Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome-Wide Search for Type 2 Diabetes in Japanese Affected Sib-Pairs Confirms Susceptibility Genes on 3 q , 15 q , and 20 q and Identifies Two New Candidate Loci on 7 p and 11 p

The genetic background that predisposes the Japanese population to type 2 diabetes is largely unknown. Therefore, we conducted a 10-cM genome-wide scan for type 2 diabetes traits in the 359 affected individuals from 159 families, yielding 224 affected sib-pairs of Japanese origin. Nonparametric multipoint linkage analyses performed in the whole population showed one suggestive linked region on 11p13-p12 (maximum logarithm of odds score [MLS] 3.08, near Pax6) and seven potentially linked regions (MLS >1.17) at 1p36-p32, 2q34, 3q26q28, 6p23, 7p22-p21, 15q13-q21, and 20q12-q13 (near the gene for hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 [HNF-4 ]). Subset analyses according to maximal BMI and early age at diagnosis added suggestive evidence of linkage with type 2 diabetes at 7p22-p21 (MLS 3.51), 15q13-q21 (MLS 3.91), and 20q12-q13 (MLS 2.32). These results support previous indication for linkage found on chromosome 3q, 15q, and 20q in other populations and identifies two new potential loci on 7p and 11p that may confer genetic risk for type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population. Diabetes 51:1247–1255, 2002
Musical Performance Anxiety: Relations between Personal Features and State Anxiety Levels of Pre-Service Music Teachers

Article History: Received 23.02. 2014 Received in revised form 11.05. 2014 Accepted 26.05. 2014 Available online 10.08. 2014 Musical performance anxiety, also known as stage fright, is such a significant obstacle to music performance that it can interfere with or even end careers. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between pre-service music teachers’ state anxiety levels just before a concert and their genders, ages, self-efficacy, number of years of playing their instruments, length of daily instrumental practice time, and previous concert performance experiences. Data were gathered from forty-three pre-service music teachers (F=29; M=14) using State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Speilberger, Gorsuch & Luschene, 1970), Self-efficacy Towards Music Ability Scale (Ozmentes & Ozmentes, 2008) and a personal information form including information related with musical performance experience. Additionally, state anxiety inventory was administered to participants just before their solo performances. The results showed that pre-performance state anxiety levels of the female students are significantly higher than for the male students, and significant positive correlations were found between participants’ state anxiety and trait anxiety levels. Additionally, negative significant correlations were found between participants’ self-efficacy in their musical abilities and the number of years of playing their instruments; and a small negative correlation between state anxiety and self-efficacy was found. Results were discussed with reference to related literature and some suggestions were made concerning the results. © 2014 IOJES. All rights reserved
The Short French Internet Addiction Test Adapted to Online Sexual Activities: Validation and Links With Online Sexual Preferences and Addiction Symptoms

The goal of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a French version of the short Internet Addiction Test adapted to online sexual activities (s-IAT-sex). The French version of the s-IAT-sex was administered to a sample of 401 men. The participants also completed a questionnaire that screened for sexual addiction (PATHOS). The relationships of s-IAT-sex scores with time spent online for online sexual activities (OSAs) and the types of OSAs favored were also considered. Confirmatory analyses supported a two-factor model of s-IAT-sex, corresponding to the factorial structure found in earlier studies that used the short IAT. The first factor regroups loss of control and time management, whereas the second factor regroups craving and social problems. Internal consistency for each factor was evaluated with Cronbach's α coefficient, resulting in . 87 for Factor 1, . 76 for Factor 2, and . 88 for the global scale. Concurrent validity was supported by relationships with symptoms of sexual addiction, types of OSAs practiced, and time spent online for OSAs. The prevalence of sexual addiction (measured by PATHOS) was 28.1% in the current sample of self-selected male OSA users. The French version of the s-IAT-sex presents good psychometric properties and constitutes a useful tool for researchers and practitioners.
When is physician assisted suicide or euthanasia acceptable?

