Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patients Affected by Unmethylated O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Glioblastoma Undergoing Radiochemotherapy May Benefit from Moderately Dose-Escalated Radiotherapy

Purpose To compare the therapeutic results of two radiotherapy (RT) dose schedules in combined temozolomide- (TMZ-) RT treatment in newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GB), according to the O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation status. Material and Method Patients received either standard (60 Gy) or moderately escalated dose (70 Gy) radiotherapy (RT) with concomitant and adjuvant TMZ between June 2006 and October 2013. We retrospectively evaluated the therapeutic effectiveness of RT schedules in terms of Overall Survival (OS) and Progression-Disease Free Survival (PDFS) analyzing the MGMT methylation status. Results One hundred and seventeen patients were selected for the present analysis. Seventy-two out of the selected cases received the standard RT-TMZ course (SDRT-TMZ) whereas the remaining 45 underwent the escalated schedule (HDRT-TMZ). The analysis according to the MGMT promoter methylation status showed that, in unmethylated-MGMT GB patients, HDRT-TMZ and SDRT-TMZ groups had different median OS (p = 0,01) and PDFS (p = 0,007), that is, 8 months and 5 months for the SDRT-TMZ group and 14 months and 9 months for the HDRT-TMZ group, respectively. No difference in survival outcomes was found in methylated MGMT patients according to the two RT schedules (p = 0,12). Conclusions In our experience, unmethylated-MGMT GB patients benefited from a moderately escalated dose of RT plus TMZ.
EFFECT OF ORAL N-ACETYLCYSTEINE TREATMENT ON PLASMA INFLAMMATORY AND OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS IN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS PATIENTS: A PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY

♦ Background: Inflammation and oxidative stress (OS) are cardiovascular risk factors in patients with chronic kidney disease. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a thiol-containing antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to reduce the number of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients. ♦ Methods: The current study aimed to determine the effect of oral NAC (2 × 600 mg/daily) on plasma levels of inflammatory and OS markers in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We performed a placebo-controlled study over 8 weeks in 30 patients (40% males, age 52 ± 13 years) on regular PD. Before the study was started, the patients were divided into 2 groups of 15 patients matched for age and gender. 22 patients completed the study (12 on NAC, 10 on placebo). Proinflammatory cytokines [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and pentraxin 3] and markers of OS (pentosidine, advanced oxidation protein products, homocysteine, glutathione, asymmetric dimethylarginine, and free sulfhydryls) were measured before and after treatment with NAC. ♦ Results: Treatment with NAC for 8 weeks increased mean baseline plasma NAC levels from 2.6 to 24.8 μmol/L (p = 0.007). This intervention, which caused no side effects, significantly diminished IL-6 levels, from 9.4 (4.5 – 31) to 7.6 (4.9 – 13.5) pg/mL (p = 0.006), whereas no such changes were observed in the placebo group. NAC treatment did not significantly affect the other inflammatory and OS markers. ♦ Conclusion: Short-term oral NAC treatment resulted in reduction of circulating IL-6, suggesting that such treatment could be a useful strategy in blunting the inflammatory response in PD patients.
TMD and GOHAI indices of Brazilian institutionalised and community-dwelling elderly.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Considering the controversy in the literature regarding several aspects of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) in elderly populations and the absence of reliable data on elderly Brazilians in this field, this study consisted of an evaluation of TMD prevalence and the self-perception of oral health among institutionalised and community-dwelling elderly in São José dos Campos, Brazil. METHODS Two hundred and fifteen community-dwelling and 185 institutionalised elderly people were evaluated by the Helkimo anamnestic (Ai) and clinical dysfunction (Di) indices and answered a questionnaire using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). RESULTS The major prevalence of TMD symptoms was for the Ai0 (symptom-free) group (69.5%), while the major prevalence of clinical signs was for the DiI (mild) group (56%). Women presented a higher AiII classification than men (chi(2) test, p = 0.049). Community-dwelling elderly presented a significantly lower Ai0 classification than the institutionalised ones (Two ratios equality test, p < 0.001). There was no relationship between the institutionalised status and the clinical dysfunction index for Di0 and DiIII classification (Two ratios equality test, p = 0.194 and 0.535 respectively). The institutionalised elderly presented greater (One-way ANOVA = 0.005) self-perception of oral health (33.45) than did the community-dwelling group (32.66). There were only weak Pearson's correlations among the anamnestic (-33.0%) or clinical (-14.7%) findings by the TMD and GOHAI indices. Symptom-free (Ai0) institutionalised elderly presented better scores in all GOHAI dimensions and elderly representing an absence of clinical TMD signs (Di0) presented higher GOHAI physical dimension scores in both groups. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of TMD symptoms among this sample of elderly individuals was relatively low, self-perception of oral health was reasonable and a weak, inverse correlation was found between TMD signs and symptoms and elderly self-perception of oral health measured by the GOHAI index.
Evaluating Criteria for English Learner Reclassification: A Causal-Effects Approach Using a Binding-Score Regression Discontinuity Design with Instrumental Variables

