Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metacognitive instruction in L2 French: An analysis of listening performance and automaticity

Becker, Shannon. Ph.D., Purdue University, May 2015. Metacognitive Instruction in L2 French: An Analysis of Listening Performance and Automaticity. Major Professor: Jessica L. Sturm. The goal of the present study was to investigate the instructional potential of metacognitive strategies to improve listening comprehension and the automaticity of listening processes. Metacognition can be described as focusing attention on the cognitive processes one is currently using. In the classroom, metacognitive listening instruction means guiding learners in applying metacognition to learning by monitoring the mental strategies they use while listening, evaluating the relative success of these strategies, and planning for future listening experiences. I argue that providing students with these tools to monitor and regulate the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in listening contributes significantly to building toward the automaticity of those processes, leading to improved performance and reduced reaction time on listening assessments. In order to test this hypothesis, a pretest – treatment – posttest design was adopted and seven intact sections of second-semester French were randomly assigned to the control or experimental condition. The experimental groups were instructed in using metacognitive strategies to regulate the listening process while the control groups were simply exposed to the listening passages and asked to verify comprehension. Results
Mechanisms for the object-based negative compatibility effect: voluntary versus involuntary inhibition

ABSTRACT This study investigates whether the object-based negative compatibility effect (NCE) originates from involuntary or voluntary inhibition. We hypothesised that both supraliminally presented primes (the prime is a mug with its handle pointing either left or right) and experimental instructions (i.e., ignoring the prime) in previous studies might induce participants to develop a voluntarily inhibitory strategy that is responsible for the object-based NCE. To test this hypothesis, we conducted 3 experiments. Experiment 1 confirmed a suitable paradigm. Experiment 2 altered participants’ strategies by varying the frequency of compatible trials across blocks. The results revealed a significant NCE for the low-frequency condition, which suggested that voluntary strategy might be primarily responsible for the object-based NCE. Experiment 3 combined a free-choice target with an object-based NCE paradigm. The results showed equivalent frequencies and mean response times between the free-choice responses that corresponded to or were opposite from the orientations of the mug handle. Combined with the results of response time quartiles, which revealed NCEs in fast responses (Q1–Q3) but no compatibility effect in slow (Q4) responses, we concluded that the object-based NCE might be primarily based on voluntary inhibition. Moreover, this inhibition might take effect earlier than that of the arrow-based NCE.
Impact of Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) on Some Neurochemicals and Cognitive Function of Sprague-Dawley Rats

Background: Cannabis sativa is the most commonly abused drug in the world; its active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is linked to cognitive deficits. The underlying neurochemical change is just being explored. Objective: This study was set out to decipher some structural and chemical changes that underlies the cognitive Function displayed by Cannabis sativa administered rat. Methodology: Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diet containing 10% and 5% Cannabis sativa chow for a period of seven weeks served as model to evaluate the learning, memory and cognitive function, acetylcholine level/acetylcholinesterase activity, serotonin concentration, antioxidant capacity and histopathology of the brain. Results: The results indicate that Cannabis sativa administered rats exhibited cognitive deficit and impaired learning, decreased acetylcholine level, acetylcholinesterase activity, serotonin concentration and altered structural component of the brain all in dose and time dependent manner. Conclusions: Data of the study suggest that chronic Cannabis sativa users are at higher risk of cognitive deficit and memory impairment. The imbalance in the antioxidant, serotoninergic and cholinergic systems as observed in the study might correlate to the cognitive deficit and structural alteration of the rat’s brain.
Vasculopathy-related clinical and pathological features are associated with severe juvenile dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE Outcome of JDM is highly heterogeneous. Our objective was to determine clinical and muscle biopsy features associated with poor outcome and response to treatment. METHODS Clinical data and muscle biopsy were obtained from a monocentric cohort of 29 patients. Clinical subgroups were defined by latent class model analysis of initial and follow-up parameters. Myopathological features were analysed using validated scores. Capillary loss was determined on reconstructions of transversal sections and assessed in the different age groups to take into account variations of muscle capillarization during post-natal development. Regression models were used to identify initial predictors of therapeutic response. RESULTS Two distinct homogeneous subgroups of patients were identified according to clinical severity and pathological findings. The smallest group of patients (7/29) presented with severe JDM. Compared with the other group (22/29), patients had more severe muscle weakness at disease onset, low remission rate at 12 months, frequent subcutaneous limb oedema or gastrointestinal (GI) involvement and higher myopathological scores (capillary dropout, perifascicular necrosis/regeneration, fibres with internal myonuclei and fibrosis subscores). Relevance of capillary dropout to JDM severity was substantiated by age-based analysis, confirming its major role in JDM pathophysiology. Most of these manifestations could be related to vasculopathy (limb oedema, GI involvement, capillary dropout). Furthermore, Childhood Myositis Assessment Scale <34 with either GI involvement or muscle endomysial fibrosis at disease onset were the best predictors of poor response to treatment. CONCLUSION Vasculopathy is prominent in severe JDM. Simple criteria can be used at initial evaluation to identify patients requiring a more intensive therapy.
A Third Model of Self-Construal: The Metapersonal Self

