Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contribution of spoken language and socio-economic background to adolescents' educational achievement at age 16 years.

BACKGROUND Well-documented associations exist between socio-economic background and language ability in early childhood, and between educational attainment and language ability in children with clinically referred language impairment. However, very little research has looked at the associations between language ability, educational attainment and socio-economic background during adolescence, particularly in populations without language impairment. AIMS To investigate: (1) whether adolescents with higher educational outcomes overall had higher language abilities; and (2) associations between adolescent language ability, socio-economic background and educational outcomes, specifically in relation to Mathematics, English Language and English Literature GCSE grade. METHOD & PROCEDURES A total of 151 participants completed five standardized language assessments measuring vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and narrative skills and one nonverbal assessment when between 13 and 14 years old. These data were compared with the participants' educational achievement obtained upon leaving secondary education (16 years old). Univariate logistic regressions were employed to identify those language assessments and demographic factors that were associated with achieving a targeted A* -C grade in English Language, English Literature and Mathematics General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at 16 years. Further logistic regressions were then conducted to examine further the contribution of socio-economic background and spoken language skills in the multivariate models. RESULTS & OUTCOMES Vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and mean length utterance in a narrative task along with socio-economic background contributed to whether participants achieved an A* -C grade in GCSE Mathematics and English Language and English Literature. Nonverbal ability contributed to English Language and Mathematics. The results of multivariate logistic regressions then found that vocabulary skills were particularly relevant to all three GCSE outcomes. Socio-economic background only remained important for English Language, once language assessment scores and demographic information were considered. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Language ability, and in particular vocabulary, plays an important role for educational achievement. Results confirm a need for ongoing support for spoken language ability throughout secondary education and a potential role for speech and language therapy provision in the continuing drive to reduce the gap in educational attainment between groups from differing socio-economic backgrounds.
Imaging texture analysis for automated prediction of lung cancer recurrence after stereotactic radiotherapy

Abstract. Benign radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is not uncommon following stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for lung cancer and can be difficult to differentiate from tumor recurrence on follow-up imaging. We previously showed the ability of computed tomography (CT) texture analysis to predict recurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the accuracy of recurrence prediction using manual region-of-interest segmentation to that of a semiautomatic approach. We analyzed 22 patients treated for 24 lesions (11 recurrences, 13 RILI). Consolidative and ground-glass opacity (GGO) regions were manually delineated. The longest axial diameter of the consolidative region on each post-SABR CT image was measured. This line segment is routinely obtained as part of the clinical imaging workflow and was used as input to automatically delineate the consolidative region and subsequently derive a periconsolidative region to sample GGO tissue. Texture features were calculated, and at two to five months post-SABR, the entropy texture measure within the semiautomatic segmentations showed prediction accuracies [areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): 0.70 to 0.73] similar to those of manual GGO segmentations (AUC: 0.64). After integration into the clinical workflow, this decision support system has the potential to support earlier salvage for patients with recurrence and fewer investigations of benign RILI.
Cohort Study of the Survival Benefit of Resection for Recurrent Hepatic and/or Pulmonary Metastases After Primary Hepatectomy for Colorectal Metastases

Objective:To evaluate resection for hepatic and/or pulmonary recurrences in a cohort that underwent initial hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases. Summary Background Data:The survival benefit of repeated resections for hepatic and/or pulmonary recurrences after initial hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases has remained unclear. Methods:Recurrence occurred in 166 of the 216 patients after the first hepatectomy. Repeated resections were performed in 98 patients. We investigated the pattern of recurrence, the proportion of patients who underwent repeated resection, and the surgical outcome. Results:Of the 166 patients with recurrence, 71 had isolated hepatic recurrence, 25 had isolated pulmonary recurrence, 13 had hepatic plus pulmonary recurrence, and 57 had recurrence in other organs. Repeated resections were conducted in 60 (85%) patients with isolated hepatic recurrence, 21 (84%) with isolated pulmonary recurrence, and 9 (69%) with both hepatic and pulmonary recurrence. The 5-year survival rates after repeated resection were 39%, 37%, and 20% for isolated hepatic recurrence, isolated pulmonary recurrence, and hepatic plus pulmonary recurrence, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the following variables contributed to poor prognosis (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]): number of recurrent tumors (1.20 [1.11–1.29]), maximum size of recurrent tumors (1.26 [1.02–1.48]), pulmonary recurrence (2.36 [1.41–3.20]), and hepatic plus pulmonary recurrence (4.01 [2.86–.17]). Conclusions:Patients with pulmonary or hepatic plus pulmonary recurrence had poorer prognoses than those with isolated hepatic recurrence. Reresection is the only potentially curative treatment. Stricter indication criteria, especially regarding the number of tumor nodules, can lead to comparable long-term outcomes.
Electrochemical and Photophysical Properties of Ruthenium(II) Bipyridyl Complexes with Pendant Alkanethiol Chains in Solution and Anchored to Metal Surfaces

