Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality correction factors of composite IMRT beam deliveries: theoretical considerations.

PURPOSE In the scope of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) dosimetry using ionization chambers, quality correction factors of plan-class-specific reference (PCSR) fields are theoretically investigated. The symmetry of the problem is studied to provide recommendable criteria for composite beam deliveries where correction factors are minimal and also to establish a theoretical limit for PCSR delivery k(Q) factors. METHODS The concept of virtual symmetric collapsed (VSC) beam, being associated to a given modulated composite delivery, is defined in the scope of this investigation. Under symmetrical measurement conditions, any composite delivery has the property of having a k(Q) factor identical to its associated VSC beam. Using this concept of VSC, a fundamental property of IMRT k(Q) factors is demonstrated in the form of a theorem. The sensitivity to the conditions required by the theorem is thoroughly examined. RESULTS The theorem states that if a composite modulated beam delivery produces a uniform dose distribution in a volume V(cyl) which is symmetric with the cylindrical delivery and all beams fulfills two conditions in V(cyl): (1) the dose modulation function is unchanged along the beam axis, and (2) the dose gradient in the beam direction is constant for a given lateral position; then its associated VSC beam produces no lateral dose gradient in V(cyl), no matter what beam modulation or gantry angles are being used. The examination of the conditions required by the theorem lead to the following results. The effect of the depth-dose gradient not being perfectly constant with depth on the VSC beam lateral dose gradient is found negligible. The effect of the dose modulation function being degraded with depth on the VSC beam lateral dose gradient is found to be only related to scatter and beam hardening, as the theorem holds also for diverging beams. CONCLUSIONS The use of the symmetry of the problem in the present paper leads to a valuable theorem showing that k(Q) factors of composite IMRT beam deliveries are close to unity under specific conditions. The theoretical limit k(Q(pcsr),Q(msr) ) (f(pcsr),f(msr) )=1 is determined based on the property of PCSR deliveries to provide a uniform dose in the target volume. The present approach explains recent experimental observations and proposes ideal conditions for IMRT reference dosimetry. The result of this study could potentially serve as a theoretical basis for reference dosimetry of composite IMRT beam deliveries or for routine IMRT quality assurance.
Effects of Growth Hormone Therapy on Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Sensitivity Indices in Prepubertal Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome

In Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) growth hormone therapy (GHT) improves height, body composition, agility and muscular strength. In such patients it is necessary to consider the potential diabetogenic effect of GHT, since they tend to develop type 2 diabetes, particularly after the pubertal age. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of GHT on glucose and insulin homeostasis in PWS children. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in 24 prepubertal PWS children (15 male, 9 female, age: 5.8 ± 2.8 years), 16 were obese (group A) and 8 had normal weight (group B), before and after 2.7 ± 1.3 years GHT (0.22 ± 0.03 mg/kg/week) and, only at baseline, in 35 prepubertal children with simple obesity (19 male, 16 female) (group C). Fasting glucose and insulin, glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity index (ISI), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), quick insulin check index (QUICKI), area under the curves (AUC) of glucose and insulin were estimated. At the start of GHT, all PWS children were normoglycaemic and normotolerant but two developed impaired glucose tolerance after 2.2 and 1.9 years of therapy, respectively. At baseline, group A showed lower fasting insulin levels, HOMA-IR and AUC of insulin, higher ISI, QUICKI and AUC of glucose than group C. Comparing groups A and B, AUC of insulin was higher and ISI lower in group A. During GHT, a significant increase of fasting insulin and glucose, a worsening of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity (QUICKI) was found only in group A while ISI did not change. The AUC of glucose decreased in both groups instead AUC of insulin did not change. BMI-SDS decreased in group A and increased in group B. The increased insulin resistance and decreased insulin sensitivity in obese PWS patients, as well as the occurrence of impaired glucose tolerance during GHT, suggest that a close monitoring of glucose and insulin homeostasis is mandatory, especially in treated obese PWS children.
Risk Trading and Endogenous Probabilities in Investment Equilibria

A risky design equilibrium problem is an equilibrium system that involves $N$ designers who invest in risky assets, such as production plants, evaluate these using convex or coherent risk measures, and also trade financial securities in order to manage their risk. Our main finding is that in a complete risk market---when all uncertainties can be replicated by financial products---a risky design equilibrium problem collapses to what we call a risky design game, i.e., a stochastic Nash game in which the original design agents act as risk neutral and there emerges an additional system risk agent. The system risk agent simultaneously prices risk and determines the probability density used by the other agents for their risk neutral evaluations. This situation is stochastic-endogenous: the probability density used by agents to value uncertain investments is endogenous to the risky design equilibrium problem. This result is most striking when design agents use coherent risk measures in which case the intersectio.
“Pro-life” in the Czech Republic – What Kind of Europeanization Is Present?