Objectives: To discover what factors affect lay people’s judgments of the acceptability of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia and how these factors interact. Design: Participants rated the acceptability of either physician assisted suicide or euthanasia for 72 patient vignettes with a five factor design—that is, all combinations of patient’s age (three levels); curability of illness (two levels); degree of suffering (two levels); patient’s mental status (two levels), and extent of patient’s requests for the procedure (three levels). Participants: Convenience sample of 66 young adults, 62 middle aged adults, and 66 older adults living in western France. Main measurements: In accordance with the functional theory of cognition of N H Anderson, main effects, and interactions among patient factors and participants’ characteristics were investigated by means of both graphs and ANOVA. Results: Patient requests were the most potent determinant of acceptability. Euthanasia was generally less acceptable than physician assisted suicide, but this difference disappeared when requests were repetitive. As their own age increased, participants placed more weight on patient age as a criterion of acceptability. Conclusions: People’s judgments concur with legislation to require a repetition of patients’ requests for a life ending act. Younger people, who frequently are decision makers for elderly relatives, place less emphasis on patient’s age itself than do older people.
Early patterning of the chorion leads to the trilaminar trophoblast cell structure in the placental labyrinth

The labyrinth of the rodent placenta contains villi that are the site of nutrient exchange between mother and fetus. They are covered by three trophoblast cell types that separate the maternal blood sinusoids from fetal capillaries - a single mononuclear cell that is a subtype of trophoblast giant cell (sinusoidal or S-TGC) with endocrine function and two multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast layers, each resulting from cell-cell fusion, that function in nutrient transport. The developmental origins of these cell types have not previously been elucidated. We report here the discovery of cell-layer-restricted genes in the mid-gestation labyrinth (E12.5-14.5) including Ctsq in S-TGCs (also Hand1-positive), Syna in syncytiotrophoblast layer I (SynT-I), and Gcm1, Cebpa and Synb in syncytiotrophoblast layer II (SynT-II). These genes were also expressed in distinct layers in the chorion as early as E8.5, prior to villous formation. Specifically, Hand1 was expressed in apical cells lining maternal blood spaces (Ctsq is not expressed until E12.5), Syna in a layer immediately below, and Gcm1, Cebpa and Synb in basal cells in contact with the allantois. Cebpa and Synb were co-expressed with Gcm1 and were reduced in Gcm1 mutants. By contrast, Hand1 and Syna expression was unaltered in Gcm1 mutants, suggesting that Gcm1-positive cells are not required for the induction of the other chorion layers. These data indicate that the three differentiated trophoblast cell types in the labyrinth arise from distinct and autonomous precursors in the chorion that are patterned before morphogenesis begins.
Gone With the Wind: A Meta-Analytic Review of Executive Turnover, Its Antecedents, and Postacquisition Performance

Considerable research has been devoted to examining the factors that influence postacquisition performance. Yet the empirical evidence remains inconclusive as to the extent to which these factors affect postacquisition performance. Building on the theory of relative standing, we propose turnover of acquired firm CEO and top management team (TMT) as an important mechanism through which commonly examined firm and deal characteristics influence postacquisition performance. Specifically, the examined antecedents represent conditions that create perceptions of diminished relative standing among acquired firm executives postacquisition. First, we conduct a meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize existing empirical research on the effect of the specified antecedents on executive turnover and on postacquisition performance. Then, we combine meta-analysis with structural equation modeling to examine the links between four antecedents, executive turnover, and postacquisition performance in a mediation model. Meta-analytic results (based on 112 studies and 399 effect sizes) reveal that the most significant factors affecting postacquisition performance are executive turnover and the level of integration of the acquired firm. However, TMT and CEO turnover have opposite effects on postacquisition performance. Our results also show that sample and measurement characteristics of primary studies moderate the identified relations. As expected, we find that CEO and TMT turnover mediate relations between three of the four examined antecedents and postacquisition performance. We discuss theoretical contributions and provide directions for future research.
A Concise Set of Core Recommendations to Improve the Dependability of Psychological Research

