Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imported Amoebic Liver Abscess in France

Background Worldwide, amoebic liver abscess (ALA) can be found in individuals in non-endemic areas, especially in foreign-born travelers. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of ALA in patients admitted to French hospitals between 2002 and 2006. We compared imported ALA cases in European and foreign-born patients and assessed the factors associated with abscess size using a logistic regression model. Results We investigated 90 ALA cases. Patient median age was 41. The male:female ratio was 3.5∶1. We were able to determine the origin for 75 patients: 38 were European-born and 37 foreign-born. With respect to clinical characteristics, no significant difference was observed between European and foreign-born patients except a longer lag time between the return to France after traveling abroad and the onset of symptoms for foreign-born. Factors associated with an abscess size of more than 69 mm were being male (OR = 11.25, p<0.01), aged more than 41 years old (OR = 3.63, p = 0.02) and being an immigrant (OR = 11.56, p = 0.03). Percutaneous aspiration was not based on initial abscess size but was carried out significantly more often on patients who were admitted to surgical units (OR = 10, p<0.01). The median time to abscess disappearance for 24 ALA was 7.5 months. Conclusions/Significance In this study on imported ALA was one of the largest worldwide in terms of the number of cases included males, older patients and foreign-born patients presented with larger abscesses, suggesting that hormonal and immunological factors may be involved in ALA physiopathology. The long lag time before developing ALA after returning to a non-endemic area must be highlighted to clinicians so that they will consider Entamoeba histolytica as a possible pathogen of liver abscesses more often.
Questioning the Stability of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety and Motivation Across Different Classroom Contexts

This study examined whether foreign language learner anxiety and mo- tivational goal orientations remained stable across two different classroom contexts: a reading course and a conversation course. The researcher measured anxiety and four types of motivational goal orientations by surveying 59 Korean college students learn- ing English in both courses. A repeated-measures MANCOVA was used to analyze the responses. The findings indicated that levels of anxiety can vary according to instruc- tional contexts. The study found a significant difference for anxiety, with the students reporting higher levels of anxiety in the conversation course than in the reading course. By contrast, for goal orientation, students exhibited similar patterns across contexts. These Korean students displayed a high tendency toward a utilitarian goal regardless of context. The article also suggests teaching implications for reducing anxiety and en- hancing motivation.
Children's Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy: An Inventory Scale

Social learning theorists define perceived self-efficacy as a sense of confidence regarding the performance of specific tasks. For example, Bandura (1986) defines the construct as "people's judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances. It is concerned not with the skills one has but with the judgments of what one can do with whatever skills one possesses" (391). Performance self-efficacy influences several aspects of behavior that are important to learning. Among these are choice of activities, effort, persistence, learning, and achievement (Bandura 1977, 1982, 1989a; Schunk 1989a, 1989b; Zimmerman, Bandura, and Martinez-Pons 1992). The most frequently cited self-efficacy theorist, Bandura, theorizes that individuals develop general anticipation regarding cause and effect based on their experiences. Furthermore, he suggests that individuals develop particular beliefs about their ability to cope with situation-specific constructs (Bandura 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1989a, 1989b). If such theories are applied to the study of children's beliefs about learning, it would be logical to predict that children with high academic self-efficacy would be likely to demonstrate greater success in school. Although literature speaking directly to children's academic self-efficacy is rather sparse, what does exist supports the link between self-efficacy and academic performance. For
Moving on up: South Asian women and higher education

Taylor and Francis CBSE_A_423712. sgm 10.1080/01425690903235383 British Journal of Sociology of Education 0142-5692 (pri t)/1465-3346 (online) Extended Review 2 09 & Francis 36 000Nov mber 2 09 laireSmethe ham . S etherha @btopenworl . com Moving on up: South Asian women and higher education, by Yasmin Hussain and Paul Bagguley, Stoke on Trent, UK, Trentham Books, 2007, 154 pp., £17.99 ISBN 978 1 85856 349 7
Low CO2 Sensitivity of Microzooplankton Communities in the Gullmar Fjord, Skagerrak: Evidence from a Long-Term Mesocosm Study

