Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Love is all you need? Focusing on adolescents' life concerns from an ecological point of view.

Focal theory, in trying to explain why the majority of young people cope comparatively well with the variety of transitional tasks they are confronted with during adolescence, suggests that adolescents deal with only one issue at a time: concerns about heterosexual relationships peak around 11, concerns about peer acceptance around 15, and about relationship to and independence from parents at 15 for girls and 17 for boys. However, the model has been criticized for not taking into account economic problems and unemployment. The present study sets out to empirically test the implications of focal theory with a large Swedish sample of 1217 adolescents between 11 and 20 by means of a school-based questionnaire. Young people answered how often they worry about relationship, economic, global and other personal issues. Results show that focal theory should not be taken literally with regard to certain age-related sequences of problems. However, the main concept proposed by Coleman, i.e. that the number of problems dealt with has implications for adolescents' psychological well-being, is strongly supported by the data in this study. Finally, the notion that young people can choose how many issues they focus upon at a time is critically discussed.
Kin selection in Columbian ground squirrels: direct and indirect fitness benefits

Empirical and theoretical studies have supported kin selection by demonstrating nepotism or modelling its conditions and consequences. As an alternative, we previously found that female Columbian ground squirrels had greater direct fitness when more close kin were present. Extending those results, we used population matrix methods to calculate minimum estimates of individual fitness, estimated direct and indirect components of fitness, estimated inclusive fitness by adding the direct fitness (stripped of estimated influences of the social environment) and indirect fitness components together, and finally looked for inclusive fitness benefits of associations with close kin who seem to be ‘genial neighbours’. We examined the estimated fitness of a sample of 35 females for which complete lifetimes were known for themselves, their mothers and their littermate sisters. Six of these females had no cosurviving adult close kin, and their direct fitness was significantly lower than 29 females with such kin (λ = 0.66 vs. λ = 1.23). The net fitness benefit of the presence of close kin was thus 0.57. The estimated indirect component of fitness through benefits to the direct fitness of close kin was 0.43. Thus, estimated inclusive fitness for females with cosurviving close kin (λ = 1.09) was significantly greater than that for females without surviving close kin (viz., λ = 0.66). The presence of closely related and philopatric female kin appeared to result in considerable fitness benefits for female ground squirrels, perhaps through the behavioural mechanisms of lowered aggression and other forms of behavioural cooperation.
Correction of Proximal Tibial Recurvatum Using the Ilizarov Technique

Background: Genu recurvatum is a debilitating deformity of the knee that can progress during growth and lead to significant deformity if left untreated. Recurvatum can be osseous, ligamentous, or mixed. Osseous genu recurvatum is most often due to asymmetrical growth arrest of the proximal tibial physis affecting primarily the tibial tubercle. Several methods have been described in the literature regarding the correction of this deformity; nevertheless, there is a paucity of knowledge of the correction of proximal tibial recurvatum using the Ilizarov technique. Methods: A retrospective chart and radiographic review of all patients treated by distraction osteogenesis with angular correction distal to the tibial tubercle using an Ilizarov external fixator was performed. A total of 9 patients were treated during the study period and the average age at the time of surgery was 14.3 years (range, 7-16 y). There were 3 female patients and 6 male patients. Four cases were due to deformity secondary to trauma and the treatment thereof, 2 patients had spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, and 3 patients had unknown etiology. The angle of recurvatum (RG) and the angle of tilt of the tibial plateau (RT) preoperatively measured 28 degrees (range, 18 to 32 degrees) and 69 degrees (range, 60 to 82 degrees), respectively. At final follow-up, the RG and RT measured 7 degress (range, 4 to 12 degrees) and 93 degrees (range, 86 to 100 degress), respectively. Using the scoring system of Lecuire and colleagues, the overall results were good to excellent at a mean follow-up of 4.4 years. Conclusions: Correction of osseous proximal tibial recurvatum by the Ilizarov method, allows obtaining an improved sagittal mechanical axis in the lower extremity.
The major histocompatibility complex and autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder that appears to be caused by interactions between genetic changes and environmental insults during early development. A wide range of factors have been linked to the onset of ASD, but recently both genetic associations and environmental factors point to a central role for immune‐related genes and immune responses to environmental stimuli. Specifically, many of the proteins encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a vital role in the formation, refinement, maintenance, and plasticity of the brain. Manipulations of levels of MHC molecules have illustrated how disrupted MHC signaling can significantly alter brain connectivity and function. Thus, an emerging hypothesis in our field is that disruptions in MHC expression in the developing brain caused by mutations and/or immune dysregulation may contribute to the altered brain connectivity and function characteristic of ASD. This review provides an overview of the structure and function of the three classes of MHC molecules in the immune system, healthy brain, and their possible involvement in ASD. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2012
Start-Up Export Intensity: An Empirical Investigation of the Impact of Absorptive Capacity and Business Owner Human and Social Capital

