Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF PATIENT AND STAFF DOSES DURING VARIOUS CT FLUOROSCOPY GUIDED INTERVENTIONS

Abstract— As CT scanners are more routinely used as a guidance tool for various types of interventional radiological procedures, concern has grown for high patient and staff doses. CT fluoroscopy provides the physician immediate feedback and can be a valuable tool to dynamically assist various types of percutaneous interventions. However, the fixed position of the scanning plane in combination with high exposure factors may lead to high cumulative patient skin doses that can reach deterministic threshold limits. The staff is also exposed to a considerable amount of scatter radiation while standing next to the patient during the procedures. Although some studies have been published dealing with this subject, data of patient skin doses determined by direct in vivo dosimetry remains scarce. The purpose of this study is to quantify and to evaluate both patient and staff doses by direct thermoluminescent dosimetry during various clinical CT fluoroscopy guided procedures. Patient doses were quantified by determining the entrance skin dose with direct thermoluminescent dosimetry and by estimating the effective dose (E). Staff doses were quantified by determining the entrance skin dose at the level of the eyes, thyroid, and both the hands with direct thermoluminescent dosimetry. For a group of 82 consecutive patients, the following median values were determined (data per procedure): patient E (19.7 mSv), patient entrance skin dose (374 mSv), staff entrance skin dose at eye level (0.21 mSv), thyroid (0.24 mSv), at the left hand (0.18 mSv), and at the right hand (0.76 mSv). The maximum recorded patient entrance skin dose stayed well below the deterministic threshold level of 2 Gy. Poor correlation between both patient/staff doses and integrated procedure mAs emphasizes the need for in vivo measurements. CT fluoroscopy doses are markedly higher than classic CT-scan doses and are comparable to doses from other interventional radiological procedures. They consequently require adequate radiation protection management. An important potential for dose reduction exists by limiting the fluoroscopic screening time and by reducing the tube current (mA) to a level sufficient to provide adequate image quality.
Pyrethroid sorption to Sacramento River suspended solids and bed sediments

Sorption of pyrethroid insecticides to solid materials will typically dominate the fate and transport of these hydrophobic compounds in aquatic environments. Batch reactor isotherm experiments were performed with bifenthrin and λ‐cyhalothrin with suspended material and bed sediment collected from the Sacramento River, California, USA. These batch reactor experiments were performed with low spiking concentrations and a long equilibration time (28 d) to be more relevant to environmental conditions. Sorption to suspended material and bed sediment was compared to examine the role of differential sorption between these phases in the environmental transport of pyrethroids. The equilibrium sorption data were fit to the Freundlich isotherm model and fit with r2 > 0.87 for all experiments. Freundlich exponents ranged from 0.72 ± 0.19 to 1.07 ± 0.050, indicating sorption nonlinearity for some of the experimental conditions and linearity for others over the concentration range tested. The Freundlich capacity factors were larger for the suspended solids than for the bed sediments, and the suspended material had a higher specific surface area and higher organic carbon content compared to the bed sediment. Calculated organic carbon‐normalized distribution coefficients were larger than those previously reported in the literature, by approximately an order of magnitude, and ranged from 106.16 to 106.68 at an equilibrium aqueous concentration of 0.1 µg/L. Higher than expected sorption of pyrethroids to the tested materials may be explained by sorption to black carbon and/or mineral surfaces. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:787–792. © 2010 SETAC
Is There an Attendance Effect? Examining the Causal Link Between Religious Attendance and Political Participation

Does the act of attending religious services “cause” individuals to participate in politics? There is no known literature that examines this question using longitudinal, individual-level data. Therefore, using the Youth Parent Socialization Panel Study, this analysis examines three theoretical possibilities: the indirect, direct, and null relationships. The results show that changes in religious attendance are primarily indirectly linked to political participation through civic activity, a factor highly correlated with political participation. There is also some limited evidence for a direct effect. As individuals increase their political participation over time, they are slightly more likely to participate in political activities and vote. But, the findings also imply that the previous literature has likely overstated the role of religious attendance in generating political participation. Once individuals start participating politically, they continue to do so regardless of changes in their attendance at places of worship.
Chapter 1: Policy and Practice: The Relations Between Governance and Instruction

Ours is a time of remarkable ferment in U.S. education. The recent school reform movement initially focused on the "basics," but then took off in a dramatically new direction in the late 1980s. Reformers started to demand more thoughtful and intellectually ambitious instruction. Leaders in politics and business argued that students must become independent thinkers and enterprising problem solvers. Educators began to say that schools must offer intellectually challenging instruction that is deeply rooted in the academic disciplines. These ideas are a dramatic change. For most of this century, politicians and businessmen ignored public education or supported only minimum programs for most students. And most leaders in education long have been inclined to the view that most students need basic and practical education rather than more high-flown and demanding stuff. These tendencies were entirely representative. Though the American people have been enthusiasts for schooling, few have been keen on intellectually ambitious education. More unusual still, recent reformers have proposed fundamental changes in politics and policy to achieve the new goals. They argue for the creation of state or national curricula, to push instruction to new heights. Or they advocate state or national tests or examination systems, to pull instruction in the same direction. Or they propose to link examinations and curricula so as to gain even more leverage on teaching and learning. Prominent politicians, businesspeople, and professors have en-
Risk analysis for the surgical treatment of colorectal cancer in elderly patients undergoing scheduled and urgent interventions.

