Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use of antipsychotic medication and its association with outcomes and brain morphometry in schizophrenia : the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study

Antipsychotic medication forms a cornerstone in the treatment of schizophrenia and its effect on positive symptoms and relapse prevention after the first episode has been shown. After the first episode, the treatment guidelines for schizophrenia recommend the continuation of antipsychotic medication at a minimum from six months to five years. The long-term and life-span benefits and harmful side-effects are not fully known. The aim of this naturalistic study was to analyze longterm use of antipsychotic medication with a special interest in medication tapering and discontinuation in schizophrenia. Non-medicated subjects were more often males and in remission, less often on a disability pension, and had better clinical outcomes when compared to medicated subjects at age 34 years. No differences were found when comparing relapse rates during the 8.7 years of follow-up after 34 years between non-medicated and medicated subjects. Not having been hospitalized during the previous 5 years before the follow-up predicted long-term successful antipsychotic discontinuation without relapse. In the long-term, use of antipsychotic medication became steadier after the first five years. A favorable outcome was associated with low and steady antipsychotic medication, and unfavorable with high long-term cumulative use and antipsychotic polypharmacy. Subjects with antipsychotic medication had non-significantly lower total gray matter (TGM) volume compared with non-medicated subjects. Time without antipsychotic medication preceding magnetic resonance imaging was associated with increased TGM and with increased regional volume in the right precentral gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus. This study has a unique description of long-term use of antipsychotics. It provides new information on medication discontinuation and its effect in schizophrenia in the long-term in terms of relapses and brain morphometry.
Response of global soil consumption of atmospheric methane to changes in atmospheric climate and nitrogen deposition

Soil consumption of atmospheric methane plays an important secondary role in regulating the atmospheric CH4 budget, next to the dominant loss mechanism involving reaction with the hydroxyl radical (OH). Here we used a process‐based biogeochemistry model to quantify soil consumption during the 20th and 21st centuries. We estimated that global soils consumed 32–36 Tg CH4 yr−1 during the 1990s. Natural ecosystems accounted for 84% of the total consumption, and agricultural ecosystems only consumed 5 Tg CH4 yr−1 in our estimations. During the twentieth century, the consumption rates increased at 0.03–0.20 Tg CH4 yr−2 with seasonal amplitudes increasing from 1.44 to 3.13 Tg CH4 month−1. Deserts, shrublands, and xeric woodlands were the largest sinks. Atmospheric CH4 concentrations and soil moisture exerted significant effects on the soil consumption while nitrogen deposition had a moderate effect. During the 21st century, the consumption is predicted to increase at 0.05‐1.0 Tg CH4 yr−2, and total consumption will reach 45–140 Tg CH4 yr−1 at the end of the 2090s, varying under different future climate scenarios. Dry areas will persist as sinks, boreal ecosystems will become stronger sinks, mainly due to increasing soil temperatures. Nitrogen deposition will modestly reduce the future sink strength at the global scale. When we incorporated the estimated global soil consumption into our chemical transport model simulations, we found that nitrogen deposition suppressed the total methane sink by 26 Tg during the period 1998–2004, resulting in 6.6 ppb higher atmospheric CH4 mixing ratios compared to without considering nitrogen deposition effects. On average, a cumulative increase of every 1 Tg soil CH4 consumption decreased atmospheric CH4 mixing ratios by 0.26 ppb during the period 1998–2004.
Assessment of Accuracy in the Identification of Rock Formations from Aerial and Terrestrial Laser-Scanning Data

