Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Serum Marker Models to Increase Diagnostic Accuracy of Advanced Fibrosis in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: The New LINKI Algorithm Compared with Established Algorithms

Background and Aim Detection of advanced fibrosis (F3-F4) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is important for ascertaining prognosis. Serum markers have been proposed as alternatives to biopsy. We attempted to develop a novel algorithm for detection of advanced fibrosis based on a more efficient combination of serological markers and to compare this with established algorithms. Methods We included 158 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. Of these, 38 had advanced fibrosis. The following fibrosis algorithms were calculated: NAFLD fibrosis score, BARD, NIKEI, NASH-CRN regression score, APRI, FIB-4, King´s score, GUCI, Lok index, Forns score, and ELF. Study population was randomly divided in a training and a validation group. A multiple logistic regression analysis using bootstrapping methods was applied to the training group. Among many variables analyzed age, fasting glucose, hyaluronic acid and AST were included, and a model (LINKI-1) for predicting advanced fibrosis was created. Moreover, these variables were combined with platelet count in a mathematical way exaggerating the opposing effects, and alternative models (LINKI-2) were also created. Models were compared using area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUROC). Results Of established algorithms FIB-4 and King´s score had the best diagnostic accuracy with AUROCs 0.84 and 0.83, respectively. Higher accuracy was achieved with the novel LINKI algorithms. AUROCs in the total cohort for LINKI-1 was 0.91 and for LINKI-2 models 0.89. Conclusion The LINKI algorithms for detection of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD showed better accuracy than established algorithms and should be validated in further studies including larger cohorts.
Entrepreneurs’ motivation: a conceptual process theory

Abstract It can be argued that there are two basic questions in entrepreneurship research. Why do some people start new ventures and others do not? Among those who choose to start, how do their actions translate ideas into new products, services, and companies? We propose an integrated process model of goal striving that builds on self-efficacy, goal setting, expectancy, control theory, goal hierarchy, resource allocation, and self-management. Although most of these constructs were originally used as explanations for the behavior of employees, we show how they can be adapted to examine the behavior of entrepreneurs. We offer five propositions derived from our process model and suggest ways in which the model can be tested in detail.
Treatment of the adult retina with microglia-suppressing factors retards axotomy-induced neuronal degradation and enhances axonal regeneration in vivo and in vitro

To monitor the cascade of events initiated by injury of adult neurons, and to explore whether and how neighboring microglial cells contribute to the degradation of lesioned neurons, axotomy-induced ganglion cell degeneration was investigated in adult rats. Suppression of macrophage and microglia activity during the weeks following transection of the optic nerve was performed with the immunoglobulin-derived tripeptide Thr-Lys-Pro, which is a macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) and retards the activity of cells of monocytic origin. Single or repeated injection of MIF into the vitreous body during and after transection of the optic nerve resulted in significant retardation of axotomy-induced ganglion cell degradation in the retina as detected by specific labeling with the retrogradely transported fluorescent dye 4Di-10ASP. MIF specifically altered the morphology of labeled microglial cells from a ramified to an oval, less ramified shape, indicating that these cells were targets of its activity. Injection of the tetrapeptide macrophage stimulating factor, also known as tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg), revealed effects opposite to those described for the MIF: it increased the number of labeled microglial cells and enhanced the devastating effects of axotomy on ganglion cells. The viability of rescued ganglion cells in retinas treated with the various drugs was assessed both in vivo and in vitro. (1) Intravitreal injection of MIF to prevent degradation of neurons combined with transplantation of autologous peripheral nerve grafts, which facilitate regrowth of the transected neurites, revealed that significantly more ganglion cells contributed to axonal regeneration (17.1%) than in untreated controls (9.5%). (2) Explantation of retinas that were pretreated with MIF in situ revealed higher incidence of axonal outgrowth in organ cultures than untreated control explants or retinas treated with either the basic fibroblast growth factor or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The present results demonstrate that axotomy initializes a cascade of microglia-mediated autodestructive retinal responses, which culminate in degradation of “sick,” but obviously viable neurons. We postulate that the retinal microglial system has a key role in recognizing and eliminating severed neurons.
Probing the Interoceptive Network by Listening to Heartbeats: An fMRI Study

