Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stereotactic radiosurgery and fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy: background, definitions, applications.

Stereotactic radiosurgery has emerged in recent years as a key treatment technique for a number of intracranial lesions, whether malignant or benign. In this issue of IMAJ, Attia and colleagues present a review of this treatment modality in general, as well as of their own experience [1]. The group from Sheba Medical Center is to be commended for their pioneering role in the introduction of this technology to Israel. Other groups include our own at Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital, where we inaugurated a stereotactic radiosurgery program in March 2004. Based on our experience in Israel and earlier work in U.S. medical centers, as well as on literature in the field, we would like to discuss several terms and concepts that are relevant to radiosurgery and radiation therapy in general. We add a special focus on fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy, another valuable modality for treating various benign and malignant intracranial lesions. We also comment on the indications for radiosurgery and on treatment outcomes as presented by Attia et al. in their review. Radiation therapy plays a crucial role in the management of a variety of benign and malignant intracranial tumors. The goal of radiotherapy is to deliver a therapeutic dose to all neoplastic or abnormal cells while preserving normal neural tissue [2]. The concept of protracted radiation treatment using a low dose or multiple small fractions was developed based on animal studies and clinical experience over the past 75 years [3]. Today conventional radiotherapy uses multiple fractions over a period of weeks to permit lesion obliteration, with minimal damage to normal tissue during and after the course of treatment. Typically , conventional radiotherapy delivers photons to a target area in the brain, including a margin surrounding the lesion, with dose falloff outside the target volume. Stereotactic radiosurgery, a term introduced by Lars Leksell in 1951, refers to a single fraction of high dose irradiation delivered to a limited target volume of tissue with sharp dose falloff beyond the target. This technique was developed initially as a non-invasive approach for functional neurosurgical procedures, with radiation directed to targets only a few millimeters in diameter. Leksell believed that interruption of neural pathways might be beneficial in treating epilepsy and Parkinson disease. Today, target location in SRS is defined by image-guided stereo-taxy. A large single fraction is delivered by means of multiple, collimated beams. This large dose of irradiation is sufficient to produce focal, irreparable damage …
A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?

The main objective of this study is to review the present marketing mix applies particularly to the marketing. Borden (1965) claims to be the first to have used the term marketing mix and that it was suggested to him by Culliton’s (1948). McCarthy (1964) offered marketing mix, often referred to as the 4Ps, as a means of translating marketing planning into practice (Bennett, 1997). Marketing mix is originating from the single P (price) of microeconomic theory (Chong, 2003). Number of researchers (eg. Gronroos, 1994; Constantinides, 2002; Goi, 2005; Moller, 2006) explores more Ps instead of traditional 4Ps only currently applied in the market. However, the creation of new P seem like unstop. New Ps were introduced into the marketing scene in order to face up into a highly competitively charged environment (Low and Tan, 1995). Even, Moller (2006) presents an up-to-date picture of the current standing in the debate around the Mix as marketing paradigm and predominant marketing management tool by reviewing academic views from five marketing management sub-disciplines (consumer marketing, relationship marketing, services marketing, retail marketing and industrial marketing) and an emerging marketing (E-Commerce). The concept of 4Ps has been criticised by number of studies. Popovic (2006) criticised 4Ps as being a production-oriented definition of marketing, and not a customer-oriented. However, in spite of its deficiencies, the 4Ps remain a staple of the marketing mix. The subsequent Ps have yet to overcome a consensus about eligibility and agreement over the practical application (Kent and Brown, 2006).
Maternal neuroticism predicts social anxiety in Cypriot youth: the mediating role of child personality and anxiety sensitivity

This study examines the degree to which parental social anxiety and parental personality, specifically Neuroticism and Extraversion (N and E), predict social anxiety in youth and if this association is mediated by child personality including Anxiety Sensitivity (AS). N, E and AS are considered as temperamental traits and are highly predictive of anxiety disorders. Questionnaire data were collected from a community sample of 102 families in Cyprus. Cyprus presents a unique case for assessing family associations in young adults, since most college students still live with their family of origin. Questionnaires included the SPAI, ASI-16 and NEO-FFI. Results showed that parental social anxiety did not predict offspring anxiety. Maternal N was the most significant parental predictor and its association with child social anxiety was fully mediated by child N and AS. The role of the family in the development of anxiety and implications for cognitive behaviour therapy treatment are discussed.
Conservation versus parallel gains in intron evolution

