Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Executive control of spatial attention shifts in the auditory compared to the visual modality

Voluntary orienting of visual spatial attention has been shown to be associated with activation in a distributed network of frontal and parietal brain areas. Neuropsychological data suggest that at least some of these areas should be sensitive to the direction in which attention is shifted. The aim of this study was to use rapid event‐related functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether spatial attention in the auditory modality is subserved by the same or different brain areas as in the visual modality, and whether the auditory and visual attention networks show any degree of hemispheric lateralisation or sensitivity to the direction of attention shifts. The results suggest that auditory and visual spatial attention shifts are controlled by a supramodal network of frontal, parietal and temporal areas. Areas activated included the precuneus and superior parietal cortex, the inferior parietal cortex and temporo‐parietal junction, as well as the premotor and supplementary motor areas and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In the auditory task, some of these areas, in particular the precuneus as well as the inferior parietal cortex and temporo‐parietal junction, showed ‘relative’ asymmetry, in that they responded more strongly to attention shifts towards the contralateral than the ipsilateral hemispace. Some areas, such as the right superior parietal cortex and left DLPFC, showed ‘absolute’ asymmetry, in that they responded more strongly in one than in the other hemisphere. Human Brain Mapp 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Propranolol Increases the Threshold for Lidocaine-Induced Convulsions in Awake Rats: A Direct Effect on the Brain

BACKGROUND:Propranolol is a β-adrenoceptor antagonist used clinically. Local anesthetics are used for controlling pain, whereas propranolol is concomitantly given to treat hypertension and tachycardia. However, there are few studies examining the effects of propranolol on the toxicity of local anesthetics. We investigated the effect of propranolol on lidocaine-induced convulsions in awake, spontaneously breathing rats. METHODS:Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups (n = 8, each group). Rats were pretreated with intracerebroventricular saline (cerebroventricle- control: CV-C group), 10 or 30 &mgr;g/kg of (S)-(−)-propranolol (propranolol) (cerebroventricle-small dose: CV-S and cerebroventricle-large dose: CV-L groups, respectively) or IV saline (IV-control: IV-C group), 1 or 3 mg/kg of propranolol (IV-small dose: IV-S and IV-large dose: IV-L groups, respectively). Three minutes later, lidocaine was administered IV at 4 mg · kg−1 · min−1 until tonic-clonic convulsions occurred. RESULTS:The convulsive dose of lidocaine in the CV-L group was significantly larger than that in the CV-C group (30.6 ± 5.1 vs 23.5 ± 2.2 mg/kg, respectively, P = 0.008). Plasma concentrations of total and protein-unbound lidocaine, concentrations of lidocaine in the brain at the onset of convulsions were also significantly higher in the CV-L group than those in the CV-C group (36.1 ± 4.8 vs 26.0 ± 3.8 &mgr;g/mL, 22.5 ± 3.5 vs 13.7 ± 2.6 &mgr;g/mL, 82.7 ± 7.1 vs 57.3 ± 5.7 &mgr;g/g, P < 0.001 for all). The convulsive dose, plasma concentrations of total and protein-unbound lidocaine, and brain lidocaine in the IV-L group were also significantly larger than those in IV-C group and comparable with those in the CV-L group. The plasma concentration of propranolol before starting an infusion of lidocaine in the IV-L group was approximately 60-fold higher than that in the CV-L group (554.7 ± 104.6 and 9.3 ± 6.7 ng/mL, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:Propranolol increased the threshold for lidocaine-induced convulsions by directly acting on the brain.
Nonlinear Dynamic Field Embedding: On Hyperspectral Scene Visualization

Graph embedding techniques are useful to characterize spectral signature relations for hyperspectral images. However, such images consists of disjoint classes due to spatial details that are often ignored by existing graph computing tools. Robust parameter estimation is a challenge for kernel functions that compute such graphs. Finding a corresponding high quality coordinate system to map signature relations remains an open research question. We answer positively on these challenges by first proposing a kernel function of spatial and spectral information in computing neighborhood graphs. Secondly, the study exploits the force field interpretation from mechanics and devise a unifying nonlinear graph embedding framework. The generalized framework leads to novel unsupervised multidimensional artificial field embedding techniques that rely on the simple additive assumption of pair-dependent attraction and repulsion functions. The formulations capture long range and short range distance related effects often associated with living organisms and help to establish algorithmic properties that mimic mutual behavior for the purpose of dimensionality reduction. The main benefits from the proposed models includes the ability to preserve the local topology of data and produce quality visualizations i.e. maintaining disjoint meaningful neighborhoods. As part of evaluation, visualization, gradient field trajectories, and semisupervised classification experiments are conducted for image scenes acquired by multiple sensors at various spatial resolutions over different types of objects. The results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed embedding framework over various widely used methods.
Working in Human Services: How Do Experiences and Working Conditions in Child Welfare Social Work Compare?

