Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transnational aging among older Turkish and Moroccan migrants in the Netherlands: Determinants of transnational behavior and transnational belonging

Abstract This study investigates how resources and constraints (location of family, gender, income, cultural distance to society of settlement, and health) impact the experience of two interrelated dimensions of transnational aging: transnational behavior and transnational belonging. We specify transnational behavior by visitation of the country of origin and transnational belonging by emotional attachment to the country of origin and consideration of return migration. Data come from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam with interviews held between 2013 and 2014 with 264 Turkish migrants and 205 Moroccan migrants, aged 55–66. Regression analyses reveal that transnational belonging and behavior are explained by different factors. Family-in-laws’ location and gender only play a role in explaining transnational belonging, while cultural distance and self-rated health affect both dimensions, and subjective income only impacts transnational behavior. Results from the stratified analysis show that for Turkish migrants, family location, cultural distance, and health are important in considering return migration, whereas for Moroccan migrants, only cultural distance plays a role. We conclude that the distinction between transnational belonging and behavior is useful in understanding transnational aging and that our resources and constraints approach extends our view on older migrants.
Dynamic changes in the collagen metabolism of liver fibrosis at the transcription level in rabbits with Schistosomiasis japonica.

OBJECTIVE To study the role of the synthesis and degradation of collagen at the transcription level during liver fibrogenesis due to schistosomiasis japonica in rabbits. METHODS New Zealand rabbits challenged by cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) were served as animal models for liver fibrosis. Liver specimens were collected through operations at 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24 and 28 wks after challenge. Type I collagen, type III collagen, type IV collagen, MMP-1 and MMP-9 mRNA levels of liver tissue were detected by RT-PCR + Dot blot. The size of egg granulomas and the degree of liver fibrosis were measured by histopathological examinations. RESULTS Type I collagen, type III collagen, type IV collagen, MMP-1 and MMP-9 mRNA levels increased simultaneously in the early stage after challenge. Most of them reached their peak at 10 weeks, and compared with normal controls, type I collagen, type III collagen, type IV collagen, MMP-1 and MMP-9 mRNA levels increased by 12.0-, 11.0-, 6.6-, 10.0- and 11.0-fold, respectively, coinciding with the change of egg granulomas, i.e., the change in the inflammatory process. Then both collagen and collagenase mRNA levels decreased. Type I, III and IV collagen mRNA levels declined to 2-fold to 3-fold as compared with normal controls (P < 0.05), while MMP-1 and MMP-9 mRNA levels declined close to normal levels (P > 0.05) at 28 wks. This study shows that the synthesis and degradation of collagen keep a dynamic balance at the early stage of schistosomiasis japonica challenge, while at the later stages the quantity of collagen synthesis was higher than that of collagen degradation. CONCLUSIONS It was confirmed at transcription level that when the quantity of collagen synthesis was higher than that of collagen degradation liver fibrogenesis may be resulted in.
Apoptosis and autophagy in rat cerebellar granule neuron death: Role of reactive oxygen species

Programmed cell death (PCD) has been defined as an active, controlled process in which cells participate in their own demise. Apoptosis, or type I PCD, has been widely characterized, both morphologically and biochemically. More recently, autophagy, the self‐digesting mechanism involved in the removal of cytoplasmic long‐lived proteins, has been involved in cell death, and type II PCD is defined as cell death occurring with autophagic features. Neurons can undergo more than one type of PCD as a backup mechanism when the traditional death pathway is inhibited or in response to a particular death‐inducing stimulus. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to be important signaling molecules in the execution of apoptosis and, more recently, in the autophagic pathway. In this work, we characterize apoptotic and autophagic cell death in rat cerebellar granule neuron (CGN) culture, a widespread model for the study of neuronal death. Potassium deprivation (K5) and staurosporine (STS) were used for death induction. We found apoptotic and autophagic features under both conditions. Caspase inhibition as well as autophagy inhibition by 3‐methyl adenine decreased cell death. Moreover, CGN can undergo the alternative type of cell death when the other one is inhibited. An antioxidant or NADPH oxidase inhibitors delayed apoptosis and had no effect in autophagic features. Thus, we found that autophagy plays a role in cell death of CGN and that, when cells are treated with K5 or STS, both autophagy and ROS seem to promote apoptosis by independent mechanisms. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Defining, Practicing, and Assessing Innovation by Minnesota’s Local Government

