Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between interleukin 6 promoter polymorphism at position -174, IL-6 serum levels, and the risk of relapse/recurrence in polymyalgia rheumatica.

OBJECTIVE To assess the role of -174 G/C promoter polymorphism of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the susceptibility to polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). We also investigated whether this polymorphism modulates the circulating level of IL-6 and the risk of relapse/recurrence in a series of patients with PMR followed up prospectively. METHODS A prospective study of 112 consecutive, untreated patients with isolated PMR (i.e., without evidence of giant cell arteritis) who were followed up for at least 24 months. This cohort represented all patients diagnosed over a 5-year period in one Italian rheumatological secondary referral center. Patients were monitored for clinical signs/symptoms and acute-phase reactants. All PMR patients and 112 population-based controls from the same geographic area were genotyped for IL-6 polymorphism at position -174 by molecular methods. IL-6 serum levels were measured in 67 PMR patients and 43 population-based controls. RESULTS The distribution of the G/C 174 genotype was similar in PMR patients and controls. No significant associations with IL-6 promoter polymorphism at position -174 were found when PMR patients with and without relapse/recurrence were compared. Controls homozygous for the C allele had higher serum IL-6 levels than the carriers of the G allele (4.5 +/- 3.7 pg/ml vs 1.8 +/- 2.1 pg/ml, p = 0.01). Patients homozygous for the allele C had significantly higher values of IL-6 during followup than patients carrying GC or GG genotypes. CC homozygosity was significantly more frequent in patients with persistently elevated levels of IL-6 than in those without. The presence of persistently elevated IL-6 levels, but not the CC genotype, was associated with an increased frequency of relapse/recurrence. CONCLUSION Our findings show that the 174 G/C promoter IL-6 polymorphism is not implicated in susceptibility to PMR. However, CC genotype characterized PMR patients with persistently elevated levels of IL-6 who are at higher risk of developing relapse/recurrence. A genetically modulated pattern of IL-6 production could affect the longterm outcome of patients with PMR.
Voluntary control of penile tumescence: Effects of an incentive and a signal detection task

Penile plethysmography is considered a promising procedure for the assessment of sexual arousal and orientation. However, the discovery that some individuals are capable of invalidating the results of the test has raised concerns about its limitations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a signal detection task in eliminating faking. Additionally, the effect of an incentive on the ability to fake on penile plethysmography was evaluated. A total of 32 heterosexual subjects participated in the study and 11 homosexual subjects were involved in the replication phase. Overall, subjects evidenced a significant ability to suppress erections to preferred sexual stimuli. The incentive did not affect performance. The signal detection procedure appeared to interfere with erection under standard instructions but did not significantly reduce faking ability. As predicted, there was a tendency for recognition scores to be lower under faking conditions. Intensive cognitive processing may fac.
Computation, PET images, and attention

Abstract Posner & Raichle (1994) is a nice addition to the Scientific American Library and the average reader will both enjoy the book and learn a great deal. As an activeresearcher, however, I find the book disappointing in many respects. My two major disappointments are in the illusion of computation that is created throughout the volume and in the inadequate perspective of the presentation on visual attention.
The Long-term Gastrointestinal Functional Outcomes Following Curative Anterior Resection in Adults With Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Significant variability and a lack of transparency exist in the reporting of anterior resection outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to qualitatively analyze the long-term functional outcomes and assessment tools used in evaluating patients with rectal cancer following anterior resection, to quantify the incidence of these outcomes, and to identify risk factors for long-term incontinence. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL were searched using the terms rectal neoplasms, resection, and gastrointestinal function. STUDY SELECTION: The studies included were in English and evaluated adults with rectal cancer, curative anterior resection, and a minimum 1-year follow-up. Patients with recurrent/metastatic disease were excluded. Of the 805 records identified, 48 articles were included. INTERVENTION: The intervention performed was anterior resection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measure was incontinence (gas, liquid stool, and solid stool). RESULTS: The histories of 3349 patients from 17 countries were summarized. Surgeries were conducted between 1978 to 2004 with a median follow-up of 24 months (interquartile range, 12, 57). Sixty-five percent of studies did not use a validated assessment tool. Reported outcomes and incidence rates were variable. The reported proportion of patients with incontinence ranged from 3.2% to 79.3%, with a pooled incidence of 35.2% (95% CI 27.9, 43.3). Risk factors for incontinence, identified by meta-regression, were preoperative radiation 0.009 and, in particular, short-course radiation (P = .006), and study quality (randomized controlled trial P = .004, observational P = .006). LIMITATIONS: The meta-analysis was limited by the significant heterogeneity of the primary data. CONCLUSIONS: Functional outcomes are inconsistently assessed and reported and require common definitions, and the more regular use of validated assessment tools, as well. Preoperative radiation and, in particular, short-course radiation may be a strong risk factor for incontinence; however, further studies are needed.
Single- and Dual-Band Power Dividers Integrated With Bandpass Filters

