Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Techniques and Technology

Endoscopic transnasal resection of anterior skull base malignancy with a novel 3D endoscope and neuronavigation Resezione transnasale endoscopica di neoplasia della base cranica anteriore con tecnica endoscopica 3D e neuronavigazione SummAry The surgical treatment of sinonasal malignancies is in continuous evolution. in selected patients, endoscopic resection has become a sound alternative to traditional external approaches. Further improvements are necessary to enhance the possibilities of endoscopic transnasal resection of sinonasal malignancies. We present a case of intestinal-type adenocarcinoma of the left nasal fossa eroding the skull base that affected a 56-year-old male. The patient was surgically-treated by means of a four-hand binarial endoscopic transnasal resection using a 3D endoscopic system and neuronavigation. Surgery was completed in 5 hours without significant complications. Surgeons were able to recognize and manage anatomical structures, and to control bleeding easily thanks to the bimanual technique and 3D visualization. The new 3D scopes and the bimanual technique under the guidance of a navigation system represent an interesting solution that can overcome the traditional limits of the traditional set up currently used. pArole ChiAve: Endoscopica • Base cranica • Tridimensionale • Tumori nasosinusali
Affective variables, learning approaches and academic achievement: A causal modelling investigation with Hong Kong tertiary students

Background. Academic learning outcomes are believed to be influenced by a complex system that involves the interaction of student personality characteristics and learning processes. Yet to date there have been few studies, particularly in a non-western culture, which have examined the interrelationships between these variables and their causal effects on achievement outcomes. Aims. This study aims to investigate the interrelationships of affective variables, learning approaches and academic achievement. It was hypothesised that academic causal attributions and academic self-concept affected the learning approaches the students adopted and subsequently influenced achievement outcomes. Sample. The participants were 162 male and female Hong Kong Chinese university students who enrolled in first year full-time Nursing, Radiography, and Language and Communication courses. Their average age was 20 years. Methods. Measures of academic causal attributions, academic self-concept, learning approaches and academic achievement were obtained. Structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques were used to test the relationships among the variables. Results. It was shown that as predicted, both academic causal attributions and academic self-concept influenced academic achievement indirectly via students' learning approaches. Locus of control was significantly and negatively related to the surface approach to studying while academic self-concept had a positive significant influence on the deep approach. Both the surface and the deep approaches to studying showed significant direct effects on academic achievement. Conclusions. The findings supported the theoretical notion that personality variables influence students' learning processes and subsequently their academic achievement. The findings also lend support to attributional retraining, self-concept enhancement interventions and development of self-regulated learning strategies to improve different aspects of student learning.
Understanding Context and Culture in the Parenting Approaches of Immigrant South Asian Mothers

This qualitative study of the parenting approaches of immigrant South Asian Canadian mothers found that character formation and identity formation were the mothers' key goals of parenting. Internalized cultural values, beliefs, and norms and external factors related to their social context and environment, such as collectivism, dual socialization, and environmental stress, guided the mothers' approaches to parenting. Social service providers need to be aware that racial-minority mothers think through their approaches to parenting to respond to social contexts that have negative consequences for their children and should include this understanding in their provision of services.
Images of Ourselves: The Good Life in Twentieth Century Advertising

Using a longitudinal content analysis of advertisements appearing in popular U.S. magazines between 1900 and 1980, we assess the image of life depicted during this period. While little evidence is found to support some critics' contention that advertising has visually portrayed a progressively more luxurious and comfortable lifestyle, the themes employed in advertising do lend support to such an assertion. In addition, there is evidence that recent advertising has increasingly portrayed consumption as an end in itself rather than as a means to consumer well-being.
Bone mineral density in estrogen-deficient young women.

CONTEXT Osteoporosis primarily affects postmenopausal women. However, young women with estrogen deficiency also are at increased risk for low bone density. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to assess bone density and associated risk factors for reduced bone density in young, estrogen-deficient women using primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) as the disease model. DESIGN AND SETTING We conducted a cross-sectional study at a tertiary care research center. PARTICIPANTS We studied women with POI (n = 442), concurrent controls (n = 70), and matched controls from NHANES III (n = 353). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE We measured bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS Patients on average had 2-3% lower BMD at L1-L4, femoral neck, and total hip (P < 0.01 at all sites). The modifiable risk factors for BMD below the expected range for age (Z-score <-2) were: more than 1-yr delay in diagnosis of estrogen deficiency (P = 0.018), low (<32 ng/ml) vitamin D levels (P = 0.002), estrogen replacement nonadherence (P = 0.002), low calcium intake (P = 0.005), and lack of exercise (P = 0.005). As compared to Caucasians, African-American and Asian women with POI were 3.18 and 4.34 times more likely, respectively, to have Z-scores below -2 (P = < 0.0001 for both). Race was an overall risk factor, but on regression modeling, not an independent predictor of low bone density. CONCLUSIONS Women with POI have lower bone density compared to regularly menstruating women. Compared to Caucasians, minority women with estrogen deficiency are more likely to have BMD below the expected range for age. This racial disparity appears to be related to a combined effect of several modifiable risk factors. Delay in diagnosis of POI also contributes to reduced bone density by delaying proper therapy.
Septoplasty in children.

