Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mindful awareness and compassion, and empathy and anxiety in counselor trainees

This study explored the relationships between two aspect of mindfulness, awareness and compassion, and empathy and anxiety in counselor trainees. Empathy and anxiety are two training variables that have strong associations with counseling performance. Empathy is widely regarded as important for the effective development of a therapeutic relationship and positive counseling outcomes while a higher level of anxiety in trainees can impede the cultivation of empathy and the development of counselor self-efficacy. Currently, there is little to guide educators in how to cultivate genuine empathy and also mitigate unproductive levels of anxiety in trainees. Mindfulness has been proposed as a potential method for addressing both empathy and anxiety, however, empirical evidence for these associations with counselors is limited. Additionally, the relative contribution of the compassion wing of mindfulness has been relatively unstudied. In this study, the relationships between mindful awareness and compassion and empathy and anxiety were examined. A total of 131 master's level counseling interns were surveyed to determine their levels of mindful awareness, mindful compassion, empathy, and anxiety using the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Self Other Four Immeasurables, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the Trimodal Anxiety Questionnaire. Pearson Product Moment Coefficients revealed significant pairwise relationships between mindful awareness and compassion and anxiety in the expected directions. Mindful awareness and compassion for others had a significant relationship with cognitive empathy in the expected directions. Compassion for others had a significant relationship with affective empathy in the expected direction. In a linear regression model, awareness and compassion explained a modest amount of variance in affective empathy with compassion for others contributing significantly. Linear regression also revealed that awareness and compassion explained a moderate amount of variance in cognitive empathy with nonjudge, nonreact, and compassion for others emerging as significant predictors. A substantial amount of the variance in anxiety was explained by awareness, with describe, act with awareness, and nonjudge facets emerging as significant predictors. A hierarchal regression indicated that mindful compassion increased the variance explained in affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and anxiety, beyond that explained by mindful awareness alone, and offered the greatest increase for affective empathy.
A Sparse and Spatially Constrained Generative Regression Model for fMRI Data Analysis

In this study, we present an advanced Bayesian framework for the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that simultaneously employs both spatial and sparse properties. The basic building block of our method is the general linear regression model that constitutes a well-known probabilistic approach. By treating regression coefficients as random variables, we can apply an enhanced Gibbs distribution function that captures spatial constrains and at the same time allows sparse representation of fMRI time series. The proposed scheme is described as a maximum a posteriori approach, where the known expectation maximization algorithm is applied offering closed-form update equations for the model parameters. We have demonstrated that our method produces improved performance and functional activation detection capabilities in both simulated data and real applications.
Identifying High-Impact Sub-Structures for Convolution Kernels in Document-level Sentiment Classification

Convolution kernels support the modeling of complex syntactic information in machine-learning tasks. However, such models are highly sensitive to the type and size of syntactic structure used. It is therefore an important challenge to automatically identify high impact sub-structures relevant to a given task. In this paper we present a systematic study investigating (combinations of) sequence and convolution kernels using different types of substructures in document-level sentiment classification. We show that minimal sub-structures extracted from constituency and dependency trees guided by a polarity lexicon show 1.45 point absolute improvement in accuracy over a bag-of-words classifier on a widely used sentiment corpus.
POLYPHYLY OF CHAETOPHORA AND STIGEOCLONIUM WITHIN THE CHAETOPHORALES (CHLOROPHYCEAE), REVEALED BY SEQUENCE COMPARISONS OF NUCLEAR‐ENCODED SSU rRNA GENES 1

Previously published molecular phylogenetic analyses of the Chaetophorales (Chlorophyceae) suffered from limited taxon sampling (six genera with only a single species per genus). To test the monophyly of species‐rich genera, and to analyze the phylogenetic relationships among families and genera in the Chaetophorales, we determined nuclear‐encoded SSU rDNA sequences from 30 strains of Chaetophorales, performed phylogenetic analyses using various methods, and screened clades for support by unique molecular synapomorphies in the SSU rRNA secondary structure. The Schizomeridaceae and the weakly supported Aphanochaetaceae were recovered as basal lineages. The derived family Chaetophoraceae diverged into two clades: the “Uronema clade” containing unbranched filaments, and a sister clade designated as “branched Chaetophoraceae” comprising Chaetophora, Stigeoclonium, Draparnaldia, Caespitella, and Fritschiella. Although some terminal clades corresponded to genera described (e.g., Caespitella and Draparnaldia), other clades were in conflict with traditional taxonomic designations. Especially, the genera Stigeoclonium and Chaetophora were shown to be polyphyletic. The globose species Chaetophora elegans was unrelated to lobate Chaetophora spp. (e.g., Chaetophora lobata). Since the original description of Chaetophora referred to a lobate thallus organization, the latter clade represented Chaetophora sensu stricto. In consequence, C. lobata was designated as lectotype of Chaetophora. Two Stigeoclonium species, Stigeoclonium farctum Berthold and Stigeoclonium‘Longipilus’, diverged independently from the type species of Stigeoclonium, Stigeoclonium tenue (C. Agardh) Kütz. These results indicated that some commonly used taxonomic characters are either homoplasious or plesiomorphic and call for a reevaluation of the systematics of the Chaetophorales using novel morphological and molecular approaches.
Estimation of soil sorption coefficients of veterinary pharmaceuticals from soil properties

