Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral Bisphosphonate Exposure and the Risk of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers

The association between oral bisphosphonate use and upper gastrointestinal cancer has been controversial. Therefore, we examined the association with esophageal and gastric cancer within the Kaiser Permanente, Northern California population. A total of 1,011 cases of esophageal (squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma) and 1,923 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma (cardia, non-cardia and other) diagnosed between 1997 and 2011 from the Kaiser Permanente, Northern California cancer registry were matched to 49,886 and 93,747 controls, respectively. Oral bisphosphonate prescription fills at least one year prior to the index date were extracted. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the associations between prospectively evaluated oral bisphosphonate use with incident esophageal and gastric cancer diagnoses with adjustment for potential confounders. After adjustment for potential confounders, no significant associations were found for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OR 0.88; 95% CI: 0.51, 1.52), esophageal adenocarcinoma (OR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.37, 1.24), or gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma (OR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.59, 1.18), but we observed an adverse association with gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (OR 1.64; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.50). In conclusion, we observed no association between oral bisphosphonate use and esophageal cancer risk within a large community-based population. A significant association was detected with gastric cardia and other adenocarcinoma risk, although this needs to be replicated.
Memory aids as an augmentative and alternative communication strategy for nursing home residents with dementia

The effect of memory aids on conversations between nursing aides and residents with dementia during 5-minute conversations was examined. Nursing home units in seven nursing homes were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Residents in the treatment condition were given 12-page memory books consisting of autobiographical, daily schedule, and problem resolution information. Their assigned nursing aides were trained to use the memory books during care interactions and throughout the day. The duration and quality of verbal interactions between dyads of a resident and their nursing aide during 5-minute conversations were measured pre- and post-treatment using computer-assisted observational techniques and verbatim transcriptions of videotaped conversations (N = 66; 33 treatment dyads and 33 control dyads). The results revealed improvements on a variety of quantitative conversational measures (e.g., duration of speaking time, frequency of utterances) between treatment and control conditions as a function of memory book use. Similarly, the quality of conversations, as measured by the frequency of discourse characteristics (e.g., facilitative behaviors), improved as a function of memory book use for treatment dyads. Nursing aides' judgment of residents' depressive symptoms improved with memory aid use, suggesting changes in resident quality of life as a result of an AAC technique that enhanced information sharing and social closeness.
OPN09-03: GMPLS Signaling Feedback for Encompassing Physical Impairments in Transparent Optical Networks

Next generation GMPLS networks will be characterized by domains of transparency, in which the end-to-end optical signal quality has to be guaranteed. Currently GMPLS does not take into account the evaluation of physical impairments. Thus just limited size domains of transparency, where physical impairments can be neglected, are practically achievable. This study utilizes GMPLS signaling protocol extensions to encompass the optical layer physical impairments. The proposed approach allows to detect during the signaling phase whether lightpaths cannot be set up because of unacceptable optical signal quality. In this case successive set up attempts are performed, selecting the alternative routes with three schemes which exploit the feedback information of the signaling messages. Numerical results show that the proposed extensions are able to significantly decrease the lightpath blocking probability due to physical impairments in both static and dynamic conditions.
Randomised Trials or the Test of Time? The Story of Human Albumin Administration

This paper outlines the results and implications of a systematic review of randomised controlled trials of human albumin administration in critically ill patients that was conducted by the Cochrane Injuries Group Albumin Reviewers. The review raised serious concerns about the safety of an intervention that was widely used in healthcare settings throughout the world. It illustrates the important role of systematic reviews in healthcare and in other areas of social policy, and the risks inherent in implementing policy on the basis of theory alone.
Measuring the organizational responsiveness through managerial flexibility

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of managerial flexibility and analyse its relationship to the organizational responsiveness of firms. This paper seeks to measure responsiveness by determining the fit between contextual and organizational variables.Design/methodology/approach – Using an empirical approach and data drawn from a wide range of countries and different industries this paper obtains a sufficiently validated multidimensional scale.Findings – The research proposes a measurement scale of organizational responsiveness through four types of managerial flexibility: internal and external, structural and strategic.Practical implications – Whereas researchers can benefit from the development of a methodology that integrates different perspectives on fit, practitioners can identify the organizational responsiveness in their organizations.Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature by proposing a method to identify the organizational responsiveness of firms and.
Entrepreneurial Leadership and Gender: Exploring Theory and Practice in Global Contexts

