Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Educational Placement and Grade Level on the Self-Perceptions of Low Achievers and Students with Learning Disabilities

Previous studies have yielded mixed findings as to the effect of learning disabilities (LD) on self-perception. We proposed that perceived competence in children who experience learning difficulties is affected both by age trends in self-appraisal processes and by the degree to which students' salient reference group is composed primarily of similar or more competent others. Measures of perceived competence (Harter, 1982) and perceived achievement were administered to 222 Israeli students (127 boys, 95 girls) in Grades 3, 5, and 7. The sample comprised 68 children with LD attending special schools, 68 children with LD attending special classes in regular schools, and 86 nonidentified low achievers in regular classes. As expected, perceived competence was similar and high in all groups at Grade 3, but was higher among the special school group than among the special class and low achieving groups at Grade 5. The benefits of special schools were less clear at Grade 7. Implications for research methodology and educational practice are discussed.
Sutureless large bowel anastomosis: European experience with the biofragmentable anastomosis ring

Sutureless colonic anastomosis using a biofragmentable anastomosis ring (BAR) has been evaluated in a prospective randomized comparison with sutures and staples for elective colorectal surgery. One hundred and one patients underwent BAR anastomosis, 85 a sutured anastomosis, and 16 a stapled anastomosis. There were two anastomotic leaks in the patients undergoing BAR anastomosis, seven in patients having a sutured anastomosis, and one in a patient who had a stapled anastomosis. Wound infection occurred in ten BAR patients, ten sutured patients and no stapled patient. There was no statistically significant difference in these or in other postoperative complications between the groups. The BAR was easy to use and is a safe alternative to sutures and staples for large bowel anastomosis.
Augmentation of phenelzine with aripiprazole and quetiapine in a treatment-resistant patient with psychotic unipolar depression: case report and literature review

Irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressants have significant efficacy in treatment-resistant unipolar depression, but in some instances patients may not achieve remission. Among the adjunctive and augmentation strategies, certain second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have approval for inadequate responders to antidepressant therapy, including aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, and quetiapine, with lurasidone and the olanzapine/fluoxetine combination indicated for bipolar depression. Clinicians may eschew SGA options in part due to the limited literature on SGA–MAOI combinations, with only one published case involving aripiprazole, and none for olanzapine, lurasidone, or brexpiprazole. In addition to the limited publication history on SGA–MAOI treatment, clinicians may also be deterred by uncertainty regarding SGA mechanisms and the risk of serotonin syndrome or other adverse outcomes. This paper describes the case of a 54-year-old male with a history of psychotic unipolar depression treated with a combination of phenelzine, aripiprazole, and quetiapine, and reviews the 12 published cases of SGA–MAOI combination therapy with a focus on the pharmacological basis for serotonin syndrome, and the SGA mechanisms that should not be associated with a risk for this syndrome.
Blind Deconvolution for retinal image enhancement

In this paper, a new technique is presented to enhance the blurred images obtained from retinal imaging. One of the main steps in inspecting the eye (especially the deeper image of retina) is to look into the eye using a slit-lamp apparatus that shines a monochromatic light on to the retinal surface and captures the reflection in the camera as the retinal image. While most of the cases, the image produced is quite clean and easily used by the ophthalmologists, there are many cases in which these images come out to be very blurred due to the disease in the eye such a cataract etc… in such cases, having an enhanced image can enable the doctors to start the appropriate treatment for the underlying disease. The proposed technique utilizes the Blind Deconvolution approach using Maximum Likelihood Estimation approach. Further post-processing steps have been proposed as well to extract specific regions from the image automatically to assist the doctors in visualizing these regions related to very specific diseases. The post-processing steps include Image color space conversions, thresholding, Region Growing, and Edge detection.
Walrasian Pricing in Multi-Unit Auctions

