Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parental longevity is associated with cognition and brain ageing in middle-aged offspring.

BACKGROUND offspring of long-lived individuals have lower risk for dementia. We examined the relation between parental longevity and cognition and subclinical markers of brain ageing in community-dwelling adult offspring. METHODS offspring participants with both parents in the Framingham Heart Study, aged ≥55 years and dementia-free underwent baseline and repeat neuropsychological (NP) testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Parental longevity was defined as having at least one parent survive to age ≥85 years. To test the association between parental longevity and measures of cognition and brain volumes, we used multivariable linear and logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, education and time to NP testing or brain MRI. RESULTS of 728 offspring (mean age 66 years, 54% women), 407 (56%) had ≥1 parent achieve longevity. In cross-sectional analysis, parental longevity was associated with better scores on attention (beta 0.21 ± 0.08, P = 0.006) and a lower odds of extensive white matter hyperintensity on brain MRI (odds ratio 0.59, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.92, P = 0.019). The association with white matter hyperintensity was no longer significant in models adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors and disease. In longitudinal analysis (6.7 ± 1.7 years later), offspring with parental longevity had slower decline in attention (0.18 ± 0.08, P = 0.038), executive function (beta 0.19 ± 0.09, P = 0.031) and visual memory (beta -0.18 ± 0.08, P = 0.023), and less increase in temporal horn volume (beta -0.25 ± 0.09, P = 0.005). The associations persisted in fully adjusted models. CONCLUSION parental longevity is associated with better brain ageing in middle-aged offspring.
Vulnerability in Research Ethics: A Way Forward

Several foundational documents of bioethics mention the special obligation researchers have to vulnerable research participants. However, the treatment of vulnerability offered by these documents often relies on enumeration of vulnerable groups rather than an analysis of the features that make such groups vulnerable. Recent attempts in the scholarly literature to lend philosophical weight to the concept of vulnerability are offered by Luna and Hurst. Luna suggests that vulnerability is irreducibly contextual and that Institutional Review Boards (Research Ethics Committees) can only identify vulnerable participants by carefully examining the details of the proposed research. Hurst, in contrast, defines the vulnerable as those especially at risk of incurring the wrongs to which all research ethics participants are exposed. We offer a more substantive conception of vulnerability than Luna but one that gives rise to a different rubric of responsibilities from Hurst's. While we understand vulnerability to be an ontological condition of human existence, in the context of research ethics, we take the vulnerable to be research subjects who are especially prone to harm or exploitation. Our analysis rests on developing a typology of sources of vulnerability and showing how distinct sources generate distinct obligations on the part of the researcher. Our account emphasizes that the researcher's first obligation is not to make the research participant even more vulnerable than they already are. To illustrate our framework, we consider two cases: that of a vulnerable population involved in international research and that of a domestic population of people with diminished capacity.
The contribution of public capital towards economic growth: A KwaZulu-Natal case study

Background: The adequate supply of infrastructure is essential to ensure increasing productivity and economic growth. Research found this relationship to be significantly positive. The external effects that spending on public capital has on the production function of private firms stimulates economic growth overall. This implies that public capital inputs should be incorporated into the production function. Aim: The way provincial or regional growth depends on infrastructure is investigated in this article and it is applied to data from KwaZulu-Natal province, as an illustration. Setting: This study investigates the extent to which infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa leads towards economic growth of the province. Methods: From a theoretical framework, this article develops an endogenous growth model, which investigates the association between provincial public capital stock expenditure and economic growth. Data series for public capital formation are first developed to apply in this study and others to follow. Econometric techniques are then employed, using quarterly data between 2001 and 2015, to assess the set hypothesis that growth in expenditure on public capital leads to national economic growth. Results: The empirical results support the argument of a positive relationship between provincial capital stock and economic growth in the long-term. The findings also suggests that the long-term causality or effect fades over time, albeit slowly. Conclusion: The nature and statistical significance of the long-term equilibrium relationship seems to be ambiguous at best. Some evidence of an equilibrium relationship in the short-term was, however, also observed. In conclusion, there also seems to be some causality between provincial capital stock and provincial gross domestic product in the short-run.
A Novel SUCLA2 Mutation in a Portuguese Child Associated With “Mild” Methylmalonic Aciduria

Succinyl–coenzyme A synthase is a mitochondrial matrix enzyme that catalyzes the reversible synthesis of succinate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from succinyl–coenzyme A and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This enzyme is made up of α and β subunits encoded by SUCLG1 and SUCLA2, respectively. We present a child with severe muscular hypotonia, dystonia, failure to thrive, sensorineural deafness, and dysmorphism. Metabolic investigations disclosed hyperlactacidemia, moderate urinary excretion of methylmalonic acid, and elevated levels of C4-dicarboxylic carnitine in blood. We identified a novel homozygous p.M329V in SUCLA2. In cultured cells, the p.M329V resulted in a reduced amount of the SUCLA2 protein, impaired production of mitochondrial ATP, and enhanced production of reactive oxygen species, which was partially reduced by using 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide in the culture medium. Expanding the array of SUCLA2 mutations, we suggested that reactive oxygen species scavengers are likely to impact on disease prognosis.
The turnaround value of values.

