Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are Managed Care Medicare Beneficiaries With Chronic Conditions Satisfied With Their Care?

OBJECTIVES This article compares patient experiences of chronically ill older people in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) with other forms of Medicare supplemental coverage. METHOD Using data from the 1996 Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey, the authors analyzed the experiences of chronically ill elderly with overall quality, access to care, and physicians' technical, interpersonal, and information-giving skills. Logistic models controlled for prevalent chronic conditions, functioning, perceived health status, sociodemographics, region of residence, and county-level Medicare HMO penetration. RESULTS Satisfaction with quality of overall care and physicians' skills was more likely for many conditions for those with private fee for service and Medicaid supplemental coverage, compared to Medicare HMO population. No insurance effects were found among elders who had none of the examined conditions. DISCUSSION Managed care may have negatively affected patients' perceptions of overall quality of care and doctor-patient interaction. Including additional and supplementary services to the delivery of care may improve satisfaction rates.
Positive association between copia transposition rate and copy number in Drosophila melanogaster

Rates of copia transposition were determined directly, by cytological in situ hybridization analysis of sites of copia insertion in progeny of males from sublines of an inbred strain with different genomic copia copy numbers. Copia transposition rate was positively and nonlinearly associated with copia copy number. This relation cannot be simply explained by mutations in a single host factor that normally supresses transposition, or by mutations in copia elements themselves. We postulate that the number of copia virus- like particles, necessary for copia transposition, could depend nonlinearly on copia copy number. Deleterious side-effects of the transposition process may be an important force controlling copia copy number in natural populations.
The Factor Structure of the CVLT-C in Pediatric Epilepsy

The current study used archival data to evaluate the fit of six latent variable models, originally generated by Donders (1999), for the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 1994) in a large (N = 289) sample of pediatric epilepsy cases presenting at three tertiary treatment centers. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we found that a model including factors of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Free Delayed Recall, Cued Delayed Recall, and Inaccurate Recall demonstrated the best relative fit for our data. These findings are consistent with those reported by Donders (1999) in his reanalysis of the CVLT-C standardization sample data, supporting the validity of this factorial model in pediatric epilepsy populations.
Prognostic Significance of Pulmonary Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Histologic Score

Correlations were made between clinical and follow-up data and histopathologic findings in 105 women (mean age ± standard deviation, 38.3 ± 9.0 years) with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). The actuarial survival (to pulmonary transplantation or death) of the patients from the time of lung biopsy was 85.1% and 71.0% after 5 and 10 years respectively. The histologic severity of LAM, graded as a LAM histologic score (LHS), was determined on the basis of semiquantitative estimation of the percentage of tissue involvement by the two major features of LAM: the cystic lesions and the infiltration by abnormal smooth muscle cells (LAM cells) in each case: LHS-1, <25%; LHS-2, 25% to 50%; and LHS-3, >50%. Analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method revealed significant differences in survival for patients with LHS-1, -2, and -3 (p = 0.01). The 5-and 10-year survivals were 100% and 100% for LHS-1, 81.2% and 74.4% for LHS-2, and 62.8% and 52.4% for LHS-3. Increased degrees of accumulation of hemosiderin in macrophages also were associated with higher LHS scores (p = 0.029) and a worse prognosis (p = 0.0012). Thus, the current study suggests that the LHS may provide a basis for determining the prognosis of LAM.
The not-so innocent bystander: the microenvironment as a therapeutic target in cancer

The microenvironment in which cancer arises is often regarded as a bystander to the clonal expansion and acquisition of malignant characteristics of the tumour. However, a major function of the microenvironment is to suppress cancer, and its disruption is required for the establishment of cancer. In addition, tumour cells can further distort the microenvironment to promote growth, recruit non-malignant cells that provide physiological resources, and facilitate invasion. In this review, the authors discuss the contribution of the microenvironment, i.e., the stroma and its resident vasculature, inflammatory cells, growth factors and the extracellular matrix (ECM), in the development of cancer, and focus on two components as potential therapeutic targets in breast cancer. First, the ECM, which imparts crucial signalling via integrins and other receptors, is a first-line barrier to invasion, modulates aggressive behaviour and may be manipulated to provide novel impediments to tumour growth. Second, the authors discuss the involvement of TGF-β1 as an example of one of many growth factors that can regulate ECM composition and degradation and that play complex roles in cancer. Compared to the variable routes taken by cells to become cancers, the response of tissues to cancer is relatively consistent. Therefore, controlling and eliminating cancer may be more readily achieved indirectly via the tissue microenvironment.
Genetic and environmental aspects in the association between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and binge-eating behavior in adults: a twin study

