Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum creatinine improves body mass index survival prediction in hemodialysis patients: a 1-year prospective cohort analysis from the ARNOS study.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to better characterize the relationships between body mass index (BMI) and lean body mass (LBM) as assessed by serum creatinine (SCr) and mortality. DESIGN The data were collected from a prospective prevalent cohort in maintenance hemodialysis patients. SETTING The study was carried out in 25 dialysis units in Rhônes Alpes area (France and Switzerland). PATIENT A total of 1,205 patients were followed up for 1-year, starting July 1, 2005. OUTCOME Mortality as well as clinical and biological routine parameters were recorded. Kaplan-Meier, Cox model, Log rank test were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS We found that SCr was a strong predictor of mortality (P < .001), whereas BMI was not. Additionally, higher BMI lost its protective effect when it was associated with low SCr. Survival was strongly reduced in patients having a predialysis SCr <717 μmol/L in patients with a BMI >23 (P < .001). CONCLUSION BMI should not be used by itself but in conjunction with SCr as a surrogate of LBM to improve its morbid-mortality predictive power. LBM should also be taken into account in further survival studies carried out in hemodialysis patients.
‘It is hard to know what you are being asked to do.’ Deciphering codes, constructing schemas

Abstract This article explores the challenges university students face in academic writing and proposes that these can be better understood by analysis of essays by joint honours students. Such analysis can demonstrate these students' strategies for dealing with differing disciplinary and tutorial requirements. Combining this analysis with spoken data derived from interviews with the same students can enrich this understanding. Of especial relevance is what such data reveal of students' mental representations of the epistemology of each of their joint subjects and of the requirements of specific assignments. By close analysis of the essays and spoken commentary of three students, the article argues that success in writing academic essays depends on students' having developed adequate epistemological schemas.
The role of parental perceived control in child development: A longitudinal study

The study investigated the role of parental perceived control in child development. A discussion of the conceptual bases of two parental locus-of-control scales led to differential predictions as regards their relations with parent experiences during infancy and child problems and competencies at 4 and 9 years. The Parental Control of Child’s Behaviour scale was suggested to measure perceived control and to be related to infancy factors and child outcomes. The Parental Responsibility scale was tentatively seen as measuring a stereotypic view, and associations with infancy aspects and child outcomes were not predicted. In a normal longitudinal sample of 103 families, mothers’ and fathers’ control ratings were obtained at ages 33 months and 9 years. In contrast to parental responsibility ratings, parental control ratings were predicted by child difficultness and parental adaptation during infancy, and more perceived control was associated with fewer problems and more competence both longitudinally and concurrently. Both fathers’ and mothers’ perceived control was important. It was further concluded that the Parental Control scale could function as a psychometrically adequate measure of how parents perceive their actual control in the rearing situation.
The Bayesian analysis of a pivotal pharmacokinetic study

The aim of this paper is to carry out a detailed Bayesian population pharmacokinetic analysis of a three-period cross-over study of the drug fluticasone propionate carried out in 12 healthy male volunteers. The study was carried out to characterize the pharmacokinetics of the drug, in particular to investigate dose proportionality. We examine the appropriateness of modelling assumptions via a variety of diagnostic techniques. We also examine the effect of deleting time points at which the concentration was recorded as below the limit of quantification, as opposed to including these points as censored observations. We assess dose proportionality before carrying out a final combined analysis of data from all three doses.
Fuzzy Based Scalable Clustering Algorithms for Handling Big Data Using Apache Spark

A huge amount of digital data containing useful information, called Big Data, is generated everyday. To mine such useful information, clustering is widely used data analysis technique. A large number of Big Data analytics frameworks have been developed to scale the clustering algorithms for big data analysis. One such framework called Apache Spark works really well for iterative algorithms by supporting in-memory computations, scalability etc. We focus on the design and implementation of partitional based clustering algorithms on Apache Spark, which are suited for clustering large datasets due to their low computational requirements. In this paper, we propose Scalable Random Sampling with Iterative Optimization Fuzzy c-Means algorithm (SRSIO-FCM) implemented on an Apache Spark Cluster to handle the challenges associated with big data clustering. Experimental studies on various big datasets have been conducted. The performance of SRSIO-FCM is judged in comparison with the proposed scalable version of the Literal Fuzzy c-Means (LFCM) and Random Sampling plus Extension Fuzzy c-Means (rseFCM) implemented on the Apache Spark cluster. The comparative results are reported in terms of time and space complexity, run time and measure of clustering quality, showing that SRSIO-FCM is able to run in much less time without compromising the clustering quality.
Status Is a Four-Letter Word