Child welfare agencies in many rich countries are having difficulty recruiting and retaining social workers. However, these problems are not unique to child welfare: retention problems have also been widely reported in both mental and general health facilities. In this paper, we compare the perceptions of work and working conditions held by child welfare social workers with the perceptions held by other professional human service workers in the public sector in Sweden. Do the social workers' experiences of their tasks or organizational conditions differ from the other groups, and, if so, how? Are workforce problems particularly acute in child welfare, or do social workers in this field share more or less common problems with other human service professionals? We found that although social workers in general, and child welfare social workers in particular, made positive assessments of some dimensions of their working lives, social work was unusually demanding among human service professions on several measures of workload, complexity of tasks and quality of management. The strains of the job that social workers expressed call upon employers to promote working conditions that offer more support, and to recognize and value social workers for their work.
A simple derivation and classification of common probability distributions based on information symmetry and measurement scale

Commonly observed patterns typically follow a few distinct families of probability distributions. Over one hundred years ago, Karl Pearson provided a systematic derivation and classification of the common continuous distributions. His approach was phenomenological: a differential equation that generated common distributions without any underlying conceptual basis for why common distributions have particular forms and what explains the familial relations. Pearson's system and its descendants remain the most popular systematic classification of probability distributions. Here, we unify the disparate forms of common distributions into a single system based on two meaningful and justifiable propositions. First, distributions follow maximum entropy subject to constraints, where maximum entropy is equivalent to minimum information. Second, different problems associate magnitude to information in different ways, an association we describe in terms of the relation between information invariance and measurement scale. Our framework relates the different continuous probability distributions through the variations in measurement scale that change each family of maximum entropy distributions into a distinct family. From our framework, future work in biology can consider the genesis of common patterns in a new and more general way. Particular biological processes set the relation between the information in observations and magnitude, the basis for information invariance, symmetry and measurement scale. The measurement scale, in turn, determines the most likely probability distributions and observed patterns associated with particular processes. This view presents a fundamentally derived alternative to the largely unproductive debates about neutrality in ecology and evolution.
Institutional Enforcement, Labor Market Rigidities, and Economic Performance

This paper study the issue of institutional enforcement of regulations by focusing on labor-market policies and their potential link to economic performance. It test the different impacts of enforceable and non-enforceable labor regulations by proxying non-enforceable labor rigidity measures using data on conventions from the International Labor Organization (ILO). It has been argued that non-enforceable conventions -that is, those that exist on paper and are simply de jure regulations -appear to be more distortionary and tend to be the least enforced in practice (Squire and Suthiwart-Narueput, 1997). According to Freeman (1993), these conventions reflect the ideal regulatory framework from an institutionalist perspective and cover a variety of labor market issues, from child labor to placement agencies. Whereas in theory, a country's ratification of ILO conventions gives the country legal status and thus supersedes domestic regulations relating to those issues, in practice the degree of labor-market rigidity depends on how the conventions are enforced. It is the outcome of the regulations that matters, rather than their number.
Associations among imaging measures (2): The association between gray matter concentration and task‐induced activation changes

The association between functional activation and gray matter (GM) structure has been revealed in clinical studies and studies of aging involving a small number of subjects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between functional activation maps and GM structures in young adults who do not show apparent GM atrophy and to investigate in detail the nature of this association using a large number of subjects. We used voxel‐by‐voxel regression analyses to investigate voxel‐by‐voxel associations between GM concentration (GMC) and contrast estimate images of brain activity during n‐back working memory tasks. Associations were assessed for each voxel after regressing out the effects of age, sex, and mean signal intensity during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning at each voxel using data from 248 normal, right‐handed, young adult subjects. In our study, the concept of “the greater the GMC, the greater the task‐related activation increase/task‐related activation decrease (or the greater the task‐related activation change from baseline)” was true for a wide range of activated and deactivated areas. However, in some minor regions, the other pattern of “the greater the GMC, the smaller the task‐related activation increase” was observed. The first pattern is often observed at the borders of GM structures. These findings may have to be taken into consideration when group/individual differences in functional activation are investigated. Hum Brain Mapp 35:185–198, 2014. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Outcomes After Total Ankle Replacement in Association With Ipsilateral Hindfoot Arthrodesis

