Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing acromegalic patients to healthy controls with respect to intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, and optic disc topography findings

Aims: The aim was to compare the intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), and optic disc topography findings of biochemically controlled acromegalic patients and the control group and to evaluate the effect of the duration of acromegaly and serum growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels on these ocular parameters. Materials and Methods: IOP measurement with Goldmann applanation tonometry, CCT measurement with ultrasonic pachymetry, and topographic analysis with Heidelberg retinal tomograph III were performed on 35 biochemically controlled acromegalic patients and 36 age- and gender-matched controls. Results: Mean IOP and CCT were 14.7 ± 2.9 mmHg and 559.5 ± 44.9 μm in the acromegaly patients and 13.0 ± 1.6 mmHg and 547.1 ± 26.7 μm in controls (P = 0.006 and P = 0.15, respectively). A significant moderate correlation was found between the duration of acromegaly and CCT (r = 0.391) and IOP (r = 0.367). Mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was significantly lower in the acromegalic patients (0.25 ± 0.05 mm) as compared to controls (0.31 ± 0.09 mm) (P = 0.01). A significant moderate correlation was detected between IGF-1 level and disc area (r = 0.362), cup area (r = 0.389) and cup volume (r = 0.491). Conclusion: Biochemically controlled acromegalic patients showed significantly higher CCT and IOP levels and lower RNFL thickness compared to healthy controls and the duration of disease was correlated with CCT and IOP levels.
Opportunities for Sharpening the Stereotype Inoculation Model

In the past two decades, research on stereotypes has begun to focus not only on the perspectives of those who stereotype others but also on the perspective of the targets of stereotypes (e.g., see Carvallo & Pelham, 2006; Crocker & Major, 1989; Jost, Pelham, & Carvallo, 2002; Maddox, 2004; Shih & Sanchez, 2005; Sinclair, Huntsinger, Skorinko, & Hardin, 2005; Sinclair, Hardin, & Lowery, 2006). In the target article, Nilanjana Dasgupta builds on this trend by tackling a timely, imposing, and extremely important question: What role do ingroup members play in the development and maintenance of the self-concepts of stigmatized group members? More specifically, to what degree, and by what mechanisms, can ingroup role models buffer stigmatized group members from the barrage of potent social messages that otherwise undermine their stereotype-relevant performance, their self-efficacy, and their motivation to pursue counterstereotypic career paths? By focusing on the connection between stereotypes and self-evaluation, this article paves the way toward another very important function, which is to build a bridge between work on stereotypes and work on the self-concept. We view this ambitious effort to connect stereotypes and the self as the most important contribution of the stereotype inoculation model. However, building structurally sound bridges, whether across physical or theoretical divides, is impressive precisely because it is so difficult. In this commentary, we summarize some theoretical perspectives and empirical findings that could further inform—and potentially strengthen—the theoretical bridge that Dasgupta summarizes in this timely and inspiring target article. We do so in two ways. First, we suggest some theoretical mechanisms through which high-achieving ingroup members might lead to the kind of positive self-concept effects Dasgupta has documented. Second, we identify two important families of self-concept motives that may moderate when different kinds of self-evaluative processes occur during the kinds of self-evaluative processes documented by Dasgupta and colleagues.
Adding semantics to internet of things

The development of Internet of Things (IoT) applications can be facilitated by encoding the meaning of the data in the messages sent by IoT nodes, but the constrained resources of these nodes challenge the common Semantic Web solutions for doing this. In this article, we examine enabling technologies for adding semantics to the IoT. Especially, we analyze data formats, which enable IoT applications consume semantic IoT data in a straightforward and general fashion, and evaluate resource usage of different alternatives with a sensor system. Our experiment illustrates encoding and decoding of different data formats and shows how big a difference a data format can make in energy consumption. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HapTurk: Crowdsourcing Affective Ratings of Vibrotactile Icons

Vibrotactile (VT) display is becoming a standard component of informative user experience, where notifications and feedback must convey information eyes-free. However, effective design is hindered by incomplete understanding of relevant perceptual qualities, together with the need for user feedback to be accessed in-situ. To access evaluation streamlining now common in visual design, we introduce proxy modalities as a way to crowdsource VT sensations by reliably communicating high-level features through a crowd-accessible channel. We investigate two proxy modalities to represent a high-fidelity tactor: a new VT visualization, and low-fidelity vibratory translations playable on commodity smartphones. We translated 10 high-fidelity vibrations into both modalities, and in two user studies found that both proxy modalities can communicate affective features, and are consistent when deployed remotely over Mechanical Turk. We analyze fit of features to modalities, and suggest future improvements.
Psychological Intervention Following Implantation of an Implantable Defibrillator: A Review and Future Recommendations