Multi-unit auctions are a paradigmatic model, where a seller brings multiple units of a good, while several buyers bring monetary endowments. It is well known that Walrasian equilibria do not always exist in this model, however compelling relaxations such as (Walrasian) envy-free pricing do. In this paper we design an optimal envy-free mechanism for multi-unit auctions with budgets. When the market is even mildly competitive, the approximation ratios of this mechanism are small constants for both the revenue and welfare objectives, and in fact for welfare the approximation converges to 1 as the market becomes fully competitive. We also give an impossibility theorem, showing that truthfulness requires discarding resources and, in particular, is incompatible with (Pareto) efficiency.
Temperature Dependence of Dynamic Properties and Tolerance to Optical Feedback of High-Speed 1.3- $\mu$m DFB Quantum-Dot Lasers

The temperature dependence of the dynamic performance of p-doped InAs/GaAs quantum-dot distributed feedback (DFB) lasers emitting at 1.3 μm is investigated. A maximum relaxation frequency of ~7 GHz is demonstrated for a constant bias current over the whole 25°C-85°C temperature range. The Henry factor is temperature independent and remains constant at ~2.5. The effect of external optical feedback is assessed on the same device in a 10-Gb/s transmission over 20 km.
Survival and prognostic factors in BRCA1-associated breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Studies comparing survival in BRCA1-associated and sporadic breast cancer (BC) report inconsistent results and frequently concern small sample sizes. Further, the prognostic impact of the classical tumour and treatment factors is unclear in BRCA1-associated BC. PATIENTS AND METHODS We selected 223 BC patients diagnosed between 1980 and 2001 within families with a deleterious germline BRCA1-mutation ascertained at the Rotterdam Family Cancer Clinic. To correct for ascertainment bias, the group of index patients undergoing DNA testing more than 2 years after BC diagnosis (n = 53) was separated from the other BRCA1-patients (n = 170). All BRCA1-associated patients were matched in a 1:2 ratio for age and year of diagnosis to sporadic BC patients. We compared the occurrence of ipsi- and contralateral BC (CBC) as well as distant disease-free (DDFS), BC-specific (BCSS) and overall survival (OS). By multivariate modelling, the prognostic impact of tumour and treatment factors was investigated separately in BRCA1-associated and sporadic breast cancers. RESULTS For the total group of 669 cases, the median follow-up was 5.1 years, the median age at diagnosis 39 years. We confirmed the existence of the typical BRCA1-associated tumour type and the high CBC incidence. No significant differences between BRCA1-associated and sporadic tumours were found with respect to ipsilateral BC recurrence (HR(mult) 0.7; P = 0.24), DDFS (HR(mult) 1.2; P = 0.37) or BC-specific survival (HR(mult) 1.3; P = 0.23). A trend towards a worse survival was found for BRCA1-associated ductal BC (HR(mult) 1.5, P = 0.07). Prognostic factors for BRCA1-associated BC were age at diagnosis, tumour size and morphology, and nodal status. Further, survival was non-significantly improved by systemic treatment and a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. No effect on survival of a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy was seen. CONCLUSIONS BRCA1-associated BC is characterised by specific tumour characteristics, a high incidence of CBC and a trend towards a worse survival for the ductal tumour type. Our observation that tumour size and nodal status are also prognostic factors for BRCA1-associated BC implies that the strategy to use these factors as a proxy for ultimate mortality, for instance in BC screening programmes or the consideration of (contralateral) preventive mastectomy, appears to be valid in this specific group of patients.
Poor ex vivo induction of T-cell responses to idiotype or tumor cell lysate-pulsed autologous dendritic cells in advanced pre-treated multiple myeloma

This study evaluated the feasibility of using dendritic cells (DCs) to generate, ex vivo, anti-tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in patients with stage III multiple myeloma (MM). Nucleated cells from eight patients who had received chemotherapy (three of whom had undergone autologous hemopoeitic stem cell transplantation) were collected by apheresis. Their monocytes were enriched using counter-current centrifugation, differentiated into DCs which were further co-cultured with autologous CD8 lymphocytes to induce CTL. The DCs were pulsed either with the idiotypic paraprotein (regarded as a tumor-specific antigen) or with autologous MM cell lysate before co-culture. Specific T-cell responses were measured in IFNγ enzyme-linked immunospot and chromium release assays of autologous plasmocyte targets. A slight increase in IFNγ secretion by T-cells was observed for two patients (DCs pulsed with idiotypic paraprotein for one, MM cell lysate for the other). No or weak specific lysis of plasmocyte targets was observed in the chromium release assays. In conclusion, the T-cell response to pulsed DCs was very weak or absent. There are clinical and technical reasons that could explain, in part, this lack of response.
Involvement of Thrombin Anion-binding Exosites 1 and 2 in the Activation of Factor V and Factor VIII*

