Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability and Validity of the Spanish Version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Adolescent (MMPI–A)

The aim of this study was to determine the test–retest reliability and internal consistency of the scales of the Spanish version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Adolescent (MMPI–A; Butcher et al., 1992). Two samples of 939 and 109 Spanish adolescents ages 14 to 18 years were assessed with the MMPI–A in their school environment. The first sample responded to the inventory once, whereas the second sample responded to it on 2 occasions with a 2-week interval between sessions. Results showed no significant differences in means or variances between the first and the second test administration for most MMPI–A scales. Test–retest reliability ranged between . 62 (Amorality, Ma1) and . 92 (Immaturity, IMM); most correlations exceeded . 70. Internal consistency values for the MMPI–A scales in the pretest and posttest were very similar overall. External validity of the MMPI–A was demonstrated through several significant correlations between its scales and YSR/11–18 syndromes and social interaction measures. The highest correlations were established between the Anxious/Depressed YSR/11–18 scale and other MMPI–A scales such as Schizophrenia (Sc), Welsh's Anxiety (A), Adolescent-Anxiety (A-anx) and Adolescent-Alienation (A-aln), and between the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale and the MMPI–A Adolescent-Social Discomfort (A-sod) scale.
Identifying Constraints in Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem of India: A Developing Country Context

Social entrepreneurs are faced with multiple challenges which are further amplified in resource deficit environment of developing economies. However, there has been a limited examination of the barriers and limitations present in social enterprise ecosystem from the developing country context. This research takes the case of India to identify the constraints which influence decision making and impact of the social enterprises, as perceived by various active participants of the social enterprise ecosystem. It reveals three major categories of challenges present in both macro and micro environment of the social enterprise ecosystem of India and further provides potential solutions to the challenges identified.
Laminar origins of inhibitory synaptic inputs to pyramidal neurons of the rat neocortex.

1. Inhibitory neuron‐pyramidal cell interactions were investigated in slices of rat somatosensory cortex in which excitatory synaptic transmission was blocked with bath‐applied glutamate receptor antagonists. Local inhibitory neurons were excited by focal pressure ejections of small (approximately 40 pl) volumes of 1‐10 mM acetylcholine. 2. The frequency of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) ("responses per trial' or R/T) declined as the stimulation distance was increased. Inhibitory inputs were most prevalent in layer II/III regular spiking (RS) pyramidal neurons (30 cells) where median R/T was 0.020. In layer V, the median R/T was 0.024 for RS neurons (25 cells), but significantly lower for burst‐firing (IB) neurons (17 cells), where median R/T was 0.007 (P = 0.039). 3. IPSPs in individual layer V pyramidal cells were recorded with CsCl electrodes. In eight neurons, spontaneous picrotoxin‐sensitive IPSPs were recorded and found to display a wide range of 10‐90% rise times (1‐34 ms), not correlated with amplitude (0.2‐18 mV). For a further ten pyramidal neurons, extracellular stimulating electrodes were placed simultaneously in layers II/III and V/VI in order to evoke pairs of IPSPs whose waveforms were averaged and compared. In seven cells, IPSPs evoked from layer II/III (distal location) had longer 10‐90% rise times than IPSPs evoked from layer V/VI stimulating electrodes (proximal location). In addition, "proximal' IPSPs could always be reversed by membrane depolarization whereas "distal' ones could not (n = 4/4). 4. This study showed that pyramid cell‐inhibitory neuron interconnections are extensive but their spatial organization varies with cell class and with cortical layer. In addition, pyramidal neurons can receive inhibitory inputs from locations on their apical dendrites.
Identifying the Deal Prone Segment

A model of consumer buying behavior is used to identify household characteristics that should affect deal proneness. The model treats household purchasing and inventory decisions like those of a firm. In other words, the household's purchasing decisions are assumed to be based on such factors as transaction costs, holding costs, and stockout costs in addition to product price. Household characteristics then are related to these cost parameters to identify households that are likely to be deal prone. The predictions are tested empirically by use of panel data for five frequently purchased products. The empirical results indicate that deal prone households can be identified and that the key variables affecting deal proneness are household resource variables such as home ownership and automobile ownership.
Comparison of liposomal and 2‐hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin–lidocaine on cell viability and inflammatory response in human keratinocytes and gingival fibroblasts

