Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use of general and specialized corpora as reference sources for academic English writing: A case study

Abstract Corpora have been suggested as valuable sources for teaching English for academic purposes (EAP). Since previous studies have mainly focused on corpus use in classroom settings, more research is needed to reveal how students react to using corpora on their own and what should be provided to help them become autonomous corpus users, considering that their ultimate goal is to be independent scholars and writers. In the present study, conducted in an engineering lab at a Korean university over 22 weeks, data on students’ experiences and evaluations of consulting general and specialized corpora for academic writing were collected and analyzed. The findings show that, while both corpora served the participants well as reference sources, the specialized corpus was particularly valued for its direct help in academic writing because, as non-native English-speaking graduate engineering students, the participants wanted to follow the writing conventions of their discourse community. The participants also showed disparate attitudes toward the time taken for corpus consultation due to differences in factors such as academic experience, search purposes, and writing tasks. The article concludes with several suggestions for better corpus use with EAP students regarding the compilation of a corpus, corpus training, corpus competence, and academic writing.
Grading immunohistochemical markers p16INK4a and HPV E4 identifies productive and transforming lesions caused by low‐ and high‐risk HPV within high‐grade anal squamous intraepithelial lesions

Because current guidelines recognise high‐grade anal squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) and low‐grade SILs (LSILs), and recommend treatment of all HSILs although not all progress to cancer, this study aims to distinguish transforming and productive HSILs by grading immunohistochemical (IHC) biomarkers p16INK4a (p16) and E4 in low‐risk human papillomavirus (lrHPV) and high‐risk (hr)HPV‐associated SILs as a potential basis for more selective treatment.
Meat intake and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in two large US prospective cohorts of women and men.

BACKGROUND Epidemiological evidence on the associations between meat intake and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was limited and inconsistent. METHODS We prospectively examined the association between consumption of meats and meat mutagens with HCC risk using data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after adjusting for known liver-cancer risk factors. RESULTS During up to 32 years of follow-up, we documented 163 incident HCC cases. The HRs of HCC for the highest vs the lowest tertile intake levels were 1.84 (95% CI: 1.16-2.92, Ptrend = 0.04) for processed red meats and 0.61 (95% CI: 0.40-0.91, Ptrend = 0.02) for total white meats. There was a null association between unprocessed red meats and HCC risk (HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.68-1.63, Ptrend = 0.85). We found both poultry (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.40-0.90, Ptrend = 0.01) and fish (HR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.47-1.05, Ptrend = 0.10) were inversely associated with HCC risk. The HR for HCC risk was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.61-1.02) when 1 standard deviation of processed red meats was substituted with an equivalent amount of poultry or fish intake. We also found a suggestive positive association of intake of meat-derived mutagenicity or heterocyclic amines with risk of HCC. CONCLUSIONS Processed red meat intake might be associated with higher, whereas poultry or possibly fish intake might be associated with lower, risk of HCC. Replacing processed red meat with poultry or fish might be associated with reduced HCC risk.
Association of TDP-43 Pathology With Domain-specific Literacy in Older Persons

Background: Low health and financial literacy may be an early behavioral manifestation of cognitive impairment, dementia, and accumulating Alzheimer pathology. However, there are limited studies investigating the behavioral features associated with hyperphosphorylated transactive response DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43), a common age-related pathology, and even fewer studies investigating the neurobiological basis underlying low literacy in aging. Objective: To test the hypothesis that TDP-43 pathology is associated with lower literacy. Materials and Methods: Data came from 293 community-based older persons who were enrolled in 2 ongoing studies of aging. Participants completed literacy and cognitive assessments, consented to brain donation, and underwent detailed neuropathologic evaluation for Alzheimer disease (AD) and TDP-43. Linear regression models assessed the association of TDP-43 with literacy after adjusting for demographics, and AD pathology. Posthoc pairwise comparisons examined whether the level of literacy differed by TDP-43 stage. Results: TDP-43 pathology was associated with lower literacy (estimate=−3.16; SE=0.86; P<0.001), above and beyond demographics and AD pathology, and this association persisted even after additionally adjusting for global cognition (estimate=−1.53; SE=0.74; P=0.038). Further, literacy was lower among persons with neocortical TDP-43 pathology compared with those without TDP-43 pathology. Conclusions: TDP-43 pathology is associated with lower health and financial literacy in old age, above and beyond AD pathology.
Protective effects of betanin against paracetamol and diclofenac induced neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption in rats

