Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of dietary supplementation of synbiotics on growth performance, intestinal morphology, sIgA content and antioxidant capacities of broilers.

Today, several strategies are being used to decrease the serious effects of antibiotics abuse on broilers industry and public health, among which synbiotics are one of the most promising antibiotic alternative. This study was undertaken to assess the effects of synbiotics, which composed of probiotics (Bacillus subtilis) and prebiotics (xylooligosaccharide and mannanoligosaccharide), on growth performance, intestinal morphology, sIgA content and antioxidant parameters of broilers. Four hundred and fifty one-day-old commercial Cobb48 broilers were assigned to five treatments consisting of six replicates of 15 birds each pen. Five dietary treatments include basal diets (control), basal diets plus antibiotics (4 mg/kg Xanthomycin), basal diets plus 1 g of probiotics B. subtilis product/kg of diets (4 × 108 cfu/kg), basal diets plus 150 mg/kg xylooligosaccharide (35%) and 1 g/kg mannanoligosaccharide (75%), and basal diets plus synbiotics (1 g of probiotics B. subtilis product/kg of diets (4 × 108 cfu/kg), 150 mg/kg xylooligosaccharide (35%) and 1 g/kg mannanoligosaccharide (75%). The results demonstrated that on 21 and 42 days, dietary supplementation of the synbiotics significantly increased daily weight gain (p < 0.05), feed efficiency (p < 0.05), the villus height and villus:crypt ratio in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum (p < 0.05), as well as intestinal mucosa sIgA content (p < 0.05), serum T-SOD activity (p < 0.05) and lysozyme content (p < 0.05), comparing with control group. In conclusion, synbiotics (B. subtilis and xylooligosaccharide and mannanoligosaccharide) is one of the safe and ideal dietary supplementations to increase broilers' growth performance by improving small intestinal morphology, sIgA content and antioxidant capabilities.
Council and Administrator Perspectives on the City Manager's Role

The conflict in role perceptions held by council members and city managers has been reported frequently in the literature on urban politics and administration. In this view, the city manager has emerged into a policy leadership role but must confine that leadership to safe areas because the council continues to view the manager as an administrative technician. This thesis needs to be reexamined to better understand city managers and their relationship to elected officials. The manager's policy role is not new, and a review of evidence in existing studies as well as new surveys do not support the conclusion that the council and manager have conflicting definitions of the manager's role. There is some divergence which reflects differences in values and background between elected officials and professional administrators. The general congruence of attitudes and acceptance of the manager s policy role, however, indicates that the city manager can be a leader in the governmental process.
Validating a test of second language written lexical retrieval: a new measure of fluency in written language production

Lexical retrieval is an essential subprocess of language production and crucial in fluent writing and speaking. In this study we discuss a new measure of the speed of written lexical retrieval in a second language, the Written Productive Translation Task (WPTT). In contrast to Picture Naming tasks, the WPTT is not restricted to concrete nouns and verbs that can be depicted by pictures. The WPTT can also test combinations of words. Moreover, the WPTT can be used in a classroom setting because individual testing is not required. Using Messick’s 1989 framework, we investigated whether the WPTT is an appropriate measure of the construct of written lexical retrieval. In a multiple regression approach we examined the relationship between the WPTT and another test of the same construct, a written Picture Naming task. In addition, we looked at the relationship with other related constructs such as lexical access and orthographic encoding. Results suggest that the WPTT is both a reliable and valid measure of written lexical retrieval. When corrected for typing speed, the WPTT is related to the Picture Naming task and Orthographic Encoding. Finally, the results show that the relationship between the WPTT and the Lexical Decision Task is not very strong. This study makes clear that Lexical Decision Tasks do not constitute a valid substitute for measuring written lexical retrieval. At the same time it underlines the advantages of using a test specifically developed for measuring speed of written lexical retrieval like the WPTT.
DigitalCommons@UNO DigitalCommons@UNO

Excessive tibial rotation has been documented in ACL deficiency during walking. ACL reconstruction has been unable to correct this abnormality in activities that are more demanding than walking and involve both anterior and rotational loading of the knee. These findings persist regardless of graft selection for the ACL reconstruction [bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) or semitendinosus-gracilis (ST/G)]. Based on this research work, we propose a theoretical perspective for the development of osteoarthritis in both the ACL deficient and the ACL reconstructed knee. We propose that excessive tibial rotation will lead to abnormal loading of the cartilage areas that are not commonly loaded in the healthy knee. Overtime this abnormal loading will lead to osteoarthritis. We hypothesize that the development of new surgical procedures and grafts, such as a more horizontally oriented femoral tunnel or a double-bundle ACL reconstruction could possibly restore tibial rotation to normal levels and prevent future knee pathology. However, in-vivo gait analysis studies are needed, that will examine the effects of these surgical procedures on tibial rotation. Prospective in-vivo and in-vitro studies are also necessary to verify or refute our theoretical proposition for the development of osteoarthritis.
Health-specific leadership: Is there an association between leader consideration for the health of employees and their strain and well-being?