The role of anion-binding exosites of thrombin in the activation of factor V and factor VIII was studied using thrombin Arg93 → Ala, Arg97 → Ala, and Arg101 → Ala (thrombin RA), a recombinant exosite 2 defective mutant, and a synthetic N-acetylated dodecapeptide, Ac-Asn-Gly-Asp-Phe-Glu-Glu-Ile-Pro-Glu-Glu-Tyr-O-SO4Leu (hirugen), which competitively inhibits binding of macromolecules to exosite 1. The catalytic efficiency of the activation of factor VIII or of the first step of factor V activation by thrombin RA was approximately 10% that of wild-type thrombin. The overall rate of conversion to factor Va was not influenced by the mutation. In contrast to factor V, the slow activation of factor VIII by thrombin RA was associated with a decreased rate of cleavage at all three proteolytic sites (Arg372, Arg740, and Arg1689). Hirugen inhibited factor V and factor VIII activation. These results indicate that both anion-binding exosites of thrombin are involved in the recognition of factor V and factor VIII.
Case reports and case series in prehospital emergency care research

Research begins with a clearly stated question, problem or hypothesis. The selection of a study design appropriate to the task is the next key step. This paper provides guidance for the use of case report and case series designs by describing the ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ of both designs. Also described is the use of case reports and case series study designs in prehospital emergency research and the quality of published literature from 2000 to mid-2008.
Observations on the Intestinal Flora Found in Montreal.

This case illustrates the profound and rapid toxic effect of the inhalation of carbon tetrachloride fumes on the kidney, and also illustrates the value of glucose and calcium intravenously in this condition. The subjective symptoms improved dramatically after the exsanguination transfusion, and I believe this to be a useful procedure in such cases. For the use of calcium we are indebted to Minot and Cutler7 who found that dogs poisoned with carbon tetrachloride could be treated with injections of calcium, also that with a high calcium diet dogs were relatively immune.
GAD Antibodies in NIDDM: Ten-year follow-up from the diagnosis

OBJECTIVE To study the frequency of antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and islet cell antibodies (ICAs) and their predictive value with respect to the development of insulin deficiency in 133 newly diagnosed middle-aged patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and in 126 control subjects and to study the persistence of GAD antibodies in diabetic patients during the follow-up. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study participants consisted of a well-characterized group of 133 middle-aged newly diagnosed patients with NIDDM and 126 control subjects. The follow-up examinations were performed 5 and 10 years after the baseline. The development of absolute and relative insulin deficiency was based on a stimulated C-peptide level that was undetectable or < 0.70 nmol/l, respectively. GAD antibodies were measured retrospectively from stored samples. RESULTS The overall prevalence of GAD antibody and ICA positivity at the time of diagnosis was 9.0 and 3.8% in diabetic patients and 1.6 and 0% in the control population, respectively. During the 10-year follow-up, 3 (2.3%) and 10 (7.5%) of the diabetic patients developed absolute and relative insulin deficiency, respectively. Of these, two (67%) and six (60%) had been GAD antibody-positive at the time of diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity of the GAD antibody to predict absolute or relative insulin deficiency were 67 vs. 94% and 60 vs. 95%, while corresponding figures for ICA were 33 vs. 97% and 20 vs. 98%, respectively. The negative predictive value of GAD antibody testing was higher than positive predictive value (97 vs. 50%). During the follow-up, low-grade GAD antibody positivity showed an evanescent nature, whereas the high levels were quite persistent. CONCLUSIONS In an unselected population of newly diagnosed NIDDM patients, the prevalence of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults was <10%. While GAD antibody and ICA measured at the time of diagnosis of NIDDM are equally specific predictors of subsequent insulin dependency, the GAD antibody may have a higher sensitivity. Therefore, measurements of GAD antibody may aid the clinician in the choice of treatment of these patients.
Socioeconomic inequalities in height, leg length and trunk length among children aged 6.5 years and their parents from the Republic of Belarus: Evidence from the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT)

