Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Integration of Research Studies on the Use of Simulation as an Instructional Strategy.

AbstractClaims about the efficacy of simulation as an instrumental strategy are both relatively unsubstantiated and inconclusive. This study evaluates 93 empirical research studies concerned with simulation for instructional purposes using meta-analysis as a procedure to integrate the results of research findings. The simulation studies could be classified as being concerned with student cognitive development or retention, or attitude formation. Meta-analysis of the data revealed that simulation as an instructional strategy is only more effective than the lecture method for attitude formation. The results also suggested that the simulation characteristics, duration, and sample size of the simulation group are important variables.
Prognostic significance of the FLT3 ITD mutation in patients with normal-karyotype acute myeloid leukemia in relapse

Background Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3 ITD) mutation is related to poor prognosis in normal-karyotype acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the prognostic significance of the mutation at relapse has not been adequately investigated. We investigated the prognostic significance of the FLT3 ITD mutation at relapse in normal-karyotype AML patients. Methods We analyzed 69 normal-karyotype AML patients, in whom paired bone marrow samples taken at initial diagnosis and subsequent relapse were analyzed for the FLT3 ITD mutation at the Asan Medical Center between 1995 and 2009. Results Forty patients showed a persistent wild-type genotype, 11 showed the FLT3 ITD mutation at diagnosis and relapse, and 9 lost and another 9 acquired the mutation at relapse. The mutation status at relapse affected the overall survival (OS), with the mutation group showing shorter OS and survival after relapse than the wild-type group did (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively), despite having received more frequent stem cell transplantation after relapse than the wild-type group did. However, no difference was detected in the OS and survival after relapse with regard to the mutation status at diagnosis. Conclusion The patients with FLT3 ITD mutation at relapse showed poorer prognoses than those without the mutation. However, mutation status at diagnosis did not affect the outcome. These results suggest that, in normal-karyotype AML patients with relapse, the prognostic significance of FLT3 ITD mutation at relapse is greater than that of the mutation status at diagnosis.
Predominance of Cronobacter sakazakii Sequence Type 4 in Neonatal Infections

A 7-loci (3,036 nt) multilocus sequence typing scheme was applied to 41 clinical isolates of Cronobacter sakazakii. Half (20/41) of the C. sakazakii strains were sequence type (ST) 4, and 9/12 meningitis isolates were ST4. C. sakazakii ST4 appears to be a highly stable clone with a high propensity for neonatal meningitis.
Gender differences in facial expressions of emotions

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF TABLES . ix LIST OF FIGURES . x LIST OF APPENDIX . xi INTROUCTION 1 Facial Expressions Communicate Emotions 2 Facial electromyography (EMG) 4 Gender Differences of Emotion 5 Gender Differences in Facial Expressions of Specific Emotions 6 Happiness 7 Fear 9 Anger 10 Hypotheses Statement 12 First trial 13 Second trial 14 METHOD 17 Participants 17 Stimui 17 First trial 17 Second trial 18 vii Measure 19 EMG response 19 Self-report of experiential emotion 20 First trial 20 Second trial 20 Procedures 20 Data Analysis 22 EMG response 22 Self-report of experiential emotion 23 RSEULT 24 EMG Reponse of Facial Expression 24 First trial 24 Second trial 28 Self-Report of Experiential Emotion 32 First trial 32 Second trial 35 DISCUSSION 38 The Effect of Emotion on Facial EMG and Self-Rating 38 Gender Differences in Facial Expressions and Emotions 40 Happiness 41 Fear 43 Anger 45 Limitations and Future Research 47
A Comparison of Anglos and Mexican Americans on Selected Measures of Social Support

Differences between Anglos and Mexican Americans are examined for three measures of social support. Most initial ethnic differences disappeared when the effects of age, gender, education, income, and marital status were controlled. There were some differences in the pattern and magnitude of associations between measures of social support and demographic variables when analyses were stratified by ethnicity. Methodologic and substantive implications of the findings are discussed.
Intelligibility of phonological disorder assessed by three groups of judges.

