Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
"If You Don't Move Your Feet Then I Don't Eat": Hip Hop and the Demand for Black Labor

Building on Robin D. G. Kelley's (1998) argument that hip hop constitutes a form of play-labor for working-class black youth, this article argues that the creation of hip hop as a form of racialized play-labor in the 1970s constitutes an Afro-diasporic labor regime and can best be understood as such when located within a specific period of racial capitalism in the United States characterized by a low demand for formal black labor. Accordingly, this paper argues that the emergence of hip hop in the South Bronx can be explained by the way in which several social-political factors dictated by the needs of the world economy converged with the resistance and labor of black people in the United States and the Anglo-Caribbean in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Adjuvant therapy in the treatment of biliary tract cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE The benefit of adjuvant therapy (AT) for biliary tract cancer (BTC) is unclear, with conflicting results from nonrandomized studies. We report a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of AT on survival. METHODS Studies published between 1960 and November 2010, which evaluated adjuvant chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy (RT), or both (CRT) compared with curative-intent surgery alone for resected BTC were included. Only tumors of the gallbladder and bile ducts were assessed. Published data were extracted and computed into odds ratios (ORs) for death at 5 years. Subgroup analyses of benefit based on lymph node (LN) or resection margin positivity (R1) were prespecified. Data were weighted by generic inverse variance and pooled using random-effect modeling. RESULTS Twenty studies involving 6,712 patients were analyzed. There was a nonsignificant improvement in overall survival with any AT compared with surgery alone (pooled OR, 0.74; P = .06). There was no difference between gallbladder and bile duct tumors (P = .68). The association was significant when the two registry analyses were excluded. Those receiving CT or CRT derived statistically greater benefit than RT alone (OR, 0.39, 0.61, and 0.98, respectively; P = .02). The greatest benefit for AT was in those with LN-positive disease (OR, 0.49; P = .004) and R1 disease (OR, 0.36; P = .002). CONCLUSION This analysis supports AT for BTC. Prospective randomized trials are needed to provide better rationale for this commonly used strategy. On the basis of our data, such trials could involve two active comparators rather than a no-treatment arm among patients with LN-positive or R1 disease.
Design consideration for contactless DC connector in high power density future 380 V DC distribution system

Design consideration for the contactless DC connector has been conducted for future high power density 380 V DC distribution system. The power density barrier of 1.2 kW 384 V-192 V inductively-coupled connector based on the LLC resonant converter topology using GaN transistors has been evaluated taking the influences of the circuit configurations, parameters related to the transformer and the semiconductor power devices into account. The LLC topology with full-bridge rectifier using GaN transistors and Si-SBDs have the potential to realize higher power density connector compared with the configurations using center-tapped transformer and the half-bridge rectifier with SiC-SBDs. A prototype of a 1.2 kW 384 V-192 V contactless connector using GaN-HEMTs and Si-SBDs has been fabricated, and the efficiency of over 96.0 % and the ideal power density of 5.0 W/cm3 have been confirmed experimentally under 500 kHz operation. Design consideration has also shown the potential to achieve higher power density of 10 W/cm3. The proposed connector contributes to realizing high power density DC distribution system, because functions for both the isolated DC-DC converter and the conventional connector are integrated in a single instrument.
Selective CD28 Blockade Attenuates Acute and Chronic Rejection of Murine Cardiac Allografts in a CTLA‐4‐Dependent Manner

Selective blockade of CD28 is a promising therapy to inhibit pathogenic alloimmunity. However, evaluation of this approach in transplantation has been very limited. Using a novel nonactivating single‐chain Fv‐based reagent (α28scFv), we have investigated the role of CD28 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA‐4) in a murine cardiac transplant model. Blockade of CD28 for 2 weeks after engraftment promoted allograft survival, and significantly attenuated chronic rejection when combined with transient CD154‐blockade or calcineurin inhibition. Graft acceptance was associated with decreased alloantibody production, increased proportion of early graft infiltration by regulatory T cells and increased expression of regulatory dendritic cell genes. Blockade of CTLA‐4 during α28scFv‐based treatments led to prompt rejection in all animals and inhibited expression of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3), programmed death (PD)‐1 and 2,3‐indoleamine dioxygenase (IDO) in the graft. These results show that CD28 signaling during the first weeks after transplant is a pivotal mediator of pathogenic alloimmunity, and that selective CD28 blockade prolongs graft acceptance by at least two immunomodulatory mechanisms. Selective CD28 inhibition while sparing CTLA‐4 is thus a promising approach to inhibit pathogenic alloimmunity.
Defense Expenditures and National Well-being

