Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Primary Attachment Style Questionnaire: A Brief Measure for Assessing Six Primary Attachment Styles before and after Age Twelve

Objective: This article describes development and initial validation studies of the Primary Attachment Style Questionnaire (PASQ), a brief self-report for delineating six styles of attachment to a primary caregiver. Theoretically cued to Ainsworth's original infant classifications, the questionnaire is designed to map attachment patterns during two developmental periods (before and after age 12) and is intended for use in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Method: Pilot studies of the PASQ were conducted with a total of 441 college undergraduates. Over this period, test-retest analyses and factor analyses reduced the number of questionnaire items to the current 42-item version. Participants also responded to a variety of additional measures intended to assess the PASQ's validity. Results: In the first of three validity studies, investigators found moderate correlations between 120 college undergraduates' predominant attachment styles on the PASQ Before 12 and romantic attachment styles on Brennan, Clark, and Shaver's ECR. In the second study, 167 respondents' Axis I and Axis II scores on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory supported the hypothesis that particular insecure attachment styles before age 12 would be related to specific personality disorders and to PTSD. The third validity study demonstrated the PASQ's sensitivity to shifts in attachment security between childhood and adolescence in the presence of three types of events that might generate attachment-related distress: mother's death, parents' divorce, and disruption of mother's ability to provide adequate caregiving. Conclusion: Findings support the utility of the PASQ for use in attachment research and in clinical practice.
Optimal Engineering System Design Guided by Data-Mining Methods

An optimal engineering design problem is challenging because nonlinear objective functions usually need to be evaluated in a high-dimensional design space. This article presents a data-mining–aided optimal design method, that is able to find a competitive design solution with a relatively low computational cost. The method consists of four components: (1) a uniform-coverage selection method, that chooses design representatives from among a large number of original design alternatives for a nonrectangular design space; (2) feature functions, of which evaluation is computationally economical as the surrogate for the design objective function; (3) a clustering method, that generates a design library based on the evaluation of feature functions instead of an objective function; and (4) a classification method to create the design selection rules, eventually leading us to a competitive design. Those components are implemented to facilitate the optimal fixture layout design in a multistation panel assembly process. The benefit of the data-mining–aided optimal design is clearly demonstrated by comparison with both local optimization methods (e.g., simplex search) and random search-based optimizations (e.g., simulated annealing).
Increased apoptosis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with perennial allergic asthma/rhinitis: relation to serum markers of apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: The goal of our study was to examine spontaneous and stimulated apoptosis of peripheral blood MNC from allergic patients, sensitized to Der p I antigen as compared to cells from non-atopic subjects. Furthermore we aimed to investigate which populations of mononuclear cells (lymphocytes, monocytes) undergo the apoptosis and to determine relations between apoptosis and serum levels of sFas/APO-1, ICE/caspase-1 or TNF-alpha. METHODS: The study included 17 patients with perennial, allergic asthma and/or allergic rhinitis [6 male and 11 female; mean age 29,5 years; (range 15-49)]. Apoptosis was assessed by fluorescence technique and confirmed by flow-cytometric method and DNA ladder. Serum levels of sFas, ICE/caspase-1 or TNF-alpha were determined by immunoassays (ELISA). RESULTS: Apoptotic index of unfractionated mononuclear cells (MNC) and lymphocytes (but not monocytes) were significantly higher in allergic patients as compared to non-allergic subjects after 48 and 72 hours of culture (p<0.05). Incubation of cells with ConA (10 microg/ml) resulted in a significant increase in the proportion of apoptotic cells in all populations once the apoptotic index for MNC and lymphocytes (but not monocytes) was again significantly higher in allergic as compared to non-allergic subjects after 24, 48 and 72 hour of culture. In allergic patients, mean serum sFas level, was significantly lower then in non-allergic group (mean value 624.8 pg/ml +/- 25.67 versus 802.0 pg/ml +/- 31.91; p = 0.003) and in both groups sFas level correlated inversely with apoptosis of MNC. The mean ICE/caspase-1 concentration was significantly higher in sera of allergic patients as compared to non-allergic group (mean value 27.71 pg/ml +/- 3.79 vs 23.54 pg/ml respectively; p<0.01). ICE/caspase-1 levels in allergic patients correlated with apoptotic index of mononuclear cells (r = 0.57; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: An increased spontaneous and mitogen-induced apoptosis of MNC from peripheral blood of atopic patients as well as different serum levels of sFas and ICE/caspase-1 correlating with apoptosis, suggest different regulation of apoptotic process in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with allergic asthma and/or rhinitis.
Safety, biodistribution, and dosimetry of 123I-IMPY: a novel amyloid plaque-imaging agent for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

