Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multicenter, randomized, cross-over clinical trial of venlafaxine versus gabapentin for the management of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE Nonhormonal pharmacologic interventions are recommended for the treatment of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors. Antidepressants and gabapentin have been shown to be both effective and well tolerated; however, it is not clear which is preferred. PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a group-sequential, open-label, randomized, cross-over trial of 4 weeks of venlafaxine (37.5 mg daily for 7 days followed by 75 mg daily for 21 days) versus gabapentin (300 mg once per day for 3 days, then 300 mg twice per day for 3 days, then 300 mg three times per day for 22 days), with patient preference as the primary outcome. Postmenopausal women with at least 14 bothersome hot flashes per week for the prior month were eligible. A 2-week baseline period and a 2-week tapering/washout time was used before the first and second treatment periods, respectively. Diaries were used to measure hot flashes and potential toxicities throughout the study. Participants completed a preference questionnaire at the end of the study. A predefined Pocock stopping rule was applied. Patient preference and hot flash and toxicity outcomes were compared between treatments. RESULTS Sixty-six patients were randomly assigned, 56 of whom provided a preference (eight dropped out and two had no preference); 18 (32%) preferred gabapentin and 38 (68%) preferred venlafaxine (P = .01). Both agents reduced hot flash scores to a similar extent (66% reduction). Venlafaxine was associated with increased nausea, appetite loss, constipation, and reduced negative mood changes compared with gabapentin, whereas gabapentin was associated with increased dizziness and appetite compared with venlafaxine (all P < .05). CONCLUSION Breast cancer survivors prefer venlafaxine over gabapentin for treating hot flashes.
Social Media Use to Support Entrepreneurship in the Face of Disruption

By comparing respondents in Egypt and the United States this paper examines whether the rise of virtual social networks to support entrepreneurship may be more important in driving entrepreneurial intent in countries undergoing disruption. Further, this research developed a new factor of “social media self-efficacy” as a predictor of perceived behavioral control in entrepreneurial intent. Results were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS), employing the double bootstrap comparison method for improved accuracy. Social media self-efficacy provided significant, unique variance for both samples in predicting perceived behavioral control above and beyond the contribution of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and access to entrepreneurial resources. Social media self-efficacy was significantly more influential for Egyptians than for Americans in predicting perceived behavioral control; entrepreneurial self-efficacy and access to resources were significantly more influential for Americans. This research introduces a framework for conceptualizing a social media role in promoting entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on its likely importance for contexts suffering from institutional voids or severe institutional instability.
What can variation in stature reveal about environmental differences between prehistoric Jomon foragers? Understanding the impact of systemic stress on developmental stability

This study reconstructs patterns of stress and phenotypic variation in prehistoric Japan. Greater evidence for stress is indicated by elevated enamel hypoplasia frequency among Jomon foragers from western compared to eastern Japan. Geographic variation in stress between Jomon people is related to plant‐based diets and resource scarcity in western Japan. The hypothesis that Jomon people from western Japan had shorter stature than those from the east is, therefore, tested. Relationships between individual stature, geographic location, and enamel hypoplasia presence/absence are also explored. In addition, increased population density and reliance on plant foods are observed during the Late/Final Jomon period in western Japan. A second hypothesis proposing shorter stature for Late/Final Jomon people compared to those from the Middle Jomon period is tested. Statistically significant differences in stature between males and females from eastern and western Japan were not observed. Individual relationships between enamel hypoplasia and stature were rejected. Stature decreased significantly over time in western Japan. It is possible that stature between the eastern and western Jomon did not differ because the western Jomon experienced catch up growth after childhood stress episodes. It is also likely that variation in stress between the two groups was not severe enough to warrant stature reduction. Decreases in stature through time in western Japan are related to increased exposure to chronic infection and dietary stress. Overall, these results indicate that enamel hypoplasia frequencies provide an adequate index of general stress but may fail to predict the impact of stress on the human phenotype. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
PDGF and intracellular signaling in the timing of oligodendrocyte differentiation