This study investigates the influence of business owner human and social capital on start-up export intensity. In addition, building on the knowledge-based view of the firm, we assume the relationships between owner characteristics and firm export activities to be moderated by the start-up’s absorptive capacity, which designates its ability to acquire, assimilate and exploit new information. Flemish start-ups form this study’s empirical setting. Our results indicate that start-up export intensity is (1) driven by the business owner’s formal education and start-up experience, while (2) weakened by his/her accumulated management experience. Furthermore, we find evidence that start-up absorptive capacity significantly moderates the export impact of the owner’s human capital. Finally, implications and opportunities for future research are suggested.
Deliberate drug poisonings admitted to an emergency department in Paris area - a descriptive study and assessment of risk factors for intensive care admission.

OBJECTIVE Each year, approximately 165,000 poisonings are managed in the emergency departments (ED) in France. We performed a descriptive analysis of self-poisoned patients admitted to a university hospital ED in the Paris metropolitan area (France) aimed at investigating their outcome and the risk factors for transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed patients' records and performed multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors for ICU admission. RESULTS During 4 years, 882 self-poisoned patients (median age, 38 years [IQR, 26-47]; sex-ratio, 1M/3F) were admitted to the ED, representing 0.7% of all referred patients. Poisonings mainly resulted from multidrug exposures (53%), including benzodiazepines (78%), serotonin reuptake inhibitors (17%), acetaminophen (13%), antipsychotics (9.5%), imidazopyridines (9.5%), antihypertensive drugs (3%), and polycyclic antidepressants (1.3%). Ethanol was involved in 20% of the exposures. Patients were briefly (<24h) monitored in the ED (55%), transferred to the psychiatric department (30%), medical ward (2%) or ICU (6%), and took an irregular discharge (7%). Among the patients transferred to the ICU, 25% were mechanically ventilated and only one died. Risk factors for ICU admission included antihypertensive (Odds ratio (OR), 40.6; 95%-confidence interval (CI), 7.5-221.9) or antipsychotic drug ingestion (OR, 5.3; CI, 2.0-14.4), male gender (OR, 3.3; CI, 1.30-8.8), and consciousness impairment (OR, 2.1; CI, 1.8-2.5 per point lost in Glasgow coma score). CONCLUSIONS Deliberate drug exposure represents a frequent cause of ED admission. Psychotropic drugs are most commonly involved. Transfer to the ICU is rare and predicted by male gender, drug class, and coma depth.
Testing the CCAPM on Spanish Data: A New Approach

This paper tests a traditional model of asset pricing, the CCAPM (Consumption Capital Asset Pricing Model), using data from the Spanish stock market. A generalized calibration method is used to test this model. This method allows us to judge the degree of correspondance between the population moments implied by the model and the sample moments.
Holt‐Oram syndrome: Is there a “face”?

Holt‐Oram syndrome, first described in 1960, is one of many heart‐hand syndromes. Upper limb involvement, predominantly radial, is universal, bilateral and asymmetrical, with variable severity. Cardiac defects occur in 95% of familial cases. Inheritance is autosomal dominant with 100% penetrance and no evidence of reduced fitness. Mutations in TBX5 have been reported in Holt‐Oram syndrome. This study was conducted to establish whether a particular facial appearance is associated with Holt‐Oram syndrome, one which might facilitate early diagnosis and aid differentiation from other heart‐hand syndromes. Twenty‐five individuals were evaluated, age 11 months to 70 years. A complete dysmorphological examination was carried out, serial photographs were reviewed, and a series of anthropometric craniofacial measurements was obtained. Subjectively, the face is square with a broad lower jaw and parietal bossing. The forehead is prominent and tall. There is narrowing at the temples. Eyes seem close‐set. The nose appears relatively long, with a wide base, and short columella. With age the face becomes longer and more oval. Our anthropometric approach confirms certain clinical impressions. However, there is no objective evidence for increased face or nose height, two of the most striking features of the “gestalt. ” Nasal height is, in fact, reduced at all ages. There does not appear to be a syndrome‐specific pattern profile to facilitate the discrimination of this condition from other heart‐hand syndromes. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
How Open is Too Open? The ‘Dark Side’ of Openness Along the Innovation Value Chain

