Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of the Asynchronous Online Discussion Forum on the Iranian EFL Students’ Writing Ability and Attitudes

This paper focuses on the impact of an asynchronous online discussion forum on the development of students’ ability in and attitudes toward writing in English. To do this, 60 undergraduate students majoring in English were assigned to two experimental and control groups while receiving different types of feedback. Students in the experimental group were required to take part in an asynchronous forum by writing a five-paragraph essay, challenging their ideas and providing feedback based on a pre-designed feedback sheet, whereas students in the control group received traditional face-to-face feedback by the teacher. Analysis of the data obtained through a pre-test, a post-test, and a survey indicated that students’ writing improved significantly in the experimental group, on both lexis and grammar planes, as the results of engaging in replying to peers’ questions, involving in writing by exchanging feedback, and employing self-assessment strategies to revise their own work. Furthermore, they also expressed more positive attitudes toward writing. The study offers implications for L2 writing instruction in EFL contexts
Effect of Leadership Styles on Performance of Local Governments in Uganda

Leadership is one of the critical approaches used to manage employee performance within organizations. How a leader directs and guides subordinates depends greatly on leadership style(s). Local governments need effective leadership style(s) to operate efficiently. Mbale local government leadership is persistently facing friction between managers and their subordinates in areas of responsibility and decision making. There was need to establish the leadership style(s) employed by managers of Mbale Local government. Study objectives; to find out how autocratic, laissez-faire styles of leadership affected employee performance, establish the relationship between democratic leadership and employee performance. Descriptive research design was used. Study Population included; district executive council, councilors, Heads of departments and technical staff. Qualitative approach was employed in data analysis. Questionnaires and interview guide were used to collect data. The key findings; autocratic and laissez-fair leadership styles dominated Mbale local government leadership, the study revealed positive relationship between democratic style of leadership and employee performance. Ignorance about leadership styles was found critical. In conclusion, leaders use the right leadership styles to influence subordinates in organizations for effective performance. The study recommends among others, capacity building of leaders on leadership styles.
Safety and efficacy analysis of sunitinib (S), bevacizumab (B), and M-Tor inhibitors in metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) patients (pts) with renal insufficiency (RI).

5108 Background: S, T (temsirolimus) and E (everolimus) are primarily metabolized in the liver, while the metabolism of B is unclear. There are limited data on the clinical toxicity profile and efficacy of these agents in pts with RI. METHODS The primary objective was to assess the safety and efficacy of S, B, T and E in pts with RI. Medical records of pts with mRCC at Wayne State University, treated on S, B, T or E were reviewed. Pts with a calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl) of ≤ 60ml/min [chronic kidney disease stage 3 or higher per K/DOQI guidelines by the National Kidney Foundation] were deemed to have RI. Data on safety and efficacy of the therapy were collected and analyzed with respect to renal function. RESULTS 19 of 51 (37%) pts had RI. Pts with RI had a higher median rise in blood pressure (BP) with S and B than pts with normal renal function. Patients with RI had an increased incidence of rash and higher dose interruption rates with m-TOR inhibitors. No major differences in toxicities including cardiac, thyroid, renal, lipid profile abnormalities or hyperglycemia were observed. Similar efficacy was seen in all groups. CONCLUSIONS More than a third of pts with mRCC receiving targeted therapy have RI, hence highlighting the importance of evaluating tolerability of therapies in pts with RI. Therapy with S, B and T/E is well tolerated and efficacy appears to be maintained. Closer monitoring for hypertension is needed in pts receiving S and B. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the DNA of selected Naegleria and Acanthamoeba amebae

Fourteen strains of Naegleria fowleri, two strains of N. gruberi, and one strain each of N. australiensis, N. jadini, N. lovaniensis, Acanthamoeba sp. , A. castellanii, A. polyphaga, and A. comandoni isolated from patients, soil, or water were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Total cellular DNA (1 microgram) was digested with either HindIII, BglII, or EcoRI; separated on agarose gels; and stained with ethidium bromide. From 2 to 15 unusually prominent repetitive restriction fragment bands, totaling 15 to 50 kilobases in length and constituting probably more than 30% of the total DNA, were detected for all ameba strains. Each species displayed a characteristic pattern of repetitive restriction fragments. Digests of the four Acanthamoeba spp. displayed fewer, less intensely staining repetitive fragments than those of the Naegleria spp. All N. fowleri strains, whether isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of patients from different parts of the world or from hot springs, had repetitive restriction fragment bands of similar total lengths (ca. 45 kilobases), and most repetitive bands displayed identical mobilities. However, polymorphic bands were useful in identifying particular isolates. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis generally was consistent with taxonomy based on studies of infectivity, morphology, isoenzyme patterns, and antibody reactivity and suggests that this technique may help classify amebae isolated from clinical specimens or from the environment.
Working Memory Interference Control Deficit in Children Referred by Teachers for ADHD Symptoms