The purpose of the study was to examine, summarize, and categorize how leaders of select cities, counties, and school districts (kindergarten through 12 th grade) in Minnesota define, practice, and assess innovation. The significance of the study was two-fold: 1) the findings may add to the body of research regarding innovation in local government, and 2) may contribute to the understanding of innovations by local government officials. The study engaged 81 local units of government (i.e., cities, counties and school districts – kindergarten through 12 th grade) in the State of Minnesota via electronic survey. Of the 81 local units of government engaged 35 participated, which represented 26 cities, 2 counties, and 7 school districts. The study and survey tool was designed in three parts comprised of: 1) Survey Participant Profile, 2) Innovation Practices and Types, and 3) Innovation Assessment Practices and Types. The study contributes to the current body of research knowledge by providing new research on the defining, practice, and assessment of innovation within local units of government. The study ultimately may offer government leaders useable and valuable information about innovation in local government so that it may survive and thrive.
The surgical management of early-stage cervical cancer

Purpose of review The main objective is to update the literature data in the last year which may support a surgical approach to early cervical cancer [ECC; Stage International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) IA-IB1-IIA1]. Radical hysterectomy remains the gold standard by most international guidelines because surgical treatment has hardly changed in recent decades, except for stage IA1. Recent findings Trends in clinical research in the past 12–18 months involve minimal invasive surgery (with laparoscopic surgery or robotic-assisted surgery), fertility preservation (in the initial stages and in the absence of bad prognostic factors), nerve-sparing and sentinel node techniques. Some institutions have published studies in specific groups such as older, obese or pregnant women. Summary There is a growing trend to practice less aggressive surgery in order to preserve fertility in young women and avoid an excess of treatment in some selected patients. Therefore, nerve-sparing techniques can help to improve the quality of life. More studies are needed to demonstrate oncologic results of the sentinel node technique. Laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgery can substitute open surgical treatment.
An Investigation into Teens' Attitudes Towards Fast-Food Brands in General

Abstract The global teenager hypothesis suggests that communication technology advances have served to homogenize the values, fashion preferences, and attitudes of the world's teenagers. This study examines attitudes towards fast-food brands in general among Chinese, Japanese, and American teenagers. The purpose of the study was to examine similarities and differences in such attitudes across these three markets. The results show that significant differences in brand attitudes exist between teens from each of these three nations. This study provides global fast-food managers with unprecedented empirical research concerning the idiosyncrasies underlying teenage fast-food brand attitudes.
DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHRONIC CANNABIS USE AND BRAIN FUNCTION DEFICITS

To summarize, 12 objective tests that generated 16 test variables were administered to 850 male regular cannabis users and 839 nonusers. The tests were designed to assess various modalities, including speed of psychomotor performance, distance estimation, time estimation, immediate memory, and visuomotor coordination. Most of the test variables differentiated significantly between consumers and controls. At the same time, a significant second-order interaction emerged in most cases. This interaction meant that, under certain conditions that relate to the two dimensions "literacy-illiteracy" and/or "urbanism-ruralism," the superiority of controls over cannabis users became impressive, whereas under other conditions it almost disappeared. To account for this complex pattern of results, a working hypothesis was presented to the effect that "other conditions being equal, the lower the nondrug level of proficiency on tests of cognitive and psychomotor performance the smaller the size of function deficit associated with drug usage. " For an empirical examination of the hypothesis, six predictions were formulated. Three predictions defined specific relationships between level of performance, on one hand, and each of three organismic variables, on the other: literacy, urbanism, and age. The remaining predictions delineated relationships to be expected between size of function deficit and the three organismic variables. All our predictions were confirmed, showing less function impairment to be contingent with cannabis usage among the illiterates, rurals, and older subjects. Level of cortical arousal was suggested as the central process associated with the three organismic variables. Because the version of our working hypothesis was formulated with reference to chronic material, the possibility of a transposition of the paradign to research on the acute effects of the drug was discussed. The suggestion was made that our working hypothesis, in either version, is capable of establishing genuine integration between reports that present conflicting results on possible function deficits contingent with cannabis consumption.
Lung Carcinogenesis by Diesel Exhaust Particles and the Carcinogenic Mechanism Via Active Oxygens

In an experiment to clarify the involvement of oxygen radicals in lung carcinogenesis induced by diesel exhaust particles (DEP), we found that there is a strong relation between lung tumor response and formation of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in lung DNA of mice administered DEP by repeated intratracheal instillation. Repeated intratracheal instillation of DEP also induced the activity of cytochrome P-450 reductase in the lungs as a representative enzyme of superoxide generation, and two types of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, cNOS and iNOS, in the lungs. On the other hand, activities of CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Mn-SOD antioxidant enzymes were depressed by the instillation of DEP. These results suggest that generation of superoxide, hydroxyI radical, and nitric oxide are increased in epithelial cells in airways, and that the increased superoxide and nitric oxide react very easily to produce peroxynitrite (ONOO−). The peroxynitrite also produce hydroxyI radical. The hydroxyl radical may play an important role in carcinogenesis by DEP.
Board composition and capital structure: evidence from Kenya

