Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thoracic radiation therapy added to chemotherapy for small-cell lung cancer: an update of Cancer and Leukemia Group B Study 8083.

PURPOSE To provide a 10-year update of the experience of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) in the addition of thoracic radiation therapy to chemotherapy in limited-stage small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Three hundred ninety-nine patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer were randomized to receive thoracic radiation therapy that started on day 1 (arm I) or day 64 of chemotherapy treatment (arm II), or chemotherapy alone with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and etoposide (later, doxorubicin). Thoracic radiation therapy consisted of 4,000 rad to the tumor and mediastinum with a 1,000-rad boost. All patients received prophylactic cranial radiation to a dose of 3,000 rad. RESULTS Arm I patients had a median survival of 13.04 months, arm II patients 14.54 months, and arm III patients 13.58 months (log-rank test, P = .0072). Median time to clinical failure was 11 months in arm I, 11.21 months in arm II, and 8.7 months in arm III (log-rank test, P = .0004). CONCLUSION With 10 years of follow-up, the two arms that included thoracic radiation therapy remain superior to chemotherapy alone. The addition of thoracic radiation therapy to combination chemotherapy improved both complete response rates and survival, with increased but acceptable toxicity.
Influence of induction of anaesthesia on intubating conditions one minute after rocuronium administration: comparison of ketamine and thiopentone

We compared the effect of thiopentone and ketamine on intubating conditions after rocuronium 0.6 mgkg−1 in two groups of patients (n = 16 each), aged 21–44 years, undergoing elective surgery. Premedication consisted of alprazolam 1 mg by mouth 1 h before surgery. All patients received midazolam 2 mg intravenously 2 min before intravenous administration of thiopentone 5 mgkg−1 or ketamine 2.5 mgkg−1. Muscle relaxation was provided by rocuronium 0.6 mgkg−1. One minute after rocuronium administration, tracheal intubation was performed within 15 s by a skilled anaesthetist blinded to the treatment group assignment. Intubating conditions were graded as excellent, good, fair or poor on the basis of jaw relaxation, position of vocal cords and diaphragmatic response. Neuromuscular transmission was assessed at the adductor pollicis muscle using a TOF‐GUARD™ monitor. Excellent and good intubating conditions were obtained in 100% of patients in the ketamine group and in 50% of patients in the thiopentone group (p = 0.002). Jaw relaxation was similar in both groups but vocal cord conditions were better and the diaphragmatic response less marked in the ketamine group compared with the thiopentone group (p = 0.002). The degree of neuromuscular block [% decrease of T1, mean (SD)] at the time of intubation was similar: 51.8 (25)% (ketamine group) and 54.3 (23.1)% (thiopentone group). We conclude that ketamine 2.5 mgkg−1 provides better intubating conditions than thiopentone 5 mgkg−1 1 min after administration of rocuronium 0.6 mgkg−1.
Inclusive education policy: teachers’efficacy beliefs for Including pupilswith special educational needs in Irishmainstream primary schools

Implementing inclusive education policy is a complex issue intrinsically woven into the complex fabric of teaching and learning. This research asks the question: how efficacious do teachers feel in translating inclusive principles into practice? Research supports the view that teacher efficacy - teachers’ perceptions of their own teaching competence - is one of the most important variables related to positive teaching behaviours and student achievement. Using the lens of social cognitive theory, this study examines teacher efficacy and explores: (a) the relationship between personal teacher efficacy (PTE), and general teacher efficacy (GTE), from the scales devised by Hoy and Woolfolk (1993), and (SEN) teacher efficacy from a self-designed scale; (b) the extent to which mainstream teachers’ believe that they have the knowledge, skills and competencies, following pre-service, to successfully include pupils with special educational needs; and (c) the influence of other contextual variables on SEN teacher efficacy. The study employed a quantitative approach to investigate the views of mainstream primary teachers in Ireland (N=244), who had qualified between the years 1998-2007 inclusively. Findings reveal a complex picture in relation to teacher efficacy with regard to pupils with SEN in mainstream schools. Teacher efficacy in relation to special educational needs - SEN efficacy - is unique and different from personal teacher efficacy (PTE) and (GTE) indicating that there are specific and additional knowledge, skills and competencies required to work in inclusive settings. While teacher preparation has a significant impact on efficacy, other contextual factors, such as intrinsic and extrinsic school factors, all serve to impact on teacher efficacy. These findings have implications for teacher educators, school principals, school support services and policy advisors.
Analysis of lettuce evapotranspiration across soil water