This paper presents a novel device integrating a power divider with two bandpass filters. It is capable of splitting power and selecting frequency at the same time. The phase shift of the filter is found to be ±90° at the center frequency. Therefore, when it is matched to 70.7 Ω, it can replace the conventional quarter-wave length transmission line in the power divider. The isolation elements are loaded at the filters' open ends to get a good isolation between the output ports. As a result, both the transmission and isolation property are satisfied. The equivalent even- and odd-mode circuits of the proposed structure are analyzed and design equations are derived. They are used to guide the design of the devices. For demonstration, filter-integrated power dividers with single- and dual-band operation are implemented, respectively. Comparisons of the measured and simulated results are presented to verify the theoretical predications.
Chromosomal assignment of two endogenous ecotropic murine leukemia virus proviruses of the AKR/J mouse strain

The AKR/J mouse strain is genetically fixed for three different ecotropic murine leukemia virus genomes, designated Akv-1, Akv-3, and Akv-4 (Emv-11, Emv-13, and Emv-14). With recombinant inbred strains and crosses with linkage-testing stocks, Akv-3 and Akv-4 were placed on the mouse chromosome map. Akv-3, which encodes a replication-defective provirus, maps near the agouti coat color locus, a, on chromosome 2. Akv-4, which is replication competent, maps near the neurological mutant gene locus trembler, Tr, on chromosome 11. Akv-1 and Akv-2 (Emv-12), an ecotropic provirus carried by AKR/N but not AKR/J, have previously been mapped to chromosome 7 and 16, respectively. Thus, the four Akv proviruses mapped to date are on four different chromosomes. Akv-3 is the second ecotropic murine leukemia virus provirus to be mapped near the agouti locus. The results are discussed in relation to possible nonrandomness of viral integration.
A puzzling misinterpretation of the Asch ‘conformity’ study

In this article, we examine the interpretations by social psychologists of Asch's widely cited study of independence and conformity. Though it has become known as the ‘Asch Conformity Study’, Asch equally, if not more, intended and interpreted it as demonstrating the powers of independence. The evidence for this analysis consists of 99 accounts in social psychology textbooks published between 1953, following the appearance of his study, and 1984. We asked whether these accounts were accurate, or whether, as we suspected, they minimized the role of independence and exaggerated that of conformity. We found that authors have often distorted Asch's findings, and that this trend has increased substantially with time: they have increasingly accentuated the role of conformity and underestimated that of independence. We suggest several reasons for this distortion. For one, there has been insufficient care in reading the findings and drawing conclusions. Second, authors have generally limited themselves to reports of quantitative results. Although these were strong and beyond question, authors have usually neglected the intimately connected qualitative findings, which would have discouraged the misinterpretations. Third, the study of Asch was an integral part of his perspective on social psychology, which authors again ignored, thus encouraging a limited and out-of-context view of his study. We conclude with a thematic presentation of Asch's general theoretical framework, showing how it bears on independence and conformity.
Performance of a Component-Based Allergen-Microarray in the Diagnosis of Cow's Milk and Hen's Egg Allergy

LE D'Urbano, K Pellegrino, MC Artesani. Clin Exp Allergy. 2010;40(10):1561–1570 Published clinical decision points (CDPs) have improved the accuracy of current allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) testing, but the oral food challenge (OFC) remains the gold standard. These researchers sought to evaluate the performance of an in vitro microarray-based diagnostic test for the diagnosis of cow's milk (CM) and hen's egg (HE) IgE-mediated allergy. Infants and children ( N = 104; median age: 4.9 years [range: 0.7–15.1 years]) referred to the allergy clinic with a history of CM or HE consumption and a resultant severe and/or immediate reaction …
Leader Intentions and Employee Perceptions of Organizational Culture in a Private Fitness Corporation

Abstract Understanding “how things are done around here” is an integral part of managing any organization. Organizational culture may impact the attitudes and behaviour of members, and the performance of the organization as a whole. Thus, the indoctrination of positive values, that become widely understood, is the likely intention of the organization's leaders. This study examined leader intentions and employee perceptions of organizational culture, as well as the existence of distinct subcultures, and the further influence of subculture on staff behaviour (intent to leave) and organizational performance (profit margin, client retention). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to describe the specific culture of the focal organization. The study revealed a significant culture gap between the leaders’ intentions and employee perceptions, and the existence of subcultures by organizational level (head office versus club). The strength of the respective subcultures was inversely associated with employee intentions to leave the organization, however club subculture had little association with performance in terms of profit margin or client retention rates. The findings suggest that culture has a more direct influence on employees and a less direct influence, if any, on organizational performance. The results extend our understanding of the nature and influence of organizational culture and subcultures, and have implications for their management within the focal organization.
Learning by Doing vs. Learning About Match Quality: Can We Tell Them Apart?

