Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The schizophrenia prodrome revisited: a neurodevelopmental perspective.

Despite the widespread acceptance of the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia, its application to research concerned with the prodromal phase of illness is limited. Little recognition has been given to the concept of an enduring biological vulnerability to illness that may be responsive to early intervention. Rather, the focus of most prodromal studies is on emerging positive symptoms. The Recognition and Prevention (RAP) program follows the strategy of being equally concerned with the nonspecific symptoms reflecting the core of schizophrenia and those directly related to psychosis. Data were collected from 62 adolescents (mean age = 16.4 years) during the initial 3-year pilot phase of the RAP program (1998-2001). Subjects were divided into three clinical high-risk groups, characterized by (1) negative and nonspecific symptoms (e.g., social isolation, school failures), the earliest prodrome stage; (2) emerging attenuated positive symptoms of moderate intensity; and (3) severe attenuated (but subpsychotic) positive symptoms, considered most proximal to psychosis. Four risk factors, derived from the neurodevelopmental literature, were selected to reflect the vulnerability core: cognitive deficits, affective disturbances, social isolation, and school failure. All four domains were equally impaired across the three risk groups, supporting the presence of the underlying vulnerability core regardless of the magnitude of emerging positive symptoms. An observational pilot study was also conducted to identify the medications typically used to treat emerging positive symptoms. Antidepressants were used as frequently as antipsychotics to treat adolescents presenting with moderate attenuated positive symptoms. Regardless of type of medication, moderately symptomatic youngsters did quite well over the approximately 1-year followup period. By contrast, adolescents presenting with more severe (but nonpsychotic) attenuated symptoms were treated with antipsychotics, often in combination with other agents. Outcome for the more symptomatic youngsters was, however, more guarded, with nearly half (i.e., 47%) of the group converting to a schizophrenia spectrum psychotic disorder. Nonadherence to medication appeared to be a major risk factor in this group. We conclude that a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia is supported by our data and that a range of novel treatment strategies may be neuroprotective by directly affecting the disorder's vulnerability core.
A Flexible Scheme for Scheduling Fault-Tolerant Real-Time Tasks on Multiprocessors

The recent introduction of multicore system-on-a-chip architectures for embedded systems opens a new range of possibilities for both increasing the processing power and improving the fault-robustness of real-time embedded applications. Fault-tolerance and performance are often contrasting requirements. Techniques to improve robustness to hardware faults are based on replication of hardware and/or software. Conversely, techniques to improve performance are based on exploiting inherent parallelism of multiprocessor architectures. In this paper, we propose a technique that allows the user to trade-off parallelism with fault-tolerance in a multicore hardware architecture. Our technique is based on a combination of hardware mechanisms and real-time operating system mechanisms. In particular, we apply hierarchical scheduling techniques to efficiently support fault-tolerant, fault-silent and non-fault-tolerant tasks in the same system.
Background selection and patterns of genetic diversity in Drosophila melanogaster.

Theoretical models of the effects of selection against deleterious mutations on variation at linked neutral sites (background selection) are used to predict the relations between chromosomal location and genetic variability at the DNA level, in Drosophila melanogaster. The sensitivity of the predictions to variation in the mutation, selection and recombination parameters on which they are based is examined. It is shown that many features of the observed relations between chromosomal location and level of genetic diversity in D. melanogaster can be explained by background selection, especially if the weak selective forces acting on transposable elements are taken into account. In particular, the gradient in diversity in the distal portion of the X chromosome, and the lack of diversity on chromosome 4 and at the bases of the major chromosomes, can be fully accounted for. There are, however, discrepancies between predicted and observed values for some loci in D. melanogaster, which may reflect the effects of forces other than background selection.
Determinantes del desempleo en las urbes mexicanas. Continuidades y rupturas en el periodo de crisis

El desempleo no ha sido un tema prioritario en los estudios de corte demografico y sociologico en Mexico, en parte porque no ha sido el fenomeno mas urgente ni generalizado en la region, dada la extension de otras formas de ajuste del mercado de trabajo. No obstante, la crisis economica actual ha provocado un aumento de la tasa de desempleo y, consecuentemente, ha llamado la atencion de analistas. Este articulo esta guiado por tres objetivos principales: analizar los determinantes individuales del desempleo abierto y del desempleo desalentado en las urbes mexicanas en dos contextos economicos distintos, uno de estabilidad (2006) y otro recesivo (2009); indagar si hay afectaciones desiguales de acuerdo con la clase ocupacional en la probabilidad de estar desempleado y cuestionar un viejo postulado acerca del desempleo en Mexico, segun el cual este es un fenomeno que afecta a las clases medias y altas.
Coherence-Based Performance Guarantees for Estimating a Sparse Vector Under Random Noise

