Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Defocus Incorporated Soft Contact (DISC) lens slows myopia progression in Hong Kong Chinese schoolchildren: a 2-year randomised clinical trial

Aims To determine if ‘Defocus Incorporated Soft Contact’ (DISC) lens wear slows childhood myopia progression. Methods A 2-year double-blind randomised controlled trial was carried out in 221 children aged 8–13 years, with myopia between −1.00 and −5.00 Dioptres (D) and astigmatism ≤1.00 D. Subjects were randomly assigned to the DISC (n=111) or single vision (SV; n=110) contact lens group. DISC lenses incorporated concentric rings, which provided an addition of +2.50 D, alternating with the normal distance correction. Refractive error (cycloplegic autorefraction) and axial length were measured at 6-month intervals. Differences between groups were analysed using unpaired t test. Results In total, 128 children completed the study, n=65 in the DISC group and n=63 in the SV group. Myopia progressed 25% more slowly for children in the DISC group compared with those in the control group (0.30 D/year; 95% CI −0.71 to −0.47 vs 0.4 D/year; 95% CI −0.93 to −0.65, p=0.031). Likewise, there was less axial elongation for children in the DISC versus SV groups (0.13 mm/year; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.31 vs 0.18 mm/year; 95% CI 0.30 to 0.43, p=0.009). Treatment effect correlated positively with DISC lens wearing time (r=0.342; p=0.005). Indeed, myopia in children who wore the DISC lenses for five or more hours/day progressed 46% (mean difference=−0.382 D, p=0.001; 95% CI −0.59 to −0.17) less than those in the SV group. Conclusions The daily wearing of DISC lens significantly slowed myopia progression and axial elongation in Hong Kong schoolchildren. The findings demonstrated that simultaneous clear vision with constant myopic defocus can retard myopia progression.
The Effect of Paternal Incarceration on Children’s Risk of Foster Care Placement

Research on the relationship between parental incarceration and foster care placement is limited in three ways: (1) it focuses solely on maternal imprisonment and provides neither (2) strong causal tests nor (3) tests of mediation. In this article, we address these gaps by providing a rationale for how paternal imprisonment may increase children’s risk of foster care placement and by using Danish registry data to conduct a strong causal test of this relationship (using a recent policy change) and to test relevant mechanisms. The results provide compelling evidence of a causal effect of paternal imprisonment on children’s risk of foster care placement in Denmark and imply that changes in family finances and family structure do little to explain these effects.
Broken rotation symmetry in the fractional quantum Hall system

We demonstrate that the two-dimensional electron system in a strong perpendicular magnetic field has stable states which break rotational but not translational symmetry. The Laughlin fluid becomes unstable to these states in quantum wells whose thickness exceeds a critical value which depends on the electron density. The order parameter at 1/3 reduced density resembles that of a nematic liquid crystal, in that a residual twofold rotation axis is present in the low-symmetry phase. At filling factors 1/5 and 1/7, there are states with fourfold and sixfold axes, as well. We discuss the experimental detection of these phases.
Using IRT in Determining Test Item Prone to Guessing

The 3-parameter model of Item Response Theory gives the probability of an individual (examinee) responding correctly to an item without being sure of all the facts. That is known as guessing. Guessing could be a strategy employed by examinees to earn more marks. The way an item is constructed could expose the item to guessing by the examinee. A study on comparison of the Psychometric properties of the Biology Examinations conducted by West African Examination Council and National Examination Council, in the year 2000, identified items that were prone to guessing.
Overexpression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha promotes tumor progression and indicates poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Dysregulation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα) has been documented in various cancers. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. We and others have examined that upregulation of PDGFRα might be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. Here, we report that PDGFRα plays a critical role in HCC progression and prognosis. The expression of PDGFRα was markedly higher in human HCC compared to adjacent liver tissues. Although PDGFRA mRNA was decreased in HCC, PDGF-A mRNA was dramatically increased in HCC. Overexpression of PDGFRα was strongly correlated with microvessel density (MVD) of HCC (p<0.05), as well as macroscopic vascular invasion of the tumors (p<0.05). HCC patients with high PDGFRα expression displayed a shorter overall survival and a higher recurrence rate than those with low PDGFRα expression (p<0.05, respectively). Additionally, stable overexpression of PDGFRα in hepatoma cells promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro. Similarly, an in vivo assay showed that PDGFRα overexpression in hepatoma cells exhibited remarkably tumorigenic potential in tumor size and weight in vivo, which displayed markedly elevated MVD than controls. Thus, our study provided the evidence that PDGFRα may serve as a candidate prognostic marker and a novel therapeutic target for HCC.
TEACHERS' REPORTED PRACTICES TOWARDS GIRLS AND BOYS IN SCIENCE AND LANGUAGES