Background: Lower socioeconomic position is associated with shorter stature, in particular shorter leg length, but the magnitude of these associations in non-Western countries has received little attention. Aim: To examine socioeconomic differentials in height, leg and trunk length in 6.5 year olds from the Republic of Belarus and compare these to differentials in parental height. Methods: Multivariable linear regression was used to examine associations in a cohort of 13 889 children. Results: Children from non-manual households were 1.0 cm (95% confidence interval: 0.7–1.3 cm) taller than those from manual households. Mothers and fathers from non-manual backgrounds were 0.7 cm (0.5–0.8) and 1.8 cm (1.6–2.0) taller than those from manual backgrounds, respectively. Associations with higher parental educational attainment were similar. The magnitudes of the associations of socioeconomic position with leg length were similar to those with trunk length. Adjusting for mid-parental height and number of older siblings attenuated associations markedly. Conclusions: In Belarus, similar socioeconomic differentials in height were observed in both children and their parents. Among children, height differentials were partly explained by mid-parental height and number of older siblings. Leg length was not a more sensitive indicator of childhood socioeconomic conditions than trunk length.
Human antibody response to Toscana virus glycoproteins expressed by recombinant baculovirus

The arthropod‐borne Toscana virus has been associated with acute neurological disease in humans. In this study, the viral envelope glycoproteins were expressed in soluble form in a baculovirus system. The recombinant sGN and sGC proteins were used as viral antigens in a Western blot assay to analyze the specific immune response in sera from patients with recognized virus‐associated aseptic meningitis. The anti‐glycoprotein and the anti‐nucleoprotein N IgG responses were compared by an immunoassay based on the recombinant proteins. In this system, all the sera showed a high reactivity to the N protein, but they differed in the response to the glycoproteins. J. Med. Virol. 68:615–619, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Use of a Matching Algorithm to Evaluate Hospital Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Performance as an Alternative to Conventional Risk Adjustment

Background:Although public reporting of hospital and physician performance is a cornerstone of the effort to improve health care quality, the optimal approach to risk adjustment is unknown. Objective:We sought to assess hospital quality using a matching algorithm based on a generalized distance metric and to compare this approach to the more traditional regression-based approach. Design/ Data Source:This was a retrospective study using the New York State (NYS) Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Reporting System (CSRS), focusing on all patients undergoing isolated CABG surgery in NYS who were discharged in 1999 (18,116 patients). Patients from specific hospital were matched to a control group using the Mahalanobis distance. The hospitals’ expected mortality rate was calculated in 2 ways: (1) as the mortality rate of the control group or (2) as the mortality rate predicted by the NYS CABG model. Hospitals whose observed mortality rate was significantly different from their expected mortality rate (OE difference) were defined as quality outliers. Results:The 2 risk-adjustment methodologies disagreed on the outlier status of 4 of the 33 hospitals. Kappa analysis demonstrated substantial agreement between these 2 methods for identifying quality outliers: κ = 0.61. There was excellent agreement between the point estimates of the OE difference obtained using these 2 risk adjustment methodologies. Conclusion:Basing outcome assessment on either matching or regression modeling yielded similar findings on hospital ranking but only moderate level of agreement on hospital quality. The use of matching may enhance the transparency and acceptance of outcome report cards by hospitals and physicians.
Low-stringency PCR with diagnostically useful primers for identification of Leptospira serovars

