Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Profiling of CSF: Evidence That Early Intervention May Impact on Disease Progression and Outcome in Schizophrenia

Background The identification of schizophrenia biomarkers is a crucial step towards improving current diagnosis, developing new presymptomatic treatments, identifying high-risk individuals and disease subgroups, and assessing the efficacy of preventative interventions at a rate that is not currently possible. Methods and Findings 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in conjunction with computerized pattern recognition analysis were employed to investigate metabolic profiles of a total of 152 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from drug-naïve or minimally treated patients with first-onset paranoid schizophrenia (referred to as “schizophrenia” in the following text) and healthy controls. Partial least square discriminant analysis showed a highly significant separation of patients with first-onset schizophrenia away from healthy controls. Short-term treatment with antipsychotic medication resulted in a normalization of the disease signature in over half the patients, well before overt clinical improvement. No normalization was observed in patients in which treatment had not been initiated at first presentation, providing the first molecular evidence for the importance of early intervention for psychotic disorders. Furthermore, the alterations identified in drug-naïve patients could be validated in a test sample set achieving a sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 85%, respectively. Conclusions Our findings suggest brain-specific alterations in glucoregulatory processes in the CSF of drug-naïve patients with first-onset schizophrenia, implying that these abnormalities are intrinsic to the disease, rather than a side effect of antipsychotic medication. Short-term treatment with atypical antipsychotic medication resulted in a normalization of the CSF disease signature in half the patients well before a clinical improvement would be expected. Furthermore, our results suggest that the initiation of antipsychotic treatment during a first psychotic episode may influence treatment response and/or outcome.
Background and Employability of Mobile vs. Non-Mobile Students

In this paper, a comparison is made of the background and the early career of graduates with higher education from abroad to graduates with all domestic degrees, based on a survey among Norwegian graduates. Results show that those who have studied abroad constitute a selected group regarding social origin and mobility capital (exposure to international experiences). Exchange students have a higher performance score from upper secondary school than others. Regarding labour market outcomes, positive as well as negative effects of education from abroad are seen. Graduates with a diploma from abroad face more challenges entering the labour market, but obtain higher economic rewards compared with other graduates. Exchange students do not seem to encounter any particular difficulties in the transition from higher education to work. Exchange students as well as mobile degree students obtain more international jobs than non-mobile students. The relative success of exchange students is partly explained by selectivity.
ASEAN users' privacy concerns and security in using online social networks

As the ASEAN consumers are increasingly moving online, the number of internet users according to UBS increase to 32% across the region and 112% penetrated by mobile technology. More than 50% of ASEAN users are participating to online social network OSN. This research is to investigate the awareness and influence of security and privacy issues on internet users' trust, and building a safer OSN landscape in South East Asian region by examining the relationships among online privacy concerns, security, trust, and intention. Using structural equation modelling, the findings shows that 'privacy' correlates with 'security' but these two variables do not have significant impact on users' trust. Moreover, only 'trust' and 'security' affect users' intention to use OSN.
Social support networks and medical service use among HIV-positive injection drug users: implications to intervention

The study used network analysis to identify forms and sources of social support associated with a medical services use among a medically underserved population living with HIV/AIDS. Participants were African American former or current injection drug users (n=295; 34% female, 45% current drug users and 17% AIDS diagnosed). Outcomes were access to the same medical provider, use of outpatient services and emergency room (ER) use with or without subsequent hospitalization. Controlling for AIDS diagnosis, insurance, current drug use and gender, access to the same medical care provider was associated with more females in one's support network and more network sources of emotional support, financial support and instrumental assistance. Adjusting for confounders, outpatient service use was associated with more female support network members and more sources of emotional support. Controlling for participants’ drug use and insurance, sub-optimal emergency department use was associated with greater number of active drug users in one's support network. Contrary to other study findings, having a supportive sex partner was associated with lower access to medical care, and kin support was not associated with medical service use. Results indicate that specific sources and forms of social support had differential influences on the sample's utilization of medical services. The findings suggest that promoting HIV-positive African American injection drug users’ support network functioning may help improve HIV medical services utilization among this medically underserved population.
The District of Oregon Reentry Court: An Evidence-Based Model

39 Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 39–43, ISSN 1053-9867 electronic ISSN 1533-8363. ©2010 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved. Please direct requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals. com/reprintInfo.asp. DOI: 10.1525/fsr.2009. 22.1. 39. The District of Oregon Reentry Court: An Evidence-Based Model
Humoral immune response to MUC1 and to the Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) glycotope in patients with gastric cancer: Relation to survival

