptide. Actinomycin and cycloheximide inhibited the MMP2 activation induced by concanavalin A. Recombinant tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐2 and the MMP inhibitor BB‐3103, but not PMSF, blocked MMP2 activation induced by collagen I or concanavalin A, and MT1‐MMP processing to its Mr‐43 kd form. These results suggest that the accumulation of collagen I may specifically contribute to the remodeling of extracellular matrix in fibrotic livers by inducing MMP2 activation.
Ambivalence in Attitude Measurement

ambivalence toward an attitude object. The proposed technique consists of the replacement of traditional bipolar scales with pairs of unipolar ones, one of which measures positive affect (~poa), the other negative affect (~4ne~) toward the same object. The algebraic sum of these two components, or the net attitude (~met), has been found to correlate substantially with scores obtained from independent bipolar scales. Using a variety of attitude objects, the combined range of such correlations reported by Kaplan (1972) and by Moore (1972) was between . 85 and . 97. Some preliminary work with the measure of ambivalence or AMB, which was defined as (~p~ + ~ne~) &horbar; ~pM &horbar; IA. ,;I) 1, indicates that it may be regarded as a moderator of the validity coefficient of certain attitude scales. For example, in Moore (1972) the correlation between attitudes toward democrats and a self-rating (from liberal to conservative) was . 46 (df = 58, p < .01). When the total sample was split on the basis of their ambivalence scores, the above correlation changed to . 71 (df = 21, p < .01) for subjects with low ambivalence, and to . 33 (df = 35, p < .05) for those with high ambivalence (the difference between .71 and .33 was significant; p < .05, two-tail test). In order to replicate this finding, which is highly empirical in its character, the present study was conducted
Understanding nature‐related behaviors among children through a theory of reasoned action approach

The Theory of Reasoned Action has proven to be a valuable tool for predicting and understanding behavior and, as such, provides a potentially important basis for environmental education program design. This study used a Theory of Reasoned Action approach to examine a unique type of behavior (nature‐related activities) and a unique population (early adolescents). Participants (n = 164, ages 9–14) reported their attitudes, subjective norms, age, gender, behavioral intentions, and behaviors in a written questionnaire. Results showed mild success in accounting for children's nature‐related behaviors and intentions (R 2=.05 to .33). In general, the ability to predict intentions was greater than the ability to explain actual behaviors. Findings suggest that environmental educators should focus on attitudes when the goal is to achieve behavior change. Future research should compare a Theory of Reasoned Action approach with several alternative frameworks for explaining children's nature‐related behaviors, and investigate the relationship between behaviors and behavioral intentions to see why a discrepancy exists in the ability to account for each construct. To more fully influence behavior in environmental education programs, educators may need to address other factors besides attitudes and subjective norms.
Head, neck, and brain tumor embolization guidelines

Background Management of vascular tumors of the head, neck, and brain is often complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Peri-operative embolization of vascular tumors may help to reduce intra-operative bleeding and operative times and have thus become an integral part of the management of these tumors. Advances in catheter and non-catheter based techniques in conjunction with the growing field of neurointerventional surgery is likely to expand the number of peri-operative embolizations performed. The goal of this article is to provide consensus reporting standards and guidelines for embolization treatment of vascular head, neck, and brain tumors. Summary This article was produced by a writing group comprised of members of the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery. A computerized literature search using the National Library of Medicine database (Pubmed) was conducted for relevant articles published between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2010. The article summarizes the effectiveness and safety of peri-operative vascular tumor embolization. In addition, this document provides consensus definitions and reporting standards as well as guidelines not intended to represent the standard of care, but rather to provide uniformity in subsequent trials and studies involving embolization of vascular head and neck as well as brain tumors. Conclusions Peri-operative embolization of vascular head, neck, and brain tumors is an effective and safe adjuvant to surgical resection. Major complications reported in the literature are rare when these procedures are performed by operators with appropriate training and knowledge of the relevant vascular and surgical anatomy. These standards may help to standardize reporting and publication in future studies.
A gender specific model of substance use

This research has tested a structural model of risk and protection factors among 1437 at-risk adolescents in Switzerland. The model was used to identify important gender and age differences. Our research shows that interactions between parents, peers, negative mood, and secure self create a range of risk factors for girls and boys, and for younger and older teens. Negative peer group was a greater risk for young girls than for young boys. Negative mood can serve as an early warning sign for boys, as can negative peer group for girls. Mood for boys was marginally associated with a substance-using peer group and with poor relationships in the family. This suggests that for boys the focus of prevention should be on family relationships and for girls on peer relationships. For older girls, secure self was the greatest protector against substance-using peers, whereas for younger boys and girls, parents continued to offer some protection. The focus on development of secure self in older girls holds promise for secondary prevention.
A texture analysis approach to supervised face segmentation

This paper proposes to segment face images into six classes (eyes, nose, mouth, hair/eyebrows/beard, skin, and background) by classifying pixels based on the texture features calculated in a neighborhood of each pixel. Leung-Malik filter banks are applied to the color images for feature extraction and Random Projections are used to reduce data dimensionality. In order to perform pixel classification, manually labeled images are used to train a Multi-Quadric Radial Basis Function Neural Network, with centers selected by the Fast Condensed Nearest Neighbor algorithm. Quantitative and qualitative results are presented and demonstrate that the methodology can correctly segment most of the class labels with high effectiveness rate, comparable with the results achieved by state-of-art methods.
Preparation before colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial comparing different regimes

