Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fatality trends in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, 1948-1998.

CONTEXT The rising number of deaths among United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces after the Cold War has made some troop-contributing countries hesitant to participate in peacekeeping operations. While the number and scale of missions have increased, no data have demonstrated a parallel increase in risks to peacekeepers. OBJECTIVE To determine the association of characteristics of UN peacekeeping operations with risks and mortality rates among UN peacekeeping forces in both the Cold War and post-Cold War periods. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Descriptive analysis of 1559 personnel deaths during 49 UN peacekeeping missions from 1948-1998 based on the casualty database maintained by Department of Peacekeeping Operations, UN Headquarters. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Number and percentage of deaths by circumstance, total crude death rate, and crude death rate and relative risk of death by circumstance (hostile acts, unintentional violence, and illness or other causes) and time period (Cold War vs post-Cold War), geographic region, and nature of peacekeeping response; and regression analysis of mission variables (strength, duration, and humanitarian mandate) associated with total number of deaths. RESULTS More deaths have occurred among UN peacekeeping forces in the past decade alone than in the previous 40 years of UN peacekeeping (807 vs 752), but crude death rates did not differ significantly by time period (Cold War vs post-Cold War, 21.8 vs 21. 2 deaths per 10,000 person-years; P =.58), level of peacekeeping response, or for geographic regions other than East Europe and Central America, where rates were lower (P<.001 for both regions). Unintentional violence accounted for 41.2% of deaths, followed by hostile acts (36.1%), and illness or other causes (22.7%). Deaths from hostile acts increased after the Cold War (relative risk [RR] 1. 51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.88), while rates for deaths caused by unintentional violence decreased (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.67-0. 94) but remain high, particularly in the Middle East and Asia (RR, 1. 39; 95% CI, 1.15-1.69). Regression analysis showed a significant association between number of deaths and the strength (P<.001) and duration (P<.001) of a peacekeeping mission. CONCLUSION The increase in number of deaths among UN peacekeeping personnel since 1990 can be attributed to the increased number and scale of missions after the Cold War rather than increased RR of death. Post-Cold War peacekeeping personnel have a higher risk of dying from hostile acts in missions where more force is required. In missions providing or facilitating humanitarian assistance, both the RR of deaths from all causes and deaths from hostile acts are increased. JAMA. 2000;284:598-603
The Lessons Learned From the Unique Characteristics of Small Technology-Based Firms

[Abstract] The aim of this study is to identify how characteristics of small technology-based firms (STBFs), their unique combination of internal capabilities, structure, and processes, influence strategy formulation. Based on qualitative research using multiple case studies supported by semi-structured interviews, the study's main results indicate the founder's technical expertise shapes the business, mission, and vision. Lack of resources allows limited activities in strategy formulation with few matching capabilities analyses or benchmarking studies. STBFs favor competitive analysis almost exclusively in developing a market positioning strategy without regard for other methods. [Keywords] Small technology-based firms; firm's characteristics; strategy formulation The small Technology-based firms (STBF) are able to leverage and support the process of industrialization, competitive gains, and development in a country. This is due to the strong research and development efforts of these organizations, which result in innovative products and new technologies. Along with other specific characteristics, STBFs distinguish themselves from other organizations by the small size and the technology -based industry to which they belong. Over time, the technology developed by the STBF matures, reducing the competitiveness of the firm. This demands a continuous investment and focus on research and development (RD effect of existing technologies obsolescence; processing time of the RD quality and final price; and unforeseen effects of the technology. …
Myths of Moderation: Confrontation and Conflict during Democratic Transitions

