Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Just Five More Minutes Please: An Examination of the Relationship between Electronic Media Use, Sleep and Behaviour in Young Children

This study explored the relationship between electronic media use, sleep and behaviour in preschool aged children. The primary hypothesis of this study was that excessive electronic media use (> 2 hours a day) would positively correlate with sleep patterns (in particular, disturbances) and negative behavioural outcomes (specifically, hostile-aggressive, anxiousfearful and hyperactive-distractible behaviours). Overall, the results indicated a total of 32 significant correlations to support the main hypothesis. However, multiple regression analyses indicated that neither sleep patterns nor electronic media use predicted behaviour. Additionally, MR analyses did not find that electronic media use predicted sleep patterns. Implications for school psychologists and parents are discussed, as well as limitations of the current study and questions in need of further exploration. ELECTRONIC MEDIA USE, SLEEP AND BEHAVIOUR 3 Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my sensational supervisor, Dr. Daniel Séguin. Your brilliance, dedication and patient approach make you the type of professional that every student should aspire to become. Without your support and encouragement, this undertaking would have been greatly more intimidating. I would like you to know that you are one of few individuals I have met in my life that are so inspiring it is difficult to put into words. Thank you so much for all your assistance. I would also like to sincerely thank Dr. Stephen Perrott, my committee member. You have played an influential role in my interests and studies, as well as in “the real world. ” You are a fascinating individual with a broad range of knowledge that was able to captivate me and prompt me to think about things in novel ways. Your kindness, easygoing nature and willingness to chat were welcome rays of sunshine at times when I despaired. Thank you for making me feel like an equal, worthy of being here. To my parents, you both know I would not have completed this without you. Dad – knowledge is power, right. Mom – thanks for calling all the time to remind me to come home and work on my thesis. To my siblings, thank you for being there to talk to when I felt as though I would never see the day my thesis would be done. I love you all so much and hope you understand how much you have helped me on this journey. To Heidi, Amanda, Wally, Allison, Anita, Stephanie and other friends who cared, thank you for listening to me talk about this for the last two years and for always believing in me. To Amber, thanks for the texts and memes – I would not have been able to crack a smile throughout this process without them. And finally, Chris, even though your methods may have been unconventional at times, thank you for motivating me and helping me in any way you could. Your love and ability to stay calm helped me to maintain my sanity. ELECTRONIC MEDIA USE, SLEEP AND BEHAVIOUR 4
Backward masking in unmedicated schizophrenic patients in psychotic remission: possible reflection of aberrant cortical oscillation.

OBJECTIVE Patients with schizophrenia consistently show performance deficits on measures of visual backward masking, but the nature of these deficits is not well understood. Performance deficits on backward masking tasks may indicate an underlying predisposition instead of the presence of illness, because deficits are present in unaffected first-degree relatives. Performance deficits in remitted patients would constitute converging support for this hypothesis. METHOD Eleven patients with recent-onset schizophrenia who were in a period of no medication use during remission of psychosis were compared with a matched normal group on three visual masking conditions. These conditions included target identification tasks with a high-energy mask, a low-energy mask, and a blurred target. RESULTS Patients in psychotic remission showed significant deficits across all conditions. In addition, trend analyses revealed significant group differences in the shape of the masking functions: the comparison group showed an oscillating performance pattern across all masking conditions, whereas the patients did not exhibit this pattern on any condition. CONCLUSIONS These data from patients in well-documented psychotic remission add converging support for the hypothesis that deficits on backward masking procedures are indicators of vulnerability to schizophrenia. Because visual masking procedures may reflect underlying neural oscillations of 30 to 70 Hz in the visual cortex, the pattern of results is consistent with the theory that visual masking deficits in schizophrenia stem from an underlying failure to establish cortical oscillations.
Chronic pelvic pain of bladder origin: a focus on interstitial cystitis.

