Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phonological Coding, Phonological Awareness, and Reading Ability: Evidence from a Longitudinal and Experimental Study.

Two studies are reported that provide correlational and experimental evidence for causal relationships between linguistic coding deficits and reading disability. Convergent evidence of three different types is presented as documentation that deficiencies in phonological coding and phonemic segmentation are a direct cause of deficiencies in word identification: (a) evidence from a longitudinal study demonstrating the predictive validity of phonemic segmentation ability, (b) evidence from a training study demonstrating that training in phonemic segmen tation and alphabetic mapping had a salutary effect on a task simulating word identification and code acquisition, and (c) evidence from normal and poor read ers, matched for reading ability, demonstrating comparable levels of perfor mance on a large number of tasks presumed to be highly dependent on phonol ogical coding ability. It was concluded that phonologic coding deficits constitute a major source of reading difficulty in beginning readers, although there was suggestive evidence that semantic and syntactic deficits also may cause such dif ficulty.
Binding characteristics and daily rhythms of melatonin receptors are distinct in the retina and the brain areas of the European sea bass retina ( Dicentrarchus labrax )

Melatonin is synthesized, with a circadian rhythm, in the pineal organ of vertebrates, high levels being produced during the scotophase and low levels during the photophase. The retina also produces melatonin, although in the case of the European sea bass, its secretion pattern appears to be inverted. In the study described here, radioreceptor assay techniques were used to characterize the melatonin binding sites, their regional distribution and their daily variations. Brain and retina membrane preparations were used in all the binding assays and 2[I]iodomelatonin ([I]Mel) as radioligand at 258C. The specific binding of [I]Mel was seen to be saturable, reversible, specific and of high affinity. In all the tissues assayed, the power of the ligands to inhibit [I]Mel binding decreased in the following order: melatoninJ4P-PDOTNluzindolezN-acetylserotonin, which points to the presence of Mel1-like receptors. The inhibition curves of 4-P-PDOT suggested the presence of two different binding sites in the brain areas, but only one type of site of low affinity in the neural retina. No daily variations in [I]Mel binding capacity (Bmax) or affinity (Kd) were detected in the brain areas, while a clear rhythm in Kd melatonin receptor affinity and Bmax binding capacity was observed in the retina. Kd and Bmax retinal rhythms were out of phase with the lowest Kd and the highest Bmax occurring at scotophase. This result suggests that retinal melatonin is a paracrine factor able to control receptor desensitization during photophase when ocular melatonin is higher in this species. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Themes: Neurotransmitters, modulators, transporters and receptors Topic: Other neurotransmitters
Prostaglandin E2 regulates production of plasminogen activator isoenzymes, urokinase receptor, and plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 in primary cultures of rat calvarial osteoblasts

The bone resorbing agent, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), was found to alter several components of the plasminogen activator (PA)/plasmin pathway in primary cultures of rat neonatal osteoblast‐like cells. The mRNA and activities of both urokinase‐type PA (uPA) and tissue‐type PA (tPA) were enhanced by PGE2 treatment. The presence of mRNA for the uPA receptor (uPAR) has been demonstrated in these cells and steady‐state levels shown to be greatly enhanced, the response being rapid and sustained for at least 24 hours. mRNA for plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI‐1) was modulated in a biphasic manner, with inhibition of the constitutive level apparent at 4 hours of treatment and stimulation apparent at 12 hours and longer, while PAI‐1 protein, measured by an ELISA assay for rat PAI‐1, was diminished over this period. Neither PAI‐2 mRNA nor mRNA for the broad spectrum protease inhibitor, protease nexin‐1 (PN‐1), was found to be modulated by PGE2. Therefore, PGE2 is likely to stimulate cell surface proteolytic activity, since uPA mRNA and cell‐associated activity were elevated, as was mRNA for the cellular receptor for uPA. Although it was not possible to measure uPAR number and affinity it seems likely that elevated uPAR mRNA would translate into increased uPARs which would localize the increased uPA activity to the pericellular region. tPA mRNA and activity were also increased transiently with the activity inhibited with prolonged incubations, apparently by PAI‐1. Elevation of tPA mRNA and activity may result in elevated activity within the extracellular matrix as tPA has been reported to associate with several matrix proteins. Thus the early effect of PGE2 would be to promote proteolysis, both pericellularly and in the extracellular matrix. The inhibition of PAI‐1 mRNA and protein, which would contribute to the elevation of activity, is due to PGE2, but the later stimulatory effect on PAI‐1 mRNA may be due to feedback regulation by transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), secreted by osteoblasts and activated by elevated levels of PA. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
In Defense of Social Comparison

