Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the EAT-26 in a non-clinical sample

The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) is one of the most commonly used measures of abnormal eating habits; however, it has been criticized for its unstable factorial structure. Different studies proposed different solutions, but as yet there is no consensus whether the three-, five- or seven-factor solution is appropriate. We examined the cues provided by previous studies that investigated the EAT structure, and tested our expectations on a non-clinical group of 617 women. Based on bi-factor confirmatory factor analysis, we demonstrated that the EAT measures general eating pathology as well as more specific factors, such as ‘Social pressure’, ‘Food awareness’, ‘Food preoccupation’ and ‘Purging behaviors’. Among distinguished specific factors, ‘Social pressure’ seems to be a promising scale to be used for screening purposes. The ‘Food awareness’ factor could be interpreted in terms of orthorexia nervosa; however, further evidence is required to support this conclusion. We also provided evidence that ‘Bulimia’ and ‘Food preoccupation’ factors should be maintained within the EAT-26 as important behavioral aspects of eating pathology. These results shed new light on this measure and pro-vide the basis for a discussion of its psychometric issues.
Effect of hydrodynamic interactions on DNA dynamics in extensional flow: Simulation and single molecule experiment

Intramolecular hydrodynamic interactions (HI) in flexible polymer chains influence both the equilibrium and nonequilibrium physical properties of macromoecules. In this work, we utilize a combination of single molecule experimental techniques and Brownian dynamics (BD) simulation to investigate the role of HI and excluded-volume (EV) interactions for DNA molecules ranging in contour length from 150 to 1300 μm. Epifluorescence microscopy is used to directly observe the dynamics of DNA molecules in planar extensional flow, and a semiimplicit bead−spring BD algorithm with fluctuating HI and EV interactions is presented. Quantitatitative agreement between ensemble average transient molecular extension in experiment and BD simulation is shown for DNA with 150 μm contour length. Simulations show polymer conformation hysteresis for larger DNA chains (1300 μm in length) when HI and EV parameters are chosen such that simulation results match the experimental polymer relaxation time and polymer stretch at flow stre.
Encoding of Head Direction by Hippocampal Place Cells in Bats

Most theories of navigation rely on the concept of a mental map and compass. Hippocampal place cells are neurons thought to be important for representing the mental map; these neurons become active when the animal traverses a specific location in the environment (the “place field”). Head-direction cells are found outside the hippocampus, and encode the animal's head orientation, thus implementing a neural compass. The prevailing view is that the activity of head-direction cells is not tuned to a single place, while place cells do not encode head direction. However, little work has been done to investigate in detail the possible head-directional tuning of hippocampal place cells across species. Here we addressed this by recording the activity of single neurons in the hippocampus of two evolutionarily distant bat species, Egyptian fruit bat and big brown bat, which crawled randomly in three different open-field arenas. We found that a large fraction of hippocampal neurons, in both bat species, showed conjunctive sensitivity to the animal's spatial position (place field) and to its head direction. We introduced analytical methods to demonstrate that the head-direction tuning was significant even after controlling for the behavioral coupling between position and head direction. Surprisingly, some hippocampal neurons preserved their head direction tuning even outside the neuron's place field, suggesting that “spontaneous” extra-field spikes are not noise, but in fact carry head-direction information. Overall, these findings suggest that bat hippocampal neurons can convey both map information and compass information.
Representations of Ethnicity in Journalism

Abstract This article examines ethnic representations in the Finnish news discourse. Adopting a critical discourse analytical framework, the article examines textual manifestations of ethnic representations, the journalistic practices impinging on them and, finally, the significance of ethnic representations in the news. The study suggests that the marginalized position of ethnic minorities, journalistic practices and the insensitivity of the representational power of the news discourse together result in ethnic representations that contribute to the fragmentation of community, rather than to a sense of belonging.
Up-regulation of galectin-9 induces cell migration in human dendritic cells infected with dengue virus