In their article Bejar et al 1 state that they perform external septoplasty on children with severe nasal obstruction caused by septal deviation anterior to the nasal spine. They conclude that external septoplasty does not affect most aspects of nasal and facial growth, except growth of the nasal dorsum. I believe that external approach does not provide any additional benefit over hemitransfixion-transfixion incision in case of septal deviation anterior to the nasal spine, and that it is a more traumatic approach to the growing nose. It may only be indicated in case of severe nasal tip deformity combined with septal deviation. The existence of septal deviation only does not justify external approach, especially in the growing and delicate nose of a child. Even in the absence of intraoperative trauma to the lower and/or upper lateral cartilages, the disturbed vascularization and accompanying fibrosis after surgery may certainly influence the growth of
Congress, Symbolic Politics and the Evolution of 1994 "Violence Against Women Act"

A relatively new addition to the thirty-year old Congressional crime agenda is domestic violence. Congressional consideration of a federal criminal justice response to domestic violence, which began in 1990, resulted in the enactment of the "Violence Against Women Act," Title IV of the "Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994" (P.L. 103-322). By enacting this legislation, Congress sent a message to the public that domestic violence is "criminal behavior" and a national crime problem, deserving of Congressional attention. This article examines the evolution of 1994 "Violence against Women Act" between 1990 and 1994 from the perspective of symbolic politics. Such an approach provides insight into the Congressional criminal justice policy-making process and suggests an explanation as to why Congress, collectively, was galvanized to act on this issue in 1994.
Pusher syndrome: Reliability, validity and sensitivity to change of a classification instrument

Stroke patients with “pusher syndrome” actively push away from the non-paretic side, leading to postural imbalance. The Clinical Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP) is the only known instrument developed to evaluate the degree of pushing, but its reliability and validity has not been evaluated. A pilot study of the Swedish version showed that the instrument needed modification. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the interrater reliability and validity of the modified SCP. In addition, the purpose was to determine the change in pushing and functional ability during the acute rehabilitation period. Nineteen consecutive patients exhibiting pushing after stroke were tested before and after the rehabilitation. Berg's Balance Scale and S-COVS were used to study concurrent validity and functional ability. Interrater reliability was measured using Kappa and Spearman's rho. The kappa value was 0.51 before, 0.73 after, and rs was 0.82/0.94. Concurrent validity as determined by Spearman's rho was rs=−0.52/−0.49 in comparison with Berg's Balance Scale and rs=−0.43/−0.45 regarding S-COVS. Degree of pushing and S-COVS improved significantly during the rehabilitation period. The study suggests that the modified SCP has a moderate to good interrater reliability and is sensitive to changes, but further studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic value.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Affecting the Upper Cervical Spine: Biomechanical Assessment of the Stabilizing Ligaments

Diameters of anterior and posterior atlantodental intervals (AADI and PADI) are diagnostically conclusive regarding ongoing neurological disorders in rheumatoid arthritis. MRI and X-ray are mostly used for patients' follow-up. This investigation aimed at analyzing these intervals during motion of cervical spine, when transverse and alar ligaments are damaged. AADI and PADI of 10 native, human cervical spines were measured using lateral fluoroscopy, while the spines were assessed in neutral position first, in maximal inclination second, and in maximal extension at last. First, specimens were evaluated under intact conditions, followed by analysis after transverse and alar ligaments were destroyed. Damage of the transverse ligament leads to an increase of the AADI's diameter about 0.65 mm in flexion and damage of alar ligaments results in significant enhancement of 3.59 mm at mean. In extension, the AADI rises 0.60 mm after the transverse ligament was cut and 0.90 mm when the alar ligaments are damaged. After all ligaments are destroyed, AADI assessed in extension closely resembles AADI at neutral position. Ligamentous damage showed an average significant decrease of the PADI of 1.37 mm in the first step and of 3.57 mm in the second step in flexion, while it is reduced about 1.61 mm and 0.41 mm in the extended and similarly in the neutrally positioned spine. Alar and transverse ligaments are both of obvious importance in order to prevent AAS and movement-related spinal cord compression. Functional imaging is necessary at follow-up in order to identify patients having an advanced risk of neurological disorders.
Type checking with open type functions