Although social comparison theory comprises an extensive literature in social psychology, researchers have recently questioned both its importance and pervasiveness as source for self-evaluation. In this paper, I review some of the arguments and data that have been marshaled to make these claims and show that these arguments can be countered by clarifying Festinger’s initial assumptions and distinguishing between instrumental and social self-evaluation. I review recent evidence that shows that even when comparisons are not made explicitly, implicit social comparisons occur frequently and spontaneously. I also describe studies that show that individual comparisons can override large sample data, and that judgments of one’s own characteristics versus those of an average peer involve assimilation of an average peer toward the self. When all this is considered, I believe that the state of the evidence provides overwhelming support for the faith that social psychologists have had in social comparison’s pervasiveness and importance as a data source for self-evaluation and prediction.
The Emergent Flux and Effective Temperature of δ Canis Majoris

Abstract New angular diameter determinations for the bright southern F8 supergiant δ CMa enable the bolometric emergent flux and effective temperature of the star to be determined with improved accuracy. The spectral flux distribution and bolometric flux have been determined from published photometry and spectrophotometry and combined with the angular diameter to derive the bolometric emergent flux ℱ = (6.50 ± 0.24) × 107 Wm−2 and the effective temperature T eff = 5818 ± 53 K. The new value for the effective temperature is compared with previous interferometric and infrared flux method determinations. The accuracy of the effective temperature is now limited by the uncertainty in the bolometric flux rather than by the uncertainty in the angular diameter.
Novel Aflatoxin-Degrading Enzyme from Bacillus shackletonii L7

Food and feed contamination by aflatoxin (AF)B1 has adverse economic and health consequences. AFB1 degradation by microorganisms or microbial enzymes provides a promising preventive measure. To this end, the present study tested 43 bacterial isolates collected from maize, rice, and soil samples for AFB1-reducing activity. The higher activity was detected in isolate L7, which was identified as Bacillus shackletonii. L7 reduced AFB1, AFB2, and AFM1 levels by 92.1%, 84.1%, and 90.4%, respectively, after 72 h at 37 °C. The L7 culture supernatant degraded more AFB1 than viable cells and cell extracts; and the degradation activity was reduced from 77.9% to 15.3% in the presence of proteinase K and sodium dodecyl sulphate. A thermostable enzyme purified from the boiled supernatant was designated as Bacillus aflatoxin-degrading enzyme (BADE). An overall 9.55-fold purification of BADE with a recovery of 39.92% and an activity of 3.85 × 103 U·mg−1 was obtained using chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose. BADE had an estimated molecular mass of 22 kDa and exhibited the highest activity at 70 °C and pH 8.0, which was enhanced by Cu2+ and inhibited by Zn2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, and Li+. BADE is the major protein involved in AFB1 detoxification. This is the first report of a BADE isolated from B. shackletonii, which has potential applications in the detoxification of aflatoxins during food and feed processing.
Efficacy research issues in AAC: interactive storybook reading

This paper addresses several methodological issues in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) efficacy research pertaining to interactive storybook reading in young children with severe speech impairments. Three recent studies attempting to systematically examine the effects of intervention on facilitating the linguistic participation of these children during storybook reading are discussed in order to illustrate the following issues: (1) subject selection criteria in terms of pertinent variables to consider; (2) experimental design with an emphasis on the use of single-subject designs; (3) selection of relevant intervention goals; (4) intervention strategies/approaches appropriate for the child and partner; (5) measurement of behavior change, including generalization and maintenance of intervention effects; and (6) evaluation of functional outcomes.
Is there room for multidimensional learning in a standardized curriculum?

