Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative effectiveness of laparoscopic versus open prostatectomy for men with low-risk prostate cancer: a matched case-control study

Background: Little data exist on effect of undergoing laparoscopic prostatectomy(LP) versus open prostatectomy(OP) upon 30-day mortality rates among low-risk prostate cancer patients. Materials and methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified men (2004 to 2013) with biopsy-proven, low-risk prostate cancer who met the eligibility criteria: N0, M0, T-stage⩽2A, PSA⩽10 ng/mL, and Gleason score=6. We utilized a 1:N matched case-control study, with cases and controls matched by race, insurance status, Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score, surgical margin status, and facility type to investigate the short-term comparative effectiveness of LP versus OP. Results: Among the 448,773 patients in the National Cancer Database with low-risk prostate cancer, 116,359 patients met the above inclusion criteria. The target group was restricted to patients who received LP or OP, thus, leaving 44,720 patients for the study. The use of LP (compared with OP) was associated with patients with privately insured patients, treatment at an academic/research centers, high-volume hospitals, and white race (all P<0.01). LP was less frequently utilized for black patients, those who received treatment at community centers, and for those with Medicaid insurance(all P<0.01). The odds ratio of death for surgery type (laparoscopy vs. open) was estimated at 0.31 (95% confidence interval, 0.135–0.701; P<0.05). Thus, the risk of death within 30 days was 69% lower with LP compared with OP. Conclusions: We found that the 30-day mortality rate among low-risk prostate cancer patients is significantly lower among patients who received LP when compared with OP, with various clinicopathologic parameters associated with its preferential use.
Chemical Shift of Electron Energy-Loss Near-Edge Structure on the Nitrogen K-Edge and Titanium L3-Edge at TiN/Ti Interface

Abstract We investigated the chemical shift of the electron energy-loss near-edge structure (ELNES) for the nitrogen K-edge and titanium L3-edge measured from the interface region between a titanium nitride layer and a titanium layer. Both the titanium nitride and titanium layers were prepared by a sputtering method. Elemental analysis for nitride and titanium in the vicinity of the interface region was performed using a standard technique in electron energy-loss spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that both the ELNES of nitrogen K-edge and titanium L3-edge presented the chemical shift, more or less, depending on the composition of TiNx. The experimental findings were interpreted using a first-principles band structure calculation. The chemical shifts of nitrogen K-edge and titanium L3-edge can be used as fingerprinting for readily distinguishing the composition of TiNx.
The Unresolved Dilemma of Leadership-Commitment Relationship: AProposed Framework

Numerous factors have been proposed to have influence over commitment to service quality; among some of those prominent factors are leadership styles that specifically include transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire. However, among the prominent studies on the said relationship; the reported results are contradictory. Therefore, it is suggested to incorporate a moderating variable to further explain this relationship. Present study proposes role clarity as a moderating variable on the relationship between transformational, transactional, laissez-fair leadership styles and commitment to service quality.
Cerebellar Volume and Cerebellar Metabolic Characteristics in Adults with Dyslexia

Developmental dyslexia is associated with problems in a range of linguistic and non‐linguistic skills. Some of those problems have been attributed to dysfunction of the cerebellum and its associated neural systems. Two studies of cerebellar structure were undertaken by our group. In Study 1, white and grey matter volumes in the cerebellum were investigated in 10 dyslexic and 11 control adult male, right‐handed participants using whole‐brain volumetric MRI (3D‐T1‐weighted data sets with a spatial resolution of 0.8 × 0.8 × 0.8 mm3). The key finding was that the dyslexic group had a larger volume of white matter in both cerebellar hemispheres, differences that remained significant even when adjusting for total cerebellar volume. In Study 2, with the same participants, long‐echo‐time proton spectroscopy was used to investigate the ratios of the metabolites choline (Cho), N‐acetylaspartate (NAA), and creatine (Cr) in the cerebellar hemispheres and vermis. Two significant differences were found: The dyslexic group had a lower ratio of NAA/Cho in the right cerebellar hemisphere together with a higher ratio of Cho/Cr in the left cerebellar hemisphere. Although it is difficult to interpret the volumetric and spectroscopic results unambiguously, taken together they suggest two possible interpretations: excessive connectivity or abnormal myelination.
Antioxidant Effects of Maillard Reaction Products Obtained from Ovalbumin and Different D-Aldohexoses

