Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moving forward with lessons from the past: An examination of kinship foster care in the Yukon.

This descriptive case study incorporates mixed method data collection and data analysis strategies. The study reports on the extent to which kinship foster care is used in the Yukon Territory as an alternative to regular foster family care, the characteristics of kinship foster caregivers in regards to ethnicity and geographic location, and the characteristics of children in kinship foster care with respect to ethnicity, residency, age, sex, child welfare legal status, and the nature of the relationship between the child and the kinship foster caregiver. The study also examines factors that influence the decisions of child welfare professional staff to consider the option of kinship foster care and factors impacting relatives who provide this service for a child welfare agency. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract Table of
Factor Structure in Commodity Futures Return and Volatility

We uncover stylized facts of commodity futures’ price and volatility dynamics in the post-financialization period and find a factor structure in daily commodity volatility that is much stronger than the factor structure in returns. The common factor in commodity volatility relates to stock market volatility as well as to the business cycle. Model-free realized commodity betas with the stock market were high during 2008–2010 but have since returned to the pre-crisis level, close to 0. While commodity markets appear segmented from the equity market when considering only returns, commodity volatility indicates a nontrivial degree of market integration.
Discontinuation of statin therapy following an acute myocardial infarction: a population-based study.

AIMS Randomized clinical trials have shown that statins can reduce mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the impact of changes in patterns of statin use, particularly stopping statins, on survival post-AMI is unknown. Our objective was to estimate the extent to which different patterns of statin use are associated with post-AMI mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS Population-based, cohort study, from 2002 through 2004 in the United Kingdom General Practice Research Database (GPRD), involving patients surviving 90 days after their first AMI. Past statin use was defined as any statin prescription within 90 days before AMI; statin use post-AMI as any statin prescription within 90 days after AMI. Cohort entry was at day 90 post-AMI; subjects were followed for 1 year. Four groups were identified: (i) non-users (patients never on statins); (ii) users (on statins before and continued post-AMI); (iii) starters (started statins after the event); and (iv) stoppers (stopped statins after the event). Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards model. The main outcome measure was 1-year all-cause mortality. The cohort included 9939 AMI survivors (mean age: 68.4 ± 12.8 years; 60.3% men), 22.7% of whom were not prescribed a statin post-AMI. When the non-user group (n = 2124) was considered as the reference, the adjusted HRs (95% confidence intervals) of death were 0.84 (0.66-1.09) for users (n = 2026), 0.72 (0.57-0.90) for starters (n = 5652), and 1.88 (1.13-3.07) for stoppers (n = 137). Stoppers of control medications (aspirin, β-blockers, and proton pump inhibitors) were not associated with increased mortality. CONCLUSION Discontinuation of statins in survivors of a first AMI was relatively rare in this cohort. However, statin discontinuation was associated with higher total mortality and this may represent a biological rebound or/and a risk-treatment mismatch phenomenon, where treatment is withdrawn from very ill patients. While awaiting further research, at present statin use should only be withdrawn under judicious clinical supervision.
The high‐mobility group A1‐estrogen receptor β nuclear interaction is impaired in human testicular seminomas

It is well established that estrogens participate in the control of normal spermatogenesis and endogenous or environmental estrogens are involved in pathological germ cell proliferation including testicular germ cell tumors. The effects of estrogen are now known to be mediated by estrogen receptor‐α (ERα) and ERβ subtypes, but only ERβ has been found in human germ cells of normal testis. However, its expression was markedly diminished in human testicular seminomas. The expression and the possible interaction of ERβ and HMGA1 were studied in normal germ cells and in human testicular seminomas. GC1 and TCam‐2 germ cell lines, were used; in addition, a tissue micro‐array (TMA) was built using the most representative areas from 35 cases of human testicular seminomas. The expression and the interaction of ERβ and HMGA1 were observed by using immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses in combination with immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses. Here, we show that ERβ interacts with HMGA1 in normal germ cells, while down regulation of ERβ associates with transcriptional co‐regulator HMGA1 over‐expression and cytoplasmic localization both in human testicular seminomas and in TCam‐2 cell line. In addition, we show that 17β‐oestradiol induces an HMGA1 increased cytoplasmic expression associated to an ERβ down‐regulation in TCam‐2 cell line. Taken together, our results suggest that exposure to estrogens or estrogen‐mimics, in some as of yet undefined manner, diminishes the ERβ‐mediated growth restraint in human testicular seminoma, probably due to the HMGA1 cytoplasmic delocalization associated with ERβ down‐regulation. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 3749–3755, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Extracellular Proteolytic Activity Plays a Central Role in Swarming Motility in Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Natural isolates of Bacillus subtilis exhibit a robust multicellular behavior known as swarming. A form of motility, swarming is characterized by a rapid, coordinated progression of a bacterial population across a surface. As a collective bacterial process, swarming is often associated with biofilm formation and has been linked to virulence factor expression in pathogenic bacteria. While the swarming phenotype has been well documented for Bacillus species, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible remains largely isolated to gram-negative bacteria. To better understand how swarming is controlled in members of the genus Bacillus, we investigated the effect of a series of gene deletions on swarm motility. Our analysis revealed that a strain deficient for the production of surfactin and extracellular proteolytic activity did not swarm or form biofilm. While it is known that surfactin, a lipoprotein surfactant, functions in swarming motility by reducing surface tension, this is the first report demonstrating that general extracellular protease activity also has an important function. These results not only help to define the factors involved in eliciting swarm migration but support the idea that swarming and biofilm formation may have overlapping control mechanisms.
Is Rapid Aneuploidy Screening Used Alone Acceptable in Prenatal Diagnosis? An Evaluation of the Possible Role of Ultrasound Examination