This article presents the results of a study that interpreted views of curriculum and practice of teacher education faculty at a public institution of higher learning in the USA. It offers information about the ongoing challenges of affecting a balanced approach to teacher education at colleges and universities in a standardized learning setting. Participants' responses indicated professors perceive curriculum and standardization differently than instructors. Professors are more likely to describe the curriculum they teach ideologically whereas instructors described course content or paraphrased course titles. Further, professors were more likely to question whether they were meeting the needs of students and the impact of the standardization of curriculum. These findings raise many questions about the intellectual integrity of teacher preparation programs that are increasingly standardized and increasingly reliant on instructors rather than tenured faculty to teach program courses.
Towards Optimal TDMA Frame Size in Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper describes a set of TDMA MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks that can achieve near-optimal throughput and good latency for regular periodic data delivery. The protocol is based on a novel graph coloring technique called the Color Constraint Heuristic (CCH) The paper describes a centralized TDMA slot assignment algorithm, Centralized Slot Assignment (CSA-CCH), that uses CCH. It then describes a distributed version of the algorithm, Distributed Slot Assignment (DSA-CCH. A further refinement of DSA that is designed for query tree aggregation applications (DSA-AGGR) is also presented. The paper shows through simulations that our algorithm performs closer to the optimal bound on data throughput than several prominent TDMA slot assignment protocols for wireless sensor networks. In addition, the CCH-based algorithms carefully order the coloring to provide good latency for data delivery.
Volume dependence in handel's model of quartz crystal resonator noise

Although criticized by many, Handel's quantum model for 1/f noise remains the only model giving a quantitative estimation of the level of intrinsic 1/f noise in quartz crystal resonators that is compatible with the best experimental results. In this paper, we reconsider the volume dependence in this model. We first argue that an acoustic volume, representing the volume in which the vibration energy is trapped, should be used instead of the geometrical volume between the electrodes. Then, we show that because there is an implicit dependence of the quality factor of the resonator with its thickness, the net effect of Handel's formula is not an increase of noise proportionally to the thickness of the resonator, as could be naïvely expected, but a net decrease when thickness increases. Finally, we show that a plot of Q4Sy versus the acoustic volume, instead of the usual Sy plot, could be useful to compare the quality of acoustic resonators having very different resonance frequencies.
Masculinities and fathering

There is a developing body of research regarding fathering, in the UK, but the experiences of African-Caribbean and white working-class fathers, and how their experiences are mediated by gender and ethnicity have been neglected. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap in research by reporting on the similarities and differences within the stories of African-Caribbean and white working-class men about fathering, and to examine the personal and structural dimensions to these experiences using Connell's theoretical framework for understanding masculinities (1995, 2005). Qualitative, semi-structured individual interviews were undertaken with seven white and six African-Caribbean fathers. Findings indicate that African-Caribbean fathers, specifically, their associated practices, regarding children's ‘behaviour’ and learning, with experiences of racism that they anticipated their children may encounter in the future. Both groups of men's stories demonstrated limited reflexivity about the unequal distribution of domestic labour within the home. The study also found that fathers’ experiences were associated with contradictory and differing forms of masculinity. The fathers’ stories provide evidence of changing forms of masculinity, for example, in ways in which fathers conceptualised fathering as enjoyable involvement with children, and the ways fathers negotiated and resisted the constraints of paid work in order to be involved with children. Findings also reinforce the importance of health and social care services reorienting their priorities to engage with fathers, and opportunities for future research, regarding the experiences of African-Caribbean fathers in particular, are also identified.
Human striosomes are enriched in 5‐HT2A receptors: autoradiographical visualization with [3H]MDL100,907, [125I](±)DOI and [3H]ketanserin

