Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Well-Being: A New Approach Based on Overall and Ordinary Functionings

This paper develops a concept of human well-being that integrates economic and noneconomic aspects of life. Philosophers, humanistic psychologists, and religious traditions have been very helpful in pointing out the true noneconomic potential of human life. Our new approach to well-being, the overall/ordinary approach includes these higher aspects of human life. In addition to the ordinary adult human functionings, basically the functionings Sen mentions, the new approach includes a group of higher human functionings which are called overall human functioning. To adequately assess a person's or a society's well-being, it is necessary to consider both people's ordinary (or lower) functionings and their overall (or higher) functionings. Raising societal well-being requires capital formation, particularly investment in personal and social capital.
Isolation of a new serotype of simian acquired immune deficiency syndrome type D retrovirus from Celebes black macaques (Macaca nigra) with immune deficiency and retroperitoneal fibromatosis

A new serotype of simian acquired immune deficiency syndrome (SAIDS) retrovirus (type 2) belonging to the D genus of retroviruses is associated with a SAIDS occurring spontaneously in a colony of Celebes macaques (Macaca nigra) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. This syndrome resembles SAIDS in M. mulatta at the California Primate Research Center, which is associated with a similar type D retrovirus (type 1). However, at the Oregon Center, SAIDS is distinguished by the occurrence of retroperitoneal fibromatosis in some of the affected monkeys. Type 2 virus was isolated from seven of seven macaques with SAIDS, retroperitoneal fibromatosis, or both and from one of six healthy macaques. The new strain is closely related to SAIDS retrovirus type 1 and Mason-Pfizer monkey virus but can be distinguished by competitive radioimmunoassay for minor core (p10) antigen and by genomic restriction endonuclease cleavage patterns. Neutralization tests indicate that type 1 and type 2 SAIDS retroviruses are distinct serotypes. Therefore, separate vaccines may be necessary to control these infections in colonies of captive macaques.
Effects of Cycloheximide on Experimental Epilepsy Induced by Daily Amygdaloid Stimulation in Rabbits

Daily electrical stimulation of the amygdala caused a progressive change in electrographic afterdischarge and behavioral responses that ultimately resulted in generalized convulsions (kindling). Cycloheximide blocked the completion of kindling when administered 4 hours prior to daily electrical stimulations of the amygdala, but exerted no effect when administered shortly before the stimulation. The temporal relation between administration of cycloheximide and stimulation of the amygdala revealed that the blockade of kindling by cycloheximide was due to the suppression of focal afterdischarge rather than to the persistent inhibition of cerebral protein synthesis during the interstimulus periods.
International ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT guidelines for the management of hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia

The most recent European guidelines and task force reports on hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) were published almost 10 years ago. Since then, further randomised clinical trials of HAP and VAP have been conducted and new information has become available. Studies of epidemiology, diagnosis, empiric treatment, response to treatment, new antibiotics or new forms of antibiotic administration and disease prevention have changed old paradigms. In addition, important differences between approaches in Europe and the USA have become apparent. The European Respiratory Society launched a project to develop new international guidelines for HAP and VAP. Other European societies, including the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, were invited to participate and appointed their representatives. The Latin American Thoracic Association was also invited. A total of 15 experts and two methodologists made up the panel. Three experts from the USA were also invited (Michael S. Niederman, Marin Kollef and Richard Wunderink). Applying the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology, the panel selected seven PICO (population–intervention–comparison–outcome) questions that generated a series of recommendations for HAP/VAP diagnosis, treatment and prevention. ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT evidence-based recommendations for HAP/VAP diagnosis, treatment and prevention http://ow.ly/dGhv30dAVoa
How to capture a stopping time: The independent case

A stopping time τ is controlled by a process {X<inf>t</inf>} and we are interested in the detection of its onset using a sequential scheme. The sequential detector is an alternative stopping time T which is based on observations {ξ<inf>t</inf>} that are obtained sequentially. The occurrence of τ initiates a change in the statistical behavior of the pair processes {(X<inf>t</inf>, ξ<inf>t</inf>} for times after τ with τ modeling the change-imposing mechanism. We cast the detection problem as two possible constrained optimal stopping problems. We provide the optimum detector for each case when the pair process {(X<inf>t</inf>, ξ<inf>t</inf>)} is i.i. d. and τ corresponds to the first entry time of X<inf>t</inf> into some fixed and known set A. The resulting optimum schemes accept an interesting form. In particular one of the two detectors is reduced to the well known Shiryaev test (with τ geometrically distributed) when the two processes {X<inf>t</inf>} and {ξ<inf>t</inf>} are independent from each other.
Dissent voting behavior of central bankers: what do we really know?