It has been hypothesised that children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) present memory problems, including working memory deficits. This research is aimed at finding clearer evidence of a working memory deficit in these children. In the first study 22 children that had been referred by teachers as having ADHDsymptomswere compared with a control group. Their performance on a listening span test, drawn up by De Beni, Palladino, Pazzaglia, and Cornoldi (1998), was investigated. In this task the subjects were asked to select the names of animals in word strings and to remember the last word in each string. In a second study, 34 children with ADHD symptoms and 50 control children were presented with a visuospatial working memory task mirroring the verbal task used in Study 1. In both studies, the children with ADHD symptoms had difficulty in remembering the last item in the string and had a higher number of intrusions when memorising items that were not in the final position. The results were interpreted that children with ADHD symptoms have working memory problems because they are not capable of suppressing information that initially has to be processed, and subsequently excluded frommemory. This particular difficulty can be interpreted as an inhibitory processing deficit. The implications of the results in understanding learning difficulties in children with ADHD are discussed.
School Choice with General Constraints: A Market Design Approach for the Nursery School Waiting List Problem in Japan

This study considers a school choice problem with general feasibility constraints. Each student belongs to a grade; and 2 students belonging to the same grade are symmetric, whereas those belonging to different grades can be asymmetric with respect to the feasibility constraint of a school. We introduce five requirements of a matching and a polynomial-time algorithm to derive a matching satisfying them. Because the algorithm is inspired by the nursery school system of Yokohama City, we introduce the system and compare it with the algorithm of this study.
A phagocytic cell line markedly improves survival of infected neutropenic mice

Disseminated candidiasis is a frequent infection in neutropenic patients, in whom it causes 50% mortality, despite antifungal therapy. As the duration of neutropenia is the strongest predictor of survival in neutropenic patients with invasive fungal infections, neutrophil transfusions are a logical, therapeutic option. However, significant technical barriers have prevented the clinical use of neutrophil transfusions. To overcome these barriers, we identified a human phagocytic cell line that could be administered to candidemic hosts in lieu of freshly harvested neutrophils. HL‐60 cells killed Candida albicans in vitro. Activation of HL‐60 cells with dimethyl sulfoxide and retinoic acid abrogated the cells’ proliferation and augmented their killing of C. albicans. Administration of activated HL‐60 cells to candidemic, neutropenic mice significantly improved survival (53% vs. 0%). Live HL‐60 cells chemotaxed to sites of infection, phagocytized C. albicans, and reduced the fungal burden in key target organs. Although unactivated HL‐60 cells also reduced tissue fungal burden in vivo, they did not improve survival as a result of their toxicity in infected mice. In contrast, no toxicity as a result of activated HL‐60 cells was observed at up to 2 months of follow‐up. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a cell line‐based immunotherapy for an infectious disease. With further refinements, activated HL‐60 cells have the potential to overcome the technical barriers to neutrophil transfusions.
Political regimes and sport-related national pride: a cross-national analysis

ABSTRACT Previous research has supported the idea that achievements in international sports might contribute to national pride. However, the potential role of political regimes has been widely neglected. The account presented here argues that less democratic regimes depend strongly on output legitimacy and therefore are more likely to employ sport-centred identity policies. These policies should shape public attitudes and influence the levels and socio-demographics of sport-related national pride. These ideas are examined by analysing the 2013 International Social Survey Program on ‘National Identity’, which has been conducted in 33 countries with a total number of 45,297 respondents. The analyses show that sport-related national pride varies between countries and that the state of democracy can explain some of the cross-national differences. Findings may inspire scholars to develop a more sophisticated political theory of sport-related national pride.
The Sm domain is an ancient RNA-binding motif with oligo(U) specificity

Sm and Sm-like proteins are members of a family of small proteins that is widespread throughout eukaryotic kingdoms. These proteins form heteromers with one another and bind, as heteromeric complexes, to various RNAs, recognizing primarily short U-rich stretches. Interestingly, completion of several genome projects revealed that archaea also contain genes that may encode Sm-like proteins. Herein, we studied the properties of one Sm-like protein derived from the archaebacterium Archaeoglobus fulgidus and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. This single small protein closely reflects the properties of an Sm or Sm-like protein heteromer. It binds to RNA with a high specificity for oligo(U), and assembles onto the RNA to form a complex that exhibits, as judged by electron microscopy, a ring-like structure similar to the ones observed with the Sm core ribonucleoprotein and the like Sm (LSm) protein heteromer. Importantly, multivariate statistical analysis of negative-stain electron-microscopic images revealed a sevenfold symmetry for the observed ring structure, indicating that the proteins form a homoheptamer. These results support the structural model of the Sm proteins derived from crystallographic studies on Sm heterodimers and demonstrate that the Sm protein family evolved from a single ancestor that was present before the eukaryotic and archaeal kingdoms separated.
Political Discretion and Antitrust Policy: Evidence from the Assassination of President Mckinley

