Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging Improves the Diagnostic Accuracy of 3T Brain MRI in the Work-Up of Parkinsonism

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The differentiation between Parkinson disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes can be challenging in clinical practice, especially in early disease stages. Brain MR imaging can help to increase certainty about the diagnosis. Our goal was to evaluate the added value of SWI in relation to conventional 3T brain MR imaging for the diagnostic work-up of early-stage parkinsonism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study of 65 patients presenting with parkinsonism but with an uncertain initial clinical diagnosis. At baseline, 3T brain MR imaging with conventional and SWI sequences was performed. After clinical follow-up, probable diagnoses could be made in 56 patients, 38 patients diagnosed with Parkinson disease and 18 patients diagnosed with atypical parkinsonian syndromes, including 12 patients diagnosed with multiple system atrophy–parkinsonian form. In addition, 13 healthy controls were evaluated with SWI. Abnormal findings on conventional brain MR imaging were grouped into disease-specific scores. SWI was analyzed by a region-of-interest method of different brain structures. One-way ANOVA was performed to analyze group differences. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of conventional brain MR imaging separately and combined with SWI. RESULTS: Disease-specific scores of conventional brain MR imaging had a high specificity for atypical parkinsonian syndromes (80%–90%), but sensitivity was limited (50%–80%). The mean SWI signal intensity of the putamen was significantly lower for multiple system atrophy–parkinsonian form than for Parkinson disease and controls (P < .001). The presence of severe dorsal putaminal hypointensity improved the accuracy of brain MR imaging: The area under the curve was increased from 0.75 to 0.83 for identifying multiple system atrophy–parkinsonian form, and it was increased from 0.76 to 0.82 for identifying atypical parkinsonian syndromes as a group. CONCLUSIONS: SWI improves the diagnostic accuracy of 3T brain MR imaging in the work-up of parkinsonism by identifying severe putaminal hypointensity as a sign indicative of multiple system atrophy–parkinsonian form.
Children with motor coordination problems and learning disabilities in reading, spelling, writing and arithmetic

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to investigate the incidence of motor coordination problems (clumsiness) among 10‐year‐old learning disabled children and to examine the characteristics of children with motor coordination problems. It was found that the strongest relationship between motor and learning problems seemed to exist in handwriting and arithmetic and the weakest in reading. With regard to the assignment to different subgroups based on deficient reading and spelling strategies, more clumsy children with dyslexic problems were classified in the ‘phonological’ and ‘mixed’ groups than in the ‘morphemic’ group. Our study also supports the heterogeneity of children labelled ‘clumsy’. The clumsy children varied widely in their characteristics and concomitant disabilities. No significant difference between the children with motor problems and a control group of ‘normal’ children was found when intelligence was accounted for.
Lack of accuracy of ventilatory indexes in predicting extubation success in children submitted to mechanical ventilation.

OBJECTIVES Between 10% and 20% of children submitted to mechanical ventilation in the pediatric intensive care unit present extubation failure. Several ventilatory indexes have been proposed to predict extubation failure. The aim of this study was to analyze the accuracy of these indices in predicting successful extubation in children and to evaluate these variables according to the age of the patient and the specific disease. METHODS A prospective observational study including all children submitted to mechanical ventilation in a Brazilian referral pediatric intensive care unit was conducted between August 2007 and August 2008. The tidal volume, maximal negative inspiratory pressure, rapid shallow breathing index and other ventilatory indexes were measured before extubation. These variables were analyzed according to the extubation outcome (success or failure) as well as age and specific disease (post cardiac surgery and acute viral bronchiolitis). RESULTS A total of 100 patients were included (median age of 2.1 years old). Extubation failure was observed in 13% and was associated with lower weight (10.3+8.1 Kg vs. 5.5+2.4 Kg; p=0.01). We also evaluated the relationship between extubation failure and the main cause indicating mechanical ventilation: children who had received cardiac surgery (n=17) presented an extubation failure rate of 29.4% with a relative risk of 4.6 (1.2-17.2) when compared to children with acute viral bronchiolitis (n=47, extubation failure rate of 6.4%). The maximal inspiratory pressure was the only physiologic variable independently associated with the outcome. However, this variable showed a wide dispersion and lack of accuracy for predicting extubation success (sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 55% for a cut point of -37.5 cmH2O predicting successful extubation). The same wide dispersion was observed with other ventilatory indexes. CONCLUSION The indexes for predicting extubation success in children submitted to mechanical ventilation are not accurate; they vary widely depending on age, main disease and other clinical aspects. New formulas including clinical variables should be developed for better prediction of extubation success in children submitted to mechanical ventilation.
Government-Oriented Corporate Public Relation Strategies in Transitional China

