Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Confirmatory and disconfirmatory family communication as predictor of offspring socio‐emotional functioning. A 10 to 14 year follow‐up of children at risk

Wichstrøm L, Chmielewski Anderson AM, Holte A, Husby R, Wynne LC. Confirmatory and disconfirmatory family communication as predictor of offspring socio‐emotional functioning. A 10 to 14 year follow‐up of children at risk. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1996: 93: 49–56. © Munksgaard 1996.
Empirical cost distribution: A scenario approach to the construction of probability boxes with application to channel equalization

Based on recent results on randomized min-max convex problems, we present a technique for building probability boxes that envelop the probability distribution of the costs incurred by a sample-based solution. The proposed technique is data-based in that the probability boxes are built based on the same data that are used to obtain the solution. The construction is distribution-free, and no specific assumption is made about the probability distribution of the data. For concreteness, the proposed technique is presented on a channel equalization problem where a finite-impulse response equalizer is designed to minimize distortion. The presence of uncertainty affecting the channel is described by a sample of uncertainty instances, and the equalizer is chosen according to a min-max logic over this sample. A probability box, built according to the proposed technique, characterizes the performance of this equalizer when it is applied to other uncertain channel instances than those seen in the sample.
The health of homeless immigrants

Background: This study examined the association between immigrant status and current health in a representative sample of 1189 homeless people in Toronto, Canada. Methods: Multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between immigrant status and current health status (assessed using the SF-12) among homeless recent immigrants (⩽10 years since immigration), non-recent immigrants (>10 years since immigration) and Canadian-born individuals recruited at shelters and meal programmes (response rate 73%). Results: After adjusting for demographic characteristics and lifetime duration of homelessness, recent immigrants were significantly less likely to have chronic conditions (RR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.9), mental health problems (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.7), alcohol problems (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.5) and drug problems (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.4) than non-recent immigrants and Canadian-born individuals. Recent immigrants were also more likely to have better mental health status (+3.4 points, SE ±1.6) and physical health status (+2.2 points, SE ±1.3) on scales with a mean of 50 and a SD of 10 in the general population. Conclusion: Homeless recent immigrants are a distinct group who are generally healthier and may have very different service needs from other homeless people.
Conflict Handling in Renewable Energy Cooperatives (RECs): Organizational Effects and Member Well‐Being

We investigate conflict handling in Renewable Energy Cooperatives (RECs) in Germany. Conflict handling in this context shows to be unique due to RECs’ business model and the relationship between members and their organization. Unlike in other cooperative firms, most REC members in Germany neither work for their cooperative nor do they receive goods or services from it. We document frequent controversial topics of discussion in annual meetings and how the organizational frame conditions influence modes of conflict handling by the involved parties. Using data gathered by participant observation of the annual meetings of 15 different RECs in southern Germany, we show by a qualitative approach that conflict handling by members of the Executive Board, the Supervisory Board and the rank-and-file during the process of decision-making ranges from highly cooperati ve to fully Competitive, but these styles tend to converge to collaborative outcomes, reflecting the members’ shared commitment to the cooperative principles of the enterprise.
Case-mix adjustment and efficiency measurement

Aims: The importance of using valid case-mix systems in long-term care is addressed by comparing the predictive power of different case-mix models, and by applying them in the calculation of technical efficiency scores of care units. Methods: To construct different case-mix models a statistical clustering technique (Automatic Interaction Detection) was used. Technical efficiency score were calculated using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Results: The Resource Utilization Groups (RUG-III/22) classification explained 39% of resident specific cost, compared with 16% for a functional dependency scale in the Finnish patient information system HILMO. Conclusion: When assessing the economic performance of long-term care units it is important to pay attention to the predictive validity of the case-mix measure to be used. The choice of case-mix measure significantly affected how units were rated in efficiency.
Radiofrequency ablation in Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia.

BACKGROUND Barrett's esophagus, a condition of intestinal metaplasia of the esophagus, is associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. We assessed whether endoscopic radiofrequency ablation could eradicate dysplastic Barrett's esophagus and decrease the rate of neoplastic progression. METHODS In a multicenter, sham-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 127 patients with dysplastic Barrett's esophagus in a 2:1 ratio to receive either radiofrequency ablation (ablation group) or a sham procedure (control group). Randomization was stratified according to the grade of dysplasia and the length of Barrett's esophagus. Primary outcomes at 12 months included the complete eradication of dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia. RESULTS In the intention-to-treat analyses, among patients with low-grade dysplasia, complete eradication of dysplasia occurred in 90.5% of those in the ablation group, as compared with 22.7% of those in the control group (P<0.001). Among patients with high-grade dysplasia, complete eradication occurred in 81.0% of those in the ablation group, as compared with 19.0% of those in the control group (P<0.001). Overall, 77.4% of patients in the ablation group had complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia, as compared with 2.3% of those in the control group (P<0.001). Patients in the ablation group had less disease progression (3.6% vs. 16.3%, P=0.03) and fewer cancers (1.2% vs. 9.3%, P=0.045). Patients reported having more chest pain after the ablation procedure than after the sham procedure. In the ablation group, one patient had upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and five patients (6.0%) had esophageal stricture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with dysplastic Barrett's esophagus, radiofrequency ablation was associated with a high rate of complete eradication of both dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia and a reduced risk of disease progression. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00282672.)
Clinical Characteristics and the Dietary Response in Celiac Disease Patients Presenting With or Without Anemia

