Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Levels of Vitamin D Metabolites and Breast Cancer Risk in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial

Experimental and epidemiologic studies suggest that vitamin D metabolites (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] and its precursor 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]) may reduce breast cancer risk. We examined subsequent breast cancer risk related to serum levels of these metabolites. In a cohort of women ages 55 to 74 years, who donated blood at baseline (1993-2001) in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, we identified 1,005 incident breast cancer cases during follow-up through 2005 (mean time between blood draw and diagnosis, 3.9 years). Noncases (n = 1,005) were frequency matched to the cases based on age and year of entry. Sample weights that accounted for unequal probabilities of selecting cases and noncases were applied to make inferences that reflected the entire Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian cohort. Using Cox proportional hazards modeling, we computed breast cancer relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) by quintile for each metabolite. The RR of breast cancer for the highest quintile of 25(OH)D concentration versus the lowest was 1.04 (95% CI, 0.75-1.45; Ptrend = 0.81). Similarly, the breast cancer RR for the highest quintile of 1,25(OH)2D compared with the lowest was 1.23 (95% CI, 0.91-1.68; Ptrend = 0.14). Excluding the first 2 years of follow-up did not materially alter these estimates. There was also no evidence of inverse risk in older women (≥60 years) versus younger women (<60 years). In this prospective study of postmenopausal women, we did not observe an inverse association between circulating 25(OH)D or 1,25(OH)2D and breast cancer risk, although we cannot exclude an association in younger women or with long-term or earlier exposure. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(4):889–94)
Phylogenetic relationships of the Acanthocephala inferred from 18S ribosomal DNA sequences.

Phylogenetic relationships within the Acanthocephala have remained unresolved. Past systematic efforts have focused on creating classifications with little consideration of phylogenetic methods. The Acanthocephala are currently divided into three major taxonomic groups: Archiacanthocephala, Palaeacanthocephala, and Eoacanthocephala. These groups are characterized by structural features in addition to the taxonomy and habitat of hosts parasitized. In this study the phylogenetic relationships of 11 acanthocephalan species are examined with 18S rDNA sequences. Maximum parsimony, minimum evolution, and maximum likelihood methods are used to estimate phylogenetic relationships. Within the context of sampled taxa, all phylogenetic analyses are consistent with monophyly of the major taxonomic groups of the Acanthocephala, suggesting that the current higher order classification is natural. The molecular phylogeny is used to examine patterns of character evolution for various structural and ecological characteristics of the Acanthocephala. Arthropod intermediate host distributions, when mapped on the phylogeny, are consistent with monophyletic groups of acanthocephalans. Vertebrate definitive host distributions among the Acanthocephala display independent radiations into similar hosts. Levels of uncorrected sequence divergence among acanthocephalans are high; however, relative-rate tests indicate significant departure from rate uniformity among acanthocephalans, arthropods, and vertebrates. This precludes comparison of 18S divergence levels to assess the relative age of the Acanthocephala. However, other evidence suggests an ancient origin of the acanthocephalan-arthropod parasitic association.
Integrating the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy with Multiple Intelligences: A Planning Tool for Curriculum Differentiation

Both the special education and gifted education literature call for a differentiated curriculum to cater for the wide range of student differences in any classroom. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences was integrated with the revised Bloom's taxonomy to provide a planning tool for curriculum differentiation. Teachers’ progress in using the tool to plan and implement units of work through learning centers was documented over 18 months in two small elementary schools. They reported greater confidence in their ability to broaden their curriculum and cater for different students’ strengths across the multiple intelligences and intellectually challenge their students using first the original and then the revised taxonomy. The teachers saw their students as more successful learners as a result of this curriculum differentiation.
Coaching With Parents in Early Intervention: An Interdisciplinary Research Synthesis

The purpose of this article was to synthesize intervention studies using coaching with parents in early intervention with a focus on (a) definitions and descriptions of coaching with parents; (b) characteristics of families and coaches; (c) parameters such as settings, contexts, dosage, and professional development related to coaching; and (d) child and family outcomes. Through a search of articles from 2011 to 2013, the authors identified 8 studies that met search criteria. Results indicate that there is no common definition/description for the term “coaching with parents in early intervention. ” Furthermore, the use of the term “coaching with parents” spans a continuum that on the one end can best be described as relationship-directed process and on the other end an intervenor-directed process. This continuum continues to create confusion for practitioners in appropriate use of coaching with parents. In addition, although positive outcomes are noted for infants and toddler who experience disabilities and their families, it is difficult to discern the direct impact of coaching with parents. The studies, as a whole, tend to give broad descriptions for the use of coaching but little information on how to individualize given specific child and family outcomes. Finally, the intended outcomes of coaching with parents are not fully articulated. Given these results, this synthesis has found the need for increased research efforts in the area of coaching with parents with focus on clarification of the term “coaching” and the parameters that affect its effectiveness.
The effect of language proficiency on executive functions in balanced and unbalanced Spanish–English bilinguals *

