Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sample size and type-token ratios for oral language of preschool children.

This study investigated the stability of five type-token ratios (TTRs) in 50-utterance oral language samples segmented into nine lengths. The samples were obtained from 83 children, 3, 4, and 5 years of age. The five TTRs included the basic type-token ratio, the corrected type-token ratio, the root type-token ratio, the bilogarithmic type-token ratio, and the Characteristic K. The sample segment sizes consisted of the first, second, third, and fourth 50-word segments; the first and second 100-word segments; the first 150-word segment; the first 200-word segment; and the total 50-utterance sample. Based on the results of this study, TTR measures on the language of young children should not be compared for samples that differ in number of words. Further, TTR measures for sample size of 50 and 100 words have reliabilities that are judged to be inadequate for research or clinical purposes. The size of the language sample needed for minimum reliability of . 70 is 350 words. Greater reliability requires larger word-sample size.
Interval cancer: nightmare of colonoscopists

Colonoscopy has become the number one gastrointestinal endoscopic procedure in the world and is considered the gold standard for detecting colorectal cancer (CRC) and its precursors. For a long time, it was thought to be close to perfect in preventing CRC, implying that the disease does virtually not occur soon after colonoscopy has been performed. However, an increasing body of epidemiological evidence questions this and demonstrates the occurrence of these so-called postcolonoscopy CRCs (PCCRCs) as a kind of interval cancers. The term interval cancer is taken from screening and describes the occurrence of cancer in the time interval between scheduled screening examinations. Accordingly, colonoscopists fear the nightmare of facing a PCCRC diagnosis in their patients and want to know to which extent these interval cancers are preventable. Two intriguing papers address this question and explore the reasons for CRCs occurring soon after colonoscopy.1 ,2 One study comes from the USA and pooled data from eight prospective colonoscopy studies, for the most part clinical trials with different interventions, which included 9167 patients with adenomas removed at baseline colonoscopy. Overall, 58 CRCs (0.6% of all participants) were identified after a median follow-up of 4 years.1 The second …
Improving Student Teachers’ Digital Pedagogy through Meaningful Learning Activities

Purpose – This study aims to examine the attributes of meaningful learning that student teachers perceived as enabling them to improve their digital pedagogy. It is concerned with how the meaningful learning activities help to prepare student teachers to successfully integrate digital technologies in their future teaching practice. Methodology – This study adopted a qualitative research design and was underpinned by a meaningful learning theory as the theoretical and analytical framework. A total of 24 final year student teachers participated in this study. Data were mainly collected through student teachers’ reflections regarding their learning experience. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze and present the findings. Findings –The findings offer some important insights into how the learning activities carried out in this Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project have directly and indirectly accelerated the acquisition of all the five attributes of meaningful learning. The findings of this study reveal that meaningful learning activities contribute to the improvement of the student teachers’ knowledge of and skills in using Web 2.0. This improvement has boosted their confidence to integrate digital pedagogy in future teaching practices. The findings also indicate that although student teachers value their experiences in meaningful learning activities, they have some concerns regarding firstly, their capacities in applying digital pedagogy and secondly, the practicality of integrating Web 2.0 tools in the school setting because of several inherent limitations. Significance – Meaningful learning activities when incorporated into teacher training programmes will expose student teachers to authentic experiences which will be beneficial for their own learning and future teaching practice.
Male victims of non-sexual and non-domestic violence: service needs and experiences in court

Reported crime and crime victimisation data from Australia shows that, with the exception of sexual assault and kidnapping/abduction, men are more likely than women to be victims of violent offences (ABS 2013a, 2013b). However, a review of the victimology literature revealed that adult male victims of violence were largely missing from broader discussions around the impact of violent offences on victims and their subsequent support needs. In response to this apparent omission, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) was funded under the Victims of Crime Research Fund (administered by Victims Services, NSW Department of Attorney General and Justice), to undertake a small exploratory study examining the: support needs and experiences of adult male victims of non-sexual and non-domestic violence, including when they participate in the trial of perpetrators; and accessibility and appropriateness of existing formal victim support services in New South Wales for this group of victims.
Objective measurements of auditory nerve recovery function in nucleus CI 24 implantees in relation to subjective preference of stimulation rate