Background and Aims: It remains unclear as to what are the clinical characteristics associated with the presence of anemia at celiac disease diagnosis, and how these are affected by a gluten-free diet. We investigated these issues in a prospective study. Methods: Clinical and demographic data, small-bowel mucosal histology, serology, and laboratory parameters, body mass index (BMI), and bone mineral density (BMD) both at diagnosis and after 1 year on a gluten-free diet were investigated in 163 adults with celiac disease. Gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological well-being were evaluated by validated Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale and Psychological General Well-Being questionnaires. All study variables were compared between participants with and without anemia at celiac disease diagnosis. Results: Altogether, 23% of the patients had anemia at diagnosis. Anemic patients were more often women (P=0.001) and had more gastrointestinal symptoms (P=0.004) and were less often screen detected (P=0.009). Further, they had higher celiac antibody values (P=0.007) and a lower total iron (P<0.001), BMI (P=0.003), and density of mucosal &ggr;&dgr;+ intraepithelial lymphocytes (P=0.033). After 1 year on a gluten-free diet, the anemia group had a lower mucosal villous height-crypt depth ratio (P=0.008) and BMI (P=0.050), and higher antibody values (P=0.012) and densities of CD3+ (P=0.008) and &agr;&bgr;+ intraepithelial lymphocytes (P=0.022). There was no significant difference between the groups in their bone mineral density, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale and Psychological General Well-Being. Conclusions: Celiac patients with anemia had more severe disease than nonanemic patients in terms of the serology and a lower BMI. Further, they evinced a slower histologic response to the dietary treatment. An early diagnosis and careful follow-up are important in these patients.
Roget's Thesaurus as a Lexical Resource for Natural Language Processing

WordNet proved that it is possible to construct a large-scale electronic lexical database on the principles of lexical semantics. It has been accepted and used extensively by computational linguists ever since it was released. Inspired by WordNet's success, we propose as an alternative a similar resource, based on the 1987 Penguin edition of Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. Peter Mark Roget published his first Thesaurus over 150 years ago. Countless writers, orators and students of the English language have used it. Computational linguists have employed Roget's for almost 50 years in Natural Language Processing, however hesitated in accepting Roget's Thesaurus because a proper machine tractable version was not available. This dissertation presents an implementation of a machine-tractable version of the 1987 Penguin edition of Roget's Thesaurus - the first implementation of its kind to use an entire current edition. It explains the steps necessary for taking a machine-readable file and transforming it into a tractable system. This involves converting the lexical material into a format that can be more easily exploited, identifying data structures and designing classes to computerize the Thesaurus. Roget's organization is studied in detail and contrasted with WordNet's. We show two applications of the computerized Thesaurus: computing semantic similarity between words and phrases, and building lexical chains in a text. The experiments are performed using well-known benchmarks and the results are compared to those of other systems that use Roget's, WordNet and statistical techniques. Roget's has turned out to be an excellent resource for measuring semantic similarity; lexical chains are easily built but more difficult to evaluate. We also explain ways in which Roget's Thesaurus and WordNet can be combined.
Physiological responses to cold water immersion following cycling in the heat.

