Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Active Cognitive Lifestyle Is Associated with Positive Cognitive Health Transitions and Compression of Morbidity from Age Sixty-Five

Background Three factors commonly used as measures of cognitive lifestyle are education, occupation, and social engagement. This study determined the relative importance of each variable to long term cognitive health in those with and without severe cognitive impairment. Methods Data came from 12,470 participants from a multi-centre population-based cohort (Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study). Respondents were aged 65 years and over and were followed-up over 16 years. Cognitive states of no impairment, slight impairment, and moderate/severe impairment were defined, based on scores from the Mini-Mental State Examination. Multi-state modelling was used to investigate links between component cognitive lifestyle variables, cognitive state transitions over time, and death. Results Higher educational attainment and a more complex mid-life occupation were associated with a lower risk of moving from a non-impaired to a slightly impaired state (hazard ratios 0.5 and 0.8), but with increased mortality from a severely impaired state (1.3 and 1.1). More socially engaged individuals had a decreased risk of moving from a slightly impaired state to a moderately/severely impaired state (0.7). All three cognitive lifestyle variables were linked to an increased chance of cognitive recovery back to the non-impaired state. Conclusions In those without severe cognitive impairment, different aspects of cognitive lifestyle predict positive cognitive transitions over time, and in those with severe cognitive impairment, a reduced life-expectancy. An active cognitive lifestyle is therefore linked to compression of cognitive morbidity in late life.
Human–Nature Relationships and Linkages to Environmental Behaviour

While many theories exist to explain the complexity of environmental behaviour, the role of individuals’ relationship with nature has not yet been fully clarified. This paper attempts to operationalise human-nature relationships. It expands upon a scale assessed by an iterative process of mixed methods in the US and Europe. This scale is then used to assess individuals’ relationship with nature, and whether such relationships correlate with environmental behaviour. The value scale of Schwartz's Theory of Basic Values is used to validate the results. The results verify that people hold multiple human-nature relationships, confirm strong correlations between human-nature relationships and values, and reveal that individuals’ behaviour is connected to the relationship they have with nature.
Extending the Promise of the Deutsch-Jozsa-Høyer Algorithm for Finite Groups

Hoyer has given a generalisation of the Deutsch–Jozsa algorithm which uses the Fourier transform on a group G which is (in general) non-Abelian. His algorithm distinguishes between functions which are either perfectly balanced (m-to-one) or constant, with certainty, and using a single quantum query. Here, we show that this algorithm (which we call the Deutsch–Jozsa–Hoyer algorithm) can in fact deal with a broader range of promises, which we define in terms of the irreducible representations of G.
Formal Modeling and Analysis of Social Support Recipient Preferences

This paper presents formal recipient model of support seeking behavior. Support seeking is significantly dynamic and it includes substantial changes as demanding condition happen. From this perspective, the proposed model covers integrating of both coping strategies, support preferences and network ties. The recipient model can be used to recognize social support and human interaction within social networks during stressful events. The model was able to produce realistic behavior that could clarify conditions for handling stress. This was done by employing simulation experiments under various negative events, personality resources and personality attributes. Simulation results show that a person with problemfocused coping, requests either informational or instrumental support. In contrary, a person with emotion-focused coping request instrumental, emotional, and companionship support. Moreover, informational support leads to higher increase requests from weak tie than other types of supports that request from strong tie. These results were similar to those with the model’s mathematical analysis. Finally, a mathematical analysis was used to examine the possible equilibria of the model.
Hidden Markov models for automatic annotation and content-based retrieval of images and video

This paper introduces a novel method for automatic annotation of images with keywords from a generic vocabulary of concepts or objects for the purpose of content-based image retrieval. An image, represented as sequence of feature-vectors characterizing low-level visual features such as color, texture or oriented-edges, is modeled as having been stochastically generated by a hidden Markov model, whose states represent concepts. The parameters of the model are estimated from a set of manually annotated (training) images. Each image in a large test collection is then automatically annotated with the a posteriori probability of concepts present in it. This annotation supports content-based search of the image-collection via keywords. Various aspects of model parameterization, parameter estimation, and image annotation are discussed. Empirical retrieval results are presented on two image-collections | COREL and key-frames from TRECVID. Comparisons are made with two other recently developed techniques on the same datasets.
Intertemporal Labor Supply and Long Term Employment Contracts