Summary. Fifty-three science and 55 language teachers, male and female, were asked about their classroom practices with respect to a typical or average ability 14-year-old, either a girl or a boy. Questions ranged from the broad, e.g., amount of quality work expected, through the more specific, e.g., waiting time on difficult questions, to the very specific, e.g., frequency of smiling or eye contact. Up to eight of the 11 items showed a pattern where girls were relatively “favoured” in languages, and boys in science, though less markedly. The pattern generally held for both male and female teachers, and there was no evidence for boys or girls being favoured either overall or selectively by male or female teachers. Although science teachers expected lower achievement from girls, this appeared not to influence their teaching disposition adversely. Both the situation for girls in science and the less understood situation for boys in languages seem usefully elaborated by such classroom practice indicators.
Combining object-based local and global feature statistics for salient object search

What makes a target object stand out and get attended to immediately? Previous work suggests that a salient object carries discriminating features, which make it distinct from its neighborhood. Many models have approached this problem using different methods of distinctness computation. A class of models exploit global feature statistics and adapt a region-based approach to identify distinct patterns, colors and other features in the image. Another category of models make use of local feature statistics and targets pixel/patch based strategies. We propose an algorithm that integrates local and global information by combining region and patch based operation. Our framework enables the extraction of object based local and global feature statistics that makes the salient object stand out from its neighborhood. We present quantitative and qualitative evaluation to show that our method outperforms six state-of-the-art models on traffic signs and object databases.
Cognitive and Neural Correlates of Mathematical Giftedness in Adults and Children: A Review

Most mathematical cognition research has focused on understanding normal adult function and child development as well as mildly and moderately impaired mathematical skill, often labeled developmental dyscalculia and/or mathematical learning disability. In contrast, much less research is available on cognitive and neural correlates of gifted/excellent mathematical knowledge in adults and children. In order to facilitate further inquiry into this area, here we review 40 available studies, which examine the cognitive and neural basis of gifted mathematics. Studies associated a large number of cognitive factors with gifted mathematics, with spatial processing and working memory being the most frequently identified contributors. However, the current literature suffers from low statistical power, which most probably contributes to variability across findings. Other major shortcomings include failing to establish domain and stimulus specificity of findings, suggesting causation without sufficient evidence and the frequent use of invalid backward inference in neuro-imaging studies. Future studies must increase statistical power and neuro-imaging studies must rely on supporting behavioral data when interpreting findings. Studies should investigate the factors shown to correlate with math giftedness in a more specific manner and determine exactly how individual factors may contribute to gifted math ability.
Political participation and political trust in Amsterdam: Civic communities and ethnic networks

Abstract This article examines the political participation and political trust of four ethnic groups in Amsterdam. We explore, first, the degree to which Turks, Moroccans, Surinamese and Antilleans participate and the extent to which they trust the democratic institutions of the city. Second, we address how differences in participation and trust can be explained. For this we will turn to the civic community perspective which was reintroduced powerfully by Robert Putnam in his Making Democracy Work (Putnam 1993). In order to measure the civic community of ethnic groups we focus on ethnic organisations in Amsterdam and the links between them. Additionally, we will also report data on the use of mass media. We conclude that there is a rank correlation between the degree of civic community of the various ethnic groups in Amsterdam and the levels of political participation and political trust in local ‐ non‐ethnic ‐ political institutions. Civic engagement and social capital are the most powerful determinants .
Use of Everolimus-based Immunosuppression to Decrease Cytomegalovirus Infection After Kidney Transplant.