We report on an extension of Haskell with open type-level functions and equality constraints that unifies earlier work on GADTs, functional dependencies, and associated types. The contribution of the paper is that we identify and characterise the key technical challenge of entailment checking; and we give a novel, decidable, sound, and complete algorithm to solve it, together with some practically-important variants. Our system is implemented in GHC, and is already in active use.
Belief in school meritocracy as a system-justifying tool for low status students

The belief that, in school, success only depends on will and hard work is widespread in Western societies despite evidence showing that several factors other than merit explain school success, including group belonging (e.g., social class, gender). In the present paper, we argue that because merit is the only track for low status students to reach upward mobility, Belief in School Meritocracy (BSM) is a particularly useful system-justifying tool to help them perceive their place in society as being deserved. Consequently, for low status students (but not high status students), this belief should be related to more general system-justifying beliefs (Study 1). Moreover, low status students should be particularly prone to endorsing this belief when their place within a system on which they strongly depend to acquire status is challenged (Study 2). In Study 1, high status (boys and high SES) were compared to low status (girls and low SES) high school students. Results indicated that BSM was related to system-justifying beliefs only for low SES students and for girls, but not for high SES students or for boys. In Study 2, university students were exposed (or not) to information about an important selection process that occurs at the university, depending on the condition. Their subjective status was assessed. Although such a confrontation reduced BSM for high subjective SES students, it tended to enhance it for low subjective SES students. Results are discussed in terms of system justification motives and the palliative function meritocratic ideology may play for low status students.
Humor and self-concept

In the humor literature it has often been proposed that increased humor is associated with a healthier, more positive self-concept. To date, however, this proposal has received scant empirical consideration. The present research overcomes this limitation by providing a direct empirical lest of this proposal. Thus, participants in this study completed four self-report measures of various aspects of humor. In addition, three operational measures of self-concept were derivedfrom actual and ideal self-ratings completed on a sei of personal adjectives. Consistent with the proposed linkage between humor and a healthier, more positive self-concept, higher humor scores were significantly associated with (a) greater congruence between actual and ideal self-concept, (b) greater temporal stability of actual selfconcept, and (c) increased positive self-content (sociability) anddecreased negative self-content (depressive personality). In addition, afurther indicator of positive self-concept showed that more humorous individuals endorsed significantly fewer dysfunctional Standards for evaluating the seif. Finally, in terms ofgeneral affective levels, greater humor was significantly related to higher levels of self-esteem and lower levels of perceived stress. Taken together, thesefindings offer empirical support for the proposed relationships between humor and a more positive self-concept. Limitations of the present work and further directions for theory and research in this area are then
An adaptive design for identifying the dose with the best efficacy/tolerability profile with application to a crossover dose‐finding study

Proof‐of‐concept in clinical trials has traditionally focused on the identification of a maximum tolerated dose with the assumption that the higher doses provide better efficacy. However, adverse events associated with a maximum tolerated dose may have a negative effect on efficacy. We present an efficient adaptive dose‐finding strategy that concentrates patient assignments at and around the dose which has the best efficacy/tolerability profile based on a utility function. The strategy is applied within the setting of a crossover design. While the strategy may also be applied to parallel studies, a crossover design provides more power for a given sample size for comparisons between the optimal dose versus placebo and/or active control when it is reasonable to assume no carryover effects. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
APOE, vascular pathology, and the AD brain

Objective: To use neuropathologic data to examine the association between APOE genotype and cerebrovascular lesions commonly found in Alzheimer disease (AD), as well as neuritic senile plaque (SP) and neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) burden. Methods: The sample comprised brains from 96 men and 3 women who fulfilled NIA-Reagan criteria for intermediate to high likelihood of AD. Region-specific and global measures of gross cerebrovascular disease, arteriolosclerosis, white matter lesions, microinfarcts, amyloid angiopathy, neuritic SP, and NFT burden were compared among those who had at least one APOE-ε4 vs those who did not. Pairwise rank-order correlations between measures were calculated. The association between APOE ε4 status and measures of vascular and AD pathology, adjusting for age at death, sex, brain weight, and Braak stage, were evaluated. Results: APOE-ε4 was not associated with gross cerebrovascular pathology. Compared to those who were negative, brains from ε4 individuals had a greater degree of small vessel arteriolosclerosis (p = 0.04) and perivascular macrophage infiltration (p = 0.06), but not other markers of small vessel disease or white matter myelin loss. Microinfarcts in the deep nuclei were associated with ε4 (p = 0.009), whereas cortical and subcortical microinfarcts were not. There was a trend toward association between APOE genotype and amyloid angiopathy (p = 0.08), and ε4 was associated with neuritic SP burden, but not NFT. Conclusion: APOE-ε4 is associated with small vessel arteriolosclerosis, microinfarcts of the deep nuclei, neuritic senile plaque density, and amyloid angiopathy in patients with autopsy-proven Alzheimer disease (AD). These results suggest a role for ε4 in some of the microvascular changes commonly found in AD and are consistent with a potential amyloidogenic role for ε4.
Information Content in Print Advertising

