Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Self-regulated Strategy Instruction and Behavioral Consultation on Motivation: A Longitudinal Study on the Effect of School-Based Interventions in Secondary Education

Studies show a decrease in students’ motivation in secondary education. Hence, it was investigated whether training of teachers could stop this decline. Two interventions were implemented in prevocational secondary education, being self-regulated strategy instruction and behavioral consultation combined with strategy instruction. The longitudinal effects of the two interventions were tested on the goal orientations of 279 students. The growth curves show a long-term effect of the intervention combining teacher consultancy with strategy instruction on task orientation, ego-enhancing orientation, and ego-defeating orientation as compared to the control condition. For the strategy instruction only condition, only effects on ego orientation were found. The outcomes suggest that combining the instruction of self-regulation strategies with teacher consultation on student problem-solving can stop the downward trend in student motivation, even on the long term.
Development of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in human heart at 3 Tesla

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a well established technique in clinical cardiology. Different MRI sequences are routinely used to assess cardiac anatomy, function, viability and other parameters that aid diagnosing cardiac disease. Conversely, cardiac magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), the only available method for a non-invasive study of human cardiac metabolism, has not evolved into a clinical tool yet. The combination of both techniques holds great potential to gain insight into the causality of cardiomyopathy diseases or other medical conditions with high cardiovascular risk profile, like diabetes or obesity and improve the clinical management of cardiac diseases. Nowadays, high field clinical MR systems have the great potential of improving the low spatial and temporal resolution and reproducibility of MRS. The aim of this thesis was to develop and implement a cardiac H-MRS method at 3 T that can be applied in clinical routine for the assessment of creatine and lipid levels in the human myocardium. The methodological developments to advance cardiac MRS are presented first. A robust H-MRS method comprising an optimized single-voxel technique, phased-array coil combination routine, optimized water suppression, breath-hold averaging and post-processing methods were developed. First, reproducibility and feasibility of the method were validated in vivo by acquiring H-MRS of the liver in almost one hundred healthy subjects. Subsequently, myocardial lipids levels were obtained in healthy volunteers by single breath-hold H-MRS triggered to mid-diastole, showing good reproducibility in an acquisition time less than 12 s. The good spectral resolution achieved using this method was demonstrated by the ability to differentiate for the first time two pools of myocardial lipids in spectra from the septum of patients with suspected myocardial lipid excess. Finally, creatine levels for healthy volunteers were investigated using multiple breath-hold acquisitions. Thus, this study shows the practicality and feasibility to incorporate this rapid cardiac H-MRS method into clinical studies of the human myocardium. Word Count: 25100 Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor Philosophy at the University of Oxford Michaelmas Term, 2010
GroEL Binds Artificial Proteins with Random Sequences*

Chaperonin GroEL from Escherichia coli binds to the non-native states of many unrelated proteins, and GroEL-recognizable structural features have been argued. As model substrate proteins of GroEL, we used seven artificial proteins (138∼141 residues), each of which has a unique but randomly chosen amino acid sequence and no propensity to fold into a certain structure. Two of them were water-soluble, and the rest were soluble in 3m urea. The soluble ones interacted with GroEL in a manner similar to that of a natural substrate; they stimulated the ATPase cycle of GroEL and GroEL/GroES and inhibited GroEL-assisted folding of other protein. All seven artificial proteins were able to bind to GroEL. The results suggest that the secondary structure as well as the specific sequence motif of the substrate proteins are not necessary to be recognized by GroEL.
Linguistic disfluency in narrative speech: evidence from story-telling in 6-year olds

