Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cerebral blood flow in subjects with social phobia during stressful speaking tasks: a PET study.

OBJECTIVE The central nervous system representation of social phobia (social anxiety disorder) is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine brain activity during symptom provocation in social phobics. METHOD Positron emission tomography with the use of (15)O water was used to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 18 subjects with DSM-IV-defined social phobia and a nonphobic comparison group while they were speaking in front of an audience and in private. Heart rate and subjective anxiety were also recorded. RESULTS During public versus private speaking, subjective anxiety increased more in the social phobics than in the comparison group. Increased anxiety was accompanied by enhanced rCBF in the amygdaloid complex in the social phobics relative to the comparison subjects. Cortically, brain blood flow decreased in the social phobics and increased in the comparison subjects more during public than private speaking in the orbitofrontal and insular cortices as well as in the temporal pole and increased less in the social phobics than in the comparison group in the parietal and secondary visual cortices. Furthermore, rCBF increased in the comparison group, but not in the social phobics, in the perirhinal and retrosplenial cortices. CONCLUSIONS An rCBF pattern of relatively increased cortical rather than subcortical perfusion was observed in the nonphobic subjects, indicating that cortical evaluative processes were taxed by public performance. In contrast, the social phobia symptom profile was associated with increased subcortical activity. Thus, the functional neuroanatomy of social phobia involves the activation of a phylogenetically older danger-recognition system.
What Does Geography Have To Do With It?

In the first decade of the 21st century, the Eurogang Program of Research (hereafter referred to as the Eurogang Network), a group of U.S. and European criminologists, began a systematic effort to examine the European gang phenomenon. However, the notion that American-style street gangs represent a real threat to European nations has not been universally accepted, as critics warn about the dangers of making gangs and gang members into “folk devils” for a broad range of societal ills. In order to provide insights into the status of troublesome youth groups in the European context, the present study examines three separate surveys of school children aged 13 to 16 years who resided in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and the Netherlands. Using definitional and research protocols developed by the Eurogang Network, this article explores correlates of individual delinquency reported by street gang members and members of other delinquent youth groups that reportedly engaged in criminal activities but were not defined as street gangs using the Eurogang Network definition. The study turns on the extent to which the self-reported individual and group misbehavior can be understood in terms of personal-biographical characteristics—but especially citizenship status, specific youth-group membership, and nation of current residence—and the influence of putative risk and protective measures. The implications for youth gang intervention efforts are discussed, along with what the findings suggest about comparative efforts to explain misbehavior by members of two types of troublesome youth groups.
Childhood residential stability and health at midlife.

OBJECTIVES This study examined the association between 2 dimensions of adults' self-rated health and residential stability in childhood. METHODS Using data from the nationally representative survey Midlife in the United States, I assessed the impact of neighborhood and family stability on positive perceptions of global health and mental health in midlife. RESULTS Neighborhood stability in childhood is associated with a significant increase in the likelihood that an individual will rate his or her global health highly in midlife. Both neighborhood and family stability are positively associated with good mental health in midlife. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that both childhood family stability and adult social context are associated with health outcomes later in life.
A Systematic Approach to Educating the Emerging Adult Learner in Undergraduate Management Courses

Management education research has provided educators with new instructional tools to improve course design and update the methods used in the classroom. In an effort to provide the typical undergraduate management student with the best possible learning experience and outcomes, it is important to recognize how and why these new activities benefit the student. To reach this goal, one must first understand that the traditional undergraduate management student, aged 18 to 25 years, is in a phase of life development referred to as emerging adulthood in which they are distinctly different from mature adults demographically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. With this understanding, our research analyzes how each of the six assumptions of andragogy can be applied uniquely to the emerging adult undergraduate management student. We provide the management educator with a method for classifying the level of development of students along the focus areas of andragogy, general instructional design ideas for addressing those particular levels of development, and a number of specific activities identified in a review of Journal of Management Education articles with notes on the conditions under which activities will be most effective. Student learning experiences can be improved when course activities are designed more intentionally and meaningfully.
The very early afterglow powered by, ultra-relativistic mildly magnetized outflows

In the Poynting Flux-dominated outflow (the initial ratio of the electromagnetic energy flux to the particle energy flux sigma(0) much greater than 1) model for gamma-ray bursts, particularly the gamma-ray emission phase, nearly half of the internally dissipated magnetic energy is converted into the gamma-ray energy emission and the rest is converted into the kinetic energy of the outflow. Consequently, at the end of the gamma-ray burst, sigma decreases significantly (sigma similar to 1 or even smaller). We numerically investigate the very early reverse shock emission powered by such mildly magnetized outflows interacting with medium-uniform interstellar medium (ISM) or stellar wind (WIND). We show that for sigma similar to 0.05-1 and typical parameters of gamma-ray bursts, both the ISM-ejecta interaction and the WIND-ejecta interaction can power very strong optical emission (m(R) similar to 10-12th mag or even brighter). Similar to the very early afterglow powered by the non-magnetized ejecta interacting with the external medium, the main difference between the ISM-ejecta interaction case and the WIND-ejecta interaction case is that, before the reverse shock crosses the ejecta, the R-band emission flux increases rapidly for the former, but for the latter it increases only slightly.
Temporal aggregates and temporal universal quantification in standard SQL

