Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Levels of Serum Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 Correlate with Disease Activity in the Enthesitis-related Arthritis Category of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objective. Serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) has been shown to reflect disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis. Elevated levels have been found in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In the enthesitis-related arthritis category of JIA (JIA-ERA), we studied whether serum MMP-3 levels and ratios of MMP-3/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) are correlated with disease activity and whether they are sensitive to change in disease activity. Methods. A total of 54 patients with JIA-ERA (International League of Associations for Rheumatology criteria) were enrolled for study. Baseline disease activity measures included tender and swollen joint counts, Maastricht AS Enthesitis Score, Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI), patient assessment of pain and global disease activity, physician assessment of global disease activity, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Serum MMP-3 and TIMP-1 levels were measured using ELISA. A group of 24 patients were followed up for longitudinal study. Results. The mean age of 54 patients (48 males) at disease onset was 11.8 ± 4.19 years and duration of disease was 5.2 ± 4.3 years. Median ESR was 65 mm/h (range 46.5–97) and median BASDAI was 3.4 (range 2.5–4.7). Median MMP-3, TIMP-1, and MMP-3/TIMP-1 ratio were 50.4 ng/ml (IQR 13.0–193.8), 228.9 ng/ml (IQR 108.2–290.4), and 0.3 (IQR 0.07–1.13), respectively. At inclusion MMP-3 levels correlated directly with various disease activity measures: tender joint count (TJC; r = 0.60), swollen joint count (SJC; r = 0.45), BASFI (r = 0.29), BASDAI (r = 0.32), ESR (r = 0.49), physician global assessment (r = 0.40), patient visual analog scale for pain (r = 0.28), and patient global assessment (r = 0.38; all p < 0.05). MMP-3/TIMP-1 ratio correlated only with TJC (r = 0.51), SJC (r = 0.39), and ESR (r = 0.34; p < 0.05). At followup, change in MMP-3 correlated with changes in TJC (r = 0.42) and SJC (r = 0.44; p < 0.05), while change in ESR did not correlate with change in any disease activity measure. Conclusion. MMP-3 levels are a good marker for disease activity in JIA-ERA.
Childhood Maltreatment, Parental Monitoring, and Self-Control among Homeless Young Adults

Although parenting factors have been found to contribute to self-control, little is understood about how experiences of maltreatment affect the development of self-control and whether self-control mediates the relationship between maltreatment and negative social outcomes, especially among homeless individuals. This study examined whether lower parental monitoring, physical abuse, and neglect affected the development of self-control and if self-control mediated the relationship between parenting factors and negative social outcomes among a sample of homeless young adults. Results from path analyses indicated that lower parental monitoring and earlier age at first abuse contributed to less cognitive self-control. The effect of monitoring on criminal behavior was partially mediated by self-control. Independent of self-control, low monitoring, physical abuse, and neglect had direct effects on negative outcomes. Running away, a behavioral indicator of self-control, also had direct effects on negative outcomes.
Optimal Bandwidth Reservation in Multiservice Mobile Cellular Networks with Movement Prediction

We study the impact of incorporating handoff prediction information in the session admission control process in mobile cellular networks. We evaluate the performance of optimal policies obtained with and without the predictive information, while taking into account possible prediction errors. Two different approaches to compute the optimal admission policy were studied: dynamic programming and reinforcement learning. Numerical results show significant performance gains when the predictive information is used in the admission process.
Static axial overloading primes lumbar caprine intervertebral discs for posterior herniation

Introduction Lumbar hernias occur mostly in the posterolateral region of IVDs and mechanical loading is an important risk factor. Studies show that dynamic and static overloading affect the nucleus and annulus of the IVD differently. We hypothesize there is also variance in the effect of overloading on the IVD’s anterior, lateral and posterior annulus, which could explain the predilection of herniations in the posterolateral region. We assessed the regional mechanical and cellular responses of lumbar caprine discs to dynamic and static overloading. Material and methods IVDs (n = 125) were cultured in a bioreactor and subjected to simulated-physiological loading (SPL), high dynamic (HD), or high static (HS) overloading. The effect of loading was determined in five disc regions: nucleus, inner-annulus and anterior, lateral and posterior outer-annulus. IVD height loss and external pressure transfer during loading were measured, cell viability was mapped and quantified, and matrix integrity was assessed. Results During culture, overloaded IVDs lost a significant amount of height, yet the distribution of axial pressure remained unchanged. HD loading caused cell death and disruption of matrix in all IVD regions, whereas HS loading particularly affected cell viability and matrix integrity in the posterior region of the outer annulus. Conclusion Axial overloading is detrimental to the lumbar IVD. Static overloading affects the posterior annulus more strongly, while the nucleus is relatively spared. Hence, static overloading predisposes the disc for posterior herniation. These findings could have implications for working conditions, in particular of sedentary occupations, and the design of interventions aimed at prevention and treatment of early intervertebral disc degeneration.
Strengthening Resilience in a Risky World: It's All About Relationships

