Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Relationships Between Computed Tomography Features, Pathological Findings, and Prognostic Risk Assessment in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Objectives The aim of this study was to correlate computed tomography (CT) findings with pathology in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Methods A retrospective evaluation of CT images of 44 patients with GISTs was performed. Computed tomography findings analyzed were location, size, margins, degree and pattern of contrast enhancement, angiogenesis, necrosis, signs of invasion, peritoneal effusion, peritoneal implants, surface ulceration, and calcifications. Associations between CT features and mitotic rate, Miettinen classes of risk, lesions size, and among CT features were investigated. &khgr;2 Test and Fisher test were performed. Results Mitotic rate was associated with margins (P = 0.016) and with adjacent organ invasion (P = 0.043). Pattern of contrast enhancement (P = 0.002), angiogenesis (P = 0.006), necrosis (P = 0.006), invasion of adjacent organs (P = 0.011), and margins (P = 0.006) were associated with classes of risk. Several associations (P < 0.05) between lesion size and CT features and among all the investigated CT features were found. Conclusions Computed tomography features could reflect GIST biology being associated with the mitotic rate and with classes of risk.
The nature of student teachers' regulation of learning in teacher education.

BACKGROUND Self-regulated learning (SRL) has mainly been conceptualized to involve student learning within academic settings. In teacher education, where learning from theory and practice is combined, student teachers also need to regulate their learning. Hence, there is an urgent need to extend SRL theories to the domain of teacher learning and to obtain scientific knowledge on the nature of student teachers' SRL to enable support of these processes in teacher education. AIMS This study was aimed at exploring the nature of student teachers' regulation of learning across various theoretical and practical contexts in teacher education. SAMPLE Twenty-eight students from a post-graduate academic teacher education institute participated in this study. METHOD For the measurement of student teachers' regulation activities, an open question log, called Learning Report, was developed. Content analysis and multiple correspondence analyses of 133 Learning Reports were used to identify qualitative differences in regulation activities and the underlying structure in the data. RESULTS The analyses resulted in the identification and description of the variety and frequency of student teachers' regulation activities. The relations among the regulation activities were described by an underlying structure of two dimensions: passive versus active regulation of learning and prospective versus retrospective regulation of learning. Active regulation dominated in practice schools, passive regulation at the university. CONCLUSIONS It is argued that for learning to teach, a different conceptualization of SRL is needed, focusing less on setting initial learning goals and more on retrospective aspects of SRL. Building blocks for such a conceptualization are offered.
Self-control as predictor of school grades, life balance, and flow in adolescents.

BACKGROUND Recently, several studies have shown that strength of self-control is a crucial factor in determining positive outcomes in individuals' lives. Most attention has been directed to the relationships that self-control has with learning and academic achievement. AIMS This article analyses the effects of self-control not only on school grades but also on the experience of life balance and flow. It is theorized that students with a higher level of self-control are better able to distribute their time in a satisfying way over academic and leisure matters, and are better able to shield their studying against distractions. SAMPLES A total of 697 eighth graders with a mean age of 13.4 years participated in the longitudinal study. METHOD Students completed a questionnaire containing measures of self-control, school grades, subjective life balance, and flow while studying at the beginning and at the end of the school year. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationships between the constructs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Results of cross-lagged analyses show that self-control predicted school grades, life balance, and flow. The findings suggest that self-control may assist adolescents to be better prepared, not only for school, but also for coordinating their investments in different areas of their lives.
Teacher efficacy and pupil behaviour: the structure of teachers' individual and collective beliefs and their relationship with numbers of pupils excluded from school.

BACKGROUND Previous work has yielded knowledge of teachers' attributions for children's behaviour. Other studies have helped to develop understanding of teachers' efficacy beliefs. Little work has been undertaken to examine teachers' efficacy beliefs with regard to classroom behaviour. AIMS This study aimed to investigate the relationship between teachers' individual and collective beliefs about their efficacy with children's behaviour and whether these beliefs were associated with the use of exclusion as a sanction. SAMPLE A total of 197 teachers from 31 primary and nursery schools in the North East of England participated. METHODS Participants responded to questionnaires to assess their individual and collective efficacy beliefs. Demographic and school level data were also collected. RESULTS Factor analysis indicated that teachers' individual efficacy beliefs were best represented by three factors: 'Classroom Management', 'Children's Engagement', 'Instructional Strategies' that corresponded well to previous findings. Analysis of collective efficacy beliefs showed a similar structure that differed from previous findings. Individual efficacy was not associated with numbers of children excluded. One factor 'Addressing External Influences' in the collective beliefs was negatively correlated with numbers of children excluded and appeared to mitigate the deleterious effects associated with socio-economic deprivation. CONCLUSIONS This study adds weight to the importance of understanding and supporting teachers' beliefs in their collective efficacy. In particular, this study underlines the need for strategies that will endorse and develop teachers' beliefs in their ability to manage children's behaviour successfully.
Plant Size and Competitive Dynamics along Nutrient Gradients

