Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predisposing factors of complicated deep neck infections: 12-year experience at a single institution.

OBJECTIVES To review our experience with deep neck infections and identify the risk factors for developing complications and prolonged hospitalization. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We analyzed the prospectively collected database of 439 patients with deep neck infections between January 1996 and July 2007 at a single institution. Their demographic data, duration of hospitalization, etiology, underlying systemic disease, bacteriologic and radiologic studies, complications, and treatment outcome were reviewed and analyzed. Patients with superficial abscess or cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, and peritonsillar abscess were excluded. RESULTS Dental infection and upper airway infection remained the two most common etiologies. Coexisting head and neck malignancy was found in eight cases. Patients with systemic diseases and a C-reactive protein value of more than 100 microg/mL tend to develop complications, resulting in prolonged hospitalization. CONCLUSION We should pay more attention to those patients with systemic diseases or C-reactive protein values more than 100 microg/mL. The current study represents the largest and longest analysis of deep neck infection in the available literature.
Authority and moral reasons: Parenting style and children's perceptions of adult rule justifications

The style of parenting of 100 children (mean age 11 years, 5 months) was established according to Baumrind's typology. Children were asked to indicate what they thought an adult would say to justify a moral rule in five different scenarios. Results indicated that parenting style did not relate to the number of justifications that children thought adults would produce but did affect the types of justifications they thought adults would give. Children of authoritative parents thought that adults would use more justifications based on reciprocity or equality in social relations than children of authoritarian parents. The results suggest that children of authoritative parents do not perceive adults to offer a more discursive moral atmosphere than children of other parents do; rather these children are more likely than others to think that adults will justify moral rules specifically in terms of equality in social relations. An unexpected finding was that children of permissive parents tended to judge that adults would legitimise judgments by pointing to the consequences of action for other people.
Suggestibility and salience in people with intellectual disabilities: An experimental critique of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale

Abstract Aim: The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) assesses suggestibility by asking respondents to recall a short story, using leading questions and pressure to change their responses. Suggestibility, as assessed by the GSS, is elevated in people with intellectual disabilities. Unlike real life incidents, the information presented is of no personal significance to the respondent. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether this factor influences suggestibility in people with intellectual disabilities. Method: We created two alternative suggestibility scales (ASS and ASS2), based on real events in a learning disabilities day service. In Experiment 1, two groups of service users (n = 20) were administered both the GSS and the ASS, presented in a counterbalanced order. The experimental group had witnessed the events described in the ASS, which took place 18 months earlier. The control group attended a different day service; therefore, for this group, the information presented in the GSS and the ASS tasks was equally unfamiliar. In Experiment 2, both groups of participants were administered the ASS2, which described events that took place one month earlier. Results: In the control group, the GSS, ASS, and ASS2 did not differ either in recall of the information presented, or in suggestibility. In the experimental group suggestibility was decreased by a third for the ASS, relative to the GSS, and by two thirds for the ASS2. Therefore, suggestibility is decreased by familiarity and the decrease is greater for more recent events. Recall was higher for the ASS than for the GSS, but there was no difference in recall between the ASS and ASS2. Therefore, decreases in suggestibility for familiar material cannot be explained simply in terms of increased recall. Implications: We believe that this study is the first to report that suggestibility for events that have been witnessed is less than for arbitrary events. A crime that has been witnessed is likely to be better recalled than an impersonal story. The results suggest that the GSS is likely to over-estimate how suggestible a person is likely to be when the event in question is personally significant. This may lead to people with learning disabilities being prevented from testifying in court because it is mistakenly inferred from the GSS that their testimony would be unreliable.
Prognostic value of MMP-9 in ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) plays an important role in tumor cell invasion. Although it has been studied frequently in ovarian cancer, its prognostic impact is still equivocal. The aim of this study was to more precisely estimate its prognostic significance. METHOD We searched Pubmed, Embase, OVID, Sciencedirect and CBM databases to identify eligible studies. Hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were pooled across studies using fixed-effects or random-effects models. We also performed subgroup analysis. RESULTS 30 studies (n=2552 patients) focusing on prognosis or expression of MM-9 were included. Increased expression of MMP-9 was associated with poor prognosis in ovarian cancer patients (HR=1.68, 95%CI 1.09-2.59, p=0.02). Besides, MMP-9 expression in ovarian cancer was significantly higher than non-malignant tumors (OR=11.46, 95%CI 8.47-15.50, P<0.00001). Moreover, increased expression of MMP-9 was significantly associated with FIGO stage (OR=4.85, 95%CI 2.60-9.04, P<0.00001), grade of differentiation (OR=3.34, 95%CI 2.46-4.54, P<0.00001), lymph node metastasis (OR=5.75, 95%CI 3.71-8.92, P<0.00001) and there was no association with histological type of ovarian cancer. CONCLUSIONS Increased expression of MMP- 9 was associated with poor prognosis in ovarian cancer patients. Down-regulation of MMP-9 is an attractive therapeutic approach which might improve outcome of ovarian cancer.
Effects of Family Size for Complex Words