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of board composition on capital structure of a firm. ,The paper uses data from firms listed in Nairobi Securities Exchange covering the period 2004-2012. Fixed effect regression model was estimated to test the effect of board composition on capital structure and how chief executive officer (CEO) tenure moderates the relationship. ,The paper finds that board composition has important implications on capital structure decisions. Specifically, director independence is positively related to leverage, whereas CEO duality and tenure have negative and significant effect on leverage. In addition, the interaction effect of CEO tenure indicates that when CEOs have long tenure, the power of independent directors to influence capital structure decisions diminishes. Further, the study found that under long CEO tenure, long-tenure boards use less leverage in their capital structure. As expected, dual CEO with long tenure uses less leverage. ,The study uses data from an emerging market, contrary to previous studies using data from developed markets, to test the relationship between board composition and leverage. Second, the paper tests the moderating effect of CEO tenure on board composition – leverage relationship based on the idea that entrenched CEO may influence the decision-making ability of directors, particularly capital structure decisions.
Externality effects in the formation of societies

We study a finite decision model where the utility function is an additive combination of a personal valuation component and an interaction component. Individuals are characterized according to these two components (their valuation type and externality type), and also according to their crowding type (how they influence others). We study how positive externalities lead to type symmetries in the set of Nash equilibria, while negative externalities allow the existence of equilibria that are not type-symmetric. In particular, we show that positive externalities lead to equilibria having a unique partition into a minimum number of societies (similar individuals using the same strategy, see [27]); and negative externalities lead to equilibria with multiple societal partitions, some with the maximum number of societies.
Identifying and managing depression in the medical patient.

To receive your credit certificate immediately for free– Go to www.PSYCHIATRIST. com and complete this activity online. Articles are selected for CME credit designation on the basis of the CME Institute’s assessment of the needs of readers of The Primary Care Companion, with the purpose of providing readers with a curriculum of CME articles on a variety of topics throughout each volume. There are no prerequisites for participation in this CME activity. To obtain credit, please study the designated article and complete the Posttest.
Monocytes of distinct clinical types of leprosy are differentially activated by cross‐linking class II HLA molecules to secrete IL‐12

Leprosy is characterized by a wide spectrum of clinical features depending on the individual differences in Th1‐type immunity. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether monocyte activation by stimulus via class II HLA molecules would be correlated with the differences in cellular immune responses among diverse clinical forms of leprosy. IL‐1β and IL‐12 productivity in monocyte preparations obtained from PBMCs was estimated in patients with lepromatous‐ and tuberculoid‐type leprosy. We found that monocytes from lepromatous patients produced significantly higher (about 4‐fold higher) amounts of IL‐12 as compared to in patients with tuberculoid type of leprosy when class II HLA molecules were cross‐linked with anti‐HLA class II antibodies, whereas almost equal amounts of IL‐1β were produced from each monocyte preparation by stimulus via class II HLA molecules regardless of the clinical form of leprosy. These results suggest that monocyte activation differs between lepromatous and tuberculoid patients in terms of IL‐12 secretion, which might be related to individual differences in the cellular immune responses according to the clinical type of leprosy.
Visual and neurologic sequelae of methanol poisoning in Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To present the visual sequelae of methanol poisoning and to emphasize the characteristics of methanol exposure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: A retrospective case series was carried out on 50 sequential patients with methanol poisoning seen at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and King Saud University Hospitals in Riyadh, KSA between 2008 and 2014. All patients were examined by a neuro-ophthalmologist at least one month after methanol intoxication. Results: All 50 patients were young or middle-aged males. All admitted to drinking unbranded alcohol within 2-3 days before profound or relatively profound, painless, bilateral visual loss. Mean visual acuity in this group was hand motions (logMAR 2.82; range 0.1 - 5.0) with some eye to eye variability within individuals. Worse visual acuity was correlated with advancing age (Pearson correlation: oculus dextrus [right eye] - 0.37, p=0.008; oculus sinister [left eye] - 0.36, p=0.011). All patients had optic atrophy bilaterally, and all tested patients had visual field defects. Tremors with or without rigidity were present in 12 patients, and 11 of 30 patients who had neuroimaging performed had evidence of putaminal necrosis. Conclusion: Methanol intoxication causes visual loss within 12-48 hours due to relatively severe, painless, bilateral optic nerve damage that may be somewhat variable between eyes, and is generally worse with advancing age. The coincidence of bilateral optic nerve damage and bilateral putaminal necrosis in a young or middle-aged male is very suspicious for methanol-induced damage.
Myosin and actin content of human skeletal muscle fibers following 35 days bed rest

