Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of familial risk factors and place of birth on the risk of autism: a nationwide register-based study.

BACKGROUND The etiology of autism is unknown. A strong genetic component has been detected but non-genetic factors may also be involved in the etiology. METHODS We used data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register and the Danish Civil Registration System to study some risk factors of autism, including place of birth, parental place of birth, parental age, family history of psychiatric disorders, and paternal identity. RESULTS A total of 943,664 children younger than ten years were followed from 1994 to 2001; of those, 818 children developed autism. The highest risks of autism were found in siblings of children with autism, or Asperger's syndrome and other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), with relative risks of 22 and 13, respectively. The relative risk of autism in the child was about twice as high if the mother had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. The risk of autism was associated with increasing degree of urbanisation of the child's place of birth and with increasing paternal, but not maternal, age. An increased relative risk of 1.4 was found if the mother was born outside Europe, and in children of parents who were born in different countries. CONCLUSIONS The highest risk of autism was found in families with a history of autism, or Asperger's syndrome and other PDDs in siblings, supporting the commonly accepted knowledge that genetic factors are involved in the etiology of autism.
Multichannel advertising: does print advertising affect search engine advertising?

Purpose – The study contributes to our understanding of search engine advertising in two main ways. Firstly, we analyze the comparative effectiveness of its campaign parameters. Secondly, we examine the effect of print advertising on search engine advertising Design/methodology/approach – Based on advertising data for a three-year period, we test the hypotheses by means of a path model with the aid of partial least squares. Findings – The advertising budget and the degree of keyword matching yield the greatest effect on the number of signed contracts. The click-through rate and the bid amount contribute, to a lesser extent, to explaining this financial target variance. The number of keywords had no significant effect. The study did not yield significant evidence of print advertising, directly affecting the number of search engine advertisement impressions, but showed an indirect effect of print advertising on the number of conversions, induced directly by search engine advertising. Research limitations/im.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection associated with Kawasaki disease

Chelation with dimercaprosuccinic acid (DMSA) (30 mg/kg daily) increased urinary excretion in all cases. Treatment was pursued 5 d to 2 mo until recovery appeared to be complete. Three of the patients bene ted from antihypertensive treatment with nicardipine. Environmental inquiry showed that the source of mercury was a broken medical thermometer in the case of one family and small quantities of the metal brought from the workplace by a family member in the other case. Eradication of the source was obtained in all cases. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate that acrodynia can mimic the clinical and biochemical manifestations of pheochromocytoma and should be considered and excluded during the investigation of suspected cases. Biologically, the increase in urinary catecholamines frequently occurs, as our four cases attest. This usually concerns norepinephrine and epinephrine. Cheek et al. showed that inorganic mercury by injection can markedly increase sympathetic activity and epinephrine levels in rats, and would therefore be expected to mimic the signs and symptoms of pheochromocytoma (4). In inorganic mercury poisoning, the metal combines with the sulphydryl group of Sadenosylmethionine , which acts as a co-factor for catecholamine-o-methyltransferase (COMT). COMT inhibition leads to accumulation of catecholamines (2). This accumulation of epinephrine and norepinephrine could explain the haemodynamic symptoms of acrodynia (4). Although acrodynia is rare, its diagnosis should be considered in any child with signs of behavioural change, skin rash and hypertension by a single urine analysis (1, 2). There exists no correlation between the level of mercury and the clinical severity or even the evolution of the disease. We believe that mercury poisoning should be considered initially in any child with signs of sweating, behavioural change, skin rash, hypertension and that pheochromocytoma might be considered in the differential diagnosis. Recognition of the variable manifestations of the disease and prevention of further exposure are the most important aspects of management.
Rab 11 Regulates the Compartmentalization of Early Endosomes Required for Efficient Transport from Early Endosomes to the trans-Golgi Network