Abstract We examine the determinants of the dissent in central bank boards’ voting records about monetary policy rates in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S. In contrast to previous studies, we consider about 25 different macroeconomic, financial, institutional, psychological or preference-related factors jointly and deal formally with the attendant model uncertainty using Bayesian model averaging. We find that the rate of dissent is between 5% and 20% in these central banks. Our results suggest that most regressors, including those capturing the effect of inflation and output, are not robust determinants of voting dissent. The difference in central bankers’ preferences is likely to drive the dissent in the U.S. Fed and the Bank of England. For the Czech and Hungarian central banks, average dissent tends to be larger when policy rates are changed. Some evidence is also found that food price volatility tends to increase the voting dissent in the U.S. Fed and in Riksbank.
Defensive reactions to health-promoting information: an overview and implications for future research

Abstract It is a common finding that recipients of threatening health-promoting information are motivated to dismiss or disregard the information, thus reacting ‘defensively’. This article gives an overview of the literature on defensive reactions to health-promoting information. A distinction is made between: (1) avoidance, (2) denial, (3) cognitive reappraisal and (4) suppression. Although these defensive reactions have been studied repeatedly and thoroughly, we propose that a number of questions remain unanswered. First, little is known about whether avoidance, denial, cognitive reappraisal and suppression have distinct or similar effects on emotional experience and health-conducive behaviour. Second, little is known about the development of defensive reactions over time in case recipients are repeatedly exposed to health-promoting information, which is often the case in a real-life setting. In the present article, we present preliminary answers to these questions, suggesting that cognitive reappraisal has greater potential to result in effective emotion regulation and is more likely to impede healthy behaviour than the other three strategies. We also propose that defensive reactions to health-promoting information do not always reduce health-conducive responses but can co-occur with more adaptive responses or even facilitate them. Finally, we present a hypothesised model of the development of defensiveness over time.
microDuMIP: target-enrichment technique for microarray-based duplex molecular inversion probes

Molecular inversion probe (MIP)-based capture is a scalable and effective target-enrichment technology that can use synthetic single-stranded oligonucleotides as probes. Unlike the straightforward use of synthetic oligonucleotides for low-throughput target capture, high-throughput MIP capture has required laborious protocols to generate thousands of single-stranded probes from DNA microarray because of multiple enzymatic steps, gel purifications and extensive PCR amplifications. Here, we developed a simple and efficient microarray-based MIP preparation protocol using only one enzyme with double-stranded probes and improved target capture yields by designing probes with overlapping targets and unique barcodes. To test our strategy, we produced 11 510 microarray-based duplex MIPs (microDuMIPs) and captured 3554 exons of 228 genes in a HapMap genomic DNA sample (NA12878). Under our protocol, capture performance and precision of calling were compatible to conventional MIP capture methods, yet overlapping targets and unique barcodes allowed us to precisely genotype with as little as 50 ng of input genomic DNA without library preparation. microDuMIP method is simpler and cheaper, allowing broader applications and accurate target sequencing with a scalable number of targets.
Correlation of interferon-inducible chemokine plasma levels with disease severity in systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE To measure interferon (IFN)-inducible chemokines in the plasma of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and investigate whether the chemokine levels are correlated with disease severity. METHODS Plasma levels of the IFN-inducible chemokines IFNγ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10/CXCL10), IFN-inducible T cell α chemoattractant (I-TAC/CXCL11), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (CCL2) were measured in SSc patients and examined for correlation with the IFN gene expression signature. A composite IFN-inducible chemokine score was generated for chemokines showing a correlation with the IFN gene signature (IP-10 and I-TAC), and this score was compared between 266 patients with SSc enrolled in the Genetics versus Environment in Scleroderma Outcome Study (GENISOS) cohort and 97 matched control subjects. Subsequently, the correlation between the IFN-inducible chemokine score at baseline and markers of disease severity was assessed. In addition, the course of the IFN-inducible chemokine score over time was examined. RESULTS The plasma IFN-inducible chemokine score correlated with the IFN gene expression signature, and this score was higher in SSc patients compared to controls. The IFN-inducible chemokine score was also associated with the absence of anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies and presence of anti-U1 RNP antibodies, but not with disease duration, disease type, or other autoantibodies. The chemokine score correlated with concomitantly obtained scores on the Medsger Severity Index for muscle, skin, and lung involvement in SSc, as well as the forced vital capacity, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, and creatine kinase levels. The association of the chemokine score with disease severity was independent of the presence of anti-U1 RNP or other potential confounders (age, sex, ethnicity, disease duration, and treatment with immunosuppressive agents). Finally, there was not a significant change in the IFN-inducible chemokine score over time. CONCLUSION The IFN-inducible chemokine score is a stable serologic marker of a more severe form of SSc and may be useful for risk stratification of patients, regardless of disease type (limited or diffuse) or duration of disease.
Moderating Effects of Neurocognitive Abilities on the Relationship between Temperament and Global Functioning

