Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parental Psychological Abuse toward children and Mental Health Problems in adolescence

Objective: Present study was conducted to explore the relationship between parental psychological abuse toward their children and mental health problems in adolescence. Method: Three hundred participants age range 13-17 years, (57% boys and 43% girls) participated in the study from both public and private high schools of Lahore. Psychological maltreatment experience scale (PMES) and Youth Self-Report(YSR) were used for assessment and diagnosis. Results: Findings revealed that psychological abuse by parents significantly related with mental health problems in adolescents, for mother abuse (r= .24 to.67, p< .05) and father abuse (r= .20 to.70, p< .05). Adolescents who perceived their parents as more abusive exhibited greater problems. Regression analysis indicated that hypothesized factors of parental psychological abuse predicted the mental health problems in adolescents (contributed from 10% to 49% of variance). Conclusion: Psychological abuse by parents is related with mental health problems in adolescents. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of non-injurious psychological abuse and its impact on adolescents. Findings of the study can be used to bring the attention of parents, public and professionals’ towards damaging effects of psychological abuse on adolescents
Embryology and teratology in the curricula of healthcare courses

Significant changes are occurring worldwide in courses for healthcare studies, including medicine and dentistry. Critical evaluation of the place, timing, and content of components that can be collectively grouped as the anatomical sciences has however yet to be adequately undertaken. Surveys of teaching hours for embryology in US and UK medical courses clearly demonstrate that a dramatic decline in the importance of the subject is in progress, in terms of both a decrease in the number of hours allocated within the medical course and in relation to changes in pedagogic methodologies. In this article, we draw attention to the need to provide within medical and dental curricula a universally accepted terminology for embryology and teratology, to develop core syllabuses and, in addition to providing professional training, to follow the practice of university education in taking students to the frontiers of knowledge. We also discuss different ways of teaching and assessing embryology and teratology, preferring to see the employment of practical methodologies, and we highlight problems related to the poor attitudes of students towards the perceived clinical relevance of embryology and teratology.
Disaggregated Sales and Stock Returns

Using transaction-level credit-card spending from a large U.S. financial institution, we show that disaggregated sales provide accurate and persistent signals of customer demand relevant to a firm’s stock pricing. After controlling for earnings and sales surprises, one interquintile increase in the adjusted customer spending during a firm’s fiscal quarter leads to a 1.5 percentage point increase in the 60-day post–earnings announcement cumulative abnormal return. The predictability concentrates in consumer-oriented firms, especially those relying more on indirect sales distribution channels. We also find a stronger return response to spending from high-FICO-score, high-liquidity, and loyal customers. The transmission speed of disaggregated sales information is slower than that of the earnings information, and small firms or firms far from their end customers exhibit a more delayed price response. Finally, the return implications of adjusted customer spending extend to firms along the production chain. This paper was accepted by Haoxiang Zhu, finance.
Sustainability assessment of large-scale carbon capture and sequestration deployment outside the system boundaries - Opportunities and challenges

Abotalib, Mohammad. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2016. Sustainability Assessment of Large-scale Carbon Capture and Sequestration Deployment Outside the System Boundaries – Opportunities and Challenges. Major Professors: Fu Zhao and Larry Nies. Most power generation in the United States is derived from the combustion of fossil fuels, primarily coal and natural gas. As a result, greenhouse gases (GHGs) are generated, and they act to trap radiant heat from the Earth. When GHGs are discussed, attention is usually concentrated on carbon dioxide (CO2) because it is believed to be the most manageable anthropogenic GHG. Therefore, introducing new technologies, primarily those which deal with CO2 capture and storage, is seen as a potential option for managing GHGs. Oil and gas reservoirs, saline formations, and un-mineable coal beds are examples of underground CO2 storage sites. In the United States, it has been estimated that these sites together have the potential capacity to store the country’s CO2 emissions for the next 500 years. For this reason, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) has become a very attractive approach by several industries, including the coal-fired power industry, to reduce their GHG emissions. However, the implementation of CCS on a broad scale will require an enormous input of resources and energy, which will be used during the CCS production, installation, and operation phases. The eventual result of this implementation will be an increased demand for fuel, which in turn will lead to further
Microarray analysis of Cryphonectria parasitica Gα- and Gβγ-signalling pathways reveals extensive modulation by hypovirus infection

