Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Luteal phase support in normo-ovulatory women stimulated with clomiphene citrate for intrauterine insemination: need or habit?

BACKGROUND Limited data exist concerning the need for luteal support in clomiphene citrate-stimulated intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles. The addition of progesterone became an established clinical practice, despite the absence of evidence of effectiveness. METHODS A prospective randomized controlled trial was performed in a tertiary referral centre to assess the effect of intravaginal micronized progesterone as luteal support on the probability of ongoing pregnancy in patients stimulated with clomiphene citrate for IUI. Normo-ovulatory women, ≤ 36 years of age, undergoing ovarian stimulation with clomiphene citrate (50 mg) for IUI (n = 468) were randomized during the period from September 2008 to December 2009. Patients were randomized, either to receive luteal phase support (n = 243) in the form of vaginal micronized progesterone in three separate doses (200 mg, 3 times a day), or to the control group who did not receive luteal phase support (n = 225). RESULTS Data from 400 women were analysed. Following the first interim analysis, the study was prematurely cancelled as an extremely low total pregnancy rate was found. No difference was observed in ongoing pregnancy between patients who did, or did not, receive vaginal progesterone as luteal support [8.7% (17/196) versus 9.3% (19/204), respectively, P = 0.82; difference -0.6%, 95% confidence interval (CI): -6.4, 5.2]. Additionally, the early pregnancy loss rate did not differ between groups (1.5% progesterone group versus 2% no progesterone group, P = 0.78; difference -0.5%, 95% CI: -3.6, 2.7). CONCLUSIONS Routine supplementation of the luteal phase with vaginal progesterone does not seem to improve pregnancy rates in normo-ovulatory women stimulated with clomiphene citrate for IUI. Clinical trials.gov:NCT01046708.
Establishing the Behavioral Function of Video Game Use: Development of the Video Game Functional Assessment

Establishing the Behavioral Function of Video Game Use: Development of the Video Game Functional Assessment A great deal of attention has been focused on individuals who play video and computer games despite physical and psychological consequences. Unfortunately, instruments that have been developed to determine problematic gaming have not completely measured the behavioral component of video game addiction. Identifying the behavioral functions of video game play would allow for the development of behavioral interventions specifically targeted at reducing or replacing those functions. A behavioral perspective may provide valuable information as to why gamers continue to play video games despite encountering difficulties in other areas of their lives as a result of their video gaming habits. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the four reinforcing functions that maintain video game play and develop an instrument to measure these functions. Results supported a three-factor measurement model associated with the functions that maintain continued video game play, including (a) escape, (b) tangible, and (c) attention. Discussion and implications are provided.
Measurement of muscle motion for improving accuracy of body-mounted motion sensor

A new method of measuring joint angle using a combination of 3D accelerometers and reaction force sensors is presented. Muscle motion is a common source of error to all body-mounted sensors. The effect of skin artefact was minimized based on the estimation of muscle motion measured using a new reaction force sensor banded with human body segment. The force sensor was designed using pressure sensitive electric conductive rubber (PSECR). Fourier transform of the total pressure forces induced by body-mounted motion sensor modules was implemented to analyse frequency property of muscle motion of human body surface. We processed data from 3D accelerometers using measurements of muscle motion including the total pressure force and two-directional coordinates of center of pressure (Cop). Experimental study was implemented to verify the new sensor system proposed for estimation of knee joint angles, and measurements of the developed sensor system showed a high correlation to the results from the optical motion analysis system in the walking analysis experiment.
Incidence of malignant neoplasia after heart transplantation--a comparison between cyclosporine a and tacrolimus.

