Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retaining Translated Verbal Reasoning Items by Revising DIF Items.

When a test is translated from a source language to a target language, the result is generally not two psychometrically equivalent tests. If the sources of differential item functioning (DIF) across languages could be predicted, this could have important implications for test adaptations. This study examined item revision as a tool for improving test adaptations. A panel of eight translators and researchers revised the DIF items detected in a previous study of tests administered in Hebrew and Russian (A. Allalouf and others, 1999), based on the reasons for DIF the previous study had identified. The revised items were then administered in six test sessions, and the revised target language items were compared to the original source language items and to the original translation. Results from the 6 sections, each of which included between 5,800 and 7,150 examinees taking the original Hebrew examination, between 1,485 and 2,033 examinees taking the original Russian examination, and between 380 and 840 examinees taking the revised Russian version, show that the revision succeeded in reducing DIF in 27 of the 37 revised items (in 12 to a significant degree). Eight items exhibited increased DIF, which was significant for two items. Results were studied to attempt to determine which sources of DIF and which item types can be revised most effectively. Empirical guidelines for using a panel to reduce DIF are presented. An appendix contains the item revision form. (Contains 8 tables and 14 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Retaining Translated Verbal Reasoning Items by Revising DIF Items
Ghrelin Concentrations Reflect Body Mass Index Rather Than Feeding Status in Obese Girls

Ghrelin stimulates both appetite and secretion of growth hormone (GH). We hypothesized that fasting should increase ghrelin, thereby increasing GH concentrations in obesity. Eight obese girls underwent a 48-h fast, receiving 25% of calories for ideal body weight. Blood was obtained every 15 min for the last 24 h of the fast. Four months later, six obese girls had blood obtained in the fed state. Two additional obese and five lean girls had blood obtained in the fed state. Ghrelin was determined in 3-h pools. Mean ghrelin concentrations were 0.41 ± 0.03 ng/mL for lean girls and 0.16 ± 0.01 ng/mL in obese fed girls (p < 0.0001). Lean fed girls had diurnal variation of ghrelin whereas obese fed girls did not. Fasting neither increased ghrelin (0.18 ± 0.01 ng/mL) nor restored diurnal variation. Ghrelin concentrations were related to the body mass index (BMI) SD score (SDS) (r = 0.45, p = 0.005). For the six obese girls who participated in both fasting and fed studies, change in mean ghrelin concentration between studies was related to change in BMI SDS but not fed or fasting state. Ghrelin concentrations are, thus, a function of BMI rather than feeding status in obese girls.
Cognitive Deterioration and Associated Pathology Induced by Chronic Low-Level Aluminum Ingestion in a Translational Rat Model Provides an Explanation of Alzheimer's Disease, Tests for Susceptibility and Avenues for Treatment

A translational aging rat model for chronic aluminum (Al) neurotoxicity mimics human Al exposure by ingesting Al, throughout middle age and old age, in equivalent amounts to those ingested by Americans from their food, water, and Al additives. Most rats that consumed Al in an amount equivalent to the high end of the human total dietary Al range developed severe cognitive deterioration in old age. High-stage Al accumulation occurred in the entorhinal cortical cells of origin for the perforant pathway and hippocampal CA1 cells, resulting in microtubule depletion and dendritic dieback. Analogous pathological change in humans leads to destruction of the perforant pathway and Alzheimer's disease dementia. The hippocampus is thereby isolated from neocortical input and output normally mediated by the entorhinal cortex. Additional evidence is presented that Al is involved in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid plaques, granulovacuolar degeneration, and other pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The shared characteristics indicate that AD is a human form of chronic Al neurotoxicity. This translational animal model provides fresh strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AD.
N-myc down regulates neural cell adhesion molecule expression in rat neuroblastoma

In human neuroblastoma, amplification of the N-myc oncogene is correlated with increased metastatic ability. We recently showed that transfection of the rat neuroblastoma cell line B104 with an N-myc expression vector resulted in an increase in metastatic ability and a significant reduction in the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I antigens. We examined whether N-myc causes additional phenotypic changes in these cells. We showed that expression of N-myc leads to a dramatic reduction in the levels of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) polypeptides and mRNAs. Spontaneous revertants of the high N-myc phenotype were found to have regained significant levels of NCAM expression, indicating that the continued expression of N-myc is required to maintain the low NCAM phenotype. NCAM was not reduced in B104 cells transfected with the neomycin resistance vector alone, and other neuronal markers were not specifically reduced in N-myc-transfected B104 cells. As NCAM functions in cell-cell adhesion, decreased NCAM expression could contribute significantly to the increased metastatic potential of N-myc-amplified neuroblastomas.
What a Difference a Day Makes, or Does It? Work/Family Balance and the Four-Day Work Week

