Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An exploration of the exercise of parental choice and decision making under the provisions of the No child left behind act

This study examined the perceptions and experiences the parents of elementary school aged children had regarding expanding schooling options within the public educational system and choosing schools using the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) public school choice provision. The NCLB Act of 2001 was the federal government's effort to improve schools and nurture high standards and academic success for all students. Policies intended to encourage greater parent participation in their children's schooling are emphasized, especially when children attend low-performing Title I schools. Parents may use public school choice provisions to transfer their children from struggling schools and enroll them in public schools that met or exceeded the NCLB proficiency benchmark called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). This study was designed to give insight into parents' experiences in choosing to exercise or not exercise the transfer options in schools that have failed to make AYP. The specific questions explored were: 1. What are the experiences and perceptions of parents/guardians whose children have the opportunity to transfer from an elementary Title I school designated as an underperforming school under NCLB to a presumably higher-performing school? 2. How do parents/guardians describe their children's experiences following the choices that the parents/guardians made to leave one school for another because of NCLB or not to switch schools and to remain at their current low-performing school? 3. How do parents describe their own experience with the school and school district after enrolling their child in the NCLB choice school or having their child remain in the current low-performing school? Phenomenological research methodology was used to investigate parents' experiences, view school choose from the parents' perceptions, and capture parents' voices as they describe their experiences. Two major findings emerged from the data. The majority of the parents perceived that the choice option gave them greater influence and control over their child's education. They perceived it transformed the selection of schools from a passive to an active decision making process. The findings suggest that NCLB's transfer policy would benefit from attention to parents' perceptions and experiences to improve implementation and achieve the goals of the law especially for low-income and minority students.
Lens implant selection with absence of capsular support

If contact lens or spectacle correction is not viable, little debate exists that the secondary placement of an intra-ocular lens (IOL) is the method of choice in the absence of capsular support. The choice of IOL mainly depends on the preoperative status of the eye (eg, aphakia in children) and the selected location for the implant. Theoretically, there are several IOL implantation approaches in cases without capsular support: an angle-supported anterior chamber (AC) IOL, an iris-fixated ACIOL, an iris-sutured or iris-fixated posterior chamber (PC) IOL and a transsclerally sutured PCIOL. No consensus exists, however, on the indications as well as on the relative safety and efficacy of these different options. Implantation of modern ACIOLs, like the refined open-loop or iris-fixated claw (toric) ACIOLs, have regained popularity and provide a valuable alternative to sutured PCIOLs. However, in the absence of capsular support, the transsclerally sutured PCIOLs offer numerous advantages for certain eyes. Because of its anatomic location, the sutured PCIOL is more appropriate for eyes with compromised cornea, peripheral anterior synechiae, shallow anterior chamber, or glaucoma. Moreover, sutured PCIOLs are appropriate if the patient with aphakia is young or has a life expectancy of 10 years or more. Recent technological advances, including PCIOL with iris diaphragm for aniridia, toric ACIOLs, and small-incision surgery with foldable, transsclerally sutured IOLs, seem to further improve clinical outcomes.
Using contingency management procedures to reduce at-risk drinking in heavy drinkers.

BACKGROUND Treatments for alcohol use disorders typically have been abstinence based, but harm reduction approaches that encourage drinkers to alter their drinking behavior to reduce the probability of alcohol-related consequences, have gained in popularity. This study used a contingency management procedure to determine its effectiveness in reducing alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers. METHODS Eighty-two nontreatment-seeking heavy drinkers (ages 21 to 54, M = 30.20) who did not meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence participated in the study. The study had 3 phases: (i) an Observation phase (4 weeks) where participants drank normally; (ii) a Contingency Management phase (12 weeks) where participants were paid $50 weekly for not exceeding low levels of alcohol consumption as measured by transdermal alcohol concentrations, <0.03 g/dl; and (iii) a Follow-up phase (12 weeks) where participants (n = 66) returned monthly for 3 months to self-report drinking after the contingencies were removed. Transdermal alcohol monitors were used to verify meeting contingency requirements; all other analyses were conducted on self-reported alcohol use. RESULTS On average 42.3% of participants met the contingency criteria and were paid an average of $222 during the Contingency Management phase, with an average $1,998 in total compensation throughout the study. Compared to the Observation phase, the percent of any self-reported drinking days significantly decreased from 59.9 to 40.0% in the Contingency Management and 32.0% in the Follow-up phases. The percent of self-reported heavy drinking days reported also significantly decreased from 42.4% in the Observation phase to 19.7% in the Contingency Management phase, which was accompanied by a significant increase in percent days of self-reported no (from 40.1 to 60.0%) and low-level drinking (from 9.9 to 15.4%). Self-reported reductions in drinking either persisted, or became more pronounced, during the Follow-up phase. CONCLUSIONS Contingency management was associated with a reduction in self-reported episodes of heavy drinking among nontreatment-seeking heavy drinkers. These effects persisted even after incentives were removed, indicating the potential utility of contingency management as a therapeutic intervention to reduce harmful patterns of drinking.
Perioperative nerve injury after total hip arthroplasty: regional anesthesia risk during a 20-year cohort study.

