Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A case-control study to investigate an association between adverse pregnancy outcome and periodontal disease.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this case-control study was to ascertain if women who experienced a preterm (or premature) birth had any differences in periodontal disease severity compared with women who delivered at term. MATERIAL AND METHODS Subjects were recruited postpartum. Case subjects delivered a baby before 37 weeks of gestation whereas control subjects gave birth at or around term. A questionnaire was administered by a Research Midwife, designed to collect demographic information, pregnancy outcome variables and information on other factors which may influence health in pregnancy. A periodontal examination was then performed at the bedside. RESULTS Demographic variables were similar between case and control subjects. There was a higher proportion of case subjects who reported smoking. There were no differences in oral hygiene, bleeding on probing or loss of attachment; however, control subjects had a higher proportion of periodontal pockets probing 5 mm or greater. CONCLUSIONS There was no association between the severity of periodontal disease and pregnancy outcome in this population.
Analyzing the effectiveness of teaching and factors in clinical decision-making

Objective: The aim of this study is to prepare junior physicians, clinical education should focus on the teaching of clinical decision-making. This research is designed to explore teaching of clinical decision-making and to analyze the benefits of an “Analogy guide clinical decision-making” as a learning intervention for junior doctors. Materials and Methods: This study had a “quasi-experimental design” and was conducted in a medical center in eastern Taiwan. Participants and Program Description: Thirty junior doctors and three clinical teachers were involved in the study. The experimental group (15) received 1 h of instruction from the “Analogy guide for teaching clinical decision-making” every day for 3 months. Program Evaluation: A “Clinical decision-making self-evaluation form” was used as the assessment tool to evaluate participant learning efficiency before and after the teaching program. Semi-structured qualitative research interviews were also conducted. Results: We found using the analogy guide for teaching clinical decision-making could help enhance junior doctors' self-confidence. Important factors influencing clinical decision-making included workload, decision-making, and past experience. Conclusion: Clinical teaching using the analogy guide for clinical decision-making may be a helpful tool for training and can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of decision-making.
Gender balance/gender bias: the teaching profession and the impact of feminisation

The teaching of young children has long been dominated by women. This global phenomenon is firmly rooted in issues relating to economic development, urbanisation, the position of women in society, cultural definitions of masculinity and the value of children and childcare. There have been expressions of concern by the media, by government ministers, and others, in a number of countries about the level of feminisation of the teaching profession. This paper focuses on this important issue. It reviews current research and critically analyses international patterns of gender variations in the teaching profession and considers why they occur. It gives particular consideration to a number of key questions that have arisen in debates on feminisation: Do boys need male teachers in order to achieve better? Do boys need male teachers as role models? Are female teachers less competent than male teachers? Does feminisation result in a reduction in the professional status of teaching?
Evaluating Crowdsourcing through Amazon Mechanical Turk as a Technique for Conducting Music Perception Experiments

Online crowdsourcing marketplaces, such as the Amazon Mechanical Turk, provide an environment for cost-effective crowdsourcing on a massive scale, leveraging human intelligence, expertise, and judgment. While the Mechanical Turk is typically used by businesses to clean data, categorize items, and moderate content, the scientific community, too, has begun experimenting with it to conduct academic research. In this paper, we evaluate crowdsourcing as a technique for conducting music perception experiments by first describing how principles of experimental design can be implemented on the Mechanical Turk. Then, we discuss the pros and cons of online crowdsourcing with respect to subject demography, answer quality, recruitment cost, and ethical concerns. Finally, we address audio-specific factors relevant to researchers in the field of music perception and cognition. The goal of this review is to offer practical guidelines for designing experiments that best leverage the benefits and overcome the challenges of employing crowdsourcing as a research methodology.
Towards a theory of children's participation

Legal theorists and philosophers have debated whether children have rights and if so what kind; leaders in this field have articulated powerful arguments that children indeed have rights and pushed the boundaries beyond protection and provision rights to those of participation. This chapter concentrates on children and young people's participation in 'public' decision-making. The term 'participation' in the children's field tends to have positive associations, seen as inevitably a 'good thing', something to be promoted, something that should be beneficial to all involved. Academic theorisations have burgeoned in the often inter-related theorizations of civil society, governance, and social capital. As participation activities have blossomed, the role of adults in promoting and supporting such activities is coming under the spotlight. In both international development and in the UK, employment opportunities are opening up for 'participation workers'. Keywords:children participation; participation workers; public decision-making; theorisations; young people's participation
A characterization of the Anderson metal-insulator transport transition