Although it has been acknowledged for many years that querying and updating time-varying information using standard (i.e., non-temporal) SQL is a challenging task, the proposed temporal extensions of SQL have not reach acceptance in the standardization committees. Therefore, nowadays database practitioners must still use standard SQL for manipulating time-varying information. This paper shows how to realize temporal aggregates and temporal universal quantifiers using standard SQL.
Pseudomonas cepacia mutants blocked in the Entner-Doudoroff pathway

Pseudomonas cepacia mutants deficient in either 6-phosphogluconate (6PGA) dehydratase (Edd-) or 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG) aldolase (Eda-) failed to utilize glucose or gluconate despite the prominence of of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGAD) ii this bacterium and the potential for utilizing the pentose shunt suggested by its growth on ribitol and xylose. The Eda- strains grew normally on glucuronic acid, indicating that in P. cepacia its degradation does not depend upon KDPG aldolase as it does in Escherichia coli. Both 6PGA dehydratase and KDPG aldolase were inducible enzymes, with 6PGA rather than gluconate the apparent inducer. Edd- as well as Eda- strains were sensitive to growth inhibition by glucose, gluconate, fructose, and related carbohydrates when these substrates were present in combination with alternate carbon sources such as citrate or phthalate, presumably as a consequence of accumulation and toxicity of 6PGA, KDPG, or both. Edd- mutants were somewhat less sensitive to such inhibition than were Eda- strains. Certain derivatives of the Edd- strains we examined were able to utilize gluconate despite their deficiency of 6PGA dehydratase. Such mutants formed higher levels of 6PGAD than did the wild type. It is likely that the elevated levels of 6PGAD in these strains prevents accumulation of toxic levels of 6PGA that would otherwise result from a block in he Entner-Doudoroff pathway. The results suggest that P. cepacia can mutate to grow slowly on gluconate utilizing only the pentose shunt.
Determinants of dropout in a community intervention trial on the caries-preventive effect of chewing gums.

OBJECTIVES This study describes determinants of dropout in a three-year community intervention trial of the effects of sugar-substituted chewing gums on caries progression rates. METHODS A total of 602 children aged 9-14 years from 28 school classes in five secondary schools in Kaunas, Lithuania, were given a clinical and radiographic baseline caries examination. The schools were assigned randomly to one of the following interventions: sorbitol/carbamide gum, sorbitol gum, xylitol gum, placebo gum, or no gum. Children in the four intervention schools were asked to chew at least five pieces of chewing gum per day, preferably after meals. The children were reexamined clinically after one, two, and three years of study, and radiographically after three years. RESULTS A total of 33 children (6%) had dropped out before the one-year clinical examination, an additional 29 children (5%) dropped out before the two-year examination, and a further 108 children (18%) dropped out before the final three-year clinical examination. A total of 230 children (39%) were not available or refused to participate in the three-year radiographic examination. Analyses using random effect logit models showed that, irrespective of time of follow-up, most of the cluster variation in dropout was related to school classes within the primary randomization units, the schools. The most important predictors of individual dropout were age and baseline caries experience, whereas sex was not associated with dropout. CONCLUSIONS The results show that a community intervention trial of chewing gums carried out among schoolchildren is subject to cluster effects. Dropout was not primarily related to the randomization units themselves, i.e. the schools, but rather to subclusters of classes within the schools. These findings should be considered when designing community intervention trials and practical preventive programs among schoolchildren.
Oversampled Detector for Transition-Noise-Limited Digital Storage Systems

In the last decade, significant research has been performed on detection algorithms capable of mitigating the effects of colored Gaussian thermal noise and transition noise in digital storage systems. In this paper, we present a new Maximum A-Posteriori Probability (MAP) sequence detection scheme based on oversampling and linear prediction. The proposed solution improves the Bit Error Rate (BER) performance with respect to conventional systems and makes the detector more robust against transition noise. The results obtained for a magnetic channel can be also extended to optical storage systems.
Fluoxetine modulates sex steroid levels in vitro