Galectin‐9 (Gal‐9) exerts immunosuppressive effects by inducing apoptosis in T cells that produce interferon‐γ and interleukin (IL)‐17. However, Gal‐9 can be pro‐inflammatory in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated monocytes. Using microarray analysis, we observed that Gal‐9 was up‐regulated in human dendritic cells (DCs) after dengue virus (DV) infection. The investigation into the immunomodulatory effects and mechanisms of Gal‐9 in DCs exposed to DV revealed that DV infection specifically increased mRNA and protein levels of Gal‐9 but not those of Gal‐1 or Gal‐3. Blocking p38, but not c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase or extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), inhibited DV‐induced expression of Gal‐9. Reduction in Gal‐9 by small interference RNA treatment suppressed DV‐stimulated migration of DCs towards the chemoattractants CCL19 and CCL21. In addition, DV‐induced IL‐12p40 production was reduced after knockdown of Gal‐9 in DCs. Furthermore, Gal‐9 deficiency suppressed DV‐induced activation of nuclear factor‐κB. Inhibition of DV‐induced DC migration under conditions of Gal‐9 deficiency was mediated through suppressing ERK activation but not by regulating the expression of CCR7, the receptor for CCL19 and CCL21. Both the reduction in IL‐12 production and the suppression of ERK activity might account for the inhibition of DV‐induced DC migration after knockdown of Gal‐9. In summary, this study reveals the roles of Gal‐9 in DV‐induced migration of DCs. The findings indicate that Gal‐9 might be a therapeutic target for preventing immunopathogenesis induced by DV infection.
State-dependent effects of fiscal policy

Abstract We investigate the effects of government spending on US output with a threshold structural vector autoregressive model. We consider Bayesian model comparison and generalized impulse response analysis to test for nonlinearities in the responses of output to government spending. Our empirical findings support state-dependent effects of fiscal policy, with the government spending multiplier larger and more persistent whenever there is considerable economic slack. Based on capacity utilization as the preferred threshold variable, the estimated multiplier is large (1.6) for a low-utilization regime that accounts for more than half of the sample observations from 1967 to 2012 according to the estimated threshold level.
A matter of cultural distinction: News consumption in the online media landscape

The world of online news is a world where news consumers must make choices among a plethora of different news sources. Previous research points towards a fragmentation of news consumption across the citizenry. However, not enough attention has been paid to class, in particular cultural capital, and how it shapes how groups in society develop preferences for different categories of online news. Drawing upon a representative national survey in Sweden (N = 11,108), a country historically known for its egalitarian news consumption, we show that cultural capital engenders patterns of taste and distaste for different online national news providers. This is manifested in that those rich in cultural capital are more inclined to consume ‘quality’ news and to neglect ‘popular’ news. A relative lack of cultural capital is associated with a somewhat reverse pattern. News consumption in the online media landscape is a matter of cultural distinction.
The phylogenetic taxonomy of Diplodocoidea (Dinosauria: Sauropoda)

netic defi nitions; others have multiple names; and some names have multiple confl icting defi nitions. We survey the taxonomic history of this clade, consider the suitability for phylogenetic taxonomy of various candidate defi nitions from the literature, and discuss some sources of confusion. Finally, we recommend “best practice” in the use of the relevant clade names.
Hough Transform Neural Network for Seismic Pattern Detection

Hough transform neural network is adopted to detect line pattern of direct wave and hyperbola pattern of reflection wave in a seismogram. The distance calculation from point to hyperbola is calculated from the time difference. This calculation makes the parameter learning feasible. The neural network can calculate the total error for distance from point to patterns. The parameter learning rule is derived by gradient descent method to minimize the total error. Experimental results show that line and hyperbola can be detected in both simulated and real seismic data. The network can get a fast convergence. The detection results can automatically provide a reference and improve seismic interpretation.
A Pilot Study of Circulating miRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Early Stage Breast Cancer

Background To date, there are no highly sensitive and specific minimally invasive biomarkers for detection of breast cancer at an early stage. The occurrence of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in blood components (including serum and plasma) has been repeatedly observed in cancer patients as well as healthy controls. Because of the significance of miRNA in carcinogenesis, circulating miRNAs in blood may be unique biomarkers for early and minimally invasive diagnosis of human cancers. The objective of this pilot study was to discover a panel of circulating miRNAs as potential novel breast cancer biomarkers. Methodology/Principal Findings Using microarray-based expression profiling followed by Real-Time quantitative Polymerase Cycle Reaction (RT-qPCR) validation, we compared the levels of circulating miRNAs in plasma samples from 20 women with early stage breast cancer (10 Caucasian American (CA) and 10 African American (AA)) and 20 matched healthy controls (10 CAs and 10 AAs). Using the significance level of p<0.05 constrained by at least two-fold expression change as selection criteria, we found that 31 miRNAs were differentially expressed in CA study subjects (17 up and 14 down) and 18 miRNAs were differentially expressed in AA study subjects (9 up and 9 down). Interestingly, only 2 differentially expressed miRNAs overlapped between CA and AA study subjects. Using receiver operational curve (ROC) analysis, we show that not only up-regulated but also down-regulated miRNAs can discriminate patients with breast cancer from healthy controls with reasonable sensitivity and specificity. To further explore the potential roles of these circulating miRNAs in breast carcinogenesis, we applied pathway-based bioinformatics exploratory analysis and predicted a number of significantly enriched pathways which are predicted to be regulated by these circulating miRNAs, most of which are involved in critical cell functions, cancer development and progression. Conclusions Our observations from this pilot study suggest that the altered levels of circulating miRNAs might have great potential to serve as novel, noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of breast cancer.
Experience and Career Length in Professional Football: The Effect of Positional Segregation

