Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of Combination Therapy Using Aflibercept and Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant for Macular Edema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusion

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of the combination therapy of intravitreal aflibercept 2 mg (Eylea®) and a sustained-release dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant (Ozurdex®) in providing a prolonged effect in eyes with Macular Edema (ME) secondary to branch or Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO). Methods: In this interventional, prospective case series, 36 eyes of 36 patients with treatment-naive ME secondary to RVO were recruited between December 2016 and September 2017 and were studied over a 12-month follow-up period. Patients were included in analysis if they had a central macular thickness (CMT) >300 μm, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/40 or worse. All patients were treated with an Eylea® injection followed 2 weeks later by an Ozurdex® injection. The same cycle was repeated if BCVA decreased by 6 or more Snellen letters from the best measurement and/or if CMT increased by >50 μm from the lowest measurement. Intraocular Pressure (IOP) was evaluated 2 and 4 weeks after each Eylea® injection. CMT, BCVA and IOP were measured 6 weeks after the beginning of each cycle and subsequently every 4 weeks until retreatment is needed. The primary outcome measure was the time to retreatment. The secondary outcome measures included CMT, BCVA and IOP. Results: Seven patients (19.44%) needed no retreatment after one-year follow-up. Twenty-nine patients (80.56%) needed ≥ 1 retreatment, and the first reinjection was at 142.17 ± 39.13 days. There was a significant peak decrease in CMT from 482.44 ± 79.78 μm at baseline to 209.78 ± 13.14 μm (P<0.0001). In addition, mean BCVA improved from initially 0.706 ± 0.23 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units to a maximum of 0.336 ± 0.09 logMAR units during the study period (P<0.0001). An increase of IOP was seen in 7 patients out of 36 (19.44%) and was controlled by topical treatment. Conclusion: Aflibercept with dexamethasone implants provided a predictable duration of effect with low intravitreal retreatment rates at first year, and achieved significant anatomical and visual outcomes in eyes with ME secondary to RVO.
The Effect of Topic Familiarity and Pre-Reading Activities on Reading Comprehension and Lexical Inferencing

The present study investigated the effect of topic familiarity and pre-reading activities on reading comprehension and lexical inferencing. Sixty four Azari learners of English, with comparable English proficiency, were assigned to four groups: (1) plus familiar topic, plus pre-reading group (+F+P); (2) plus familiar topic, minus pre-reading group (+F–P); (3) minus familiar topic, plus pre-reading group (–F+P); (4) minus familiar topic, minus pre-reading group (–F–P). The participating groups were provided with reading materials which met the experimental conditions to which they had already been assigned, and were tested on reading comprehension and lexical inferencing. Results of MANOVA tests and pairwise comparisons run on the data obtained from two comprehension tests and one lexical inferencing test revealed a significantly positive effect of topic familiarity on both EFL readers’ comprehension and lexical inferencing. Pre-reading activities, however, improved neither reading comprehension nor lexical inferencing. The statistically significant superiority of +F–P group over the –F+P group in terms of both reading comprehension and lexical inferencing tests further implied that providing readers with pre-reading activities on an unfamiliar topic could barely make up for the lack of topic familiarity in either reading comprehension or lexical inferencing.
CONTROLLING OF WOOD DESTROYING ANOBIIDAE USING PARA-DICHLOROBENZENE IN AEROBIC ATMOSPHERE

The paper presents the results of fumigation of wood-destroying insects using 1,4 dichlorobenzene. Larvae of Anobium punctatum De Geer and Ptilinus pectinicornis L. were fumigated in the laboratory aerobic atmosphere at the temperature of 20 and 30°C, while settled within wood samples or outside wood. P. pectinicornis beetles were fumigated outside at 20°C only. The final concentration of p-dichlorobenzene in the air and insect mortality were recorded. Experiments have been undertaken due to selection necessity of substances supporting the effects of low-oxygen atmosphere, which is used to control wood-destroying insects in the collections of museums. The paper presents experiments of the first phase, in aerobic conditions. The results obtained are encouraging.
ON THE JUMPING PHENOMENON OF dimCH