Abstract Context: Overconsumption of paracetamol (PAR) and diclofenac (DF) have been reported to induce neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption. Objective: The current study was designed to explore the protective potential of betanin against PAR and DF inducing neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption in a rat model. Material and Methods: Forty rats were equally divided into five groups: group I served as control, group II received PAR (400 mg/kg), group III received PAR plus betanin (25 mg/kg), group IV received DF (10 mg/kg) and group V received DF plus betanin orally for 28 consecutive days. Thyroid axis hormones, sex hormone, neurotransmitters, paraoxonase-1, hemeoxygenase-1 and nuclear factor-2 were measured by ELISA. While, the oxidative stress markers were colorimetrically estimated. Moreover, DNA damage and histopathological picture of the brains were investigated. Results: A marked reduction in thyroid axis hormones, brain neurotransmitters and serum testosterone as well as enhanced oxidative stress and brain DNA damage accompanied by drastic changes in the brain histopathological picture were recorded in the challenged PAR and DF groups. Betanin supplementation ameliorated most of the biochemical and histopathological changes induced by PAR or DF. Conclusion: The study suggests betanin of potential protective effects against neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption induced by PAR and DF overconsumption.
Comprehending Process Diagrams in Biology Education

Students in secondary Science education seem to have difficulties with comprehending diagrams. Process diagrams are an important type of representation in Biology for explaining processes like protein synthesis, compound cycles, etc. In this thesis, we aimed at getting deeper insight into students’ difficulties comprehending process diagrams. These insights were used to inform the design of an intervention.
AN INTRODUCTION TO METATHEORIES, THEORIES, AND MODELS

The objective of this chapter is to provide a general introduction to some key theoretical concepts of use in library and information science (LIS) research. First, the three terms in the title, metatheory, theory, and model, are defined and discussed. Next, an extended example is provided of a case in which a researcher might consider and test various models or theories in information seeking research. Next, metatheories are considered at greater length, and the distinction is made between nomothetic and idiographic metatheories. Finally, thirteen metatheoretical approaches in wide use in LIS are described. Explanatory texts are referenced, as well as example studies using each approach. The discussion is necessarily brief and simplifying.
Adapting a Curriculum Unit to Facilitate Interaction Between Technology, Mathematics and Science in the Elementary Classroom: Identifying Relevant Criteria

Calls for the integration of subjects continue to emanate from a wide range of professional bodies, including governments and subject associations. Yet as some authors suggest, blurring the boundaries between subjects may be one of the most daunting tasks educators face. The authors have recently begun a research study that will investigate the extent to which (a) relevant mathematics and science can be made explicit in a technology curriculum unit, (b) pupils utilise this mathematics and science learning, and (c) pupils' ability to design is enhanced by making the mathematics and science explicit and useful. This paper reports the results of Phase 1 of the study: an examination of research literature in order to identify criteria to inform the re-writing of an existing technology curriculum (to be used as a research instrument) that previously did not make explicit embedded mathematics and science concepts. Our reading of the literature has identified two essential criteria that must be met during the re-writing: (a) protecting the integrity of the subjects and (b) identifying the nature and purpose of the intended learning.
A new giant species of Arthroleptis (Amphibia: Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve, south-western Ghana

We describe a new giant species of Arthroleptis from the eastern part of the Upper Guinean rain forest, West Africa. This species from the Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve, south-western Ghana is the largest member of the genus from West Africa. It differs from all known West African Arthroleptis by its large size, its peculiar coloration and a number of morphological characters, such as e.g. an extremely broad head. Arthroleptis krokosua sp. nov. is most similar to large members of the genus from East and Central Africa, particularly A. variabilis and A. adolfifriederici from which it differs in lateral and ventral colouration patterns, larger size (> 43 mm), as well as head shape (heads width / snout-vent length: 0.45; 0.40 in A. variabilis and A. adolfifriederici). Genetic divergence in 550 bp of 16S rRNA was 4.97–5.14 % between the new species and A. variabilis. The new species seems to have no apparent affiliations to any other West African member of the genus. All other West African Arthroleptis are much smaller in size and differ in body shape.
Microhabitat Characteristics of Akodon montensis, a Reservoir for Hantavirus, and Hantaviral Seroprevalence in an Atlantic Forest Site in Eastern Paraguay

