Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Instructing Critical Thinking through Debate on Male and Female EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of instruction through debate on the male and female EFL learners’ reading comprehension, and to examine the difference between male and female EFL learners’ perception towards instructing critical thinking (CT) through debate. 88 learners, out of 120, were selected through convenience sampling method. Using a quantitative research method with experimental pre-and post-tests design, this study consisted of 44 participants in the experimental group and 44 participants in the control group. The experimental group received some treatment in the form of “the Meeting-House Debate” strategy, while the control group received no such treatment. After one month and a half treatment of experimental group, both groups participated in the post-test. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics procedures. Findings showed that the debate strategy had statistically significant effect on the students’ reading comprehension. Also, results revealed that there was no significant difference between male and female EFL learners’ perception towards instructing CT through debate. It was concluded that instructing CT skills through debate strategy resulted in better understanding of reading texts.
Beta-blocker improves survival, left ventricular function, and myocardial remodeling in hypertensive rats with diastolic heart failure.

BACKGROUND Chronic beta-blocker therapy improves survival and left ventricular (LV) systolic function in patients with congestive heart failure. However, its efficacy in diastolic heart failure (DHF) with preserved normal LV systolic function remains uncertain. METHODS Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive rats fed a high-salt diet from 7 weeks of age were randomized to groups that were either not treated (DHF; n = 20) or treated with metoprolol (MP) from 7 weeks of age (DHF+7wkMP; n = 22) or from 17 weeks of age (DHF+17wkMP; n = 8). Both LV function and remodeling were evaluated by serial echocardiography, followed by hemodynamic and pathologic studies. RESULTS Hypertension and pressure-overload LV hypertrophy were established by 17 weeks of age in DHF rats. At about 20 weeks of age DHF rats experienced overt heart failure, which was accompanied not by a decrease in LV fractional shortening but by diastolic filling abnormalities. The LV concentric hypertrophy was strikingly attenuated in DHF+7wkMP rats but not in DHF+17wkMP rats. However, LV myocardial fibrosis and the further progression of diastolic dysfunction were prevented in both MP-treated groups. Survival at 21 weeks of age was significantly improved in DHF+7wkMP (86%) and DHF+17wkMP (75%) rats compared with DHF rats (25%). CONCLUSIONS In this study, MP prevented not only the development of LV hypertrophy but also the progression of diastolic dysfunction, and improved survival in rats with DHF. The preventive effect of MP on myocardial fibrosis is suggested as one of the mechanisms contributing to halt the progression of diastolic dysfunction, a finding that may lead to clinical benefits in regard to DHF caused by hypertension.
Try to Find Fake Reviews with Semantic and Relational Discovery

There are a large number of online fake reviews reviewed from imposters intended to promote or demote the reputation and sales of target items. These activities result in vicious competition and damage the interests of individuals. Several methods have been proposed from related researchers to detect the fake reviews, such as content based methods, behavioral based methods, graph based discovery and bursting pattern discovery. In this work, we focus on detecting fake reviews based on semantic and relational discovery. That is, we find that there are some differences in related topics of fake reviews and non-fake reviews. There are also some close relationships of reviews, reviewers and items. As such, we first extracted semantic based features and relational based features with several data mining techniques, then treated the fake review detection problem as binary classification task and built classification models. In the end, we demonstrated the validity of our method through our designed experiments.
Efficient iterative schemes for ab initio total-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set.

We present an efficient scheme for calculating the Kohn-Sham ground state of metallic systems using pseudopotentials and a plane-wave basis set. In the first part the application of Pulay's DIIS method (direct inversion in the iterative subspace) to the iterative diagonalization of large matrices will be discussed. Our approach is stable, reliable, and minimizes the number of order ${\mathit{N}}_{\mathrm{atoms}}^{3}$ operations. In the second part, we will discuss an efficient mixing scheme also based on Pulay's scheme. A special ``metric'' and a special ``preconditioning'' optimized for a plane-wave basis set will be introduced. Scaling of the method will be discussed in detail for non-self-consistent and self-consistent calculations. It will be shown that the number of iterations required to obtain a specific precision is almost independent of the system size. Altogether an order ${\mathit{N}}_{\mathrm{atoms}}^{2}$ scaling is found for systems containing up to 1000 electrons. If we take into account that the number of k points can be decreased linearly with the system size, the overall scaling can approach ${\mathit{N}}_{\mathrm{atoms}}$. We have implemented these algorithms within a powerful package called VASP (Vienna ab initio simulation package). The program and the techniques have been used successfully for a large number of different systems (liquid and amorphous semiconductors, liquid simple and transition metals, metallic and semiconducting surfaces, phonons in simple metals, transition metals, and semiconductors) and turned out to be very reliable. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
A contribution to the phytogeography of Brazilian campos: an analysis based on Poaceae