5‐HT2A receptors have been visualized with [3H]MDL100,907 in selected human brain areas by autoradiography. These areas included caudate and putamen, nucleus dentatus of the cerebellum, substantia nigra, nucleus raphe dorsalis, locus coeruleus and inferior olive. In the striatum [3H]MDL100,907 labelling was compared with the pattern obtained with [125I](±)DOI and [3H]ketanserin. [3H]MDL100,907 and [125I](±)DOI showed an identical patchy distribution which was hardly observed with [3H]ketanserin. In the remaining regions, [3H]MDL100,907 and [3H]ketanserin autoradiographical signals and percentage of specific binding were compared. Whereas the pattern of distribution was identical for both radioligands, [3H]MDL100,907 presented a much lower percentage of nonspecific binding compared with [3H]ketanserin. These results confirm the presence of 5‐HT2A receptors in human striosomes and in those areas where [3H]ketanserin presented a high nonspecific binding, and they highlight the advantage of using [3H]MDL100,907 to visualize these receptors.
Measuring text similarity with dynamic time warping

In this work, we describe an approach which aims to make typed texts comparable with temporal data mining methods. This proposal was made in earlier work [11], but to our knowledge no significant research on this subject has been done yet. The basic idea is to derive artificial time series from texts by counting the occurrences of relevant keywords in a sliding window applied to them, and these time series can be compared with techniques of time series analysis. In this particular case the Dynamic Time Warping distance [3] was used. By extensive testing adequate parameters for time series calculation were derived, and we show that this approach might aid in the recognition of similar texts since the observed distances between similar documents are significantly lower than those between unrelated texts. Our idea might also be especially suitable for comparison in different languages since only the keyword translations must be known.
Social class, unemployment, and psychological distress

A partir de donnees recueillies en Republique d'Irlande, cet article tente d'expliquer les variations dans les taux de detresse psychologique selon la classe sociale en fonction de la selection sociale, des differences d'exposition au stress et des differences de vulnerabilite dues aux inegalites dans l'acces aux ressources. Ces deux derniers facteurs se degagent comme etant determinants, sous les formes de l'exposition au chomage et de la deprivation economique
Regulation of ER–Golgi Intermediate Compartment Tubulation and Mobility by COPI Coats, Motor Proteins and Microtubules

Little is known about the formation and regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–Golgi transport intermediates, although previous studies suggest that cargo is the main regulator of their morphology. In this study, we analyze the role of coat protein I (COPI) and cytoskeleton in the formation of tubular ER–Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) and also show that partial COPI detachment by means of low temperature (15°C) or brefeldin A induces the formation of transient tubular ERGIC elements. Most of them moved from the cell periphery to the perinuclear area and were 2.5× slower than vesicles. Time‐lapse analysis of living cells demonstrates that the ERGIC elements are able to shift very fast from tubular to vesicular forms and vice versa, suggesting that the amount of cargo is not the determining factor for ERGIC morphology. Both the partial microtubule depolymerization and the inhibition of uncoating of the membranes result in the formation of long tubules that grow from round ERGICs and form at complex network. Interestingly, both COPI detachment and microtubule depolymerization induce a redistribution of kinesin from peripheral ERGIC elements to the Golgi area, while dynein distribution is not affected. However, both kinesin and dynein downregulation by RNA interference induced ERGIC tubulation. The tubules induced by kinesin depletion were static, whereas those resulting from dynein depletion were highly mobile. Our results strongly suggest that the interaction of motor proteins with COPI‐coated membranes and microtubules is a key regulator of ERGIC morphology and mobility.
Critical Success Factors for the Implementation of Integrated Healthcare Information Systems Projects: An Organizational Fit Perspective