This study proposes an initial and a revised model of government-oriented public relation (PR) strategies based on the results of two content analyses of website news regarding the PR activities of 76 firms in general and six well-known firms in China in more depth. With the perspective of resource dependence theory, this model reveals that firms in China employ six types of formal PR strategies, including visitation, philanthropy, participation, publicity, party involvement and political propaganda, to manage their dependence on government for resources. Further, the implementation of such strategies involves a four-step process: organizing PR activities with economic, social and political significance; obtaining the involvement and recognition of the government; building firms' resource, moral and cultural legitimacy in the government's eyes; and interacting with the government on the issues of firms' dependence to influence government policies relative to firms. We also explore the differences that exist among firms with different ownership structures in the use of these PR strategies, the level of government involved and the issues pursued.
“Nothing Good Ever Came from New Jersey”: Expectations and the Sensory Perception of Wines*

Abstract The influence of expectations on the sensory perception of wines is investigated in three studies in which New Jersey and California red wines are blind tasted. Studies 1 and 2, in which only the color of the wines is known prior to tasting, demonstrate that neither wine club members nor experienced wine professionals can distinguish between New Jersey and California wines in terms of personal enjoyment. In contrast, Study 3, in which tasters are informed that some (though not which) of the wines are from New Jersey, finds that when a wine is believed to be from New Jersey it receives lower enjoyment ratings than when the identical wine is believed to be from California—regardless of whether the wine is actually from New Jersey or California. The results enhance our understanding of the role of expectations in the interpretation of subjective experiences. Implications for wine producers and wine consumers are explored. (JEL Classification: C91)
Event Accessibility and Context Effects in Causal Inference: Judgment of a Different Order

Two studies examine how the influence of an accessible context event affects causal judgments of an ambiguous target as a function of the order in which the two events are explained. It is proposed that whether judgment of a target event is contrasted from or assimilated toward the implications of a context event depends on the distinctness of the context information at the time of judgment. Results supported the prediction that when participants were required to judge a context event before a target event, the context event would be perceived as more distinct, leading to comparison and contrast, whereas the reverse judgmental order would render the same context event relatively indistinct and lead to assimilation. Findings are discussed in the light of literature on causal judgments and recent models of assimilation and contrast effects.
Large cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the urinary bladder

&NA; We present the clinicopathological features of eight cases of large cell undifferentiated bladder carcinoma not otherwise specified (LCUBC). LCUBC was characterised by sheets of large polygonal or round cells with moderate to abundant cytoplasm and distinct cell borders. The LCUBC component varied from 90 to 100% of the tumour specimen with five cases showing pure LCUBC. The architectural pattern of the tumour varied from infiltrating tumour to solid expansile nests with focal (<5%) discohesive growth pattern in two cases. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that LCUBC cases were positive for cytokeratins AE1/AE3 and 7; CAM 5.2, CK20, thrombomodulin and uroplakin III were positive in six, three, three and two cases, respectively. Other immunohistochemical markers performed in the differential diagnosis context included alpha‐fetoprotein, beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (βhCG), prostate specific antigen (PSA), vimentin, synaptophysin and chromogranin and all were negative. Ki‐67 and p53 labelling indexes were 50–90% and 40–90%, respectively. All patients had advanced stage cancer (≥pT3) and seven (87.5%) had lymph node metastases. Follow‐up information was available in all cases, with a range of 6–26 months (mean 10.6 months). Six patients died of disease between 5 and 26 months and two patients were alive with metastases at 6 and 14 months. The prognosis of LCUBC was compared with conventional urothelial carcinoma of similar stages showing survival differences (p =0.0004). In summary, LCUBC is an aggressive variant of urothelial carcinoma that presents at an advanced stage.
Embodying Gender, Age, Ethnicity and Power in ‘the Field’: Reflections on Dress and the Presentation of the Self in Research with Older Pakistani Muslims