Several GTPases of the Rab family, known to be regulators of membrane traffic between organelles, have been described and localized to various intracellular compartments. Rab11 has previously been reported to be associated with the pericentriolar recycling compartment, post-Golgi vesicles, and the transGolgi network (TGN). We compared the effect of overexpression of wild-type and mutant forms of Rab11 on the different intracellular transport steps in the endocytic/degradative and the biosynthetic/exocytic pathways in HeLa cells. We also studied transport from endosomes to the Golgi apparatus using the Shiga toxin B subunit (STxB) and TGN38 as reporter molecules. Overexpression of both Rab11 wild-type (Rab11wt) and mutants altered the localization of the transferrrin receptor (TfR), internalized Tf, the STxB, and TGN38. In cells overexpressing Rab11wt and in a GTPase-deficient Rab11 mutant (Rab11Q70L), these proteins were found in vesicles showing characteristics of sorting endosomes lacking cellubrevin (Cb). In contrast, they were redistributed into an extended tubular network, together with Cb, in cells overexpressing a dominant negative mutant of Rab11 (Rab11S25N). This tubularized compartment was not accessible to Tf internalized at temperatures , 20 8 C, suggesting that it is of recycling endosomal origin. Overexpression of Rab11wt, Rab11Q70L, and Rab11S25N also inhibited STxB and TGN38 transport from endosomes to the TGN. These results suggest that Rab11 influences endosome to TGN trafficking primarily by regulating membrane distribution inside the early endosomal pathway.
Causal Relationships among Quality, Service Value, Satisfaction and Loyalty

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the causal relationships among quality of health care service, service value, satisfaction and loyalty as perceived by hospital inpatients. Methods: A survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted with 654 hospital inpatients. Analysis of the data was done with both SPSS Win 17.0 for descriptive statistics and AMOS 18.0 for the structural equation model. Results: The modified model yielded Chi-square=7.96 (p=.019), df=2, /df=3.98, GFI=. 99, AGFI=. 96, RMSEA=. 07, NFI=. 99, CFI=. 99, TLI=. 98 and showed good fit indices. Three dimensions of quality had significant direct effects on service value. Functional quality, technical quality and service value had significant direct effects on customer satisfaction. Technical quality, service value, and customer satisfaction had significant direct effects on customer loyalty. Conclusion: These results suggest that quality of health care is an important element in service value, and through both quality and service value, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty can be enhanced. Further study with a larger sample from various hospitals and a longitudinal design is necessary.
Risk premia on corporate securities

This thesis focuses on the pricing of risk in equity, credit and corporate bond markets. The first chapter investigates whether financial leverage matter for the cross-section of expected equity returns, above and beyond firm size and book-to-market equity. Using a structural model of capital accumulation and leverage choice I argue that it does. Expected equity returns vary across firms because of differences in productivity, capital and leverage. Firm size and book-to-market equity cannot map all these variables. Everything else equal, leveraged firms are riskier because they disinvest less when capital is less productive. The model can generate qualitatively and, sometimes, quantitatively the cross-sectional relations between equity returns and book-to-market equity, firm size, market leverage, book leverage and debt/equity ratio. The second chapter explores the source for common variation in the portion of returns observed in U.S. credit markets that is not related to changes in risk-free rates or expected default losses. We extract a latent common component from firm-specific changes in default risk premia that is orthogonal to known systematic risk factors during our sample period from 2001 to 2004. Asset pricing tests suggest that our factor is priced in the corporate bond market and the equity options market but not in the equity market. We develop a theoretical framework supporting our empirical findings. This framework also shows that our factor captures the jump-to-default risk associated with market-wide credit events. Finally, the third chapter studies the determinants of the default risk premia embedded in the European credit default swap spreads. Using a modified version of the intertemporal capital asset pricing model, we show that default risk premia rep-
CYP 2 D 6 polymorphisms influence the efficacy of adjuvant tamoxifen in Thai breast cancer patients