Exposure to cues of homeostatic relevance (i.e. heartbeats) is supposed to increase the allocation of attentional resources towards the cue, due to its importance for self-regulatory, interoceptive processes. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed at determining whether listening to heartbeats is accompanied by activation in brain areas associated with interoception, particularly the insular cortex. Brain activity was measured with fMRI during cue-exposure in 36 subjects while listening to heartbeats vs. sinus tones. Autonomic markers (skin conductance) and subjective measures of state and trait anxiety were assessed. Stimulation with heartbeat sounds triggered activation in brain areas commonly associated with the processing of interoceptive information, including bilateral insular cortices, the inferior frontal operculum, and the middle frontal gyrus. A psychophysiological interaction analysis indicated a functional connectivity between the middle frontal gyrus (seed region) and bilateral insular cortices, the left amygdala and the supplementary motor area. The magnitude of neural activation in the right anterior insular cortex was positively associated with autonomic arousal. The present findings indicate that listening to heartbeats induced activity in areas of the interoception network as well as changes in psychophysiological arousal and subjective emotional experience. As this approach constitutes a promising method for studying interoception in the fMRI environment, a clinical application in anxiety prone populations should be addressed by future studies.
Determinants of Quality of Life in Caregivers of Children with Autism and Autism Concerns

s: 1. Harker, C. M. , Ibañez, L. V. , Edmunds, S. R. , Karp, E. A. , & Stone, W. L. What happens after the workshop? Factors associated with sustained use of an evidence-based intervention for children with ASD in community practice. International Meeting for Autism Research, Baltimore, MD. May 12, 2016. Poster. 2. Karp, E. A. , Ibañez, L.V. , Edmunds, S.R. , Harker, C.M. , & and Stone, W.L. Service providers perspectives of obstacles to ASD-specialized services. International Meeting for Autism Research, Baltimore, MD. May 12, 2016. Oral Presentation. 3. Harker, C. M. , Karp, E. A. , Edmunds, S. R. , Ibañez, L. V. , & Stone, W. L. Predicting the use of an evidencebased intervention for autism in birth-to-three programs. Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Conference, Seattle, WA. September 25, 2015. Poster. 4. Locke, J., Wolk, C.B. , Harker, C.M. , Olsen, A. , Shingledecker, T. , Barg, F. , Mandell, D.S. , Beidas, R. Pebbles, rocks, and boulders: The implementation of a school-based social engagement intervention for children with autism. Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Conference, Seattle, WA. September 25, 2015. Oral presentation. 5. Berends, V.N. , Dolezal, D.N. , Persons, A. , Harker, C.M. Evaluation of a multielement assessment and behavioral training for pill-swallowing difficulties. Association for Behavioral Analysis International, San Antonio, TX. May 25, 2015. Poster. 6. Ibañez, L.V. , Harker, C.M. , & Stone, W.L. A screen-refer-treat model to promote earlier access to ASD intervention. International Meeting for Autism Research, Salt Lake City, May 16, 2015. Oral presentation. 7. Harker, C.M. , Edmunds, S.R. , Ibañez, L.V. , Froehlig, C. , Karp, E. Nanda, S. , & Stone, W.L. Factors associated with intervention uptake in community practice: Acceptability, feasibility, and implementation climate. International Meeting for Autism Research, Salt Lake City, UT. May 16, 2015. Oral presentation.
African American women's perceptions of and experiences with mandated substance abuse treatment: Implications for counselors

