Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Childhood abuse and later worries about the baby's health in pregnancy

Objective. To explore the associations between sexual and/or physical abuse in childhood and worries about the baby's health in pregnancy. Design. Cross‐sectional questionnaire study. Setting. Norwegian prospective pregnancy cohort. Sample. An original sample of 58,139 pregnancies (1999–2006) covering about 43% of the pregnant population. Methods. Two self‐reported questionnaires in the 17th and 30th week of gestation were merged with data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Associations between physical and/or sexual childhood abuse and worries about the baby's health were assessed with multiple logistic regression analyses. Main outcome measures. Strong worries about the baby's health in the 30th week of gestation among women with experience of childhood abuse. Results. Women who reported being exposed to physical or sexual childhood abuse or a combination of the two were at increased risk of strong worries about the baby's health compared to women who had not been similarly exposed (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26–2.08; adjusted OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.03–1.64; adjusted OR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.68–2.62, respectively). Marital status, adult abuse, pelvic pain, quality of antenatal care, self‐efficacy and previous birth experiences were also associated with concern about the baby's health. Conclusions. There were significant associations between physical and/or sexual childhood abuse and strong concern about the baby's health. Worries about the baby's health are complex and associated with many elements of risk.
RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF 1206 MAXILLOFACIAL FRACTURES IN AN URBAN SAUDI HOSPITAL: 8 YEAR REVIEW

This is a retrospective review of fractures of the facial skeleton admitted at Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery unit over an 8-year period. This study encompassed a total of 1206 fractures found in 986 patients. Of these, 84% were males and 16% females, of which 69% were young in the age group 20-39 years. Other variables considered in this study included the aetiology, fracture location, associated injuries, hospital stay and complications. The single major causative factor offacial trauma was found to be road traffic accidents (RTA's) and were associated with head and ocular injuries in a high percentage. There is a great need to educate the public on the dangers of imprudent recreational use of vehicles.
Entrepreneurs and Welfare in Economies with Employers and Own Account Self-Employed

In this paper we extend models of market equilibrium from binary occupational choices of people with different entrepreneurial ability, to the realistic case that entrepreneurs can decide whether they hire workers and become employers or whether they become own account self-employed. We find that the information regarding productivity level and its growth is different for the equilibrium share of employers and for the share of own account self-employed. Empirical evidence using data from the Spanish Autonomous Communities for the period of 1980-2006 confirms that the share of employers is positively (negatively) associated with the current level of productivity (next period productivity growth), while the association between share of own account self-employed and productivity or productivity growth is the opposite.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of decreasing the dose of GnRH used for synchronization of ovulation and timed AI at first service in dairy cows

FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF OVULATION AND TIMED AI AT FIRST SERVICE IN DAIRY COWS by LAUREN E. MCKEE (Under the Direction of William M. Graves) ABSTRACT The objective was to determine the effectiveness of decreasing the dose of GnRH used for synchronization of ovulation. First service lactating Holstein cows (n=100) at the University of Georgia Dairy in Athens were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups using different doses of GnRH (100 μg and 100 μg; 50 μg and 50 μg; 100 μg and 50 μg; 50 μg and 100 μg). All cows received 25 mg of PGF2a 11 days (d -11) prior to starting Ovsynch. Blood samples were collected on days -11 and 0 for progesterone analysis. Cows received GnRH on day 0, PGF on day 7, and GnRH on day 9. Cows were artificially inseminated (AI) 16-20 hours after the second GnRH injection. Pregnancy was checked via ultrasound at 35-40 days and 55-60 days after AI. Pregnancy rates did not differ among treatments. Cows that were cycling were more likely to be pregnant.
Interpreting narratives of motivation and schizophrenia: a biopsychosocial understanding.

BACKGROUND The concept of motivation involves a complex interplay of biopsychosocial and environmental determinants. For individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, motivation has traditionally been approached from a neuro-biological standpoint, obscuring this complexity. The findings from this study underscore the importance of broadening our understanding of motivation and schizophrenia through an exploration of individual perspectives and identification of the psychosocial factors that clarify the experience of diminished motivation.
Do the Governance Performance and the Sovereign Debt Influence Market Discipline? The EMU's Case under the New European Bail in Regime.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Market Discipline (MD) in the European Monetary Union's (EMUs) banking market. After the 2007's global crisis bursts, the EMU faces several economic and financial problems. Among those problems on the top are the Greek and the Cypriot issues. Several crucial European Union's decisions follow them, such as the "hair-cut" of the Greek debt and the "bail-in" in the Cypriot banking system. Few months later, Eurogroup decides that from now on the bail-in would be one of the main resolution measures. The poor governance performance and the increased sovereign risk are the main reasons for these problems, according to the EMU's officials. All these factors signal the beginning of a new banking era. Using consolidated data from 2004-11 we provide empirical evidence that in the EMU the MD is superficial, if we take into consideration only the banking variables. Moreover, the governance and the public debt should be included in the new MD regime, because the new era may demands a new MD approach.
Nanomaterial toxicity testing in the 21st century: use of a predictive toxicological approach and high-throughput screening.

