Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Politeness, Power, and Activity Systems

This article, using data from a year-long study of writing processes in an institutional context, looks at the demands made on writers in workplace environments as they make requests of their colleagues. Building on Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory, the study takes a view of context as being a key factor in framing requests, in addition subscribing to the notion of context as an ongoing dynamic, or mutually constitutive activity system. Although the variables of relative power and degree of imposition are important factors in the choices writers make, a further consideration is the need to balance their own relational needs with the expectations of the institution as they create texts for multiple audiences. In addition, the linguistic choices writers make in such contexts as they position themselves in relation to their peers and those further up the hierarchy may also serve to define and reinforce their identity within the institution.
Personal and situational factors influencing intrinsic interest of adolescent girls in school physical education: A structural equation modelling analysis.

This study assessed the influence of individual and contextual factors on adolescent girls' interest in school physical education (PE). Specifically, girls (N = 700) were assessed on: (1) perceptions of their PE class climate, using the Perceived Motivational Climate Scale (Cury et al, 1994); (2) dispositional achievement goal orientations, using the French version of the Perception of Success Questionnaire (Durand et al, in press); and (3) the interest and competence subscales from the French version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (Cury et al, 1994). Structural equation modelling analysis, using LISREL VII, showed an excellent fit with the hypothesized model. Specifically, situational class climate was found to be more important than individual goals in influencing pupil interest in PE. However, perceived competence also influenced interest, as did a mastery goal orientation. Results are discussed in the context of theoretical propositions of goal perspectives theory and practical issues of enhancing adolescent girls' interest in physical education.
Methods for toxicity assessment of contaminated soil by oral or dermal uptake in land snails: Metal bioavailability and bioaccumulation

Using two biological characteristics of the land snail (subspecies Helix aspersa aspersa and Helix aspersa maxima), i.e., soil eating and crawling on wet surfaces, methods were developed to assess the bioavailability of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn) from soil and aqueous leachates of soil. Measurement of heavy‐metal concentrations in soil, leachates, and soft tissues of snails showed that contamination from ingested soil is the major route for metal uptake. Generally, the concentrations of metals were greater in the viscera than in the foot and rose with the proportion of spiked soil (S1) in the diet. After ingestion of soil, bioaccumulation factors in the viscera were over two for Cd (3.5–27) and Zn (1.7–4.4) for both subspecies but were below one for Cr(0.04–0.6, exceptfor H. aspersa maxima: 1.21) and Pb(0.02–0.23). Contamination by leachate S1 mainly caused accumulation of Cr in the tissues. Determining the metal burden per snail enables an estimation to be made of the risk of secondary poisoning encountered by predators. The present study provides data on the bioavailability of metals in soils and on the relationships between bioaccumulation and sublethal effects.
An overview of surveys on how people view animal experimentation: some factors that may influence the outcome

Many factors may influence the outcome of surveys on how people view the use of animals in research. Some aspects are related to the instrument used, whereas others are related to the characteristics of the respondents. Conducted in Western countries, the study is primarily a review of 56 surveys targeting scientists, students, and the public. Surveys were obtained from searching online databases and reference lists, or directly from authors whose surveys were not otherwise available. Factors related to the instrument listed include the questionnaire used and wording of questions. Factors related to the respondent include age, gender, upbringing, religion, knowledge, education, and practical experience. Results demonstrate that there was great discrepancy in acceptance/opposition estimations reported in different surveys. It is concluded that interpretation and comparison of results from different surveys should be made with caution.
Percutaneous Treatment of Malignant Liver Lesions: Evaluation of Success Using Contrast- Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) and Perfusion Software

Abstract Aim Using new perfusion software for evaluation of the success of percutaneous treatments of malignant liver tumors with CEUS. Materials and Methods Retrospective analysis of 88 patients (74 male, 14 female; 30 – 84 years) with 165 malignant liver lesions. The lesions were 57 metastases and 108 HCCs. The success of interventional treatment (IRE n = 47; RFA n = 38; MWA n = 44; TACE n = 36) was evaluated by CEUS and perfusion software (VueBox®). CEUS was performed after injection of 1 – 2.4 ml of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles (SonoVue®) using a 1 – 5 MHz convex probe. DICOM loops up to 1 min. in the ablation area were stored digitally in the PACS. Regions of interest (ROI) were manually placed in the center, the margins of the lesions as well as in the surrounding tissue. Using VueBox® peak, time to peak (TTP), mean transit time (mTT), rise time (RT), the wash-in and wash-out rate were calculated for the regions, in order to evaluate the success of the percutaneous treatment after the ablation in comparison to the ceCT/ceMRI up to 6 months after the treatment. Results There were significant differences in all cases between the center compared to the margins for the main perfusion parameters (peak, mTT, RT) (p < 0.001). Peak, wash-in and wash-out ratios were further analyzed with the type of lesion and the method of ablation. All parameters were significantly different between lesions treated successfully vs. lesions with recurrence. Conclusion A combination of CEUS with perfusion imaging enables critical assessment of successful treatment after percutaneous interventional procedures for a malignant liver lesion.
The Behavioral Treatment of Childhood Nocturnal Enuresis.