The paper deals with the production of mazes in narrative speech. The analysis is based on experimental data of 24 typically developing monolingual Lithuanian children from middle-class families, attending a state kindergarten. During the experiment, the children were asked to tell a story according to the picture sequence. After transcription of audio-recorded stories, production of mazes was measured automatically by using CHILDES tools; the obtained data was compared to the main microstructural indications such as story productivity and syntactic complexity using SPSS tools. During the investigation, statistically significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between hesitations and revisions was found. However, production of mazes cannot be related to either story productivity (namely, story length in CU) or to syntactic complexity (namely, CL/CU ratio).
Abdominal wall reconstruction using biological tissue grafts: present status and future opportunities

Surgeons often encounter the challenge of treating acquired abdominal wall defects following abdominal surgery. The current standard of practice is to repair most defects using permanent synthetic mesh material. Mesh augments the strength of the weakened abdominal wall fascia and enables the hernia repair to be performed in a tension-free manner. However, there is a risk of acute and/or chronic infection, fistula formation and chronic abdominal wall pain with the use of permanent mesh materials, which can lead to more complex operations. As a means to avoid such problems, surgeons are turning increasingly to the use of xenogenic and allogenic materials for the repair of abdominal wall defects. Their rapid evolution and introduction into the clinical operating room is leading to a new era in abdominal wall reconstruction. There are promising, albeit limited, clinical data with short-term follow-up for only a few of the many biological tissue grafts that are being promoted currently for the repair of abdominal hernias. Additional clinical studies are required to better understand the long-term efficacy and limitations of these materials.
Flicker Contrast Sensitivity in Normal and Specifically Disabled Readers

Temporal contrast sensitivity for counterphase flicker was determined for specifically disabled and normal readers to investigate whether the two groups differ in the functioning of their transient systems. In experiment 1, temporal contrast sensitivity was measured over a range of temporal frequencies with a spatial frequency of 2 cycles deg−1. Disabled readers were less sensitive than the control subjects at all temporal frequencies. In experiment 2, temporal contrast sensitivity was measured at a temporal frequency of 20 Hz over a range of spatial frequencies. Disabled readers were less sensitive than the controls at all spatial frequencies, with the differences between the groups increasing as spatial frequency increased. Both these findings are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis of a transient-system deficit in the visual systems of disabled readers.
Key challenges of evidence-based medicine in developing countries

Objective: Evidence-based medicine is gradually re-shaping the conduct of medical research in developing countries. With increase in the number of original studies conducted across various local settings, global health experts have looked for a way to systematically combine these smaller studies in order to synthesize results that are meaningful, logical, feasible, and also representative of a larger population group in the region under consideration. Evidence-based Medicine emphasizes the use of the best evidence from well designed and conducted medical research aimed at providing the best available evidence to inform health decision making. In many lowand middle-income settings however, evidence syntheses are not without some basic challenges. The study aims to identify the key challenges in evidence synthesis in developing countries and provide practical ways to address these. Methods: An exploratory scoping literature search was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar for relevant studies on evidence synthesis in lowand middle-income countries. Results: Standardization and Limited Evidence Base were identified as the two main challenges of evidence synthesis in the developing world. The standards and guidelines employed in the collation of data and information, synthesis of results, and reporting vary widely across many research settings, making the combination of evidence gathered almost impossible. The evidence base for medical research in many developing countries is too limited in scope to evaluate the research question of interest, and study distribution often reveals a geographical pattern characterized by small clusters of well-researched urban areas surrounded by large under-researched rural areas. Improvement in country level health records and data through the establishment of a national health management information system was identified as an important and desirable way forward, with this requiring robust organizational, technical and financial
A meta-analysis of motivational interviewing interventions for pediatric health behavior change.

