Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethical and Methodological Issues in Academic Mental Health Research in Populations Affected by Disasters: The Oklahoma City Experience Relevant to September 11, 2001

ABSTRACT Empirical data from research studies are vital to guiding mental health interventions following disasters. However, few data are available for this purpose. Important advances in policy and procedures for the conduct of organized research emerged from the Oklahoma City bombing, yielding cooperative working relationships among researchers and culminating in the ethical attainment of informative research data. However, the academic community was again caught off guard after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Suggestions to surmount these obstacles include incorporating research infrastructures into disaster preparedness plans in advance; organizing the community of researchers; and working closely with major funding organizations. Methodological issues pertaining to measurement of psychopathology include the importance of obtaining diagnostic data; interpreting the meaning of symptoms in the absence of a psychiatric disorder; differentiating preexisting symptoms from those that emerged after the disaster, and optimal timing of postdisaster assessment.
ATAD2 overexpression links to enrichment of B-MYB-translational signatures and development of aggressive endometrial carcinoma

We have explored the potential for clinical implementation of ATAD2 as a biomarker for aggressive endometrial cancer by investigating to what extent immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for ATAD2 is feasible, reflects clinical phenotype and molecular subgroups of endometrial carcinomas. Increased expression of the ATAD2 gene has been implicated in cancer development and progression in a number of tissues, but few studies have investigated ATAD2 expression using IHC. Here we show that high ATAD2 protein expression is significantly associated with established clinical-pathological variables for aggressive endometrial cancer, also in the subset of estrogen receptor α (ERα) positive tumors. Protein and mRNA expression of ATAD2 were highly correlated (P < 0.001), suggesting that IHC staining may represent a more clinically applicable measure of ATAD2 level in routinely collected formalin fixed paraffin embedded specimens. Gene expression alterations in samples with high ATAD2 expression revealed upregulation of several cancer-related genes (B-MYB, CDCs, E2Fs) and gene sets that previously have been linked to aggressive disease and potential for new targeting therapies. Our results support that IHC staining for ATAD2 may be a clinically applicable biomarker reflecting clinical phenotype and targetable alterations in endometrial carcinomas to be further explored in controlled clinical trials.
Treatment with azathioprine and cyclic methylprednisolone has little or no effect on bioactivity in anti-interferon beta antibody-positive patients with multiple sclerosis

Background It is unknown whether immunosuppression of patients who have developed interferon-β (IFN-β) neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) hastens disappearance of NAbs in the blood. Objective We wanted to test whether immunosuppression with cyclic methylprednisolone (MP) in combination with azathioprine (AZA) for 6 months accelerates recovery of IFN-β bioactivity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with abolished in-vivo myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA) mRNA response to IFN-β. Methods We included 13 patients with MS with NAbs and a low IFN-β bioavailability detected by the MxA-mRNA response in a descriptive, non-randomized trial. Another 14 NAb-positive patients with a low MxA-mRNA response served as controls. The primary outcome was the fraction of patients who regained an MxA-mRNA response to IFN-β. NAbs were measured by means of a clinically validated cytopathic effect assay and a new reporter gene assay. The in-vivo MxA-mRNA response was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results A total of 11 patients in the treatment group completed the trial. In all, two of these 11 patients regained an in-vivo MxA-mRNA response as compared to one of 14 patients in the control group. Conclusion Treatment with AZA and cyclic MP for 6 months has little or no effect on IFN-β bioactivity in NAb-positive patients with MS.
Feature Selection in Supervised Saliency Prediction

There is an increasing interest in learning mappings from features to saliency maps based on human fixation data on natural images. These models have achieved better results than most bottom-up (unsupervised) saliency models. However, they usually use a large set of features trying to account for all possible saliency-related factors, which increases time cost and leaves the truly effective features unknown. Through supervised feature selection, we show that the features used in existing models are highly redundant. On each of three benchmark datasets considered in this paper, a small number of features are found to be good enough for predicting human eye fixations in free viewing experiments. The resulting model achieves comparable results to that with all features and outperforms the state-of-the-art models on these datasets. In addition, both the features selected and the model trained on any dataset exhibit good performance on the other two datasets, indicating robustness of the selected features and models across different datasets. Finally, after training on a dataset for two different tasks, eye fixation prediction and salient object detection, the selected features show robustness across the two tasks. Taken together, these findings suggest that a small set of features could account for visual saliency.
Ramus, Visual Rhetoric, and the Emergence of Page Design in Medical Writing of the English Renaissance