Biopsy samples were taken from the vastus lateralis muscle of seven male subjects pre‐ and post‐35 days bed rest (BR). The myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform distribution of the samples was determined by densitometry of MHC bands separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). Individual muscle fibers were dissected from biopsy samples pre‐BR (n=143) and post‐BR (n=144). They were studied as regards cross‐sectional area (CSA), myosin content by quantitative electrophoresis and myosin actin (M/A) ratio by densitometry of myosin and actin bands of individual muscle fibers. All fibers were typed according to their MHC isoform content determined by SDS‐PAGE. A decrease in MHC‐1 relative content and an increase in MHC‐2X content of whole muscle samples were found, suggesting a slow to fast shift in muscle phenotype. Consistently, fiber type distribution was shifted toward type 2X and 2AX fibers. Muscle fiber atrophy occurred at variable extent among fiber types. Myosin concentration was significantly lower in type 1 and type 2A muscle fibers post‐BR than pre‐BR, whereas M/A ratio did not vary. The latter findings indicate a disproportionate loss of myosin compared with fiber CSA and a proportional loss of myosin and actin.
Multivariate analysis of lipoprotein cholesterol fractions.

Intervention and prevention of multifactorial diseases such as coronary heart disease can be effective only when the joint effects of multiple risk factors are known. This process is facilitated by multivariate analysis of correlated risk factors, such as the serum cholesterol fractions, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). Whereas evidence for genetic covariation provides focus for further refined biochemical analysis, covariation among environmental factors can point to efficacious intervention strategies. To assess sources of variation and covariation among HDL, LDL, and VLDL, a multivariate path model was developed and applied to family data. Phenotypic variance is due primarily to specific environmental influences with substantial genetic influences, with the common family environment contributing less than 10% of the variance. There are genetic correlations of -0.22 for HDL-VLDL and 0.35 for VLDL-LDL, consistent with the known inverse associations of HDL and VLDL and the precursor-product relationship between VLDL and LDL, whereas there is no evidence for a direct HDL-LDL genetic relationship. Strong specific environmental correlations are found between HDL and VLDL (-0.35 in children and -0.50 in adults). Thus, intervention focused primarily on one fraction (e.g., triglycerides and VLDL) might beneficially affect levels of both lipoproteins (e.g., lowering VLDL cholesterol and elevating HDL cholesterol). Multivariate analysis can facilitate understanding of the linked effects of intervention on lipoprotein cholesterols, and, hence, should benefit approaches to maximize the effects of lipoprotein cholesterol intervention on coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality.
Can Time-Varying Risk of Rare Disasters Explain Aggregate Stock Market Volatility?

Why is the equity premium so high, and why are stocks so volatile? Why are stock returns in excess of government bill rates predictable? This paper proposes an answer to these questions based on a time-varying probability of a consumption disaster. In the model, aggregate consumption follows a normal distribution with low volatility most of the time, but with some probability of a consumption realization far out in the left tail. The possibility of this poor outcome substantially increases the equity premium, while time-variation in the probability of this outcome drives high stock market volatility and excess return predictability.
Significant Coronary Calcification Detected Using Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography: Is It an Indication for Further Investigation?

Background: Evaluate the significance of coronary arteries calcifications detected using contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CECCT) scans. Methods: A total of 145 patients who underwent both CECCT and gated stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) within 2 weeks were included. The chest CT scans were reviewed for the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) by 2 experienced blinded readers. The degree of calcifications seen in any visualized area of the major coronary arteries was graded on a scale of 1 to 3 (1 when 0 to 4 small scattered plaques were seen, 2 when 5 or more scattered plaques were seen, and 3 when diffuse contiguous calcification were seen). The grade of CAC was correlated with the presence of MPI abnormalities. Additionally, the locations of the MPI abnormality was correlated with the CAC grade in the culprit coronary artery. Results: Of 580 major coronary arteries evaluated, 79% had grade 1 CAC, 10% had grade 2, 11% had grade 3, and 1% were inevaluable. Of the 145 patients, 33 (23%) had abnormal MPI results. Twenty-three of the patients with abnormal MPI results (70%) had more than 4 calcified plaques (CAC grade of 2 or 3) in one or more of their coronary arteries, whereas 41 of 122 patients with normal MPI results (37%) had similar CAC grades (P = 0.001). Seventeen of the 33 patients (52%) who had MPI defects also had significant CAC in the culprit coronary artery, 7 patients (21%) had significant CAC in a different coronary artery from the MPI defect territory, 8 patients (24%) had no significant CAC visualized, and in 1 patient a pacemaker wire interfered with CAC grading in the culprit coronary artery (RCA). The sensitivity, specificity, the positive, and negative predictive values of grade 2 or 3 CAC for an abnormal MPI results were 70%, 63%, 36%, and 88%, respectively. When a subgroup of patients above 60 years old with grade 3 CAC was reanalyzed, the sensitivity, specificity, the positive, and negative predictive values for an abnormal MPI results were 69%, 73%, 41%, and 90%, respectively. Conclusion: Multiple diffuse CAC as detected during the interpretation of CECCT scans in combination with advanced age is a significant finding that warrants further investigation for functionally significant CAD.