Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Alzheimer ’ s Disease in Spain

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of unknown aetiology, with the exception of a small percentage of cases related to mutations of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilins and other, as yet unknown, genes. For sporadic cases of AD, many environmental and genetic risk factor modifiers have been described, but – with a few exceptions – most of them remain controversial. Most of these studies are observational in different populations, since case–control studies, which were very popular in the 1980s, showed bias. Unconfirmed associations of environmental risk factors or genetic traits with AD could be due to several factors, such as inclusion of a percentage of patients with erroneous diagnoses (a significant number of patients with clinical diagnoses of AD are found to have mixed pathologies or other diseases at post mortem examination), inadequate size or special characteristics of the sample or excessively permissive statistical evaluation.
Empirical distributions of stock returns: European securities markets, 1990-95

The assumption that daily stock returns are normally distributed has long been disputed by the data. In this article the normality assumption is tested (and clearly rejected) using time series of daily stock returns for 13 European securities markets. More importantly, four alternative specifications are fitted to the data, overall support is found for the scaled- t distribution (and partial support for a mixture of two Normal distributions), and the magnitude of the error that stems from predicting returns by using the Normal distribution is quantified. Data also show that normality may be a plausible assumption for monthly (but not for daily) stock returns.
Reply: Plasma cholesterol and Parkinson's disease: Is the puzzle only apparent?

Our first publication in Movement Disorders1 reporting an “association” between lower cholesterol and Parkinson’s disease (PD) noted the limitations of case-control analysis. It cautioned the readers that “we could not make a causal inference between LDL-C, and/or statin use and risk of PD”1. To reduce the possibility of reserve causality, we subsequently studied a prospective cohort2 and found a similar association. Similar findings were also reported in two other prospective cohorts3;4. Interestingly, Scigliano and colleagues themselves found “the association of untreated IPD with reduced vascular diseases risk(s)” including higher cholesterol5. There has been one inconsistent report6 in which the cases were identified from a National Insurance Register that entitles patients to medication free of charge. Therefore, the overall evidence to date favors an association between higher cholesterol and lower PD occurrence. The three prospective cohorts cited above2–4 have generated some useful insight on PD etiology. Rigorous diagnostic criteria7 were applied in the Honolulu Asia Aging Study, and of 25 cases that had autopsy, PD was confirmed pathologically in 21. Further, the age of onset in any study population is bounded by its age distribution. The average age at cholesterol assay in the Honolulu cohort was 77 years old2,thus it is not surprising that the onset of incident cases was also higher in this cohort. Given the consistency of this association across prospective studies, it seems to us that more, not less, research should be conducted to understand the nature of this finding and its medical ramifications, if any. Thus, we disagree with Scigliano et al.’s notion that future studies should simply be abandoned. It is both inconsistent with the weight of available evidence, and contrary to the scientific method.
Humoral factors enhance fracture-healing and callus formation in patients with traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND Scientific evidence is mounting for an association between traumatic brain injury and enhanced osteogenesis. The aim of this study was to correlate the in vitro osteoinductive potential of serum with the features of fracture-healing and the extent of brain damage in patients with severe traumatic brain injury and bone fracture. METHODS Patients with a long-bone fracture and a traumatic brain injury (seventeen patients) or without a brain injury (twenty-four patients) were recruited. The Glasgow Coma Scale score was determined on admission. Radiographs of the fracture were made before surgery, at six weeks, and at three, six, and twelve months after surgery. The time to union was estimated clinically and radiographically, and the callus ratio to shaft diameter was calculated. Serum samples were collected at six, twenty-four, seventy-two, and 168 hours after injury, and their osteogenic potential was determined by measurement of the in vitro proliferation rate of the human fetal osteoblastic cell line hFOB1.19. RESULTS Patients with a traumatic brain injury had a twofold shorter time to union (p = 0.01), a 37% to 50% increased callus ratio (p < 0.01), and their sera induced a higher proliferation rate in hFOB cells (p < 0.05). A linear relationship was revealed between hFOB cell proliferation rates and the amount of callus formed (p < 0.05). The Glasgow Coma Scale score was correlated with the callus ratio on both radiographic projections (p < 0.05), time to union (p = 0.04), and the proliferation rate of hFOB cells at six hours after injury (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Patients with a severe brain injury release unknown humoral factors into the blood circulation that enhance and accelerate fracture-healing.
Learning empathy through school history textbooks? A case study