The existence of a trade-off between military expenditures and social spending is widely hypothesized but often difficult to establish empirically. This article constructs a model to test the effects of changes in military spending on federal expenditures for health and education from 1941 through 1979. Important economic, demographic, and political changes are controlled. No systematic tradeoff between military spending and federal health and education expenditures is found, nor in this period was there any significant depressing effect on health and education expenditures by Republican presidential administrations. Thus, the current administration, under which there are major increases in military spending and major cuts in health and education spending, emerges as exceptional.
Formal education and back pain: a review

OBJECTIVES To summarise the scientific evidence on the relation between educational status and measures of the frequency and the consequences of back pain and of the outcomes of interventions among back pain patients, and to outline possible mechanisms that could explain such an association if found. DESIGN Sixty four articles published between 1966 and 2000 that documented the association of formal education with back pain were reviewed. MAIN RESULTS Overall, the current available evidence points indirectly to a stronger association of low education with longer duration and/or higher recurrence of back pain than to an association with onset. The many reports of an association of low education with adverse consequences of back pain also suggest that the course of a back pain episode is less favourable among persons with low educational attainment. Mechanisms that could explain these associations include variations in behavioural and environmental risk factors by educational status, differences in occupational factors, compromised “health stock” among people with low education, differences in access to and utilisation of health services, and adaptation to stress. Although lower education was not associated with the outcomes of interventions in major studies, it is difficult, in light of the current limited available evidence, to draw firm conclusions on this association. CONCLUSION Scientific evidence supports the hypothesis that less well educated people are more likely to be affected by disabling back pain. Further study of this association may help advance our understanding of back pain as well as understanding of the relation between socioeconomic status and disease as a general phenomenon.
The Politics of Information: Informed Consent in Abortion and End-of-Life Decision Making

The politics of reproduction dominate the political landscape now more than ever. One area of controversy has been informed consent statutes for abortion, which have been praised by the pro-life movement but derided by the pro-choice movement. More recently, legislatures have begun to enact informed consent statutes with respect to end-of-life decision making, an area almost as politically controversial as abortion. Like many abortion disclosure laws, some of these have been entitled “Right to Know” statutes. Yet, the supporters and opponents of each set of statutes tend not to be the same, aligning to a large extent based on their place in the culture wars over life and death. In this Article, I strive not only to show the remarkably similar critiques each side marshals but also to use these concerns to think in more nuanced ways about the goals of informed consent and whether the disclosure mandates achieve those goals. I first argue in favor of the aspirational goals of informed consent as a process that allows patients to participate in their medical decision making. While conceding the inherently political nature of abortion and end-of-life care, I also contend that the significance of decisions regarding those matters warrants, at least in theory, legislative efforts to ensure that patients have the opportunity to engage in deliberative and informed decision making. In describing and responding to the similar critiques of both sets of laws—the political bias of the statutes; the efforts to persuade, especially with non-medical information; the potential vulnerability of the targeted audience; and the interference with physician discretion—I uncover and challenge some of the presumptions about informed consent inherent in those critiques. Although information that persuades or influences is not per se problematic, I argue that disclosure of information that is inaccurate, untrue, or emotionally inflammatory harms informed consent. Even well-crafted informed consent mandates, however, are insufficient to promote truly deliberative decision making because they oversimplify the complexity of these decisions and fail to respond to the fact that informed consent is a process that requires more than simply the delivery of information; it also requires dialogue and discussion. This Article ends with suggestions for ways to try to promote such a dialogue.
Lung volume reduction coil treatment for patients with severe emphysema: a European multicentre trial