pendent self-construal. The research presents a series of studies investigating the theoretical and psychometric properties of the third model and measure. Study 1 produced a valid and reliable 10-item self-report scale of the metapersonal self. Study 2 determined the scale to be low in social desirability bias. Studies 3 and 4 examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the three self-construal scales. Investigations among several variables showed that three unique but related self-construal constructs exist and evidence supports the theoretical underpinnings of each construct.
From magnetic resonance spectroscopy to classification of tumors. A review of pattern recognition methods

This article reviews the wealth of different pattern recognition methods that have been used for magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) based tumor classification. The methods have in common that the entire MR spectra is used to develop linear and non‐linear classifiers. The following issues are adressed: (i) pre‐processing, such as normalization and digitization, (ii) extraction of relevant spectral features by multivariate methods, such as principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and optimal discriminant vector, and (iii) classification by LDA, cluster analysis and artificial neural networks. Different approaches are compared and discussed in view of practical and theoretical considerations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Pilocarpine 4% in Combination With Latanoprost 0.005% or 8-iso Prostaglandin E2 0.1% on Intraocular Pressure in Laser-induced Glaucomatous Monkey Eyes

PurposeTo compare the effect of pilocarpine, an agent that reduces uveoscleral outflow, on the ocular hypotensive efficacy of latanoprost and 8-iso prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). MethodsEach of the two treatment groups was composed of the same eight monkeys with unilateral laser-induced glaucoma. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured hourly for 6 hours beginning at 9:00 am on the baseline day (Thursday before treatment week) and on treatment days 1, 3, and 5 (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). On all five treatment days, one drop of pilocarpine 4% was administered at 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, and one drop of latanoprost 0.005% or 25 &mgr;L of 8-iso PGE2 0.1% was administered at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. ResultsOne hour after pilocarpine instillation on day 1, the reduction of IOP was similar (P > 0.90) in both treatment groups, 7.6 ± 1.1 mm Hg (mean ± standard error of the mean ) in the latanoprost group and 7.4 ± 0.8 mm Hg in the 8-iso PGE2 group. However, the IOP effects of the two treatment groups became significantly different (P < 0.05) beginning 2 hours after dosing with latanoprost or 8-iso PGE2 on day 1. A difference (P < 0.05) between the two groups persisted at all subsequent measurements. The reduction of IOP lessened with repeated dosing in the latanoprost and 8-iso PGE2 groups. Three hours after dosing with pilocarpine and two hours after dosing with the prostanoids, the IOP reduction was 8.3 ± 0.9 mm Hg in the latanoprost group and 9.9 ± 0.6 mm Hg in the 8-iso PGE2 group on day 1, and 2.1 ± 1.0 mm Hg in the latanoprost group and 7.3 ± 0.9 mm Hg in the 8-iso PGE2 group on day 5. ConclusionsThe smaller reductions in IOP with pilocarpine and latanoprost than with pilocarpine and 8-iso PGE2 show that pilocarpine blocks much more of the ocular hypotensive effect of latanoprost than of 8-iso PGE2. The results also indicate that pilocarpine and latanoprost are mutually antagonistic. Enhancement of uveoscleral outflow appears to account for most of the ocular hypotensive effect of latanoprost and for much less of the ocular hypotensive effect of 8-iso prostaglandin E2.
Clinic staff attitudes towards the use of mHealth technology to conduct perinatal depression screenings: a qualitative study

Abstract Background. The use of mHealth technology is an innovative approach for screening low-income mothers for depression. Past studies show that the use of technology removes barriers such as literacy issues, language challenges, concerns about privacy and lack of transportation and can also increase reliability. However, little is known about staff attitudes and perceptions towards using mHealth technology for screening low-income women for depression in clinics. Methods. Four focus groups were conducted with staff members in a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children located in a public health clinic. A semi-structured focus group interview guide was used to examine staff perceptions related to depression screening with tablet technology. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to analyse all focus group data. Results. Three major benefits and two major barriers were found. The benefits of using technology for perinatal depression screenings were reduction of literacy and language barriers, reduction of redundancy and errors and increased privacy for clients. The barriers were increased network issues and responsibility for technology, which included fear of the devices being lost, stolen or broken. Implications. Before implementing mHealth tablet technology for depression screening in a public health clinic, it is important to address the concerns of staff members to make the transition more effective. This study provides timely information on staff-perceived benefits and barriers when implementing mHealth technology in a public health setting.
[What's the price of routine sonography--results of an analysis of costs and processes in a district hospital].