OBJECTIVE Motivational interviewing (MI) is an empirically supported intervention that has shown effectiveness in moving people toward positive lifestyle choices. Although originally designed for adult substance users, MI has since expanded to other health concerns with a range of client age groups. The present study investigated the overall effectiveness of MI in the context of child and adolescent health behavior change and health outcomes. METHOD A literature search using PsycINFO, PubMed, GoogleScholar, and Social Work Abstracts was performed. Thirty-seven empirical studies were included in this meta-analysis, encompassing 8 health domains. RESULTS The overall effect size (Hedges's g) of MI in this population as compared to both other active treatments and no treatment was g = 0.282 (95% CI [0.242, 0.323], SE = 0.021), slightly higher than a small effect size and also slightly higher than what has been typically found in the substance literature. Effect sizes varied by health condition such that the health domains with the largest overall effect sizes were Type 1 diabetes, asthma, and calcium intake. CONCLUSIONS The effectiveness of MI in pediatric domains was moderated by factors such as practitioner background, health domain, and the family member who participated. Unexpectedly, number of MI sessions and follow-up length were not significant moderators. MI seems to be most effective when both parent and child participate in sessions and when the cultural background of the practitioner matches the family. Overall, these findings indicate that MI is an effective and appropriate intervention for targeting child health behavior changes.
FORAGE QUALITY OF MAIZE AND LEGUMES AS MONOCULTURES AND MIXTURES AT DIFFERENT SEED RATIOS

Livestock is an important sector of agriculture, but good quality forage is one of the major limiting factors for the growth of this industry. Studies were conducted to compare the forage quality of maize and legumes sown in pure stand and in mixture in randomized complete blocks during 2005 and 2006 at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan. Maize (Zea mays L.) and three legumes [cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. ), and sesbania (Sesbania sesban)] were sown at 100% the recommended seeding rate and in maize:legume mixtures at seed ratios (SR) of 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75. Crude protein (CP) and ether extractable fat (EEF) percentage of maize increased with the increase in seeding rate of legumes in all maize-legume mixtures over sole maize. Crude fibre (CF) percentage of forage maize was the maximum in sole maize. All monoculture legumes produced highest CP and EEF percentage than their mixtures with maize. Mixtures of maize-sesbania gave higher CP and EEF than maize-cowpea or maize-cluster bean at similar seed ratios, while cowpea sown alone or in mixture with maize had higher total ash than other legumes at same seed ratios. Farmers may grow maize+sesbania to get good quality forage.
A Review of the Effectiveness of Creative Training on Adult Learners

A demand for fostering creativity has become a universal discourse across different nations, reflecting globalization of economic activity. Teachers play a key role in promoting creative thinking through appropriate approaches in the classroom. Because a number of studies indicate that most creativity research focuses on children rather on adults, the purpose of this meta-analytic study is to investigate the effects of creativity training on adults. It is hoped that by providing evidence-based findings, adult educators could consider fostering creativity in adult classrooms. The results confirm the findings of previous meta-analysis indicating that creativity training is effective on adults. The magnitude of this finding indicates creativity training is promising for increasing adultsi¯ creative thinking.
Comparison of intermittent drainage of ascites and diuretic therapy for cirrhosis patients with tense ascites

Abstract Objective: Ascites is one of the most frequent complications of cirrhosis. Our study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of the intermittent drainage of ascites for HBV-related cirrhosis patients with tense ascites. Material and methods: A total of 2,169 HBV-related, decompensated liver cirrhosis inpatients were screened from January 2009–January 2014. Of them, 112 cases were eligible, among whom 55 patients (treated group) were administered paracentesis with central venous catheter and drained of 1–2 L ascites every 1 or 2 days (PCVC therapy). The remaining 57 patients served as controls (control group). Results: Compared with the baseline, the level of mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the control group markedly declined (82.27 ± 8.36 mm Hg vs. 91.25 ± 10.82 mm Hg, p = 0.000), and the levels of MAP (79.14 ± 10.30 mm Hg vs. 90.53 ± 10.97 mm Hg, p = 0.000) and hemoglobin (99.29 ± 16.78 g/L vs. 107.55 ± 21.80 g/L, p = 0.028) in the treated group dropped significantly. There were no significant differences in the levels of creatinine, sodium, eGFR, incidence of complications , weight loss, improvement rate, urine output and dosage of albumin between the two groups. The hospitalization time of the treated group was longer (21.49 ± 13.34 days vs. 16.56 ± 9.07 days, p = 0.025), and the amount of furosemide used in the treated group was greater than that used in the control group (47.72 ± 18.53 mg vs. 27.99 ± 13.32 mg, p = 0.000). Conclusions: Cirrhosis patients with tense ascites who received PCVC therapy showed decreased levels of Hb and MAP, but did not induce renal dysfunction. The efficacy of PCVC therapy is not superior to diuretic treatment.
Detect saliency to understand a photo

