Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regional Differences in Breast Cancer Survival Despite Common Guidelines

Purpose: Despite a uniform regional breast cancer care program, breast cancer survival differs within regions. We therefore examined breast cancer survival in relation to differences in diagnostic activity, tumor characteristics, and treatment in seven Swedish counties within a single health care region. Methods: We conducted a population-based observational study using a clinical breast cancer register in one Swedish health care region. Eligible women (n = 7,656) ages 40 to 69 years diagnosed with primary breast cancer between 1992 and 2002 were followed up until 2003. The 7-year relative survival ratio was used to estimate breast cancer survival. Excess mortality was modeled using Poisson regression to study differences in survival between counties. Results: The 7-year relative survival for breast cancer patients was significantly lower (up to 7% in absolute risk difference) in one county (county A) compared with the others. This difference existed only among women diagnosed before 1998, ages 50 to 59 years, and was strongest among stage II breast cancer patients. Adjustment for amount of diagnostic activity eliminated the survival differences among the counties. The amount of diagnostic activity was also lower in county A during the same time period. After county A, during 1997-1998, began to adhere strictly to the regional breast cancer care program, neither any survival differences nor diagnostic activity differences were observed. Interpretations: Markers of diagnostic activity explained survival differences within our region, and the underlying mechanisms may be several. Low diagnostic activity may entail later diagnosis or inadequate characterization of the tumor and thereby missed treatment opportunities. Strengthening of multidisciplinary management of breast cancer can improve survival. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005;14(12):2914–8)
The Parasitic Hematophagous Worm Haemonchus contortus Inhibits Human Platelet Aggregation and Adhesion: Partial Purification of a Platelet Inhibitor

Summary Blood sucking parasites elaborate mechanisms to counteract the hemostatic system of their victim. Haemonchus contortus worms use several mechanisms directed against the normal platelet hemostatic function. Platelet adhesion onto collagen and fibrinogen, and the ristocetin-mediated interaction of von Willebrand Factor with glycoprotein (GP) Ib were inhibited by the protein extract of adult worms. Also platelet aggregation induced by collagen, thrombin, ADP, ristocetin or A23187 was inhibited. Although we obtained evidence for interference with fibrinogen binding to GPIIb/IIIa, the strongest inhibition was seen when the agonists collagen or thrombin were used. A small multisubunit inhibitor of collagen-induced platelet aggregation was partially purified using anion exchange chromatography, gelfiltration and RP-HPLC. The inhibitor has a pI between 4 and 6.5, elutes with a molecular weight of 23,800 Da after gelfiltration, and is part of the elaborate broad-spectrum antiplatelet activity that results in the potent synergistic anti-hemostatic cocktail produced by H. contortus.
Risk factors for late renal dysfunction after pediatric heart transplantation: A multi‐institutional study

Feingold B, Zheng J, Law YM, Morrow WR, Hoffman TM, Schechtman KB, Dipchand AI, Canter CE and the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study Investigators. Risk factors for late renal dysfunction after pediatric heart transplantation: A multi‐institutional study. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15: 699–705. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Automated Online Mechanism Design and Prophet Inequalities

Recent work on online auctions for digital goods has explored the role of optimal stopping theory -- particularly secretary problems -- in the design of approximately optimal online mechanisms. This work generally assumes that the size of the market (number of bidders) is known a priori, but that the mechanism designer has no knowledge of the distribution of bid values. However, in many real-world applications (such as online ticket sales), the opposite is true: the seller has distributional knowledge of the bid values (e.g., via the history of past transactions in the market), but there is uncertainty about market size. Adopting the perspective of automated mechanism design, introduced by Conitzer and Sandholm, we develop algorithms that compute an optimal, or approximately optimal, online auction mechanism given access to this distributional knowledge. Our main results are twofold. First, we show that when the seller does not know the market size, no constant-approximation to the optimum efficiency or revenue is achievable in the worst case, even under the very strong assumption that bid values are i.i. d. samples from a distribution known to the seller. Second, we show that when the seller has distributional knowledge of the market size as well as the bid values, one can do well in several senses. Perhaps most interestingly, by combining dynamic programming with prophet inequalities (a technique from optimal stopping theory) we are able to design and analyze online mechanisms which are temporally strategyproof (even with respect to arrival and departure times) and approximately efficiency (revenue)-maximizing. In exploring the interplay between automated mechanism design and prophet inequalities, we prove new prophet inequalities motivated by the auction setting.
PRIMARY PULMONARY HYPERTENSION: A NATIONAL PROSPECTIVE STUDY

