Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A RCT of a Transdiagnostic Internet-Delivered Treatment for Three Anxiety Disorders: Examination of Support Roles and Disorder-Specific Outcomes

Background Anxiety disorders share common vulnerabilities and symptoms. Disorder-specific treatment is efficacious, but few access evidence-based care. Administering transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy via the internet (iCBT) may increase access to evidence-based treatment, with a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) providing preliminary support for this approach. This study extends those findings and aims to answer three questions: Is a transdiagnostic iCBT program for anxiety disorders efficacious and acceptable? Does it result in change for specific disorders? Can good clinical outcomes be obtained when guidance is provided via a Coach rather than a Clinician? Method RCT (N = 131) comparing three groups: Clinician-supported (CL) vs. Coach-supported (CO) vs. waitlist control (Control). Individuals met DSM-IV criteria for a principal diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia (SP) or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (Pan/Ag). Treatment consisted of an 8-lesson/10 week iCBT program with weekly contact from a Clinician or Coach, and follow-up at 3-months post-treatment. Results Outcomes for the pooled treatment groups (CL+CO) were superior to the Control group on measures of anxiety, depression and disability, were associated with medium to large effect sizes (Cohen's d = .76 – 1.44) (response rate = 89–100%), and were maintained at follow-up. Significant reductions were found on disorder-specific outcomes for each of the target diagnoses, and were associated with large effect sizes. CO participants achieved similar outcomes to CL participants at post-treatment, yet had significantly lower symptom severity scores on general anxiety, panic-disorder, depression and disability at follow-up (d = .45 – .46). Seventy-four percent of CO and 76% of CL participants completed the program. Less than 70 minutes of Clinician or Coach time was required per participant during the program. Discussion This transdiagnostic iCBT course for anxiety appears to be efficacious, associated with significant change for three target disorders, and is efficacious when guided by either a Clinician or Coach. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000242022
Update on Distance and Velocity Requirements for Community Ambulation

Purpose:The purposes of this study were to provide an update to the ambulatory distance requirements for community ambulation and to update gait speed performance and requirements at intersections. Methods:Distances were measured at 9 types of sites using a rolling measuring device in accordance with the protocol set forth by Lerner-Frankiel and associates. The 9 types of sites were supermarkets, drug stores, banks, department stores, post offices, medical offices, superstores, club warehouses, and hardware stores. Gait speed allotted by crosswalk signals as well as the gait speeds of individuals through crosswalks were recorded. Qualitative observations of the pedestrians' age (older ≥ 65 years; younger < 65 years) and sex were also noted. Results:Distances were measured at 141 different establishments. The shortest mean distance requirement was found in the medical offices at 65.82 (32.28) m. Club warehouses had the longest mean distance requirement at 676.82 (159.36) m. The mean gait speed used by the pedestrians (N = 139) was 1.32 (0.31) m/s while the mean speed necessary as set by the crosswalk signals was 0.49 (0.20) m/s. All of the individuals observed were able to cross the street within the allotted time and with adequate speed. The gait speeds met the normative data established for age and sex as well as data reported for slower older adults and some with incomplete spinal cord injury. Conclusions:Distance requirements for full community ambulation may need to be increased to 600 m or more. Gait speed requirements at crosswalks in the communities measured are set to accommodate the gait speed capabilities of older pedestrians who attempt crossing at controlled intersections
Growth‐inhibiting effects of 12 antibacterial agents and their mixtures on the freshwater microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

The growth‐inhibiting and binary joint effects of 12 antibacterial agents on the freshwater green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (Korschikov) Hindák were investigated over 72‐h exposures. The toxicity values (the median inhibitory concentration value, in micromoles) in decreasing order of sensitivity were triclosan (0.0018) > triclocarban (0.054) > roxithromycin (0.056) > clarithromycin (0.062) > tylosin (0.20) > tetracycline (2.25) > chlortetracycline (3.49) > norfloxacin (5.64) > sulfamethoxazole (7.50) > ciprofloxacin (20.22) > sulfamethazine (31.26) > trimethoprim (137.78). Several of these antibacterial compounds would be toxic at the micrograms per liter concentrations reported in surface waters and sewage effluents. Simple additive effects were observed in binary mixtures of sulfonamides, and most tylosin, triclosan, or triclocarban combinations. Potentially synergistic effects were observed in binary mixtures of the same class, such as macrolides, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones, as well as in some combined drugs, such as trimethoprim and sulfonamides or tylosin and tetracyclines. Potentially antagonistic effects were only observed between tylosin and triclocarban, triclosan and norfloxacin, and triclocarban and norfloxacin. Although present at low concentrations in the aquatic environment, mixtures of these antibacterial agents can potentially affect algal growth in freshwater systems due to their combined action.
Large-scale galaxy correlations as a test for dark energy