When English learners are “reclassified” as fluent English proficient, often their instructional setting changes, including a significant reduction in or elimination of English language development services. Depending on a child's language skills, this instructional change could hinder future development or provide needed opportunities for learning advanced material. By establishing assessment-based guidelines for reclassification, policy makers have tremendous influence on when these settings change. The author highlights this policy lever for guiding reclassification decisions and identifies a method for rigorously evaluating whether the threshold for transitioning between settings is appropriate. This method—binding-score regression discontinuity with an instrumental variable—was then implemented to obtain unbiased effects of reclassification on academic outcomes for students on the cusp of meeting reclassification criteria to provide credible policy recommendations for maintaining or shifting assessment-based reclassification thresholds. The method detailed here can be used by policy makers to evaluate their own assessment-based guidelines.
Happiness Around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires

This is a review of the book “Happiness around the world: the paradox of happy peasants and miserable millionaires,” written by Carol Graham, and published in 2009 by Oxford University Press Inc., of New York, USA. This book’s major aim is to address what makes people happy from an economic point of view. The aim of the book is twofold: first, to address the shortcomings of economic assumptions and research methodologies and second, to introduce the lessons learned from happiness surveys into policy. The book is recommended to a broader diverse audience, including social scientists and economists. The book could also be of assistance to research methodologies for economists at large.
Comparative Study on Predictors of Maternal Confidence between Primipara and Multipara

Purpose: This study was done to investigate the predictors of maternal confidence between primipara and multipara mothers. Methods: The participants enrolled in this study were 145 mothers between 2 and 5 days postpartum. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, χ² test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The predictors of maternal confidence among primipara mothers were social support, self-esteem, mode of delivery (R²=.287, p＜.001). Whereas, gender of baby, antenatal fetal attachment, and educational status explained maternal confidence among multipara mothers (R²=.270, p＜.001). Conclusion: The results indicate that when nurses develop programs to encourage maternal confidence for new mothers, they should take into account the differences between predictors of maternal confidence according to the mothers’ experience of birth.
The Role of Templating in the Emergence of RNA from the Prebiotic Chemical Mixture

Biological RNA is a uniform polymer in three senses: it uses nucleotides of a single chirality; it uses only ribose sugars and four nucleobases rather than a mixture of other sugars and bases; and it uses only 3′-5′ bonds rather than a mixture of different bond types. We suppose that prebiotic chemistry would generate a diverse mixture of potential monomers, and that random polymerization would generate non-uniform strands of mixed chirality, monomer composition, and bond type. We ask what factors lead to the emergence of RNA from this mixture. We show that template-directed replication can lead to the emergence of all the uniform properties of RNA by the same mechanism. We study a computational model in which nucleotides react via polymerization, hydrolysis, and template-directed ligation. Uniform strands act as templates for ligation of shorter oligomers of the same type, whereas mixed strands do not act as templates. The three uniform properties emerge naturally when the ligation rate is high. If there is an exact symmetry, as with the chase of chirality, the uniform property arises via a symmetry-breaking phase transition. If there is no exact symmetry, as with monomer selection and backbone regioselectivity, the uniform property emerges gradually as the rate of template-directed ligation is increased.
Influence of Cellular ERα/ERβ Ratio on the ERα-Agonist Induced Proliferation of Human T47D Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer cells show overexpression of estrogen receptor (ER) α relative to ERβ compared to normal breast tissues. This observation has lead to the hypothesis that ERβ may modulate the proliferative effect of ERα. This study investigated how variable cellular expression ratios of the ERα and ERβ modulate the effects on cell proliferation induced by ERα or ERβ agonists, respectively. Using human osteosarcoma (U2OS) ERα or ERβ reporter cells, propyl-pyrazole-triol (PPT) was shown to be a selective ERα and diarylpropionitrile (DPN) a preferential ERβ modulator. The effects of these selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and of the model compound E2 on the proliferation of T47D human breast cancer cells with tetracycline-dependent expression of ERβ (T47D-ERβ) were characterized. E2-induced cell proliferation of cells in which ERβ expression was inhibited was similar to that of the T47D wild-type cells, whereas this E2-induced cell proliferation was no longer observed when ERβ expression in the T47D-ERβ cells was increased. In the T47D-ERβ cell line, DPN also appeared to be able to suppress cell proliferation when levels of ERβ expression were high. In the T47D-ERβ cell line, PPT was unable to suppress cell proliferation at all ratios of ERα/ERβ expression, reflecting its ability to activate only ERα and not ERβ. It is concluded that effects of estrogen-like compounds on cell proliferation are dependent on the actual ERα/ERβ expression levels in these cells or tissues and the potential of the estrogen agonists to activate ERα and/or ERβ.
Simple Analytics of the Government Expenditure Multiplier