UNLABELLED (123)I-IMPY (6-iodo-2-(4'-dimethylamino-)phenyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine) is a novel radiopharmaceutical that selectively binds to Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid plaques. As a first step toward validating this radiopharmaceutical as an imaging biomarker for AD, we measured the whole-body biokinetics and radiation dosimetry of (123)I-IMPY in AD patients and cognitively normal control subjects. The pharmacologic safety profile of the compound was simultaneously assessed. METHODS The sample included 9 subjects ranging in age from 44 to 80 y. Whole-body images were obtained for each subject (mean +/- SD, 9.0 +/- 3.2 scans per subject) for up to 48 h after the intravenous administration of 185 MBq (5 mCi) of (123)I-IMPY. The fraction of administered activity in 12 regions of interest was quantified from the attenuation-corrected geometric mean counts in conjugate views. Multiexponential functions were iteratively fit to each time-activity curve using a nonlinear, least-squares regression algorithm. These curves were numerically integrated to yield cumulated activity values for source organs. Radiation doses were then estimated with the MIRD technique. RESULTS The radiotracer had no pharmacologic effects (produced no changes in heart rate, blood pressure, or laboratory results) on any of the subjects. Radiation dosimetry estimates indicated that the dose-limiting organ was the gallbladder, which received an average of 0.135 mGy/MBq (range, 0.075-0.198 mGy/MBq). The effective dose equivalent and effective dose for (123)I-IMPY were 0.042 +/- 0.003 mSv/MBq and 0.035 +/- 0.001 mSv/MBq, respectively. The mean effective dose for (123)I-IMPY was similar to that for (111)In-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (0.035 mGy/MBq), less than half that for (111)In-pentetreotide (0.81 mGy/MBq), and approximately twice that for (123)I-IMP (0.018 mGy/MBq). No significant differences were found between men and women or between AD patients and control subjects. CONCLUSION (123)I-IMPY may be a safe radiotracer with appropriate biokinetics for imaging amyloid plaques in AD patients.
Cognitive functioning predicts survival in the elderly

Prior studies of aging have identified a number of predictors of survival, including performances on some cognitive-functioning tests. However, few studies have used a multidomain test battery to identify which specific cognitive abilities predict death. The current study examined the 12 subtests of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) to see which subtests predicted death in a sample of 796 older, primary care patients. After 4 years, 98 individuals died, and 698 individuals remained alive. The individuals who died performed more poorly at baseline on 9 of the 12 RBANS subtests (p < .05) than did their peers who remained alive. In a multivariate analysis, however, only the RBANS Coding subtest independently predicted death (p < .001), along with male gender and greater initial medical comorbidity. Although the mechanism of poorer cognition and impending death remains unclear, some possibilities are discussed (e.g., brain dysfunction, poor medical compliance, impaired cellular immunity).
Magnesium Deficiency Affects Mammary Epithelial Cell Proliferation: Involvement of Oxidative Stress

Low Mg availability reversibly inhibited the growth of mammary epithelial HC11 cells by increasing the number of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Because low Mg has been reported to promote oxidative reactions, we considered that low Mg-dependent growth arrest was mediated by oxidative stress. Surprisingly, both dichlorofluorescein-detectable reactive oxygen species and hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative DNA damage were found to be lower in cells cultured in low Mg than in cells grown under control or high-Mg conditions. Gene expression profiling of low- and high-Mg cells showed the modulation of several genes, some regulating cell proliferation. In addition, low Mg cells also displayed overexpression of glutathione S-transferase (GST), leading to increased enzymatic activity. Of note, GST has been shown to modulate cell growth; therefore, we suggest that in low-Mg cells, GST upregulation might have a dual role in protecting against oxidative stress and in modulating cell proliferation.
A GOLGI APPARATUS ASSOCIATED WITH MATING IN TETRAHYMENA PYRIFORMIS

The classical Golgi apparatus has not been observed in the several strains of Tetrahymena pyriformis examined in this laboratory at the ultrastructural level when the ciliates are grown vegetatively. However, sexually active strains, when starved for the purpose of inducing conjugation, contain stacked saccules in the oral region. When such opposite mating types are mixed for mating, the stacked saccules become swollen at their ends and vesicles appear to pinch off from them. These bodies possess the configuration of the classical Golgi apparatus of other eucells. Vesicles seem to be formed from the saccules just prior to, and toward the end of conjugation, suggesting a relationship with the mating process.
Risky choices link the subthalamic nucleus with pathological gambling in Parkinson's disease