Nonenzymatic glycation between ovalbumin (OVA) and seven D-aldohexoses was carried out to study the chemical and antioxidant characteristics of sugar–protein complexes formed in the dry state at 55 °C and 65% relative humidity for 2 d through the Maillard reaction (MR). The effects of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) modified with different aldohexoses on radical scavenging, lipid oxidation, and tetrazolium salt (XTT) reducibility were investigated. The results showed that the degree of browning and aggregation and the tryptophan-related fluorescent intensity of glycated proteins displayed a noticeable difference that depended on the sugars used for modification. All the glycated proteins exhibited higher antioxidant activity as compared to a heated control and native OVA, and the antioxidant activity was well correlated with browning development. Furthermore, the order of antioxidant activities for the seven complexes was as follows: altrose/allose–OVAs > talose/galactose–OVAs > gulose–OVA > mannose/glucose–OVAs. This implies that sugar–protein complexes with two sugars known as epimers about C-2 showed a similar antioxidant capacity. From these results, the configuration of a hydroxyl (OH) group about position C-2 did not influence the advanced cross-linking reaction, but the configuration of OH groups about C-3 and C-4 might be very important for formation of MRPs and their antioxidant behaviors.
ECG analysis: a new approach in human identification

In this article a new approach in human identification is investigated. For this purpose a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (EGG), recorded during rest, is used. Selected features extracted from the ECG are used to identify a person in a predetermined group. Multivariate analysis is used for the identification task. Experiments show that it is possible to identify a person by features extracted from one lead only. Hence only three electrodes has to be attached on the person to be identified. This makes the method applicable without too much effort.
Toxicity of pamam‐coated gold nanoparticles in different unicellular models

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers are used for many pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. However, the toxicological risks of several PAMAM‐based compounds are still not fully evaluated, despite evidences of PAMAM deleterious effects on biological membranes, leading to toxicity. In this report, we investigated the toxicity of generation 0 PAMAM‐coated gold nanoparticles (AuG0 NPs) in four different models to determine how different cellular systems are affected by PAMAM‐coated NPs. Toxicity was evaluated in two mammalian cell lines, Neuro 2A and Vero, in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the bacteria Vibrio fischeri. AuG0 NP treatments reduced cell metabolic activity in algal and bacterial cells, measured by esterase enzymatic activity (C. reinhardtii) and luminescence emission (V. fischeri). EC50 value after 30 min of treatment was similar in both organisms, with 0.114 and 0.167 mg mL−1 for C. reinhardtii and V. fischeri, respectively. On the other hand, AuG0 NPs induced no change of mitochondrial activity in mammalian cells after 24 h of treatment to up to 0.4 mg mL−1 AuG0 NPs. Change in the absorption spectra of AuG0 NP in the mammalian cell culture media may indicate an alteration of NP properties that contributed to the low toxicity of AuG0 NPs in mammalian cells. For a safe development of PAMAM‐based nanomaterials, the difference of sensitivity between mammalian and microbial cells, as well as the modulation of NPs toxicity by medium properties, should be taken into account when designing PAMAM NPs for applications that may lead to their introduction in the environment. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 328–336, 2014.
Critical interpretive research in organizational communication