Background: The medical benefits of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) are unequivocal, but a subgroup of patients experiences emotional difficulties following implantation. For this subgroup, some form of psychological intervention may be warranted. This review provides an overview of current evidence on the efficacy of psychological intervention in ICD patients and recommendations for future research.
Tonic inhibition sets the state of excitability in olfactory bulb granule cells

• Granule cells are the main source of inhibition in the olfactory bulb (i.e. the first station of odour processing in the mammalian brain), but very little is known about the inhibition that acts upon them. • Using in vivo whole cell patch clamp recordings in anaesthetized mice we report the following new findings: • We found odour‐evoked responses to be rare (seen only in 18% of the odour presentations, and only in cells that showed also evoked excitatory responses to odours). • We report for the first time the presence of tonic inhibition in the olfactory bulb. • We show that tonic inhibition dominates over phasic synaptic inhibition evoked by odours, thereby being the key regulator shaping the granule cells spike output. • Preliminary (in vivo) evidence suggests that sensory evoked phasic inhibition onto granule cells is provided by deep short axon cells in the olfactory bulb.
Consumers' identification and beyond: Attraction, reverence, and escapism in the evaluation of films

Secondary real-world data on evaluations by the general public of the 440 movies ever nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award are used to explore the role of female/male consumers’ identification with the leading actress/actor in determining judgments of motion picture excellence. Beyond identification, age- and gender-based similarities with other movie components—namely, the leading oppositegender star, the director, and the setting—underlie other potential psychological mechanisms relevant to explaining the evaluations of films. Contrary to expectations, the findings indicate that identification with the same-gender, same-age leading star plays no significant role. Conversely, younger opposite-gender leading stars, older directors, and unfamiliar temporal settings contribute to favorable evaluations—thereby supporting the hypotheses of romantic attraction as a source of star power; reverence toward more mature directors; and an eagerness to escape from ordinary life, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Survey of the Awareness of Speech Services Among Transgender and Transsexual Individuals and Speech-Language Pathologists

ABSTRACT This study evaluated (a) educational background, experience, and confidence among speech-language pathologists in providing services to transgender individuals and (b) awareness of transgender speech services among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population. Two anonymous surveys were sent to practicing speech-language pathologists and transgender participants in Illinois; 228 speech-language pathologists and 88 transgender participants responded. A majority of speech-language pathologists indicated that providing services to transgendered individuals was within their scope of practice but felt improperly prepared to provide assessment and treatment. Almost half of the transgender individuals were unaware of speech and language services to address their needs during transition.
Using Observational Data to Provide Performance Feedback to Teachers: A High School Case Study

Educators face ongoing pressure to improve student outcomes, especially with regard to academic achievement and social behavior. One viable strategy for supporting and improving instructional practices is to conduct classroom observations and provide performance feedback. Researchers have shown performance feedback to be effective in the workplace, institutions, and educational settings. The present case study on a high school teacher provides preliminary promising information of the relevance and effectiveness of the combination of a classroom observation and a performance feedback process that focused on the relations among 3 key variables: classroom instructional settings, instructional practice, and classroom student behavior. The authors used a process based on the observational data that identified when students were off task and pinpointed the corresponding setting categories and the teacher's instructional actions. The authors provided performance feedback to the teacher on the basis of these findings. Then, the teacher made changes in the identified setting categories and teacher actions, resulting in substantial gains in class engagement and a reduction in problem behaviors.
Political Participation of the Urban Poor