Chonlaphat Sukasem; Division of Pharmacogenetics and Personalized Medicine, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Rama 6 Road, Phayathai, BKK, 10400, Thailand Tel +66 2200 4331 Fax +66 2200 4332 Email chonlaphat.suk@mahidol.ac. th Aim: We evaluated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP2D6 to identify those that influence the efficiency of tamoxifen in adjuvant treatment of breast cancer through a matched case–control study. Methods: Peripheral blood DNA was collected from 20 patients with disease recurrence during adjuvant tamoxifen treatment and from 19 patients who had completed 5 years of tamoxifen therapy without recurrence of breast cancer. CYP2D6*4 (1846G . A; rs3892097), CYP2D6*10 (100C . T, rs1065852), and CYP2D6*5 (deletion) were genotyped. The correlation between disease-free survival (DFS) and genotype and clinical outcome were assessed using Kaplan– Meier analysis and a log-rank test. Results: We found the allelic frequency of CYP2D6*10 during this study. Patients with the CYP2D6*10 homozygous variant T/T genotype had a significantly shorter median of DFS than those with C/T (P = 0.036), but DFS was not significantly different from that of patients with the C/C genotype (P = 0.316). One patient who was a carrier both of CYP2D6 G/A (1846G . A) and T/T (100C . T) had DFS of 22.7 months. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CYP2D6*10/*10 was significantly associated with shorter DFS in Thai breast cancer patients receiving tamoxifen. This was a pilot study investigating the correlation of CYP2D6 polymorphisms and their influence on clinical outcomes in Thai estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients.
Online retailer reputation and consumer response: examining cross cultural differences

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate cross cultural differences in the impact of online retailer reputation and retail quality on consumers' emotional and cognitive (i.e. perceived risk) reactions, which lead to purchase intention, based on stimulus‐organism‐response (S‐O‐R) model.Design/methodology/approach – Two cultures, US (individualism, low uncertainty avoidance) and South Korea (collectivism, high uncertainty avoidance) were chosen for comparison for their contrast in cultural characteristics. Multiple group analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed in order to compare the structural model in two different cultures.Findings – The results indicate that while the overall mechanism underlying the decision making process is similar for the two countries, differences are found in the relative importance of the factors determining consumers' cognitive and emotional reactions as well as their intention to purchase online.Research implications/limitations – The majority o.
Marketing Practices and Performance of Small Service Firms

Marketing practices have been examined in many studies, yet the literature is dominated by a focus on larger firms offering a service that is often contractual or potentially continuous in nature. To contrast with this, the authors identify the practices of smaller firms likely to provide a noncontractual service and then test the link between marketing practices and firm performance. Results from 242 firms in the tourism accommodation sector indicate that success requires an emphasis on both transaction marketing and interaction-based relationship marketing to acquire customers and achieve sales growth. More contemporary practices such as database marketing, e-marketing, and network marketing are in evidence, but they are not found to influence performance. Furthermore, it is success with customer acquisition rather than customer retention that leads to profitability for these firms. The implications of these and other results are discussed and begin to provide a more balanced perspective to the literature.
Mathematical Models of Human Pilot Behavior

Abstract : The use of mathematical models of the human pilot in analyses of the pilot/vehicle system has brought a new dimension to the engineering treatment of flying qualities, stability and control, pilot/vehicle integration, and display system considerations. As an introduction to such models, elementary concepts and specific physical examples are used to set the stage for a step-by-step development of what is known about the human pilot as a dynamic control component. In the process, quasi-linear models for single-loop systems with visual stimuli and multiloop systems with visual stimuli are presented and then extended to cover multiloop, multi-modality situtations. Empirical connections between the pilot dynamics and pilot ratings are also considered. Some of the most important nonlinear features of human pilot behavior in adapting to changes in the character of the stimuli are described and tied to the quasi-linear models.
Polymorphisms in the multidrug resistance gene MDR1 (ABCB1) predict for molecular resistance in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia receiving high-dose imatinib.