1 remendous progress has been made in the developtnent of scientific approaches to the study of human communication during the twentieth century. While research during this time has been dominated by positivistic, natural science modeled concepts and methods, a more holistic, meaning centered, tradition has developed in European writings. During the past twenty years this second tradition has become of much greater interest to American researchers in the social sciences. The foundations for this second tradition, referred to generically as the interpretive paradigm, are ancient. Its roots lie with the sophists; its development as the hidden side of the western tradition emerged with clarity in the writings of Vico, and its recollection as the foundation for the human sciences by Dilthey. The development of the interpretive paradigm in the social sciences in the twentieth century has continued through the writings in philosophical hermeneutics and the sociological work spawned by Weber. ' Discussions of the interpretive paradigm are present in nearly every discipline's literature^ and are available in several excellent collections. ' Both communication" and organizational^ theorists have shown great interest.
Pharmaceutical Options for Triggering of Final Oocyte Maturation in ART

Since the pioneering days of in vitro fertilization, hCG has been the gold standard to induce final follicular maturation. We herein reviewed different pharmaceutical options for triggering of final oocyte maturation in ART. The new upcoming agent seems to be GnRHa with its potential advantages over hCG trigger. GnRHa triggering elicits a surge of gonadotropins resembling the natural midcycle surge of gonadotropins, without the prolonged action of hCG, resulting in the retrieval of more mature oocytes and a significant reduction in or elimination of OHSS as compared to hCG triggering. The induction of final follicular maturation using GnRHa represents a paradigm shift in the ovulation triggering concept in ART and, thus, a way to develop a safer IVF procedure. Kisspeptins are key central regulators of the neuroendocrine mechanisms of human reproduction, who have been shown to effectively elicit an LH surge and to induce final oocyte maturation in IVF cycles. This new trigger concept may, therefore, offer a completely new, “natural” pharmacological option for ovulation induction. Whether kisspeptins will be the future agent to trigger ovulation remains to be further explored.
Deepening our understanding of quality improvement in Europe (DUQuE): overview of a study of hospital quality management in seven countries

Introduction and Objective This paper provides an overview of the DUQuE (Deepening our Understanding of Quality Improvement in Europe) project, the first study across multiple countries of the European Union (EU) to assess relationships between quality management and patient outcomes at EU level. The paper describes the conceptual framework and methods applied, highlighting the novel features of this study. Design DUQuE was designed as a multi-level cross-sectional study with data collection at hospital, pathway, professional and patient level in eight countries. Setting and Participants We aimed to collect data for the assessment of hospital-wide constructs from up to 30 randomly selected hospitals in each country, and additional data at pathway and patient level in 12 of these 30. Main outcome measures A comprehensive conceptual framework was developed to account for the multiple levels that influence hospital performance and patient outcomes. We assessed hospital-specific constructs (organizational culture and professional involvement), clinical pathway constructs (the organization of care processes for acute myocardial infarction, stroke, hip fracture and deliveries), patient-specific processes and outcomes (clinical effectiveness, patient safety and patient experience) and external constructs that could modify hospital quality (external assessment and perceived external pressure). Results Data was gathered from 188 hospitals in 7 participating countries. The overall participation and response rate were between 75% and 100% for the assessed measures. Conclusions This is the first study assessing relation between quality management and patient outcomes at EU level. The study involved a large number of respondents and achieved high response rates. This work will serve to develop guidance in how to assess quality management and makes recommendations on the best ways to improve quality in healthcare for hospital stakeholders, payers, researchers, and policy makers throughout the EU.
Gender and Health

Research has found differences between women and men in some health indicators. Women’s life expectancy is higher than men’s, but research on differences in morbidity has proved less consistent than on the differences in mortality. These differences vary in terms of the type of health indicator used, the life cycle period analyzed, and even the country where research is conducted. Generally, men have more life-threatening chronic diseases at younger ages, including coronary heart disease, as well as more externalizing mental health problems and substance use disorders. Women present higher rates of chronic debilitating conditions such as arthritis, frequent or severe headaches, gallbladder conditions, and also more internalizing mental problems such as affective and anxiety disorders. Results of research on the differences between women and men in self-rated health have also highlighted the complexity of gender differences in health. Although several studies have shown that women have poorer self-rated health than men, this is not the case in all countries. Also, differences in self-rated health vary depending on other psychosocial and demographic variables. The present study reviews the main differences in women’s and men’s health as well as the most relevant factors that may account for them.
An EEG study on hand force imagery for brain-computer interfaces