Nocturnal enuresis is a relatively common childhood disorder. Although many treatments have been attempted, the most popular methods have been pharmacotherapy, individual psychotherapy, and behavioral conditioning. Of these, the most effective is behavioral conditioning with a urine alarm. The author reviews the enuresis literature and provides recommendations for use of the urine alarm approach.
Normative Variation of P3a and P3b from a Large Sample

Abstract. The P3a and P3b components were elicited in 120 (60 females, 60 males) young adults using a visual three-stimulus event-related brain potential (ERP) oddball paradigm in which subjects responded to an infrequent target. The major purpose of the paper was to provide a statistically strong characterization of these related P300 subcomponents. P3a components were obtained from the infrequently presented distracter stimulus, which was a large blue square. P3b components were obtained from the target stimulus, which was a blue circle that differed slightly in diameter from the standard stimulus blue circle. Amplitude measures demonstrated that P3a was maximum at Cz, and P3b was maximum at Pz; latency measures increased for both potentials from frontal to parietal recording sites. P3a and P3b from females were larger and later than those from male subjects, with topographic and appreciable individual difference variability observed. P3a was generally unrelated to response time. P3b amplitude was negat.
The impact of positive and corrective feedback on customer service performance

Determining and interpreting the impact that different types of feedback have on performance has been difficult because there are a number of complex theoretical processes or mechanisms involved. To minimize some of this complexity and rule out possible alternate explanations in this study subjects in highly routine tasks were used (111 employees from 11 fast food restaurants). A quasi-experimental field design compared the effects of positive versus corrective feedback. The term corrective feedback is deliberately used instead of negative feedback because of the close association that negative feedback has with noxious, punishment-based feedback. In this study, the term corrective is more descriptive of the type of feedback given to subjects, but the term negative could be substituted when making comparisons with the literature on feedback. The corrective feedback in this study is based on a cybernetic, self regulation model and the positive feedback is based on a behavioral reward approach. Consistent with the Closed Loop Model of Self Regulation, the results showed that positive feedback did not improve performance. The control group improved significantly more than the positive feedback group. However, the corrective feedback group did not perform significantly different from the control group. A secondary part of the study examined the impact that the two types of feedback had on non-performance variables of commitment, satisfaction and feedback acceptability. These latter results were mixed. The theoretical and practical implications of these performance and non-performance results are discussed.
Abstract Template

This letter presents the design and fabrication of a 340GHz sub-harmonic mixer (SHM), which mainly includes a pair of anti-parallel planar Schottky diodes fixed onto a quartz-based microstrip circuit chip. At room temperature, the mixer performances were measured in 313GHz-360GHz. Our recent results show that the signal side band (SSB) conversion losses were from 9.78 dB to 12.74dB, and the double side band (DSB) noise temperature was bellow 1000 K with an local oscillator (LO) power ranging from 2.8mW to 4 mW. The minimum DSB noise temperature was messured 883K @327 GHz.
The Meaning and the Source of the "la" and the "what" Particles in Singapore English

I read with great interest the article &dquo;The la Particle in Singapore English&dquo; by Richards and Tay (1977) and would like to venture here some observations of my own on the topic. While I agree completely with these two writers that the use of la in &dquo;Singapore English&dquo; marks a relationship of rapport, solidarity, familiarity and informality between the speakers, I would like to suggest here that perhaps this la particle (as well as the what particle) in &dquo;Singapore English&dquo; is more than just &dquo;a code marker&dquo; for this kind of relationship. It has perhaps a certain &dquo;emotive&dquo; function in a sentence, reflecting certain emotive attitudes on the part of the speaker, although this emotive meaning is highly flexible and its exact value cannot be determined when the particle is viewed in isolation. Another important and related point I wish to make here is that these two particles, la ~and what, which are expressive of certain attitudes or emotions on the part of the speaker, are probably features carried over from the use of what may be referred to as &dquo;emotive particles&dquo; in Chinese (Mandarin as well as some Chinese dialects).
Phosphatidylethanolamine augments factor VIIa-tissue factor activity: enhancement of sensitivity to phosphatidylserine.