BACKGROUND Perioperative nerve injury (PNI) is a recognized complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Regional anesthesia (RA) techniques may increase the risk of neurologic injury. Using a retrospective cohort study, the authors tested the hypothesis that use of RA increases the risk for PNI after elective THA. METHODS All adult patients who underwent elective THA at Mayo Clinic during a 20-yr period were included. The primary outcome was the presence of a new PNI within 3 months of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate patient, surgical, and anesthetic risk factors for PNI. RESULTS Of 12,998 patients undergoing THA, 93 experienced PNI (incidence = 0.72%; 95% CI 0.58-0.88%). PNI was not associated with type of anesthesia (OR = 0.72 for neuraxial-combined vs. general; 95% CI 0.46-1.14) or peripheral nerve blockade (OR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.34-1.21). The risk for PNI was associated with younger age (OR = 0.79 per 10-yr increase; 95% CI 0.69-0.90), female gender (OR = 1.72; 95% CI 1.12-2.64), longer operations (OR = 1.10 per 30-min increase; 95% CI 1.03-1.18) or posterior surgical approach (OR = 1.91 vs. anterior approach; 95% CI 1.22-2.99). Neurologic recovery was not influenced by the use of RA techniques in patients with PNI. CONCLUSIONS The risk for PNI after THA was not increased with the use of neuraxial anesthesia or peripheral nerve blockade. Neurologic recovery in patients who experienced PNI was not affected by the use of RA. These results support the use of RA techniques in patients undergoing elective THA given their known functional and clinical benefits.
Different Paths: Gender, Immigration and Political Participation

Building on arguments made by Grasmuck and Pessar (1991), Hardy-Fanta (1993), and Hondagneu-Sotelo (1994), among others, this article makes the case for a gendered understanding of immigrant political socialization. Looking at recent Latin American immigrants to New York City, the article argues that immigrant Latino men are more likely to favor continuity in patterns of socialization and organization, and immigrant Latinas are more likely to favor change. This finding helps bridge theoretical and empirical literatures in immigration studies, applying the logic of gender-differentiated decisionmaking to the area of immigrant political socialization and behavior.
Skewness Preferences, Asset Prices, and Investor Sentiment

Prior research has found that investors have strong preferences for stocks with positive skewness. These preferences have been shown to lead to price premiums and subsequent underperformance. This study extends this growing body of literature by testing whether the underperformance of stocks with positive skewness is driven by periods of high investor sentiment. The motivation for these tests is based on a broad literature in Psychology that an individual’s mood can directly affect the individual’s subjective probability assessments. In the framework of our tests, more optimism among investors may strengthen investors’ skewness preferences. The empirical results in this study support this idea as the underperformance of positively skewed stocks is shown to be primarily driven by periods of high investor sentiment.
Reliability Analysis of Multiple Causes of Failure in Presence of Independent Competing Risks

The failures of complex systems always arise from different causes in reliability test. However, it is difficult to evaluate the failure effect caused by a specific cause in presence of other causes. Therefore, a generalize reliability analysis model, which takes into account of the multiple competing causes, is highly needed. This paper develops a statistical reliability analysis procedure to investigate the reliability characteristics of multiple failure causes under independent competing risks. We mainly consider the case when the lifetime data follow log‐location‐scale distributions and may also be right‐censored. Maximum likelihood (ML) estimators of unknown parameters are derived by applying the Newton–Raphson method. With the large‐sample assumption, the normal approximation of the ML estimators is used to construct the asymptotic confidence intervals in which the standard error of the variance‐covariance matrix is calculated by using the delta method. In particular, the Akaike information criterion is utilized to determine the appropriate fitted distribution for each cause of failure. An illustrative numerical experiment about the fuel cell engine (FCE) is presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model. The results can facilitate continued advancement in reliability prediction and reliability allocation for FCE, and also provide theoretical basis for the application of reliability concepts to many other complex systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Energy-Efficient Multimode Multichannel Gas-Sensor System With Learning-Based Optimization and Self-Calibration Schemes

