Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BACE1 in the retina: a sensitive biomarker for monitoring early pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease

Because of a lack of sensitive biomarkers, the diagnosis of Alzheimer′s disease (AD) cannot be made prior to symptom manifestation. Therefore, it is crucial to identify novel biomarkers for the presymptomatic diagnosis of AD. While brain lesions are a major feature of AD, retinal pathological changes also occur in patients. In this study, we investigated the temporal changes in β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) expression in the retina and brain to determine whether it could serve as a suitable biomarker for early monitoring of AD. APP/PS-1 transgenic mice, 3, 6 and 8 months of age, were used as an experimental group, and age-matched C57/BL6 wild-type mice served as the control group. In the Morris water maze test, there were no significant differences in escape latency or in the number of crossings in the target area among mice of different ages. Compared with wild-type mice, no changes in learning or memory abilities were detected in transgenic mice at 3 months of age. However, compared with wild-type mice, the escape latency was significantly increased in transgenic mice at 6 months, starting on day 3, and at 8 months, starting on day 2, during Morris water maze training. In addition, the number of crossings of the target area was significantly decreased in transgenic mice. The learning and memory abilities of transgenic mice were further worsened at 8 months of age. Immunohistochemical staining revealed no BACE1 plaques in wild-type mice at 3, 6 or 8 months or in transgenic mice at 3 months, but they were clearly found in the entorhinal cortex, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of transgenic mice at 6 and 8 months. BACE1 expression was not detected in the retina of wild-type mice at 3 months, but weak BACE1 expression was detected in the ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer and outer plexiform layer at 6 and 8 months. In transgenic mice, BACE1 expression in the ganglion cell layer was increased at 3 months, and BACE1 expression in the ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer and outer plexiform layer was significantly increased at 6 and 8 months, compared with age-matched wild-type mice. Taken together, these results indicate that changes in BACE1 expression appear earlier in the retina than in the brain and precede behavioral deficits. Our findings suggest that abnormal expression of BACE1 in the retina is an early pathological change in APP/PS-1 transgenic mice, and that BACE1 might have potential as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of AD in humans.
Psychology Degree Beliefs and Stereotypes: Differences in the Perceptions of Majors and Non-Majors

Very little research examines the beliefs and stereotypes students have about the discipline and major of psychology. Previous research has found that psychology majors report hearing a variety of such beliefs and stereotypes more often from their fellow students than from their family members. In the current study, psychology majors/minors and non-majors/-minors (N = 376) reported their frequency of hearing beliefs and stereotypes from friends/fellow students or family members and the extent that they agreed with those items. Majors/minors and non-majors/-minors differed significantly on their agreement with several items, such as psychology being “a dead end field,” “psychology is mostly an easy major,” and that “working with crazy people will make you go crazy. ” Compared to majors/minors, non-majors/-minors were more likely to agree with the items. There was no evidence that upper-division majors/minors were less likely to believe or less likely to hear the beliefs and stereotypes than lower-division majors/minors. Students reported hearing many of the items more often from friends/fellow students than family members. We discuss the implications of these results for addressing beliefs about the psychology field and degree in introductory and careers courses.
Beelden van vertrouwen: het vertrouwen in politie en justitie in perspectief

Deze bijdrage handelt over de mate van vertrouwen die de burger stelt in politie en justitie, twee belangrijke instituties die de fundamenten van de democratische rechtsstaat dienen te waarborgen. In een internationale context is al heel wat diepgaand onderzoek gevoerd naar het vertrouwen van de burger in zowel politie als justitie. De justitiebarometer buiten beschouwing gelaten hinkt Belgie wat achterop. In deze locomotieftekst wensen we een beschrijvend overzicht te bieden van het vertrouwen van de burger in de Belgische justitie en politie, waarbij we de mate van vertrouwen in politie en justitie vergelijken, enerzijds door de tijd heen, en anderzijds met het vertrouwen in andere overheidsinstituties in ons land en in een Europese context. Tot slot worden enkele kanttekeningen geformuleerd bij de studie van vertrouwen.
Poverty Traps and Social Protection

This paper demonstrates that there are potentially large returns to having a social protection policy that stakes out a productive safety net below the vulnerable and keeps them from slipping into a poverty trap. Much of the value of the productive safety net comes from mitigating the ex ante effects of risk and crowding in additional investment. The analysis also explores the implications of different mechanisms of targeting social protection transfers. In the presence of poverty traps, modestly regressive targeting based on critical asset thresholds may have better long-run poverty reduction effects than traditional needs-based targeting.
Balancing Circuit for a 5-kV/50-ns Pulsed-Power Switch Based on SiC-JFET Super Cascode