We have shown earlier that, contrary to popular belief, Einstein-de Sitter (E-deS) models can still fit the WMAP data on the cosmic microwave background provided one adopts a low Hubble constant and relaxes the usual assumption that the primordial density perturbation is scale-free. The recent SDSS measurement of the large-scale correlation function of luminous red galaxies at z ? 0.35 has however provided a new constraint by detecting a "baryon acoustic peak". Our best-fit E-deS models do possess a baryonic feature at a similar physical scale as the best-fit ? CDM concordance model, but do not fit the new observations as well as the latter. In particular the shape of the correlation function in the range ~10-100 h-1 Mpc cannot be reproduced properly without violating the CMB angular power spectrum in the multipole range l ? 100-1000. Thus, the combination of the CMB fluctuations and the shape of the correlation function up to ~100 h-1 Mpc, if confirmed, does seem to require dark energy for a homogeneous cosmological model based on (adiabatic) inflationary perturbations.
Finnish Teachers and Pupils as Users of ICT

The main task of this follow-up study was to describe teachers' expectations, experiences and possible changes in the pedagogical use of ICT. As a part of an ICT development project, three sets of data were gathered from a region in Eastern Finland, by means of questionnaire. A total of 156 teachers of primary and early secondary education returned the questionnaire in 1999, 155 teachers in 2001, and 81 in 2004. The results indicate that teachers have increased their use of various ICT applications (especially data processors, web-browsers, e-mails, and CD-ROMs) both in their private lives and in pedagogical practice. Based on their own self-assessment, the teachers' ICT abilities have improved during the project period. Co-operative activities by means of ICT also increased between colleagues. Although teachers saw ICT as helpful for pupils' learning, some sceptical attitudes emerged as well.
Inter-american Development Bank a Decade of Structural Reforms in Latin America: What Has Been Reformed and How to Measure It

Document for discussion at the seminar, " Latin America After a Decade of Reforms: What Comes Next? " during the Annual Meetings of the Inter-American Development Bank in Barcelona, March 16, 1997. The opinions expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the IDB management or its Board of Executive Directors. The author is grateful for the help of Felipe Barrera and Martin Loser and comments offered by the research team of the Office of Chief Economist. The views and interpretations in this document are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Inter-American Development Bank, or to any individual acting on its behalf.
The Determinants of Expenditures by Mexican Visitors to the Border Cities of Texas

This study is unique in that it is the first, at least in the literature, to study systematically and analyse empirically the expenditures by Mexican visitors in the border cities of the USA. The authors investigate the expenditure behaviour of Mexican visitors in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (RGV) region of Texas. The paper makes the following contributions to the cross-border tourism literature. It examines the qualitative, socio-economic, and demographic factors that determine the Mexican visitors' expenditures in the border cities, concluding that the expenditure by Mexican visitors is a function of their income level, socio-economic and demographic variables. Specifically as income increases by 1% expenditure increases by 0.22%.
Social media and Tourism Destination: TripAdvisor Case Study

Online social networking site are the most popular sites on the internet. The second generation of web based services is characterized by having a consumer generated content (CGC), which allow people to share information. This paper examines CGC on TripAdvisor, with a case study on the city of Lisbon. Along with a discussion on the radical changes implied by new forms of collaboration and business models, it is explored how the users collaborate to image a destination. It is analyzed a sample of all the hotels In TripSdvisor.Com for the city of Lisbon, as well as forum authors and advisors profile. The information available on forums and reviews is generated by users/consumers and provides relevant data for
Glucocorticoid receptor beta increases migration of human bladder cancer cells

Bladder cancer is observed worldwide having been associated with a host of environmental and lifestyle risk factors. Recent investigations on anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid signaling point to a pathway that may impact bladder cancer. Here we show an inverse effect on the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) isoform signaling that may lead to bladder cancer. We found similar GRα expression levels in the transitional uroepithelial cancer cell lines T24 and UMUC-3. However, the T24 cells showed a significant (p < 0.05) increased expression of GRβ compared to UMUC-3, which also correlated with higher migration rates. Knockdown of GRβ in the T24 cells resulted in a decreased migration rate. Mutational analysis of the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of human GRβ revealed that miR144 might positively regulate expression. Indeed, overexpression of miR144 increased GRβ by 3.8 fold. In addition, miR144 and GRβ were upregulated during migration. We used a peptide nucleic acid conjugated to a cell penetrating-peptide (Sweet-P) to block the binding site for miR144 in the 3′UTR of GRβ. Sweet-P effectively prevented miR144 actions and decreased GRβ expression, as well as the migration of the T24 human bladder cancer cells. Therefore, GRβ may have a significant role in bladder cancer, and possibly serve as a therapeutic target for the disease.
Interphase microtubule bundles use global cell shape to guide spindle alignment in fission yeast