Motor imagery based BCIs are one of the most important BCI paradigms. Although it has been studied for a long time, the EEG features for kinetic information of motor imagery are still less known. In this paper, we explored EEG patterns of hand force motor imagery. Six subjects participated in this study, who were required to imagine clenching their hands with two different levels of force during the experiment. Time-frequency analyses showed a significant decrease of EEG power at alpha and beta band when subjects performed the motor imagery task, compared to the rest state. Furthermore, the power decrease of the high force imagery was significantly larger than that of the low force imagery. Support vector machines were used to classify the three different EEG patterns (rest vs. high force vs. low force) and achieved an accuracy of 71% on average. It suggests that the force level of motor imagery plays a critical role in the patterns of event-related desynchronization, and could be used to control BCIs.
The Exchange of Power and Cultural Attitudes as Authentic Practice in Japanese EFL Pedagogical Spaces

This is a study of how EFL teachers’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds and attitudes are articulated as authentic and powerful practices in pedagogical spaces (Presence.) Presence is defined using a poststructuralist framework as the production of meaningful interactions between teachers and students in classroom settings. Using a qualitative research design, three case studies of Japanese EFL teachers at a rural Japanese High School were used, collecting data onsite from interviews, observations, lesson plans, and school reports. The results showed Presence when teachers articulated authentic and powerful language pedagogy directly connected to their attitudes and cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and not simply through the automatic delivery of the prescribed lesson. Theoretically, results critically rethink EFL pedagogy; authentic language practice is a continuum of multiple, site-specific relationships demanding mutual intelligibility, not the application of a decontextualized curriculum. Educational implications offer evidence for integrating pedagogies of Presence into transformative EFL education classrooms.
“The ivory tower” on an “unstable foundation”: Playful Language, Humor, and Metaphor in the Negotiation of Scientists’ Identities

In this essay we argue that metaphor and language play generally should be analyzed in the context of actual conversations, not as a peripheral or incidental part of the discourse, but as an integral part of both topic-centered and relational work. We examine several instances of playful metaphor, humor, and irony that occurred during a one-hour focus-group discussion among a group of scientists discussing their role in communicating about science with laypersons. During the course of this discussion, word play, humorous insults, and the elaboration and reconstruction of metaphorical idioms are used for a variety of purposes, including reinforcement of group boundaries, re-constitution of the group's assigned task, and joint development of a complex set of ideas about group members' identities as scientists working in a publicly-funded lab. Throughout this conversation the social structuring and relational functions of playfulness and metaphor interacts with the accomplishment of the purposes of the conversation. We argue that analysis of language play, humor, and metaphor is strengthened by attention to the purpose of the talk and, conversely, understanding how the purpose of talk is accomplished is strengthened by attention to the participants' use of playful, metaphorical, and humorous language.
/r/-liaison in English: An empirical study

Abstract This article presents the results of an empirical study on the phenomenon of /r/-liaison (i.e., linking /r/ and intrusive /r/) in non-rhotic English from the perspective of usage-based Cognitive Linguistics. The study looks into sociolinguistic, phonetic and usage-based factors that condition variability in /r/-liaison through the analysis of news archives from the BBC World Service website (years 2004 and 2005). The paper argues that a thorough understanding of the phenomenon of /r/-liaison requires an analysis of the different aspects that condition its use and the use of empirical methods to study it.
Definitive Radiotherapy versus Postoperative Radiotherapy of Patients with Oro- and Hypopharyngeal Cancer: Impact of Prognostic Factors