We investigate the Anderson metal-insulator transition for random Schrodinger operators. We define the strong insulator region to be the part of the spectrum where the random operator exhibits strong dynamical localization in the Hilbert-Schmidt norm. We introduce a local transport exponent β(E), and set the metallic transport region to be the part of the spectrum with nontrivial transport (i.e., β(E) > 0). We prove that these insulator and metallic regions are complementary sets in the spectrum of the random operator, and that the local transport exponent β(E) provides a characterization of the metal-insulator transport transition. Moreover, we show that if there is such a transition, then β(E) has to be discontinuous at a transport mobility edge. More precisely, we show that if the transport is nontrivial then β(E) ≥ 1 2d , where d is the space dimension. These results follow from a proof that slow time evolution of quantum waves in random media implies the starting hypothesis for the authors’ bootstrap multiscale analysis. We also conclude that the strong insulator region coincides with the part of the spectrum where we can perform a bootstrap multiscale analysis, proving that the multiscale analysis is valid all the way up to a transport mobility edge.
A rapid infusion system using a three-way stopcock with two no-return valves.

Injecting manually with a syringe has been used to start rapid infusion for sudden massive bleeding. We present a useful method using a three-way stopcock with two no-return valves for rapid infusion. In this method, we connected two no-return valves (JMS, Hiroshima, Japan) to both sides of a three-way stopcock (JMS) (Fig. 1). Pumping the cylinder of the syringe up and down can generate appropriate volume flow to one side without circling the cock of the three-way stopcock. We compared the flow rate using this system to that of one using a three-way stopcock without the no-return valves. Using a volunteer, we measured the volume of the water that could be infused within 20 seconds using either the system (the nonreturn group) or a three-way stopcock without the no-return valves (the three-way group). In the three-way group, 54.8 3.0 ml of water was infused per 20 seconds (n 8). In the nonreturn group, about two times the volume of water was infused (98.2 6.0 ml/20sec, n 9, p 0.001 versus the three-way group, paired t-test). We have already used the system for 3 months; in that time, there have been no complications (such as infusion of air or hemolysis). The rapid infusion system using a three-way stopcock with two no-return valves should be considered for rapid infusion for massive bleeding.
Transfer between two- and three-dimensional representations of faces

Because stereoscopic depth cues are not present in an ordinary photograph, matching a two-dimensional (2-D) photograph to a three-dimensional (3-D) face requires establishing a correspondence between information derived from monocular depth cues and ignoring discrepant information from stereopsis. To examine the implication of this transfer of information across 2-D-3-D representations, we had participants perform identification tasks where only one of the two images for training and test contained stereo information. We compared identification performance for this incongruent condition of dimensionality to two congruent conditions where images for both training and test were shown with or without stereo information. Results revealed that performance in the incongruent condition is overall 4–5% less accurate for both a recognition task (Experiment 1) and a sequential matching task (Experiment 2). This small cost of depth cue inconsistency suggests a degree of encoding specificity for 2-D and 3-D information in face recognition.
Regional differences in body fat distributions among people with comparable body mass index: a comparison across six German population-based surveys

Introduction: The mortality of circulatory diseases of the German population varies considerably across regions. The comparison of the regional distributions of cardiovascular risk factors can provide clues to the reasons for cardiovascular mortality differences. The aim of this study was to determine whether indirect measures of fat distribution within subgroups of comparable body mass indices (BMIs) differ by region in Germany. Methods: We included six German population-based epidemiological studies conducted between 1997 and 2006 that included a detailed assessment of anthropometric measures including overall 15 215 people aged 45–74 years. We calculated mean values of BMI, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). We estimated mean regional differences of WC, HC, and WHR within narrow ranges of BMI. Results: BMI distributions across the study populations were very similar. However, body fat distributions as measured by WC within subgroups of similar BMIs differed considerably across regions. For example, among people with a BMI of 24.0–25.9, estimated WCs were on average 3.4 and 6.7 cm higher among men and women in Saxony-Anhalt than among men and women in Bavaria, respectively. Conclusion: We provide evidence that the BMI distributions across six population-based surveys in Germany are very similar and that body fat distributions among people with comparable BMIs show relevant regional differences. Our observed WC differences might contribute to regional cardiovascular disease risk differences in Germany. Our findings may trigger further similar analyses across European populations to explain large area variations of cardiovascular disease burden.
Insulin-induced translocation of glucose transporters from post-Golgi compartments to the plasma membrane of 3T3-L1 adipocytes

