Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geographic Disparity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Mortality Rates among the Taiwan Population

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes a high disease burden among the elderly worldwide. In Taiwan, the long-term temporal trend of COPD mortality is declining, but the geographical disparity of the disease is not yet known. Nationwide COPD age-adjusted mortality at the township level during 1999–2007 is used for elucidating the geographical distribution of the disease. With an ordinary least squares (OLS) model and geographically weighted regression (GWR), the ecologic risk factors such as smoking rate, area deprivation index, tuberculosis exposure, percentage of aborigines, density of health care facilities, air pollution and altitude are all considered in both models to evaluate their effects on mortality. Global and local Moran’s I are used for examining their spatial autocorrelation and identifying clusters. During the study period, the COPD age-adjusted mortality rates in males declined from 26.83 to 19.67 per 100,000 population, and those in females declined from 8.98 to 5.70 per 100,000 population. Overall, males’ COPD mortality rate was around three times higher than females’. In the results of GWR, the median coefficients of smoking rate, the percentage of aborigines, PM10 and the altitude are positively correlated with COPD mortality in males and females. The median value of density of health care facilities is negatively correlated with COPD mortality. The overall adjusted R-squares are about 20% higher in the GWR model than in the OLS model. The local Moran’s I of the GWR’s residuals reflected the consistent high-high cluster in southern Taiwan. The findings indicate that geographical disparities in COPD mortality exist. Future epidemiological investigation is required to understand the specific risk factors within the clustering areas.
The Children's Treatment of Animals Questionnaire (CTAQ): A Psychometric Investigation

Recognizing the importance of increasing the levels of children's humane behavior toward animals other than humans relates to the developing of valid and reliable measures of such behavior. This study reports the psychometric properties of the Children's Treatment of Animals Questionnaire (CTAQ), which assesses children's humane behavior toward nonhuman animals. The findings, based on self-reports by 61 elementary school children (25 boys; 36 girls), showed that the 13-item scale has adequate internal consistency. In addition, comparing two administrations of the scale over a five-week period demonstrated good test-retest reliability. The scale's convergent validity was demonstrated with significant correlations between responses on the CTAQ and two previously validated measures of empathy. The study concluded that the CTAQ is a valid and reliable measure for assessing the degree to which children's behavior toward nonhuman animals is humane. Determining the sensitivity of the measure to change (following humane education) and the predictive validity of the measure (identification of children who are cruel to animals) will require further research.
Teacher experiences of culture in the curriculum

This study examines the experiences of two middle‐school teachers as they attempt to acknowledge the ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity of their students in their curriculum and teaching practices. It identifies the complications and challenges they encountered in the process. It presents one curriculum event to explore the ways in which diverse beliefs and values intersected as the teachers implemented the event. It employs a narrative inquiry approach with an emphasis on stories to learn about the experiences of the participants.
SELF-ESTEEM AND PAROLE ADJUSTMENT

Abrtract Self-esteem and parole adjustment is examined in this study. Earlier studies reported on the development of an instrument to measure self-esteem in a reliable manner. Changes in self-esteem as a result of incarceration and other experiences have been examined. However, no studies of the relationship between the self-esteem of prison inmates and their post-institutional adjustment have been reported. The findings of this study, based on measured self-esteem of 142 inmates just prior to release, suggest a small but statistically significant positive correlation (R = .25) between pre-release self-esteem and parole adjustment. Further areas of study are suggested.
Factors Associated with the Psychological Health of Grandparents as Primary Caregivers: An Analysis of Gender Differences

Recent evidence documents that grandparents raising grandchildren face a great risk of psychological distress associated with this caregiver role. Information we know about grandparent caregivers heavily relies on grandmothers. Although the caregiver's gender is an important contextual factor in shaping the stress process, often unnoticed are grandfathers who assume the caregiving responsibility for their grandchildren. Guided by the Caregiver Stress Process model, this study examines common and differential factors associated with the psychological health of grandfathers and grandmothers living with their grandchildren without the parents of the child. Based on the National Survey of America's Families, data on 209 grandfathers and 1,781 grandmothers were analyzed. Results indicate that factors related to a lower level of the psychological health of grandmothers include their younger age, poor health, not having high school diploma, not being employed, living in poverty, and caring for grandchildren with severe behavioral problems. On the contrary, factors associated with the poor psychological health of grandfathers include their living without a spouse, poor health, and caring for very young grandchildren (under the age of five) or grandchildren with severe behavioral problems. Active social participation (volunteer activities and religious services attendance) is directly associated with better psychological health only for grandmothers. Findings suggest that social policy and interventions to help grandparents raising grandchildren should be designed in consideration of the differential factors associated with mental health by the gender of caregiving grandparents. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Can Preschool Children Add and Subtract