Numerous recommendations for improving the dependability of research findings in psychological science have emerged in recent years. Unfortunately, this glut of recommendations proves problematic for advancing uniform solutions to improve research dependability by individuals within and across the various constituencies that comprise psychological science. Moreover, several dependability recommendations propose practices to address the problem of false positive findings that can inversely increase the problem of false negative findings, and vice versa. It is proposed that the solution to this conundrum is to develop a concise and concrete list of core research dependability recommendations that address problems of false positive and false negative findings in a noncontradicting manner. Examination of the current research dependability literature and earlier literatures dealing with the problem of false findings is used to arrive at a set of three core research dependability recommendations: (a) conduct and promote direct replication studies; (b) ensure data sharing when requested by fellow scientists; and (c) adopt and promote a truth seeking mindset during the research endeavor.
Knowledge Transfer with Medical Language Embeddings

Identifying relationships between concepts is a key aspect of scientific knowledge synthesis. Finding these links often requires a researcher to laboriously search through scien- tific papers and databases, as the size of these resources grows ever larger. In this paper we describe how distributional semantics can be used to unify structured knowledge graphs with unstructured text to predict new relationships between medical concepts, using a probabilistic generative model. Our approach is also designed to ameliorate data sparsity and scarcity issues in the medical domain, which make language modelling more challenging. Specifically, we integrate the medical relational database (SemMedDB) with text from electronic health records (EHRs) to perform knowledge graph completion. We further demonstrate the ability of our model to predict relationships between tokens not appearing in the relational database.
A Phase I and Pharmacokinetic Study of Weekly Paclitaxel and Carboplatin in Patients with Metastatic Esophageal Cancer

Purpose: To determine the maximum-tolerated dose, toxicity profile, and pharmacokinetics of a fixed dose of paclitaxel followed by increasing doses of carboplatin, given weekly to patients with advanced esophageal or gastric junction cancer. Experimental Design: Paclitaxel was administered on day 1 as a 1-h infusion at a fixed dose of 100 mg/m2 followed by a 1-h infusion of carboplatin targeting an area under the curve (AUC) of 2–5 mg × min/ml, with cycles repeated on days 8, 15, 29, 36, and 43. Results: Forty patients [36 males; median (range) age, 57 (40–74) years] were enrolled. Dose-limiting toxicity was observed at a carboplatin AUC of 5 mg × min/ml and consisted of treatment delay attributable to myelosuppression. No grade 3/4 treatment-related nonhematological toxicity was observed. The highest dose intensity (>95% of the planned dose over time) was achieved with a carboplatin AUC of 4 mg × min/ml. The mean (±SD) AUCs of unbound (Cu) and total paclitaxel were 0.662 ± 0.186 and 7.37 ± 1.33 μm × h, respectively. Clearance of Cu was 188 ± 44.6 liter/h/m2, which is not significantly different from historical data (P = 0.52). Cremophor EL clearance was 123 ± 23 ml/h/m2, similar to previous findings. Of 37 patients evaluable for response, 1 had complete response, 19 had partial response, and 10 had stable disease, accounting for an overall response rate of 54%. Conclusions: This regimen is very tolerable and effective, and the recommended doses for additional studies are paclitaxel (100 mg/m2), with carboplatin targeting an AUC of 4 mg × min/ml.
Time Course of Microbiologic Outcome and Gene Expression in Candida albicans during and following In Vitro and In Vivo Exposure to Fluconazole

