Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language

As English further becomes the dominate language in the world today, educators are increasingly confronted with issues centered around its role in becoming an international language. The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language explores these issues and provides the reader with an understanding of the cultural and political implications of the globalization of English. The book, which is divided into nine sections, is perhaps the most comprehensive to date on the subject and is part of a series entitled Language in Social Life, edited by Chris Candlin. This book provides readers with a blend of research, theory, and critical insight that covers a broad range of areas such as applied linguistics, inter-cultural communication, critical pedagogy, colonial history, post-colonial literature, and international politics. Thus, it could be of interest to students and practitioners of applied linguistics, English as a second or foreign language, education, post-colonial literature, and international relations. There are three principle themes in the book. Firstly, Pennycook searches for connections that explain how English as an international language (ElL) came into being by looking at its origins in colonial history and studying its relationship to linguistics and the proliferation today of English teaching practices worldwide. Secondly, he implies that English is never neutral and that it is influenced continually by contextual, social, cultural, political, and economic factors. This he calls the "worldliness" of English. Finally, in this concept or worldliness, Pennycook addresses more practical concerns in dealing with English internationally by discussing its pedagogical implications and thereby helping teachers view their work differently. The first section lays the groundwork for subsequent chapters by raising questions and concerns about the global spread of English. He notes that current discourse on ElL considers the spread "to be generally natural, neutral, and beneficial and [to be] concerned more with
Six-year follow-up of pancreatic beta cell function in adults with latent autoimmune diabetes.

AIM To investigate the characteristics of the progression of islet beta cell function in Chinese latent autoimmune diabetes in adult (LADA) patients with glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GAD-Ab) positivity, and to explore the prognostic factors for beta cell function. METHODS Forty-five LADA patients with GAD-Ab positivity screened from phenotypic type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients and 45 T2DM patients without GAD-Ab matched as controls were followed-up every 6 mo. Sixteen patients in LADA1 and T2DM1 groups respectively have been followed-up for 6 years, while 29 patients in LADA2 and T2DM2 groups respectively for only 1.5 years. GAD-Ab was determined by radioligand assay, and C-peptides (CP) by radioimmune assay. RESULTS The percentage of patients whose fasting CP (FCP) decreased more than 50% compared with the baseline reached to 25.0% at 1.5(th) year in LADA1 group, and FCP level decreased (395.8+/-71.5 vs 572.8+/-72.3 pmol/L, P<0.05) at 2.5(th) year and continuously went down to the end of follow-up. No significant changes of the above parameters were found in T2DM1 group. The average decreased percentages of FCP per year in LADA and T2DM patients were 15.8% (4.0-91.0%) and 5.2% (-3.5 to 35.5%, P=0.000) respectively. The index of GAD-Ab was negatively correlated with the FCP in LADA patients (r(s)=-0.483, P=0.000). The decreased percentage of FCP per year in LADA patients were correlated with GAD-Ab index, body mass index (BMI) and age at onset (r(s)=0.408, -0.301 and -0.523 respectively, P<0.05). Moreover, GAD-Ab was the only risk factor for predicting beta cell failure in LADA patients (B=1.455, EXP (B)=4.283, P=0.023). CONCLUSION The decreasing rate of islet beta cell function in LADA, being highly heterogeneous, is three times that of T2DM patients. The titer of GAD-Ab is an important predictor for the progression of islet beta cell function, and age at onset and BMI could also act as the predictors.
Assessing and intervening with families of CCU patients.

Until recently, attention to the needs of the family of a CCU patient has been minimal. However, it is an interplay now recognized between meeting the needs of both patient and family. Patients are members of families and a holistic approach to patient care warrants addressing the needs of both patient and family. Owing to the life-threatening nature of the illness, a family member's admission to a CCU has a significant impact on the family system. In turn, this may affect the patient and the recovery process. Family needs can be conceptually categorized as emotional, informational, physical, and spiritual. When family needs are met, members are more capable of offering support to the patient. Thus, addressing the needs of the family can enhance the family support system. Several family interventions have been suggested in this article. Sources for ascertaining family needs are the patient, the patient's chart, individual family members, and current literature. Meeting privately with family members, involving them in the patient's care, and keeping them informed about the patient's progress are just a few effective means of meeting these needs. Greater emphasis too should be placed on identifying and meeting the physical and spiritual needs of families. These may be easily met and impact upon family coping. Addressing family needs can support coping and decrease anxiety related to the cardiac event. In turn, the patient can benefit from the support offered by a family which is less anxious and able to contribute to the recovery process. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Prevalence and Characteristics of Child Sexual Abuse among South African University Students: Comments on S.N. Madu