Background The lung volume reduction (LVR) coil is a minimally invasive bronchoscopic nitinol device designed to reduce hyperinflation and improve elastic recoil in severe emphysema. We investigated the feasibility, safety and efficacy of LVR coil treatment in a prospective multicentre cohort trial in patients with severe emphysema. Methods Patients were treated in 11 centres. Safety was evaluated by recording all adverse events, efficacy by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) as primary endpoint, and pulmonary function testing, modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea score (mMRC) and 6-min walk distance (6MWD) up to 12 months after the final treatment. Results Sixty patients (60.9 ± 7.5 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) 30.2 ± 6.3% pred) were bronchoscopically treated with coils (55 bilateral, 5 unilateral), with a median of 10 (range 5–15) coils per lobe. Within 30 days post-treatment, seven chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations (6.1%), six pneumonias (5.2%), four pneumothoraces (3.5%) and one haemoptysis (0.9%) occurred as serious adverse events. At 6 and 12 months, respectively, ΔSGRQ was −12.1±12.9 and −11.1±13.3 points, Δ6MWD was +29.7±74.1 m and +51.4±76 m, ΔFEV1 was +0.11±0.20 L and +0.11±0.30 L, and ΔRV (residual volume) was −0.65±0.90 L and −0.71±0.81 L (all p<0.01). Post hoc analyses showed significant responses for SGRQ, 6MWD and RV in patients with both heterogeneous and homogeneous emphysema. Conclusions LVR coil treatment results in significant clinical improvements in patients with severe emphysema, with a good safety profile and sustained results for up to 1 year. Trial registration number: NCT01328899.
Transmit diversity for terrestrial broadcast systems

For terrestrial television two television standards exist: The DVB-T standard is currently widely deployed and used in more than 35 countries worldwide [1]. The second one is the emerging standard DVB-T2. It is a revised standard which offers a higher spectral efficiency and requires multiple transmit antennas. DVB-T2 promises performance gains because of improved coding, modulation and multiple antenna technologies. Alamouti Space-Frequency coding in DVB-T2 provides additional frequency diversity, especially in multipath propagation environments. In this paper we describe in a generalized way phase transmit diversity techniques, like CDD and PD. The generalized approach allows to describe both variants, discontinuous and continuous techniques. Furthermore, we investigate achievable diversity gains, which can achieved by the application of the diversity techniques the DVB-T2 standard offers in addition to standard conformable transmit antenna technologies.
Hybrid Strategy for Residual Arch and Thoracic Aortic Dissection following Acute Type A Aortic Dissection Repair

Progressive dilatation of the false lumen in the arch and descending aorta has been encountered in one-third of survivors as a late sequelae following repair of ascending aortic dissection. Conventional treatment for the same requiring cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is associated with high morbidity and mortality especially in the elderly cohort of patients. Herein we report a case of symptomatic progressive aneurysmal dilatation of residual arch and descending thoracic aortic dissection following repair of type A aortic dissection, successfully treated by total arch debranching and ascending aortic prosthesis to bicarotid and left subclavian bypass followed by staged retrograde aortic stent-graft deployment. This case report with relevant review of the literature highlights this clinical entity and the present evidence on its appropriate management strategies. Close surveillance is mandatory following surgical repair of type A aortic dissection and hybrid endovascular procedures seem to be the most dependable modality for salvage of patients detected to have progression of residual arch dissection.
Beginning Teachers: A Statewide Study of Factors Explaining Successful Completion of the Probationary Period

The purpose of this study was to propose and test a structural model of socialization factors that may be related to the successful completion of probationary teaching. The variables in the model included individual demographics, professional socialization, organizational context, and teaching performance. Results of the LISREL covariance structure analysis supported the construct validity of the proposed theoretical model. The strongest effect on teacher performance was professional socialization. Contextual conditions of the beginning teacher's school and personal demographics also exerted small, yet significant, total effects on performance. The study helps to underscore that policies regarding teacher preparation and induction must be evaluated not only for their effects but also for their features.
Pylorus Preserving Pancreaticoduodenectomy Versus Standard Whipple Procedure: A Prospective, Randomized, Multicenter Analysis of 170 Patients With Pancreatic and Periampullary Tumors

Objective:A prospective randomized multicenter study was performed to assess whether the results of pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD) equal those of the standard Whipple (SW) operation, especially with respect to duration of surgery, blood loss, hospital stay, delayed gastric emptying (DGE), and survival. Summary Background Data:PPPD has been associated with a higher incidence of delayed gastric emptying, resulting in a prolonged period of postoperative nasogastric suctioning. Another criticism of the pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy for patients with a malignancy is the radicalness of the resection. On the other hand, PPPD might be associated with a shorter operation time and less blood loss. Methods:A prospective randomized multicenter study was performed in a nonselected series of 170 consecutive patients. All patients with suspicion of pancreatic or periampullary tumor were included and randomized for a SW or a PPPD resection. Data concerning patients’ demographics, intraoperative and histologic findings, as well as postoperative mortality, morbidity, and follow-up up to 115 months after discharge, were analyzed. Results:There were no significant differences noted in age, sex distribution, tumor localization, and staging. There were no differences in median blood loss and duration of operation between the 2 techniques. DGE was observed equally in the 2 groups. There was only a marginal difference in postoperative weight loss in favor of the standard Whipple procedure. Overall operative mortality was 5.3%. Tumor positive resection margins were found for 12 patients of the SW group and 19 patients of the PPPD group (P < 0.23). Long-term follow-up showed no significant statistical differences in survival between the 2 groups (P < 0.90). Conclusions:The SW and PPPD operations were associated with comparable operation time, blood loss, hospital stay, mortality, morbidity, and incidence of DGE. The overall long-term and disease-free survival was comparable in both groups. Both surgical procedures are equally effective for the treatment of pancreatic and periampullary carcinoma.
Combining Ensemble and Variational Data Assimilation

