Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of CA-125 to predict survival of patients with ovarian carcinoma. North Thames Cooperative Group.

The prognostic value of serum CA-125 measurements was assessed in 54 patients with advanced ovarian adenocarcinoma. All patients received a minimum of two courses of carboplatin as part of the North Thames Cooperative Group trial. With a minimum follow-up of 6 months, 37 patients (69%) have clinical evidence of progressive disease and 28 have died. The absolute prechemotherapy level of CA-125 was of no value in predicting which patients would develop progressive disease. However, the change in CA-125 levels from before chemotherapy to 1 month later, after one course of carboplatin, could be used to divide patients into different prognostic groups. The best discrimination was found by dividing the patients into those who showed a greater than sevenfold decrease in CA-125 levels and those who showed a smaller change. Eight of 14 (58%) patients with a greater than sevenfold decrease in CA-125 levels remain disease-free compared with three of 36 (9%) patients with a lesser fall (P = .0005). The change in CA-125 levels during the first month of chemotherapy may indicate which patients should be offered alternative or symptomatic therapy and which should continue with the currently available toxic chemotherapy.
Hiring Discrimination Against Arab Minorities: Interactions Between Prejudice and Job Characteristics

Individuals of Arab descent have increasingly experienced prejudice and employment discrimination. This study used the social identity paradigm to investigate whether greater Arab identification of applicants led to hiring discrimination and whether job characteristics and raters' prejudice moderated this effect. One hundred forty-one American and 153 Dutch participants rated résumés on job suitability. Résumés with Arab name and affiliations negatively influenced job suitability ratings, but only when job cognitive demands and external client contact were limited. Within the Dutch sample job suitability rating of Arab applicants was lowest when Dutch raters' implicit prejudice was high. As expected, no effects of explicit prejudice were found: discrimination may operate in subtle ways, depending on the combined effect of applicant, job, and rater characteristics. Further research and implications for employment-related decision making, such as anonymous résumé-sifting, are discussed.
Clarification of Students' Career Interests and Its Effect on Self-Concept

Given the importance of careers in Western society, surprisingly little attention has been given to career development as an integral part of adolescent psychological development. This study investigated the impact of clarifying career interests on adolescent self-concept. Fifty-five Year Nine students attending a rural high school took part in a school-based career development program. Pretest and post-test measures were taken utilising the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale. Two groups of students were allocated to a career intervention that involved a career interest test followed by specific career exploration, whereas a third group was allocated to a control condition. One intervention group was allocated to a longer period of exploration between the intervention and the post-test. A significant increase in self-concept scores was found for the longer exploration group. A similar trend was evident for the shorter exploration group, but this effect was not significant.
The Effectiveness of a Wireless Modular Bed Absence Sensor Device for Fall Prevention among Older Inpatients

Background Falls and fall-related injuries are increasingly serious issues among elderly inpatients due to population aging. The bed-exit alarm has only previously been evaluated in a handful of studies with mixed results. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of a modular bed absence sensor device (M-BAS) in detecting bed exits among older inpatients in a middle income nation in East Asia. Methods Patients aged ≥65 years on an acute geriatric ward who were able to mobilize with or without walking aids and physical assistance were recruited to the study. The total number of alarms and the numbers of true and false alarms were recorded by ward nurses. The M-BAS device is placed across the mattress of all consenting participants. Nurses’ workload was assessed using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) score, while nurses’ perceptions were surveyed. Results The sensitivity of the M-BAS was 100% with a positive predictive value of 68% and a nuisance alarm rate of 31%. There was a significant reduction in total NASA-TLX workload score (mean difference = 14.34 ± 13.96 SD, p < 0.001) at the end of the intervention period. 83% of the nurses found the device useful for falls prevention, 97% found it user friendly, and 87% would use it in future. Conclusion The M-BAS was able to accurately detect bed absence episodes among geriatric inpatients and alert nurses accordingly. The use of the device significantly reduced the total workload score, while the acceptability of the device was high among our nurses. A larger, cluster randomized study to measure actual falls outcome associated with the use of the device is now indicated.
“It's Mine!” Does Sharing with Siblings at Age 3 Predict Sharing with Siblings, Friends, and Unfamiliar Peers at Age 6?