Understanding the accumulation of match-specific capital is crucial in shedding light on the reasons for the prevalence of long-term employment relationships and on the welfare consequences of turnover in the labour market. One of the most important sources of match-specific capital is human capital acquired through match-specific learning. Such learning can take on two distinct forms. In the first case, workers accumulate match-specific human capital through learning by doing. In the second case, a worker and a firm in an employment relationship learn about the quality of the match over time, thereby acquiring valuable information. I construct a structural model that embeds these two learning explanations and show that it is possible to distinguish the two by using turnover data on employing firms coupled with data on workers. I use a French matched employer—employee data-set to estimate the structural model using the Efficient Method of Moments, a simulation-based estimation method. I find that, while learning by doing may be present during the first six months of an employment relationship, learning about match quality dominates at longer tenures. This finding has important consequences for the understanding of the sources of match-specific capital and for the desirability of policies that alter the incentives for turnover for workers of different tenure. Copyright 2007, Wiley-Blackwell.
Dreams, Strategies and Systems: Portraits of assessment past, present and future

Systems of testing and assessment are shaped in part by personalities and institutions who pursue research insights and technical innovations. Out of these they fashion 'dreams' which drive their efforts to improve these systems. This paper develops this perspective, whilst acknowledging that it overlaps with and complements analyses of assessment systems from social and cultural perspectives. Four different examples are considered. Two from past and current history are the growth, from an origin in IQ testing, of standardised multiple choice tests and the dream of raising standards by external testing. The other two, nascent with their influence yet to be determined, are the dream of improvement by formative assessment and the dream that recent developments in psychology can provide a basis for new and improved assessment practices.
The meaning of although: a Relevance Theoretic account *

The meaning of concessive connectives like although is notoriously difficult to capture, mainly because these connectives do not contribute to the truth conditions of utterances containing them. In this paper, a Relevance Theoretic account of the meaning of although is given. The connective is analysed as encoding procedural meaning, constraining the inferential side of utterance interpretation. The procedure encoded by although leads the hearer to recover certain contextual assumptions, which in turn give rise to contextual effects. In this way, the use of although reduces the processing effort involved in utterance interpretation.
Comparison and evaluation of modelled and GOME measurement derived tropospheric NO 2 columns over Western and Eastern Europe

Abstract. We present the results of a first comparison of the tropospheric NO2 column amounts derived from the measurements of the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) with the simulated data from a European scale chemistry transport model (CTM) which is distinct from existing global scale CTMs in higher horizontal resolution and more detailed description of the boundary layer processes and emissions. We employ, on the one hand, the newly developed extended version of the CHIMERE CTM, which covers both Western and Eastern Europe, and, on the other hand, the most recent version (Version 2) of GOME measurement based data-products, developed at the University of Bremen. We evaluate our model with the data from ground based monitoring of ozone and verify that it has a sufficiently high level of performance, which is expected for a state-of-the-art continental scale CTM. The major focus of the study is on a systematic statistical analysis and a comparison of spatial variability of the tropospheric NO2 columns simulated with CHIMERE and derived from GOME measurements. The analysis is performed separately for Western and Eastern Europe using the data for summer months of 1997 and 2001. In this way, we obtain useful information on the nature and magnitudes of uncertainties of spatial distributions of the considered data. Specifically, for Western Europe, it is found that the uncertainties of NO2 columns from GOME and CHIMERE are predominantly of the multiplicative character, and that the mean relative random (multiplicative) errors of the GOME measurement derived and simulated data averaged over the summer seasons considered do not exceed 23% and 32%, respectively. The mean absolute (additive) errors of both kinds of the data are estimated to be less than 3x1014mol/cm2. In Eastern Europe, the uncertainties have more complex character, and the separation between their multiplicative and additive parts is not sufficiently unambiguous. It is found, however, that the total random errors of NO2 columns from both GOME and CHIMERE over Eastern Europe are not, on the average, larger than the errors of the NO2 columns with similar magnitudes over Western Europe.
Predictors of Sustainability of Social Programs

