Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of Care and Outcomes Differ for Urban Versus Rural Patients With Newly Diagnosed Heart Failure, Even in a Universal Healthcare System

Background— Access to medical care differs between urban and rural residents, but the magnitude of these differences and whether they affect outcomes are unknown. We aimed to determine whether outcomes differ for patients with incident heart failure (HF) by urban-rural status. Methods and Results— This cohort study used administrative data from Alberta, Canada. Patients with incident HF were identified from April 1, 1999, to December 31, 2005, and followed for 1-year. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess differences in 1-year outcomes after initial HF diagnosis in patients living in rural versus urban settings. We identified 72 043 patients with incident HF (mean age, 72±14; male sex, 50%) of whom 12 173 (17%) died and 29 074 (39%) were hospitalized within 1 year. Although crude all-cause 1-year mortality rates were higher in urban than in rural residents (17.3% versus 15.6%, P<0.001), after adjustment for comorbidities, no significant differences were observed (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.00). However, sex-specific analyses indicated that urban men had a significantly lower risk of mortality than rural men (aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.96). In contrast, no difference was observed between urban and rural women (aOR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.94 to 1.10). Urban patients were more likely to have office-based physician visits in the first year after HF diagnosis (aOR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.17) and exhibited lower rates of hospitalization (aOR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.74) and emergency department visits (aOR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.65) than rural patients. Conclusions— Even within a universal healthcare system, there are differences in outcomes after HF diagnosis based on location of residence. Urban patients with HF are more likely to receive outpatient care and less likely to be hospitalized or present to the emergency department in the first year after diagnosis than rural patients with HF.
Motor Sequences and the Basal Ganglia: Kinematics, Not Habits

Despite a lack of definitive evidence, it is frequently proposed that the basal ganglia (BG) motor circuit plays a critical role in the storage and execution of movement sequences (or motor habits). To test this hypothesis directly, we inactivated the sensorimotor territory of the globus pallidus internus (sGPi, the main BG motor output) in two monkeys trained to perform overlearned and random sequences of four out-and-back reaching movements directed to visual targets. Infusion of muscimol (a GABAA agonist) into sGPi caused dysmetria and slowing of individual movements, but these impairments were virtually identical for overlearned and random sequences. The fluid predictive execution of learned sequences and the animals' tendency to reproduce the sequence pattern in random trials was preserved following pallidal blockade. These results suggest that the BG motor circuit contributes to motor execution, but not to motor sequencing or the storage of overlearned serial skills.
Surface temperature and water vapour retrieval from MODIS data

This paper gives operational algorithms for retrieving sea (SST), land surface temperature (LST) and total atmospheric water vapour content (W) using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. To this end, the MODTRAN 3.5 radiative transfer program was used to predict radiances for MODIS channels 31, 32, 2, 17, 18 and 19. To analyse atmospheric effects, a simulation with a set of radiosonde observations was used to cover the variability of surface temperature and water vapour concentration on a worldwide scale. These simulated data were split into two sets (DB1 and DB2), the first one (DB1) was used to fit the coefficients of the algorithms, while the second one (DB2) was used to test the fitted coefficients. The results show that the algorithms are capable of producing SST and LST with a standard deviation of 0.3 K and 0.7 K if the satellite data are error free. The LST product has been validated with in situ data from a field campaign carried out in the Mississippi (USA), the results show for the LST algorithm proposed a root mean square error lower than 0.5K. Regarding water vapour content, a ratio technique is proposed, which is capable of estimating W from the absorbing channels at 0.905, 0.936, and 0.94,µm, and the atmospheric window channel at 0.865,µm, with a standard deviation (in the comparison with radiosonde observations) of 0.4 g cm−2.
Employee social responsibility: development of an ESR measure and a multi-level investigation of antecedent and boundary conditions

The following thesis instigates the discussion on corporate social responsibility (CSR) through a review of literature on the conceptualisation, determinants, and remunerations of organisational CSR engagement. The case is made for the need to draw attention to the micro-levels of CSR, and consequently focus on employee social responsibility at multiple levels of analysis. In order to further research efforts in this area, the prerequisite of an employee social responsibility behavioural measurement tool is acknowledged. Accordingly, the subsequent chapters outline the process of scale development and validation, resulting in a robust, reliable and valid employee social responsibility scale. This scale is then put to use in a field study, and the noteworthy roles of the antecedent and boundary conditions of transformational leadership, assigned CSR priority, and CSR climate are confirmed at the group and individual level. Directionality of these relationships is subsequently alluded to in a time-lagged investigation, set within a simulated business environment. The thesis collates and discusses the contributions of the findings from the research series, which highlight a consistent three-way interaction effect of transformational leadership, assigned CSR priority and CSR climate. Specifically, efforts are made to outline various avenues for future research, given the infancy of the micro-level study of employee social responsibility.
Supporting Process Mining Workflows with RapidProM