In this article, we provide first insights on how open innovation is connected to the imitation of intellectual property (IP). Analyzing survey data concerning the open innovation orientation along the innovation value chain of 3956 German firms, we show that companies engaged in open innovation are more exposed to imitation. The breadth and depth of open innovation activities both positively contribute to the likelihood of imitation. Further, we analyze imitation along the different phases of the innovation value chain. Our results show that every innovation phase positively influences imitation with the exception of the testing and marketing phase. Moreover, we find that all potential open innovation partner types expose the risk of imitation with the exception of competitors, which is a surprising result. We suggest that companies should consciously decide for an open innovation strategy which does not reveal their core competencies neither to competitors nor to partners which may eventually turn into competitors by vertical diversification (e.g., customers or suppliers). A conscious decision for the partner types in the various open innovation phases is a crucial strategic step to obtain the benefits of open innovation while mitigating the threat of imitation.
Foreign Sales Strategies of Multinational Enterprises

The business literature has long recognized the importance of multinationals' distribution networks. The empirical analysis of distribution-oriented FDI has, however, received little attention which is at least partly due to the lack of appropriate data. We outline a slightly modified version of Helpman, Melitz, and Yeaple (2004) that explicitly models the possibility for a multinational firm to export through its wholesale trade affiliate in order to analyze multinational firms' choice between foreign production and foreign distribution. The subsequent empirical analysis uses different discrete choice models. We use alternative specifications and report estimation results for several sub-samples of multinational firms. We also consider more complex foreign sales strategies and correct for the sample selection bias that arises because we only observe firms that have foreign affiliates. Our results show that the decision between distribution and production-oriented FDI is based on the trade-off between fixed and variable costs.
Optimal bounds for the volumes of Kähler-Einstein Fano manifolds

abstract:We show that any $n$-dimensional Ding semistable Fano manifold $X$ satisfies that the anti-canonical volume is less than or equal to the value $(n+1)^n$. Moreover, the equality holds if and only if $X$ is isomorphic to the $n$-dimensional projective space. Together with a result of Berman, we get the optimal upper bound for the anti-canonical volumes of $n$-dimensional K\"ahler-Einstein Fano manifolds.
Periodontal intervention effects on pregnancy outcomes in women with preeclampsia *

Objective: To determine the efficacy of periodontal intervention on pregnancy outcome in mild preeclamptic women. Methods: A sample of 60 pregnant women with mild preeclampsia (blood pressure levels <160/110 mm and proteinuria >300 mg/l in 24 hours urine) from the Hospital Universitario del Valle (Cali, Colombia) was included to the study. Preeclamptic women were randomized in two groups, one with periodontal intervention (PIG, N=28) and another in which the periodontal intervention was practiced after childbirth (NPIG, N=32). Maternal socio-demographic, medical and periodontal data were obtained. PIG included patients in which supragingival and subgingival cleaning within ultrasonic and manual devices were performed after study inclusion. The progression from mild to severe preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome, the number of days of clinical stability and the percentile of birth-weight adjusted for gestational age were evaluated in both groups. Results: Most of the patients (60%) were multigravids. Gestational age at inclusion was 31.8±1.6 weeks. Chronic periodontitis was a frequent finding (61.7%). Social, demographic, medical and periodontal conditions were similar between both groups. Disease progression to severe preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome was also similar (89.2% PIG versus 84.4%, p=0.65) (OR=1.06 IC 95% 0.87-1.29, p=0.65). Days of clinical stability were similar between the groups (median 10 days , range 1-46, PIG versus 12 days, range 1-59, p=0.57) and the percentile of birth weight adjusted with gestational age had no differences between the groups (median percentil 50 range 5-90 PIG versus percentil 55 range 5-95, p=0.73). Conclusion: Periodontal intervention does not seem to harm the health, the severity or alter the frequency on maternal complications in mild preeclampsia subjects.
Interval‐censored survival time data: confidence intervals for the non‐parametric survivor function

Survival data are described as interval censored when the failure time is not measured exactly but is known only to have occurred within a defined interval. In this paper, we describe and assess three methods for calculating pointwise confidence intervals for the non‐parametric survivor function estimated from interval‐censored data: the first based on the full information matrix, the second a modification of this approach involving deletion of rows and columns of the information matrix corresponding to zero estimates prior to inversion and the third based on likelihood ratio inference. In a simulation study the likelihood ratio method gave the most accurate confidence intervals with coverage consistently close to the nominal level of 95 per cent. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Endurance testing of rotating machines insulation systems: Do sinusoidal and square voltage waveforms provide comparable results?