BACKGROUND Heart transplant recipients are at increased risk of developing malignant neoplasms. Administration of the calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporine A (CSA) or tacrolimus (TAC) may contribute to this risk. MATERIAL AND METHODS We compared tumor incidence in heart transplant recipients receiving either CSA (n=25) or TAC (n=120) as maintenance immunosuppressive therapy. Exclusion criteria were therapy with mammalian target of rapamycin-inhibitors, death within the first postoperative year, re-transplantation, and age less than 18 years. RESULTS The 2 study groups were comparable with respect to sex, primary and concomitant diagnoses, and mean follow-up (60.7 ± 19.3 months in the CSA group vs. 59.8 ± 18.1 months in the TAC group; P=0.81). The CSA group was, however, significantly older compared with the TAC group (58.8 ± 11.4 years vs. 49.1 ± 13.0 years, P=0.001), as was the donor age of the CSA group (43.2 ± 11.2 years vs. 37.0 ± 11.7 years, P=0.02). In the CSA group, 5 patients (20%) developed malignant neoplasms compared with 10 patients (8.3%) in the TAC group (P=0.14). Covariate-adjusted 5-year tumor-free survival was comparable between groups (relative risk for the CSA group =1.162 [95% CI: 0.378-3.572; P=0.794]). Moreover, covariate-adjusted 5-year overall survival did not differ between the 2 groups (relative risk for the CSA group =1.95 [95% CI: 0.53-7.19; P=0.36). The incidence of infection, acute rejection, graft vasculopathy, renal failure, and neurological complications was also comparable between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that tumor incidence does not significantly differ in patients receiving CSA or TAC as maintenance therapy.
How Do Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Affect Firm Risk? Post-Implementation Impact

Managing firm risk, or firm performance volatility, is a key task for contemporary firms. Although information technology (IT) has been generally viewed as an effective information processing tool that enables firms to better cope with uncertainty, thus holding the potential to mitigate firm performance volatility, evidence to support this view is lacking in the literature. We theorize that enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, a major type of enterprise IT applications, can help reduce firm risk and, in particular, we argue that, to uncover the risk reduction effect of ERP systems, a research focus on the post-implementation stage is needed. Based on a sample of 2,127 firm-year observations, we found that ERP systems in the post-implementation stage were associated with reduced firm risk, and that the risk reduction effect was stronger for ERP systems with a greater scope of functional and operational modules, especially functional modules. We further found that, on average, the risk reduction effect of ERP systems became greater when firms' operating environments feature higher uncertainty, while the risk reduction associated with fully deploying ERP system modules seem to level off as environmental uncertainty increases. These findings extend our understanding of the business value of ERP systems by shedding light on the risk reduction benefit of ERP systems.
Psychometric Properties of the Self-Esteem Questionnaire for South African Adolescents

This article describes two studies investigating the reliability and factorial validity of scores on the Self-Esteem Questionnaire (SEQ) for assessing self-evaluations relating to peers, school, family, sports/athletics, body image and global self-worth in South African adolescents. Participants were 900 learners enrolled in Grades 8 and 11 at public schools In Cape Town, and 116 Grades 8 and 11 learners attending independent schools. The results provided general support for the six-factor structure proposed by DuBois, Feiner, Brand, Phillips and Lease (1996) and indicated that SEQ scores have good internal consistency and adequate test-retest reliability for English-speaking South Africans. However, minor revisions are needed for all scale scores to have acceptable internal consistency when translated into isiXhosa or Afrikaans.
Customer Capital

Firms spend substantial resources on marketing and selling. Interpreting this as evidence of frictions in product markets, which require firms to spend resources on customer acquisition, this paper develops a search theoretic model of firm dynamics in frictional product markets. Introducing search frictions generates long-term customer relationships, rendering the customer base a state variable for firms, which is sluggish to adjust. This affects: the level and volatility of firm investment, sales, profits, value and markups, the timing of firm responses to shocks, and the relationship between investment and Tobin’s q. We document support for these predictions in firm-level data from Compustat, using cross-industry variation in selling expenses to quantify differences in the degree of friction across markets.
Kinetics of formation and disappearance of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene:DNA adducts in mouse epidermis.