Background and aim A good bowel preparation is essential for optimal visualization of the large intestine. Several preparations with a difference in composition and volume are available. We compared five methods for bowel cleansing quality and patients’ acceptability. Patients and methods Adult ambulatory outpatients scheduled for elective colonoscopy were randomized to receive 4-l polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution (Klean-prep), 2-l PEG solution+ascorbic acid (Moviprep), or a sodium phosphate (NaP) solution, Phosphoral. Patients with the PEG solutions were also randomized to receive simethicone (Aeropax), to investigate whether this improves the bowel cleansing efficacy. Before colonoscopy patients completed a questionnaire about the acceptability and tolerability of the preparation. Endoscopists blinded to the type of preparation gave a bowel cleansing score. Results Data were available for 461 patients. 2-l PEG+ascorbic acid was noninferior to 4-l PEG in bowel cleansing quality of rectosigmoid and colon. NaP was noninferior to 4-l PEG in bowel cleansing quality of rectosigmoid but inferior for the whole colon. Compliance was significantly less in the group with 4-l PEG compared with the 2-l PEG and NaP group. No difference was found for abdominal cramps. Taste was significantly better in the 2-l PEG group. Simethicone did not improve the bowel cleansing quality. Conclusion 2-l PEG+ascorbic acid was noninferior to the 4-l PEG solution in bowel cleansing quality and was better in taste and compliance. NaP was inferior to 4-l PEG in bowel cleansing quality. Addition of simethicone gave no improvement.
Prospective assessment of computer-aided detection in interpretation of screening mammography.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the usefulness of computer-aided detection (CAD) in the interpretation of screening mammography and to provide the true sensitivity and specificity of this technique in a clinical setting. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Over a 26-month period, 5,016 screening mammograms were interpreted without, and subsequently with, the assistance of the iCAD MammoReader detection system. Data collected for actionable findings included dominant feature (calcification, mass, asymmetry, architectural distortion), detection method (radiologist only, CAD only, or both radiologist and CAD), BI-RADS assessment code, associated histopathology for those undergoing biopsy, and tumor stage for malignant lesions. The study population was cross-checked against an independent reference standard to identify false-negative cases. RESULTS Of the 5,016 cases, the recall rate increased from 12% to 14% with the addition of CAD. Of the 107 (2%) patients who underwent biopsy, 101 (94%) were prompted by the radiologist and six (6%) were prompted by CAD. Of the 124 biopsies performed on actionable findings in the 107 patients, findings in 79 (64%) were benign and in 45 (36%) were in situ or invasive carcinoma. Three study participants who were not recalled by the radiologist with the assistance of CAD developed cancer within 1 year of the screening mammogram and were considered to be false-negative cases. The radiologist detected 43 (90%) of the 48 total malignancies and 45 (94%) of the 48 malignancies with the assistance of CAD. CAD missed eight cancers that were detected by the radiologist, which presented as architectural distortions (n = 3), irregular masses (n = 4), and a circumscribed mass (n = 1). CAD detected two in situ cancers as a faint cluster of calcifications that had not been perceived by the radiologist and one mass that was dismissed by the radiologist, accounting for at least a 4.7% increase in cancer detection rate. Sensitivity of screening mammography with the use of CAD (94%) represented an absolute and relative 4% increase over the sensitivity of the radiologist alone (90%). Specificity of screening mammography with and without the use of CAD was 99%. CONCLUSION Routine use of CAD while interpreting screening mammograms significantly increases recall rates, has no significant effect on positive predictive value for biopsy, and can increase cancer detection rate by at least 4.7% and sensitivity by at least 4%. This study provides "true" values for sensitivity and specificity for use of CAD in interpretation of screening mammography as measured prospectively in the context of a working clinical setting.
The RATE Study: The Faculty

For 3 years, teacher education faculty from 80 institutions have been surveyed by the Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Results indicate that faculty responding to the questionnaire were predominantly White males, around 50 years old, who were likely to remain in their current positions. Nearly all teacher education faculty had prior experience in the lower schools, and the majority reported ongoing work in schools. Publication rates were comparable to faculty in higher education generally.
Mexican migrant workers and workplace communication: the influence of informal labor on English language usage, literacy, and perceptions of ‘the American Dream’

This article describes the findings of an exploratory field study of Mexican migrant workers and the daily realities they experience when it comes to communicating for work in the United States, mainly in informal sectors of the economy. In unstructured interviews or ‘conversations,’ migrants share narratives about the type of communication they do at work, communication challenges, what they perceive as strengths and weaknesses/easy or difficult communication, and what profession they held when in Mexico. In addition, they provide insight into their feelings about the current state of the immigration in the United States, how much they know about the immigration debates, and how this might impact how they communicate at work. The article features migrant narratives, social-political-economic implications, and implications for continued research possibilities in this area, which is largely unexplored by communication research.
The Self-Analytic Case Method: Changing Learners' Attitudes About the Utility of the Applied Behavioral Sciences

This article focuses on an instructional/training problem in the behavioral sciences, namely, that learners often see the field as a collection of common sense and often (mistakenly) believe that they already follow the prescriptions of theories as diverse as Reinforce ment Theory and Theory Y Management. A method for changing these perceptions and attitudes called the self-analytic case study is presented along with preliminary evidence suggesting that the method works. Since the study was done both with undergraduate and MBA students, it is suggested that the method is a valuable training tool in both university classes and management develop ment workshops.