Comparison of the Effectiveness of Pars Plana Vitrectomy with and without Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling for Idiopathic Retinal Membrane Removal: A Meta-Analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis of published retrospective studies and compared the effectiveness of pars plana vitrectomy with and without internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for idiopathic epiretinal membrane (IERM). The results revealed that patients in the IERM+ILM peeling group had better BCVA after surgery within 12 months than those in IERM peeling group. But patients in the IERM peeling group showed better BCVA in the 18th month. More retrospective studies or randomized controlled trials are required to investigate and compare the long-term effect of IERM removal with and without ILM peeling

A review of enhancement of biohydrogen productions by chemical addition using a supervised machine learning method

In this work, the impact of chemical additions, especially nano‐particles (NPs), was quan-titatively analyzed using our constructed artificial neural networks (ANNs)‐response surface methodology (RSM) algorithm. Fe‐based and Ni‐based NPs and ions, including Mg2+, Cu2+, Na+, NH4+, and K+, behave differently towards the response of hydrogen yield (HY) and hydrogen evolution rate (HER). Manipulating the size and concentration of NPs was found to be effective in enhancing the HY for Fe‐based NPs and ions, but not for Ni‐based NPs and ions. An optimal range of particle size (86–120 nm) and Ni‐ion/NP concentration (81–120 mg L−1) existed for HER. Meanwhile, the manipulation of the size and concentration of NPs was found to be ineffective for both iron and nickel for the improvement of HER. In fact, the variation in size of NPs for the enhancement of HY and HER demonstrated an appreciable difference. The smaller (less than 42 nm) NPs were found to definitely improve the HY, whereas for the HER, the relatively bigger size of NPs (40–50 nm) seemed to significantly increase the H2 evolution rate. It was also found that the variations in the concentration of the investigated ions only statistically influenced the HER, not the HY. The level of response (the enhanced HER) towards inputs was underpinned and the order of significance towards HER was identified as the following: Na+ \u3e Mg2+ \u3e Cu2+ \u3e NH4+ \u3e K+

u.Investigating discourse markers in Chinese college EFL teacher talk :a multi-layered analytical approach

PhD ThesisIn spoken conversation, the frequency of discourse markers (henceforth, DMs) is significant compared to other word forms (Fung and Carter, 2007). Essentially, DMs perform a range of functions in order to ensure that social interaction works smoothly and that mutual understanding is accomplished. In educational settings, DMs perform an important function in providing pedagogical clarification and in promoting effective interaction (Dalle and Inglis, 1990). The present study attempts to reveal that in language classrooms, there is a reflexive relationship between teachers’ use of DMs, classroom interaction, and pedagogical purpose. It examines the ways in which DMs are used and the functions they perform in academic spoken discourse. The data come from nine-hour video recordings of Chinese college EFL classes, recorded as part of a three-year research project “EFL Classroom Discourse Research and Teacher Development” and supported by China National Social Sciences Grants from 2007 to 2009. The spoken corpus is subjected to a multi-layered analytical approach which looks at both macro (text) and micro (word) levels, and which uses the principles of conversation analysis (CL) and corpus linguistics (CA), together with second language (L2) classroom modes analysis. The appropriateness of adopting a combined CL and CA approach is based on a number of factors including the linguistic properties of DMs as lexical bundles (Biber and Conrad, 2002), a recognition of their multi-word nature (McCarthy, 2006), and their high frequency of occurrence in conversational practices (Schiffrin, 2003). Using a multi-layered analysis has resulted in a number of findings which might not have emerged by using a single mode of analysis. The study presents the linguistic and contextual patterns of DMs across various classroom micro-contexts, and highlights differentiated interactional features in relation to classroom pedagogy. This study has important implications for future research regarding curriculum design, EFL teacher training and education, specifically in its potential to help teachers achieve their pedagogical goals

Transcriptional and DNA Binding Activity of the Foxp1/2/4 Family Is Modulated by Heterotypic and Homotypic Protein Interactions

Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 are large multidomain transcriptional regulators belonging to the family of winged-helix DNA binding proteins known as the Fox family. Foxp1 and Foxp2 have been shown to act as transcriptional repressors, while regulatory activity of the recently identified Foxp4 has not been determined. Given the importance of this Fox gene subfamily in neural and lung development, we sought to elucidate the mechanisms by which Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 repress gene transcription. We show that like Foxp1 and Foxp2, Foxp4 represses transcription. Analysis of the N-terminal repression domain in Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 shows that this region contains two separate and distinct repression subdomains that are highly homologous termed subdomain 1 and subdomain 2. However, subdomain 2 is not functional in Foxp4. Screening for proteins that interact with subdomains 1 and 2 of Foxp2 using yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed that subdomain 2 binds to C-terminal binding protein 1, which can synergistically repress transcription with Foxp1 and Foxp2, but not Foxp4. Subdomain 1 contains a highly conserved leucine zipper similar to that found in N-myc and confers homo- and heterodimerization to the Foxp1/2/4 family members. These interactions are dependent on the conserved leucine zipper motif. Finally, we show that the integrity of this subdomain is essential for DNA binding, making Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 the first Fox proteins that require dimerization for DNA binding. These data reveal a complex regulatory mechanism underlying Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 activity, demonstrating that Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 are the first Fox proteins reported whose activity is regulated by homo- and heterodimerization

Degree of impact of factors that affect the start-up of small and medium enterprises in Singapore.

This report aims to uncover the factors that affect the start-up of SMEs in Singapore and the degree of their impact. This includes finding out in detail each of the following factors: Government, Education, Economic Conditions, Legal Environment, Technology, Infrastructure and Financial, and how they affect the start-up of SMEs in Singapore

Globalisation of Asian fashion brands.

This study focuses on the globalisation of the fashion industry. Characteristics of both international and Asian fashion brands are analysed and a positioning model is formulated along with specialised recommendations for Asian fashion brands to facilitate their branding strategies in expanding beyond regional borders

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Pars Plana Vitrectomy with and without Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling for Idiopathic Retinal Membrane Removal: A Meta-Analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis of published retrospective studies and compared the effectiveness of pars plana vitrectomy with and without internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for idiopathic epiretinal membrane (IERM). The results revealed that patients in the IERM+ILM peeling group had better BCVA after surgery within 12 months than those in IERM peeling group. But patients in the IERM peeling group showed better BCVA in the 18th month. More retrospective studies or randomized controlled trials are required to investigate and compare the long-term effect of IERM removal with and without ILM peeling

Leadership and culture in global hospitality industry

This study focuses on the relationship between cultural intelligence and leadership in the hospitality industry. It was found that CQ meta-cognition and CQ motivation have the highest significant correlation with leadership factors. It was also found that transformational leadership had the strongest causal relationship with cultural intelligence among all leadership factors. Finally, this study found that peers tend to give stricter ratings compared to bosses and subordinates. Peers were found to be the strictest in their ratings, while bosses and subordinates were similar in the strictness of their ratings