Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Major depression ’ in Ethiopia : validity is the problem

The recent paper in which Dikeos et al (2006) investigate the distribution of symptom dimensions within a psychosis sample is a valuable contribution to the literature, and we fully support their observation that bipolar disorder is a much more solid construct than schizophrenia. There are two important issues that were not discussed which we believe deserve consideration. The first is a major limitation of the current conceptual framework of psychopathology where definitions of psychopathology items are not independent of diagnostic concepts. Consider, for example, the relationship between items that measure course of illness and items that represent occurrence of reduced affective response and drive. Episodes of reduced affective response and drive with inter-episode recovery are likely to be interpreted as consistent with the presence of mood disturbance and indicative of a relatively good outcome. In contrast, chronically reduced affective response and drive which may be qualitatively identical to that in the previous example but without interepisode recovery is likely to be interpreted as consistent with the negative features of a (schizophrenic) defect state and taken as evidence of a relatively poor outcome. In this example, recovery becomes part of the definition of two similar states. It is hardly surprising that one predicts poor outcome. We could give other examples. The only way to overcome difficulties such as these will be to use a set of clinical descriptors that do not have definitions that are enmeshed in our traditional diagnostic concepts. We believe such approaches are needed. The second issue concerns validity. Dikeos et al addressed validity by considering prediction of clinical characteristics, some of which cannot be considered independent of the other items of psychopathology used to make the predictions. A key goal of diagnosis should be to identify clinical entities that are helpful for making management decisions. Recent developments in neuroscience in general, and molecular genetics in particular, offer the realistic prospects that over the coming years we will be able to identify domains of psychopathology that are associated with abnormal action in specific biological systems (Craddock et al, 2005). This will provide truly independent validators against which to examine the relative merits of diagnostic categories versus psychopathological dimensions (Craddock et al, 2006), will allow us to escape from our historical strait-jacket of traditional psychiatric thinking (Craddock & Owen, 2005; Marneros, 2006) and has the potential to lead to major benefits for our patients.
Did Easy Credit Lead to Overspending? Home Equity Borrowing and Household Behavior in the Early 2000s

Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this paper examines how households' home equity extraction during the previous decade affected their spending and saving behavior.The study makes use of recently released 2009 housing and wealth data as well as the extensive data on household expenditures and balance sheets that are available starting in 1999. The results show that during the height of the house-price boom (the 2003-2005 period) a one-dollar increase in equity extraction led to 14 cents higher household expenditures. Households also spent 21 cents of their extracted equity on home improvements and additions and saved roughly 19 cents of each dollar extracted through balance-sheet reshuffling. The spending, saving, and residential investment patterns are similar during the 2001-to-2003 and 2005-to-2007 periods. There is less evidence of households' extracting equity to fund expenditures prior to 2001, except for health care and transportation-related expenses. Overall, the results are consistent with households' extracting equity to fund necessary expenditures and desired investments.
Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Carrying Panton-Valentine Leucocidin Genes in England and Wales: Frequency, Characterization, and Association with Clinical Disease

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus isolates carrying the genes that encode for Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL), a highly potent toxin, have been responsible for recent outbreaks of severe invasive disease in previously healthy children and adults in the United States of America and Europe. To determine the frequency of PVL-positive isolates sent to the Staphylococcus Reference Unit (United Kingdom) for epidemiological purposes, we tested 515 isolates of S. aureus, and 8 (1.6%) were positive for the PVL locus. A further 470 isolates were selected to explore the association of PVL-positive S. aureus with clinical disease. Of these, 23 (4.9%) were PVL positive and most were associated with skin and soft tissue infections (especially abscesses). The PVL genes were also detected in isolates responsible for community-acquired pneumonia, burn infections, bacteremia, and scalded skin syndrome. Genotyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing revealed that the PVL-positive isolates were from diverse genetic backgrounds, although one prevalent clone of 12 geographically dispersed methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates was identified (ST80). All 12 isolates were stapylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IVc, had an agr3 allele, and shared a common toxin gene profile (sea-see, seg-sej, eta, etb, and tst negative but etd positive). ST80 strains with similar genetic characteristics have been responsible for community-acquired infections in France and Switzerland. The remaining PVL-positive isolates were mostly methicillin-sensitive S. aureus and belonged to 12 different sequence types, including ST22 and ST30, which are closely related to the most prevalent MRSA clones in United Kingdom hospitals, EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16, respectively.
Diagnosis determination: decision trees optimizing simultaneously worst and expected testing cost