Humoral immune responses to the MUC1 peptide and to MUC1-related Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) glycotope was investigated in patients with gastric cancer (n = 247), chronic gastroduodenal diseases (n = 199) and in healthy blood donors (n = 100). Data were correlated with disease type, stage of cancer, tumor morphology and survival. MUC1 IgG antibody levels were higher in patients with gastric cancer (p < 0.0001) than in healthy controls. Higher levels of anti-MUC1 IgG were also detected in patients with ulcer of the stomach (p = 0.015) and in atrophic gastritis (p = 0.027). Compared to blood donors, significantly lower levels of anti-TF IgG were found both in the cancer (p = 0.002) and in the benign group (p < 0.0001). At early stages of cancer a positive correlation (p < 0.0001) was found between MUC1 IgG and TF IgG antibody levels. High levels of TF IgG antibodies were significantly associated with a benefit in survival of gastric cancer patients (p = 0.003). A similar though weaker association was observed for patients with high levels of MUC1 IgG antibodies and locoregional disease (stage I-III) (p = 0.037). Thus IgG immune responses to MUC1 are increased in patients with gastric cancer. High levels of either TF IgG or MUC1 IgG antibodies may predict better outcome in surgically treated patients with gastric cancer.
Emotional Development: A Biosocial Perspective

1. Philosophical and Historical Foundations of a Science of Emotion. 2. Evolutionary Perspectives. 3. Psychobiology of Emotion. 4. Psychological Perspectives. 5. The Emergence of Emotions in Infancy. 6. Individual Differences in Emotional Development in Infancy. 7. The Expanding Emotional World of Early Childhood. 8. Individual Differences in Emotional Styles in Early Childhood. 9. Childhood, Society, and Emotions: A New Understanding. 10. Adolescence: Quest for Emotional Maturity.
Using structural features to detect buildings in panchromatic satellite and aerial images

Detecting buildings from very high resolution aerial and satellite images is very important for mapping, urban planning, and land use analysis. Although it is possible to manually locate buildings from very high resolution images; this operation may not be robust and fast. Therefore, automated systems to detect buildings from very high resolution aerial and satellite images are needed. Unfortunately, the solution is not straightforward due to the diverse characteristics and uncontrolled imaging conditions of the scenes. To overcome these difficulties, herein we propose a novel solution to detect buildings from very high resolution grayscale aerial and panchromatic Ikonos satellite images using structural features and probability theory. For this purpose, we extract structural features from the given test image using a steerable filter set. Extracted structural features indicate geometrical properties of objects in the image. Using them, we estimate the probability density function (pdf) which indicates locations of buildings to be detected. Our extensive tests on a large and diverse data set indicate the robustness and practical usefulness of our method.
Hunting for Homo Sovieticus: Situational versus Attitudinal Factors in Economic Behavior

ing from the current economic situation: MI 1. Which of the following achievements would please you more? A. You win fortune without fame: you make enough money through successful business dealings so that you can live comfortably for the rest of your life. B. You win fame without fortune: for example, you win a medal at the Olympics or you become a respected journalist or scholar. Responses in percent Fortune Fame without without Sluvey fame fortune size Ukraine (pre-coup) 67 33 90 Russia (Moscow) 65 35 92 Russia (Omsk) 81 19 107 U.S.A. (New York) 54 46 117 Japan (Tokyo) 68 32 126 Rober t J. Shiller, Maxim Boycko, and Vladimir Korobov 147 Little difference across countries appears in the responses: the exception is Omsk, where money appears to be most important. Virtually no difference in answers appears to exist between Japan and Ukraine or Ja-
The opposite effect of trait and state anxiety on Iowa Gambling Task

Abstract The impact of state/trait anxiety and worry on decision-making was investigated applying a computerized gambling task (Iowa Gambling Task). Besides, using two measures of knowledge about the task-contingencies, we examined the role of declarative knowledge in successful performance on the task and we tested whether the amount of declarative knowledge is related to anxiety. Results showed that trait anxiety has a negative impact, while state anxiety and worry have a positive impact on performance on the Iowa Gambling Task. Furthermore, responses on post-experiment survey suggest that those who perform better on the Iowa Gambling Task are more likely to form and report correct declarative knowledge about the task-rules. This ability, however, was not associated with anxiety.
Role of Basal Ganglia Circuits in Resisting Interference by Distracters: A swLORETA Study

