Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Dissolution Among Reserve Soldiers

The military has sought to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) and relationship dissolution. This study examined the longitudinal associations of psychosocial, demographic, and military service characteristics with IPV and relationship dissolution among 546 married or cohabiting reservist military personnel that both mobilized and demobilized during an approximate 8-month period in 2003. Over 13% reported engaging in IPV in the year prior to mobilization. Younger age and more stress were associated with IPV. Upon demobilization, 5% of the sample had experienced relationship dissolution, which was associated with less education, CONUS (continental United States) deployments, and enlisted rank. Identifying the factors associated with IPV and relationship dissolution may help detect couples at potential risk to improve family support and military readiness.
The Effect of Lipoic Acid Therapy on Cognitive Functioning in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Most diabetic patients have insulin resistance (IR) that is associated with compensatory hyperinsulinemia, one of the mechanisms suggested for increased AD risk in patients with DM. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a disulfide molecule with antioxidant properties that has positive effects on glucose metabolism and IR. This study evaluated the effect of ALA treatment (600 mg/day) on cognitive performances in AD patients with and without DM. One hundred and twenty-six patients with AD were divided into two groups, according to DM presence (group A) or absence (group B). Cognitive functions were assessed by MMSE, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive (ADAS-Cog), Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Severity (CIBIC), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and Alzheimer's Disease Functional and Change Scale (ADFACS). IR was assessed by HOMA index. At the end of the study, MMSE scores showed a significant improvement in 43% patients of group A (26 subjects) and 23% of group B (15 subjects), compared to baseline (P = .001). Also ADAS-Cog, CIBIC, and ADFACS scores showed a significant improvement in group A versus group B. IR was higher in group A. Our study suggests that ALA therapy could be effective in slowing cognitive decline in patients with AD and IR.
Could distance be a proxy for severity-of-illness? A comparison of hospital costs in distant and local patients.

OBJECTIVE We test the hypothesis that hospital costs, after adjusting for DRG mix, are higher in distant patients than in local patients. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING Data were obtained from the Washington State Commission Hospital Abstract Reporting System (CHARS) and included all patients discharged from 15 metropolitan hospitals in the state of Washington during fiscal year 1987 (N = 181,072). STUDY DESIGN Distant patients were initially defined as those patients residing outside a 15-mile radius of the hospital from which they were discharged; all other patients were considered local. Distance was determined using the patient's residence zip code. Hospital charge, calculated for all patients regardless of payer, served as a proxy for cost and was adjusted using the DRG weight. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Average charge (adjusted for DRG weight) was higher for distant patients in all but two hospitals. Overall adjusted charge for distant patients was 15 percent higher (p < .001). This finding persisted when different distances were used to dichotomize distant and local patients. When the 20 most common DRGs were examined individually, little charge difference was found in surgical DRGs that require tertiary center services (tertiary DRGs) and in those DRGs with both moderate and predictable resource use (routine DRGs); the charge difference seemed most prominent in those DRGs with a wide array of possible resource use (heterogeneous DRGs). CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that patients traveling long distances use more resources and incur higher hospital charges than local patients. This is not accounted for in prospective payment. We postulate that distance might serve in part as a proxy for severity-of-illness.
Contact and Community: The Role of Social Interactions for a Political Identity

Can social interactions generate a sense of community that transcends national borders? This question was initially raised by Deutsch (1953) and revived by Fligstein (2008). Recent evidence on the role of social interactions for a collective European identity based on cross sectional data suffers from endogeneity problems. Previous studies based on longitudinal data present surprisingly inconclusive results. I contribute to this literature in two ways. First, I apply insights from social psychology to specify the microfoundations of why contact across group boundaries is likely to contribute to a collective identity. Second, I use a new three-wave panel data set to probe causal effects. I surveyed almost 1500 students at 38 universities before they left their home institution to study one or two terms in another European country, shortly after they returned, and a third time after a time lag of five months. The panel study design with control group allows establishing causal effects more reliably than research based on a probability sample surveyed at a single time point because the effect of social interactions can be observed within individuals and over time. The results show that transnational social interactions contribute to a collective identity. Using data on students’ interactions with other international students while abroad, I further analyze the underlying causal process. My findings suggest that it is contact with other international students that fosters a collective European identity, while interactions with hosts do not have a similar effect. The panel data also reveals that transnational social interactions have a more profound impact on individuals with a weak European identity to begin with. Finally, the analysis provides suggestive evidence for contact to generate a stable recalibration of political identities that is stable after students’ return.
The Effects of Attachment Priming on Depressed and Anxious Mood