A semiquantitative method using immunocytochemistry on ultrathin cryosections and the protein A-gold technique was performed to study the effect of insulin on the cellular distribution of the glucose transporters in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In basal cells a substantial portion of the label was present in a tubulovesicular structure at the trans side of the Golgi apparatus, likely to represent the trans-Golgi reticulum, and in small vesicles present in the cytoplasm. Treatment with insulin induced a rapid translocation of transporters from the tubulovesicular structure to the plasma membrane. The transporter labeling of the plasma membrane increased three-fold and that of the tubulovesicular structure decreased by half. There was no effect of insulin on the degree of label in the small cytoplasmic vesicles. Removal of insulin from stimulated cells rapidly reversed the distribution of transporters to that seen in basal cells. This study thus provides the first morphological evidence for the occurrence of transporter translocation in insulin action and identifies for the first time the intracellular location of the responsive transporters.
Technical Advances High Quality Assessment of DNA Methylation in Archival Tissues from Colorectal Cancer Patients Using Quantitative High-Resolution Melting Analysis

High-resolution melting (HRM) analysis is a novel tool for analysis of promoter methylation. The aim of the present study was to establish and validate HRM analysis for detection of promoter methylation on archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from colorectal cancer patients. We first evaluated HRM assays for O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) promoter methylation on a methylated DNA dilution matrix and DNA extracted from eight fresh or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human cancer cell lines. Then we used these assays for the analysis of MGMT and APC promoter methylation in a subset of archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded colorectal tumor specimens. All samples with promoter methylation of MGMT or APC and randomly selected samples without promoter methylation were analyzed twice. All results generated by HRM were validated with MGMT and APC MethyLight assays. APC and MGMT promoter methylation data were consistent and reproducible throughout the dilutions and all three replicates in the methylated DNA dilution matrix and between two experiments in clinical samples. There was high concordance between HRM and MethyLight results. HRM for APC promoter methylation revealed consistent results between fresh and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human cancer cell line DNA. The methylation status in archival tumor specimens from patients with colorectal cancer can therefore be determined with high quality by HRM. The ability to analyze archival
The Assessment of the Forms and Functions of Childhood Aggression Reconsidered

Title of Document: THE ASSESSMENT OF THE FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF CHILDHOOD AGGRESSION RECONSIDERED Tracey Meryl Potter, Ph.D., 2009 Directed By: Professor Hedwig Teglasi, Department of Counseling and Personnel Services This study examined the relationships between aggression and adjustment with a configuration of aggression categories derived from factor analyses of two commonly used scales to measure aggression, Dodge and Coie’s (1987) Reactive/Proactive scale and Crick and Grotpeter’s (1995) Children’s Social Behavior Scale (relational and overt aggression). Second and third grade students and their teachers completed aggression ratings and a battery of adjustment measures. Teacher and peer rated aggression scales were constructed from an exploratory factor analysis of the aggression items. The teacher rated scales that emerged were pure overt, reactive relational, and reactive overt, and emerging peer rated scales were pure overt and reactive relational. The factor analysis of the teacher ratings revealed numerous crossloaded as did the analysis of peer ratings. Cross-loaded teacher-rated items captured the construct of emotional dysregulation whereas the cross-loaded peer-rated items represented pure relational aggression. Unique associations were observed between teacher-rated pure overt aggression with externalizing behaviors, peer rated reactive relational aggression with self-rated depression and anxiety symptoms, and peer rated pure overt aggression with self-rated depression symptoms. The results regarding overall gender differences were consistent with prior research in that boys were perceived as more purely overtly aggressive than girls when rated by both their teachers and peers, and girls were perceived as more reactively relationally aggressive than boys when rated by both teachers and peers. Gender was also found to moderate certain relationships between aggression and adjustment. Importance of informant, as well as implications for understanding the construct of aggression and its relationship to adjustment are discussed. THE ASSESSMENT OF THE FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF CHILDHOOD AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR RECONSIDERED
Demographic, physical, and mental health factors associated with deployment of U.S. Army soldiers to the Persian Gulf.