UNLABELLED Cold water immersion (CWI) has become a popular means of enhancing recovery from various forms of exercise. However, there is minimal scientific information on the physiological effects of CWI following cycling in the heat. PURPOSE To examine the safety and acute thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine, and inflammatory responses to CWI following cycling in the heat. METHODS Eleven male endurance trained cyclists completed two simulated approximately 40-min time trials at 34.3 +/- 1.1 degrees C. All subjects completed both a CWI trial (11.5 degrees C for 60 s repeated three times) and a control condition (CONT; passive recovery in 24.2 +/- 1.8 degrees C) in a randomized cross-over design. Capillary blood samples were assayed for lactate, glucose, pH, and blood gases. Venous blood samples were assayed for catecholamines, cortisol, testosterone, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, IL-6, and IGF-1 on 7 of the 11 subjects. Heart rate (HR), rectal (Tre), and skin temperatures (Tsk) were measured throughout recovery. RESULTS CWI elicited a significantly lower HR (CWI: Delta 116 +/- 9 bpm vs. CONT: Delta 106 +/- 4 bpm; P = .02), Tre (CWI: Delta 1.99 +/- 0.50 degrees C vs. CONT: Delta 1.49 +/- 0.50 degrees C; P = .01) and Tsk. However, all other measures were not significantly different between conditions. All participants subjectively reported enhanced sensations of recovery following CWI. CONCLUSION CWI did not result in hypothermia and can be considered safe following high intensity cycling in the heat, using the above protocol. CWI significantly reduced heart rate and core temperature; however, all other metabolic and endocrine markers were not affected by CWI.
Are new coming computer engineering students well prepared to begin future studies programs based on competences in the European Higher Education Area?

Students' performance depends on the input level they had in a set of key competences before accessing higher education. However, there has not been much research on the relationship between student performance and key competences in this level of education. In the computer engineering studies at the Universidad Polite¿cnica de Madrid we have developed a model to research this relationship. It can be replicated in other environments like other Universities or fields that share common features with computer engineering. This model includes the methodology used for the elaboration of evaluation test of competences and guidelines that facilitate the assessment of the quality of the process. This paper presents evidence about how an evaluation of competences can be undertaken and how it can be used to determine the capabilities of the new coming students. This model has already been tested in 2007-08 with first year students.
Steady-state pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin in plasma from patients with nosocomial pneumonia: penetration of the bronchial mucosa

A 30-min intravenous (i.v.) infusion of 200 mg of ciprofloxacin was administered twice daily to 12 patients with nosocomial pneumonia scheduled to undergo diagnostic fiberoptic bronchoscopy. The pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin were examined at the presumed steady state after 5 days of treatment. Eleven successive plasma samples were collected in the interval from 0 to 12 h after administration, and bronchial mucosa samples were taken 2 h after administration. Concentrations of drug in all samples were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. The results showed that the kinetics in plasma did not differ from those determined previously in healthy volunteers. The mean concentrations in plasma peaked at 4.94 +/- 2.90 mg/liter at the end of infusion. The terminal half-life was 4.95 +/- 2.81 h, and the mean residence time 6.13 +/- 3.17 h. A large volume of distribution was calculated: 2.59 +/- 1.43 liters/kg. Mean total body clearance was 23.3 +/- 10.1 liters/h. The concentrations in bronchial mucosa reached 21.6 +/- 5.63 micrograms/g 2 h after drug intake. The tissue-versus-plasma concentration ratios ranged from 10.1 to 26.3 (mean value, 16.9 +/- 5.43). After 6 to 12 days of i.v. treatment, four patients were switched to oral ciprofloxacin. We propose a model for the simultaneous fit of the concentration-time curves obtained after i.v. infusion and oral dosing. The concentrations in tissue observed in this study were in excess of the MICs for bacteria considered to be susceptible to ciprofloxacin.
Economics of Minimum Wage Legislations—Lessons for Emerging Market Economies

Abstract Philosophical bases for the origin for minimum wage legislation are implicit in the concepts of subsistence and natural wages evolved by classical economists. 1 1 The earlier version of this article was presented in the annual conference organized by The Indian Society of Labour Economics, held at IIT Guwahati in November 2016. The comments given by the participants of the conference have been incorporated. However, conceptualization of the working of market, evolved by microeconomic theory, propounded that minimum wage law distorts working of the labor market. These alternative formulations give impression that this law is politically correct but not based on sound economics. Since the beginning of the process of economic reforms in most of the emerging market economies, some of the scholars, following the strand of thought advocated by microeconomic theory, are arguing for the amendments in minimum wage legislations to make the labor market flexible. In the present article, an attempt has been made to evaluate the appropriateness of this strand of thought with the help of existing theoretical and empirical studies. The evaluation clearly shows that strand of thought based on microeconomic theory is not appropriate. This is because demand of the factor of production in an economy is not based on the price of the factor alone. It also depends on price of substitute factor and the growth rate of the economy. Moreover, minimum wage legislations act as determinant of efficiency wages for the workers employed at the bottom of the job ladders.
Which patients with metastatic breast cancer benefit from subsequent lines of treatment? An update for clinicians