Ocean acidification is considered as a crucial stressor for marine communities. In this study, we tested the effects of the IPCC RPC6.0 end-of-century acidification scenario on a natural plankton community in the Gullmar Fjord, Sweden, during a long-term mesocosm experiment from a spring bloom to a mid-summer situation. The focus of this study was on microzooplankton and its interactions with phytoplankton and mesozooplankton. The microzooplankton community was dominated by ciliates, especially small Strombidium sp. , with the exception of the last days when heterotrophic dinoflagellates increased in abundance. We did not observe any effects of high CO2 on the community composition and diversity of microzooplankton. While ciliate abundance, biomass and growth rate were not affected by elevated CO2, we observed a positive effect of elevated CO2 on dinoflagellate abundances. Additionally, growth rates of dinoflagellates were significantly higher in the high CO2 treatments. Given the higher Chlorophyll a content measured under high CO2, our results point at mainly indirect effects of CO2 on microzooplankton caused by changes in phytoplankton standing stocks, in this case most likely an increase in small-sized phytoplankton of <8 μm. Overall, the results from the present study covering the most important part of the growing season indicate that coastal microzooplankton communities are rather robust towards realistic acidification scenarios.
Web-based Peer Assessment: A Case Study with Civil Engineering Students

Peer-assessed online collaborative writing is of growing importance for higher education. Based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of collected data, this work presents the results of a case study in a graduate civil engineering course at the University of Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal. After an overall presentation of the learning activity, it examines students’ attitudes towards web-based peer assessment and identifies which factors are related to students’ use and appreciation of feedback. In addition, an analysis of the type of feedback is presented in an attempt to evaluate students’ written communication skills. The results of this study provide indications on how to improve the design and implementation of future web-based peer assessment tasks and raise questions on the effectiveness of peer/teacher grading in the use of feedback.
Early Childhood Teacher Preparation in Special Education at 2- and 4-Year Institutions of Higher Education

The movement toward inclusion has made educating and caring for children with disabilities an increasingly critical part of the early education teacher's role. The goal of this paper is to describe the extent to which early childhood teacher preparation programs are including early childhood special educationlearly intervention content and experiences as part of their core course and practicum requirements. A nationally representative survey of 438 chairs and directors of early childhood teacher preparation programs revealed that while a large proportion of programs consider early childhood special educationlearly intervention to be a part of the mission of their program, the amount of coursework and practicum experience vary considerably by content area and level of degree offered by the program. Implications are offered for policy and future research.
Sex-specific differences in effect size estimates at established complex trait loci

Background Genetic differences between men and women may contribute to sex differences in prevalence and progression of many common complex diseases. Using the WTCCC GWAS, we analysed whether there are sex-specific differences in effect size estimates at 142 established loci for seven complex diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes (T1D), Crohn’s disease, type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, coronary artery disease and bipolar disorder. Methods For each Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), we calculated the per-allele odds ratio for each sex and the relative odds ratios (RORs; the effect size is higher in men with ROR greater than one). RORs were then meta-analysed across loci within each disease and across diseases. Results For each disease, summary RORs were not different from one, but there was between-SNP heterogeneity in the RORs for T1D and T2D. Four loci in T1D, three in Crohn’s disease and three in T2D showed differences in the genetic effect between men and women (P < 0.05). We probed these differences in additional independent replication samples for T1D and T2D. The differences remained for the T1D loci CTSH, 17q21 and 20p13 and the T2D locus BCL11A, when WTCCC data and replication data were meta-analysed. Only CTSH showed different genetic effect between men and women in the replication data alone. Conclusion Our results exclude the presence of large and frequent differences in the effect size estimates between men and women for the established loci in the seven common diseases explored. Documenting small differences in genetic effects between men and women requires large studies and systematic evaluation.
Phase II trial of procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine as initial therapy for patients with low-grade oligodendroglioma or oligoastrocytoma: efficacy and associations with chromosomal abnormalities.

PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to determine the response rate and toxicity of PCV administered before radiation therapy in patients with newly diagnosed LGO/LGOA and to explore correlations between response with 1p/19q deletions and aberrant p53 expression. BACKGROUND Despite prolonged survival of patients with low-grade oligodendroglioma (LGO) and oligoastrocytoma (LGOA), the majority will succumb to progressive disease. Because procarbazine, lomustine (CCNU), and vincristine (PCV) is active in patients with recurrent LGO/LGOA, we hypothesized that it would be beneficial as primary therapy. METHODS Adult patients with residual tumor on magnetic resonance imaging scan following biopsy or subtotal resection of LGO/LGOA received up to six cycles of PCV. Radiation therapy (59.4 or 54.0 Gy) began within 10 weeks of completing chemotherapy or immediately if there was evidence of tumor progression on PCV. Tumor tissue was analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization for 1p and 19q deletion and by immunohistochemistry for p53 expression. RESULTS Eight of 28 (29%) and 13 of 25 (52%) eligible patients demonstrated tumor regression as assessed by the treating physician and a blinded central neuroradiology reviewer, respectively. Myelosuppression was the predominant toxicity. Loss of 1p and 19q were associated with LGO but not LGOA (P =.009), were inversely associated with p53 detection, and were not associated with response to PCV (possibly because of the small sample size). CONCLUSION PCV produces tumor regressions in a meaningful proportion of patients with LGO/LGOA. Toxicity, especially myelosuppression, is significant. Loss of 1p and 19q seems limited to patients with pure LGO and is inversely related to p53 alterations.
Assessment of quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis using WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire: a multicenter study