John Thorbeck is an executive with a ten-year career history of successes--and a sense of repeated failure. Just out of business school, he was marketing director at the Aspen Skiing Company for three years and helped to reverse thirteen seasons of decline. At the Timberland shoe company in the mid-1980s, he led a marketing strategy that tripled sales. At the Bass shoe company, where he was CEO from 1987 to 1990, he took the company from big losses to big profits. Now he is president, CEO, and part owner of a third shoe company--Geo. E. Keith--that is surely the oldest, perhaps the smallest, and arguably the finest shoemaker in the United States. But the high points of Thorbeck's résumé conceal a leadership education that led him only slowly to abandon confrontational management in favor of management by history, values, competence, and what he calls organizational coherence. In his first two marketing jobs, he fought wars with his opponents and won. Then at Bass, he tried to recapture the company's proud past. He revived company folklore and history, gave workers back their pride in workmanship, and used this rejuvenated company spirit to meet and win new markets. Yet he was trying to take Bass someplace its owners simply wouldn't let it go, and he left the company profitable but divided, the work force eager to go one way, owenership another. In each of his jobs, Thorbeck overlooked some vital part of the organizational community. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Revascularization Scales Dilemma: Is It Right to Apply the Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia Scale in Posterior Circulation Stroke?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although various revascularization scales are used in the angiographic evaluation of acute ischemic stroke, observer reliability tests of these scales have been rarely performed for posterior circulation stroke. We aimed to evaluate inter- and intraobserver variability of 2 scales, the modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia and the Arterial Occlusive Lesion, in posterior circulation stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three independent readers interpreted pre- and postthrombolytic angiographies of 62 patients with posterior circulation stroke by using the modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia and Arterial Occlusive Lesion scales. The κ statistic was used to measure observer agreement for both scales, and κ > 0.6 was considered substantial agreement. RESULTS: For the Arterial Occlusive Lesion scale, inter- and intraobserver agreement was >0.6. While intraobserver agreement of the modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia scale was >0.6 except for 1 reader, interobserver agreement was lower in dichotomized and original scales. In 49 cases with solely basilar artery occlusion, inter- and intraobserver agreement of both scales was similar to that in all 62 patients with posterior circulation stroke. In 2 consecutive readings, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of mTICI 2a reads (22.58% in the first versus 13.44% in the second session, P < .03) and a reciprocal increase in the sum of proportions for modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia 2b and modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia 3 reads (62.37% in the first versus 72.58% in the second session, P < .046). CONCLUSIONS: In angiographic assessment of posterior circulation stroke, inter- and intraobserver agreement for the Arterial Occlusive Lesion scale was reliable, while the modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia failed to achieve substantial interobserver agreement. The clinical impact of this result needs to be validated in future studies.
Effects of a home-based step training programme on balance, stepping, cognition and functional performance in people with multiple sclerosis – a randomized controlled trial

Background: Stepping impairments increase fall risk in people with MS. No studies have evaluated step training for reducing fall risk in this population. Objectives: To determine if step training can improve physical and neuropsychological measures associated with falls in MS. Methods: 50 PwMS with moderate disability participated in a randomized controlled trial in which intervention group participants (n = 28) performed step training for 12 weeks while controls (n = 22) continued usual physical activity. The primary outcomes were choice stepping reaction time (CSRT) and Stroop stepping test (SST) time. Secondary outcomes included balance test (postural sway, CSRT components), gait speed and cognitive tests, nine-hole peg test (9-HPT) and MS functional composite (MSFC) score. Results: 44 participants completed the study and no adverse events were reported. Compared with the control group, the intervention group performed significantly better at retest in CSRT and SST times, and tests of sway with eyes open, 9-HPT, single and dual task gait speed and MSFC score. There was a non-significant trend for fewer falls in the intervention group. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the step training programme is feasible, safe and effective in improving stepping, standing balance, coordination and functional performance in people with MS.
DC and AC Side Harmonics in CCC Converters