In this paper we compare the implications of a symmetric information contracting model and a dynamic labor supply model for changes in individual earnings and hours over time. The critical distinction between these models is whether earnings represent optimal consumption or payment for current labor services. We develop a simple test between labor supply and contracting models based on the relative variability of earnings and hours with respect to changes in productivity. If earnings represent consumption then changes in productivity generate smaller changes in earnings than hours. The opposite is true in the labor supply model. We apply our test to longitudinal data on male household heads fran the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the National Longitudinal Survey of Older Men, focusing on individuals who do not change employers during the survey period. Neither model fits the data well. In both surveys, however, the contrihition of changes in productivity to changes in earnings is greater than the contribution to changes in hours. The data are more consistent with a labor supply interpretation, although the estimated labor supply elasticities suggest that changes in hours occur at fixed wage rates.
The Role of Contemporary Andrology in Unraveling the Mystery of Unexplained Male Infertility

Unexplained male infertility is a condition in which infertile men have normal semen analyses on multiple occasions with no obvious physical or endocrine abnormality when female partner infertility has been ruled out. In addition to erectile problems and coital factors, immune causes and dysfunctional sperm may contribute to such condition. Contemporary andrology may help analyze the unexplained male fertility problem on the basis of cellular and sub-cellular mechanisms and select the proper management. This review highlights the concept of unexplained male infertility and discusses the potential causes and its proper management in the era of modern andrology and assisted reproductive techniques.
State of the art of diagnosis of rickettsial diseases: the use of blood specimens for diagnosis of scrub typhus, spotted fever group rickettsiosis, and murine typhus

Purpose of review With improved malaria control, acute undifferentiated febrile illness studies in tropical regions reveal a startling proportion of rickettsial illnesses, especially scrub typhus, murine typhus, and spotted fever group rickettsioses. Laboratory diagnosis of these infections evolved little over the past 40 years, but combinations of technologies like PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification, with refined rapid diagnostic tests and/or ELISA, are promising for guidance for early antirickettsial treatment. Recent findings The long-term reliance on serological tests – useful only late in rickettsial infections – has led to underdiagnosis, inappropriate therapies, and undocumented morbidity and mortality. Recent approaches integrate nucleic acid amplification and recombinant protein-based serological tests for diagnosing scrub typhus. Optimized using Bayesian latent class analyses, this strategy increases diagnostic confidence and enables early accurate diagnosis and treatment – a model to follow for lagging progress in murine typhus and spotted fever. Summary A laboratory diagnostic paradigm shift in rickettsial infections is evolving, with replacement of indirect immunofluorescence assay by the more objective ELISA coupled with nucleic acid amplification assays to expand the diagnostic window toward early infection intervals. This approach supports targeted antirickettsial therapy, reduces morbidity and mortality, and provides a robust evidence base for further development of diagnostics and vaccines.
Choroid Plexus Neoplasms: Toward a Distinction between Carcinoma and Papilloma Using Arterial Spin-Labeling

SUMMARY: Pediatric choroid plexus papillomas and carcinomas are highly vascularized neoplasms, which are difficult to distinguish with conventional imaging. We aimed to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of PWI, by using both pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling and DSC-PWI. We reviewed the PWI of 13 children with choroid plexus neoplasms (7 papillomas and 6 carcinomas). We quantified CBF, relative CBF, and relative CBV in each lesion and compared papillomas and carcinomas. Relative CBF values by using arterial spin-labeling were significantly higher for carcinomas (P = .028). The median value of relative CBF was 1.7 (range, 1.4–1.9) for carcinomas and 0.4 (range, 0.3–0.6) for papillomas. The CBF median value was 115 mL/min/100 g (range, 90–140 mL/min/100 g) for carcinomas and 41 mL/min/100 g (range, 10–73 mL/min/100 g) for papillomas (P = .056). Measures with DSC-PWI were more variable and not significantly different (P = .393). Arterial spin-labeling is a promising technique to differentiate choroid plexus carcinomas and papillomas.
Information Professional or IT Professional?: The Knowledge and Skills Required by Academic Librarians in the Digital Library Environment

As library and information science (LIS) becomes an increasingly technology-driven profession, particularly in the academic library environment, questions arise as to the extent of information technology (IT) knowledge and skills that LIS professionals require. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain what IT knowledge and skills are needed by academic librarians in the digital library environment. Grounded in pragmatist epistemology and using ideas from sociologist Andrew Abbott's Chaos of Disciplines, the study draws empirical evidence from LIS job advertisements and a national online survey of academic libraries in South Africa. It concludes that 70 to 75 percent of job advertisements in the academic library sector stipulate requirements for advanced IT skills. The author recommends that the LIS discipline seize the opportunity presented by what Abbott calls its "interstitial character" and its tendency toward "fractal distinctions in time" to stake an intellectual claim on this technology-driven extension of its disciplinary domain.
Does Cognitive Ability Reduce Psychological Bias

