Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effectiveness of integrated health information technologies across the phases of medication management: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded an evidence report to address seven questions on multiple aspects of the effectiveness of medication management information technology (MMIT) and its components (prescribing, order communication, dispensing, administering, and monitoring). MATERIALS AND METHODS Medline and 11 other databases without language or date limitations to mid-2010. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing integrated MMIT were selected by two independent reviewers. Reviewers assessed study quality and extracted data. Senior staff checked accuracy. RESULTS Most of the 87 RCTs focused on clinical decision support and computerized provider order entry systems, were performed in hospitals and clinics, included primarily physicians and sometimes nurses but not other health professionals, and studied process changes related to prescribing and monitoring medication. Processes of care improved for prescribing and monitoring mostly in hospital settings, but the few studies measuring clinical outcomes showed small or no improvements. Studies were performed most frequently in the USA (n=63), Europe (n=16), and Canada (n=6). DISCUSSION Many studies had limited description of systems, installations, institutions, and targets of the intervention. Problems with methods and analyses were also found. Few studies addressed order communication, dispensing, or administering, non-physician prescribers or pharmacists and their MMIT tools, or patients and caregivers. Other study methods are also needed to completely understand the effects of MMIT. CONCLUSIONS Almost half of MMIT interventions improved the process of care, but few studies measured clinical outcomes. This large body of literature, although instructive, is not uniformly distributed across settings, people, medication phases, or outcomes.
Identification of Test Structures for Reduced Order Modeling of the Squeeze Film Damping in Mems

In this study the dynamic behaviour of perforated microplates oscillating under the effect of squeeze film damping is analyzed. A numerical approach is adopted to predict the effects of damping and stiffness transferred from the surrounding ambient air to oscillating structures; the effect of hole’s cross section and plate’s extension is observed. Results obtained by F.E. M. models are compared with experimental measurements performed by an optical interferometric microscope.
Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma Postoperative Radiotherapy Does Not Improve Survival

ObjectiveThe aims of this analysis were to determine prospectively the effects of surgical resection and radiation therapy on the length and quality of survival as well as late toxicity in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. BackgroundRetrospective analyses have suggested that adjuvant radiation therapy improves survival in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. However, in these reports, patients receiving radiotherapy tended to have smaller, often resectable tumors, and were relatively fit. In comparison, patients who have not received radiotherapy often had unresectable tumors, metastatic disease, or poor performance status. MethodsFrom 1988 through 1993, surgically staged patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma and 1) no evidence of metastatic disease, 2) Karnofsky score >60,3) no prior malignancy or radiotherapy, and 4) a patent main portal vein were analyzed. Fifty patients were stratified by resection (n = 31) versus operative palliation (n = 19) and by radiation (n = 23) versus no radiotherapy (n = 27). ResultsPatients undergoing resection had smaller tumors (1.9 ± 2.8 vs. 2.4 ± 2.1 cm, p < 0.01) that were less likely to invade the hepatic artery (3% vs. 42%, p < 0.05) or portal vein (6% vs. 53%, p < 0.05). Multiple parameters that might have affected outcome were similar between patients who did and did not receive radiation therapy. Resection improved the length (24.2 ± 2.5 vs. 11.3 ± 1.0 months, p < 0.05) and quality of survival. Radiation had no effect on the length (18.4 ± 2.9 vs. 20.1 ± 2.4 months) or quality of survival or on late toxicity. ConclusionsThis analysis suggests that in patients with localized perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, resection prolongs survival whereas radiation has no effect on either survival or late toxicity. Thus, new agents or strategies to deliver adjuvant therapy are needed to improve survival in these patients.
Systems analysis of transcription factor activities in environments with stable and dynamic oxygen concentrations

Understanding gene regulation requires knowledge of changes in transcription factor (TF) activities. Simultaneous direct measurement of numerous TF activities is currently impossible. Nevertheless, statistical approaches to infer TF activities have yielded non-trivial and verifiable predictions for individual TFs. Here, global statistical modelling identifies changes in TF activities from transcript profiles of Escherichia coli growing in stable (fixed oxygen availabilities) and dynamic (changing oxygen availability) environments. A core oxygen-responsive TF network, supplemented by additional TFs acting under specific conditions, was identified. The activities of the cytoplasmic oxygen-responsive TF, FNR, and the membrane-bound terminal oxidases implied that, even on the scale of the bacterial cell, spatial effects significantly influence oxygen-sensing. Several transcripts exhibited asymmetrical patterns of abundance in aerobic to anaerobic and anaerobic to aerobic transitions. One of these transcripts, ndh, encodes a major component of the aerobic respiratory chain and is regulated by oxygen-responsive TFs ArcA and FNR. Kinetic modelling indicated that ArcA and FNR behaviour could not explain the ndh transcript profile, leading to the identification of another TF, PdhR, as the source of the asymmetry. Thus, this approach illustrates how systematic examination of regulatory responses in stable and dynamic environments yields new mechanistic insights into adaptive processes.
広島大学学術情報リポジトリ Hiroshima University Institutional Repository Title The Gaze-Cueing Effect in the United States and Japan : Influence of Cultural Differences in Cognitive Strategies on Control of Attention