Rock formations are among the most spectacular landscape features both for experts and the public. However, information about these objects is often stored inaccurately in existing spatial databases, their corresponding elevations are missing, or the entire rock object is completely absent. Cartographic depiction is also reduced to a point of areal symbology of a largely generalized character. This paper discusses options in identifying and analyzing rock formations from two digital terrain models (DTMs), DMR 5G and DMR 5G+, and irregularly spaced points of airborne laser-scanning (ALS) data with different point densities. A semi-automatic method allowing rock formations to be identified from DTMs is introduced at the beginning of the paper. A method to evaluate elevation models (volume differences) is subsequently applied and a 3D model of a selected rock object is created from terrestrial laser-scanning data. Finally, positional and volumetric comparisons of that 3D object are performed in 2D, 2.5D, and 3D. The results of the pilot study confirmed that the digital terrain models studied are a reliable source in identifying and updating rock formations using the semi-automatic method introduced. The results show that DMR 5G model quality decreases with increasing fragmentation and relative rock formation height, while the proportion of gross errors increases. The complementary DMR 5G+ is better in terms of location and altitude.
Effects of Self-Management and Social Skills Training On the Reduction of Adolescents’ Conduct Disorder

The thrust of this paper is on the effects of two instructional techniques,self-management and social skills training, on the reduction of adolescents’ conduct disorder. One research hypothesis was raised and was testedat 0.05 level of significance. A pretest-posttest control group experimental design was adopted in the study. The population consisted of 184 identified conduct disorder adolescents’ in a mixed school that was purposively selected from the senior secondary schools in Ikpoba-OkhaLocal Government Area in Benin City with the assistance of 12 subject teachers who have had contact with the students’ for at least six months. The study made used of a sample of 90 senior secondary school three (SS III) adolescent students. The instrument used for data collection was the Conduct Disorder Assessment Scale (CDAS) constructed in accordance with the American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The instrument was face validated by three experts in the field of educational psychology and counselling.Cronbach Alpha as a measure of internal consistence reliability was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. The coefficient obtained were 0.80 for aggressive behaviour, 0.81 for destructive behaviour, 0.76 for stealing and 0.84 for serious violation of rules. The data collected were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Co-variance (ANCOVA) to determine the proportion of the variance of the criterion which existed before the experimental and what was obtained after. By using ANCOVA, also errors in the variance were substantially minimized in the final scores. The results obtained indicated significant differences in conduct disorder (four subsets) adolescent students exposed to treatment intervention (self-management and social skills training) and control group. The post-hoc analysis on aggressive and stealing behaviours showed that the mean differences were significant at the 0.05 level. That significant differences existed in destructive and rules violation behaviours among adolescents’ exposed to both treatments and those in control group (p
Constraints on the energetics and plasma composition of relativistic jets in FR II sources

We explore the energetics and plasma composition in FR II sources using a new simple method of combining shock dynamics and radiation spectrum. The hotspots are identified with the reverse-shocked region of jets. With the 1D shock jump conditions taking account of the finite pressure of hot intracluster medium (ICM), we estimate the rest mass and energy densities of the sum of thermal and non-thermal particles in hotspots. Independently, based on the Synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) model, we estimate the number and energy densities of non-thermal electrons using the multifrequency radiation spectrum of hotspots. We impose the condition that the obtained rest mass, internal energy and number densities of non-thermal electrons should be lower than those of the total particles determined by shock dynamics. We apply this method to Cygnus A. We examine three extreme cases of pure electron-positron pair plasma (Case I), pure electron-proton plasma with separate thermalization (Case II) and pure electron-proton plasma in thermal equilibrium (Case III). By detailed SSC analysis for Cygnus A and 3C 123, we find that the energy density of non-thermal electrons is about 10 times larger than that of the magnetic field. We find that Case III is not acceptable because predicted photon spectra do not give a good fit to the observed one. We find that Case II can also be ruled out because the number density of non-thermal electrons exceeds that of the total number density. Hence we find that only pure e ± plasma (Case I) is acceptable among the three cases. Total kinetic power of jet and electron acceleration efficiency are also constrained by internal energy densities of non-thermal and total particles.
Average Brain Models: A Convergence Study