SUMMARY Building on Judith Jordan's earlier work on relational resilience, this paper challenges the commonly held view that resilience is a unique form of individual “toughness” endowed to a lucky few and suggests that resilience can be strengthened in all people through participation in growth-fostering relationships. The author reviews the research describing individual, internal characteristics associated with resilience and explores the relational aspects of these characteristics. A case example illustrates that efforts promoting relational development help people grow through and beyond experiences of hardship and adversity. In addition, the author proposes specific ways resilience can be strengthened through engagement in relationships that enhance one's intellectual development, sense of worth, sense of competence, sense of empowerment, and, most importantly, sense of connection.
Parenting: Science and Practice

Each day more than three quarters of a million adults around the world experience the rewards and challenges as well as the joys and heartaches of becoming parents. Of course, everyone who has lived has had parents; the human race succeeds because of parenting. Parenting is a subject about which people hold strong opinions but about which too little solid information or considered reflection exists. Parenting: Science and Practice intends to redress this imbalance. Parenting is, perhaps first and foremost, a functional status in the life cycle. Parents issue as well as protect, care for, and represent their progeny; indeed, parenthood is the “final common pathway” to childhood oversight and caregiving. Parenthood is therefore a job that has the child as its primary object of attention and action. But parenting also has real consequences for parents themselves. Parenting: Science and Practice encompasses the broad themes of who are parents; whom parents parent; the scope of parenting and its many effects; the determinants of parenting; and the nature, structure, and meaning of parenthood for parents.
A Question of Friendship: Community Care and the Relationships of People with Learning Difficulties

ABSTRACT There is evidence that a number of people with learning difficulties living in the community do not enjoy a range of satisfactory social relationships. This paper will examine the way that the issue of the apparent loneliness of people with learning difficulties has been approached in the community care literature. I will argue that there is a clear assumption in much of the literature that friendships between disabled and non-disabled people are of greater value than those relationships between disabled people. The low value accorded to friendships between disabled people is very damaging to their individual self-esteem, as well as to the possibility of political action based on a sense of solidarity. The paper will point also to the constraints that many people with learning difficulties face which render it difficult for them to form friendships and, therefore, reinforce their isolation.
Short‐ and Long‐term Rehospitalization and Mortality for Heart Failure in 4 Racial/Ethnic Populations

Background The degree to which outcomes following hospitalization for acute heart failure (HF) vary by racial and ethnic groups is poorly characterized. We sought to compare 30‐day and 1‐year rehospitalization and mortality rates for HF among 4 race/ethnic groups. Methods and Results Using the Get With The Guidelines–HF registry linked with Medicare data, we compared 30‐day and 1‐year outcomes between racial/ethnic groups by using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for clinical, hospital, and socioeconomic status characteristics. We analyzed 47 149 Medicare patients aged ≥65 years who had been discharged for HF between 2005 and 2011: there were 39 213 whites (83.2%), 4946 blacks (10.5%), 2347 Hispanics (5.0%), and 643 Asians/Pacific Islanders (1.4%). Relative to whites, blacks and Hispanics had higher 30‐day and 1‐year unadjusted readmission rates but lower 30‐day and 1‐year mortality; Asians had similar 30‐day readmission rates but lower 1‐year mortality. After risk adjustment, blacks had higher 30‐day and 1‐year CV readmission than whites but modestly lower short‐ and long‐term mortality; Hispanics had higher 30‐day and 1‐year readmission rates and similar 1‐year mortality than whites, while Asians had similar outcomes. When socioeconomic status data were added to the model, the majority of associations persisted, but the difference in 30‐day and 1‐year readmission rates between white and Hispanic patients became nonsignificant. Conclusions Among Medicare patients hospitalized with HF, short‐ and long‐term readmission rates and mortality differed among the 4 major racial/ethnic populations and persisted even after controlling for clinical, hospital, and socioeconomic status variables.
Challenges faced by Small and Medium Enterprise Suppliers when bidding for tenders. A case of Thika District

The Public procurement market in Kenya like other countries worldwide deal with a wide range of supplies. Though these contracts vary mainly in size, some are clearly within the capabilities of Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs). However, SMEs are sidelined from participating in public procurement despite their qualifications, sizes and level of production and despite this preferential treatment of SMEs, comparative tallies of public contracts secured by SMEs in Thika District against those secured by large enterprises are still very small. The study examined the challenges that the SMEs in Thika District face when bidding for tenders and it seeks to determine why they risk losing tenders. The research design used was descriptive and exploratory. The study established that there is a clear Legal/Regulatory framework established in the country to knob public procurement though these guidelines are not open to public scrutiny. The conditions for tendering are not the same for each tenderer and there are ethical malpractices sighted during the process. SMEs encounter financial challenges which include financial regulations and shortage of own financial resources. Information on public procurement and tendering to the SMEs is not adequately available as most respondents were not aware of its existence. The research concluded that the existence of the legal framework makes it difficult for upcoming SMEs to compete with the established players thus discouraging their participation. Ethical aspect hinders the SMEs from participating in tendering due to in-transparency in the process. Financial requirement is a hindrance. Information on public procurement and tendering is not adequately available to the SMEs thus poor access to the little information availed to them.
On Cognitive Busyness When Person Perceivers Meet Persons Perceived