The rates of formation and disappearance of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA):DNA adducts were analyzed in the epidermis of SENCAR mice over a 21-day time course. Mice were treated topically with 10 nmol of tritium-labeled DMBA per mouse at various times prior to sacrifice. Under these experimental conditions, total covalent binding of DMBA to epidermal DNA reached a peak at 24 h, and thereafter, DMBA:DNA adduct disappearance was biphasic. The early phase of DMBA:DNA adduct disappearance (Phase A) between 24 and 72 h had a half-life of 3.17 +/- 1.1 days, whereas the later phase (Phase B) had a half-life of 6.46 +/- 1.3 days. A comparison of the biphasic disappearance of total DMBA:DNA adducts with total benzo(a)pyrene:DNA adducts at comparable tumor-initiating doses (i.e., doses producing similar papilloma responses in SENCAR mice) revealed that the half-life for Phase A disappearance of benzo(a)pyrene:DNA adducts was approximately 3 times faster than for DMBA:DNA adducts (1.08 +/- 0.3 days versus 3.17 +/- 1.1 days), respectively. Phase B disappearance of DNA adducts was essentially identical for both hydrocarbons and was similar to the rate of loss of label in epidermal DNA due to cell turnover. The rates of formation and disappearance of the three major DNA adducts derived from DMBA were also examined. Peaks II (syn-diol-epoxide deoxyadenosine) and III (anti-diol-epoxide deoxyadenosine) disappeared more rapidly than Peak I (anti-diol-epoxide deoxyguanosine) beyond 24 h. The data support the conclusion that, for a particular hydrocarbon such as DMBA, deoxyadenosine adducts disappear from epidermal DNA faster than the corresponding deoxyguanosine adducts. In addition, the data suggest that, at the doses used, total DMBA:DNA adducts disappear initially more slowly from epidermal DNA than benzo(a)pyrene:DNA adducts.
Scaled‐up production of mammalian neural precursor cell aggregates in computer‐controlled suspension bioreactors

The clinical use of neural precursor cells (NPCs) for the treatment of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, requires overcoming the scarcity of these cells through controlled expansion. The main objective of the present study was to develop a large‐scale computer‐controlled bioprocess for the expansion of mammalian NPCs in suspension culture by scaling up existing reactor protocols. In order to support the oxygen demands of the maximum cell densities achieved, the volumetric mass transfer coefficient was kept above 1.10/h while scaling‐up from small‐scale 125 mL vessels to large‐scale 500 mL bioreactors. In addition, the maximum shear stress at the impeller tip was maintained between 0.30 and 0.75 Pa to reduce damage to the cells. The resulting large‐scale bioprocess achieved maximum viable cell densities of 1.2 × 106 cells/mL and a batch multiplication ratio of 9.1. Moreover, the process successfully maintained the NPC characteristics observed in small‐scale studies. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Grooved Pegboard for adult employed South Africans: normative data and human immunodeficiency virus associations

The Grooved Pegboard is a widely used test of psychomotor speed, and currently is used in particular to assess HIV-associated neurocognitive decline. To accurately interpret any assessment, appropriate reference norms are required. Although South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS, no local large scale reference data are available for the Grooved Pegboard. The main objective of the study was to formulate reference data for healthy adult South Africans in formal employment; two secondary objectives aimed to statistically explore the available Grooved Pegboard performance data, as well as its association with HIV status. Data were collected as part of multi-disciplinary occupational health screening, and included healthy HIV− adults (N = 3118), and 70 HIV+ participants. This article presents normative reference data stratified across age and gender categories. The South African scores differ from other reported samples, emphasising the need to develop local norms that are context based, to facilitate clinical interpretation of psychomotor performance. Furthermore, in this sample, the Grooved Pegboard differentiated significantly between asymptomatic HIV+ persons, and those with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, although with poor predictive ability. In conclusion, large-sample reference data for healthy employed adult South Africans (age 19–59) are reported across gender and age categories, and may assist in more accurate screening of psychomotor speed generally, and HIV-associated neurocognitive decline in particular.
Establishing a person-centred framework of self-identity after traumatic brain injury: a grounded theory study to inform measure development