Abstract Schreuder and Baayen (1997) reported that in visual lexical decision, response latencies to a simplex noun are shorter when this noun has a large morphological family, i.e., when it appears as a constituent in a large number of derived words and compounds. The present study addresses the question of whether the Family Size of the base word of a complex word likewise affects lexical processing. Six experiments are reported that show that Family Size indeed plays a role for both inflected and derived words. Posthoc analyses show that the effect of Family Size is driven by the semantically transparent family members and that this effect is further constrained by semantic selection restrictions of the affix in the target word.
Normal Clinical Outcome in Untreated Subjects with Mild Hyperphenylalaninemia

There is international consensus that patients with phenylalanine (Phe) levels <360 μM on a free diet do not need Phe-lowering dietary treatment whereas patients with levels >600 μM do. Clinical outcome of patients showing Phe levels between 360 and 600 μM in serum on a free nutrition has so far only been assessed in a small number of cases. Therefore, different recommendations exist for patients with mild hyperphenylalaninemia. We investigated in a nationwide study 31 adolescent and adult patients who persistently displayed serum Phe levels between 360 and 600 μM on a normal nutrition with a corresponding genotype. Because of limited accuracy of measurements, Phe levels should be looked on as an approximation, but not as an absolute limit in every instance. In addition to serum Phe levels, the assessment program consisted of comprehensive psychological testing, magnetic resonance imaging of the head, 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and genotyping. We found a normal intellectual (intelligence quotient, 103 ± 15; range, 79–138) and educational (school performance and job career) outcome in these subjects as compared with healthy control subjects (intelligence quotient, 104 ± 11; range, 80–135). Magnetic resonance imaging revealed no changes of cerebral white matter in any patient, and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed brain Phe levels below the limit of detection (<200 μM). In the absence of any demonstrable effect, dietary treatment is unlikely to be of value in patients with mild hyperphenylalaninemia and serum Phe levels <600 μM on a free nutrition, and should no longer be recommended. Because of a possible late-onset phenylketonuria, Phe levels of untreated patients should be monitored carefully at least during the first year of life. Nevertheless, problems of maternal phenylketonuria should still be taken into account.
An adaptive geometry-based stochastic model for non-isotropic MIMO mobile-to-mobile channels

In this paper, a generic and adaptive geometrybased stochastic model (GBSM) is proposed for non-isotropic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) mobile-to-mobile (M2M) Ricean fading channels. The proposed model employs a combined two-ring model and ellipse model, where the received signal is constructed as a sum of the line-of-sight, single-, and doublebounced rays with different energies. This makes the model sufficiently generic and adaptable to a variety of M2M scenarios (macro-, micro-, and pico-cells). More importantly, our model is the first GBSM that has the ability to study the impact of the vehicular traffic density on channel characteristics. From the proposed model, the space-time-frequency correlation function and the corresponding space-Doppler-frequency power spectral density (PSD) of any two sub-channels are derived for a non-isotropic scattering environment. Based on the detailed investigation of correlations and PSDs, some interesting observations and useful conclusions are obtained. These observations and conclusions can be considered as a guidance for setting important parameters of our model appropriately and building up more purposeful measurement campaigns in the future. Finally, close agreement is achieved between the theoretical results and measured data, demonstrating the utility of the proposed model.
Rigour in research: theory in the research approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the importance of theory in research. The paper focuses on discussing the underlying principles that influence the research approach. Design/methodology/approach – This is a theoretical paper that discusses the importance of theory in research and opens up the area for discussion and debate. Findings – The paper contributes to the research methodology literature by adopting a sense making perspective, and focusing on the ontological and epistemological dimension of research. The paper furthers the debate on the link between theory and research, as the basis for developing further theory. Research limitations/implications – The paper provides a limited focus to management research and has not at this stage engaged in any practical testing of the ideas. Practical implications – There is an opportunity for changing practice at a variety of levels in engaging with research. These include implications for researchers, teachers, students and practitioners. Originality/value – The paper re-emphasises the importance in understanding philosophical concerns which underpins research activity. It is designed as a tool for discussion and guidance.
Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Listeria spp. in dairy food products and water samples in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

