Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acculturation strategies and ethnic identity as predictors of behavior problems in arctic minority adolescents.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of acculturation attitudes and ethnic and national identity on behavior problems in arctic minority adolescents in northern Norway. METHOD The Youth Self-Report, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, and acculturation strategies were completed by 581 indigenous Sami and 291 Kven high school students in 1994-1995, at age 15-18 years. Response rate was 85%. Behavior problems were in addition to ethnic/national identity and acculturation attitudes studied in relation to ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status, parentage, ethnic language, and ethnic context. RESULTS Although there were no ethnic group differences in behavior problems, the impact of ethnocultural predictors differed between ethnocultural and indigenous adolescents. Acculturation attitudes were most significant for indigenous adolescents' mental health, and identity issues showed the strongest impact on ethnocultural peers. The study revealed significant gender differences regarding the influence of ethnocultural factors, and contextual variation among Sami adolescents with the strongest impact in contexts with low density of Sami people. CONCLUSIONS The significant ethnic group variations emphasize the importance of conducting both between- and within-group analysis on the impact of ethnocultural issues on behavior problems in minority adolescents.
Kinetics of Nucleic Acid Synthesis in Human Embryonic Kidney Cultures Infected with Adenovirus 2 or 12: Inhibition of Cellular Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis

Infection of human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell cultures with adenovirus types 2 or 12 resulted in an initial drop in the rate of incorporation of 3H-thymidine into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) during the early latent period of virus growth, followed by a marked rise in label uptake. It was shown by cesium chloride isopycnic centrifugation that, after adenovirus 2 infection, there was a decrease in the rate of incorporation of thymidine into cellular DNA. Moreover, DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed that, by 28 to 32 hr after infection with either adenovirus 2 or 12, the amount of isolated pulse-labeled DNA capable of hybridizing with HEK cell DNA was reduced by approximately 60 to 70%. Autoradiographic measurements showed that the inhibition of cellular DNA synthesis was due to a decrease in the ability of an infected cell to synthesize DNA. The adenovirus-induced inhibition of host cell DNA synthesis was not due to degradation of cellular DNA. 3H-thymidine incorporated into cellular DNA at the time of infection remained acid-precipitable, and labeled material was not incorporated into viral DNA. Furthermore, when zone sedimentation through neutral or alkaline sucrose density gradients was employed, no detectable change was observed in the sedimentation rate of this cellular DNA at various times after infection with adenovirus 2 or 12. In addition, there was no increase in deoxyribonuclease activity in cells infected with either virus. Cultures infected for 38 hr with adenovirus 2 or 12 incorporated three to four times as much 3H-uridine into ribonucleic acid (RNA) as did non-infected cultures. Furthermore, the net RNA synthesized by infected cultures substantially exceeded that of control cultures. The activity of thymidine kinase was induced, but there was no stimulation of uridine kinase.
Young worker safety in construction: do family ties and workgroup size affect hazard exposures and safety practices?

OBJECTIVE Little is known about how social aspects of the work environment influence exposures or safety practices affecting young construction workers. Our objective was to investigate whether working on a construction site with a small number of workers (≤10 vs. 11-50) or having a family-firm connection (working in a family-owned firm or one in which a family member also works) impacts hazard exposures and safety practices. PARTICIPANTS Participants included 187 North Carolina construction workers 14 to 17 years old who were surveyed about their jobs. METHODS We conducted stratified analyses using cross-tabulations and chi-square statistics to measure associations between workgroup size (i.e., the total number of workers on a jobsite) and family-firm connections (yes/no) and hazard exposures (e.g., saws) and safety practices (e.g., supervision). RESULTS Having a family-firm connection was associated with fewer hazard exposures and greater safety practices. Youth who worked on jobsites with a larger workgroup (11-50 workers) reported more hazards but also more safety practices. CONCLUSIONS Family-firm connections, in particular, may have a protective effect for youth in construction. Even though the statistical significance of our findings on workgroup size was limited in places, the pattern of differences found suggest that further research in this area is warranted.
The indirect effect of strategic management accounting in the relationship between CEO characteristics and their networking activities, and company performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of CEO characteristics and involvement in networks on strategic management accounting (SMA) and, in turn, the indirect effect of SMA on Company performance. Design/methodology/approach A model is advanced and tested using PLS path modelling and data were collected from a sample of 121 service SMEs in Malaysia. Findings The results indicate significant and positive relationships between the CEO education and the application of SMA as well as between involvement in networks and SMA. Moreover, it is found that SMA has an indrect effect in relations of CEO education, involvement in networks and Company performance. Practical implications SMEs’ leaders may realize their important role in affecting outcomes by their choices, which are in turn affected by their characteristics and activities. Originality/value This study provides an empirical evidence on the impact of two new factors on the SMA by considering contingency theory and upper echelon theo.
Antimicrobial activity of human seminal fluid.