Orthologous genes from distant eukaryotic species, e.g. animals and plants, share up to 25–30% intron positions. However, the relative contributions of evolutionary conservation and parallel gain of new introns into this pattern remain unknown. Here, the extent of independent insertion of introns in the same sites (parallel gain) in orthologous genes from phylogenetically distant eukaryotes is assessed within the framework of the protosplice site model. It is shown that protosplice sites are no more conserved during evolution of eukaryotic gene sequences than random sites. Simulation of intron insertion into protosplice sites with the observed protosplice site frequencies and intron densities shows that parallel gain can account but for a small fraction (5–10%) of shared intron positions in distantly related species. Thus, the presence of numerous introns in the same positions in orthologous genes from distant eukaryotes, such as animals, fungi and plants, appears to reflect mostly bona fide evolutionary conservation.
Energy and nutrient intakes in a sample of 136 Edinburgh 7–8 year olds: a comparison with United Kingdom dietary reference values

Abstract Energy and nutrient intakes were assessed in 136 children, aged 7–8 years and living in and around Edinburgh, using the 7 d weighed inventory technique. The results were compared with UK dietary reference values (DRV) for energy, macronutrients and micronutrients. NSP intakes were compared with a calculated reference value (CRV). Mean energy intakes were close to the estimated average requirement for both boys and girls. Mean percentages of food energy derived from fat and saturated fat were high in relation to DRV (37 and 14 compared with 35 and 11 respectively). Mean percentage of food energy derived from total carbohydrate was close to the DRV of 50 but intakes of starch appeared to be low and intakes of total sugars high (23 and 26% food energy respectively). Superficially, this suggests that there is a need to alter the balance of carbohydrate in favour of increasing starch and lowering total sugar. There was, however, a clear ‘fat-sugar seesaw’, i.e. children with a high percentage energy from total sugars had a low percentage energy from fat, and vice versa. In view of this finding, it is possible that efforts to reduce total sugar intake in children may result in a further increase in percentage energy from fat. Mean intakes of NSP were only 50% of the CRV, but this guideline may be set too high. Mean intakes of most micronutrients were above reference nutrient intakes. Reported low intakes of Zn and Se were treated with caution due to the perceived incompleteness of the data for these in the nutrient database. The authors concluded that targeting high intakes of total fat and saturated fat should be the health priorities in this age-group.
Academic Innovation and Autonomy

Employing interviews with individuals from 16 community colleges across the country, as well as an independent consultant engaged in activities of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), this study considers the organizational structures and academic practices associated with community college entrepreneurship education. More specifically, community college entrepreneurship education is argued to be a market-oriented trend that has been largely overlooked as a curricular alternative to workforce development models. The exploration is guided by and placed within the context of academic capitalism as articulated by Slaughter and Rhoades.
Exploring the micro-politics of normalisation: Narratives of pleasure, self-control and desire in a sample of young Australian ‘party drug’ users

This article explores the micro-politics of recreational use of illicit ‘party drugs’ in a social network of young Australians. These young people often engage in extended sessions of concurrent alcohol and other drug use, and regularly emphasise the pleasures associated with this use. However, as well-integrated young people, they are also exposed to the discourses of non-using friends, family and the wider society, which represent illicit drug use as a potential moral threat. Some group members invoked the need for self-control in relation to illicit drug use and had developed a number of strategies to cease or regulate their use. However, they struggled to regulate pleasure and drew on popular understandings of ‘excessive’ drug use as indicative of flawed neo-liberal subjectivity. Other group members rejected the need for self-control, choosing instead to emphasise the value of unrestrained bodily pleasure facilitated by the heavy use of illicit drugs. These co-existing discourses point to the complex ways in which illicit drug users try to challenge the stigma associated with their drug use. Our analysis suggests that future accounts of illicit drug use, and harm reduction initiatives, need to be more attentive to the micro-politics of normalisation. How should harm reduction respond to those who articulate its ethos but pursue pleasure in practice? What should harm reduction say to those who reject regulation on the grounds that it stifles pleasure? Discussing ways to incorporate pleasure into harm reduction should be central to the future development of policy and practice.
A cultural-historical analysis of concept formation in early education settings: Conceptual consciousness for the child or only the adult?

