Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the roles of perceived playfulness, resistance to change and self-management of learning in mobile English learning outcome

Although there is a growing interest in mobile learning, there are limited studies that focus on student knowledge acquisition. As applications and usages of mobile technology have become more and more accepted, it is important and meaningful that researchers and practitioners of mobile learning understand the potential factors that could influence learning outcomes. Accordingly, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of mobile technology playfulness, users' resistance to change and self-management of learning in mobile English learning outcomes (MELOs). A JOUR study approach was utilized in this study mainly because the questions of interests were closely related to the usage of electronic dictionaries and their effects on mobile learning outcomes. The participants of this study were all undergraduate students from 10 undergraduate programs of the center for general education at one university in Southern Taiwan. A total of n = 167 undergraduate students with experience using an electronic dictionary to learn English participated in this study. The study results indicated that perceived playfulness and self-management of learning had positive influences on MELO and that users' resistance to change was negatively associated with MELO. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Key roles of mobile devices in learning activities. , Limitations of mobile devices. , The importance of mobile learning evaluation and outcome. , What this paper adds Investigating the role of perceived playfulness in mobile learning outcome. , Investigating the influence of resistance to change on mobile learning outcome. , Investigating the effect of self-management of learning on mobile learning outcome. , Evaluation of mobile learning. , Implications for practice and/or policy The integration of technology into learning environments could play a key role in enhancing learning effectiveness and efficiency. , Timely support could be a useful way to help learners minimize resistance to using mobile devices and maximize adoption of mobile technology. , It should be noted that teachers should suggest that learners with better self-management of learning capabilities adopt mobile learning so that the learners can realize more positive learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Editorial comment-- genetic make-up for increased PAI-1 expression protects against stroke.

This issue of Stroke reports findings that the 4G variant of the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism is associated with a reduced incidence of stroke.1 Those findings are in agreement with 7 other studies that observed a similar relationship between the 4G variant of PAI-1 and a reduced stroke risk.2–8 This consistency in 8 independent studies minimizes the possibility that the relationship between the PAI-1 4G variant of PAI-1 and reduced stroke risk is a chance finding. PAI-1 4G/5G is an interesting “functional” polymorphism because the alleles are the real cause of variation in PAI-1 expression.9 The 4G allele of the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism lacks a binding site for a transcription repressor protein, …
Body condition score, health, yield and fertility in dairy cows

The effects of body condition score at drying off and after calving and the rate of loss of body condition score during the dry period on the performance of 2162 cows in eight commercial Israeli Holstein herds were evaluated. The relationships between health, fertility and yield and body condition score were examined by using multiple logistic regressions for measurements with only two outcomes and general linear models for the continuous variables. Herds, parity, season, length of dry period, postparturient diseases, twinning, stillbirth, induction of calving and high somatic cell counts were used as confounding and other exposure variables. Multiparous cows that were underconditioned at calving were culled and exhibited more postparturient uterine diseases. The risk of retained placenta was greater for cows that were underconditioned at drying off, whereas cows that lost more body condition during the dry period suffered more from both retained placenta and metritis; the two effects being independent of each other. An apparent increase in the risk of ketosis associated with overconditioning at calving could be partly attributed to long dry periods. Cows with a higher condition score at calving were less prone to anoestrus but did not conceive more successfully to first service. A reduction of six open days in primiparous cows was estimated for each additional unit of body condition score at calving. Multiparous cows that lost more body condition during the dry period suffered more from inactive ovaries and were more likely to be open 150 days after calving in the next lactation. Cows calving in a higher body condition score produced more milk, fat and protein in the first 90 days of lactation, the effect being most pronounced on milk fat content.
Antithrombin Reduces Inflammation and Microcirculatory Perfusion Failure in Closed Soft-Tissue Injury and Endotoxemia

Background:Closed soft-tissue trauma leads to activation of the coagulation cascade and is often complicated by systemic inflammation and infection. Previous investigations have shown potent anti-inflammatory properties of antithrombin. We herein report on the action of antithrombin on skeletal muscle injury in experimental endotoxemia. Materials and Methods:By using a pneumatically driven computer-controlled impact device, closed soft-tissue trauma was applied on the left hind limb of pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. Six hours later, endotoxemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. An equivalent volume of physiological saline was given in controls. At the same time point, treatment of animals was started by intravenous injection of antithrombin (250 IU/kg body weight) or vehicle solution. Twenty-four hours after trauma, the extensor digitorum longus muscle was microsurgically exposed and analyzed by means of high-resolution multifluorescence microscopy. Results:Traumatic soft-tissue injury with additional endotoxemia was characterized by nutritive perfusion failure (functional capillary density: 379±20cm/cm2;), tissue hypoxia (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide autofluorescence: 77±4 aU), and enhanced leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction (773±35 cells/mm2;). Therapeutic intervention with antithrombin 6 hrs after trauma restored nutritive perfusion and tissue oxygenation (functional capillary density: 469±22cm/cm2; nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide autofluorescence: 61±5 aU [p < 0.05]) and reduced inflammatory leukocyte adherence (237±20 cells/mm2; [p < 0.05]) toward values found in nontraumatized controls (functional capillary density: 573±13cm/cm2; nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide autofluorescence: 56±2 aU; leukocyte adherence: 204±20 cells/mm2;). Conclusion:Antithrombin ameliorates microcirculatory dysfunction and tissue injury in traumatized animals during endotoxemia. Furthermore, a reduced inflammatory cell response helps to prevent leukocyte-dependent secondary tissue injury.
Magnetic equivalent circuit modeling for interior permanent magnet synchronous machine under eccentricity fault

