Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incentives and participation in a medical survey.

BACKGROUND Questionnaire surveys are important for surveying the health and disease behaviour of the population, but recent years have seen a fall in participation. Our study tested whether incentives can increase participation in these surveys.MATERIAL AND METHOD We sent a questionnaire on risk factors for colorectal cancer (height, weight, smoking, self-reported diagnoses, family medical history) to non-screened participants in a randomised colonoscopy screening study for colorectal cancer: participants who were invited but did not attend for colonoscopy examination (screening-invited) and persons who were not offered colonoscopy (control group). The persons were randomised to three groups: no financial incentive, lottery scratch cards included with the form, or a prize draw for a tablet computer when they responded to the form. We followed up all the incentive groups with telephone reminder calls, and before the prize draw for the tablet computer.RESULTS Altogether 3 705 of 6 795 persons (54.5 %) responded to the questionnaire; 43.5 % of those invited for screening and 65.6 % of the control group (p < 0.001). The proportion that answered was not influenced by incentives, either among those invited for screening (42.4 % in the non-prize group, 45.5 % in the lottery scratch card group and 42.6 % in the prize draw group; p = 0.24), or in the control group (65.6 % in the non-prize group, 66.4 % in the lottery scratch card group and 64.7 % in the prize draw group; p = 0.69). Prior to reminder calls, 39.2 % responded. A further 15.3 % responded following telephone reminder calls (14.1 % of the screening-invited and 16.5 % of the control group; p < 0.001). INTERPRETATION Incentives did not increase participation in this medical questionnaire survey. Use of telephone reminder calls and telephone interviews increased participation, but whether this is more effective than other methods requires further study.
Interference Effects of a Purchase on Subsequent Advertising within the Category

Abstract This article investigates how the purchase of a brand affects consumers' responses to subsequent advertising in the product category. In heavily advertised product categories, ads suffer from competitive interference, meaning that the effectiveness is lowered for the individual ads. Therefore, marketers use recency planning, where the aim is to expose the ad as close as possible to the purchase. But this increases the risk that the ad is exposed closely after the purchase. This study finds that the purchase in itself exerts interference on subsequent advertising, affecting variables such as perception of new brand associations, ad credibility, ad attitude, and ad-related brand recall.
PERCEPTION OF THE EMOTIONAL CONTENT OF SPEECH BY CANADIAN AND MEXICAN CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, AND ADULTS

Abstract The study at hand was undertaken to assess and compare the respective abilities of Canadian and Mexican subjects to identify emotion in speech. Canadian and Mexican female teachers, speaking whatever words they wished in their own languages, attempted to simulate four emotional states (i.e., happiness, sadness, love, and anger). After the initial recording, these samples were passed through an electronic filter which removed the semantic content while leaving intact the tonal qualities of the speech. The filtered vocal expressions were played to Canadian and Mexican subjects 5, 9, 13, 17, 25,45, and 65 years of age. From 5 through 25, there was a progressive increase with age in ability to identify the emotion expressed. Ability did level off, however, and eventually even decreased (such that the 65 year-olds performed less accurately than the other adult groups). Overall, the Mexican subjects were significantly more sensitive to emotion in speech than their Canadian counterparts. As well, both C.
A theoretical basis for the major dimensions of personality

We argue that lexical studies of personality structure suggest the existence of six major dimensions of personality: (I) Surgency, (II) Agreeableness, (III) Conscientiousness, (IV) Emotional Stability, (V) Intellect/Imagination, and (VI) Honesty. We then propose a two‐part theoretical basis for these dimensions. First, Honesty and rotated variants of Agreeableness and Emotional Stability are interpreted in terms of three traits—fairness/non‐exploitation, forgiveness/non‐retaliation, and empathy/attachment—that underlie prosocial versus antisocial tendencies. Second, the Surgency, Conscientiousness, and Intellect/Imagination factors are interpreted as traits that involve active engagement within three domains of endeavour—social, task‐related, and idea‐related endeavour. Predictions that follow from these interpretations are tested and found to be supported. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ward and Siegert's Pathways Model of child sexual offending: a cluster analysis evaluation