The aim of this study was to observe the effect multilamellar liposomes (MLV) and 2‐hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HP‐β‐CD) in the in‐vitro effects of lidocaine in cell viability, pro‐inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandin E2 release of both human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and gingival fibroblasts (HGF) cells.
Preferences for Marketing Arrangements by Potential Switchgrass Growers

This study analyzes factors influencing farmer interest in marketing switchgrass through contracts and/or joining a cooperative that harvests, transports, stores, and markets their switchgrass. Data are from a survey of farmers in 12 southern states. A bivariate probit analysis is used to estimate the effects of farm characteristics, farmer demographics, and opinions about switchgrass on marketing alternative preferences. Interest in contracting and joining a cooperative are positively influenced by farm size, on-farm storage, moderate off-farm income, and heightened importance of job creation in decision to produce switchgrass. Negative influences include concerns about planting/harvesting conflicts and expectation of ceasing farming soon.
Efficient, verifiable, secure, and privacy-friendly computations for the smart grid

In this paper, we present a privacy-preserving protocol between an energy provider and smart meters. Many details about the life of customers can be inferred from fine-grained information on their energy consumption. Different from other state-of-the-art protocols, the presented protocol addresses this issue as well as the integrity of electricity bills. Therefore, our protocol provides secure aggregation of measured consumption per round of measurement and verifiable billing after any period. Aggregation of measured consumption ensures that energy suppliers know the consolidated consumption of their customers. Verifiable billing ensures fairness for customers and their energy supplier. We adapt a homomorphic encryption scheme based on elliptic curve cryptography to efficiently protect the data series of measurements that are collected by smart meters. Moreover, energy suppliers can detect and locate energy loss or fraud in the power grid while retaining the privacy of all consumers.
Comparative study of ascorbic acid treatment methods on hatchability traits and growth performance of ducklings.

A total number of 1200 fertile Muscovy duck eggs were used to investigate the effect of ascorbic acid (AA) treatment methods during incubation period on hatchability traits, blood hematology and some growth performance traits throughout two weeks after hatch as well as economic efficiency. The experimental treatments were as follows : control (nontreatment) and AA treatments by dipping (20 g /L) , spraying (30 g/L) and injection (3 mg / egg) methods . The results indicated that hatchability and embryonic mortality percentages were significantly (P≤0.01) improved by AA dipping and spraying methods as compared to the control , while, they were insignificantly improved by the injection method through at the incubation period . The mean of hatched Muscovy duckling weight was not significantly affected by all AA treatment methods. White blood cells count and basophils percentage were significantly increased in the blood of one-day-old ducklings by AA spraying and injection as compared to the dipping and control methods, while, heterophils to lymphocyts ratio was significantly increased by all AA treatment methods. AA spraying method had the best values of these measurements as compared to other treatment methods. Body weight, body weight gain , feed consumption ( g /duck.) and feed conversion ( g feed / g BWG) were insignificantly affected by AA treatment methods, while duckling viability values were significantly (P≤0.05) improved due to AA treatment. Economic efficiency and net return were improved by AA spraying method during the incubation period followed by dipping and injection methods as compared to the control. It could be concluded that, spraying fertile Muscovy duck eggs with AA solution (30 g/L) twice times daily during the last 3 weeks of incubation period, may be an alternative method to maximize the hatchability percentage ,immunity of hatched ducklings and economic efficiency of A.I. A, Ghonim; et al. 1086 hatching process as well as growth performance traits and viability through the first two weeks after hatch .
Genetic Polymorphism of XRCC1 Arg399Gln Is Associated With Survival in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Gemcitabine/Platinum