A total of 57 samples, of which 17 were surface water samples and 40 were dairy food samples (raw milk, pasteurized milk, icecream, sweet, milk based drink like matha and borhani) were tested for the isolation of Listeria spp. Putative Listeria isolates were identified by conventional microbiological tests and Analytical Profile Index. Overall prevalence of Listeria spp. in both food and water samples were 8.77%, of which one was (1.75%) Listeria monocytogenes, 2 (3.5%) were Listeria innocua and 2 were (3.5%) Listeria welshimeri. When compared between two types of samples, water samples contained two Listeria spp. (11.76%) of which one was pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes and the other was Listeria innocua. In case of food samples, three Listeria spp. (7.5%) were isolated of which one was Listeria innocua (icecream sample) and two were Listeria welshimeri (icecream sample and raw milk). No Listeria was found in pasteurized milk, sweet, matha and borhani. Antibiotic resistance profile of the Listeria isolates showed that 60% isolates were resistant to Ampicillin and Erythromycin, 20% isolates were Sulphamethoxazole and Ciprofloxacin resistant. No resistance was observed to Chloramphenicol for any Listeria isolates.
Investigating students' confidence in programming and problem solving

Many students feel insecure making their first attempts to solve programming problems. Despite finishing the introductory programming course successfully, these students refrain from pursuing their CS studies. Hence, this aversion towards problem solving and programming is not fully explained by lack of subject understanding and performance. In order to better understand the components of students' comfort, a first attempt to model a student's confidence regarding problem solving and programming has been made. The model consists of two dimensions: course topic and student's mindset. Two questionnaires have been developed in order to capture if and how students' confidence is affected by taking the CS1 course. Data has been collected for four course offerings with three different study programmes. Results confirm the suspicion that the confidence is lowered by the course, and that student groups with different ambition and motivation for taking the course seem to be affected by different aspects of the course
A qualitative analysis of low‐inference student perceptions of teacher caring and non‐caring behaviors within the college classroom

This study investigated behaviors by teachers that are perceived by undergraduate students as conveying caring and non‐caring towards them. The results demonstrated that students do identify a fairly discrete set of teacher behaviors that they associate with communication of caring and that they do differentiate between teachers’ failing to communicate caring and their actively communicating non‐caring. Two‐thirds of both caring and non‐caring behaviors listed by students were task‐oriented; thus, students’ perceptions of teacher caring largely emphasized “nitty gritty”; rather than “warm and fuzzy”; elements of classroom interaction. Significant gender differences were found in identification of behaviors that communicate non‐caring, with females citing more direct verbal expressions of non‐caring, discouragement, and dislike and males focusing on teacher lack of concern for delivery and clarity in the classroom.
Sexual/gender minorities in Thailand: Identities, challenges, and voluntary-sector counseling

This article has 3 objectives: (a) to chart current Thai sexual/gender-minority terminology and identities, (b) to identify challenges in the lives of sexual/gender minorities in Thailand, and (c) to evaluate how both identities and challenges are reflected in voluntary-sector counseling. The author summarizes terminology and issues from existing Thai and foreign studies and reports the results of a qualitative inquiry into the state of counseling in 3 Thai nongovernmental organizations. The Thai sexual/gender-minority identities charted include săaaw-pràphêet-soong/kàthoey gay (king, queen, quing), torn (one way, two way, gay), dee, les (king, queen), and bi. These individuals face a number of challenges, such as legal nonacknowledgment, prevention of HIV, insufficient health and psychological services, discrimination, and troubled relationships. In the voluntary sector, HIV/AIDS counseling is the service most often emphasized, but all of the challenges that these minorities face need to be addressed through both services and continued activism to effect societal changes.
Treating irritable bowel syndrome with a food elimination diet followed by food challenge and probiotics

Objective: In Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the gut-associated immune system may be up-regulated resulting in immune complex production, low-grade inflammation, loss of Class I bacteria, and translocation of inflammatory mediators and macromolecules outside of the GI lumen. Since food intolerance may be one of the reasons for this upregulation, our goal was to investigate the role of food intolerance in IBS patients. Methods: In this open label pilot study, we enrolled 20 patients with IBS by Rome II criteria (15 women, ages 24–81) who had failed standard medical therapies in a tertiary care GI clinic. Baseline serum IgE and IgG food and mold panels, and comprehensive stool analysis (CSA) were performed. Breath-hydrogen testing and IBS Quality-of-Life (QOL) questionnaires were obtained. Patients underwent food elimination diets based on the results of food and mold panels followed by controlled food challenge. Probiotics were also introduced. Repeat testing was performed at 6-months. We followed up with this cohort at 1 year after trial completion to assess the reported intervention and for placebo effect. Results: Baseline abnormalities were identified on serum IgG food and mold panels in 100% of the study subjects with significant improvement after food elimination and rotation diet (p < 0.05). Significant improvements were seen in stool frequency (p < 0.05), pain (p < 0.05), and IBS-QOL scores (p < 0.0001). Imbalances of beneficial flora and dysbiotic flora were identified in 100% of subjects by CSA. There was a trend to improvement of beneficial flora after treatment but no change in dysbiotic flora. The 1-year follow up demonstrated significant continued adherence to the food rotation diet (4.00 ± 1.45), minimal symptomatic problems with IBS (4.00 ± 1.17), and perception of control over IBS (4.15 ± 1.23). The continued use of probiotics was considered less helpful (3.40 ± 1.60). Conclusion: These data demonstrate that identifying and appropriately addressing food sensitivity in IBS patients not previously responding to standard therapy results in a sustained clinical response and impacts on overall well being and quality of life in this challenging entity.
Soft consensus and network dynamics in group decision making