The production of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is a scientific breakthrough in material design and the development of new consumer products. While the successful implementation of nanotechnology is important for the growth of the global economy, we also need to consider the possible environmental health and safety (EHS) impact as a result of the novel physicochemical properties that could generate hazardous biological outcomes. In order to assess ENM hazard, reliable and reproducible screening approaches are needed to test the basic materials as well as nanoenabled products. A platform is required to investigate the potentially endless number of biophysicochemical interactions at the nano/bio interface, in response to which we have developed a predictive toxicological approach. We define a predictive toxicological approach as the use of mechanisms-based high-throughput screening in vitro to make predictions about the physicochemical properties of ENMs that may lead to the generation of pathology or disease outcomes in vivo. The in vivo results are used to validate and improve the in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) and to establish structure-activity relationships (SARs) that allow hazard ranking and modeling by an appropriate combination of in vitro and in vivo testing. This notion is in agreement with the landmark 2007 report from the US National Academy of Sciences, "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy" (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php? record_id=11970), which advocates increased efficiency of toxicity testing by transitioning from qualitative, descriptive animal testing to quantitative, mechanistic, and pathway-based toxicity testing in human cells or cell lines using high-throughput approaches. Accordingly, we have implemented HTS approaches to screen compositional and combinatorial ENM libraries to develop hazard ranking and structure-activity relationships that can be used for predicting in vivo injury outcomes. This predictive approach allows the bulk of the screening analysis and high-volume data generation to be carried out in vitro, following which limited, but critical, validation studies are carried out in animals or whole organisms. Risk reduction in the exposed human or environmental populations can then focus on limiting or avoiding exposures that trigger these toxicological responses as well as implementing safer design of potentially hazardous ENMs. In this Account, we review the tools required for establishing predictive toxicology paradigms to assess inhalation and environmental toxicological scenarios through the use of compositional and combinatorial ENM libraries, mechanism-based HTS assays, hazard ranking, and development of nano-SARs. We will discuss the major injury paradigms that have emerged based on specific ENM properties, as well as describing the safer design of ZnO nanoparticles based on characterization of dissolution chemistry as a major predictor of toxicity.
The management of deshopping and its effects on service: a mass market case study

Purpose – Deshopping is the return of products, after they have fulfilled the purpose for which they were borrowed. Previous research indicates that deshopping is a prevalent and growing consumer behaviour. This paper seeks to examine deshopping from a retail perspective. It is a case study of interviews conducted with a mass‐market retailer, to investigate their awareness and management of this behaviour.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a case study of nine interviews conducted with different levels of staff at a mass‐market retailer in their flagship London store, to investigate their awareness and management of deshopping.Findings – The findings demonstrate the beliefs, attitudes and emotions of the different levels of employees towards deshopping and demonstrate their attempts to manage deshopping and combat the negative affects of this on customer service.Research limitations/implications – The limitation of this research is that it is only conducted with one high‐street retailer. However,.
Thinking outside the box: Tobacco plain packaging and the demise of smoking

In 2010, Australia was the first nation to announce it would adopt tobacco plain packaging laws. Before this, Australian cigarette packs were required only to include a graphic health warning that covered 30 per cent of the front and 90 per cent of the back of the pack. The remaining 70 per cent of the front of the pack was fully utilised by the tobacco industry to entice new smokers, reassure continuing smokers and promote its brands. Under the new laws, cigarette packs would no longer be permitted to carry any branding or company logos (see Plate 13.1); all tobacco packaging must be a drab dark brown and the cigarette box must be constructed of rigid cardboard with no shiny finishes or any other embellishments. Plain packaging also requires that all packs display a large pictorial health warning on both the front (75 per cent of the surface) and the back (90 per cent of
Aberrant DNA methylation in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer without mismatch repair deficiency.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Approximately half of the families that fulfill Amsterdam criteria for Lynch syndrome or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) do not have evidence of the germline mismatch repair gene mutations that define this syndrome and result in microsatellite instability (MSI). The carcinogenic pathways and the best diagnostic approaches to detect microsatellite stable (MSS) HNPCC tumors are unclear. We investigated the contribution of epigenetic alterations to the development of MSS HNPCC tumors. METHODS Colorectal cancers were divided into 4 groups: (1) microsatellite stable, Amsterdam-positive (MSS HNPCC) (N = 22); (2) Lynch syndrome cancers (identified mismatch repair mutations) (N = 21); (3) sporadic MSS (N = 92); and (4) sporadic MSI (N = 46). Methylation status was evaluated for CACNAG1, SOCS1, RUNX3, NEUROG1, MLH1, and long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1). KRAS and BRAF mutation status was analyzed. RESULTS MSS HNPCC tumors displayed a significantly lower degree of LINE-1 methylation, a marker for global methylation, than any other group. Although most MSS HNPCC tumors had some degree of CpG island methylation, none presented a high index of methylation. MSS HNPCC tumors had KRAS mutations exclusively in codon 12, but none harbored V600E BRAF mutations. CONCLUSIONS Tumors from Amsterdam-positive patients without mismatch repair deficiency (MSS HNPCC) have certain molecular features, including global hypomethylation, that distinguish them from all other colorectal cancers. These characteristics could have an important impact on tumor behavior or treatment response. Studies are underway to further assess the cause and effects of these features.
Haptically augmented remote speech communication: a study of user practices and experiences