In this study, we evaluated the lettuce accumulated evapotranspiration (ET) across four levels of irrigation, using a nonlinear mixed‐effects model. The plants were grown in protected environments and monitored over 23 consecutive days. When the moisture of the substrate in the vessels reached 50% of their maximum retention capacity, the water levels were elevated according to four treatments: W 1 = 62.5 % , W 2 = 75.0 % , W 3 = 87.5 % , and W 4 = 100.0 % . The model appeared to provide a good fit to the data and showed that the estimates of the maximum amount of accumulated ET were similar for the three treatments with soil water deficit and lower for W 4 . The results of the study supported the idea that optimization of the ET of lettuce plants could be achieved through irrigation with deficit, also indicating that the economical use of water was the most efficient way to boost agricultural production.
A Phantom for diffusion‐weighted imaging of acute stroke

A tissue phantom for diffusion‐weighted imaging was developed, basing its contrast between two compartments on different apparent diffusion coefficients, without contrast due to T2 relaxation and proton density. These contrast properties of the phantom simulate the situation found in normal gray matter and areas of acute ischemia. A possible application of the phantom was demonstrated for the investigation of the accuracy of volume measurements based on diffusion‐weighted images.
Experimental Evidence on Policy Approaches That Link Agricultural Subsidies to Water Quality Outcomes

Abstract Improving water quality in agricultural landscapes is an ongoing challenge, and most agri‐environmental programs in the United States rely on voluntary adoption of conservation practices. Conservation‐compliance initiatives require producers to meet specific conservation standards to qualify for payments from farm programs. However, these requirements do not require actual improvements in observed water quality. In this study, we introduce policies to reduce nonpoint source pollution that link eligibility for agricultural subsidies to compliance with water quality goals. We then use economic laboratory experiments to provide empirical evidence related to the performance of these policies. In the policy treatments, participants risk losing some or all of their subsidies if the ambient pollution level exceeds an announced target. A novel feature of our experiment is that we test a policy treatment that ensures that no subsidies are lost if a producer implements a verifiable conservation technology that reduces emissions. In these experiments, policies that link the receipt of subsidies to ambient water quality nearly achieve the socially optimal level of pollution. The results suggest that water quality policies that rely on the threat of subsidy reductions are a potentially viable option for reducing aggregate water pollution. Although a policy that allows polluters to avoid potential losses by implementing a verifiable conservation technology could increase political support for ambient‐based policies, our results suggest that, depending upon the magnitudes of social damages from emissions and the cost of implementing a conservation technology, such policies may be less cost‐effective for a comparable reduction in pollution.
Luhya Burial Rituals versus Biblical View of Life after Death: Finding a Balance

The Luhya traditional burial rituals were complex, and involved several people and many activities. Death was understood to have been caused by sorcery, curse, witchcraft or other similar forces. To ward off death therefore, the Luhya prescribed rituals that were to be performed by all. The arrival of Christianity in early 20 th century resulted in silent conflict between Luhya culture and Christianity. The problem has been that majority of Christians practice both Christian faith and cultural burial rituals; compromising their faith, and weakening the church. The clergy who have been trained in theology, and who understand Luhya culture have been conducting their ministries variously. This study sought to find out how those pastors managed to remain true to their faith, and maintain family bonds. The central question in this paper was: How has Biblical understanding shaped Luhya Christian leaders’ perception of how burial practices should be conducted? This study found that the underlying assumption dictating how Luhyas practice rituals include aspects such as the sharing of sorrow and the respect for the dead. The Luhya clergy practice their activities towards burial rituals in three different ways: confrontation, selective participation, and developing a complete Luhya Christian theology. This paper suggests that modern theologians need to come up with a well-developed African Christian theology that can help address these burial rituals, in a way that is biblical and relevant to the African context. Key Words : Rituals, burial theology, ceremony, wife, husband, grave, community, Luhya
Monetary valuation of non-market goods and services: a review of conceptual approaches and empirical applications in sports

ABSTRACT Research question: Monetary valuation of non-market goods has become increasingly important to inform sport managers and policy makers. This article set out to conduct a literature review, describe empirical applications within sports, and present a typology and conceptual discussion of valuation approaches. Research methods: A literature review, synthesis, and critical assessment of existing monetary valuation research in sports were performed. Results and findings: The review identified 113 articles which employed eight different valuation approaches. The contingent valuation method (CVM), hedonic pricing (HP), and the travel cost method (TCM) were the most frequently applied approaches. The most popular research contexts were professional team sports, sport tourism, and sport events. Valuation research was mainly conducted in the United States, Germany, and the UK. Altogether, 179 different scholars have contributed to this body of research, with 15 scholars having published at least three papers on this topic. The valuation approaches were assigned to three main categories: revealed preference approaches, including HP, opportunity cost approach (OCA), replacement cost approach (RCA), compensating variation approach (CVA), and TCM; stated preference approaches, including CVM, contingent behavior method (CBM), and choice modeling (CM); and hybrid approaches combining revealed and stated preference approaches. Implications: Future valuation research should exploit the advantages of hybrid approaches and provide comparisons of monetary values obtained by different valuation approaches.
A Longitudinal Perspective on Depression and Sense of Coherence in a Sample of Mass-Evacuated Adults From Kosovo