In the Pathways Model of child sexual offending, Ward and Siegert originally hypothesised the existence of five pathways or subtypes of child molesters, each characterised by a unique configuration of psychological deficits. We administered a battery of 10 psychometric measures to a sample of 97 UK child molesters and then attempted to identify and validate five unique configurations using a k-means cluster analysis. The results suggested that a five-cluster resolution provided the best fit for the data. Three of the extracted clusters showed some resemblances to the pathways originally hypothesised by Ward and Siegert (namely the intimacy deficits, antisocial cognition, and multiple dysfunction pathways). However, two clusters did not fit comfortably with any of the predicted pathways proposed by Ward and Siegert. These two clusters were labelled ‘impulsivity’ and ‘boy predators’ to reflect their psychological vulnerabilities. We describe our findings with reference to future research, treatment implications, and a tentative reworking of the pathways model.
Hypertension and Obesity in Adults Living in a High HIV Prevalence Rural Area in South Africa

Hypertension and excess body weight are major risk factors of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in developing countries. In countries with a high HIV prevalence, it is unknown how increased antiretroviral treatment and care (ART) coverage has affected the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and hypertension. We conducted a health survey in 2010 based on the WHO STEPwise approach in 14,198 adult resident participants of a demographic surveillance area in rural South Africa to investigate factors associated with hypertension and excess weight including HIV infection and ART status. Women had a significantly higher median body mass index (BMI) than men (26.4 vs. 21.2 kg/m2, p<0.001). The prevalence of obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m2) in women (31.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 30.2–32.4) was 6.5 times higher than in men (4.9%, 95% CI 4.1–5.7), whereas prevalence of hypertension (systolic or diastolic blood pressure≥140 or 90 mm Hg, respectively) was 1.4 times higher in women than in men (28.5% vs 20.8%, p<0.001). In multivariable regression analysis, both hypertension and obesity were significantly associated with sex, age, HIV and ART status. The BMI of women and men on ART was on average 3.8 (95% CI 3.2–3.8) and 1.7 (95% CI 0.9–2.5) kg/m2 lower than of HIV-negative women and men, respectively. The BMI of HIV-infected women and men not on ART was on average 1.2 (95% CI 0.8–1.6) and 0.4 (95% CI -0.1–0.9) kg/m2 lower than of HIV-negative women and men, respectively. Obesity was a bigger risk factor for hypertension in men (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.99, 95% CI 2.00–4.48) than in women (aOR 1.64, 95% CI 1.39–1.92) and overweight (25≤BMI<30) was a significant risk factor for men only (aOR 1.53 95% CI 1.14–2.06). Our study suggests that, cardiovascular risk factors of hypertension and obesity differ substantially between women and men in rural South Africa.
The relationship between disposition and career success: A British study

The relationship of the Five-Factor Model of personality and general mental ability with extrinsic and intrinsic career success was investigated in a British sample of 308 white-collar workers. Extrinsic career success was associated with both experiential variables and dispositional variables, while intrinsic career success was almost exclusively associated with personality traits. General mental ability contributed to eventual, but not to organization-specific extrinsic career success; and neuroticism reduced both extrinsic career prospects and intrinsic career evaluations, while agreeableness reduced extrinsic career prospects but enhanced intrinsic career evaluations. However, in sharp contrast to hypotheses, conscientiousness primarily and extraversion secondarily were negatively associated with extrinsic career success. The findings are discussed with respect to extant knowledge and the British national cultural context.
Continuing professional development in context: teachers' continuing professional development culture in Germany and Sweden

This article investigates the continuing professional development (CPD) culture of teachers, and asks how it is influenced by properties of the school system. It reports the results of a questionnaire study with 418 secondary teachers from Sweden and Germany. The results show highly significant differences between Swedish and German teachers’ practice of and beliefs in teachers’ CPD. This implies a relevant effect of properties of the school system on the teachers’ CPD. The differences are explained by varying perceptions of sources of knowledge for CPD, the influence of different school governance instruments, and different historically developed role definitions of teachers in both countries.
Social class, families and the politics of educational advantage: the work of Dennis Marsden