ABSTRACT 60 children aged three, four and five years were given simple addition and subtraction problems in a variety of task forms. Overall, children showed a considerable degree of competence on these tasks: however, performance was significantly affected by age, social class, size of number involved and form of task presentation. Most children were successful when the tasks were embedded in concrete situations ‐‐ either real or hypothetical ‐‐ and when the numbers involved were small. A significant number of children also succeeded on large‐number versions of these embedded tasks. Very few children, however, succeeded when the task was phrased in the formal code of arithmetic ('what does one and two make? ') irrespective of the size of number involved. The educational implications of these findings are discussed.
A Model of Language-Based Impression Formation and Attribution Among Germans

Research on the English and the Japanese languages has shown that impression formation and attribution processes can be modeled as stemming from a desire to maximize affective coherence in linguistic representations of social events. This article describes a replication in the German language, simultaneously uncovering subtle cultural distinctions. Subjects (N = 1,905) rated 376 nouns, 393 verbs, 331 adjectives, 128 combinations of nouns and adjectives, and 100 short descriptions of social interaction on the three dimensions of the semantic differential (evaluation, potency, and activity). The data were used to estimate a set of regression equations that can be used to model impression formation and attribution. Sample applications of the model demonstrate its ability to predict the outcome of textbook classics in experimental social psychology.
Parents’ Views on the Comprehensive School and its Development: a Finnish study

Abstract This study set out to explore Finnish parents’ attitudes towards ongoing educational reforms and to investigate their satisfaction with the functioning of comprehensive schools. The subjects were a nationwide sample of parents (n = 563). It was found that the parents’ appraisal of Finnish comprehensive schools is fairly positive, as can be seen in both their attitudes and their evaluations of satisfaction. The basic tenets of the market ethos were rejected rather than supported, and the parents expressed concern about educational inequality and the harmful consequences of competition. Two attitude patterns could be detected, that of selec‐tiveness and that of comprehensiveness; the former was endorsed mainly by middle‐class parents and the latter mainly by working‐class parents. It was concluded that there are two important concepts in Finnish educational discourse, that of giftedness and that of equality, which seem to open two rather different, and socially differently anchored, perspectives.
‘Cultural translation’ in news agencies? A plea to broaden the definition of translation

Culture has only been the subject of a few studies about news translation and has been approached through the angles of acculturation and cultural translation. This article investigates the adequacy of these concepts to answer the following question: how do different professional and cultural communities make sense of the cultural Other in transnational news reporting? This question will be addressed by applying a qualitative analysis of news dispatches from the global agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) (and the national Agence télégraphique Suisse [ATS], in specific cases) about the minaret ban in Switzerland (2007–2010). Three textual manifestations of culture are considered in particular: culture-specific items referring to the Swiss political system, the categorization of sources and background information about Switzerland. Semi-structured interviews conducted at the AFP and ATS bureaus in Switzerland help to contextualize the corpus analysis (methodological triangulation). This paper argues that the concepts of acculturation and cultural translation should be reconsidered because they are not fine-grained enough to discriminate between different degrees of cultural mediation in transnational news reporting. Instead, it calls for the combination of qualitative corpus analysis with a workplace study and for a wider definition of translation.
Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Oral Sirolimus for Restenosis Prevention in Patients With In-Stent Restenosis: The Oral Sirolimus to Inhibit Recurrent In-stent Stenosis (OSIRIS) Trial

Background—Despite recent advances in interventional cardiology, including the introduction of drug-eluting stents for de novo coronary lesions, the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) remains a challenging clinical issue. Given the efficacy of systemic sirolimus administration to prevent neointimal hyperplasia in animal models and to halt and even reverse the progression of allograft vasculopathy, the aim of the present double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of a 10-day oral sirolimus treatment with 2 different loading regimens for the prevention of recurrent restenosis in patients with ISR. Methods and Results—Three hundred symptomatic patients with ISR were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment arms: placebo or usual-dose or high-dose sirolimus. Patients received a cumulative loading dose of 0, 8, or 24 mg of sirolimus 2 days before and the day of repeat intervention followed by maintenance therapy of 2 mg/d for 7 days. Angiographic restenosis at 6-month angiography was the primary end point of the study. Restenosis was significantly reduced from 42.2% to 38.6% and to 22.1% in the placebo, usual-dose, and high-dose sirolimus groups, respectively (P=0.005). Similarly, the need for target vessel revascularization was reduced from 25.5% to 24.2% and to 15.2% in the placebo, usual-dose, and high-dose groups, respectively (P=0.08). The sirolimus blood concentration on the day of the procedure correlated significantly with the late lumen loss at follow-up (P<0.001). Conclusions—In patients with ISR, an oral adjunctive sirolimus treatment with an intensified loading regimen before coronary intervention resulted in a significant improvement in the angiographic parameters of restenosis.
Agent-selective Effects of Volatile Anesthetics on GABAA Receptor–mediated Synaptic Inhibition in Hippocampal Interneurons

