Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Restorative Justice and Political Forgiveness: A Comparative Study of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions

This research project involves a comparative, cross-national study of truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs) in countries around the world that have used these extra-judicial institutions to pursue justice and promote national reconciliation during periods of democratic transition or following a civil conflict marked by intense violence and severe human rights abuses. An important objective of truth and reconciliation commissions involves instituting measures to address serious human rights abuses that have occurred as a result of discrimination, ethnocentrism and racism. In recent years, rather than solely utilizing traditional methods of conflict resolution and criminal prosecution, transitional governments have established truth and reconciliation commissions as part of efforts to foster psychological, social and political healing. The primary objective of this research project is to determine why there has been a proliferation of truth and reconciliation commissions around the world in recent decades, and assess whether the perceived effectiveness of these commissions is real and substantial. In this work, using a multi-method approach that involves quantitative and qualitative analysis, I consider the institutional design and structural composition of truth and reconciliation commissions, as well as the roles that these commissions play in the democratic transformation of nations with a history of civil conflict and human rights violations. In addition to a focus on institutional design of truth and reconciliation commissions, I use a group identity framework that is grounded in social identity theory to examine the historical background and sociopolitical context in which truth commissions have been adopted in countries around the world. This group identity framework serves as an invaluable lens through which questions related to truth and reconciliation commissions and other transitional justice mechanisms can be explored. I also present a unique theoretical framework, the reconciliatory democratization paradigm, that is especially useful for examining the complex interactions between the various political elements that directly affect the processes of democratic consolidation and reconciliation in countries in which truth and reconciliation commissions have been established. Finally, I tackle the question of whether successor regimes that institute truth and reconciliation commissions can effectively address the human rights violations that occurred in the past, and prevent the recurrence of these abuses.
Use of anabolic‐androgenic steroids among body builders — frequency and attitudes

Abstract. A total of 138 male body builders who regularly attended a gym participated anonymously in a study of the use of anabolic‐androgenic steroids in relation to side‐effects, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI; kg m−2), training frequency, social background, occupation, knowledge and attitudes to steroid use. Fifty‐three of the 138 body builders had used anabolic‐androgenic steroids for a median duration of 2 years. Steroid use was linked to a higher BMI and more frequent training. Seventy‐five per cent (n = 18) of those attending body building for competition, and 24% (n = 11) of those attending to improve their sense of well‐being, used anabolic‐androgenic steroids. Of all body builders, 94% considered anabolic‐androgenic steroids to be dangerous. Of the users, 81% experienced side‐effects, but 74% still intended to continue steroid medication.
Accumulation of bromodeoxyuridine‐labeled cells in central and peripheral lymphoid organs: minimal estimates of prodution and turnover rates of mature lymphocytes

Daily lymphocyte prodution in both central and peripheral lymphoid organs was evaluated by associating in vivo incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) with cell surface labeling and multi‐parameter flow analysis. At least 10% of mature T and B lymphocytes are generated every 24 h. The kinetic behavior of these cell populations differs, however, in that mature B cells are generated predominantly in the precursor compartments of the bone marrow, while most mature T cell generation occurs at the periphery. Therefore, peripheral expansion is the major mechanism of mature T cell production in the adult mouse. By following the accumulation of BrdUrd‐labeled cells in peripheral lymphoid organs we found that the progeny of the daily lymphocyte production was sufficient to renew 30%‐40% of all peripheral T and B cells every 48 h, demonstrating a high turnover rate of mature lymphocytes.
Outcome measures for pediatric spinal muscular atrophy.

BACKGROUND Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease of the anterior horn cell with a frequency of 8 per 100 000 live births and a high rate of mortality during infancy. The American Spinal Muscular Atrophy Randomized Trials (AmSMART) Group is an organization of 5 centers formed to perform clinical trials in children with SMA. OBJECTIVE To devise reliable methods to measure strength, motor function, lung function, and quality of life for use as outcome measures in children with SMA. SETTING Tertiary referral center, pediatric neurology department. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twelve children with SMA aged 2 to 14 years were enrolled in a reliability study of 4 outcome measures: quantitative muscle testing (in children >5 years), gross motor function measure, pulmonary function tests, and quality of life. The Richmond Quantitative Measurement System was used to test grip, knee flexion and extension, and elbow flexion. Gross motor function measure was performed as described, and pulmonary function tests were measured using the KoKo system. Quality of life was assessed via the PedsQL and the PedsQL Neuromuscular Module for patients and parents. RESULTS Ten children fulfilled the inclusion criteria and completed at least 3 visits with 3 evaluators in 6 months. Using a weighted kappa, the gross motor function measure showed high interrater reliability. Quantitative muscle testing showed greater variability among the weakest children; the findings for pulmonary function tests and quality of life were inconclusive. The PedsQL Neuromuscular Module for parents had moderately high reliability. CONCLUSION A tool for motor function may be more useful in clinical trials of childhood SMA than one for quantitative muscle strength.
Adherence to disease-modifying therapies and its impact on relapse, health resource utilization, and costs among patients with multiple sclerosis