The effect of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) on the activity of the factor VIIa-tissue factor complex (fVIIa-TF) has been examined with respect to plasma clotting activity and activation of factor X (fX) in a purified system. Vesicles prepared by relipidating membrane-anchored TF (dcTF; TF1-244, lacking the C-terminal cytoplasmic tail) into phospholipid vesicles containing 6 mol % phosphatidylserine (PS) and increasing levels of PE up to 40 mol % (the balance consisting of phosphatidylcholine) were found to progressively shorten TF-initiated clotting in normal human plasma to levels comparable to those observed using dcTF relipidated with cephalin. The shortened clotting times were at least in part due to the ability of PE-containing membranes to better support the activation of fX by the fVIIa.TF complex, as vesicles with increased PE content yielded progressively higher initial rates of fX activation. Surprisingly, PE substantially altered the sensitivity of fX activation to low levels of PS, yielding near-maximal rates of activation at only 3 mol % PS compared to 15-20 mol % PS required in the absence of PE. The effect of PE was not synergistic with that of PS since PE did not increase fX activation rates at high levels of PS (20 mol %). Examination of the kinetic parameters for fX activation revealed that the majority of the effect of PE was in decreasing the apparent Km for fX. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reversals of blood-brain barrier disruption by catalase: a serial magnetic resonance imaging study of experimental optic neuritis.

PURPOSE To investigate serially the role of catalase detoxification of endogenous H2O2 in the disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and demyelination of experimental optic neuritis. METHODS Serial contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the optic nerves (T1 weighted) and T2 weighted MRI without contrast were performed on 18 guinea pigs 3 to 14 days after sensitization with central myelin for experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Sex and age-matched littermates were paired and sensitized with the identical antigenic emulsion. To detoxify endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-catalase at a dose of 12,000 U/kg per day for 3 days, then 1,200 U/kg daily for the next week, commencing 3 days after antigenic sensitization. Littermates received an equal volume of preservative-free saline. The intensity of gadolinium-DTPA (Gd-DTPA) enhancement was quantitated by obtaining the value for a region of interest (ROI) of the right optic nerve and the left optic nerve. The effect of H2O2 detoxification by catalase was evaluated by differences in the intensity of Gd-DTPA enhancement and T2 weighted signal in the ROI of the right and the left optic nerves at 7, 10, and 14 days after antigenic sensitization, from the pretreatment value obtained at day 3. The effectiveness of catalase detoxification of H2O2 was assessed with quantitative ultracytochemical localization of electron-dense, H2O2-derived cerium perhydroxide in the optic nerves. RESULTS With PEG-catalase treatment, mean differences for Gd-DTPA enhancement in the ROI at 7, 10, and 14 days after antigenic sensitization were significantly reduced from the pretreatment values obtained 3 days after antigenic sensitization compared with the comparable interval values for untreated littermates. For T2 weighted signal intensity, only the 7- and 14-day values were significantly less with PEG-catalase compared with values for littermates obtained at comparable intervals. Quantitative ultracytochemical localization of H2O2-derived cerium perhydroxide reaction product revealed significant reductions in the medium number of cerium particle counts of the optic nerve head, sheath, and myelinated retrobulbar nerve. CONCLUSIONS PEG-catalase reduced H2O2-derived cerium perhydroxide reaction product in the optic nerve but did not eliminate it, reversed disruption of the BBB as measured by Gd-DTPA enhancement, and reduced demyelination and edema as measured by T2 weighted signal intensity, suggesting detoxification of H2O2 as a new treatment strategy for disorders of primary demyelination of the central nervous system.
Invasive Macrophytes Control the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen in a Shallow Lake: A Proposed Feedback Mechanism of Macrophyte Loss

Submerged macrophytes can have a profound effect on shallow lake ecosystems through their ability to modify the thermal structure and dissolved oxygen levels within the lake. Invasive macrophytes, in particular, can grow rapidly and induce thermal gradients in lakes that may substantially change the ecosystem structure and challenge the survival of aquatic organisms. We performed fine-scale measurements and 3D numerical modeling at high spatiotemporal resolution to assess the effect of the seasonal growth of Potamogeton crispus L. on the spatial and temporal dynamics of temperature and dissolved oxygen in a shallow urban lake (Lake Monger, Perth, WA, Australia). Daytime stratification developed during the growing season and was clearly observed throughout the macrophyte bed. At all times measured, stratification was stronger at the center of the macrophyte bed compared to the bed edges. By fitting a logistic growth curve to changes in plant height over time (r2 = 0.98), and comparing this curve to temperature data at the center of the macrophyte bed, we found that stratification began once the macrophytes occupied at least 50% of the water depth. This conclusion was strongly supported by a 3D hydrodynamic model fitted to weekly temperature profiles measured at four time periods throughout the growing season (r2 > 0.78 at all times). As the macrophyte height increased and stratification developed, dissolved oxygen concentration profiles changed from vertically homogeneous oxic conditions during both the day and night to expression of night-time anoxic conditions close to the sediments. Spatially interpolated maps of dissolved oxygen and 3D numerical modeling results indicated that the plants also reduced horizontal exchange with surrounding unvegetated areas, preventing flushing of low dissolved oxygen water out of the center of the bed. Simultaneously, aerial imagery showed central dieback occurring toward the end of the growing season. Thus, we hypothesized that stratification-induced anoxia can lead to accelerated P. crispus dieback in this region, causing formation of a ring-shaped pattern in spatial macrophyte distribution. Overall, our study demonstrates that submerged macrophytes can alter the thermal characteristics and oxygen levels within shallow lakes and thus create challenging conditions for maximizing their spatial coverage.
Some Implications of Life Span Developmental Psychology for Adult Education and Learning