Dennis Marsden was born in Huddersfield in 1933, was educated at a Grammar school and took a degree in Chemical Engineering at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, followed by National Service. He was the second son of a mill worker who headed a Methodist Chapel and came from a deeply moral family. He taught in a secondary modern school and the Salford Royal College of Advanced Technology, and worked at the Institute of Community Studies, founded by Michael Young. His interest in sociology was sparked by his reading of Beatrice Webb, Charles Booth and Richard Hoggart’s Uses of Literacy (Hoggart 1957) and Michael Young’s work in the East End – Family and Kinship in East London (Young and Willmott 1962). He wrote to Michael Young about his experiences of and views about education and was offered a job:
Effect of the medium composition on formation of amylase by Bacillus sp

Studies on the a -amylase synthesis was carried out with a moderately thermophilic, facultatively anaerobic Bacillus sp, isolated from soil samples. The cells were cultivated in a complex medium containing soluble starch or maltose as carbon source. The levels of the a -amylaseactivity detected in culture supernatants varied greatly with the type of carbon source used. Maltose, soluble starch and citrate stimulated a -amylaseformation. Addition of exogenous glucose repressed formation of a -amylase, demonstrating that a classical glucose effect was operative in this organism. The concentration of yeast extract was found to be important factor in the a -amylase synthesis bythe isolate.The activity of the enzyme increased between 2 and 5 g/L yeast extract concentration and then fell very rapidly beyond this point. The best concentration of peptone to a-amylase formation was found to be around 10g/L.
Nudity in Advertising: What Influence on Attention-Getting and Brand Recall?

Using experimentation, this paper validates the positive impact of nudity in advertising on attention getting, when model and respondent are sex opposite. It also shows that the increase in the generated attention reflects on brand recall. The paper demonstrates that the process of memorizing is, above all, emotional, and emphasizes the importance for advertisers to use a form of nudity which does not provoke rejection.
Compartmentalization of tolerance to endotoxin.

BACKGROUND Tolerance to endotoxin has been defined and analyzed either entirely in vivo or entirely in vitro. In contrast, the hyporeactivity of circulating leukocytes reported in patients with sepsis, and often referred to as the phenomenon of tolerance to endotoxin, is an ex vivo observation. Therefore, our objective was to set up an ex vivo model of tolerance to endotoxin. METHODS Mice were injected intravenously with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and their leukocytes, derived from different compartments, were challenged in vitro with LPS or heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC), for production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF). RESULTS Production of TNF was observed in in vitro cultures of bronchoalveolar cells, peritoneal cells, splenocytes, and whole-blood samples harvested from mice 1-3 h after injection of LPS. Bone marrow cells, in contrast, did not release TNF. In parallel, cells acquired tolerance to LPS within 1-3 h after in vivo injection of LPS. A dramatic decrease in the production of TNF, in response to LPS, was observed by use of circulating leukocytes, splenocytes, peritoneal cells, and bone marrow cells 24 h after injection of LPS. In contrast, LPS-induced production of TNF by bronchoalveolar cells was far less reduced. The kinetics of acquisition of tolerance and recovery were different for different compartments. Cross-tolerance with SAC did not parallel the phenomenon of tolerance to endotoxin that was observed by use of LPS. CONCLUSION These data show that tolerance to endotoxin, as monitored by ex vivo analysis, is compartmentalized and that bronchoalveolar cells are less likely than splenocytes, peritoneal cells, and bone marrow cells to develop tolerance to endotoxin.
Univalence criteria for linear fractional differential operators associated with a generalized Bessel function