Research Findings: Studies of children's prosocial behavior typically focus on prosocial acts with a specific partner (e.g., a friend, peer, or sibling), and comparisons of prosociality in different contexts are rare. To address this gap, the current study examined predictive links among children's spontaneous sharing (a common and important form of prosocial behavior) with siblings, friends, and unfamiliar peers. At ages 3 and 6 years, 81 children (48 boys) were filmed playing with an older sibling (44 brothers); at age 6 the children were also filmed playing with a best friend (at school) and with 2 unfamiliar peers (in a lab). Older siblings shared more frequently than the target children at the 1st time point, but this contrast was not apparent at the 2nd time point. Average rates of sharing with a sibling did not differ by gender at the 1st time point, but girls shared more frequently than boys at the 2nd time point. When effects of gender composition were controlled, early spontaneous sharing with an older sibling predicted later sharing with unfamiliar peers (but not with a friend). Practice or Policy: Learning to share with a sibling can help children acquire the prosocial skills needed to form positive relationships with their peers.
Syntactic Alignment is an Index of Affective Alignment: An Information-Theoretical Study of Natural Dialogue

We present an analysis of a treebank of spontaneous English dyadic conversations, investigating whether the degree of syntactic priming found across speakers is a function of the degrees of affective alignment and overall positivity of the speakers. We use information theory to measure the proportion of overlap between the syntactic structures of the speakers. The affective state of the speakers is indexed by aggregated measures of the affective valences of the words they use. We find that there is a positive relation between syntactic priming and affective alignment, over and above any lexical repetition effects. This constitutes evidence for the percolation of inter-speaker alignment across multiple levels of representation. This also illustrates the indexical value of syntactic alignment, as has been proposed in modern functional theories of grammar such as Dialogic Syntax.
USING WRAPAROUND TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES AND DISORDERS

There is considerable controversy in the research literature concerning meeting the needs of children and youth with Emotional and Behavioural Disorders (EBD). Collaborative models of service delivery have shown promising results in effectively meeting the needs of students with disabilities. The objective of this study was to examine the association between service providers’ adherence to the fundamental elements of a collaborative process called Wraparound and measures of students’ maladaptive behaviours, behavioural strengths, and functional impairment. The current research investigated 23 students who were experiencing impaired functioning in the school, family, and/or community as a result of behavioural difficulties. Twelve of the students were engaged in Wraparound services and 11 were receiving conventional services. Adherence to the elements of Wraparound was determined using the Wraparound Fidelity Index (WFI; Bruns et al., 2005), a structured interview with the student’s primary caregivers. Maladaptive behaviours, behavioural strengths, and functional impairment were assessed via the student’s teachers completing the Behaviour Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992), Behavioural and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS-2; Epstein, 2004), and the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS; Hodges, 2005), respectively. Results of this research indicated that, overall, the students who received Wraparound services showed higher fidelity to the elements of Wraparound and more favourable behavioural outcomes than did the students engaged in the conventional model of service delivery. The correlation analysis of the association between adherence to the elements of Wraparound and the student outcome measures showed mixed results. A strong association was observed with statistical significance for the element of Youth and Family Team on all three
Leadership and Volunteer Motivation

The aim of the present study is to provide a deeper understanding of how autonomy-supportive leadership affects volunteer motivation by taking volunteers’ individual differences into account. For this purpose, self-determination theory (SDT) was utilized because this conceptual framework considers both the social context (i.e., autonomy-supportive leadership) and individual differences (i.e., causality orientations) as antecedents of motivation. Causality orientations alter the way individuals perceive their social context as either autonomy-supportive or controlling (i.e., autonomy orientation or control orientation, respectively). Therefore, it is hypothesized that both types of causality orientations serve as moderators of the relationship between autonomy-supportive leadership and volunteer motivation. The hypotheses were tested on N = 1,979 volunteers. The results revealed that the relationship between autonomy-supportive leadership and volunteer motivation varied as a function of the strength of autonomy and control orientation. The importance of the moderating role of individual differences on volunteer motivation is discussed.
Comparing Citizens’ Trust in the Police Across European Countries

International comparative studies on citizens’ trust in the police have become more common. However, they generally tend to ignore the fundamental question of whether comparisons between countries are actually valid. We address this knowledge gap by conducting measurement equivalence tests on trust in the police within the framework of legal and political trust, arguing that a deviant position of trust in the police within this framework in a certain country indicates comparability issues. We analyze data from the European Social Survey in 26 European nations, finding that both trust in the police and trust in other institutions are empirically comparable within most, but not all, of Europe. We also note substantial variation across countries in levels of trust, especially in terms of differences between Eastern Europe and Western Europe. We conclude that future cross-national comparisons of citizens’ trust in institutions, and especially the police, should systematically account for equivalence issues to prevent invalid conclusions and should exercise constraint in including culturally very diverse countries.
Evaluation of patient perceptions and outcomes related to anticoagulation point-of-care testing in ambulatory care clinics