BACKGROUND intelligibility of phonological disorder. AIM to compare the intelligibility of phonological disorder analyzed by three distinct groups of judges. METHOD the research consisted of two samples: one sample was composed by 30 individuals with phonological disorder (assessed individuals) and the other sample was composed by the judges (speech-language therapists, laypeople and mothers). The spontaneous speech of children (i.e. three narratives of logical sequences) was analyzed by the different judges according to instructions given for intelligibility identification. For the data analysis, the mode of 90 sets of narratives was performed. The Kappa Concordance Analysis was then used to investigate statistical significance. RESULTS the statistical analysis indicates greater concordance between the judges for the end assessment possibilities (good and insufficient). Concordance among all judges was substantial in the identification of good intelligibility. Judgment of regular intelligibility was the most difficult. CONCLUSION it was observed that the more unintelligible the speech, the more severe its classification by the groups of judges.
The Burden of Chronic Kidney Disease on Developing Nations: A 21st Century Challenge in Global Health

Chronic diseases present a significant challenge to 21st century global health policy. In developing nations, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease has severe implications on health and economic output. The rapid rise of common risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, especially among the poor, will result in even greater and more profound burdens that developing nations are not equipped to handle. Attention to chronic diseases, chronic kidney disease in particular, has been lacking, largely due to the global health community’s focus on infectious diseases and lack of awareness. There is a critical need for funding in and to developing countries to implement more comprehensive, cost-effective, and preventative interventions against chronic diseases. This paper examines the epidemiology of chronic diseases, the growing prevalence of chronic kidney disease and its implications for global public health, and the associated health and economic burdens. Finally, a summary review of cost-effective interventions and funding needs is provided.
Generalizing deep learning models for medical image classification

Numerous Deep Learning (DL) models have been developed for a large spectrum of medical image analysis applications, which promises to reshape various facets of medical practice. Despite early advances in DL model validation and implementation, which encourage healthcare institutions to adopt them, some fundamental questions remain: are the DL models capable of generalizing? What causes a drop in DL model performances? How to overcome the DL model performance drop? Medical data are dynamic and prone to domain shift, due to multiple factors such as updates to medical equipment, new imaging workflow, and shifts in patient demographics or populations can induce this drift over time. In this paper, we review recent developments in generalization methods for DL-based classification models. We also discuss future challenges, including the need for improved evaluation protocols and benchmarks, and envisioned future developments to achieve robust, generalized models for medical image classification.
Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between the Big Five and Academic Success at University

Abstract. Interest in the prediction of academic success in higher education has grown considerably in recent years in German-speaking countries. While the validity of school grades and admission tests has been investigated by meta-analyses and large-scale studies at least in the United States, less is known about noncognitive predictors of academic success. The present meta-analysis investigates the impact of the Big Five personality factors on academic success at university. A total of 258 correlation coefficients from 58 studies published since 1980 were included. Grades, retention, and satisfaction served as success criteria. Correlations were corrected for attenuation caused by measurement error. Results show that the influence of personality traits on academic achievement depends on the success criterion. While Neuroticism is related to academic satisfaction (? = -.369, k = 8), Conscientiousness correlates with grades (? = .269, k = 41). Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and Agreeableness have n.
Guarantees for Greedy Maximization of Non-submodular Functions with Applications

We investigate the performance of the standard GREEDY algorithm for cardinality constrained maximization of non-submodular nondecreasing set functions. While there are strong theoretical guarantees on the performance of GREEDY for maximizing submodular functions, there are few guarantees for non-submodular ones. However, GREEDY enjoys strong empirical performance for many important non-submodular functions, e.g., the Bayesian A-optimality objective in experimental design. We prove theoretical guarantees supporting the empirical performance. Our guarantees are characterized by a combination of the (generalized) curvature α and the sub-modularity ratio γ. In particular, we prove that GREEDY enjoys a tight approximation guarantee of 1/α (1 - e-γα) for cardinality constrained maximization. In addition, we bound the submod-ularity ratio and curvature for several important real-world objectives, including the Bayesian A-optimality objective, the determinantal function of a square submatrix and certain linear programs with combinatorial constraints. We experimentally validate our theoretical findings for both synthetic and real-world applications.
The Purpose of Lexical/Sublexical Interaction during Spelling: Further Evidence from Dysgraphia and Articulatory Suppression

We investigated how the lexical and sublexical processes interact in spelling using an articulatory suppression task to disrupt the sublexical process in a dysgraphic patient (JDO). Using a similar task, Folk et al. (2002) found evidence that the sublexical process interacts with the lexical process by strengthening a target word’s graphemes. We replicated the findings of Folk et al. in a patient with a more severe deficit to the lexical process. We compared the error patterns produced under normal spelling conditions versus spelling during articulatory suppression and found an increase in lexical substitution errors (“thaw”→T-H-O-U-G-H) under articulatory suppression. These findings indicate that by strengthening a target word’s graphemes, the sublexical process helps to create an advantage for a target word over form-related word neighbours that compete with it for output.
Big brother logic: logical modeling and reasoning about agents equipped with surveillance cameras in the plane