Background and aims Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are antidepressants increasingly prescribed against depression during and after pregnancy. However, these compounds cross the placenta and are found in breast milk, thus reaching, and possibly affecting, the fetus and infant during critical developmental stages. Fluoxetine (FLX), a widely used SSRI, can interfere with estrogen signaling, which is important for the development of female sex organs and certain brain areas, among others. Interference with estrogen signaling can take place on different levels, e.g., by affecting receptor activity or hormone levels. FLX has previously been shown to induce estrogen receptor-dependent transcription in vitro at high concentrations. In this study we set out to assess effects of FLX on estradiol levels in vitro. Methods FLX was tested using the OECD recommended H295R model, a human adrenocortical carcinoma cell line that is able to produce all steroid hormones found in the gonads and adrenal glands, including estradiol and testosterone. H295R cells were incubated with different doses of FLX for 48h. Subsequently, concentrations of these two steroids were measured in cell culture medium after FLX exposure, using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Aromatase mRNA expression was assessed using qPCR. Results Fluoxetine significantly increased estradiol secretion in H295R cells after a 48h exposure at low, submicromolar concentrations, but showed no effects on testosterone levels or aromatase mRNA expression. Conclusion Fluoxetine has the potential to interfere with estrogenic signaling by increasing estradiol secretion at low concentrations, which are relevant for fetal and adult human exposure.
Dysphagia following anterior cervical arthrodesis is associated with continuous, strong retraction of the esophagus.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of dysphagia after anterior cervical decompression and arthrodesis is estimated to be 50% within one month and 21% at twelve months. However, its exact etiology is not well understood. The objective of the present study was to explore the relationship between intraoperative intra-esophageal pressure due to surgical retraction, esophageal mucosal blood flow at the level of surgery, and postoperative dysphagia. Our hypothesis was that sustained elevated pressure on the esophagus during anterior cervical arthrodesis is associated with postoperative dysphagia. METHODS Seventeen selected patients scheduled for anterior cervical arthrodesis were studied. Throughout the procedure, intraluminal pressure in the upper esophageal sphincter was measured (mm Hg) with a custom-made manometer probe and mucosal perfusion was measured at the level of surgery with a laser Doppler flowmeter. The type of retraction chosen by the surgeon was noted. Postoperatively, the patients were specifically evaluated for dysphagia on the first postoperative day and at six weeks, three months, and six months postoperatively with use of the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory. RESULTS Four of the eleven patients who had dynamic retraction and five of the six patients who had static retraction during surgery had postoperative dysphagia. In the group of patients with dysphagia, the average M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory score decreased from 93.8 +/- 12.1 preoperatively to 67.7 +/- 11.4 on the first postoperative day (p < 0.001). The patients with dysphagia had a significantly higher average intraluminal pressure (60.8 +/- 54.3 compared with 54.4 +/- 51.8 mm Hg; p < 0.0001) as well as significantly lower average mucosal perfusion (26.1 +/- 18.1 compared with 40.8 +/- 26.2 tissue perfusion units; p < 0.0001) in comparison with the asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS Patients with dysphagia following anterior cervical arthrodesis were exposed to higher intraoperative esophageal pressure and decreased esophageal mucosal blood flow during surgical retraction as compared with patients without dysphagia. In this small series, dynamic retraction seemed to be associated with a lower prevalence of postoperative dysphagia.
Investigating the factors affecting business-to-consumer e-commerce adoption in Egypt

Through the application of the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model, this study investigates the key factors affecting the adoption of business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce in Egypt. This study has adopted a quantitative methodology to answer the research questions and test the proposed sixteen hypotheses. The research sample of this study included 600 Egyptian respondents. Regression Analysis has been conducted as a major evaluation of the research model and associated hypotheses. The constructs that have been empirically tested in the extended UTAUT2 model are: Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Influence (SI), Hedonic Motivation (HM), Habit (HI) and Facilitating Conditions (FC). Age, gender and experience moderate the relationship for the six independent variables and the dependent variable except for Performance Expectancy (PE) construct that was only moderated by age and gender. The proposed additional constructs for this model are on-line satisfaction (OS), on-line interactivity (OI), on-line trust (OT) and on-line security (OSY). The major findings of this study show that there is an effect of the established factors: Effort Expectancy, Hedonic Motivation and Facilitating Conditions, Social Influence, on-line Trust, on-line Satisfaction and on-line Interactivity on Egyptian consumers’ intention to adopt B2C e-commerce. In addition, the effect of moderator’s factors: age, gender, and experience have been absent in this study. Accordingly, seven hypotheses have been proven, while nine have been rejected. The study further discusses significant implications for marketers, on-line vendors and the Egyptian Government. In addition to presenting the important theoretical and practical contributions, this study also recommends directions for future related research. By specifically examining the Egyptian consumer, this study is the first of its kind to empirically examine B2C adoption in Egypt. Thus, it expands the body of knowledge in the field of B2C adoption and usage, which the existing literature has failed to provide an extensive understanding of B2C in the Arab World’s most populous country. This study is also the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting B2C by Egyptian consumers and to develop the (UTAUT3) model.
ABCA1 Mediates Unfolding of Apolipoprotein AI N Terminus on the Cell Surface Before Lipidation and Release of Nascent High-Density Lipoprotein