Correct spindle alignment requires a cell to detect and interpret its global geometry and to communicate this information to the mitotic spindle. In the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the mitotic spindle is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the rod-shaped cell. Here, using wild-type and cell-shape mutants we investigate the mechanism of initial spindle alignment and show that attachment of interphase microtubules to the spindle pole bodies (SPB), the yeast equivalent of the centrosome, is required to align duplicated SPBs, and thus the mitotic spindle, with the long axis of the cell. In the absence of interphase microtubules or attachment between the microtubules and the SPB, newly formed spindles are randomly oriented. We show that the axis of the mitotic spindle correlates with the axis along which the SPB, as a consequence of interphase microtubule dynamics, oscillates just before mitosis. We propose that cell geometry guides cytoplasmic microtubule alignment, which in turn, determines initial spindle alignment, and demonstrate that a failure of the spindle pre-alignment mechanism results in unequal chromosome segregation when spindle length is reduced.
Spectrum of Functionality in Configuration Management Systems

The Software Environments Project at the Software Engineering Institute has found considerable progress concerning support for software configuration management (CM) in environments and tools. This paper’s intent is to highlight a spectrum of features provided by existing CM systems. The spectrum shows features as being extensions or generalizations of other features and these extensions represent the progress. As part of presenting the features, the scope of issues concerning users of CM systems is discussed. No single CM system provides all the functionality required by the different kinds of users of CM systems. Rather, each CM system addresses some part of a spectrum of functionality. To complete the report, several configuration management systems are briefly described.
An evaluation agent that simulates students' behaviour in intelligent tutoring systems

Intelligent tutoring systems are meant to provide individualised tutoring to students by adapting the teaching material to their specific needs and abilities. However, their development is a hard task and the end-result is difficult to evaluate. In this paper we present a novel approach for the evaluation of these systems, which relies on an agent that may be used as a simulated student-user. The evaluation agent incorporates modelling techniques of real users that are based on both cognitive and temperamental data. The cognitive model is based on cognitive psychology and simulates the memorisation and retention capabilities of a student. The temperamental data creates an image of the student concerning the way she/he behaves and the kind of personality she/he has. Developers may evaluate the tutoring systems using the agent rather that real students. Thus better quality of the end result may be achieved at no cost of the educational process.
Mutations in Intron 1 and Intron 22 Inversion Negative Haemophilia A Patients from Western India

Despite increased awareness and diagnostic facilities, 70–80% of the haemophilia A (HA) patients still remain undiagnosed in India. Very little data is available on prevalent mutations in HA from this country. We report fifty mutations in seventy one Indian HA patients, of which twenty were novel. Ten novel missense mutations [p.Leu11Pro (p.Leu-8Pro), p.Tyr155Ser (p.Tyr136Ser), p.Ile405Thr (p.Ile386Thr), p.Gly582Val (p.Gly563Val) p.Thr696Ile (p.Thr677Ile), p.Tyr737Cys (p.Tyr718Cys), p.Pro1999Arg (p.Pro1980Arg), p.Ser2082Thr (p.Ser2063Thr), p.Leu2197Trp (p.Leu2178Trp), p.Asp2317Glu (p.Asp2298Glu)] two nonsense [p.Lys396* (p.Lys377*), p.Ser2205* (p.Ser2186*)], one insertion [p.Glu1268_Asp1269ins (p.Glu1249_Asp1250)] and seven deletions [p.Leu882del (p.Leu863del), p.Met701del (p.Met682del), p.Leu1223del (p.Leu1204del), p.Trp1961_Tyr1962del (p.Trp1942_Tyr1943del) p.Glu1988del (p.Glu1969del), p.His1841del (p.His1822del), p.Ser2205del (p.Ser2186del)] were identified. Double mutations (p.Asp2317Glu; p.Thr696Ile) were observed in a moderate HA case. Mutations [p. Arg612Cys (p.Arg593Cys), p.Arg2326Gln (p.Arg2307Gln)] known to be predisposing to inhibitors to factor VIII (FVIII) were identified in two patients. 4.6% of the cases were found to be cross reacting material positive (CRM+ve). A wide heterogeneity in the nature of mutations was seen in the present study which has been successfully used for carrier detection and antenatal diagnosis in 10 families affected with severe to moderate HA.
The Opposing Forces that Shape Developmental Education: Assessment, Placement, and Progression at CUNY Community Colleges. CCRC Working Paper No. 36.