OBJECTIVES Cytomegalovirus infection and disease remain an issue in solid-organ transplant. Universal prophylaxis is more cost-effective than a preemptive strategy and is associated with significantly less Cytomegalovirus resistance after kidney transplant, especially in Cytomegalovirus-seropositive donors and Cytomegalovirus-seronegative recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Registry data and meta-analyses have shown that mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (sirolimus- and everolimus-based immunosuppression) are associated with significantly less Cytomegalovirus events in de novo kidney transplant patients than in patients who are treated with calcineurin inhibitors plus mycophenolate-based immunosuppression. RESULTS Recent pooled analyses of 3 randomized controlled trials in de novo kidney transplant patients, where immunosuppression was based on cyclosporine with either mycophenolate or everolimus, showed that patients who received everolimus had significantly less Cytomegalovirus events (Cytomegalovirus viremia, Cytomegalovirus infection/disease) than those who received mycophenolate, with or without cytomegalovirus as prophylaxis. An even more recent prospective randomized controlled study on de novo kidney transplant patients with no anticytomegalovirus prophylaxis demonstrated that everolimus-based immunosuppression plus low-dose tacrolimus was associated with significantly less Cytomegalovirus infection than standard-dose tacrolimus plus mycophenolate. CONCLUSIONS The potential benefits are not fully known of such a therapeutic strategy to limit the long-term indirect effects mediated by Cytomegalovirus infections.
5-HT1A dysfunction in borderline personality disorder

Background. A number of challenge studies have reported abnormalities of serotonergic function in borderline personality disorder (BPD). There are, however, problems with the pharmacological probes used in these studies since fenfluramine and m-CPP are not only serotonergic agents but also induce release of catecholamines, particularly dopamine. Therefore, we tested whether subjects with BPD showed a blunted prolactin (PRL) response to flesinoxan, a highly potent and selective 5-HT1A agonist. Methods. Flesinoxan challenge test was carried out in 20 BPD in-patients and 20 healthy controls matched for gender but not for age. Since 16 BPD in-patients exhibited major depressive co-morbidity, a group of 20 depressed in-patients matched for gender but not for age was also included. Results. BPD in-patients exhibited blunted PRL responses as compared to controls, whereas depressed in-patients did not differ from controls. Moreover, PRL responses were lower among BPD in-patients than among depressed in-patients. Among the BPD in-patients, PRL responses to flesinoxan were lower in patients with past history of suicide attempts (N = 8) than in those with a negative history. Conclusions. The results show major involvement of serotonergic function in BPD and are consistent with previous studies linking lower serotonergic activity with impulsivity. More particularly, our data suggest that BPD is characterized by lower 5-HT1A receptor sensitivity. Moreover, the data support the involvement of 5-HT1A activity in suicidal behaviour. However, this conclusion is limited because other hormonal responses such as ACTH and cortisol were not assessed, and because BPD was assessed by a self-report questionnaire and not a structured clinical interview.
Self-esteem maintenance among incarcerated young males: Stabilisation through accommodative processes

The change in self-esteem and the stabilising role of accommodative coping resources among incarcerated young male offenders is investigated using a longitudinal approach with three occasions of measurements (begining of prison term, 2 months later, end of prison term). Data from 211 participants with a complete set of measurements were analysed, employing multilevel modelling. Results show that self-esteem increases during imprisonment. Moreover, this increase in self-esteem depends on the individual competence of accommodative coping: The increase in self-esteem is earlier and faster for high accommodative individuals. These findings are discussed with respect to the development of the self during imprisonment as well as to their implications for the future social behaviour and integration of former prisoners after release.
Monitoring the vertical land movement component of changes in mean sea level using GPS: Results from tide gauges in the UK

