Statistical methods and reporting practices in the study of dyslexia.

This report presents findings from a review of the journals Dyslexia and Annals of Dyslexia over a 10-year period from 2005 to 2014. Three hundred articles were reviewed to examine statistical methodology and reporting practices. Articles were coded according to their reported covariates, effect sizes, and statistical methods. In addition, trends were examined in relation to the 2008 release of the What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook from the Institute of Education Sciences in order to evaluate any potential impact of recommended practices. We found an increase in prevalence of specific statistical methods as well as increases in reporting of effect sizes following publication of the handbook. The reporting of effect sizes statistically significantly increased following publication of the manual (55% prepublication vs. 72% post-publication). The use of analysis of variance increased post-publication, whereas articles using no statistical methods or descriptives only decreased. Approximately one third of articles included covariates in their analysis; inclusion of covariates was consistent from prepublication to post-publication. Findings indicate that over the past 10 years, articles are becoming increasingly rigorous in methodology and reporting practices.

A Phenotype-Based Approach for the Substrate Water Status Forecast of Greenhouse Netted Muskmelon.

Cultivation substrate water status is of great importance to the production of netted muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Naud.). A prediction model for the substrate water status would be beneficial in irrigation schedule guidance. In this study, the machine learning random forest model was used to forecast plant substrate water status given the phenotypic traits throughout the muskmelon growing season. Here, two varieties of netted muskmelon, "Wanglu" and "Arus", were planted in a greenhouse under four substrate water treatments and their phenotypic traits were measured by taking the images within the visible and near-infrared spectrums, respectively. Results showed that a simplified model outperformed the original model in forecasting speed, while it only uses the top five most significant contribution traits. The forecast accuracy reached up to 77.60%, 94.37%, and 90.01% for seedling, vine elongation, and fruit growth stages, respectively. Combining the imaging phenotypic traits and machine learning technique would provide a robust forecast of water status around the plant root zones.

New evidence for regional pastoral practice and social complexity in the Eastern Tianshan Mountains in the first millennium BCE.

Mobile pastoralism was a key lifeway in the Late Bronze and Iron Age of Northwest China and played a crucial role in the regional socio-cultural development, as well as the formation of transregional networks. In this paper we analyse the complete faunal assemblage from House F2 in Shirenzigou, on the Eastern Tianshan Mountains, in combination with radiocarbon dating and spatial analysis, to explore local animal resources exploitation strategies and related socio-economic implications. Our results show an intensive multipurpose caprine management, while the exploitation of other domestic taxa, cattle, horses and dogs, was limited. This pastoral economy was supplemented with some hunting. The differentiated use of space in F2 indicates that basic domestic tasks were carried out in the structure, however its position within the landscape and the predominance of bone tools related to warfare and socialization activities, suggests that it was not an ordinary dwelling, it may also have served as a watch post for the summer encampment within the gully. Our findings constitute an important contribution on the discussion on animal resources exploitation strategies and their relationship with evolving socio-economic complexity in the Eastern Tianshan region in the late first millennium BCE.

[The effect of yang xue qing nao granule on chronic cerebral ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Yang Xue Qing Nao Granule (YXQNG) on the chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI). METHODS: 80 cases with CCI were divided randomly into treatment group (43 cases) and control group (37 cases). Each group was disposed with intravenous drops of energy mixture. Besides, treatment group was prescribed with YXQNG, control group received nimedipine plates. The whole therapeutic process of each group was 30 days. The vertibrobasal artery systolic end maximum flow rate (VBASEMFR) and blood rheology (BR) were tested before and after treatment. RESULTS: The total efficiency of treatment group was 90.70% (P < 0.05). The effect of treatment group on lowering blood viscosity and enhancing the cerebral blood flow rate was better than that of control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YXQNG can effectively treat CCI and improve the life quality of patients.