In the rat optic nerve, bipotential O-2A progenitor cells give rise to oligodendrocytes and type 2 astrocytes on a precise schedule. Previous studies suggest that PDGF plays an important part in timing oligodendrocyte development by stimulating O-2A progenitor cells to proliferate until they become mitotically unresponsive to PDGF, stop dividing, and differentiate automatically into oligodendrocytes. Since the loss of mitotic responsiveness to PDGF has been shown not to be due to a loss of PDGF receptors, we have now examined the possibility that the unresponsiveness results from an uncoupling of these receptors from early intracellular signaling pathways. We show that (a) although PDGF does not stimulate newly formed oligodendrocytes to synthesize DNA, it induces an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ in these cells; (b) a combination of a Ca2+ ionophore plus a phorbol ester mimics the effect of PDGF, both in stimulating O-2A progenitor cell division and in reconstituting the normal timing of oligodendrocyte differentiation in culture; and (c) the same combination of drugs does not stimulate newly formed oligodendrocytes to proliferate, even in the presence of PDGF or dibutyryl cAMP. The most parsimonious explanation for these results is that O-2A progenitor cells become mitotically unresponsive to PDGF because the intracellular signaling pathways from the PDGF receptor to the nucleus are blocked downstream from the receptor and some of the early events that are triggered by receptor activation.
Anomalous Enthalpy Relaxation in Vitreous Silica

It is a challenge to calorimetrically determine the glass transition temperature (Tg) of vitreous silica. Here we demonstrate that this challenge mainly arises from the extreme sensitivity of the Tg to the hydroxyl content in vitreous silica, but also from the irreversibility of its glass transition when repeating the calorimetric scans. It is known that the liquid fragility (i.e., the speed of the viscous slow-down of a supercooled liquid at its Tg during cooling) has impact on enthalpy relaxation in glass. Here we find that vitreous silica (as a strong system) exhibits striking anomalies in both glass transition and enthalpy relaxation compared to fragile oxide systems. The anomalous enthalpy relaxation of vitreous silica is discovered by performing the hperquenching-annealing-calorimetry experiments. We argue that the strong systems like vitreous silica and vitreous Germania relax in a structurally cooperative manner, whereas the fragile ones do in a structurally independent fashion. We discuss the origin of the anomalous enthalpy relaxation in the HQ vitreous silica.
On Assets and Debt in the Psychology of Perceived Wealth

We studied the perception of wealth as a function of varying levels of assets and debt. We found that with total wealth held constant, people with positive net worth feel and are seen as wealthier when they have lower debt (despite having fewer assets). In contrast, people with equal but negative net worth feel and are considered wealthier when they have greater assets (despite having larger debt). This pattern persists in the perception of both the self and others. We explore consequences for the willingness to borrow and lend and briefly discuss the policy implications of these findings.
Student personality differences are related to their responses on instructor evaluation forms

The relation of student personality to student evaluations of teaching (SETs) was determined in a sample of 144 undergraduates. Student Big Five personality variables and core self-evaluation (CSE) were assessed. Students rated their most preferred instructor (MPI) and least preferred instructor (LPI) on 11 common evaluation items. Pearson and partial correlations simultaneously controlling for six demographic variables, Extraversion, Conscientiousness and Openness showed that SETs were positively related to Agreeableness and CSE and negatively related to Neuroticism, supporting the three hypotheses of study. Each of these significant relations was maintained when MPI, LPI or a composite of MPI and LPI served as the SET criterion. For example, the MPI-LPI composite correlated . 28 with Agreeableness, . 35 with CSE and –. 28 with Neuroticism. Similar correlations resulted for MPI and LPI. Hierarchical multiple regression demonstrated that the CSE was an independent predictor of MPI ratings, Agreeableness was an independent predictor of LPI ratings, and both the CSE and Agreeableness were independent predictors of MPI-LPI composite ratings. Neuroticism did not emerge as an independent predictor because of the substantial correlation between CSE and Neuroticism (r = .53) and because CSE had greater predictive capacity. This is the first study to incorporate the CSE construct into the SET literature.
The neural basis of multisensory spatial and feature-based attention in vision and somatosensation

Attention refers to the cognitive processes that prioritise a subset of available sensory information for enhanced processing, and which can be directed towards spatial locations, object features, time, or other aspects of the environment. While the majority of research has focused on studying attention within sensory modalities, a growing body of evidence has demonstrated that attention interact with multisensory processes. Several neuroimaging studies have shown that higher cortical regions activated during attention to multiple sensory modalities overlap significantly with the dorsal and ventral frontoparietal regions activated during visual attention tasks. This evidence has led some researchers to propose the existence of supramodal frontoparietal system that controls the deployment of attention across various sensory modalities. Although influential, this hypothesis has been challenged by other studies that discovered evidence for modality-specific regions in the parietal cortex. In this thesis, I investigated the generality and specificity of the frontoparietal network associated with multisensory spatial and feature-based attention, in vision and touch, by applying multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to fMRI data. Recent studies have successfully demonstrated that MVPA methods could be used to discriminate various experimental conditions from weak distributed patterns of activity within overlapping cortical regions found by univariate fMRI analysis. Here, I applied similar logic to examine overlapping frontoparietal regions activated during multisensory attention. Contrary to the supramodal hypothesis, the results supported the existence of modality-specific systems in the posterior parietal cortex during both attention to spatial locations and stimulus features. Additional evidence for modality-specific processes was also indicated in the patterns of top-down modulatory activity in visual cortex. Overall, the current findings supported the view that both modality-specific and potentially supramodal frontoparietal regions work in concert to selectively bias activity in sensory cortical regions during various states of attention.
Coaching under pressure: A study of Olympic coaches