Many healthcare reforms are to digitalize and integrate healthcare information systems. However, the disparity of business benefits in having an integrated healthcare information system (IHIS) varies with organizational fit factors. Critical success factors (CSFs) exist for hospitals to implement an IHIS successfully. This study investigated the relationship between the organizational fit and the system success. In addition, we examined the moderating effect of five CSFs -- information systems adjustment, business process adjustment, organizational resistance, top management support, and the capability of key team members – in an IHIS implementation. Fifty-three hospitals that have successfully undertaken IHIS projects participated in this study. We used regression analysis to assess the relationships. The findings of this study provide a roadmap for hospitals to capitalize on the organizational fit and the five critical success factors in order to implement successful IHIS projects.
Anti‐inflammatory therapies in atopic dermatitis

The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) is multifactorial and complex. Consequently, clinical signs and symptoms vary strongly depending on individually relevant trigger factors and the stage of the disease. So far, treatment of AD was commonly limited to topical treatment or, in more severe cases, to systemic drugs mostly approved for other indications than AD. However, emerging data on new anti‐inflammatory agents have been published in the recent years. As these new substances specifically focus on immune responses in AD, these are partially considered as possible ‘breakthrough’ in the treatment of AD. Therapeutic strategies of the future appear to be ‘customized’ for inflammation in AD as they target pro‐inflammatory, highly relevant cytokines and cytokine receptors, such as IL‐4Rα, IL‐13, IL‐31, and IL‐17. Further innovative therapeutic approaches aim to block the function of relevant molecules such as thymic stromal lymphopoietin, chemoattractant‐receptor homologous molecule expressed on Th2 lymphocytes (CRTh2), and phosphodiesterase (PDE)‐4 inhibitors. Recently, anti‐inflammatory effects in AD by antagonizing the histamine (H)‐4 receptor have also been detected. Finally, specific immunotherapy is under further investigation as treatment option for AD patients with clinically relevant sensitization.
Exosomes in Plasma of Patients with Ovarian Carcinoma: Potential Biomarkers of Tumor Progression and Response to Therapy.

BACKGROUND In patients with Ovarian Cancer (OvCa) exosomes released by tumor cells are present in the plasma and could be involved in tumor progression. This study examines the association between the exosome presence/protein content in plasma of OvCa patients and disease outcome, response to standard therapy and/or tumorresistance to therapies in patients studied at diagnosis and also serially during and after therapy. DESIGN AND METHODS Exosomes were purified from OvCa patients' plasma (n=22), patients with benign tumors (n=10) or (n=10) healthy controls (NC) using ultracentrifugation. Exosomes were visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Their protein content was measured. The presence of MAGE 3/6 and TGF-β1 in exosomes was evaluated in Western blots. RESULTS The OvCa patients' plasma contained higher levels of exosomal proteins (p<0.05) compared to those isolated from plasma of patients with benign tumors or NC. Exosomes isolated from OvCa patients's plasma carried TGF-β1 and MAGE3/6, which distinguished OvCa patients from those with benign tumors and NC. High protein levels of exosomes were seen in newly diagnosed patients; however in advanced stages of OvCa patients the protein content of isolated exosomes was significantly higher than that of early stages. The exosome levels variably changed during/after chemotherapy, and correlations between the changes in exosomal protein levels and clinical data suggested that the protein content of exosomes might be useful in predicting responses to therapy and prognosis in OvCa patients. CONCLUSION Analysis of plasma exosomes levels offers a novel approach to diagnosis and monitoring response to therapies in OvCa patients.
Making less of a mess: Scent exposure as a tool for behavioral change

Following a cognitive route from olfactory perception to goal-directed behavior, we aimed to influence littering behavior on Dutch trains. In order to achieve this, the scent of a cleaning product was subtly dispersed in train compartments. Compared to passengers in unscented compartments, passengers littered less as measured by the weight and number of items left behind in compartments containing cleaner scent. Apart from extending research on the influence of scent on behavior in a natural environment, the findings suggest that the cognitive route from scents to behavior provides a tool for behavior change in everyday life.