Eccentricity is a common mechanical fault in electrical machine operation. In this paper, we have proposed a magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) model considering magnetic saturation to evaluate and analyse the performance of an interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) under eccentricity fault. This model provides the advantages in fast computation while giving reasonable degree of accuracy. The potential application of this model includes fault tolerant machine design optimization, fault tolerant machine drive design, as well as fault diagnosis and monitoring. The accuracy of this model will be gauged by comparison with finite element method (FEM) modeling.
Design of a Reconfigurable MIMO System for THz Communications Based on Graphene Antennas

Based on the properties of graphene nano-patch antennas, we propose a reconfigurable multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system for Terahertz (THz) communications. First, the characteristics of the graphene are analyzed and a beam reconfigurable antenna is designed. The beamwidth and direction can be controlled by the states of each graphene patch in the antenna. Then the path loss and reflection models of the THz channel are discussed. We combine the graphene-based antenna and the THz channel model, and propose a new MIMO antenna design. The radiation directions of the transmit antennas can be programmed dynamically, leading to different channel state matrices. Finally, the path loss and the channel capacity are numerically calculated and compared with those of the Gigahertz (GHz) channel. The results show that for short range communications, the proposed MIMO antenna design can enlarge the channel capacity by both increasing the number of antennas and choosing the best channel state matrices.
Improving consistency in radiology reporting through the use of department-wide standardized structured reporting.

PURPOSE To successfully develop a department-wide standardized structured reporting program and achieve widespread adoption throughout the radiology department. MATERIALS AND METHODS A structured reporting work group was formed in February 2010 to oversee development of standardized structured reports for a radiology department of 36 radiologists at a tertiary care children's hospital. The committee reached consensus on report organization and provided written guidelines and checklists for division representatives to aid in creation of the structured reports. Report drafts were reviewed by a subcommittee and revised until agreement was reached with the report author. Each report was vetted by all radiologists who would be using the report, and further revisions were made, as appropriate. Reports were then entered into the speech recognition system so that each report was associated with a procedure code or a group of codes from the radiology information system. This enabled automatic report population within the speech recognition system. The initiative was completed by September 2011. Quarterly audits were performed to evaluate for adherence to the standard report format and use of the normal report in cases in which the radiologist believed the study was normal. In August 2012, radiologists were surveyed as to their impressions of the structured reporting program. RESULTS A total of 228 standardized structured reports were created within 2 years after initiation of the project, corresponding to 199,000 (94%) of 212,000 departmental studies by volume. By the end of the implementation period in September 2011, all 223 (100%) audited reports adhered to the standard report format and 80 (99%) of 81 reports adhered to the normal report. Radiologist feedback was largely favorable. CONCLUSION Standardized department-wide structured reporting can be implemented in a radiology department, with a high rate of adoption by the radiologists.
Correlation of Age and Severity of Clinical Manifestation Assessed by UPDRS in Patients with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease

ABSTRACT Aim: in older people with Parkinson's disease the symptoms are more expressed. Background: Essential change in Parkinson's disease is the impaired neurotransmission in basal ganglia. Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) is the most frequent type of Parkinsonism, being present in about 70% of the patients with Parkinsonism. Material and methods: This study has been prospective, clinically one, which has been lasting for whole 2 years. This study comprised a total of 32 subjects with clinically verified diagnosis for idiopathic Parkinson's disease, 18 men and 14 women (with mean age of 52,7 years). Control group consisted of 31 randomly selected, literally healthy persons, at similar age, with similar gender representation without clinical and anamnestic data for Parkinsonism and similar clinical entities. This study was made at the University Clinic of Neurology in Skopje, Medical Faculty, University “St. Cyril and Methodius”. The persons investigated had idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD), in whom IPD was verified by means of detailed anamnesis, detailed clinical neurologic examination, strictly keeping to Brain Bank Criteria, and by means of neurophysiologic investigations, neuroimaging investigations and neuropsychologic investigations. Minimal symptoms of IPD after UPDRS were present in 34,4% of the examinees, there were 40,6% with slight signs, while equal number of the examinees 4 (12,5%) had pronounce and very expressed symptoms of Parkinson's disease after UPDRS. Conclusion: Parkinson's disease is with more expressed signs and symptoms and with slight symptoms in older patients with this diagnosis.
The ROMA (Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm) for estimating the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in women presenting with pelvic mass: is it really useful?