Background Prior research demonstrated that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with binge-eating behavior, binge-eating disorder (BED), and bulimia nervosa (BN). The aim of this study was to investigate these associations in an adult twin population, and to determine the extent to which ADHD symptoms and binge-eating behavior share genetic and environmental factors. Methods We used self-reports of current ADHD symptoms and lifetime binge-eating behavior and associated characteristics from a sample of over 18 000 adult twins aged 20–46 years, from the population-based Swedish Twin Registry. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to examine the association between ADHD and lifetime binge-eating behavior, BED, and BN. Structural equation modeling was used in 13 773 female twins to determine the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the association between ADHD symptoms and binge-eating behavior in female adult twins. Results ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with lifetime binge-eating behavior, BED, and BN. The heritability estimate for current ADHD symptoms was 0.42 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41–0.44], and for lifetime binge-eating behavior 0.65 (95% CI 0.54–0.74). The genetic correlation was estimated as 0.35 (95% CI 0.25–0.46) and the covariance between ADHD and binge-eating behavior was primarily explained by genetic factors (91%). Non-shared environmental factors explained the remaining part of the covariance. Conclusions The association between adult ADHD symptoms and binge-eating behavior in females is largely explained by shared genetic risk factors.
Measuring the three process segments of a customer's service experience for an out-patient surgery center.

PURPOSE The purpose of this research is to develop an alternative method of measuring out-patient satisfaction where satisfaction is the central construct. The Gap Model operationalized by SERVQUAL is widely used to measure service quality. However, the SERVQUAL instrument only measures expectations (resulting from the pre-process segment of the service experience) and perceptions (resulting from the post-process segment). All three segments should be measured. The lack of proper segmentation and methodological criticisms in the literature motivated this study. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A partial least squares (PLS) approach, a form of structural equation modeling, is used to develop a framework to evaluate patient satisfaction in three service process segments: pre-process, process, and post-process service experiences. FINDINGS Results indicate that each process stage mediates subsequent stages, that the process segment is the most important to the patient and that the antecedents have differing impacts on patient satisfaction depending where in the process the antecedent is evaluated. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS Only one out-patient surgery center was evaluated. Patient satisfaction criteria specific to hospital selection are not included in this study. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Results indicate what is important to patients in each service process segment that focus where ambulatory surgery centers should allocate resources. ORIGINALITY/VALUE This study is the first to evaluate patient satisfaction with all three process segments.
Changes in Trunk and Head Stability in Children with Cerebral Palsy after Hippotherapy: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Hippotherapy (HPOT) is a therapy that uses horse movement. This pilot investigation objectively evaluated the efficacy of HPOT in improving head/trunk stability in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The participants were six children with spastic diplegia and six children without disability. Head and trunk stability was challenged by using a motorized barrel and measured by a video motion capture system before and after a 12-week intervention of 45 min of HPOT a week. The variables measured were anterior–posterior (AP) translation of the head, and spine at five points and average AP head angles. At pre-testing, children with CP demonstrated significant differences in AP translation and AP head rotation compared with children without disability. Following HPOT, children with CP demonstrated significant reductions in head rotation and AP translation at C7, eye, and vertex. At post-testing, translation at C7 did not differ significantly between children with CP and children without disability. After HPOT intervention, children with CP reduced their AP head rotation and translation, suggesting that they had increased stability of the head and trunk in response to perturbations at the pelvis. The findings suggest that HPOT might improve head and trunk stability in children with CP.
Ecological Sustainability of Military Training Areas in Australia's Tropical Savannas

The management and maintenance of training areas for the Australian Defence Force is one of the important activities in providing high quality training for Defence Force personnel. Such training should enable the Force to be effective in any environment where conflicts may occur, including tropical savannas. This article reports on a research program to evaluate the impacts of military training on land condition in one such area, the Townsville Field Training Area (TFTA) in northern Queensland. In the program, soil associations were described and mapped, a Geographical Information System developed, and the suitability of each land unit for military training assessed. Local scale impacts (anti-armour range/machine gun posts, artillery range, vehicle form-up areas) reduced herbage biomass and the abundance and basal area of native perennial grasses, and increased the abundance of exotic grasses. In comparison to grazing, armoured personnel carrier use had little effect on either the herbaceous layer or native fauna at either local or landscape scales. The information on resources and impacts was used to assess the ecological carrying capacity of TFTA for use by tracked vehicles as an example of how the results can be used to assist planning of military exercises and long-term range management. The methods and results reported here are likely to be broadly applicable to other military training areas in Australia's tropical savannas.
Paclitaxel-induced epithelial damage and ectopic MMP-13 expression promotes neurotoxicity in zebrafish