The antibacterial, antifungal and antimycoplasmal activity of human semen was studied. Gram-positive aerobic bacterial species i.e. staphylococci, but not gram-negative aerobic bacteria, were inhibited by seminal fluid in vitro. Neither were anaerobic gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria, nor Candida or Mycoplasma inhibited. Semen of healthy males had a higher antibacterial effect on S. albus than that of patients with symptoms of chronic prostatitis. There was a positive correlation between the antibacterial power of the semen of the patients studied and their content of zinc and magnesium, while no correlation was found with fructose and lysozyme or the number of spermatozoa in any of the groups. A positive correlation was found between the antibacterial capacity and the volume of the ejaculate in the patients but not among the controls. The antibacterial substance(s) was dialysable, ether-extractable, resistant to boiling and partly to storage at room temperature. The addition of EDTA, tranexamic acid and ammonium reineckate to semen did not influence the antibacterial effect, which was, however, slightly inhibited by sodium polyanethol sulphonate. The nature of possible antibacterial substances in semen is discussed.
The Diabolical Spiral: Food Prices and Civil Conflicts

Facors of production may be destroyed in countries that experience a civil conflict, which most likely limits agricultural production and drives up domestic food prices. Thus, a country can enter into a diabolical spiral between food prices and civil conflicts. Our study estimates this diabolical spiral by employing three-stage least squares. We use a panel data set of 82 countries spanning from 1995 to 2009. Our results reveal that a one per cent rise in domestic food prices increases the likelihood of civil conflicts by two percentage points the following year, and this magnitude is significantly higher in Southeast Asia. During an episode of civil conflict, domestic food prices are around 65 per cent higher. Finally, we use our results to calculate the impact of the 2007-2009 food crisis on the probability of conflicts. This probability increased by 3.9 percentage points during the 2007-2009 food crisis, with the highest relative increase occurring in the Middle East and North Africa.
Prevalence and underlying causes of histologic abnormalities in cats suspected to have chronic small bowel disease: 300 cases (2008-2013).

OBJECTIVE To determine prevalence of histologic abnormalities in cats suspected, on the basis of compatible clinical signs and ultrasonographic findings, to have chronic small bowel disease; identify the most common underlying causes in affected cats; and compare methods for differentiating among the various causes of chronic small bowel disease. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 300 client-owned domestic cats suspected to have chronic small bowel disease. PROCEDURES Medical records were reviewed to identify cats evaluated because of chronic vomiting, chronic small bowel diarrhea, or weight loss that also had ultrasonographic evidence of thickening of the small intestine. Cats were included in the study if full-thickness biopsy specimens had been obtained from ≥ 3 locations of the small intestine by means of laparotomy and biopsy specimens had been examined by means of histologic evaluation and, when necessary to obtain a diagnosis, immunohistochemical analysis and a PCR assay for antigen receptor rearrangement. RESULTS Chronic small bowel disease was diagnosed in 288 of the 300 (96%) cats. The most common diagnoses were chronic enteritis (n = 150) and intestinal lymphoma (124). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that a high percentage of cats with clinical signs of chronic small bowel disease and ultrasonographic evidence of thickening of the small intestine had histologic abnormalities. Furthermore, full-thickness biopsy specimens were useful in differentiating between intestinal lymphoma and chronic enteritis, but such differentiation was not possible with ultrasonography or clinicopathologic testing alone.
Characterization of a Vaccinia Virus Mutant with a Deletion of the D10R Gene Encoding a Putative Negative Regulator of Gene Expression