Environmental exposure assessment of veterinary pharmaceuticals requires estimating the sorption to soil. Soil sorption coefficients of three common, ionizable, antimicrobial agents (oxytetracycline [OTC], tylosin [TYL], and sulfachloropyridazine [SCP]) were studied in relation to the soil properties of 11 different soils. The soil sorption coefficient at natural pH varied from 950 to 7,200, 10 to 370, and 0.4 to 35 L/kg for OTC, TYL, and SCP, respectively. The variation increased by almost two orders of magnitude for OTC and TYL when pH was artificially adjusted. Separate soil properties (pH, organic carbon content, clay content, cation‐exchange capacity, aluminum oxyhydroxide content, and iron oxyhydroxide content) were not able to explain more than half the variation observed in soil sorption coefficients. This reflects the complexity of the sorbent‐sorbate interactions. Partial‐least‐squares (PLS) models, integrating all the soil properties listed above, were able to explain as much as 78% of the variation in sorption coefficients. The PLS model was able to predict the sorption coefficient with an accuracy of a factor of six. Considering the pH‐dependent speciation, species‐specific PLS models were developed. These models were able to predict species‐specific sorption coefficients with an accuracy of a factor of three to four. However, the species‐specific sorption models did not improve the estimation of sorption coefficients of species mixtures, because these models were developed with a reduced data set at standardized aqueous concentrations. In conclusion, pragmatic approaches like PLS modeling might be suitable to estimate soil sorption for risk assessment purposes.
Effects of dietary lysine supplementation on upper respiratory and ocular disease and detection of infectious organisms in cats within an animal shelter.

OBJECTIVE To determine within a cat shelter effects of dietary lysine supplementation on nasal and ocular disease and detection of nucleic acids of Chlamydophila felis, feline calicivirus (FCV), and feline herpesvirus (FHV-1). ANIMALS 261 adult cats. PROCEDURES Cats were fed a diet containing 1.7% (basal diet; control cats) or 5.7% (supplemented diet; treated cats) lysine for 4 weeks. Plasma concentrations of lysine and arginine were assessed at the beginning (baseline) and end of the study. Three times a week, cats were assigned a clinical score based on evidence of nasal and ocular disease. Conjunctival and oropharyngeal swab specimens were tested for FHV-1, FCV, and C felis nucleic acids once a week. RESULTS Data were collected from 123, 74, 59, and 47 cats during study weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. By study end, plasma lysine concentration in treated cats was greater than that in control cats and had increased from baseline. There was no difference between dietary groups in the proportion of cats developing mild disease. However, more treated cats than control cats developed moderate to severe disease during week 4. During week 2, FHV-1 DNA was detected more commonly in swab specimens from treated versus control cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Dietary lysine supplementation in the amount used in our study was not a successful means of controlling infectious upper respiratory disease within a cat shelter. Rather, it led to increases in disease severity and the incidence of detection of FHV-1 DNA in oropharyngeal or conjunctival mucosal swab specimens at certain time points.
Carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin: a marker of alcohol abuse

Serum carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin (CDT) measurement is valuable for the identification of chronic excess alcohol consumption. CDT is increased in serum in approximately 50% of those classed as heavy drinkers and 70–80% of those defined as alcoholics. With abstinence, the serum CDT concentration reverts towards normal within approximately 2 weeks. Specificity for alcohol abuse ranges from 80 to 95% in the general population and from 70 to 80% in liver clinic patients.
Disability History: Humanity Worth Defending

The authors consider the potential impact of teaching disability history and awareness in social studies classrooms. Social studies educators are encouraged to use disability history to move the concept of disability beyond Individualized Education Program (IEP) labels and medical pathology, allowing students to study and better understand the evolving social and cultural context of disability. An examination of disability “models” and the historical evolution of disability language is followed by strategies and resources for incorporating disability history and awareness in the social studies classroom. Ohio social studies educators are encouraged to support a Disability History and Awareness week or month in their state. “If you believe people have no history worth mentioning, it’s easy to believe they have no humanity worth defending. ” William Loren Katz
A Secure Triple-Key Management Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