This paper presents an energy-efficient intelligent multisensor system for hazardous gases, whose performance can be adaptively optimized through a multimode structure and a learning-based pattern recognition algorithm. The multimode operation provides control capability on the tradeoff relationship between accuracy and power consumption. In-house microelectro-mechanical (MEMS) devices, with a suspended nanowire structure, are manufactured to provide desired characteristics of small size, low power, and high sensitivity. Pattern recognition to combine the dimensionality reduction and the neural network is adopted to improve the selectivity of MEMS gas sensors. Moreover, potential deviations in sensing characteristics are calibrated through a proposed self-calibration zooming structure. Reconfigurable circuits for these key features are integrated into an adaptive readout integrated circuit which is fabricated in a 180-nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor process. For its system-level verification, a wireless multichannel gas-sensor system prototype is implemented and experimentally verified to achieve 2.6 times efficiency improvement.
A Comparative Study of Ketorolac (Toradol) and Magnesium Sulfate for Arrest of Preterm Labor

Background. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ketorolac (Toradol). Methods. In this prospective trial, 88 women in confirmed preterm labor at ≤32 weeks' gestation were randomized to receive magnesium sulfate given as an initial 6 g intravenous bolus followed by continuous infusion therapy (2 to 6 g/hr) or intramuscularly administered ketorolac (60 mg loading dose) followed by 30 mg every 6 hours for a maximum of 24 hours. Results. The study groups were similar with respect to age, parity, cervical status, and gestational age on admission. Ketorolac was more rapid (2.71 hr ±2.16) in the arrest of preterm labor than was magnesium sulfate (6.22 hr ± 5.65). No patient required discontinuance of either drug due to adverse effects. There was no difference in the incidence of neonatal complications between the two groups. Conclusion. In gestations with preterm labor at <32 weeks, ketorolac appears to be an appropriate first-line tocolytic agent.
Assessing the Impact of the Great Recession on Healthfulness of Food Purchase Choices

Our paper examines the great recession’s impact on households’ food-at-home (FAH) purchase decisions. Specifically, we test if the percentage of consumers’ FAH shopping baskets comprised of healthy food, as defined by the Center for Nutrition and Policy Promotion (CNPP), changed significantly as a result of the great recession. Controlling for a number of covariates associated with economic downturns, as well as rigorous household characteristics, we identify that the recession was responsible for a 4-8% increase in the dietary quality of U.S. grocery purchases. The finding is robust to specification and raises several important questions regarding consumer behavior.
A framework to understand the transient climate response to emissions

Global surface warming projections have been empirically connected to carbon emissions via a climate index defined as the transient climate response to emissions (TCRE), revealing that surface warming is nearly proportional to carbon emissions. Here, we provide a theoretical framework to understand the TCRE including the effects of all radiative forcing in terms of the product of three terms: the dependence of surface warming on radiative forcing, the fractional radiative forcing contribution from atmospheric CO2 and the dependence of radiative forcing from atmospheric CO2 on cumulative carbon emissions. This framework is used to interpret the climate response over the next century for two Earth System Models of differing complexity, both containing a representation of the carbon cycle: an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity, configured as an idealised coupled atmosphere and ocean, and an Earth System Model, based on an atmosphere–ocean general circulation model and including non-CO2 radiative forcing and a land carbon cycle. Both Earth System Models simulate only a slight decrease in the TCRE over 2005–2100. This limited change in the TCRE is due to the ocean and terrestrial system acting to sequester both heat and carbon: carbon uptake acts to decrease the dependence of radiative forcing from CO2 on carbon emissions, which is partly compensated by changes in ocean heat uptake acting to increase the dependence of surface warming on radiative forcing. On decadal timescales, there are larger changes in the TCRE due to changes in ocean heat uptake and changes in non-CO2 radiative forcing, as represented by decadal changes in the dependences of surface warming on radiative forcing and the fractional radiative forcing contribution from atmospheric CO2. Our framework may be used to interpret the response of different climate models and used to provide traceability between climate models of differing complexity.
Experiencing Interpersonal Violence

As part of a larger study, the authors investigated experiences of recent violence among sexually active, substance-using women. Structured interviews were conducted with 172 women living in shelters and low-income housing, 41 of whom also completed an in-depth interview on their worst violent episode. Structured interviews indicated that rape and self-blame were more common among sheltered women. In-depth interviews suggested that sheltered women were vulnerable to instrumental aggression from a range of perpetrators, whereas housed women tended to experience hostile partner aggression. Intoxication during the violent episodes was more common among sheltered women. Implications for violence prevention and treatment services are discussed.
Gelsolin Binding and Cellular Presentation of Lysophosphatidic Acid*