A commonly recognized feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a deficit in movement initiation and execution, which is considered a problem of “energization. ” However, excessive inhibition (eg freezing of gait) or disinhibition (eg levodopa [L-dopa]-induced dyskinesias) are also frequent manifestations. Moreover, in a sense, bradykinesia and akinesia could be considered as representing excessive inhibition of movement initiation/execution. Impulsivity, which is one of the symptoms associated with inhibitory deficits, can take many forms. Responding fast without taking time for reflection (reflection impulsivity), a preference for immediate small rewards rather than delayed larger rewards (aversion to delayed gratification), delayed inhibition of responses to a prepotent stimulus (delayed motor inhibition), and engaging in more risky decision making (risk taking) are some of the characteristics of impulsive individuals. 1,2 Until recently, there have been two separate strands of research on failure of inhibitory control and impulsivity in relation to PD. The first has been related to the development of impulse control disorders (ICDs), including hypersexuality, pathological gambling (PG) and shopping, overeating, hobbyism, and punding. Together, these ICDs occur in about 14% of patients with PD and are associated with dopamine agonist therapy, particularly ropinirole and pramipexole as well as L-dopa. 3 ICDs have been related to dysfunction of the mesolimbic dopamine pathways with their reward-related functions. For PG, which is a behavioral addiction associated with monetary risk taking, this was supported by evidence from a raclopride imaging study in which, during performance of a gambling task, there was greater release of dopamine in the ventral striatum in patients with PG versus those without PG. 4 Furthermore, during a gambling task, dopamine induced a reduction of activation in brain areas implicated in impulse control and response inhibition, namely, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), rostral cingulate area, amygdala, and external segment of the pallidum, in patients who had PD with PG, which was not observed in those without PG. 5 A previous functional magnetic resonance imaging study by the same group established that, on a probabilistic reward task, the dopamine agonist pramipexole, similar to L-dopa, reduced reward processing in the ventral striatum compared with off medication but resulted in higher outcome-induced activation of the lateral OFC compared with L-dopa or off medication, a change that was associated with greater risk taking on a balloon analogue
Implicit Theories About Willpower Predict Subjective Well-Being.

Lay theories about willpower-the belief that willpower is a limited versus nonlimited resource-affect self-control and goal striving in everyday life (Job, Dweck, & Walton, 2010). Three studies examined whether willpower theories also relate to people's subjective well-being by shaping the progress they make toward their personal goals. A cross-sectional (Study 1) and two longitudinal studies (Studies 2 and 3) measured individuals' willpower theories and different indicators of subjective well-being. Additionally, Study 3 measured goal striving and personal goal progress. A limited theory about willpower was associated with lower subjective well-being in a sample of working adults (Study 1, N = 258). Further, a limited theory predicted lower levels of well-being at a time when students faced high self-regulatory demands (Study 2, N = 196). Study 3 (N = 157) replicated the finding that students with a limited theory experienced lower well-being in phases of high self-regulatory demands and found that personal goal progress mediated this relationship. Results suggest that the belief that willpower is based on a limited resource has negative implications not only for self-control but also for personal goal striving and subjective well-being.
Effect of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents on Blood Pressure in Pre-Dialysis Patients

Introduction Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESA) are hypothesized to increase cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. One of the proposed mechanisms is the elevation of blood pressure (BP) by ESA. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether the use of ESA was associated with antihypertensive treatment and higher BP. Materials and Methods In this cohort 502 incident pre-dialysis patients were included who started specialized pre-dialysis care in 25 clinics in the Netherlands. Data on medication including ESA use and dose, co-morbidities and BP were routinely collected every 6 months. Antihypertensive treatment and BP were compared for patients with and without ESA at baseline. Differences in antihypertensive medication and BP during pre-dialysis care were estimated with linear mixed models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Results At baseline, 95.6% of patients with ESA were treated with antihypertensive medication and 73.1% of patients without ESA. No relevant difference in BP was found. During pre-dialysis care patients with ESA used 0.77 (95% CI 0.63;0.91) more classes of antihypertensive drugs. The adjusted difference in systolic blood pressure (SBP) was −0.3 (95% CI −2.7;2.0) mmHg and in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was −1.0 (95% CI −2.1;0.3) mmHg for patients with ESA compared to patients without ESA. Adjusted SBP was 3.7 (95% CI −1.6;9.0) mmHg higher in patients with a high ESA dose compared to patients with a low ESA dose. Conclusions Our study confirms the hypertensive effect of ESA, since ESA treated patients received more antihypertensive agents. However, no relevant difference in BP was found between patients with and without ESA, thus the increase in BP seems to be controlled for by antihypertensive medication.
The Effect of CSR Evaluations on Affective Attachment to CSR in Different Identity Orientation Firms