Person perception includes three sequential processes: categorization (what is the actor doing? ), characterization (what trait does the action imply? ), and correction (what situational constraints may have caused the action? ). We argue that correction is less automatic (i.e., more easily disrupted) than either categorization or characterization. In Experiment 1, subjects observed a target behave anxiously in an anxiety-provoking situation. In Experiment 2, subjects listened to a target read a political speech that he had been constrained to write. In both experiments, control subjects used information about situational constraints when drawing inferences about the target, but cognitively busy subjects (who performed an additional cognitive task during encoding) did not. The results (a) suggest that person perception is a combination of lower and higher order processes that differ in their susceptibility to disruption and (b) highlight the fundamental differences between active and passive perceivers.
Factor XIII val34leu and the risk of myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Recent studies have suggested an association between a genetic variation in the coagulation factor XIII (FXIII Val34Leu) and decreased risk of vascular thrombosis. DESIGN AND METHODS We investigated the frequency of the FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism in 150 consecutive, unrelated and relatively young (<55 years) survivors of myocardial infarction (MI) with angiographically-proven severe coronary atherosclerosis and in 150 age-, gender- and race-matched controls. RESULTS FXIII Val34Leu was detected in 54/150 patients and 73/150 controls, yielding an overall odds ratio (OR) for MI of 0.6 (CI95: 0.4-0.9). Homozygosity for FXIII Val34Leu was found in 4/150 patients and in 12/150 controls, yielding an OR for MI of 0.26 (CI95: 0.08-0.9). The OR for heterozygotes was 0.65 (CI95: 0.4-1.1). FXIII Val34Leu carriership decreased the risk of MI related to metabolic risk factors (RF) (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity): non-carriers in the presence of a metabolic RF had a 13.9-fold higher risk of MI, whereas in carriers with a metabolic RF the risk was reduced to 6.8. FXIII Val34Leu also attenuated the risk of MI among smokers. Non-carrier smokers had a 6.1-fold higher risk (CI95: 3.1-11.9), whereas the risk among smokers carrying FXIII Val34Leu was 3.9 (CI95: 1.9-8.1). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS FXIII Val34Leu confers a significant protective effect against the occurrence of MI in relatively young patients. FXIII Val34Leu exhibits a gene dosage effect: the protective effect was particularly strong in homozygous carriers, and heterozygosity conferred moderate protection. Finally, FXIII Val34Leu seems to reduce the risk of MI related to major cardiovascular risk factors.
Organisation‐public relationships: Measurement validation in a university setting

Given the link between quality relationships and supportive behaviours among organisations and publics, it is not surprising that public relations scholars and practitioners have turned their attention to trying to measure public relationships and understanding their value for organisations and publics. As part of the development of a diagnostic tool for measuring relationships, the present study attempted to test a measurement scale for the organisation‐public relationship. This research effort was designed to test empirically Hon and Grunig’s proposed organisation‐public relationship instrument. Although each of the two data sets displayed slightly different operationalised items, the two groups of subjects similarly perceived the six‐factor (trust, satisfaction, control mutuality, commitment, exchange relationship, communal relationship) measures as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring their relationship with the university.
Active Learning in Approximately Linear Regression Based on Conditional Expectation of Generalization Error

The goal of active learning is to determine the locations of training input points so that the generalization error is minimized. We discuss the problem of active learning in linear regression scenarios. Traditional active learning methods using least-squares learning often assume that the model used for learning is correctly specified. In many practical situations, however, this assumption may not be fulfilled. Recently, active learning methods using "importance"-weighted least-squares learning have been proposed, which are shown to be robust against misspecification of models. In this paper, we propose a new active learning method also using the weighted least-squares learning, which we call ALICE (Active Learning using the Importance-weighted least-squares learning based on Conditional Expectation of the generalization error). An important difference from existing methods is that we predict the conditional expectation of the generalization error given training input points, while existing methods predict the full expectation of the generalization error. Due to this difference, the training input design can be fine-tuned depending on the realization of training input points. Theoretically, we prove that the proposed active learning criterion is a more accurate predictor of the single-trial generalization error than the existing criterion. Numerical studies with toy and benchmark data sets show that the proposed method compares favorably to existing methods.
Failure as a Consequence of Partner Politics: Learning from the Life and Death of an International Cooperative Venture