ABSTRACT Pharmacodynamics (PD) considers the relationship between drug exposure and effect. The two factors that have been used to distinguish the PD behaviors of antimicrobials are the impact of concentration on the extent of organism killing and the duration of persistent microbiologic suppression (postantibiotic effect). The goals of these studies were (i) to examine the relationship between antimicrobial PD and gene expression and (ii) to gain insight into the mechanism of fluconazole effects persisting following exposure. Microarrays were used to estimate the transcriptional response of Candida albicans to a supra-MIC F exposure over time in vitro. Fluconazole at four times the MIC was added to a log-phase C. albicans culture, and cells were collected to determine viable growth and for microarray analyses. We identified differential expression of 18% of all genes for at least one of the time points. More genes were upregulated (n = 1,053 [16%]) than downregulated (174 [3%]). Of genes with known function that were upregulated during exposure, most were related to plasma membrane/cell wall synthesis (18%), stress responses (7%), and metabolism (6%). The categories of downregulated genes during exposure included protein synthesis (15%), DNA synthesis/repair (7%), and transport (7%) genes. The majority of genes identified at the postexposure time points were from the protein (17%) and DNA (7%) synthesis categories. In subsequent studies, three genes (CDR1, CDR2, and ERG11) were examined in greater detail (more concentration and time points) following fluconazole exposure in vitro and in vivo. Expression levels from the in vitro and in vivo studies were congruent. CDR1 and CDR2 transcripts were reduced during in vitro fluconazole exposure and during supra-MIC exposure in vivo. However, in the postexposure period, the mRNA abundance of both pumps increased. ERG11 expression increased during exposure and fell in the postexposure period. The expression of the three genes responded in a dose-dependent manner. In sum, the microarray data obtained during and following fluconazole exposure identified genes both known and unknown to be affected by this drug class. The expanded in vitro and in vivo expression data set underscores the importance of considering the time course of exposure in pharmacogenomic investigations.
Responsivity factors among offenders

ABSTRACT The presence of responsivity issues has the potential to interfere with the delivery of interventions to offenders. The current study investigated differences among extra- and intra-familial child molesters, sex offenders against adult victims, violent offenders, and general offenders on four potential areas of responsivity, using psychometric measures. Differences were found between sexual offenders with child victims and violent offenders on antisocial and substance abuse variables. However, offender groups did not differ on intellectual, borderline personality, mental health, and treatment motivation variables, indicating that regardless of the nature of offending, responsivity barriers should be assessed to ensure treatment gains are maximized.
Advances in monitoring of aspirin therapy

The efficacy of aspirin to prevent thrombotic events in cardiovascular patients is well established, with >100 randomized trials having been conducted in high-risk patients and demonstrating a reduction in vascular death of approximately 15% and a further reduction in non-fatal vascular events of approximately 30%. While the benefit of aspirin is undisputed, it is also known that aspirin is associated with a dose-dependent increase in the risk of bleeding. It follows that most treatment guidelines advocate the use of the lowest aspirin dose effective in preventing thrombotic complications to minimize the risk of major bleeding. From this, a need for monitoring of aspirin therapy has emerged and prompted the development and investigation of numerous assays of platelet function. The intention behind monitoring of aspirin's antithrombotic effects is to maximize benefit and to personalize treatment based on individual patient characteristics. This article reviews the recent literature on the usefulness of platelet function testing in patients requiring aspirin; the variability of platelet reactivity in patients taking aspirin and its clinical impact; the potential mechanisms underlying suboptimal platelet inhibition by aspirin and future directions in terms of management of aspirin therapy.
Determinants of L.E.T. Performance of the Teacher Education Graduates in a State University