We consider the problem of estimating a deterministic sparse vector x0 from underdetermined measurements A x0 + w, where w represents white Gaussian noise and A is a given deterministic dictionary. We provide theoretical performance guarantees for three sparse estimation algorithms: basis pursuit denoising (BPDN), orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP), and thresholding. The performance of these techniques is quantified as the l2 distance between the estimate and the true value of x0. We demonstrate that, with high probability, the analyzed algorithms come close to the behavior of the oracle estimator, which knows the locations of the nonzero elements in x0. Our results are non-asymptotic and are based only on the coherence of A, so that they are applicable to arbitrary dictionaries. This provides insight on the advantages and drawbacks of l1 relaxation techniques such as BPDN and the Dantzig selector, as opposed to greedy approaches such as OMP and thresholding.
Income and Education as Predictors of Stroke Mortality after the Survival of a First Stroke

Background. It is well known that socioeconomic indicators, such as income and education, predict both stroke incidence and stroke mortality. This means that persons in lower socioeconomic positions are less likely to survive their stroke, and there will be a selective survival in the group discharged from hospital after their first stroke. Question. Does socioeconomic position continue to predict mortality, stroke specific, or from other causes, among patients surviving their first stroke in spite of this selective survival? Methods. All persons in Sweden aged 40–59 years who were discharged after a first hospitalization for stroke in 1996–2000 were included (n = 10,487), then followed up until the end of the fourth calendar year after discharge. Data were analysed with Cox regressions controlling for age, sex, and stroke type. Results. Persons with high socioeconomic position, measured by education and income, have lower mortality than those of low position. Education was not significant when adjusted for income, however. The risk of dying was similar for stroke-specific mortality and all-cause mortality, for those with cerebral infarction as well as for all patients. Conclusions. Socioeconomic position predicted stroke-specific mortality also in the selective group of persons who survived their first stroke.
Sex differences in the use of health care services.

BACKGROUND Sex differences in the use of health care services can be substantial at several stages of life. However, the extent to which differences in reproductive biology and mortality affect the use of health care services is unclear. METHODS We studied age- and sex-specific per capita use of health care resources for a one-year period during 1994 and 1995 in the Canadian province of Manitoba, where there is universal insurance for a comprehensive range of health care services. Using information obtained from administrative records of physicians' services and acute hospital care, we tabulated the use of health care resources by male and female subjects in three categories: care for conditions specific to sex, care provided to persons who died during the study year, and care provided for all other conditions. RESULTS The crude annual per capita use of health care resources (in Canadian dollars) was greater for female subjects ($1,164) than for male subjects ($918). Approximately 22 percent of health care expenditures for female subjects was associated with conditions specific to sex, including pregnancy and childbirth, as compared with 3 percent of expenditures for male subjects. An estimated 14 percent of health care expenditures for male subjects was consumed by persons who died during the study period, as compared with 10 percent of expenditures for female subjects. After adjustment for the use of health care associated with sex-specific conditions and differences in mortality, the female:male ratio in health care expenditures was reduced from 1.3 to 1.0. CONCLUSIONS Expenditures for health care are similar for male and female subjects after differences in reproductive biology and higher age-specific mortality rates among men have been accounted for.
A functional polymorphism in the promoter of monoamine oxidase A gene and bipolar affective disorder.

The genes encoding for the enzymes monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B are good candidates to investigate bipolar affective disorder. A 30 bp repeat in the MAOA promoter was recently demonstrated to be polymorphic and to affect transcriptional activity. In a family-based association design we found that none of the different repeat copies was preferentially transmitted from mothers (n = 131) to their children affected with bipolar disorder (chi(2) = 2.75, 4 d.f. , p = 0.6). Following on our previous finding of an excess of low-activity genotypes of catechol-O-methyltransferase in patients with a rapid cycling form of illness, we examined for a similar trend with MAOA alleles. In an extended sample we found a non-significant trend for patients with an ultra-rapid cycling form of illness (n = 29) to have a higher frequency of low-activity alleles compared with 92 bipolar patients with a non-rapid cycling course of illness (chi(2) = 2.37, 1 d.f. , p = 0.13).
Research and Writing in International Relations

PART I. THE RESEARCH AND WRITING PROCESS Chapter One. Topic Selection and Question Development Chapter Two. Scholarly Literature and the Literature Review Chapter Three. Project Definition and Systematic Investigation Chapter Four. Analysis and Writing PART II. PROJECT RESOURCES Chapter Five. International Conflict and National Security Chapter Six. U.S. Foreign Policy Chapter Seven. International Political Economy Chapter Eight. International Organization and Law Chapter Nine. Globalization/Global Issues PART III. WRITING RESOURCES Chapter Ten. Organizing Sources and Notes Chapter Eleven. Citing Sources Chapter Twelve. Following Style Guidelines
A theory of adults' motivations for learning the African drums in Hong Kong