The developmental education process, as it is typically implemented in colleges across the country, seems straightforward: underprepared students are assessed and placed into an appropriate developmental course sequence designed to prepare them for college-level work; once finished with the sequence, these students presumably then move on to success in college. Analyses of student progression through developmental education reveal, however, that this seemingly straightforward process is rife with complexity and confusion, and results in poor outcomes for the majority of developmental students. Various explanations have been advanced to explain developmental students’ lack of progression, including inadequate test preparation, insufficiently predictive exams, poorly aligned curricula, uninspiring skill-and-drill instruction, and the sheer length of time and financial resources required to finish a long sequence of courses (Edgecombe, 2011a; Grubb, 2010; Hughes & Scott-Clayton, 2011). Each explanation implies that the developmental system is broken and that one or more specific fixes will mend it. Yet underlying these issues is a deeper and more vexing question: Why is the system broken? Based on a case study of the City University of New York’s six community colleges, this report proposes a new opposing forces framework for understanding the dysfunction of the developmental system. We identify three sets of opposing forces that shape developmental policy and practice: system-wide consistency versus institutional autonomy, efficient versus effective assessment, and promotion of student progression versus enforcement of academic standards. Within each set, both goals are important and worthy, both are championed by key stakeholders in the system, and both have direct impacts on developmental policy. However, while the two goals may not be absolutely irreconcilable, they tend to work in opposition to one another and may create frustration on the part of administrators and faculty, confusion on the part of students, and poor outcomes overall. We begin the report by outlining the opposing forces framework and by discussing how the tensions inherent in the framework are apparent at the national level. We then use CUNY as a case study to describe in detail how each of the three tensions shape developmental policies, practices, and student progression patterns. Finally, we provide suggestions on how colleges nationwide can bring apparently opposing forces into alignment and thus create a system that works to meet all its stakeholders’ goals. Table of
Entropy and Information Approaches to Genetic Diversity and its Expression: Genomic Geography

This article highlights advantages of entropy-based genetic diversity measures, at levels from gene expression to landscapes. Shannon’s entropy-based diversity is the standard for ecological communities. The exponentials of Shannon’s and the related “mutual information” excel in their ability to express diversity intuitively, and provide a generalised method of considering microscopic behaviour to make macroscopic predictions, under given conditions. The hierarchical nature of entropy and information allows integrated modeling of diversity along one DNA sequence, and between different sequences within and among populations, species, etc. The aim is to identify the formal connections between genetic diversity and the flow of information to and from the environment.
Evaluation of Gender Classification Methods with Automatically Detected and Aligned Faces

We present a systematic study on gender classification with automatically detected and aligned faces. We experimented with 120 combinations of automatic face detection, face alignment, and gender classification. One of the findings was that the automatic face alignment methods did not increase the gender classification rates. However, manual alignment increased classification rates a little, which suggests that automatic alignment would be useful when the alignment methods are further improved. We also found that the gender classification methods performed almost equally well with different input image sizes. In any case, the best classification rate was achieved with a support vector machine. A neural network and Adaboost achieved almost as good classification rates as the support vector machine and could be used in applications where classification speed is considered more important than the maximum classification accuracy.
Regular Moderate or Intense Exercise Prevents Depression-Like Behavior without Change of Hippocampal Tryptophan Content in Chronically Tryptophan-Deficient and Stressed Mice

Regular exercise has an antidepressant effect in human subjects. Studies using animals have suggested that the antidepressant effect of exercise is attributable to an increase of brain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT); however, the precise mechanism underlying the antidepressant action via exercise is unclear. In contrast, the effect of 5-HT on antidepressant activity has not been clarified, in part because the therapeutic response to antidepressant drugs has a time lag in spite of the rapid increase of brain 5-HT upon administration of these drugs. This study was designed to investigate the contribution of brain 5-HT to the antidepressant effect of exercise. Mice were fed a tryptophan-deficient diet and stressed using chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) for 4 weeks with or without the performance of either moderate or intense exercise on a treadmill 3 days per week. The findings demonstrated that the onset of depression-like behavior is attributable not to chronic reduction of 5-HT but to chronic stress. Regular exercise, whether moderate or intense, prevents depression-like behavior with an improvement of adult hippocampal cell proliferation and survival and without the recovery of 5-HT. Concomitantly, the mice that exercised showed increased hippocampal noradrenaline. Regular exercise prevents the impairment of not long-term memory but short-term memory in a 5-HT-reduced state. Together, these findings suggest that: (1) chronic reduction of brain 5-HT may not contribute to the onset of depression-like behavior; (2) regular exercise, whether moderate or intense, prevents the onset of chronic stress-induced depression-like behavior independent of brain 5-HT and dependent on brain adrenaline; and (3) regular exercise prevents chronic tryptophan reduction-induced impairment of not long-term but short-term memory.