Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR)

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programmes have demonstrated beneficial outcomes in a variety of populations. Self-compassion and empathy have theoretical connections to mindfulness, the key element of the MBSR programme; however, previous studies examining the programme's impact on self-compassion or empathy have demonstrated mixed results. This study examined the impact of MBSR on self-compassion and empathy, as well as on mindfulness, symptoms of stress, mood disturbance and spirituality in a community sample. Significant reductions in symptoms of stress and mood disturbance, as well as increases in mindfulness, spirituality and self-compassion were observed after programme participation. With regards to empathy, a significant increase was seen in perspective taking and a significant decrease in personal distress; no significant change was observed for empathic concern. Changes in self-compassion were predicted by changes in mindfulness. Self-compassion and aspects of empathy revealed strong associations with psychological functioning. Implications of MBSR as an intervention for enhancing self-compassion and empathy are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cognitive performance in women aged 50 years and older with and without fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVES Persons with fibromyalgia (FM) report having cognitive dysfunction. Neuropsychological performance was compared across a variety of domains in 43 women with FM (Mage = 63 years) and in 44 women without FM (Mage = 65 years). METHOD Measures included explicit memory (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease [CERAD] immediate/delayed recall, delayed recognition), aspects of executive function including interference/inhibition (Stroop Color/Word test), working memory (Digit Span Forward/Backward), set-shifting/complex sequencing (Trails B), monitoring (verbal fluency: naming animals), processing speed (Trails A, Digit Symbol Substitution Coding), and problem solving (Everyday Problems Test). RESULTS Women with FM performed more poorly than controls on executive function (Stroop Color/Word) and one processing speed measure (Digit Symbol Substitution Coding). DISCUSSION Results partly support altered cognitive function in FM. Mixed findings across cognitive domains among individuals with or without FM is consistent with the literature and suggest that factors beyond those typically controlled for (e.g., heterogeneity in FM) may be influencing findings. Future research is warranted.
On substitution invariant Sturmian words: an application of Rauzy fractals

Sturmian words are infinite words that have exactly n + 1 factors of length n for every positive integer n. A Sturmian word s�,� is also defined as a coding over a two-letter alphabet of the orbit of the pointunder the action of the irrational rotation R� : x 7! x + � (mod 1). Yasutomi characterized in (34) all the pairs (�,�) such that the Sturmian word s�,� is a fixed point of some non-trivial substitution. By investigating the Rauzy frac- tals associated with invertible substitutions, we give an alternative geometric proof of Yasutomi's characterization.
Digalactosyldiacylglycerol Synthesis in Chloroplasts of the Arabidopsis dgd1 Mutant1

Galactolipid biosynthesis in plants is highly complex. It involves multiple pathways giving rise to different molecular species. To assess the contribution of different routes of galactolipid synthesis and the role of molecular species for growth and photosynthesis, we initiated a genetic approach of analyzing double mutants of the digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) synthase mutantdgd1 with the acyltransferase mutant,act1, and the two desaturase mutants,fad2 and fad3. The double mutants showed different degrees of growth retardation: act1,dgd1 was most severely affected and growth of fad2,dgd1 was slightly reduced, whereas fad3,dgd1 plants were very similar to dgd1. In act1,dgd1, lipid and chlorophyll content were reduced and photosynthetic capacity was affected. Molecular analysis of galactolipid content, fatty acid composition, and positional distribution suggested that the growth deficiency is not caused by changes in galactolipid composition per se. Chloroplasts of dgd1 were capable of synthesizing monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, DGDG, and tri- and tetragalactosyldiacylglycerol. Therefore, the reduced growth ofact1,dgd1 and fad2,dgd1 cannot be explained by the absence of DGDG synthase activity from chloroplasts. Molecular analysis of DGDG accumulating in the mutants during phosphate deprivation suggested that similarly to the residual DGDG ofdgd1, this additional lipid is synthesized in association with chloroplast membranes through a pathway independent of the mutations, act1, dgd1,fad2, and fad3. Our data imply that the severe growth defect of act1,dgd1 is caused by a reduced metabolic flux of chloroplast lipid synthesis through the eukaryotic and prokaryotic pathway as well as by the reduction of photosynthetic capacity caused by the destabilization of photosynthetic complexes.
The relevance of telehealth across the digital divided the transfer of knowledge over distance