In a 1970 essay that marked the beginning of a new wave of writing on democratization, Dankwart A. Rustow argued persuasively that democracy is the fruit of "choice" and "conscious decision" on the part of political elites. ' This perception seems widely shared, for our current literature is full of tactical insights on how elites might be induced to choose democracy over alternative political systems. This essay focuses on the tactics of the transition period, defined as the time between the breakdown of the dictatorship and the conclusion of the first democratic national elections. It examines what I call the "moderation argument": that radical popular organizations threaten democratic transitions if they fail to moderate their demands and behavior as the moment of elite choice approaches. Implicit and explicit variations of the moderation argument are widely purveyed, and this essay assesses their merits in light evidence from Iberia, Latin America, and Asia. It concludes by explaining when the moderation argument does and does not hold.
Internal Consistency and Concurrent Validity of Four Instruments Used to Evaluate the Visual-Motor Integration Skills of School-Aged Children

Objective. The study aim was to examine the internal consistency and concurrent validity of four visual-motor integration assessment tools. Providing early, targeted intervention for children presenting with visual-motor integration difficulties relies on having access to high-quality visual-motor integration assessment tools that are valid and reliable. Method. The participants included 400 typically developing children aged 5 to 12 years, recruited from six schools in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Under the guidance of an occupational therapist, children completed the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, Test of Visual-Motor Integration, Test of Visual-Motor Skills-Revised, and Slosson Visual-Motor Performance Test. The order of completion of the four tests was counterbalanced to minimize an order effect. Cronbach alpha and Pearson's r correlations were calculated using SPSS. Results. Results for Cronbach alpha were all above 0.80, indicating high levels of internal consistency, and all four instruments were significantly correlated with one another, demonstrating concurrent validity. Conclusion. It can be concluded that all four visual-motor integration instruments exhibit acceptable levels of internal consistency and concurrent validity based on this study's results.
Psychological distress in new and expecting parents: the role of attachment, self-concept, and maladaptive perfectionism

This thesis aimed to broaden the understanding of psychological distress experienced in the transition to parenthood. Although depression has been widely researched with postnatal women, there has until recently been a lesser focus on anxiety symptoms, and relatively little research has investigated the experience of obsessive compulsive symptoms. Furthermore, although much research has focused on antenatal and postnatal research, there has been a paucity of research which has focused on this transition for men. Additionally, few studies have compared childbearing groups to those without children, so it is unknown whether predictors of psychological distress in new and expecting parents are reflections of those in general populations. This thesis aimed to test a model of psychological distress in new and expecting parents, and a comparison group of adults without children. It was proposed that attachment theory, self-concept, and maladaptive perfectionism could be integrated to provide an explanation of psychological distress. In particular, it was proposed that perceptions of low self-efficacy for the parenting role may be an important predictor of antenatal and postpartum psychological distress for individuals to whom the parenting role is of high importance (parenting self-concept sensitivity). This highlighted the need for a measure to assess parenting self-concept sensitivity, and the first study reported in this thesis developed such a measure with a sample of 131 women (aged 18-42 years) with children aged no older than 3 years of age. This measure showed a clear factor structure and good reliability in both the pilot study and with main study participants. It was further hypothesised that the direct effect of attachment anxiety on psychological distress would be mediated by global self-worth, maladaptive perfectionism, and parenting self-concept sensitivity, and that the effect of maladaptive perfectionism would be moderated by self-esteem. The final sample resulted in only six new fathers and six expectant fathers completing the study, and they were unable to be analysed as separate groups, instead men were compared as a whole. Thus, a total of 218 participants completed the study (46 men, 77 women without children, 43 first-time expectant mothers, and 52 postpartum women), who ranged in age from 18 to 45 years.
Student modelling and classification rules learning for educational resource prediction in a multiagent system