The evolution of page design to improve the readability of technical writing can be traced to improvements in typography and also to the influence of Peter Ramus. Ramus's logic used bracketed outlines to show the relationships among ideas within larger concepts. Used by legal writers and Puritan theologians to analyze concepts, Ramist method was also used by English physicians who sought to create medical texts that could be easily read and remembered by students and practitioners. Texts that used Ramist method illustrate their writers' awareness of the importance of making information visually accessible by use of white space, headings that reveal hierarchies of ideas, and bracketed dichotomies and partitions to reveal content for selective reading.
Transglutaminase-mediated oligomerization promotes osteoblast adhesive properties of osteopontin and bone sialoprotein

Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is a widely distributed, protein-crosslinking enzyme having a prominent role in cell adhesion as a β1 integrin co-receptor for fibronectin. In bone and teeth, its substrates include the matricellular proteins osteopontin (OPN) and bone sialoprotein (BSP). The aim of this study was to examine effects of TG2-mediated crosslinking and oligomerization of OPN and BSP on osteoblast cell adhesion. We show that surfaces coated with oligomerized OPN and BSP promote MC3T3-E1/C4 osteoblastic cell adhesion significantly better than surfaces coated with the monomeric form of the proteins. Both OPN and BSP oligomer-adherent cells showed more cytoplasmic extensions than those cells grown on the monomer-coated surfaces indicative of increased cell connectivity. Our study suggests a role for TG2 in promoting the cell adhesion function of two matricellular substrate proteins prominent in bone, tooth cementum and certain tumors.
Analysis of ultra-triathlon performances

Despite increased interest in ultra-endurance events, little research has examined ultra-triathlon performance. The aims of this study were: (i) to compare swimming, cycling, running, and overall performances in three ultra-distance triathlons, double Ironman distance triathlon (2IMT) (7.6 km swimming, 360 km cycling, and 84.4 km running), triple Ironman distance triathlon (3IMT) (11.4 km, 540 km, and 126.6 km), and deca Ironman distance triathlon (10IMT) (38 km, 1800 km, and 420 km) and (ii) to examine the relationships between the 2IMT, 3IMT, and 10IMT performances to create predicted equations of the 10IMT performances. Race results from 1985 through 2009 were examined to identify triathletes who performed the three considered ultra-distances. In total, 73 triathletes (68 men and 5 women) were identified. The contribution of swimming to overall ultra-triathlon performance was lower than for cycling and running. Running performance was more important to overall performance for 2IMT and 3IMT compared with 10IMT The 2IMT and 3IMT performances were significantly correlated with 10IMT performances for swimming and cycling, but not for running. 10IMT total time performance might be predicted by the following equation: 10IMT race time (minutes) = 5885 + 3.69 × 3IMT race time (minutes). This analysis of human performance during ultra-distance triathlons represents a unique data set in the field of ultra-endurance events. Additional studies are required to determine the physiological and psychological factors associated with ultra-triathlon performance.
CROSS-CULTURAL VALIDATION OF THE PORTUGUESE VERSION OF THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT TOOL (PortENAT).

OBJECTIVES To undertake a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the educational needs assessment tool (ENAT) into Portuguese. METHODS The first phase of this research (cross-cultural adaptation) utilised a well-established translation method comprising five sequential steps: forward-translation, synthesis of translations, back-translation, expert committee and field-testing of the adapted version. The second phase involved collecting data from 123 patients and subjecting them to Rasch analysis for validity testing including cross-cultural invariance. RESULTS The translation and field-testing phase went smoothly giving rise to minor adjustments in the phrasing of some items. The preliminary analysis of the 39 items, revealed some deviations from the model with the overall item-person interaction fit statistics 2(df) = 56.025 (39), p = 0.038. Significant item-item correlations caused artificial inflation of the internal consistency, therefore violating the model assumption of local independence of items. To correct this, all locally dependent items were then grouped into their respective domains, creating a 7 testlet-scale which demonstrated a good fit to the Rasch model, 2(df) = 2.625 (7), p = 0.917 and internal consistency PSI = 0.975. Analysis of the pooled (Portuguese and the English) data revealed cross-cultural DIF, requiring adjustments in two testlets: 'treatments' and 'support' which ensured cross-cultural equivalence. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the Portuguese ENAT is a robust unidimensional tool with which to assess the educational needs of Portuguese people with RA. Cross-cultural adjustments are required only if the data from Portugal and the UK are pooled or compared. The tool is now available for use in clinical practice and research.
Meta-Analysis and the Development of Knowledge

With the widespread application of meta-analysis, it is important to examine the role of meta-analysis in the development of knowledge. Researchers have proposed that meta-analysis provides us with an overview of where the research field has been, summarizes and integrates extant research findings, and suggests directions for future research efforts. Some researchers further argue that meta-analysis can contribute to the accumulation of knowledge and the progress of science. In this article, these claims are examined from an epistemological perspective. Using Kuhn’s (1962, 1970b) framework, the authors discuss how meta-analysis contributes to the progress of both normal science and extraordinary science and thus plays an important role in knowledge development in a field.
The puzzle-puddle-pickle problem and the Duke-of-York gambit in acquisition