Historical perspective-taking or learning empathy are important skills that the South African history curriculum wishes to promote in schools in its quest to heal the injustices and divisions of the past. A set of chapters in six recently published Grade 11 textbooks serves as a case study to analyse how empathy is mediated in legitimatised educational materials. The topic is that of ‘nineteenth century race theories leading to genocide’. First, the concept of empathy is interrogated and contextualised within the wider debate about the incommensurability between the ontology of ‘history-as-past’ and ‘past-as-history’. Thereafter, the data from the six books is grouped under two related thematic headings, namely ‘seeing different perspectives’ and ‘using primary narratives’. While there is considerable variation in how each of the textbooks mediates empathy, one of them stands out as an exemplar of how to do this well. This book relies on primary textual sources, presents different perspectives as well as diversity within those perspectives and shows how personal, individual choices play a role in the unfolding of the narratives about the past. All these are helpful for mediating empathy through connecting to learners' own lives. The article contributes to an understanding of how empathy as a concept can be understood in the wider study of history and educational media.
Carboxypeptidase M and Kinin B1 Receptors Interact to Facilitate Efficient B1 Signaling from B2 Agonists*

Kinin B1 receptor (B1R) expression is induced by injury or inflammatory mediators, and its signaling produces both beneficial and deleterious effects. Kinins cleaved from kininogen are agonists of the B2R and must be processed by a carboxypeptidase to generate B1R agonists des-Arg9-bradykinin or des-Arg10-kallidin. Carboxypeptidase M (CPM) is a membrane protein potentially well suited for this function. Here we show that CPM expression is required to generate a B1R-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i in cells stimulated with B2R agonists kallidin or bradykinin. CPM and the B1R interact on the cell membrane, as shown by co-immunoprecipitation, cross-linking, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis. CPM and B1R are also co-localized in lipid raft/caveolin-enriched membrane fractions, as determined by gradient centrifugation. Treatment of cells co-expressing CPM and B1R with methyl-β-cyclodextrin to disrupt lipid rafts reduced the B1R-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i in response to B2R agonists, whereas cholesterol treatment enhanced the response. A monoclonal antibody to the C-terminal β-sheet domain of CPM reduced the B1R response to B2R agonists without inhibiting CPM. Cells expressing a novel fusion protein containing CPM at the N terminus of the B1R also increased [Ca2+]i when stimulated with B2R agonists, but the response was not reduced by methyl-β-cyclodextrin or CPM antibody. A B1R- and CPM-dependent calcium signal in response to B2R agonist bradykinin was also found in endothelial cells that express both proteins. Thus, a close relationship of B1Rs and CPM on the membrane is required for efficiently generating B1R signals, which play important roles in inflammation.
Controversies of Treatment Modalities for Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

Cerebral vein thrombosis has been well recognized for nearly two centuries. However, therapeutic options for the condition are limited due to lack of large randomized trials. The various modalities reportedly used include antiplatelets, anticoagulation, fibrinolysis, and mechanical thrombectomy. Of these, antiplatelets are the least studied, and there are only anecdotal reports of aspirin use. Anticoagulation is the most widely used and accepted modality with favorable outcomes documented in two randomized controlled trials. Various fibrinolytic agents have also been tried. Local infusions have shown more promise compared to systemic agents. Similarly, mechanical thrombectomy has been used to augment the effects of chemical thrombolysis. However, in the absence of randomized controlled trials; there is no concrete evidence of the safety and efficacy of either of these modalities. Limited study series disclosed that decompression surgery in malignant CVT can be life saving and provides good neurological outcome in some cases. Conclusion. Overall therapeutics for CVT need larger randomized controlled trials. Anticoagulaion with heparin is the only modality with a reasonable evidence to support its use in CVT. Endovascular thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy are reserved for selected cases who fail anticoagulation and decompression surgery for malignant CVT with impending herniation.
Turkish early childhood educators on parental involvement

Research conducted over recent decades show that parental involvement plays a significant role in children’s academic achievement as well as their cognitive, social and emotional development. For effective parental involvement, understanding the conceptualization of early childhood educators should be significant. This research investigated the views of Turkish early childhood educators on parental involvement and attitudes towards its types. Furthermore, it aims to find the reasons behind inefficient usage. A total of 113 educators provided a representative sample from Ankara. The results showed that Turkish early childhood educators have positive attitudes towards parental involvement and its types. In addition, the most popular type of parental involvement is home support. According to the results, the main reason for inefficient parental involvement is the unwillingness of parents to participate.
Mediation role of attitude towards product placement in social media