We consider multi-agent scenarios where each agent controls a surveillance camera positioned in the plane, with fixed position and angle of view, but rotating freely. The agents can thus observe the surroundings and each other. They can also reason about each other's observation abilities and knowledge derived from these observations. We introduce suitable logical languages for reasoning about such scenarios which involve atomic formulae stating what agents can see, multi-agent epistemic operators for individual, distributed and common knowledge, as well as dynamic operators reflecting the ability of cameras to turn around in order to reach positions satisfying formulae in the language. We introduce semantics of our basic logic BBL and its extensions on natural geometric models, as well as formal Kripke semantics for them in vision-based finite abstractions of the geometric models. We discuss the expressiveness of our logical languages and provide their translations in PDL style. Using these translations we develop algorithms and obtain complexity results for model checking and satisfiability testing for BBL and its extensions. Notably, we show that even for the extension with common knowledge, model checking remains in PSPACE. Finally, we discuss some further extensions: by adding obstacles, positioning the cameras in 3D or enabling them to change positions.
Design and kinematic analysis of redundantly actuated parallel mechanisms for ankle rehabilitation

SUMMARY In this paper, we present the design of two serial spherical mechanisms to substitute for a single spherical joint that is usually used to connect the platform with the base in three degrees of freedom parallel mechanisms. According to the principle derived from the conceptual design, through using the two serial spherical mechanisms as the constraint limb, several redundantly actuated parallel mechanisms are proposed for ankle rehabilitation. The proposed parallel mechanisms all can perform the rotational movements of the ankle in three directions while at the same time the mechanism center of rotations can match the ankle axes of rotations compared with other multi-degree-of-freedom devices, due to the structural characteristics of the special constraint limb and platform. Two special parallel mechanisms are selected to analyze their kinematical performances, such as workspace, dexterity, singularity, and stiffness, based on the computed Jacobian. The results show that the proposed scheme of actuator redundancy can guarantee that the redundantly actuated parallel mechanisms have no singularity, better dexterity, and stiffness within the prescribed workspace in comparison with the corresponding non-redundant parallel mechanisms. In addition, the proposed mechanisms possess certain reconfigurable capacity based on control strategies or rehabilitation modes to obtain sound performance for completing ankle rehabilitation exercise.
Identification of an Active Site Arginine in Rat Choline Acetyltransferase by Alanine Scanning Mutagenesis (*)

Kinetic as well as chemical modification studies have implicated the presence of an active site arginine in choline acetyltransferase, whose function is to stabilize coenzyme binding by interacting with the 3′-phosphate of the coenzyme A substrate. In order to identify this residue seven conserved arginines in rat choline acetyltransferase were converted to alanine by site-directed mutagenesis, and the properties of these mutants were compared with the wild type enzyme. Substitution of arginine 452 with alanine resulted in a 7-12-fold increase in the K for both CoA and acetylcholine as well as k, with little change in the K for dephospho-CoA. Product inhibition studies showed choline to be a competitive inhibitor with respect to acetylcholine, indicating R452A follows the same Theorell-Chance kinetic mechanism as the wild type enzyme. Similar results were obtained with R452Q and R452E, with the latter showing the largest changes in kinetic parameters. These findings are consistent with Arg-452 mutations increasing the rate constant, k5, for dissociation of the coenzyme from the enzyme. Direct evidence that arginine 452 is involved in coenzyme A binding was obtained by showing a 5-10-fold decrease in affinity of the R452A mutant for coenzyme A as determined by the ability to protect against phenylglyoxal inactivation as well as thermal inactivation.
Blood–brain barrier breakdown in reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: Implications for pathophysiology and diagnosis

Diagnosis of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is currently based on luminographic findings of vasoconstriction. In addition to vasoconstriction, the blood–brain barrier (BBB) breakdown has been postulated as a central mechanism of RCVS. Our aim was to document BBB breakdown in patients with RCVS and its role for the pathophysiology‐based diagnosis of RCVS.
Design for Self-Organizing Fuzzy Neural Networks Based on Genetic Algorithms

A novel hybrid learning algorithm based on a genetic algorithm to design a growing fuzzy neural network, named self-organizing fuzzy neural network based on genetic algorithms (SOFNNGA), to implement Takagi-Sugeno (TS) type fuzzy models is proposed in this paper. A new adding method based on geometric growing criterion and the epsiv-completeness of fuzzy rules is first used to generate the initial structure. Then a hybrid algorithm based on genetic algorithms, backpropagation, and recursive least squares estimation is used to adjust all parameters including the number of fuzzy rules. This has two steps: First, the linear parameter matrix is adjusted, and second, the centers and widths of all membership functions are modified. The GA is introduced to identify the least important neurons, i.e., the least important fuzzy rules. Simulations are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithm
Unlocking the Research on English Learners: What We Know--and Don't Yet Know--about Effective Instruction.