Objective: The objectives of this study were to use a factual basis to: (1) determine the number, nature, and probable phenotypic consequences of karyotype anomalies that would probably be missed (structural anomalies, uncommon aneuploidies and mosaic aneuploidies) by rapid aneuploidy screening (RAS), and (2) appraise whether RAS can replace traditional karyotyping when amniocenteses are performed for increased risk of Down’s syndrome by maternal serum screening or advanced maternal age in the absence of ultrasound abnormality. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analysed the indications, results and outcomes of 5,713 consecutive amniocenteses over a 5-year period at a single prenatal diagnosis centre in Paris. Results: Advanced maternal age and increased Down’s risk with maternal serum marker were the most common indications. Chromosome abnormalities were detected in 3.64% of the pregnancies tested, and unexpected structural anomalies in 0.63% (n = 36). Translocations were more likely to be reciprocal, balanced and of parental origin. There were 6 mosaic gonosomal aneuploidies. Overall, 4 mosaic autosomal aneuploidies and 36 structural aberrations would not have been recognised by RAS alone. Of the 4 mosaic autosomal aneuploidies, all were terminated, one had major malformations and the others had discrete signs that a good quality ultrasound examination would probably not detect. Of the 36 structural aberrations, 24 would be undetected by ultrasound scan, from which 6 would be associated with a significant risk of an abnormal phenotype outcome. Conclusion: In conclusion, our data do not provide evidence that RAS can replace the traditional karyotype. It is probably impossible to arrive in a universal conclusion of which approach (karyotype or RAS) is definitely better than the other. Each prenatal centre could have its own approach depending on the local data analysis, including quality control of ultrasounds.
Immunogold localization of phocein in dendritic spines

Phocein, a widely expressed intracellular protein involved in clathrin‐ and dynamin‐dependent membrane dynamics, has been shown to interact with members of the striatin family of proteins, striatin, SG2NA, and zinedin. Immunogold labeling was performed to assess subcellular localization of phocein in neurons of the rodent cerebellar cortex and hippocampal Ammon's horn. Most of the phocein‐bound gold particles were located within dendritic thorns and spines of the cerebellar Purkinje cells and hippocampal pyramidal neurons, as observed previously for striatin in striatal neurons. The postsynaptic profiles containing phocein were engaged in asymmetric synapses with the main types of afferents in the cerebellum and in the hippocampus. In the cerebellum, phocein‐bound immunogold particle numbers ranged from 1–20 in ∼50% of the Purkinje cell spines. In these spines most of the immunogold particles were found in the neuroplasm (∼70%) and on nonsynaptic plasma membrane domains and related structures such as endocytic‐like profiles (∼18%). As soon as the first postnatal week, phocein was detected in the Purkinje cell somatic and dendritic thorns making asymmetric synapses with climbing fibers. During the following weeks the protein was located in the dendritic spines, as observed in the adult molecular layer. Finally, double immunogold labeling revealed a distribution of phocein and SG2NA suggesting that the two proteins could interact in the Purkinje cell spines. The early postnatal expression of phocein, a protein involved in membrane dynamics, suggests that it may have functional relevance in dendritic remodeling during development and potentially in spine plasticity during adulthood. J. Comp. Neurol. 495:336–350, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Impact of Inclusive Human Resource Practices on Individual Creativity: The Role of Job Crafting and Transformational Leadership

In the context of globalization, the change in the demographic structure and the flow of people around the world have resulted in more and more employees of different nationalities, regions, values, races and skins coexisting in enterprises. China is now in a transitional period, shifting from an investment type to an innovative one. This puts forward new requirements for individual creativity. Therefore, how to stimulate individual creativity has become a concern of management practitioners and researchers. Based on the theory of resource conservation, this study explores the positive impact of inclusive human resource practices on individual creativity. Job crafting plays a mediating role. Transformational leadership serves as a boundary condition and plays a moderating role.
Impacts of hyper-homocysteinemia and white matter hyper-intensity in Alzheimer's disease patients with normal creatinine: an MRI-based study with longitudinal follow-up.

