Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Subgroup Data of Clinical Trials

Abstract Large randomized controlled clinical trials are the gold standard to evaluate and compare the effects of treatments. It is common practice for investigators to explore and even attempt to compare treatments, beyond the first round of primary analyses, for various subsets of the study populations based on scientific or clinical interests to take advantage of the potentially rich information contained in the clinical database. Although subjects are randomized to treatment groups in clinical trials, this does not imply the same degree of randomization among sub-populations of the original trials. Therefore, comparisons of treatments in sub-populations may not produce fair and unbiased results without properly addressing this issue. Covariate adjustments in regression analysis and propensity score matching are commonly used to address the non-randomized nature of the sub-populations issue with various degrees of success. However, further improvements to these methods are still possible. In this article, we propose an analysis strategy that shows improvement to conventional methods. Treatment effects and their differences are estimated after adjustment for background imbalances. Treatment groups are then compared using confidence intervals whose limits are determined using the Robbins–Monro stochastic approximation. Data from a recent clinical trial are used to illustrate the methodology.
Temperature, but not pH, compromises sea urchin fertilization and early development under near-future climate change scenarios

Global warming is causing ocean warming and acidification. The distribution of Heliocidaris erythrogramma coincides with the eastern Australia climate change hot spot, where disproportionate warming makes marine biota particularly vulnerable to climate change. In keeping with near-future climate change scenarios, we determined the interactive effects of warming and acidification on fertilization and development of this echinoid. Experimental treatments (20–26°C, pH 7.6–8.2) were tested in all combinations for the ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, with 20°C/pH 8.2 being ambient. Percentage of fertilization was high (>89%) across all treatments. There was no difference in percentage of normal development in any pH treatment. In elevated temperature conditions, +4°C reduced cleavage by 40 per cent and +6°C by a further 20 per cent. Normal gastrulation fell below 4 per cent at +6°C. At 26°C, development was impaired. As the first study of interactive effects of temperature and pH on sea urchin development, we confirm the thermotolerance and pH resilience of fertilization and embryogenesis within predicted climate change scenarios, with negative effects at upper limits of ocean warming. Our findings place single stressor studies in context and emphasize the need for experiments that address ocean warming and acidification concurrently. Although ocean acidification research has focused on impaired calcification, embryos may not reach the skeletogenic stage in a warm ocean.
From uh-oh to tomorrow: Predicting age of acquisition for early words across languages

Why do children learn some words earlier than others? Regularities and differences in the age of acquisition for words across languages yield insights regarding the mechanisms guiding word learning. In a large-scale corpus analysis, we estimate the ages at which 9,200 children learn 300-400 words in seven languages, predicting them on the basis of independently-derived linguistic, environmental, and conceptual factors. Predictors were surprisingly consistent across languages, but varied across development and as a function of lexical category (e.g., concreteness predicted nouns while linguistic structure predicted function words). By leveraging data at a significantly larger scale than previous work, our analyses highlight the power that emerges from unifying previously disparate theories, but also reveal the amount of reliable variation that still remains unexplained.
Fibromialgia e Estresse: explorando relações

The present study aimed to investigate possible correlations between stress, mental and physical disorders, and different forms of victimization in fibromyalgia patients (FM). The medical records of 16 patients who received treatment from both a physiotherapist and a psychologist were examined. The medical records included the results from psychological and physiotherapeutic assessments, general health information, economic indicators, as well as both transcripts and copies of videotaped and audiotaped therapy sessions. Additionally, the patients’ records included stress, anxiety and depression’s scores obtained at the beginning of treatment that were taken into consideration. The therapy sessions were analyzed and lifelong victimization events were classified in the following five categories: emotional neglect and abuse, physical abuse, sexual harassment and abuse. The patients were women between 22 and 73 years of age. All of them presented stress indicators. The analysis revealed significant correlations between tender points, stress, and anxiety. Emotional neglect and abuse during childhood and adulthood were the predominant categories in patients reports. Victimization categories in childhood were positively related to anxiety, depression and tender points. Early victimization and child labor were correlated with different medical conditions in adult life, while physical abuse was associated with pathologies of the muscular-skeletal system. A tentative proposal to integrate the observed correlations from the perspective of Behavior Analysis is presented.
Is Courtesy Enough? 'Solidarity' in Call Center Interactions