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN‟S PERCEPTIONS OF AND EXPERIENCES WITH MANDATED SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELORS by Kathryn Newton African American women, in particular those who are economically marginalized, are disproportionately subject to surveillance by social service and criminal justice agencies (James et al., 2003) and are vulnerable to raceand gender-biased policy implementation (Chibnall et al., 2003; Zerai, 2002). They also experience populationspecific personal (Ehrmin, 2001, 2002), social (Riehman, Iguchi, Zeller, & Morral, 2003; MacMaster, 2005), and economic barriers (Tighe & Saxe, 2006) to accessing and entering substance abuse treatment services. These factors contribute to lower rates of treatment entry follow-through (Siqueland et al., 2002) and higher drop-out rates (ScottLennox, Rose, Bohlig, & Lennox, 2000) than women from other racial and ethnic groups. This qualitative study explored African American women‟s perceptions of mandated referral to substance abuse treatment and the impact of those perceptions on their treatment entry. The sample included 17 women age 18 years and over who were currently enrolled at three gender-specific treatment programs (one intensive outpatient and two residential) in a major southeastern urban area. This naturalistic inquiry (Lincoln and Guba, 1987) was informed by Black feminist epistemology (Collins, 2000) in accordance with recommendations for culturally sensitive research with women of color (Landrine, Klonoff, & Brown-Collins, 1995). Participants completed one-time, in-depth (one to two hour) interviews in which they were invited to explore their experiences with mandated substance abuse treatment referrals from state agencies (child protective services and the criminal justice system). Results indicate that participants generally perceived the treatment mandate as helpful. However, they also indicated that their willingness and ability to follow-through with treatment entry were influenced by multidimensional (Marlowe, Merikle, Kirby, Festinger, & McLellan, 2001) and interacting factors. Participants identified influence factors that included intraand interpersonal concerns, the quality of interactions with state agencies, and treatmentspecific issues. Results are presented along with suggestions for counselors and future research. AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN‟S PERCEPTIONS OF AND EXPERIENCES WITH MANDATED SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELORS by Kathryn Newton
Knowledge management using social media: A comparative study between blogs and Facebook

Blogging and Facebook have gained increasing recognition as tools to support online information sharing and management. This study examined if, and in which aspects, blogs and Facebook scaffold and/or consolidate student users' knowledge capture, sharing and application during their internship. A mixed-methods design was employed to investigate users' practices and perceptions of blogs and Facebook in online information management. The study found that users generally hold positive perception on using blogs and Facebook for online knowledge management. In particular, Facebook appears to be a more facilitating platform for users to reflect upon prior knowledge, capture new experiences and provide feedback that is constructive to cultivating knowledge sharing environment. It was found that Facebook support the expression of social support among users, thereby reinforcing their motivation in participating in knowledge management processes.
Tipping Points for Forests , Using the Data Assimilation Linked Ecosystem Carbon Model , DALEC

Due to changes in our climate and environment, partly caused by human behaviour, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the processes involved in Earth systems, such as the carbon cycle. There are many models that attempt to describe the dynamical behaviour of carbon stocks and stores, but, despite their complexity in attempting to describe all crucial processes, significant uncertainties remain. Our aim is to look at the qualitative behaviour of one of the simplest carbon cycle models, the Data Assimilation Linked Ecosystem Carbon (DALEC) model, and consider in detail the processes involved. DALEC is a simple vegetation model of processes involved in the carbon cycle of forests. Our analysis shows that the dynamics of both evergreen and deciduous forests in DALEC are dependent on a few key parameters and it is possible to find a tipping point at which stable sustainable behaviour of a forest gives way to widespread mortality.
Internet Embeddedness: Links with Online Health Information Seeking, Expectancy Value/Quality of Health Information Websites, and Internet Usage Patterns

To see how the Internet is actually embedded in our lives, this exploratory study examines how Internet users search the Web for important information, especially health or medical information, to make critical decisions, and the perception of how intimately our lives are embedded in the Internet intersects with patterns of health information seeking online and the expected quality of health information websites. Data from a probability sample of 569 Internet users found four types of commonly sought health information clusters online which included information on (a) health improvement, (b) medical treatment, (c) family health, and (d) health issues that are difficult to talk about. Results also show that behavior or behavioral intentions in health information seeking are in fact either a function of value expectancy or the evaluation of health information websites. More importantly, people who often go to the Internet for health information and have high expectations of the value and quality of health information websites (especially in terms of reliability, relevance/context, and interaction) tend to be those who are more likely to perceive the Internet as playing an important role in life decisions or rate the Internet as more embedded in their lives.
Chinese Discourse Relation Recognition