Although exploring the political participation of the poor is of paramount significance in the current social policy and welfare environment, the dearth of quantitative, in-depth analysis speaks to the difficulty of conducting research revolving around the political participation of impoverished citizens. In an attempt to gain a fuller understanding of political participation among the urban poor, we investigated variations in economic hardship, political attitudes, and interactions with government agents of a sample of 462 low-income men and women in one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. By working from a theoretical perspective that allowed us to understand better how urban poverty affects the willingness to participate in the political system, we uncovered important nuances and differences in factors that affected political behavior among citizens living in poverty. Our data revealed two central findings: First, material resources and the demographic attributes usually associated with a propensity to participate politically drove political activism even among urban poor respondents. Second, and more importantly, severe economic hardship, as well as formative contact with government agents whom citizens living in urban poverty routinely face, served as significant experiences that bolstered the willingness to participate in the political system. Ultimately, we conclude that the decision to participate in the political system cannot be divorced from the very specific manner in which citizens encounter government.
Imbalance in production between vascular endothelial growth factor and endostatin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To clarify whether synovial cell proliferation indicates an imbalance in production between angiogenic growth factors and angiogenesis inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we investigated the production of basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as representative angiogenic growth factors and endostatin as a representative angiogenesis inhibitor. METHODS The b-FGF, VEGF, and endostatin levels in 90 samples of peripheral blood (PB) and 15 samples of joint fluid obtained from patients with RA and 30 samples of PB and 10 samples of joint fluid from patients without RA, including 20 patients with inflammatory arthritis without purulent arthritis, and 10 patients with osteoarthritis were measured by ELISA. VEGF and endostatin levels in blood samples from 22 patients with RA were measured at 2 points: before and 4 or 5 months after the commencement of medication. RESULTS The b-FGF and VEGF levels in the PB and joint fluid samples from patients with RA were markedly elevated compared to samples from patients without RA. In contrast, endostatin levels in PB and joint fluid samples from patients with RA were almost the same as in the samples from patients without RA. VEGF levels in blood samples obtained 4 or 5 months after the commencement of medication (combination of prednisolone 5 mg/day and disease modifying antirheumatic drugs: either bucillamine 100 mg/day or salazosulfapyridine 1,000 mg/day) were significantly decreased from 27.1 +/- 8.5 pg/ml in samples obtained before commencement of medication to 18.1 +/- 16.2 pg/ml. Endostatin levels in the corresponding samples were significantly increased, from 31.5 +/- 7.0 to 57.1 +/- 22.8 ng/ml [correction]. CONCLUSION Our results reveal significant differences in b-FGF and VEGF levels in PB and joint fluid samples, but no difference in endostatin levels, between patients with RA and those without RA, suggesting that angiogenesis in RA occurs as a result of an imbalance in production between angiogenic growth factors and angiogenesis inhibitors.
N170 - An Index of Categorical Face Perception? An ERP Study of Human, Nonhuman Primate, and Dog Faces

The N170 ERP component is larger for human faces than objects and sensitive to their orientation and race. To learn how it reflects the processing of faces of different species, we recorded event-related potentials in response to upright or inverted unfamiliar faces of human beings, monkeys, and dogs of different races as well as objects. Upright and inverted faces were presented in a between-subject design and elicited a reliable N170. It decreased from human to monkey to dog faces, and inversion enhanced and delayed it for all categories. We suggest that the results favor categorical over prototypical processing.
Calidad psicométrica de la adaptación española del Cuestionario de Regulación Conductual en el Deporte

Psychometric quality supporting the Spanish adaptation of the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire. The goal of this study is to present the Spanish adaptation of the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire made up of 24 items that measure the 6 behavioral regulation factors expected by the self-determination theory developed by Deci and Ryan. Supporting evidence of conceptual equivalence and quality of the cultural and linguistic adaptation derive from the conciliation of different terms (experts and target population). Cognitive interviews and the fact that 94% of respondents provided complete answers and without aberrant response patterns support the feasibility of the questionnaire. A model of six correlated factors provided the best fit to the data in the confirmatory factor analysis, and 5 out of 6 subscales have acceptable internal consistency coefficients. The scores of the introjected, identified, and integrated regulation show more variability than the other ones. As expected, the 6 subscales show a graduation of direct correlation with the subjective vitality measure and an inverse correlation with competitive anxiety. The accumulation of evidence leads to the conclusion that the Spanish version is valid for use in sport psychology research.
Thanks for the Compliment? Emotional Reactions to Group-Level Versus Individual-Level Compliments and Insults

The current research investigated participants' reactions to positive and negative comments directed toward them as individuals or as members of a social group. Using both perspective-taking (Studies 1 and 2) and actual interaction methodologies (Study 3), three studies found that participants generally responded negatively to negative comments regardless of the level of identity to which the comment was directed. Positive comments were generally viewed positively, except when the comment was directed at the group and was stereotype relevant. When the latter was the case, participants reported increased anger and desires to attack (and avoid) the speaker. Furthermore, these negative feelings and action tendencies were partially mediated by an attribution to prejudice to the speaker.
Effect of corneal thickness on intraocular pressure measurements with the Pascal dynamic contour, Canon TX‐10 non‐contact and Goldmann applanation tonometers in healthy subjects

Purpose: To investigate the effects of central corneal thickness (CCT) on intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements of the Pascal dynamic contour tonometry (DCT), Canon TX‐10 non‐contact tonometry (NCT) and Goldmann applanation tonometry measurements (GAT) in healthy subjects.
Leadership as distributed: a matter of practice