Background Assessment of quality of life (QOL) of patients with end-stage renal disease has become increasingly important, both in order to evaluate the influence of the disease on patients and the type of renal replacement therapy they require. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess QOL in patients undergoing hemodialysis and evaluated the effects of various sociodemographic factors affecting QOL of such patients in Nepal. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis at two major centers in Nepal. Demographic data including age, sex, ethnicity, educational status, marital status, employment, income, duration of illness, and duration on hemodialysis were collected. QOL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental) and two items (overall perception of QOL and health) of the WHOQOL-BREF were the primary end points of this study. Bivariate relationship between sociodemographic factors and QOL scores were analyzed using independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of QOL. Results Following QOL scores were recorded: environmental domain (53.17±15.59), psychological domain (51.23±18.61), social domain (49.86±21.64), and physical domain (45.93±16.90). Older age was associated with a better QOL score in the social domain (p=0.005), and employed patients scored better in the environmental domain (p=0.019). Unemployed patients and those of the Terai/Madhesi ethnic group had significantly low scores in overall perception of health (p<0.05) as compared to other groups. Low income status and increased duration on hemodialysis were found to be the only independent negative predictors of QOL in patients with hemodialysis (p<0.05). Conclusion Patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis had overall low QOL scores in all four domains. Age, ethnicity, employment status, income, and duration on hemodialysis affected one or more domains of QOL in such patients. Low income status and increased duration on hemodialysis were the only independent negative predictors of QOL of patients on maintenance hemodialysis.
Burnout and physical and mental health among Swedish healthcare workers.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to investigate how burnout relates to self-reported physical and mental health, sleep disturbance, memory and lifestyle factors. BACKGROUND Previous research on the possible relationship between lifestyle factors and burnout has yielded somewhat inconsistent results. Most of the previous research on possible health implications of burnout has focused on its negative impact on mental health. Exhaustion appears to be the most obvious manifestation of burnout, which also correlates positively with workload and with other stress-related outcomes. METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted, using questionnaires sent to all employees in a Swedish County Council (N = 6118) in 2002. The overall response rate was 65% (n = 3719). A linear discriminant analysis was used to look for different patterns of health indicators and lifestyle factors in four burnout groups (non-burnout, disengaged, exhausted and burnout). RESULTS Self-reported depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, memory impairment and neck- and back pain most clearly discriminated burnout and exhausted groups from disengaged and non-burnout groups. Self-reported physical exercise and alcohol consumption played a minor role in discriminating between burnout and non-burnout groups, while physical exercise discriminated the exhausted from the disengaged group. CONCLUSION Employees with burnout had most symptoms, compared with those who experienced only exhaustion, disengagement from work or no burnout, and the result underlines the importance of actions taken to prevent and combat burnout.
The Role of Self-Control in Crime Causation

In this paper we present an alternative conception of self-control and its role in crime causation to the one advanced by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) in their influential General Theory of Crime. Our conception is based on the theoretical framework outlined in the situational action theory of crime causation (e.g. Wikström 2006a). We propose that self-control is best analysed as a situational concept (a factor in the process of choice) rather than as an individual trait. We suggest that the core individual trait influencing an individual's ability to exercise self-control is executive capability. We maintain that there are also important environmental influences on an individual's ability to exercise self-control. We submit that the ability to exercise self-control is a relevant factor in crime causation only in situations where an individual considers (deliberates) whether or not to engage in an act of crime. We argue that for most people (in most circumstances) whether or not they engage in acts of crime is not a question of their ability to exercise self-control but rather a question of their morality. In short, this paper aims to clarify the concepts of ‘executive capability’, ‘self-control’ and ‘crime’, and to specify their relationships and role in the explanation of crime.
[Obesity, eating habits and nutritional knowledge among school children].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between obesity and eating habits and nutritional knowledge among schoolchildren. METHODS Weight and height were measured in 573 schoolchildren of public schools in two cities of State of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Obesity was defined as Body Mass Index above the 95th percentile based on the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) criteria. Eating habits and nutrition knowledge were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire. Simple and adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess associations. RESULTS Obesity among children was found to be associated with limited nutrition knowledge and unhealthy eating and habits. These children were five times more likely to be obese (OR=5.3;1.1-24.9). CONCLUSIONS The level of knowledge affects the association between obesity and eating habits, and there's reason to suspect that children who have more nutrition knowledge report habits known to be healthier but not necessarily the ones they actually practice. Taking into account children's level of knowledge, unhealthy habits were strongly associated to obesity.
Replica Placement in P2P Storage: Complexity and Game Theoretic Analyses