Chronic pelvic pain afflicts some 9,000,000 women in the United States. Of these, perhaps 10%-although the true number of those affected is actually much greater-are found to have interstitial cystitis (IC), that is, pain of bladder origin. The etiology is multifactorial, but a fairly good marker is dysfunction of the glycosaminoglycan/mucus/mucin layer of the bladder as detected by a potassium (KCl) sensitivity test. A cascade starting with Substance P seems to be involved in generating inflammation, and even ulceration, which is the focus of pain. This article describes means of diagnosis, including the KCl test and cystoscopy, and both U.S. FDA-approved and extended-use medical treatment options which are always to be attempted before the final step of surgery.
Is frequency of tooth brushing a risk factor for periodontitis? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES The epidemiology of periodontitis regarding oral-hygiene practices particularly the frequency of tooth brushing has been the subject of relatively few dedicated studies. This paper provides a systematic review of available relevant epidemiological studies and a meta-analysis of the effect of tooth brushing frequency on periodontitis. To review and to quantify the risk for periodontitis associated with frequency of tooth brushing. METHODS Systematic literature search was conducted in nine online resources (PUBMED, ISI and 7 additional databases). Related and cross-referencing publications were reviewed. Papers published until end of March 2013 reporting associations between tooth brushing frequency and periodontitis were considered. A meta-analysis was performed to quantify this association. RESULTS Fourteen studies were identified. The test of heterogeneity for cross-sectional studies was not significant (P = 0.31). A fixed-effects model yielded a significant overall odds ratio estimate of 1.41 (95%CI: 1.25-1.58, P < 0.0001) for infrequent compared to frequent tooth brushing. For all fourteen studies, there was a slight indication for heterogeneity (I² = 48%, P = 0.02) and the corresponding result with a random-effects model was 1.44 (95%CI: 1.21-1.71, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS There are relatively few studies evaluating the association between tooth brushing frequency and periodontitis. A clear effect was observed, indicating that infrequent tooth brushing was associated with severe forms of periodontal disease. Further epidemiological studies are needed to precisely estimate the effect of key risk factors for periodontitis and their interaction effects.
Automated alternation flicker for the detection of optic disc haemorrhages

Purpose: Optic disc haemorrhages are associated with active glaucomatous neurodegeneration and ongoing visual field loss. We sought to determine whether automated alternation flicker enhances the detection of disc haemorrhages in serial images from patients with glaucoma when compared to side‐by‐side photographic evaluation and single‐image display.
Stimulation of aromatase activity by follicle stimulating hormone in rat granulosa cells in vivo and in vitro.

The role of FSH in the activation of aromatase enzymes in granulosa cells was studied by using immature, hypophysectomized, estrogen-primed rats as a model system. After twice daily injections of ovine FSH, aromatase activity was induced in granulosa cells after a 24-h lag period. Continued FSH treatment caused a further increase in aromatase activity. After 48 h, the enzyme activity was comparable to that found in granulosa cells of adult preovulatory follicles. The effects of enzyme substrate (androstenedione) as well as purified FSH and LH upon aromatase activity were investigated in vitro by culturing granulosa cells for 2 days in a chemically defined medium containing these hormones. In the absence of aromatase substrate, no significant stimulation of estrogen secretion was observed in control and gonadotropin-treated cultures. However, in the presence of enzyme substrate (10-7 M androstenedione), highly purified FSH (200 ng/ml), but not LH (200 ng/ml), stimulated estrogen production 8.8- and 40-fold.
Setting a research agenda for progressive multiple sclerosis: The International Collaborative on Progressive MS

Despite significant progress in the development of therapies for relapsing MS, progressive MS remains comparatively disappointing. Our objective, in this paper, is to review the current challenges in developing therapies for progressive MS and identify key priority areas for research. A collaborative was convened by volunteer and staff leaders from several MS societies with the mission to expedite the development of effective disease-modifying and symptom management therapies for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. Through a series of scientific and strategic planning meetings, the collaborative identified and developed new perspectives on five key priority areas for research: experimental models, identification and validation of targets and repurposing opportunities, proof-of-concept clinical trial strategies, clinical outcome measures, and symptom management and rehabilitation. Our conclusions, tackling the impediments in developing therapies for progressive MS will require an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to enable effective translation of research into therapies for progressive MS. Engagement of the MS research community through an international effort is needed to address and fund these research priorities with the ultimate goal of expediting the development of disease-modifying and symptom-relief treatments for progressive MS.
White-Noise Paraxial Approximation for a General Random Hyperbolic System

In this paper we consider a general hyperbolic system subject to random perturbations which models wave propagation in random media. We consider the paraxial white-noise regime in which the propagation distance is much larger than the diameter of the input beam or source, which is itself much larger than the typical wavelength, and in which the correlation length of the medium is of the same order as the diameter of the input beam or source. We introduce a general framework that allows us to consider the general random hyperbolic system. Using invariant imbedding and asymptotic analysis, we show how to derive the system of Itoź--Schroźdinger equations driven by Brownian fields that govern the wave propagation. The forms of the diffraction operator and the covariance matrix of the Brownian fields are computed from the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the unperturbed system and from the two-point statistics of the random fluctuations of the medium. Applications are given for acoustic, elastic, and electromagnetic waves.
Pertussis: Challenges Today and for the Future