In a recent article published in the South African Journal of Psychology, Madu (200 I) reports on the prevalence and characteristics of child sexual in a sample of South African university students. With respect to prevalence rates, Madu reports that "the prevalence rates for contact forms of child sexual abuse (25.6% for all, 21.7% for males, 23.7% for females) are lower than that reported by other studies in South Africa" (p. 35) [Levett (1989) and Collings (1997) reported prevalence rates for female students of 30.9% and 34.8% (respectively), while Collings (1991) reported a prevalence rate for male students of 28.9%]. Although Madu proposes that these differences may reflect sampling and methodological variation between studies, no attempt is made to assess the extent to which definitional issues may have influenced prevalence rates. This omission is somewhat surprising as available evidence (e.g., Russell, 1986) suggests that definitional issues can influence prevalence estimates by up to 40%.
“Show and Tell” in the Gymnasium: An Investigation of Developmental Differences in Modeling and Verbal Rehearsal of Motor Skills

Abstract Although a great deal of research has been conducted on the relationship between modeling and motor skill acquisition, the role that developmental factors play in the observational learning of motor skills has been virtually unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine developmental differences of modeling and verbal rehearsal on performance of a sequential motor task. The sample consisted of 128 children representing two age groups: 5–0 to 6–11 years and 8–0 to 9–11 years. These children were randomly assigned to conditions in a 2 × 2 × 4 (Sex by Age by Instructional Type) factorial design, and were asked to perform a 6-part motor skill course. The instructional conditions included: verbal model only, verbal model plus verbal rehearsal, verbal rehearsal only, and no model/no rehearsal. Analyses of variance revealed that, regardless of age, the verbal model plus rehearsal and verbal rehearsal only groups performed significantly better than the model only and control groups. Qualitat.
New Tools to Study DNA Double-Strand Break Repair Pathway Choice

A broken DNA molecule is difficult to repair, highly mutagenic, and extremely cytotoxic. Such breaks can be repaired by homology-independent or homology-directed mechanisms. Little is known about the network that controls the repair pathway choice except that a licensing step for homology-mediated repair exists, called DNA-end resection. The choice between these two repair pathways is a key event for genomic stability maintenance, and an imbalance of the ratio is directly linked with human diseases, including cancer. Here we present novel reporters to study the balance between both repair options in human cells. In these systems, a double-strand break can be alternatively repaired by homology-independent or -dependent mechanisms, leading to the accumulation of distinct fluorescent proteins. These reporters thus allow the balance between both repair pathways to be analyzed in different experimental setups. We validated the reporters by analyzing the effect of protein downregulation of the DNA end resection and non-homologous end-joining pathways. Finally, we analyzed the role of the DNA damage response on double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanism selection. Our reporters could be used in the future to understand the roles of specific factors, whole pathways, or drugs in DSB repair pathway choice, or for genome-wide screening. Moreover, our findings can be applied to increase gene-targeting efficiency, making it a beneficial tool for a broad audience in the biological sciences.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

During the latter part of 1953 two seminars were held under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and a third was sponsored by UNESCO. For the purpose of studying the principal public library problems and drafting plans and proposals for the development of public library services in Africa, particularly in connection with mass education, UNESCO held a seminar at Ibadan, Nigeria, from July 27 to August 21, 1953. The seminar recommended, among other things, that the UNESCO public libraries manifesto be accepted as a statement of the basic policy and purposes on which national public library services should be established in Africa; preparation of national or regional plans for public library service should be preceded by a survey conducted with the aid of experts in education, the social sciences and administration; the permanence and development of public library service should be assured by appropriate legislation; and an independent or state agency established by the government should control and direct the national service. The second seminar under UNESCO auspices studied the contribution of the teaching of modern languages towards education for living in a world community from August 3 to 28, 1953, in Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon. General topics discussed included the humanistic aspect of teaching modern languages, teaching modern languages as a key to the understanding of other civilizations and peoples, methodology of language teaching, audio-visual aids, psychological aspects of language teaching, and training modern language teachers. A resolution strongly urging that the mother tongue be used whenever possible at all levels as the medium of instruction and that the maximum facilities be created and maintained for the study of the widest possible range of foreign languages in all countries was adopted at the concluding session of the seminar.
Shifted Coupling of EEG Driving Frequencies and fMRI Resting State Networks in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Introduction The cerebral resting state in schizophrenia is altered, as has been demonstrated separately by electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) resting state networks (RSNs). Previous simultaneous EEG/fMRI findings in healthy controls suggest that a consistent spatiotemporal coupling between neural oscillations (EEG frequency correlates) and RSN activity is necessary to organize cognitive processes optimally. We hypothesized that this coupling is disorganized in schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, in particular regarding higher cognitive RSNs such as the default-mode (DMN) and left-working-memory network (LWMN). Methods Resting state was investigated in eleven patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n = 11) and matched healthy controls (n = 11) using simultaneous EEG/fMRI. The temporal association of each RSN to topographic spectral changes in the EEG was assessed by creating Covariance Maps. Group differences within, and group similarities across frequencies were estimated for the Covariance Maps. Results The coupling of EEG frequency bands to the DMN and the LWMN respectively, displayed significant similarities that were shifted towards lower EEG frequencies in patients compared to healthy controls. Conclusions By combining EEG and fMRI, each measuring different properties of the same pathophysiology, an aberrant relationship between EEG frequencies and altered RSNs was observed in patients. RSNs of patients were related to lower EEG frequencies, indicating functional alterations of the spatiotemporal coupling. Significance The finding of a deviant and shifted coupling between RSNs and related EEG frequencies in patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder is significant, as it might indicate how failures in the processing of internal and external stimuli, as commonly seen during this symptomatology (i.e. thought disorders, hallucinations), arise.
A MULTIWAVELENGTH STUDY OF THE HIGH SURFACE BRIGHTNESS HOT SPOT IN PKS 1421−490