This Article considers the growing reliance that four-day work week advocates have placed on work/family claims. It begins by analyzing whether a compressed work schedule may alleviate work/family conflicts, and more importantly, for whom such benefits are most likely to accrue. While studies consistently find that many workers experience lower levels of work/family conflict when working a compressed schedule, the research also suggests that workers with the most acute work/family conflicts may be the least likely either to obtain or to benefit from a four-day work week design. Nevertheless, the political climate surrounding the four-day work week provides a unique opportunity for action. This Article therefore considers how legal regulation might be used to shape four-day work week initiatives as a work/family balance tool. In particular, the Article considers how reflexive law proposals might contribute to the four-day work week debate. While existing reflexive law models typically rely on the creation and exercise of procedural rights vested in individual workers, this Article explores an under-developed alternative that would instead vest procedural rights primarily in workers as a group. The Article uses California’s extensive four-day work week regulations and the Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act to illustrate this “collective reflexive” approach, and to explore what this type of regulatory model might offer advocates who are seeking to facilitate greater work/family balance for those who may need it the most.
Individual differences in video game experience: Cognitive control, affective processing, and visuospatial processing

Independent groups of researchers have investigated video game effects on cognitive control (Mathews et al., 2005), affective processing (Kirsh & Mounts, 2007), and visuospatial processing (Green & Bavelier, 2003). However, no published research has studied all three domains in the same sample of gamers and non-gamers. In the current study nonviolent and violent gamers, and non-gamers performed two tasks tapping each of these three domains; the Stroop and N-back tasks for cognitive control, the picture rating and emotion search tasks for affective processing, and the enumeration and the visual short-term memory tasks for visuospatial processing. Consistent with past research (Bailey, West, & Anderson, 2009), there was a negative relationship between video game experience and proactive cognitive control that was more pronounced in the violent gamers than nonviolent gamers. There was a fundamental shift in the processing of violent and positive affective information in the violent gamers relative to the non-gamers and nonviolent gamers. The violent gamers appeared to have a greater span of apprehension and visual short-term memory capacity relative to non-gamers and nonviolent gamers, which is also consistent with past research. The findings of the current study emphasize the need to investigate the effects of different video game genres as they may not influence cognitive control, affective processing, and visuospatial processing in the same way.
Arc statistics with realistic cluster potentials. IV. Clusters in different cosmologies

We use numerical simulations of galaxy clusters in different cosmologies to study their ability to form large arcs. The cosmological models are: Standard CDM (SCDM; 0 =1 , =0 );CDMwithreducedsmall-scalepower(parametersas SCDM, but with a smaller shape parameter of the power spec- trum); open CDM (OCDM; 0 =0 :3, = 0); and spatially flat, low-density CDM (CDM; 0 =0 :3, =0 :7). All mod- els are normalised to the local number density of rich clusters. Simulating gravitational lensing by these clusters, we compute optical depths for the formation of large arcs. For large arcs with length-to-width ratio 10, the optical depth is largest for OCDM. Relative to OCDM, the optical depth is lower by about an order of magnitude for CDM, and by about two orders of magnitude for S/CDM. These differences originate from the different epochs of cluster formation across the cosmological models, and from the non-linearity of the strong lensing effect. We conclude that only the OCDM model can reproduce the ob- served arc abundance well, while the other models fail to do so by orders of magnitude.
Evaluation of circulating zonulin as a potential marker in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of liver disorders ranging from simple hepatic steatosis up to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) evolving to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver biopsy is still the gold standard modality for diagnosing and staging NAFLD. The linkage between intestinal microbiota and NAFLD, might suggest a potential role of serum zonulin in NAFLD diagnosis. To appraise the role of circulating zonulin in NAFLD pathogenesis, 56 subjects with proved NAFLD by ultrasonography and liver biopsy, as well as 20 healthy controls were tested. Liver function tests, serum glucose, fasting insulin, C peptide, lipid profile, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR), IL‐6, and circulating zonulin were performed to all subjects. Aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT), triglycerides, HDL‐c, fasting insulin, C peptide, HOMA‐IR, IL‐6, and serum zonulin were higher in NAFLD group than in controls (p < 0.05), and in NASH patients than those with simple steatosis (p < 0.05). Zonulin was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI), ALT, triglycerides, fasting insulin, HOMA‐IR, liver histopathology, and serum IL‐6 (p < 0.05), with inverse correlation to HDL‐C (p < 0.05). At cut off 8.3 pc/mL, serum zonulin was found to be of diagnostic value of NASH occurrence with 100% sensitivity and specificity (AUR = 1.000, p‐value = <0.001). The increasing zonulin levels in NAFLD patients with steep rise in NASH group denotes a possible role in pathogenesis of NAFLD occurrence and progression. This could open a new avenue of implicating zonulin antagonists as targeted therapies in NAFLD prevention.
Dielectric relaxation characterization and modeling in large frequency and temperature domain: application to 5fF//spl mu/m/sup 2/ Ta/sub 2/O/sub 5/ MIM capacitor