Background: Ipsilateral hindfoot arthrodesis in combination with total ankle replacement (TAR) may diminish functional outcome and prosthesis survivorship compared to isolated TAR. We compared the outcome of isolated TAR to outcomes of TAR with ipsilateral hindfoot arthrodesis. Methods: In a consecutive series of 404 primary TARs in 396 patients, 70 patients (17.3%) had a hindfoot fusion before, after, or at the time of TAR; the majority had either an isolated subtalar arthrodesis (n = 43, 62%) or triple arthrodesis (n = 15, 21%). The remaining 334 isolated TARs served as the control group. Mean patient follow-up was 3.2 years (range, 24-72 months). Results: The SF-36 total, AOFAS Hindfoot-Ankle pain subscale, Foot and Ankle Disability Index, and Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment scores were significantly improved from preoperative measures, with no significant differences between the hindfoot arthrodesis and control groups. The AOFAS Hindfoot-Ankle total, function, and alignment scores were significantly improved for both groups, albeit the control group demonstrated significantly higher scores in all 3 scales. Furthermore, the control group demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in VAS pain score compared to the hindfoot arthrodesis group. Walking speed, sit-to-stand time, and 4-square step test time were significantly improved for both groups at each postoperative time point; however, the hindfoot arthrodesis group completed these tests significantly slower than the control group. There was no significant difference in terms of talar component subsidence between the fusion (2.6 mm) and control groups (2.0 mm). The failure rate in the hindfoot fusion group (10.0%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (2.4%; p < 0.05). Conclusion: To our knowledge, this study represents the first series evaluating the clinical outcome of TARs performed with and without hindfoot fusion using implants available in the United States. At follow-up of 3.2 years, TAR performed with ipsilateral hindfoot arthrodesis resulted in significant improvements in pain and functional outcome; in contrast to prior studies, however, overall outcome was inferior to that of isolated TAR. Level of Evidence: Level II, prospective comparative series.
Perceived tension and relaxation ability in young adults

Abstract Purpose: To study the association between self-reported general tension and muscle tension, and clinically tested relaxation ability. Methods: Self-reports on muscle tension habits and on general tension, and the covariates neck and shoulder pain, perceived stress level, perceived mastery of work, quantitative work demands, and leisure time physical activity, were collected on a questionnaire (52 males, 81 females, mean age 23 years). A clinical test on relaxation ability was performed by a trained physiotherapist on a subsample (38 males, 39 females). Results: Perceived general tension showed a highly significant (p < 0.001) correlation with the muscle tension habit score (0.58), and the muscle tension factor (0.54). None of the self-reported tension measures correlated with the relaxation ability score. The self-reported tension measures, but not the clinical tension score, showed an association with neck and shoulder pain and perceived stress level. Conclusions: The self-reported measures of general tension and of muscle tension correlated and probably represented similar phenomenon. However, the subjects’ perceived stress level was to a higher degree reflected in the measure of general tension. The score of the clinical test on relaxation ability did not show an association with the self-reported tension measures.
DNA methylation alterations in multiple myeloma as a model for epigenetic changes in cancer

Epigenetics refers to heritable modifications of the genome that are not a result of changes in the DNA sequence and result in phenotypic changes. These changes can be stably transmitted through cell division and are potentially reversible. Epigenetic events are very important during normal development wherein a single progenitor cell proliferates and differentiates into various somatic cell types. This process occurs through modification of the genome without changing the genetic code. Because epigenetic control of gene expression is so important, aberrant epigenetic regulation can lead to disease and cancer. This article reviews epigenetic changes seen in cancer by examining epigenetic changes commonly found in multiple myeloma, a common hematologic malignancy of plasma cells. Epigenetic control of gene expression can be exerted by changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications, and expression of noncoding RNAs. Each of these regulatory mechanisms interacts with the others at different genomic locations and can be measured quantitatively within the cell, requiring that we consider these mechanisms not individually but as a biological system. DNA methylation was the earliest discovered epigenetic regulator and has been the focus of most investigations in cancer. We have thus focused on DNA methylation changes in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma, which promises to become an excellent model for systems biological studies of epigenomic dysregulation in human disease. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Religious Fundamentalism and Mental Illness: A Group Analytic Exploration

This article applies group analytic thinking to the relationship between religious fundamentalism and mental illness. Religion is explored as a means of social cohesion, and religious fundamentalism as a regressive response to globalization. Extrinsic and intrinsic religious attitudes are compared, with evidence of mental health within the latter. Clinical examples are offered to explore the potential heightening of mental distress for those presenting with culturally liminal attitudes within fundamentalist communities. Within contemporary society, it is proposed that the inclusion of psychoanalytic thinking within religious practice and the secular acceptance of the religious function could enable the emergence of a self-reflexive, and therefore more humane, spirituality.
Women and Families: Feminist Reconstructions

