Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volunteering within the Police: Experiences of Special Constables and Police Support Volunteers

The focus for this study is those who volunteer for Lancashire Constabulary as either Special Constables or Police Support Volunteers (PSVs). The main difference between Specials and PSVs is that PSVs are unwarranted and usually non-uniformed – although some forces have given uniforms to public-facing PSVs to make them appear more professional (Bullock, 2014). Volunteering in policing is an example of social action, of trying to encourage more active participation in society (Putnam, 1995). Volunteers are also a resource to improve police responses to crime and improve community engagement. If used effectively, volunteers can add considerable value to the knowledge and skills available to police managers. Yet volunteers are an under-researched aspect of modern policing (e.g. Millie and Jacobson, 2002; Gravelle and Rogers, 2009; Bullock, 2015b). The mainstreaming of the voluntary sector across public services has resulted in differentiation of provision, but we possess incomplete understanding of its character, potential and impact. Greater understanding of the motivations and experiences of volunteers will have important benefits for police managers and ultimately for the governance of policing. The lack of research poses a range of issues for the police’s understanding of volunteers, and of making the most of volunteers’ contributions. Whilst volunteering has long been a feature of the police service, these issues take on new significance in the context of a contracting state. As noted, the focus for this study is those who volunteer for Lancashire Constabulary as either Special Constables or PSVs. The aims of the study are to investigate: - The factors that inhibit or facilitate the participation of volunteers within the police; - Wide ranging matters related to the recruitment, management and supervision of volunteers within the police; and - Factors which might inhibit or reinforce the operation of and outcomes associated with volunteering within the policing context.
NON-LINEARITY OF AUDIT PRICES AND REPUTATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: SHIFT TO OR FROM?

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the origins of audit prices non-linearity in developing countries. We assume risk- and industry-sensitiveness of audit firms there due to the low institutional capacity, weak market forces development and questionable both auditors and clients ethical behaviour affecting market sustainability and implying additional challenges on stakeholder confidence. Methodology. We combine economic geography approach and reputation-averse phenomenon to explain endogenous volatility of average audit prices in Ukraine for the period of 2008-2015. Analysis of recent publications partially explains audit pricing non-linearity determinants that have both qualitative (brand and specialization) and quantitative (risks, manipulations, bribery) nature in developing countries. First, we qualify determinants of audit fees by inherent origin (endogenous, exogenous), stakeholder side (demand, supply), and market structure (concentrated, fragmented). Second, we summarize reputation challenges of audit business in developing countries. Third, we run empirical analysis of average prices in Ukraine for the period of 2008-2015 based on annual Chamber of Auditors of Ukraine reports data. Practical implications. Audit pricing models in developed countries are mainly exogenous and based on the auditor’s risk assessment. Vulnerability of markets and clients’ unethical behaviour makes audit pricing models more endogenous in developing countries. Value/originality. This is the first paper providing a better understanding of audit prices declination in Ukraine as a consequence of dysfunctional audit firms’ behaviour, institutional and market fragility, inherent to developing countries.
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: lessons from 126 patients attending a chest clinic in north India.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To describe the experience of screening patients with asthma for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) presenting to a chest clinic. The clinical, serologic, radiologic, and treatment aspects including outcome of ABPA are also described. METHODS All consecutive patients with asthma presenting to the chest clinic over a period of 2 years were screened with an Aspergillus skin test. Patients who were found to be positive were further investigated for ABPA. Patients were also arbitrarily classified as ABPA-seropositive (ABPA-S), ABPA with central bronchiectasis (ABPA-CB), and ABPA-CB with other radiologic findings (ABPA-CB-ORF) based on the high-resolution CT findings. RESULTS Five hundred sixty-four patients were screened using an Aspergillus skin test; 223 patients (39.5%) were found to be positive, and ABPA was diagnosed in 126 patients (27.2%). There were 34 patients (27%) with ABPA-S, 42 patients with ABPA-CB, and 50 patients with ABPA-CB-ORF. Fifty-nine patients (46.8%) had received antitubercular therapy in the past. The vast majority of patients had bronchiectasis at presentation to our hospital. High-attenuation mucous impaction was noted in 21 patients (16.7%). There was no significant difference between the stages of ABPA and the duration of illness, the severity of asthma, and the serologic findings (ie, absolute eosinophil count, IgE levels [total] and IgE levels [for Aspergillus fumigatus]). The median duration of follow-up was 13 months (range, 9 to 38 months). All patients went into "remission" at 6 weeks. Twenty-five patients had a "relapse" during the course of their treatment. One hundred nine patients had "complete remission," 17 patients were classified as having "glucocorticoid-dependent ABPA," and 7 patients were classified as having "end-stage ABPA. " CONCLUSIONS There is a high prevalence of ABPA in asthmatic patients presenting at our hospital. The disease entity is still underrecognized in India; the vast majority of patients have bronchiectasis at presentation, and almost half are initially misdiagnosed as having pulmonary tuberculosis. There is a need to redefine the definitions of ABPA and the optimal dose/duration of glucocorticoid therapy. This study reinforces the need for the routine screening of asthmatic patients with an Aspergillus skin test.
Omeprazole in the long-term treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. A double-blind randomized dose-finding study.