Clear links between temperament, psychopathology, and neuropsychological functioning exist; however the interrelations among temperament and neuropsychology, and their impact on functioning in typically developing children is not as well understood. This study examined the degree to which neuropsychological functioning, as measured by the NEPSY, moderates the impact of temperament on global functioning, as measured by the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS), in 74 typically developing preschoolers. Temperament was assessed via parent ratings on the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) and teacher ratings on the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children – Revised (TABC-R). Moderation analyses revealed significant interactions between verbal-executive skills and both child emotionality and lack of task persistence in predicting global functioning. The interaction patterns were mostly consistent across measures and indicated that when lower neurocognitive scores were coupled with higher levels of expressed negative emotions and more difficulties in task persistence, global functioning was at its lowest. In contrast better neurocognitive functioning mitigated the impact of high expressed emotions on global functioning. These findings support past literature and indicate that emotional and cognitive functioning interact to effect young children's global functioning.
Work-Related Stressors and Health-Related Outcomes in Public Service

While business and psychology researchers have strived to identify effective strategies to reduce occupational stress, public administration scholars have paid insufficient attention to this issue. This article examines the role of motivational bases in the stressor–wellbeing relationship, a nascent research area in business and psychology, focusing on a particular type of motivation that is salient in public organizations: public service motivation (PSM). Based on a survey of 412 police officers from a large metropolitan city in eastern China, this study finds that PSM moderates the relationship between work stressors and individual wellbeing. Respondents with higher levels of PSM can better handle the increase of stressors so that their physical and mental wellbeing will decrease more slowly. Overall, respondents with higher levels of PSM tend to experience higher mental wellbeing but lower physical wellbeing than their low-PSM colleagues.
Anti-inflammatory treatment improves high-density lipoprotein function in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased cardiovascular risk. Recent studies suggest that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) may lose its protective vascular phenotype in inflammatory conditions. However, the effects of common anti-inflammatory treatments on HDL function are not yet known. Methods We compared the function of HDL in 18 patients with RA and 18 matched healthy controls. Subsequently, patients were randomised to (methotrexate+infliximab (M+I) (5 mg/kg)) or methotrexate+placebo (M+P) infusions for 54 weeks. At week 54 and thereafter, all patients received infliximab therapy until completion of the trial (110 weeks), enabling assessment of the impact of 1 year of infliximab therapy in all patients. HDL functional properties were assessed at baseline, 54 weeks and 110 weeks by measuring the impact on endothelial nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and superoxide production (SO), paraoxonase activity (PON-1) and cholesterol efflux. Results All HDL vascular assays were impaired in patients compared with controls. After 54 weeks, NO in response to HDL was significantly greater in patients who received M+I compared with those who received M+P. Endothelial SO in response to HDL was reduced in both groups, but PON-1 and cholesterol efflux remained unchanged. All vascular measures improved compared with baseline after ≥1 infliximab therapy in the analysis at 110 weeks. No significant trend was noted for cholesterol efflux. Conclusions HDL function can be improved with anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with RA. The M+I combination was superior to the M+P alone, suggesting that the tumour necrosis factor-α pathway may have a role in HDL vascular properties.
A Generally Optimized FDTD Model for Simulating Arbitrary Dispersion Based on the Maclaurin Series Expansion

An optimized solution to the discrete numerical model for simulating arbitrary dispersion by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is derived for both the single-pole and two-pole frequency responses of dispersive media. Based on the method of Maclaurin series expansion, the derivation is aimed to suppress the redundant truncation errors into minimum levels by eliminating the first several series terms of difference between the numerical and theoretical solutions to a modeled susceptibility. The accuracy of numerical approximation to theoretical dielectric functions based on our proposed approach is shown to be exactly equivalent to the bilinear transformation model for the single-pole dispersion response of the modeled dispersive material, but higher than those of other two previously reported models for a two-pole dispersion response of a modeled dispersive material. The explicit coefficients of the proposed model for several classical types of dispersive materials are derived and their corresponding dominant truncation errors are given as well. Both the analytical and simulation results obtained from the FDTD modeling of an exemplified material, silver, demonstrate that the new model outperforms the other models when they are incorporated into the fourth-order accurate FDTD algorithm with small numerical dispersion error rather than in the second-order one with large numerical dispersion error.
X-FIDO: An Effective Application for Detecting Olive Quick Decline Syndrome with Deep Learning and Data Fusion