Process mining is gaining more and more attention both in industry and practice. As such, the number of process mining products is steadily increasing. However, none of these products allow for composing and executing analysis work flows consisting of multiple process mining algorithms. As a result, the analyst needs to perform repetitive process mining tasks manually and scientific process experiments are extremely labor intensive. To this end, we have RapidMiner 5, which allows for the definition and execution of analysis work flows, connected with the process mining framework ProM 6. As such any discovery, conformance, or extension algorithm of ProM can be used within a RapidMiner analysis process thus supporting process mining work flows.
Classroom Stress Promotes Motivated Forgetting of Mathematics Knowledge

The ability to retain educationally relevant content in a readily accessible state in memory is critical for students at all stages in schooling. We hypothesized that a high degree of stress in mathematics courses can threaten students’ mathematics self-concept and lead to a motivation to forget course content. We tested the aforementioned hypothesis by recruiting students from a college course on multivariate calculus. Students were asked to report their ongoing stress in the course. The forgetting rate was assessed by comparing students’ final exam performance against their performance for a subset of the same final exam items 2 weeks later. We found that among students with a strong mathematics self-concept, a higher amount of ongoing weekly stress during the course was associated with increased forgetting of course content and a higher report of avoidant thinking about the course. Neither of these associations was found among students with a weaker mathematics self-concept. Our results provide evidence for a scientific account of the affective and motivational forces that shape why students forget educationally relevant content. We discuss the various educational practices that cue forgetting and make recommendations for reducing motivated forgetting in the classroom.
Clostridium difficile in the Intensive Care Unit: Epidemiology, Costs, and Colonization Pressure

Objective. To evaluate the epidemiology, outcomes, and importance of Clostridium difficile colonization pressure (CCP) as a risk factor for C. difficile–associated disease (CDAD) acquisition in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Design. Secondary analysis of data from a 30-month retrospective cohort study. Setting. A 19-bed medical ICU in a midwestern tertiary care referral center. Patients. Consecutive sample of adult patients with a length of stay of 24 hours or more between July 1, 1997, and December 31, 1999. Results. Seventy-six (4%) of 1,872 patients were identified with CDAD; 40 (53%) acquired CDAD in the ICU, for an incidence of 3.2 cases per 1,000 patient-days. Antimicrobial therapy, enteral feeding, mechanical ventilation, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization or infection, and CCP (5.5 vs 2.0 CDAD case-days of exposure for patients with acquired CDAD vs no CDAD; P = .001) were associated with CDAD acquisition in the univariate analysis. Only VRE colonization or infection (45% of patients with acquired CDAD vs 16% of patients without CDAD; adjusted odds ratio, 2.76 [95% confidence interval, 1.36-5.59]) and a CCP of more than 30 case-days of exposure (20% with acquired CDAD vs 2% with no CDAD; adjusted odds ratio, 3.77 [95% confidence interval, 1.14-12.49]) remained statistically significant in the multivariable analysis. Lengths of stay (6.1 vs 3.0 days; P < .001 by univariate analysis) and ICU costs ($11,353 vs $6,028; P < .001 by univariate analysis) were higher for patients with any CDAD than for patients with no CDAD. Conclusions. In this nonoutbreak setting, the CCP was an independent risk factor for acquisition of CDAD in the ICU at the upper range of exposure duration. Having CDAD in the ICU was a marker of excess healthcare use.
Describing the Situational Contexts of Sweetened Product Consumption in a Middle Eastern Canadian Community: Application of a Mixed Method Design

Little is known about the situational contexts in which individuals consume processed sources of dietary sugars. This study aimed to describe the situational contexts associated with the consumption of sweetened food and drink products in a Catholic Middle Eastern Canadian community. A two-stage exploratory sequential mixed-method design was employed with a rationale of triangulation. In stage 1 (n = 62), items and themes describing the situational contexts of sweetened food and drink product consumption were identified from semi-structured interviews and were used to develop the content for the Situational Context Instrument for Sweetened Product Consumption (SCISPC). Face validity, readability and cultural relevance of the instrument were assessed. In stage 2 (n = 192), a cross-sectional study was conducted and exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the structure of themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis as a means of furthering construct validation. The SCISPC reliability and predictive validity on the daily consumption of sweetened products were also assessed. In stage 1, six themes and 40-items describing the situational contexts of sweetened product consumption emerged from the qualitative analysis and were used to construct the first draft of the SCISPC. In stage 2, factor analysis enabled the clarification and/or expansion of the instrument's initial thematic structure. The revised SCISPC has seven factors and 31 items describing the situational contexts of sweetened product consumption. Initial validation of the instrument indicated it has excellent internal consistency and adequate test-retest reliability. Two factors of the SCISPC had predictive validity for the daily consumption of total sugar from sweetened products (Snacking and Energy demands) while the other factors (Socialization, Indulgence, Constraints, Visual Stimuli and Emotional needs) were rather associated to occasional consumption of these products.
Shame Proneness and Guilt Proneness: Toward the Further Understanding of Reactions to Public and Private Transgressions