ABSTRACT The D9 and D10 proteins of vaccinia virus are 25% identical to each other, contain a mutT motif characteristic of nudix hydrolases, and are conserved in all sequenced poxviruses. Previous studies indicated that overexpression of D10 and, to a lesser extent, D9 decreased the levels of capped mRNAs and their translation products. Here, we further characterized the D10 protein and showed that only trace amounts are associated with purified virions and that it is expressed exclusively at late times after vaccinia virus infection. A viable deletion mutant (vΔD10) produced smaller plaques and lower virus yields than either wild-type virus or a D9R deletion mutant (vΔD9). Purified vΔD10 virions appeared normal by microscopic examination and biochemical analysis but produced 6- to 10-fold-fewer plaques at the same concentration as wild-type or vΔD9 virions. When 4 PFU per cell of wild-type or vΔD9 virions or equal numbers of vΔD10 virions were used for inoculation, nearly all cells were infected in each case, but viral early and late transcription was initiated more slowly in vΔD10-infected cells than in the others. However, viral early transcripts accumulated to higher levels in vΔD10-infected cells than in cells infected with the wild type or vΔD9. In addition, viral early and late mRNAs and cellular actin mRNA persisted longer in vΔD10-infected cells than in others. Furthermore, analysis of pulse-labeled proteins indicated prolonged synthesis of cellular and viral early proteins. These results are consistent with a role for D10 in regulating RNA levels in poxvirus-infected cells.
Increased type 3 deiodinase expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Thyroid hormone regulates a wide range of cellular activities, including the balance between cell proliferation and differentiation. The thyroid-hormone-inactivating type 3 deiodinase (DIO3, D3) has been shown to be reactivated in human neoplasias. Here, we evaluated DIO3 expression in human papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). METHODS Tumor and surrounding normal thyroid tissue were collected from 26 unselected patients with PTC. Clinical data were retrospectively reviewed in medical records. DIO3 mRNA levels were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction and D3 activity by paper-descendent chromatography. Studies of DIO3 gene regulation were performed in a human PTC-derived cell line (K1 cells). BRAF(V600E) mutation was identified in DNA from paraffin-embedded tissues by direct sequencing. Immunohistochemistry analyses were performed using a specific human D3 antibody. RESULTS Increased D3 activity was detected in all 26 PTC samples analyzed as compared with adjacent thyroid tissue. The augmentations in D3 activity were paralleled by increased DIO3 mRNA levels (approximately fivefold). In PTC-derived cells, DIO3 transcripts were further upregulated by the transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1). Interestingly, preincubation with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade inhibitors U0126 (ERK pathway) and SB203580 (p38 pathway) decreased DIO3 mRNA levels and blocked the TGFβ1-induced increase in DIO3 transcripts, suggesting that D3 induction might be mediated through the MAPK signaling pathway. Accordingly, DIO3 mRNA and activity levels were significantly higher in BRAF(V600E)-mutated samples (p=0.001). Increased D3 activity was correlated with tumor size (r=0.68, p=0.003), and associated with lymph node (p=0.03) or distant metastasis (p=0.006) at diagnosis. Conversely, decreased levels of the thyroid-hormone-activating type 2 deiodinase (DIO2) gene were observed in PTC, which might contribute to further decreases in intracellular thyroid hormone levels. Increased D3 expression was also observed in follicular thyroid carcinoma but not in medullary or anaplastic thyroid carcinoma samples. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the malignant transformation of thyroid follicular cell toward PTC promotes opposite changes in DIO3 and DIO2 expression by pretranscriptional mechanisms. The association between increased levels of D3 activity and advanced disease further supports a role for intracellular triiodothyronine concentration on the thyroid tumor cell proliferation or/and dedifferentiation.
Classification Rules for Basic Phonological Processing Disabilities and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: Formulation and External Validity*

Rules for the classification of two subtypes of learning disabilities (LD), namely, Basic Phonological Processing Disabilities (BPPD) and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD), are reported. These rules (refined as a result of application to two separate samples of children with LD) were used to select children from an entirely new sample who could be classified as having ‘definite’ or ‘probable’ BPPD or NLD. As a first step in the external validation of these rules, the patterns of psychosocial functioning exhibited by these two subtypes of LD were determined. As predicted, the vast majority of the BPPD subtype exhibited a pattern most consistent with normal or relatively normal psychosocial adjustment, and no appreciable increase in the incidence of significant psychosocial disturbance with advancing years. Also, as predicted, an increasing incidence of internalized psychosocial dysfunction (a form of significant psychosocial disturbance) was evident in the NLD subtype with advancing years. It is clear that children classified as having BPPD or NLD using these rules exhibit quite different, and predicted, relative patterns of psychosocial functioning. Thus, in this sense, the rules have concurrent validity. Finally, sets of rules/criteria for classification are presented that reflect their actual incidence in the two subtypes of LD generated for use in the validation phase of this investigation. These rules would appear to be useful for clinical purposes. It is also clear that they should be subjected to further validation studies in a broader age range for clinical and research purposes.
Informal Land Development on the Urban Fringe

Urban fringes are an important part of urban growth. In addition to formal land markets, a variety of informal land development methods make urban fringes the most dynamic and complicated areas. The analysis of land transfer and development systems in these areas opens a significant window to understanding the modern processes of urbanization and human and property rights in urban areas in China. This study uses Shanghai as a case study target and identifies specific modes of local land development and investigates how collective participants, government agencies, regulatory policies, and various actors are involved in land development and decision making. The in-depth analysis and case studies indicate that the variety of informal land markets in Shanghai reflects the inherent demands of the market for allocation of land resources within the constraints of the given system and against the given development background. However, conflicts between the mode of the market and the existing institutional constraints reflect the uncoordinated development of the land and the economic and social development around the urban fringe. The empirical results of this paper suggest that government administration should improve the land market system, strengthen the planning of control and guidance, rationalize the distribution of interests in land development, and strengthen the supervision of management of land development enterprises. Instead of fragmented aspects, this paper proposes a systematic analytical approach to understanding the informal land development in a city from an urban planning and land resource management perspective.
Optimal Portfolio Under State-Dependent Expected Utility

