Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment response in type 2 diabetes patients with major depression.

AIMS Major depression is more prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than in general population. Comparing psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment responses could help to inform the choice between available treatment options. METHOD Thirty-four patients with T2DM and major depression detected by using the Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale (HADS), the Montgomery-Äsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and a structured interview (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview) were randomized to undergo Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) or treatment with sertraline in a 3-month acute intervention course in addition to a 3-month continuation format. Provided that the initial MADRS score was not reduced ≥25% at week 6, these early non-responding patients continued treatment in a sequential add-on combined format. Psychological adjustment to diabetes, attachment style, diabetes self-efficacy, quality of life and HbA1c were also evaluated along intervention. RESULTS Out of 22 early-responding patients (11 for each treatment type), 16 had clinically significant improvements (<50% initial MADRS score) at endpoint with 11 reaching remission (MADRS scores ≤8), and with no significant differences between IPT and sertraline. Within sequential add-on treatment, out of eight patients, only three of them achieved a clinically significant improvement and only one reached remission. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results suggested that IPT may be an option to treat major depression in T2DM against medical care with sertraline. Early non-responding patients likely need alternative or longer treatment interventions. Limitations of this study relate to small sample and absence of a control group, which was difficult to implement due to ethical restrictions. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE Findings suggest that Interpersonal Psychotherapy is a useful tool to treat major depression in type 2 diabetes patients. A significant number of type 2 diabetes patients with major depression do not achieve depression remission irrespective of the type of treatment. Further clinical research should focus on addictive effects of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology in the treatment of depressed patients with chronic somatic diseases.
The future of mobile cloud computing: Integrating cloudlets and Mobile Edge Computing

Extending the coverage area of mobile cloud computing services will allow new services to be provisioned to the mobile users. The main obstacle for achieving this goal is related to the deployments challenges and limitations of the Cloudlets system. Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) system emerged recently providing an opportunity to fill the gap of the Cloudlets system by providing resources-rich computing resources with proximity to the end users. In this paper, we are proposing a hierarchical model that is composed of MEC servers and Cloudlets infrastructures. The objective of the proposed model is to increase the coverage area for the mobile users in which the users can accomplish their requested services with minimal costs in terms of power and delay. An extensive experimental evaluation is conducted showing the superiority of the proposed model.
Scaling of the appendicular skeleton of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Giraffes have remarkably long and slender limb bones, but it is unknown how they grow with regard to body mass, sex, and neck length. In this study, we measured the length, mediolateral (ML) diameter, craniocaudal (CC) diameter and circumference of the humerus, radius, metacarpus, femur, tibia, and metatarsus in 10 fetuses, 21 females, and 23 males of known body masses. Allometric exponents were determined and compared. We found the average bone length increased from 340 ± 50 mm at birth to 700 ± 120 mm at maturity, while average diameters increased from 30 ± 3 to 70 ± 11 mm. Fetal bones increased with positive allometry in length (relative to body mass) and in diameter (relative to body mass and length). In postnatal giraffes bone lengths and diameters increased iso‐ or negatively allometric relative to increases in body mass, except for the humerus CC diameter which increased with positive allometry. Humerus circumference also increased with positive allometry, that of the radius and tibia isometrically and the femur and metapodials with negative allometry. Relative to increases in bone length, both the humerus and femur widened with positive allometry. In the distal limb bones, ML diameters increased isometrically (radius, metacarpus) or positively allometric (tibia, metatarsus) while the corresponding CC widths increased with negative allometry and isometrically, respectively. Except for the humerus and femur, exponents were not significantly different between corresponding front and hind limb segments. We concluded that the patterns of bone growth in males and females are identical. In fetuses, the growth of the appendicular skeleton is faster than it is after birth which is a pattern opposite to that reported for the neck. Allometric exponents seemed unremarkable compared to the few species described previously, and pointed to the importance of neck elongation rather than leg elongation during evolution. Nevertheless, the front limb bones and especially the humerus may show adaptation to behaviors such as drinking posture. J. Morphol. 276:503–516, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Consort 2010 statement: extension to cluster randomised trials

The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement was developed to improve the reporting of randomised controlled trials. It was initially published in 1996 and focused on the reporting of parallel group randomised controlled trials. The statement was revised in 2001, with a further update in 2010. A separate CONSORT statement for the reporting of abstracts was published in 2008. In earlier papers we considered the implications of the 2001 version of the CONSORT statement for the reporting of cluster randomised trial. In this paper we provide updated and extended guidance, based on the 2010 version of the CONSORT statement and the 2008 CONSORT statement for the reporting of abstracts.
Understanding Social Support’s Role in the Relationship Between Maltreatment and Depression in Youth With Foster Care Experience