Resource competition theory in plants has focused largely on resource acquisition traits that are independent of size, such as traits of individual leaves or roots or proportional allocation to different functions. However, plants also differ in maximum potential size, which could outweigh differences in module-level traits. We used a community ecosystem model called mondrian to investigate whether larger size inevitably increases competitive ability and how size interacts with nitrogen supply. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that bigger is better, we found that invader success and competitive ability are unimodal functions of maximum potential size, such that plants that are too large (or too small) are disproportionately suppressed by competition. Optimal size increases with nitrogen supply, even when plants compete for nitrogen only in a size-symmetric manner, although adding size-asymmetric competition for light does substantially increase the advantage of larger size at high nitrogen. These complex interactions of plant size and nitrogen supply lead to strong nonlinearities such that small differences in nitrogen can result in large differences in plant invasion success and the influence of competition along productivity gradients.
Functional impairment and depressive symptoms in older adults: Mitigating effects of hope.

OBJECTIVES We examined trait hopefulness and its component subscales of agency and pathways as potential moderators of the association between functional impairment and depressive symptoms, hypothesizing that hopefulness would buffer this association. DESIGN Cross-sectional, interview-based. METHODS Older adult, primary care patients (N= 105; 62% female) completed measures of cognitive functioning, functional impairment, medical illness burden, trait hope, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS Functional impairment was significantly positively associated with depressive symptoms and dispositional hope total score moderated this relationship. Independently, the pathways subscale was a significant moderator and agency neared significance, yet their interaction was not significant. CONCLUSIONS Older adults with functional impairment appear to benefit from agency and pathways; either subcomponent alone or their additive effect can activate hopefulness. Facilitation of infrastructure (pathways), primarily, and self-efficacy (agency), secondarily, may be important strategies for reducing depressive symptoms in elderly patients with functional impairment.
Temporality and Positive Living in the Age of HIV/AIDS: A Multisited Ethnography

Drawing on comparative ethnographic fieldwork conducted in urban Mozambique, the United States, and Sierra Leone, the article is broadly concerned with the globalization of temporal logics and how specific ideologies of time and temporality accompany health interventions, such as those for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS (HIV/AIDS). More specifically, we explore how HIV-positive individuals have been increasingly encouraged to pursue healthier and more fulfilling lives through a set of moral, physical, and social practices called “positive living” since the advent of antiretroviral therapies. We describe how positive living, a feature of HIV/AIDS programs throughout the world, has taken root across varied political, social, and economic contexts and how temporal rationalities, which have largely been underexamined in the HIV/AIDS literature, shape communities’ responses and interpretations of positive living. Our approach is ethnographic and comparative, with implications for how anthropologists might think about collaboration and its analytical possibilities.
How to lose weight bias fast! Evaluating a brief anti-weight bias intervention.

OBJECTIVES Although experiencing weight bias is associated with poor physical and psychological health, health professionals often stigmatize overweight and obese clients. The objective of this study was to evaluate a brief educational intervention that aimed to reduce weight bias among Australian pre-service health students by challenging beliefs about the controllability of weight. DESIGN Non-equivalent group comparison trial. METHODS Undergraduate psychology students were assigned to an intervention (n= 30), control (n= 35), or comparison (n= 20) condition. The intervention condition received a lecture on obesity, weight bias, and the multiple determinants of weight; the comparison condition received a lecture on obesity and the behavioural determinants of weight; and the control condition received no lecture. Beliefs about the controllability of weight and attitudes towards overweight and obese people were assessed 1 week pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and 3 weeks post-intervention. RESULTS After receiving the lecture, participants in the intervention group were less likely to believe that weight is solely within individual control and were also less likely to hold negative attitudes towards overweight and obese people and rate them as unattractive. These changes were maintained 3 weeks post-intervention. There were no such changes in the control or comparison groups. Disparagement of overweight and obese peoples' social character increased over time for participants in the control condition but did not change in the comparison or intervention groups. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that brief, education-based anti-weight bias interventions show success in challenging weight controllability beliefs and reducing weight bias among pre-service health students.
Relationships between vascular calcification, calcium metabolism, bone density, and fractures

