Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subjective and objective responses to ethanol in moderate/heavy and light social drinkers.

BACKGROUND Individuals who drink heavily are at an increased risk for adverse consequences of drinking and progression of their drinking habits to abuse or dependence. Therefore, it is important to delineate factors associated with their heavy drinking. METHODS We examined individual differences in subjective and objective responses to ethanol associated with level of consumption by reanalyzing data from the nine heaviest and nine lightest social drinkers from each of two independently collected subject samples: Holdstock and de Wit (1998) and King et al. (1997). The light drinkers in both samples consumed five or less alcoholic drinks per week, whereas the moderate/heavy drinkers consumed eight or more drinks per week with frequent binge episodes. Acute subjective and objective responses to ethanol (0.6 or 0.8 g/kg) or placebo were compared in the two groups at baseline and during rising and falling blood alcohol concentrations. RESULTS Moderate/heavy drinkers reported greater stimulant-like and fewer sedative-like and aversive subjective effects after ethanol than did lighter drinkers. These differences occurred in the absence of any group differences in breath alcohol levels, performance effects, or neuroendocrine changes or in overall reports of feeling any drug effects. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that habitual moderate/heavy ethanol use was associated with greater stimulant-like effects after an acute dose of alcohol. This finding is consistent with the idea (Newlin and Thomson, 1990, 1999) that individuals who experience greater stimulant-like effects during the ascending limb and lesser sedative-like effects on the descending limb of the blood alcohol concentration curve may be at greater risk for developing ethanol use disorders. Although we cannot determine the causality of this association, sensitivity to the stimulant effects of ethanol may play an important role in the continuation of heavy ethanol use and the increased risk of negative consequences from this use.
Mapping Ethical Arguments in Journalism: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the potential of a cognitive mapping variant called argument mapping for representing the process of ethical reasoning in journalism. The assumption is that some ethical reasoning journalists do on the job may be observable in the ethical argumentation that takes place among peers in newsroom discussions about ethically problematic situations. After some background on cognitive mapping and the novel aspects of its application in this study, an extended example is presented to illustrate the usefulness and limitations of the argument mapping technique in this context.
Motivation to Reduce Uncertainty

The numerous theories in the organizational communication lit erature provide alternative understandings and supplement each other in building the body of knowledge (Putnam, 1983). However, none provides me with an integrated theoretical perspective needed for developing organizational communication as a unified field that can examine microanalytical and macroanalytical issues. Although a completely integrative theory is unlikely, in this article I propose a reconceptualization of uncertainty reduction theory (URT) (Berger & Calabrese, 1975) to provide a theoretical framework for examining organizational communication at various levels of analysis and thereby providing some integration of the field. 1 I briefly present some major tenets and criticisms of URT and then propose a motivation to reduce uncertainty (MRU) model. Finally, I show how MRU could be used to examine organizational communication behaviors at different levels of analysis and to address or reexamine major concerns in the field.
We the media: technology empowers a new grassroots journalism

Grassroots journalists are dismantling Big Media's monopoly on the news, transforming it from a lecture to a conversation. Not content to accept the news as reported, these readers-turned-reporters are publishing in real time to a worldwide audience via the Internet. The impact of their work is just beginning to be felt by professional journalists, the newsmakers they cover and especially the former audience, which is now part of the process. The tools are still in the early stages, however, creating substantial needs - and opportunities - for technologist and the new grassroots journalists.
From the horse’s mouth: Factors inhibiting and driving innovation in ICT education

The ICT-Ed Project is one of a number of national DETYA-funded studies currently investigating educational innovations in the major disciplines at the university level. The ICT-Ed Project focuses on educational innovation in information and communication technology (ICT)–related disciplines, such as computer science, information systems and software engineering. As part of this study university teaching staff from relevant departments across Australia participated in mini-conferences where they discussed the factors driving and inhibiting educational initiatives in their disciplines. This paper reports the issues identified and discusses them with reference to national and international trends in university funding and governance. Broad issues described include policy and funding priorities, technological development, changing student populations and staff motivation. Although participants in the study were drawn from ICT-related departments, many of the issues described are relevant to university educators more generally. Keyword: Educational Change From the horse’s mouth: Factors inhibiting and driving innovation in ICT education Julianne Lynch & Francesca Collins
Using a Multidimensional Differential Item Functioning Framework to Determine if Reading Ability Affects Student Performance in Mathematics