This study investigated whether more complex maltreatment experiences predicted higher levels of depressive symptomatology for young adults and examined the role of social support during late adolescence in that association. Specifically, the study tested whether social support had a direct effect on depression and whether it mediated and/or moderated the relationship between self-reported maltreatment and depression in a sample of 513 youth exiting the child welfare system. Indices of maltreatment types (neglect and physical, sexual, psychological abuse) experienced during two periods (precare and during-care) were used in conjunction with a measure of perceived social support (reflecting support availability and social network sufficiency) in negative binomial regression models predicting depressive symptoms. Both precare and during-care maltreatment were associated with depressive symptoms as a young adult. Social support had a direct effect on depressive symptoms as well as moderation and partial mediation effects on the relationship between maltreatment and depression. Social support’s buffering effect was stronger for those experiencing fewer types of maltreatment. This buffering effect appears to diminish as maltreatment histories become more complex.
Comparison of De Novo Cancer Incidence in Australian Liver, Heart and Lung Transplant Recipients

Population‐based evidence on the relative risk of de novo cancer in liver and cardiothoracic transplant recipients is limited. A cohort study was conducted in Australia using population‐based liver (n = 1926) and cardiothoracic (n = 2718) registries (1984–2006). Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were computed by cancer type, transplanted organ and recipient age. Cox regression models were used to compare cancer incidence by transplanted organ. During a median 5‐year follow‐up, the risk of any cancer in liver and cardiothoracic recipients was significantly elevated compared to the general population (n = 499; SIR = 2.62, 95%CI 2.40–2.86). An excess risk was observed for 16 cancer types, predominantly cancers with a viral etiology. The pattern of risk by cancer type was broadly similar for heart, lung and liver recipients, except for Merkel cell carcinoma (cardiothoracic only). Seventeen cancers (10 non‐Hodgkin lymphomas), were observed in 415 pediatric recipients (SIR = 23.8, 95%CI 13.8–38.0). The adjusted hazard ratio for any cancer in all recipients was higher in heart compared to liver (1.29, 95%CI 1.03–1.63) and lung compared to liver (1.65, 95%CI 1.26–2.16). Understanding the factors responsible for the higher cancer incidence in cardiothoracic compared to liver recipients has the potential to lead to targeted cancer prevention strategies in this high‐risk population.
The effects of videogames on clinical measures of attention, processing speed, and working memory

Videogames are rapidly growing in popularity with people from a wide range of ages enjoying them every day. The main types of videogames are: first-person or third-person action games, sports or racing games, games that require fast visual-motor control, strategy games, and puzzle and card games. Using these videogames, researchers have compared videogame players with non-videogame players in comparative studies and have attempted to train non-videogame players with videogames to see if the same results are present. Certain abilities and skills have been shown to be increased for playing videogames: selective attention, attentional capacity, spatial resolution, contrast sensitivity, reaction times, spatial attention, visual rotation, and visual short term memory.Because previous research has focused on using a more sedentary activity such as puzzle games, this study used a different visual approach for the control group and measures in which we use an action video that stimulates the same arousal centers in the brain as videogames without actually playing and clinical measures of attention, processing speed, and working memory over more experimental approaches. Participants either played an action videogame or watched an action movie for 20 minutes and then were tested. Results indicated that there were no significant differences on subtests measured from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale from videogame players and movie watchers.
Anergy Induction by Dimeric TCR Ligands1

T cells that recognize particular self Ags are thought to be important in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. In multiple sclerosis, susceptibility is associated with HLA-DR2, which can present myelin-derived peptides to CD4+ T cells. To generate molecules that target such T cells based on the specificity of their TCR, we expressed a soluble dimeric DR2-IgG fusion protein with a bound peptide from myelin basic protein (MBP). Soluble, dimeric DR2/MBP peptide complexes activated MBP-specific T cells in the absence of signals from costimulatory or adhesion molecules. This initial signaling through the TCR rendered the T cells unresponsive (anergic) to subsequent activation by peptide-pulsed APCs. Fluorescent labeling demonstrated that anergic T cells were initially viable, but became susceptible to late apoptosis due to insufficient production of cytokines. Dimerization of the TCR with bivalent MHC class II/peptide complexes therefore allows the induction of anergy in human CD4+ T cells with a defined MHC/peptide specificity.
Induction of Protective Genes Leads to Islet Survival and Function