Two classic and previously unrelated problems are reconsidered for their implications for optimality theory and acquisition. The puzzle-puddle-pickle problem centers on the debate over children’s underlying representations and the characterization of interacting error patterns which, when lost, result in overgeneralizations. In response to the challenges that this problem poses, an optimality theoretic solution is offered that appeals to the second problem, the Duke-of-York gambit, which involves co-occurring generalizations with reverse effects. The solution avoids language-specific restrictions on input representations and characterizes the loss and introduction of errors by one mechanism. New insight is offered for when overgeneralization is (not) expected to occur.
Basaltic andesite, altered basalt, and a TES‐based search for smectite clay minerals on Mars

The global‐scale surface type 2 unit first identified with the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) remains enigmatic. Competing hypotheses suggest that it represents either basaltic andesite or some form of altered basalt rich in dioctahedral smectite clay minerals and/or spectrally similar amorphous silica phases. Common dioctahedral smectites contain a diagnostic feature in a portion of TES spectra that has been excluded in previous studies because of atmospheric CO2 absorption. We exploit the relative transparency of this spectral region to develop two indices that in tandem, distinguish between certain smectites and amorphous phases. Smectites are not detected in northern lowlands type 2 settings, consistent with other datasets, but the case for primary or secondary amorphous silica phases is strengthened. Separately, one index reveals an abundance of isolated type 2 occurrences in the southern high‐latitudes (>50°) associated with dunes, the other shows olivine concentrations between −40° and +30°.
Ketanserin in pre‐eclamptic patients: transplacental transmission and disposition in neonates

The aim of this prospective, observational study was to assess transplacental transmission of ketanserin, an antihypertensive drug used in pre‐eclampsia, and to determine disposition and effects in the neonate after maternal ketanserin use. In 22 pregnant women with severe pre‐eclampsia, admitted to the antenatal ward in the period 1999–2001, the ratio of drug levels in the umbilical cord to drug levels in maternal blood just before delivery was used as an indicator of placental transmission. Disposition of ketanserin was assessed using neonatal plasma concentrations of ketanserin in eight neonates after birth. A median placental transmission was found in the pre‐eclamptic women of 0.95 (0.612–1.24) for ketanserin and for its metabolite, ketanserinol, of 0.60 (0.5–0.77). Pharmacologically relevant concentrations of ketanserin were found in the neonate after delivery. The elimination half‐life of ketanserin in the neonate varied between 12.7 and 43.7 hours (median 19.3 hours) and of ketanserinol between 13.8 and 34.4 hours (median 18.7 hours). Despite the high placental transmission and disposition in the neonate, no apparent adverse effects in the neonates could be detected. In conclusion, a high placental transmission of ketanserin and its metabolite ketanserinol occurred after maternal treatment of pre‐eclampsia with ketanserin and pharmacologically active concentrations of ketanserin are found in the neonate for a prolonged period after delivery.
Concentration and time‐dependent inter‐relationships for antitumour drug cytotoxicities against tumour cells in vitro

Cryopreserved tumour cells obtained from the ascitic fluid of a patient with an ovarian carcinoma were employed to determine the effect on in vitro drug cytotoxicities of varying both drug concentration and exposure time. Four antitumour drugs, in common clinical usage, were selected for study. Tumour‐cell survival following drug treatment was measured by colony‐forming ability in the soft‐agar assay developed by Courtenay et al. (1978). Treatment with cis‐platinum, adriamycin or vinblastine generated exponential survival curves with increasing cell kill resulting from either increasing drug concentrations or prolonging exposure times. In contrast, no detectable cell kill was elicited by treatment with hydroxyurea for short exposure times of 1 or 6 h, even at concentrations as high as 1 mg/ml, although continuous drug exposure resulted in a steep exponential survival curve. These results, obtained directly from biopsy material, are in close agreement with data from parallel studies employing a continuous human tumour‐cell line (COLO 205 derived from a colon carcinoma). Duration of exposure is therefore an important determinant of drug‐induced cytotoxicity under these assay conditions. The results with hydroxyurea, however, imply that prolonged incubation times are necessary to evaluate the cytotoxicity of certain agents and so the routinely employed 1 h exposure in most current human tumour drug sensitivity tests is inadequate for such drugs. These data therefore provide evidence that employing a single set of standard conditions of drug exposure to evaluate all antitumour drugs may be inappropriate.
Environmental Policy, Land Rights, and Conflict: Rethinking Community Natural Resource Management Programs in Burkina Faso