BackgroundA relatively small number of inhibitory interneurons can control the excitability and synchronization of large numbers of pyramidal cells in hippocampus and other cortical regions. Thus, anesthetic modulation of interneurons could play an important role for the maintenance of anesthesia. The aim of this study was to compare effects produced by volatile anesthetics on inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) of rat hippocampal interneurons. MethodsPharmacologically isolated &ggr;-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor–mediated IPSCs were recorded with whole cell patch-clamp techniques in visually identified interneurons of rat hippocampal slices. Neurons located in the stratum radiatum–lacunosum moleculare of the CA1 region were studied. The effects of clinically relevant concentrations (1.0 rat minimum alveolar concentration) of halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane were compared on kinetics of both stimulus-evoked and spontaneous GABAA receptor–mediated IPSCs in interneurons. ResultsHalothane (1.2 vol% ≈ 0.35 mm), enflurane (2.2 vol% ≈ 0.60 mm), isoflurane (1.4 vol% ≈ 0.50 mm), and sevoflurane (2.7 vol% ≈ 0.40 mm) preferentially depressed evoked IPSC amplitudes to 79.8 ± 9.3% of control (n = 5), 38.2 ± 8.6% (n = 6), 52.4 ± 8.4% (n = 5), and 46.1 ± 16.0% (n = 8), respectively. In addition, all anesthetics differentially prolonged the decay time constant of evoked IPSCs to 290.1 ± 33.2% of control, 423.6 ± 47.1, 277.0 ± 32.2, and 529 ± 48.5%, respectively. The frequencies of spontaneous IPSCs were increased by all anesthetics (twofold to threefold). Thus, the total negative charge transfer mediated by GABAA receptors between synaptically connected interneurons was enhanced by all anesthetics. ConclusionsVolatile anesthetics differentially enhanced GABAA receptor–mediated synaptic inhibition in rat hippocampal interneurons, suggesting that hippocampal interneuron circuits are depressed by these anesthetics in an agent-specific manner.
Chronic Pulmonary Thromboembolism in Dogs Treated With Tranexamic Acid

BackgroundMany questions remain regarding the pathogenesis, natural history, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in patients. To answer such questions, we developed an animal model of this disorder. The brisk thrombolytic response of canines to acute embolism has, previously, prevented the establishment of such a model. Methods and ResultsThe fibrinolytic inhibitor tranexamic acid was given orally to canines before, and for intervals after, pulmonary emboli were released from venous thrombi formed in vivo in femoral veins or the inferior vena cava. Preliminary studies disclosed that embolic residuals from femoral vein thrombi were not sufficient to cause significant, persistent pulmonary hypertension. With repetitive, larger thrombi embolized from the inferior vena cava, however, persistent pulmonary hypertension was achieved in most animals. ConclusionsResolution of emboli in the canine can be inhibited by tranexamic acid. As in humans, a spectrum of embolic residuals is encountered, and the perfusion lung scan consistently underestimates the extent of embolic residuals. Studies of this animal model continue.
MASS AND HOT BARYONS IN MASSIVE GALAXY CLUSTERS FROM SUBARU WEAK-LENSING AND AMiBA SUNYAEV–ZEL'DOVICH EFFECT OBSERVATIONS

We present a multiwavelength analysis of a sample of four hot (TX > 8 keV) X-ray galaxy clusters (A1689, A2261, A2142, and A2390) using joint AMiBA Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect (SZE) and Subaru weak-lensing observations, combined with published X-ray temperatures, to examine the distribution of mass and the intracluster medium (ICM) in massive cluster environments. Our observations show that A2261 is very similar to A1689 in terms of lensing properties. Many tangential arcs are visible around A2261, with an effective Einstein radius ∼40″ (at z ∼ 1.5), which when combined with our weak-lensing measurements implies a mass profile well fitted by a Navarro–Frenk–White model with a high concentration cvir ∼ 10, similar to A1689 and to other massive clusters. The cluster A2142 shows complex mass substructure, and displays a shallower profile (cvir ∼ 5), consistent with detailed X-ray observations which imply recent interaction. The AMiBA map of A2142 exhibits an SZE feature associated with mass substructure lying ahead of the sharp northwest edge of the X-ray core suggesting a pressure increase in the ICM. For A2390 we obtain highly elliptical mass and ICM distributions at all radii, consistent with other X-ray and strong-lensing work. Our cluster gas fraction measurements, free from the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption, are overall in good agreement with published X-ray and SZE observations, with the sample-averaged gas fraction of 〈fgas(<r200)〉 = 0.133 ± 0.027, for our sample with 〈Mvir〉 = (1.2 ± 0.1) × 1015 M☉ h−1. When compared to the cosmic baryon fraction fb = Ωb/Ωm constrained by the WMAP five-year data, this indicates 〈fgas,200〉/fb = 0.78 ± 0.16, i.e., (22 ± 16)% of the baryons are missing from the hot phase of clusters.
Intersectional Race and Gender Analyses: Why Legal Processes Just Don't Get It