Pertussis is a truly unique contagious respiratory disease [1–4]. It is mainly caused by Bordetella pertussis, but similar cough illnesses can be caused by B. parapertussis in young children and B. holmesii in adolescents and adults. (The remainder of this communication will be restricted to B. pertussis infection and illness.) Illness due to B. pertussis has a number of characteristics that differentiate it from all other severe respiratory illnesses [1–4]. The basic illness is noninflammatory in nature and occurs without significant fever. Mortality is greater in girls than in boys. The characteristic, nonproductive paroxysmal cough followed by periods of total respiratory normalcy is different from all other infectious cough illnesses. Concomitant respiratory viral infections and secondary bacterial infections that include fever and other manifestations of inflammation have over the years led to confusion as to the fundamental illness caused by B. pertussis. Neither B. pertussis infection or pertussis vaccination elicit longlasting immunity [1,4]. Infection and illness repeatedly occur in all ages throughout life. In the prevaccine era, pertussis morbidity and mortality was staggering. Vaccines (killed whole organisms—DTwP) were developed in the 1930s, and their subsequent use beginning in the late 1940s resulted in a 157-fold decrease in the pertussis attack rate [1,4]. Because DTwP vaccines contained endotoxin, their use was associated with considerable side effects. Technology of the 1970s and 1980s enabled the production of acellular vaccines (DTaP) that were less reactogenic because of the removal of endotoxin. These DTaP vaccines only contained a small number of antigens in comparison with DTwP vaccines. DTaP vaccines were put into universal use in the United States in the late 1990s.
Annotating Students’ Understanding of Science Concepts

This paper summarizes the annotation of fine-grained entailment relationships in the context of student answers to science assessment questions. We annotated a corpus of 15,357 answer pairs with 145,911 fine-grained entailment relationships. We provide the rationale for such fine-grained analysis and discuss its perceived benefits to an Intelligent Tutoring System. The corpus also has potential applications in other areas, such as question answering and multi-document summarization. Annotators achieved 86.2% inter-annotator agreement (Kappa=0.728, corresponding to substantial agreement) annotating the fine-grained facets of reference answers with regard to understanding expressed in student answers and labeling from one of five possible detailed relationship categories. The corpus described in this paper, which is the only one providing such detailed entailment annotations, is available as a public resource for the research community. The corpus is expected to enable application development, not only for intelligent tutoring systems, but also for general textual entailment applications, that is currently not practical.
Control of hypertrophic versus hyperplastic growth of vascular smooth muscle cells.

A long-term objective of my laboratory has been to understand the mechanisms that regulate both normal and developmental growth of vascular smooth muscle as well as the accelerated growth of smooth muscle that occurs in atherosclerotic lesions or arteries of hypertensive patients and animals. Previous studies in this and other laboratories have demonstrated that smooth muscle cells are capable of two distinct growth responses in vivo, depending on the nature of the growth stimulus. Smooth muscle cell growth in large vessels of chronically hypertensive animals appears to occur primarily by enlargement of preexisting cells (i.e., cellular hypertrophy) with little or no cell proliferation (hyperplasia) and is accompanied by development of polyploidy in a large fraction of the cells. In contrast, in experimental injury models of atherogenesis, or after induction of severe acute hypertension, aortic smooth muscle cells undergo a classic proliferative response. This lecture focuses on possible control mechanisms for hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle, with particular emphasis on examination of the possible role of contractile agonists as hypertrophic agents, exploration of how this process differs from cellular hyperplasia, discussion of the possible mechanisms for formation of polyploid cells, and examination of the role of mechanical factors in growth regulation of vascular smooth muscle cells.
Role Switching in Multiple Round Dictator Game Experiments

Two types of Dictator Game experiments involving repetition of play, role switching and outside options are studied. When players switch roles during the game, a significantly larger portion of the available surplus is claimed by Dictators and results conform more closely to predictions of self-interested subgame perfection than in previous Dictator Game studies. Outside options are frequently rejected and found not to have consistent significant effects on Dictator play following entry.
Old objects, new media: Historical collections, digitization and affect

Digital resources mobilized by museums, archives and other cultural heritage institutions are opening up collections and vistas onto the past from an increasing variety of perspectives. Digitization is enabling the juxtaposition of material from far-flung repositories and creating new ways of presenting historical insights as well as new types of historical engagements. New media can allow the assemblage of a multiplicity of voices, accounts, songs, and artworks, among other things – layers of meaning that are hard to capture and present in other formats, and which can be especially helpful in uncovering and accommodating non-Western perspectives. At the same time, the relationship of digital objects to ‘actual artefacts’ requires further consideration. This article investigates the implications of digitizing objects in cultural institutions, and the advantages and disadvantages of this process for those with differing interests in such objects. What are the effects for historical researchers, museum visitors or clan members with special ties to a museum artefact of viewing it on a screen rather than being in the object’s presence, holding, seeing, smelling and hearing it, and connecting with the ancestors or relationships it embodies? Case studies from the UK, Australia and the Pacific are explored to address aspects of the impact of digitization initiatives on museum practice and on people’s engagements with the past, with a focus on the affective qualities of digital objects.
Reputation Mechanism Design in Online Trading Environments with Pure Moral Hazard