To better understand the diagnostic and predictive performance of urinary biomarkers of kidney injury, we evaluated γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), cystatin C (CysC), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and interleukin-18 (IL-18) in a prospective observational study of 529 patients in 2 general intensive care units (ICUs). Comparisons were made using the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) for diagnosis or prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI), dialysis, or death, and reassessed after patient stratification by baseline renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR) and time after renal insult. On ICU entry, no biomarker had an AUC above 0.7 in the diagnosis or prediction of AKI. Several biomarkers (NGAL, CysC, and IL-18) predicted dialysis (AUC over 0.7), and all except KIM-1 predicted death at 7 days (AUC between 0.61 and 0.69). Performance was improved by stratification for eGFR or time or both. With eGFR <60 ml/min, CysC and KIM-1 had AUCs of 0.69 and 0.73, respectively, within 6 h of injury, and between 12 and 36 h, CysC (0.88), NGAL (0.85), and IL-18 (0.94) had utility. With eGFR >60 ml/min, GGT (0.73), CysC (0.68), and NGAL (0.68) had the highest AUCs within 6 h of injury, and between 6 and 12 h, all AUCs except AP were between 0.68 and 0.78. Beyond 12 h, NGAL (0.71) and KIM-1 (0.66) performed best. Thus, the duration of injury and baseline renal function should be considered in evaluating biomarker performance to diagnose AKI.
Misoprostol to treat postpartum haemorrhage: a systematic review

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal mortality in low-income countries. Rates of 40 maternal deaths per 100,000 births in parts of sub-Saharan Africa compare unfavourably with about 1 in 100,000 births in the United Kingdom. The potential to save mothers’ lives with medical interventions for haemorrhage is thus considerable. A crucial aspect of both prevention and treatment of PPH is uterotonic therapy. The most commonly used agents are injectable oxytocin and/or ergometrine. Misoprostol is a methyl ester (a synthetic analogue) of natural prostaglandin E1 additionally methylated at C16. It is well absorbed from the stomach, appearing in the circulation within 90 seconds, and undergoes rapid de-esterification to its biologically active metabolite, misoprostolic acid (MPA). It is thermostable and is relatively inexpensive. Systematic review of the prophylactic use of oral misoprostol for the management of the third stage of labour found that misoprostol 600 Ag was less effective than conventional uterotonics with respect to blood loss of 1000 mL or more (seven trials, 22,749 women, relative risk [RR] 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 1.5). Shivering and pyrexia were common side effects. The therapeutic use of misoprostol for the treatment of PPH has entered clinical use, particularly in developing countries, without systematic research to document the effectiveness, optimal dosage or risks of this treatment. The aim of this review was to determine the route of administration and dosage of misoprostol most likely to be effective in the treatment of PPH and identify randomised controlled trials that compared misoprostol with any appropriate control groups.
Hypersusceptibility of A/J Mice to Tuberculosis is in Part Due to a Deficiency of the Fifth Complement Component (C5)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) causes tuberculosis in man, which occurs as an acute, chronic or dormant disease reactivating over several years. The mechanisms of persistence and reactivation are not well understood and there is a need for animal models. Moderate‐dose, aerosol infection killed A/J mice earlier than partially resistant C57Bl/6 mice, whereas a low‐dose, aerosol‐induced chronic infection exacerbated earlier in A/J mice. A/J mice lethally infected with MTB but drug cured of disease underwent reactivation of tuberculosis at least 100 days before similarly infected C57Bl/6 mice. Because A/J mice were C5 deficient, congenic B10 mice sufficient and deficient for C5 were infected intravenously with MTB to define the role of C5. C5‐deficient mice again showed enhanced growth of MTB in the lungs. MTB‐infected macrophages from C5‐deficient mice showed enhanced growth of MTB coinciding with a reduced secretion of both cytokines (TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐12) and chemokines (KC, MIP‐2 and MIP‐1α) in A/J and TNF‐α and chemokines in C5‐deficient mice. Because C5‐deficient macrophages could be activated from extraneous C5 and TNF‐α we suggest that both play a role in the macrophage‐mediated killing as well as containment mechanisms in tuberculosis.
Abrogation of p27Kip1 by cDNA Antisense Suppresses Quiescence (G0 State) in Fibroblasts*