Luminescent ruthenium trisbipyridine complexes containing one or two mercapto-alkyl chain(s) on one of the bipyridyl units have been synthesized through a new strategy. The electrochemical and photophysical properties, determined in solution and in the solid state were compared. Deposition on electrode surfaces (gold, platinum and indium tin oxide) was realized by self-assembly and the re- sulting adsorbed layers were characterized by electrochemistry and fluorescence confocal microscopy. Voltammetric measurements of the films, in aqueous and in acetonitrile solution, allowed the determination of the surface coverages and the oxidation potentials of the complexes. The effect of the number of chains and the chain length in the complexes is highlighted. Emission of the adsorbed complexes was strongly quenched by the metallic surfaces, while confocal microscopy images showed aggregate formation on am length scale. The latter results provide considerable insight into the nature of the adsorbed layers and support deductions from the voltammetric data.
Evaluation of atoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus as potential biocontrol agents for aflatoxin in maize

Aflatoxin contamination resulting from maize infection by Aspergillus flavus is both an economic and a public health concern. Therefore, strategies for controlling aflatoxin contamination in maize are being investigated. The abilities of eleven naturally occurring atoxigenic isolates in Nigeria to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize were evaluated in grain competition experiments and in field studies during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. Treatments consisted of inoculation of either grains in vials or ears at mid-silking stage in field plots, with the toxigenic isolate (La3228) or atoxigenic isolate alone and co-inoculation of each atoxigenic isolate and La3328. Aflatoxin B1 + B2 concentrations were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the co-inoculation treatments compared with the treatment in which the aflatoxin-producing isolate La3228 was inoculated alone. Relative levels of aflatoxin B1 + B2 reduction ranged from 70.1% to 99.9%. Among the atoxigenics, two isolates from Lafia, La3279 and La3303, were most effective at reducing aflatoxin B1 + B2 concentrations in both laboratory and field trials. These two isolates have potential value as agents for the biocontrol of aflatoxin contamination in maize. Because these isolates are endemic to West Africa, they are both more likely than introduced isolates to be well adapted to West African environments and to meet regulatory concerns over their use throughout that region.
Extended visual fixation in the early preschool years: look duration, heart rate changes, and attentional inertia.

Visual fixation in infants from 6 months to 2 years of age was examined for its fit to the theory of "attentional inertia. " A children's movie ("Sesame Street" movie, "Follow that Bird") or an extended audiovisual stimulus (computer-generated patterns) was presented to 40 children for a minimum of 20 min while fixation was videotaped and heart rate (HR) was recorded. Consistent with attentional inertia theory, fixations toward the stimuli had a lognormal distribution, HR decreased over the course of a look, and HR returned to prestimulus levels immediately before look offset. Older children (18 months, 24 months) showed a distinction in the parameters describing the lognormal distribution for the "Sesame Street" movie and the audiovisual patterns, whereas younger children (6 months, 12 months) responded similarly to the two stimulus types. Fixation patterns of children in this age range suggest attention increases over the course of a look, and parameters consistent with attentional inertia theory differentially develop in this age range.
Unleashing Latent Ability: Implications of Stereotype Threat for College Admissions

Social-psychological research conducted over the past 15 years provides compelling evidence that pervasive psychological threats are present in common academic environments—especially threats that originate in negative intellectual stereotypes—and that these threats undermine the real-world academic performance of non-Asian ethnic minority students and of women in math and science. As a consequence, common measures of academic performance, including both grades and test scores, systematically underestimate the intellectual ability of ethnic minority students and of women in quantitative fields (Walton & Spencer, 2009). We review evidence for these psychological threats, discuss their implications for the meaning and interpretation of common performance measures used in important admissions decisions, and address their implications for the efforts of colleges and universities to create positive academic environments that allow all students to thrive.
An X-Ray, Optical, and Radio Search for Supernova Remnants in the Nearby Sculptor Group Sd Galaxy NGC 7793