In peer-to-peer storage systems, peers replicate each others' data in order to increase availability. If the matching is done centrally, the algorithm can optimize data availability in an equitable manner for all participants. However, if matching is decentralized, the peers' selfishness can greatly alter the results, leading to performance inequities that can render the system unreliable and thus ultimately unusable. We analyze the problem using both theoretical approaches (complexity analysis for the centralized system, game theory for the decentralized one) and simulation. We prove that the problem of optimizing availability in a centralized system is NP-hard. In decentralized settings, we show that the rational behavior of selfish peers will be to replicate only with similarly-available peers. Compared to the socially-optimal solution, highly available peers have their data availability increased at the expense of decreased data availability for less available peers. The price of anarchy is high: unbounded in one model, and linear with the number of time slots in the second model. We also propose centralized and decentralized heuristics that, according to our experiments, converge fast in the average case. The high price of anarchy means that a completely decentralized system could be too \emph{hostile} for peers with low availability, who could never achieve satisfying replication parameters. Moreover, we experimentally show that even explicit consideration and exploitation of diurnal patterns of peer availability has a small effect on the data availability—except when the system has truly global scope. Yet a fully centralized system is infeasible, not only because of problems in information gathering, but also the complexity of optimizing availability. The solution to this dilemma is to create system-wide cooperation rules that allow a decentralized algorithm, but also limit the selfishness of the participants.
Treatment of Complex Trauma in Young Children: Developmental and Cultural Considerations in Application of the ARC Intervention Model

The Attachment, Self Regulation, and Competency (ARC) Framework is a theoretically grounded, evidence-informed, promising practice used to treat complex trauma in children and adolescents. This article introduces the ARC model and describes its application with young children of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds involved in the child protection system due to maltreatment. Examination of the clinical application of the ARC model with this population underscores the importance of grounding child complex trauma treatment in the caregiving system. Strategies for successful clinical intervention are identified, with attention devoted to cultural and systemic resources to advance the treatment process. This article presents preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the ARC model derived from program evaluation conducted at a community-based clinic.
Effect of arcjet plume on satellite reflector performance

The effect of an arcjet plume on the performance of onboard reflector antennas is studied. The arcjet plume is modeled as an inhomogeneous scatterer with a smoothly varying refractive index. The spatial distribution of the refractive index is related to the measured electron density data based on the cold plasma model. Since the plume size of interest is more than several wavelengths in extent, geometrical optics is used to calculate the microwave propagation through the plume. The trajectory, phase, amplitude, and polarization of the high-frequency ray field transmitted through the plume are numerically computed based on the laws of geometrical optics. Once the ray optics field transmitted through the plume on the near-field aperture is found, the far-field pattern of the antenna can be calculated by a ray-tube integration scheme. Results obtained with the proposed method are presented. <<ETX>>
Multi-family Housing, Social Capital, and Charitable Behavior: Does Spatial Connectedness Influence Social Connectedness?

Abstract Research and popular discussion in the last decade have led to a growing understanding of the importance of social capital for efficient societal functioning. This article considered the relationship of spatial connectedness in the built environment to social connectedness. Using charitable giving as a measure of pro-social behavior, an examination of 15,535 households participating in the Consumer Expenditure Survey revealed an inverse U-shaped relationship between proximity measures and social connectedness. Tobit and double-hurdle analyses showed charitable giving levels and participation initially rising as the number of units per structure rises and then falling for higher density levels. Separately, a probit analysis indicated a positive association between charitable giving participation and the presence of one shared wall, as well as a smaller, but still positive, association with multiple shared walls. Social connectedness appeared to be most strongly encouraged in the “ sweet spot “ between the physical isolation of detached single-family homes and the overcrowding of very large, high-density apartment buildings.