The notion that striving for status is a fundamental human motivation is a largely taken-for-granted assumption across a number of literatures (e.g., anthropology, economics, evolutionary and social psychology, management, marketing, and sociology). In six studies, we show that—despite the ubiquity of status-striving in everyday life—people are reluctant to admit to such behavior. Specifically, participants consistently reported that they strive for status less than others, and this discrepancy was partially reduced only among participants who were less concerned about impression management or whose ability to engage in impression management was compromised. Although high status is clearly valuable and pursuing greater status is a basic human drive, we interpret these findings to mean that status-striving is a stigmatized behavior that people actively conceal. The theoretical implications and potential functional basis for our results are discussed.
RESEARCH ARTICLE Ion Channels and Transporters in Lung Function and Disease Alveolar nonselective channels are ASIC1a/ (cid:2) -ENaC channels and contribute to AFC

Alveolar nonselective channels are ASIC1a/ (cid:2) -ENaC channels and contribute AFC. Am Physiol Mol Physiol L797–L811, thin ﬂuid layer in alveoli is normal and results from a balance of ﬂuid entry and ﬂuid uptake by transepithelial salt and water reabsorption. Con-ventional wisdom suggests the reabsorption is via epithelial Na (cid:3) channels (ENaC), but if all Na (cid:3) reabsorption were via ENaC, then amiloride, an ENaC inhibitor, should block alveolar ﬂuid clearance (AFC). However, amiloride blocks only half of AFC. The reason for failure to block is clear from single-channel measurements from alveolar epithelial cells: ENaC channels are observed, but another channel is present at the same frequency that is nonselective for Na (cid:3) over K (cid:3) , has a larger conductance, and has shorter open and closed times. These two channel types are known as highly selective channels (HSC) and nonselective cation channels (NSC). HSC channels are made up of three ENaC subunits since knocking down any of the subunits reduces HSC number. NSC channels contain (cid:2) -ENaC since knocking down (cid:2) -ENaC reduces the number of NSC (knocking down (cid:4) - or (cid:5) -ENaC has no effect on NSC, but the molecular composition of NSC channels remains unclear). We show that NSC channels consist of at least one (cid:2) -ENaC and one or more acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) proteins. Knocking down either (cid:2) -ENaC or ASIC1a reduces both NSC and HSC number, and no NSC channels are observable in single-channel patches on lung slices from ASIC1a knockout mice. AFC is reduced in knockout mice, and wet wt-to-dry wt ratio is increased, but the percentage increase in wet wt-to-dry wt ratio is larger than expected based on the reduction in AFC.
The Time Course of Orthographic and Phonological Code Activation

The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the time course of orthographic and phonological priming in the masked priming paradigm. Participants monitored visual target words for occasional animal names, and ERPs to nonanimal critical items were recorded. These critical items were preceded by different types of primes: Orthographic priming was examined using transposed-letter (TL) primes (e.g., barin-BRAIN) and their controls (e.g., bosin-BRAIN); phonological priming was examined using pseudohomophone primes (e.g., brane-BRAIN) and their controls (e.g., brant-BRAIN). Both manipulations modulated the N250 ERP component, which is hypothesized to reflect sublexical processing during visual word recognition. Orthographic (TL) priming and phonological (pseudohomophone) priming were found to have distinct topographical distributions and different timing, with orthographic effects arising earlier than phonological effects.
Social Comparison and the Idealized Images of Advertising

This article reviews theories that might explain how advertising causes dissatisfaction with the self. It is hypothesized that consumers compare themselves with idealized advertising images. Exposure to such images may change consumers comparison standards for what they desire or lower perceptions of their own performance on relevant dimensions; the result is lowered satisfaction. Explanatory and experimental research examined these hypotheses in the context of idealized images of physical attractiveness in ads targeted at young women. Evidence for comparison was found. Results suggest that idealized images raised comparison standards for attractiveness and lowered satisfaction with one's own attractiveness. Copyright 1991 by the University of Chicago.
Gang Membership, Gun Carrying, and Employment: Applying Routine Activities Theory to Explain Violent Victimization Among Inner City, Minority Youth Living in Extreme Poverty*

Conceptual inconsistencies in routine activities theory are illustrated by demonstrating how gang membership, gun carrying, and employment can be categorized as both risk and protective factors in a high‐poverty context. Two waves of longitudinal data from a high‐poverty sample of African American youth were used to examine the determinants of victimization risk. Bivariate analyses indicated that gang membership, gun carrying, and employment status are significant risk factors for violent victimization, but these effects were mediated by measures of lifestyles (e.g., demographic and family factors, deviant lifestyles) included as controls in the full multivariate model. In other words, the strong positive relationship between gang membership and gun carrying found in previous studies may be due to model misspecification and/or the lack of research on high‐poverty samples of inner city youth from the Deep South. Additional logistic regression analyses also indicate that the number of hours employed per week (but not employment status) is a risk factor for violent victimization. Finally, the theoretical implications of these findings for routine activities theory are discussed.
Cultural Differences in Adolescents' Perceptions of the Seriousness of Delinquent Behaviours