Islet transplantation is the most valid approach to the treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, the function of transplanted islets is often compromised since a large number of β cells undergo apoptosis induced by stress and the immune rejection response elicited by the recipient after transplantation. Conventional treatment for islet transplantation is to administer immunosuppressive drugs to the recipient to suppress the immune rejection response mounted against transplanted islets. Induction of protective genes in the recipient (e.g., heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), A20/tumor necrosis factor alpha inducible protein3 (tnfaip3), biliverdin reductase (BVR), Bcl2, and others) or administration of one or more of the products of HO-1 to the donor, the islets themselves, and/or the recipient offers an alternative or synergistic approach to improve islet graft survival and function. In this perspective, we summarize studies describing the protective effects of these genes on islet survival and function in rodent allogeneic and xenogeneic transplantation models and the prevention of onset of diabetes, with emphasis on HO-1, A20, and BVR. Such approaches are also appealing to islet autotransplantation in patients with chronic pancreatitis after total pancreatectomy, a procedure that currently only leads to 1/3 of transplanted patients being diabetes-free.
Dynamic Progression of White Matter Hyperintensities in Alzheimer’s Disease and Normal Aging: Results from the Sunnybrook Dementia Study

Although white matter hyperintensities (WMH), markers of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), are believed to generally increase over time, some studies have shown sharp decreases after therapeutic intervention, suggesting that WMH progression may be more dynamic than previously thought. Our primary goal was to examine dynamic progression of WMH in a real-world sample of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and normal elderly (NC), with varying degrees of SVD. WMH volumes from serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; mean = 1.8 years) were measured from NC (n = 44) and AD patients (n = 113) with high and low SVD burden. Dynamic progression for each individual was measured using spatial overlap images to assess shrinkage, growth, and stable WMH volumes. Significant group differences were found for shrinkage (p < 0.001), growth (p < 0.001) and stable (p < 0.001) WMH, where the AD high SVD group showed the largest changes relative to low SVD and NC. Our results suggest spatial progression measured at the individual patient level may be more sensitive to the dynamic nature of WMH.
Developing and Testing a Self-affirmation Manipulation

We developed a new manipulation of self-affirmation that is simple to use, can be employed when circumstances prevent pre-screening or using essay-based methods, and has a highly equivalent control task. In the process, we addressed theoretical and empirical questions highlighted in a recent review as requiring attention. In comparison to five controls, the manipulation promoted positive changes on measures designed to test whether people are self-affirmed. It produced a similar pattern on these measures to an existing self-affirmation manipulation. The matched control also performed well. There was no evidence of mediation by mood or state self-esteem or moderation by trait self-esteem. We discuss the potential of the method and associated dependent measures in future self-affirmation research.
A Study of Microwave-selected Coronal Transient Brightenings

We present the results of a search for radio-selected transient brightenings (TBs) in the solar atmosphere as a complement to the more common X-ray-selected surveys. The Sun was generally quiet during the observations, making these data sensitive to weak TBs both in and outside active regions. Five small impulsive events were identified in a set of VLA observations at 4.5, 1.5, and 0.33 GHz and compared with soft X-ray images from Yohkoh and EUV images from SOHO/EIT. Four of the events were located at the edges of an active region, but one was located 100'' away in a quiet region of the atmosphere. Possible emission mechanisms for these brightenings are investigated. The time profiles of the radio TBs show impulsive peaks, while the corresponding soft X-ray profiles are gradual. The impulsive radio peaks were up to 35% polarized. Our data favor an interpretation in terms of gyrosynchrotron radiation from mildly relativistic electrons. A small number of nonthermal electrons with spectral index 3 can explain the observed properties of the TBs. Thus, nonthermal TBs can be found away from active regions. Two of the microwave TBs also show evidence for type III radio emission at 327 MHz.
Locus Ceruleus Control of Slow-Wave Homeostasis

Sleep intensity is regulated by the duration of previous wakefulness, suggesting that waking results in the progressive accumulation of sleep need (Borbély and Achermann, 2000). In mammals, sleep intensity is reflected by slow-wave activity (SWA) in the nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep electroencephalogram, which increases in proportion to the time spent awake. However, the mechanisms responsible for the increase of NREM SWA after wakefulness remain unclear. According to a recent hypothesis (Tononi and Cirelli, 2003), the increase in SWA occurs because during wakefulness, many cortical circuits undergo synaptic potentiation, as evidenced by the widespread induction of long-term potentiation (LTP)-related genes in the brain of awake animals. A direct prediction of this hypothesis is that manipulations interfering with the induction of LTP-related genes should result in a blunted SWA response. Here, we examined SWA response in rats in which cortical norepinephrine (NA) was depleted, a manipulation that greatly reduces the induction of LTP-related genes during wakefulness (Cirelli and Tononi, 2004). We found that the homeostatic response of the lower-range SWA was markedly and specifically reduced after NA depletion. These data suggest that the wake-dependent accumulation of sleep need is causally related to cellular changes dependent on NA release, such as the induction of LTP-related genes, and support the hypothesis that sleep SWA homeostasis may be related to synaptic potentiation during wakefulness.
Prognostic indicators for time to ambulation after surgical decompression in nonambulatory dogs with acute thoracolumbar disk extrusions: 112 cases.