Objective To develop a theoretically sound, client-derived framework to underpin development of a measure reflecting the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on a person's self-identity. Design Grounded theory, based on transcription of audio recordings from focus group meetings with people who have experienced TBI, analysed with constant comparative methods. Setting 8 different urban and rural communities in New Zealand. Participants 49 people (34 men, 15 women), 6 months to 36 years after mild-to-severe TBI. Results The central concept emerging from the data was that of desiring to be or having lost a sense of being an integrated and valued person. The three main subthemes were: (1) having a coherent, satisfying and complete sense of oneself, (2) respect, validation and acceptance by others and (3) having a valued place in the world. Conclusions This study reinforces the notion that change in self-identity is an important aspect of life after TBI, and provides information on what this concept means to people with TBI. In order to scientifically evaluate relationships between self-identity and other aspects of health (eg, depression, quality of life), and to test the effect of interventions to address problems with self-identity after TBI, a quantitative tool for evaluation of this construct is required. Themes from this research provide a foundation for the development of a measure of self-identity grounded in the language and experience of people with TBI.
Developing Empirically Informed Policies for Sexual Assault Kit DNA Testing: Is It Too Late to Test Kits Beyond the Statute of Limitations?

A growing body of research indicates that there are thousands of sexual assault kits (SAKs) in police property storage facilities that have never been submitted for DNA forensic testing. Some of these rape kits may be quite dated, and the statute of limitations (SOL) for prosecution of the case may have expired. Whether testing such kits could still provide useful information for criminal justice system personnel is unknown. To address this gap in the literature and to inform policy regarding rape kit testing, we randomly sampled 700 previously untested SAKs from Detroit, MI: 350 were presumed to be beyond the SOL for prosecution (based on the date the SAK was collected), and 350 were still within the SOL. All SAKs were submitted for DNA testing, and then we quantified and compared the forensic testing outcomes. At issue was whether these older SAKs would yield DNA profiles that were eligible for entry into Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the federal DNA forensic database, and whether these profiles would match (“hit”) to other criminal offenses catalogued in CODIS. Rates for presumed SOL-expired SAKs and unexpired SAKs were compared via a continuation-ratio model and equivalence tests. The rates of CODIS-eligible DNA profiles, CODIS hits, and serial sexual assault CODIS hits were statistically equivalent in the SOL-expired and SOL-unexpired groups. Testing older SAKs has potential utility to the criminal justice system because these kits produced DNA matches to other crimes, including other sexual assault crimes, at a rate equivalent to current, SOL-unexpired SAKs.
The Affirmative Action Empire: Nations and Nationalism in the Soviet Union, 1923–1939

: The Soviet Union, by the time of its creation, was the first modern state that had to confront the rising issue of nationalism. With a progressive nationality policy, it systematically promoted the national consciousness of its ethnic minorities and established for them institutional forms comparable of a modern state. In the 1920s, the Bolsheviks, seeking to defuse national sentiment, created hundreds of national territories. They trained
Perception of voicing and place of articulation in labial and alveolar English stop consonants

Abstract Distinctive features define a multidimensional structure that must be implemented in speech production and perception. A multilevel Gaussian General Recognition Theory model is presented as a model of multidimensional feature perception. The model is fit to data from three experiments probing identification of noise-masked, naturally-produced labial and alveolar English stop consonants [p], [b], [t], and [d] in onset (syllable-initial) and coda (syllable-final) position. The results indicate systematic perceptual deviations from simple place and voicing structure in individual subjects and at the group level. Comparing onset and coda positions shows that syllable position modulates the deviation patterns, and comparing speech-shaped noise and multi-talker babble indicates that deviations from simple feature structure are reasonably robust to variation in noise characteristics. Possible causes of the observed perceptual confusion patterns are discussed, and extensions of this work to studies of feature structure in speech production and investigation of non-native speech perception are briefly outlined.
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes Tests of Theories of Decision Making: Violations of Branch Independence and Distribution Independence Generic Rank-dependent Utility Generic Analysis of Violations of Branch Independence and Distribution Independence Birnbaum and Mcintosh Model: N