Abstract : The long-term goal of this project is to develop and apply practical methods for data assimilation to improve the short-range prediction of mesoscale ocean variability. The primary objective of this work is to develop an ocean data assimilation system that exploits the strengths of both the ensemble-based (e.g., Evensen 2003; Houtekamer and Mitchell 1998; Tippett et al. 2003) and variational (e.g., Bennett 2002) approaches to data assimilation. The first step in this project is to perform a comprehensive inter-comparison of an ensemble-based data assimilation system with a 4d-var system for a suite of coastal model configurations. The second step is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each system and to improve both systems by borrowing components from the other system. Ultimately, a single ensemble-var system will be developed. We will investigate the extent to which the ensemble-var system can outperform both the ensemble-based and variational approaches, both in terms of forecast skill (accuracy) and computational efficiency (throughput).
Two Cheers for Milestones.

This editorial will explore the implementation of milestones across graduate medical education (GME) from 2 perspectives. The first is my perspective as a clinician, who often asks, “How do I make decisions with a patient when there isn't evidence to use as a guideline? ” The second is my perspective as a department chair who asks a different question: “What resources are needed for milestone implementation? ” In medical education, the broader question that calls for our clinician judgment is how do we make decisions when we perceive a need for action, but have incomplete scholarship for evidence-based practice? When do we need an Institutional Review Board to decide whether our activities are research or just practical decision making? How can we have educational innovations (like the milestones) in response to new challenges and social pressure for public oversight of GME, if we are wholly committed to evidence-based practice? An implicit question is whether the implementation of milestones is justified. As the reader can see from the title of this article, my own judgment is in favor of milestones, but I believe that we need to withhold the third cheer for now. In any case, I do not write as a cheerleader, but as someone responding to the practical problems facing my faculty. Milestones are defined as “competency-based developmental outcomes (eg, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and performance) that can be demonstrated progressively by residents and fellows from the beginning of their education through graduation to the unsupervised practice of their specialties. ”1 The purpose for their implementation is: “First and foremost, the milestones are designed to help all residencies and fellowships produce highly competent physicians to meet the health and health care needs of the public. ”1 My first cheer is because the milestones are more useful to my teachers than the competencies have been, and milestone development has been based on communities of practice.2 My second cheer is for the fact that milestones represent an advance over the abstraction of the competencies. The third cheer is withheld because the evidence base remains weak, and resources for systematic studies—of efficacy, implementation cost, and opportunity cost, which clinicians expect of diagnostic tools—are not yet sufficiently clear.
Sex Differences in Variability in Vocational Interests: Evidence from Two Large Samples

Greater male variability has been established in cognitive abilities and physical attributes. This study investigated sex differences in variability in vocational interests with two large samples (N > 40 000 and N > 70 000). The results show that although men varied more in Realistic and Enterprising interests, women varied more in Artistic and Conventional interests. These differences in variability had considerable influence on the female–male tail ratios in vocational interests that have been found to contribute to reported gender disparities in certain fields of work and academic disciplines. Moreover, differences in means and variability interacted non–linearly in shaping tail–ratio imbalances. An age–specific analysis additionally revealed that differences in variability diminished with age: Older samples showed smaller differences in variance in Realistic, Artistic, and Social interests than younger samples. Thus, I found no evidence that greater male variability applies for vocational interests in general. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology
TRIZ and Systematic Business Model Innovation

The paper presents an approach to Business Model Innovation based on a combination of key TRIZ principles and tools and a new approach to business modelling which introduces building blocks to describe and represent business models. The paper presents an overview of a current situation in the domain of business modelling and discusses key assumptions why TRIZ can be used in the area of business systems. Application of key TRIZ tools and concepts such as Ideality, Contradictions, Resources and Trends of Business Systems Evolution within the context of business models is discussed.