Haptic technology provides a channel for interpersonal communication through the sense of touch. In the development of novel haptic communication devices, it is essential to explore people's use behaviors and perceptions of such a communication channel. To this end, we conducted a laboratory study on haptically augmented remote interpersonal communication. Participant pairs tested a communication system that allowed them to send squeezing and thermal feedback to each other's forearm during speech discussion. We explored the use practices and user experience of this setup and compared it to traditional speech-only communication. The findings indicate that squeezing was experienced as a more versatile and immediate type of feedback than thermal feedback. Warm and cold were on the other hand useful for communicating positive and negative meanings. Compared to speech-only communication, the added haptic modality allowed conveying emphases, emotions, and touches related to the discussion, and increased the feeling of closeness between the pairs.
Autochthon vs. blended wines: Do objective and sensory characteristics matter?

There are many types of wines. Wine may be classified as traditional such as Barbaresco or Barolo (among the others), or international, such as the case of Merlot, Sauvignon, etc. Do objective and sensory characteristics impact di? erently on prices according to the wine variety? Using a sample of 3,660 observations, an hedonic technique is applied to investigate this question.
PUBLIC INTEREST IN, AND WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR, ENHANCED TRAVELER INFORMATION AS PROVIDED BY IVHS IN THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA

As part of developing a strategy for implementing an intelligent vehicle-highway system (IVHS)/intelligent transportation system (ITS) in the 16-county New York metropolitan area, a survey was conducted on travelers' attitudes regarding availability of real-time information on travel conditions. The telephone survey, conducted among a proportionate cross-section of travelers in the region, identified a high level of support for enhanced traveler-information systems among all commuters and a strong willingness by travelers of all income groups to pay for access to the improved information. The survey indicated substantial interest in a variety of traveler-information enhancements, including computerized maps and travel directions as well as real-time information on current delays and estimated travel times on alternate routes and on competing forms of transportation.
Pharmacological inhibition of plasma coagulation and platelet activation during experimental long-term perfusion.

OBJECTIVE During extracorporeal circulation, initial contact between blood and the artificial surface of the circuit induces an overall activation of the hemostatic system. The objective of this study was to investigate the combined effect of epoprostenol (PGI (2) ), nitric oxide (NO) and nafamostat mesilate (FUT-175, a serine protease inhibitor), on plasma coagulation and platelet activation during experimental long-term perfusion. DESIGN Two identical extracorporeal life support (ECLS) circuits were primed with fresh, heparinized human blood, and circulated for 24 h. FUT was given with a bolus dose of 85 mg/l blood at the initiation of the experiment and thereafter as a continuous infusion of 14 mg/l/h. PGI (2), at a rate of 2.4 microg/l/h, was also administered to the experimental circuit, and 120 ppm NO gas was added to the oxygenator sweep gas. The other circuit was used as a control. RESULTS Higher platelet count and platelet membrane expression of GPIb were found in the experimental circuits as compared with control circuits. The levels of thrombin/antithrombin III complex (TAT) and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2) increased significantly over time in the control circuits but remained low in the experimental circuits. Plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) decreased rapidly in both circuits but were higher in the control circuits at each time point studied. CONCLUSION The activation of platelets and of the coagulation system encountered during extracorporeal perfusion is consistently inhibited by a combination of PGI (2), NO and FUT-175. The combination of these drugs appears to be more effective than each drug separately.
Global Mindset, Networks and Trader Performance: A Study of the Global Grain and Oilseed Sector