In several applications of automatic diagnosis and active learning a central problem is the evaluation of a discrete function by adaptively querying the values of its variables until the values read uniquely determine the value of the function. In general reading the value of a variable is done at the expense of some cost (computational or possibly a fee to pay the corresponding experiment). The goal is to design a strategy for evaluating the function incurring little cost (in the worst case or in expectation according to a prior distribution on the possible variables' assignments). Our algorithm builds a strategy (decision tree) which attains a logarithmic approximation simultaneously for the expected and worst cost spent. This is best possible since, under standard complexity assumption, no algorithm can guarantee o(log n) approximation.
Relative growth, ontogeny, and sexual dimorphism in gorilla(Gorilla gorilla gorilla and G. g. beringei): Evolutionary and ecological considerations

Gorillas are the largest and among the most sexually dimorphic of all extant primates. While gorillas have been incorporated in broad‐level comparisons among large‐bodied hominoids or in studies of the African apes, comparisons between gorilla subspecies have been rare. During the past decade, however, behavioral, morphological, and molecular data from a number of studies have indicated that the western lowland (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and eastern mountain (Gorilla gorilla beringei) subspecies differ to a greater extent than has been previously believed. In this study I compare patterns of relative growth of the postcranial skeleton to evaluate whether differences between subspecies result from the differential extension of common patterns of relative growth. In addition, patterns of ontogeny and sexual dimorphism are also examined. Linear skeletal dimensions and skeletal weight were obtained for ontogenetic series of male and female G.g. gorilla (n = 315) and G.g. beringei (n = 38). Bivariate and multivariate methods of analysis were used to test for differences in patterns of relative growth, ontogeny, and sexual dimorphism between sexes of each subspecies and in same‐sex comparisons between subspecies. Results indicate males and females of both subspecies are ontogenetically scaled for postcranial proportions and that females undergo an earlier skeletal growth spurt compared to males. However, results also indicate that the onset of the female growth spurt occurs at different dental stages in lowland and mountain gorillas and that mountain gorillas may be characterized by higher rates of growth. Finally, data demonstrate lowland and mountain gorilla females do not differ significantly in adult body size, but mountain gorilla males are significantly larger than lowland gorilla males, suggesting mountain gorillas are characterized by a higher degree of sexual dimorphism in body size. Thus, although lowland and mountain gorillas do not appear to have evolved novel adaptations of the postcranium which correlate with differences in locomotor behavior, the present investigation establishes subspecies differences in ontogeny and sexual dimorphism which may be linked with ecological variation. Specifically, these findings are evaluated in the context of risk aversion models which predict higher growth rates and increased levels of sexual dimorphism in extreme folivores. Am. J. Primatol. 43:1–31, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Polymer/Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Composites—A Straight Forward and Scalable Synthesis Approach

Magnetic nanoparticle systems can be divided into single-core nanoparticles (with only one magnetic core per particle) and magnetic multi-core nanoparticles (with several magnetic cores per particle). Here, we report multi-core nanoparticle synthesis based on a controlled precipitation process within a well-defined oil in water emulsion to trap the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) in a range of polymer matrices of choice, such as poly(styrene), poly(lactid acid), poly(methyl methacrylate), and poly(caprolactone). Multi-core particles were obtained within the Z-average size range of 130 to 340 nm. With the aim to combine the fast room temperature magnetic relaxation of small individual cores with high magnetization of the ensemble of SPIONs, we used small (<10 nm) core nanoparticles. The performed synthesis is highly flexible with respect to the choice of polymer and SPION loading and gives rise to multi-core particles with interesting magnetic properties and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast efficacy.
Undertreatment of hypercholesterolemia

Abstract Recent guidelines recommend strict goals for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (1.8–2.6 mmol/L; 70–100 mg/dL). However, these goals are not always met and many primary and secondary prevention patients are not optimally controlled. Both the under-prescription of lipid-lowering medication and lack of adherence to prescribed medications could account for this situation. In this issue of the journal, two studies evaluated the under-treatment of hypercholesterolemia in European countries, as well as patient/physician characteristics that are related to poor control of LDL-C. This editorial considers the implications of these findings. While we have come far in recent years in terms of treating hypercholesterolemia, we still have considerable room for improvement and progress towards evidence-based clinical practice.
Students’ attitude and smoking behaviour following the implementation of a university smoke-free policy: a cross-sectional study