This study aims at investigating the adults' motivations for participating in organised learning of the African drums in Hong Kong at the turn of the century: how they participate in related learning, why they take part, and how they have developed varied motivations for learning. Adhering to its constructivist perspective of the social world, this research has adopted a qualitative grounded theory approach and targets at generating a substantive theory about adults' motivations for learning the African drums. Data were collected via open-ended interviews with 82 informants who were sampled according to their conceptual relevance to the evolving theory, and analysed by coding, memoing, and sorting. Results of this research have identified four major categories of motivations: Professional Development, Sheer Interest, Referential Motivations, and Learning for the Sake of Learning. It is also found that the adults do not participate in learning for a single clear-cut motivation, but a mix of different reasons, and that they may demonstrate changes of motivations along with changes in life events and accumulation of knowledge and skills of Afro-drumming. This research has also identified a social process that underlies the development or surfacing of the adults' motivations for learning the African drums. The socio-cultural preconditions, mainly the local performances, multimedia publicity, and education of Afro-drumming, and the individual factors embracing the adult learners’ areas of social functioning, personal backgrounds in music and general education, and reference groups, have interacted to determine the adult learners' motivations. In addition, the findings have highlighted the rising importance of job-related and health-care reasons for adults' participation in music learning in today's world, rendered the teachers and course providers of the African drums strategic implications for widening the coverage of their clientele and creating deep learning experiences for the adult learners, and suggested some directions for future research.
Estimating age-specific reproductive numbers—A comparison of methods

Large outbreaks, such as those caused by influenza, put a strain on resources necessary for their control. In particular, children have been shown to play a key role in influenza transmission during recent outbreaks, and targeted interventions, such as school closures, could positively impact the course of emerging epidemics. As an outbreak is unfolding, it is important to be able to estimate reproductive numbers that incorporate this heterogeneity and to use surveillance data that is routinely collected to more effectively target interventions and obtain an accurate understanding of transmission dynamics. There are a growing number of methods that estimate age-group specific reproductive numbers with limited data that build on methods assuming a homogenously mixing population. In this article, we introduce a new approach that is flexible and improves on many aspects of existing methods. We apply this method to influenza data from two outbreaks, the 2009 H1N1 outbreaks in South Africa and Japan, to estimate age-group specific reproductive numbers and compare it to three other methods that also use existing data from social mixing surveys to quantify contact rates among different age groups. In this exercise, all estimates of the reproductive numbers for children exceeded the critical threshold of one and in most cases exceeded those of adults. We introduce a flexible new method to estimate reproductive numbers that describe heterogeneity in the population.
Taking charge of your career direction

1. Introduction to Career Planning. 2. The Changing World of Work. 3. Your Preferences in the World of Work. 4. Gathering Information About Your Occupational Prospects. 5. Motivation and Achievement. 6. Abilities: Skills and Aptitudes. 7. Cultural, Personal, and Work Values. 8. Focusing on Your Career Decision. 9. Making Career Decisions: Putting it All Together. 10. Reality Testing Your Career Choice. References. Appendix A: Implementing Your Career Decision: The Job Search. Appendix B: Occupational Cluster Survey (Detailed) for the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Appendix C: The National Occupational Classification (NOC) of Canada. Appendix D: Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). Appendix E: O*Net Search for Occupations (Exercise 4-3 in Chapter 4). Appendix F: GOE Group Checklist. Appendix G: Origami: An Achievement Motivation Game. Appendix H: O*Net Skills, Abilities, and Knowledges. Appendix I: Worksheets for Occupational Information. Exercise A-1: The Two-Minute Spiel (Role-Play). Credits. Index.
Vicious Circle Principle and Logic Programs with Aggregates

Abstract The paper presents a knowledge representation language $\mathcal{A}log$ which extends ASP with aggregates. The goal is to have a language based on simple syntax and clear intuitive and mathematical semantics. We give some properties of $\mathcal{A}log$ , an algorithm for computing its answer sets, and comparison with other approaches.
Novel Roles for Selected Genes in Meiotic DNA Processing