Visual saliency is an extremely hot topic in image and video processing. Our paper addresses a novel method for saliency detection, which conveys the photographers' idea of a scene. It consists of analyzing the photo elements like color, depth-of-field (DOF) and composition. We use the color spatial distribution feature to calculate the initial saliency. A simple but efficient classifier is trained to discriminate the low DOF image. For this kind of images we find the focal area to refine the initial saliency. The saliency map will be further adjusted by an image composition analysis step to generate the final output. We compare our framework with state-of-the-art algorithms. Experimental results show that, our method out-performs the previous methods in many cases, especially in the low DOF situation.
A novel nonsense mutation of the SLC4A11 gene in a Korean patient with autosomal recessive congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy.

missing. Figure 2 showing Orbscan quadmap of both eyes and Figure 3 showing global pachymetry map by anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (Visante) have been interchanged. Orbscan quadmap picture and postoperative photograph have not been quoted in the text. After making necessary changes, figures will also require renumbering. Financial disclosures/conflicts of interest: The authors do not have any financial interest in the procedure or the drugs used for the patients in this study. The authors did not receive financial support from any source.
Reduced-cost combination of adaptive filters for acoustic echo cancellation

Adaptive combination of adaptive filters is an attractive approach that improves the performance attainable with individual filters. However, the computational cost associated with the operation of several filters in parallel could be unaffordable for some applications. In this paper, we propose a scheme with reduced computational cost for a combination of two adaptive filters with different step sizes, working in scenarios with a low signal-to-noise ratio and where the energy of the unknown system is concentrated at short delays. For this case, we propose to reduce the length of the fast filter, speeding up the convergence of the combination at the cost of a slight degradation on the steady-state error. We study and evaluate the performance of the combined scheme considering the length of the fast filter as a parameter. In addition, we discuss a possible application of this scheme in real-world acoustic echo cancellation for hands-free systems in cars.
Predictors of early mortality among hospitalized nursing home residents.

BACKGROUND Emergency admissions from nursing homes (NHs) are associated with high mortality. Understanding the predictors of early mortality in these patients may guide clinicians in choosing appropriate site and level of care. METHODS We identified all consecutive admissions from NHs (all ages) to an Acute Medical Assessment Unit between January 2005 and December 2007. Analysis was performed at the level of the admission. The predictors of in-patient mortality at 7 days were examined using a generalized estimating equations analysis. RESULTS A total of 314 patients [32% male, mean age: 84.2 years (SD: 8.3 years)] were admitted during the study period constituting 410 emergency episodes. Twenty-three percent of admissions resulted in hospital mortality with 73% of deaths occurring within 1 week (50% within the first 3 days). For 7-day mortality outcome, patients with a modified early warning score (MEWS) of 4-5 on admission had 12 times the odds of death [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40-103.56], whereas those with a score of ≥6 had 21 times the odds of death (95% CI 2.71-170.57) compared with those with a score of ≤1. An estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 30-60 and <30 ml/min/m(2) was associated with nearly a 3-fold increase in the odds of death at 1 week (95% CI 1.10-7.97) and a 5-fold increase in the odds of death within 1 week (95% CI 1.75-14.96), respectively, compared with eGFR > 60 ml/min/m(2). C-reactive protein (CRP) >100 mg/l on admission was also associated with a 2.5 times higher odds of death (95% CI 1.23-4.95). Taking eight or more different medication items per day was associated with only a third of the odds of death (95% CI 0.09-0.98) compared with patients taking only three or fewer per day. CONCLUSION In acutely ill NH residents, MEWS is an important predictor of early hospital mortality and can be used in both the community and the hospital settings to identify patients whose death maybe predictable or unavoidable, thus allowing a more holistic approach to management with discussion with patient and relatives for planning of immediate care. In addition, CRP and eGFR levels on admission have also been shown to predict early hospital mortality in these patients and can be used in conjunction with MEWS in the same way to allow decision making on the appropriate level of care at the point of hospital admission.
Site-specific experimental metastasis patterns of two human breast cancer cell lines in nude rats.