Purpose To evaluate adherence to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) initiating oral and injectable DMTs, and to estimate the impact of adherence on relapse, health resource utilization, and medical costs. Patients and methods Commercially insured MS patients (aged 18–65 years, two or more MS diagnoses, one or more DMT claims) with continuous eligibility 12 months before and after the first DMT claim date (index date) and no DMT claim during the pre-index period were identified from a large commerical claims database for the period from January 1, 2008, to September 30, 2015. Adherence to the index DMT was measured by the 12-month post-index proportion of days covered (PDC) and compared between oral and injectable DMT initiators. After adjustment for sex, age at index DMT, and comorbidities, regression models examined the relationship between adherence and relapse risk, MS-related health resource utilization, and non-drug medical costs (2015 US$). Results The study covered 12,431 patients and nine DMTs. Adherence to the index DMT did not differ significantly between oral (n=1,018) and injectable (n=11,413) DMTs when assessed by mean PDC (0.7257±0.2934 vs 0.7259±0.2869, respectively; P=0.0787), or percentages achieving PDC ≥0.8 (61.4% vs 58.6%, respectively; P=0.0806). Compared to non-adherence, adherence to DMT significantly reduced the likelihood of relapse in the post-index 12 months by 42%, hospitalization by 52%, and emergency visits by 38% (all, P<0.0001). Adherent patients would be expected to have on average 0.7 fewer outpatient visits annually versus non-adherent patients (P<0.0001). Based on the differences in predicted mean costs, adherence (vs non-adherence) would decrease the total annual medical care costs by $5,816 per patient, including hospitalization costs by $1,953, emergency visits by $171, and outpatient visits by $2,802. Conclusion Adherence remains suboptimal but comparable between oral and injectable DMTs. Potential health and economic benefits underscore the importance of improving adherence in MS.
The Causality between Stock Market and Foreign Exchange Market of Pakistan

It is evidenced from the “goods market theory” and “portfolio balance approach” that the stock index and the Exchange Rate determine each other. This study tries to analyze the dynamic relationship between stock market index and exchange rate. To test Long run relationship between these two variables, Engle-Granger Co-integration test is used and it is evidenced that there is no long run relationship in both variables. To analyze, is there any causation in any direction in the variables? Granger Causality (GC) Test is used. The sample period of this study run over Jan 1995 to Jan 2010. The sample size includes 181 data points of month end closing values of stock market index and exchange rate. The results indicate no causal relationship. The contradicting results of this study to the literature is attributed the unstable political environment in Pakistan.
E‐cadherin/catenin complex in benign and malignant melanocytic lesions

E‐cadherin is a calcium‐dependent cell–cell adhesion molecule expressed by melanocytes and responsible for their adhesion to keratinocytes in vitro. In this study, the expression of E‐cadherin and its associated cytoplasmic proteins α‐, β‐, and γ‐catenin was evaluated in melanocytic lesions by immunohistochemistry. E‐cadherin expression was evaluated in 70 malignant melanomas and the catenins in 35 of these specimens. Twenty benign melanocytic naevi were also evaluated for E‐cadherin and catenin expression. In normal epidermis, E‐cadherin/catenin immunostaining was localized at the intercellular borders. In melanomas, a differential loss of E‐cadherin expression was observed. Membranous E‐cadherin staining was absent in dermal nests of melanomas in their radial growth phase and in Clark level II and III lesions, whereas it was present in a high proportion of melanomas in their vertical growth phase, in Clark level IV and V lesions and in metastasizing melanomas. In contrast, superficial compartments of naevi showed membranous E‐cadherin immunoreactivity and junctional naevus cell nests displayed heterogeneous or diffuse cytoplasmic staining. Cytoplasmic α‐ and β‐catenin, but not γ‐catenin staining were detected in all benign and malignant lesions. These findings indicate that qualitative changes in the expression and cellular localization of E‐cadherin and of α‐, β‐, and γ‐catenin occur in melanocytic lesions and may reflect different stages in their progression. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phenotypic features of familial febrile seizures