This article reflects on extant scholarship on entrepreneurial leadership and gender, as published in both the ournal of mall usiness anagement and elsewhere. As such, it lays the foundation for the special issue, and contributes to current knowledge in the field. Our selected papers—summarized and critiqued in this article—collectively offer a contemporary view of women's entrepreneurial leadership at the global level that should usefully contribute to extending scholarly debates. In this regard, we highlight the diversity and complexity of women's entrepreneurial leadership, and demonstrate that it is both economically and contextually embedded, worthy of further scholarly attention.
Query Expansion and Message-Passing Algorithms for TREC Microblog Track

This report describes the methods that our Information Retrieval Group at Purdue University used for the TREC Microblog 2011 track. The rst method is the pseudo-relevance feedback, a traditional algorithm to reformulate the query by adding expanded terms to the query. The second method is the anity propagation, a non parametric clustering algorithm that can group the top tweets according to their similarities. The nal score of a tweet is based on its relevance score and the relevance score of its representative in the group. We found that query expansion is a very useful technique for microblog retrieval, while anity propagation could achieve a comparable performance when combining with other techniques.
Psychophysical and Physiological Evidence for Parallel Afferent Pathways Mediating the Sensation of Itch

The neuronal pathways for itch have been characterized mainly based on responses to histamine. Intracutaneous application of histamine produces intense itch and a large area of axon-reflexive vasodilation (“flare”) around the application site. Both phenomena are thought to be mediated through neuronal activity in itch-specific, mechanoinsensitive C-fiber afferents (CMi). However, mechanical and electrical stimuli that do not activate CMi fibers can cause the sensation of itch, and itch may occur without flare, suggesting that other neuronal itch pathways exist. Because cutaneous application of spicules from the plant Mucuna pruriens (cowhage) has been anecdotally reported to produce itch without flare, we performed psychophysical experiments to investigate whether the mechanisms underlying cowhage- and histamine-induced itch differ. Although histamine and cowhage produced itch of similar magnitude, the itch to cowhage was not correlated with the itch to histamine; some subjects had intense itch to cowhage and little itch to histamine and visa versa. Laser Doppler measurements of blood flow revealed that histamine led to a large area of vasodilation, whereas cowhage produced vasodilation restricted to the application site. Pretreatment of the skin with an antihistamine blocked the itch produced by histamine but did not prevent cowhage-induced itch. Desensitization of the skin with topical capsaicin abolished cowhage-induced itch but did not significantly alter histamine-induced itch. These findings indicate that cowhage itch is signaled through a population of capsaicin-sensitive afferent nerve fibers that is distinct from CMi fibers mediating histamine-induced itch. Cowhage may be useful to investigate the neural pathway mediating nonhistaminergic itch.
High cardiovascular event rates in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis: the REACH registry *

Background and purpose: Data on current cardiovascular event rates in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS) are sparse. We compared the 1‐year outcomes of patients with ACAS ≥70% versus patients without ACAS in an international, prospective cohort of outpatients with or at risk of atherothrombosis.
Homology: Owen versus Darwin in Organizational Studies

‘Homology’ or the logic of ‘sameness’ will be examined in non‐Darwinian and Darwinian perspectives. It is argued that Darwinian ‘homology’ is both imprisoned in a non‐explanatory logic, and that the line from Owen’s pre‐Darwinian definition to complexity theory’s concept of weak signals and ‘attractors’ better serves the need of organizational studies to establish a concept of ‘sameness’.
The intersection of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance abuse

Purpose of review The link between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) continues to be an area of great interest. In this report more recent work exploring the developmental relationship between ADHD and SUDs and associated concurrent disorders is discussed. Recent findings Recent work highlights the role of treatment of ADHD in children on subsequent cigarette smoking and SUDs in adolescence and adulthood. Contemporary data suggest that ADHD may be underdiagnosed in SUD populations. Studies in patients with ADHD and SUDs suggest that SUDs treatment needs to be sequenced initially with ADHD treatment quickly thereafter. Recent studies also highlight concerns associated with the misuse and diversion of prescription stimulants in ADHD adolescents and young adults and indicate that extended-release stimulants may reduce the likelihood for abuse. Summary Practitioners are increasingly recognizing the overlap between ADHD and SUDs, and treatment modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy demonstrate mixed results in the treatment of these comorbid disorders. Areas in need of further investigation include the mechanism(s) by which ADHD leads to SUDs, diagnostic criteria associated with ADHD in SUD individuals, and prevention and treatment strategies for these populations.
Endlosschleifen: Psychometrische Grundlagen des Aufgabentyps EP