Correlational evidence links attachment insecurity (attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) to depression and anxiety, but the causal directions of these relationships remain unspecified. Our aim (Study 1, N = 144) was to prime attachment anxiety and avoidance and test causal relationships between these attachment patterns and depressed and anxious mood. Attachment anxious-primed participants reported higher depressed mood than secure-primed participants. Furthermore, avoidant-primed and anxious-primed participants reported higher anxious mood compared with secure-primed participants. In Study 2 (N = 81) we tested the effectiveness of repeatedly priming attachment security (versus a neutral prime), in the laboratory and via texts, on improving depressed and anxious mood. Secure-primed (compared with neutral-primed) participants reported less anxious mood postprime and one day later. Repeated secure-primed (compared with neutral) participants reported marginally less depressed mood postprime and one day later. Discussion considers possible clinical implications for repeated security priming.
Translation and the Problem of Realism in Philippine Literature in English

To the degree that Philippine literature in English is translational it cannot berealistic: realism is a signifying practice that presupposes a monocultural ground,upon which the “consensus” of representational fidelity can happen. And yet, muchof the criticism of this literature, as produced by Filipinos themselves, has generallyfailed to take note of this crucial precondition, enacting a ruinous category mistakethat, among other things, unwittingly confounds contemporary departures fromthe referential towards the “avant-garde” and/or antimimetic modes, as these areespoused by young Filipino poets and fictionists alike. Finally, this paper arguesthat the various literary practices encoded in Philippine anglophone writing stillneed to be postcolonially specified, their translated or syncretic qualities criticallyrecognized and acknowledged, and that this kind of interpretive labor needs to bemade not only by locally engaged critics but also by Filipino writers who purport tochampion more theoretically informed and self-reflexive “performances” or texts.
Infliximab therapy for intestinal, neurological, and vascular involvement in Behcet disease: Efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics in a multicenter, prospective, open-label, single-arm phase 3 study

AbstractBehçet disease (BD) is a multisystem disease associated with a poor prognosis in cases of gastrointestinal, neurological, or vascular involvement. We conducted a multicenter, prospective, open-label, single-arm phase 3 study to determine the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of infliximab (IFX) in BD patients with these serious complications who had displayed poor response or intolerance to conventional therapy.IFX at 5 mg/kg was administered to 18 patients (11 intestinal BD, 3 neurological BD [NBD], and 4 vascular BD [VBD]) at weeks 0, 2, and 6 and every 8 weeks thereafter until week 46. In patients who showed inadequate responses to IFX after week 30, the dose was increased to 10 mg/kg. We then calculated the percentage of complete responders according to the predefined criteria depending on the symptoms and results of examinations (ileocolonoscopy, brain magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography angiography, positron emission tomography, cerebrospinal fluid, or serum inflammatory markers), exploring the percentage of complete responders at week 30 (primary endpoint). The percentage of complete responders was 61% (11/18) at both weeks 14 and 30 and remained the same until week 54. Intestinal BD patients showed improvement in clinical symptoms along with decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels after week 2. Consistently, scarring or healing of the principal ulcers was found in more than 80% of these patients after week 14. NBD patients showed improvement in clinical symptoms, imaging findings, and cerebrospinal fluid examinations. VBD patients showed improvement in clinical symptoms after week 2 with reductions in CRP levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Imaging findings showed reversal of inflammatory changes in 3 of the 4 VBD patients. Irrespective of the type of BD, all patients achieved improvement in quality of life, leading to the dose reduction or withdrawal of steroids. IFX dose was increased to 10 mg/kg in 3 intestinal BD patients, resulting in the improvement of clinical symptoms, CRP levels, and visual analogue scale score. Safety and pharmacokinetics profiles were comparable to those in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn disease. These findings support IFX as a new therapeutic option for patients with intestinal BD, NBD, or VBD.
Strategic Formation of Heterogeneous Networks

We establish a network formation game for the Internet’s autonomous system (AS) interconnection topology. The game includes different types of players, accounting for the heterogeneity of ASs in the Internet. In this game, the utility of a player depends on the network structure, e.g., the distances between nodes and the cost of links. Our model is versatile and can accommodate various configurations: whether monetary transfers are allowed, whether survivability requirements are imposed or not, and if so, whether failures are frequent or rare. We analyze static properties of the game as well as its dynamic evolution. We provide a dynamic analysis of topological quantities, and explain the prevalence of some “network motifs” in the Internet connectivity graph. We assess our predictions with real-world data.
Gender labeling and the adoption of sex-typed behaviors.