Right © 2018 Takao, Yamani and Ariga. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Academic dishonesty in a global educational market: a comparison of Hong Kong and American university business students

Academic dishonesty in post‐secondary education is a widespread, insidious and global problem. Business educators hosting foreign students locally and teaching abroad more than ever need to understand the nuances and attitudes of different student populations and how these differences may manifest themselves in a course. This research contributes to the growing albeit still scanty body of literature demonstrating that significant cross‐national differences exist regarding students' attitudes, beliefs and propensities toward cheating. This study compares US and Hong Kong university business students on three areas: cheating behaviors and perceptions, relationships between academic dishonesty and gender, and prediction of academic dishonesty. A total of 443 usable surveys were collected in the USA and 622 in Hong Kong. Statistically significant differences are presented followed by discussion and implications.
Quantitative sensory testing and pain-evoked cytokine reactivity: comparison of patients with sickle cell disease to healthy matched controls

Abstract Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder associated with significant morbidity, which includes severe episodic pain, and, often, chronic pain. Compared to healthy individuals, patients with SCD report enhanced sensitivity to thermal detection and pain thresholds and have altered inflammatory profiles, yet no studies to date have examined biomarker reactivity after laboratory-induced pain. We sought to examine this relationship in patients with SCD compared to healthy control participants. We completed quantitative sensory testing in 83 patients with SCD and sequential blood sampling in 27 of them, whom we matched (sex, age, race, body mass index, and education) to 27 healthy controls. Surprisingly, few quantitative sensory testing differences emerged between groups. Heat pain tolerance, pressure pain threshold at the trapezius, thumb, and quadriceps, and thermal temporal summation at 45°C differed between groups in the expected direction, whereas conditioned pain modulation and pain ratings to hot water hand immersion were counterintuitive, possibly because of tailoring the water temperature to a perceptual level; patients with SCD received milder temperatures. In the matched subsample, group differences and group-by-time interactions were observed in biomarkers including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1ß, interleukin-4, and neuropeptide Y. These findings highlight the utility of laboratory pain testing methods for understanding individual differences in inflammatory cytokines. Our findings suggest amplified pain-evoked proinflammatory cytokine reactivity among patients with SCD relative to carefully matched controls. Future research is warranted to evaluate the impact of enhanced pain-related cytokine response and whether it is predictive of clinical characteristics and the frequency/severity of pain crises in patients with SCD.
A formal analysis of IEEE 802.11w deadlock vulnerabilities

Formal methods can be used to discover obscure denial of service (DoS) vulnerabilities in wireless network protocols. The application of formal methods to the analysis of DoS vulnerabilities in communication protocols is not a mature research area. Although several formal models have been proposed, they lack a clear and convincing demonstration of their usefulness and practicality. This paper bridges the gap between theory and practice, and shows how a simple protocol model can be used to discover protocol deadlock vulnerabilities. A deadlock vulnerability is the most severe form of DoS vulnerabilities, thus checking for deadlock vulnerabilities is an essential part of robust protocol design. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method through the discovery and experimental validation of deadlock vulnerabilities in the published IEEE 802.11w amendment to the 802.11 standard. We present the complete procedure of our approach, from model construction to verification and validation. An Appendix includes the complete model source code, which facilitates the replication and extension of our results. The source code can also be used as a template for modeling other protocols.
Monocytic differentiation of leukemic HL‐60 cells induced by co‐treatment with TNF‐α and MK886 requires activation of pro‐apoptotic machinery

The block of hematopoietic differentiation program in acute myeloid leukemia cells can be overcome by differentiating agent like retinoic acid, but it has several side effects. A study of other differentiation signaling pathways is therefore useful to predict potential targets of anti‐leukemic therapy. We demonstrated previously that the co‐treatment of HL‐60 cells with Tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) (1 ng/mL) and inhibitor of 5‐lipoxygenase MK886 (5 μm) potentiated both monocytic differentiation and apoptosis. In this study, we detected enhanced activation of three main types of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (p38, c‐Jun amino‐terminal kinase [JNK], extracellular signal‐regulated kinase [ERK]), so we assessed their role in differentiation using appropriate pharmacologic inhibitors. The inhibition of pro‐apoptotic MAPKs (p38 and JNK) suppressed the effect of MK886 + TNF‐α co‐treatment. On the other hand, down‐regulation of pro‐survival ERK pathway led to increased differentiation. Those effects were accompanied by increased activation of caspases in cells treated by MK886 + TNF‐α. Pan‐caspase inhibitor ZVAD‐fmk significantly decreased both number of apoptotic and differentiated cells. The same effect was observed after inhibition of caspase 9, but not caspase 3 and 8. To conclude, we evidenced that the activation of apoptotic processes and pathways supporting apoptosis (p38 and JNK MAPKs) is required for the monocytic differentiation of HL‐60 cells.
Labor Market Reform and Price Stability: An Application to the Euro Area

