Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thoracoscopic Anterior Instrumentation and Fusion for Idiopathic Scoliosis

Abstract Thoracoscopically assisted surgery is a new approach to access the anterior spine to perform biopsies, anterior releases, diskectomies, and anterior instrumentation and fusion for idiopathic thoracic scoliosis. This approach compromises the chest wall less than an open thoracotomy does because it uses several small portal incisions. It has been suggested that this approach allows fusion of fewer motion segments and better correction of curvature than does posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation. The technique, which is still evolving, is technically demanding, requiring advanced training and special instrumentation and anesthesia techniques.
BIAS IN LIST-ASSISTED TELEPHONE SAMPLES

A number of researchers have suggested list-assisted sampling for the selection of telephone households to overcome some of the operational difficulties associated with the MitofskyWaksberg methods of random digit dialing (RDD). An advantage of a list-assisted method of RDD is that an equal probability systematic sample of telephone numbers can be selected and the variances of estimates from such a sample are usually lower than from a clustered design like the Mitofsky-Waksberg method. The main disadvantage of the list-assisted method is that it excludes some households from the sample, thus creating a coverage bias in the estimates. This article describes research on the coverage bias for a particular method of list-assisted sampling. The two key determinants of coverage bias are the proportion of households that are not eligible for the sample and the differences in the characteristics of the covered and not covered populations. The results show that about 4 percent of all households are excluded in national samples using this method of sampling. Furthermore, they show that the differences between the covered and uncovered populations are generally not large. The coverage bias resulting from these conditions may often be small.
Potassium Cotransport with Sodium and Chloride in the Choroid Plexus

Abstract: The effects of loop diuretics and ion substitution on the 2‐min uptake of K (86Rb as marker) were analyzed to obtain evidence for K cotransport with Na and Cl in the choroid plexus epithelium. The isolated plexuses, which were excised from lateral ventricles of adult rats, were bathed in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF). At concentrations of 10‐6 to 10‐4M, the specific cotransport inhibitors, bumetanide and piretanide, suppressed uptake of K in a dose‐dependent manner. Ouabain‐insensitive K uptake was stimulated by preincubating the choroid plexus in aCSF very low in [Na] and [K], then incubating it in much higher concentrations of these cations; bumetanide (10‐4M) blocked this stimulated uptake by 52%. Moreover, tissue preincubation in Na‐ or Cl‐free medium, followed by incubation with normal concentrations of both ions, stimulated the ouabain‐insensitive uptake of K from 15 (baseline) to 35 nmol/mg dry weight. This stimulation of K transport depended on the simultaneous presence of both Na and Cl in aCSF, and replacing either ion alone did not stimulate the ouabain‐insensitive K uptake. Collectively, these findings, together with those from a previous pharmacological study of 22Na and 36Cl transport, constitute strong evidence for the cotransport of Na, K, and Cl in rat choroid plexus.
Facing the Challenges of Education Reform in Hong Kong: An Experiential Approach to Teacher Development

Belinda Harris’s opening discussion of developments in Hong Kong will have a familiar ring to many readers. There is a recognition that the current curriculum is not an adequate preparation for life and there is now an emphasis on lifelong learning and a wider view of development. Such a move has significant implications for the development of attitudes and skills amongst teachers. The issues that surround such educational reform in Hong Kong are analysed. This is followed by the detailed description of a study which involved a group of Hong Kong teachers in a structured experiential learning activity. It was found that though the teachers concerned acknowledged the value of their experience, they felt that given the culture and ethos of their own schools it would not be possible for them to undertake similar work with pupils. On the basis of these outcomes the writer suggests that there will need to be considerable emphasis on teacher development in Hong Kong if the reforms are to succeed.
A Macro Perspective to Micro Issues

Every decade or so, industrial–organizational (I–O) psychologists interested in performance management question fundamental issues in this domain (Banks & Murphy, 1985; Feldman, 1981; Ilgen, Barnes-Farrell, & McKellin, 1993; Landy & Farr, 1980). Pulakos and O’Leary (2011) are continuing this interesting tradition by arguing that bringing the focus on the relationship between the manager and the employee will mend performance management. We concur with the broad assessment that an excessive focus on technical improvements in performance management systems is misplaced and that implementation issues plague performance management. But we believe that poor implementation is an operational challenge not because of the practice itself but rather on account of misalignment—misalignment with (a) the overall organizational strategy and (b) other human resource (HR) practices. Discussions of strategy are often neglected in the adoption and implementation of various HR practices, and performance management is a particular culprit. In highlighting that the adoption of performance management practices fails to consider their fit with organizational culture, Pulakos and O’Leary also allude to
Re/visioning the women's movement in Israel