Families--often a source of satisfaction, growth, and fulfillment for women--can also be an arena of domination, abuse, and pain. This volume uses a postmodern feminist perspective to elucidate women's myriad experiences in the family, providing an integrated analysis of critical aspects of intimate relationships, sexuality, childbearing decisions, care giving, and work within the family context. Throughout, the book focuses on the nature of the choices women must make as they attempt to meet their own needs while nurturing and sustaining their intimate and family relationships.Challenging traditional definitions of the family, WOMEN AND FAMILIES reveals the rich diversity of family relationships that women actually construct. The proliferation of new family configurations, the diversity of connections that women form with intimate partners, and the multiplicity of choices they make regarding paid work and parenting are examined. With a focus on heterosexual and lesbian family experiences, the book provides an inclusive perspective rarely found in the family studies literature. Drawing upon current research and theory, the volume creates a vision of what families might be when relationships are based on mutual respect, equality, and choice.A comprehensive introduction to postmodern feminism, WOMEN AND FAMILIES incorporates feminist thinking and research from a variety of disciplines. It provides an integrated analysis of the connections among women, their families, and the wider culture, and illuminates both the differences and the similarities among women. Action-oriented, the book stresses themes of economic autonomy, choice and equality, reproductive freedom, and education for critical awareness, and presents pragmatic recommendations for empowerment.Offering a unique perspective on the reciprocal influences between women and their families, this volume will be of interest to a wide range of professionals including family specialists, therapists, social workers, psychologists, and sociologists. Ideal as a primary text for upper division undergraduate- or graduate-level family studies, women's studies, and gender studies courses, WOMEN AND FAMILIES also serves as a supplemental text for courses in counseling, sociology, psychology, social work, and life-span development.
A Review of the Role of Cue Processing in Task Switching

The role of cue processing has become a controversial topic in research on cognitive control using task-switching procedures. Some authors suggested a priming account to explain switch costs as a form of encoding benefit when the cue from the previous trial is repeated and hence challenged theories that attribute task-switch costs to task-set (re)configuration. A rich body of empirical evidence has evolved that indeed shows that cue-encoding repetition priming is an important component in task switching. However, these studies also demonstrate that there are usually substantial “true” task-switch costs. Here, we review this behavioral, electrophysiological, and brain imaging evidence. Moreover, we describe alternative approaches to the explicit task-cuing procedure, such as the usage of transition cues or the task-span procedure. In addition, we address issues related to the type of cue, such as cue transparency. We also discuss methodological and theoretical implications and argue that the explicit task-cuing procedure is suitable to address issues of cognitive control and task-set switching.
Temporal Stability of Strength-Based Assessments

This study focused on evaluating the temporal stability of self-reported and teacher-reported perceptions of students’ social and emotional skills and assets. We used a test–retest reliability procedure over repeated administrations of the child, adolescent, and teacher versions of the Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales. Middle school students in Grades 6 through 8 reliably self-reported on their social and emotional competencies. In a similar vein, teacher ratings of students in Grades K through 5 also showed strong temporal stability. Although all samples and versions of this scale demonstrated temporal stability, multiple administrations of the child self-report version of the SEARS showed evidence of the mean score of the initial administration being significantly lower than what was obtained on later administrations. Implications for further research and development efforts are discussed.
How to prove that a preconditioner cannot be superlinear

In the general case of multilevel Toeplitz matrices, we recently proved that any multilevel circulant preconditioner is not superlinear (a cluster it may provide cannot be proper). The proof was based on the concept of quasi-equimodular matrices, although this concept does not apply, for example, to the sine-transform matrices. In this paper, with a new concept of partially equimodular matrices, we cover all trigonometric matrix algebras widely used in the literature. We propose a technique for proving the nonsuperlinearity of certain frequently used preconditioners for some representative sample multilevel matrices. At the same time, we show that these preconditioners are, in a certain sense, the best among the sublinear preconditioners (with only a general cluster) for multilevel Toeplitz matrices.
Evaluating an undergraduate unit using a focus group

Describes a small research project designed to assess the contribution to this process of focus group research in the context of one undergraduate unit on a Business Studies Programme. Problems with the delivery of this unit prompted a request to the Centre for Business Education Research (a small research centre within the School of Business and Finance) by the unit leader for a review and, as a consequence, the establishment of a focus group. The process of setting up and running the focus group and an assessment of its potential contribution as a supplementary source of information about the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in higher education represents the core of the paper. There were compelling reasons for choosing a focus group methodology and the results tend to confirm the validity of this choice. Nevertheless, a number of issues surfaced during the research.