Objective—To gain insight into the mechanism by which ABCA1 generates nascent high-density lipoprotein. Approach and Results—HEK293 cells were stably transfected with ABCA1 vectors, encoding wild type, and the W590S and C1477R Tangier disease mutation isoforms, along with the K939M ATP-binding domain mutant. Apolipoprotein AI (ApoAI) binding, plasma membrane remodeling, cholesterol efflux, apoAI cell surface unfolding, and apoAI cell surface lipidation were determined, the latter 2 measured using novel fluorescent apoAI indicators. The W590S isoform had decreased plasma membrane remodeling and lipid efflux activities, and the C1477R isoform had decreased apoAI binding, and lipid efflux activities, whereas the K939M isoform did not bind apoAI, remodel the membrane, or efflux cholesterol. However, all ABCA1 isoforms led to apoAI unfolding at the cell surface, which was higher for the isoforms that increased apoAI binding. ApoAI lipidation was not detected on ABCA1-expressing cells, only in the conditioned medium, consistent with rapid release of nascent high-density lipoprotein from ABCA1-expressing cells. Conclusions—We identified a third activity of ABCA1, the ability to unfold the N terminus of apoAI on the cell surface. Our results support a model in which unfolded apoAI on the cell surface is an intermediate in its lipidation and that, once apoAI is lipidated, it forms an unstable structure that is rapidly released from the cells to generate high-density lipoprotein.
Congress Makes A Law; The Story Behind the Employment Act of 1946 . By Stephen Kemp Bailey. (New York: Columbia University Press. 1950. Pp. 282. $3.75.)

economic blockade and economic warfare as "the main weapon. " As for control of the civilian economy, even after the nation was at war, and well into 1940, control of shipping, imports, and exports was so weak as to occasion bizarre extravagances and to tolerate "departmental boggling at the extent of the economies and efforts insistently demanded by the facts of the shipping situation"; there was no government authority willing to execute the War Cabinet's policy of dilution of skilled labor; and the Ministry of Supply's orders were going mostly to larger firms and it was building factories in areas of labor scarcity. An efficient system of licensing iron and steel was not working properly until the end of 1940; licensing of civilian construction did not become effective until October, 1940; not until the Spring of 1941 did the government establish effective control over the railways, which had displayed, the Ministry of Food said, "a purely commercial outlook wholly inappropriate in war time. " Despite its judicious criticism of missed opportunities and lags in institutional adjustments to war needs, British War Economy is primarily a record of how Great Britain mastered the incredibly complex and challenging task of managing her war economy. As such the book is indispensable for American political scientists who have an interest in crisis government, who are students of the British scene, and who acknowledge the concern of political science with government planning and control of a modern economy. JAMES W. FESLER. University of North Carolina.
Prognostic Correlations between ABO Blood Group and Pre-Treatment Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Receiving Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy

Purpose The objective of this study is to assess the prognostic value of ABO blood group in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Patients and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the data on 1397 patients with non-metastatic, newly diagnosed NPC treated using IMRT. Patient survival between different ABO blood groups were compared using log-rank test. Cox hazards model was adopted to establish independent prognostic factors. Results In our study, the distribution of the A, B, AB and O blood groups was 26.6% (372/1397), 26.2% (366/1397), 5.2% (73/1397) and 42.0% (586/1397), respectively. The cut-off value of pre-treatment Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA based on disease-free survival (DFS) was 1355 copies/ml (area under curve [AUC], 0.649; sensitivity, 0.76; specificity, 0.496) for the whole cohort. Estimated four-year DFS, overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS) rates were 81.7%, 89.2%, 89.4% and 92.3% for blood group A; 82.1%, 89.3%, 89.0% and 92.0% for group B; 83.3%, 88.1%, 86.2% and 95.5% for group AB, 80.9%, 90.7%, 88.4% and 90.2% for group O (P > 0.05 for all rates). Multivariate analysis revealed ABO blood group was not an independent prognostic factor for DFS, OS, DMFS or LRRFS (P > 0.05 for all rates) after adjusting for plasma EBV DNA in either the whole cohort or subgroup analysis by gender. Conclusions The prognostic value of ABO blood group may be limited for patients with NPC in the era of IMRT, and no substantial correlation between ABO blood group and plasma EBV DNA was observed.