BACKGROUND Omeprazole is effective in the treatment of reflux oesophagitis, and it is important to determine the lower dose limit with still appropriate clinical efficacy. METHODS Patients with endoscopic oesophagitis grade 1-4 (N = 220) were randomized to double-blind treatment with 20 mg or 40 mg omeprazole daily for 4-8 weeks. Those healed after this initial treatment phase were re-randomized to double-blind treatment with 20 mg omeprazole daily (n = 67), 10 mg omeprazole daily (n = 68), or placebo (n = 33) for 6 months. Remission was defined as the absence of any endoscopic sign of oesophagitis. RESULTS Healing rates were increased with 40 mg omeprazole, the therapeutic gain compared with the 20-mg dose being 15% after 4 and 8 weeks. The proportion of patients in remission after 6 months was 59% with 20 mg omeprazole, 35% with 10 mg omeprazole, and 0% with placebo. CONCLUSION Maintenance treatment with 10 mg omeprazole can prevent recurrence of oesophagitis in about one-third of patients with all grades of oesophagitis, and 20 mg omeprazole in about twice as many.
Combined intratumor cisplatinum injection and Nd:YAG laser therapy

Objectives/Hypothesis: Interstitial laser therapy (ILT) has become useful for tumor palliation in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Cisplatinum chemotherapy also is a frequent adjuvant treatment for recurrent tumors, but systemic toxicity limits application. Intratumor cisplatinum injection combined with ILT may improve therapy of these recurrent tumors with reduced toxicity. Study Design: Prospective. Tumor transplants were injected with cisplatinum in a gel implant before ILT to evaluate treatment response and toxicity in a preclinical study. Methods: UCLA‐P3 human squamous cell carcinoma tumors were grown as subcutaneous transplants in nude mice and treated by intratumor injection of 2 mg/mL cisplatinum in a slow‐release, collagen‐based gel carrier 4 hours before interstitial implantation of Nd:YAG laser fiberoptics to induce local tumor hyperthermia. Treatment efficacy and toxicity were followed for 12 weeks after combined drug and laser therapy compared with ILT alone. Results: Combined cisplatinum gel and ILT was a significant improvement (P < .01 by chi‐square test) and induced 57% complete responses without regrowth in 21 transplanted tumors compared with only 24% in 21 tumors after ILT alone during 12‐week follow‐up. Recurrences in both cases appeared to result from nonuniform laser energy delivery within tumors via the implanted fiberoptic tip. Conclusions: The results of this experimental combined cisplatinum and ILT study suggest it may be possible to improve treatment of advanced head and neck cancer by intratumor injection of gel implants containing the drug followed by interstitial Nd:YAG laser hyperthermia.
Effects of body mass index on the outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the the effect of body mass index (BMI) on PNL results and complications with a large number of patients. Materials and Methods A total of 958 patients were included in the study, who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy in our clinic between 2008 and 2015. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to their body mass index. Patients with a BMI < 30 kg/m2 were classified as group 1 (n:676) and patients with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 were classified as group 2 (n:282). Achieving stone-free status or having residual stones of ≤ 4 mm were considered as operational success. Results The mean age was 47.9 years for group 1 and 48.9 years for group 2 patients. At postoperative first month CT analysis, residual stone was not observed in 466 patients (69%) of group 1 and 20 (72%) patients of group 2. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of stone-free status (p=0.348). There was no significant difference between two groups complications. Also, there was no difference between the groups for requiring additional intervention (p=0.924). No other complications were observed in the patients. Conclusions BMI does not affect the outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy as well as complication rate.
Advertised foods on children's television.

OBJECTIVE To assess the quantity and nutritional value of foods advertised on children's television following new regulations and an expanded number of networks. RESEARCH DESIGN Children's television hours were surveyed (with use of a method modeled on previously published studies, for purposes of comparison). SETTING Seven local network affiliates; all but one are broadcast nationally. RESULTS Children viewed an average of 21.3 commercials per hour, each lasting an average of 28.6 seconds. Food advertisements accounted for 47.8% of these commercials. Ninety-one percent of advertised foods are high in fat, sugar, and/or salt. Compared with data collected before new regulations and networks, children now watch more numerous but shorter commercials. Cereals and sweet snacks are advertised proportionately less. Processed foods, canned and prepared foods, and dairy products are more frequently advertised. The proportion of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar has not changed. CONCLUSIONS Commercials advertising unhealthy foods account for a large portion of children's televised viewing time. Current regulations and the incursion of cable networks into the children's television market have not meaningfully impacted the nature or number of food advertisements.
Cointegration Analysis of Financial Time Series Data