High-throughput studies of the 6,200 genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have provided valuable data resources. However, these resources require a return to experimental analysis to test predictions. An in-silico screen, mining existing interaction, expression, localization, and phenotype datasets was developed with the aim of selecting minimally characterized genes involved in meiotic DNA processing. Based on our selection procedure, 81 deletion mutants were constructed and tested for phenotypic abnormalities. Eleven (13.6%) genes were identified to have novel roles in meiotic DNA processes including DNA replication, recombination, and chromosome segregation. In particular, this analysis showed that Def1, a protein that facilitates ubiquitination of RNA polymerase II as a response to DNA damage, is required for efficient synapsis between homologues and normal levels of crossover recombination during meiosis. These characteristics are shared by a group of proteins required for Zip1 loading (ZMM proteins). Additionally, Soh1/Med31, a subunit of the RNA pol II mediator complex, Bre5, a ubiquitin protease cofactor and an uncharacterized protein, Rmr1/Ygl250w, are required for normal levels of gene conversion events during meiosis. We show how existing datasets may be used to define gene sets enriched for specific roles and how these can be evaluated by experimental analysis.
Prevalence of aflatoxin M1 and B1 in milk and animal feeds from urban smallholder dairy production in Dagoretti Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of Aflatoxin M1 and Total Aflatoxin B1 in milk and animal feeds. DESIGN Cross sectional household study. SETTING Urban and peri-urban area of Dagoretti Division, Nairobi, Kenya. SUBJECTS Two hundred fifty seven dairy farming households and 134 non-dairy neighbouring households. RESULTS The prevalence of AFM1 in milk was found to be 45.5% (178/391). The farmer prevalence was 43.5% (112/257), while that of non-farmer was 49.2% (66/ 134). There was however no statistical significant difference between the two categories. Of the 178 positive milk samples, 49% had aflatoxin levels exceeding 0.05 microg Kg(-1). The prevalence of AFB1 in the feed was found to be 98.6% (69/70) with 83% of the samples having aflatoxin B1 levels exceeding 10 microg Kg(-1). Only one feed sample had no traces of AFB1. CONCLUSION This study points to an underlying problem that requires the action by policy makers, considering the number of samples with aflatoxin M1 [49%] and aflatoxin B1 [83%] exceeding the WHO/FAO tolerance limits for milk and feeds destined for dairy animals.
How do Australian Small and Medium Enterprises Communicate their Environmental Improvement Activities Online?

There have been calls in the IS/eBusiness literature for research on "green" IS/IT in a Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) context. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) literature has neglected the issue of how SMEs can use websites to communicate their environmental improvement activities. This paper links these two previously separate disciplines by reporting on a content analysis of 443 Australian SME websites from four industry sectors to identify if and how they use websites to communicate their environmental improvement activities. The study found that 47 websites were communicating such activities in some form. A detailed analysis was undertaken of these 47 websites to identify emergent themes relating to how these SMEs were communicating their environmental improvement activities. These themes resulted in a reconceptualisation of the traditional "4 Ps" of marketing for online communication of environmental improvement activities by SMEs: profile; product; process and prominence.
Multisensory integration of olfaction

﻿ The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the neurophysiological basis of multisensory integration involving smell and vision. To achieve this goal, several technical challenges had to be addressed: the attainment of sufficiently high quality fMRI images in olfactory brain regions within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the construction of a stimulus delivery system adequate for rapid and controlled odour delivery in the MRI environment, and optimal strategies for delivering and perceiving liquid flavour stimuli in the scanner. In two initial fMRI experiments, strategies including sensitivity encoding and passive shimming to improve OFC image quality were explored. The results demonstrated that both methods can improve signal detection in OFC, a brain area particularly sensitive to susceptibility artefacts. In a further fMRI study, the effectiveness of two methods of delivering odorants dissolved in liquids was compared. In this study, the same set of participants was required to either swallow the liquid immediately after delivery or hold it in their mouths for a brief period of time. The results indicated that while both methods allowed detection of activity in primary olfactory and gustatory cortices, activation of the OFC was not observed when participants swallowed the liquids immediately. This was presumed to be due to the increased head motion associated with swallowing. Finally, the mechanisms underlying visual-olfactory integration were investigated using a combination of behavioural and imaging methods. An initial behavioural study revealed strong colour-odour associations for certain smells associated with fruits (e.g. lemon - yellow). In a subsequent fMRI study, volunteers were presented with a selection of the most colour-associated odours from the prior behavioural study either in isolation or in the presence of congruent and incongruent colours. Analysis of the fMRI data revealed that a highly left lateralised network of brain areas comprising of the OFC and insular showed increasingly stronger responses to odour-colour combinations of higher congruency. In a follow-up fMRI study, this same network was also found to be responsible for integrating odours, not only with colours, but also with their corresponding visual images (objects). In sum, the series of fMRI studies undertaken in this thesis argue for a fundamental role of the OFC in the integration of olfactory-visual inputs in the human brain.