We present a completely automatic method to build stable average anatomical models of the human brain using a set of magnetic resonance (MR) images. The models computed present two important characteristics: an average intensity and an average shape, both in a single image. We provide results showing convergence toward the centroid of the image set used for the computation of the model. In particular, the RMS distances between the model and the MR images contained in the set stabilize in a range of 2.88 to 3.36 mm from a range of 4.62 to 5.51 mm initially after only one iteration. As for the influence of the reference image chosen for the model construction, this is minimal with differences of about 1.0 mm, from approximately 3.5 mm initially. These results ensure the usefulness of our approach.
Mindful vs. Mind Full: Processing Strategies Moderate the Association Between Subjective Aging Experiences and Depressive Symptoms

Recent evidence suggests that the longitudinal association between subjective aging experiences, that is, the way people perceive and evaluate their aging process, and well-being-related developmental outcomes depends on individual differences. We investigated the moderating role of two processing strategies, that is, mindfulness and negative repetitive thought (RT), for the association between subjective aging experiences and depressive symptoms in middle and old adulthood. Analyses were based on two measurements covering a 4.5-year interval (Time 1: 2012, N = 423; age range = 40–98 years; Time 2: 2017, N = 299; age range = 44–92 years). Subjective aging experiences were operationalized as awareness of age-related gains and losses. Data were analyzed by means of a latent change score model based on a structural equation modeling approach. Mindfulness buffered the harmful effect of high levels of awareness of age-related losses on change in depressive symptoms. Conversely, negative RT exacerbated the detrimental effect of high levels of awareness of age-related losses and low levels of awareness of age-related gains on change in depressive symptoms. With regard to the interplay between awareness of age-related gains and mindfulness, effects were less robust, although the direction of findings was consistent with theoretical considerations. Effects were comparable across middle-aged and older adults. Subjective aging experiences are not operating in isolation, but always need to be considered in the context of the way individuals are cognitively dealing with them.
Dendritic Cells in Irradiated Mice Trigger the Functional Plasticity and Antitumor Activity of Adoptively Transferred Tc17 Cells via IL12 Signaling

Purpose: The adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of CD8+ T cells is a promising treatment for advanced malignancies. Lymphodepletion before ACT enhances IFNγ+CD8+ T cell (Tc0)–mediated tumor regression. Yet, how lymphodepletion regulates the function and antitumor activity of IL17A+CD8+ T cells (Tc17) is unknown. Experimental Design: To address this question, pmel-1 CD8+ T cells were polarized to secrete either IL17A or IFNγ. These subsets were then infused into mice with B16F10 melanoma that were lymphoreplete [no total body irradiation (TBI)], or lymphodepleted with nonmyeloablative (5 Gy) or myeloablative (9 Gy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) TBI. The activation of innate immune cells and function of donor T-cell subsets were monitored in recipient mice. Results: Tc17 cells regress melanoma in myeloablated mice to a greater extent than in lymphoreplete or nonmyeloablated mice. TBI induced functional plasticity in Tc17 cells, causing conversion from IL17A to IFNγ producers. Additional investigation revealed that Tc17 plasticity and antitumor activity were mediated by IL12 secreted by irradiated host dendritic cells (DC). Neutralization of endogenous IL12 reduced the antitumor activity of Tc17 cells in myeloablated mice, whereas ex vivo priming with IL12 enhanced their capacity to regress melanoma in nonmyeloablated animals. This, coupled with exogenous administration of low-dose IL12, obviated the need for host preconditioning, creating curative responses in nonirradiated mice. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that TBI-induced IL12 augments Tc17 cell–mediated tumor immunity and underline the substantial implications of in vitro preparation of antitumor Tc17 cells with IL12 in the design of T-cell immunotherapies. Clin Cancer Res; 21(11); 2546–57. ©2015 AACR.
Participation in the Master-modul " Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience " , Univ. of Zurich Regular Seminars for Psychology Students on Memory, Sleep, and Neuroscientific Methods (fmri, Eeg)