SUMMARY The work of Vygotsky (1987) on everyday and scientific concept formation has provided a useful theoretical framework for considering the nature and connectedness of learning between the home and the early childhood centre. This paper will present the findings of an investigation which sought to examine the potential connections made between home and centres. Teacher narratives from eight experienced early childhood teachers were documented during professional learning about concept formation. Hedegaard's (2002) theorisation on the double move in teaching informed the analysis. In particular, the study sought to determine the active engagement of staff in relation to the conscious interlacing of both everyday and scientific thinking. The findings suggest that the participants of this study could not realise Vygotsky's important theoretical work on concept formation, and tended to take an inactive role in children's cognition.
Degradation Kinetics of Glucuronic Acid in Subcritical Water

The degradation kinetics of glucuronic acid (GlcA) under subcritical conditions from 160 to 200 °C was studied in a continuous tubular reactor. The formation of glucuronolactone (GlcL) during the treatment of GlcA in subcritical water was substantiated by ESI-TOF-MS and 1H NMR. The degradation of GlcA consisted of the reversible conversion of GlcA to GlcL and the irreversible degradation of the two compounds. The changes in the concentrations of GlcA and GlcL with residence time could be described by first-order kinetics. Higher temperatures accelerated the degradation of GlcA, and thus resulted in rises in the pH value. The degradation reaction of GlcL under the same conditions was also investigated. The activation energy of the reverse hydrolysis of GlcA to GlcL and that of the hydrolysis of GlcL to GlcA were determined to be 88.5 and 63.2 kJ/mol respectively. The enthalpy change in the reversible conversion between GlcA and GlcL was 25.4 kJ/mol.
Real-life efficacy and safety of ingenol mebutate for the treatment of actinic keratosis of the face and scalp: A single arm retrospective study

Abstract Background: The efficacy and safety of ingenol mebutate versus placebo have been proven in four randomized controlled trials (RCTs), although there is a lack of real-life studies corroborating such promises in routine clinical practices. In our study, we sought to describe real-life effectiveness, safety and regimen adherence among patients with multiple AKs on the face treated with ingenol mebutate and evaluate correlates of clinical outcomes in this population. Methods: We reviewed the clinical charts of adult patients with multiple (≥3) AK grade I and II of the face and scalp, treated with ingenol mebutate from April 2014 to April 2015. All subjects received the medication according to ingenol mebutate standard of care. Results: We enrolled 88 patients during the study period and carried out 122 treatment cycles. The unadjusted lesion clearance rate per treated field was 81.3% and the average local skin reactions score at day 4 was 6.0 ± 2.8 (range: 0–18). Conclusions: We observed an excellent rate (>99%) of adherence to ingenol mebutate. This was mirrored by the fact that our clinical outcomes broadly confirmed results obtained in RTCs. Our study showed that the efficacy and safety of ingenol mebutate observed in RCTs can be reliably translated in real-world practice.
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in Daycare—A 1-Year Dynamic Cohort Study

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) has been associated with persistent diarrhea, reduced growth acceleration, and failure to thrive in children living in developing countries and with childhood diarrhea in general in industrialized countries. The clinical implications of an EAEC carrier-status in children in industrialized countries warrants clarification. To investigate the pathological significance of an EAEC carrier-state in the industrialized countries, we designed a 1-year dynamic cohort study and performed follow-up every second month, where the study participants submitted a stool sample and answered a questionnaire regarding gastrointestinal symptoms and exposures. Exposures included foreign travel, consumption of antibiotics, and contact with a diseased animal. In the capital area of Denmark, a total of 179 children aged 0–6 years were followed in a cohort study, in the period between 2009 and 2013. This is the first investigation of the incidence and pathological significance of EAEC in Danish children attending daycare facilities. Conventional microbiological detection of enteric pathogens was performed at Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark, and at Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. Parents completed questionnaires regarding gastrointestinal symptoms. The EAEC strains were further characterized by serotyping, phylogenetic analysis, and susceptibility testing. EAEC was detected in 25 (14%) of the children during the observational period of 1 year. One or more gastrointestinal symptoms were reported from 56% of the EAEC-positive children. Diarrhea was reported in six (24%) of the EAEC positive children, but no cases of weight loss, and general failure to thrive were observed. The EAEC strains detected comprised a large number of different serotypes, confirming the genetic heterogeneity of this pathotype. EAEC was highly prevalent (n = 25, 14%) in Danish children in daycare centers and was accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms in 56% of the infected children. No serotype or phylogenetic group was specifically linked to children with disease.
The Role of Attachment and Mentoring in Junior Faculty's Job Satisfaction

Some researchers would argue that attachment styles are immutable traits whereas other researchers would be proponents of the suggestion that mentoring may actually buffer the negative impact of attachment insecurity. Although logical arguments support these assertions, empirical studies have hardly examined the possible role of attachment styles in the giving and receiving of the two broad mentoring functions - career support and psychosocial support, and its relation to job satisfaction The present study used data from a survey of 125 faculty proteges to link faculty job satisfaction with attachment styles and mentoring. While securely attached faculty proteges were found to have higher job satisfaction, high degree mentoring also was found to be positively related to increased job satisfaction. Finally, secure attachment and mentoring predicted unique variance in job satisfaction. The field of faculty mentoring research as well as practitioners in higher education developing faculty mentoring programs can use this information.
Likable, funny or ridiculous? A Q-sort study on audience perceptions of visual portrayals of politicians