Significance Paclitaxel is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of cancer. Although paclitaxel arrests tumor growth through stabilizing microtubules, it also causes variable peripheral neuropathy in patients. A lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms hinders therapeutic discovery, and commonly used mammalian models have not provided conclusive evidence about the etiology of this condition. To overcome this, we developed a larval zebrafish model that permits the analysis of paclitaxel neurotoxicity in living animals. This study identifies that keratinocyte damage and ectopic expression of matrix-metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13) contributes to paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in zebrafish. We further show that inhibition of MMP-13 improves skin defects and prevents paclitaxel neurotoxicity. Thus, this study offers a previously unidentified avenue for potential therapeutic interventions. Paclitaxel is a microtubule-stabilizing chemotherapeutic agent that is widely used in cancer treatment and in a number of curative and palliative regimens. Despite its beneficial effects on cancer, paclitaxel also damages healthy tissues, most prominently the peripheral sensory nervous system. The mechanisms leading to paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy remain elusive, and therapies that prevent or alleviate this condition are not available. We established a zebrafish in vivo model to study the underlying mechanisms and to identify pharmacological agents that may be developed into therapeutics. Both adult and larval zebrafish displayed signs of paclitaxel neurotoxicity, including sensory axon degeneration and the loss of touch response in the distal caudal fin. Intriguingly, studies in zebrafish larvae showed that paclitaxel rapidly promotes epithelial damage and decreased mechanical stress resistance of the skin before induction of axon degeneration. Moreover, injured paclitaxel-treated zebrafish skin and scratch-wounded human keratinocytes (HEK001) display reduced healing capacity. Epithelial damage correlated with rapid accumulation of fluorescein-conjugated paclitaxel in epidermal basal keratinocytes, but not axons, and up-regulation of matrix-metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13, collagenase 3) in the skin. Pharmacological inhibition of MMP-13, in contrast, largely rescued paclitaxel-induced epithelial damage and neurotoxicity, whereas MMP-13 overexpression in zebrafish embryos rendered the skin vulnerable to injury under mechanical stress conditions. Thus, our studies provide evidence that the epidermis plays a critical role in this condition, and we provide a previously unidentified candidate for therapeutic interventions.
DETERMINAN PERILAKU INVESTOR INDIVIDU DALAM PENGAMBILAN KEPUTUSAN INVESTASI SAHAM

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengkaji dan memperoleh bukti empiris perilaku investor individu dalam pengambilan keputusan investasi saham. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian kuantitatif dengan teknik purposive sampling. Populasi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah investor individu yang masih berstatus sebagai mahasiswa di wilayah Semarang dan yang aktif bertransaksi di Bursa Efek Indonesia. Sampel yang digunakan adalah mahasiswa anggota Kelompok Studi Pasar Modal (KSPM) pada beberapa perguruan tinggi di Semarang, yaitu UNNES, UNDIP, UDINUS, UIN Walisongo, dan UNIKA. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kualitas informasi akuntansi dan persepsi kontrol perilaku secara langsung berpengaruh terhadap intensi investor dalam pemilihan saham, dan kualitas informasi akuntansi secara langsung berpengaruh terhadap persepsi risiko tidak sistematis. Non signifikansi terjadi pada pengaruh antara norma subjektif terhadap intensi investor dalam pemilihan saham dan persepsi risiko tidak sistematis terhadap intensi investor dalam pemilihan saham. Direkomendasikan agar penelitian selanjutnya dilakukan ketika pasar modal sedang dalam kondisi bearish, sehingga dapat memberikan penjelasan yang berbeda mengenai tanggapan investor terhadap risiko investasi saham. The aim of this study is to examine and obtain empirical evidence of the behavior of individual investors in the stock investment decisions. This research is a quantitative research with sampling purposive technique. The population of this study is individual investors that still exist as students in Semarang and they actively invest in the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The samples of this study are student members of the Capital Markets Study Group (KSPM) at the universities in Semarang, namely UNNES, UNDIP, UDINUS, UIN Walisongo, and UNIKA. The results showed that the quality of accounting information and perceived behavioral control significantly influences the intention of selecting stock, subjective norms and the quality of accounting information significantly influences the perceived behavioral control, and the quality of accounting information significantly influences the perception of unsystematic risk. Whereas subjective norm and the perception of unsystematic risk does not affect the intention of selecting stock. It recommended to do the research during bearish market, so it can probably give different result about investor’s risk perception.
Object impedance control for cooperative manipulation: theory and experimental results

The authors present the dynamic control module of the Dynamic and Strategic Control of Cooperative Manipulators project at Stanford University's Aerospace Robotics Laboratory. First, the cooperative manipulation problem is analyzed from a systems perspective, and the desirable features of a control system for cooperative manipulation are discussed. Next, a control policy is developed that enforces a controlled impedance not of the individual arm endpoints, but of the manipulated object itself. A parallel implementation for a multiprocessor system is presented. The controller fully compensates for the system dynamics and directly controls the object internal forces. Most importantly, it presents a simple, powerful, intuitive interface to the strategic controller. Experimental results for a dual two-link arm robotic system are presented to verify the controllers performance, for both free-motion slews and environmental contact. <<ETX>>
Dual character, asynaptic and synaptic, of the dopamine innervation in adult rat neostriatum: A quantitative autoradiographic and immunocytochemical analysis