Abstract The Olympic environment has been identified as particularly stressful and unlike any other in terms of the media attention and focus placed on the competition. While the potential negative consequences of stress for coaches and their athletes have been explored, relatively little is known about the factors underpinning successful Olympic coaching performance. We explored elite coaches' perceptions of the factors that enable them to coach in a stressful Olympic environment. Eight coaches from one of Great Britain's most successful Olympic teams (i.e. consistent medal winners in the previous three Olympics) were interviewed. Inductive content analysis indicated that psychological attributes (e.g. emotional control), preparation (e.g. strategic approach), and coping at the event (e.g. team support) were factors that coaches perceived as important for successful Olympic coaching. In addition, coaches offered specific suggestions for training and development. Key themes included coach interaction (e.g. mentoring, formalizing contact) and simulating Olympic pressure. These findings offer suggestions for the education of developing coaches on the pathway to elite sports coaching.
Efficient Polynomial Basis Multipliers for Type-II Irreducible Pentanomials

Bit-parallel polynomial basis multipliers over the finite field GF(2m) generated using type-II irreducible pentanomials are considered in this brief. The bit-parallel multipliers presented here have the lowest delay known to date for similar multipliers based on this type of irreducible pentanomials, with a very small increase of XOR gates.
A Critical Interdisciplinary Analysis of Culturally Appropriate Research Approach and Practices in Health Care and Social Work

This paper presents a critique of research approaches used in health and social care research with vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups, and children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds in Britain. The paper aims to critically examine research processes in health and social care from a psychological perspective and a social work perspective. This paper argues that a conceptual framework that incorporates a cross-cultural perspective for understanding the development of minority ethnic children is critical in order to address omissions in existing theoretical formulations and research in social work and health care theory and research. In the United Kingdom there is a lack of social work research from a cross-cultural perspective. Research knowledge and information from a cross-cultural perspective on minority ethnic family life, minority ethnic children and young people are vital to the health care and social work profession.
Party organizational development and the electoral performance of the radical right: exploring the role of local candidates in the breakthrough elections of the Sweden democrats 2002–2014

ABSTRACT It is today commonplace to view radical right parties as masters of their own fates. However, whereas most authors in the field focus on dominant leaders, the impact of party organizations remains understudied. To remedy some of this, we study the impact of three unique measures of organizational development on the electoral performance of the Sweden Democrats (SD) in four consecutive local elections between 2002 and 2014. When controlling for crucial demand- and supply-side factors, while holding the appeal of the national leadership constant, we find that the size, competence, and stability of the local candidate base were all decisive for explaining the success of the SD. These findings suggest that a developed organizational base not only matters to the long-term persistence of radical right parties, but also to their electoral breakthrough. Additionally, we suggest that party organizations are likely to have a greater impact in countries where radical right parties are already established. We conclude by arguing that our findings potentially provide insights into mechanisms that explain how new parties in general establish themselves.
Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

ABSTRACT New analytical techniques for multiparametric characterisation of individual cells are likely to reveal important information about the heterogeneity of immunological responses at the single-cell level. In this proof-of-principle study, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was applied to the problem of concurrently detecting 24 lineage and activation markers expressed by human leucocytes. This approach was sufficiently sensitive and specific to identify subpopulations of isolated T, B, and natural killer cells. Leucocyte subsets were also accurately detected within unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells preparations. Accordingly, we judge LA-ICP-MS to be a suitable method for assessing expression of multiple tissue antigens in solid-phase biological specimens, such as tissue sections, cytospins, or cells grown on slides. These results augur well for future development of LA-ICP-MS–based bioimaging instruments for general users.
Acute Change in Vascular Tone Alters Intima-Media Thickness