Factors involved with calcium metabolism, such as serum calcium and phosphate and calcium intake, have been associated with vascular disease in different populations. We investigated whether this association is mediated via increased vascular calcification by assessing relationships between these factors and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and coronary artery calcification (CAC). A total of 1471 healthy postmenopausal women participated in a 5‐year randomized, placebo‐controlled trial of calcium 1 g/day, and 323 healthy middle‐aged and older men participated in a 2‐year randomized, placebo‐controlled trial of calcium 600 or 1200 mg/day. AAC was assessed on vertebral morphometric images at baseline and follow‐up. Based on computed tomography, 163 men had CAC assessed, on average, 1.5 years after study completion. In elderly women, AAC was positively related to serum calcium (p < .001), phosphate (p = .04), and the calcium‐phosphate product (p = .003), but changes in AAC over time and incidence of cardiovascular events were not related to these variables. In middle‐aged men, AAC and CAC were not consistently related to these variables. Neither dietary calcium intake nor calcium supplementation was associated with changes in the prevalence of AAC over time, and calcium supplementation also was not related to CAC scores in men. After adjusting for age, AAC was not associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) at baseline, changes in BMD over time, or fracture incidence. CAC also was not related to baseline BMD. In summary, serum calcium and phosphate are associated with AAC in older women, but dietary calcium intake and calcium supplementation were not associated with changes in AAC over 2 to 5 years. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Social Aspects of the Workplace Among Individuals With Bipolar Disorder

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by recurrent mood episodes and profound impairments in psychosocial functioning. Occupational disability is one of the most problematic impairments for individuals with BD due to high rates of unemployment and work impairments. Current evidence indicates that social stressors at work—such as social isolation, conflict with others, and stigmas—are common experiences for employed individuals with BD. Yet, few studies have examined the relationship between social stressors at work and overall occupational functioning, instead focusing on individual clinical features of the disorder. Method: This cross-sectional study employed logistic and linear regressions to determine which demographic variables, mood symptoms, and social aspects of the work environment (exclusion, conflict, social support, stigma) were associated with work status (working vs. not working) and work functioning for individuals with bipolar disorder I and II. Results: Greater stigma and exclusion at work (p < .05) are associated with unemployment among adult individuals with BD, and higher degrees of depression and conflict at work (p < .05) are associated with work impairments for employed individuals. Conclusions: By examining two distinct measures of work outcomes (work status and work functioning) within the same group of participants, this study provides a unique insight, revealing that predictors of occupational functioning vary based on the specific measure of work outcomes used. This study also emphasizes the need for treatments that address the clinical features of BD and intervene in the work environment to improve functioning and prevent unemployment among individuals with BD.
CardioPharm: interactive multimedia health promotion software for community pharmacy

CardioPharm is a public interactive health promotion software for use by customers visiting community pharmacies. The program gives advice on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, requiring the user to input various details of their lifestyle, with particular attention to diet. The user is asked questions about their fibre, fruit and vegetables, and fat intake. A brief risk assessment is then provided and further advice given. The user is encouraged to consult health promotion leaflets provided at the side of the computer kiosk, or ask the pharmacist for more detailed information. CardioPharm has been designed and developed in a multimedia format incorporating sound, video and touch screen. This format allows easier access to the information and makes learning easier for the user.
Linearization of Two Second-Order Ordinary Differential Equations via Fiber Preserving Point Transformations

The necessary form of a linearizable system of two second-order ordinary differential equations 𝑦1=𝑓1(𝑥,𝑦1,𝑦2,𝑦1,𝑦2), 𝑦2=𝑓2(𝑥,𝑦1,𝑦2,𝑦1,𝑦2) is obtained. Some other necessary conditions were also found. The main problem studied in the paper is to obtain criteria for a system to be equivalent to a linear system with constant coefficients under fiber preserving transformations. A linear system with constant coefficients is chosen because of its simplicity in finding the general solution. Examples demonstrating the procedure of using the linearization theorems are presented.
CT‐measured bone attenuation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Relation to clinical features and outcomes