This paper attempts to show what effects Europeanization has had on the pro-life movement in the Czech Republic. The first section of the text outlines a multifaceted concept of institutional theory based on historical institutionalist ideas. Next, it looks at one specific institutional process, Europeanization, informed by the work of Radaelli as well as della Porta’s and Caiani’s work on mobilization in the European Union. The following section defines the relevant actors in the Czech pro-life movement. Finally, the paper applies this concept of Europeanization of social movements to the Czech pro-life case. The paper concludes with observations that Europeanization of the Czech pro-life movement is uneven, manifesting itself among some actors, though not all, and in some areas of Europeanization. Charitable organizations as well as one highly visible activist group are highly associated with processes of Europeanization; on the other hand, in most cases, other activist groups in the pro-life movement in the Czech Republic are more highly influenced by more general trends in interest-group internationalization. These insights may pave the way for additional research on trends both of the European pro-life movement as a whole, as well as serving as a touchstone for improving such theoretical concepts as “Europeanization” vis-a-vis “globalization” or “European integration”.
South African volunteer perceptions : an exploratory study into the perceptions of female white South African volunteers working with black children orphaned by AIDS.

This study explored the perceptions of ten White female South African volunteers working with black children diagnosed HIV positive and/or orphaned by AIDS. A qualitative research strategy was used in order to explore the participants’ perceptions of the role that racial dynamics and everyday racism play in their work as volunteers. Ten participants over the age of 18 years, that have been volunteering for a minimum of one month and that volunteer for a minimum of one hour a week at an organisation in Johannesburg, were interviewed. The data were transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis and the findings were interpreted using a framework drawn from critical race theory and critical Whiteness studies. Notions of everyday racism were evidenced in the findings of the study. These findings challenge traditional notions in a novel way by expanding the current understanding of the racial dynamics at play in a country working towards equality. In doing so, the study raises theoretical and practical implications for efforts aimed to address racism in South Africa.
PWM Resonant Converter With Asymmetric Modulation for ZVS Active Voltage Doubler Rectifier and Forced Half Resonance in PV Application

In photovoltaic applications, many previous research works have focused on pulsewidth modulation (PWM) resonant converters in order to achieve a high efficiency with a wide input voltage range. Conventional approaches utilized symmetric boosting modulation at the secondary side rectifier to obtain a symmetric operation, and they utilized two boosting modes in a switching period. Among various rectifier structures, the voltage doubler structure has a strong advantage due to a small number of components. However, it suffers from serious hard switching losses in the secondary side rectifier. In this paper, a new converter with a novel asymmetrical modulation is proposed and verified. The strong point of the proposed converter is that it eliminates hard switching turn-on losses from the rectifier, while maintaining the minimized number of components. Although the proposed converter adopts an asymmetric modulation, the offset current on the transformer becomes zero inherently. Furthermore, a “forced half resonance” operation of the proposed converter keeps rms current stresses at the same level as conventional converter although it has a higher peak current. Accordingly, the proposed converter achieves a superior efficiency with the minimum number of components at 35–25 V input and 380 V/300 W output specification.
Essays On The Economics Of Education

The rst chapter proposes a theory on how studentssocial background a¤ects school teaching and job opportunities. We study a set-up where students di¤er in ability and social background, and we analyse the interaction between a school and an employer. Students with disadvantaged background are penalised compared to other students: they receive less teaching and/or are less likely to be hired. A surprising result is that policy aiming to subsidise education for disadvantaged students might in fact decrease their job opportunities. The second chapter argues that assortative matching can explain overeducation. Education determines individualsincome and, due to the presence of assortative matching, the quality of the partner, who can be a colleague or a spouse. Thus an individual acquires some education to improve the expected partners quality. But since everybody does that, the expected partners quality does not increases and over-education emerges. Public intervention can solve over-education through a progressive income tax. The third chapter examines how higher education a¤ects job and marital satisfaction. We build up a model with assortative matching where individuals decide whether to attend university both for obtaining job satisfaction and for increasing the probability to be matched with an educated partner. The theoretical results suggest that, as assortative matching increases, the number of educated individuals increases, their job satisfaction falls while their marital satisfaction increases. We test our model using the British Household Panel Survey data for the years 2003-2006. Our empirical ndings support the theoretical results.
Genetic parameters of milk fat-to-protein ratio in first three
lactations of Polish Holstein-Friesian cows