PURPOSE The introduction of Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG) in hospitals also requires a calculation of the costs for material and staff to perform ultrasonographic examinations. Ultrasonography is currently not part of the regular procedure catalog of the DRG. Is ultrasonography for inpatients cost-effective? How much is a given examination today? The goal of this study was the analysis of examination times, times during which staff is required, and non-personnel costs for defined activities within an ultrasound department. MATERIALS AND METHODS Within three weeks we registered all activities which included 692 ultrasound examinations. We analyzed repetitive processes as well as selected procedures. The performances were registered including all activities by medical and non-medical staff. We calculated the complete non-personnel and following costs and also considered the different levels of qualification of the examiners (DEGUM-Level 1 or 2). RESULTS With this method we were able to precisely determine the costs for frequent ultrasonographic examinations. The time of an abdominal ultrasound examination was 16 minutes. The costs for an inpatient abdominal ultrasound were under conditions of public institutions tariff east (90% of west tariff) 35.70 euros, for an emergency ultrasound 41.82 euros, for a contrast-enhanced ultrasound 105.91 euros and for an ultrasound-guided puncture 97.05 euros. For examinations of higher qualified staff (DEGUM 2), 4.29 euros were added to the basic costs. The revenue for abdominal sonography and puncture in the ambulant setting is by no means cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS In this article we show the dimension of costs for ultrasound in the inpatient setting and make it calculable. We show what resources it requires to perform ultrasound. In perspective the next step will be the comparison and evaluation of the efficiency of the different imaging methods, but that was not the aim of this study.
Using an Insect Mushroom Body Circuit to Encode Route Memory in Complex Natural Environments

Ants, like many other animals, use visual memory to follow extended routes through complex environments, but it is unknown how their small brains implement this capability. The mushroom body neuropils have been identified as a crucial memory circuit in the insect brain, but their function has mostly been explored for simple olfactory association tasks. We show that a spiking neural model of this circuit originally developed to describe fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster) olfactory association, can also account for the ability of desert ants (Cataglyphis velox) to rapidly learn visual routes through complex natural environments. We further demonstrate that abstracting the key computational principles of this circuit, which include one-shot learning of sparse codes, enables the theoretical storage capacity of the ant mushroom body to be estimated at hundreds of independent images.
Pimelic Diphenylamide 106 Is a Slow, Tight-binding Inhibitor of Class I Histone Deacetylases*

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, including various benzamides and hydroxamates, are currently in clinical development for a broad range of human diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. We recently reported the identification of a family of benzamide-type HDAC inhibitors that are relatively non-toxic compared with the hydroxamates. Members of this class of compounds have shown efficacy in cell-based and mouse models for the neurodegenerative diseases Friedreich ataxia and Huntington disease. Considerable differences in IC50 values for the various HDAC enzymes have been reported for many of the HDAC inhibitors, leading to confusion as to the HDAC isotype specificities of these compounds. Here we show that a benzamide HDAC inhibitor, a pimelic diphenylamide (106), is a class I HDAC inhibitor, demonstrating no activity against class II HDACs. 106 is a slow, tight-binding inhibitor of HDACs 1, 2, and 3, although inhibition for these enzymes occurs through different mechanisms. Inhibitor 106 also has preference toward HDAC3 with Ki of ∼14 nm, 15 times lower than the Ki for HDAC1. In comparison, the hydroxamate suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid does not discriminate between these enzymes and exhibits a fast-on/fast-off inhibitory mechanism. These observations may explain a paradox involving the relative activities of pimelic diphenylamides versus hydroxamates as gene activators.
Reactions to Leadership

In recent years social scientists have been greatly concerned about dimensions of leadership. Such a preoccupation has been especially characteristic of work in educational administration. The study de scribed below reports on the administration of a leadership instrument in Canada last year, and the author explores some implications of his findings for future investigations of leadership. Mr. Brown is as sociate professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and associate professor of educational theory at the University of Toronto.
Elasticity of (Mg,Fe)SiO3‐perovskite at high pressures