In the light of the debate in recent times on crime and ethnicity, this paper examines cultural differences in the perception of the seriousness of delinquent behaviours. A total of 907 adolescents attending high schools in metropolitan NSW participated in the study and rated the perceived seriousness of 26 behaviours. Based on self-reported cultural group membership, participants were classified as belonging to either a collectivist (Asian) or individualistic (Australian) cultural group. Comparisons between the two groups indicated cultural differences in the ratings of seriousness. There was a consensus between the groups regarding the relative seriousness of the most serious offences, but overall the adolescents categorised as collectivist tended to rate the delinquent behaviours more seriously than those categorised as individualistic. There were also notable differences on the ratings and ranking of some behaviours with acceptance of some behaviours decreasing with age in the collectivist group.
Suppression of RNA Interference by Adenovirus Virus-Associated RNA

ABSTRACT We show that human adenovirus inhibits RNA interference (RNAi) at late times of infection by suppressing the activity of two key enzyme systems involved, Dicer and RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). To define the mechanisms by which adenovirus blocks RNAi, we used a panel of mutant adenoviruses defective in virus-associated (VA) RNA expression. The results show that the virus-associated RNAs, VA RNAI and VA RNAII, function as suppressors of RNAi by interfering with the activity of Dicer. The VA RNAs bind Dicer and function as competitive substrates squelching Dicer. Further, we show that VA RNAI and VA RNAII are processed by Dicer, both in vitro and during a lytic infection, and that the resulting short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are incorporated into active RISC. Dicer cleaves the terminal stem of both VA RNAI and VA RNAII. However, whereas both strands of the VA RNAI-specific siRNA are incorporated into RISC, the 3′ strand of the VA RNAII-specific siRNA is selectively incorporated during a lytic infection. In summary, our work shows that adenovirus suppresses RNAi during a lytic infection and gives insight into the mechanisms of RNAi suppression by VA RNA.
Unexplained first trimester recurrent pregnancy loss and low venous reserves.

BACKGROUND More than half of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) remains unexplained. We hypothesized that women with a history of unexplained RPL (URPL) have low venous reserve. METHODS Case-control study in 12 women with a history of URPL, 11 healthy nulliparous controls and 12 primiparous controls with a history of uncomplicated pregnancy. To quantify venous reserve, we measured plasma volume (PV, ml/m(2)) and venous compliance in forearm and calf (VC(arm), VC(calf), (ml/dl)/mmHg) during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Mean arterial blood pressure (mmHg) was measured by oscillometry. Arterial demand was evaluated by cardiac index (CI, (l/min)/m(2)). RESULTS Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. All groups had similar CI. Women with a history of RPL had 14% and 9% lower mean PV compared with nulliparous and primiparous controls (P < 0.01 and P = 0.04, respectively). In women with URPL, the mean VC(arm) was 25% and 32% lower compared with nulliparous and primiparous controls (P = 0.04 and P < 0.01, respectively), while the mean VC(calf) was 29 and 22% lower compared with the two control groups (P < 0.01 and P = 0.03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Women with URPL have lower venous reserves when compared with controls at comparable arterial demand. Interventions that increase venous reserve may improve pregnancy outcome.
Toward an English Proficiency Test for Postgraduates in Malaysia

Malaysia is fast becoming a major attraction for candidates from all over the world to pursue their higher education. Currently students (local and international) who pursue postgraduate (hereafter, PG) education in Malaysia use the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores as indicators of their English ability. These are tests from the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, tailor-made for university education in those countries. Recent literature in testing and evaluation describes the need for more localized tests, developed for the “local” context of a particular country. Thus, the need for a test that could be utilized and customized to the needs of the students studying in Malaysia is foreseeable. This is in line with the concept of test localization. It stipulates that for a test to be valid, its design and development must take into consideration the population, context, and the domain in which the test is used. A project was undertaken where a new English test named Graduate Admission Test of English (GATE) was developed for PG admission into universities in Malaysia. This article describes the process of developing a new test that measures English language competency of PG students who intend to pursue their studies in Malaysia. It includes the use of a test specification/blueprint that contains validity elements adopted from a test validation framework developed by Weir. The article emphasizes the rigor of developing such a test, which includes aspects of test development, operation, analysis, and validation.
Running Against a Woman: Do Female Opponents Shape Male Candidate Behaviors?*