The goal of the present research was to examine the way in which organisational identity orientation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) interact to produce affective attachment and related beneficial behaviours among organisational members. Using a questionnaire administered in Poland, it was shown that when CSR activity was viewed as authentic by employees, it led to affective attachment to the organisation's CSR stance, while an instrumental evaluation was correlated with a negative attachment to the CSR stance. The results suggest that CSR motives were particularly important for organisations with relational and collectivistic identity orientations because of the focus of these organisations on mutual or collective good that could be demonstrated through CSR. The results contributed to social identity literature by establishing a clear relationship between the concepts of identity orientation and CSR and showing that only authentic CSR produces affective attachment and behaviours that benefit the organisation.
THYROTROPIC FEEDBACK CONTROL: EVIDENCE FOR AN ADDITIONAL ULTRASHORT FEEDBACK LOOP FROM FRACTAL ANALYSIS

More than 70 years after the discovery of the pituitary–thyroid feedback control mechanism, a classical endocrine regulation system, most of its parameters have been identified. However, the regulation of its central component in the pituitary gland, probably responsible for pulsatile release of thyrotropin (TSH), remains obscure. In order to infer its structure from the system's behavior, four different pituitary models were created and compared regarding their fractal properties. Based on the simplest model showing noncompetitive inhibition of TSH release by thyroid hormones—a physiologically plausible correlation—one alternative model added stochastic stimulation by central signals and another added an additional intrapituitary feedback loop, whereas the fourth model combined both effects. This latter model combining noncompetitive inhibition with the two additional effects showed the same fractal dimensions as in vivo time series, whereas the simpler models yielded significantly lower time-series complexity. These results suggest that both stochastic stimulation and ultrashort loop feedback are involved in the generation of TSH pulses in the human pituitary.
A wireless photostimulator for optogenetics with live animals

In this paper, we present a wireless photostimulator providing high output power from small 1.5-V Zinc-Air coin battery to stimulate light sensitized neurons. To overcome the limits of such a small energy source e.g. discharging current and voltage, the proposed photostimulator is based on a DC/DC converter and a switched capacitor circuit to provide high voltage (4 V) and high current (maximum 20 mA) to the stimulating μLEDs. These LED driving voltages and currents are modulated by a PWM signal, and designed to provide a stimulation pulsewidth of 5-ms at a period of 500 ms. A charge pump circuit is used to boost the battery voltage level up to 4 V from the aforementioned low-voltage coin battery. The output current of the proposed LED driver circuit is adjustable to provide different output light power levels output. The post layout simulation results in IBM CMRF8SF 130-nm process shows a variation of less than 1 % of the output LED driver current of the across all PVT corners. The efficiency of the proposed photostimulator, including the charge pump and the LED driver, is of 66 %.
BMP2 expression in the adult rat brain

Bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP2) is a member of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily and plays important roles in multiple biological events. Although BMP2 expression has been well described in the early development of the central nervous system (CNS), little information is available on its expression in the adult CNS. We thus investigated BMP2 expression in the adult rat CNS by using immunohistochemistry. Here we show that BMP2 is widely expressed throughout the adult CNS. In addition, besides intense BMP2 expression in almost all neurons, we found BMP2 expression in astrocytes and ependymal cells. Interestingly, we found that the axons of olfactory sensory neurons express BMP2. In addition, in the glomerular layer, BMP2 was very strongly expressed in some glomeruli, whereas the other glomeruli were weakly stained, suggesting that the variations in BMP2 expression level in each glomerus might be cues for each axon to find its adequate target and to keep its identity. Furthermore, we compared the expression patterns of BMP2 and BMP4. Interestingly, BMP4 was preferentially expressed in the dendrites of several neurons, whereas BMP2 was basically not expressed in the dendrites; however, it was detected in the axons. This means that in a single neuron the localizations of BMP2 and BMP4 are differentially regulated. These data indicate that BMP2 is more widely expressed throughout the adult CNS than previously reported, and its continued abundant expression in the adult brain strongly supports the idea that BMP2 also plays pivotal roles in the adult brain. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:4513–4530, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Improved Self-Adaptive Differential Evolution Algorithm for Optimization Problems

Many real-world optimization problems are difficult to solve as they do not possess the nice mathematical properties required by the exact algorithms. Evolutionary algorithms are proven to be appropriate for such problems. In this paper, we propose an improved differential evolution algorithm that uses a mix of different mutation operators. In addition, the algorithm is empowered by a covariance adaptation matrix evolution strategy algorithm as a local search. To judge the performance of the algorithm, we have solved well-known benchmark as well as a variety of real-world optimization problems. The real-life problems were taken from different sources and disciplines. According to the results obtained, the algorithm shows a superior performance in comparison with other algorithms that also solved these problems.