Zusammenfassung. Fur den Raumvorstellungs-Aufgabentyp EP (photographische Endlosschleifen) wird die “theoriegeleitete“ Skalenkonstruktion auf Basis des Rasch-Modells beschrieben. In drei empirischen Studien, die ein konsekutives, aufeinander abgestimmtes Entwicklungsprogramm umfassen, wird der - oft muhsame - Weg zur Modellgeltung (Rasch-Homogenitat) dargestellt. In Studie 1 (n = 324) wird uber den Ausgangspunkt und die Konstruktionsgrundlagen der EP sowie uber erste Ergebnisse berichtet. Als wesentlicher Entwicklungsfortschritt gelingt es in Studie 2 (n = 378), die Rasch-Homogenitat des Itemtyps zu realisieren; zudem lassen sich neue Erkenntnisse bezuglich der Itemgenerierung ableiten. Studie 3 (n = 254) fungiert als Validierungsstudie, welche die Eindimensionalitat des Itemsets aus Studie 2 bestatigt. Vor dem Hintergrund, dass in empirischen Daten Rasch-Homogenitat erreicht werden konnte, wird die theoriegeleitete Vorgangsweise als prototypisch fur einen Erfolg versprechenden Einsatz des Rasch-Modells z.
Doping Attitudes and the Use of Legal and Illegal Performance-Enhancing Substances Among Italian Adolescents

Using retrospective self-reporting, rates of illegal and legal performance-enhancing substance (PES) use in the past three months among more than 3,400 Italian high school adolescents were obtained and estimated. The study focused on the extent to which these sociodemographic characteristics and illegal PES use were associated with adolescents' positive attitudes toward illegal PES use. Results showed that it is relatively rare for youths to report use of illegal performance-enhancing substances in the past three months, and that male, relatively older, and athlete students were significantly more likely to use illegal PES than their respective counterparts. The results also showed that illegal PES users and male, older, and athlete students held stronger attitudes favoring illegal PES use. Finally, results showed that those student athletes who reported having used legal PES in the past three months were 10 times more likely to also have used illegal PES than those student athletes who did not report having used legal PES.
Multiscale FC analysis refines functional connectivity networks in individual brains

Recent advances in functional connectivity (FC) analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data facilitate the characterization of the brain's intrinsic functional networks (FC-fMRI). Because the fMRI signal does not provides a perfect representation of neuronal activity, the potential for FC-fMRI to identify functionally relevant networks critically depends upon separating overlapping signals from one another and from external noise. As a step in data preconditioning, researchers often band-pass filter fMRI signals to the range from 0.01 Hz to 0.1 Hz. However, coordinated network oscillations operate across multiple frequencies. Thus, it is not clear that the view of FC-fMRI networks within a single spectral range produces the fullest characterization of brain's multiple and overlapping systems. The following study addresses this limitation by advancing a multiscale fractionation of FC-fMRI networks, as well methods for quantifying cross-spectral network similarity. These methods clearly and consistently represent group-level brains as composed of well-known functional networks.
Social Cognitive Determinants of Blood Donation

This article reports two studies designed to test a theory of planned behavior-based model of blood donation. In Study 1 (n= 136), self-efficacy and self-identity accounted for unique variance in behavioral intention. Study 2 (n= 172) extended Study 1: self-efficacy, perceived control over behavior (PCB), self-identity, and moral norm were all independently predictive of intention; behavioral intention predicted a proxy measure of behavioral enaction. Both studies provided evidence to support a distinction between self-efficacy and PCB, and for the inclusion of self-identity and moral norm into the model. Belief-based measures discriminated intenders from nonintenders, and beliefs that accounted for unique variance in self-efficacy and PCB were identified. The findings are discussed in relation to using models such as the theory of planned behavior to intervene in social and health behaviors.
Improvements in phosphate control with short daily in-center hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND Hyperphosphatemia is an independent risk factor for mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The relative importance of HD frequency and duration for phosphate removal is not clear. Short daily hemodialysis (SDHD) is a form of HD which offers increased treatment frequency. SDHD studies have not been shown to normalize serum phosphate. METHODS Twenty-one patients were converted from conventional thrice weekly HD (CHD, 4 h/session) to SDHD (2 - 3.75 h/session, 5 - 6 sessions per week). The primary endpoint was the change in predialysis serum phosphate levels after conversion from CHD to SDHD. Changes in serum calcium levels, phosphate binder and vitamin D analogue usage, and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were measured as secondary endpoints. RESULTS Mean duration of SDHD was 17.7 +/- 1.9 months. Mean treatment time was 2.63 +/- 0.10 h, and mean frequency was 5.3 +/- 0.1 sessions per week. Predialysis serum phosphate decreased from 1.99 +/- 0.12 mM at three months pre conversion to 1.27 +/- 0.10 mM at six months post conversion to SDHD (p = 0.002). Serum phosphate remained stable between six and 12 months post conversion (1.27 +/- 0.10 mM to 1.38 +/- 0.14 mM, p = 0.8). When patients were grouped according to SDHD sessional frequency (five sessions/week versus six sessions/week) and compared, no significant differences were found in predialysis serum phosphate levels at six or 12 months post conversion. There were no changes in serum calcium. Overall phosphate binder usage did not change pre and post conversion to SDHD. Serum PTH tended to decrease after one year of SDHD (44.2 +/- 13.4 pM to 21.4 +/- 5.9 pM, p = 0.07). CONCLUSION Conversion to SDHD significantly decreased serum phosphate. There may be a minimum hemodialysis duration below which increases in frequency are not able to compensate to achieve normal phosphate levels. Future studies are necessary to better characterize the relationship between HD duration and frequency with respect to phosphate removal.
Transcriptome analysis of colored calla lily (Zantedeschia rehmannii Engl.) by Illumina sequencing: de novo assembly, annotation and EST-SSR marker development