This study analyzed the association between levels of language proficiency and levels of bilingualism and performance on verbal and nonverbal executive functions (working memory, updating, shifting, and inhibition tasks) in young bilinguals. Forty balanced (high and low proficiency), 34 unbalanced bilinguals, and 40 English monolinguals, were selected. The Bilingual Verbal Ability Test was used as a measure of language proficiency; WAIS Block design test was used as a measure of non-verbal intelligence. High proficiency balanced bilinguals performed better than low proficiency balanced bilinguals; unbalanced bilinguals scored in between both balanced groups. High proficiency monolinguals scored higher than low proficiency monolinguals and similar to high proficiency bilinguals. Regression analyses demonstrated that nonverbal intelligence significantly predicted performances on verbal working memory and verbal and nonverbal inhibition tasks. It was concluded that nonverbal intelligence scores are better predictors of executive function performance than bilingualism or language proficiency.
Aging, values, and rewards: explaining age differences in job satisfaction.

The study of age differences in job satisfaction is a usefulfocus for investigating the interplay among work, self, and family concepts as they produce changes in role outcomes during the life course. Using data from the 1972-73 Quality of Employment Survey as well as other data sets, we find that age is positively related to job satisfaction. A relatively substantial portion of these differences are explained by age variations in work values and job rewards. These findings are consistent with both cohort and job change explanations of age differences in job satisfaction. However, some of these age inequalities are not explicable on the basis of the variables in our model. Though some unknown portion of these age differences are undoubtedly due to compositional effects, we argue that they also partly reflect more general processes of aging and development.
Pattern of Recurrence after Curative Resection of Local (Stage I and II) Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Difference According to the Histologic Type

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pattern of recurrence after complete resection of pathological stage I, II non-small cell lung cancer, especially according to the cell type. We reviewed the clinical records of 525 patients operated on for pathologic stage I and II lung cancer. The histologic type was found to be squamous in 253 and non-squamous in 229 patients. Median follow-up period was 40 months. Recurrences were identified in 173 (36%) of 482 enrolled patients; distant metastasis in 70%, distant and local recurrence in 11%, and local recurrence in 19%. Distant metastasis was more common in non-squamous than in squamous cell carcinoma (p=0.044). Brain metastasis was more frequently identified in non-squamous mthan in squamous cell carcinoma (24.2% vs. 7.3%. p=0.005). Multivariate analyses showed that cell type is the significant risk factor for recurrence-free survival in stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer. Recurrence-free survival curves showed that non-squamous cell carcinoma had similar risks during early periods of follow-up and more risks after 2 yr from the operation compared to squamous cell carcinoma. Pathological stage and histologic type significantly influence recurrence-free survival.
Occupational branding for diversity: managing discursive contradictions

ABSTRACT In line with recent efforts to increase the representation of women in the field of computing and information technology (I.T.), the National Center for Women and Information Technology has spearheaded an occupational branding campaign that seeks to encourage more women to enter this field. We use this campaign as a case study to investigate how representations of work in an occupational branding campaign (“official branding discourse”) compare with the ways in which practitioners represent this work (“unofficial branding discourse”). Through our analysis, we show that whereas the official branding discourse represents computing and I.T. as a field where women are valued, unofficial branding discourse represents this field as hostile to women. We then propose three avenues through which these contradictions can be managed: (1) acknowledging the challenges expressed by practitioners, while simultaneously discussing how to foster a more inclusive occupational culture, (2) changing the primary goal of the campaign from increasing the number of women in computing and I.T. to making the culture of computing and I.T. less hostile, and (3) committing fewer resources into organized branding campaigns and more resources into direct organizational interventions that seek to make work environments inclusive.
Are Neurodegenerative Disorder and Psychotic Manifestations Avoidable Brain Dysfunctions with Adequate Dietary Omega-3?