As a result of globalisation of trade, the research on the role of global mindset (GM) in enhancing performance has gained momentum in the new millennium. Even though GM is considered as an essential prerequisite to performance in the current international business environment, the empirical evidence of the direct effects of GM on performance is mixed. One of the reasons for this mixed evidence is the existence of other mechanisms, such as mediators and moderators, which influence GM–performance relationships. This study focuses on one such mechanism, namely networks (NWs), and examines how NWs mediate the association between GM and the performance of the global grain and oilseed traders. The study argues that GM has little direct effect on trader performance (TP). Rather, GM strengthens network structure (NWS), which collectively leads to enhanced network leverage (NWL) and thus increased TP. Based on a sample of 78 traders in the global grain and oilseed sector (GGOS), the study finds that both the network (NW) components – NWS and NWL – mediate the association between GM and TP. The finding of full path mediation provides empirical evidence that superior GM leads to superior NWS, which results in superior NWL and thus superior TP. The method used in data analysis is Partial Least Square Structural Equations Modelling (PLS-SEM), using SmartPLS software. This study makes two main contributions. Firstly, the study endorses the critical role of GM in enhancing the performance of traders in the GGOS. Secondly, the study provides a deeper understanding of how GM enhances performance; that is, the serial mediating roles of NWS and NWL. The current research has largely suggested single mediation of relationship quality. This study goes a step further and introduces NWL into the argument. The key implications of the study include the need to strengthen the GM and NWs of traders, as the interplay between the two is critical in enhancing their performance. The findings need to be interpreted carefully, as the study suffers from limitations of small sample size and single sector study.
Wild European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) Adjust to Captivity with Sustained Sympathetic Nervous System Drive and a Reduced Fight‐or‐Flight Response

Although research on wild species typically involves capture, handling, and some degree of captivity, few studies examine how these actions affect and/or alter the animal’s underlying stress physiology. Furthermore, we poorly understand the immediate changes that occur as wild animals adjust to captive conditions. Most studies to date have investigated relatively long‐term changes in the glucocorticoid response to an acute stressor, but immediate changes in the fight‐or‐flight response are relatively understudied in wild‐caught species. In this study, we investigated changes to the cardiovascular stress response during the first 10 d of captivity of freshly captured wild European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). We demonstrated that (1) baseline heart rate (HR) remains elevated for several days following transport into captivity, (2) the normal balance between sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system regulation of HR is disrupted, with the SNS exerting relatively greater control over baseline HR for the first days of captivity, and (3) the HR response to startle, a mild stressor, becomes significantly reduced compared to that of starlings maintained in captivity for several months and remains below the control response for at least 10 d. These data are the first to show that successive acute stressors and introduction to a captive setting significantly alter the physiology and responsiveness of the cardiovascular stress response system.
Pain involving the motor system and serum vitamin D concentration in postmenopausal women working in agriculture.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE Since the role of vitamin D is essential in numerous biological processes its deficiency was suggested to be a risk factor for e.g. osteoporosis, musculoskeletal pain and spine pain. The purpose of the study was to analyse whether serum vitamin D concentration is related to pain involving the motor system in Polish postmenopausal women working in agriculture. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study group consisted of 1,751 post-menopausal women, aged 45-65, at least 12 months from the last menstrual period, living in rural areas and working in agriculture. The research method was self-assessment of pain involving the motor system using VAS, laboratory test of serum vitamin D concentration and a medical interview. Statistical methods included generalized linear models, analysis of variance, t test for two means in two independents, χ2 test of stochastic independence. RESULTS Postmenopausal women working in agriculture and suffering from pain in at least one part of the motor system were younger and lower educated, they also had higher abdominal obesity and lower serum vitamin D, compared to those without pain in any part of the motor system. Decreased serum vitamin D concentration in postmenopausal women working in agriculture is important from the aspect of a higher prevalence of pain in the thoracic spine and more severe pain in the neck spine, but not for severity of pain in the lumbar spine; higher occurrence of pain in both hands or wrists; higher prevalence and more severe pain in at least one knee; and no prevalence or severity of pain in the shoulders and elbows. CONCLUSION Serum vitamin D concentration is important for the prevalence and severity of pain in the neck and thoracic spine, knees and hands or wrists, but not for the lumbar spine, shoulders and elbows.
Artificial Intelligence in Managing Market Relationships

Abstract In the 21st century our society is increasingly defined by access to and fluency with digital technologies and information infrastructures which are described to be essential to economic development, global competitiveness and national productivity (Merril Lynch & Co. Inc., 2000). This paper presents a theoretical framework for the development of a new intelligent software system designed to integrate loyalty programs data bases information, consumer surveys and qualitative studies what will enable the producing firm to be in contact with consumers' behavioural and attitudinal patterns. The benefit of this theoretical model is its assistance to consumer goods-producing firms to establish information-based relationships with both the end customer-user and the retailers that distribute the goods.