This study examines positional segregation in light of recent data documenting the increased participation by black players in professional football and describes the relationships between positional segregation and experience and positional segregation and career length. The primary sample was composed of 1,508 professional football players from the 1982 season. A secondary sample of 1,371 professional football players was used to study career length. The results indicate that positional segregation is still prevalent in professional football. The recent increase in participation by black players has occurred in positions that have been primarily black in the past and at linebacker. Whites are likely to have more experience in professional football than blacks, which is explained in part by the positions in which blacks and whites are most likely to play.
A novel information-theoretic clustering algorithm for robust, unsupervised classification

A new information-theoretic, unsupervised, subtractive clustering algorithm is proposed. The algorithm eliminates threshold constraint to detect possible cluster members. Cluster centers are formed with minimum entropy. Instead of using a fixed-threshold, a decision region is formed with the use of maximum mutual information. Cluster members are chosen with a relative-cost assigned in partitions of data set. The algorithm yields more reliably distributed cluster numbers in statistical sense, hence reducing further computation for validation, which is justified for a set of synthetic data.
Creating in the Crucibles of Nature’s Fury: Associational Diversity and Local Social Entrepreneurship after Natural Disasters in California, 1991–2010

This paper examines foundings of human services organizations after natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, and tsunamis and explains why only some communities bounce back by founding appropriate collective-goods organizations. Using natural disasters in California counties from 1990 to 2010 as shocks that exogenously impose a need for collective goods over and above the level endogenous to the community, this paper shows that a geographic community’s local organizing capacity rests on the richness of its repertoire of voluntary organizing models as reflected in the diversity of its voluntary associations. Such diversity is even more critical when the type of natural disaster is more unexpected or complex (e.g., both a wildfire and an earthquake) in an area, and the organizational challenges posed are thus more novel for the community. Associational diversity has positive effects on both the numbers and aggregate size of foundings of local (non-branch, secular) human services organizations, and the effects are generalizable to other endogenous demand conditions such as poverty. Results also show how different kinds of variety can have opposing effects on organizing capacity after a disaster, with associational diversity having a positive effect, political diversity having a negative effect, and racial diversity having no significant effect, net of other factors. The paper concludes with a call for treating community resilience as a matter of enhancing local organizing capacity over centralized planning efforts when the environment is rapidly changing.
The Effects of Parental Involvement on Students' Eighth and Tenth Grade College Aspirations: A Comparative Analysis

BRASIER, TERRY GALE. The Effects of Parental Involvement on Students’ Eighth and Tenth Grade College Aspirations: A Comparative Analysis. (Under the direction of Dr. Marvin A. Titus). Following scholarly calls (e.g., Crosnoe, 2001; Perna & Titus, 2005) for studies related to students’ academic trajectories, the purpose of this study was to examine whether the relationship between students’ college aspirations and parental involvement differed between the eighth grade and tenth grade years; two critical time periods when students typically initiate and subsequently reassess future college plans. Utilizing base-year and first follow-up data from the restricted-use version of the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS: 88/90), results from fixed-effects logistic regression analyses indicated that parental involvement had a significant positive effect on the likelihood of students having high college aspirations (desire to finish college) during both the eighth and tenth grade years. Additionally, a cross-model hypothesis test indicated that the magnitude of the relationship between students’ college aspirations and parental involvement was significantly weaker during the tenth grade year. In conclusion, findings from this study provided statistical support for previous claims that the relationship between college aspirations and parental involvement weakens as students ascend through the educational pipeline. Results from this study imply that scholars should view the relationship between students’ college aspirations and parental involvement as dynamic as students ascend through the secondary school grades and the student college choice process. Additionally, this study’s findings imply that revisions to federal, state, and school-level parental involvement policies (e.g., Section 1118 of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) should emphasize the importance of both proactive forms of parental involvement (e.g., parent-child discussions regarding things studied in school, school activities, and course selection) and motivational forms of parental involvement (e.g., encouragement and expectations for future college attainment) throughout the secondary school years.
Clinical Evaluation of Laser Microtexturing for Soft Tissue and Bone Attachment to Dental Implants