While it is widely recognized that international cooperative ventures suffer a high rate of failure, current theories, namely transaction costs, partner selection, bargaining and learning, offer limited and disjointed reasoning for it. Each of these theories is focused on a single aspect and on a limited phase in the venture’s life, neglecting the process that leads to eventual termination. To study this process, an in-depth analysis of the demise of an international cooperative venture in China traces the critical events in the venture’s life cycle. The analysis shows that escalation of partner political behavior played a key role in the venture’s failure. An integrative political process model incorporating the dynamic aspects of the relationships between parents within their environmental context is developed.
High Density Lipoprotein: A Therapeutic Target in Type 2 Diabetes

High density lipoproteins (HDLs) have a number of properties that have the potential to inhibit the development of atherosclerosis and thus reduce the risk of having a cardiovascular event. These protective effects of HDLs may be reduced in patients with type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the concentration of HDL cholesterol is frequently low. In addition to their potential cardioprotective properties, HDLs also increase the uptake of glucose by skeletal muscle and stimulate the synthesis and secretion of insulin from pancreatic β cells and may thus have a beneficial effect on glycemic control. This raises the possibility that a low HDL concentration in type 2 diabetes may contribute to a worsening of diabetic control. Thus, there is a double case for targeting HDLs in patients with type 2 diabetes: to reduce cardiovascular risk and also to improve glycemic control. Approaches to raising HDL levels include lifestyle factors such as weight reduction, increased physical activity and stopping smoking. There is an ongoing search for HDL-raising drugs as agents to use in patients with type 2 diabetes in whom the HDL level remains low despite lifestyle interventions.
Template Matching as a Strategy for Assessment of and Intervention for Preschool Students with Disabilities

A template-matching strategy was used to develop an intervention for facilitating the transition between preschool and kindergarten for preschoolers with disabilities. Three classes of preschool students who would be entering kindergarten the following year participated: an Intervention group, an Assessment Only group, and a Control group. The study was conducted in two phases: In Phase 1, templates were developed to evaluate the differences between instructional environments in the sending preschool classes and the receiving kindergarten classes. The design of these templates was based on direct observations of the preschool and kindergarten classes using the Eco-Behavioral System for Complex Assessments of Preschool Environments (ESCAPE) and the Assessment Code/Checklist for Evaluating Survival Skills (ACCESS). Ecobehavioral variables were then graphed for each class. In Phase 2, an intervention focusing on some of the major differences found between the environments was designed in collaboration with the preschool staff and implemented for 8 weeks. This intervention was effective in more closely aligning the preschool environments, and teacher and child behaviors, with those reflected in the kindergarten data. At follow-up, preschool students involved in the intervention who were now in kindergarten exhibited fewer competing behaviors and were the recipients of fewer individual prompts during independent work tasks.
Validity of Self‐Assessment Techniques for Estimating Percent Fat in Men and Women

This study examined the validity of the Accu-Measure™ (AM) and the Futrex 1000 (F-1000) for estimating % body fat (BF) by comparing the estimates to values obtained from skinfold equations (Sum3). Thirty Caucasian men (age 23 ± 3 yrs) and 26 Caucasian women (21 ± 2 yrs) participated in the study. Subjects practiced, then determined their %BF using the AM and the F-1000, while skinfold sites from the Sum3 equations (men = abdomen, chest, thigh; women = triceps, suprailiac, thigh) were measured by an experienced investigator with a Lange caliper. The validity (vs. underwater weighing) for each procedure was determined by examining the constant error (CE), standard error of the estimate, r, and total error (TE). The results were similar for both genders and indicated that the AM, which resulted in the lowest TE values and nonsignificant (p > 0.02) CE values, was as accurate as the Sum3 equations for estimating %BF, and is recommended over the F-1000 for self-assessments of body composition.
Perceptions of Scholastic Competence in Relation to Middle-School Achievement

This follow-up study examined the role of affective variables in predicting academic achievement among middle-school students. In a 1991 study, Sink, Barnett, and Hixon found moderate to strong correlations among self-perceived competence scores, teachers' ratings of students' competence, and Grade 6 achievement. To extend these findings, Grade 7 teachers' ratings, parents' ratings of students' academic competence, and seventh grade achievement test scores were collected from the same sample. Similar positive correlations were found between the students' academic self-concept and achievement in Grades 6 and 7. Parents' and teachers' ratings yielded moderate correlations with academic achievement. Step-wise multiple regression analyses showed teachers' perceptions and fathers' perceptions to be the strongest predictors of Grade 7 students' achievement in three of the four subject areas tested. These results underscore the stability and the importance of affective variables in understanding and predicting middle-school academic performance.