Many teachers and curriculum specialists claim that the reading demand of many mathematics items is so great that students do not perform well on mathematics tests, even though they have a good understanding of mathematics. The purpose of this research was to test this claim empirically. This analysis was accomplished by considering examinees that differed in reading ability within the context of a multidimensional DIF framework. Results indicated that student performance on some mathematics items was influenced by their level of reading ability so that examinees with lower proficiency classifications in reading were less likely to obtain correct answers to these items. This finding suggests that incorrect proficiency classifications may have occurred for some examinees. However, it is argued that rather than eliminating these mathematics items from the test, which would seem to decrease the construct validity of the test, attempts should be made to control the confounding effect of reading that is measured by some of the mathematics items.
Coagulation parameters as predictors of DIC in patients with intact aortic aneurysm

Summary Clinically overt, preoperative, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is not common in patient with aortic aneurysm. However, cases with large and expanding aneurysm are especially prone for this coagulopathy. Contrary to the clinically overt form compensated DIC in patients with aortic aneurysm seems frequent and is probably underdiagnosed. The compensated DIC may be recognized, even without bleedings, by laboratory tests documenting the activated coagulation and fibrinolysis. We show that in about one third of patients with abdominal aorta aneurysm (AAA) compensated DIC can be identified. This enables the application of preoperative anticoagulation treatment to improve the intraoperative haemostasis.
Cops and robbers (and eyewitnesses): a comparison of lineup administration by robbery detectives in the USA and Canada

The purpose of this study was to determine how American and Canadian robbery detectives collect identification evidence and whether their practices are consistent with published guidelines. Via a survey, we asked about the use of various lineup practices (e.g., single-blind vs. double-blind administration, sequential vs. simultaneous presentation, and videotaping). Canadian detectives are more likely to use research-based reforms such as double-blind sequential lineups and videotaping. We also assessed how robbery detectives interact with eyewitnesses at four points during a lineup: prior to the lineup, immediately after an identification, and after 12 seconds and 3 minutes have elapsed without an identification. Results showed that at the latter two junctures, officers from both the countries question eyewitnesses in subtle ways that could influence the likelihood of choosing and confidence in the selection. Canadian detectives are less likely than American detectives to do so, however. This finding can be explained by the absence of written guidelines in most US jurisdictions on how officials should interact with eyewitnesses during lineups.
Error-diffused image compression using a binary-to-gray-scale decoder and predictive pruned tree-structured vector quantization

The authors consider data compression of binary error diffused images. The original contribution is using nonlinear filters to decode error-diffused images to compress them in the gray-scale domain; this gives better image quality than directly compressing the binary images. Their method is of low computational complexity and can work with any halftoning algorithm.
The evolution of active galactic nuclei in clusters of galaxies from the Dark Energy Survey

National Science Foundation [AST- 1138766]; MINECO [AYA2012- 39559, ESP201348274, FPA2013- 47986]; Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa [SEV- 2012- 0234]; European Research Council under the European Unions Seventh Framework Programme; ERC [240672, 291329, 306478]
A Phase II Trial of Pemetrexed in Advanced Breast Cancer: Clinical Response and Association with Molecular Target Expression

Purpose: This phase II trial of pemetrexed explored potential correlations between treatment outcome (antitumor activity) and molecular target expression. Experimental Design: Chemonaïve patients with advanced breast cancer received up to three cycles of pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 (10-minute i.v. infusion) on day 1 of a 21-day cycle, with folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation. Tumors were surgically removed after the last cycle of pemetrexed as clinically indicated. Biopsies were taken at baseline, 24 hours after infusion in cycle 1, and after cycle 3. Results: Sixty-one women (median age, 46 years; range, 32-72 years) were treated and were evaluable for response. Objective response rate was 31%. Simple logistic regression suggested a potential relationship between mRNA expression of thymidylate synthase (TS) and pemetrexed response (P = 0.103). Based on threshold analysis, patients with “low” baseline TS (≤71) were more likely to respond to pemetrexed than patients with “high” baseline TS (>71). Expression of baseline dihydrofolate reductase and glycinamide ribonucleotide formyl transferase tended to be higher in responders but this association was not significant (P > 0.311). TS expression increased significantly between baseline and biopsy 2 (P = 0.004) and dropped to near baseline levels at biopsy 3. Conversely, dihydrofolate reductase and glycinamide ribonucleotide formyl transferase decreased after pemetrexed chemotherapy. Conclusions: Our results suggest a potential association between “low” pretreatment TS expression levels and response to pemetrexed chemotherapy. Future trials examining expression levels of other genes important to the folate pathway and/or breast cancer may identify a more robust multigene profile that can better predict response to this novel antifolate.
Evaluation of Rabies Biologics against Irkut Virus Isolated in China