Objective In view of the high-smoking rate among university students in Lebanon and the known adverse effects of second-hand smoking, the American University of Beirut (AUB) decided to implement a non-smoking policy on campus. This study sought to examine the students’ compliance and attitudes following the ban. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting A private university in Lebanon. Participants 545 randomly selected students were approached. A stratified cluster sample of classes offered in the spring semester of the 2008/2009 academic year was selected. Students completed a self-administered paper and pencil survey during class time. Primary and secondary outcome measures The main outcomes were compliance with and attitudes towards the ban. Other secondary outcomes were the perception of barriers to implementation of the ban and attitudes towards tobacco control in general. Results 535 students participated in the study. Smokers were generally compliant with the ban (72.7%) and for some (20%) it led to a decrease in their smoking. Students' attitude towards the ban and the enforcement of a non-smoking policy in public places across Lebanon varied according to their smoking status whereby non-smokers possessed a more favourable attitude and strongly supported such policies compared with smokers; overall, the largest proportions of students were satisfied to a large extent with the ban and considered it justified (58.6% and 57.2%, respectively). While much smaller percentages reported that the ban would help in reducing smoking to a large extent (16.7%) or it would help smokers quit (7.4%). Perceived barriers to implementation of the non-smoking policy in AUB included the lack of compliance with and strict enforcement of the policy as well as the small number and crowdedness of the smoking areas. Conclusions An education campaign, smoking cessation services and strict enforcement of the policy might be necessary to boost its effect in further reducing students' cigarette use.
A Precise Location Method of Power Quality Disturbances Based on Morphological Edge Detection

A precise location method of power quality disturbances was proposed to solve the background gradient problems originated from the periodic changes of power signals and the existing of various interferences in the process of sampling. The proposed method includes the adaptive selection of structuring element (SE) for morphological filter by using signal to noise ratio (SNR) as a standard to assess the filtering effect, Top-Hat transform of morphological gradient (MG) which is introduced to suppress background gradient, and the soft- thresholding quantitative method. The preliminary location results are achieved by Top-Hat transform of morphological gradient and the final location results are determined by the soft-thresholding values. Simulations of a variety of power quality disturbances have been carried out, which shows its enhanced location precision, outstanding anti- jamming ability and universal applicability.
A standardized extract of the fruit of Ziziphus jujuba (Jujube) induces neuronal differentiation of cultured PC12 cells: a signaling mediated by protein kinase A.

The fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. , known as Chinese date or jujube, is consumed as a health supplement worldwide. To study the role of jujube in brain benefits, its effects on neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells were studied. Application of jujube water extract induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, >25% of which were differentiated; this effect was similar to that of nerve growth factor. In parallel, the expressions of neurofilaments (NFs) in jujube-treated cultures showed a dose-dependent increase, with the highest inductions by ∼150% for NF68 and NF160 and by ∼100% for NF200. Application of H89, a protein kinase A inhibitor, attenuated jujube-induced neurite outgrowth of the cultures. Besides, using jujube extract induced the phosphorylation of cAMP responsive element binding protein on PC12 cells, which was blocked by H89. These results support the use of jujube as a food supplement for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases in which neurotrophin deficiency is involved.
A compact two DOF magneto-elastomeric force sensor for a running quadruped

This paper presents a novel design approach for a two-DOF foot force sensor for a high speed running quadruped. The adopted approach harnesses the deformation property of an elastomeric material to relate applied force to measurable deformation. A lightweight, robust and compact magnetic-field based sensing system, consisting of an assembly of miniature hall-effect sensors, is employed to infer the positional information of a magnet embedded in the elastomeric material. Instead of solving two non-linear models (magnetic field and elastomeric) sequentially, a direct approach of using artificial neural networks (ANN) is utilized to relate magnetic flux density (MFD) measurements to applied forces. The force sensor, which weighs only 24.5 gms, provides a measurement range of 0 - 1000 N normal to the ground and up to ± 125N parallel to the ground. The mean force measurement accuracy was found to be within 7% of the applied forces. The sensor designed as part of this work finds direct applications in ground reaction force sensing for a running quadrupedal robot.
Model-Based Relative Entropy Stochastic Search

Stochastic search algorithms are general black-box optimizers. Due to their ease of use and their generality, they have recently also gained a lot of attention in operations research, machine learning and policy search. Yet, these algorithms require a lot of evaluations of the objective, scale poorly with the problem dimension, are affected by highly noisy objective functions and may converge prematurely. To alleviate these problems, we introduce a new surrogate-based stochastic search approach. We learn simple, quadratic surrogate models of the objective function. As the quality of such a quadratic approximation is limited, we do not greedily exploit the learned models. The algorithm can be misled by an inaccurate optimum introduced by the surrogate. Instead, we use information theoretic constraints to bound the 'distance' between the new and old data distribution while maximizing the objective function. Additionally the new method is able to sustain the exploration of the search distribution to avoid premature convergence. We compare our method with state of art black-box optimization methods on standard uni-modal and multi-modal optimization functions, on simulated planar robot tasks and a complex robot ball throwing task. The proposed method considerably outperforms the existing approaches.
Transcriptional regulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in acquired immune cells