Central bankers frequently suggest that labor market reform may be beneficial for inflation management. This paper investigates this topic by simulating the effects of reductions in firing costs and unemployment benefits on inflation volatility in the Euro Area, using an estimated New Keynesian model with search and matching frictions. Qualitatively, changes in labor market policies alter the volatility of inflation in response to shocks, by affecting the volatility of the three components of real marginal costs (hiring costs, firing costs and wage costs). Quantitatively, we find, however, that neither policy is likely to have an important effect on inflation volatility, due to the small contribution of hiring and firing costs to inflation dynamics.
Journalism & armed conflict in Africa: the civil war in Sierra Leone

Unusually for discussions of the press in West Africa, this article is written by a journalist‐academic, who for a large part of 1990s worked for the Sierra Leonenan human rights newspaper For Di People,reporting on and analysing the civil war in Sierra Leone. Drawing on his experience, he sets out in detail the nature of accusations of bias against the local and foreign media in Sierra Leone, accusations made not only by interested parties, but also by a wide range of readers or listeners, and which have been seen as materially affecting the course of the war and attempts at mediation and peace‐making. A variety of reasons for vulnerability to such accusations are then examined, including the exigencies of war reporting, journalistic practice in Sierra Leone, the political economy of the press, and the problems created both by harsh government restrictions on press freedom and the media's response to them. The article argues that while there are instances of overt and calculated bias in reporting of the .
Neonatal Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells (pDCs) Display Subset Variation but Can Elicit Potent Anti-Viral Innate Responses

Neonates are highly susceptible to infectious diseases and defective antiviral pDC immune responses have been proposed to contribute to this phenomenon. Isolated cord blood pDCs innately responded to a variety of TLR7 and TLR9 dependent viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or herpes-simplex virus (HSV) by efficiently producing IFN-α, TNF-α as well as chemokines. Interestingly, following activation by CpGA, but not viruses, cord pDCs tend to survive less efficiently. We found that a hallmark of pDCs in neonates is an extended CD2+pDCs compartment compared to adult pDCs without affecting the antiviral IFN-α response. Within CD2+pDCs, we identified a subpopulation expressing CD5 and responsible for IL-12p40 production, however this population is significantly decreased in cord blood compared to adult blood. Therefore, neonatal pDCs clearly display variation in phenotype and subset composition, but without major consequences for their antiviral responses.
Rumen fill and digesta kinetics in lactating Friesian cows given two levels of concentrates with two types of grass silage ad lib

Four lactating Friesian cows with permanent cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were given early (EC)- or late (LC)-cut grass silage ad lib. , each with either 3 or 9 kg concentrate dry matter (DM)/d in a 4 x 4 Latin square design starting about 10 weeks after calving. Feed was offered twice daily at 08.30 hours and 15.30 hours. Periods lasted 5 weeks and measurements were made in the last 15 d. The higher amount of concentrates increased total DM intake but reduced silage DM intake and the fractional rate of degradation of silage-fibre DM. Later cutting date of silage had no effect on DM intake or the fractional rate of degradation of silage-fibre DM but reduced potential degradability of silage fibre. Dilution rate of CoEDTA in rumen fluid was greater during the day (eating period) than during the night (resting period). Dilution rates measured at the duodenum were lower than those measured in the rumen, but neither was affected by diet. Silage-particle passage rates were measured by use of ytterbium-labelled silage fibre (Yb-fibre) and chromium-mordanted faecal particles (Cr-faeces) and samples were taken at the duodenum and in the faeces. Values for slower rate constant (k1) and transit time were higher and for faster rate constant (k2) were lower for Yb-fibre than for Cr-faeces, but differences in total mean retention time were inconsistent. Values for k1 for both markers and k2 for Yb-fibre only were similar at both sampling sites, but values for k2 for Cr-faeces were lower in the faeces. No diet effects were established with Yb-fibre but, with Cr-faeces, k1 was reduced by more concentrates and EC-silage. Daily mean weights of wet digesta, liquid, neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) and indigestible NDF in the rumen were greater with LC-silage but were unaffected by the amount of concentrates whereas weight of rumen DM was increased by the amount of concentrates only. Maximum rumen fill occurred at 18.00 hours with all diets. Particle-size distribution of rumen contents did not vary markedly during the day. Mean particle size was generally greater with LC-silage than EC-silage. Very small particles, passing through the 0.3 mm screen, constituted about half the rumen DM. It is concluded that rumen fill could have limited intake of LC-silage but not EC-silage. The reduced silage intake with greater concentrate intake was associated with a reduction in fibre degradation rate and an increase in rumen DM fill but no other consistent effects on weight or kinetics of rumen fractions were established.
Learning nonnative names: The effect of poor native phonological awareness