Symptoms of depression and Sense of Coherence (SOC) in a sample of mass-evacuated adults from Kosovo were studied using a prospective design with a baseline study and follow-ups at 3 months and 6 months in Sweden, with an additional follow-up after 1.5 years in both Sweden and Kosovo. The 12-item version of the SOC, depression subscales of the General Health Questionnaire, and the Hopkins Symptom Check List-25 were used. At the additional follow-up after 1.5 years, the same measures were used together with clinical diagnostic assessment. Depression scores increased and SOC decreased over time. There was a significant negative correlation between SOC and symptoms of depression on all occasions, and SOC scores could not predict the diagnosis or symptoms of depression. Those who remained in Sweden became significantly more depressed than those who repatriated. The results are discussed in terms of postmigration stress and breakdown of SOC.
Residual oil fly ash induces cytotoxicity and mucin secretion by guinea pig tracheal epithelial cells via an oxidant-mediated mechanism.

Inhalation of ambient air particulate matter (PM) is associated with pulmonary injury and inflammation. Using primary cultures of guinea pig tracheal epithelial (GPTE) cells as an in vitro model of airway epithelium, we examined effects of exposure to suspensions of six different emission and ambient air PM samples: residual oil fly ash (ROFA) from an electrical power plant; fly ash from a domestic oil burning furnace (DOFA); ambient air dust from St. Louis (STL), Ottawa (OT), and Washington, DC (WDC); and volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens (MSH) in 1980. Effects of these particulates on cell viability (assessed via LDH assay), secretion of mucin (measured by a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA), and steady-state mRNA levels of the mucin gene MUC2 were determined. ROFA was the most toxic of the dusts tested, as it significantly increased LDH release following a 24-h incubation with 50 microg/cm(2) ROFA. ROFA also enhanced MUC2 mRNA after 4-h exposure, and mucin secretion after 8 h. ROFA-induced mucin secretion and cytotoxicity were attenuated by the oxidant scavenger, dimethylthiourea (DMTU). ROFA exposure also depleted cells of glutathione (GSH). Relatedly, depletion of intracellular GSH by treatment of the cells with buthionine sulfoxamine (BSO) also provoked mucin secretion, as well as enhancing the secretory effect of ROFA when the two agents were added together. L-NMA, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, did not affect ROFA-induced mucin secretion. Of the soluble transition metals in ROFA (nickel, iron, vanadium), only vanadium individually, or combinations of the metals containing vanadium, provoked secretion. The results suggest ROFA enhances mucin secretion and generates toxicity in vitro to airway epithelium via a mechanism(s) involving generation of oxidant stress, perhaps related to depletion of cellular antioxidant capacity. Deleterious effects of inhalation of ROFA in the respiratory tract in vivo may relate to these cellular responses. Vanadium, a component of ROFA, may be important in generating these reactions.
Studies on the tryptophan requirement of piglets

Three experiments were conducted to determine the requirement of tryptophan for piglets. In the first two experiments dose‐response relationships between the dietary tryptophan concentration and performance criteria of piglets were examined in order to determine the dietary tryptophan concentration required for maximum performance. In the first experiment dietary tryptophan levels ranged from 1.09 to 2.32 g per kg, in the second experiment they ranged from 1.70 to 2.60 g per kg. In both experiments a close correlation was observed between the dietary tryptophan concentration and piglet performance criteria (feed intake, daily gains, feed efficiency). In the first experiment, regression analysis using a non‐linear model revealed that the optima, defined as 95% of the asymptotic response in the model used, for feed intake and daily gains were achieved at tryptophan levels in excess of the highest concentration of 2.32 g per kg feed. The performance level of the piglets in this experiment was generally very low, however. In the second experiment feed intake, the optimum tryptophan concentration, defined as 95% of the asymptotic response, for daily gains and feed efficiency were achieved within a small range between 2.07 and 2.14 g tryptophan per kg feed, corresponding to 1.84 to 1.91 g precaecal digestible tryptophan per kg feed or 0.153 to 0.159 g tryptophan per MJ ME. These results suggest that the tryptophan concentration for maximum performance of piglets is probably higher than has been implied in numerous studies to date. The third experiment was set up to investigate the effect of the reduced feed intake and the effect of an inadequate tryptophan supply per se on the animals’ growth. Here a two‐factorial experimental design was used also by varying the energy density of the diet (13 vs. 14MJ ME per kg feed). In addition to tryptophan deficient groups (1.5 g tryptophan per kg feed), this experiment contained conventional control groups (2.6 g tryptophan per kg feed, ad libitum feeding) and pair‐fed control groups (2.6 g tryptophan per kg feed, feed intake identical to that of the tryptophan deficient group). The energy density had no significant effect on the animals’ performance and increasing the energy density of the diet did not significantly affect feed and energy intake or daily gains of the tryptophan deficient animals. Feed intake, daily gains and feed efficiency of the fryptophan deficient groups were markedly poorer (by 30, 35 and 10%) than in the ad libitum control groups. When compared with the pair‐fed control groups, on the other hand, the performance of the tryptophan deficient groups in terms of daily gains, feed conversion and energy efficiency was only slightly and not significant lower by 1, 4 and 3%, respectively. These results demonstrate conclusively that the growth depression in tryptophan deficiency is almost entirely due to the marked reduction in feed intake rather than to a direct limitation of protein accretion caused by an inadequate tryptophan supply.
Drug-Inducible Gene Recombination by the Dppa3-MER Cre MER Transgene in the Developmental Cycle of the Germ Cell Lineage in Mice1