BACKGROUND White matter hyper-intensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are commonly found in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cerebro-vascular risk factors including plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) may result in WMHs. This study examined the association between tHcy and WMHs, and their effects on cognitive functions in AD patients over a two-year follow-up period. METHODS One hundred and fifty-seven AD patients with a clinical dementia rating of 1 or 2 were enrolled and follow-up for two years. tHcy, biochemistry tests, and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores were collected. WMHs were visually rated on brain MRI and classified as deep white matter hyper-intensities (DWMHs) or peri-ventricular white matter hyper-intensities (PWMHs). MMSEs were performed every six months to survey cognitive decline. RESULTS In the cross sectional study, tHcy was significantly associated with total WMHs especially in DWMHs even after adjusting for age and other cerebrovascular risk factors. Initial MMSE was inversely correlated with WMH severity but not with tHcy level. In the longitudinal analysis, no differences were found either in tHcy or WMHs score in the two AD groups defined by the cognitive decline rate. CONCLUSIONS tHcy is an independent risk factor for developing moderate to severe DWMHs in AD but shows non-significant effect on cognitive performance. The close association between high WMH score and poor initial MMSE suggests an additive impact in AD. The long-term effect of elevated tHcy on cognitive decline was not conclusive in the two-year follow-up period.
Compact Ultrawideband Rectangular Aperture Antenna and Band-Notched Designs

A simple and compact ultrawideband (UWB) aperture antenna with extended band-notched designs is presented. The antenna consists of a rectangular aperture on a printed circuit board ground plane and a T-shaped exciting stub. The proposed planar coplanar waveguide fed antenna is easy to be integrated with radio-frequency/microwave circuitry for low manufacturing cost. The antenna is successfully designed, implemented, and measured. A compact aperture area of 13 times23mm2 is obtained with promising performances, including broadband matched impedance, stable radiation patterns, and constant group delay. The correlation between the mode-based field distributions and radiation patterns is discussed. Extended from the proposed antenna, three advanced band-notched (5-6 GHz) designs are also presented as a desirable feature for UWB applications
Clustering of Cases of Insulin Dependent Diabetes (IDDM) Occurring Three Years After Hemophilus Influenza B (HiB) Immunization Support Causal Relationship Between Immunization and IDDM

Objective : The hemophilus vaccine has been linked to the development of autoimmune type 1 diabetes, insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM) in ecological studies. Methods : We attempted to determine if the Hemophilus influenza B (HiB) vaccine was associated with an increased risk of IDDM by looking for clusters of cases of IDDM using data from a large clinical trial. All children born in Finland between October 1st, 1985 and August 31st, 1987, approximately 116,000 were randomized to receive 4 doses of the HiB vaccine (PPR-D, Connaught) starting at 3 months of life or one dose starting after 24 months of life. A control-cohort included all 128,500 children born in Finland in the 24 months prior to the HiB vaccine study. Non-obese diabetic prone (NOD) mice were immunized with a hemophilus vaccine to determine if immunization increased the risk of IDDM. Results : The difference in cumulative incidence between those receiving 4 doses and those receiving 0 doses is 54 cases of IDDM/100,000 ( P =0.026) at 7 years, (relative risk=1.26 ). Most of the extra cases of IDDM appeared in statistically significant clusters that occurred in periods starting approximately 38 months after immunization and lasting approximately 6-8 months. Immunization with pediatric vaccines increased the risk of insulin diabetes in NOD mice. Conclusion : Exposure to HiB immunization is associated with an increased risk of IDDM. NOD mice can be used as an animal model of vaccine induced diabetes.
Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Disorders of Bilirubin Excretion