Introduction: Elevated DNA-repair capacity has been related to chemoresistance of platinum doublet chemotherapy in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We evaluated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms of DN- repair genes excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1), ERCC2, x-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1), XRCC3, and RRM1 associate with treatment outcome in NSCLC patients receiving gemcitabine plus platinum as their first-line chemotherapy. Methods: Genotyping for eight polymorphisms in five DNA-repair genes was performed with the GenomeLab nucleotide polymorphismstream Genotyping System in 62 advanced NSCLC patients in a training set and 45 patients in a validation set treated with gemcitabine/platinum. Results: In the training set, the wild-type genotype of XRCC1 Arg399Gln (G/G) was associated with decreased median overall survival (OS) (22 months, 95% confidence interval [CI], 10–34 months versus not reached, log-rank test, p = 0.005) than those carrying variant genotypes (G/A+A/A). In addition, there was a statistically significant longer median OS in patients carrying wild-type ERCC2 Asp312Asn genotype (G/G) (51 months, 95% CI, 19–82 months versus 10 months, log-rank test, p < 0.001) than those carrying heterozygous variant genotypes (G/A). In the multivariate Cox model, we found a significant effect of XRCC1 Arg399Gln (G/A+A/A versus G/G, hazard ratio [HR] 0.290; 95%CI, 0.12–0.705, p = 0.006) and ERCC2 Asp312Asn (G/A versus G/G, HR 14.04; 95% CI, 2.253–87.513, p = 0.005) polymorphisms on patients’ OS. In the validation set, only XRCC1 399 Conclusions: Genetic polymorphism of XRCC1 Arg399Gln may be a candidate for contributing interindividual difference in the OS of gemcitabine/platinum-treated advanced NSCLC patients.
Glucoregulation during moderate exercise in insulin treated diabetics.

To characterize glucoregulation during exercise in insulin treated non-obese diabetics, the response to controlled exercise after an overnight fast was compared to that of normal controls. The diabetics were divided into two groups: ten received insulin by continuous iv infusion while nine received one-third their usual intermediate acting insulin by so injection in the thigh 1 h prior to exercise. Exercise was on a bicycle ergometer for 45 min at 50% maximum O2 consumption. In the sc insulin group glucose was 227 ± 16 mg/dl at rest and exercise induced a progressive fall to 156 ± 18 mg/dl at the end of the exercise period. In both insulin-infused diabetic subjects and normal controls exercise did not affect plasma glucose. Glucose turnover was measured by a method employing 3-3H-glucose by primed infusion. Glucose production in the normal controls increased approximately two-fold with exercise and glucose disappearance paralleled production. Similarly, in the normoglycemic insulin-infused diabetics, gluc.
Salivary Her2/neu Levels in Differentiation of Oral Premalignant Disorders and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

BACKGROUND Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is thought to develop from precancerous dysplastic lesions through multistep processes of carcinogenesis involving activation of oncogenes and loss of tumor suppressor genes. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2/neu [erbB-2]), a cell membrane glycoprotein, is a growth factor receptor that has receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Her2/neu activation plays a central role in cell proliferation and survival. It has been shown that overexpression of Her2/neu increases the rate of cell division and growth, leading to precancerous changes. The aim of the present study was to compare the serum and salivary Her2/neu levels between cases with premalignant and malignant oral lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fasting blood samples and unstimulated saliva by passive drooling were collected from three groups of healthy control (n=20), premalignant disorder (PMD) (n=20) and OSCC (n=25) subjects. The HER2 extracellular domain (HER2 ECD) levels were measured using ELISA. RESULTS The levels of serum Her2/neu showed no significant differences between any of the groups but on the other hand salivary Her2/neu levels were found to be significantly (p<0.05) higher when compared between control (median 68.7 pg/ml, range: 21.5 - 75.8) and OSCC (median 145.6 pg/ml, range: 45.1-191.1). A similar trend was observed when comparing between PMD (median 43.3, range: 22.1 -94.7) and OSCC with a statistical significance of p<0.05. CONCLUSIONS Our study provided evidence of increased salivary Her2/neu in OSCC when compared to PMD and control which was not the case for serum levels. This suggests that probably Her2/neu is not highly amplified as in breast cancer so as to be reflected in serum. Since saliva is in local vicinity of the OSCC, even a mild increase might be mirrored. On the whole, this study proposes Her2/neu as marker for distinguishing premalignant and malignant conditions.
Mental health of children with learning disabilities