This paper deals with 5fF//spl mu/m/sup 2/ Ta/sub 2/O/sub 5/ MIM (metal-insulator-metal) dielectric relaxation characterization and modeling. The Dow model based on RC poles is reviewed in particular to introduce temperature behavior. An optimized test chip that can be accurately simulated allows us to properly measure memory effect. This enables to obtained dielectric relaxation model over 5 time decades and the whole temperature and voltage operation range. The good agreement of this model with MIM capacitance versus frequency measurements validates this approach.
Quantum Adversary (Upper) Bound

We describe a method for upper bounding the quantum query complexity of certain boolean formula evaluation problems, using fundamental theorems about the general adversary bound. This nonconstructive method gives an upper bound on query complexity without producing an algorithm. For example, we describe an oracle problem that we prove (non-constructively) can be solved in O(1) queries, where the previous best quantum algorithm uses a polynomial number of queries. We then give an explicit O(1) query algorithm based on span programs, and show that for a special case of this problem, there exists a O(1) query algorithm that uses the quantum Haar transform. This special case is a potentially interesting problem in its own right, which we call the Haar Problem.
Tracking analysis of the sign algorithm in nonstationary environments

A tracking analysis of adaptive filters equipped with the sign algorithm and operating in nonstationary environments is presented. By modeling the nonstationarity as a random disturbance, it is shown that the long-term time-average of the mean-absolute estimation error is bounded for all finite and positive values of the convergence parameter mu , and that there exists an optimal choice of mu such that this bound is minimized. By making use of the commonly used independence assumption and further assuming that the nonstationarity is solely due to the time-varying behavior of the optimum coefficients caused by a stationary random disturbance, it is shown that the probability distribution functions of the successive coefficient misalignment vectors converge to a stationary limiting distribution. Finally, by further assuming that the signals involved are zero-mean and Gaussian, a set of nonlinear difference equations that characterizes the mean and mean-squared behavior of the filter coefficients and the mean-squared estimation error during the adaptation and tracking operations is derived. <<ETX>>
Global Marriage: Cross-Border Marriage Migration in Global Context

Introducing Cross-Border Marriage Migration Gendering Migration An Agency Approach to Understanding Marriage Migration An Overview of Global Cross-Border Marriage Migration Power, Stigma and Violence in Migration and Cross-border Marriage Transnational Marriage within South Asian Communities Cross-border Marriages within East Asia Marriage within Refugee Communities - Some Examples of Transnational and Non-transnational Marriages Migration Regimes and Policy Implications Migrant Life/ Married Life - Life as a Cross-border Marriage Migrant Conclusions and a Proposed Research Agenda Bibliography
The cellulitis season is open

For some infectious diseases specialists, the equivalent of the summer blockbuster was the release of the ‘Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections’ (SSTI) update on June 18, 2014, by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) (1). It is timely because summer is when patients consult the most for SSTI. In the present note, we review the most notable changes compared with the previous version published in 2005.
Gamete donation: parents' experiences of searching for their child's donor siblings and donor.

BACKGROUND This study investigates the new phenomenon of parents of donor offspring searching for and contacting their child's 'donor siblings' (i.e. donor offspring conceived by the same donor) and donor. METHODS Online questionnaires were completed by 791 parents (39% lone-mother, 35% lesbian-couple, 21% heterosexual-couple, 5% non-specified) recruited via the Donor Sibling Registry; a US-based international registry that facilitates contact between donor conception families who share the same donor. Data were collected on parents' reasons for searching for their child's donor siblings and/or donor, the outcome of these searches and parents' and their child's experiences of any resulting contact. RESULTS Parents' principal motivation for searching for their child's donor siblings was curiosity and for their donor, enhancing their child's sense of identity. Some parents had discovered large numbers of donor siblings (maximum = 55). Most parents reported positive experiences of contacting and meeting their child's donor siblings and donor. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights that having access to information about a child's donor origins is important for some parents and has potentially positive consequences. These findings have wider implications because the removal of donor anonymity in the UK and elsewhere means that increasing numbers of donor offspring are likely to seek contact with their donor relations in the future.
A Role for the CHC22 Clathrin Heavy-Chain Isoform in Human Glucose Metabolism