Using an established spotted cDNA microarray platform, the nature of changes in the transcriptional profiles of 2200 unique genes from the chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica in response to the absence of either the Gα subunit CPG-1 or the Gβ subunit CPGB-1 has been explored. It is reported that 216 transcripts were altered in accumulation in the Δcpg-1 strain and 163 in the Δcpgb-1 strain, with a considerable overlap (100 genes) that were changed in both cases. Of note, these commonly altered transcripts were changed in the same direction in every instance, thus suggesting a considerable redundancy in pathway control or extensive crosstalk. To further knowledge of the potential impact on G-protein-signalling of infection by hypovirus CHV1-EP713, the accumulation of CPG-1 and CPGB-1 was also investigated by Western analysis. It was demonstrated that both signalling components were reduced in abundance to approximately 25 % of wild-type levels, while their transcripts were slightly elevated. Comparison of a list of genes with altered expression in the presence of CHV1-EP713 to the data obtained in the absence of either G-protein subunit showed that more than one-half of all the transcripts changed by hypovirus infection were also changed in at least one G-protein mutant strain, with one-third being changed in both. Significantly, 95 % of the co-changed genes were altered in the same direction. These data provide the first evidence for modulation of Gβ protein levels as well as the Gβγ-signalling pathways by hypovirus infection, and support the hypothesis that modification of G-protein-signalling via both Gα and Gβγ provides for a significant contribution to hypovirus-mediated phenotype.
Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Higher Doses of Caspofungin in Healthy Adult Participants

Caspofungin was the first in a new class of antifungal agents (echinocandins) indicated for the treatment of primary and refractory fungal infections. Higher doses of caspofungin may provide another option for patients who have failed caspofungin or other antifungal therapy. This study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of single 150‐ and 210‐mg doses of caspofungin in 16 healthy participants and 100 mg/d for 21 days in 20 healthy participants. Other than infusion site reactions and 1 reversible elevation in alanine aminotransferase (≥2× and <4× upper limit of normal), caspofungin was generally well tolerated. Geometric mean AUC0‐∞ after single 150‐ and 210‐mg doses was 279.7 and 374.9 μg·h/mL, respectively; peak concentrations were 29.4 and 33.5 μg/mL, respectively; and 24‐hour postdose concentrations were 2.8 and 4.2 μg/mL, respectively. Steady state was achieved in the third week of dosing. Following multiple 100‐mg doses of caspofungin, day 21 geometric mean AUC0–24 was 227.4 μg·h/mL, peak concentration was 20.9 μg/mL, and trough concentration was 4.7 μg/mL. Beta‐phase t1/2 was ∼8 to ∼13 hours. Caspofungin pharmacokinetics at these higher doses were dose proportional to and consistent with those observed at lower doses, suggesting a modest nonlinearity of increased accumulation with dose, which was considered not clinically meaningful.
Does Inflammation Have a Role in the Pathogenesis of Cardiac Syndrome X? A Genetic-Based Clinical Study With Assessment of Multiple Cytokine Levels

We compared Turkish patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX) and controls with respect to serum pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels, as well as the single-nucleotide polymorphisms located in the promoter regions of their related genes. This study included 111 consecutive patients angiographically diagnosed with CSX and 111 healthy controls with similar demographic characteristics. Serum interleukin (IL) 6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and IL-10 levels were measured, and the genotypes of the patients and controls were determined using standard methods. Serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in the CSX group than in the control group (P < .01, respectively). Serum TNF-α level was lower in the CSX group than in the control group (P < .001). On the other hand, participants with CSX and healthy controls were not significantly different with respect to the genotype distributions of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10 genes. As a result of our study, both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines may play a role in the pathogenesis of CSX. In contrast, the studied gene polymorphisms did not influence CSX pathogenesis.
A study of meeting or beating analysts’ forecasts of earnings and timeliness of write-offs