We aimed to determine the predictors of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with abnormal bilirubin excretion, that is, Gilbert syndrome, Crigler–Najjar syndrome, Dubin–Johnson syndrome, and Rotor syndrome. We analyzed data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD for the period 2009 to 2010. All patients ≥18 years of age with a primary diagnosis of “disorders of bilirubin excretion” [International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9CM) code 277.4] were included in the study. Primary outcome was to determine predictors of CAD in adult patients diagnosed with abnormal bilirubin excretion. We identified a total of 12,423 adult patients with bilirubin excretion disorder hospitalized during 2009–2010 (0.03% of all inpatient admissions). CAD was seen in 18% of patients, with a higher prevalence in men (21% in men vs. 13% in women, P < 0.0001). In multivariate logistic regression adjusted for demographic and traditional risk factors, hypertension [odds ratio (OR): 1.74; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.33–2.27, P < 0.001], hyperlipidemia (OR: 2.49; 95% CI, 1.95–3.18, P < 0.001), diabetes (OR: 1.46; 95% CI, 1.12–1.91, P = 0.01), and age (OR: 1.05; 95% CI, 1.04–1.06, P < 0.001) were found to be independent predictors of CAD in adult patients with abnormal bilirubin excretion. Female sex (OR: 0.49; 95% CI, 0.36–0.65, P < 0.001) demonstrated an inverse association in predicting CAD. There was increased prevalence of CAD in our patient population with increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were found to be independent predictors of CAD.
Increases in alcohol and marijuana use during the transition out of high school into emerging adulthood: The effects of leaving home, going to college, and high school protective factors.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the effects of leaving home and going to college on changes in the frequency of alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking, and marijuana use shortly after leaving high school. We also examined how protective factors in late adolescence predict post-high school substance use and moderate the effects of leaving home and going to college. METHOD Data came from subjects (N = 319; 53% male) interviewed at the end of 12th grade and again approximately 6 months later, as part of the Raising Healthy Children project. RESULTS Leaving home and going to college were significantly related to increases in the frequency of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking from high school to emerging adulthood but not to changes in marijuana use. Having fewer friends who used each substance protected against increases in the frequency of alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking, and marijuana use. Higher religiosity protected against increases in alcohol-and marijuana-use frequency. Higher parental monitoring protected against increases in heavy episodic drinking and moderated the effect of going to college on marijuana use. Lower sensation seeking lessened the effect of going to college on increases in alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking. CONCLUSIONS To prevent increases in substance use in emerging adulthood, interventions should concentrate on strengthening prosocial involvement and parental monitoring during high school. In addition, youths with high sensation seeking might be targeted for added intervention.
TOPSIS-based approach for hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets with possibility distribution information

Making decisions are in need of methodological and/or computational support under various environments. The hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTSs) are widely used to manage such an environment where the experts are hesitant between several possible linguistic values. The concept of possibility distribution for an HFLTS has been developed which provides a way to express the additional information within the HFLTS. The aim of this paper is to present a new TOPSIS method to solve multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems with hesitant information. The hesitant fuzzy linguistic weighted average (HFLWA) operator is given to aggregate individual preferences into group preferences. Due to the fact that both comparisons and distance measures over preference format play critical roles in the TOPSIS method, new definitions for comparison method and distance measure between two HFLTSs are presented. Further, a procedure of the new TOPSIS for HFLTSs is proposed in detail and a framework for MAGDM based on the TOPSIS method is presented. Finally, an example for supplier selection is shown to highlight how the proposed approach works in practice.
Intersections of Partnership and Leadership in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Comparing Three U.S. Regions

Entrepreneurial ecosystems have become a focal point for regional innovation and growth. Much of the scholarship on ecosystems has focused on identifying key components and understanding factors influencing the entrepreneurial process. While scholars have acknowledged the importance of connection as the means through which information, knowledge, and resources are shared, most of the discussion has focused on entrepreneurs as the unit of analysis with limited attention to connections between entrepreneurial support organizations. This comparative analysis examines partnership and leadership among entrepreneurial support organizations in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Richmond. The author argues that differences in partnership practices across the cases are in part a function of the unique leadership models shaping each ecosystem’s cultural and institutional norms. Understanding the role of leadership could be critical for shaping the collaborative environments for which most ecosystem stakeholders are hoping.
Calculation of PM Eddy Current Loss in IPM Machine Under PWM VSI Supply With Combined 2-D FE and Analytical Method

A hybrid method combining 2-D finite-element (FE) method and analytical model is proposed for permanent magnet (PM) eddy current loss calculation in interior PM machines under pulsewidth modulation (PWM) voltage source inverter (VSI) supply, in which the PM eddy current reaction effect and PM axial segmentation are taken into consideration. First, the 2-D time-stepping (TS) FE analysis results considering and neglecting PM eddy current under PWM VSI supply are compared so that the cause of PM eddy current loss, the increase of high-order armature current components due to PM eddy current effect, and the decrease of the high-order components in average flux density due to leakage flux are revealed. Second, an analytical model for PM eddy current loss calculation using voltage input is deduced with the average flux density as input and a leakage flux factor is introduced in the model to meet the real case in PM machine. Moreover, the 3-D frequency FE analysis is used to verify the derived model. Third, the ratio between the average flux density and the imposed flux density is defined as a key parameter to reflect the PM eddy current reaction effect quantitatively, for both 2-D and 3-D cases. A functional relationship is established to describe the variation of the average flux density with and without considering the PM eddy current, where the parameter is obtained with nonlinear fitting of the 2-D FEA results. At last, the calculation procedure of the hybrid method is presented and a flux-concentrating field-modulated PM machine is taken as an example for calculation. The results are verified by an FE analysis. The proposed method is more efficient compared with the 3-D TS FE method while maintaining rather good accuracy.