The number of professional publications aimed at improving instruction for English learners has exploded since the early 2000s. Dozens of books, articles, and reports were published in the space of a few years following the appearance of two major research reviews in 2006. According to one count, nearly 15 books on the topic of English learners were published in 2010 alone, most aimed at professional audiences. Since then, the pace has only accelerated, with new and specialized books on assessment, literacy, English language development, and content instruction for English learners (ELs) seeming to appear continuously.
Histopathological Changes in the Gastrointestinal Tract Due to Drugs

Abnormalities of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract due to drugs (AGIDs) are numerous and have significant impact. The aim of this narrative review is to help the practicing surgical pathologist recognize selected AGIDs. The adverse drug effects presented were chosen with an emphasis on recent and significant pathological and clinical contributions. The selection was based on a thorough review of the PUBMED-based literature and on the authors’ opinions and experience. In the first part of the review, diagnostic abnormalities due to crystals (eg, iron, biphosphonates, nonsystemic drugs), mitosis arresting drugs (colchicine, taxanes), and biological agents, especially ipilimumab, are discussed. Some AGIDs’ histopathologic features can be easily recognized. It is however the clinical correlation that in many cases of AGIDs will provide the necessary support for a drug effect diagnosis. The identification of AGIDs requires heightened awareness of the medical team in which close collaboration of pathologists and clinicians cannot be overemphasized.
AlGaN/GaN-based variable gain amplifiers for W-band operation

In this paper three versions of a variable gain amplifier (VGA) monolithic millimetre-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) are presented. They make use of 100 nm gate-length AlGaN/GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown on SiC. The MMICs operate in the 75 to 110 GHz band and have a centre-frequency of 94 GHz. Different phase compensation techniques, which are proposed in literature are applied and their suitability for millimetre-wave (mmW) frequency application is evaluated. We propose an additional phase compensation means leading to our best VGA version providing a gain tuning range from -17.2 to 7 dB with a phase variation of only 12.6 °.
Detection of feline immunodeficiency virus in saliva and plasma by cultivation and polymerase chain reaction

The rates of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) isolation from saliva, plasma, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of infected cats were compared; isolation rates were 18, 14, and 81%, respectively, in naturally infected cats and 25, 57, and 100%, respectively, in experimentally infected animals. There was no obvious relationship between isolation rate and clinical stage or between isolation rate and the titer of neutralizing antibody in serum. Virus could be isolated from one salivary gland as early as 1 week postinfection and, on a more regular basis, starting at 3 weeks postinfection, when, however, most other tissues were also positive. Polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that FIV genomes are present in saliva and plasma more frequently than expected on the basis of isolation data. Saliva was also found to contain viral DNA, indicating that it may harbor virus-infected cells as well as free virus. The addition of plasma but not of saliva to PBMC cultures delayed FIV growth. Isolation from plasma may be hampered by FIV neutralizing antibody and by the cytotoxic activity of this fluid for the PBMC used as a cell substrate.
Corporate Governance Ideologies And Tasks Involvement In Board Of Directors: The Example Of A Financial Cooperative

This article aims to examine board effectiveness through a new lens, based on human ideologies rather than traditional characteristics such as board size. We compare the self-interest and the altruist ideology to identify the process that leads to involvement in three board tasks: cooperation with other members, strategically-oriented tasks and stakeholder-oriented tasks. Our results show the significance of the altruist ideology in predicting task involvement, contrary to the selfinterest ideology, which is not significantly related to outcomes.
Essays in Empirical Corporate Finance

This dissertation is made of three distinct chapters. The first chapter shows that managers overreact to salient risks. They respond to the occurrence of a hurricane event when their firms are located in the neighborhood of the disaster area. The sudden shock to the perceived liquidity risk leads them to temporarily increase the amount of corporate cash holdings, even though the real liquidity risk remains unchanged. The second chapter examines earnings announcements by US firms, and how far in advance notice of the event is given (the "advance notice period"). Such advance notice period affects how much investors pay attention to earning news. This variation in investors' attention affects short-run and long-run stock prices, thereby creating incentives for firms to strategically reduce the advance notice period when they plan to disclose bad news. The third chapter studies M&A league tables, which provide rankings of investment banks. The rank of a bank in the league table predicts its future deal flow. This creates strong incentives for banks to manage their ranks in the league table.
Local government: A digital intermediary for the information age?

With the development of e-commerce, digital intermediaries have joined the value chain linking suppliers and consumers. These intermediaries add value by undertaking several roles: aggregation, facilitation, matching and providing an environment of trust for transacting parties. In the public sector, the UK Government is driving forward the introduction of electronic service delivery by local authorities. In some of its dealings, local government intermediates between consumers and other organsations. This paper examines how local authorities have undertaken the role of digital intermediary. The service delivery of two 'life episode' transactions are evaluated. It concludes that most local authorities are currently operating as emerging or partial intermediaries.