This paper is the second in a series devoted to examining the multiwavelength properties of supernova remnants (SNRs) located in nearby galaxies. We consider here the resident SNRs in the nearby Sculptor group Sd galaxy NGC 7793. Using our own Very Large Array (VLA) radio observations at 6 and 20 cm, as well as archived ROSAT X-ray data, previously published optical results, and our own Hα image, we have searched for X-ray and radio counterparts to previously known optically identified SNRs and for new previously unidentified SNRs at these two wavelength regimes. Consistent with our prior results for NGC 300, only a tiny minority of the optically identified SNRs have been found at another wavelength. The most noteworthy source in our study is N7793-S26, which is the only SNR in this galaxy that is detected at all three wavelengths (X-ray, optical, and radio). It features a long (~450 pc) filamentary morphology that is clearly seen in both the optical and the radio images. N7793-S26's radio luminosity exceeds that of the Galactic SNR Cas A, and based on equipartition calculations we determine that an energy of at least 1052 ergs is required to maintain this source. Such a result argues for the source being created by multiple supernova explosions rather than by a single supernova event. A second optically identified SNR, N7793-S11, has detectable radio emission but no detectable X-ray emission. A radio-selected sample of candidate SNRs has also been prepared by searching for coincidences between nonthermal radio sources and regions of Hα emission in this galaxy. This search has produced five new candidate radio SNRs to be added to the 28 SNRs that have already been detected by optical methods. A complementary search for new candidate X-ray SNRs has also been conducted by searching for soft-spectrum sources (kT < 1 keV) that are coincident with regions of Hα emission. That search has yielded a candidate X-ray SNR that is coincident with one (and possibly two) of the candidate radio SNRs, but considerable diffuse X-ray emission throughout the disk of NGC 7793 reduces the efficacy of the search. Like NGC 300, very little overlap in identifications is seen between the SNRs found through X-ray, optical, and radio methods, and such a result argues for the role played by distance-dependent selection effects in determining the detectability of SNRs. In addition, we find that the density of the ambient interstellar medium (ISM) surrounding SNRs significantly impacts the spectral characteristics of the SNRs in this galaxy, consistent with surveys of the SNR populations in other galaxies.
Hypothesis: Neonatal Respiratory Distress May Be Related to Asymptomatic Colonization With Group B Streptococci

Background: Phospholipids from the group B streptococcal (GBS) cell wall cause pulmonary hypertension in experimental animals. When exposed to penicillin, Streptococcus mutans releases phospholipids immediately. We hypothesize that newborns colonized with GBS receive bacterial phospholipids leading to pulmonary hypertension and respiratory distress, especially in the situation of newborns of penicillin-treated mothers. We examined clinical and epidemiologic data on these relations. Methods: We used data from a prospective multicenter GBS study conducted from 1995 to 1999 in which 1674 of 17,690 newborns cultured at 4 sites were colonized with GBS. Our analyses included 1610 colonized newborns ≥32 weeks gestation without early-onset disease. Clinical features were compared between 1003 lightly colonized (GBS positive at ≤2 sites) and 607 heavily colonized (positive at 3 or 4 sites) newborns. The rates of respiratory distress were compared between colonized newborns of penicillin-treated mothers and those of untreated mothers. Results: Of the 1610 colonized newborns, 8.8% had signs of respiratory distress within 48 hours after birth (cases). Oxygen supplementation was used in 60% of the cases, mechanical ventilation was required in 5% and persistent pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed in 2%. Compared with light colonization, heavy colonization increased the rate of respiratory distress 1.73-fold (95% CI, 1.26–2.38), a discharge diagnosis of respiratory disorder 2.02-fold (95% CI, 1.16–3.52), a blood/cerebrospinal fluid obtained for culture 1.54-fold (95% CI, 1.24–1.93) and antibiotic administration after birth 1.87-fold (95% CI, 1.34–2.61). Penicillin use during labor was associated with a 2.62-fold (95% CI, 1.79–3.83) increase in respiratory distress in the colonized newborn. Conclusions: Our findings support the association of neonatal respiratory distress with asymptomatic GBS colonization and with penicillin use during labor. These data require confirmation.
L-dopa helps positive but not negative features of neuroleptic-insensitive chronic schizophrenia

L-dopa (Sinemet-110 in a final dose equivalent to — 4 g per day) added to maintenance chlorpromazine, produced a small antipsychotic effect in a group of eight severely impaired male chronic schizophrenic in-patients. Negative symptoms were unaffected by L-dopa, although the improvement in psychotic behaviour and positive symptoms was restricted to the four patients with the most severe negative symptoms measured during the control treatment period. These L-dopa responders also tended to improve slightly when the dose of chlorpromazine was halved, an indication of their poor, or even counter-therapeutic response to conventional neuroleptic medication given in relatively high dosage. Signs of increased dopaminergic activity (raised eye blink rate and reduced plasma prolactin) were not observed in subjects showing an antipsychotic response to L-dopa. This raises the possibility that L-dopa may exert an antipsychotic effect in neuroleptic-insensitive subjects by altering noradrenergic activity in the brain.
Recursive Ping-Pong Protocols