To model support for human learning, rules (i.e. triggering event-conditions-actions) can be classified to encompass any state of student learning activity enroute to appropriate learning material prediction. In an agent based system, each component of an adaptive multiagent system can be represented as agents having individual autonomy and responsibility to realise the overall goal of the system. In this paper, we present an extended work on a multiagent based Pre-assessment System in which a modelling agent employs the technique of One v All Multiple Classification rules to make predictions for learning materials after some prerequisite assessment facts to a desired concept or topic are communicated by the pre-assessment agent. Using SQL ontology tree structure as the domain of learning content, a learning algorithm is described as a process for estimating the total number of classified rules required for the pre-assessment system. This estimate is proven to be dependent on: 1) two binary state values, 2) the number of leaf-nodes in the ontology tree, and 3) the number of prerequisite concept(s) to a desired concept. In addition, is the learning algorithm with which a modelling agent can increment or decrement its classified number of rules.
Influence of dose and route of Mycobacterium lepraemurium inoculation on the production of interleukin 1 and interleukin 2 in C57BL/6 mice

Groups of C57BL/6 mice were infected either intravenously or subcutaneously with 10(5) or 10(8) Mycobacterium lepraemurium cells, and the ability of their splenic macrophages and T-cells to produce, respectively, interleukin 1 on lipopolysaccharide stimulation and interleukin 2 on concanavalin A stimulation was assessed during the course of infection. In all groups of infected mice, interleukin 1 production remained unaffected during the entire observation period, whereas interleukin 2 activity decreased as the infection progressed. Heavily infected mice (10(8) M. lepraemurium cells) showed an earlier and stronger deficiency interleukin 2 production by concanavalin A-stimulated spleen cells than did mice infected with a lower dose (10(5) bacilli), without detectable influence by the route of inoculation. In mice receiving 10(5) bacilli, minor differences were seen according to the route of infection, with a slight delay in interleukin 2 decrease in mice injected intravenously. In subcutaneously inoculated mice, the failure of spleen cells to produce interleukin 2 after concanavalin A stimulation did not correlate with the number of bacilli developing in the spleen, suggesting the existence of suppressor mechanisms acting at a distance from the site of inoculation.
[Off-pump myocardial revascularization in the elderly: analysis of morbidity and mortality].

OBJECTIVE To analyze the in-hospital outcome of elderly patients aged 70 years and older who underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery with an intraluminal shunt in urgent, emergent, and elective coronary revascularizations. METHODS From July 1989 to July 2005, we analyzed 87 patients ranging in age from 70 to 92 years. Of the 87 patients enrolled, 50 (57.5%) patients had unstable angina, with three (3.4%) acute myocardial infarction; thirty-one (35.6%) patients underwent urgent and emergent surgery; thirteen (14.9%) patients had myocardial infarction in less than 30 days, and 34 (39.1%) in more than 30 days. RESULTS The main postoperative complications were: atrial fibrillation (32.2%), heart failure (12.6%), pneumonia (10.3%), septicemia (3.4%), acute myocardial infarction (2.3%), mediastinitis (1.1%) transient ischemic attack (1.1%), and pneumothorax (1.1%). The mean extubation time was 18.50+/-19.09 hours, the length of stay in the intensive care unit was 2.92+/-2.03 days, and hospital length of stay was 10.55+/-7.16 days. Packed red cells were given to nine (10.34%) patients and none of them was operated due to bleeding. The in-hospital mortality was 4.6%. CONCLUSIONS In patients over 70 years-old, elective and non-elective off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting with intracoronary shunt showed to be safe and effective, associated with low rates of postoperative complications and mortality in relation to the studied population.
Sex differences in the effect of fish-oil supplementation on the adaptive response to resistance exercise training in older people: a randomized controlled trial12