We propose a dynamical network model for consensus reaching in group decision making. The model combines the minimization of a soft measure of collective dissensus and an individual inertial mechanism which emulates opinion changing aversion. Both components of the dynamics are nonlinear. The collective consensual trend corresponds to a process of anisotropic diffusion among the various individual preference structures. The anisotropy is designed so as to outline and enhance the natural group segmentation into homogeneous preference subgroups (weak consensus). The individual inertial mechanism, on the other hand, opposes changes from the original preferences and provides an appropriate framework to deal with preference outliers. We examine in detail the simple case in which each decision maker must choose between only two alternatives. Finally we comment on the possibility of incorporating in the dynamics a form of transitivity constraint regarding the group segmentation. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Pioglitazone (AD-4833) ameliorates insulin resistance in patients with NIDDM. AD-4833 Glucose Clamp Study Group, Japan.

We evaluated the effect of pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione compound, on insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (Rd) and its efficacy on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Twenty NIDDM subjects (mean age 58.2+/-9.4 year, body mass index (BMI) 23.9+/-3.4 kg/ m2 (mean+/-S.D.], three with diet alone, 17 with sulfonylureas [SU]) participated in this trial from five diabetes clinics. Euglycemic (5.3 mmol/liter) hyperinsulinemic (insulin infusion rate 9 micromoles x kg[-1] x min[-1]) clamp studies were performed before and after oral administration of pioglitazone (30 mg/day) for 87+/-10 days. The Rd significantly improved from 5.5+/-2.5 to 8.3+/-3.1 mg x kg(-1) x min(-1). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level significantly decreased from 11.0+/-2.0 mmol/liter to 8.9+/-1.1 mmol/liter with a significant improvement in the hemoglobin A1c level from 9.2+/-1.8% to 8.3+/-1.5%. Fasting serum insulin and C peptide levels decreased from 83+/-36 pmol/liter and 0.62+/-0.21 nmol/liter to 66+/-29 pmol/liter and 0.58+/-0.25 nmol/liter, respectively. Fasting serum triglyceride and free fatty acids levels significantly decreased with concomitant increase of fasting serum HDL-cholesterol levels from 1.2+/-0.2 to 1.5+/-0.3 mmol/liter. The change in Rd between before and after pioglitazone administration correlated with baseline values of FPG (rho=0.633), serum insulin (rho=0.653), BMI (rho=0.456), Rd (rho 0.558) and 1,5-AG (rho=-0.522). These data indicate that pioglitazone enhances the insulin action in NIDDM patients on diet alone or SU, and thereby improves both plasma glucose level and lipid profiles.
Self-Regulating Mathematics Skills

matics and what constitutes competence within the domain has changed considerably in the past two decades. Traditionally, mathematics has been viewed as a body of facts and procedures to be mastered. With the publication of the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics' (NCTM, 2000) fourth standards document, Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM), the vision of mathematics teaching and learning has evolved. This article serves as an update to NCTM's 1989 document and brings together significant work toward the reform of mathematics education for stu-
Push-out bond strength of a fiber post system with two resin cements

Introduction: Debonding is a common cause of failure encountered with fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) posts, and usually occurs along the post space-dentin adhesive interface. The aim of this in vitro study is to evaluate the regional push-out bond strength of a fiber-reinforced post system, using two resin cements. Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study 20 maxillary central incisors were decoronated and the roots were endodontically treated. Following post space preparation, the roots were divided into two groups of 10 specimens each. Fiber-reinforced composite posts were cemented with two resin cement systems: (a) Self-etch system (Panavia F2.0/ED-primer II) and (b) conventional system (Variolink II/Excite DSC). Three slices of each root, with a thickness of 3 mm, were prepared. The push-out test was performed with a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/minute, and bond strength values were calculated. The data were analyzed with a two-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe tests (α=.05). Results: There were no significant differences between the mean push-out bond strengths of two experimental groups (Panavia F: 12.59±5.44, Variolink II: 12.49±4.52 MPa) (P=0.920), but there were significant differences between the mean push out bond strengths of the root dentin regions (P<0.001). Conclusion: Under the conditions of this study, there was no significant difference between the mean push out bond strength of self-etching and the conventional resin cement systems. The coronal region of the root dentin showed a significantly higher bond strength than the apical region.