2 Testing for Stationarity 42.1 Augmented Dickey Fuller Test 43 Cointegrating Time Series 63.1 Covariate Augmented Dickey Fuller Test 63.2 Johansen Test 74 Further Measurements and Tests 104.1 Hurst Exponent 104.2 Variance Ratio Test 114.3 Half Life of Mean Reversion 12
A novel screening biomarker in gastric cancer: serum Dickkopf-1.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Despite all the knowledge about gastric cancer, there is no prognostic biomarker which could be useful for early detection. Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1), a secreted protein, is known as a negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway. DKK-1 is reported to be over expressed in many malignant tissues. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the normal level of serum DKK-1 (sDKK-1) levels in healthy Turkish peoples and to investigate the clinical utility of sDKK-1 levels for gastric cancer screening. METHODOLOGY Serum DKK-1 levels were measured in 69 healthy controls and in 60 gastric adenocarcinoma patients with ELISA and sDKK-1 levels were compared with clinicopathological features and outcomes in gastric cancer patients. RESULTS Serum concentrations of DKK-1 in gastric adeno cancer patients were significantly higher than control patients (p<0.001). The optimal cut-off for sDKK-1 levels order to discriminate control group from gastric cancer patients was 25U/mL with sensitivity equal to 100% and specificity equal to 100%. CONCLUSIONS Serum DKK-1 levels may be a potentially useful novel serologic marker for gastric cancers.
Generalized anxiety disorder: prevalence, burden, and cost to society

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent and disabling disorder characterized by persistent worrying, anxiety symptoms, and tension. It is the most frequent anxiety disorder in primary care, being present in 22% of primary care patients who complain of anxiety problems. The high prevalence rate of GAD in primary care (8%) compared to that reported in the general population (12‐month prevalence 1.9–5.1%) suggests that GAD patients are high users of primary care resources. GAD affects women more frequently than men and prevalence rates are high in midlife (prevalence in females over age 35: 10%) and older subjects but relatively low in adolescents. The natural course of GAD can be characterized as chronic with few complete remissions, a waxing and waning course of GAD symptoms, and the occurrence of substantial comorbidity particularly with depression. Patients with GAD demonstrate a considerable degree of impairment and disability, even in its pure form, uncomplicated by depression or other mental disorders. The degree of impairment is similar to that of cases with major depression. GAD comorbid with depression usually reveals considerably higher numbers of disability days in the past month than either condition in its pure form. As a result, GAD is associated with a significant economic burden owing to decreased work productivity and increased use of health care services, particularly primary health care. The appropriate use of psychological treatments and antidepressants may improve both anxiety and depression symptoms and may also play a role in preventing comorbid major depression in GAD thus reducing the burden on both the individual and society. Depression and Anxiety 16:162–171, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Major depressive disorder is associated with attenuated cardiovascular reactivity and impaired recovery among those free of cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE To examine cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to laboratory stress among a naturalistic sample of individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy control participants. Prospective evidence suggests that MDD confers risk for cardiovascular disease equal to or greater than the risk associated with depressed mood. Enhanced cardiovascular reactivity has been proposed as a mechanism explaining increased risk, but data are inconsistent as to whether depressed individuals exhibit enhanced or attenuated reactivity. Further, few studies have examined appraisal and recovery differences. DESIGN Participants diagnosed with MDD (N = 25) and healthy control participants (N = 25) engaged in a cardiovascular reactivity protocol including 2 tasks, each followed by a brief recovery period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Blood pressure, heart rate, pre-ejection period, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance were assessed. Appraisals of tasks were assessed prior to each task. RESULTS Depressed participants exhibited significantly less systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output reactivity during speech, less heart rate reactivity during mirror tracing, and less heart rate recovery after speech and mirror tracing than controls. Depressed participants appraised the tasks as more demanding, threatening, and stressful and reported being less able to cope than controls. Appraisals were related to heart rate reactivity, but appraisals did not mediate the relationship between depression group and reactivity. CONCLUSION Impaired recovery rather than exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity may partially explain the increased prospective cardiovascular disease risk in depressed individuals.
Prevalence and economic importance of cystic echinococcosis in slaughtered ruminants in Burdur, Turkey.