Polite self-presentation is expected of call center agents even through they must convey complex and unfavorable information speedily via the telephone. This study identified and evaluated the use of response strategies that are strongly associated with courtesy. Data were drawn from 587 stressful calls in a corpus of 3000 calls recorded at a large Singaporean insurance company call center. We adopted a grounded theory methodology together with a rich triangulation of qualitative (linguistic and rhetorical) and quantitative (scalar and correlational) methods. Tools for coding response strategies (independent variables)and courtesy (dependent variables) were developed via analyses of calls, interviews with call center agents and management, and a series of evaluations involving blind coding and subsequent consensus. We identified four categories of response strategies that are tightly related to each other and to courtesy: shows solidarity, anticipates needs, shows attentiveness, and asks for direction. Correlations and analysis of their enactment in stressful calls led us to propose solidarity expression - responses that engage the caller in search of meaning to work on the task as a team. We argue that solidarity expression challenges traditional views of politeness and is less about the presentation of self and more about enabling collaboration with the other.
The influence of aggregate microenvironment on the dissolution of oxazepam in ternary surfactant interactive mixtures

The purpose of this research was to test the hypothesis that the dissolution rate of oxazepam in interactive mixtures was dependent on the influence of surfactant within the microenvironment of mixed oxazepam‐surfactant aggegrates produced during dissolution. The studies utilised both powder and intrinsic dissolution methodology; spectrophotometric assays were developed and validated and dissolution data were modelled using multi‐exponential equations and dissolution rate constants estimated using non‐linear least squares algorithms. For a series of water‐soluble ternary additives to the oxazepam interactive mixture, sodium lauryl sulfate and cetrimide were shown not only to decrease aggregation through enhanced dispersion, but also to increase the dissolution rate constant. Such an increase in dissolution rate constant was observed in the intrinsic dissolution studies when surfactant concentrations exceeded the critical micelle concentration and the oxazepam solubility increased. Laser diffraction particle sizing during the dissolution process confirmed the presence of dispersed particles and aggregates and demonstrated that the presence of surfactant improved the state of dispersion. The results of studies using different rotational speeds produced unexpected increases in aggregation and decreases in dissolution rate constants at about 150 rev min−1, consistent with the transient formation of loose aggregates containing dissolved surfactant.
Children in Peer Groups

The features, processes, and effects of children's experiences with their peers exist on multiple levels of social complexity and intersect with many other developmental domains. Peers are implicated in several theoretical accounts of multiple development domains, including the models proposed by Piaget, Sullivan, the social learning theorists, Vygotsky, ethologists, and the symbolic interactionists. The extensive data base on peer relations points to the diverse set of positive and negative experiences that children and adolescents can have with their peers and to the breadth of the processes that account for peer effects on multiple forms of outcome including behavior (e.g., aggression), affect (e.g., depression, anxiety), school performance, self-perceptions, moral perspectives, and physical and mental health. The chapter reviews the effects of several experiences including acceptance and rejection, exclusion, friendship, victimization, popularity, and experiences within groups. Specific attention is devoted to variation in processes and effects as a function of culture and gender. Keywords: acceptance; achievement; attraction; cohesion; exclusion; friendship; groups; interactions; multilevel model; norms; peers popularity; rejection; relationships; social complexity; sociometry; victimization
Correlation of apparent myelin measures obtained in multiple sclerosis patients and controls from magnetization transfer and multicompartmental T2 analysis

Two relatively new techniques purport to give measures of the myelin content of brain tissue. These measures are the myelin water fraction from multicompartmental T2 analysis, and the semisolid proton fraction from analysis of magnetization transfer (MT). The myelin water fraction is the fraction of signal with a T2 of less than 50 ms measured from a 32‐echo sequence. It is believed to originate from water trapped between the myelin bilayers. The semisolid proton fraction is thought to include protons within phospholipid bilayers and macromolecular protons, and may also be a measure of myelin content. Multicompartmental T2 and MT imaging were carried out on controls and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and estimates of the semisolid proton and myelin water fractions were obtained from white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and MS lesions. These were then correlated for each tissue and subject group. Positive correlations were seen for MS lesions (r ≈ 0.2) and in WM in patients (r = 0.6). A negative correlation (r ≈ −0.3) was seen for GM. These results indicate that the two techniques measure, to some extent, the same thing (most likely myelin content), but that other factors, such as inflammation, mean they may provide complementary information. Magn Reson Med 53:1415–1422, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Career Counseling: A Holistic Approach

This highly successful book has been called the most comprehensive text on the market, providing students with needed career theory as well as practical techniques and examples. Through the author's clear writing style, case examples, tables, and exercises, students develop a solid understanding of the theoretical models of career counseling and are thoroughly exposed to the practical information on how to effectively counsel clients about career issues. As demonstrated by the text's new subtitle, 'A Holistic Approach, ' this substantially revised Seventh Edition reflects the growing emphasis on looking at the "whole person"--values, temperament, talents, and passions--to determine his or her best career fit
Mitigating the Goldilocks effect: the effects of different substrate models on track formation potential