This article presents the findings of a large scale study that tested a comprehensive model of predictors of three manifestations of sustainability: continuation, institutionalization, and duration. Based on the literature the predictors were arrayed in four groups: variables pertaining to the project, the auspice organization, the community, and the main funder. The total sample consisted of 197 projects. Informants were asked to fill out a detailed questionnaire, pertaining to the predictor and outcome variables. The findings show both a different model of predictors for each manifestation of sustainability and commonalities among them. Both financial and human factors were involved in all the manifestations of sustainability. Of the financial factors, diversity of funding sources was the most prominent. Of the human factors, the findings highlight the strong role played by the auspice organization’s management and by the main initial funder.
Tobacco Use Experimentation, Physical Activity, and Risk of Depression Among Multiethnic Urban Preadolescents

Children with low socioeconomic status and ethnic minorities experience disproportionate risk of elevated depressive symptoms. This study examines the effects of risk/protective factors for depressive symptoms among multiethnic urban preadolescents. Eighth graders (N = 463; 34% African American, 29% Hispanic, 17% White, and 20% Other/Mixed; 23% born outside of the United States) completed surveys at two urban public middle schools serving low-income neighborhoods. A linear regression model examined independent and interacting effects of gender, smoking experimentation, and physical activity on depressive symptoms. Female gender and lower physical activity were independently associated with increased depressive symptoms. A significant Gender × Smoking × Physical activity interaction indicated that physical activity was protective against depressive symptoms for girls who experimented with smoking and boys who had never smoked. Future research is needed to evaluate whether physical activity promotion is an effective health promotion target that both deters cigarette smoking and reduces depression risk among ethnically diverse preadolescents.
Speed and Position Estimation for PM Synchronous Motor using self-compensated Back-EMF Observers

The paper deals with the self-compensation of the intrinsic estimation error in back-EMF based rotor position observers for PM synchronous motors. The self-compensation is based on the analytical calculation of the rotor position estimation error for two types of popular back-EMF observers, such as the standard-linear Luenberger observer and the nonlinear sliding mode observer. Once the compensation characteristics are derived, they are included in the observer itself by a proper mechanism in order to cancel the position error affecting the estimation, thus providing the real-time self-compensation scheme. As a consequence, the performance and the robustness of the transducer-less drive can be improved, both at steady state and transient operations. Test results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the method in several operating conditions: both simulation results using a time-continuous Matlab/ Simulink model, and experimental results using a DSP based transducer-less drive
Buspirone: multicenter efficacy study.

The efficacy and safety of buspirone (Buspar), diazepam (Valium), and placebo were compared in a 3-week double-blind study of 131 patients with scores of at least 15 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. Active drugs were administered orally in 5-mg tablets to a maximum dose of 10 mg t.i. d. Buspirone was given to 43 patients, diazepam to 46 and placebo to 42. There was significant improvement in all three treatment groups at 1 and 2 weeks, with further significant improvement with both active drugs, but not with placebo, at 3 weeks. The incidence of side effects reported voluntarily by patients was similar with the two active drugs, but drowsiness was significantly more frequent with diazepam.
Surgical treatment of spinal pseudoarthrosis in ankylosing spondylitis.

BACKGROUND In ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the spine with osteoporotic changes is fragile and vulnerable to trauma. Patients may develop spinal pseudoarthrosis (SP), whose clinical features are usually misdiagnosed as a tuberculous infection. This study reports our experience with surgical treatment for SP in AS. METHODS Eight patients with AS and SP at the thoracolumbar area were treated surgically and followed-up for at least 3 years. All had persistent back pain and progressive kyphosis. One patient had neurologic deficits preoperatively. Anterior debridement and interbody fusion followed by posterior stabilization were performed in all patients. A posterior corrective osteotomy was additionally done in 3 patients whose kyphotic angle exceeded 45 degrees. RESULTS All patients with persistent back pain obtained significant pain relief postoperatively. On a visual analogue scale, there was an average improvement of 43 points on the clinical scores. The patient with neurologic deficits showed improvement after the operation. Solid bony fusion was achieved in an average of 7.5 months, and correction of the kyphotic angle averaged 18.6 degrees. CONCLUSIONS Spinal pseudoarthrosis should be considered in patients with AS, and must be differentiated from tuberculous and other infections. The results of this study show that pain relief and correction of the kyphotic deformity can be achieved by surgical treatment for ankylosing spondylitis complicated with pseudoarthrosis.
Guided Reading: The Romance and the Reality.

The authors examine the growth and impact of guided reading, small group teaching for differentiated instruction in reading that was stimulated by their early publications. Many changes in literacy education have been observed as a result—almost as if educators had a “romance” with guided reading and leveled books. While changes have been positive, the “reality” is that there is much more work to be done to bring guided reading to its full potential for helping children become effective and joyful users of literacy. The authors call for a deeper understanding of the reading process and of the text characteristics of leveled books. They discuss misconceptions regarding fluency and describe the strategic use of assessment and the role of facilitative talk. Regarding guided reading instruction, we are at the end of the beginning and need to forge new understandings for the future.