Key management is critical to meet the security goals to prevent the sensor networks being compromised by an adversary. Due to ad-hoc nature and resource limitations of sensor networks, providing a right key management is challenging. Traditional key management schemes based on trusted third parties like a certification authority are impractical due to unknown topology prior to deployment. In this paper we present a secure triple-key management scheme to provide resilience security against attacks in sensor networks.
Cooperative Inhibition of  T-Cell Antigen Receptor Signaling by a Complex between a Kinase and a Phosphatase

Antigen receptor–triggered T-cell activation is mediated by the sequential action of the Src and Syk/Zap-70 families of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs). Previously, we reported that another PTK termed p50csk was a potent negative regulator of T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling because of its ability to inactivate Src-related kinases. This inhibitory effect required the catalytic activity of Csk, as well as its Src homology (SH)3 and SH2 domains. Subsequent studies uncovered that, via its SH3 domain, p50csk was associated with PEP, a proline-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) of unknown function expressed in hemopoietic cells. Herein, we have attempted to identify the role of the Csk-PEP complex in T lymphocytes. The results of our experiments showed that, like Csk, PEP was a strong repressor of TCR signaling. This property was dependent on the phosphatase activity of PEP, as well as on the sequence mediating its binding to p50csk. Through reconstitution experiments in Cos-1 cells, evidence was obtained that Csk and PEP act synergistically to inhibit protein tyrosine phosphorylation by Src-related kinases, and that this effect requires their association. Finally, experiments with a substrate-trapping mutant of PEP suggested that PEP functions by dephosphorylating and inactivating the PTKs responsible for T-cell activation. In addition to giving novel insights into the mechanisms involved in the negative regulation of T-cell activation, these findings indicate that the association of an inhibitory PTK with a PTP constitutes a more efficient means of inhibiting signal transduction by Src family kinases in vivo.
Bacterial endophyte communities in the foliage of coast redwood and giant sequoia

The endophytic bacterial microbiome, with an emerging role in plant nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance, is much less studied in natural plant populations than in agricultural crops. In a previous study, we found consistent associations between trees in the pine family and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) occurring at high relative abundance inside their needles. Our objective here was to determine if that pattern may be general to conifers, or alternatively, is more likely restricted to pines or conifers growing in nutrient limited and exposed environments. We used 16S rRNA pyrosequencing to characterize the foliar endophyte communities of two conifers in the Cupressaceae family: Two coast redwood (CR; Sequoia sempervirens) populations and one giant sequoia (GS; Sequoiadendron giganteum) population were sampled. Similar to the pines, the endophyte communities of the giant trees were dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. However, although some major operational taxonomic units (OTUs) occurred at a high relative abundance of 10–40% in multiple samples, no specific group of bacteria dominated the endophyte community to the extent previously observed in high-elevation pines. Several of the dominating bacterial groups in the CR and GS foliage (e.g., Bacillus, Burkholderia, Actinomycetes) are known for disease- and pest suppression, raising the possibility that the endophytic microbiome protects the giant trees against biotic stress. Many of the most common and abundant OTUs in our dataset were most similar to 16S rRNA sequences from bacteria found in lichens or arctic plants. For example, an OTU belonging to the uncultured Rhizobiales LAR1 lineage, which is commonly associated with lichens, was observed at high relative abundance in many of the CR samples. The taxa shared between the giant trees, arctic plants, and lichens may be part of a broadly defined endophyte microbiome common to temperate, boreal, and tundra ecosystems.
A U-Shaped Association Between Intensity of Internet Use and Adolescent Health

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between different Internet-use intensities and adolescent mental and somatic health. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2002 Swiss Multicenter Adolescent Survey on Health, a nationally representative survey of adolescents aged 16 to 20 years in post-mandatory school. From a self-administered anonymous questionnaire, 3906 adolescent boys and 3305 girls were categorized into 4 groups according to their intensity of Internet use: heavy Internet users (HIUs; >2 hours/day), regular Internet users (RIUs; several days per week and ≤2 hours/day), occasional users (≤1 hour/week), and non-Internet users (NIUs; no use in the previous month). Health factors examined were perceived health, depression, overweight, headaches and back pain, and insufficient sleep. RESULTS: In controlled multivariate analysis, using RIUs as a reference, HIUs of both genders were more likely to report higher depressive scores, whereas only male users were found at increased risk of overweight and female users at increased risk of insufficient sleep. Male NIUs and female NIUs and occasional users also were found at increased risk of higher depressive scores. Back-pain complaints were found predominantly among male NIUs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence of a U-shaped relationship between intensity of Internet use and poorer mental health of adolescents. In addition, HIUs were confirmed at increased risk for somatic health problems. Thus, health professionals should be on the alert when caring for adolescents who report either heavy Internet use or very little/none. Also, they should consider regular Internet use as a normative behavior without major health consequence.
Sirenomelia in Bmp7 and Tsg compound mutant mice: requirement for Bmp signaling in the development of ventral posterior mesoderm