Osteoporosis is highly prevalent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and has been related to several clinical features. However, most studies have been in relatively small COPD cohorts. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to compare bone attenuation measured on low‐dose chest computed tomography (CT) between COPD subjects and smoker and nonsmoker controls, and to relate bone attenuation to clinical parameters, inflammatory biomarkers, and outcomes in a large, well‐characterized COPD cohort. We studied 1634 COPD subjects, 259 smoker controls, and 186 nonsmoker controls who participated in a large longitudinal study (ECLIPSE). We measured bone attenuation, extent of emphysema, and coronary artery calcification (Agatston score) on baseline CT scans, and clinical parameters, inflammatory biomarkers, and outcomes. Bone attenuation was lower in COPD subjects compared with smoker and nonsmoker controls (164.9 ± 49.5 Hounsfield units [HU] versus 183.8 ± 46.1 HU versus 212.1 ± 54.4 HU, p < 0.001). Bone attenuation was not significantly different between COPD subjects and smoker controls after adjustment for age, sex, and pack‐years of smoking. In the COPD subjects, bone attenuation correlated positively with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1, r = 0.062, p = 0.014), FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (r = 0.102, p < 0.001), body mass index (r = 0.243, p < 0.001), fat‐free mass index (FFMI, r = 0.265, p < 0.001), and C‐reactive protein (r = 0.104, p < 0.001), and correlated negatively with extent of emphysema (r = −0.090, p < 0.001), Agatston score (r = −0.177, p < 0.001), and interleukin‐8 (r = −0.054, p = 0.035). In a multiple regression model, older age, lower FFMI and higher Agatston score were associated with lower bone attenuation. Lower bone attenuation was associated with higher exacerbation (r = −0.057, p = 0.022) and hospitalization (r = −0.078, p = 0.002) rates but was not associated with all‐cause mortality. In conclusion, CT‐measured bone attenuation was lower in COPD subjects compared with nonsmoker controls but not compared with smoker controls, after adjustment for age, sex, and pack‐years of smoking. In the COPD subjects, bone attenuation was associated with age, body composition, and coronary artery calcification but was not associated with all‐cause mortality.
The association between fracture site and obesity in men: A population‐Based cohort study

A site‐dependent association between obesity and fracture has been reported in postmenopausal women. In this study we investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and fracture at different skeletal sites in older men (≥65 years). We carried out a population‐based cohort study using data from the Sistema d‘Informació per al Desenvolupament de l‘Investigació en Atenció Primària (SIDIAPQ) database. SIDIAPQ contains the primary care and hospital admission computerized medical records of >1300 general practitioners (GPs) in Catalonia (Northeast Spain), with information on a representative 30% of the population (>2 million people). In 2007, 186,171 men ≥65 years were eligible, of whom 139,419 (74.9%) had an available BMI measurement. For this analysis men were categorized as underweight/normal (BMI < 25 kg/m2, n = 26,298), overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2, n = 70,851), and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, n = 42,270). Incident fractures in the period 2007 to 2009 were ascertained using International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (ICD‐10) codes. A statistically significant reduction in clinical spine and hip fractures was observed in obese (relative risk [RR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53–0.80 and RR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.54–0.74, respectively), and overweight men (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.64–0.92 and RR, 0.63; 95% CI 0.55–0.72, respectively) when compared with underweight/normal men. Additionally, obese men had significantly fewer wrist/forearm (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61–0.97) and pelvic (RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.28–0.70) fractures than underweight/normal men. Conversely, multiple rib fractures were more frequent in overweight (RR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.03–11.37) and obese (RR, 3.96; 95% CI, 1.16–13.52) men. In this population‐based cohort of older men, obesity was associated with a reduced risk of clinical spine, hip, pelvis, and wrist/forearm fracture and increased risk of multiple rib fractures when compared to normal or underweight men. Further work is needed to identify the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Serum IGF‐1 Is Insufficient to Restore Skeletal Size in the Total Absence of the Growth Hormone Receptor

States of growth hormone (GH) resistance, such those observed in Laron dwarf patients, are characterized by mutations in the GH receptor (GHR), decreased serum and tissue IGF‐1 levels, impaired glucose tolerance, and impaired skeletal acquisition. IGF‐1 replacement therapy in such patients increases growth velocity but does not normalize growth. Herein we combined the GH‐resistant (GHR knockout [GHRKO]) mouse model with mice expressing the hepatic Igf‐1 transgene (HIT) to generate the GHRKO‐HIT mouse model. In GHRKO‐HIT mice, serum IGF‐1 levels were restored via transgenic expression of Igf‐1, allowing us to study how endocrine IGF‐1 affects growth, metabolic homeostasis, and skeletal integrity. We show that in a GH‐resistant state, normalization of serum IGF‐1 improved body adiposity and restored glucose tolerance but was insufficient to support normal skeletal growth, resulting in an osteopenic skeletal phenotype. The inability of serum IGF‐1 to restore skeletal integrity in the total absence of GHR likely resulted from reduced skeletal Igf‐1 gene expression, blunted GH‐mediated effects on the skeleton that are independent of serum or tissue IGF‐1, and poor delivery of IGF‐1 to the tissues. These findings are consistent with clinical data showing that IGF‐I replacement therapy in patients with Laron syndrome does not achieve full skeletal growth.