Primers proposed for the diagnosis of the pathogenic spirochete Leptospira spp. (C. Gravekamp, H. V. D. Kemp, M. Franzen, D. Carrington, G.J. Schoone, G.J.J.M. Van Eys, C. O. R. Everard, R.A. Hartskeel, and W.J. Terpstra, J. Gen. Microbiol. 139:1691-1700, 1993) have been found to produce complex serovar-specific patterns under low-stringency PCR conditions. Such patterns obtained by low-stringency PCR, which maintain the specific band as an internal control, offer, an approach to the standardized identification of Leptospira serovars in clinical laboratories.
A Multivariate Analysis of Forest Communities in the Western Great Smoky Mountains National Park

An integrated sequence of multivariate techniques was applied to the vegetation of the western Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Included in the sequence were hierarchial classification, detrended correspondence analysis and multiple discriminant analysis. Based on the importance of landform in previous research, a system of topographical quantification was developed and also used in the classification. Elevation and the topographical index, termed protection, were the most important variables associated with the 12 classified forest types. Drainage area, another topographic measurement, soil p H and water-holding capacity were also significant in the vegetation analysis. Logging and farming disturbances prior to the formation of the national park were probable causal factors for some forest types. INTRODUCTION The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina have been a focal point of vegetation analysis since 1930 (Cain, 1930). Because the Smoky Mountains provide elevation-related temperature and precipitation gradients, complex topographical patterns, and a rich woody-species composition, they have been used repeatedly in studies of the relationships of plants to the environment and within communities. Whittaker (1956) identified species associations throughout the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) and defined their positions on a moisture complexgradient. H e concluded that the interaction of elevation, topographic shape and slope aspect determined the vegetation present at a given site. Golden (1974, 1981) approached the problem of vegetation distribution in the central G R S M with an integrated sequence of multivariate techniques (cluster analysis and similarity sorting, discriminant analysis, reciprocal averaging, ordination and canonical correlation) using quantitative environmental variables. H e found the overwhelming importance of topography and elevation as described by Whittaker was also indicated by his data and analyses. Soils data collected by Golden (1981) indicated that the p H of the A horizon and the percent clay in the B horizon were also important correlative factors. The major purposes of this paper are (1) to develop a method for quantifying topographic shape in the Smoky Mountains; (2) to provide an integrated multivariate analysis, including the topographic index, of the western Great Smoky Mountains, and (3) to examine stands disturbed by prepark logging and agriculture. Neither Whittaker (1956) nor Golden (1981) satisfactorily quantified topographic shape, which they cited as being important. Whittaker (1956) assigned a sequential order to land shapes and assumed that the order represented moisture characteristics. Golden (1981) measured the position of stands on slopes and the slope aspect but did not include slope shape. We have constructed an index of topographic shape and included it in our vegetation analysis. Most of the study area was on three major topographic features in the western 'Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106.
Narrowband UVB treatment of pigmented purpuric lichenoid dermatitis (Gougerot–Blum)

Pigmented purpuric dermatoses are a group of dermatoses characterized clinically by pinpoint petechia and purpura on a brown, red or yellow base. Five diseases are included in the group of pigmented purpuric eruptions which significantly overlap clinically and histologically. Phototherapy in various forms of purpuric dermatoses has been reported in literature previously. Here we present a case of pigmented purpuric lichenoid dermatitis which rapidly cleared with narrowband UVB therapy.
Ethical Reflections

Being reflexive and providing these reflections for public scrutiny is often considered a key element of ethical, rigorous qualitative research. Prevalent conceptualizations of reflexivity, however, need interrogating and sharpening. We aim to contribute to this by examining reflexive practice, and in particular researchers’ reflexive accounts, through the lens of the narrative paradigm. Our aim is to demonstrate that acknowledging the role of narrative reconstruction in reflexivity creates more ethical research, and that it is therefore crucial for researchers to more explicitly recognize this. Both authors present an analysis of one particular exchange between interviewer and participant. This analysis highlights that despite our best efforts at “doing reflexivity,” both immediately following and when reflecting back on an interview, there are influential factors that escape our gaze. Reflections of the past are particularly imperfect. Without fully recognizing this, we are not utilizing all the tools available for ensuring honest, ethical research.