| Sleep has been identified as a state that optimizes the consolidation of newly acquired information in memory, depending on the specific conditions of learning and the timing of sleep. Consolidation during sleep promotes both quantitative and qualitative changes of memory representations. Through specific patterns of neuromodulatory activity and electric field potential oscillations, slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep support system consolidation and synaptic consolidation, respectively. During SWS, slow oscillations, spindles and ripples — at minimum cholinergic activity — coordinate the re-activation and redistribution of hippocampus-dependent memories to neocortical sites, whereas during REM sleep, local increases in plasticity-related immediate-early gene activity — at high cholinergic and theta activity — might favour the subsequent synaptic consolidation of memories in the cortex. s l e e p R E V I E W S 114 | FEbRuARy 2010 | VoluME 11 www.nature. com/reviews/neuro © 20 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved 10
Detection of Y Chromosome Microdeletions and Hormonal Profile Analysis of Infertile Men undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Background Y chromosome deletions (YCDs) in azoospermia factor (AZF) region are associated with ab- normal spermatogenesis and may lead to azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia. Assisted reproductive tech- nologies (ART) by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and testicular sperm extraction (TESE) are com- monly required for infertility management of patients carrying YCDs. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of YCDs, to find the most frequent variant in infertile men candidate for ART and to compare YCD distribution with a control fertile group. The semen parameters, hormonal profiles and ART outcomes of the infertile group were studied. Materials and Methods This case-control study consisted of 97 oligozoospermic or non-obstructive azoospermic (NOA) infertile men, who had undergone ART, as the case group and 100 fertile men as the control group. DNA samples were extracted from blood samples taken from all 197 participants and YCDs were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of eight known sequence-tagged sites. The chi-square test was used to compare the mean values of hormone and sperm parameters between the two groups. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results No YCD was detected in the control group. However, 20 out of 97 (20.6%) infertile men had a YCD. AZFc, AZFbc and AZFabc deletions were detected in 15 (75%), four (20%) and one (5%) YCD-positive patients. No fer- tilization or clinical pregnancy was seen following ICSI in this sub-group with YCD. The mean level of FSH was significantly higher in the group with YCD (28.45 ± 22.2 vs. 4.8 ± 3.17 and 10.83 ± 7.23 in YCD-negative patients with and without clinical pregnancy respectively). Conclusion YCD is frequent among NOA men and YCD screening before ART and patient counseling is thus strongly recommended.
Simple gastric motility assessment method with a single-channel electrogastrogram

Abstract Surface electrogastrography (EGG) is a non-invasive technique that is used to record myoelectrical activity of the stomach using cutaneous electrodes placed on the abdomen. Gastric motility assessment by EGG is a candidate for standard clinical procedure based on the quantification of parameters characteristic of gastric motility disorders. Despite its noticeable benefits, EGG is not widely implemented in clinical practice. The main reasons are: (1) lack of standardization of electrode placement, (2) time-consuming diagnostic procedures and (3) a complex multi-channel recording setup. We proposed a methodology in which an easy-to-use single-channel EGG, with a less time-consuming protocol (<1 h), would provide sufficient information for gastric motility assessment. Recordings from the three anatomical landmarks in 20 healthy young subjects were compared under two conditions, fasting and postprandial by evaluating the dominant frequency (DF). Our results showed that there is a statistically significant increase of DF after meal ingestion (p<0.05) in each of the three channels. However, when the study group was divided into two subgroups based on body mass index (BMI), the most appropriate recording location was above the body of the stomach (according to statistical significance p=7.82×10−6). We showed that a less time-consuming recording session with light meal intake could be used for the assessment of gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA).
Rosiglitazone and Fenofibrate Additive Effects on Lipids