Empirical evidence supports the notion that both reported earnings and analysts’ forecasts of earnings are managed in response to a variety of incentives of managers. One of the important incentives to manage earnings and/or analysts’ forecasts is to exceed the market’s expectation. The purpose of this study is to explore issues associated with earnings management and/or forecast management. In this thesis. I will present two essays to investigate issues pertaining to earnings management and/or forecast management. First, chapter 2 will explore earnings management and/or forecast management by examining whether the market rewards firms tha t persistently meet or beat analysts’ forecasts of earnings. In particular, I will investigate the association between the pattern of meeting or beating expectations and the market reaction to the earnings announcement. Then. I will examine the association between these patterns and the firm-specific risk characteristics. By doing so, we can better understand the issues pertaining to the earnings management and forecast management, firm-specific risk, and market efficiency. The results provide compelling evidence th a t the earnings response coefficients are positively associated with the length of time of meeting or beating analysts’ forecasts even after controlling for the growth and persistence of earnings. In addition, the negative correlation between the patterns of persistently
Contact Lenses in Pediatrics Study in Singapore

Purpose: Previous studies in the United States have evaluated the benefits of soft contact lenses (CLs) in 8- to 12-year-old children and 13- to 17-year-old teens. This study was undertaken in Singapore and evaluated the safety, efficacy, and physiologic performance of daily disposable soft lenses in a population of children. Methods: In this open-label, bilateral, 3-month dispensing study, 59 children (8–11 years) were fit with etafilcon A spherical or toric daily disposable lenses (1-DAY ACUVUE or 1-DAY ACUVUE for ASTIGMATISM, Vistakon, Jacksonville, FL). All subjects were neophytes requiring visual correction in both eyes. The refractive inclusion criteria were plano to −9.00 diopter (D) with astigmatism of ≤2.00DC in both eyes, or hyperopia of +0.50 to +6.00D with astigmatism of 0.75D or less. The subjects underwent follow-up evaluations, which included a questionnaire for parents and subjects, at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. Results: Of the 59 subjects enrolled, 53 (90%) completed the study successfully. Six subjects were discontinued because of lens handling difficulties (four), unacceptable lens fit (one), and an adverse event (one). Adverse events were reported in three subjects, including the discontinuation, and in each case were due to a chalazion. Overall vision quality, overall comfort, and end-of-day comfort were graded significantly better at each of the follow-up visits compared with baseline with spectacles (P≤0.0001). Both handling and reported symptoms improved during the course of the study. The questionnaire results indicated that most of both parents and subjects preferred CLs to spectacles across a wide variety of aspects including vision, comfort, handling, and appearance. Significantly, more limbal and bulbar hyperemia was noted at follow-up visits than at baseline (P=0.0001); however, no instances of hyperemia greater than grade 2 were noted at any visit. Significantly, more corneal staining was also noted at the 1- and 3-month follow-up visits than at baseline (21% at 3 months). Conclusion: A high proportion of Singaporean children requiring vision correction are able to successfully wear daily disposable soft CLs over a 3-month period. Overall, slit lamp findings showed the prevalence of corneal staining in this study to be 21% at 3 months, which is lower than that previously reported in adults, but higher than that reported in the US Contact Lenses in Pediatrics study (6%).
Differential regulation of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha RNA expression by MEK1 inhibitor after focal cerebral ischemia in mice.