Objective: To identify phenotypic features of febrile seizures that can be used to reduce heterogeneity and thereby increase power in linkage analysis. Background: Despite exciting discoveries in several rare pedigrees, the genetic basis of common febrile seizures remains a mystery. The major drawback of studying common febrile seizure disorder is etiologic and genetic heterogeneity. A linkage sample must therefore be classified a priori on phenotypic criteria likely to reflect genetically homogeneous subgroups. Methods: Eighty-three cases (children with one or more febrile seizure plus first-degree family history of febrile seizures) and 101 controls (children with one or more febrile seizure but no first-degree family history of febrile seizures) were compared for association of phenotypic features in an unmatched case-control design. Odds ratios were calculated using univariate and multivariate methods. Results: Recurrent febrile seizures was the only phenotypic feature significantly associated with first-degree family history of febrile seizures (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.88). First-degree family history and later occurrence of afebrile seizures (OR 3.47, 95% CI 0.94 to 12.78) were independently associated with recurrent febrile seizures. Complex features did not show familial aggregation. Conclusions: The authors suggest recurrent and afebrile seizures as criteria on which to subgroup a linkage sample. These subgroups will not be evident at the time of the initial febrile seizure. Meticulous and prospective collection of phenotypic and family data are recommended.
Simian virus 40 origin DNA-binding domain on large T antigen

Fifty variant forms of simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen bearing point, multiple point, deletion, or termination mutations within a region of the protein thought to be involved in DNA binding were tested for their ability to bind to SV40 origin DNA. A number of the mutant large T species including some with point mutations were unable to bind, whereas many were wild type in this activity. The clustering of the mutations that are defective in origin DNA binding both reported here and by others suggests a DNA-binding domain on large T maps between residues 139 and approximately 220, with a particularly sensitive sequence between amino acids 147 and 166. The results indicate that the domain is involved in binding to both site I and site II on SV40 DNA, but it remains unclear whether it is responsible for binding to cellular DNA. Since all the mutants retain the ability to transform Rat-1 cells, we conclude that the ability of large T to bind to SV40 origin DNA is not a prerequisite for its transforming activity.
Does Early Adoption Affect Farmers' Use of the Extension Service?

This study was carried out in Kahramanmaras Province of Turkey and sought maize farmers’ awareness of agricultural extension service, their information sources of various farming practices, and differences between early and late adopters of maize by awareness of extension service and information sources of farming practices. A stratified sample of 264 farmers was the participants of this study. The study found that 27% of the respondents were aware of extension service; other farmers and own family members were the major information sources of maize producers; early adopters of maize were more aware of extension service programs; and they also used extension more as an information source for soil preparation, seed varieties and seeding techniques, pest management, and fertilizing information.
Psychosocial Correlates of Parenting a Child With Autistic Disorder

Background: The lifelong experience of raising a child with a complex developmental disability such as autistic disorder is considered one of the most significant parenting stressors, with the potential to spill over into various areas of the life of parents. Therefore, studying the psychological functioning for parents of children with developmental disabilities requires the consideration of multiple factors acting and interacting concurrently. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between two sets of variables in a sample of parents of children with autistic disorder. The first set was composed of the parents’ characteristics and the coping strategies used. The second set was composed of three stress subscales—parental distress (PD), parent–child dysfunctional interaction (PCDI), and difficult child (DC)—and the parental quality of life (QOL). Methods: Canonical correlation multivariate analysis was used to examine the relationship between the sets of variables in 184 Jordanian parents of children with autistic disorder. Results: The analyses revealed that the parents who have higher incomes, use diverse problem-solving strategies, exhibit less escape–avoidance, and exhibit less responsibility acceptance behavior tended to report lower PD, PCDI, and DC scores and a higher QOL score. The analyses also revealed that being an older parent, having more time since the child’s autistic diagnosis, and using more distancing coping strategies were associated with lower PD scores, higher PCDI and DC scores, and better QOL. Conclusions: This study is the first to investigate a wide range of parental psychosocial impacts as well as several sociodemographic factors that are possibly associated with raising a child with autistic disorder. The results indicate that health professionals working with parents of children with autistic disorder need to consider holistically the factors that can potentially affect the parents’ health and well-being and provide care that focuses on the parents as both clients and caregivers.
Effects of an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, on cardiovascular events in high-risk patients.