A total of 675,626 active duty Army soldiers who were known to be at risk for deployment to the Persian Gulf were followed from 1980 through the Persian Gulf War. Hospitalization histories for the entire cohort and Health Risk Appraisal surveys for a subset of 374 soldiers were used to evaluate prewar distress, health, and behaviors. Deployers were less likely to have had any prewar hospitalizations or hospitalization for a condition commonly reported among Gulf War veterans or to report experiences of depression/suicidal ideation. Deployers reported greater satisfaction with life and relationships but displayed greater tendencies toward risk-taking, such as drunk driving, speeding, and failure to wear safety belts. Deployed veterans were more likely to receive hazardous duty pay and to be hospitalized for an injury than nondeployed Gulf War-era veterans. If distress is a predictor of postwar morbidity, it is likely attributable to experiences occurring during or after the war and not related to prewar exposures or health status. Postwar excess injury risk may be explained in part by a propensity for greater risk-taking, which was evident before and persisted throughout the war.
Towards a pragmatic semiotic perspective on the development of teaching and learning environments for research writing in higher education

This thesis explores the potential of a pragmatic semiotic perspective to inform the design of research writing programs in higher education. Increasing numbers of international research students have highlighted the need for effective programs that develop the ability to construct research papers and theses. A particular challenge for international students is research from sources, which requires the use of discipline-based genres and texts, as well as the synthesis of ideas into original and meaningful compositions. New educational methods and technologies – such as the use of portfolios and diagramming software – can help to promote such skills, provided their use is informed by sound understandings of the research writing process. A paradigm shift in educational theory has also brought a range of constructivist perspectives that have challenged traditional approaches in several fields relevant to research writing, including composition studies and educational technology. The two currently dominant theoretical perspectives in these fields are the cognitive-constructivist and the sociocultural perspectives, both of which are largely concerned with the construction of knowledge and meaning. However, neither of these perspectives provides an entirely adequate understanding of research from sources, since they tend to emphasise the individual and social aspects of writing respectively. This thesis, by contrast, explores the potential for a pragmatic semiotic perspective, based on the philosophies of Peirce, Dewey and Deleuze. Although the perspective has had a limited influence on composition studies, it has been promoted as a way of transcending the dualisms in the field. In Peirce's semiotics and Dewey's pragmatism, all knowledge construction and meaning-making is viewed as semiosis, or the action of signs, which is necessarily both an individual and a social process. The pragmatic semiotic perspective has a growing influence in education generally, particularly in connection with the use of new educational technologies. This thesisinvestigates whether it can also provide a more suitable theoretical framework for the design of effective research writing programs.
Outside Looking In? Studies of the Community Integration of People with Learning Disabilities

The paper reviews research exploring the degree of community integration of people with learning disabilities. In the majority of studies reviewed 'integration' is measured in terms of the activities undertaken within the community and/or the character of personal and social relationships. Although in much of the work the focus on these indicators of outcome is informed by the value assumptions embodied in the principle of normalisation, the paper begins by drawing attention to the potentially contested nature of these assumptions. This is followed by a description and a critique of studies of community integration. The picture which emerges is of the apparently continued gap between being physically within and socially a part of the community. The paper highlights some of the issues this raises for service provision and draws attention to issues of research practice.
Replication of chronic abnormal cartilage loading by medial meniscus destabilization for modeling osteoarthritis in the rabbit knee in vivo

Medial meniscus destabilization (MMD) is a surgical insult technique for modeling osteoarthritis (OA) by replicating chronic abnormal cartilage loading in animal joints in vivo. The present study aimed to characterize the immediate biomechanical effects (ex vivo) and short‐term histological consequences (in vivo) of MMD in the rabbit knee. In a compressive loading test, contact stress distribution in the medial compartment was measured in eight cadaver rabbit knees, initially with all major joint structures uninjured (Baseline), after MMD, and finally after total medial meniscectomy (TMM). Similarly, the effects on sagittal joint stability were determined in an anterior–posterior drawer test. These biomechanical (ex vivo) data indicated that both MMD and TMM caused significant (p < 0.001), distinct (>1.5‐fold) elevation of peak local contact stress in the medial compartment, while leaving whole‐joint stability nearly unchanged. Histological consequences in vivo were assessed in a short‐term (8‐week) survival series of MMD or TMM (five animals for each group), and both caused moderate cartilage degeneration in the medial compartment. The MMD insult, which is feasible through posterior arthrotomy alone, is as effective as TMM for modeling injurious‐level chronic abnormal cartilage loading in the rabbit knee medial compartment in vivo, while minimizing potential confounding effects from whole‐joint instability. © 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31:1555–1560, 2013.