Visual elements are central components of current political communication. Visual portrayals, for example, convey cues and attributes that can affect the perceived credibility, truthfulness, and suitability of politicians. The pervasive use of images in politics has made visual political communication an important research area. Yet, analyses in the field predominantly use content analyses to examine the valence of visual portrayals. The present study investigates how the audience actually interprets visual cues and composition elements in the images of politicians and compares the results with the findings of content analyses. A card-sorting technique (Q-sort) and qualitative interviews are employed to capture subjective and intuitive interpretations of 33 color photographs of a politician. When compared with the attribute measurements of previous content analyses, the results show a strong accordance in the audience interpretation and the attribute analysis regarding an unfavorable political depiction. However, the findings indicate disagreement about the composition of a favorable depiction.
Living in the iWorld: Two Literacy Researchers Reflect on the Changing Texts and Literacy Practices of Childhood.

In this article we document observations of our own young children's usage of technology in their "out-of-school" worlds. How might these technologies and practices be changing the understandings and usage of texts and literacies of the children who enter into classroom spaces? What transformative possibilities might these home technology practices announce for teaching and learning within classroom environments? In both Canadian and Australian curriculum documents, as well as in OECD reports, the need to develop innovative approaches to educational practices and the inclusion of digital technologies is acknowledged as necessary in facing 21 st century challenges. We provide examples linking to media news stories in both countries, addressing the use of touch-screen technologies in schooling and examine how these presentations are very different from the practices we have observed in our homes, where the children have relative openness and freedoms with their device usage. Within the article we demonstrate, using media links and images, the ways in which our own children have begun to navigate digital devices and texts and to create new sorts of narratives that open possibilities for literacies in multiple ways, as "creators", "designers", and experts. We argue that, once translated into classroom practice, technological tools tend to be "domesticated" by practices that resist the transformative affordances of these tools, and may even provide barriers to student engagement and practice. Finally, we conclude the article by making some practical suggestions for creating opportunities for transformative technology use in education.
Instructional leadership and leadership for learning: global and South African perspectives

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the notion of instructional leadership and to apply it to the South African context, drawing on international and South African literature and research. It also addresses the conceptual and semantic confusion arising from the use of overlapping terminology to describe this aspect of leadership. This topic is significant because of increasing recognition that instructional leadership is one of the most important (if not the most important) activities for principals and other school leaders. Its centrality has been recognized by the inclusion of Managing Teaching and Learning as a core module in the national ACE: School Leadership programme. The paper discusses international and local research and literature to develop a grounded framework for instructional leadership in South Africa.
Developing Culturally Aware School Leaders

Developing globally minded citizens has become a national push and a stated priority for many higher education institutions in the United States. This article focuses on one university’s efforts to develop globally minded school leaders who are accepting of and comfortable with diversity. The University of North Carolina Wilmington has created an international practicum for master’s and doctoral-level students in the Educational Leadership Department. This study focuses on the outcomes of this international practicum. Data from this mixed methods study are presented on participants’ shifts in attitudes about cultural diversity as measured by the Miville-Guzman Universality Diversity Scale survey and interviews. The article also provides suggestions about processes and experiences necessary to support and facilitate participants’ shifts to embrace diversity and global perspectives.
Freud's 'Tally' Argument, Placebo Control Treatments, and the Evaluation of Psychotherapy

In this paper it is suggested that Freud's 'tally argument' (Grunbaum 1984) is not best interpreted as a risky claim concerning the efficacy of psychoanalytic therapy, but as a risky claim concerning the implications of theoretical psychoanalytic explanations of the efficacy of psychoanalytic therapy. Despite the fact that Freud never empirically established that these implications hold, the 'tally argument' does draw attention to a critical distinction that is too often neglected in contemporary empirical studies of psychoanalysis and other forms of psychotherapy: between empirical evaluations of the efficacy of psychotherapy and empirical evaluations of theoretical explanations of the efficacy of psychotherapy, and the different forms of comparative enquiry relevant to each. It is argued that the contemporary neglect of this critical distinction, in conjunction with the common negative conception of placebo control treatments in psychotherapy research, has led to the epistemic impoverishment of experimental studies of the various professional psychotherapies. In consequence, although there is good empirical evidence for the efficacy of psychoanalysis and other forms of professional psychotherapy, there is no good empirical evidence for theoretical psychoanalytic explanations of the efficacy of psychoanalysis, or for traditional theoretical explanations of the efficacy of other forms of professional psychotherapy.