In this paper our aim is to establish some generalizations upon the sufficient conditions for linear fractional differential operators involving the normalized forms of the generalized Bessel functions of the first kind to be univalent in the open unit disk as investigated recently by [{\sc E. Deniz, H. Orhan, H.M. Srivastava}, {\it Some sufficient conditions for univalence of certain families of integral operators involving generalized Bessel functions}, Taiwanese J. Math. {\bf 15} (2011), No. 2, 883-917] and [{\sc \'A. Baricz, B. Frasin}, {\it Univalence of integral operators involving Bessel functions}, Appl. Math. Letters {\bf 23} (2010), No. 4, 371--376]. Our method uses certain Luke's bounding inequalities for hypergeometric functions ${}_{p+1}F_p$ and ${}_pF_p$.
Correlations between the intrauterine metabolic environment and blood pressure in adolescent offspring of diabetic mothers.

OBJECTIVE To investigate associations between maternal diabetes and blood pressure (BP), obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, and serum lipids in offspring and whether these parameters correlate with metabolism during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN Body mass index, BP, serum glucose, and insulin during an oral glucose tolerance test, and lipid concentrations were measured in 99 offspring of diabetic mothers (ODM) and 80 members of a control group. RESULTS ODM were more obese (body mass index 22.5 +/- 5.6 vs 20.3 +/- 4.0 kg/m(2)) and had higher systolic (8 mm Hg) and mean arterial BP (4 mm Hg) but similar diastolic BP compared with the control group. ODM had higher 2-hour glucose (6.6 +/- 1.3 vs 5.7 +/- 0.9 mmol/L) and insulin (580 +/- 544 vs 377 +/- 239 pmol/L) concentrations but lower fasting concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (2.54 +/- 0.67 vs 2.82 +/- 0.70 mmol/L) and total cholesterol (4.01 +/- 0.80 vs 4.40 +/- 0.78 mmol/L). In both groups body mass index, triglycerides, and fasting and 2-hour glucose concentrations showed correlations with BP measurements. Fasting insulin was correlated with BP readings only in the ODM. Correlations were found between second- and third-trimester maternal free fatty acid concentrations and diastolic and mean arterial BP. Third-trimester beta-hydroxybutyrate was correlated with mean arterial BP. CONCLUSIONS In ODM, abnormalities in weight and glucose tolerance are associated with abnormal maternal metabolism. Higher BP is an additional abnormality associated with fetal overnutrition.
State and evolution of the African rainforests between 1990 and 2010

This paper presents a map of Africa's rainforests for 2005. Derived from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer data at a spatial resolution of 250 m and with an overall accuracy of 84%, this map provides new levels of spatial and thematic detail. The map is accompanied by measurements of deforestation between 1990, 2000 and 2010 for West Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar derived from a systematic sample of Landsat images—imagery from equivalent platforms is used to fill gaps in the Landsat record. Net deforestation is estimated at 0.28% yr−1 for the period 1990–2000 and 0.14% yr−1 for the period 2000–2010. West Africa and Madagascar exhibit a much higher deforestation rate than the Congo Basin, for example, three times higher for West Africa and nine times higher for Madagascar. Analysis of variance over the Congo Basin is then used to show that expanding agriculture and increasing fuelwood demands are key drivers of deforestation in the region, whereas well-controlled timber exploitation programmes have little or no direct influence on forest-cover reduction at present. Rural and urban population concentrations and fluxes are also identified as strong underlying causes of deforestation in this study.
Feeding suppression by fibroblast growth factor‐1 is accompanied by selective induction of heat shock protein 27 in hypothalamic astrocytes