We calculated the elasticity of (Mg,Fe)SiO3‐perovskite, using the plane‐wave pseudopotential method for a pressure range that encompasses the earth's lower mantle. Adding 25 mol% FeSiO3 to the Mg endmember decreases the shear modulus by 6% at zero pressure and by 8% at core mantle boundary pressures. The bulk modulus is less affected by iron, increasing by 2% at zero pressure and by 1% at the base of the mantle. For the isotropically averaged wave velocities we find that the compressional wave velocity decreases by 4% independent of pressure and the shear wave velocity decreases by 6% and 7% at zero pressure and at 136 GPa, repectively. For the relative variation of shear to compressional velocities at constant pressure due to variations in Fe‐content we find R = 1.6 at 136 GPa and for the relative variation of shear to bulk sound velocities we find ξ = 2.6 at 136 GPa.
TOP2A Amplification and Overexpression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tissues

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer death in men worldwide owing to limited insights into pathogenesis and unsatisfactory efficacy of current therapies. HER2 and TOP2A genes are coamplified in breast and some other cancers. In this study, we investigated gene aberrations of HER2 and TOP2A and protein expressions of HER2, TOP2A, Ki-67, and p53 in tumor and matched nontumor tissues, as well as their associations with clinicopathological features. Gene aberrations were evaluated by FISH and protein expressions by IHC. Neither HER2 overexpression nor HER2 gene amplification was observed in both tumor tissues and matched nontumor tissues. By contrast, TOP2A overexpression was detected in 72.5% of tumor tissues but not detected in matched nontumor tissues. However, TOP2A gene amplification was not observed in both tumor and matched nontumor tissues. TOP2A overexpression was significantly associated with HCC tumor tissues (P < 0.001), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in the serum (P = 0.004), and Ki-67 (P = 0.038) but not with age, tumor size, alpha-fetoprotein, TP53, and copy number of TOP2A gene and chromosome 17 centromere. In conclusion, TOP2A overexpression in HCC was not secondary to gene amplification. In addition, neither HER2 amplification nor overexpression could be used as prognostic and predictive marker in HCC.
The Two AGPase Subunits Evolve at Different Rates in Angiosperms, yet They Are Equally Sensitive to Activity-Altering Amino Acid Changes When Expressed in Bacteria[W]

The rate of protein evolution is generally thought to reflect, at least in part, the proportion of amino acids within the protein that are needed for proper function. In the case of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), this premise led to the hypothesis that, because the AGPase small subunit is more conserved compared with the large subunit, a higher proportion of the amino acids of the small subunit are required for enzyme activity compared with the large subunit. Evolutionary analysis indicates that the AGPase small subunit has been subject to more intense purifying selection than the large subunit in the angiosperms. However, random mutagenesis and expression of the maize (Zea mays) endosperm AGPase in bacteria show that the two AGPase subunits are equally predisposed to enzyme activity-altering amino acid changes when expressed in one environment with a single complementary subunit. As an alternative hypothesis, we suggest that the small subunit exhibits more evolutionary constraints in planta than does the large subunit because it is less tissue specific and thus must form functional enzyme complexes with different large subunits. Independent approaches provide data consistent with this alternative hypothesis.
A novel fungal gene encoding chitin synthase with a myosin motor-like domain.

A csmA gene that encodes chitin synthase with a myosin motor-like domain was isolated from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Initially, we obtained the csmA as a homolog of the Aspergillus fumigatus chsE-partial fragment. A large open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 1,852 a.a. was identified by determining the cDNA sequences. The chitin synthase conserved region was situated at the C-terminus and classified into class V as reported previously. On the other hand, the N-terminal region showed significant similarity to myosin motors and could not be classified into any types of myosins identified so far. Thus, it is suggested that this is the first report of unconventional myosin fused to a metabolic enzyme. The finding of this new type of chitin synthase gene suggests that localization of chitin synthesis may be guided by association with cytoskeletal structures.
Health related quality of life in patients with epilepsy in Turkey

[Purpose] This study measured the quality of life in epilepsy and determined associated demographic and clinical factors by means of the Short Form-36 health survey. [Subjects and Methods] 124 consecutive epilepsy patients were enrolled and their demographic variables and clinical characteristics recorded. The Short Form-36 questionnaire was completed independently by each participant. Short Form-36 dimensional and composite scores were computed and scaled with data from an extensive survey of the healthy population. [Results] Short Form-36 scores for physical dimensions were similar to healthy values, but those for mental dimensions except for energy/vitality were remarkably and significantly lower than normal. All Short Form-36 average scores for women were lower than those for men and significantly so for mental health composite scores. Patients responding well to treatment were aware of their improving health as measured by the Change in Health score and had better dimensional scores than those with a poor response. [Conclusion] Patients with epilepsy do not perceive impaired physical health status. However, their mental health appears vulnerable, especially in women. Therefore, the major burden in epilepsy is in the mental health category. A positive treatment response is also an important determinant of the related quality of life measure.