Sirenomelia or mermaid-like phenotype is one of the principal human congenital malformations that can be traced back to the stage of gastrulation. Sirenomelia is characterized by the fusion of the two hindlimbs into a single one. In the mouse, sirens have been observed in crosses between specific strains and as the consequence of mutations that increase retinoic acid levels. We report that the loss of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (Bmp7) in combination with a half dose or complete loss of twisted gastrulation (Tsg) causes sirenomelia in the mouse. Tsg is a Bmp- and chordin-binding protein that has multiple effects on Bmp metabolism in the extracellular space; Bmp7 is one of many Bmps and is shown here to bind to Tsg. In Xenopus, co-injection of Tsg and Bmp7 morpholino oligonucleotides (MO) has a synergistic effect, greatly inhibiting formation of ventral mesoderm and ventral fin tissue. In the mouse, molecular marker studies indicate that the sirenomelia phenotype is associated with a defect in the formation of ventroposterior mesoderm. These experiments demonstrate that dorsoventral patterning of the mouse posterior mesoderm is regulated by Bmp signaling, as is the case in other vertebrates. Sirens result from a fusion of the hindlimb buds caused by a defect in the formation of ventral mesoderm.
Cyclic interference neutralization on the 2 × 2 × 2 full-duplex two-way relay-interference channel

A two-way relay-interference channel describes a system of four communicating transceivers with two interjacent parallel relays arranged in a bidirectional 2 × 2 × 2 relay-interference network. Two pairs of transceivers are each communicating bidirectionally with the aid of both relays. All transceivers and relays are assumed to operate in full-duplex mode. Since Interference Neutralization is known as a promising method to achieve the cut-set upper bounds on the data rates of the unidirectional relay-interference channel, we investigate a Cyclic Interference Neutralization scheme on the corresponding bidirectional relay-interference channel w.r. t. a conceptual channel model based on a polynomial ring. We show that, if the channel matrix satisfies a certain set of symmetry conditions, a total number of 4 degrees of freedom is asymptotically achievable.
Effects of Cognitive Strategy Instruction on Math Problem Solving of Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities*

The purpose of the study was to improve mathematical problem solving for middle school students with learning disabilities by implementing a research-based instructional program in inclusive general education math classes. A total of 40 middle schools in a large urban district were matched on state assessment performance level (low, medium, and high performing) and socioeconomic status. One school from each pair was randomly assigned to the intervention condition, and one eighth grade math teacher participated at each school (n = 40). Because of attrition at the outset, 24 schools completed the study (8 intervention, 16 comparison). The intervention, Solve It! , a research-based cognitive strategy instructional program, was implemented for 7 months, and periodic progress monitoring was conducted. A cluster-randomized design was used, and the data were consistent with a three-level model in which repeated measures were nested within students and students were nested within schools. The results indicated that students who received the intervention (n = 319) showed significantly greater growth in math problem solving over the school year than students in the comparison group (n = 460) who received typical classroom instruction. Moreover, the intervention effects did not differ for students with learning disabilities, low-achieving students, and average-achieving students. Thus, the findings were positive and support the efficacy of the intervention when implemented by general education math teachers in inclusive classrooms.
Tracking the Cognitive, Social, and Neuroanatomical Profile in Early Neurodegeneration: Type III Cockayne Syndrome

Cockayne syndrome (CS) is an autosomal recessive disease associated with premature aging, progressive multiorgan degeneration, and nervous system abnormalities including cerebral and cerebellar atrophy, brain calcifications, and white matter abnormalities. Although several clinical descriptions of CS patients have reported developmental delay and cognitive impairment with relative preservation of social skills, no previous studies have carried out a comprehensive neuropsychological and social cognition assessment. Furthermore, no previous research in individuals with CS has examined the relationship between brain atrophy and performance on neuropsychological and social cognition tests. This study describes the case of an atypical late-onset type III CS patient who exceeds the mean life expectancy of individuals with this pathology. The patient and a group of healthy controls underwent a comprehensive assessment that included multiple neuropsychological and social cognition (emotion recognition, theory of mind, and empathy) tasks. In addition, we compared the pattern of atrophy in the patient to controls and to its concordance with ERCC8 gene expression in a healthy brain. The results showed memory, language, and executive deficits that contrast with the relative preservation of social cognition skills. The cognitive profile of the patient was consistent with his pattern of global cerebral and cerebellar loss of gray matter volume (frontal structures, bilateral cerebellum, basal ganglia, temporal lobe, and occipito-temporal/occipito-parietal regions), which in turn was anatomically consistent with the ERCC8 gene expression level in a healthy donor’s brain. The study of exceptional cases, such as the one described here, is fundamental to elucidating the processes that affect the brain in premature aging diseases, and such studies provide an important source of information for understanding the problems associated with normal and pathological aging.