Progression of eukaryotic cells through the cell cycle is governed by the sequential formation, activation, and subsequent inactivation of a series of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) complexes. p27Kip1 (p27) is a Cdk inhibitor that blocks, in vitro, the activity of cyclin D-Cdk4, cyclin D-Cdk6, cyclin E-Cdk2 as well as cyclin A-Cdk2, a complex active during S phase. The level of p27 protein expression, usually high in G0/G1 resting cells, declines as cells progress toward S phase and enforced expression of p27 in fibroblasts causes G1 arrest. This situation prevails in CCL39, a Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line (this report). However, in addition to p27, several other Cdk inhibitors known to alter G1 progression coexist in most mammalian cells. To investigate the specific contribution of p27 in the control of the mitogen-sensitive G0/G1 arrest, we specifically reduced its synthesis by expressing a full-length p27 antisense cDNA in CCL39 cells. Interestingly, reduction of up to 90% of p27 protein expression increased both basal and serum-stimulated gene transcription of cyclin D1, cyclin A, dihydrofolate reductase, and DNA synthesis reinitiation. Moreover, overexpression of this antisense allows cells to grow for several generations in a serum-free medium supplemented with insulin and transferrin only, thus suggesting that p27-depleted cells cannot exit the cell cycle. These effects were fully reversed by coexpression of a plasmid encoding p27 sense. We conclude that p27, by setting the level of growth factor requirement, plays a pivotal role in controlling cell cycle exit, a fundamental step in growth control.
Bandwidth enhancement of printed monopole antennas using magnetodielectric cover

The enhancement of bandwidth in traditional rectangular printed monopole antenna (PMA) using a cover of magnetodielectric material in the 8-18 GHz range is presented here. Analytical expression for the far field radiation pattern of PMA with magnetodielectric cover using transmission line analogy is also derived. The advantage of using magnetodielectric cover on PMA is shown by comparing the performance with PMA having dielectric cover and without any cover, using HFSS software package.
Getting biodiversity intactness indices right: ensuring that ‘biodiversity’ reflects ‘diversity’

The 2010 biodiversity target of a ‘significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss’ presents challenges for effective measurement of changes in global/regional biodiversity. A simple ‘biodiversity intactness index’ (BII) is attractive in using available data and expert opinion, but is seen to be only weakly linked to ‘biodiversity’ in its usual sense of ‘variation’. An example illustrates how an improved BII score could result even when there are large species losses. A family of alternative biodiversity ‘representativeness indices’ better reflect variation. They use the same readily available information, plus simple species–area relationships (SAR) and genetic diversity curves. A new genetic‐diversity abundance‐fraction curve, like SAR, is linear in log–log space. The new representativeness indices incorporate, through range‐abundance curves, the abundance fraction estimates normally used for BII. Land use or climate change impacts therefore can reflect partial rather than total biodiversity losses at localities. Estimates of biodiversity gains/losses using these indices enable a novel regional planning‐based approach for addressing the 2010 target.
An intrinsic potential‐dependent inactivation mechanism associated with calcium channels in guinea‐pig myocytes.

1. Currents through Ca2+ channels of single guinea‐pig ventricular myocytes were studied using patch electrodes for whole‐cell recording. Currents through Na+ and K+ channels were suppressed by the application of drugs or the substitution of impermeant ions. 2. Inactivation of the Ca2+ current (ICa) was investigated using a two‐pulse protocol. The amount of inactivation left behind by a pre‐pulse appeared to be related to current magnitude, as others have reported. The dependence of inactivation on the pre‐pulse potential was partially U‐shaped, as the amount of inactivation peaked at 0 mV and then declined with more positive pre‐pulses. 3. Non‐specific current carried by monovalent ions through Ca2+ channels (Ins) was induced by lowering the extracellular Ca2+ concentration with EGTA. Ins peaked in an inward direction at ‐20 mV, reversed direction at +22 mV, and became a large outward current at more positive potentials. 4. Ins inactivated with a slow time course. The inactivation was not due to accumulation or depletion phenomena. Studies using two‐pulse protocols showed that the amount of inactivation left by a pre‐pulse was directly related to the pre‐pulse potential. 5. The addition of micromolar amounts of free Ca2+ to the external solution induced outward rectification of Ins. Inward currents were small or absent, while larger outward currents could still be seen at very positive potentials. Ca2+‐channel inactivation still occurred under these conditions, even in the absence of any significant ionic movement. 6. The time courses of Ins inactivation and recovery were studied. The half‐time of Ins inactivation decreased with larger depolarizations. Recovery of Ins was very slow, but could be accounted for by changes in the surface charge of the membrane. 7. It is concluded that Ins inactivation is due solely to a voltage‐dependent inactivation process which is intrinsic to myocardial Ca2+ channels. Voltage‐dependent inactivation appears to account for a significant proportion of total Ca2+‐channel inactivation at negative potentials, and appears to account for almost all of the inactivation at very positive potentials, even in the presence of millimolar concentration of external Ca2+.