Twenty areas from eight Brazilian states were compared according to a list of 224 species of Poaceae. In order to determinate affinity patterns between the areas, a binary matrix was submitted to cluster and ordination analysis. The patterns found were then faced to climate and geographic position. The scores corresponding to the areas obtained from the cluster analysis showed a strong correlation to temperature. The scores corresponding to the species suggest a gradient that associates distribution patterns to the photosynthetic pathway (C3 or C4). The current results suggest that the traditional classification of the Southern American grasslands might require some modification in order to be broadly applicable in the Brazilian context.
The Basic Laws of Conditioning Differ for Elemental Cues and Cues Trained in Compound

The cue-duration effect (i.e., longer cues result in less conditioned responding than shorter cues) was examined as a function of whether cues were trained alone or in compound. Compound (AX) or elemental (X) cues of either long or short duration were paired with the unconditioned stimulus. In testing with X alone, the cue-duration effect was observed with elementally trained cues, but not with compound cues. Instead, stronger responding resulted from training with long compound cues relative to short compound cues (i.e., a reversed cue-duration effect). Moreover, an overshadowing effect (i.e., decreased responding due to compound conditioning) was observed when conditioning was conducted with a short cue, but compound conditioning resulted in enhanced responding when it was conducted with a long cue (i.e., reversed overshadowing). These findings are consistent with other recent demonstrations that some laws of learning that apply to elementally trained cues do not similarly apply to cues trained in compound.
Offshoring and Export Performance in the European Automotive Industry

This article investigates the impact of offshoring on the export performances of French, German and Italian automotive firms. It is argued that the different offshoring strategies implemented by the main European car-makers are responsible for the discrepancies in export performances of France, Germany and Italy on the world automotive market. Relying on data from auto parts and components, input–output tables and the foreign content of automotive production, it is found that French, German and Italian car-makers have different offshoring strategies. German automotive firms rely more on the international fragmentation of production, while French and Italian ones offshore their production more intensively. Focusing on French and German export performance, it is shown that the relatively low export performance of France in the automotive industry since the end of the 1990s is mainly the result of an increase in offshoring lead by Renault and PSA to Eastern European Countries, coupled with rising labour costs in the French automotive sector.
A role for microfilament-based contraction in branching morphogenesis of the ureteric bud.

BACKGROUND Branching morphogenesis of the ureteric bud/collecting duct epithelium is an important feature of kidney development. Recent work has identified many transcription factors and paracrine signaling molecules that regulate branching, but the physical mechanisms by which these signals act remain largely unknown. The actin cytoskeleton is a common component of mechanisms of morphogenesis. We have therefore studied the expression of, and requirement for actin filaments in the ureteric bud, a branching epithelium of the mammalian kidney. METHODS Embryonic kidney rudiments were grown in organ culture. Actin expression in kidneys growing normally and those in which branching was inhibited was examined using labeled phalloidin. The morphogenetic effects of inhibiting actin organization and tension using cytochalasin D, butanedione monoxime, and Rho kinase ROCK inhibitors were assessed using immunofluorescence. RESULTS F-actin is expressed particularly strongly in the apical domains of cells at the tips of branching ureteric bud, but this expression depends on the bud actively growing and branching. Blocking the polymerization of actin using cytochalasin D inhibits ureteric bud branching reversibly, as does blocking myosin function using butadiene monoxime. Inhibiting the activation of ROCK, a known activator of myosin, with the drugs Y27632 or with H1152 inhibits the expression of strong actin bundles in the ureteric bud tips and inhibits ureteric bud branching without inhibiting other aspects of renal development. CONCLUSION The formation of tension-bearing actin-myosin complexes is essential for branching morphogenesis in the developing kidney.
Surgical Resection and Amniotic Membrane Transplantation for Treatment of Refractory Giant Papillae in Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of surgical resection and amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for treatment of refractory symptomatic giant papillae in vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC). Methods: This is a retrospective study of 13 eyes of 9 patients with refractory giant papillae associated with corneal shield ulcer and/or punctate epithelial erosions who underwent surgical resection of the papillae combined with AMT to cover the tarsal conjunctival defect. Results: During 14.2 ± 4.2 months of postoperative follow-up, smooth tarsal conjunctival surface was achieved in all cases, with no recurrence of the giant papillae in any eye. Corneal shield ulcers and punctate epithelial erosions healed within 2 weeks after surgery and did not recur during the follow-up. Best-corrected visual acuity improved from 0.26 ± 0.21 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution preoperatively to 0.02 ± 0.04 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution postoperatively (P = 0.01). Three patients experienced recurrence of VKC symptoms, but without giant papillae, which could be well controlled by topical medications. Conclusions: Surgical resection combined with AMT is an effective procedure for treatment of refractory giant papillae in patients with VKC.
A procedure for the automatic determination of hydrophobic cores in protein structures