In this paper I will examine the effects of the implementation of the Gestion des Terroirs approach in several villages in the cotton-growing region of southwestern Burkina Faso, an area of both extensive immigration and fast-paced socioeconomic change. Efforts to restructure land-tenure relations have failed, despite the rhetoric of participatory development, because projects misunderstand the nature of changing land rights, agricultural practices, and village social relations. Failures of efforts to zone land have been exacerbated because land has become a major site of conflict. Population growth and agricultural growth have led to land shortages, intensified competition, and overt conflict. Efforts to restructure landholding by using participatory development methods have had unintended consequences as individuals and groups manipulate meanings and representations about rights to land and land-management strategies in order to lay claim to land. On the one hand some local farmers are attempting to expel migrant farmers from land by invoking notions of who is and who is not using environmentally sound management practices. Migrant farmers, on the other hand, are fearful of leaving land fallow because they fear that the project or their local hosts will take it away from them. Both of these outcomes have increased tension among ethnic and generational groups and fostered mistrust of the motivations of environmental projects. Instead of homogeneous cooperative entities, villages are often based on conflict and competition. Projects, therefore, should focus on conflict resolution and reconciliation when attempting to restructure how natural resources are allocated.
Changes in rat paw perfusion after experimental mononeuropathy: assessment by laser Doppler fluxmetry.

UNLABELLED This study was performed to determine the changes in perfusion that occur after chronic constriction injury (CCI). Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 275-300 g had loosely constricting ligatures placed around the left sciatic nerve. Paw withdrawal latency (PWL) to heat, skin temperature, and skin perfusion (laser Doppler) of the hind paws were measured before and for 30 days after CCI. PWL decreased significantly on the side of the CCI (maximum of 34% decrease on Postoperative Day [POD] 3), then returned to normal over a 20-day period. Skin temperature initially increased on the side of CCI, then decreased with respect to the control limb on PODs 20-30. Despite the initial increase in skin temperature on the side of CCI, skin perfusion significantly decreased immediately after CCI (maximum of 51% decrease on POD 6). The perfusion gradually returned to normal over 20 days. Because return to normal perfusion occurred while the skin temperature became colder than the control side, we conclude that there is no relationship between paw surface temperature and perfusion. IMPLICATIONS Our data suggest that loss of sympathetic tone in thermoregulatory arteriovenous anastomoses leads to decreased nutritional blood flow to the skin of the affected limb after chronic constriction injury, which is consistent with the findings reported in humans with reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
Self-disclosure, Privacy concerns and Social Capital benefits interaction in FB: A case study

This paper explores the relationship between Facebook users' self-disclosure, privacy concerns about their digital privacy and the anticipated benefits in social capital. Previous research has shown a positive relationship between Facebook usage intensity and users' perceptions of social capital. However, only few researches to date have tested these correlations empirically, showing how users' self-disclosure practices and digital privacy concerns interact with their anticipated benefits of social capital. To address this issue, an online survey was conducted, administrated to the staff of the University of the Aegean in Greece. The findings indicate that Facebook intensity use, self-disclosure and social capital are positively associated; privacy concerns affect users' disclosure though social capital benefits effect is greater.
Bienestar subjetivo: midiendo satisfacción vital, felicidad y salud en población chilena de la Región Maule

El proposito en este trabajo es evaluar el bienestar subjetivo a traves de sus componentes cognitivo (satisfaccion general y por dominios) y afectivo (felicidad), y analizar su relacion con variables sociodemograficas. Se evaluo a 927 personas, trabajadores y estudiantes, entre 17 y 77 anos, por medio de tres instrumentos. Los resultados muestran que en general las personas estan satisfechas con su vida, siendo la familia la principal fuente de felicidad. Se encontro que las personas casadas se encuentran mas felices y satisfechas que las solteras, y que las personas jovenes presentan menor nivel de felicidad y satisfaccion que las personas mayores. Respecto a la autoevaluacion de salud general y fisica no se observan diferencias entre hombres y mujeres, sin embargo, las mujeres presentan una evaluacion mas negativa que los hombres respecto de su salud mental. Ni hombres ni mujeres dejarian de trabajar fuera de casa si pudieran hacerlo. Por ultimo, se encontro una relacion directa y significativa entre felicidad, autoevaluacion de salud y satisfaccion vital. Se discuten estos hallazgos respecto de los obtenidos internacionalmente
Paired neuron recordings in the prefrontal and inferotemporal cortices reveal that spatial selection precedes object identification during visual search

We addressed the question of how we locate and identify objects in complex natural environments by simultaneously recording single neurons from two brain regions that play different roles in this familiar activity—the frontal eye field (FEF), an area in the prefrontal cortex that is involved in visual spatial selection, and the inferotemporal cortex (IT), which is involved in object recognition—in monkeys performing a covert visual search task. Although the monkeys reported object identity, not location, neural activity specifying target location was evident in FEF before neural activity specifying target identity in IT. These two distinct processes were temporally correlated implying a functional linkage between the end stages of ”where” and “what” visual processing and indicating that spatial selection is necessary for the formation of complex object representations associated with visual perception.