Background The selection of task-relevant information requires both the focalization of attention on the task and resistance to interference from irrelevant stimuli. Both mechanisms rely on a dorsal frontoparietal network, while focalization additionally involves a ventral frontoparietal network. The role of subcortical structures in attention is less clear, despite the fact that the striatum interacts significantly with the frontal cortex via frontostriatal loops. One means of investigating the basal ganglia's contributions to attention is to examine the features of P300 components (i.e. amplitude, latency, and generators) in patients with basal ganglia damage (such as in Parkinson's disease (PD), in which attention is often impaired). Three-stimulus oddball paradigms can be used to study distracter-elicited and target-elicited P300 subcomponents. Methodology/Principal Findings In order to compare distracter- and target-elicited P300 components, high-density (128-channel) electroencephalograms were recorded during a three-stimulus visual oddball paradigm in 15 patients with early PD and 15 matched healthy controls. For each subject, the P300 sources were localized using standardized weighted low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (swLORETA). Comparative analyses (one-sample and two-sample t-tests) were performed using SPM5® software. The swLORETA analyses showed that PD patients displayed fewer dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPF) distracter-P300 generators but no significant differences in target-elicited P300 sources; this suggests dysfunction of the DLPF cortex when the executive frontostriatal loop is disrupted by basal ganglia damage. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that the cortical attention frontoparietal networks (mainly the dorsal one) are modulated by the basal ganglia. Disruption of this network in PD impairs resistance to distracters, which results in attention disorders.
Standards of Proof and the Limits of Legal Analysis

This article was prepared for a conference in Girona, Spain, on Standards of Proof and Scientific Evidence. The article demonstrates, first, the analytical power under certain limiting assumptions of treating burdens of persuasion as conventional probability measures. It then demonstrates the remarkable inadequacy of that conceptualization once the limiting assumptions are relaxed as empirical descriptions of the relevant phenomena, and further that this inadequacy suggests that the analytical tools being employed misconceive rather than enlighten the object of inquiry. Alternative ways of analyzing the objects of inquiry are briefly proposed and discussed.
T cells that help B cell responses to soluble antigen are distinguishable from those producing interleukin 2 on mitogenic or allogeneic stimulation

An mAb MRC OX-22, reactive with the high molecular weight forms of the rat leukocyte-common antigen, has revealed a heterogeneity among CD4+ T cells in this species. Approximately two-thirds are CD4+, OX-22+, and one-third are CD4+, OX-22-. This phenotypic heterogeneity was found to be associated with a functional one. CD4+, OX-22+ cells proliferated well in mixed leukocyte culture, responded to the T cell mitogen Con A, and produced IL-2 on activation. In contrast, the CD4+, OX-22- cells performed poorly in these assays, but unlike CD4+, OX-22+ cells, did provide effective help for B cells. By sampling supernatants from cultures containing primed B cells and either of the two CD4+ T cell subsets, it was shown that, when specific antigen was included in the cultures, those containing the OX-22- subset of CD4+ cells produced high levels of antibody and some IL-2, whereas those containing the OX- 22+ cells produced neither. In contrast, when specific antigen was replaced by Con A, the B cell cultures supplemented with CD4+, OX-22+ cells synthesized much higher levels of IL-2 than those containing CD4+, OX-22- cells, but only the latter cultures produced detectable levels of antibody. The data show that inducer/helper T cells comprise two functional subsets: one that, on appropriate stimulation, synthesizes high levels of IL-2, and may therefore be presumed to play an important role in cell-mediated immunity, and another that plays an essential role in humoral responses to soluble antigens. The significance of this functional heterogeneity, with regard to the possible independent regulation of cellular and humoral responses, is briefly considered.
Outsiders Studies in the Sociology of Deviance.

This 1966 paperback edition of a publication which first appeared in 1963 has by now been widely reviewed as a worthy contribution to the sociological study of deviant behavior. Its current appearance as a paperback is a testimonial both to the quality of the work and to the prominence of deviant behavior in this generation. In general the author places deviance in perspective, identifies types of deviant behavior, considers the role of rule makers and enforcers, and some of the problems in studying deviance. In addition, he develops a sequential model of deviance relying on the concept of career, a concept originally developed in studies of occupations. In his study of a particular kind of deviance, the use of marihuana, the author posits and tests systematically an hypothesis about the genesis of marihuana use for pleasure. The hypothesis traces the sequence of changes in individual attitude
Nanobits: customizable scanning probe tips