The outcome of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has clearly improved over the past decades and the proportion of women living with their disease for several years is increasing. However, the usefulness of multiple lines of treatment is still debated and under evaluation. The available data from both randomized trials and large retrospective series are reviewed and discussed in order to analyze management practices, with emphasis on potential prognostic and predictive factors for clinical outcome. At present, evidence-based medicine provides some support for the use of second-line and to a lesser degree and in selected cases, third-line chemotherapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative MBC. Beyond third-line treatment, messages from recently reported retrospective studies also suggest a clear potential gain for women receiving further therapies after disease progression, since each line can contribute to a longer survival. In HER2-positive disease, the data from observational and retrospective studies support a clinical benefit from the use of trastuzumab beyond disease progression and emerging evidences from randomized controlled trials are leading to the introduction of newer HER2-targeted therapies in multiple lines. The question ‘How many lines of treatment should we give patients? ’ clearly needs further research through prospective, high-quality clinical trials, aiming for a better definition of factors with prognostic and predictive role. In the meantime, the ‘optimal’ treatment strategy should probably be to use as many therapeutic options as possible, either in sequence or combination, to keep the best efficacy/toxicity balance, considering MBC as a chronic disease.
Proteomic analysis of human meibomian gland secretions

Background/aim: Human tears contain hundreds of proteins that may exert a significant influence on tear film stability, ocular surface integrity, and visual function. The authors hypothesise that many of these proteins originate from the meibomian gland. This study’s aim was to begin to develop the proteomic methodology to permit the testing of their hypothesis. Methods: Meibomian gland secretions were collected from the lower eyelids of adult volunteers and placed in a chloroform-methanol mixture. Samples were partitioned in a biphasic system and non-lipid phase materials were reduced, alkylated, and trypsin digested to obtain peptides for protein identification. This peptide mixture was separated by µ-capillary reverse phase chromatography and the effluent examined by nano-electrospray MS and data dependent MS/MS. SEQUEST software was used to identify proteins from the MS/MS spectra. Results: The methodological approach to date has permitted the identification of more than 90 proteins in human meibomian gland secretions. Proteins include the α2-macroglobulin receptor, IgA α chain, farnesoid X activated receptor, interferon regulatory factor 3, lacritin precursor, lactotransferrin, lipocalin 1, lysozyme C precursor, potential phospholipid transporting ATPase IK, seven transmembrane helix receptor (also termed somatostatin receptor type 4), testes development related NYD-SP21 (also termed high affinity IgE receptor β subunit), and TrkC tyrosine kinase. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the meibomian gland secretes a number of proteins into the tear film. It is quite possible that these proteins contribute to the dynamics of the tear film in both health and disease.
Cohesion or Collusion: Impact of a Cohort Structure on Educational Leadership Doctoral Students.

EDRS PRICE MFOI/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Cognitive Development; Cooperative Learning; *Doctoral Programs; Educational Administration; Graduate Students; *Group Dynamics; Higher Education; *Interpersonal Relationship; Interviews; *Leadership Responsibility; Learning Theories; Peer Relationship; Program Evaluation; *Student Attitudes IDENTIFIERS *Arkansas State University; *Cohort Instructional Programs
The impacts of accrual-based and real earnings management on executive compensation: evidence from Chinese public firms in the private sector

Abstract This paper investigates whether high CFO or CEO compensation follows earnings management practices in Chinese public firms in the private sector. We find that while accrual-based earnings management does not impact executive compensation, real earnings management leads to high executive compensation. In addition, the effect of real earnings management is particularly strong for CEO pay, consistent with the notion that CEO pressure is the key driver of earnings management. Moreover, we find that this association is more pronounced for firms with a powerful CEO as well as for firms with a large wedge between control and cash flow rights.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and Alzheimer's disease: role of amyloid‐β peptide alcohol dehydrogenase (ABAD)

An important means of determining how amyloid‐beta peptide (Aβ) affects cells is to identify specific macromolecular targets and assess how Aβ interaction with such targets impacts on cellular functions. On the one hand, cell surface receptors interacting with extracellular Aβ have been identified, and their engagement by amyloid peptide can trigger intracellular signaling cascades. Recent evidence has indicated a potentially significant role for deposition of intracellular Aβ in cell stress associated with amyloidosis. Thus, specific intracellular targets of Aβ might also be of interest. Our review evaluates the potential significance of Aβ interaction with a mitochondrial enzyme termed Aβ‐binding alcohol dehydrogenase (ABAD), a member of the short‐chain dehydrogenase‐reductase family concentrated in mitochondria of neurones. Binding of Aβ to ABAD distorts the enzyme's structure, rendering it inactive with respect to its metabolic properties, and promotes mitochondrial generation of free radicals. Double transgenic mice in which increased levels of ABAD are expressed in an Aβ‐rich environment, the latter provided by a mutant amyloid precursor protein transgene, demonstrate accelerated decline in spatial learning/memory and pathologic changes. These data suggest that mitochondria ABAD, ordinarily a contributor to metabolic homeostasis, has the capacity to become a pathogenic factor in an Aβ‐rich environment.