In many pulsed-power applications, there is a trend to modulators based on semiconductor technology. For these modulators, high-voltage and high-current semiconductor switches are required in order to achieve a high pulsed power. Therefore, often, high-power IGBT modules or IGCT devices are used. Since these devices are based on bipolar technology, the switching speed is limited, and the switching losses are higher. In contrast to bipolar devices, unipolar ones (e.g., SiC JFETs) basically offer a better switching performance. Moreover, these devices enable high blocking voltages in the case where wide-band-gap materials, for example, SiC, are used. At the moment, SiC JFET devices with a blocking voltage of 1.2 kV per JFET are available. Alternatively, the operating voltage could be increased by connecting N JFETs and a low-voltage MOSFET in series, resulting in a super cascode switch with a blocking voltage N times higher than the blocking voltage of a single JFET. For the super cascode, auxiliary elements are required for achieving a statically and dynamically balanced voltage distribution in the cascode. In this paper, a new balancing circuit, which results in faster switching transients and higher possible operating pulse currents, is presented and validated by measurement results.
Reflective Practice in a Middle- School Instrumental Setting

The purpose of this teacher inquiry was to examine challenges and benefits of an instrumental music teacher's reflective practice techniques. During Phase I, she collected her 6th grade students' written responses to weekly reflection questions and kept a professional journal. Challenges included organizing reflection logistics and effective questions, and coping with interruptions to the processes. Benefits included an emerging routine of incorporating students' reflection responses and journal entries into subsequent weekly objectives, reconstructing knowledge and practice, and learning from the written reflections: students needed to practice writing the language of music. During Phase II, she collaborated with the music teacher educator, and reexamined artifacts collected over the 8 months of the inquiry-an unfamiliar task. The instrumental music teacher uncovered aspects of long-held teaching and learning assumptions; realized that (a) the documented reflections and collaboration helped place year-end frustrations and accomplishments into perspective, and (b) anticipated collaboration heightened her commitment to the inquiry.
Investigating the Effect of Computer-Administered Versus Traditional Paper and Pencil Assessments on Student Writing Achievement

The effect of using a computer or paper and pencil on student writing scores on a provincial standardized writing assessment was studied. A sample of 302 francophone students wrote a short essay using a computer equipped with Microsoft Word with all of its correction functions enabled. One week later, the same students wrote a second short essay using paper and pencil with access to dictionaries. Mean scores were compared for essays on each medium as well as scores on six specific criteria. There was no significant difference between the overall mean scores on the paper and pencil essays and those written using a computer. Significant differences favoring the paper and pencil essays were seen on the ideas, punctuation, and syntax criteria. A significant difference in favor of the computer written essays was seen on the orthography criterion. Possible practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Depressive Symptom and Related Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study of Korean Female Workers Working at Traditional Markets

Background: Depression is one of the psychiatric diseases with a high prevalence rate, globally, and reportedly more prevalent among women than among men. Especially, women workers working at traditional markets are in depressive conditions without occupational health services. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors having a significant effect on the depressive symptoms of women workers at traditional markets in South Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional study was used and subjects for the present study were 500 female workers in three selected representative traditional marketplaces in South Korea. Results: The results of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that increased BMI (β = 0.297, p = 0.017), poor nutritional status (β = 0.596, p < 0.001), street vendor status (β = 2.589, p = 0.001), job stress (β = 0.491, p < 0.001), lower back pain (β = 0.377, p = 0.011), lower self-efficacy (β = −0.368, p = 0.002) and diminished family function (β = −0.633, p = 0.001) affected workers’ depressive symptoms. The explanatory power of these variables was 38.5%. Conclusions: Based on these results, future research should focus on incorporating theses significant factors into effective interventions designed to decrease depressive symptoms in this population. Moreover, this study will increase interest in occupational health nursing, particularly in relation to vulnerable social groups, and expand the scope of practice in the field.
Reinterventions after percutaneous mitral commissurotomy during long-term follow-up, up to 20 years: the role of repeat percutaneous mitral commissurotomy.