Children and adolescents with learning disabilities have high rates of mental health problems and behavioural difficulties. Comorbid disorders such as epilepsy, autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are common. Despite this, many areas in the UK are failing to provide a psychiatric service for these young people and their families. The children suffer as a result and may have to move away from home unnecessarily, at enormous emotional and financial cost. Each area should have a specialised multidisciplinary health team working closely with colleagues from education and social services to assist these complex children and give them the best chance to fulfil their potential.
Can a neuropsychological follow up contribute to the diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes?

Although an akinetic rigid syndrome is the hallmark of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), striatonigral degeneration (SND), and progressive nuclear palsy (PSP), cognitive and behavioural dysfunctions are often found in these parkinsonian syndromes. If the neuropsychological deficits directly reflect underlying brain neuronal lesions, we may expect that the cognitive and behavioural changes associated with these syndromes depend on the specific pattern of subcortical or cortical lesions that characterise each disease. The earliest and major cognitive deficit in all three diseases is impairment of executive functions as shown by performance on tests sensitive to frontal lobe function. Is it possible …
Dose Response of Listeria monocytogenes Invasion, Fetal Morbidity, and Fetal Mortality after Oral Challenge in Pregnant and Nonpregnant Mongolian Gerbils

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen that can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth or premature delivery. The Mongolian gerbil was recently proposed as the most appropriate small-animal model of listeriosis due to its susceptibility to the same invasion pathways as humans. The objectives of this study were to investigate invasion and adverse pregnancy outcomes in gerbils orally exposed to L. monocytogenes, to compare the dose-response data to those of other animal models, and to investigate differences in the responses of pregnant versus nonpregnant gerbils. Gerbils were orally exposed to 0 (control), 103, 105, 107, or 109 CFU L. monocytogenes in whipping cream. L. monocytogenes was recovered in a dose-dependent manner from fecal samples, adult organs, and pregnancy-associated tissues. Dams exposed to 109 CFU had more invaded organs and higher concentrations of L. monocytogenes in almost all organs than nonpregnant animals, though no differences in fecal shedding were seen between the two groups. Adverse pregnancy outcomes occurred only in the dams treated with 109 CFU. A 50% infectivity dose (ID50) of 2.60 × 106 CFU for fetuses was calculated by fitting the data to a logistic model. Our results suggest that the 50% lethal dose (LD50) falls within the range of 5 × 106 to 5 × 108 CFU. This range includes the guinea pig and nonhuman primate LD50s, but the observation that L. monocytogenes-induced stillbirths can be seen in guinea pigs and primates exposed to lower doses than those at which stillbirths were seen in gerbils indicates that gerbils are not more sensitive to L. monocytogenes invasion.
Ecteinascidin 743: a novel anticancer drug with a unique mechanism of action

Ecteinascidin 743 (Et743) is an interesting compound in phase II/III clinical trials. Its chemistry is complex, its mechanism of action is original and it is active in human cancers, such as sarcomas refractory to conventional chemotherapy. The present review describes the discovery of the drug, its specific interactions with DNA and its reversible alkylation mechanism with guanine N2 in the DNA minor groove. Et743 is a selective transcription inhibitor, which has the unique characteristic of poisoning transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair. Understanding the molecular pharmacology of Et743 should help in deciding which patients should receive Et743 treatments and which agents should be most useful in association.
Never smokers and lung cancer risk: A case‐control study of epidemiological factors