Long Baseline Array imaging of the z = 0.663 broadline radio galaxy PKS 1421−490 reveals a 400 pc diameter high surface brightness hot spot at a projected distance of ∼40 kpc from the active galactic nucleus. The isotropic X-ray luminosity of the hot spot, L2–10 keV = 3 × 1044 ergs s-1, is comparable to the isotropic X-ray luminosity of the entire X-ray jet of PKS 0637−752, and the peak radio surface brightness is hundreds of times greater than that of the brightest hot spot in Cygnus A. We model the radio to X-ray spectral energy distribution using a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model with a near equipartition magnetic field strength of 3 mG. There is a strong brightness asymmetry between the approaching and receding hotspots and the hot spot spectrum remains flat (α ≈ 0.5) well beyond the predicted cooling break for a 3 mG magnetic field, indicating that the hotspot emission may be Doppler beamed. A high plasma velocity beyond the terminal jet shock could be the result of a dynamically important magnetic field in the jet. There is a change in the slope of the hotspot radio spectrum at GHz frequencies, which we model by incorporating a cutoff in the electron energy distribution at γmin ≈ 650, with higher values implied if the hotspot emission is Doppler beamed. We show that a sharp decrease in the electron number density below a Lorentz factor of 650 would arise from the dissipation of bulk kinetic energy in an electron/proton jet with a Lorentz factor Γjet ≳ 5.
On the Optimality and Predictability of Cultural Markets with Social Influence

Social influence is ubiquitous in cultural markets, from book recommendations in Amazon, to song popularities in iTunes and the ranking of newspaper articles in the online edition of the New York Times to mention only a few. Yet social influence is often presented in a bad light, often because it supposedly increases market unpredictability. Here we study a model of trial-offer markets, in which participants try products and later decide whether to purchase. We consider a simple policy which ranks the products by quality when presenting them to market participants. We show that, in this setting, market efficiency always benefits from social influence. Moreover, we prove that the market converges almost surely to a monopoly for the product of highest quality, making the market both predictable and asymptotically optimal. Computational experiments confirm that the quality ranking policy identifies "blockbusters" in reasonable time, outperforms other policies, and is highly predictable. These results indicate that social influence does not necessarily increase market unpredicatibility. The outcome really depends on how social influence is used.
Multi-tag spatial multiplexing in UHF RFID systems

When multiple RFID tags have to be identified in an RFID system an anti-collision protocol must be used to avoid two tags responding at the same time. Tags must respond in different time slots in order to be identified, since current RFID systems do not allow readers to communicate with different tags simultaneously. Multiple Input Multiple Output techniques can be used along with Blind Signal Separation algorithms to identify multiple RFID tags at the same time, thus increasing the read-rate and reducing the time needed to identify large amounts of tags.
Further Evidence for the Cliff Effect in the Interpretation of Levels of Significance