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in researching people growing older in the South Asian ethnic minority communities in the UK. However, these populations have received comparatively little attention in wide-ranging discussions on culturally and socially appropriate research methodologies. In this paper, we draw on the experiences of a young female Pakistani Muslim researcher researching older Pakistani Muslim women and men, to explore the significance of gender, age and ethnicity to fieldwork processes and ‘field’ relationships. In particular, we highlight the significance of dress and specific presentations of the embodied self within the research process. We do so by focusing upon three key issues: (1) Insider/Outsider boundaries and how these boundaries are continuously and actively negotiated in the field through the use of dress and specific presentations of the embodied ‘self’; (2) The links between gender, age and space - more specifically, how the researcher's use of traditional Pakistani dress, and her differing research relationships, are influenced by the older Pakistani Muslim participants’ gendered use of public and private space; and (3) The opportunities and vulnerabilities experienced by the researcher in the field, reinforced by her use (or otherwise) of the traditional and feminine Pakistani Muslim dress. Our research therefore highlights the role of different presentations of the embodied ‘self’ to fieldwork processes and relationships, and illustrates how age, gender and status intersect to produce fluctuating insider/outsider boundaries as well as different opportunities and experiences of power and vulnerability within research relationships.
School Social Context Effects on Gender Differences in Academic Achievement Among Second-Generation Latinos

This study considers involuntary minority concentration effects on gender differences in achievement and finds increasing levels of involuntary minority enrollments decrease grade point averages and math scores for immigrant boys versus girls, net of individual and school socioeconomic status. Immigrant achievement declines in involuntary minority schools where a climate of apathy and failure inhibits performance. Yet, differences in gender roles and socialization renders girls less vulnerable to assimilation of adversarial attitudes and behaviors responsible for academic failure.
Legacy planning, Regeneration and events: The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

This paper focuses upon the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (CWG) legacy proposals regarding the regeneration of the East End. It provides a preliminary pre-event evaluation by examining local progress towards urban regeneration legacies, primarily physical and economic renewal. Following an examination of the events’ legacy landscape and problems within the legacy planning process, the paper outlines the socio-economic profile of the locale. Thereafter, the relevance of the CWG to the area is highlighted and an evaluation of the progress towards physical and economic urban regeneration goals is charted. Key risks in the legacy planning process are identified. It is suggested that while there are elements of good practice in local progress towards legacy planning and regeneration, there are community issues that could pose tensions.
An Application of Repertory Grid Technique to Aesthetic Measurement

The repertory grid technique was used to measure the responses of three groups of subjects to slides of 12 paintings. Subjects in Groups I and II were then exposed to information relevant to the paintings. In Group III subjects received information which was not directly relevant to the paintings. Grids were then re-elicited. Various analyses of the grids showed that information can change subjects' responses to paintings but that such changes reflect alterations in use of constructs rather than in the actual perception of the paintings. It is argued that the repertory grid may be a valuable technique in experimental aesthetics as it can measure different aspects of the aesthetic response.
Global ecological impacts of invasive species in aquatic ecosystems

The introduction of invasive species, which often differ functionally from the components of the recipient community, generates ecological impacts that propagate along the food web. This review aims to determine how consistent the impacts of aquatic invasions are across taxa and habitats. To that end, we present a global meta‐analysis from 151 publications (733 cases), covering a wide range of invaders (primary producers, filter collectors, omnivores and predators), resident aquatic community components (macrophytes, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates and fish) and habitats (rivers, lakes and estuaries). Our synthesis suggests a strong negative influence of invasive species on the abundance of aquatic communities, particularly macrophytes, zooplankton and fish. In contrast, there was no general evidence for a decrease in species diversity in invaded habitats, suggesting a time lag between rapid abundance changes and local extinctions. Invaded habitats showed increased water turbidity, nitrogen and organic matter concentration, which are related to the capacity of invaders to transform habitats and increase eutrophication. The expansion of invasive macrophytes caused the largest decrease in fish abundance, the filtering activity of filter collectors depleted planktonic communities, omnivores (including both facultative and obligate herbivores) were responsible for the greatest decline in macrophyte abundance, and benthic invertebrates were most negatively affected by the introduction of new predators. These impacts were relatively consistent across habitats and experimental approaches. Based on our results, we propose a framework of positive and negative links between invasive species at four trophic positions and the five different components of recipient communities. This framework incorporates both direct biotic interactions (predation, competition, grazing) and indirect changes to the water physicochemical conditions mediated by invaders (habitat alteration). Considering the strong trophic links that characterize aquatic ecosystems, this framework is relevant to anticipate the far‐reaching consequences of biological invasions on the structure and functionality of aquatic ecosystems.
Community-Based Summer Work Experiences of Adolescents With High-Incidence Disabilities