Let X be a compact complex manifold and E be a holomorphic vector bundle on X. Given a deformation (X , E) of the pair (X,E) over a small polydisk B centered at the origin, we study the jumping phenomenon of the cohomology groups dimC H (Xt, Et) near t = 0. Generalizing previous results of X. Ye [8, 9] (for the tangent bundle E = TXt and exterior powers of the cotangent bundle E = ΩpXt ), we show that there are precisely two cohomological obstructions to the stability of dimC H (Xt, Et), which can be expressed explicitly in terms of the Maurer-Cartan element associated to the deformation (X , E). As an application, we study the jumping phenomenon of the dimension of the cohomology group H(Xt,End(TXt )), which is related to a question raised by physicists [5].
COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT DIETARY CONCENTRATIONS OF β-GALACTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES ON SERUM BIOCHEMICAL METABOLITES , SELECTED CAECEL MICROBIOTA AND IMMUNE RESPONSE IN BROILERS

A total of, 200, day old Hubbard broiler chicks, were randomly divided into four treatment groups (n = 50) with five replicates (n = 10) in each group and allotted four treatments. Birds in the control group (β-GOS-0) were given a corn based diet, whereas, birds in other three experimental groups were given same diets supplemented with different concentrations of β-GOS i.e., 0.1% (β-GOS-1), 0.2% (β-GOS-2) and 0.5% (β-GOS-5) for a period of 35 days. The birds were vaccinated against the Newcastle disease virus. Moreover, birds were also sensitized against 2, 4dinitrochlorobenzene for determination of cell mediated immunity. At the end of experiment, ten birds from each group were slaughtered to collect blood for serum biochemical metabolites and humoral immunity determination and caecal digesta for selected caecal microbiota enumeration. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. In case of significant F-value (P < 0.05), Tukey's post hoc test was applied. Results demonstrated that cell mediated immunity was higher (P < 0.05) in the β-GOS-1 group. Concentrations of caecal Lactobacilli were higher in the β-GOS-2 and β-GOS-5 groups. The serum biochemical metabolites, humoral immunity and counts of Clostridia and coliforms were not affected by dietary supplementation of β-GOS. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of β-GOS conferred better effects in terms of increased caecal Lactobacillus counts and immuno-modulation in broilers.
How Feedback and Goal-Setting Impact Children's Recess Physical Activity

International Journal of Exercise Science 9(4): 497-506, 2016. In recent years, schools desire to promote physical activity (PA) for their students but are restricted due to resources being expended in other areas of their curriculum, including standardized testing preparation. Recess/lunch periods have potential to contribute important amounts of PA to youth’s overall levels. Interventions to maximize PA during recess are warranted. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the impact of feedback and goal-setting on students’ PA during recess. A sample of 136 (67 females, 69 males) 4th and 5th grade students in the Southeast United States wore unsealed Walk4Life pedometers during recess for one month. Steps, activity time, participant demographics, and weather were recorded daily. Participants engaged in three conditions during recess: baseline, feedback, and goal-setting. Findings indicated that boys were more active than the girls and the 4th grade participants were more active than the 5th grade participants. Results suggest that the goal setting condition was effective in increasing the percentage of time in PA during an unstructured recess period; however, it did not significantly increase participants’ steps per minute levels at recess. Goal-setting with children can be an effective intervention to increase physical activity during recess.
LSHTM Research Online