In a recent study by Rosenthal and Gaito (1963) a group of faculty members and a group of graduate students in psychology rated their degree of confidence or belief in 12 p values ranging from . 001 to . 50. One of our findings was that the . 05 level had cliff characteristics for 84% ( p = ,004) of our SS manifested by a relatively more precipitous loss of confidence in moving from the . 05 to the . 10 level than was true ac either higher or lower levels of significance. In a careful and probably improved replication of our study, Beauchamp and May (1964) tended to find generally similar results. However, they could find "no evidence" for any . 05 cliff effect. Actually, they did find a tendency ("non-significant" at the .12 level) for an . 05 cliff. This information was contained in an extended report of their findings which Beauchamp and May kindly made available to us. Additional evidence for the existence of an . 05 cliff was to be found in their extended report. It took the form of a remarkable non-monotonicity of decrease of confidence as p values increased. For values based on large samples, their 11 graduate student Ss expressed a greater average degree of confidence in the . 05 level than they did in the . 03 level! This interesting finding even if not statistically significant certainly is consistent with our hypothesis that the . 05 level has rather special characteristics. But perhaps the most compelling evidence for the existence of an . 05 cliff comes from Beauchamp and May's interpretation in their extended report of one of our main effects as "not significant. " The p value for that main effect was . 06! In summary, the probability that the . 05 level of significance possesses cliff characteristics was established for several samples of psychologists. For one N of 20,' p = . 88; for one N of 19," = ,996; for a smaller N of 2," p = "1.00;" and for another N of 2,4 p = "0.00. "
Comparison between off- and on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: long-term results of a real-world registry.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare 5-year rates of overall death, cardiac-related death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, stroke and new occurrence of postoperative renal failure in a large cohort of patients with coronary disease, treated with on- or off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS Two propensity score-matched cohorts, each of 560 patients, undergoing isolated surgical coronary revascularization at the regional public and private centres of Emilia-Romagna region (Italy) over the period 1 January 2003 - 31 December 2013, were used to compare long-term outcomes of on-pump CABG (6711 patients) and off-pump CABG (597 patients). RESULTS The matched on-pump group received significantly more bypass grafts than the matched off-pump group (2.4 ± 1.1 vs 1.6 ± 0.9, P < 0.0001). The on-pump group reported statistically significant lower cardiac-related mortality. There was a trend towards higher overall mortality and the need for repeat revascularization procedures in the off-pump group. No difference was found for myocardial infarction, stroke or new occurrence of postoperative renal failure between groups in the follow-up. The multivariate analysis of significant predictors of mortality in the overall population confirmed that the off-pump revascularization strategy was an independent predictor of death at long-term follow-up. On-pump CABG reported significantly better results in terms of mortality in the subgroups of patients with a depressed left ventricular ejection fraction and in patients with three-vessel disease. CONCLUSIONS In patients undergoing elective isolated CABG, on-pump strategy conferred a long-term survival advantage compared with off-pump strategy, particularly for patients with more extensive coronary disease. No benefits were found in terms of reduction of postoperative morbidity with the off-pump strategy. On-pump surgery should be the preferred revascularization technique, and off-pump surgery reserved for patients for whom the perioperative risk of cardiopulmonary bypass is greater than the risk of a less complete coronary revascularization.
Influence of Temperature and Pressure on the Lethality of Ultrasound

ABSTRACT A specially designed resistometer was constructed, and the lethal effect on Yersinia enterocolitica of ultrasonic waves (UW) at different static pressures (manosonication [MS]) and of combined heat-UW under pressure treatments (manothermosonication [MTS]) was investigated. During MS treatments at 30°C and 200 kPa, the increase in the amplitude of UW of 20 kHz from 21 to 150 μm exponentially decreased decimal reduction time values (DMS) from 4 to 0.37 min. When pressure was increased from 0 to 600 kPa at a constant amplitude (150 μm) and temperature (30°C),DMS values decreased from 1.52 to 0.20 min. The magnitude of this decrease in DMS declined progressively as pressure was increased. The influence of pressure onDMS values was greater with increased amplitude of UW. Pressure alone of as much as 600 kPa did not influence the heat resistance of Y. enterocolitica(D60 = 0.094; z = 5.65). At temperatures of as much as 58°C, the lethality of UW under pressure was greater than that of heat treatment alone at the same temperature. At higher temperatures, this difference disappeared. Heat and UW under pressure seemed to act independently. The lethality of MTS treatments appeared to result from the added effects of UW under pressure and the lethal effect of heat. The individual contributions of heat and of UW under pressure to the total lethal effect of MTS depended on temperature. The inactivating effect of UW was not due to titanium particles eroded from the sonication horn. The addition to the MS media of cysteamine did not increase the resistance of Y. enterocolitica to MS treatment. MS treatment caused cell disruption.
Dual-Path Phrase-Based Statistical Machine Translation

Preceding a phrase-based statistical machine translation (PSMT) system by a syntactically-informed reordering preprocessing step has been shown to improve overall translation performance compared to a baseline PSMT system. However, the improvement is not seen for every sentence. We use a lattice input to a PSMT system in order to translate simultaneously across both original and reordered versions of a sentence, and include a number of confidence features to support the system in choosing on a sentence-by-sentence basis whether to use the reordering process. In German-to-English translation, our best system achieves a BLEU score of 21.39, an improvement of 0.62.
Feature selective temporal prediction of Alzheimer's disease progression using hippocampus surface morphometry

Prediction of Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression based on baseline measures allows us to understand disease progression and has implications in decisions concerning treatment strategy. To this end, we combine a predictive multi‐task machine learning method (cFSGL) with a novel MR‐based multivariate morphometric surface map of the hippocampus (mTBM) to predict future cognitive scores of patients.