This paper explores the concept of Relevance as an explanatory factor to the diffusion of ITuse, or, in this paper particularly, the use of Telehealth. Relevance is the net value of performance expectancy and effort expectancy and contains both micro-relevance (i.e. here-and-now) and macro-relevance (i.e. actual goals) Following the case-study approach, two Telehealth situations were studied in Rwanda and The Netherlands. In the comparison, two more existing studies in Canada and Tanzania were included. The conclusion is that Relevance is the explanatory factor, whereas particularly micro-relevance is crucial. Without the micro-relevant occasions that initiate use, there will be no use on longer term In the cases studied the micro-relevance of knowledge-transfer was crucial. Furthermore distance determined Telehealth relevance. Practical conclusions to cases were drawn.
Staff and patient perspectives on unmet need and therapeutic alliance in community mental health services

Background Therapeutic alliance between clinicians and their patients is important in community mental healthcare. It is unclear whether providing effective interventions influences therapeutic alliance. Aims To assess the impact of meeting previously unmet mental health needs on the therapeutic alliance between patients and clinicians. Method Secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal study assessing 101 patients and paired staff. Results Patient-rated unmet need was negatively associated with patient-rated and staff-rated therapeutic alliance. Staff-rated unmet need was positively associated with patient-rated therapeutic alliance only. Reducing patient-rated unmet need increased patient-rated but not staff-rated therapeutic alliance, even when controlling for other variables. Reducing staff-rated unmet need increased staff-rated but not patient-rated therapeutic alliance, but the effect became insignificant when controlling for other variables. Conclusions Patient-rated therapeutic alliance will be maximised by focusing assessment and interventions on patient-rated rather than staff-rated unmet need.
Volumetric imaging of fish locomotion

Fishes use multiple flexible fins in order to move and maintain stability in a complex fluid environment. We used a new approach, a volumetric velocimetry imaging system, to provide the first instantaneous three-dimensional views of wake structures as they are produced by freely swimming fishes. This new technology allowed us to demonstrate conclusively the linked ring vortex wake pattern that is produced by the symmetrical (homocercal) tail of fishes, and to visualize for the first time the three-dimensional vortex wake interaction between the dorsal and anal fins and the tail. We found that the dorsal and anal fin wakes were rapidly (within one tail beat) assimilated into the caudal fin vortex wake. These results show that volumetric imaging of biologically generated flow patterns can reveal new features of locomotor dynamics, and provides an avenue for future investigations of the diversity of fish swimming patterns and their hydrodynamic consequences.
A Psychoanalytic Classification of Character Pathology

111s PAPER IS A proposal for a classification of character patholT o n which integrates recent developments in our understanding of severe forms of character pathology, especially tlie so-called “borderline conditions,” with recent developments in psychoanalytic metapsychology. This classification attempts (1) to establish psychoanalytic criteria for differential diagnoses among different types and degrees of severity of character pathology; (2) to clarify the relationship between a descriptive characterological dihgnosis and a metapsychological, especially structural, analysis; and (3) to arrange subgroups of character pathology according to their degree of severity. This system of classification should help in the diagnosis of character pathology by providing the clinician with more systematic information about the descriptive, structural, and genetic-dynamic characteristics of the different forms of character pathology. It should also help in the treatment of patients suffering from character pathology by singling out the predominant constellations of character defenses and other defenses peculiar to the categories of character pathology which I propose to describe. Last, but not least, this proposed classification should help in determining the prognosis for psychological treatment in these conditions by differentiating types of character pathology with varying degrees of indication for psychoanalytic treatment and for psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy.
Ice Nucleation by Sea-ice Bacteria High-resolution Ice Nucleation Spectra of Sea-ice Bacteria: Implications for Cloud Formation and Life in Frozen Environments Bgd Ice Nucleation by Sea-ice Bacteria

Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Full Screen / Esc Abstract Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Full Screen / Esc Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion EGU Abstract Even though studies of Arctic ice forming particles suggest that a bacterial or viral source derived from open leads could be important for cloud formation in the Arctic (Bigg and Leck, 2001), the ice nucleation potential of most polar marine psychrophiles or viruses has not been examined under conditions more closely resembling those in 5 the atmosphere. In this paper, we examined the ice nucleation activity (INA) of several representative Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice bacterial isolates and a polar Colwellia phage virus. High-resolution ice nucleation spectra were obtained for droplets containing bacterial cells or virus particles using a free-fall freezing tube technique. The fraction of frozen droplets at a particular droplet temperature was determined by measuring 10 the depolarized light scattering intensity from solution droplets in free-fall. Our experiments revealed that all sea-ice isolates and the virus nucleated ice at temperatures very close to the homogeneous nucleation temperature for the nucleation medium – which for artificial seawater was −42.2±0.3 • C. Our results indicated that these marine psychro-active bacteria and viruses are not important for heterogeneous ice nucleation 15 processes in sea ice or polar clouds. These results also suggested that avoidance of ice formation in close proximity to cell surfaces might be one of the cold-adaptation and survival strategies for sea-ice bacteria. The fact that INA occurs at such low temperature could constitute one factor that explains the persistence of metabolic activities at temperatures far below the freezing point of seawater.
Characterizations of nonlinear optical properties on GaN crystals in polar, nonpolar, and semipolar orientations