Until recently, Prothrombin Time/International Normalized Ratio (PT/INR) measurements have typically been used to monitor patients on warfarin through institutional laboratories via venous puncture. The Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) device has revolutionized the patient care process by allowing for laboratory testing outside of the central laboratory. Objective: To analyze humanistic and clinical outcomes in patients currently treated with warfarin and monitored through a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic using point-of-care testing (POCT) device versus venipuncture within ambulatory care clinics at our institution. Methods: All patients currently treated with warfarin therapy who were managed by clinical pharmacists for anticoagulation monitoring at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Family Medicine Center and University Diagnostic Center, were enrolled. Patients were asked to complete a satisfaction survey regarding their anticoagulation monitoring. In addition, data related to emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations and percent of time in the INR therapeutic range for 6 months pre- and post-implementation of POCT device was collected. This information was obtained through an electronic patient information database, Oacis. Results: A total of 145 patients were included in the data collection from the two clinics. The majority (41%) of these patients were taking warfarin for atrial fibrillation. Satisfaction surveys were completed by 86 (59 %) of patients. The surveys revealed that POCT device was preferred over venipuncture in 95% of patients. Reasons for the preference included more face-to-face interaction, less wait time, less pain, less blood needed, and quicker results. Of the 145 patients who were included in the objective data analysis, no significant differences were found in the number of hospitalizations, ED visits, or percent of time in the INR therapeutic range pre- and post-implementation of POCT device. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate improvement in patient satisfaction with POCT compared to venipuncture, with limited value in clinical outcomes.
The Influence of Multicultural Learning Communities on the Intrapersonal Development of First-Generation College Students

This longitudinal study of first-generation, low-income students considers the impact of their participation in a multicultural learning community designed to combat the isolation and marginalization they experience at a large Midwestern research university. The study explores the extent to which multicultural curriculum and critical pedagogy create avenues for intrapersonal self-authorship for historically marginalized students in a TRiO program. Findings indicate that intentionally drawing students’ lived experiences into the learning process and scaffolding opportunities to reflect on one’s multiple identities positively impacts development of the intrapersonal dimension of self-authorship.
Retransmission Delays With Bounded Packets: Power-Law Body and Exponential Tail

Retransmissions serve as the basic building block that communication protocols use to achieve reliable data transfer. Until recently, the number of retransmissions was thought to follow a geometric (light-tailed) distribution. However, recent work shows that when the distribution of the packet sizes have infinite support, retransmission-based protocols may result in heavy-tailed delays and possibly zero throughput even when the aforementioned distribution is light-tailed. In reality, however, packet sizes are often bounded by the maximum transmission unit (MTU), and thus the aforementioned result merits a deeper investigation. To that end, in this paper, we allow the distribution of the packet size L to have finite support. Under mild conditions, we show that the transmission duration distribution exhibits a transition from a power-law main body to an exponential tail. The timescale to observe the power-law main body is roughly equal to the average transmission duration of the longest packet. The power-law main body, if significant, may cause the channel throughput to be very close to zero. These theoretical findings provide an understanding on why some empirical measurements suggest heavy tails. We use these results to further highlight the engineering implications of distributions with power-law main bodies and light tails by analyzing two cases: 1) the throughput of on-off channels with retransmissions, where we show that even when packet sizes have small means and bounded support the variability in their sizes can greatly impact system performance; 2) the distribution of the number of jobs in an M/M/∞ queue with server failures. Here, we show that retransmissions can cause long-range dependence and quantify the impact of the maximum job sizes on the long-range dependence.
Microbiological quality of indoor air in university libraries.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the concentration of bacteria and fungi in the indoor environment of Jimma University libraries, so as to estimate the health hazard and to create standards for indoor air quality control. METHODS The microbial quality of indoor air of eight libraries of Jimma University was determined. The settle plate method using open Petri-dishes containing different culture media was employed to collect sample twice daily. Isolates were identified according to standard methods. RESULTS The concentrations of bacteria and fungi aerosols in the indoor environment of the university libraries ranged between 367-2595 CFU/m(3). According to the sanitary standards classification of European Commission, almost all the libraries indoor air of Jimma University was heavily contaminated with bacteria and fungi. In spite of their major source difference, the average fungi density found in the indoor air of libraries did appear to follow the same trend with bacterial density (P=0.001). The bacteria isolates included Micrococcus sp. , Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus sp. and Neisseria sp. while Cladosporium sp. , Alternaria sp. , Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. were the most isolated fungi. CONCLUSIONS The indoor air of all libraries were in the range above highly contaminated according to European Commission classification and the most isolates are considered as potential candidates involved in the establishment of sick building syndromes and often associated with clinical manifestations like allergy, rhinitis, asthma and conjunctivitis. Thus, attention must be given to control those environmental factors which favor the growth and multiplication of microbes in indoor environment of libraries to safeguard the health of users and workers.
Effect of acid etching on bond strength of nanoionomer as an orthodontic bonding adhesive