One of the enduring debates surrounding advertising concerns the extent to which it is "informative" versus being moatly 'persuasive. "l Examining this mu, Marquez used a modified form of content analysis to evaluate 600 print advertisements. ' Marquez concluded that twice as many ads could be classified as mostly "persuasive" as could be labeled "informative. " This research note reports upon a similar analysis, evaluating 380 print ads, which in contrast to Marquez, found print ads to be generally informative.
Which properties of the vascular architecture are reflected by dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of dispersion and wash-in rate? A comparison with acoustic angiography

Tumor growth requires formation of new angiogenic vessels, which differ in their morphology from those of healthy tissue. These vascular abnormalities result in altered blood flow dynamics, which can be assessed by dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US). Two distinct approaches are typically employed in DCE-US following an intravenous injection of ultrasound contrast agent: assessment of perfusion or dispersion parameters from the measured time intensity curves [1]. In this paper, we compare maps of dispersion and perfusion with those of acoustic angiography (AA), a 3D high-resolution technique capable of capturing the vascular morphology [2]. We aim at determining those properties of the vascular architecture that are reflected by perfusion and dispersion parameters, as well as their evolution over time as tumor grows. To this end, a longitudinal study has been performed with tumor models in 3 rats.
Effects of jocular instructional methods on attitudes, anxiety, and achievement in statistics courses

This investigation examines the effects of using humor äs a systematic teaching strategy to improve attitudes, reduce anxiety, and increase achievement in introductory undergraduate and graduate statistics courses. A singlesample pretest-posttest design was employed to measure changes in attitudes and anxiety and their relationships to achievement levels. Three incidental samples of 142 students were selected to fest the humorous instructional Intervention. Statistically significant t-ratios in thepredicted directions and practically significant effect sizes were found for attitudes toward course content and anxiety for all classes. These affective characteristics also had moderate correlations with composite achievement.
Ischaemia-induced mucus barrier loss and bacterial penetration are rapidly counteracted by increased goblet cell secretory activity in human and rat colon

Objective Colonic ischaemia is frequently observed in clinical practice. This study provides a novel insight into the pathophysiology of colon ischaemia/reperfusion (IR) using a newly developed human and rat experimental model. Design In 10 patients a small part of colon that had to be removed for surgical reasons was isolated and exposed to 60 min of ischaemia (60I) with/without different periods of reperfusion (30R and 60R). Tissue not exposed to IR served as control. In rats, colon was exposed to 60I, 60I/30R, 60I/120R or 60I/240R (n=7 per group). The tissue was snap-frozen or fixed in glutaraldehyde, formalin or methacarn fixative. Mucins were stained with Periodic Acid Schiff/Alcian Blue (PAS/AB) and MUC2/Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA). Bacteria were studied using electron microscopy (EM) and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH). Neutrophils were studied using myeloperoxidase staining. qPCR was performed for MUC2, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor α. Results In rats, PAS/AB and MUC2/DBA staining revealed mucus layer detachment at ischaemia which was accompanied by bacterial penetration (in EM and FISH). Human and rat studies showed that, simultaneously, goblet cell secretory activity increased. This was associated with expulsion of bacteria from the crypts and restoration of the mucus layer at 240 min of reperfusion. Inflammation was limited to minor influx of neutrophils and increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines during reperfusion. Conclusions Colonic ischaemia leads to disruption of the mucus layer facilitating bacterial penetration. This is rapidly counteracted by increased secretory activity of goblet cells, leading to expulsion of bacteria from the crypts as well as restoration of the mucus barrier.
Two principles of perception revealed by geometrical illusions

Although perceptual illusions have been studied since the middle years of the 19th century there is no generally acceptable explanation of specific effects or of illusions in general. The central thesis proposed here is that illusions might be more fruitfully approached in terms of the principles of perception that they reveal and that apply also to normal, veridical perception. Recent experiments involving the conventional form of the Muller-Lyer figure presented progressively in a narrow aperture and a much simplified collinear form devised for presentation over space or time in both the visual and auditory modes suggested two such principles, that of whole-part determination of perceived size and that of space- time reciprocity. The first refers to the determination of the size of intrinsic parts by the whole figure or object and the second to the modulation of extent by time and vice versa. The broader implications of these principles are discussed.