This study was conducted between April 2000 and March 2001, in 12-month period. During the study, local slaughterhouses were visited periodically for 1 year to examine the internal organs (livers, lungs, spleens and hearts) for the presence of cysts and total 1355 cattle, 218 sheep and 104 goats were examined for the cystic echinococcosis (CE). It was found that 13.5% of cattle, 26.6% of sheep and 22.1% of goats were infected with this disease. While cysts in cattle (P < 0.001) and goats (P > 0.05) were found mostly in lungs (88.5 and 82.6%, respectively), but they were mostly found in livers (P > 0.05) in sheep. In addition to this, three spleens and one heart in cattle were infected with CE. In this study, the prevalence of CE and the number of cysts in ruminants were found different when the cattle, sheep and goats examined were stratified based on age. The prevalence and the number of cysts increased with age approaching an asymptotic prevalence of one in the oldest animals (P < 0.05). The number of cysts in cattle, sheep and goats were increasing at a rate of 0.31, 0.63 and 0.42/year, respectively. The economic decrease in the value of the carcasses because of the discarded liver and lung as a result of CE was estimated as 1.1% (7.5 US dollars per cattle) for cattle, 4.37% (3.2 US dollars per sheep) for sheep and 4.26% (2.9 US dollars per goat) for goats. The minimum total loss for all infected animals was determined to be 583 US dollars in infected animals, based on the market prices in the year 2002.
Disposition Effect and Tolerance to Losses in Stock Investment Decisions: An Experimental Study

ABSTRACT This study aims to verify whether people tolerate losses within the self-established limit through an experimental methodological procedure. In addition, it aims to analyze the decision behavior in terms of the time they take to realize gains and losses, as a way to test the manifestation of the disposition effect. The experiment consists in decision to sell stock from 4 companies, 2 with potentially negative returns and 2 with positive returns. The participants demonstrated that they accept more losses than they had attested they would bear in advance and manifested the typical disposition effect, under which people sell the winning stock earlier than the losing stock. There was no difference between men and women in the manifestation of the disposition effect, and women performed worse because they had established lower bearable losses and higher required gains in advance.
Static and Dynamic Hand Gesture Recognition in Depth Data Using Dynamic Time Warping

This paper discusses the development of a natural gesture user interface that tracks and recognizes in real time hand gestures based on depth data collected by a Kinect sensor. The interest space corresponding to the hands is first segmented based on the assumption that the hand of the user is the closest object in the scene to the camera. A novel algorithm is proposed to improve the scanning time in order to identify the first pixel on the hand contour within this space. Starting from this pixel, a directional search algorithm allows for the identification of the entire hand contour. The k-curvature algorithm is then employed to locate the fingertips over the contour, and dynamic time warping is used to select gesture candidates and also to recognize gestures by comparing an observed gesture with a series of prerecorded reference gestures. The comparison of results with state-of-the-art approaches shows that the proposed system outperforms most of the solutions for the static recognition of sign digits and is similar in terms of performance for the static and dynamic recognition of popular signs and for the sign language alphabet. The solution simultaneously deals with static and dynamic gestures as well as with multiple hands within the interest space. An average recognition rate of 92.4% is achieved over 55 static and dynamic gestures. Two possible applications of this work are discussed and evaluated: one for interpretation of sign digits and gestures for a friendlier human-machine interaction and the other one for the natural control of a software interface.
Antimycobacterial and Anti-inflammatory Mechanisms of Baicalin via Induced Autophagy in Macrophages Infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading killer worldwide among infectious diseases and the effective control of TB is still challenging. Autophagy is an intracellular self-digestion process which has been increasingly recognized as a major host immune defense mechanism against intracellular microorganisms like Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and serves as a key negative regulator of inflammation. Clinically, chronic inflammation surrounding Mtb can persist for decades leading to lung injury that can remain even after successful treatment. Adjunct host-directed therapy (HDT) based on both antimycobacterial and anti-inflammatory interventions could be exploited to improve treatment efficacy and outcome. Autophagy occurring in the host macrophages represents a logical host target. Here, we show that herbal medicine, baicalin, could induce autophagy in macrophage cell line Raw264.7 and caused increased killing of intracellular Mtb. Further, baicalin inhibited Mtb-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent inflammasome-derived IL-1β. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of baicalin, the signaling pathways associated with autophagy were examined. Results indicated that baicalin decreased the levels of phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt) and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) at Ser473 and Ser2448, respectively, but did not alter the phosphorylation of p38, JNK, or ERK both in Raw264.7 and primary peritoneal macrophages. Moreover, baicalin exerted an obvious inhibitory effect on nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activity. Finally, immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that baicalin promoted the co-localization of inflammasome with autophagosome may serve as the underlying mechanism of autophagic degradative effect on reducing inflammasome activation. Together, baicalin definitely induces the activation of autophagy on the Mtb-infected macrophages through PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway instead of MAPK pathway. Furthermore, baicalin inhibited the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signal pathway, and both autophagy induction and NF-κB inhibition contribute to limiting the NLRP3 inflammasome as well as subsequent production of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. Based on these results, we conclude that baicalin is a promising antimycobacterial and anti-inflammatory agent which can be a novel candidate for the development of new adjunct drugs targeting HDT for possible improved treatment.