This research investigates the influence of phonological awareness on the learning of vocabulary in a foreign language. Thirty-seven Chinese-speaking third graders with high phonological awareness and 37 with low phonological awareness participated in multitrial word learning tasks involving nonnative sounding (English) new names paired with novel referents. The children also participated in three additional associative learning tasks: learning to associate novel native sounding names, familiar native names, and unfamiliar visual shapes with unfamiliar referents. Results indicated that children with lower phonological awareness learned both the novel nonnative names and the novel native names less accurately than children with higher phonological awareness and required more learning trials. However, these two groups did not differ in learning to associate familiar names or unfamiliar visual shapes with novel referents. The findings suggest that poor phonological awareness might slow nonnative acquisition of vocabulary via difficulty in constructing new phonological representations for new words.
Neurosciences and Group Analysis

This article presents a critical overview of the most recent advances in the neurosciences, considering some of the mental phenomena that arise within the therapeutic situation of group analysis. The aim is to show the neurosciences as an extremely stimulating source of material that might permit a reorganization of our knowledge of psychodynamics and above all an everlasting source of reflection on the clinical work of group analysis.
Courting Disaster: Intimate Stalking, Culture and Criminal Justice

In this fi rst book on the subject by a sociologist, Dunn offers a wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and sensitive examination of the lived experience of intimate stalking victimization. In exploring the ways in which we socially construct and confer meaning upon intimate violence, the author draws upon interviews with stalkers and victims, courtroom testimony, analyses of case reports, and an independent survey instrument that reveals ambivalence of the prevailing culture to the problem. Courting Disaster will be valuable in women's studies and counseling courses and a useful text in sociology and criminology.
Questioning in Chinese University EL Classrooms

This paper reports the findings of a study examining classroom questioning behavior and its impacts on students' development. A triangulation was conducted to collect data: observations of nine university English lessons, semi-structured interviews with six teachers and focus group discussions with three groups of students. The data showed that many of the questions asked were lower cognitive questions and that they were mostly answered in chorus or by teacher nomination. The findings revealed that questioning was employed by the teachers to check text comprehension, hold the students' attention on the texts, to enhance and protect teacher's and students' face, to maintain classroom discipline, to establish teacher authority, and to gain student respect and acceptance. The results indicate that the questioning behavior identified is likely to have potential negative impact on the students. Tentative suggestions are made for improving questioning style to fit the Chinese educational reform agenda.
Documento de Trabajo-2017 / 08 Great Recession and Disability Insurance in Spain

In this paper, we exploit the strong incidence of the Great Recession in Spain to estimate the effect of economic conditions on participation in Disability Insurance (DI). Using individual panel data, we show that increases in the local unemployment rate are associated with a reduction in the individual probability to enter the DI program during the Great Recession in Spain. Using aggregate data on applications, we show that this procyclical behavior of DI awards comes from an increase in the proportion of applications that are denied. Thus, contrary to the previous literature that has extensively reported a countercyclical behavior of DI participation, our results provide new evidence that, in periods of extremely recessionary conditions, DI participation may turn procyclical. JEL classification: H55; I10; J14
Gelsius: A Literature-Based Workflow for Determining Quantitative Associations between Genes and Biological Processes

An effective knowledge extraction and quantification methodology from biomedical literature would allow the researcher to organize and analyze the results of high-throughput experiments on microarrays and next-generation sequencing technologies. Despite the large amount of raw information available on the web, a tool able to extract a measure of the correlation between a list of genes and biological processes is not yet available. In this paper, we present Gelsius, a workflow that incorporates biomedical literature to quantify the correlation between genes and terms describing biological processes. To achieve this target, we build different modules focusing on query expansion and document cononicalization. In this way, we reached to improve the measurement of correlation, performed using a latent semantic analysis approach. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first complete tool able to extract a measure of genes-biological processes correlation from literature. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed workflow on six biological processes and a set of genes, by showing that correlation results for known relationships are in accordance with definitions of gene functions provided by NCI Thesaurus. On the other side, the tool is able to propose new candidate relationships for later experimental validation. The tool is available at http://bioeda1.polito. it:8080/medSearchServlet/.