Background: Resistance exercise increases muscle mass and function in older adults, but responses are attenuated compared with younger people. Data suggest that long-chain n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may enhance adaptations to resistance exercise in older women. To our knowledge, this possibility has not been investigated in men. Objective: We sought to determine the effects of long-chain n–3 PUFA supplementation on resistance exercise training–induced increases in muscle mass and function and whether these effects differ between older men and women. Design: Fifty men and women [men: n = 27, mean ± SD age: 70.6 ± 4.5 y, mean ± SD body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2): 25.6 ± 4.2; women: n = 23, mean ± SD age: 70.7 ± 3.3 y, mean ± SD BMI: 25.3 ± 4.7] were randomly assigned to either long-chain n–3 PUFA (n = 23; 3 g fish oil/d) or placebo (n = 27; 3 g safflower oil/d) and participated in lower-limb resistance exercise training twice weekly for 18 wk. Muscle size, strength, and quality (strength per unit muscle area), functional abilities, and circulating metabolic and inflammatory markers were measured before and after the intervention. Results: Maximal isometric torque increased after exercise training to a greater (P < 0.05) extent in the long-chain n–3 PUFA group than in the placebo group in women, with no differences (P > 0.05) between groups in men. In both sexes, the effect of exercise training on maximal isokinetic torque at 30, 90, and 240° s−1, 4-m walk time, chair-rise time, muscle anatomic cross-sectional area, and muscle fat did not differ (P > 0.05) between groups. There was a greater (P < 0.05) increase in muscle quality in women after exercise training in the long-chain n–3 PUFA group than in the placebo group, with no such differences in men (P > 0.05). Long-chain n–3 PUFAs resulted in a greater decrease (P < 0.05) than the placebo in plasma triglyceride concentrations in both sexes, with no differences (P > 0.05) in glucose, insulin, or inflammatory markers. Conclusion: Long-chain n–3 PUFA supplementation augments increases in muscle function and quality in older women but not in older men after resistance exercise training. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02843009.
Tea Consumption and Risk of Cancer of the Colon and Rectum

The association between tea consumption and risk of colon and rectal cancers was investigated in a population-based case-control study conducted in Iowa (United States). Colon (n = 685) and rectal (n = 655) cancer cases age 40-85 yr were identified through the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Cancer Registry (86% response rate); controls (n = 2,434) were frequency matched by sex and 5-yr age group (80% response rate). The usual adult consumption of tea (hot and iced), along with other information including dietary data, was self-reported using a mailed questionnaire. Total tea consumption (cups/day) was categorized as none (reference category), low (? 3.1), medium (3.1-5.0), and high (? 5.0), with cut points for tea consumers based on the 75th and 90th percentiles of use among controls. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. There was no association between total tea consumption and colon cancer (ORs = 1.0, 1.1, 1.3, and 0.7) or rectal cancer (ORs = 1.0, 0.9, 1.4, and 1.0) after adjustment for age, sex, education, physical activity, smoking history, and intake of coffee, fiber, and fruits and vegetables. Results were similar when hot tea and iced tea were evaluated individually. Further adjustment for other colorectal cancer risk factors did not alter these results. There was no association with proximal or distal colon cancer. There was also no interaction between tea consumption and any of the dietary variables or total fluid on risk of colon or rectal cancer, with the exception of a suggestive positive association between an increasing frequency of tea consumption and colon cancer risk among current smokers (multivariate ORs = 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, and 1.8; P for trend = 0.1), but not among never smokers (multivariate ORs = 1.0, 1.0, 1.1, and 0.4; P for trend = 0.3). These data do not support an overall association, either positive or negative, between tea consumption and risk of colon or rectal cancer in this Midwestern US population.
Evaluation of a Novel Functional Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (rs35010275 G>C) in MIR196A2 Promoter Region as a Risk Factor of Gastric Cancer in a Chinese Population

AbstractSingle-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in microRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to influence the occurrence and progression of cancer through altering the expression and biological function of miRNAs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the potential functional SNPs in MIR196A2 promoter had effect on the susceptibility to gastric cancer (GC) in a Chinese population.We conducted a 2-stage case–control study (753 cases and 854 controls in testing set; 940 cases and 1061 controls in validation set) to evaluate the association between 2 potential functional SNPs in MIR196A2 promoter (rs12304647 A>C and rs35010275 G>C) and GC risk. The luciferase reporter assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay were used to examine the functionality of the important polymorphism.We found that the rs35010275 C allele was significantly associated with the decreased risk of GC (adjusted odds ratio = 0.85, 95% confidence interval = 0.77–0.94) in the combined case–control studies. The miR-196a expression levels in GC tissues were significantly higher than that in corresponding adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.001). Besides, each allele of rs35010275 displayed completely opposite effects to influence the transcription activity of MIR196A2 promoter via recruiting different transcription factors or complexes.The functional rs35010275 G>C polymorphism in MIR196A2 promoter was significantly associated with miR-196a expression and influenced the genetic susceptibility to GC.
The Arabidopsis ATR1 Myb Transcription Factor Controls Indolic Glucosinolate Homeostasis1