Current literature on the women's movement argues that in recent decades, a schism based on the politics of identity has divided women and led to the weakening of the movement. This process, intersecting with the escalation of neoliberal trends and the ‘NGOization’ of civil society, has resulted in the depoliticization of the women's movement and the waning of its influence as a political force. The present paper seeks to examine whether this argument is consistent with the situation in the Israeli women's movement of the early twenty-first century. Based on the history of the women's movement in Israel, the paper posits a twofold argument: (a) the women's movement in Israel has not disappeared but has been restructured as a result of its NGOization; (b) despite criticism of the movement in the literature and on the part of activists as the result of its NGOization, the movement's political messages have remained intact and even expanded to embrace questions of social justice, including novel thinking on matters of peace and security.
Could dehydration in infancy lead to high blood pressure?

There is considerable evidence that early life exposures influence later blood pressure1 and the disease end point most strongly associated with blood pressure—haemorrhagic stroke—is also related to indicators of early life adversity.2 In particular, the number of siblings that a person had was positively associated with haemorrhagic stroke risk.2 A small case-control study found that an infant or perinatal death in one or more siblings was associated with increased risk of stroke.3 Both haemorrhagic stroke4 and blood pressure5 declined across the 20th century in developed countries, and both show cohort effects, such that each subsequent birth cohort has lower haemorrhagic stroke risk and lower levels of blood pressure than previous birth cohorts.5 Across countries infant mortality rates 70 years ago correlate strongly with current stroke mortality.6 One early life factor that would be related to all these indicators of early life exposure is infant diarrhoea. We postulate that severe dehydrating diarrhoea in infancy is associated with higher subsequent blood pressure. The …
Meta-analysis of MTHFR 677C→ T polymorphism and coronary heart disease: does totality of evidence support causal role for homocysteine and preventive potential of folate?

Abstract Objectives To investigate the association between the MTHFR 677C→ T polymorphism and coronary heart disease, assessing small study bias and heterogeneity between studies. Data sources Medline and Embase citation searches between January 2001 and August 2004; no language restrictions. Study selection Case-control and prospective studies of association between MTHFR 677C→ T variant and myocardial infarction, coronary artery occlusion, or both; 80 studies were included. Data extraction Data on genotype frequency and mean homocysteine concentrations by genotype were extracted. Odds ratios were calculated for TT genotype versus CC genotype. Heterogeneity was explored, with stratification by geographical region of the study samples, and meta-regression by difference in mean serum homocysteine concentrations (CC minus TT genotypes) was carried out. Results 26 000 cases and 31 183 controls were included. An overall random effects odds ratio of 1.14 (95% confidence intervals 1.05 to 1.24) was found for TT versus CC genotype. There was strong evidence of heterogeneity (P < 0.001, I2 = 38.4%), which largely disappeared after stratification by geographical region. Odds ratios in Europe, Australia, and North America attenuated towards the null, unlike those in the Middle East and Asia. Conclusions No strong evidence exists to support an association of the MTHFR 677 C→T polymorphism and coronary heart disease in Europe, North America, or Australia. Geographical variability may be due to higher folate intake in North America and Europe or to publication bias. The conclusion drawn from previous meta-analyses that folic acid, through lowering homocysteine, has a role in prevention of cardiovascular disease is in some doubt.
On the Similarity of DNA Primary Sequences

We consider numerical characterization of graphical representations of DNA primary sequences. In particular we consider graphical representation of DNA of beta-globins of several species, including human, on the basis of the approach of A. Nandy in which nucleic bases are associated with a walk over integral points of a Cartesian x, y-coordinate system. With a so-generated graphical representation of DNA, we associate a distance/distance matrix, the elements of which are given by the quotient of the Euclidean and the graph theoretical distances, that is, through the space and through the bond distances for pairs of bases of graphical representation of DNA. We use eigenvalues of so-constructed matrices to characterize individual DNA sequences. The eigenvalues are used to construct numerical sequences, which are subsequently used for similarity/dissimilarity analysis. The results of such analysis have been compared and combined with similarity tables based on the frequency of occurrence of pairs of bases.
Impact of School Culture on Effectiveness of Secondary Schools With Disadvantaged Students