Purpose. To compare the impact of prognostic factors of patients treated with definitive radio(chemo)therapy versus patients treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the oro- and hypopharynx. Patients and Methods. 162 patients treated with definitive radiotherapy and 126 patients treated with postoperative radiotherapy were retrospectively analysed. The impact of the prognostic factors gender, age, total tumor volume (TTV), pre-radiotherapy hemoglobin level (Hb-level), tumor site, T- and N-classification, radiotherapy interruptions >5 days, radiotherapy versus simultaneous radiochemotherapy, R-status and time interval between surgery and radiotherapy were investigated. Results. The median follow-up time for the censored patients treated with definitive radio(chemo)therapy was 28.5 months and for postoperative radiotherapy 36.5 months. On univariate analysis, the TTV, Hb-level, and simultaneous radiochemotherapy had a significant impact on the survival of patients treated with definitive radio(chemo)therapy. For patients treated with postoperative radiotherapy, only the TTV showed a statistical trend for the survival (P = 0.13). On multivariate analysis, the TTV and simultaneous radiochemotherapy maintained their statistical significance for patients treated with definitive raditherapy, and the TTV, the statistical trend for patients treated with postoperative radiotherapy (P = 0.19). Conclusions. The TTV was the predominant prognostic factor for both, patients treated with definitive or postoperative radiotherapy.
Connectedness of PPI network neighborhoods identifies regulatory hub proteins

MOTIVATION With the growing availability of high-throughput protein-protein interaction (PPI) data, it has become possible to consider how a protein's local or global network characteristics predict its function. RESULTS We introduce a graph-theoretic approach that identifies key regulatory proteins in an organism by analyzing proteins' local PPI network structure. We apply the method to the yeast genome and describe several properties of the resulting set of regulatory hubs. Finally, we demonstrate how the identified hubs and putative target gene sets can be used to identify causative, functional regulators of differential gene expression linked to human disease. AVAILABILITY Code is available at http://bcb.cs.tufts.edu/hubcomps. CONTACT fox.andrew. d@gmail.com; slonim@cs.tufts.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Decrease of collagen deposition in wound repair in type 1 diabetes independent of glycemic control.

HYPOTHESIS Type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and glycemic control influence wound healing in humans. DESIGN Experimental study using a human wound-healing model. SETTING Collaboration among a multidisciplinary wound-healing department, department of medicine, and research laboratories. PATIENTS, CONTROL SUBJECTS, AND METHODS: In 34 patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) and 25 with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes and 5 nondiabetic control subjects matched with the type 2 diabetic patients, wound-healing capacity was determined as subcutaneous accumulation of collagen measured as hydroxyproline. Two expanded polytetrafluoroethylene tubes were implanted and removed 10 days later. The hydroxyproline level was determined by means of high-performance liquid chromatography; the collagenase activity, by using a radiolabeled collagen substrate. Proliferation of fibroblasts cultured from the wounds was studied in patient groups. RESULTS The deposition of hydroxyproline decreased by 40% (P =.03) in type 1 compared with type 2 diabetes (median, 0.70 vs 1.16 nmol/mg; interquartile range, 0.48-1.04 vs 0.56-1.63 nmol/mg), which in turn did not differ significantly from that of controls (median, 1.35 nmol/mg; interquartile range, 0.72-1.88 nmol/mg). The decreased collagen deposition in type 1 diabetes was not caused by increased collagenase activity. The deposition of hydroxyproline did not correlate significantly (r(s) = 0.07; P =. 63) with glycosylated hemoglobin levels in either diabetic group. Fibroblast growth was also decreased in type 1 compared with type 2 diabetic patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS Collagen deposition in acute wounds is impaired in type 1 diabetes, possibly due to a decreased fibroblast proliferation. In type 2 diabetes, collagen deposition is normal. Glycemic control does not influence collagen deposition in acute wound repair in type 1 or in type 2 diabetes mellitus.