Summary Background Haemophilus inﬂ uenzae type b (Hib) is a leading cause of childhood bacterial meningitis, pneumonia, and other serious infections. Hib disease can be almost completely eliminated through routine vaccination. We assessed the global burden of disease to help national policy makers and international donors set priorities. Methods We did a comprehensive literature search of studies of Hib disease incidence, case-fatality ratios, age distribution, syndrome distribution, and eﬀ ect of Hib vaccine. We used vaccine trial data to estimate the proportion of pneumonia cases and pneumonia deaths caused by Hib. We applied these proportions to WHO country-speciﬁ c estimates of pneumonia cases and deaths to estimate Hib pneumonia burden. We used data from surveillance studies to develop estimates of incidence and mortality of Hib meningitis and serious non-pneumonia, non-meningitis disease. If available, high-quality data were used for national estimates of Hib meningitis and non-pneumonia, non-meningitis disease burden. Otherwise, estimates were based on data from other countries matched as closely as possible for geographic region and child mortality. Estimates were adjusted for HIV prevalence and access to care. Disease burden was estimated for the year 2000 in children younger than 5 years. Findings We calculated that Hib caused about 8·13 million serious illnesses worldwide in 2000 (uncertainty range 7·33–13·2 million). We estimated that Hib caused 371 000 deaths (247 000–527 000) in children aged 1–59 months, of which 8100 (5600–10 000) were in HIV-positive and 363 000 (242 000–517 000) in HIV-negative children. Interpretation Global of Hib disease is substantial and almost entirely Expanded use of Hib
- 1-Length of activity of self-employed physicians A work-leisure trade-off model for French general practitioners

The article presents an adaptation of the labour supply model applied to the independent medical sector, the characteristics of which, in comparison to the supply of contractual labour, are: no flat-rate payment (fee for service), greater freedom in determining schedules (length of consultation), a stricter and more direct set of medical and professional constraints (the patients, with differentiated pathologies, are customers representing demand for the physician). A theoretical work attempts to define the sets of constraints (economic and medical) which independent doctors are subject to when choosing their activity. An empirical study follows, demonstrating  in accordance with the theory  a marked difference in behaviour according to the sector of practise (free or fixed fees). Together, these two elements allow a more accurate determination of: i) the factors related to the length of consultation, a variable linked to the quality of medical practice, and ii) the work/leisure trade-off rules for this profession, which, at given numerus clauses, determine the supply of medical services. One of the main objectives of the econometric study is to estimate the price-elasticity of the length of a consultation. According to our empirical results, doctors with free fees indeed convert a price increase into improved healthcare quality (estimated by the average length of a consultation). However, the value of this elasticity, estimated at 0.22, may be surprisingly weak. Key-words. Work-leisure tradeoff. Working time. Consultation time. Fee-for-service. General practitioners. Exogeneity. Simultaneous equations. Selection bias. JEL codes. C13. C31. I11. J22. J30
15 PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES QUESTIONNAIRE ( CEQ-58 ) USED TO ASSESS THE INTENSITY OF TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES FROM CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE – PRELIMINARY

Purpose: It has been shown that childhood trauma is associated with many negative outcomes in adulthood. Unfortunately, there is no psychometrically sound and readily available tool that can be used in Poland to measure this variable. The purpose of this work was to create and determine psychometric parameters of a newly developed Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ-58) to measure the intensity of traumatic events in childhood. Methods: Initially the questionnaire consisted of 120 items. The pilot study involved 50 participants. Based on the results of this preliminary study, the most reliable items were chosen. The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 58 items and 7 subscales. The participants in the second study were 30 people diagnosed with schizophrenia and 30 people from a healthy control group who filled in the CEQ-58, Childhood Questionnaire and Global Assessment of Functioning Questionnaire. Results: The reliability of the CEQ-58 questionnaire measured by Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.92. For six of the seven subscales this coefficient ranged from 0.77 to 0.92. Only for the “environmental instability” subscale did it reach 0.54. CEQ-58 strongly and negatively correlated with a shortened version of the Childhood Questionnaire and moderately and positively correlated with the Global Assessment of Functioning Questionnaire. Moreover, statistical analyses revealed that the intensity of traumatic events among people diagnosed with schizophrenia was significantly higher than in healthy subjects (d = 0.92). Conclusions: The results of the study indicate satisfactory reliability and validity of CEQ-58. The limitations of the project are the quantity and the composition of the research sample.
Relationship between job performance and job satisfaction viewed from the chaos theory perspective