We have developed a vision-based program to detect symptoms of Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) on leaves of Olea europaea L. infected by Xylella fastidiosa, named X-FIDO (Xylella FastIdiosa Detector for O. europaea L.). Previous work predicted disease from leaf images with deep learning but required a vast amount of data which was obtained via crowd sourcing such as the PlantVillage project. This approach has limited applicability when samples need to be tested with traditional methods (i.e., PCR) to avoid incorrect training input or for quarantine pests which manipulation is restricted. In this paper, we demonstrate that transfer learning can be leveraged when it is not possible to collect thousands of new leaf images. Transfer learning is the re-application of an already trained deep learner to a new problem. We present a novel algorithm for fusing data at different levels of abstraction to improve performance of the system. The algorithm discovers low-level features from raw data to automatically detect veins and colors that lead to symptomatic leaves. The experiment included images of 100 healthy leaves, 99 X. fastidiosa-positive leaves and 100 X. fastidiosa-negative leaves with symptoms related to other stress factors (i.e., abiotic factors such as water stress or others diseases). The program detects OQDS with a true positive rate of 98.60 ± 1.47% in testing, showing great potential for image analysis for this disease. Results were obtained with a convolutional neural network trained with the stochastic gradient descent method, and ten trials with a 75/25 split of training and testing data. This work shows potential for massive screening of plants with reduced diagnosis time and cost.
Remarkable Ability of Pandoraea pnomenusa B356 Biphenyl Dioxygenase To Metabolize Simple Flavonoids

ABSTRACT Many investigations have provided evidence that plant secondary metabolites, especially flavonoids, may serve as signal molecules to trigger the abilities of bacteria to degrade chlorobiphenyls in soil. However, the bases for this interaction are largely unknown. In this work, we found that BphAEB356, the biphenyl/chlorobiphenyl dioxygenase from Pandoraea pnomenusa B356, is significantly better fitted to metabolize flavone, isoflavone, and flavanone than BphAELB400 from Burkholderia xenovorans LB400. Unlike those of BphAELB400, the kinetic parameters of BphAEB356 toward these flavonoids were in the same range as for biphenyl. In addition, remarkably, the biphenyl catabolic pathway of strain B356 was strongly induced by isoflavone, whereas none of the three flavonoids induced the catabolic pathway of strain LB400. Docking experiments that replaced biphenyl in the biphenyl-bound form of the enzymes with flavone, isoflavone, or flavanone showed that the superior ability of BphAEB356 over BphAELB400 is principally attributable to the replacement of Phe336 of BphAELB400 by Ile334 and of Thr335 of BphAELB400 by Gly333 of BphAEB356. However, biochemical and structural comparison of BphAEB356 with BphAE p4 , a mutant of BphAELB400 which was obtained in a previous work by the double substitution Phe336Met Thr335Ala of BphAELB400, provided evidence that other residues or structural features of BphAEB356 whose precise identification the docking experiment did not allow are also responsible for the superior catalytic abilities of BphAEB356. Together, these data provide supporting evidence that the biphenyl catabolic pathways have evolved divergently among proteobacteria, where some of them may serve ecological functions related to the metabolism of plant secondary metabolites in soil.
Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls at the Kalamazoo River superfund site, Michigan, USA

In 1990, a portion of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, USA, was designated a Superfund site because of the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the sediment and floodplain soils. During a four‐year period from 2000 to 2003, several avian species were monitored for reproductive effects and concentrations of PCBs in tissues attributed to food chain transfer from contaminated sediments. The tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) was chosen as a model receptor for contamination of passerine species. A top‐down methodology was used to evaluate the bioaccumulation of PCBs, including non‐ortho and mono‐ortho congeners, in tree swallow eggs, nestlings, and adults at the Kalamazoo River area of concern (KRAOC) and at an upstream reference site. Generally, a sixfold difference in tissue concentrations of total PCBs was observed between the two sites with concentrations in eggs and nestlings at the KRAOC ranging from 0.95 to 15 μg PCB/g wet weight. Concentrations of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin equivalents (TEQsWHO‐Avian) for PCBs, based on bird‐specific World Health Organization toxic equivalence factors, were 10‐ to 30‐fold greater in the KRAOC than at the reference location. Egg and nestling TEQsWHO‐Avian ranged from 0.21 to 2.4 ng TEQ/g wet weight at the KRAOC. Hazard quotients calculated from literature‐derived toxicity reference values were below 1.0 at both the target and the reference site based on the no‐observed‐adverse‐effect level and the lowest‐observed‐adverse‐effect level.
The Educational Accountability of Schools in England and Wales

This article reviews the requirements of English and Welsh schools to ensure accountability to stakeholders within the education system. It is argued that although there are many demands for accountability, few of them are rigorously imposed. The most powerful accountabilities operate through the educational "marketplace " that has been created by the introduction of site-based management and open enrollment. Although many of these accountabilities are not directly imposed, they have had a major impact on educational aims, practices, and values.