ABSTRACT: Hantaviruses may cause serious disease when transmitted to humans by their rodent hosts. Since their emergence in the Americas in 1993, there have been extensive efforts to understand the role of environmental factors on the presence of these viruses in their host rodent populations. HPS outbreaks have been linked to precipitation, but climatic factors alone have not been sufficient to predict the spatial-temporal dynamics of the environment-reservoir-virus system. Using a series of mark-recapture sampling sites located at the Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, an Atlantic Forest site in eastern Paraguay, we investigated the hypothesis that microhabitat might also influence the prevalence of Jaborá hantavirus within populations of its reservoir species, Akodon montensis. Seven trapping sessions were conducted during 2005–2006 at four sites chosen to capture variable microhabitat conditions within the study site. Analysis of microhabitat preferences showed that A. montensis preferred areas with little forest overstory and denser vegetation cover on and near the ground. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the microhabitat occupied by antibody-positive vs antibody-negative rodents, indicating that microhabitats with greater overstory cover may promote transmission and maintenance of hantavirus in A. montensis.
Characterization of aphid pathogenic species in the genus Pandora by PCR techniques and digital image analysis

Abstract Twenty-eight isolates of the insect pathogenic fungus genus Pandora Humber derived from various geographical locations and insect hosts were studied in order to examine both genotypic as well as phenotypic variation. We included sixteen Pandora neoaphidis, two Pandora nouryi, three Pandora kondoiensis, one Pandora bullata and six Pandora delphacis isolates in the study. The sizes of ITS bands and RAPD-PCR patterns were used to investigate the genotypic variations. For phenotypic characterization the length and width of the primary conidia were measured and the size and shape of the conidia were quantified in digital images. The size of ITS divided Pandora isolates from Aphididae into the following four groups: (i) all P. neoaphidis isolates, (ii) two isolates of P. kondoiesis including the ex-neotype, (iii) one isolate of P. nouryi and (iv) one isolate of P. kondoiesis and one isolate of P. nouryi. The analysis of RAPD data fully supported the groupings obtained for the ITS lengths. The RAPD technique was able to distinguish between all isolates except those isolated from the same epizootic. It was shown that, among the P. neoaphidis isolates, a correlation between RAPD-PCR profile and geographical origin of the isolate was present while no correlation between host species and profile was seen. The analysis of digital images was here employed for the first time for entomopathogenic fungi. The digital image analysis supported at a quantitative level the original descriptions of P. neoaphidis and P. delphacis primary conidia as ovoid to ellipsoidal whereas the primary conidia of P. nouryi and P. kondoiensis are ovoid. Within these two clusters information on host insect species is important for distinguishing fungal species. Thus, by combining digital image analysis and information on host insect species the results agreed with the genetic analysis.
The effect of phosphorus availability on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of Typha angustifolia

Abstract Although Typha (cattail) species have been reported to be non-mycorrhizal, recent studies have reported arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) structures in Typha roots, even in very wet habitats. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between phosphorus availability and AM colonization of Typha angustifolia. Typha angustifolia was grown in factorial combinations of four phosphorus concentrations (1,10,100, and 500 µM P) and two inoculum densities (200 or 500 spores/pot), with an uninoculated control treatment at 100 µM P. After 13 wk, AM colonization was present in the three lowest phosphorus treatments, but was absent from the 500 µM P and control treatments. Colonization did not differ significantly between inoculum density treatments. Shoot dry mass increased significantly with increased phosphorus and was marginally higher in treatments that received 200 spores than 500 spores. Among the 100 µM P treatments, shoot dry mass was significantly higher in the 200 spore treatment than the uninoculated control, but shoot nutrient content did not differ. This study presents clear evidence that AM fungi can colonize T. angustifolia under controlled conditions as a function of phosphorus availability.
A mathematical model of non-photochemical quenching to study short-term light memory in plants

Plants are permanently exposed to rapidly changing environments, therefore it is evident that they had to evolve mechanisms enabling them to dynamically adapt to such fluctuations. Here we study how plants can be trained to enhance their photoprotection and elaborate on the concept of the short-term illumination memory in Arabidopsis thaliana. By monitoring fluorescence emission dynamics we systematically observe the extent of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) after previous light exposure to recognise and quantify the memory effect. We propose a simplified mathematical model of photosynthesis that includes the key components required for NPQ activation, which allows us to quantify the contribution to photoprotection by those components. Due to its reduced complexity, our model can be easily applied to study similar behavioural changes in other species, which we demonstrate by adapting it to the shadow-tolerant plant Epipremnum aureum. Our results indicate that a basic mechanism of short-term light memory is preserved. The slow component, accumulation of zeaxanthin, accounts for the amount of memory remaining after relaxation in darkness, while the fast one, antenna protonation, increases quenching efficiency. With our combined theoretical and experimental approach we provide a unifying framework describing common principles of key photoprotective mechanisms across species in general, mathematical terms.
Species delimitation in the Gloeocystidiellum porosum-clavuligerum complex inferred from compatibility studies and nuclear rDNA sequence data