We present here a proof-of-principle study of scanning probe tips defined by planar nanolithography and integrated with AFM probes using nanomanipulation. The so-called ‘nanobits’ are 2–4 µm long and 120–150 nm thin flakes of Si3N4 or SiO2, fabricated by electron beam lithography and standard silicon processing. Using a microgripper they were detached from an array and fixed to a standard pyramidal AFM probe or alternatively inserted into a tipless cantilever equipped with a narrow slit. The nanobit-enhanced probes were used for imaging of deep trenches, without visible deformation, wear or dislocation of the tips of the nanobit after several scans. This approach allows an unprecedented freedom in adapting the shape and size of scanning probe tips to the surface topology or to the specific application.
The Specification of Glycinergic Neurons and the Role of Glycinergic Transmission in Development

Glycine's role as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult vertebrate nervous system has been well characterized in a number of different model organisms. However, a full understanding of glycinergic transmission requires a knowledge of how glycinergic synapses emerge and the role of glycinergic signaling during development. Recent literature has provided a detailed picture of the developmental expression of many of the molecular components that comprise the glycinergic phenotype, namely the glycine transporters and the glycine receptor subunits; the transcriptional networks leading to the expression of this important neurotransmitter phenotype are also being elucidated. An equally important focus of research has revealed the critical role of glycinergic signaling in sculpting many different aspects of neural development. This review examines the current literature detailing the expression patterns of the components of the glycinergic phenotype in various vertebrate model organisms over the course of development and the molecular mechanisms governing the expression of the glycinergic phenotype. The review then surveys the recent work on the role of glycinergic signaling in the developing nervous system and concludes with an overview of areas for further research.
‘I can sort of slot into many different roles’: examining teacher aide roles and their implications for practice

This study utilised role theory to investigate teacher aide roles within regional schools in Queensland, Australia. Twenty primary schoolteacher aides were interviewed; data were triangulated with 27 teacher aides' responses to a follow-up questionnaire and interviews with 6 administrative staff. Data suggest that classroom instructional support roles and small group instruction dominate teacher aide work; they also perform many non-instructional roles and work individually with students with diverse needs. School leaders must reconsider the roles expected of these professionals given their position, professional training and remuneration, better supporting teacher aides through improved communication, collaboration and sustained professional learning opportunities.
Anger level and anger expression in essential hypertension

Data about the relationship between anger and anger expression and hypertension are controversial. Anger is useful when it appears for a short time and in mild severity, whereas it may be destructive when it is continuous or severe. In this study it was aimed to compare the anger level and anger expression of patients with essential hypertension with those of a healthy control group. Seventy male patients with essential hypertension and 70 healthy matched controls were included in the study. All participants were asked to complete the Trait Anger Expression Inventory and Sociodemographic Data Form. The mean trait anger score of patients with essential hypertension (21.9±5.2) was significantly higher than that of the control group (19.6±6.2) (p0.05). The findings of the present study indicate that trait anger levels of patients with essential hypertension are higher. Increasing skills of hypertensive patients about controlling and coping with their anger may contribute to the management of hypertension. Further longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the effect of anger level on the development of essential hypertension.
Motivation for Dental Home Care: Testing a Self-Determination Theory Model

The present research developed the Self-Regulation for Dental Home Care Questionnaire (SRDHCQ), based on self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000), and used it in an SDT process model of dental health behaviors and self-rated oral health. In this model, patients’ perceptions of autonomy-supportive (relative to controlling) dental professionals were expected to positively predict patients’ psychological needs satisfaction in treatment. Needs satisfaction was expected to be positively related to autonomous motivation for dental home care and perceived dental competence, which were expected to be positively associated with self-rated oral health and dental health behaviors. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 5-factor SRDHCQ model fit the data very well, and a structural equation model supported the hypothesized process model. jasp_867 1.39
Interpretation of Changes in Health-related Quality of Life: The Remarkable Universality of Half a Standard Deviation

Background. A number of studies have computed the minimally important difference (MID) for health-related quality of life instruments. Objective. To determine whether there is consistency in the magnitude of MID estimates from different instruments. Methods. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify studies that computed an MID and contained sufficient information to compute an effect size (ES). Thirty-eight studies fulfilled the criteria, resulting in 62 ESs. Results. For all but 6 studies, the MID estimates were close to one half a SD (mean = 0.495, SD = 0.155). There was no consistent relationship with factors such as disease-specific or generic instrument or the number of response options. Negative changes were not associated with larger ESs. Population-based estimation procedures and brief follow-up were associated with smaller ESs, and acute conditions with larger ESs. An explanation for this consistency is that research in psychology has shown that the limit of people’s ability to discriminate over a wide range of tasks is approximately 1 part in 7, which is very close to half a SD. Conclusion. In most circumstances, the threshold of discrimination for changes in health-related quality of life for chronic diseases appears to be approximately half a SD.