According to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) technical specification (TS) 60034-18-42, to ensure the insulation system reliability of inverter-fed form wound motors, endurance tests should be performed on formettes to compare new insulation systems with proven ones. IEC TS 60034-18-42 makes reference to sinusoidal testing, as it assumes that sinusoidal and square voltage waveforms will provide comparable breakdown times if they have the same frequency and peak-to-peak voltage values. Given this premises, it becomes crucial to assess this assumption and, in case, provide the limit values for square voltage waveform parameters (i.e., rise time) that can provide results that are comparable with those obtained using sinusoidal waveforms. Therefore, the effects of square voltages waveform parameters on life tests are discussed in this paper. The tests have been performed on magnet wires, as their insulation is similar to turn insulation of form-wound machines. Partial discharge (PD) data were recorded during the tests resorting to a ultra-high frequency system and are used to explain the influence of square voltage waveform on life test results. Based on the experimental results obtained in this study, when performing endurance tests on inverter-fed motor insulation systems, square voltages waveforms having appropriate parameters should be selected to get objective endurance test results.
Prebiotic Potential and Chemical Composition of Seven Culinary Spice Extracts

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate prebiotic potential, chemical composition, and antioxidant capacity of spice extracts. Seven culinary spices including black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ginger, Mediterranean oregano, rosemary, and turmeric were extracted with boiling water. Major chemical constituents were characterized by RP‐HPLC‐DAD method and antioxidant capacity was determined by measuring colorimetrically the extent to scavenge ABTS radical cations. Effects of spice extracts on the viability of 88 anaerobic and facultative isolates from intestinal microbiota were determined by using Brucella agar plates containing serial dilutions of extracts. A total of 14 phenolic compounds, a piperine, cinnamic acid, and cinnamaldehyde were identified and quantitated. Spice extracts exhibited high antioxidant capacity that correlated with the total amount of major chemicals. All spice extracts, with the exception of turmeric, enhanced the growth of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. All spices exhibited inhibitory activity against selected Ruminococcus species. Cinnamon, oregano, and rosemary were active against selected Fusobacterium strains and cinnamon, rosemary, and turmeric were active against selected Clostridium spp. Some spices displayed prebiotic‐like activity by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria, suggesting their potential role in the regulation of intestinal microbiota and the enhancement of gastrointestinal health. The identification and quantification of spice‐specific phytochemicals provided insight into the potential influence of these chemicals on the gut microbial communities and activities. Future research on the connections between spice‐induced changes in gut microbiota and host metabolism and disease preventive effect in animal models and humans is needed.
Identification of Protein Kinase D2 as a Pivotal Regulator of Endothelial Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Angiogenesis*

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, plays a crucial role in normal physiological processes and in various pathological conditions. In the present study, we have investigated the physiological function of a newly described serine/threonine protein kinase D2 (PKD2) in aspects of endothelial cell biology involved in angiogenesis. We found that PKD2 was expressed in primary human endothelial cells from different tissues and was a critical PKD isoform mediating the phosphorylation of PKD substrates in endothelial cells. By using small interference RNAs that target different PKD2 regions, we found that silencing PKD2, but not PKD1 isoform, markedly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and in vitro angiogenesis of endothelial cells cultured in EGM-2 complete medium. We further showed that PKD2, but not PKD1, was required for the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 that are two key growth factor receptors involved in angiogenesis. These findings indicate that PKD2 plays a pivotal role in endothelial cell proliferation and migration necessary for angiogenesis at least in part through modulation of the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1.
Diving Injuries Presenting to the Hyperbaric Chamber in Barbados: A Review from 1995-2009.

Objectives This review sought to determine the epidemiology of diving injuries in Barbados and outcomes of treatment. Methods This retrospective study is a review of medical notes from January 1995 to December 2009, from the hyperbaric chamber at the Barbados Defense Force. Data included age at time of injury, gender, nationality, place of residence and diving accident. Injury-specific data included time from onset of injury to treatment, presenting signs and symptoms and diagnosis. The number of treatments performed and their outcomes were also noted. Results During this period, 183 cases presented to the hyperbaric unit. Males accounted for 82% of the cases. The average age was 36.25 years (range: 17-79 years). Half lived in the Caribbean and dived mainly for work. Sport diving was responsible for 51.4% of the cases presenting to the unit. Decompression sickness type 2 comprised 56% of the cases. Neurological symptoms were common, with numbness, weakness and strange sensations affecting 45.4, 43.7 and 47.5%, respectively. There was a mean of 3.35 treatments and 63.9% showed complete resolution of symptoms and a further 25% showing improvement after treatment. Conclusion Diving is a relatively safe activity but decompression illness does occur at times. The number of cases presenting to the unit decreased for various reasons over a 15-year period. However, the unit continues to have very good outcomes for those treated.