In Study 1, participants completed five extant shame and guilt proneness inventories based on different theoretical conceptions of the difference between shame and guilt. Factor analyses revealed that despite very different theoretical distinctions, the shame proneness subscales loaded on one factor, and the guilt proneness subscales loaded on one factor. In Study 2, we altered scale items so that hypothetical transgressions were committed in either public or private, and likelihood response options were either typical of a “shame-prone response” (negative self-evaluation; avoidance behavior) or a “guilt-prone response” (negative behavior evaluation; approach behavior). Our findings indicate that shame and guilt proneness can be measured both by responses to transgressions (e.g., negative self-evaluation and avoidance responses vs. negative behavior evaluation and approach responses) and the situational context in which the transgression occurs (e.g., public vs. private). We provide recommendations regarding optimal measurement of shame and guilt proneness.
Randomized comparison of amphotericin B deoxycholate dissolved in dextrose or Intralipid for the treatment of AIDS-associated cryptococcal meningitis.

We conducted a randomized, open-labeled clinical trial to compare the tolerability and efficacy of amphotericin B deoxycholate, prepared in 5% dextrose or Intralipid (Kabi Pharmacia, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France), in the treatment of AIDS-associated cryptococcal meningitis in Burundi. Forty-four patients were assigned to receive amphotericin B/dextrose (0.7 mg/[kg.d]) for 14 days; the dose was then reduced to 1 mg/kg every other day for 28 days (infused over 6 hours). Forty-six patients were assigned to receive Intralipid/amphotericin B at a 50% higher dosage (1 mg/[kg.d]) for 14 days; the dose was then reduced to 1.5 mg/kg every other day for 28 days (infused over 2 hours). Intralipid significantly decreased the incidence of fever (P = .02) and chills (P = .0001) related to the infusion of amphotericin B deoxycholate. Analysis of the time to the onset of increased levels of serum creatinine (creatinine level, > 150 mumol/L) showed that Intralipid/amphotericin B was more nephrotoxic (P = .03). The percentage of patients who were clinically cured or had improvement in their conditions and successful mycological outcome was similar in both therapeutic groups, but analysis of the time to the first negative cerebrospinal fluid culture showed a nearly significant difference that favored Intralipid/amphotericin B (P = .07). Intralipid reduced the infusion-related toxicity of amphotericin B deoxycholate without altering its antifungal efficacy but did not confer substantial benefit against renal toxicity that would allow the unitary dosage of amphotericin B deoxycholate to be increased safely.
Association Mapping across Numerous Traits Reveals Patterns of Functional Variation in Maize

Phenotypic variation in natural populations results from a combination of genetic effects, environmental effects, and gene-by-environment interactions. Despite the vast amount of genomic data becoming available, many pressing questions remain about the nature of genetic mutations that underlie functional variation. We present the results of combining genome-wide association analysis of 41 different phenotypes in ∼5,000 inbred maize lines to analyze patterns of high-resolution genetic association among of 28.9 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and ∼800,000 copy-number variants (CNVs). We show that genie and intergenic regions have opposite patterns of enrichment, minor allele frequencies, and effect sizes, implying tradeoffs among the probability that a given polymorphism will have an effect, the detectable size of that effect, and its frequency in the population. We also find that genes tagged by GWAS are enriched for regulatory functions and are ∼50% more likely to have a paralog than expected by chance, indicating that gene regulation and neofunctionalization are strong drivers of phenotypic variation. These results will likely apply to many other organisms, especially ones with large and complex genomes like maize. Author Summary We performed genome-wide association mapping analysis in maize for over 40 different phenotypes in order to identify which types of variants are more likely to be important for controlling traits. We took advantage of a large mapping population (roughly 5000 recombinant inbred lines) and nearly 30 million segregating variants to identify ∼4800 variants that were significantly associated with at least one phenotype. While these variants are enriched in genes, most of them occur outside of genes, often in regions where regulatory variants likely lie. We also found a significant enrichment for paralogous (duplicated) genes, implying that functional divergence after gene duplication plays an important role in trait variation. Overall these analyses provide important insight into the unifying patterns of variation in traits across maize, and the results will likely also apply to other organisms with similarly large, complex genomes.
Face Value: Facial Appearance and Assessments of Politicians