The aim of this study is to examine the concept of health-specific leadership, differentiate it from sound general leadership and identify whether it has an impact on employee strain, alongside general sound leadership practices. Health-specific leadership is conceptualized as the leader's explicit consideration of and engagement in employee health. The study is based on research in the field of leadership impact on employee strain, health and well-being, extended by recent findings of the importance of domain-specific leadership constructs. As indicated by previous relevant studies, we include psychological climate for health, role ambiguity and job satisfaction as mediating variables. Using structural equation modelling, a sample of 1027 employees of the German tax administration was examined. The results show differential effects for health-specific and general sound leadership. While neither of these two aspects of leadership exhibited a direct association with employee strain, general sound leadership practices were significantly related to lower employee strain through lower levels of role ambiguity, better psychological climate for health and higher job satisfaction. Health-specific leadership was associated with higher levels of psychological climate for health, but also higher role ambiguity.
Tolterodine, a New Antimuscarinic Drug for Treatment of Bladder Overactivity

Tolterodine is a nonsubtype selective antimuscarinic agent recently approved as therapy in patients with overactive bladder with symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency, or urge incontinence. It acts by muscarinic receptor blockade in the bladder wall and detrusor muscle. Despite short terminal disposition half‐lives of 2–3 and 3–4 hours for tolterodine and its active 5‐hydroxy metabolite, respectively, twice/day dosing is effective due to the drug's prolonged pharmacodynamic effects. Dosage adjustment is recommended in the presence of hepatic impairment and during concurrent therapy with drugs that inhibit cytochrome P450 2D6 and 3A4 isozymes. Tolterodine significantly reduces clinically relevant end points such as number of micturitions and number of incontinence episodes/day. In general, it is superior to placebo and equivalent to oxybutynin in this regard. As might be expected from its pharmacologic profile, the principal adverse effects of the drug are anticholinergic. In clinical trials, tolterodine was tolerated significantly better than oxybutynin. Its relative merits as a first‐ or second‐line agent for patients intolerant of oxybutynin are unclear. Until pharmacoeconomic analyses are conducted that clearly justify use of this more expensive agent, tolterodine is perhaps best reserved for patients who are intolerant of or fail oxybutynin therapy.
The effect of instruction on socio‐cultural beliefs hindering the learning of science

Although recent studies have shown that the sociocultural characteristics which children in non-western society bring into the classroom from their environment create a wedge between what they are taught and what they learn, very little has been done to solve the problem. A learner who is not positively disposed to, or has a socio-cultural background that is indifferent to, learning science would find it hard to learn science effectively. This study investigated whether instruction through the use of the socio-cultural mode has any significant effect on students' attitude towards the learning of science. The sample consisted of 600 senior secondary year-one students (442 boys, 158 girls) from 15 secondary schools in Nigeria. The Socio-Cultural Environment Scale (SCES) and the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) were used to measure the change in attitude and achievement of subjects in a pretest-posttest situation after a six-week treatment. Evidence was found to support the hypothesis that science instruction which deliberately involves the discussion of socio-cultural views about science concepts engenders positive attitudes towards the study of science. The findings also indicate that anthropomorphic and mechanistic views can be presented in such a way as to promote positive attitudes towards the study of science in traditional cultures.
Children’s Phonological Awareness as a Predictor of Reading and Spelling

Abstract. Numerous observational and experimental studies have shown that phonological awareness relates to reading and spelling. However, most studies were conducted in English-speaking countries, neglecting the issue of the generalizability of the findings across different orthographies. This meta-analysis focused exclusively on studies from German-speaking countries and explored how measures of phonological awareness relate longitudinally to reading and spelling. It summarized 19 manuscripts reporting the results of 21 independent studies. Results indicated a mean effect size of Zr = 0.318 (r = .308) for the relation between phonological awareness and later reading and spelling. Moderator analyses showed that phonological awareness on the rhyme level was less related to reading and spelling than phonological awareness on the phoneme level. Furthermore, the predictive power of phonological awareness remained substantial even for children beyond the second grade. The findings suggest that research on rea.
Affiliation, autonomy and Assessment for Learning

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is an international assessment area of interest, yet, during 20 years of AfL research, the desired outcome of increased learner autonomy remains elusive. This article analyses AfL practices in classrooms as students negotiated identities as autonomous learners within a classroom community of practice. A sociocultural theoretical framework informed the analysis of three case studies conducted in Queensland middle school classrooms. Key findings include the importance of the teacher–student relationship, viewing AfL as patterns of participation that develop expertise, and learner autonomy as a negotiated learner identity within each classroom context.
High-Salt Diet Causes Osmotic Gradients and Hyperosmolality in Skin Without Affecting Interstitial Fluid and Lymph