The present paper empirically examines consumer attitude and behavioral intention structures in social media context, particularly focusing on Gen Ys who are the world’s largest population group. Three antecedent factors (i.e. perceived relevance, perceived value and perceived credibility) were closely examined for their influences on attitude towards product placement (App) and purchase intention. App was proposed to serve as a mediator between these antecedent factors and purchase intention. The mediation results indicated that perceived relevancy and perceived credibility affect purchase intention in two ways: directly and indirectly through App. Meanwhile, perceived value only has a significant direct effect on purchase intention. Consumers considered perceived relevance and perceived credibility as antecedents to App, but not perceived value. The findings provide useful insight to both marketers and academicians in planning for their promotion strategy.
The Ethical Implications of the Five-Stage Skill-Acquisition Model

We assume that acting ethically is a skill. We then use a phenomenological description of five stages of skill acquisition to argue that an ethics based on principles corresponds to a beginner’s reliance on rules and so is developmentally inferior to an ethics based on expert response that claims that, after long experience, the ethical expert learns to respond appropriately to each unique situation. The skills model thus supports an ethics of situated involvement such as that of Aristotle, John Dewey, and Carol Gilligan against the detached, rationalist ethics of Kant, John Rawls, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Jürgen Habermas.
Urban versus rural populations' views of health care in Scotland

Objectives: To compare satisfaction with, and expectations of, health care of people in rural and urban areas of Scotland. Methods: Questions were included in the 2002 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSAS). The Scottish House-hold Survey urban-rural classification was used to categorize locations. A random sample of 2707 people was contacted to participate in a face-to-face interview and a self-completion questionnaire survey. SPSS (v.10) was used to analyse the data. Relationships between location category and responses were explored using logistic regression analysis. Results: In all, 1665 (61.5%) interviews were conducted and 1507 (56.0%) respondents returned self-completion questionnaires. Satisfaction with local doctors and hospital services was higher in rural locations. While around 40% of those living in remote areas thought A&E services too distant, this did not rank as a top priority for health service improvement. This could be due to expectations that general practitioners would assist in out-of-hours emergencies. Most Scots thought services should be good in rural areas even if this was costly, and that older people should not be discouraged from moving to rural areas because of their likely health care needs. In all, 79% of respondents thought that care should be as good in rural as urban areas. Responses to many questions were independently significantly affected by rural/urban location. Conclusions: Most Scots want rural health care to continue to be good, but the new UK National Health Service (NHS) general practitioner contract and service redesign will impact on provision. Current high satisfaction, likely to be due to access and expectations about local help, could be affected. This study provides baseline data on attitudes and expectations before potential service redesign, which should be monitored at intervals in future.
Cytokine Profile in Children During the First 3 Months after the Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease with an inflammatory process directed against the β cells in pancreas. This investigation aimed at studying the immune response during the first 3 months after the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, with focus on the balance of T‐helper 1 (Th1)‐ and Th2‐like cytokines, produced spontaneously and in response to relevant autoantigens. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from type 1 diabetic children (10–17 years) at 5, 20, 35 and 90 days after diagnosis. Expression of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) mRNA were detected by real‐time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and IFN‐γ, IL‐10 and IL‐13 by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in cell supernatant after stimulation with a glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65)‐peptide [amino acid (a.a.) 247–279], insulin, the ABBOS‐peptide (a.a. 152–169), phytohaemagglutinin and keyhole limpet haemocyanin. Spontaneous and antigen‐induced expression and secretion of cytokines were low at the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. During the first month, after diagnosis, the GAD65‐peptide caused an increased ratio of IFN‐γ/IL‐4 mRNA expression (P < 0.05) and increased secretion of IFN‐γ (P = 0.07). Expression of IFN‐γ mRNA did also increase from stimulation with insulin (P < 0.05), even though cytokine secretion remained low. Thus, duration after diagnosis as well as metabolic state should be carefully considered both in studies of the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and in immune intervention studies at onset.
Treating Traumatic Amputation-Related Phantom Limb Pain

Since September 2006, more than 725 service members from the global war on terrorism have survived combat-related traumatic amputations that often result in phantom limb pain (PLP) syndrome. Combat amputees are also at high risk of developing chronic mental health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and clinical depression as they deal with wartime experiences, rehabilitation, and postrehabilitation adjustments. One active-duty patient was referred to a military outpatient clinic for treatment of PLP and PTSD following a traumatic leg amputation from a noncombat-related motor vehicle accident. Four sessions of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) led to elimination of PLP and a significant reduction in PTSD, depression, and phantom limb tingling sensations. A detailed account of this treatment, as well as a review of the benefits of EMDR research and treatment in the military, is provided. The results are promising but in need of further research.
Restorying the Defendant's Life

Abstract Research identifies prejudices that operate in juries in death penalty cases involving defendants from minority groups. Jury bias is a likely manifestation of unconscious intrapsychic and institutionalized racism originating in cultural dominance and manifested as “White privilege. ” Consequently, the likelihood that the fate of death penalty defendants from minority groups is decided by either juries “of their peers” or actual representatives of community standards is highly suspect in death penalty cases. This article describes and advocates use of a social work intervention, the narrative, in capital trials. Focusing on death penalty cases involving African American defendants from lower socio-economic strata, where justice problems stand in boldest relief, this article explains how use of narratives could (1) prove therapeutic for defendants; (2) encourage jurors' self-awareness, in turn, mitigating bias and prejudice; (3) add to a trend toward therapeutic jurisprudence; and (4) encourage a systemically more humane judicial response to death penalty defendants.
The impact of person and organizational values on organizational commitment.