Plants derive a number of important secondary metabolites from the amino acid tryptophan (Trp), including the growth regulator indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and defense compounds against pathogens and herbivores. In previous work, we found that a dominant overexpression allele of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Myb transcription factor ATR1, atr1D, activates expression of a Trp synthesis gene as well as the Trp-metabolizing genes CYP79B2, CYP79B3, and CYP83B1, which encode enzymes implicated in production of IAA and indolic glucosinolate (IG) antiherbivore compounds. Here, we show that ATR1 overexpression confers elevated levels of IAA and IGs. In addition, we show that an atr1 loss-of-function mutation impairs expression of IG synthesis genes and confers reduced IG levels. Furthermore, the atr1-defective mutation suppresses Trp gene dysregulation in a cyp83B1 mutant background. Together, this work implicates ATR1 as a key homeostatic regulator of Trp metabolism and suggests that ATR1 can be manipulated to coordinately control the suite of enzymes that synthesize IGs.
Adjacent Level Intradiscal Pressure and Segmental Kinematics Following A Cervical Total Disc Arthroplasty: An In Vitro Human Cadaveric Model

Study Design. In vitro investigation of cervical adjacent level intradiscal pressures (IDPs) following a total disc replacement arthroplasty. Objectives. The current in vitro study was undertaken to compare adjacent level IDPs and operative level kinematics following a cervical arthroplasty versus an arthrodesis procedure. Summary of Background Data. Clinical data indicate the incidence of symptomatic transition syndrome to be as high as 3% annually following a cervical interbody arthrodesis. Recent developments in the motion preservation technology should, in theory, minimize transition syndrome at the adjacent levels. Methods. A total of 10 human cadaveric cervical spines were used in this investigation. Following intact analysis, all specimens were sequentially reconstructed at C5–C6 with 1) total disc replacement (TDR), 2) allograft dowel, and 3) allograft dowel + anterior cervical plate. Testing was performed in displacement control under axial rotation, flexion/extension, and lateral bending loading modes. IDPs were recorded at C4–C5 and C6–C7 whereas peak range of motion (ROM) and NZ were monitored at C5–C6 level. Results. Similar IDPs were recorded between the intact condition and a TDR reconstruction at both adjacent levels under all loading modes (P > 0.05). However, the C4–C5 IDP values produced under flexion/extension testing for both arthrodesis treatments were significantly higher than the means obtained for the intact and disc replacement groups (P < 0.05). Similar intergroup differences were observed at the C6–C7 level; however, statistical significance was achieved during all three loading methods (P < 0.05). C5–C6 ROM analysis indicated a significantly lower ROM for both arthrodesis constructs compared with intact and TDR groups during flexion/extension testing (P < 0.05). No differences were recorded between the intact and the total disc replacement group under any loading conditions (P > 0.05). Conclusion. This is a first study to document that a cervical disc replacement arthroplasty procedure maintains adjacent level IDPs and reconstruction level kinematics near the preoperative values. Consequently, total disc replacement may provide an alternative to conventional surgical management of cervical discogenic pathology decreasing the incidence of symptomatic transition syndrome.
▼ Exenatide for once-weekly administration

▼Exenatide is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist used in the management of people with type 2 diabetes. A twice-daily injectable formulation (▼Byetta – Eli Lilly) was licensed in 2006. ▼Bydureon (Eli Lilly) is a prolonged-release injectable formulation that allows once-weekly administration. Here we discuss the place of Bydureon in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.