A burgeoning literature in economics argues that bounded cognition can explain many observed empirical deviations from rationality. Consistent with this hypothesis, we show that individuals with greater cognitive ability behave more closely in accordance with economic decision theory. However, even the most cognitively skilled individuals display significant biases. In two laboratory studies, one conducted with Harvard undergraduates and one with Chilean high school students, we find that individuals with greater cognitive ability are more patient over short-term trade-offs and less risk-averse over small-stakes gambles. In both studies, mathematical ability seems to be more predictive of normative decision-making than verbal ability. In the sample of Chilean students, achievement in elementary school (grades 1-6) is strongly predictive of decisions made at the end of secondary school. Drawing on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), we show that, even after controlling carefully for labor income, more cognitively skilled individuals are more likely to participate in financial markets, are more knowledgeable about their pension plans, accumulate more assets, and are more likely to have tax-deferred savings. These findings persist when we use sibling relationships to identify models using within-family variation in cognitive ability. Finally, various institutional measures of school quality are predictive of sophisticated decision-making, suggesting a role for human capital policy in reducing the impact of psychological biases. JEL classification: J24, D14, C91
The reverse epidemiology of plasma total homocysteine as a mortality risk factor is related to the impact of wasting and inflammation.

BACKGROUND The reason(s) for the apparently paradoxical 'reverse' association in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in whom a low, rather than a high, total plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level is an indicator of poor outcome remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine whether the inverse association maintains, mitigates or reverses after comprehensive multivariate adjustment for the presence of wasting and inflammation as well as other potential confounders. METHODS We studied 317 ESRD patients starting dialysis therapy. Fasting blood samples were taken for the analyses of tHcy, serum albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum creatinine and plasma folate. Nutritional status was assessed by subjective global assessment (SGA). Survival was followed for up to 66 months; 105 patients died. RESULTS Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, a low tHcy concentration (< or =30 micromol/l) was associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality (P < 0.05). Using Cox proportional analysis adjusting for age, gender, glomerular filtration rate = GFR, cardiovascular disease = CVD, plasma folate, total cholesterol and diabetes mellitus, the all-cause and CV mortality still tended to be high for patients with low tHcy. Adding nutritional and inflammation markers (Body mass index = BMI, SGA, serum creatinine, serum albumin and CRP), a low tHcy level was no longer associated with higher mortality but a trend for high tHcy was observed. CONCLUSIONS The link between wasting inflammation and a low tHcy appears to be responsible for the reverse association between plasma tHcy and clinical outcome in ESRD patients. After adjustment for confounders including nutritional and inflammation markers, a trend towards increased death risk for high, rather than low, tHcy levels was apparent after adjustment.
Interactions between Paraoxonase 1 Genetic Polymorphisms and Smoking and Their Effects on Oxidative Stress and Lung Cancer Risk in a Korean Population

Background Few studies in epidemiology have evaluated the effects of gene-environment interaction on oxidative stress, even though this interaction is an important etiologic factor in lung carcinogenesis. We investigated the effects of the genetic polymorphisms of paraoxonase 1 (PON1), smoking, and the interaction between the two on lung cancer risk and oxidative stress. Methods This study’s subjects consisted of 416 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients and an equal number of matched controls. The GoldenGate assay was used for genotypic analyses of the PON1 gene. Urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels were measured as indicators of oxidative stress. Results The PON1 rs662 AA genotype showed a significantly lower risk of lung cancer than the GG genotype (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36–0.99). The protective effect of the PON1 rs662 AA genotype on lung cancer risk was limited to non-smokers. Lung cancer patients who had the rs662 A allele showed a dose-dependent association between smoking status and oxidative stress markers. Among non-smoking lung cancer patients, urinary 8-OHdG levels were significantly lower in individuals with the rs662 GA and AA genotypes than in those with the GG genotype. Furthermore, we found a significant interaction effect between PON1 rs662 and smoking status on urinary 8-OHdG levels in lung cancer patients. Conclusions Our results suggest that the protective effect of PON1 rs662 SNP against lung carcinogenesis and the induction of oxidative stress might be modulated by the interaction between PON1 genetic polymorphisms and tobacco smoking.
Analysis the effects of Electronic Banking on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty (Case study: Selected Branches of Melli Bank in Tehran)