Activation of the extracellular-signal-responsive kinase (ERK 1/2) by MAP kinase/ERK kinase (MEK1/2) following ischemia/reperfusion in the brain has been associated with cell death since inhibition of MEK1/2 provides neuroprotection in cerebral ischemia injury. Since inflammation has been implicated in ischemic brain injury, the present study investigated whether MEK1/2 modifies expression of two key inflammatory cytokines, IL-1beta and TNFalpha, that have been shown to exacerbate ischemic brain injury. A mouse model of transient cerebral ischemia was deployed to test the effect of selective MEK1/2 inhibitor (SL327) on infarct size and cytokine expression. SL327 (100 mg/kg, i.p.) administered 15 min prior to ischemia resulted in 64% reduction in infarct size over controls (n = 8, P < 0.01). Under the same condition, SL327 significantly reduced peak expression of IL-1beta mRNA (59% reduction compared to vehicle, P < 0.01, n = 4) but not TNF-alpha mRNA. A parallel reduction in IL-1beta protein (67%, P < 0.05, n = 6) was also observed using ELISA analysis. These data suggest that the neuroprotective effect of MEK1/2 inhibition may be mediated by suppression of IL-1beta. The study also demonstrates for the first time that these two cytokines are differentially regulated by kinase mediated signaling pathways.
Reduced prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum infection and of concomitant anaemia in pregnant women with heterozygous G6PD deficiency

Glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency confers protection against malaria in children, yet its role in malaria in pregnancy is unknown. In a cross‐sectional study among 529 pregnant Ghanaian women, Plasmodium falciparum infection, anaemia and G6PD genotypes were assessed. Of these, 30.4% were heterozygous and 2.6% were homozygous for G6PD deficiency. The prevalence of P. falciparum infection decreased from 66% in G6PD‐normal women to 58% in heterozygotes, and to 50% in individuals with homozygous G6PD deficiency (, P = 0.04). Multivariate analysis revealed that in multigravid women but not in primigravidae, heterozygous G6PD deficiency was associated with a reduced risk of P. falciparum infection (Odds ratio (OR), 0.6; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), [0.4–0.9]). This protection against infection was limited to the third trimenon of pregnancy. In addition, heterozygous G6PD deficiency was associated with a reduced risk of anaemia among infected multigravidae (OR, 0.5 [0.3–1.0]). Pregnancy is a period of high vulnerability to malaria. The results of this study provide evidence for protection against malaria in pregnancy caused by heterozygous G6PD deficiency. This advantage, even if confined to multigravid women, may contribute to the selection of G6PD variants in malaria‐endemic regions.
Mental Status and Surgical Methods in Patients With Femoral Neck Fracture

BACKGROUND About one third of hip-fractured patients have dementia and thus may have difficulties adhering to postoperative instructions. Hip replacement is the most common treatment when a femoral neck fracture is displaced in healthy older people, whereas for those with dementia and other severe comorbidities, internal fixation (IF) is generally recommended. PURPOSE To evaluate complications, functional outcome, and mortality for both surgical methods, IF and hemiarthroplasty (HAP), in older patients suffering from femoral neck fracture with or without dementia. SAMPLE One hundred eighty patients, aged 70 years or older, who were operated on using IF (n = 69) in undisplaced femoral neck fracture and HAP (n = 111) if the fractures were displaced. DATA COLLECTION Mental state was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Organic Brain Syndrome scale, and dementia and delirium were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) criteria. Outcomes of mortality, complications, functional ability, and quality of life were measured. FINDINGS There was no difference in complications or mortality at 4 months and 1 year for the IF or HAP groups. Patients with and without dementia, operated on with HAP, had a better functional outcome after 1 year than those operated on with IF. The result of this study indicates that dementia per se is not a reason for disqualifying those patients from the most appropriate surgical method.
Expression of the dystrophin‐related protein (utrophin) gene during mouse embryogenesis