ABSTRACT Cultural differences between effective secondary schools and average secondary schools were investigated in terms of student participation in school affairs, teamwork, adaptation to school customers' demands, orderliness, continuous school improvement, and emphasis on academic achievement All the schools were populated primarily by disadvantaged students. The sample included 20 secondary schools in development towns in Israel—10 effective secondary schools (5 religious state schools and 5 nonreligious state schools) and 10 average secondary schools (5 religious state schools and 5 nonreligious state schools). The full-time teachers of the 20 schools involved were asked to complete a Perceived School Culture Inventory, and 66% returned questionnaires (N = 724). The results revealed that schools vary in their cultural dimensions, and this variation correlates with differences in student achievement.
Matched miRNA and mRNA signatures from an hESC-based in vitro model of pancreatic differentiation reveal novel regulatory interactions

Summary The differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to insulin-expressing beta islet-like cells is a promising in vitro model system for studying the molecular signaling pathways underlying beta cell differentiation, as well as a potential source of cells for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate many biological processes, including cellular differentiation. We studied the miRNA and mRNA expression profiles of hPSCs at five stages of in vitro differentiation along the pancreatic beta cell lineage (definitive endoderm, primitive gut tube, posterior foregut, pancreatic progenitor and hormone-expressing endocrine cells) in the context of samples of primary human fetal pancreas and purified adult islet cells using microarray analysis. Bioinformatic analysis of the resulting data identified a unique miRNA signature in differentiated beta islet cells, and predicted the effects of key miRNAs on mRNA expression. Many of the predicted miRNA–mRNA interactions involved mRNAs known to play key roles in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition process and pancreatic differentiation. We validated a subset of the predictions using qRT-PCR, luciferase reporter assays and western blotting, including the known interaction between miR-200 and ZEB2 (involved in epithelial–mesenchymal transition) and the novel interaction between miR-200 and SOX17 (a key transcription factor in specification of definitive endoderm). In addition, we found that miR-30d and let-7e, two miRNAs induced during differentiation, regulated the expression of RFX6, a transcription factor that directs pancreatic islet formation. These findings suggest that precise control of target mRNA expression by miRNAs ensures proper lineage specification during pancreatic development.
Alone Together

In two articles, Smits, Buekens, and du Plessis have argued that John Searle’s account of institutional facts suffers serious flaws and should be replaced with a reductive account they call “incentivization. ” We argue against their view in two ways. First, the specific flaws they find in Searle are based on misunderstandings. Second, “incentivization,” as they present it, fails as a reduction of strict collective actions and, thus, cannot account for institutional facts such as money or property.
Creating Gender Equality: Cross-National Gender Stratification and Mathematical Performance.

This study uses data on sex differences in the eight-grade mathematica performance of over 77 000 students in 19 countries, 1964 and 1982 data on such differences in 9 countries, and data on gender stratification of advanced educational and occupational opportunities to explore when and where gender will affect student's performance in mathematics. The analyses show that there is cross-national variation in the performance of mathematics and that it is related to variation in the gender stratification of educational and occupational opportunities in adulthood, that sex differences have declined over time, and that school and family factors leading to higher mathematical performance are less stratified by gender when women have more equal access to jobs and higher education
Retinal findings in systemic sclerosis: a comparison with nailfold capillaroscopic patterns

Objective: To determine the prevalence of retinal disease in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to characterise the findings of retinopathy. Additionally, to analyse the association of retinal disease with other clinical/laboratory findings, particularly the findings of nailfold capillaries in patients with SSc. Methods: Photographs of the ocular fundi were taken and were evaluated by an ophthalmologist who was unaware of the SSc status of the patients. The nailfold capillaries were analysed with a dermatoscope. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (group A) or absence (group B) of retinal disease. Results: Retinal findings of the patients with SSc consisted of hard exudates, vascular tortuosity, microhaemorrhage, and macular degeneration. The prevalence of retinal disease among the patients with SSc was 34% (10/29), compared with 8%(3/38) among the controls (p=0.011). The mean systolic blood pressure and the age of the patients in group A were significantly higher than those in group B. However, there was no significant difference in the nailfold capillary damage between groups A and B. Conclusion: Retinal abnormalities are often seen in patients with SSc and they may reflect the vascular changes characteristic of SSc. However, retinal changes may differ in quality from the changes of nailfold capillaries.
Epidemiology of child deaths due to drowning in Matlab, Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND Although the recent decline in child mortality in Bangladesh is remarkable, death from causes other than infectious diseases and malnutrition remains an important component of child mortality. Death from drowning of children can be expected to be a problem in Bangladesh given the geographical features of the country. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study are to determine the trend, pattern, and correlates of drowning deaths. METHODS Data are presented on deaths of children (1-4 years) due to drowning derived from a longitudinal, population-based surveillance system in operation in a rural area of Bangladesh in 1983-1995. Moreover, a case-control study was carried out to identify the risk factors associated with drowning. RESULTS Deaths due to drowning ranged from about 10% to 25% of child deaths during 1983-1995. The absolute risk of dying from drowning remained almost the same over the study period but the proportion of drownings to all causes of death has increased. Drowning is especially prevalent in the second year of life. Age of the mother and parity have a significant impact on drowning. The risk of dying from drowning increases with the age of mother and much more sharply with the number of living children in the family. Two socioeconomic variables did not have an influence on the risk of drowning. CONCLUSIONS A substantial proportion of child deaths could be averted if parents and other close relatives paid more attention to the safety of children. The Child Health Programme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh should develop health education programmes for villagers alerting them to the dangers of drowning and measures to prevent it.
Spelling treatment for an individual with dysgraphia: Analysis of generalisation to untrained words