An algorithm is described for automatically detecting hydrophobic cores in proteins of known structure. Three pieces of information are considered in order to achieve this goal. These are: secondary structure, side‐chain accessibility, and side‐chain‐side‐chain contacts. Residues are considered to contribute to a core when they occur in regular secondary structure and have buried side chains that form predominantly nonpolar contacts with one another. This paper describes the algorithm's application to families of proteins with conserved topologies but low sequence similarities. The aim of this investigation is to determine the efficacy of the algorithm as well as to study the extent to which similar cores are identified within a common topology.
Importance of Protease Cleavage Sites within and Flanking Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Transframe Protein p6* for Spatiotemporal Regulation of Protease Activation

ABSTRACT The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease (PR) has recently been shown to be inhibited by its propeptide p6* in vitro. As p6* itself is a PR substrate, the primary goal of this study was to determine the importance of p6* cleavage for HIV-1 maturation and infectivity. For that purpose, short peptide variants mimicking proposed cleavage sites within and flanking p6* were designed and analyzed for qualitative and quantitative hydrolysis in vitro. Proviral clones comprising the selected cleavage site mutations were established and analyzed for Gag and Pol processing, virus maturation, and infectivity in cultured cells. Amino-terminal cleavage site mutation caused aberrant processing of nucleocapsid proteins and delayed replication kinetics. Blocking the internal cleavage site resulted in the utilization of a flanking site at a significantly decreased hydrolysis rate in vitro, which however did not affect Gag-Pol processing and viral replication. Although mutations blocking cleavage at the p6* carboxyl terminus yielded noninfectious virions exhibiting severe Gag processing defects, mutations retarding hydrolysis of this cleavage site neither seemed to impact viral infectivity and propagation in cultured cells nor seemed to interfere with overall maturation of released viruses. Interestingly, these mutants were shown to be clearly disadvantaged when challenged with wild-type virus in a dual competition assay. In sum, we conclude that p6* cleavage is absolutely essential to allow complete activation of the PR and subsequent processing of the viral precursors.
The Effect of Leaders' Emotional Intelligence on Employees' Organization Commitment in Malaysia

It is utmost important for manufacturers to improve competitiveness and leaders’ characteristic is vital to make this goal attainable. Leaders’ emotional intelligence (EI) is crucial in this aspects. One of it is to boost employees’ commitment and improve productivity of employees. This paper looks into the relationship between leader’s EI and organizational commitment (OC) of their subordinates. Two types of organization which is a multi- national company and a locally owned company are chosen to conduct this comparative study. The correlational analysis was conducted on these 2 companies and indicated a statistically significant and a positive relationship between the 4 dimensions of EI and OC.
Levels of complexity in phonological disorders: evidence from Cantonese

Longitudinal data from ten phonologically disordered Cantonese-speaking boys were analysed for distinctive features (manner and place). The children labelled 95 pictures, attempting each initial Cantonese segment at least five times. The applicability of Dinnsen et al.'s implicational hierarchy to this data was examined. Categorization of each child's system according to an implicational hierarchy was successful for nine of the ten children when phonetic inventories were considered. In addition, a phonemic inventory based on Dinnsen et al.'s phonetic inventory captured the system of phonological contrasts used by eight of the ten children. The patterns of the children who did not match the hierarchy were considered deviant rather than delayed. The ability of the hierarchy to predict the route of development in this group of children was also examined. The hierarchies (both phonetic and phonemic) successfully predicted the route of change in these cases. Implications for the use of an implicational hierarchy in phonological assessment and treatment are discussed. Further research on feature-based phonological development, in both typically-developing and disordered phonological systems is required.
Resistance and recovery studies on ultraviolet-irradiated spores of Bacillus pumilus

A spore suspension model and a procedure for recovering ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated spores of Bacillus pumilus were investigated. A most-probable-number tube dilution method using double-strength Trypticase soy broth was found to be superior to the agar plate method for recovering optimal numbers of spores irradiated with sublethal doses of UV energy. Aqueous suspensions of B. pumilus survived UV doses up to 108,000 ergs/mm2 as determined by a most-probable-number recovery and estimation procedure. Resistance and stability data were consistent and reproducible, indicating the dependability of this method for recovering UV-damaged spores. The procedures used to collect information concerning resistance characteristics for two strains of B. pumilus are discussed.
Hepatitis B Carrier and Perinatal Outcome in Singleton Pregnancy