We performed an analysis of potential epidemiological risk factors for lung cancer using data from 280 cases and 242 hospital‐based controls, all lifetime never smokers (those who had smoked <100 cigarettes in their lifetimes) and frequency matched on age, gender and ethnicity. The data on demographic characteristics, medical history of respiratory diseases (asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and hay fever), weight and height, family history, female characteristics and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and dust exposure were derived from personal interviews. We performed a logistic regression analysis of these variables adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, income and years of education. Exposure to ETS (OR = 2.08, 95% CI [1.25–3.43]) and dusts (OR = 2.43, 95% CI [1.53–3.88]) were associated with significantly increased risk. In the analysis for joint effects, exposure to both ETS and dusts conferred a higher risk (OR = 3.25, 95% CI [1.58–6.70]) than exposure to either alone. Family history of any cancer with onset before age 50 in at least 1 first degree relative was a significant risk predictor (OR = 1.70, 95% CI [1.10–2.64]). Individuals with a self‐reported physician‐diagnosed history of hay fever, but not asthma, had a decreased lung cancer risk (OR = 0.57, 95% CI [0.35–0.92]). In the multivariate analysis, exposure to ETS and dusts, and family history of cancer with onset before age 50 were significant risk factors, while a history of hay fever (occurring without asthma) was significantly protective. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sustainability in the global shop window

Purpose – The aims of this paper are to provide an exploratory general review of both the sustainability agendas being publicly reported by the world's leading retailers and the nature of the reporting process and to offer some wider reflections on the ways these retailers are currently addressing and pursuing sustainability agendas.Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a short discussion of the characteristics of sustainability. The paper draws its empirical material from the most recent sustainability reports and information posted on the internet by eight of the world's top ten retailers.Findings – The findings reveal that while there is considerable variation in the structure of the retailers' sustainability reports, three broad sets of themes can be identified. Namely, the environmental, social and economic issues the retailers report on, how these issues are reported, and the role and importance of sustainability within companies and to their business. More critically, it is argued tha.
Monoamine metabolites in successive samples of spinal fluid

Homovanillic acid (HVA), 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5‐HIAA) and 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenylglycol (HMPG) were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid from patients with multiple sclerosis and from healthy volunteers. The fluid was withdrawn with the persons in the lateral recumbent position. In the controls and in 4 of the patients 10 successive samples of 2 ml each were analyzed. In the remaining patients the first 2 ml and last 2 ml of a total 20 ml were analysed. The highest values were obtained in the last portion. Patients with multiple sclerosis had significantly lower levels of 5‐HIAA than controls in both the first and last CSF samples. Patients with a progressive course or prominent residual symptoms had a lower concentration of 5‐HIAA and HVA than those with a relapsing course and little residual symptoms. The difference was significant for 5‐HIAA.
NATRIURESIS OF WATER IMMERSION 229 hypertension , cardiovascular disease , or diabetes

The role of aldosterone suppression in mediating the natriuresis of water immersion was assessed in six normal male subjects. All subjects were studied on four occasions while they were in balance on a diet containing 150 mEq of sodium and 100 mEq of potassium daily: during a control period, following deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) treatment for 24 hours (Cont+ DOCA), during water immersion to the neck (immersion), and during water immersion following DOCA treatment (Imm + DOCA). Immersion resulted in highly significant increases in the rates of sodium and potassium excretion compared with control beginning in the first hour. Although treatment with DOCA decreased the natriuresis of immersion (P<0.01) , the rate of sodium excretion was still threeto fourfold greater during Imm + DOCA than it was during the comparable Cont + DOCA periods (P < 0.01). Cessation of water immersion resulted in a marked decrease in urine flow and free water clearance occurring within the initial 30 minutes of recovery (P < 0.005). Although the rate of sodium excretion also decreased following cessation of immersion, it continued to exceed both preimmersion values (P<0.01) and the comparable control values throughout the recovery hour (P<0.01) . These observations suggest that the natriuresis of immersion cannot be completely accounted for by immersion-induced suppression of aldosterone. The continuing natriuresis occurring despite the progressive volume contraction induced by immersion suggests that the natriuretic stimulus is sufficiently potent to override the compensatory mechanisms which are known to participate in defense of volume homeostasis. Furthermore, the delay in the disappearance of the natriuresis suggests that a humoral factor rather than more rapidly acting hemodynamic and neural mechanisms may mediate the natriuresis.