During the last twenty years, a new way to understand complex systems has emerged in the field of social sciences. This approach is often called nonlinear dynamics, dynamic systems theory or chaos theory. This process is referred to as selforganization, and is thought to be responsible for change and continuity in organizational systems. Principles of self-organizing dynamic systems have recently been applied to psychology, especially in explaining cognitive development. This paper addresses core issues in industrial organizational psychology, such as the dynamic relationship between job performance and job satisfaction in organizational complex context.
NF-κ B and Androgen Receptor Variant 7 Induce Expression of SRD 5 A Isoforms and Confer 5 ARI Resistance

BACKGROUND—Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is treated with 5α-reductase inhibitors (5ARI). These drugs inhibit the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone resulting in apoptosis and prostate shrinkage. Most patients initially respond to 5ARIs; however, failure is common especially in inflamed prostates, and often results in surgery. This communication examines a link between activation of NF-κB and increased expression of SRD5A2 as a potential mechanism by which patients fail 5ARI therapy. METHODS—Tissue was collected from “Surgical” patients, treated specifically for lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to advanced BPH; and, cancer free transition zone from “Incidental” patients treated for low grade, localized peripheral zone prostate cancer. Clinical, molecular and histopathological profiles were analyzed. Human prostatic stromal and epithelial cell lines were genetically modified to regulate NF-κB activity, androgen receptor (AR) full length (AR-FL), and AR variant 7 (AR-V7) expression. RESULTS—SRD5A2 is upregulated in advanced BPH. SRD5A2 was significantly associated with prostate volume determined by Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS), and with more severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) determined by American Urological Association Symptom Score (AUASS). Synthesis of androgens was seen in cells in which NF-κB was activated. AR-FL and AR-V7 expression increased SRD5A2 expression while forced activation of NF-κB increased all three SRD5A isoforms. Knockdown of SRD5A2 in the epithelial cells resulted in significant reduction in proliferation, AR target gene expression, and response to testosterone (T). In tissue Correspondence to: Simon W. Hayward, PhD, Department of Cancer Biology, NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute, 1001 University Place, Evanston, IL 60201. shayward@northshore.org. Present address of Douglas W. Strand is Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Conflicts of interest: The authors have nothing to disclose. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Prostate. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 August 01. Published in final edited form as: Prostate. 2016 August ; 76(11): 1004–1018. doi:10.1002/pros.23195. A uhor M anscript
The effect of pre-inoculation of balsa wood by selected marine fungi and their effect on subsequent colonisation in the sea

A field study was undertaken in order to examine the effect of pre-incubation of test blocks of balsa with marine fungi and their subsequent effect on colonisation when submerged in the sea. Four marine ascomycetes, Ceriosporopsis halima, Corollospora maritima, Halosphaeriopsis mediosetigera and Marinospora calyptrata, were pre-inoculated onto balsa test blocks before submergence in the sea. Control and pre-inoculated test blocks were submerged in the sea at Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth, England, and recovered at 2, 6, 9 and 15 months and the fungi colonising them were recorded. The fungi pre-inoculated on the test blocks were the only species sporulating; there was no sporulation of native marine fungi. The control test blocks were heavily colonised by numerous sporulating marine fungi, and these were similar to those reported in previous studies in Langstone Harbour. These results are discussed in relation to inhibition of sporulation and colonisation and interference competition.
Effect of chilling and gibberellic acid on vegetative growth and runner production of strawberry under tunnel conditions in Pothowar.

Strawberry (Frageria ananasa) is a soft fruit of Rosaceae family with some known vernalization requirement. Strawberry is propagated by means of healthy runners; current trial was conducted to investigate the effect of chilling and gibberellic acid on vegetative growth and runner production of strawberry under tunnel conditions at Department of Horticulture Pir Mehar Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan, during 2011-12. Gibberellic acid with 200ppm, 400ppm and chilling 4 0 C were applied alone and in combination before flower initiation and it was observed that strawberry plants responded much better with application of GA3 @400ppm and produced maximum vegetative growth parameters such plant height (25.337 cm), petiole length (22.60 cm), number of trusses (2.9), leaf area (139.86cm 2 ), number of runners (20.55), runner number of leaves (7.44), runner canopy spread (30cm), leaf area of runner (80.33 cm 2 ) and weight of mother runner (22.90 g) while chilling at 4 o C proved better to produce maximum crown diameter (3.63 cm), number of leaves (15.44), fresh weight of leaves (48.17 g) and better canopy size (31.55 cm) under tunnel condition.
DYNAMICAL MONTE CARLO SIMULATIONS