Long term changes in mean sea level recorded by a tide gauge are corrupted by changes in ground level at the tide gauge site, which can be of a similar order of magnitude. Hence, to properly monitor long term changes in sea level, the rate of any vertical land movement at a tide gauge must be determined. The application of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to this problem has been on-going in the UK since 1990. Initial measurements were based on the use of episodic GPS (EGPS) campaigns. Following these campaigns, there was a phased establishment of permanent, continuous GPS (CGPS) stations at five tide gauges in the UK. These have enabled the development of a monitoring strategy that combines CGPS and EGPS and the testing of a dualCGPS station concept. The results obtained over the last ten years are presented and the current approaches to monitoring are reviewed.
Expression of IL-10 in patients with ovarian carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of different gynecological malignancies. Additionally, they stimulate the spread of cancer cells. Interleukin 10 (IL-10) was described as a pro-inflammatory factor and seems to be implicated in the immune deficiency of patients with cancer. The aim of this study was to determine whether the level of IL-10 in the serum and ascites was associated with the prognosis of advanced ovarian cancer (OC). MATERIALS AND METHODS In a prospective study from 2001 to 2003, the concentration of IL-10 in the serum and ascites of 117 consecutive patients with advanced OC and 30 women with benign disease who underwent surgery as a control group (CG), was analyzed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For statistical analyses, the Chi-square test by Pearson, Fisher's exact test and the Mann-Whitney test were employed. RESULTS The concentrations of IL-10 were a median of 9.87 pg/ml (range 7.8 to 500 pg/ml) in the serum and a median of 43.70 pg/ml (range 7.8 to 389.4 pg/ml) in the ascites of the OC patients. The IL-10 level in the sera of the CG was a median of 7.80 pg/ml (range 7.8 to 62.8 pg/ml) and 18.34 pg/ml (range 7.8 to 88.72 pg/ml) in the peritoneal fluid. A significant association was observed between the IL-10 serum levels (p = 0.003) and levels in the peritoneal fluid (p = 0.03) in both OC and the CG. IL-10 was significantly more expressed in the ascites of patients with OC than in their sera (p = 0.003). The concentration of IL-10 correlated significantly with proven conventional prognostic factors such as recurrence status (p = 0.005), volume of (ascites, p < 0.001, serum, p = 0.03), histological grading (p = 0.053) and histological type (ascites p = 0.005/ serum p = 0.09). There was no significant correlation between the levels of lL-10 in the ascites and/or serum and FIGO stage, residual tumor mass or age. The cut-off value of 8.0 pg/ml for IL-10 serum levels had a positive predictive value of 84% (95% CI: 76-91) and a negative predictive value of 29% (95% CI: 16-41), with a specificity and sensibility of 47% (95% CI: 29-65) and 70% (95% CI: 62-78), respectively. CONCLUSION Due to the fact that the levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in the ascites and serum of OC patients than in those of the CG, IL-10 may play an important immunosuppressive role in the pathogenesis of OC. The association between high IL-10 levels in ascites and serum and the histological type of the tumor, as well as between the levels in the peritoneal cavity and grading, suggest that IL-10 could be a prognostic factor in OC.
The Calcineurin Inhibitor FK506 Prevents Cognitive Impairment by Inhibiting Reactive Astrogliosis in Pilocarpine-Induced Status Epilepticus Rats

Status epilepticus (SE) is a severe clinical manifestation of epilepsy accompanying with cognitive impairment and brain damage. Astrocyte activation occurs following seizures and plays an important role in epilepsy-induced pathological injury, including cognitive impairment. FK506, an immunosuppressant used in clinical settings to prevent allograft rejection, has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective effects in central nervous system diseases. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of FK506 on cognitive impairment in a lithium-pilocarpine-induced SE rat model. It's found that FK506 treatment significantly increased the latency period to seizures and decreased the maximal intensity of seizures. FK506 treatment also markedly increased the surviving cells and reduced the neuron apoptosis after seizures. Meanwhile, FK506 treatment reduced the escape latency and prolonged the swimming distance in the Morris water maze test. In addition, FK506 treatment down-regulated the expression level of GFAP, a specific marker of astrocytes. In conclusion, FK506 could prevent and recover cognitive impairment by inhibiting reactive astrogliosis in pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus rats, suggesting that FK506 may be a promising agent for the treatment of epilepsy.
Emotion induction through music: A review of the musical mood induction procedure

This article reviews research showing that music can alter peoples’ moods and emotions. The so called “musical mood induction procedure” (MMIP) relies on music to produce changes in experienced affective processes. The fact that music can have this effect on subjective experience has been utilized to study the effect of mood on cognitive processes and behavior by a large number of researchers in social, clinical, and personality psychology. This extensive body of literature, while little known among music psychologists, is likely to further help music psychologists understand affective responses to music. With this in mind, the present article aims at providing an extensive review of the methodology behind a number of studies using the MMIP. The effectiveness of music as a mood-inducing stimulus is discussed in terms of self-reports, physiological, and behavioral indices. The discussion focuses on how findings from the MMIP literature may extend into current research and debate on the complex interplay of music and emotional responses.
The School achievement of minority children : new perspectives

Contents: U. Neisser, New Answers to an Old Question. J.U. Ogbu, The Consequences of the American Caste System. A.W. Boykin, The Triple Quandary and the Schooling of Afro- American Children. R. Edmonds, Characteristics of Effective Schools. A.L. Brown, A.S. Palinscar, L. Purcell, Poor Readers: Teach, Don't Label. R.A. Gougis, The Effects of Prejudice and Stress on the Academic Performance of Black-Americans. R.B. Darlington, Long-Term Effects of Preschool Programs. H.P. Ginsburg, The Myth of the Deprived Child: New Thoughts on Poor Children.