Atherosclerosis is a lifelong process involving artery wall thickening. Increased wall thickness has been widely adopted as a preclinical surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. A prerequisite for such a surrogate marker is that it is a structural characteristic of the vessel wall that is not subject to acute changes. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of vasodilator drug administration on wall thickness of the carotid and superficial femoral arteries. High-resolution ultrasound was used to examine carotid and femoral artery diameters and wall thickness in 15 young (25±4 years of age) and 15 older (70±6 years of age) healthy men who were administered sublingual glyceryl trinitrate. Diameter and wall thickness were collected before and across a 10-minute period after glyceryl trinitrate administration. Glyceryl trinitrate induced a significant increase in carotid and femoral artery diameter and a decrease in wall thickness in both young and older men (both P<0.001). The latter was significantly larger than in young men (both P<0.01). The changes in carotid artery wall thickness in both young (35±23 &mgr;m) and older men (71±46 &mgr;m) approximate those considered prognostically relevant. Collectively, our data suggest that vasodilator drug administration induces a rapid and marked decrease in wall thickness, which mirrors conduit artery vasodilation in both young and older men. This finding confirms the presence of acute changes in wall thickness and has important implications for future studies that assess artery wall characteristics as a surrogate measure of atherosclerosis.
Cellular sites of extrarenal and renal erythropoietin production in anaemic rats

The cellular origins of erythropoietin were investigated in the rat using a probe derived from a cloned rat erythropoietin cDNA. In anaemic‐hypoxic rat liver, in situ hybridization detected erythropoietin mRNA primarily in hepatocytes and less frequently in nonparenchymal sinusoidal or perisinusoidal liver cells. An RNase protection assay was used to compare the erythropoietin mRNA contents of separated rat liver cell fractions and also suggested that hepatocytes are the major source of extrarenal erythropoietin with nonparenchymal liver cells contributing less than 1% to total hepatic erythropoietin production. In kidney, in situ hybridization localized erythropoietin mRNA in nonepithelial cells, as yet of undefined lineage, in the cortical and outer medullary interstitium. These results indicate that, in the rat, the primary sources of erythropoietin in liver and kidney are different types of cells.
Enhancing positive affect and divergent thinking abilities: Play some music and dance

This study compares the effect of dance on affect and cognition to music or exercise, in a young, non-clinical population. Participants were asked to complete tests of mood and creativity before and after spending 5 min either listening to music, dancing, cycling or sitting quietly. Both dancing and passively listening to music enhanced positive affect, decreased negative affect and reduced feelings of fatigue. Cycling and sitting quietly had no effect on positive mood or feelings of fatigue. Moreover, dancing and passively listening to music had dissociable effects on different aspects of creativity, with greater change in positive affect being associated with greater enhancement in measures of verbal and non-verbal creativity, respectively. We suggest that these findings support the use of either short duration dancing or passively listening to music as potentially powerful tools in enhancing emotional well-being and different aspects of divergent thinking in non-clinical settings.
Neural network-based fuzzy modeling of the student in intelligent tutoring systems

An empirical approach that makes use of neuro-fuzzy synergism to evaluate the students in the context of an intelligent tutoring system is presented. In this way, a qualitative model of the student is generated, which is able to evaluate information regarding student's knowledge and cognitive abilities in a domain area. The neuro-fuzzy model has been tested on a prototype tutoring system in the physics domain of the vertical projectory motions and the results have been very satisfactory.
Niacin Inhibits Vascular Inflammation via the Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1

Background— Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a cytoprotective protein whose expression is consistently associated with therapeutic benefits in a number of pathological conditions such as atherosclerotic vascular disease and inflammation. Niacin is a pleiotropic drug that slows the progression of coronary artery disease and increases serum levels of the HO-1 enzymatic product bilirubin. This study asks if the cardioprotective properties of niacin involve the induction of HO-1. Methods and Results— New Zealand White rabbits received chow or chow supplemented with 0.6% (wt/wt) niacin for 2 weeks. Acute vascular inflammation was induced in the animals by placing a nonocclusive silastic collar around the left common carotid artery. At 24 hours after collar implantation, serum bilirubin and vascular, liver, and spleen HO-1 messenger RNA levels were significantly increased. Vascular inflammation was decreased in the niacin-supplemented animals compared with control. Treatment of the animals with tin protoporphyrin-IX, a global HO inhibitor, or HO-1 small interfering RNA to knock down carotid artery HO-1 attenuated the ability of niacin to inhibit vascular inflammation. Treatment of cultured human coronary artery endothelial cells with niacin increased HO-1 expression by activating the nuclear factor-E2–related factor 2/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway and inhibiting tumor necrosis factor &agr;–induced endothelial inflammation. The antiinflammatory effects of niacin in human coronary artery endothelial cells were mimicked by bilirubin and abolished by incubation with tin protoporphyrin-IX and knock down of nuclear factor-E2–related factor 2. Conclusions— Niacin activates HO-1 in vivo and in vitro. Induction of HO-1 may be partly responsible for the vascular protective properties of niacin.