We report the basic nonlinear optical properties, namely, two-photon absorption coefficient ( β), three-photon absorption coefficient ( γ), and Kerr nonlinear refractive index ( n kerr), of GaN crystals in polar c-plane, nonpolar m-plane, and semipolar ( 20 21 ¯) plane orientations. A typical Z-scan technique was used for the measurement with a femtosecond Ti:S laser from wavelengths of 724 nm to 840 nm. For the two-photon absorption coefficient ( β), similar values were obtained for polar, nonpolar, and semipolar samples, which are characterized to be ∼0.90 cm/GW at 724 nm and ∼0.65 cm/GW at 730 nm for all the three samples. For the Kerr nonlinear refractive index ( n kerr), self-focusing features were observed in this work, which is different from previous reports where self-defocusing features were observed on GaN in the visible and near-UV spectral regions. At 724 nm, n kerr was measured to be ∼2.5 0 × 10 − 14 cm 2 / W for all three samples. Three-photon absorption coefficients ( γ) were also determ.
Severing Corneal Nerves in One Eye Induces Sympathetic Loss of Immune Privilege and Promotes Rejection of Future Corneal Allografts Placed in Either Eye

Less than 10% of corneal allografts undergo rejection even though HLA matching is not performed. However, second corneal transplants experience a threefold increase in rejection, which is not due to prior sensitization to histocompatibility antigens shared by the first and second transplants since corneal grafts are selected at random without histocompatibility matching. Using a mouse model of penetrating keratoplasty, we found that 50% of the initial corneal transplants survived, yet 100% of the subsequent corneal allografts (unrelated to the first graft) placed in the opposite eye underwent rejection. The severing of corneal nerves that occurs during surgery induced substance P (SP) secretion in both eyes, which disabled T regulatory cells that are required for allograft survival. Administration of an SP antagonist restored immune privilege and promoted graft survival. Thus, corneal surgery produces a sympathetic response that permanently abolishes immune privilege of subsequent corneal allografts, even those placed in the opposite eye and expressing a completely different array of foreign histocompatibility antigens from the first corneal graft.
Screening of congenital heart disease patients using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification: Early diagnosis of syndromic patients

Recurrent copy number variants (CNVs) are found in a significant proportion of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and some of these CNVs are associated with other developmental defects. In some syndromic patients, CHD may be the first presenting symptom, thus screening of patients with CHD for CNVs in specific genomic regions may lead to early diagnosis and awareness of extracardiac symptoms. We designed a multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay specifically for screening of CHD patients. The MLPA assay allows for simultaneous analysis of CNVs in 25 genomic regions previously associated with CHD. We screened blood samples from 402 CHD patients and identified 14 rare CNVs in 13 (3.2%) patients. Five CNVs were de novo and six where inherited from a healthy parent. The MLPA screen led to early syndrome diagnosis in two of these patients. We conclude that the MLPA assay detects clinically relevant CNVs and suggest that it could be used within pediatric cardiology as a first tier screen to detect clinically relevant CNVs and identify syndromic patients at an early stage. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Efficient and accurate B-rep generation of low degree sculptured solids using exact arithmetic: II - computation

We present eecient algorithms for exact boundary computation on low degree sculptured CSG solids using exact arithmetic. These include algorithms for computing the intersection curves of low-degree trimmed parametric surfaces, decomposing them into multiple components for eecient point location queries inside the trimmed regions, and computing the boundary of the resulting solid using topological information and component classiication tests. We also employ a n umber of previously developed algorithms such as algebraic curve classiication and multivariate Sturm sequences. We present some results from a preliminary implementation of our approach. This paper follows a previous paper which described the representations used in our approach.
Learning multiple evolutionary pathways from cross-sectional data

We introduce a mixture model of trees to describe evolutionary processes that are characterized by the accumulation of permanent genetic changes. The basic building block of the model is a directed weighted tree that generates a probability distribution on the set of all patterns of genetic events. We present an EM-like algorithm for learning a mixture model of K trees and show how to determine K with a maximum likelihood approach. As a case study we consider the accumulation of mutations in the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase that are associated with drug resistance. The fitted model is statistically validated as a density estimator and the stability of the model topology is analyzed. We obtain a generative probabilistic model for the development of drug resistance in HIV that agrees with biological knowledge. Further applications and extensions of the model are discussed.
Learning distance functions for exemplar-based object recognition