This study determined the correlation of personal and educational related factors with the LET performance of the Teacher Education graduates of NVSU, second semester, S.Y. 2007-2008. The respondents' personal and educational data were gathered from the Registrar's records while the result of the LET performance was taken from the PRC through the LET Review Committee. The study used descriptive survey method with the use of documentary analysis. T-test was used to determine the difference in the LET performance when grouped according to gender and degree course. F-test was used to determine if there is significant difference in LET performance and English proficiency of the respondents. Scheffe Post Hoc Test was utilized to determine the significant difference in English proficiency in terms of percentile ranks. There were more Elementary Education respondents
Electrophysiologic Abnormalities of Auditory and Visual Information Processing in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Lew HL, Lee EH, Pan SSL, Date ES: Electrophysiologic abnormalities of auditory and visual information processing in patients with traumatic brain injury. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2004;83:428–433. Objective:Through both auditory and visual modalities, we sought to explore the efficacy of event-related potentials in detecting residual cognitive impairments in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design:Control subjects and TBI patients with favorable recovery were recruited. Pure tone and primary color discrimination tasks were utilized to elicit auditory and visual event-related potentials, respectively. All subjects were instructed to push a response button when they detected the target stimuli. Both behavioral and electrophysiologic responses were obtained simultaneously. We analyzed the event-related potential waveforms and examined the differences in amplitude, latency, behavioral reaction time, and response accuracy. Results:A total of 11 TBI patients and 11 control subjects were tested. Results showed that (1) TBI patients had significantly lower P300 amplitude in both auditory (11.2 vs. 22. 7 μ V) and visual (11.6 vs. 20.9 μ V) domains, (2) TBI patients had significantly longer P300 latency in both auditory (355 vs. 294 msecs) and visual (376 vs. 341 msecs) modalities, and (3) although there was no significant difference in response accuracy (97.7%vs. 100%), reaction time for both auditory and visual tasks were significantly longer in TBI patients (auditory, 404 vs. 277 msecs; visual, 397 vs. 346 msecs). Conclusion:Although TBI patients with good recovery showed similar response accuracy when compared with control subjects, they demonstrated significantly poorer performance in both electrophysiologic and behavioral responses. Diminished amplitudes and prolonged latencies in P300 responses indicate impaired organization and categorization of incoming sensory information; prolonged behavioral reaction times suggest slowing in the response execution process. Clinical and theoretical implications and goals for continued research are discussed.
An Ethnographic Study of the Use of Puppetry with a Children's Group

This study utilized an ethnographic methodology to examine and describe the various aspects and processes occurring in a children's group as the members created their own puppets and accompanying puppet plays. Individual and interactive behavior patterns were isolated and analyzed as a means of gaining an in depth understanding of the puppetry process. The puppetry process, in turn, was viewed in terms of information it provided regarding the individual members and the group process. The facilitative and non-facilitative aspects of the procedure were delineated. The adult leader met with a group of six boys, in grades four and five, for 12 one-hour sessions in which they made puppets and then created puppet plays around issues that they had articulated as problems. The group sessions were videotaped and transcribed. The transcriptions were coded in an effort to extensively analyze the puppetry process and the group process, and the ways in which the two processes interacted. An independent observer/rater was utilized in order to provide some validity for the researcher's reported results. The puppet-making task appeared to offer an opportunity for individuals to begin to come together in a common, but individual task. Characteristic styles and individual personality dynamics were evidenced. General response to the task was enthusiastic, with varying degrees of satisfaction expressed regarding their finished products. The play-creating and performing process met with less success than the puppet-making. While the group members appeared to be generally amenable to contributing ideas for the puppet plays, the process met with far more resistance in the cooperative task of putting their ideas into a finished product. The group discussion and interaction that occurred around these tasks provided a vehicle by which to view levels of interpersonal skills and the group's overall stage of development. The puppets the children created appeared to act as metaphors in expressing the group members' views of themselves and in enabling the symbolic representation of some of their central concerns. The plays they created paralleled the process that actually took place in the group. The subject matter and content of the puppets and plays provided information and evidence as to how each member approached and solved problems. The discrepancies in the ways in which the researcher and the independent observer/rater viewed the positive and negative social/emotional interactions of the group members, coupled with the small number of subjects included in this study preclude generalizing to other groups of children at this time. Further studies, with additional groups of children, utilizing parametric statistics are called for before any such generalizations can be made.