The common notion is that the body Na+ is maintained within narrow limits for fluid and blood pressure homeostasis. Several studies have, however, shown that considerable amounts of Na+ can be retained or removed from the body without commensurate water loss and that the skin can serve as a major salt reservoir. Our own data from rats have suggested that the skin is hypertonic compared with plasma on salt storage and that this also applies to skin interstitial fluid. Even small electrolyte gradients between plasma and interstitial fluid would represent strong edema-generating forces. Because the water accumulation has been shown to be modest, we decided to reexamine with alternative methods in rats whether interstitial fluid is hypertonic during salt accumulation induced by high-salt diet (8% NaCl and 1% saline to drink) or deoxycorticosterone pellet implantation. These treatments resulted both in increased systemic blood pressure, skin salt, and water accumulation and in skin hyperosmolality. Interstitial fluid isolated from implanted wicks and lymph draining the skin was, however, isosmotic, and Na+ concentration in fluid isolated by centrifugation and in lymph was not different from plasma. Interestingly, by eluting layers of the skin, we could show that there was an osmolality and urea gradient from epidermis to dermis. Collectively, our data suggest that fluid leaving the skin as lymph is isosmotic to plasma but also that the skin can differentially control its own electrolyte microenvironment by creating local gradients that may be functionally important.
The Use of Sexual History Narratives to Assess Processes of Hegemonic Masculinity among South African Men in the Context of HIV/AIDS

Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinities has been invaluable for prevention efforts that seek to promote a shift in hegemonic male norms driving the HIV epidemic. However, inadequate attention has been given to the internal processes of hegemony, which limits the comprehension of how to engage men in HIV prevention efforts. A narrative approach, which privileges the diversity in men’s lived experiences, could address such concerns. Fifty sexual history interviews were conducted with men sampled from three age categories: (eighteen to twenty-four, twenty-five to fifty-four and fifty-five plus), a range of cultural and racial backgrounds, and in urban and rural sites across five provinces in South Africa. For the purpose of this article, narrative analysis was conducted on three cases that provide a platform for understanding how men both conform to and resist gender norms that influence their sexual and reproductive health. Implications of the narratives for gender transformative HIV prevention efforts are discussed.
Toward the Cross-Cultural Validation of a Western Model of Student Approaches to Learning

The cross-cultural validity of the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI) was supported in an investigation of 302 first-year undergraduates enrolled at a Nepalese university. Evidence of a meaningful learning process model underlying ASI responses was found. As predicted, self-esteem correlated significancy with a more versatile approach to learning. Differences were found between the responses of Australian and Nepalese students to the ASI, but these were not easy to interpret.
Child neuropsychological assessment: A test of basic assumptions

Abstract Interpretations of child neuropsychological assessment findings are based on two largely untested assumptions regarding test validity. First, we assume that test results vary with the integrity of the CNS, or that they have neurological validity. Second, we assume that these results are associated with, or predict, problems in ecologically meaningful aspects of childhood functioning, such as academic learning or behavioral adjustment. Test results have psychological validity to the extent that this second assumption is met. To put these two assumptions to empirical test, the present study examined developmental outcomes in 113 school-age children who had been hospitalized earlier in life for Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis. Only children without sensorineural hearing loss were considered. Analyses focused on associations of individual neuropsychological measures to acute-phase medical status, social-environmental variables, and behavioral and learning outcomes. Findings document both for.
Differential Reinforcing Effects of Cocaine and GBR-12909: Biochemical Evidence for Divergent Neuroadaptive Changes in the Mesolimbic Dopaminergic System

The dopamine (DA) transporter is thought to be the primary mediator of reinforcing effects of cocaine. In the present study, an intravenous drug self-administration procedure, in vitroautoradiography, and HPLC methods were used to investigate possible differences in reinforcing and neuroadaptive responses to cocaine versus GBR-12909, a selective inhibitor of the DA transporter with a postulated therapeutic use in cocaine abuse. Drug-naive rats readily acquired and subsequently maintained cocaine self-administration behavior during 2 hr daily sessions over a prolonged period. In contrast, although GBR-12909 was initially self-administered, both cocaine-naive and cocaine-trained rats failed to maintain self-administration behavior for GBR-12909 over prolonged periods of time. After self-administration responding decreased with GBR-12909, rats showed a delay of 6.6 ± 1.3 sessions in reacquiring consistent cocaine self-administration. Moreover, when GBR-12909 was again substituted for cocaine, they failed to self-administer GBR-12909, even during the initial days of testing. In contrast, after extinction of self-administration responding by water substitution, rats readily self-administered both cocaine and GBR-12909. Cocaine self-administration upregulated DA transporters, whereas water-substituted cocaine withdrawal upregulated both DA transporters and D1 receptors. Unlike cocaine, GBR-12909 self-administration by itself altered neither DA transporters nor D1 or D2 receptors. Nevertheless, substitution of GBR-12909 for cocaine reversed the cocaine-induced upregulation of DA transporters and reduced DA and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels in the mesolimbic system. These data suggest that cocaine and GBR-12909 differentially affect dopaminergic systems and also cause different reinforcing and neuroadaptive effects. GBR-12909-like compounds may be useful pharmacotherapeutic agents for cocaine addiction. Upregulation of DA transporters and D1 receptors might play important roles in the neuroadaptive cascade that leads to cocaine addiction and withdrawal.
`Political Correctness': the Politics of Culture and Language