ABSTRACT An Irkut virus (IRKV) was recently isolated from a bat in China. The protective ability of rabies biologics available in the Chinese market and experimental biologics against the rabies virus (RABV) and IRKV were assessed in a hamster model via preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) experiments. The results demonstrated that a single dose of rabies vaccine did not induce adequate protection against IRKV infection. However, routine PrEP with three doses of vaccine induced complete protection against IRKV infection. Higher doses of RABV immunoglobulins and alpha interferon were required during PEP to protect hamsters against IRKV versus RABV infection. Experimental recombinant vaccines containing IRKV glycoproteins induced more-reliable protection against IRKV than against RABV infection. Those findings may be explained by limited cross-neutralization of these viruses (confirmed via in vitro tests) in conjunction with antigenic distances between RABV and IRKV. These results indicate that the development and evaluation of new biologics for PrEP and PEP are required to ensure sufficient protection against IRKV infection in China and other territories where this virus is present.
Evidence against AMPA Receptor-Lacking Glutamatergic Synapses in the Superficial Dorsal Horn of the Rat Spinal Cord

Pure NMDA receptor (NMDAr)-mediated EPSCs, thought to correspond to “silent” glutamatergic synapses that lack AMPA receptors (AMPArs), have been observed in superficial spinal dorsal horn of neonatal but not adult rats. Recent anatomical studies suggest that AMPArs are present at virtually all glutamatergic synapses in this region in adults. We used antigen retrieval to examine colocalization of AMPArs and PSD-95 (a marker for glutamatergic synapses) in laminae I–II of neonatal and adult rats. We found a high degree of colocalization in all cases, which suggests that AMPArs are present in the great majority of glutamatergic synapses even in neonatal animals. We therefore reexamined evidence for silent synapses by performing blind whole-cell recordings from superficial dorsal horn neurons in slices from neonatal or adult rats, with focal stimulation to activate glutamatergic synapses. On some occasions in both neonatal (10 of 109, 9%) and adult (9 of 77, 12%) slices, NMDAr-mediated EPSCs were observed when the holding potential was raised to +50 mV at a stimulus strength that had failed to evoke AMPAr-mediated EPSCs. However, in all cases tested, AMPAr-mediated EPSCs were then observed when the cell was returned to −70 mV; this and other properties of the EPSCs suggest that they do not represent genuine silent synapses. When compared with previous findings, our results indicate that the appearance of silent synapses depends on experimental protocol. This suggests that pure NMDAr-mediated EPSCs seen in previous studies do not correspond to AMPAr-lacking synapses but result from another mechanism, for example, loss of labile AMPArs from recently formed synapses.
Patatin-Related Phospholipase pPLAIII b-Induced Changes in Lipid Metabolism Alter Cellulose Content and Cell Elongation in Arabidopsis

The release of fatty acids from membrane lipids has been implicated in various plant processes, and the patatin-related phospholipases (pPLAs) constitute a major enzyme family that catalyzes fatty acid release. The Arabidopsis thaliana pPLA family has 10 members that are classified into three groups. Group 3 pPLAIII has four members but lacks the canonical lipase/esterase consensus catalytic sequences, and their enzymatic activity and cellular functions have not been delineated. Here, we show that pPLAIIIb hydrolyzes phospholipids and galactolipids and additionally has acyl-CoA thioesterase activity. Alterations of pPLAIIIb result in changes in lipid levels and composition. pPLAIIIb-KO plants have longer leaves, petioles, hypocotyls, primary roots, and root hairs than wild-type plants, whereas pPLAIIIb-OE plants exhibit the opposite phenotype. In addition, pPLAIIIb-OE plants have significantly lower cellulose content and mechanical strength than wild-type plants. Root growth of pPLAIIIb-KO plants is less sensitive to treatment with free fatty acids, the enzymatic products of pPLAIIIb, than wild-type plants; root growth of pPLAIIIb-OE plants is more sensitive. These data suggest that alteration of pPLAIIIb expression and the resulting lipid changes alter cellulose content and cell elongation in Arabidopsis.
Structural Change and Industrial Policy in Turkey

ABSTRACT We present evidence on structural change in Turkey and provide an overview of the evolution of industrial policy in the past three decades Turkey has experienced substantial growth in labor productivity in the past decade. About two-thirds of the increase in aggregate labor productivity arises from reallocation of employment from low- to high-productivity sectors and one-third from productivity increases within sectors. Decomposition of productivity growth using microdata also reveals an important contribution from reallocation. We also document substantial change in the composition of exports. We argue that structural change was not a direct result of selective industrial policy simply because the incentive system displayed little sectoral selectivity during the period when major structural change took place.
A New Pharmacogenetic Algorithm to Predict the Most Appropriate Dosage of Acenocoumarol for Stable Anticoagulation in a Mixed Spanish Population