Introduction:A tapered dental implant (Laser-Lok [LL] surface treatment) with a 2 mm wide collar, that has been laser micromachined in the lower 1.5 mm to preferentially accomplish bone and connective tissue attachment while inhibiting epithelial downgrowth, was evaluated in a prospective, controlled, multicenter clinical trial. Materials:Data are reported at measurement periods from 1 to 37 months postoperative for 20 pairs of implants in 15 patients. The implants are placed adjacent to machined collar control implants of the same design. Measurement values are reported for bleeding index, plaque index, probing depth, and crestal bone loss. Results:No statistical differences are measured for either bleeding or plaque index. At all measurement periods there are significant differences in the probing depths and the crestal bone loss differences are significant after 7 months (P < 0.001). At 37 months the mean probing depth is 2.30 mm and the mean crestal bone loss is 0.59 mm for LL versus 3.60 and 1.94 mm, respectively, for control implant. Also, comparing results in the mandible versus those in the maxilla demonstrates a bigger difference (control implant − LL) in the mean in crestal bone loss and probing depth in the maxilla. However, this result was not statistically significant. Discussion:The consistent difference in probing depth between LL and control implant demonstrates the formation of a stable soft-tissue seal above the crestal bone. LL limited the crestal bone loss to the 0.59 mm range as opposed to the 1.94 mm crestal bone loss reported for control implant. The LL implant was found to be comparable with the control implant in safety endpoints plaque index and sulcular bleeding index. There is a nonstatistically significant suggestion that the LL crestal bone retention superiority is greater in the maxilla than the mandible.
A moderated mediation model of changes in adolescent social anxiety symptoms: the contribution of adolescents and their relationships with parents, peers, and teachers

Multiple studies have identified several risk factors for social anxiety symptoms that span individual, familial, peer, and school contexts. Yet few studies have gone beyond the examinations of main effects to investigate the processes and interactions among multiple contexts with respect to changes in social anxiety symptoms. Utilizing a sample of 416 adolescents from two-parent families, the current study examined the contribution of multi-contextual interactions and processes to changes in social anxiety symptoms during early adolescence (6th to 8th grades). Differences between mother-adolescent and father-adolescent dyads were examined as well as adolescent gender differences. Results indicated that mother-adolescent hostility during 6th grade was associated with increases in adolescent social anxiety symptoms. Adolescent compliance to peers during 7th grade fully mediated associations between mother-adolescent hostility and increases in adolescent social anxiety symptoms. In father-adolescent models, there was an indirect effect from father-adolescent hostility to increases in adolescent social anxiety symptoms through adolescent compliance to peers during 7th grade. Important adolescent gender differences were found in these associations, and associations were unique to adolescent social anxiety symptoms while controlling for co-occurring adolescent depressive symptoms. Adolescent loneliness during 6th grade was not significantly associated with changes in adolescent social anxiety symptoms, and associations were not moderated by teacher support or effective parent-adolescent conflict resolution. The results suggest that parent-adolescent interactions play an important role in increases in social anxiety symptoms both directly and through its effects on the methods that adolescents employ to engage with peers.
The impact of personality traits on organizational cynicism in the education sector

Purpose Today’s organizations try to keep their employees loyalty but employees may still feel unsatisfied and adopt negative attitudes. Cynicism, as a negative attitude of employees toward their organization, leads to unwanted outputs such as lower performance or lower loyalties that can appear in every kind of sector. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of personality traits on organizational cynicism in the education sector. Design/methodology/approach This study used the survey method to collect data and survey forms were distributed to teachers from various private schools in Istanbul, Turkey. With the e-mail survey method, the authors received 254 healthy survey forms from teachers. For personality traits, the five-factor model of personality traits that was developed by McCrae and Costa (1987) was preferred and the organizational cynicism model was evaluated with three basic dimensions as based on Brandes’s (1997) model. Findings Based on data from 254 teachers of various private schools in Istanbul, interrelationships amongst personality traits and organizational cynicism were tested. On the basis of the partial least-squares method, the authors found that agreeableness had a negative effect on cognitive cynicism and affective cynicism, conscientiousness had a negative effect on cognitive cynicism and affective cynicism, neuroticism had a negative effect on cognitive cynicism and behavior cynicism, and openness to experience had a positive effect on cognitive cynicism and affective cynicism. Thus, it can be said that personality traits of teachers had a significant effect on organizational cynicism as a result of this study. Research limitations/implications This study used two main scales: the scale of McCrae and Costa (1987) for personality traits and the scale of Brandes (1997) for organizational cynicism. The authors adapted both the scales for Turkish culture and the education sector that the results can be considered valid for only this study. Originality/value This study shows a significant effect of personality traits on cynicism in the education sector and thus can be considered to be useful for future studies.