The present mismatch between what our brain needs, and the modern diet neglects our marine heritage. Last century, the priority in nutrition and food production was to achieve a high protein diet and somatic growth and function. The dietary content of omega-3 (N-3) required by the brain was neglected although evidence for the essentiality of certain fatty acids was published in 1929 and specifically re-affirmed for omega 3 in the brain in the 1970s. Cognitive decline with age and neurodegenerative disorder with dementia are now rising. This review describes signs of N-3 deficit in Alzheimer and Parkinson Disease, where maximum change involves the primary sites: olfactory cortex and the hippocampus. The olfactory agnosia observed in schizophrenia supports an N-3 deficit as does a reduction of key ologodendrocyte- and myelin-related genes in this disorder and affective disorder, where a rise in dementia accords with a deficit of N-3 also in this disorder. N-3 normalizes cerebral excitability at all levels. That the two disorders are localized at the extremes of excitability, is supported by their opposing treatments: convulsant neuroleptics and anti-epileptic antidepressants. An adequate N-3 diet will probably prevent most psychotic episodes and prove that neurodegenerative disorder with dementia is also to a large extent not only preventable but avoidable.
A Notion of Dynamic Interface for Depth-Bounded Object-Oriented Packages

Programmers using software components have to follow protocols that specify when it is legal to call particular methods with particular arguments. For example, one cannot use an iterator over a set once the set has been changed directly or through another iterator. We formalize the notion of dynamic package interfaces (DPI), which generalize state-machine interfaces for single objects, and give an algorithm to statically compute a sound abstraction of a DPI. States of a DPI represent (unbounded) sets of heap configurations and edges represent the effects of method calls on the heap. We introduce a novel heap abstract domain based on depth-bounded systems to deal with potentially unboundedly many objects and the references among them. We have implemented our algorithm and show that it is effective in computing representations of common patterns of package usage, such as relationships between viewer and label, container and iterator, and JDBC statements and cursors.
Selenium Supplementation for Prevention of Colorectal Adenomas and Risk of Associated Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND Selenium supplementation may help to prevent colorectal cancer; as precursors of colorectal cancer, colorectal adenomas are a surrogate for colorectal cancer. Selenium supplementation may increase risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS The Selenium and Celecoxib (Sel/Cel) Trial was a randomized, placebo controlled trial of selenium 200 µg daily as selenized yeast and celecoxib 400 mg once daily, alone or together, for colorectal adenoma prevention. Men and women between age 40 and 80 years were eligible following colonoscopic removal of colorectal adenomas. The primary outcome was adenoma development. Celecoxib was suspended because of cardiovascular toxicity in other trials, but accrual continued to selenium and placebo. A total of 1621 participants were randomly assigned to selenium or placebo, of whom 1374 (84.8%) were available for analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS In the respective placebo and selenium arms of 689 and 685 participants, adenoma detection after medians of 33.6 (range = 0.0-85.1 months) and 33.0 months (range = 0.0-82.6 months) were 42.8% and 44.1% (relative risk [RR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.91 to 1.16, P = .68). In participants with baseline advanced adenomas, adenoma recurrence was reduced by 18% with selenium (RR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.96, P = .01). In participants receiving selenium, the hazard ratio for new-onset T2D was 1.25 (95% CI = 0.74 to 2.11, P = .41), with a statistically significantly increased risk of selenium-associated T2D among older participants (RR = 2.21; 95% CI = 1.04 to 4.67, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS Overall, selenium did not prevent colorectal adenomas and showed only modest benefit in patients with baseline advanced adenomas. With limited benefit and similar increases in T2D to other trials, selenium is not recommended for preventing colorectal adenomas in selenium-replete individuals.
Determinants of FDI in transition countries and estimation of the potential level of Croatian FDI

In a global economy, foreign direct investment (FDI) represents the main form of international business activities. More than the mere cross-border movement of capital, FDI includes transfer of technology and know-how, thus contributing to competitiveness, employment and trade, and consequently, economic growth and the development of the local economy. The recent drop in international capital flows resulting from global financial and economic crisis has caused concerns regarding growth prospects for the world economy in general and that of less advanced transition countries in particular. By hypothesizing that Croatia, as the next member of the EU, has realized sub-optimal effects in attracting FDI, and that international competition in this field is expected to grow further, the aim of the paper is to find out determining factors behind inward FDI to transition countries, in order to detect the capacities of Croatia in hosting new foreign investment. Statistical analysis, focusing on bilateral FDI-flows and country-specific characteristics, proved the importance of typical â€Ygravityâ€? -type variables, as well as those based on increasing returns to scale, while showing that at present Croatia has exhausted its potentials in hosting new FDI.
Advocacy as a Strategy for Social Change: A Qualitative Analysis of the Perceptions of UN and Non-UN Development Workers