There is a strong association between genetic polymorphisms and the acenocoumarol dosage requirements. Genotyping the polymorphisms involved in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of acenocoumarol before starting anticoagulant therapy would result in a better quality of life and a more efficient use of healthcare resources. The objective of this study is to develop a new algorithm that includes clinical and genetic variables to predict the most appropriate acenocoumarol dosage for stable anticoagulation in a wide range of patients. We recruited 685 patients from 2 Spanish hospitals and 1 primary healthcare center. We randomly chose 80% of the patients (n = 556), considering an equitable distribution of genotypes to form the generation cohort. The remaining 20% (n = 129) formed the validation cohort. Multiple linear regression was used to generate the algorithm using the acenocoumarol stable dosage as the dependent variable and the clinical and genotypic variables as the independent variables. The variables included in the algorithm were age, weight, amiodarone use, enzyme inducer status, international normalized ratio target range and the presence of CYP2C9*2 (rs1799853), CYP2C9*3 (rs1057910), VKORC1 (rs9923231) and CYP4F2 (rs2108622). The coefficient of determination (R2) explained by the algorithm was 52.8% in the generation cohort and 64% in the validation cohort. The following R2 values were evaluated by pathology: atrial fibrillation, 57.4%; valve replacement, 56.3%; and venous thromboembolic disease, 51.5%. When the patients were classified into 3 dosage groups according to the stable dosage (<11 mg/week, 11–21 mg/week, >21 mg/week), the percentage of correctly classified patients was higher in the intermediate group, whereas differences between pharmacogenetic and clinical algorithms increased in the extreme dosage groups. Our algorithm could improve acenocoumarol dosage selection for patients who will begin treatment with this drug, especially in extreme-dosage patients. The predictability of the pharmacogenetic algorithm did not vary significantly between diseases.
Nephrology, dialysis and transplantation in Turkey.

The establishment of the Turkish Society of Nephrology (TSN) in 1970 coincided with that of many western European nephrology societies. The TSN organized the 15th ERA-EDTA Congress in Istanbul in 1978, earlier than many European Countries, and currently has 286 active members. At present, Turkey has 161 nephrologists, which equals 2.5 nephrologists per million population (p.m.p.). The number of original articles submitted by Turkish authors to the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation ranks 7th-8th amongst total submissions to the journal. Turkey also ranks 2nd-4th in the number of abstracts submitted to recent ERA-EDTA Congresses. With 18 063 patients undergoing intermittent haemodialysis treatment in 348 dialysis centres, Turkey has the 5th largest chronic haemodialysis patient population among European countries. In addition, 1903 patients are currently undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. However, with a total of 4693 renal transplants since 1975, of which only 21.3% were of cadaveric origin, Turkey lags considerably behind other European countries in renal transplantation. In Turkey, the prevalence and incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) are at present 358 and 52 p.m. p. respectively, and the expansion rate of the RRT stock is 17% (HD 18.5%, CAPD 6%, and transplantation 1.7%). The yearly gross mortality rate of the total RRT population is 9.4%. The present priorities of the Turkish nephrological community include high-standard research activity and long-term, prospective clinical and epidemiological studies, an increase in the total number and percentage of cadaveric transplants, further improvement of the quality and cost-effectiveness of RRT, and finally the further development of scientific and educational collaboration with the world nephrological community.
Loyalty intentions: Does the effect of commitment, credibility and awareness vary across consumers with low and high involvement?

Purpose – This article aims to present a model linking loyalty intention, brand commitment, brand credibility and brand awareness. The model shows the mediating role of brand commitment and brand credibility on loyalty intention. The researchers also investigated the changes in the given model under high and low involvement conditions, explicitly considering involvement as between-subject differences rather than between-product differences. The change in customer loyalty intention under varying levels of product involvement is a highly debated topic among researchers. Design/methodology/approach – The model was tested on a sample of 318 executives who have bought and are using deodorants. The respondents had given responses for loyalty intentions, brand commitment, brand credibility, brand awareness and involvement towards the brand of deodorant that they use. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the tool for measurement of constructs and multi-group structural equation modelling for testing the hypotheses and comparing the nested models. Findings – The difference between high and low involvement groups in the given model supports the hierarchy-of-effects view. We found that attitude precedes behaviour for highly involved individuals but followed a different hierarchy among the individuals with low involvement. Research limitations/implications – This research investigates the proposed model for a single product category and so the scope of generalisability is limited to the product selected. This research has considered behavioural intention rather than the behaviour in this study. Practical implications – The study demonstrates the differences in the hierarchy-of-effects among low/high involvement groups. Thus, the findings will have an impact on the approach of practitioners, as different strategies will have to be adopted for the enhancement of loyalty intentions based on the difference in perceived involvement of consumers. Originality/value – This paper shows the need to differently target consumers with different levels of perceived involvement, within the same product class and thus between-subject involvement can be used as a segmentation variable.