Dopamine (DA) axon terminals (varicosities) in the neostriatum of adult rats were examined for shape, size, content, synaptic incidence, type of junction, synaptic targets, and microenvironment after electron microscopic identification either by [3H]DA uptake autoradiography or by immunocytochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against DA‐glutaraldehyde‐protein conjugate. Both approaches yielded comparable results. Whether they were from the paraventricular or the mediodorsal neostriatum, respectively, the [3H]DA‐labeled and DA‐immunostained varicosities were generally oblong and relatively small; more than 60% contained one or more mitochondria. Sixty to seventy percent were asynaptic, and 30–40% were endowed with a synaptic membrane differentiation (junctional complex), as inferred by stereological extrapolation from single thin sections (both approaches) or observed directly in long, uninterrupted series of thin sections (immunocytochemistry). The synaptic DA varicosities always displayed symmetrical junctions: 67% with dendritic branches, 30% with dendritic spines, and 2–3% with neuronal cell bodies. DA varicosities juxtaposed to one another were frequent. Other axonal varicosities were more numerous in the immediate vicinity of DA varicosities than around randomly selected, unlabeled terminals. The respective microenvironments of DA and unlabeled varicosities also showed enrichment in the preferred synaptic targets of both groups of varicosities, with dendritic branches for DA and dendritic spines for the unlabeled ones. These data suggest a dual mode of operation that is diffuse as well as synaptic for the nigrostriatal DA system. In such a densely DA‐innervated brain region, they also dead to the hypothesis that a basal level of extracellular DA might be maintained permanently around every tissue constituent and, thus, contribute to the mechanisms of action, properties, and functions (or dysfunctions) of DA within the neostriatum itself and as part of the basal ganglia circuitry. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pre-treatment hemoglobin levels are important for bladder carcinoma patients with extravesical extension undergoing definitive radiotherapy.

PURPOSE To evaluate prognostic factors affecting local control (LC), distant metastases-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) in bladder carcinoma patients undergoing extravesical extension. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 61 consecutive patients with T3 or T4 bladder carcinoma, treated with definitive radiotherapy from 1999 through 2007. RESULTS Median age was 69 years and follow-up was 29 months. The LC rate was 33% at 4 years and was increased in patients with a Hb< 12 g/dl (p= 0.003) or a LDH< 180 U/L (p= 0.021) and in those who received concurrent chemotherapy (p= 0.022) on univariate analysis. DMFS was affected by anemia (Hb< 12 g/dl) (p= 0.039), the absence of chemotherapy (p= 0.034) and the presence of newly-diagnosed disease (p= 0.01). The OS rate was 19% at 4 years. Non-pure transitional cell carcinoma histological type (p= 0.024), anemia (p= 0.004), elevated LDH (p= 0.003), and newly diagnosed disease (p= 0.011) were poor prognostic factors on univariate analyses for OS. Anemia was the only negative prognostic factor for LC (p= 0.03), DMFS (p= 0.002) and OS (p< 0.0001) on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION Pre-treatment Hb level is the most important prognostic factor in patients treated with definitive radiotherapy, so that anemia may act as a surrogate biological marker for aggressive disease.
Targeted Lesion Generation Through the Skull Without Aberration Correction Using Histotripsy

This study demonstrates the ability of histotripsy to generate targeted lesions through the skullcap without using aberration correction. Histotripsy therapy was delivered using a 500-kHz 256-element hemispherical transducer with an aperture diameter of 30 cm, and a focal distance of 15 cm fabricated in our laboratory. This transducer is theoretically capable of producing peak rarefactional pressures, based on linear estimation, (p-)LE, in the free field in excess of 200 MPa with pulse durations ≤2 acoustic cycles. Three excised human skullcaps were used displaying attenuations of 73%-81% of the acoustic pressure without aberration correction. Through all three skullcaps, compact lesions with radii less than 1 mm were generated in red blood cell agarose tissue phantoms without aberration correction, using estimated (p-)LE of 28-39 MPa, a pulse repetition frequency of 1 Hz, and a total number of 300 pulses. Lesion generation was consistently observed at the geometric focus of the transducer as the position of the skullcap with respect to the transducer was varied, and multiple-patterned lesions were generated transcranially by mechanically adjusting the position of the skullcap with respect to the transducer to target different regions within. These results show that compact targeted lesions with sharp boundaries can be generated through intact skullcaps using histotripsy with very short pulses without using aberration correction. Such capability has the potential to greatly simplify transcranial ultrasound therapy for noninvasive transcranial applications, as current ultrasound transcranial therapy techniques all require sophisticated aberration correction.