We study the importance of discretion in antitrust enforcement by analyzing the response of asset prices to the sudden accession of Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency. During McKinley’s term in office the largest wave of merger activity in American history occurred, and his administration did not attempt to use antitrust laws to restrain any of those mergers. His vice president, Theodore Roosevelt, was known to be a Progressive reformer and much more interested in controlling anticompetitive behavior. We find that firms with greater vulnerability to antitrust enforcement saw greater declines in their abnormal returns following McKinley’s assassination. The transition from McKinley to Roosevelt caused one of the most significant changes in antitrust enforcement of the Gilded Age—not from new legislation, but from a change in the approach taken to the enforcement of existing law. Our results highlight the importance of enforcement efforts in antitrust.
An econometric time-series analysis of Australian housing activity from a macroeconomic perspective

The significant fluctuations in housing activity over time can be regarded as "interesting" and "special". The persistence of such cyclical behaviour of housing activity through periods of different economic and demographic conditions has attracted significant research efforts to investigate the underlying influences and the implications for the economy as a whole. In this thesis, the factors which contribute to cyclical fluctuations in housing activity are examined using econometric time-series techniques. While the commonly used indicators of housing activity are stationary over the sample period investigated, most important economic and financial variables which significantly influence housing activity can be characterised as co-integrated of order (1, 1). A new procedure is therefore developed and utilised widely for examination of such systems which contain both co-integrated and stationary series. This procedure is an innovative way of analysing housing activity as the "error-correction" like processes generated from the co-integrated economic and financial variables form an important part of the system in explaining the cyclical fluctuations in housing activity. In this thesis, it is shown that the fluctuations in housing activity are related to the policy instruments used by the Government for stabilising the macroeconomy. In particular, housing activity is found to respond significantly to changes in short term interest rates and real income, or general economic activity, although the effects resulting from changes in the money supply and general price level are much less substantial. While the response of housing activity to a change in short term interest rates is prolonged, the effect of innovations in real income, or general economic conditions, on housing activity only persists for a much shorter period. In addition, policy on immigration is also an important element influencing the level of housing activity. However, over the short to medium terms, changes in economic and financial variables produce more significant effects on housing activity than that generated by net migration or increases in population. Interestingly, housing activity also feeds back on the level of short term interest rates, which suggest that housing activity may be an important determinant in the decision-making processes of the monetary authorities. In contrast to previous testing for Australia, housing activity is found to "Granger cause" general economic growth in a number of modelling exercises. These results consistently affirm that housing activity contains leading information for changes in general economic conditions and, therefore, can be used as a "leading indicator" of general economic activity.
Do Limits to Arbitrage Explain the Benefits of Volatility-Managed Portfolios?

We investigate whether transaction costs, arbitrage risk, and short-sale constraints explain the abnormal returns of volatility-managed equity portfolios. Even using five cost-mitigation strategies, after accounting for transaction costs, volatility management of common asset-pricing factors besides the market return generally produces zero abnormal returns and significantly reduces Sharpe ratios. In contrast, abnormal returns of the volatility-managed market portfolio are profitable after transaction costs and concentrated in the most easily arbitraged stocks, those with low arbitrage risk and short-sale constraints. Moreover, the managed-market strategy only provides superior performance when sentiment is high, consistent with prior theory that sentiment traders under-react to volatility.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis in adulthood: fulfilment of classification criteria for adult rheumatic diseases, long-term outcomes and predictors of inactive disease, functional status and damage