Although the major role of the immune response is host defense from a wide range of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, excess immune responses can result in severe host damage. The host thus requires anti-inflammatory mechanisms to prevent reactivity to self. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a cytokine with broad anti-inflammatory properties involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases. IL-10 was originally described as a T helper (TH2) derived cytokine, but further studies indicated that IL-10 is expressed not only by many cells of the adaptive immune system, including T and B cells, but also by the innate immune cells, including dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, mast cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. In addition, IL-10 can be induced in TH1 and TH17 cells by chronic inflammation as a system of feedback regulation. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying IL10 gene expression in adaptive immune cells and summarize the recent progresses in epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of the IL10 gene. Understanding the transcriptional regulatory events may help in the development of new strategies to control inflammatory diseases.
The effects of system grounding, bus insulation and probabilty on arc flash hazard reduction - The missing links

This paper provides a discussion on the theory behind reducing the risk and severity of an arc flash incident. In particular, the variables associated with the calculations of energies from an arcing fault are presented in an effort to show the futility of present methods for the determination of incident energy levels in the electrical industry. A number of commonly ignored design concepts that significantly reduces the risk of electrical hazards will be discussed two of which include 1) the system grounding and, 2) solid insulation. This paper will discuss risk and the management of risk as a means of reducing the probability of an incident. It will then show how risk-reduction should be used in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of electrical equipment as means for the safeguarding of employees in the workplace.
Mindfulness training promotes upward spirals of positive affect and cognition: multilevel and autoregressive latent trajectory modeling analyses

Recent theory suggests that positive psychological processes integral to health may be energized through the self-reinforcing dynamics of an upward spiral to counter emotion dysregulation. The present study examined positive emotion–cognition interactions among individuals in partial remission from depression who had been randomly assigned to treatment with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT; n = 64) or a waitlist control condition (n = 66). We hypothesized that MBCT stimulates upward spirals by increasing positive affect and positive cognition. Experience sampling assessed changes in affect and cognition during 6 days before and after treatment, which were analyzed with a series of multilevel and autoregressive latent trajectory models. Findings suggest that MBCT was associated with significant increases in trait positive affect and momentary positive cognition, which were preserved through autoregressive and cross-lagged effects driven by global emotional tone. Findings suggest that daily positive affect and cognition are maintained by an upward spiral that might be promoted by mindfulness training.
FPGA Performance Optimization Via Chipwise Placement Considering Process Variations

Both custom IC and FPGA designs in the nanometer regime suffer from process variations. But different from custom ICs, FPGAs¿ programmability offers a unique design freedom to leverage process variation and improve circuit performance. We propose the following variation aware chip-wise placement flow in this paper. First, we obtain the variation map for each chip by synthesizing the test circuits for each chip as a preprocessing step before detailed placement. Then we use the trace-based method to estimate the performance gain achievable by chipwise placement. Such estimation provides a lower bound of the performance gain without detailed placement. Finally, if the gain is significant, a variation aware chipwise placement is used to place the circuits according to the variation map for each chip. Our experimental results show that, compared to the existing FPGA placement, variation aware chipwise placement improves circuit performance by up to 19.3% for the tested variation maps.
Toward Mention Detection Robustness with Recurrent Neural Networks

One of the key challenges in natural language processing (NLP) is to yield good performance across application domains and languages. In this work, we investigate the robustness of the mention detection systems, one of the fundamental tasks in information extraction, via recurrent neural networks (RNNs). The advantage of RNNs over the traditional approaches is their capacity to capture long ranges of context and implicitly adapt the word embeddings, trained on a large corpus, into a task-specific word representation, but still preserve the original semantic generalization to be helpful across domains. Our systematic evaluation for RNN architectures demonstrates that RNNs not only outperform the best reported systems (up to 9\% relative error reduction) in the general setting but also achieve the state-of-the-art performance in the cross-domain setting for English. Regarding other languages, RNNs are significantly better than the traditional methods on the similar task of named entity recognition for Dutch (up to 22\% relative error reduction).