The capacitor-commutated converter (CCC) has frequently been used in the conception of HVDC systems connected to busbars with low short circuit level. This alternative arrangement, in substitution to the conventional ones, guarantees less sensitive operational conditions to problems related with the commutation failure in the inverters besides supplying part of the reactive energy to be compensated. Studies related with its performance in steady and transient states have been presented in several works, however its behavior as harmonic source is still little explored. This work presents preliminary studies focusing the generation of characteristic harmonics by this type of converter. Subjects related with the amplification of the harmonic magnitudes are investigated and compared considering similar arrangements of conventional static converters (LCC) and CCC schemes. It is also analyzed the harmonic generation on the DC side of the installation and its influence on the AC side harmonics. The results are obtained from simulations in the time domain in "PSpice" environment and they clearly illustrate the operational differences between the LCC and the CCC schemes with regard to characteristic harmonic generation.
Association between bone mineral density and hearing loss in osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a heritable connective tissue disorder, predominantly characterized by bone fragility. In half of the patients, progressive hearing loss develops, which is associated with abnormal bony changes involving the middle ear ossicles and stapes footplate. In the present study, we investigated whether the development of hearing loss in OI may be related to the overall aberrant bone quality.
Evidence for Toroidal B-Field Components in AGN Jets on Kiloparsec Scales

Though helical magnetic fields are generally believed to arise when the jets of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are launched, it is still unclear what role they play (and if they survive) to the largest jet scales. A helical or toroidal B-field may contribute substantially to the collimation of the jet. This B-field structure can be detected in images of the Faraday rotation measure (RM)—a measure of the change in polarisation angle of an electromagnetic wave as it passes through a magneto-ionic medium. The Faraday rotation measure is directly proportional to the line-of-sight magnetic field; therefore a monotonic gradient in the RM transverse to the jet indicates similar behaviour of the line-of-sight B-field component. This type of analysis has mostly been done on parsec scales using VLBI observations at centimetre wavelengths, while relatively few studies have probed decaparsec to kiloparsec scales. The detection of RM gradients with significances of 3 σ or more on such large scales can demonstrate the presence of a toroidal field component, which may be associated with a helical field that has persisted to these distances from the centre of the AGN. We present the results of new Faraday rotation analyses for 2 AGN on kiloparsec scales based on multiwavelength VLA observations, with robust transverse RM gradients detected in both. Furthermore, the direction of the inferred toroidal B-fields on the sky supports previous results indicating a predominance of outward currents in the jets on kiloparsec scales.
Effects of simvastatin, acetylsalicylic acid, and rosiglitazone on proliferation of normal and cancerous prostate epithelial Cells at therapeutic concentrations

Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and cholesterol‐lowering statins have been reported to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth suggesting their chemopreventive potential within the prostate. However, the effect has been demonstrated only with advanced prostate cancer cell lines and with drug concentrations above the clinical therapeutic range. In this study we compared the effect of therapeutic concentrations of acetylsalicylic acid, simvastatin and rosiglitazone on the growth of a set of prostatic primary cultures and various prostate epithelial cell lines.
Generation of loss of heterozygosity and its dependency on p53 status in human lymphoblastoid cells

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a critical event in the development of human cancers. LOH is thought to result from either a large deletion or recombination between homologous alleles during repair of DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs). These types of genetic alterations produce mutations in the TK gene mutation assay, which detects a wide mutational spectrum, ranging from point mutations to LOH‐type mutations. TK6, a human lymphoblastoid cell line, is heterozygous for the thymidine kinase (TK) gene and has a wild‐type p53 gene. The related cell lines, TK6‐E6 and WTK‐1, which are p53‐deficient and p53‐mutant (Ile237), respectively, are also heterozygous for the TK gene and LOH‐type mutation can be detected in these cells. Therefore, comparative studies of TK mutation frequency and spectrum with these cell lines are useful for elucidating the role of p53 in generating LOH and maintaining genomic stability in human cells. We demonstrate here that LOH and its associated genomic instability strongly depend on the p53 status in these cells. TK6‐E6 and WTK‐1 are defective in the G1/S checkpoint and in apoptosis. Unrepaired DSBs that escape from the checkpoint can potentially initiate genomic instability after DNA replication, resulting in LOH and a variety of chromosome changes. Moreover, genomic instability is enhanced in WTK‐1 cells. It is likely that the mutant p53 protein in WTK‐1 cells increases LOH in a dominant‐negative manner due to its abnormal recombination capacity. We discuss the mutator phenotype and genomic instability associated with p53 inactivation with the goal of elucidating the mechanisms of mutation and DNA repair in untargeted mutagenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Disappointing Recovery of Output after 2009

U.S. output has expanded only slowly since the recession trough in 2009, even though the unemployment rate has essentially returned to a precrisis, normal level. We use a growth-accounting decomposition to explore explanations for the output shortfall, giving full treatment to cyclical effects that, given the depth of the recession, should have implied unusually fast growth. We find that the growth shortfall has almost entirely reflected two factors: the slow growth of total factor productivity, and the decline in labor force participation. Both factors reflect powerful adverse forces that are largely unrelated to the financial crisis and recession—and that were in play before the recession.
Significant levels of oxidants are generated by isolated cardiomyocytes during ischemia prior to reperfusion.