To the editor: Recently, Dulucq and coworkers reported that multidrug resistance gene ( MDR1 ) polymorphisms were associated with major molecular responses (MMRs) to standard-dose imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). [1][1] Significantly more patients homozygous for allele 1236T achieved a
Application of “Swanson’s Middle Range Caring Theory” in Sweden after miscarriage

Objective: The aim of this study was to apply Swanson’s Middle Range Caring Theory to the follow-up visit with a midwife for Swedish women who have suffered early miscarriage or received care for late missed miscarriage in preg-nancy week 18-20. Methods: Twenty-five tape recorded interviews with women four weeks after their early miscarriages and thirteen tape recorded semi-structured interviews with midwives and nurses who had the experience of caring for women who have been diagnosed with a missed miscarriage during a routine ultrasound scan. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted deductively from the text using the theory. Results: Each woman described her personal experience of miscarriage in the relative terms of a human experience. The midwives and nurses described their experiences with women who received care for missed miscarriage. The interviews included information about the treatment provided by the caregivers during the period afterward of the diagnosis. The caregiver attitude was formed from Swanson’s caring categories: “Maintaining belief”, “knowing”, “being with”, “doing for”, “enabling”. Conclusions: Swanson’s Middle Range Caring Theory as applied to the caregiver includes being emotionally present, giving support with respect for the woman’s dignity, being competent, meeting each woman’s own individual needs. Given the proper care after a miscarriage every woman has the power within herself to improve their wellbeing.
Land tenure regimes and land conservation in the African drylands: the case of northern Ghana

In Africa’s drylands, threats to economic livelihood from climate change are exacerbated by a low rate of investments in land conservation. The existing literature identifies land tenure insecurity as a major contributory factor. To help better understand this challenge, this paper investigated, empirically, the impact of land tenure regimes on investment in land conservation, focusing on northern Ghana. The study’s findings identified three dominant traditional institutions of land administration, viz., tendana, chieftaincy and family. These institutions in turn define three broad categories of tenure regimes, namely, freehold, leasehold and lineage. It further finds that these regimes exhibit a continuum of tenure security that impact differentially on investment in land conservation. This is buttressed by the quantitative analysis, which reveals that whereas freehold (relative to lineage) significantly engenders investment in conservation, leasehold shows no important impact. Among others, the paper recommends the institution of reform processes that promote durable and individualized land tenure security.
SEROLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF A RECOMBINATION IN THE H‐2 REGION OF THE MOUSE

The H-2 phenotype determined by H-2o, a new allele derived from a recombination between H-2d and H-2k, has been analyzed for 21 of the 25 defined H-2 specificities by direct hemagglutination, by absorptions and by immunizations. The recombinant allele determines specificities 1(A), 3(C), 5(E), 8(H), 29(C′), 31 (Ed) and 32(Dk). The results of this crossover support the previous recombination maps of the H-2 region, extend them to include additional specificities, and newly define a separable genetic determinant for factor 5(E). One anomalous immunization result raises the possibility either of unequal crossing over or of alteration of one antigenic specificity as a result of recombination.
Reproductive effects of hexachlorobenzene in female rats

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbon widely distributed in the environment. In animal testing, HCB has been shown to be a reproductive toxin. Previous investigations of the effects of HCB on ovarian function have yielded equivocal results. Thus, the effects of chronic administration of HCB (1 g kg−1 body wt.) on the ovary and pituitary hormone levels, hepatic and uterine oestradiol receptors, ovarian histopathological changes and oestrus cycle characteristics were investigated in spontaneously cycling rats. Our data demonstrate that HCB treatment, under the conditions of the present study, reduced circulating levels of oestradiol and prolactin without differences in serum concentrations of progesterone. Follicle‐stimulating hormone serum levels were elevated. Hexachlorobenzene treatment resulted in irregularity of cycles, characterized mainly as prolonged periods of oestrus with a reduced number of ova recovered.
Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Study with LEC/chTNT-3 and Toceranib Phosphate (Palladia®) in Dogs with Spontaneous Malignancies.