This paper offers a systematic exploration of reputation mechanism design in trading environments with opportunistic sellers of commonly known cost and ability parameters, imperfect monitoring of a seller's actions, and two possible seller effort levels, one of which has no value to buyers. The objective of reputation mechanisms in such pure moral hazard settings is to induce sellers to exert high effort as often as possible. I study the impact of various mechanism parameters (such as the granularity of solicited feedback, the format of the public reputation profile, the policy regarding missing feedback, and the rules for admitting new sellers) on the resulting market efficiency. I find that maximum efficiency is bounded away from the hypothetical first-best case where sellers can credibly precommit to full cooperation by a factor that is related to the probability that cooperating sellers may receive "unfair" bad ratings. Furthermore, maximum efficiency is independent of the length of past history summarized in a seller's public reputation profile. I apply my framework to a simplified model of eBay's feedback mechanism and conclude that, in pure moral hazard settings, eBay's simple mechanism is capable of inducing the maximum theoretical efficiency independently of the number of recent ratings that are being summarized in a seller's profile. I derive optimal policies for dealing with missing feedback and easy online identity changes. Finally, I show that if the number of buyers is large, the results obtained in the monopoly case are also approximately valid in settings where multiple sellers of different reputations simultaneously offer auctions for identical goods.
The 2009 framework for undergraduate medical education in the Netherlands

The 2009 Framework defines the joint Dutch national learning outcomes to be attained by medical students after completing their three-year master programme in medicine. The Framework thus helps to guarantee to society at large and to patients in particular that medical graduates who are starting out as practitioners have attained a certain professional level. This level is the aggregate of the physicians’ target profile, physicians’ (sub-) competencies to be achieved and the list of issues relating to illness and health. In addition, the Framework also defines the profile of the bachelor and the learning outcomes of the bachelor programme in medicine.
Assessing efficiency of trust management in peer-to-peer systems

P2P applications support exchanging resources while preserving total or partial anonymity of both requestors and providers. However, concerns have been raised about the possibility that anonymity may encourage malicious peers to spread tampered-with resources (e.g., malicious programs and viruses). A considerable amount of research is now being carried out on the development of trust and reputation models in P2P networks. In this paper, we assess the efficiency of our approach to the design of reputation systems involving flexible techniques for collecting and aggregating peers' opinions via comparison with probabilistic approaches.
Agent Models in Service of Information Dissemination in Inaccessible Cooperative Multiagent Systems

An agent is often required to act based on the information its environment or of other agents. It is possible that such information is not available to the agent even though another agent might have such information. Hence, a difficulty is knowing which of the other agents to contact for a piece of information that is required. We present a solution to this problem by using agent models that estimate the knowledge of other agents in conjunction with the predictive memory model of Bowling et al [1] to pro-actively send gossip to other agents. Empirical evidence observed from experiments suggest that a proactive approach to information sharing can indeed be effective in making the relevant information available to the agents under certain assumptions.
Research Paper: Practitioners' Views on Computerized Drug-Drug Interaction Alerts in the VA System

OBJECTIVES To assess Veterans Affairs (VA) prescribers' and pharmacists' opinions about computer-generated drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerts and obtain suggestions for improving DDI alerts. DESIGN A mail survey of 725 prescribers and 142 pharmacists from seven VA medical centers across the United States. MEASUREMENTS A questionnaire asked respondents about their sources of drug and DDI information, satisfaction with the combined inpatient and outpatient computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) system, attitude toward DDI alerts, and suggestions for improving DDI alerts. RESULTS The overall response rate was 40% (prescribers: 36%; pharmacists: 59%). Both prescribers and pharmacists indicated that the CPOE system had a neutral to positive impact on their jobs. DDI alerts were not viewed as a waste of time and the majority (61%) of prescribers felt that DDI alerts had increased their potential to prescribe safely. However, only 30% of prescribers felt DDI alerts provided them with what they needed most of the time. Both prescribers and pharmacists agreed that DDI alerts should be accompanied by management alternatives (73% and 82%, respectively) and more detailed information (65% and 89%, respectively). When asked about suggestions for improving DDI alerts, prescribers most preferred including management options whereas pharmacists most preferred making it more difficult to override lethal interactions. Prescribers and pharmacists reported primarily relying on electronic references for general drug information (62% and 55%, respectively) and DDI information (51% and 79%, respectively). CONCLUSION Respondents reported neutral to positive views regarding the effect of CPOE on their jobs. Their opinions suggest DDI alerts are useful but still require additional work to increase their clinical utility.