Chez 43 enfants âges de 21 a 40 mois sont etudies les liens entre la designation du sexe d'images representant des personnes (enfants et adultes) des deux sexes et la manifestation de trois comportements lies au role sexuel (choix d'un jouet, agression, selection d'un pair)
Is Discrimination Against Evangelical Christians a Problem in Social Work Education?

This article reviews the literature regarding discrimination by social work practitioners and educators against evangelical Christian social workers. We examine the methodology of articles that compare religiosity and political ideology between social workers and the general population and also of articles that address discrimination against evangelical Christians in social work education. Our results indicate that there are limited studies to support arguments that such discrimination exists and that these studies have significant methodological weaknesses. We conclude that the claims about social work and social workers discriminating against evangelical Christians are not supported by a sufficient body of rigorous research.
Between Ritual and Spiritual: Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices Regarding Prayer Education in TALI Day Schools in Israel

The aim of this qualitative study is to describe teachers’ perceptions and roles in prayer education in TALI day schools in Israel, using in-depth oral Interviews, written questionnaires and written materials of the schools’ network. Two educational ideologies were identified: Belonging to the Jewish collective and Personal-spiritual ideology. While participants perceive the aim of Jewish education as enhancing students’ belonging to the Jewish collective, prayer education introduces a personal-spiritual aspect that was not typically a part of teachers’ discourse on Jewish education.
Nitric Oxide Synthase in the Central Nervous System and Peripheral Organs of Stramonita haemastoma: Protein Distribution and Gene Expression in Response to Thermal Stress

Nitric oxide (NO) is generated via the oxidation of l-arginine by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS) both in vertebrates and invertebrates. Three NOS isoforms, nNOS, iNOS and eNOS, are known in vertebrates, whereas a single NOS isoform is usually expressed in invertebrates, sharing structural and functional characteristics with nNOS or iNOS depending on the species. The present paper is focused on the constitutive Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent nNOS recently sequenced by our group in the neogastropod Stramonita haemastoma (ShNOS). In this paper we provide new data on cellular distribution of ShNOS in the CNS (pedal ganglion) and peripheral organs (osphradium, tentacle, eye and foot) obtained by WB, IF, CM and NADPHd. Results demonstrated that NOS-like proteins are widely expressed in sensory receptor elements, neurons and epithelial cells. The detailed study of NOS distribution in peripheral and central neurons suggested that NOS is both intracellular and presynaptically located. Present findings confirm that NO may have a key role in the central neuronal circuits of gastropods and in sensory perception. The physiological relevance of NOS enzymes in the same organs was suggested by thermal stress experiments demonstrating that the constitutive expression of ShNOS is modulated in a time- and organ-dependent manner in response to environmental stressors.
Empirical research on Waldorf education

Waldorf education began in 1919 with the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart and nowadays is widespread in many countries all over the world. Empirical research, however, has been rare until the early nineties and Waldorf education has not been discussed within educational science so far. This has changed during the last decades. This article reviews the results of surveys during the last 20 years and is mainly focused on German Waldorf Schools, because most investigations have been done in this field. Findings are reported with respect to the following central aspects of Waldorf education: the holistic and integrative approach, the self-governance in the organization of the Waldorf schools, the Waldorf curriculum, and the principle of class teachers from 1 st to 8 th grade. Furthermore, Waldorf education also provides its own unique teacher training. All of these aspects have been explored and evaluated from different points of view and with different methods. The results show strengths as well as weaknesses of Waldorf education in the daily practice in schools, which indicates the kinds of challenges Waldorf education will have to face in the upcoming decades. The authors themselves have contributed in several investigations to the field of Waldorf education. Keywords: Waldorf Education; Waldorf teacher training.
Lessons for Inclusion: Classroom Experiences of Students with Mild and Moderate Hearing Loss.

This paper is being submitted for consideration for the special issue of CJE to be published in December 2012, entitled What is inclusive education in Canada? Up to 15 % of the student population in integrated classrooms has mild or moderated hearing loss (MMHL) (Niskar et al., 2001), a communication disability that can impact language development, academic performance, and social-emotional quality of life. Due to the mostly intelligible speech of these students, teachers may easily overlook their difficulties with classroom participation and subsequently give little attention to mitigating the effect of their hearing loss. Consequently, full inclusion of students with MMHL in integrated classrooms can be compromised. The purpose of this research is to investigate through in-depth interview the experiences of students with MMHL to gain insight into how they, as learners, conceptualized and managed their hearing loss during their school career. Self-determination theory provided an analytical framework and disability identity development research expanded the latent meanings of the school experiences that students with hearing loss negotiate in their attempts to gain full inclusion at school. Participants’ statements revealed a reluctance to seek support from educators or peers, even in instances of communication breakdown. Qualitative analysis highlighted a coherent message that educators (a) understand the lived experience of students with MMHL, (b) recognize the inherent contradictions that can accompany this disability, and (c) attend to student needs; to communication, learning, and social-emotional needs. Practical teaching strategies facilitating inclusion of students with MMHL are provided, as are recommendations for educational researchers to ascertain the type of supports from which they could benefit to gain full inclusion in their classrooms. Keywords: Inclusion, hearing loss, social-emotional, disability identity
Growth hormone excess promotes breast cancer chemoresistance.