GLUT4, Clathrin, and Glucose In human muscle, the GLUT4 glucose transport pathway responds to insulin and is responsible for 70 to 90% of human glucose clearance. In the basal metabolic state, GLUT4 is sequestered away from the cell surface and is released from an intracellular membrane compartment in response to insulin. This GLUT4 membrane pathway is defective in type II diabetes. Vassilopoulos et al. (p. 1192; see the Perspective by Orme and Bogan) now describe a function for CHC22 clathrin, a second isoform of clathrin that is present in humans and not in mice. CHC22 participates in the biogenesis of the intracellular compartment that sequesters the GLUT4 glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated release. Because CHC22 is restricted to humans, mice differ in their pathways that control glucose metabolism, which may restrict the utility of the mouse as a model system in assessing glucose metabolism and diabetes. A human-specific vesicle-forming protein regulates relocation of a glucose transporter to the cell membrane. Intracellular trafficking of the glucose transporter GLUT4 from storage compartments to the plasma membrane is triggered in muscle and fat during the body’s response to insulin. Clathrin is involved in intracellular trafficking, and in humans, the clathrin heavy-chain isoform CHC22 is highly expressed in skeletal muscle. We found a role for CHC22 in the formation of insulin-responsive GLUT4 compartments in human muscle and adipocytes. CHC22 also associated with expanded GLUT4 compartments in muscle from type 2 diabetic patients. Tissue-specific introduction of CHC22 in mice, which have only a pseudogene for this protein, caused aberrant localization of GLUT4 transport pathway components in their muscle, as well as features of diabetes. Thus, CHC22-dependent membrane trafficking constitutes a species-restricted pathway in human muscle and fat with potential implications for type 2 diabetes.
Analysis of the distance covered by Brazilian professional futsal players during official matches

The purpose of this study was to measure and characterise the distances covered by Brazilian professional futsal players. The trajectories of 93 players during five matches were obtained using an automatic tracking method. The distances covered were analysed for different game conditions: over the entire game and during the times when the ball was out of play and in play separately. When the entire game was considered, the results showed that there was a reduction in the total distance covered per minute from the first [median ± IQR (interquartile range): 97.9 ± 16.2 m/min] to the second half (median = 90.3 m/min; IQR = 12.0), and when only the in-play time was considered (first half: 136.6 ± 17.2 m/min; second half: 129.2 ± 16.7 m/min). The percentage of distance covered in the standing and walking velocity range was higher in the second half than in the first when considering the entire game (30.8% and 28.0%, respectively) and during the in-play time (19.3% and 16.2%, respectively). In conclusion, this study verified that futsal players reduced the physical performance during the second half.
Collaborative writing and peer-editing in EFL writing classes

This paper reports a research carried out in two classrooms to investigate a) effect of collaborative writing and peer-editing on students' writings and b) changes to teacher's role in the classroom when peer-editing is involved, and c) students' opinions of this process. This research is an extension of Mangelsdorf's study where no collaborative writing was involved. It was carried out with Second-year English department students at the Teachers College, King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Either after the treatment, they were asked to write either collaboratively or individually a well-organized paragraph on a given topic. Peer-editing was applied to students' writings, which was repeated several times. Questionnaires, samples of students' edited drafts and teachers' observations were used to collect data. The study found these techniques enhanced in-class interaction and improved students' writings by raising their awareness on a text writer's choices. On the part of the teachers, however, their role was only to give instructions and observe students, along with some other relevant steps. It spurs students to be cooperative rather than competitive, a way deemed instrumental to the success of peer-editing.
Atrial fibrillation (chronic).

INTRODUCTION Atrial fibrillation is a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia, which is characterised by the presence of fast and uncoordinated atrial activation leading to reduced atrial mechanical function. Risk factors for atrial fibrillation include increasing age, coexisting cardiac and thyroid disease, pyrexial illness, electrolyte imbalance, cancer, and coexisting infection. METHODS AND OUTCOMES We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of oral medical treatments to control heart rate in people with chronic (defined as longer than 1 week for this review) non-valvular atrial fibrillation? What is the effect of different treatment strategies (rate vs. rhythm) for people with persistent non-valvular atrial fibrillation? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and other important databases up to August 2007 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). RESULTS We found 18 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. CONCLUSIONS In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: beta-blockers (with or without digoxin), calcium channel blockers (with or without digoxin), calcium channel blockers (rate limiting), digoxin, and rate versus rhythm control strategies.