This paper explains the key factors that determine the effectiveness of government purchases as a means of increasing output and employment in New Keynesian models, through a series of simple examples that can be solved analytically. Delays in the adjustment of prices or wages can allow for larger multipliers than exist in the case of fully flexible prices and wages; in a fairly broad class of simple models, the multiplier is 1 in the case that the monetary authority maintains a constant path for real interest rates. The multiplier can be considerably smaller, however, if the monetary authority raises real interest rates in response to increases in inflation or real activity resulting from the fiscal stimulus. A large multiplier is especially plausible when monetary policy is constrained by the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates; in such a case, expected utility is maximized by expanding government purchases to at least partially fill the output gap that would otherwise exist owing to the central bank's inability to cut interest rates. However, it is important in such a case that neither the increased government purchases nor the increased taxes required to finance them be expected to persist beyond the period over which monetary policy is constrained by the zero lower bound.
Stochastic variability in sponsored search auctions: observations and models

Sponsored search advertisement slots are currently sold via Generalized Second Price (GSP) auctions. Despite the simplicity of their rules, these auctions are far from being fully understood. Our observations on real ad-auction data show that advertisers usually enter many distinct auctions with different opponents and with varying parameters. We describe some of our findings from these observations and propose a simple probabilistic model taking them into account. This model can be used to predict the number of clicks received by the advertisers and the total price they can expect to pay depending on their bid, or even to estimate the players valuations, all at a very low computational cost.
Machine learning classification of resting state functional connectivity predicts smoking status

Machine learning-based approaches are now able to examine functional magnetic resonance imaging data in a multivariate manner and extract features predictive of group membership. We applied support vector machine (SVM)-based classification to resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) data from nicotine-dependent smokers and healthy controls to identify brain-based features predictive of nicotine dependence. By employing a network-centered approach, we observed that within-network functional connectivity measures offered maximal information for predicting smoking status, as opposed to between-network connectivity, or the representativeness of each individual node with respect to its parent network. Further, our analysis suggests that connectivity measures within the executive control and frontoparietal networks are particularly informative in predicting smoking status. Our findings suggest that machine learning-based approaches to classifying rsFC data offer a valuable alternative technique to understanding large-scale differences in addiction-related neurobiology.
Children's spoken word recognition and contributions to phonological awareness and nonword repetition: A 1-year follow-up

This study examined effects of lexical factors on children's spoken word recognition across a 1-year time span, and contributions to phonological awareness and nonword repetition. Across the year, children identified words based on less input on a speech-gating task. For word repetition, older children improved for the most familiar words. There was a competition effect for the word repetition task, but this effect was present only for the most familiar words on the gating task. Recognition for words from sparse neighborhoods predicted phonological awareness 1 year later, and children poorer at recognizing these words in Year 1 scored lower on word reading in Year 2. Spoken word recognition also accounted for unique variance in nonword repetition across the 1-year time span. Findings are discussed in terms of understanding the effects of vocabulary growth on spoken word recognition, phonological awareness, and nonword repetition.
Least and Greatest Fixed Points in Ludics

Various logics have been introduced in order to reason over (co)inductive specifications and, through the Curry-Howard correspondence, to study computation over inductive and coinductive data. The logic µMALL is one of those logics, extending multiplicative and additive linear logic with least and greatest fixed point operators. In this paper, we investigate the semantics of µMALL proofs in (computational) ludics. This framework is built around the notion of design, which can be seen as an analogue of the strategies of game semantics. The infinitary nature of designs makes them particularly well suited for representing computations over infinite data. We provide µMALL with a denotational semantics, interpreting proofs by designs and formulas by particular sets of designs called behaviours. Then we prove a completeness result for the class of "essentially finite designs" , which are those designs performing a finite computation followed by a copycat. On the way to completeness, we establish decidability and completeness of semantic inclusion.
The Effects of Auditory Stimulation on Auditory Processing Disorder: A Summary of the Findings