OBJECTIVES To determine prognostic indicators for time to ambulation after surgical decompression in nonambulatory dogs with intact pain sensation and acute Hansen type-1 disk extrusions. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective clinical study. ANIMALS One-hundred twelve dogs with Hansen type-I disk extrusions that had decompressive hemilaminectomy or dorsal laminectomy. METHODS All dogs had thoracolumbar disk extrusion and were nonambulatory with intact pain sensation at admission. Variables considered included age, weight, voluntary motor function at time of anesthetic induction, glucocorticoid use, times from onset of nonambulatory status to admission and surgical decompression, time in hospital to surgical decompression, anesthetic time, surgical time, number of contrast injections required to perform a diagnostic myelogram, postoperative pain sensation, and postoperative voluntary motor function. Time to ambulation was defined as the number of days from surgical decompression until the dog was able to stand and take a series of steps without assistance. RESULTS One-hundred seven dogs (96%) were able to ambulate within 3 months. The mean time to ambulation was 12.9 days and was significantly shorter if dogs had postoperative voluntary motor function (7.9 days v 16.4 days, P <.0001). No other variable had a significant association with time to ambulation. CONCLUSIONS Few perioperative variables have prognostic value for return to ambulation. Nonambulatory dogs with intact pain sensation and Hansen type-1 disk extrusions in the thoracolumbar spine that are treated with surgical decompression have a favorable prognosis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The presence of postoperative voluntary motor function is a favorable prognostic indicator for early return to ambulation.
Moderating Role of Follower Characteristics With Transformational Leadership and Follower Work Engagement

This study examines whether follower characteristics moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and follower work engagement. Data were collected from 140 followers and their 48 supervisors from a diverse range of industries in South Africa. Hierarchical linear modeling results show that follower characteristics moderate the positive relationship between transformational leadership and follower work engagement. More specifically, transformational leadership has a more positive effect on follower work engagement when follower characteristics are more positive. Implications of the findings for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
STUDENTS' BELIEFS ABOUT THE USE OF REPRSENTATIONS IN THE LEARNING OF FRACTIONS

Cognitive development of any mathematical concept is related with affective development. The present study investigates students’ beliefs about the use of different types of representations in understanding the concept of fractions and their self-efficacy beliefs about their ability to transfer information between different types of representations. The interest is concentrated on differences among students at primary and secondary education. Results indicated that students at secondary education have less positive beliefs for the use of representations at the learning of mathematics than at primary education. As a consequence they have less positive self-efficacy beliefs about their abilities to use them. Unexpected was their lower performance at solving tasks on fractions for which the information is represented in different forms.
The Child Behavior Checklist nonclinical standardization samples: should they be utilized as norms?

The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is an extensively standardized parent-completed checklist of competencies and behavior problems of children and adolescents. Clinicians and researchers frequently assume that the published scale scores for the CBCL nonclinical sample are stable even across demographically heterogeneous populations. The present study, a school-based postal questionnaire survey, was designed to compare the CBCL nonclinical sample with a different community sample collected in the U.S. The parents of 530 children, 6 to 10 years of age (73% of the eligible sample), attending one public school system in northern New Jersey were recruited. Mean total behavior problem scores for both sexes in the school sample were dramatically higher than the CBCL nonclinical sample even after removing clinically referred cases from the analyses. Additionally, in contrast to the manual, marked race/ethnicity effects were found in the male subsample. These results, in conjunction with those from other studies, raise serious questions about the common practice of using the CBCL norms as a yardstick for sample comparisons.
Cost-Sensitive Online Classification

Both cost-sensitive classification and online learning have been studied extensively in data mining and machine learning communities, respectively. It is a bit surprising that there was very limited comprehensive study for addressing an important intersecting problem, that is, cost-sensitive online classification. In this paper, we formally study this problem, and propose a new framework for cost-sensitive online classification by exploiting the idea of online gradient descent techniques. Based on the framework, we propose a family of cost-sensitive online classification algorithms, which are designed to directly optimize two well-known cost-sensitive measures: (i) maximization of weighted sum of sensitivity and specificity, and (ii) minimization of weighted misclassification cost. We analyze the theoretical bounds of the cost-sensitive measures made by the proposed algorithms, and extensively examine their empirical performance on a variety of cost-sensitive online classification tasks.