Abstract Advocacy is an important strategy in achieving change in international development programming. Different aid agencies design and implement advocacy programmes to influence the political climate, policy and programme decisions, public agenda, resource allocation and social norms and practices. Despite the extensive recognition of the importance of advocacy in development discourse, its effectiveness is sometimes questioned. This study sought to explore the understanding of advocacy by development workers and identify new approaches to make it more effective. In-depth interviews were conducted with some 65 development professionals from at least 30 UN and non-UN development agencies. The findings reveal that advocacy is still broadly perceived as indispensable in achieving social outcomes but many development workers are ill-equipped for this function. The study identifies major causes of advocacy ineffectiveness such as lack of strategic approach, deficient issue framing and positioning and weak application of the science and art of social influence. It concludes that without a critical consideration of the complex interplay of local, national and international forces which frame political and social environments, advocacy will not be able effect change at the population level.The study recommends more research on how leadership enhances advocacy effectiveness.
Factors Associated With Newly Diagnosed HIV Among Persons With Concomitant Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Objective: We evaluated Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health surveillance databases to determine risk factors associated with newly diagnosed HIV among persons with bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Methods: Test results for Chlamydia, gonorrhea, early syphilis (primary, secondary, and early latent), and HIV from public health clinics in Illinois in 2002 were merged with demographic and behavioral survey data collected during patient visits. STD was defined as any positive non-HIV result. Results: Among 43,517 patient encounters, 5814 (13.4%) had positive STD test results. There were 308 (0.7%) positive new HIV test results, of which 71 (23.1%) had concomitant infection with an STD. Compared with STD-positive, HIV-negative cases, age >30 years (OR = 1.9, 95% CI, 1.0,4.4), men who have sex with men (MSM) (OR = 22.2, 95% CI 11.3-43.7), and bisexual male (OR = 22.4, 95% CI 7.8-64.8) were independently associated with STD and HIV coinfections. Among distinct STDs, syphilis (n = 438) was the least frequent (7.5%), but was reported in the highest proportion (10.1%) of all new HIV infections and conferred the greatest risk (OR = 11.0, 95% CI 7.7-15.8) for newly diagnosed HIV. Conclusions: MSM were at increased risk for newly diagnosed HIV with STD coinfection. Persons with a concomitant STD and HIV were older than US populations that generally constitute the greatest proportion of STD cases. These results highlight the role in particular of syphilis among populations at high risk for HIV transmission. Public health interventions targeting MSM and older adults for effective testing and prevention strategies are critically needed within high-risk networks for cotransmission of STDs and HIV.
Influencing the online consumer's behavior: the Web experience

Addresses one of the fundamental issues of e-marketing: how to attract and win over the consumer in the highly competitive Internet marketplace. Analyses the factors affecting the online consumer's behavior and examines how e-marketers can influence the outcome of the virtual interaction and buying process by focusing their marketing efforts on elements shaping the customer's virtual experience, the Web experience. Identifying the Web experience components and understanding their role as inputs in the online customer's decision-making process are the first step in developing and delivering an attractive online presence likely to have the maximum impact on Internet users. Click-and-mortar firms delivering superior Web experience influence their physical clients’ perceptions and attitudes, driving additional traffic to traditional sales outlets. Provides a contribution to the theoretical debate around the factors influencing the online consumer's behavior and outlines some noticeable similarities and differences between the traditional and virtual consumers.
The morbidity pattern among adolescents visiting primary health care centers.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to determine the morbidity pattern among Saudi adolescents in Riyadh City. METHODS A cross sectional survey comprising 1473 (852 males (58%) and 621 females (42%)) Saudi adolescents aged 11 to 21 years old, visiting 10 primary health care centers, selected randomly in Riyadh city, who were invited to complete a 23 item questionnaire. Part of the questionnaire was designed to be completed by the doctor, and includes the diagnosis of the current problem or chief complaint and any chronic illness. The other part to be completed by the adolescent and includes the question - reason for attending the clinic. These questionnaires were collected within a period of one month from 15 May to 15 June 1998. RESULTS Upper respiratory tract infection constituted 43% of adolescent complaints. Two hundred and seventy adolescents have a chronic illness i.e. 18% of the study sample, bronchial asthma being the most common at 10%. CONCLUSIONS Improvement of the care of chronic illnesses in primary health care centers is needed. Establishment of health education programs about self-treatment of upper respiratory tract infections (the most common complaint) at home would result in a decrease of the load on the health system.
A PIECEWISE CONSTANT LEVEL SET FRAMEWORK

In this work we discuss variants of a PDE based level set method. Traditionally interfaces are represented by the zero level set of continuous level set functions. We instead use piecewise constant level set functions, and let interfaces be represented by discontinuities. Some of the properties of the standard level set function are preserved in the proposed method. Using the meth-ods for interface problems, we need to minimize a smooth convex functional under a constraint. The level set functions are discontinuous at convergence, but the minimization functional is smooth and locally convex. We show numerical results using the methods for segmentation of digital images.