In light of the recent financial crisis and global economic recession, leaders of financial institutions are under additional pressure not only to maintain customer satisfaction while sustaining lower costs, but also to maintain market leadership. To lower costs and maintain market leadership, bank leaders in Iran have capitalized on superior service quality and information technology infrastructures. Internet banking is considered as an online revolution of the traditional banking services which offers customers the greatest expediency for performing banking transactions via the Internet. All banks, especially the large banks and mutual banks, have gradually increased their number of Internet banking services available to customers over the past decades. The most popular Internet banking services are viewing balances and transactions, fund transfers and payment of bills. Internet banking is either offered as a value added service of physical bank branches or a virtual bank where customers can only perform banking transactions through the Internet and it is important to mention that operating costs of a virtual bank are much lower compared to traditional banks. With above support, this study tries to appear the effects of electronic banking services on customer satisfaction and loyalty among customers of six independent branches of Melli bank in Tehran. The research was conducted among 358 e-service customers using a comprehensive questionnaire. To examine our conceptual model, we used the structural equations modeling (SEM) approach using LISREL software. According to the SEM approach, the unknown model parameters are chosen to make, in general, the model-reproduced covariance matrix as close as possible to the sample covariance matrix. We found that ease of service use, website design, speed of connectivity and transactions, information security; information content and support service have a significant effect on user’s satisfaction. Moreover, this satisfaction has a significant effect on loyalty to bank and willingness to continue relations with e-banking service. Our findings can lead financial institutions managers to understand all basic needs for customer loyalty and satisfaction in an electronic environment.
Endothelial Cells Stimulate Self-Renewal and Expand Neurogenesis of Neural Stem Cells

Neural stem cells are reported to lie in a vascular niche, but there is no direct evidence for a functional relationship between the stem cells and blood vessel component cells. We show that endothelial cells but not vascular smooth muscle cells release soluble factors that stimulate the self-renewal of neural stem cells, inhibit their differentiation, and enhance their neuron production. Both embryonic and adult neural stem cells respond, allowing extensive production of both projection neuron and interneuron types in vitro. Endothelial coculture stimulates neuroepithelial cell contact, activating Notch and Hes 1 to promote self-renewal. These findings identify endothelial cells as a critical component of the neural stem cell niche.
Inherited and Environmental Influences on Child Physical Activity: An Adoption Study

Child physical activity plays an important role in decreasing risk for obesity, preventing health issues, and improving mental well-being. Both the family environment and heritable factors influence physical activity in childhood; however, few genetically-informed designs have examined the unique contributions of inherited and environmental influences and the interplay between these influences on child physical activity. Using a longitudinal adoption design, the present study examined the inherited (birth mother body mass index [BMI] and physical activity) and environmental (adoptive parent [AP1 and AP2] role modeling and logistical support) influences, as well as environmental moderation effects, on adopted child physical activity at age 9 years (N = 361). At 5 months postpartum, birth mother BMI was assessed using self-reported height and weight. When children were age 9 years, AP role modeling/logistical support of child physical activity was assessed using the Parent Activity Support Scale, and adopted child physical activity was assessed with parent report using a 3-day activity recall. Results showed that birth mother physical activity and AP1 logistical support were significantly associated with adopted child physical activity. Additionally, AP2 logistical support moderated the heritable influence of birth mother physical activity such that at high levels of AP2 logistical support, adopted children of high physical activity birth mothers engaged in higher levels of physical activity compared to adopted children of low physical activity birth mothers. These findings support the influence of inherited and environmental factors on child physical activity and suggest that supportive parenting practices may promote the expression of children’s inherited tendency for physical activity.
Firm-Specific Attributes and MNE Location Choices: Financial and Professional Service FDI To New York And London

In this paper, we sought to extend the theory of the location determinants of MNEs by challenging one of the fundamental assumptions underlying it, namely that location advantages are absolutes whose values are identical for different MNEs. We explicitly acknowledge the relative value of location advantages for individual MNEs and search for the firm-specific attributes affecting this variation. The empirical testing is based on an analysis of 673 financial and professional service MNEs that entered New York and London business clusters via M&As during the last two decades. The findings confirm that the value of particular location advantages varies for MNEs with different attributes, and that it is the interaction between location and firm-specific attributes, rather than each of these independently, that affects location choices. Firms' previous experience in a country, the geographic scope of their acquisition activity, and their size were found to be particularly influential attributes. Classification-JEL: F23, L10, L80, R30