The challenging issues of discourse relation recognition in Chinese are addressed. Due to the lack of Chinese discourse corpora, we construct a moderate corpus with humanannotated discourse relations. Based on the corpus, a statistical classifier is proposed, and various features are explored in the experiments. The experimental results show that our method achieves an accuracy of 88.28% and an F-Score of 63.69% in four-class classification and achieves an F-Score of 93.57% in the best case.
Ehrlichia chaffeensis Uses Its Surface Protein EtpE to Bind GPI-Anchored Protein DNase X and Trigger Entry into Mammalian Cells

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, an obligatory intracellular rickettsial pathogen, enters and replicates in monocytes/macrophages and several non-phagocytic cells. E. chaffeensis entry into mammalian cells is essential not only for causing the emerging zoonosis, human monocytic ehrlichiosis, but also for its survival. It remains unclear if E. chaffeensis has evolved a specific surface protein that functions as an ‘invasin’ to mediate its entry. We report a novel entry triggering protein of Ehrlichia, EtpE that functions as an invasin. EtpE is an outer membrane protein and an antibody against EtpE (the C-terminal fragment, EtpE-C) greatly inhibited E. chaffeensis binding, entry and infection of both phagocytes and non-phagocytes. EtpE-C-immunization of mice significantly inhibited E. chaffeensis infection. EtpE-C-coated latex beads, used to investigate whether EtpE-C can mediate cell invasion, entered both phagocytes and non-phagocytes and the entry was blocked by compounds that block E. chaffeensis entry. None of these compounds blocked uptake of non-coated beads by phagocytes. Yeast two-hybrid screening revealed that DNase X, a glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-anchored mammalian cell-surface protein binds EtpE-C. This was confirmed by far-Western blotting, affinity pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence labeling, and live-cell image analysis. EtpE-C-coated beads entered bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from wild-type mice, whereas they neither bound nor entered BMDMs from DNase X-/- mice. Antibody against DNase X or DNase X knock-down by small interfering RNA impaired E. chaffeensis binding, entry, and infection. E. chaffeensis entry and infection rates of BMDMs from DNase X-/- mice and bacterial load in the peripheral blood in experimentally infected DNase X-/- mice, were significantly lower than those from wild-type mice. Thus this obligatory intracellular pathogen evolved a unique protein EtpE that binds DNase X to enter and infect eukaryotic cells. This study is the first to demonstrate the invasin and its mammalian receptor, and their in vivo relevance in any ehrlichial species.
Faint, Large-Scale Hα Filaments in the Milky Way

During the initial data reduction of the Wisconsin Hα Mapper (WHAM) Hα Sky Survey, we have discovered several very long ( ~30°-80°) filaments superposed on the diffuse Hα background. These features have no clear correspondence to the other phases of the interstellar medium revealed by 21 cm, X-ray, IR, or radio continuum surveys, and they have no readily identifiable origin or source of ionization. In this Letter, the data for two of these faint (I ≈ 0.5-1.5 R) structures are presented. The first is an 80° long, 2° wide arch that extends nearly perpendicular to the Galactic plane at ℓ=225° and attains a maximum latitude of +51° near ℓ=240° before reaching the southern boundary of our survey map at ℓ=270°, b=+42°. The vertical portion of this feature between b=+10° and +25° is associated with a single radial velocity component centered at vLSR=+16 km s-1 with a FWHM of 27 km s-1. A decrease in the velocity is observed from b=+33° through +48° as the feature arches toward higher Galactic longitudes. At this end, the emission component is centered near vLSR=-20 km s-1. Where this feature appears to meet the Galactic plane near ℓ=225°, it is directly above the H II region surrounding CMa R1/OB1. A second filament consists of a ~25°-30° long arc spanning ℓ=210°-240° at b=+30° to +40°. The radial velocity of this feature increases systematically from 0 km s-1 at ℓ=215°, b=+38° to +18 km s-1 at ℓ=236°, b=+28°. Both features have rather constant intensities along their entire lengths, ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 R (EM = 1-3 cm-6 pc) with no obvious trends.
The impact of dyadic processes and financial management roles on farm couples