The male-dominated nature of U.S. politics still means that the vast majority of women who run for office face a male opponent. As a result, one dramatic change in U.S. politics-the increase in women candidates-may contribute to another change, that being the experience of men who run for office. The research reported here begins to consider how running against a woman might have influenced the behavior of male candidates for Congress in 2002 and 2006. Past research suggests that men who run against women feel that they need to take steps to appeal to women voters by giving attention to issues of concern to women in their campaigns. Copyright (c) 2008 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.
The Role of Emotion, Vision and Touch in Movement Learning Neuroplasticity and the Mirror Neuron System

The brains ability to restructure, linked with positive emotional states and techniques to enhance the activation of the mirror neuron system, allows for increased motor learning. This study examines the effects of enhancing goal-oriented movement and examines various techniques used to strengthen neural networks during such movement practices. Goal oriented movement practices are commonly used when engaging in Pilates. Participants will be divided between three groups to help identify potential differences between individuals who receive sensory cueing and those who do not receive sensory cueing. It is hypothesized there will be a difference between participants who receive emotional priming and the visual enhancement of touch versus those who are not primed. Specifically, it is predicted that participants who are primed will demonstrate enhanced skill acquisition of learning during Pilates as opposed to participants assigned to either the regular Pilates condition or the control condition. These types of studies are important in that they can possibly be applied in many motor learning areas, such as physical therapy, sports, general physical activity for health, and possibly even psychological interventions. Results of the current study supported the main hypothesis in that increased physical task skill was obtained in the group receiving positive emotional cueing and visual enhancement of touch. Likewise there was a statically significant increase in physical self-efficacy scores in the group receiving these independent variables over that of the group receiving regular Pilates only. The results of the current study show that a physical task environment such as that in a Pilates class can be improved by adding techniques that enhance sensory input to the regions of the brain that recognize and process motor activity. Also that with an increase in physical skill comes a heightened physical self-efficacy. In theory this was due to an enhancement of receptivity in the regions of the brain responsible for motor leaning which includes the mirror neuron system, as well as the emotional centers of the brain which are responsible for goal motivation and selfefficacy.
Understanding “Core Practices” and “Practice-Based” Teacher Education

In recent years, a small but growing strand of research has investigated ways of focusing teachers’ professional education on “core” or “high leverage” practices of teaching. These efforts are easily conflated with other initiatives to develop “practice-focused” teacher education, raising questions about what these terms even mean. This article investigates what can be learned by comparing and contrasting teacher education focused on core practices with other approaches that might also be called “practice-based,” including those dating back to the 19th century. It focuses on three important periods in the history of teacher education: the heyday of the normal schools in the late 1800s, the period of scientific efficiency in the 1920s and 1930s, and the era of competency-based teacher education in the 1960s and 1970s.
Matrix Summaries Improve Research Reports: Secondary Analyses Using Published Literature

Correlation matrices and standard deviations are the building blocks of many of the commonly conducted analyses in published research, and AERA and APA reporting standards recommend their inclusion when reporting research results. The authors argue that the inclusion of correlation/covariance matrices, standard deviations, and means can enhance findings in education and psychology by permitting secondary researchers to (a) conduct commonly utilized traditional univariate and multivariate analyses not initially performed in primary studies, (b) produce effect sizes and other statistics not included in prior published literature, and (c) conduct analyses once difficult to perform. Furthermore, meta-analytic thinking is encouraged when researchers have the ability to conduct the same analyses on multiple studies and then compare these findings across studies.
Defective macrophage phagocytosis of bacteria in COPD

Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are an increasing cause of hospitalisations and are associated with accelerated progression of airflow obstruction. Approximately half of COPD exacerbations are associated with bacteria and many patients have lower airways colonisation. This suggests that bacterial infection in COPD could be due to reduced pathogen removal. This study investigated whether bacterial clearance by macrophages is defective in COPD. Phagocytosis of fluorescently labelled polystyrene beads and Haemophillus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae by alveolar macrophages and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) was assessed by fluorimetry and flow cytometry. Receptor expression was measured by flow cytometry. Alveolar macrophages and MDM phagocytosed polystyrene beads similarly. There was no difference in phagocytosis of beads by MDM from COPD patients compared with cells from smokers and nonsmokers. MDM from COPD patients showed reduced phagocytic responses to S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae compared with nonsmokers and smokers. This was not associated with alterations in cell surface receptor expression of toll-like receptor (TLR)2, TLR4, macrophage receptor with collagenous structure, cluster of differentiation (CD)163, CD36 or mannose receptor. Budesonide, formoterol or azithromycin did not suppress phagocytosis suggesting that reduced responses in COPD MDM were not due to medications. COPD macrophage innate responses are suppressed and may lead to bacterial colonisation and increased exacerbation frequency.