The Monte Carlo method as a numerical integration method is efficient at obtaining steady state or equilibrium solutions to the studied systems. Its results are normally reported as integral values over inherently time dependent systems. However it can also be used in the study of the dynamical behavior of systems, and its application to dynamical and time dependent systems is worthy of wide investigation. The cooperative behavior and dynamics of collections of constituents of matter generating structural and configuration properties are often not amenable to a macroscopic continuum description, and their discrete nature must be accounted for. Molecular Dynamics simulations are used in this situation to describe the trajectories and orbits of the individual nucleons, nuclei, atoms or molecules on potential energy surfaces. However, Molecular Dynamics methods are computationally incapable of considering large systems of interacting particles. Monte Carlo methods, in terms of dynamics, are capable of bridging the gap between the microscopic formulations, which are computationally incapable of dealing with large collections of particles such as the individual ions and electrons in a plasma, and the macroscopic formulations which do not realistically represent the discreteness of the systems at hand. The way this is achieved in Dynamical Monte Carlo is by adopting a coarse grained approach to the problem considering aggregates of particles representing average features which arise from microscopic behavior.
THE PRODUCTION AND THE ACQUISITION OF SUBJECT AND OBJECT RELATIVE CLAUSES IN ITALIAN : A COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

The present study investigates the production and the acquisition of subject and object restrictive relative clauses (SRCs and ORCs) in Italian. The elicited production of a group of school-age Italian speaking children is compared to the elicited production of a group of Italian speaking adults. The comparison between child production and adult production gives the chance to throw light on the peculiar properties of the acquisition of RCs and to define the variation area between the two systems: what in the child production is consistent with the target language and what is not.
Effects of Potassium Sulfate Fertilizer Application on Sugarcane (Cultivar CP 48-103) Qualitative-Quantitative Yield

This study was carried out in farm of Dehkhoda institute (2013-2014). The study was done as randomized complete blocks design with five potassium sulfate amounts (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg/ha) and four replications. According to results, potassium affected the number of stalk numbers, yield, and the amount of obtainable sugar (p<0.01) and purity (P<0.05). The highest stalk numbers (186351), yield (111.62 ton/ha), obtainable sugar (10.86 %), and purity (89.9%) were obtained in 200 kg/ha potassium. Results showed that the amount of potassium in the mentioned region is not sufficient and adding potassium as potassium sulfate will increase the qualitative-quantitative yield of sugarcane.
Effects of Psychosocial Factors on Gender Differences in First-Year College English and Mathematics Grades

This study assessed the role of motivation, social engagement, and selfregulation as psychosocial factors that might help serve to explain gender disparities in first-year college grades. The 10 scales captured by these factors were administered to entering freshmen from 57 postsecondary institutions (54% female, 46% male), and at the end of the school year, we also obtained data on their grades in English (N = 10,581) and mathematics (N = 2,887). After applying multilevel modeling that statistically controlled for pre-college achievement, differences in admission policy, and type of institution, results indicated that all psychosocial constructs (i.e., motivation, self-regulation, and, to a lesser extent, social engagement) explained gender gaps in first-year grades to a statistically significant extent. Specifically, increases in motivation and self-regulation traits were associated with a reduction in the gender gap in grades. Turning to interaction effects, these study data were generally unsupportive (i.e., no support for gender differences in grades being dependent on psychosocial skills), except in one isolated case: The psychosocial constructs Commitment to College – an aspect of motivation that gauged commitment to staying in college and pursuing a degree – was predictive of males having higher average mathematics grades than women. Conclusions have implications for gender-informed intervention policies aimed at improving college