A national registry was begun in 1981 to collect data from 32 centers on patients diagnosed by uniform criteria as having primary pulmonary hypertension. Entered into the registry were 187 patients with a mean age (+/- SD) of 36 +/- 15 years (range, 1 to 81), and a female-to-male ratio of 1.7:1 overall. The mean interval from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 2 years. The most frequent presenting symptoms included dyspnea (60%), fatigue (19%), and syncope (or near syncope) (13%). Raynaud phenomenon was present in 10% (95% of whom were female) and a positive antinuclear antibody test, in 29% (69% female). Pulmonary function studies showed mild restriction (forced vital capacity [FVC], 82% of predicted) with a reduced diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and hypoxemia with hypocapnia. The mean (+/- SD) right atrial pressure was 9.7 +/- 6 mm Hg; mean pulmonary artery pressure, 60 +/- 18 mm Hg; cardiac index, 2.3 +/- 0.9 L/min X m2; and pulmonary vascular resistance index, 26 +/- 14 mm Hg/L/min X m2 for the group. Although no deaths or sustained morbid events occurred during the diagnostic evaluation of the patients, the typically long interval from initial symptoms to diagnosis emphasizes the need to develop strategies to make the diagnosis earlier.
Effects of partial neuromuscular blockade on sympathetic nerve responses to static exercise in humans.

We used intraneural recordings of sympathetic nerve activity in conscious humans to determine if central command increases sympathetic discharge to resting skeletal muscle during static exercise. In nine healthy subjects, we measured arterial pressure, heart rate, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity with microelectrodes in the peroneal nerve of the resting leg during 1) static handgrip at 15% and 30% maximal voluntary contraction and 2) attempted handgrip during partial neuromuscular blockade produced by systemic administration of tubocurarine chloride (0.075 mg/kg i.v.). During curare, subjects reported that they used near-maximal motor effort to attempt a sustained handgrip contraction, but they generated almost no force. Without sustained contraction, the intent to exercise alone, that is, central command, caused statistically significant (p less than 0.05) increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity as well as in arterial pressure and heart rate. However, the increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (+ 56 +/- 16% over control) and in mean arterial pressure (+ 12 +/- 2 mm Hg) during attempted handgrip were much smaller (p less than 0.05) than the sympathetic nerve response (+ 217 +/- 37% over control) and pressor response (+ 25 +/- 3 mm Hg) during an actual static handgrip at 30% maximal voluntary contraction. In contrast, heart rate increased as much during the attempted contraction (+ 18 +/- 2 beats/min) as during the actual contraction at 30% maximal voluntary contraction (+ 16 +/- 4 beats/min). In 11 additional subjects, the heart rate responses during curare were greatly attenuated (p less than 0.05) by atropine but were not significantly affected by propranolol. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of different processing methods of flaxseed on ruminal degradability and in vitro post-ruminal nutrient disappearance

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of different heat-processing methods of flaxseed on the in situ effective dry matter degradability (EDMD) and the in situ effective crude protein degradability (ECPD). The treatments included roasting, steep roasting, rolled roasting, rolled steep roasting, microwave irradiation and extrusion. Three rumen-fistulated sheep were used for in situ incubations. Furthermore, the effects of heat-processing methods on post-ruminal in vitro nutrient disappearance and total tract disappearance were measured by a three-step in vitro technique. The seeds were roasted and extruded at 140°C to 145°C. One lot of roasted seeds was gradually cooled for about 1 h (roasting) and another lot was held in temperature isolated barrels for 45 min (steep roasting). Moreover, roasted and steep roasted flaxseed was rolled in a roller mill. The lowest and highest EDMD was observed for unheated and extruded flaxseed, respectively (p < 0.05). The highest ECPD was observed for extruded flaxseed (p < 0.05). Roasting and microwave irradiation reduced ECPD of flaxseed (p < 0.05). In vitro post-ruminal disappearance of crude nutrients including fibre fractions was highest for rolled-roasted and rolled steep-roasted flaxseed (p < 0.05). The lowest and highest total tract disappearance rates of crude nutrients and fibre fractions were estimated for unheated and extruded flaxseed, respectively (p < 0.05). The post-ruminal disappearance of crude nutrients was also increased by roasting, in which rolling enhanced this effect. In conclusion, all investigated heat treatments had significant effects on in situ and in vitro degradability of nutrients. As well, rolling of roasted flaxseed enhanced the respective effects. Therefore, different methods of heat processing can be used to modify the feed value of flaxseed for specific purposes.
The Effect of Metacognitive Skills on Performance in English Language among Senior Secondary School Students in Anambra State, Nigeria