Background: Despite the fact that spelling impairments are common following left hemisphere injury, only a limited number of studies have examined effects of treatments for acquired spelling disorders. In general, following spelling treatment, individuals with spelling impairments related to the orthographic output lexicon have demonstrated improvements restricted to trained words, whereas individuals with impairments of the graphemic buffer demonstrate spelling improvements for both trained and untrained items. Aims: This study was designed to examine patterns of spelling generalisation following treatment in an individual whose spelling impairment related to disruption affecting at least these two stages in the spelling process. Methods & Procedures: Assessment of spelling abilities in one gentleman, NM, with severe agraphia indicated impairment related to the orthographic output lexicon and graphemic buffer stages of spelling. In a single subject experimental treatment design, we employed a copy and recall treatment for two sets of words trained sequentially, and examined generalisation of training improvements to untrained words with similar beginning or ending spellings and nonwords. Outcomes & Results: NM improved spelling of two sets of trained words. He also demonstrated generalised improvements in spelling some untrained whole words. Generalisation was greater for parts of untrained words that were similar in spelling to trained words, and was also greater for the beginnings compared to the endings of words. Conclusions: We contend that the pattern of spelling generalisation observed in NM implicates improvements affecting two stages of spelling. Greater improvements when spelling beginning or ending parts of untrained words with similar spellings to trained words implicates changes mediated by the orthographic output lexicon. Improvements for some untrained words and an advantage to beginning over ending spellings suggests strengthening of the graphemic buffer. These spelling improvements also led to a functional impact on NM's use of spelling in daily activities.
Development of communicative gestures in normally developing children between 8 and 18 months: An exploratory study

Children who have not developed speech tend to use gestures to communicate. Since gestures are not encouraged and suppressed in the Indian traditional context while speaking, this study focused on profiling the developing gestures in children to explore whether they use the gestures before development of speech. Eight normally developing 8-month-old children served as participants, who were followed up till the age of 18 months. Mother–child interactions were video-recorded and analyzed for deictic and representational gestures. The age of emergence and representational gestures in this study were relatively diverse from those in the Western studies; furthermore, representational gestures were unique and depended on the culture and mothers’ input.
Self-regulation from a process perspective.

Abstract. The first aim of this study was to analyze self-regulation from a process perspective. Therefore, a process model of self-regulation (Schmitz & Wiese, 2006) was described, postulating state components of self-regulation in three learning phases. The relationships within the model were investigated by means of univariate and multivariate time-series analyses based on process data collected through learning diaries. The second aim was to evaluate an intervention study with 8th-grade students as an example for training evaluation based on process data. The whole sample consisted of 249 8th-grade students; for time-series analyses a subsample of 66 students was used. The results concerning the first research question support the conceptualization of the process model and underline the process character of self-regulation as well as the state conceptualization of the model. The training evaluation results show that specifying the results of standard evaluations by means of control group comparison wi.
Unsupervised Modeling , Detection and Localization of Anomalies in Surveillance Videos

Most techniques today focus either on trajectory clustering or capturing intrinsic scene features to detect and identify the abnormal content in videos. On lines similar to the latter paradigm, we model the usual and dominant behavior of videos using unsupervised probabilistic topic models, as complement of which we identify the “anomalous” ones. Through this paper, we make the following contributions: (a) We design the visual vocabulary by incorporating the location and size information with quantized spatio-temporal descriptors, which is particularly relevant for static camera scenes. The visual clips over this vocabulary are then represented in latent topic space using models like pLSA. (b) We propose an algorithm to quantify the anomalous content in a video clip by projecting the information learned from training on to the clip. (c) Based on the algorithm, we finally detect whether the video clip is abnormal or not and if positive, further localize the anomaly in spatio-temporal domain. The performance of our approach is demonstrated by experimental evaluation on surveillance video dataset.