Oxidants such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to participate in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. While many studies report a burst of ROS at reperfusion, few reports have presented evidence of significant ROS generation during ischemia. Our previous studies of cultured cardiomyocytes indicated that antioxidants are most effective when given prior to reperfusion during ischemia. Therefore, we hypothesized that significant ROS generation may occur during ischemia prior to reperfusion. We tested this in a perfused isolated cardiomyocyte system (i.e. without neutrophils, endothelial cells, or xanthine/xanthine oxidase) during simulated ischemia/reperfusion while measuring oxidant generation using intracellular fluorescent probes. During ischemia, the ROS probes dihydroethidium and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin were significantly oxidized, suggesting superoxide and H2O2 generation. At reperfusion following 1 h ischemia, these probes suggested a further burst of H2O2 and hydroxyl radicals. The antioxidants 2-mercaptopropionyl glycine and 1,10-phenanthroline used during ischemia attenuated oxidant generation, increased cell viability, and improved return of contraction after ischemia. To further evaluate the relationship between residual O2 and ROS generation, we administered O2 scavengers during ischemia and measured corresponding changes in oxidant generation, cell viability and contraction during reperfusion. Enzymatic scavenging of residual O2 during ischemia (reducing PO2 from 3.5 to 2.5 tau) paradoxically improved subsequent viability and contraction. These results indicate that cultured cardiomyocytes generate significant ROS during ischemia. This ROS generation is related to residual O2 present during ischemia and contributes significantly to the cellular injury seen at reperfusion.
Biological sulfuric acid transformation: Reactor design and process optimization

As an alternative to the current disposal technologies for waste sulfuric acid, a new combination of recycling processes was developed. The strong acid (H2SO4) is biologically converted with the weak acid (CH3COOH) into two volatile weak acids (H2S, H2CO3) by sulfate‐reducing bacteria. The transformation is possible without prior neutralization of the sulfuric acid. The microbially mediated transformation can be followed by physiochemical processes for the further conversion of the H2S.
Feature-Extraction-Based Inspection Algorithm for IC Solder Joints

In order to inspect solder joint defects of integrated circuit (IC) components on printed circuit boards (PCBs), an automatic optical inspection (AOI) algorithm is developed. Firstly, considering the shape of a solder joint and its optical reflection property, the IC solder joint is divided into several subregions, which are called shape features. Secondly, the digital features that are used to evaluate the solder quality of the subregions are expressed by the color, area, mass center, and continuous pixels. Thirdly, the logical features are developed according to the color distributions of the solder joint image and the relationships between different subregions and the types of solder joints. Finally, to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, 137 PCBs with defects were inspected by an AOI system that integrates with the proposed algorithm. Inspection results show that solder joint defects of IC such as surplus solder, lacking solder, no solder, lead lift, lead bend, shift, and bridged and pseudo joints can be identified effectively.
The Wealth of the Richest : Inequality and the Nobility in Sweden, 1750–1900

The role of the European nobility and their ability to retain their political and economic power are part of the debate on the modernization of the European economy. This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the wealth of the Swedish nobility as Sweden evolved from an agrarian to an industrial economy. We use a sample of 200+ probate inventories of nobles for each of the benchmark years 1750, 1800, 1850 and 1900. Medieval and early modern Sweden often has been described as not fully feudal. In line with this, and the (perceived) comparative strength of the peasantry, the nobility is assumed to have been comparatively unimportant and less economically dominant than elsewhere in Europe. We show that the nobility, less than 0.5 per cent of the population, was very dominant in 1750: the average noble was 60 times richer than the average person, and the nobles held 29 per cent of private wealth while 90 per cent of the nobles were richer than the average person. In 1900 the nobles’ advantage had decreased but the stratification within the nobility had increased dramatically. There was a group of super-rich nobles, often large land owners from the high nobility, who possessed the biggest fortunes in Sweden. But there was also a large minority who were not richer than the average Swede. The overall wealth advantage of the nobles, however, hints at that while not all nobles were economically upper class in 1900, most of the upper class were nobles.