It has been suggested that fibroblast growth factor (FGF)‐1 serves as a physiological satiety factor in the hypothalamus, although the molecular mechanism underlying such a function is poorly understood. To gain additional insight into this issue, we used a Sendai virus (SeV) gene expression system in rats to explore genes differentially expressed subsequent to expression of FGF‐1. Using cDNA arrays, we determined that infusion of FGF‐1/SeV into one lateral ventricle induced selective expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 27 in the hypothalamus. Whereas FGF‐1 expression was restricted to the ependymal cell layer of the cerebral ventricles, HSP27 was more widely expressed in astrocytes residing in the surrounding periventricular region. Similarly, infusion of FGF‐1 polypeptide into a lateral ventricle induced dose‐dependent HSP27 expression in periventricular astrocytes surrounding the third ventricle, with maximum mRNA levels being attained 6 h after infusion. This induction of HSP27 was accompanied by a significant suppression of feeding behaviour. Interestingly, suppression of feeding caused by intracerebro ventricular infusion of ciliary neurotrophic factor was also accompanied by induction of HSP27 in periventricular astrocytes, but suppression of feeding caused by infusion of leptin was not. It therefore appears that suppression of feeding by FGF‐1 is accompanied by selective induction of HSP27 expression in hypothalamic astrocytes surrounding the third ventricle, and that this response may be a key component of the mechanism by which appetite is regulated by FGF‐1.
Learner variables and problems perceived by students: an investigation of a college interpreting programme in China

Abstract This paper investigates the interplay between learner variables and perceptions of problems in a tertiary interpreter training programme in China. Seventy-seven students participated in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied. The study sketches out the basic profile of learners' perceptions of problems and explores the different perceptions of problems in relation to individual learner variables. The findings of the study suggest that learner variables, including gender, major, family background, language self-evaluations, interest, confidence, etc., had an impact on students' learning of interpreting. It could thus be concluded that special attention should be paid to learner variables and language needs in interpreting classrooms and further research on individual learner variables and specific learning problems is recommended.
Lung cancer screening: rationale and background

Abstract The poor outcome in symptomatic lung cancer patients and the much better prognosis when lung cancer is diagnosed and treated at early asymptomatic stages call for screening. As lung cancer predominantly affects smokers and individuals exposed to other carcinogens, screening programs need not include the whole population but only these risk groups. Every screening program will tend to better identify the more indolent tumours that grow slowly enough to be detected by screening before symptoms develop, whereas aggressive fast-growing tumours may present as interval cancers despite screening (length-time bias). Some malignant tumours detected with screening may never cause the person’s death due to competing causes for death, particularly in heavy smokers, such as cardiovascular disease or other cancers (overdiagnosis bias). If a cancer is still lethal despite detection through screening, the affected individual may live longer with the diagnosis of cancer but not longer altogether (lead-time bias). It is likely that this will have a negative effect on that individual’s quality of life. Participation in screening programs may have beneficial as well as adverse effects on smoking habits; in the worst case it may encourage people to continue smoking. Trials assessing chest radiography or sputum microscopy have not demonstrated a reduction in lung cancer mortality through screening, probably because the tests were not sensitive enough. computed tomography promises better sensitivity. Other modern tests such as fibre optic bronchoscopy, analysis of molecular markers or genetic testing in serum, sputum or exhaled air are not yet ready for clinical practice.
Acute periprosthetic knee infection: is there still a role for DAIR?

Background and aim of the work: Periprosthetic knee infection is a rare complication associated with prosthetic failure; incidence change from 0,4-2% of primary total knee replacement and 5.6% in revisions. Indications for debridment, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) are early acute infections or acute delayed infection. Aim of the work is to check if this technique is still a successful in early infections. Methods: We have analyzed recent literature data on DAIR and all DAIR procedures in our clinic in the last 10 years, the mean time between onset of symptoms and surgery, the mean antibiotic therapy duration and results we have obtained. We evaluate the diagnostic process and different treatments in early knee periprosthetic infections, especially the DAIR approach. Results: If correct indications are followed, DAIR has a success rate in 31-100% of the cases; if it is applied in late chronic infection the success rate is 28-62%. In our experience DAIR has an 80% success rate: in 20 patients treated with DAIR we had 4 failures. Conclusions: DAIR can be considered a successful treatment, but it depends from individual patient factors, from the microorganisms involved, from the duration of antibiotic therapy and from correct choice in timing and in execution of DAIR by the orthopedic surgeon. (www.actabiomedica.it)