In the past, genetic improvement of dairy cattle was focused on high milk production. This led to deterioration of health and fertility traits and in consequence increased veterinary treatment costs and culling rates (Butler and Smith, 1989; Oltenacu and Broom, 2010). To prevent these negative effects, new traits (conformation, fertility, survival) were consecutively incorporated into selection indices in many countries including Poland. Recently, traits connected with the energy balance of cows have drawn the interest of researchers. Energy balance is defined as the difference between energy intake and energy requirements for milk output and maintenance (Buttchereit et al., 2010). Negative energy balance has serious consequences for body function and in turn determines cow health and fertility. Cows with a negative energy balance are more prone to mastitis, lameness, digestive and locomotive problems and metabolic diseases such as ketosis (Goff and Horst, 1997; Heuer et al., 1999; Collard et al., 2000; Negussie et al., 2013). Energy balance can be calculated to indicate the metabolic status of a cow, but the costs of meaABSTRACT. The aim of the study was to estimate the genetic parameters of milk fat-to-protein ratio in the first three lactations of Polish Holstein-Friesian cows. Data included 104 875 test-day records of 6299 cows calving from years 2000–2012. Genetic parameters were estimated with a multitrait random regression model using the Bayesian method via Gibbs sampling. The linear model for fat-to-protein ratio and milk traits (milk yield, lactose percentage, milk urea concentration) included fixed herd-test-day effect, fixed regressions within age at calving by season of calving subclasses, and random regressions for additive genetic and permanent environmental effects. All regressions were modelled using fourth-order Legendre polynomials. The average daily heritability of fat-to-protein ratio ranged from 0.24 to 0.31. Fat-to-protein ratio was negatively genetically correlated with milk yield for almost every day in milk in each lactation, with means of −0.52, −0.24 and −0.05 in the first, second and third lactations, respectively. Average genetic correlations of fat-to-protein ratio with lactose percentage and milk urea concentration were rather low or close to zero (−0.08 to 0.10) except for the genetic correlation with milk urea content in the second lactation (0.32). The results suggest that fat-to-protein ratio is a heritable trait and might be used in the selection of Polish Holstein-Friesians assuming that the relationship between fat-to-protein ratio and economically important traits will be investigated. Received: 4 September 2018 Revised: 10 January 2019 Accepted: 7 April 2019
Poverty Dynamics in Rural Mexico: An Analysis Using Four Generations of Poverty Measurement

Drawing on four generations of poverty measurement, this paper uses panel data from the 2002-2007 period to analyze rural poverty in Mexico. The results show that almost three fifths of the surveyed households experienced poverty at least once, while one fifth was persistently poor. While these standard poverty measures are informative, the key challenge is to determine who can expect to escape poverty over time. According to an asset-based expectation of household welfare, from 36% of households that were poor in 2007, 29% can expect to escape poverty over time and 7% structurally-poor households cannot. However, asset accumulation dynamics show that in the long term all households can expect to escape poverty because a single stable equilibrium was found at 6.35 times the food poverty line. Nevertheless, one should not be overly optimistic because this still represents an average rural individual living with 105 pesos per day.
STIM1: a new therapeutic target in occlusive vascular disease?

Improvements in interventional cardiology arising from stent development have significantly increased the efficacy of angioplasty as a primary treatment for atherosclerotic artery disease. Nevertheless, this procedure is still prone to failure in some patients due to the occurrence of neointimal hyperplasia that contributes to restenosis, lumen loss, and reduction in blood flow. In addition, late-stent thrombotic complications may also arise in some instances in which anti-proliferative drug-eluting stents are used, due to compromised reendothelialization subsequent to the angioplasty procedure. The development of neointimal hyperplasia is a complex phenomenon, with multiple mechanisms and molecules being involved. Angioplastic denudation of the endothelial barrier overlying the smooth muscle cell (SMC) layers in the intima and media provides a surface which is now more prone to the increased accumulation of circulating cells such as leucocytes and platelets. Subsequently, a number of cytokines and chemokines interact to lead to an inflammatory response, which is associated with a phenotypic modulation of the resident SMCs from a normally ‘contractile’ phenotype to a ‘synthetic’ phenotype. In this synthetic phenotype, the SMCs are more sensitive to migratory and proliferative stimuli and have an increased propensity for extracellular matrix production,1 critical processes involved in the development of neointimal hyperplasia subsequent to angioplasty. Among the key underlying mechanisms that facilitate the increased SMC migratory/proliferative capacity are those … *Corresponding author. Tel: +61 3 8532 1189; fax: +61 3 8532 1100. E-mail address: alex.agrotis{at}bakeridi.edu. au
Elastosonographic evaluation of thyroid nodules in acromegaly.