UNLABELLED Due to recorded growth both in living standards and latest researches in medicine, proportion of people in old age has significantly improved all over the world. Although old age people are several percent of the entire society, number of surgeries within the group does not exceed 40%. Also risk of malignant neoplasms among old age people, significantly grows. Malignant neoplasm of colon appears to be most visible problem in group of people in age over 75 years old. The aim of the study was a retrospective analysis of results in treatment of the sick over 75 years old, suffering from Malignant neoplasm of colon. Therapy was performed in the I Unit of General Surgery and Surgical Oncology in Provinical Hospital in Jelenia Góra. MATERIAL AND METHODS Subject to analysis were 63 patients that went under operations in years from 2006 to 2010 due to the colorectal cancer, who have been divided now into two groups. First group included 49 patients treated as per schedule, and the second stood for 14, who required urgent treatment. Reference group has involved 20 younger patients, treated in urgent and scheduled courses, due to the colon cancer. There are no contradictions to emergencies and scheduled surgeries for patients in advanced years, suffering from colon cancer. Complications after colon cancer emergencies are far more frequent than in case of scheduled surgeries. Death rates among patients over 75 years old are far more frequent after emergencies than after scheduled surgeries. Concomitant diseases occur the same frequent during emergenices as during scheduled operations. During emergencies, it was left side of the colon that occured to be infected with cancer more frequent. CONCLUSIONS There is no significant diversity in hospitalization time frames after emergencies and scheduled surgeries. Dangerous surgical complications within group of older patients, those after emergencies and scheduled surgeries too, are far more frequent in comparison to the reference group.
Trust and Well–Being in the African American Neighborhood

Trust is a key component in the creation and maintenance of social capital, which has been linked to neighborhood capacity to respond to environmental challenges as well as physical and mental well–being of individuals. This article investigates the significance of this component of social capital for the health and well–being of African American residents of various types of neighborhoods. Using data collected from a sample of residents of neighborhoods characterized by differing levels of racial and economic segregation in a midsized southern city (N= 310), a psychosocial resources model of distress is employed to explore the role of trust as a critical resource mediating the impact of stress in the form of racial and economic segregation on residents’ well–being. Results show that minority saturation is a more important predictor of well–being than economic segregation, and that, though no mediating influence is found, generalized trust is an important predictor of well–being.
Yield of Dual Endoscopy for Positive Fecal Occult Blood Test

OBJECTIVES:Dual endoscopy is frequently performed on the same day in patients whose stools are found to be positive on fecal occult blood testing (FOBT). This is often done to localize the potential sources of GI bleed. The diagnostic yield of same day dual upper endoscopy (EGD) and lower endoscopy (colonoscopy) for the detection of positive FOBT is uncertain. In the era of cost-efficient medical practice, we investigated whether a more evidence-based and structured approach could be used to guide physicians to the workup of patients who present with positive FOBT.METHODS:We performed a retrospective analysis of 309 patients, and 260 patients from this population met our inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included FOBT without acute GI hemorrhage, hematochezia, or melena. Patients were required to have had EGD and colonoscopy within the same day (<24 h). RESULTS:Of 260 patients, a total of 135 (52%) patients had positive findings on colonoscopy and a total of 42 (16.1%) patients had positive findings on EGD. Sixteen (6.1%) had positive EGD and negative colonoscopy; 109 (42%) had positive colonoscopy and negative EGD; and 26 (10%) had positive findings on both EGD and colonoscopy.CONCLUSIONS:Colonoscopy should be chosen as the initial procedure of choice in the evaluation of patients who present with positive FOBT. Same day dual endoscopy does not seem to be cost-effective.
Sex Differences in the Development of Verbal and Mathematics Constructs: The High School and Beyond Study