In ichnology, the Goldilocks effect describes a scenario in which a substrate must be ‘just right’ in order for tracks to form—too soft, the animal will be unable to traverse the area, and too firm, the substrate will not deform. Any given substrate can therefore only preserve a range of tracks from those animals which exert an underfoot pressure at approximately the yield strength of the sediment. However, rarely are substrates vertically homogeneous for any great depth, varying either due to heterogeneity across sediment layers, or from mechanical behaviour such as strain hardening. Here, we explore the specificity of the Goldilocks effect in a number of virtual substrates simulated using finite-element analysis. We find that the inclusion of strain hardening into the model increases the potential range of trackmaker sizes somewhat, compared with a simple elastic–perfectly plastic model. The simulation of a vertically heterogeneous, strain hardening substrate showed a much larger range of potential trackmakers than strain hardening alone. We therefore show that the Goldilocks effect is lessened to varying degrees by the inclusion of more realistic soil parameters, though there still remains an upper and lower limit to the size of trackmaker able to traverse the area while leaving footprints.
Images of safe tourism destinations in the United States held by African Americans

Ensuring a safe destination is an essential factor in travelers' decision-making, as well as a destination's success. Recent crises have threatened perceptions of safety related to tourism. Under such circumstances, negative destination images might be produced and destination choices might be altered. Thus, understanding the effect of risk perceptions on destination image is a necessary research stream. This study examined African American travelers' perceptions of safety related to the top three state tourism destinations in the USA. Factors that influenced perceptions of a safe destination varied among the destinations. Consistently, however, past travel experience and the perception of the likelihood of health-related crisis were significant predictors of perceptions of a safe destination.
A Linguistic analysis of Chinese and Greek L1 scripts for IELTS Academic Writing Task 2

This volume brings together a set of ten IELTS-related research studies - four on Speaking and six on Writing - conducted between 1995 and 2001. The ten studies were funded under the auspices of the British Council/IELTS Australia Joint-funded Research Program which promotes research activity among IELTS test stakeholders around the world. Findings from the studies provided valuable evidence on the validity, reliability, impact and practicality of the IELTS test; they were also instrumental in highlighting aspects needing attention, and so directly informed the revised design and implementation of the IELTS Speaking and Writing Modules introduced in 2001 and 2005. The volume reviews and comments on the specific contribution of each study to the ongoing process of IELTS speaking and writing test development; it also evaluates the range of research methodologies used in the projects and discusses their usefulness for researchers working in the broader field of performance assessment.
Toward Standardized Near-Data Processing with Unrestricted Data Placement for GPUs

3D-stacked memory devices with processing logic can help alleviate the memory bandwidth bottleneck in GPUs. However, in order for such Near-Data Processing (NDP) memory stacks to be used for different GPU architectures, it is desirable to standardize the NDP architecture. Our proposal enables this standardization by allowing data to be spread across multiple memory stacks as is the norm in high-performance systems without an MMU on the NDP stack. The keys to this architecture are the ability to move data between memory stacks as required for computation, and a partitioned execution mechanism that offloads memory-intensive application segments onto the NDP stack and decouples address translation from DRAM accesses. By enhancing this system with a smart offload selection mechanism that is cognizant of the compute capability of the NDP and cache locality on the host processor, system performance and energy are improved by up to 66.8% and 37.6%, respectively. CCS CONCEPTS• Computer systems organization → Single instruction, multiple data; Multicore architectures; • Hardware → Emerging architectures;
Melody Extraction from Polyphonic Music Signals: Approaches, applications, and challenges

Melody extraction algorithms aim to produce a sequence of frequency values corresponding to the pitch of the dominant melody from a musical recording. Over the past decade, melody extraction has emerged as an active research topic, comprising a large variety of proposed algorithms spanning a wide range of techniques. This article provides an overview of these techniques, the applications for which melody extraction is useful, and the challenges that remain. We start with a discussion of ? melody? from both musical and signal processing perspectives and provide a case study that interprets the output of a melody extraction algorithm for specific excerpts. We then provide a comprehensive comparative analysis of melody extraction algorithms based on the results of an international evaluation campaign. We discuss issues of algorithm design, evaluation, and applications that build upon melody extraction. Finally, we discuss some of the remaining challenges in melody extraction research in terms of algorithmic performance, development, and evaluation methodology.
Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation

Living with people who differ - racially, ethnically, religiously or economically - is one of the most urgent challenges facing civil society today. "Together" argues that co-operation needs more than good will: it is a craft that requires skill. In modern society traditional bonds are waning, and we must develop new forms of secular, civic ritual that make us more skilful in living with others. From Medieval guilds to today's social networks, Richard Sennett's visionary book explores the nature of co-operation, why it has become weak and how it can be strengthened.
Prognostic relevance of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression in patients with gall bladder disease and carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) has been stated as an Indian disease, with the highest number of cases being reported from certain districts of northeast India, which has an ethnically distinct population. Unfortunately there are no scientific reports on the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of the disease from this region. AIM The present study evaluated the role of differential expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in the development of gall bladder anomalies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Blood and tissue samples were collected from patients undergoing routine surgical resection for clinically proven cases of gallbladder disease {cholelithiasis (CL, n=50), cholecystitis (CS, n=40) and GBC (n=30) along with adjacent histopathologically proved non-neoplastic controls (n=15)} with informed consent. Whole blood was also collected from age and sex matched healthy controls (n=25) for comparative analysis. Differential hTERT mRNA expression was evaluated by semi-quantitative rt-PCR and real-time PCR based analysis using β-actin as an internal control. Evaluation of differential hTERT protein expression was studied by Western blot analysis and immunoflourescence. Statistical analysis for differential expression and co-relation was performed by SPSSv13.0 software. RESULTS Gallbladder anomalies were mostly prevalent in females. The hTERT mRNA and protein expression increased gradiently from normal<CL<CS<GBC cases. Serum expression correlated statistically significantly with the tissue based mRNA expression pattern of hTERT, with highest expression observed in GBC cases and the lowest expression in normal gall bladder. CONCLUSIONS Higher hTERT expression is associated with gallbladder disease susceptibility and severity; and may be a useful prognostic marker for gallbladder anomalies.
Methylation of 2-Hydroxyestradiol in Isolated Organs

Abstract—Vascular smooth muscle and glomerular mesangial cells in culture express a biochemical pathway that methylates 2-hydroxyestradiol (17&bgr;-estradiol metabolite) to produce 2-methoxyestradiol, a cell growth inhibitor that may mediate the cardiorenal protective effects of 17&bgr;-estradiol. Whether this pathway exists in intact organ systems is currently unclear. Accordingly, the purpose of the present investigation was to characterize the methylation of 2-hydroxestradiol in intact organs from both male and female rats. No significant differences were detected in the ability of male and female tissues to methylate 2-hydroxyestradiol. In isolated hearts, kidneys, and mesenteries perfused with Tyrode’s solution, Km values for 2-hydroxyestradiol methylation were 0.175±0.021, 0.387±0.054, and 0.495±0.089 &mgr;mol/L, respectively, and Vmax values were 21.0±1.58, 24.9±1.49, and 1.01±0.148 pmol 2-methoxyestradiol · min−1 · ml−1 per gram, respectively. The catalytic efficiency (Vmax/Km) was greatest in the heart compared with the kidney and mesentery (132±14.3, 78.4±15.1, and 2.30±0.263 pmol 2-methoxyestradiol · min−1 · mL−1 · &mgr;mol/L−1 per gram, respectively). In the kidney, the catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor quercetin and norepinephrine (10 &mgr;mol/L) reduced methylation of 2-hydroxyestradiol by approximately 90% and 41%, respectively. Importantly, methylation in the kidney was inhibited by an average of 16.6±1.80% by endogenous norepinephrine released by renal artery nerve stimulation. Our results indicate that a robust 2-hydroxyestradiol methylation pathway exists in the kidney and heart, but not in the mesentery, and that this pathway is mediated by catechol-O-methyltransferase. Our findings also suggest that catecholamines may interfere with 2-hydroxyestradiol methylation and thereby attenuate the cardiorenal protective effects of 17&bgr;-estradiol.
Elder Abuse: Its Meaning to Middle-Aged and Older Adults-Part II:

Two instruments that measure the public's perceptions of the meaning and types of elder abuse were developed and tested with 104 respondents. The taxonomy and definition of elder abuse developed by elder mistreatment experts (Hudson, 1988, 1991) and Straus's Conflict Tactic Scales (1979) provide the theoretical foundations of the instruments. The Elder Abuse Vignette Scale (EAVS) includes behavioral examples in a semantic differential scale format. The Elements of Elder Abuse Scale (EEAS), using a Likert format, presents statements on each of the essential characteristics of the theoretical definition and taxonomy categories. Instrument development is described and results offered that indicate the scales provide sensitive and valid measurements of respondents' perceptions of the meaning and types of elder abuse.
Action Research and Reflective Practice: Creative and Visual Methods to Facilitate Reflection and Learning

@contents: Selected Contents: Acknowledgements Preface Part 1: From evidence based practice to researcher of the self Chapter 1 The Tension in Evidence Based Practice and Reflective Practice Chapter 2 The Relationship between Reflection and Action Research Chapter 3 An overview of theories of consciousness and unconsciousness Part 2: Creativity and the practitioner-researcher Chapter 4 What do we mean by creativity? Chapter 5 Using metaphor and symbolism as analysis Chapter 6 Infinite Possibilities of Knowing and Transformation Chapter 7 Concluding Thoughts the linkages to Action Research and Critical Creativity