Aims: A new Resin Modified Glass Ionomer Cement known as nanoionomer containing nanofillers of fluoroaluminosilicate glass and nanofiller 'clusters' has been introduced. An in-vitro study aimed at evaluating shear bond strength (SBS) and adhesive remnant index (ARI) of nanoionomer under etching/unetched condition for use as an orthodontic bonding agent. Material and Methods: A total of 75 extracted premolars were used, which were divided into three equal groups of 25 each: 1-Conventional adhesive (Enlight Light Cure, SDS, Ormco, CA, USA) was used after and etching with 37% phosphoric acid for 30 s, followed by Ortho Solo application 2-nanoionomer (Ketac™ N100, 3M, ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA) was used after etching with 37% phosphoric acid for 30 s 3-nanoionomer was used without etching. The SBS testing was performed using a digital universal testing machine (UTM-G-410B, Shanta Engineering). Evaluation of ARI was done using scanning electron microscopy. The SBS were compared using ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey test for intergroup comparisons and ARI scores were compared with Chi-square test. Results: ANOVA (SBS, F = 104.75) and Chi-square (ARI, Chi-square = 30.71) tests revealed significant differences between groups (P < 0.01). The mean (SD) SBS achieved with conventional light cure adhesive was significantly higher (P < 0.05) (10.59 ± 2.03 Mpa, 95% CI, 9.74-11.41) than the nanoionomer groups (unetched 4.13 ± 0.88 Mpa, 95% CI, 3.79-4.47 and etched 9.32 ± 1.87 Mpa, 95% CI, 8.58-10.06). However, nanoionomer with etching, registered SBS in the clinically acceptable range of 5.9–7.8 MPa, as suggested by Reynolds (1975). The nanoionomer groups gave significantly lower ARI values than the conventional adhesive group. Conclusion: Based on this in-vitro study, nanoionomer with etching can be successfully used as an orthodontic bonding agent leaving less adhesive remnant on enamel surface, making cleaning easier. However, in-vivo studies are needed to confirm the validity of present findings.
Acute selective ablation of rat insulin promoter-expressing (RIPHER) neurons defines their orexigenic nature

Rat insulin promoter (RIP)-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus control body weight and energy homeostasis. However, genetic approaches to study the role of these neurons have been limited by the fact that RIP expression is predominantly found in pancreatic β-cells, which impedes selective targeting of neurons. To define the function of hypothalamic RIP-expressing neurons, we set out to acutely and selectively eliminate them via diphtheria toxin-mediated ablation. Therefore, the diphtheria toxin receptor transgene was specifically expressed upon RIP-specific Cre recombination using a RIP-Cre line first described by Herrera (RIPHER-Cre) [Herrera PL (2000) Development 127:2317–2322]. Using proopiomelanocortin–expressing cells located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and in the pituitary gland as a model, we established a unique protocol of intracerebroventricular application of diphtheria toxin to efficiently ablate hypothalamic cells with no concomitant effect on pituitary proopiomelanocortin–expressing corticotrophs in the mouse. Using this approach to ablate RIPHER neurons in the brain, but not in the pancreas, resulted in decreased food intake and loss of body weight and fat mass. In addition, ablation of RIPHER neurons caused increased c-Fos immunoreactivity of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Moreover, transsynaptic tracing of RIPHER neurons revealed labeling of neurons located in the PVN and dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus. Thus, our experiments indicate that RIPHER neurons inhibit anorexigenic neurons in the PVN, revealing a basic orexigenic nature of these cells.