Sex differences in the development of verbal and mathematics constructs (achievement, attitudes, and course selection) were examined with the High School and Beyond (HS&B) data. Longitudinal path models were tested using both multiple regression and structural equation modeling. Sex differences were typically small and determinants of the verbal and mathematics constructs were similar for boys and for girls. Because the HS&B data were recently collected and nationally representative, these findings suggest that stereotyped sex differences favoring boys in mathematics and girls in verbal areas are diminishing. The results also added to a growing body of research demonstrating the content specificity of academic affects. As predicted by Marsh’s internal/external frame of reference model, mathematics and verbal attitudes were nearly uncorrected, better mathematics skills were associated with poorer verbal attitudes, and better verbal skills were associated with poorer mathematics attitudes.
Communication strategies used by 'good' versus 'poor' speaking partners of individuals with aphasia

Ten nonaphasic volunteers and 10 individuals with aphasia were assigned to dyads and videotaped in conversation. Judges ranked each volunteer in the videotaped conversations from 'best' to 'worst' communication partner. The two best and two worst interactions were submitted to detailed analysis using Conversation Analysis (CA) methodology. Discourse devices and resources employed by speaking partners in the dyads were identified. Results abstracted from the CA were compared to contrast discourse characteristics between the high ranked and low ranked partners. Specific strategies identified and implications for aphasia intervention are discussed.
Autoxidation and Neurotoxicity of 6‐Hydroxydopamine in the Presence of Some Antioxidants

Abstract: 6‐Hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) is a dopaminergic neurotoxin putatively involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Its neurotoxicity has been related to the production of reactive oxygen species. In this study we examine the effects of the antioxidants ascorbic acid (AA), glutathione (GSH), cysteine (CySH), and N‐acetyl‐CySH (NAC) on the autoxidation and neurotoxicity of 6‐OHDA. In vitro, the autoxidation of 6‐OHDA proceeds rapidly with the formation of H2O2 and with the participation of the H2O2 produced in the reaction. The presence of AA induced a reduction in the consumption of O2 during the autoxidation of 6‐OHDA and a negligible presence of the p‐quinone, which demonstrates the efficiency of AA to act as a redox cycling agent. The presence of GSH, CySH, and NAC produced a significant reduction in the autoxidation of 6‐OHDA. In vivo, the presence of sulfhydryl antioxidants protected against neuronal degeneration in the striatum, which was particularly remarkable in the case of CySH and was attributed to its capacity to remove the H2O2 produced in the autoxidation of 6‐OHDA. These results corroborate the involvement of oxidative stress as the major mechanism in the neurotoxicity of 6‐OHDA and the putative role of CySH as a scavenger in relation to PD.
Postembryonic proliferation in the spiny lobster antennular epithelium: rate of genesis of olfactory receptor neurons is dependent on molt stage.

Olfactory systems undergo continuous growth and turnover in many animals. Many decapod crustaceans, such as lobsters and crayfish, have indeterminate growth, and in these animals, turnover of both peripheral and central components of the olfactory system occurs continuously throughout life. In this study, we examine the dynamics of olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) proliferation in the antennule of the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, using in vivo incorporation of the cell proliferation marker BrdU. We show that addition of ORNs occurs in a "proximal proliferation zone" (PPZ), which exists on the proximo-lateral margin of the existing ORN population. The PPZ is spatially and temporally dynamic in that it travels as a wave in the proximal and lateral directions in the antennule. This wave results in continuous addition of ORNs throughout the molt cycle. The rate of proliferation, as measured by the size and shape of the PPZ, changes depending on the animal's molt stage. The rate is highest during premolt and lowest during intermolt. ORNs are the most prominent cell-type produced in the PPZ, but other cell types, including glia, are also produced. Patches of proliferating epithelial cells occur immediately proximal to the PPZ, suggesting that neuronal and glial precursors reside in this region. Possible mechanisms for peripheral and central modulation of ORN development are discussed.
Autism, Empathy and Moral Agency

Psychopaths have long been of interest to moral philosophers, since a careful examination of their peculiar deficiencies may reveal what features are normally critical to the development of moral agency. What underlies the psychopath’s amoralism? A common and plausible answer to this question is that the psychopath lacks empathy. Lack of empathy is also claimed to be a critical impairment in autism, yet it is not at all clear that autistic individuals share the psychopath’s amoralism. How is empathy characterized in the literature, and how crucial is empathy, so described, to moral understanding and agency? I argue that an examination of moral thinking in high-functioning autistic people supports a Kantian rather than a Humean account of moral agency.
Relationship of Optimism–Pessimism and Health-Related Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors

ABSTRACT Few studies have investigated the influence of optimism–pessimism in breast cancer survivors. This study used a retrospective design with 268 adult women who completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) as part of their medical care approximately 10 years prior to their breast cancer diagnosis and Medical Outcome Study Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36 or SF-12), on average, 8 years after diagnosis. MMPI pessimism scores were divided into quartiles, and t tests were used to determine differences between those highest and lowest in pessimism on health-related quality-of-life (QOL) measures, demographics, and disease status. The mean age at diagnosis of breast cancer was 63 years, and 74% had early-stage breast cancer. Patients age 65 years and older were significantly lower on physical health–related QOL scales. There were no significant differences in health-related QOL scores by stage of disease. Patients with a pessimistic explanatory style were significantly lower on all of the health-related QOL scores, compared to those with a nonpessimistic style. Breast cancer survivors who exhibit a pessimistic explanatory style report lower health-related QOL for years after receiving a cancer diagnosis, compared to nonpessimistic women.
Commentary: Reconceptualizing School Learning Using Insight From Expertise Research

Based on research on out-of-school expertise in workplaces and hobby activities, this commentary attempts to reconceptualize school learning and suggest desirable changes in it. Two topics are discussed in relation to the contributions of this special issue: (a) aspects of research on expert-novice differences and processes of gaining expertise that can be applied to school learning readily and profitably, and (b) situational and individual determinants of expertise differing in levels and types and their implications for learning in basic schooling.
KCNQ Channels Show Conserved Ethanol Block and Function in Ethanol Behaviour

In humans, KCNQ2/3 channels form an M-current that regulates neuronal excitability, with mutations in these channels causing benign neonatal familial convulsions. The M-current is important in mechanisms of neural plasticity underlying associative memory and in the response to ethanol, with KCNQ controlling the release of dopamine after ethanol exposure. We show that dKCNQ is broadly expressed in the nervous system, with targeted reduction in neuronal KCNQ increasing neural excitability and KCNQ overexpression decreasing excitability and calcium signalling, consistent with KCNQ regulating the resting membrane potential and neural release as in mammalian neurons. We show that the single KCNQ channel in Drosophila (dKCNQ) has similar electrophysiological properties to neuronal KCNQ2/3, including conserved acute sensitivity to ethanol block, with the fly channel (IC50 = 19.8 mM) being more sensitive than its mammalian ortholog (IC50 = 42.1 mM). This suggests that the role of KCNQ in alcohol behaviour can be determined for the first time by using Drosophila. We present evidence that loss of KCNQ function in Drosophila increased sensitivity and tolerance to the sedative effects of ethanol. Acute activation of dopaminergic neurons by heat-activated TRP channel or KCNQ-RNAi expression produced ethanol hypersensitivity, suggesting that both act via a common mechanism involving membrane depolarisation and increased dopamine signalling leading to ethanol sedation.
Psychic Distance Revisited: A Proposed Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda

The concept of psychic distance has had a long but problematic history in the academic study of international business. Although inherently appealing, attempts to empirically validate the theoretical frameworks proposed by early psychic distance scholars have provided mixed results. This has led a number of academics to question the usefulness of the concept. Theoretical advances have been made in recent times with the introduction of revised definitions, but there is still the need for a conceptual framework of psychic distance that unambiguously identifies the determinants of psychic distance and demonstrates the relevance of this concept at the national, firm and individual level. The present paper proposes a revised definition of psychic distance and posits a conceptual framework of psychic distance that addresses these needs. It then concludes by putting forward a research agenda arising as a consequence of the new conceptual framework.
Stratified structural and epistemic aspects of the care manager's discretion—a theoretical approach to social work related to older people's potential relocation to a residential home

By applying a theoretical point of departure, the overarching aim of this article is to describe, analyze, and try to understand why care managers in their everyday occupational practice normalize the restrictive approach when older people consider relocation to a residential home. While earlier research to a large extent has drawn attention to how the care managers carry out the restrictive approach, this article pays attention to the circumstances paving its way. The focus is on influences from different sociological levels, thereby ‘stratified’, and from two aspects of discretion, where ‘structural aspects’ refer to choices between permitted alternatives and ‘epistemic aspects’ to practical reasoning under conditions of indeterminacy. With this combination, a multitude of circumstances contributing to the restrictive approach is revealed. Thus, the theoretical model includes levels as well as discretionary powers where formulas constitute the foundation at each level, subsequently related to multidisciplinary references in order to get the practice into perspective. The findings show that the priority given to home-based care in contrast to residential care is repeated and confirmed at each level and besides in an interchange between structural and epistemic aspects.
The relationship between anxiety disorder symptoms and negative self-statements in normal children

The current study examined the relationship between anxiety disorder symptoms and negative self-statements in a sample of normal children ( N = 119). Children were asked to complete the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) and the Negative Affect Self-Statement Questionnaire (NASSQ). Results showed that, in normal children, there is a positive relationship between anxiety disorder symptoms, as indexed by the SCARED, and negative self-statements, as measured by the NASSQ. In particular, anxious self-statements were more often present in children who exhibited relatively high levels of anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, depressive and anxious-depressive self-statements were found to be positively associated with the presence of symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and panic disorder.