This study was designed to investigate the link between marital quality and financial management roles by gaining insight into the relationship processes of farm couples. Fifty-five married individuals who identified living in a rural or farm location comprised the sample. Each participant completed a paper-pencil survey that included assessment of demographic variables, financial management role involvement, satisfaction with financial management roles, financial satisfaction, and marital satisfaction. Results indicated that respondents of this study were more likely than their spouses to hold primary responsibility for financial management roles and were moderately satisfied with their role involvement. This finding indicated that couples may specialize in taking on the financial management roles they play, rather than working together jointly. Secondly, a new scale emerged, based on Gottman’s Sound Relationship House Scales, and was entitled “Shared Goals & Values,” utilizing a factor analysis. This scale assessed the meaning of money, financial goals, views about autonomy, and hopes and aspirations within the couple relationship. The Shared Goals & Values scale was found to be a factor influencing both marital satisfaction and financial satisfaction. This finding indicated that the way a couple views money does have impact on marital satisfaction and financial satisfaction. Finally, evidence was found that having shared views about roles within the relationship was more of a predicting factor for financial satisfaction than how a couple communicated during conflict. In regards to a couple’s perceived financial satisfaction, having similar perceptions about relationship roles, shared views about money, financial management role satisfaction and increased household income were the important predicting factors. Sharing similar views about money and support for goals in one’s life, and household income were significant in predicting increased marital satisfaction. THE IMPACT OF DYADIC PROCESSES AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ROLES ON FARM COUPLES
HLA-A*33:01 as Protective Allele for Severe Dengue in a Population of Filipino Children

Dengue virus infection is a leading cause of morbidity among children in the Philippines in recent years. In order to investigate the association of HLA Class I and II alleles and dengue disease severity in a cohort of Filipino children, we performed a case control study in 2 hospitals in Metro Manila from June 2008 to December 2009. A total of 250 laboratory confirmed dengue patients and 300 healthy individuals aged 5 to 15 years old were typed for HLA-A, B and DRB1 alleles. The frequency of HLA-A*33:01 was significantly decreased in severe dengue (DHF/ DSS; Pc = 0.0016)) and DSS (Pc = 0.0032) compared to the background population. These findings support a previous study that this allele may confer protection against the severe form of dengue and provide the first evidence of HLA association with dengue in the Philippines. Future studies should be directed in investigating the possible mechanisms of protection.
Training and assessment of upper limb motor function with a robotic exoskeleton after stroke

This paper presents the results of the evaluation training performed in a group of chronic stroke patients with Light-Exoskeleton device. The rehabilitation treatment included passive, assisted and active reaching exercises based on a impedance control strategy with gain modulated by the patient's ability to perform the task. The effects of training were assessed both by means of clinical evaluation in terms of Fugl-Meyer and Modified Ashworth assessment scales, and of functional evaluation, by means of Bimanual Activity test. Moreover, at each session an automatic assessment of performance was made through two robotic measures (task time and smoothness of movement), and these were analysed in term of correlation with the outcome of functional evaluation. Interestingly we found a significant improvement of both clinical and functional evaluation, and that the automatic assessment performed by the robot in terms of smoothness represents a strong predictor of transfer of functional ability to activity of every day life. The high correlation observed between functional outcome and robotic measures suggest the last ones can provide a rapid and useful feedback about the patient's recovery progress, in addition to the pre- and post-clinical and functional measurements.