The utrophin (UTRN) locus is the autosomal homologue of the DMD (Duchenne muscular dystrophy) gene and encodes a protein, utrophin which is thought to be upregulated in the absence of dystrophin. In this study the spatial and temporal expression of the UTRN gene has been examined during mouse embryogenesis and compared with that of the DMD gene. The patterns of expression of these two genes are very different. Whilst DMD is expressed largely in mesodermal derivatives such as cardiac and striated muscle, UTRN shows a more widespread distribution and is expressed in neural tube, tissues which originate from neural crest and a variety of other sites of non‐neural origin. In early embryos UTRN transcripts initially accumulate in the mid‐neural plate and thereafter in the caudal neural tube. UTRN mRNA then becomes abundant in a subset of neural crest cell derived tissues, in particular the spinal and facial ganglia and ossifying facial cartilages. UTRN is also expressed in a variety of other sites and organs such as the tendon primordia in the digits, the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands, cardiac muscle, kidney and lung, follicies of the vibrissae and the outflow tract of the heart. Several patterns of UTRN expression are apparent and we discuss the possibility that these can be ascribed to a family of mRNAs transcribed from the UTRN gene using alternative promoters. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proposal to reclassify Leuconostoc oenos as Oenococcus oeni [corrig.] gen. nov., comb. nov..

Wine strains belonging to the genus Leuconostoc were classified as Leuconostoc oenos by Garvie in 1967, and this name was confirmed on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names in 1980. L. oenos is distinguished from other Leuconostoc spp. by its growth in acidic media, by its requirement for a growth factor in tomato juice, and by a number of carbohydrate fermentation characteristics. In addition, the results of a total soluble cell protein analysis, an electrophoretic analysis of NAD-dependent D-(-)-lactate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and alcohol dehydrogenase, and an analysis of cross-reactivity with anti-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and anti-NAD-dependent D-(-)-lactate dehydrogenase performed with other Leuconostoc spp. clearly indicated that L. oenos should be distinguished from the other Leuconostoc species. Phylogenetic studies, in particular 16S and 23S rRNA sequencing studies, have revealed that L. oenos represents a distinct subline that is separate from other Leuconostoc spp. and lactic acid bacteria. In view of the phenotypic and phylogenetic distinctiveness of L. oenos, we propose that this species should be assigned to a new genus as Oenococcus oeni [corrig. ] gen. nov., comb. nov. The type strain of O. oeni is NCDO 1674 (= ATCC 23179).
Bullying Among Children in Split, Croatia: Association with General, Psychosocial, Behavioral and School Variables

The first aim was to determine the prevalence of bullying behavior in the city of Split, Croatia. The second aim was to associate the specific bully status with demographic, family, psychosocial, behavioral, and school variables. This cross-sectional study with self-administered questionnaires included 567 children and 166 teachers. Study results revealed 16.3% of all children to have been involved in bullying behavior. Regression analysis revealed the bullies as compared to the non-involved group to be significantly associated with aggressive behavior, children's approving attitude towards aggressiveness, and male gender. Our overall prevalence rate and associations of variables were in accordance with the other international studies. Interventions for male pupils who have manifest bully behavior and have aggressive attitudes, as well as for their families, need to be a priority.
Beta Dispersion and Market-Timing

This paper examines the dispersion of betas, which is the spread of betas on a market, and its application as market return predictor. The beta dispersion can be interpreted as a measure of risk for market crashes and therefore function as a predictor of the following market downturns. Based on the beta dispersion, indicators are developed to predict the future market return. These dispersion measures have substantial predictive power for future market movements, even out-of-sample and after controlling for other well-known predictors of the market return. Moreover, I show that the informational content of the beta dispersion can be successfully exploited by market-timing strategies. An innovative idea of designing market-timing strategies based on timing indicators is introduced. This new approach invests in the market portfolio with a weighted position conditioning on the currently observed indicator. The market-timing strategies are able to considerably enhance the riskreturn characteristics compared to a buy-and-hold investment in the market and a common 60/40 portfolio split, especially by reducing the return volatility.