The study investigated the effect of metacognitive skills on academic performance of senior secondary school students in Anambra state, Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between metacognitive skills and academic performance among senior secondary school students. A sample of 144 participants' were randomly selected from three senior secondary schools was used for the study. The schools were randomly assigned two intervention conditions (metacognitive training strategies) and control group. Questionnaire and achievement test was employed to generate data for the study. To guide the study, two research hypotheses were formulated. The hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistical method, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient statistics. The study revealed a positive relationship between metacognitive skills and academic performance such that developing metacognitive skills of a student will lead to the improvement of his/her academic performance in English Language. Thus, the need to inculcate the development of metacognitive skills in the school curriculum. This is considered important because of its impact in improving academic performance of students in English Language. The findings of the study may assist educators in developing instructional objectives for a better understanding of the effects of metacognitive skills on academic performance of senior secondary school students.
ab 0 cd Objectives and constraints of entrepreneurs : evidence from small and medium-sized enterprises in Russia and Bulgaria

We analyse the principal objectives and constraints of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), using data from a survey of 437 owners and top managers (CEOs) of SMEs in Russia and Bulgaria. The CEOs display similar views and identify a small number of specific constraints as being the most important ones. The constraint on external financing is a particularly serious one and the SMEs use internal finance as a fall-back option. Our econometric analysis indicates that characteristics of the entrepreneur, firm and the firm’s environment are important but varying determinants of which constraints are identified as the most important ones. Our results also suggest that the nature of disruption of production and of the financial constraints after the fall of central planning was more ubiquitous and allencompassing in Russia than in Bulgaria. JEL Classification Numbers: D2, G3, L2, L5, P2
Evaluating the relationship between white matter integrity, cognition, and varieties of video game learning.

BACKGROUND Many studies are currently researching the effects of video games, particularly in the domain of cognitive training. Great variability exists among video games however, and few studies have attempted to compare different types of video games. Little is known, for instance, about the cognitive processes or brain structures that underlie learning of different genres of video games. OBJECTIVE To examine the cognitive and neural underpinnings of two different types of game learning in order to evaluate their common and separate correlates, with the hopes of informing future intervention research. METHODS Participants (31 younger adults and 31 older adults) completed an extensive cognitive battery and played two different genres of video games, one action game and one strategy game, for 1.5 hours each. DTI scans were acquired for each participant, and regional fractional anisotropy (FA) values were extracted using the JHU atlas. RESULTS Behavioral results indicated that better performance on tasks of working memory and perceptual discrimination was related to enhanced learning in both games, even after controlling for age, whereas better performance on a perceptual speed task was uniquely related with enhanced learning of the strategy game. DTI results indicated that white matter FA in the right fornix/stria terminalis was correlated with action game learning, whereas white matter FA in the left cingulum/hippocampus was correlated with strategy game learning, even after controlling for age. CONCLUSION Although cognition, to a large extent, was a common predictor of both types of game learning, regional white matter FA could separately predict action and strategy game learning. Given the neural and cognitive correlates of strategy game learning, strategy games may provide a more beneficial training tool for adults suffering from memory-related disorders or declines in processing speed, particularly older adults.
Feminist Theory Today: An Introduction to Second-Wave Feminism

Introduction Equality and Difference in Feminist Thought Early Liberalism Feminism's First Equality Essential Tensions? Liberal Feminism's Second Stage Radical Equality The Early Fire Cultural Feminism Feminism's First Difference Woman's Kindness Cultural Feminism's Second Face Socialist Feminism From Androgyny to Gynocentrism, Equality to Difference The Postmodernist Challenge The Legal Challenge Conclusion and Afterthoughts
Light and Norepinephrine Similarly Prevent Damping of the Melatonin Rhythm in Cultured Chick Pineal Cells: Regulation of Coupling between the Pacemaker and Overt Rhythms?

The circadian rhythm of melatonin output displayed by chick pineal cells in static culture damps rapidly in constant red light (RR). This can be seen in the first cycle following a switch from a cycle of 12 hr white light (L) and 12 hr red light (R) to RR. Melatonin output is higher during the "day" in R than it is in L, but higher that next night (in R) after daytime L than after daytime R. This effect might be due entirely to the entraining effect of L. Alternatively, the higher nocturnal output after daytime L could be related to the acute suppression caused by L; it might be a "rebound" phenomenon. These alternative hypotheses differ in their predictions for the effects of norepinephrine (NE) and pertussis toxin (PT). Previous results dissociated the acute and entraining effects of L: PT blocks the acute effect but not the entraining effect of L. NE mimics the acute effect of L (and is blocked by PT), but not the entraining effect. If L prevents damping entirely by entrainment, then NE should not mimic and PT should not block this same-cycle effect of daytime L on nocturnal melatonin output. However, the present research found that NE did mimic and PT did block this effect, indicating that the ability of L to prevent damping is mediated by a same-cycle "rebound" following L's acute inhibition of melatonin production. Furthermore, NE enhanced the "rebound" effect of daytime L, and cycles substituting NE for L were effective in driving the melatonin rhythm. Lowering extracellular potassium did not induce a "rebound," and adding exogenous melatonin did not prevent one. The difference between nocturnal melatonin synthesis after daytime R and that after daytime L or NE implies regulation of coupling between the output of the circadian pacemaker and melatonin production. These results also suggest a role for NE in regulating and maintaining the expression of the melatonin rhythm.
Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) Versus the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED): A Study of a Nonclinical Sample