This paper investigates two behavioral properties of choices between gambles: branch independence and distribution independence. Branch independence is the assumption that probability outcome branches that are identical in two gambles being compared should have no effect on preference order. In the test of distribution independence, two middle outcomes of fixed probability are sandwiched between two extreme outcomes, common to both gambles, whose probabilities are varied. Distribution independence requires that preference order should be independent of the probability distribution of these common outcomes. Distribution independence is implied by original prospect theory and the configural weight model of Birnbaum and McIntosh (1996). For both properties, patterns of violations are opposite those predicted by the inverseS weighting function used in the model of cumulative prospect theory by Tversky and Kahneman In recent years, investigators studying decision making have reached a consensus that Subjective Expected Utility (SEU) theory (Savage, 1954) is not descriptive of empirical choices, and that a generalization of the SEU model is required to account for human behavior Several models have been proposed in which the weight of an outcome depends (at least in part) on the rank of the outcome among the other possible outcomes of a gamble, as well as the outcome's probability. Although these new theories can make the same predictions in certain experiments , they are distinct and make different predictions in experiments crafted to test between them. This paper examines two properties of decision behavior and analyzes them with respect to different models of decision making. The first property is a weaker form of Savage's " sure thing " axiom called branch independence. The second property, distribution independence, is implied by the configural weight model of Birnbaum and McIntosh (1996) and original prospect theory (Kahne-man & Tversky, 1979), but can be violated in cumulative prospect theory (Tver-and Birnbaum and Stegner's (1979) configural weight model. Recent experiments with judgments and choices among three-outcome gambles found evidence of systematic violations of branch independence. FIG. 1. Branch independence in three-outcome gambles: S is preferred to R if and only if SЈ is preferred to RЈ. Note that removing the common branch (z, r) or (zЈ, r) leaves the same contrast in both cases. THEORIES OF DECISION MAKING 163 of branch independence, S ՝ R if and only if SЈ ՝ RЈ, where ՝ is the preference relation. Figure 1 illustrates that the outcome (z) on the common branch (z, …
The Swedish Twin study of CHild and Adolescent Development: The TCHAD-Study

Abstract The Swedish Twin study of CHild and Adolescent Development (TCHAD) is a longitudinal study of how genes and environments contribute to development of health and behavioral problems from childhood to adulthood. The study includes 1480 twin pairs followed since 1994, when the twins were 8 to 9 years old. The last data collection was in 2005 when the twins were 19 to 20 years old. Both parents and twins have provided data. In this article we describe the sample, data collections, and measures used. In addition, we provide some key findings from the study, focusing on antisocial behavior, criminality, and psychopathic personality.
Occupational exposure to magnetic fields relative to mortality from brain tumours: updated and revised findings from a study of United Kingdom electricity generation and transmission workers, 1973–97

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether risk of brain tumour is related to occupational exposure to magnetic fields. METHODS The mortality experienced by a cohort of 83 997 employees of the former Central Electricity Generating Board of England and Wales was investigated for the period 1973–97. All workers were employed for at least 6 months with some employment in the period 1973–82. Computerised work histories were available for 79 972 study subjects for the period 1971–93. Detailed calculations had been performed by others to enable a novel assessment to be made of exposures to magnetic fields. Two analytical approaches were used, indirect standardisation (n=83 997) and Poisson regression (n=79 972). RESULTS Based on serial mortalities for England and Wales, deaths from brain cancer were close to expectation (observed 158, expected 146.4). No significant positive trends were shown for risks of brain tumours either with lifetime cumulative exposure to magnetic fields or with such exposures received in the most recent 5 years. CONCLUSIONS There are no discernible excess risks of brain tumours as a consequence of occupational exposure to magnetic fields in United Kingdom electricity generation and transmission workers.