Abstract Gloeocystidiellum porosum and Gloeocystidiellum clavuligerum are corticioid homobasidiomycetes with minor morphological differences and are generally regarded as a complex of closely related taxa. To infer phylogenetic relationships and to aid in species delimitation, sequences of the internal transcribed spacer 2 and the 5′ end of the large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA were obtained for 25 representatives of the species complex. Inter-and intracompatibility tests between cultured representatives for all specimen groups were performed. Results of phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences were congruent with compatibility results. Gloeocystidiellum clavuligerum consists of two distinct taxa, and G. porosum includes at least two intersterile groups of uncertain taxonomic status.
Web strategies to promote internet shopping: is cultural-customization needed?

Building consumer trust is important for new or unknown Internet businesses seeking to extend their customer reach globally. This study explores the question: Should website designers take into account the cultural characteristics of prospective customers to increase trust, given that different trust-building web strategies have different cost implications? In this study, we focused on two theoretically grounded practical web strategies of customer endorsement, which evokes unit grouping, and portal affiliation, which evokes reputation categorization, and compared them across two research sites: Australia (individualistic culture) and Hong Kong (collectivistic culture). The results of the laboratory experiment we conducted, on the website of an online bookstore, revealed that the impact of peer customer endorsements on trust perceptions was stronger for subjects in Hong Kong than Australia and that portal (Yahoo) affiliation was effective only in the Australian site. A follow-up study was conducted as a conceptual replication, and provided additional insights on the effects of customer endorsement versus firm affiliation on trust-building. Together, these findings highlight the need to consider cultural differences when identifying the mix of web strategies to employ in Internet store websites.
Expertly validated models suggest responses to climate change are related to species traits: a phylogenetically-controlled analysis of the Order Lagomorpha

Climate change during the last five decades has impacted significantly on natural ecosystems and the rate of current climate change is of great concern among conservation biologists. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) have been used widely to project changes in species’ bioclimatic envelopes under future climate scenarios. Here, we aimed to advance this technique by assessing future changes in the bioclimatic envelopes of an entire mammalian Order, the Lagomorpha, using a novel framework for model validation based jointly on subjective expert evaluation and objective model evaluation statistics. SDMs were built using climatic, topographical and habitat variables for all 87 species under past and current climate scenarios. Expert evaluation and Kappa values were used to validate past and current distribution models and only those deemed ‘modellable’ through our framework were projected under future climate scenarios (58 species). We then used phylogenetically-controlled regressions to test whether species traits were correlated with predicted responses to climate change. Climate change will impact more than two-thirds of the Lagomorpha, with leporids (rabbits, hares and jackrabbits) likely to undertake poleward shifts with little overall change in range extent, whilst pikas are likely to show extreme shifts to higher altitudes associated with marked range declines, including the likely extinction of Kozlov’s Pika (Ochotona koslowi). Smaller-bodied species were more likely to exhibit range contractions and elevational increases, but showing little poleward movement, and fecund species were more likely to shift latitudinally and elevationally. Our results suggest that species traits may be important indicators of future climate change and we believe multi-species approaches, as demonstrated here, are likely to lead to more effective mitigation measures and conservation management.
Dimorphic development in Streblospio benedicti: genetic analysis of morphological differences between larval types

The marine polychaete Streblospio benedicti exhibits two distinct larval types, making it a model for the study of developmental evolution. Females produce either large eggs or small ones, which develop into distinct lecithotrophic or planktotrophic larvae with concomitant morphological and life-history differences. Here, we investigate the inheritance of key morphological traits that distinguish the larval types. We use genetic crosses to establish the influence of maternal and zygotic differences on larval phenotypes. We find a large maternal effect on larval size and the number of larval chaetae, while the number and length of these chaetae are also strongly influenced by zygotic genotype. Interestingly, the distribution of larval phenotypes produced by these crosses suggests traits intermediate to the two parental types should not be uncommon. Yet, despite gene flow between the types in natural populations, such intermediates are rarely found in nature, suggesting that selection may be maintaining distinct larval modes.