CONTEXT GH and IGF-I are known to promote breast carcinogenesis. Even if breast cancer (BC) incidence is not increased in female acromegalic patients, mortality is greater as compared with general population. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to evaluate whether GH/IGF-I excess might influence BC response to chemotherapy. DESIGN We evaluated GH and IGF-I effects on cell proliferation of a BC cell line, MCF7 cells, in the presence of doxorubicin (Doxo), frequently used in BC chemotherapy, and the possible mechanisms involved. RESULTS GH and IGF-I induce MCF7 cell growth in serum-free conditions and protect the cells from the cytotoxic effects of Doxo. GH effects are direct and not mediated by IGF-I because they are apparent also in the presence of an IGF-I receptor blocking antibody and disappear in the presence of the GH antagonist pegvisomant. The expression of the MDR1 gene, involved in resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, was not induced by GH. In addition, c-fos transduction was reduced by Doxo, which prevented GH stimulatory effects. Pegvisomant inhibited basal and GH-induced c-fos promoter transcriptional activity. Autocrine GH action is ruled out by the lack of endogenous GH expression in this MCF7 cell strain. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that GH can directly induce resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs with a mechanism that might involve GH-induced early gene transcription and support the hypothesis that GH excess can hamper BC treatment, possibly resulting in an increased mortality.
In vivo metabolism and kinetics of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and its metabolites, 2-butoxyacetaldehyde and 2-butoxyacetic acid, as measured in blood, liver and forestomach of mice

Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE) causes forestomach hyperplasia and neoplasia in mice when administered chronically by inhalation. The study was initiated to test the physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model prediction that 2-butoxyacetaldehyde (BAL), a transient, labile intermediate in the oxidation of EGBE to butoxyacetic acid (BAA), is unlikely to achieve concentrations sufficient to cause DNA damage in target tissues. Male and female B6C3F1 mice were administered a high oral dose of EGBE (600 mg kg−1), and tissues were collected at 5, 15, 45 and 90 min following the dose. The tissues were processed for determination of EGBE, BAL and BAA by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. BAL was detected at low concentrations in all tissues sampled and at all time points following EGBE administration (about 0.3–33 μM). BAL concentrations were highest in the initial samples (5 min) in all tissues and declined from that point. BAL concentrations in liver and forestomach tissues corresponded to the peak concentrations predicted by an already published PBPK model, and are higher than BAL concentrations that could be achieved by inhalation exposure to EGBE. Mouse inhalation exposure to EGBE is therefore unlikely to generate BAL concentrations in tissues sufficient to initiate a carcinogenic response.
High Bioavailability of Bisphenol A from Sublingual Exposure

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) risk assessment is currently hindered by the rejection of reported higher-than-expected plasma BPA concentrations in humans after oral ingestion. These are deemed incompatible with the almost complete hepatic first-pass metabolism of BPA into its inactive glucurono-conjugated form, BPA glucuronide (BPAG). Objectives: Using dogs as a valid model, we compared plasma concentrations of BPA over a 24-hr period after intravenous, orogastric, and sublingual administration in order to establish the absolute bioavailability of BPA administered sublingually and to compare it with oral bioavailability. Methods: Six dogs were sublingually administered BPA at 0.05 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg. We compared the time course of plasma BPA concentrations with that obtained in the same dogs after intravenous administration of the same BPA doses and after a 20-mg/kg BPA dose administrated by orogastric gavage. Results: The data indicated that the systemic bioavailability of BPA deposited sublingually was high (70–90%) and that BPA transmucosal absorption from the oral cavity led to much higher BPA internal exposure than obtained for BPA absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. The concentration ratio of BPAG to BPA in plasma was approximately 100-fold lower following sublingual administration than after orogastric dosing, distinguishing the two pathways of absorption. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that BPA can be efficiently and very rapidly absorbed through the oral mucosa after sublingual exposure. This efficient systemic entry route of BPA may lead to far higher BPA internal exposures than known for BPA absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.