The facial appearance of political candidates provides information to voters that can be vital to the impression-formation process. Traditionally, psychological research in the field of appearance-based politics has concentrated on investigating whether politicians’ physical appearance impacts perceptions of them. Recently, the focus has shifted from examining whether facial cues matter for impression formation to determining (1) which facial cues matter for voters’ perceptions of politicians and (2) how such visual cues are utilized within the political decision-making process. This shift in research focus has ushered in an appreciation of facial competence and physical attractiveness, and it has been marked by a renewed interest in studying how gender stereotypes impact the influence of politician appearance on perceptions of male and female politicians. In addition, this renewed interest in studying underlying mechanisms in appearance-based politics has spurred on research that includes a broader range of downstream consequences such as evaluations of leadership potential, voting behavior, and even basic political party affiliation categorizations.
A Minority Stress Perspective on Transgender Individuals’ Experiences With Misgendering

This research investigates transgender individuals’ experiences with misgendering—the misclassification of gender identity—from a minority stress perspective. Four hundred and ten transgender individuals (M = 30.27 years, 83.9% European American) participated in a survey in which they reported how frequently they are misgendered and how stigmatized they feel when it occurs in addition to protective factors (gender identity importance, social support) and psychological distress (anxiety, depression, stress, transgender felt stigma). On average, participants reported being misgendered sometimes (M = 3.05, SD = 1.18) and feeling somewhat stigmatized by these experiences (M = 3.64, SD = 1.30). Perceived frequency of misgendering and feeling stigmatized by these experiences were positively associated with identity importance, but only perceived frequency was negatively associated with social support. Both perceived frequency and feeling stigmatized were positively associated with psychological distress. In turn, identity importance and social support were positively associated with psychological distress. There was a significant interaction between felt stigma and identity importance in predicting depression and stress. There was a positive association between felt stigma and stress and depression at low and high levels of identity importance, but this association was stronger at low levels of identity importance. In addition, there was a significant interaction between perceived frequency of misgendering and social support such that the association between perceived frequency and felt stigma was positive at low levels of social support but not at high levels of social support. In conclusion, misgendering is likely a novel minority stressor for transgender people.
The Impact of Economic Deprivation and Regional Differences on Individual Secularization in Western Europe

This article studies secularization at the individual level in a «most similar approach» study of 13 Western European countries. Secularization is measured in two ways: as a decrease in Christian beliefs and as a decrease in the correlation between Christian beliefs and morality. In particular, the article scrutinizes the impact of two factors that are traditionally considered important for secularization: cohort and country. Based on data from the EuropeanValues Study, the article shows that the impact of cohort is primarily related to the individual’s economic deprivation during his/her formative years. A sub-country regional analysis compares the impact of the country and denomination as social institutions and finds «within country» differences important in secularization and, in many cases, the impact of denomination as a social institution is identical in regions in different countries.
Going-Private Decisions and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: A Cross-Country Analysis

This article investigates whether the passage and the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) drove firms out of the public capital market. To control for other factors affecting exit decisions, we examine the post-SOX change in the propensity of American public targets to be bought by private acquirers rather than public ones with the corresponding change for foreign public targets, which were outside the purview of SOX. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that SOX induced small firms to exit the public capital market during the year following its enactment. In contrast, SOX appears to have had little effect on the going-private propensities of larger firms. (JEL G30, G34, G38, K22) The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Yale University. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.
Game Theory Meets Wireless Sensor Networks Security Requirements and Threats Mitigation: A Survey

We present a study of using game theory for protecting wireless sensor networks (WSNs) from selfish behavior or malicious nodes. Due to scalability, low complexity and disseminated nature of WSNs, malicious attacks can be modeled effectively using game theory. In this study, we survey the different game-theoretic defense strategies for WSNs. We present a taxonomy of the game theory approaches based on the nature of the attack, whether it is caused by an external attacker or it is the result of an internal node acting selfishly or maliciously. We also present a general trust model using game theory for decision making. We, finally, identify the significant role of evolutionary games for WSNs security against intelligent attacks; then, we list several prospect applications of game theory to enhance the data trustworthiness and node cooperation in different WSNs.
Assessing human and automated quality judgments in the French MT evaluation campaign CESTA

This paper analyzes the results of the French MT Evaluation Campaign, CESTA (2003-2006). The details of the campaign are first briefly described. The paper then focuses on the results of the two runs, which used human metrics, such as fluency or adequacy, as well as automated metrics, mainly based on n-gram comparison and word error rates. The results show that the quality of the systems can be reliably compared using these metrics, and that the adaptability of some systems to a given domain – which was the focus of CESTA's second run – is not strictly related to their intrinsic performance.