Background. To evaluate the effect of rosiglitazone, fenofibrate, or their combined use on plasma lipids in normoglycemic healthy adults. Methods and Results. Subjects were randomized in a double-blind fashion to rosiglitazone + placebo, fenofibrate + placebo, rosiglitazone + fenofibrate, or matching double placebo. The between-group difference in the change in fasting TG, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-C, and plasma apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, and C-III level were compared after 12 weeks of treatment. A total of 548 subjects were screened and 41 met the inclusion criteria. After 12 weeks of therapy, the median change in the triglyceride levels showed a significant reduction ranging from 47 to 55 mg per deciliter in the fenofibrate only and rosiglitazone/fenofibrate groups compared with placebo (P = 0.0496). However, the rosiglitazone only group did not show significant change in triglyceride level. The change in the Apo AII showed increase in all the treatment groups compared with placebo (P = 0.009). There was also significant change in the Apo CIII that showed reduction of its level in the fenofibrate only and rosiglitazone/fenofibrate groups (P = 0.0003). Conclusion. Rosiglitazone does not appear to modulate hypertriglyceridemia in patients with elevated triglycerides independent of glucose metabolism.
Multimodal imaging reveals a role for Akt1 in fetal cardiac development

Even though congenital heart disease is the most prevalent malformation, little is known about how mutations affect cardiovascular function during development. Akt1 is a crucial intracellular signaling molecule, affecting cell survival, proliferation, and metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine the role of Akt1 on prenatal cardiac development. In utero echocardiography was performed in fetal wild‐type, heterozygous, and Akt1‐deficient mice. The same fetal hearts were imaged using ex vivo micro‐computed tomography (μCT) and histology. Neonatal hearts were imaged by in vivo magnetic resonance imaging. Additional ex vivo neonatal hearts were analyzed using histology and real‐time PCR of all three groups. In utero echocardiography revealed abnormal blood flow patterns at the mitral valve and reduced contractile function of Akt1 null fetuses, while ex vivo μCT and histology unraveled structural alterations such as dilated cardiomyopathy and ventricular septum defects in these fetuses. Further histological analysis showed reduced myocardial capillaries and coronary vessels in Akt1 null fetuses. At neonatal age, Akt1‐deficient mice exhibited reduced survival with reduced endothelial cell density in the myocardium and attenuated cardiac expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A and collagen Iα1. To conclude, this study revealed a central role of Akt1 in fetal cardiac function and myocardial angiogenesis inducing fetal cardiomyopathy and reduced neonatal survival. This study links a specific physiological phenotype with a defined genotype, namely Akt1 deficiency, in an attempt to pinpoint intrinsic causes of fetal cardiomyopathies.
Kinematics of vertical saccades during the yaw vestibulo-ocular reflex in humans.

PURPOSE Listing's law (LL) constrains the rotational axes of saccades and pursuit eye movements to Listing's plane (LP). In the velocity domain, LL is ordinarily equivalent to a tilt in the ocular velocity axis equal to half the change in eye position, giving a tilt angle ratio (TAR) of 0.5. This study was undertaken to investigate vertical saccade behavior after the yaw vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) had driven eye torsion out of LP, an initial condition causing the position and velocity domain formulations of LL to differ. METHODS Binocular eye and head motions were recorded with magnetic search coils in eight humans. With the head immobile, LP was determined for each eye, and mean TAR was 0.50 +/- 0.07 (mean +/- SD) for horizontal and 0.45 +/- 0.11 for vertical saccades. The VOR was evoked by transient, whole-body yaw at 2800 deg/s2 peak acceleration, capable of evoking large, uninterrupted VOR slow phases. Before rotation, subjects viewed a target at eye level, 20 degrees up, or 20 degrees down. In two thirds of the trials, the target moved upward or downward at systematically varying times, triggering a vertical saccade during the horizontal VOR slow phase. RESULTS Because the head rotation axis was generally misaligned with LP, the eye averaged 3.6 degrees out of LP at vertical saccade onset. During the saccade, eye position continued to depart LP by an average 0.8 degrees. The horizontal TAR at saccade onset was 0.29 +/- 0.07. At peak saccade velocity 35 +/- 3 ms later, the vertical TAR was 0.45 +/- 0.07, statistically similar to that of head fixed saccades. Saccades did not return to LP. CONCLUSIONS Although they did not observe the position domain formulation of LL, vertical saccades, during the VOR, observed the half-angle velocity domain formulation of LL.