Colored calla lily is the short name for the species or hybrids in section Aestivae of genus Zantedeschia. It is currently one of the most popular flower plants in the world due to its beautiful flower spathe and long postharvest life. However, little genomic information and few molecular markers are available for its genetic improvement. Here, de novo transcriptome sequencing was performed to produce large transcript sequences for Z. rehmannii cv. ‘Rehmannii’ using an Illumina HiSeq 2000 instrument. More than 59.9 million cDNA sequence reads were obtained and assembled into 39,298 unigenes with an average length of 1,038 bp. Among these, 21,077 unigenes showed significant similarity to protein sequences in the non-redundant protein database (Nr) and in the Swiss-Prot, Gene Ontology (GO), Cluster of Orthologous Group (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. Moreover, a total of 117 unique transcripts were then defined that might regulate the flower spathe development of colored calla lily. Additionally, 9,933 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 7,162 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified as putative molecular markers. High-quality primers for 200 SSR loci were designed and selected, of which 58 amplified reproducible amplicons were polymorphic among 21 accessions of colored calla lily. The sequence information and molecular markers in the present study will provide valuable resources for genetic diversity analysis, germplasm characterization and marker-assisted selection in the genus Zantedeschia.
A methodology to support load test analysis

Performance analysts rely heavily on load testing to measure the performance of their applications under a given load. During the load test, analyst strictly monitor and record thousands of performance counters to measure the run time system properties such as CPU utilization, Disk I/O, memory consumption, network traffic etc. The most frustrating problem faced by analysts is the time spent and complexity involved in analysing these huge counter logs and finding relevant information distributed across thousands of counters. We present our methodology to help analysts by automatically identifying important performance counters for load test and comparing them across tests to find performance gain/loss. Further, our methodology help analysts to understand the root cause of a load test failure by finding previously solved problems in test repositories. A case study on load test data of a large enterprise application shows that our methodology can effectively guide performance analysts to identify and compare top performance counters across tests in limited time thereby archiving 88% counter data reduction.
Verification of the DEVS model implementation using aspect embedded DEVS

Discrete event simulators are getting more complex due to a variety of requirements that include desired functions and properties. Therefore, verifying and testing the discrete event simulator is a complicated problem. Moreover, if the simulator is already implemented, inserting and deleting tracing/logging code into the source code of a simulator may cause the code tangling and the code scattering problems. This paper proposes the Aspect embedded DEVS Verification Framework. The Aspect embedded DEVS Verification Framework utilize Aspect Oriented Programming features to handle the code tangling and the code scattering problems. By applying aspect oriented feature, user can find and fix the inconsistency between requirement and implementation of simulator without suffering the code tangling and the code scattering problems. The first step of the verification process is verifying DEVS diagrams to show that the DEVS diagrams are satisfied with the requirement specifications. The second step is checking the event traces from the simulator compared with the possible execution sequences from DEVS diagrams.
Performance analysis and evaluation of proton membrane exchange fuel cells

This paper presents the performance analysis of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and evaluation of the fuel cells by using a current density extent (D) and a steady-state error rate (S) as the steady-state performance indexes based on the effects and sensitivity of the fuel cell parameters on the polarization curve. Excluding the non-linear parts of the curve, which are the activation polarization loss and the concentration polarization loss, the steady-state performance indexes, i.e. D and S, are defined and their application for both theoretical analysis and engineering practice are discussed. The presented steady-state performance indexes have been applied for analysis and evaluation of two typical fuel cells and they are found as suitable for evaluating the performance of the fuel cells.