This study explored the relationship between personal values, organizational values, and organizational commitment. Participants from a large petrochemical company rated 24 values with respect to how important the value was to them and how important it was to the organization. They also completed Meyer and Allen's commitment scale. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that commitment was predicted by the employees’ perception of organizational values. Furthermore, affective, normative and continuance commitment were each predicted by different clusters of values. This study highlights the importance of recognizing that values are multidimensional and that each value cluster may affect behaviour differently.
Passive-fixation lead failure rates and long-term patient mortality in subjects implanted with Sprint Fidelis electrodes.

AIMS To evaluate passive-fixation lead failure rates and long-term patient survival in subjects implanted with Sprint Fidelis electrodes. METHODS AND RESULTS We identified 748 subjects who received a Sprint Fidelis (n = 429; Medtronic models 6948: 94.8%, 6949: 2.6%, 6930: 1.9%, 6931: 0.7%) or a Sprint 'non-Fidelis' implantable cardioverter defibrillator lead (n = 319, Medtronic models 6944: 68.6%, 6947: 17.9%, 6942: 7.8%, 6943: 3.4%, 6945: 2.2%) at our centre between 1998 and 2008. Kaplan-Meier patient survival was lower in the Fidelis group than in the Control cohort (68.4 vs. 77.0% at 5 years, P = 0.0061), but multivariate analyses revealed no significant association between mortality and implanted lead type. Passive-fixation lead failure rate at 5 years was 14.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) [9.2, 19.3]) in the Fidelis (n = 414) group and 1.8% (95% CI [0.0-3.8]) in the Control (n = 241) cohort (P < 0.001 upon multivariate comparison). CONCLUSION Failure rates of passive-fixation Sprint Fidelis leads are increased and similar to those previously reported for active-fixation Fidelis electrodes. Despite the elevated risk for lead failure and its potential sequelae, the Sprint Fidelis has no obvious impact on long-term mortality.
Exploring dimensionality in the origins of hazard-related trust

Linked to the belief that trust affects public responses to hazard management is the question of reasons for this trust or distrust. The scanty research on this topic is poorly designed and tends not to examine the rationales of citizens themselves. A classification of potential reasons under the rubrics of 'competence,' 'care' and 'consensual values' points up the strengths, limitations, and inconsistencies in suggested explanations, and raises the question of whether trust is one- or multidimensional. This discussion aims to provide a foundation for better specification of terms and hypotheses in designing research on trust and its constituents.
MOLECULAR GAS IN EXTREME STAR-FORMING ENVIRONMENTS: THE STARBURSTS Arp 220 AND NGC 6240 AS CASE STUDIES

We report single-dish multitransition measurements of the 12CO, HCN, and HCO+ molecular line emission as well as HNC J = 1–0 and HNCO in the two ultraluminous IR galaxies Arp 220 and NGC 6240. Using this new molecular line inventory, in conjunction with existing data in the literature, we compiled the most extensive molecular line data sets to date for such galaxies. The many rotational transitions, with their different excitation requirements, allow the study of the molecular gas over a wide range of different densities and temperatures with significant redundancy, and thus allow good constraints on the properties of the dense gas in these two systems. The mass (∼ (1–2)×1010 M☉) of dense gas (≳105−6 cm−3) found accounts for the bulk of their molecular gas mass, and is consistent with most of their IR luminosities powered by intense starbursts while self-regulated by O, B star cluster radiative pressure onto the star-forming dense molecular gas. The highly excited HCN transitions trace a gas phase ∼ (10–100)× denser than that of the subthermally excited HCO+ lines (for both galaxies). These two phases are consistent with an underlying density-size power law found for Galactic giant molecular clouds (but with a steeper exponent), with HCN lines tracing denser and more compact regions than HCO+. Whether this is true in IR-luminous, star-forming galaxies in general remains to be seen, and underlines the need for observations of molecular transitions with high critical densities for a sample of bright (U)LIRGs in the local universe—a task for which the HI-FI instrument on board Herschel is ideally suited to do.