OBJECTIVES LEC chemokine promotes TH1 responses and recruits immune cells to inflammatory sites. By linking LEC to an antibody targeting tumor necrosis, LEC/chTNT-3 can be used for the immunotherapeutic treatment of tumors. The primary objective of this study was to determine the safety profile of LEC/chTNT-3 and toceranib phosphate (Palladia®) combination therapy in dogs with spontaneous malignancies. Secondary purpose was to determine objective responses to treatment. METHODS Twenty-three dogs with cancer were enrolled, covering nine different malignancies. In this dose escalation study, dogs received LEC/chTNT-3 for five days, and toceranib every 48 hours for the remainder of the study. Dogs received physical exams, chemistry panel, urinalysis, and complete blood counts on days 0, 10, 28 of the study, and every 6-8 weeks thereafter. RESULTS Lethargy was noted in 13% dogs. There were no statistical differences in the prevalence of anorexia, diarrhea, thrombocytopenia, renal toxicity, or hepatic toxicity before or during the study. There were trends in increases in the prevalence of vomiting, lymphopenia, and neutropenia (all grade 2 or lower, p=0.07) over the initial 28 days of the study. By day 28, 10% of dogs had partial responses, 58% had stable disease, and 32% had progressive disease. CONCLUSIONS LEC/chTNT-3 and toceranib were well tolerated. This combination therapy showed some biological activity against a variety of cancers at a low dose and short duration of LEC/chTNT-3 administration.
Activity-based costing in the U.K.’s largest companies: a comparison of 1994 and 1999 survey results

This paper reviews the results of two UK surveys of activity-based costing (ABC) in the UK's largest companies. These provide an opportunity to assess the changes which have occurred in the ABC adoption status of companies over a recent five year period. For the ABC users, some comparative information is provided on the nature of the ABC systems in use, their designers, the uses to which they have been put and the levels of success and importance which participants attribute to them. For the non-users the reasons for their lack of commitment to ABC are explored. Key Words: Activity-based costing; Perceptions of success; Survey
The Head to Head trial: Letrozole vs anastrozole as adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal patients with node positive breast cancer.

10672 Introduction: Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) have demonstrated both efficacy and safety advantages over tamoxifen (T) in all treatment settings in breast cancer (BC) and are becoming the new standard of care as endocrine therapy for postmenopausal patients (PM) with BC. RATIONALE Cumulative evidence suggests that all AIs may not be the same, raising the question of whether there is a superior AI, and whether any specific patient populations derive differing degrees of benefit from a particular AI. In the ATAC trial, evaluating anastrozole (A) in PM patients with early breast cancer (EBC), at 33 months median follow up the risk of recurrence in the hormone receptor positive (HR+) population was reduced by 22%. The BIG 1-98 Trial, evaluating letrozole (L) in PM women with EBC, showed a significant benefit in favor of L over T at a median follow up of 26 months, with a 19% reduction in the risk of recurrence; in subgroup analyses, L significantly decreased the risk of recurrence in LN+ patients and in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. This study is a head to head comparison of L and A in HR+, LN+ PM patients with EBC and aims to compare L vs A in the adjuvant treatment of these patients. DESIGN AND METHODS This is a Phase IIIb open-label, randomized, multicentre study including 4000 PM patients from up to 250 international sites. PM patients with HR+, LN+ BC who have recently undergone surgery for primary BC will be randomized to either receive L 2.5 mg or A 1 mg daily. Treatment will commence following completion of standard chemotherapy (if given) and concurrently with radiotherapy (if given)Patients will receive treatment until disease recurrence/relapse for up to 5 years. Patients will be stratified by number of LN and HER2 status. The primary objective is disease free survival at 5 years for L and A. Secondary objectives include safety, overall survival, time to distant metastases and time to contralateral breast cancer. Data analysis will be conducted by an independent group of investigators. SUMMARY Updated patient accrual figures, including any available early safety data, will be presented at the meeting. No significant financial relationships to disclose.