Although summer offers a natural context for adolescents to gain community-based work experience, little is known about the extent to which youth with disabilities are accessing these transition-related opportunities. We examined the summer employment experiences of 220 youth with high-incidence disabilities at two time points. Although more than half of all youth were employed at some point during the summer, youth with emotional/behavioral disorders and intellectual disabilities worked at significantly lower rates than youth with learning disabilities, and all received limited formal support related to finding and maintaining their jobs. Skill-related factors and spring work experience emerged as prominent predictors of summer employment outcomes. We present recommendations for schools, families, and communities to expand summer employment opportunities for youth with disabilities as an avenue for promoting career development.
Electric agents: fostering sibling joint media engagement through interactive television and augmented reality

Electric Agents is a multi-player game that uses augmented reality on mobile phones to facilitate in-room collaboration and promote joint media engagement around interactive educational television content in the home. Joint media engagement describes 'collaborative' consumption of media and has potential learning benefits. Our research examines whether technology can support joint media engagement, through the use of a series of prototypes that combine handheld augmented reality with web-based video. In pilot testing, sibling play patterns showed evidence of the kind of in-room collaboration and joint media engagement that previous research has shown to facilitate children in making sense of media content.
Sport and social class

I speak neither as an historian nor as an historian of sport, and so I appear as an amateur among professionals and can only ask you, as the phrase goes, to be ’good sports’. But I think that the innocence which comes from not being a specialist can sometimes lead one to ask questions which specialists tend to forget, because they think they have answered them, because they have taken for granted a certain number of presuppositions which are perhaps fundamental to their discipline. The questions I shall raise come from outside; they are the questions of a sociologist who, among the objects he studies, encounters sporting activities and entertainments (les pratiques et les consommations sportives) in the form, for example, of the statistical distribution of sports activities by educational level, age, sex, and occupation, and who is led to ask himself questions not only about the relationship between the practices and the variables, but also about the meaning which the practices take on in those relationships.
Social facilitation and inhibition of emotional expression and communication.

Does the presence of others facilitate or inhibit emotional expression? Female "senders" (n = 45) viewed 12 emotionally loaded slides either alone or with another sender while responses were secretly videotaped. In Study 1, 14 "receivers" guessed the type of slide viewed by dyads more accurately (eta = .366). In Study 2, 42 receivers viewed 10 senders with friends, 10 with strangers, and 10 alone. One dyad member was covered so that only 1 sender was visible. Analysis revealed significant effects of condition (alone, friend, or stranger; eta = .456), slide type (sexual, scenic, unpleasant, or unusual; eta = .325), and the Condition x Slide Type interaction (eta = .350). Strangers had overall inhibitory effects on communication accuracy, whereas friends had facilitative effects on some slides and inhibitory effects on others. Thus, both social facilitation and inhibition of expression occurred on the basis of the emotional stimulus and personal relationship involved.
The Influence of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) on Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Iraq

﻿The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence use of Accounting Information System (AIS) performance in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Iraq. The study discusses and explores the effects of the use of AIS on the performance of SMEs. The result of this study is expected to help the owners and manager of SMEs to understand the importance of the use of AIS to achieve performance. The use of AIS is influenced by several characteristics enjoyed by the accounting information such as: reliability, relevance, and timeliness that effect on SMEs' performance. The result of this study and modern literature shows that AIS characteristics enjoyed by the accounting information such as: reliability, relevance, and timeliness have significant effects on the use of AIS and SMEs' performance. Prior researches have shown that is crucial for SMEs to use AIS to ensure business continuity and survival in the increasingly competitive environment and to enhance their business operations capability and efficiency. The study is one of few that shed light on how the use of AIS affects the performance of SMEs. In this study, the authors propose that dimensions of using AIS are important for improve the performance of SMEs.
A didactic for Vocational Education and Training ? : Critical exploration of the relation between general and subject didactics

Depending on perspectives and even languages the concept didactics is defined in different ways. The article acknowledges that the debate about conceptualization, particularly concerning the equivalence in English of what in Germanic and Latin languages is termed ‘didactics’, is well documented in the research literature (e.g. Wetsbury, Hoppmann & Riquarts, 2000). There is a claim in this article concerning the need to transcend the language discussion; it argues that there is indeed a need, particularly relevant for VET, to develop a close linkage between what some authors (e.g. Wenerstam & Hansen, 2006) consider “an empirically based” side of didactics associated to empirical findings and the “non-empirical” associated theoretical constructs for understanding the teaching-learning process. The article intends to critically revisit a number of influential didactical works both from German, Nordic and Anglo-Saxon contexts in search to contribute to the development of didactics for specific intricate subject of vocational education and training. The article does not intend to propose alternative solutions but suggest lines of development, encourage discussions and the further research that is required.