OBJECTIVE Ultrasound-elastography (US-E) appears to be a helpful tool for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer. In acromegaly, the prevalence of thyroid cancer is still debated. The aims of this study were to evaluate thyroid nodules in acromegaly and to establish the accuracy of US-E in providing information on their nature, using cytological analysis as a reference. SUBJECTS AND METHODS US-E was applied to 90 nodules detected in 25 acromegalic patients and to 94 nodules found in 31 non-acromegalic goitrous subjects. The lesions were classified according to the elasticity scores (ES) as soft (ES 1-2) or hard (ES 3-4). Fine needle aspiration cytology could be performed in 60.8% of hard nodules in acromegalics and in 86.7% of hard nodules in controls. RESULTS The prevalence of hard nodules was significantly higher in the whole group of acromegalic patients than in controls (56.8 vs 16.0%, P<0.0001). The prevalence of hard nodules in patients with active acromegaly (68.9%) was greater, though not to a statistically significant extent, than that observed in cured (44.4%) and controlled (52.5%) patients. Cytology revealed malignancy or suspect malignancy in four of the nodules of non-acromegalic subjects and in none of the nodules of acromegalic patients. CONCLUSIONS This study has demonstrated a high prevalence of stiff thyroid nodules in acromegaly, greater than that found in non-acromegalic goitrous subjects. In acromegalics, hard nodules appeared not to be malignant on cytopathological examination and are probably of fibrous nature. Thus, US-E appears to be of limited value for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer in acromegaly.
When Anomalies Are Publicized Broadly, Do Institutions Trade Accordingly?

We study whether institutional investors trade on stock market anomalies. We condition our analysis on whether information about the anomalies is readily available to investors through academic publication and the release of necessary accounting data. Using 14 well-documented anomalies, we observe an increase in anomaly-based trading among institutional investors, especially hedge funds and transient institutions, following the publication of research on anomalies. We directly relate this increase in trading to the observed decay in post-publication anomaly returns. In contrast to recent evidence, our findings support the role of institutional investors in the arbitrage process and in improving market efficiency.
Functional consequences of human airway smooth muscle phenotype plasticity

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Airway smooth muscle (ASM) phenotype plasticity, characterized by reversible switching between contractile and proliferative phenotypes, is considered to contribute to increased ASM mass and airway hyper‐responsiveness in asthma. Further, increased expression of collagen I has been observed within the ASM bundle of asthmatics. Previously, we showed that exposure of intact bovine tracheal smooth muscle (BTSM) to collagen I induces a switch from a contractile to a hypocontractile, proliferative phenotype. However, the functional relevance of this finding for intact human ASM has not been established.
Route of intracerebrospinal fluid chemotherapy administration and efficacy of therapy in neoplastic meningitis

A study was undertaken to determine whether route (intraventricular vs intralumbar) of intracerebrospinal fluid (intra‐CSF) drug administration influences progression‐free survival in the treatment of patients with neoplastic meningitis, which occurs in 1% to 5% of patients with known cancer. Currently available treatment options result in modest responses, which is in part a reflection of obstacles to drug delivery into the leptomeningeal space.
Loss of glutamine synthetase immunoreactivity from the retina in canine primary glaucoma.

PURPOSE Changes in retinal glutamate distribution occur in primary glaucoma (PG) in dogs. Although the redistribution resembles that induced by ischemia, decreases in glutamine synthetase (GS) activity may also induce a similar glutamate redistribution. We examined the distribution of GS, glutamate, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker for reactive glia, in PG retinas by immunohistochemistry to determine whether decreases in GS and formation of reactive glia are associated with glutamate redistribution and neuronal damage. ANIMALS Sections from 14 control dog eyes and 22 eyes from dogs with PG. METHODS Sections from 14 control and 22 glaucomatous globes were immunohistochemically stained for GS, glial fibrillary acidic protein or glutamate. RESULTS In semiquantitative immunogold studies, decreases in GS staining density were strongly correlated with glutamate redistribution and neuronal damage. In less quantitative immunoperoxidase staining of acute (< or = 5 days after clinical signs) and chronic PG retinas, GS immunoreactivity was decreased in focal regions of some acute PG retinas, and there were widespread decreases in chronic PG retinas. GFAP immunoreactivity was increased in Müller cells primarily in severely damaged regions of chronic PG retinas. CONCLUSIONS Decreases in GS immunoreactivity were associated with glutamate redistribution. These decreases in GS occurred even in mildly damaged regions of retina before retinal thinning. Reactive Müller cells were seen primarily in chronic PG in severely damaged regions. Decreases in GS may potentiate ischemia-induced early glutamate redistribution and neuronal damage in canine PG.
Measurement Equivalence Of An Instrument Measuring Motivation To Consume Local Food

The purposes of this study were to examine the measurement equivalency of motivation to consume local food between British and Korean groups, and to extend the use of the multiple-group technique of measurement equivalence analysis by demonstrating formal tests that identify whether a measurement instrument shows similar relations among groups. Although multigroup confirmatory factor analyses revealed that measurement equivalence was fully equivalent among groups, this study proved metric and scalar invariance, and partial error invariance was equivalent. The results revealed that the observed variables and their underlying constructs were equivalent among groups. Implications and application of the study findings are discussed.