BACKGROUND Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors improve the outcome among patients with left ventricular dysfunction, whether or not they have heart failure. We assessed the role of an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, in patients who were at high risk for cardiovascular events but who did not have left ventricular dysfunction or heart failure. METHODS A total of 9297 high-risk patients (55 years of age or older) who had evidence of vascular disease or diabetes plus one other cardiovascular risk factor and who were not known to have a low ejection fraction or heart failure were randomly assigned to receive ramipril (10 mg once per day orally) or matching placebo for a mean of five years. The primary outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes. The trial was a two-by-two factorial study evaluating both ramipril and vitamin E. The effects of vitamin E are reported in a companion paper. RESULTS A total of 651 patients who were assigned to receive ramipril (14.0 percent) reached the primary end point, as compared with 826 patients who were assigned to receive placebo (17.8 percent) (relative risk, 0.78; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.70 to 0.86; P<0.001). Treatment with ramipril reduced the rates of death from cardiovascular causes (6.1 percent, as compared with 8.1 percent in the placebo group; relative risk, 0.74; P<0.001), myocardial infarction (9.9 percent vs. 12.3 percent; relative risk, 0.80; P<0.001), stroke (3.4 percent vs. 4.9 percent; relative risk, 0.68; P<0.001), death from any cause (10.4 percent vs. 12.2 percent; relative risk, 0.84; P=0.005), revascularization procedures (16.3 percent vs. 18.8 percent; relative risk, 0.85; P<0.001), cardiac arrest (0.8 percent vs. 1.3 percent; relative risk, 0.62; P=0.02), [corrected] heart failure (9.1 percent vs. 11.6 percent; relative risk, 0.77; P<0.001), and complications related to diabetes (6.4 percent vs. 7.6 percent; relative risk, 0.84; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Ramipril significantly reduces the rates of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in a broad range of high-risk patients who are not known to have a low ejection fraction or heart failure.
Overcoming the divide between ataxias and spastic paraplegias: Shared phenotypes, genes, and pathways

Autosomal‐dominant spinocerebellar ataxias, autosomal‐recessive spinocerebellar ataxias, and hereditary spastic paraplegias have traditionally been designated in separate clinicogenetic disease classifications. This classification system still largely frames clinical thinking and genetic workup in clinical practice. Yet, with the advent of next‐generation sequencing, phenotypically unbiased studies have revealed the limitations of this classification system. Various genes (eg, SPG7, SYNE1, PNPLA6) traditionally rooted in either the ataxia or hereditary spastic paraplegia classification system have now been shown to cause ataxia on the one end of the disease continuum and hereditary spastic paraplegia on the other. Other genes such as GBA2 and KIF1C were almost simultaneously published as both a hereditary spastic paraplegia and an ataxia gene. The variability and fluidity of observed phenotypes along the ataxia‐spasticity spectrum warrants a rethinking of the traditional classification system. We propose to replace this divisive diagnosis‐driven ataxia and hereditary spastic paraplegia classification system by a descriptive, unbiased approach of modular phenotyping. This approach is also open to expansion of the phenotype beyond ataxia and spasticity, which often occur as part of broader multisystem neuronal dysfunction. The concept of a continuous ataxia‐spasticity disease spectrum is further supported by ataxias and hereditary spastic paraplegias sharing not only overlapping phenotypes and underlying genes, but also common cellular pathways and disease mechanisms. This suggests a shared vulnerability of cerebellar and corticospinal neurons for common pathophysiological processes. It might be this mechanistic overlap that drives their clinical overlap. A mechanistically inspired classification system will help to pave the way for mechanism‐based strategies for drug development. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Lumbar Interspinous Spacers: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Biomechanical Evidence

Study Design. Systematic review. Objective. To evaluate the current biomechanical and clinical evidence available on the use and effectiveness of lumbar interspinous devices and to recommend indications for their use. Summary of Background Data. Lumbar interspinous spacers (ISPs) have recently become popular as an alternative treatment for lumbar degenerative disease. Several spacers are currently available in the market and there have been various proposed indications. The relevant biomechanical and clinical papers are analyzed. Methods. A systematic review of clinical and biomechanical studies was done using the following key words: interspinous implants, interspinous devices, interspinous spacers, dynamic stabilization, X-STOP, Coflex, Wallis, DIAM. The database inclusions were MEDLINE, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and PubMed. The main outcome measure was clinical outcome assessment based on validated patient-related questionnaires. Biomechanical studies were analyzed to evaluate the effects of ISPs on the kinematics of the spine. The methodology of the clinical studies was also analyzed. Results. Largest number of studies has been with the X-STOP device. The biomechanical studies with all the devices showed that ISPs have a beneficial effect on the kinematics of the degenerative spine. Apart from 2 randomized controlled trials, the other studies with the X-STOP device were not of high methodologic quality. Nevertheless, analysis of these studies showed that X-STOP may improve outcome when compared to nonoperative treatment in select group of patients aged 50 or over, with radiologically confirmed lumbar canal stenosis and neurogenic claudication, who have improvement of their symptoms in flexion. Studies on the other devices show satisfactory outcome to varying degrees. However, due to small number and poor design of the studies, it is difficult to clearly define indications for their use in lumbar degenerative disease. Conclusion. Lumbar ISPs may have a potential beneficial effect in select group of patients with degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. However, further good quality trials are needed to clearly outline the indications for their use.