Many adult educators do not consider developmental psychology relevant to adult education because the bulk of developmental theory offers little for practical application. This paper describes a different perspective of adult psychology—life span developmental psychology—which holds great promise for educators in understanding better adult learning. We attempt to make explicit and to strengthen connections between developmental theory and adult education practice and describe three research traditions in adult development that can inform adult education. These include psychometric studies tracking gains and losses in intellectual functioning over the life span, studies of everyday cognition and adaptive competence, and theoretical descriptions of post-formal styles of adult cognition. We integrate these diverse perspectives on intellectual development and derive several implications for adult education. Evidence from life span developmental psychology leads us to conclude that the most effective adult learning occurs when instruction matches real-life applications within learners’ social contexts.
The fight for ‘how to think’: Traditional media, social networks, and issue interpretation

This study tested social influence theories against traditional media attribute agenda setting theory within 18 ideologically diverse political blogs, two elite traditional media entities, and the latter’s 11 political newsroom blogs across three issues in 2007. Results reveal significant correlations in left-leaning network agendas ranging from 0.64 to 0.91 through all issue periods. Social influence did not homogenize interpretative agendas within the right-leaning network through two of the three issue periods. As predicted, partisan blog networks showed insignificant correlations in attribute agendas, and unlike the left-leaning and moderate blog networks, the right-leaning blog network bore little similarity to traditional media’s issue interpretation across two of the three issues.These findings point to two significant trends: the growing power of social influence among partisan blog networks and the weakening influence of elite, traditional media as a singular power in influencing issue interpretation within networked political environments.
Interleukin-10 Enhances the Intestinal Epithelial Barrier in the Presence of Corticosteroids through p38 MAPK Activity in Caco-2 Monolayers: A Possible Mechanism for Steroid Responsiveness in Ulcerative Colitis

Glucocorticosteroids are the first line therapy for moderate-severe flare-ups of ulcerative colitis. Despite that, up to 60% of patients do not respond adequately to steroid treatment. Previously, we reported that low IL-10 mRNA levels in intestine are associated with a poor response to glucocorticoids in active Crohn’s disease. Here, we test whether IL-10 can favour the response to glucocorticoids by improving the TNFα-induced intestinal barrier damage (assessed by transepithelial electrical resistance) in Caco-2 monolayers, and their possible implications on glucocorticoid responsiveness in active ulcerative colitis. We show that the association of IL-10 and glucocorticoids improves the integrity of TNFα-treated Caco-2 cells and that p38 MAPK plays a key role. In vitro, IL-10 facilitates the nuclear translocation of p38 MAPK-phosphorylated thereby modulating glucocorticoids-receptor-α, IL-10-receptor-α and desmoglein-2 expression. In glucocorticoids-refractory patients, p38 MAPK phosphorylation and membrane desmoglein-2 expression are reduced in colonic epithelial cells. These results suggest that p38 MAPK-mediated synergism between IL-10 and glucocorticoids improves desmosome straightness contributing to the recovery of intestinal epithelium and reducing luminal antigens contact with lamina propria in ulcerative colitis. This study highlights the link between the intestinal epithelium in glucocorticoids-response in ulcerative colitis.
Time to exercise!: an aide-memoire stroke app for post-stroke arm rehabilitation

A majority of Stroke survivors have an arm impairment (up to 80%), which persists over the long term (>12 months). Physiotherapy experts believe that a rehabilitation Aide-Memoire could help these patients [25]. Hence, we designed, with the input of physiotherapists, Stroke experts and former Stroke patients, the Aide-Memoire Stroke (AIMS) App to help them remember to exercise more frequently. We evaluated its use in a controlled field evaluation on a smartphone, tablet and smartwatch. Since one of the main features of the app is to remind Stroke survivors to exercise we also investigated reminder modalities (i.e., visual, vibrate, audio, speech). One key finding is that Stroke survivors opted for a combination of modalities to remind them to conduct their exercises. Also, Stroke survivors seem to prefer smartphones compared to other mobile devices due to their ease of use, usability, familiarity and being easier to handle with one arm.