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in biological fluids binds to serum albumin and other proteins that enhance its effects on cellular functions. The actin-severing protein gelsolin binds LPA with an affinity (K d = 6 nm) similar to that of the G protein-coupled LPA receptors encoded by endothelial differentiation genes 2, 4, and 7 (Edg-2, -4, and -7 receptors) and greater than that of serum albumin (K d = 360 nm). At concentrations of 10% or less of that in plasma, which are observed in fluids of injured tissues, purified and recombinant gelsolin augment LPA stimulation of nuclear signals and protein synthesis in rat cardiac myocytes (RCMs) that express Edg-2 and -4 receptors. At concentrations of 20% or more of that in plasma, gelsolin suppresses LPA stimulation of RCMs. The lack of effect of gelsolin on RCM responses to monoclonal anti-Edg-4 receptor antibody plus a phorbol ester without LPA attests to its specificity for LPA delivery and the absence of post-receptor effects. Inhibition of gelsolin binding and cellular delivery of LPA byl-α-phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and peptides constituting the two PIP2 binding domains of gelsolin suggests competition between LPA and PIP2 for the same sites. Thus, delivery of LPA to RCMs is affinity-coupled to Edg receptors by gelsolin in a PIP2-regulated process.
The structure of children's beliefs about health and illness.

This study examined the structure of causal beliefs in children, concentrating on attributions by children about "staying well" vs. "getting sick. " Eighty-two children in grades one, three, five, and seven-eight participated in the study. Children were asked pairwise to compare five causes of health and five causes of illness. Self-controlled or self-initiated actions were the most highly ranked causes of health. As a cause of illness, self-initiated behaviors were ranked second to germs and bad weather. Health and illness seemed to be understood as reciprocal aspects of the concept "health" by older but not by younger children. Results are discussed in relation to attributions made at different age levels.
Effectiveness of royal jelly on tympanic membrane perforations: an experimental study.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the comparison of the efficacy of royal jelly in a guinea pig tympanic membrane perforation model with untreated and control groups. STUDY DESIGN Prospective study using 16 adult guinea pigs. METHODS Each animal underwent subtotal removal of the tympanic membrane in one ear. Animals were divided into two groups of eight animals each. Group A was treated with topical royal jelly, and group B was treated with saline. All opposite right ears were used as the control group. Examination was done by otoendoscopy on days 10, 12, and 14. The healing process was observed under the microscope and photographed for 3 months. RESULTS There was no significant difference between group A and group B in the incidence of perforation closure. However, after 3 months, the mean thickness of the tympanic membranes was 0.11, 0.07, and 0.08 mm, respectively, in group A, group B, and the control. These results showed a statistically significant difference. Histologically, the tympanic membranes of group A showed marked fibroblastic orientation and well-organized connective tissue. Application of royal jelly improved the success rate of closure, as shown in the present study. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to investigate the effectiveness of royal jelly in enhancing healing in tympanic membrane perforations. Our study suggests that royal jelly is effective in increasing healing of tympanic membrane perforations in guinea pigs.
Strategies to decrease tuberculosis in us homeless populations: a computer simulation model.

CONTEXT The rate of tuberculosis (TB) among US homeless persons may be 20 times that of the general adult population. Studies suggest that the majority of urban homeless TB cases are attributable to ongoing transmission of TB. Optimal TB-control strategies in both chronically and transiently homeless populations are not known. OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of TB-control strategies on projected TB cases and deaths in US homeless populations using a computer-based simulation model. DESIGN, SETTING, AND POPULATION The US general population and a theoretical population of 2 million homeless individuals in 1995 were divided into 18 clinical states based on the risk for or presence of TB and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in a semi-Markov model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of transiently and chronically homeless individuals with active TB and deaths from TB as a function of public health measures taken to control and eliminate TB, including improvement of treatment effectiveness, improvement in access to treatment, and vaccination with BCG. RESULTS A 10% increase in access to treatment among homeless persons with active TB produced larger declines in predicted TB cases and deaths after 10 years (cases and deaths among chronically homeless persons decreased 12.5% and 19.8% and among transiently homeless persons dropped 35.9% and 32.4%, respectively) than improvements in the effectiveness of treatment programs (cases and deaths among chronically homeless persons declined 7.2% and 3.1% and among transiently homeless persons dropped 10.9% and 4.1%, respectively). A 10% increase in access to treatment among homeless persons with latent TB infection led to a 6.7% decline in TB among chronically homeless persons and a 5.7% decline among transiently homeless persons, while a 10% improvement in effectiveness of treatment for latent TB infection was associated with declines of 3.0% and 3.3%, respectively. When treatment for latent TB infection was modeled to be the same in vaccinated and nonvaccinated populations, BCG vaccination led to TB case declines of 15.4% and 21.5% in chronically and transiently homeless populations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Overcoming barriers faced by homeless individuals in accessing TB treatment programs will be crucial to reducing the burden of TB in this high-risk group. Increased treatment access, improvement in the effectiveness of treatment programs, and BCG vaccination of HIV-negative homeless individuals have the best chance to markedly decrease TB morbidity and mortality.