We derive the optimal portfolio for an expected utility maximizer whose utility does not only depend on terminal wealth but also on some random benchmark (state-dependent utility). We then apply this result to obtain the optimal portfolio of a loss-averse investor with a random reference point (extending a result of Berkelaar et al. (2004) Optimal portfolio choice under loss aversion, The Review of Economics and Statistics 86 (4), 973–987). Clearly, the optimal portfolio has some joint distribution with the benchmark and we show that it is the cheapest possible in having this distribution. This characterization result allows us to infer the state-dependent utility function that explains the demand for a given (joint) distribution.
Simultaneous administration of hepatitis B and yellow fever vaccines

In most developing countries, hepatitis B prevention is carried out early in life. In these countries, mobile immunization teams have a limited number of sessions to devote to each rural community; simultaneous administration of multiple antigens is thus normal practice. We compared the immune responses of Senegalese children to the separate or simultaneous injections of yellow fever and hepatitis B vaccines. Injections were given at the time of booster injection for hepatitis B vaccine. Yellow fever antibodies were detected in similar proportions in infants immunized with either yellow fever vaccine alone or yellow fever and hepatitis B vaccines simultaneously. However, a lower proportion of high yellow fever antibody levels were observed when the two vaccines were injected simultaneously. No reduction in the anamnestic response of antibodies against the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (anti‐HBs) was observed when yellow fever vaccine was injected at the same time as the booster dose of hepatitis B vaccine. Since no untoward reactions were noted, it is concluded that hepatitis B and yellow fever vaccines can be administered at the same time.
Antihyperalgesic Effect of the GABAA Ligand Clobazam in a Neuropathic Pain Model in Mice: A Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Study

Facilitation of spinal GABAergic inhibition with benzodiazepines (BZDs) reverses pain sensitization in animals; however, the use of BZDs in man is limited by their sedative effect. The antihyperalgesic effects of GABAA agonists are mediated by GABAA receptors containing α2 subunits, whereas sedation is linked to α1 subunit‐containing receptors. α2 and α3 selective GABAA receptor modulators have been tested in animals but are not yet available for use in human beings. Clobazam is a 1,5‐BZD, which exhibits less cognitive side effects than other benzodiazepines. Here, we studied its antihyperalgesic effects in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. Clobazam showed a dose‐dependent antihyperalgesic effect in the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain, peaking at 1 hr after administration and lasting for 4 hr with no relevant sedation at a dose of 3 mg/kg. At higher doses, the antihyperalgesic effect was stronger, but sedation became significant. The blood and brain kinetics of clobazam were linear over the range of doses tested with a short half‐life of the parent compound and a ready penetration of the blood–brain barrier. Clobazam blood concentrations decreased rapidly, falling below the limit of detection at 120 min. after drug application. Its main metabolite, N‐desmethyl‐clobazam, showed more delayed and prolonged pharmacokinetics, partly explaining why antihyperalgesia persisted when clobazam was no longer detectable in the blood. Considering its therapeutic margin and its pharmacokinetic properties, clobazam would be a valuable compound to assess the role of the GABAergic pathway in pain transmission in human beings.
Effectiveness of ECT Combined with Risperidone Against Aggression in Schizophrenia

Aggressive behavior in schizophrenic patients can often be problematic not only for the patients themselves, but for their families and others. This study examined the effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in combination with risperidone in an open trial in 10 male schizophrenic patients with significant aggressive behaviors. Patients were given bilateral ECT five times a week in combination with risperidone. The mean total number of times of ECT was 6.6 (range 5–9). The aggressive behavior in five of the six patients, who showed positive symptoms, was rapidly ameliorated within 12 days. The ECT/risperidone regimen also eliminated aggressive behavior in four patients showing no positive symptoms within 10 days. These treatment effects lasted for at least 6 months in 9 (of the 10) patients. The results suggest that ECT, combined with risperidone, produce a rapid and effective elimination of aggressive behaviors in schizophrenic patients. In addition, there was a resolution of aggression in four patients with no positive symptoms. This suggests that aggression in some schizophrenic patients develops as a primary symptom of schizophrenia and is not related to other positive symptoms of the disease or the patient's personality traits.