The objective of this article is to evaluate the effect of hepatitis B antigenemia on perinatal outcome. Perinatal outcome of 824 women with hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) was compared with 6281 women without hepatitis B surface antigen (control) from June 1996 to September 1998. The maternal characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Perinatal outcome was comparable between groups. The incidences of preterm birth, premature prelabor rupture of membranes, prelabor rupture of membranes, small for gestational age, neonatal jaundice, fetal distress, perinatal asphyxia, congenital abnormality, gastrointestinal tract abnormality, and perinatal mortality were similar among the two groups. We conclude that the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen in pregnant women does not pose additional risk for the pregnancy.
Entries in the Leiden Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation database: An overview of mutation types and paradoxical cases that confirm the reading‐frame rule

The severe Duchenne and milder Becker muscular dystrophy are both caused by mutations in the DMD gene. This gene codes for dystrophin, a protein important for maintaining the stability of muscle‐fiber membranes. In 1988, Monaco and colleagues postulated an explanation for the phenotypic difference between Duchenne and Becker patients in the reading‐frame rule: In Duchenne patients, mutations induce a shift in the reading frame leading to prematurely truncated, dysfunctional dystrophins. In Becker patients, in‐frame mutations allow the synthesis of internally deleted, but largely functional dystrophins. Currently, over 4700 mutations have been reported in the Leiden DMD mutation database, of which 91% are in agreement with this rule. In this study we provide an update of the mutational variability in the DMD gene, particularly focusing on genotype–phenotype correlations and mutations that appear to be exceptions to the reading‐frame rule. Muscle Nerve, 2006
The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown: on-pump versus off-pump coronary-artery bypass grafting.

J Thorac Dis 2017;9(12):4893-4895 jtd.amegroups. com “. , in the middle of which the Lion and Unicorn were fighting. , that at first Alice could not make out which was which: but she soon managed to distinguish the Unicorn by his horn. ” Numerous studies [including randomized controlled trials (RCTs)] have compared outcomes following offpump coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) with those following on-pump CABG, which appears that, as it were, “the Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the crown” (Figure 1). Recently, the Randomized On/Off Bypass (ROOBY) Follow-up Study (ROOBY-FS) (1) reported 5-year clinical outcomes in 2,203 patients randomly assigned to off-pump (1,104 patients) or on-pump CABG (1,099 patients). At 5 years, off-pump CABG was inferior to on-pump CABG with regard to death from any cause [15.2% vs. 11.9%; relative risk (RR), 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03–1.58; P=0.02; hazard ratio (HR), 1.30; 95% CI, 1.04–1.64; P=0.02] and the primary composite major adverse cardiovascular events outcome (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.00–1.30; P=0.046; HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01–1.38; P=0.03). Has the Lion (on-pump CABG) beaten the Union (offpump CABG)? The 5-year rate of death from cardiac causes did not differ significantly between offand on-pump CABG (6.3% vs. 5.3%; RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.86–1.68; P=0.29) in the ROOBY-FS (1). Accordingly, the significantly higher rate of death from any cause following offpump (15.2%) than on-pump CABG (11.9%) was not correspondingly reflected in no significantly different rate of death from cardiac causes between treatments. The discrepancy between the significant difference of all-cause mortality and no difference of cardiac mortality in the ROOBY-FS (1) is in accordance with 5-year results of another RCT, i.e., the Best Bypass Surgery (BBS) trial (2). In the BBS trial (2), although all-cause mortality was significantly higher following off-pump than on-pump CABG (HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.02–2.73; P=0.04), cardiac mortality was similar between off-pump and on-pump CABG (10% vs. 7 %; HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.64–2.66; P=0.47) (2). Because the cause of death may have several competitive factors in high-risk patients and death from cardiac causes is always challenging to adjudicate, the reliability of assessing cardiac causes of death has been much debated and all-cause mortality must be the most unbiased outcome (1,2). A number of meta-analyses (3-5) have confirmed the results of the ROOBY-FS (1). A meta-analysis (3) demonstrated that off-pump CABG increased short-term (≥1-year) [18 RCTs enrolling a total of 5,358 patients; pooled odds ratio (OR), 1.35; 95% CI, 1.07–1.70; P=0.01] and midterm (≥3-year) all-cause mortality (7 RCTs enrolling a total of 1,826 patients; pooled OR, 1.36; 95% Editorial