This thesis investigates an exemplar-based approach to object recognition that learns, on an image-by-image basis, the relative importance of patch-based features for determining similarity. We borrow the idea of "family resemblances" from Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations and Eleanor Rosch's psychological studies to support the idea of learning the detailed relationships between images of the same category, which is a departure from some popular machine learning approaches such as Support Vector Machines that seek only the boundaries between categories. We represent images as sets of patch-based features. To find the distance between two images, we first find for each patch its nearest patch in the other image and compute their inter-patch distance. The weighted sum of these inter-patch distances is defined to be the distance between the two images. The main contribution of this thesis is a method for learning a set-to-set distance function specific to each training image and demonstrating the use of these functions for image browsing, retrieval, and classification. The goal of the learning algorithm is to assign a non-negative weight to each patch-based feature of the image such that the most useful patches are assigned large weights and irrelevant or confounding patches are given zero weights. We formulate this as a large-margin optimization, related to the soft-margin Support Vector Machine, and discuss two versions: a "focal" version that learns weights for each image separately, and a "global" version that jointly learns the weights for all training images. In the focal version, the distance functions learned for the training images are not directly comparable to one another and can be most directly applied to in-sample applications such as image browsing, though with heuristics or additional learning, these functions can be used for image retrieval or classification. The global approach, however, learns distance functions that are globally consistent and can be used directly for image retrieval and classification. Using geometric blur and simple color features, we show that both versions perform as well or better than the best-performing algorithms on the Caltech 101 object recognition benchmark. The global version achieves the best results, a 63.2% mean recognition rate when trained with fifteen images per category and 66.6% when trained with twenty.
Local regulation of testicular immunoreactive-arginine vasopressin and steroidogenesis by naloxone.

The effects of intratesticular injection of naloxone, a universal opioid antagonist, on testicular immunoreactive (IR)-arginine vasopressin (AVP) content and on in vitro testosterone production by Leydig cells were investigated in the mouse. Bilateral intratesticular injection of increasing doses of naloxone (0.1-10 micrograms/testis) resulted 24 h later in a dose-dependent increase in testosterone production by Leydig cells incubated for 3 h in the presence or absence of hCG (100 ng/ml). Unilateral intratesticular injection of naloxone (10 micrograms) similarly enhanced basal and hCG-stimulated testosterone production by Leydig cells, but production was not modified in Leydig cells from the contralateral vehicle-injected testis, nor was it changed when the same dose was injected subcutaneously. Unilateral intratesticular injection of 10 micrograms naloxone led to a dose-dependent increase in the hCG-responsiveness without altering the slope of the hCG dose-response curve. In vitro exposure of Leydig cells to increasing doses of naloxone (10(-9) to 10(-7) M) did not alter either basal or hCG-stimulated testosterone production. Testicular IR-AVP content declined in a dose-dependent manner in naloxone-injected testis, but remained unchanged in the contralateral vehicle-injected testis and in testis from animals that received similar doses of naloxone subcutaneously. Since AVP has been shown to locally exert a negative control on testosterone production within the testis, it might be hypothesized that the increased Leydig cell activity after local naloxone administration results from reduced intratesticular IR-AVP levels. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
DROPOUTS IN LONGITUDINAL STUDIES: DEFINITIONS AND MODELS

The widely used distinction of Little and Rubin [1] about types of randomness for missing data presents difficulties in its application to dropouts in longitudinal repeated measurement studies. In its place, a new typology of randomness for dropouts is proposed that relies on using a survival model for the dropout process. In terms of a stochastic process, dropping out is a change of state. Then, the longitudinal measures and dropout processes can be modeled simultaneously, each conditional on the complete previous history of both repeated measures and states. In this context, Poisson regression is used to fit various proportional hazards models, some of which are new, to the dropout process using the longitudinal measurements responses as time-varying covariates. As examples of longitudinal measurement studies displaying nonrandom dropout processes, a dental study of testosterone production in rats and clinical trials for treatment of gallstones and of depression are analyzed.
Downregulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex Prevents Social Conformity

We often change our behavior to conform to real or imagined group pressure. Social influence on our behavior has been extensively studied in social psychology, but its neural mechanisms have remained largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that the transient downregulation of the posterior medial frontal cortex by theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation reduces conformity, as indicated by reduced conformal adjustments in line with group opinion. Both the extent and probability of conformal behavioral adjustments decreased significantly relative to a sham and a control stimulation over another brain area. The posterior part of the medial frontal cortex has previously been implicated in behavioral and attitudinal adjustments. Here, we provide the first interventional evidence of its critical role in social influence on human behavior.