Objective Setting the optimal rate of stimulation for individual cochlear implant recipients is critical to the successful functional outcome of cochlear implantation. In the absence of an objective methodology, cochlear implants are currently fitted by means of a time-consuming (and therefore expensive) trial-and-error process of limited accuracy. The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible relationship between the patient's subjectively preferred stimulation rate and an objective measurement of auditory nerve recovery time. Material and Methods Eleven recipients of Nucleus CI 24 implants initially fitted with a speech processor using the ACE speech-coding strategy at a rate of 900 Hz were introduced to 2 other stimulation rate options, 1200 and 1800 Hz, at 2 different fitting sessions and asked to choose their preferred rate. Preferences were compared with objective measurements of auditory nerve recovery time obtained using the refractory recovery function of neural response telemetry. Results The auditory nerve recovery time for individuals with a subjective preference for a slow stimulation rate was longer than that for individuals who preferred a fast stimulation rate, with significant differences between the 2 groups for 3 tested electrodes (7, 11 and 15): p=0.024, 0.009 and 0.03, respectively (Mann–Whitney test). Conclusion The association observed between the subjective stimulation rate preference and measurements of auditory nerve recovery time indicates that the measured auditory nerve recovery time can be used as a reliable predictor for setting up a basic stimulation rate of a particular individual's map, thus reducing the cost of the technology and significantly increasing its effectiveness.
Public Sector Expansion: Stagnant Technology or Attenuated Property Rights?

There is little dispute that over the last century public sector budgets in the United States have grown, both in absolute size and in relation to GNP. There is no such general consensus over the sources underlying this growth. Recent empirical evidence does suggest that rising per unit costs in government activities account for the single most important component in expanding public sector budgets. ' In this paper we examine two prominent explanations for cost differences in public versus private sector activities and offer some empirical tests between these two competing hypothee eses. The first explanation is that differential cost increases are a manifestation of the technological structure of certain activities performed by the public sector. This hypothesis originates from a much-cited paper by Baumol [3]. Baumol's argument (in the original) contains two central themes that have since emerged as the basis of what can be broadly labeled the "non-progressivity" explanation for rising public sector costs. First, he suggested that
Clinical Syndromes of Alcoholic Liver Disease

Background and Aims: Alcoholic liver disease continues to be a major health problem with respect to both morbidity and mortality. To understand the clinical syndromes of alcoholic liver disease, this review highlights the papers on both clinical and basic research of alcoholic liver disease, especially on steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis and fibrosis. Methods: The various forms of alcoholic liver disease are described, and knowledge about the clinical and pathophysiological features of different stages of alcoholic liver disease are summarized. Results: Clinical studies combined with basic research have established a spectrum of alcoholic liver disease from steatosis to steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. New insights into the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease include the key roles of the excess production of cytokines, reactive oxygen species, and the shortage of protective mediators, including adiponectin. Conclusion: These new insights will lead to new specific therapies for the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic liver fibrosis.
Presynaptic effects of muscarine on ACh release at the frog neuromuscular junction

1 Presynaptic effects of muscarine on neurotransmitter release were studied at the frog neuromuscular junction, using focal depolarization of the presynaptic terminal to different levels. 2 Muscarine (10 μM) had a dual effect on ACh release: concomitant inhibition and enhancement of release at the same patch of presynaptic membrane. 3 These two effects were maximal at low depolarizing pulses and diminished as depolarization increased. 4 At low depolarizing pulses, atropine (1 μM) enhanced release, suggesting that ACh in the synaptic cleft causes a net tonic inhibition of ACh release. 5 In the presence of the M2 antagonist methoctramine (1 μM), muscarine (10 μM) enhanced ACh release. 6 In the presence of the M1 antagonist pirenzepine (10 μM), muscarine (10 μM) produced stronger inhibition. 7 These results show that the M2 receptor is responsible for inhibition of ACh release, while the M1 receptor is responsible for its enhancement. 8 The inhibitory effect of muscarine did not depend on extracellular [Ca2+]. Enhancement of release was abolished at low extracellular [Ca2+]. 9 The muscarine inhibitory effect was not associated with a reduction of Ca2+ current, while release enhancement was associated with an increase of Ca2+ current.
Phylogeny of Abildgaardieae (Cyperaceae) inferred from its and trnL-F data

Within the tribe Abildgaardieae, the relationships between Fimbristylis and its relatives have not been certain, and the limits of Fimbristylis have been unclear, with Bulbostylis and Ahildgaardia variously combined with it and each other. The relationships and limits of tribes Abildgaardieae and Arthrostylideae and their genera were evaluated across 49 representative species using parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses of ITS (nuclear ribosomal) and trnL-F (plastid) DNA sequence data separately and combined. The evolutionary reconstructions derived from sequences of cpDNA and nrDNA disagree about the position of tribe Arthrostylideae relative to Abildgaardieae; Arthrostylis and Actinoschoenus are either nested within Abildgaardieae (trnL-F data) or very closely related to this tribe (ITS data). The reconstructions also disagree about the monophyly of genus Ahildgaardia (excluding A. vaginata). Crosslandia and A. vaginata form a clade that is nested within Fimbristylis. Bulhostylis is monophyletic and clearly separated from Fimbristylis. Further sampling of taxa and characters is needed to resolve and/or strengthen support for some of these "deep" and fine-scale relationships.
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISORY ROLE OF PRINCIPALS AND ITS’ INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NANDI NORTH DISTRICT NANDI COUNTY KENYA