Animal models for breast cancer metastasis are valuable tools for studying mechanisms of metastasis and for preclinical testing of anti-metastatic therapy regimens. Using MA-11 and MT-1, two oestrogen and progesterone receptor-negative human breast cancer cell lines, we developed new models in nude rats with patterns of experimental metastasis resembling those frequently observed in humans. MA-11 cells showed a clear preference for growth in the CNS. Fourteen of 15 animals injected with MA-11 cells into the left ventricle of the heart developed hind-leg paralysis, and tumours were observed in the spinal cord. MT-1 cells consistently exhibited bone/bone marrow metastases after intracardial injection, in addition to tumours in the brain and spinal cord. When injected into the cisterna magna, both cell lines gave rise to leptomeningeal neoplastic disease. Injection of MA-11 cells into the tibial bone marrow resulted in tumours in only 2 of 13 rats, whereas all animals injected with MT-1 cells developed tumours. Only 2 of 6 rats injected i.v. with MA-11 cells developed lung colonies compared with all 9 animals injected with MT-1 cells. Cell-surface expression of the following was examined: EGP2; MUC1; EGFr; E- and N-cadherin; the alpha2, alpha3, alpha5, beta1 and beta4 integrins; c-erb-B2; and N-CAM. c-erb-B2 was expressed in a higher percentage of the bone-metastasizing MT-1 cells than the MA-11 cells, whereas E-cadherin was expressed in MA-11 but not MT-1 cells. In animals injected with MA-11 and MT-1 cells in the left cardiac ventricle, treatment with cisplatin and doxorubicin did not improve survival. In summary, these clinically relevant animal models may be used for studies related to site-specific growth and metastasis and for assessing effects of experimental therapy against human breast cancer.
An ultra-wideband microstrip-to-CPW transition

A new design for an ultra-wideband microstrip-to-CPW (coplanar waveguide) transition is presented. The proposed transition provides the field and impedance matching between adjacent transmission lines by ground shaping. Clear design guidelines are provided to determine the ground shape and the transition length. As design examples, two transition designs for substrates with low (2.2) and high (10.2) dielectric constants are presented. The fabricated transitions in back-to-back configuration provide insertion loss less than 0.7 dB per transition and return loss better than 10 dB for frequencies from 7 GHz to over 40 GHz and from DC to over 20 GHz, respectively.
A comprehensive study of TARS: Definition, metrics and advancements

Trust-aware recommender systems(TaRSs) are based on the fact that most people tend to believe the advice given by their trusted sources. It solves most of the problems faced by traditional RSs. Collaborative filtering(CF) is the most popular technique used to filter the information to find the useful data for each user of the system but it faces some serious problems which include mainly data sparsity and cold users problem and moreover it is prone to malicious user attacks popularly known as Shilling attack Whereas TaRSs due to trust propagation does not require to know much about a new user but some explicit trust statements about other users from him and it can provide recommendations for the new user as good as an old user. In this paper, we are focusing on important aspects of TaRSs and the evolution of trust metrics which is most preferably used technique in TaRSs for calculating trust between two unknown users then finally summarized various trust metrics on basis of several measures such as coverage and precision.