The study's purpose is to determine the efficacy of the Tomatis Method of auditory stimulation as a therapeutic intervention for Auditory Processing Disorders (APD). Forty-one subjects (18 females, 23 males; 4.3–19.8 years old) were evaluated for APD. Performance on standardized tests indicated weaknesses with auditory processing skills. Each subject participated in a 90-hour Tomatis Method protocol and, once completed, each subject was re-evaluated to measure improvement. All subjects demonstrated improvement with skills of immediate auditory memory, auditory sequencing, interpretation of directions, auditory discrimination, and auditory cohesion. Pre- and post-treatment comparison indicated statistically significant differences in the aforementioned skills. These findings suggest that the Tomatis Method of auditory stimulation can be effective as an intervention strategy for APD.
Duty-Hour Restrictions and the Work of Surgical Faculty: Results of a Multi-Institutional Study

Purpose To examine whether duty-hour restrictions have been consequential for various aspects of the work of surgical faculty and if those consequences differ for faculty in academic and nonacademic general surgery residency programs. Method Questionnaires were distributed in 2004 to 233 faculty members in five academic and four nonacademic U.S. residency programs in general surgery. Participation was restricted to those who had been faculty for at least one year. Ten items on the questionnaire probed faculty work experiences. Results include means, percentages, and t-tests on mean differences. Of the 146 faculty members (63%) who completed the questionnaire, 101 volunteered to be interviewed. Of these, 28 were randomly chosen for follow-up interviews that probed experiences and rationales underlying items on the questionnaire. Interview transcripts (187 single-spaced pages) were analyzed for main themes. Results Questionnaire respondents and interviewees associated duty-hour restrictions with lowered faculty expectations and standards for residents, little change in the supervision of residents, a loss of time for teaching, increased work and stress, and less satisfaction. No significant differences in these perceptions (p ≪ .05) were found for faculty in academic and nonacademic programs. Main themes from the interviews included a shift of routine work from residents to faculty, a transfer of responsibility to faculty, more frequent skill gaps at night, a loss of time for research, and the challenges of controlling residents’ hours. Conclusions Duty-hour restrictions have been consequential for the work of surgical faculty. Faculty should not be overlooked in future studies of duty-hour restrictions.
A Case for Homogeneity of Personality at the Occupational Level

The forces of attraction–selection–attrition have been hypothesized to create homogeneity of personality within organizations, and vocational choice theory predicts that these forces lead to a ‘modal personality’ within given occupations. This study compared the homogeneity of a set of personality characteristics for 6582 incumbents from eight organizations in eight occupations. The results indicated that (1) the homogeneity hypothesis was supported both within organizations as well as within occupations; and (2) the homogeneity within occupations was higher than that found in organizations.
Voiced fricatives in Dutch : sources and present-day usage

In Standard Dutch, i.e. Algemeen Nederlands, or AN for short, four voiced fricatives may occur in positions in which also their voiceless counterparts' can occur, viz. /v,z,),YI in initial and medial positions. 1 Since AN, like Frisian and German, is subject to Auslautverhartung (final devoicing), only the voiceless counterparts /f,s,J,x/ can occur in final position. In particular in areas north of the great rivers, i.e. the Rhine and the Waal, there are widespread tendencies to devoice the voiced fricatives (e.g. Cohen et al. 1972:34ff), which cause their phonemic position to be variable. In this article an impressionistic discussion will be presented of the historical development and the present-day status of voiced fricatives in AN, on the basis of the literature and the speech behaviour of a sample AN speaker. From this description it will appear that voiced fricatives are, for many speakers, phonological variables, with voiced and voiceless variants. Informal observation of the use of these variables. by different speakers would seem to warrant the conclusion that, within the Dutch speech community as a whole, there are differences of opinion about whether the voiced or the voiceless variants of these variables are part of the standard language. In this article, the notation ( ) will be used to represent a phonological variable, the notation I I to refer to a phonemic entity, and [ l either to variants of phonological variables, or to allophones of phonemes.
An Experimental Test of the Theory of Planned Behavior

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is one of the leading theories of health behavior, yet supporting evidence is exclusively based on correlational research. This study aims to test the TPB experimentally. N=579 participants were randomised to receive persuasive messages addressing salient beliefs elicited in a pilot study, following a 2 * 2 * 2 factorial design. Participants were randomised to a behavioral-belief-intervention (BBI) or not, a normativebelief-intervention (NBI) or not, and a control-belief-intervention (CBI) or not. The primary outcome was objectively recorded attendance at university sports facilities over 2 months; and the secondary outcomes were post-intervention TPB measures. Main effects of the BBI on attitudes and of the NBI on subjective norm, PBC, attitudes, and intentions were found. The CBI did not alter post-intervention cognitions, but was the only intervention to change behavior not mediated by cognitions. While the findings support the TPB's assumptions on intention formation, behavior change results are not in line with the theory and therefore further question the TPB's leading role in behavioral science.