This paper introduces a process calculus with recursion which allows us to express an unbounded number of runs of the ping-pong protocols introduced by Dolev and Yao. We study the decidability issues associated with two common approaches to checking security properties, namely reachability analysis and bisimulation checking. Our main result is that our channel-free and memory-less calculus is Turing powerful, assuming that at least three principals are involved. We also investigate the expressive power of the calculus in the case of two participants. Here, our main results are that reachability and, under certain conditions, also strong bisimilarity become decidable.
Does knee malalignment increase the risk of development and progression of knee osteoarthritis? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE To systematically review the evidence for a relationship between malalignment of the knee joint and progression and/or development of knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS Electronic searches of Medline, EMBase, and CINAHL were performed up to July 2008 using medical subject headings and free-text words. We included radiographic or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies that met a set of predefined criteria. Two independent reviewers extracted the data and assessed the methodologic quality of the selected studies. Due to both heterogeneity and a limited number of studies, the results were summarized using a best evidence synthesis. RESULTS Fourteen studies met our inclusion criteria and 8 were considered high quality. We found limited evidence for an association between knee malalignment and incident knee OA, because only 1 cohort study examined this relationship. However, there was strong evidence based on 4 high-quality cohort studies that knee malalignment is an independent risk factor for progression of radiographic knee OA. This finding was further supported by 2 high-quality MRI cohort studies that found a relationship between varus and valgus alignment and structural progression of knee OA. CONCLUSION Malalignment of the knee joint was found to be an independent risk factor for the progression of knee OA. Given the paucity of investigation into the relationship between knee malalignment and risk of incident OA, further high-quality cohort studies are needed, and these may have important implications for the prevention of knee OA.
Erythropoiesis in HIV-infected and uninfected Malawian children with severe anaemia

Introduction Anaemia is a common complication and independent predictor of mortality in HIVinfected adults and children. In adults, anaemia results primarily from reduced production of erythrocytes, mediated by various factors, including inflammation, and resulting in an increased dyserythropoiesis and apoptosis of erythroid cells. Little is known about the pathophysiology and erythropoietic abnormalities of HIV-associated anaemia, in children. Methods & Results We compared haematological abnormalities among 329 severely anaemic (haemoglobin <5g/dL). Malawian children with (n=40) and without HIV (n=289) infection. Bone marrow flow cytometry revealed that HIV-infected children had fewer CD34+ haematopoietic progenitors (1.0% vs. 1.5%, p=0.04) and erythroid progenitors (0.2% vs. 0.3%, p=0.05). Dyserythropoiesis and apoptosis of red cell precursors were not more common in HIVinfected children than uninfected children (2.8% vs. 3.8%, p=0.12 and 9.3% vs. 12.3 %, p=0.23). Polychromatic erythroblasts (37% vs. 36%, p=0.69), reticulocyte counts (58.6 vs. 52.7 109/L, p=0.85) and peripheral blood erythrocytic indices were similar in both groups. Conclusions Among severely anaemic Malawian children HIV infection was associated with decreased numbers of CD34+ haematopoietic progenitors and early progenitor cells. Despite this deficiency in the earliest stages of erythropoiesis, and contrary to previous studies, we could find no evidence of an effect of HIV status on the subsequent viability and maturation of erythrocytes. 106 proefschrift.indb 106 14-4-2008 10:29:00
Experimental study on the glass fiber/waste cotton fabric-reinforced hybrid composites: Mechanical and rheological investigations

In this work, the effect of hybridization on the mechanical and rheological properties of the glass fiber/waste cotton fabric-reinforced hybrid composites was investigated. For this purpose, glass fibers in different ratios of 2.5, 5, and 10 wt. % were added to the polymer composites with cotton fibers at the ratios of 12.5 and 25 wt. %. In order to have better interfacial bonding and to increase the effectiveness of glass fiber on the mechanical properties, maleic anhydride coupling agent was added to the hybrid composite samples. At the end of the study, the best ratios of maleic anhydride, cotton, and glass fiber for this kind composites were explored with respect to the economical and mechanical concerns. This study suggests that hybridization can be considered as most promising way to improve the mechanical properties for this novel composite material.
Blockholder Heterogeneity and Financial Reporting Quality

Acknowledgments We have received valuable comments from Hila Using a large hand-collected sample of all blockholders (ownership ≥ 5%) of S&P 1500 firms for the years 2002–2009, we test whether firms' financial reporting choices relate to individual shareholders. We document significant individual blockholder effects on financial reporting quality (accrual-based earnings management, real earnings management, and restatements). This association is driven primarily by these large shareholders influencing rather than selecting firms' accounting practices. We also find that the effect of individual blockholders on financial reporting quality manifests itself in important consequences related to earnings persistence and price reaction to earnings news. Finally, we attempt to understand individual blockholders' effects on financial reporting quality using several blockholder characteristics, but we find only limited explanatory power. These results highlight the highly individualized effects of blockholders and the need for research to further understand the mechanisms through which shareholders impact financial reporting.