In this article, I approach the controversy over `political correctness' (PC) in terms of three questions: a socio-historical question, a theoretical question and a political question as follows. (1) Why this apparently increasing focus in politics on achieving social and political change through changing culture and changing language - what has happened socially that can explain the `cultural turn' and the `language turn' in politics, in social and political theory, and in other domains of social practice? (2) How are we to understand the relationships among culture, language and other elements of social life and social practices - how are we to understand the relationship between change in culture and language, and social change? (3) For those who are politically committed to substantive social and political change (whether on the right or on the left), what place can a politics centred around culture and language have in a political strategy which is to have some chance of success? The article concludes with a discussion of strategies and tactics for contesting critiques of `PC'.
Effects of testosterone treatment on endometrial proliferation in postmenopausal women.

CONTEXT Available data concerning effects of testosterone on endometrium of postmenopausal women are seriously limited. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to compare the influence of treatment with testosterone and/or estrogen on endometrial proliferation in healthy postmenopausal women. DESIGN This was an open, randomized clinical study with parallel comparison of the groups. SETTING The study was conducted at a women's health clinical research unit and a research laboratory at a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-three women who had experienced natural menopause participated in this study. INTERVENTIONS After random assignment, the participants were administered orally testosterone undecanoate (40 mg every second day), estradiol valerate (2 mg daily), or both for 3 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Endometrial thickness was measured, and endometrial proliferation evaluated on the basis of histopathology and expression of Ki-67, a proliferation marker. RESULTS Endometrial thickness was significantly increased by treatment with estrogen alone or in combination with testosterone but was unaltered by testosterone alone. Among the women receiving estrogen alone, the proportion exhibiting histopathology indicative of proliferation increased significantly to 50% (P < 0.05), there was a nonsignificant increase to 28% with the combined treatment, whereas testosterone alone had no effect at all. Expression of Ki-67 was up-regulated significantly in both glands and stroma (P < 0.05, respectively) in both estrogen treatment groups. However, the expression was significantly higher in stroma by estrogen treatment alone than after combined treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The short-term treatment with testosterone of postmenopausal women does not stimulate endometrial proliferation. In addition, testosterone appears to counteract endometrial proliferation induced by estrogen to a certain extent.
The relationship between academics' conceptions of knowledge, research and teaching – a metaphor study

Universities are supposed to be institutes where research and teaching are closely related. To understand this relationship fully, it is necessary to learn how academics perceive these key components. Different conceptions among academics may stem from varying conceptions of knowledge. Thirty academics were interviewed by means of metaphors about their conceptions of research, teaching and knowledge. academics' conceptions of knowledge ranged from knowledge as facts in an external world to knowledge as a personal construction. Their conceptions of research ranged from research as disclosing patterns to research as creating patterns. Their conceptions of teaching ranged from teaching as knowledge transmission to teaching as encouraging critical thinking. Regarding the relationships between these conceptions, academics' conceptions of knowledge and research were shown to be closely linked, while their conceptions of teaching had a weaker association with their conceptions of knowledge and research.
Not Read, but Nevertheless Solved? Three Experiments on PIRLS Multiple Choice Reading Comprehension Test Items

Multiple-choice (MC) reading comprehension test items comprise three components: text passage, questions about the text, and MC answers. The construct validity of this format has been repeatedly criticized. In three between-subjects experiments, fourth graders (N 1 = 230, N 2 = 340, N 3 = 194) worked on three versions of MC items from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2001 reading comprehension test with relevant components successively deleted: “original version” (text, questions, MC-answers), “version without text” (questions, MC-answers), “version without text and without questions” (only MC-answers). Answering correctly the MC items became more difficult as the relevant information was eliminated. In the two narrative fictional texts presented, the students' performance of the version without text was not better than chance. Conversely in the informational (fictional) text, the students' performance of the version without text was better than chance. In the third condition, students' performance was never better than chance.