The purpose of instructional supervision is to improve the quality of teaching through bettering skills of teachers which in turn enhance students’ academic achievement. Informal discussion among the people in Nandi North community suggests that poor students’ performance in public schools is as a result of ineffective supervision of teachers by principals. This study sought to examine the influence of instructional supervisory roles of the principals on student’s academic achievement in Nandi North District, Nandi County Kenya. A mixed method of cross sectional survey and naturalistic phenomenology designs was used. A total of 117 participants were selected through probability and non probability sampling procedures. Questionnaires, interview guides and document analysis guide were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies were used to summarize information obtained from the field. It was presented in distribution tables of frequency, percentages and pie charts. Qualitative data was categorized into themes guided by research questions and presented in form of narratives and direct quotes. The findings established that principals’ orient new teaching staff supervise curriculum timetabling and monitor students’ academic progress. They were rated very highly as roles frequently performed. Principals were found to refrain from visiting classrooms for lesson observation and rarely provided inservice training for teachers. The major challenges that faced principals included lack of finances, in-adequate staffing, high turnover of teachers and inter-relationship challenges. The study recommended that principals should be setting enough time for instructional supervision in schools. The study further suggested that QASO organize seminars on clinical conferences and collegial methods of supervision. They are also to encourage classroom visitation and giving of feedback to the teachers.
Ethnic difference of the anterior chamber area and volume and its association with angle width.

PURPOSE To compare the anterior chamber area/volume (ACA/ACV) and their relationship with the drainage angle between adult Caucasians and Chinese. METHODS Study groups were comprised of four age- and sex-matched cohorts: American Caucasians, American Chinese, southern mainland Chinese, and northern mainland Chinese. All subjects were consecutively recruited from general ophthalmology clinics except for southern mainland Chinese participants who were drawn from an ongoing population-based study. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) images were obtained under dark conditions. Customized software was used to analyze structural indices including ACA/ACV, angle opening distance (AOD), anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber width (ACW), lens vault (LV), corneal arc depth (CAD), iris thickness (IT), iris curvature (ICurv), and iris area (IArea). RESULTS Data from 121, 124, 121, and 120 participants were obtained of American Caucasians, American Chinese, and southern and northern mainland Chinese, respectively. After multiple linear regression analysis, adjusting for age, sex, pupil diameter (PD), and axial length (AL), ACA/ACV was positively associated with ACD, ACW, CAD, and corneal radius of curvature (CR) but negatively related with ICurv and IArea. Ethnic Chinese had significantly smaller ACA (β = -0.18, P = 0.022) and ACV (β = -3.9, P = 0.001) than Caucasians. ACV contributes the most to AOD variation for both Chinese (standardized regression coefficient [SRC] = 0.47, P < 0.001) and Caucasians (SRC = 0.59, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Compared with Caucasians, ethnic Chinese had smaller ACA/ACV independent of ACD, ACW, ICurv, IArea, PD, CR, and AL. ACA/ACV is the most prominent contributor to angle width variation for both Chinese and Caucasians in this study.
An Efficient Protocol for Checkpointing Recovery in Distributed Systems

The authors present an efficient synchronized checkpointing protocol that exploits the dependency relation between processes in distributed systems. In this protocol, a process takes a checkpoint when it knows that all processes on which it computationally depends took their checkpoints, hence the process need not always wait for the decision made by the checkpointing coordinator as in the conventional synchronized protocols. As a result, the checkpointing coordination time is substantially reduced and the possibility of total abort of the checkpointing coordination is reduced. >
Alteration of vascular reactivity in diabetic human mammary artery and the effects of thiazolidinediones

Vascular reactivity was investigated in endothelium‐denuded human internal mammary artery (IMA) rings from type 2 diabetic patients. It was also investigated whether insulin sensitizer thiazolidinedione drugs, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, can directly affect the reactivity of IMA. Using organ bath techniques, cumulative concentration‐response curves to phenylephrine (PE), KCl, cromakalim (CRO) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were constructed in diabetic and non‐diabetic IMA rings. Means of maximal responses (% Emax) and pEC50 values (sensitivity) were compared. Emax values and the sensitivity to PE and KCl were increased while KATP‐channel‐mediated relaxations were reduced significantly in diabetic rings compared with non‐diabetic rings (n = 5–12, P < 0.05). No changes were observed for SNP responses (n = 5, P > 0.05). Incubations with pioglitazone (1 and 10 μM) and rosiglitazone (1 and 20 μM), for 30 min, did not affect KATP‐channel‐mediated relaxations (n = 5 each, P > 0.05). Pioglitazone partly inhibited pre‐contractions of PE and KCl at 10 μM, rosiglitazone did not. Vascular dysfunction observed in diabetic IMA may be of specific importance since they are widely used as coronary bypass material. Thiazolidinedione drugs may not worsen arterial dilatation through KATP channels in ischaemic or hypoxic insults in diabetic patients who are prone to such conditions. Pioglitazone has vasorelaxant property in the grafts.
The effects of holistic health group interventions on improving the cognitive ability of persons with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial

Purpose Persons with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI) are at a higher risk of developing dementia than those without cognitive impairment. This research study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a holistic health group intervention, which is based on the holistic brain health approach as well as an Eastern approach to health care, on improving the cognitive ability of Chinese PwMCI. Research methods In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 38 Chinese PwMCI were randomly assigned to either a 10-session holistic health intervention group or the control group. The holistic health treatment group attempted to promote the acceptance of their illness, enhance memory and coping skills, develop a positive lifestyle, maintain positive emotions, and facilitate emotional support among participants. The 10-session holistic health group intervention was structured, with each session conducted once per week and ~90 minutes in length. Control group patients and their family caregivers received standardized basic educational materials that provided basic information on cognitive decline for them to read at home. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to assess the cognitive ability of PwMCI in the pre- and posttreatment periods by a research assistant who was blind to the group assignment of the participants. Results The paired-samples t-test indicated that the treatment group (n=18) showed significant improvement in the MoCA score, whereas the control group (n=20) did not. Moreover, 2×2 (group × time) repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) demonstrated that the holistic health group treatment was significantly more effective than the control intervention in improving the MoCA score, with a moderate effect size, and improving the delayed recall (ie, short-term memory), with a strong effect size, after controlling for age, sex, education, and marital status. Conclusion This present RCT provides evidence to support the feasibility and effectiveness of the holistic health group intervention in improving the cognitive and short-term memory abilities of PwMCI.
Barriers and Facilitators in Pain Management in Long-Term Care Institutions: A Qualitative Study*

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to the management of pain in long-term care institutions. Formal caregivers practising in four long-term care institutions in Hamilton, Ontario participated in eight focus groups. Participants included 6 physicians, 19 registered nurses, 8 registered practical nurses, 13 health care aides and 8 occupational therapists or physiotherapists. Three types of barriers were found: caregiver-related, patient-related and systems-related. Four themes for facilitating pain management were identified: (a) caregivers knowing the patient, (b) family support, (c) caregivers demonstrating understanding and compassion, and (d) teamwork by caregivers. Formal caregivers practising in long-term care institutions encounter a multitude of barriers that hinder the adequate assessment and treatment of pain, such as caregiver beliefs and knowledge and cognitive impairment in patients. Innovative strategies and strong political will are needed to overcome them.
The multiple ambiguities of "counteractive lobbying"

We review an article recently published in this journal to show how errors of theory-building, measurement, and research design have contributed to a confusing state of research in the area of interest-group lobbying activities. Contradictory findings in this area have come from the use of cross-sectional variance models where theories have called for longitudinal ones, from inaccurate measurements, from incomplete models, and especially from a willingness to overgeneralize from case studies. Despite a resurgence of studies on lobbying strategies, this literature will remain contradictory and inconclusive unless researchers resolve some basic questions about their theories and the nature of the evidence necessary to test them.
DAB389 Interleukin-2 Receptor Binding Domain Mutations

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate point mutations in the diphtheria toxin-related fusion protein, DAB389 interleukin-2 (IL-2). Thr-439, in the IL-2 receptor binding domain of the fusion toxin, was changed to a Pro residue. The resultant fusion toxin, DAB389 IL-2(T439P), was 300-fold less cytotoxic than wild type DAB389 IL-2, partially as the result of a 100-fold decrease in binding affinity for the high affinity form of the IL-2 receptor. However, DAB389 IL-2(T439P) stimulated DNA synthesis to a greater extent than expected. Studies of intoxication kinetics indicated that the increased stimulation might result from an increased contact time between the mutated IL-2 receptor binding domain and the receptor, perhaps due to a decreased internalization rate. Another mutant, DAB389 IL-2(Q514D), in which a Gln residue at position 514 was changed to an Asp, was 2000-fold less cytotoxic than wild type DAB389 IL-2. This mutant had a 50-fold decrease in binding affinity, did not stimulate DNA synthesis and also had a reduced rate of intoxication. Gln-514 appears to play a role in receptor binding and activation, whereas Thr-439 appears to be involved with receptor binding and signaling internalization of the fusion toxin-receptor complex.