Legal processes, particularly those relating to criminal justice, have frequently been criticized for their inability to accommodate the experiences of racialized women. Recognizing categories of difference is difficult for processes that are framed within an ideology that emphasizes objectivity and universalism. The Australian Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) was a quasi-legal entity that investigated 99 Indigenous deaths in custody, as well as the underlying social, cultural and legal issues that may have had a bearing on those deaths. The RCIADIC, like many other legal processes, appears to have been unable to take an intersectional race and gender approach in its analysis. This article uses the RCIADIC inquiry to identify, describe and critically analyse the ways in which the dominant liberal ideology can, at times, operate to exclude racialized women. The reasons identified are based on the opinions and information collected from 48 interviews of people who either worked for the RCIADIC or were in some other way associated with the RCIADIC. The critical analysis presented in this article provides insights into how legal processes remain patriarchal in focus even when embarking on an inquiry about race.
Biological motion processing in typical development and in the autism spectrum

iv Acknowledgements . vi Chapter I . 1 Point-light displays of biological motion . 2 Neuroanatomy of biological motion processing . 4 Neurophysiology . 7 Display orientation and biological motion processing . 11 Attention and biological motion . 12 The emerging picture. 13 The typical development of biological motion processes . 15 Biological motion processing in the autism spectrum . 16 Chapter I: Tables and Figures . 20 Chapter II . 24 Abstract . 25 Introduction . 26 Materials and methods . 27 Subjects . 27 Stimuli and tasks . 27 Measurements and analyses . 30 Results . 34 Behavioral . 34 Regions-of-interest analyses . 34 Exploratory statistical cluster plots and source modeling . 36 Discussion . 37 Phase I effects (100–200 ms) . 38 Biological motion in ASD viii Phase II effects (200–350 ms) . 40 Phase III effects (400+ ms) . 43 Conclusion . 44 Acknowledgments . 44 Chapter II: Tables and Figures . 46 Chapter III . 65 Abstract . 60 Introduction . 61 Methods . 66 Participants . 66 Stimuli and Tasks . 67 Measurements and Analyses . 69 Behavioral analyses . 69 Electrophysiology . 70 EEG analysis strategy . 71 Results . 74 Behavioral findings . 74 Electrophysiology . 74 Stage one analysis: GLM of main effects and interactions . 74 Stage two analysis: HLM of the group biological motion effect . 76 Discussion . 77 Typical electrophysiology of biological motion processes . 77 Biological motion processing in the autism spectrum . 80 Conclusion . 83 Acknowledgments . 84 Chapter III: Tables and Figures . 86 Chapter IV . 108 Biological motion in ASD ix Biological motion and theory-of-mind . 111 Discovering the “Other” . 112 Biological motion, mirror-neurons, and theory-of-mind . 113 The systemizing-empathizing model of cognition . 114 The extreme male brain model of autism . 114 Third-person/first-person model of cognition . 115 Conclusion . 117 Chapter IV: Discussion – Figures . 119 References . 122 Biological motion in ASD
The Impact of Religious Difference and Unemployment/Underemployment on Somali Former Refugee Settlement in Australia

Australia has resettled many Somalis as part of its annual refugee intake; upon coming to their new host country, Somali communities face multiple challenges with regards to successful settlement. The majority of Somalis are Muslim and are visibly different from the predominantly Anglo-Australian population. This paper presents findings from a small-group qualitative study in Australia that explored the challenges Somalis face in the employment context and the resulting impact of unemployment/underemployment on members of the Somali community. It reports narratives gathered from 16 Somali males and females (employed and unemployed) via focus groups in Brisbane, Australia. These narratives painted a picture of perceived discrimination and marginalization due to religious affiliation, which led to unemployment/underemployment within the community.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Its Receptors in Tumor-Bearing Dogs

Abstract The molecular biology of the angiogenic growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has been studied in the dog. All major isoforms of VEGF are present in the dog. The amino acid sequences are identical between human and dog in the loop regions that are responsible for receptor binding. Accordingly, the VEGF receptors of dogs and humans are very similar and permit functional exchange of the growth factor. Here we show that canine VEGF activates human endothelial cells to the same extent as human VEGF. Similarly, the two proteins display identical cell binding properties. The VEGF receptor 1 (Flt-1) shows the same alternative splicing in humans and dogs and is overexpressed in the majority of tumors in both species. VEGF occurs also in canine tumors in similar relative quantities as in human malignancies. Based on the literature and our study we suggest that the molecular biology and the function of the VEGF signaling system are virtually identical in humans and canines and in healthy as well as in disease conditions.