This paper derives from a National College of School Leadership sponsored study conducted within schools in three English local authorities exploring what distributed leadership looked like in practice and how it was seen by headteachers and teachers in the 11 participating schools. On the basis of questionnaires, shadowing and workshops with representatives from the schools, six models of distribution were derived. In the final stages of the project these were tested with teachers and headteachers and further refined and published by the National College as a professional development activity. These six models from ‘formal’ to ‘cultural’ distribution may, it is argued, be seen as a developmental sequence, adapted to the context and stage of development of a school.
Independent mobility of proteins and lipids in the plasma membrane of Escherichia coli

Fluidity is essential for many biological membrane functions. The basis for understanding membrane structure remains the classic Singer‐Nicolson model, in which proteins are embedded within a fluid lipid bilayer and able to diffuse laterally within a sea of lipid. Here we report lipid and protein diffusion in the plasma membrane of live cells of the bacterium Escherichia coli, using Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching (FRAP) and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy to measure lateral diffusion coefficients. Lipid and protein mobility within the membrane were probed by visualizing an artificial fluorescent lipid and a simple model membrane protein consisting of a single membrane‐spanning alpha‐helix with a Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) tag on the cytoplasmic side. The effective viscosity of the lipid bilayer is strongly temperature‐dependent, as indicated by changes in the lipid diffusion coefficient. Surprisingly, the mobility of the model protein was unaffected by changes in the effective viscosity of the bulk lipid, and TIRF microscopy indicates that it clusters in segregated, mobile domains. We suggest that this segregation profoundly influences the physical behaviour of the protein in the membrane, with strong implications for bacterial membrane function and bacterial physiology.
Family Functioning, Social Opportunities and Health as Predictors of Stress in Families of Children with Developmental Disability in the United Arab Emirates

A significant number of individuals all over the world experience various types of developmental disabilities. Families of these individuals are likely to be impacted by these disabilities in different ways. This research examines the UAE parents' adaptation and stress to the developmental disabilities that their children have as well as examines the impact of these disabilities on three family factors: family functioning, family social opportunities, and family general health. The relationships between these factors were investigated and also those between these factors and several child and family characteristics. The results revealed that parents who had better general health had also better family functioning, and had less stress. Child age was found to be associated with parents' stress, as stress decreases when the child gets older. The results also showed that parents' educational level was associated with their social opportunities. Further, parents' stress level was found to be linked to their ch.
HIP-55 Is Important for T-Cell Proliferation, Cytokine Production, and Immune Responses

ABSTRACT Engagement of the T-cell receptor (TCR) triggers a series of signaling events that lead to the activation of T cells. HIP-55 (SH3P7 or mAbp1), an actin-binding adaptor protein, interacts with and is tyrosine phosphorylated by ZAP-70, which is a crucial proximal protein tyrosine kinase for TCR signaling. HIP-55 is important for JNK and HPK1 activation induced by TCR signaling. In this study, we report the generation and characterization of HIP-55 knockout mice. We found that HIP-55 knockout mice were viable and fertile but showed decreased body weight and increased occurrence of death within the first 4 weeks after birth. The lymphoid organs in HIP-55 knockout mice showed cellularity and T-cell development comparable to that of the wild-type mice. HIP-55 knockout T cells displayed defective T-cell proliferation, decreased cytokine production, and decreased up-regulation of the activation markers induced by TCR stimulation. TCR internalization was slightly increased in HIP-55 knockout T cells. These phenotypes were accompanied by reduced immune responses, including antigen-specific antibody production and T-cell proliferation in HIP-55 knockout mice. The TCR-induced signaling events, including LAT/phospholipase Cγ1 phosphorylation and HPK1/JNK activation, were partially defective in HIP-55 knockout T cells. These results demonstrate the importance of HIP-55 as an adaptor protein in the TCR signaling and immune system.
Neuropsychological abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder and their assessments

Neuropsychological test performance of children, adolescents and adults with OCD was very variable. As a group, children and adolescents with OCD had persistent difficulties with executive functions, and show attentional and inhibitory deficits on a continuous performance test. As a group, adults with OCD showed consistent differences in allocation of attention, whether measured by evoked potential, eye movement or reaction time paradigms. They also showed inconsistent problems with visual perceptual discrimination, visual memory and working memory, as well as visuomotor tasks. However, these latter studies all failed to assess attentional capacity concurrently. Traditional measures of lateral prefrontal cortex-basal ganglia functioning tended to be depressed only in those subjects with comorbid depression, obsessional slowness, a large number of neurological soft signs, Tourette's syndrome, and/or lower IQ. Only tasks requiring inhibition of an automatic response correlated with severity of OCD symptoms;.