Germ cells ensure the diversification and totipotency of genetic information via the elaborate genetic and epigenetic regulation of the genome architecture during their development. To understand the mechanism underlying the regulation of genome function in germ cells, it is of primary importance to develop systems in which gene function can be regulated at desired time points during their development. Here, we report the generation of transgenic strains that express Cre recombinase flanked by the ligand-binding domains of murine estrogen receptor (MER Cre MER [MCM]) under the control of the regulatory elements of the Dppa3 (also known as Stella or Pgc7) gene. On the administration of 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT), the Dppa3-MCM strains recombined the sequence flanked by the loxP elements (the floxed sequence) specifically in primordial germ cells as early as Embryonic Day (E) 7.0, and this recombination became robust after E9.5. Furthermore, these strains exhibited efficient and specific recombination of the floxed sequence during the growth of oocytes and in preimplantation embryos in the 4-OHT-dependent manner. Thus, these Dppa3-MCM strains offer valuable opportunities to explore gene function in both loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments at a variety of time points during germ cell development.
Incidence, predictors and outcomes of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a population-based study of 32 million births in the United States

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the incidence, risk factors and neonatal outcomes associated with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Study design: We conducted a population-based cohort study using the CDC’s Linked Birth-Infant Death and Fetal Death data files on all births and foetal deaths in USA between 1995 and 2002. We estimated the yearly incidence of CDH and measured its adjusted effect on various outcomes using unconditional logistic regression analysis. Results: About 32 145 448 births during the 8-year study period met the study’s inclusion criteria. The incidence of CDH was 1.93/10 000 births. Risk factors for the development of CDH included foetal male gender [OR 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.17], maternal age beyond 40 [OR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.26, 1.80], Caucasian ethnicity [OR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.21], smoking [OR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.22, 1.46] and alcohol use during pregnancy [OR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.79]. As compared to foetuses with no CDH, foetuses with CDH were at an increased risk of preterm birth [OR 2.90, 95% CI: 2.72, 3.11], intrauterine growth restriction [OR 3.84, 95% CI: 3.51, 4.18], stillbirth [OR 9.65, 95% CI: 8.20, 11.37] and overall infant death [OR: 94.80, 95% CI: 88.78, 101.23]. The 1-year mortality was 45.89%. Conclusion: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is strongly associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy, foetal and neonatal outcomes. These findings may be helpful in counselling pregnancies affected by CDH, and may aid in the understanding of the burden of this condition at the public health level.
The Mean and Variance of Environmental Temperature Interact to Determine Physiological Tolerance and Fitness

Global climate change poses one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. Most analyses of the potential biological impacts have focused on changes in mean temperature, but changes in thermal variance will also impact organisms and populations. We assessed the combined effects of the mean and variance of temperature on thermal tolerances, organismal survival, and population growth in Drosophila melanogaster. Because the performance of ectotherms relates nonlinearly to temperature, we predicted that responses to thermal variation (±0° or ±5°C) would depend on the mean temperature (17° or 24°C). Consistent with our prediction, thermal variation enhanced the rate of population growth (rmax) at a low mean temperature but depressed this rate at a high mean temperature. The interactive effect on fitness occurred despite the fact that flies improved their heat and cold tolerances through acclimation to thermal conditions. Flies exposed to a high mean and a high variance of temperature recovered from heat coma faster and survived heat exposure better than did flies that developed at other conditions. Relatively high survival following heat exposure was associated with low survival following cold exposure. Recovery from chill coma was affected primarily by the mean temperature; flies acclimated to a low mean temperature recovered much faster than did flies acclimated to a high mean temperature. To develop more realistic predictions about the biological impacts of climate change, one must consider the interactions between the mean environmental temperature and the variance of environmental temperature.