Purpose: To compare the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaires, and to further validate the SPEED questionnaire using the OSDI in a nonclinical sample. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 657 undergraduate students aged 18–34 years. Subject selection was by systematic random methods. Results: The Cronbach alphas of the SPEED and OSDI questionnaires were 0.895 and 0.897, respectively. Classification of participants based on OSDI grading of severity indicated that the total mean SPEED score were 2.2, 5.0, 6.6 and 9.9 for the asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe dry eye groups respectively (F(3,653) = 141.3 P < 0.001,&eegr;2=0.394). Post hoc testing for all between-group differences was statistically significant (P < 0.05; Tukey test of multiple comparisons). There was a significant correlation between the total scores of the OSDI and SPEED questionnaires (rs = 0.68 P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of the SPEED questionnaire was plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC) was estimated to be 0.82 (95% CL: 0.79–0.85; P < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed 3 dimensions as responsible for the substantial amount of variance in the data generated by the SPEED questionnaire. Conclusions: The SPEED questionnaire was good in separating asymptomatic and symptomatic participants in comparison with the OSDI. This indicates that the SPEED questionnaire is a valid measure for dry eye symptoms even in a nonclinical sample and would be useful in epidemiological studies and clinical practice for dry eye symptom assessment.
Using data type based security alert dialogs to raise online security awareness

When browsing the Internet, users are likely to be exposed to security and privacy threats -- like fraudulent websites. Automatic browser mechanisms can protect them only to some extent. In other situations it is still important to raise the users' security awareness at the right moment. Passive indicators are mostly overlooked and blocking warnings are quickly dismissed by habituated users. In this work, we present a new concept of warnings that appear in-context, right next to data the user has just entered. Those dialogs are displayed whenever critical data types -- e.g. credit card data -- are entered by the users into online forms. Since they do not immediately interrupt the users' interaction but appear right in the users' focus, it is possible to place important security information in a way that it can be easily seen. We implemented the concept as a Firefox plugin and evaluated it in a row of studies including two lab studies, one focus group and one real world study. Results show that the concept is very well accepted by the users and that with the plugin, especially non-expert participants were more likely to identify fraudulent (or phishing) websites than using the standard browser warnings. Besides this, we were able to gather interesting findings on warning usage.
Time-series analysis of individual performances of older women on a serial gross motor task

The individual performance characteristics of older women on a novel serial gross motor task were described in this study. The task was specifically designed to study memory for movement sequences as well as the relative importance of visual and kinesthetic information for motor performance. Performance requirements for the nine individual, sequentially arranged elements in each of the four major task segments were obtained by reading or manipulating cues. The times required to refer to the cue and perform the requirements were recorded for each element. Accuracy measures (number of errors, cue referrals, and map referrals) were also recorded.
The Epidemiology of Sleep Quality, Sleep Patterns, Consumption of Caffeinated Beverages, and Khat Use among Ethiopian College Students

Objective. To evaluate sleep habits, sleep patterns, and sleep quality among Ethiopian college students; and to examine associations of poor sleep quality with consumption of caffeinated beverages and other stimulants. Methods. A total of 2,230 undergraduate students completed a self-administered comprehensive questionnaire which gathered information about sleep complaints, sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics,and theuse of caffeinated beverages and khat. We used multivariable logistic regression procedures to estimate odds ratios for the associations of poor sleep quality with sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Results. Overall 52.7% of students were classified as having poor sleep quality (51.8% among males and 56.9% among females). In adjusted multivariate analyses, caffeine consumption (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.25–1.92), cigarette smoking (OR = 1.68; 95% CI: 1.06–2.63), and khat use (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.09–2.71) were all associated with increased odds of long-sleep latency (>30 minutes). Cigarette smoking (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.11–2.73) and khat consumption (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.22–3.00) were also significantly associated with poor sleep efficiency (<85%), as well as with increased use of sleep medicine. Conclusion. Findings from the present study demonstrate the high prevalence of poor sleep quality and its association with stimulant use among college students. Preventive and educational programs for students should include modules that emphasize the importance of sleep and associated risk factors.