Objectives To determine how adult juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients fulfil classification criteria for adult rheumatic diseases, evaluate their outcomes and determine clinical predictors of inactive disease, functional status and damage. Methods Patients with JIA registered on the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt) older than 18 years and with more than 5 years of disease duration were included. Data regarding sociodemographic features, fulfilment of adult classification criteria, Health Assessment Questionnaire, Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index—articular (JADI-A) and Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index—extra-articular (JADI-E) damage index and disease activity were analysed. Results 426 patients were included. Most of patients with systemic JIA fulfilled criteria for Adult Still's disease. 95.6% of the patients with rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive polyarthritis and 57.1% of the patients with RF-negative polyarthritis matched criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 38.9% of the patients with extended oligoarthritis were classified as RA while 34.8% of the patients with persistent oligoarthritis were classified as spondyloarthritis. Patients with enthesitis-related arthritis fulfilled criteria for spondyloarthritis in 94.7%. Patients with psoriatic arthritis maintained this classification. Patients with inactive disease had lower disease duration, lower diagnosis delay and corticosteroids exposure. Longer disease duration was associated with higher HAQ, JADI-A and JADI-E. Higher JADI-A was also associated with biological treatment and retirement due to JIA disability and higher JADI-E with corticosteroids exposure. Younger age at disease onset was predictive of higher HAQ, JADI-A and JADI-E and decreased the chance of inactive disease. Conclusions Most of the included patients fulfilled classification criteria for adult rheumatic diseases, maintain active disease and have functional impairment. Younger age at disease onset was predictive of higher disability and decreased the chance of inactive disease.
Exchange rate fluctuations and demand for hotel accommodation: panel data evidence from Norway

ABSTRACT If, when and where to travel is normally planned in advance. Hence, the exchange rate at the time of booking accommodation is likely to play an important role in determining inbound tourist demand. That fluctuations in the exchange rate influence inbound hotel demand is well established in the literature, but the lag with which it influences demand has received limited attention. This paper sets out to remedy this, by estimating the elasticity of hotel demand and its lag structure with respect to exchange rate fluctuations. Our data consists of a panel of hotel beds sold per month in Norway to tourists from ten different source countries. Models with source country fixed effects were used to obtain the estimates. We find evidence that demand is approximately unit elastic and that it operates with a lag of two to three quarters with respect to the exchange rate. The latter result is key since it enables improved medium-term demand forecasts in the tourist industry.
Interleukin-6 negatively regulates the expression of pregnane X receptor and constitutively activated receptor in primary human hepatocytes.

The marked impairment of hepatic drug metabolism during inflammation and infections has been known for many years and shown to result from down-regulation of cytochrome P450s (CYP) by cytokines. However, the mechanism of this repression is unknown. Using primary cultures of human hepatocytes, we show here that interleukin-6 (IL-6) rapidly and markedly decreases the expression of PXR (pregnane X receptor) and CAR (constitutively activated receptor) mRNAs, but does not affect the levels of dioxin receptor and glucocorticoid receptor mRNA. In parallel, IL-6 decreases both rifampicin- and phenobarbital-mediated induction of CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, and CYP3A4. As the transcriptional activity of PXR and CAR is not affected by IL-6 in cell-based reporter assays, our data suggest that the loss of CYP2 and CYP3 inducibility results from the negative regulation of PXR and CAR gene expression by this cytokine.
Prevalence of hepatitis C virus genotype 1a in Japan and correlation of mutations in the NS5A region and single‐nucleotide polymorphism of interleukin‐28B with the response to combination therapy with pegylated‐interferon‐alpha 2b and ribavirin

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1a is rare in Japanese patients and the clinical characteristics of this genotype remain unclear. The interferon (IFN) sensitivity‐determining region (ISDR) and single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interleukin‐28B (IL28B) among patients with HCV genotype 1b are associated with IFN response, but associations among patients with genotype 1a are largely unknown. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of genotype 1a and examined whether genomic heterogeneity of the ISDR and SNPs of IL28B among patients with HCV genotype 1a affects response to combination therapy with pegylated‐IFN‐α2b and ribavirin. Subjects comprised 977 patients infected with HCV genotype 1, including 574 men and 412 women (mean age, 55.2 ± 10.6 years). HCV was genotyped by direct sequencing of the 5′‐untranslated region and/or core regions and confirmed by direct sequencing of the NS5A region. HCV genotypes 1a (n = 32) and 1b (n = 945) were detected. Twenty‐three (71.9%) of the 32 patients with genotype 1a were patients with hemophilia who had received imported clotting factors. Prevalence of genotype 1a after excluding patients with hemophilia was thus 0.9%. Of the 23 patients with genotype 1a who completed IFN therapy, 11 (47.8%) were defined as achieving sustained virological response. Factors related to sustained virological response by univariate analysis were IL28B and ISDR. In conclusion, HCV genotype 1a is rare in Japan. The presence of IL28B genotype TT, and more than two mutations, in the ISDR are associated with a good response to IFN therapy in patients with HCV genotype 1a. J. Med. Virol. 84:438–444, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Forecasting Compositional Risk Allocations

We analyse models for panel data that arise in risk allocation problems, when a given set of sources are the cause of an aggregate risk value. We focus on the modelling and forecasting of proportional contributions to risk over time. Compositional data methods are proposed and the time-series regression is flexible to incorporate external information from other variables. We guarantee that projected proportional contributions add up to 100%, and we introduce a method to generate confidence regions with the same restriction. An illustration is provided for risk capital allocations.