AIMS We analysed reinterventions performed during long-term follow-up after percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC) with a particular focus on freedom from mitral surgery and late results of repeat PMC. METHODS AND RESULTS In 912 patients who had good immediate results of PMC (valve area ≥1.5 cm² with mitral regurgitation ≤2/4), we analysed survival without reintervention (surgery or repeat PMC) and survival without surgery alone, with a follow-up up to 20 years. The median age was 48 years, and 251 patients (27%) had calcified valves. During a median follow-up of 12 years, 351 patients (38%) underwent a reintervention: surgery was performed in 266 (76%) patients and repeat PMC in 85 (24%). Cardiovascular survival without reintervention (surgery or repeat PMC) was 38 ± 2% at 20 years. When analysing cardiovascular survival without surgery, this rate increased to 46 ± 2% at 20 years. In the 504 patients aged <50 years at the time of their initial PMC, 20-year rates were 45 ± 3% for cardiovascular survival without reintervention and 57 ± 3% for cardiovascular survival without surgery. Of the 85 patients who underwent repeat PMC, cardiovascular survival without surgery was 60 ± 7% at 10 years. CONCLUSION After successful PMC, reintervention is frequently needed. However, almost half of the patients remained free from surgery at 20 years. Repeat PMC was performed in one out of four cases of reintervention in this study, thereby allowing for postponement of surgery in a substantial number of patients.
The Changes of Cerebral Morphology Related to Aging in Taiwanese Population

A cross-sectional study with the 3-dimensional (3D) MRI reconstruction technique was conducted to investigate cerebral complexity changes related to age differences in native Taiwanese population. In our sample of 85 participants aged between 25 and 81, age was associated with gradual ventricular expansion. A nonlinear quadratic relationship between white matter volume and age was found overall in the brain. Widespread age-related reduction in white matter was detected from late adulthood onwards. However, no significant age-related changes in the cortex and whole brain volume were determined throughout adulthood. These findings provided information in describing brain structural complexity, which might in the future serve as an objective diagnostic index or as a predictive parameter for neurological diseases. Our method then may be used for cross-cultural longitudinal studies to evaluate the effect of disease, environment and aging on the brain.
The inversa type of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa is caused by specific arginine and glycine substitutions in type VII collagen

Background The inversa type of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB-I) is a rare variant of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, characterised by blistering in the body flexures, trunk, and mucosa. The cause of this specific distribution is unknown. So far, 20 COL7A1 genotypes have been described in RDEB-I and genotype–phenotype correlations have not been studied extensively. The aim of the study was to gain more insight into the pathophysiology of this intriguing RDEB-I phenotype. Methods Twenty Dutch and British RDEB-I patients, and full genotypes in 18 of them, were identified. The literature on RDEB-I genotypes was reviewed and an extensive genotype–phenotype correlation study for RDEB-I was conducted. Results All 20 patients had generalised blistering at birth and during early infancy. In most patients, the age of transition from generalised to inversa distribution was before the age of 4 years. A spectrum of disease severity, ranging from the mildest ‘mucosal only’ phenotype to the severest phenotype with limited acral involvement, was noted. The 29 genotypes of these RDEB-I patients and those reported in the literature revealed that RDEB-I is associated with specific recessive arginine and glycine substitutions in the triple helix domain of type VII collagen. Discussion and conclusion Why these specific arginine and glycine substitutions cause the inversa distribution remains unknown. It was not possible to identify clear differences in location and nature of substituting amino acids between these mutations and missense mutations causing other RDEB phenotypes. It is hypothesised that the higher skin temperature in the affected areas plays an important role in the pathophysiology of RDEB-I.
Finite-Time Bounds for Fitted Value Iteration

In this paper we develop a theoretical analysis of the performance of sampling-based fitted value iteration (FVI) to solve infinite state-space, discounted-reward Markovian decision processes (MDPs) under the assumption that a generative model of the environment is available. Our main results come in the form of finite-time bounds on the performance of two versions of sampling-based FVI. The convergence rate results obtained allow us to show that both versions of FVI are well behaving in the sense that by using a sufficiently large number of samples for a large class of MDPs, arbitrary good performance can be achieved with high probability. An important feature of our proof technique is that it permits the study of weighted Lp-norm performance bounds. As a result, our technique applies to a large class of function-approximation methods (e.g., neural networks, adaptive regression trees, kernel machines, locally weighted learning), and our bounds scale well with the effective horizon of the MDP. The bounds show a dependence on the stochastic stability properties of the MDP: they scale with the discounted-average concentrability of the future-state distributions. They also depend on a new measure of the approximation power of the function space, the inherent Bellman residual, which reflects how well the function space is "aligned" with the dynamics and rewards of the MDP. The conditions of the main result, as well as the concepts introduced in the analysis, are extensively discussed and compared to previous theoretical results. Numerical experiments are used to substantiate the theoretical findings.
Structural Basis of Preexisting Immunity to the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Virus

Swine Flu Neutralized The 2009 H1N1 flu virus had an unusually low infection rate in elderly people. An antibody isolated from survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic was recently shown to cross-neutralize 2009 H1N1 viruses. Xu et al. (p. 357, published online 25 March) report crystal structures of the virus envelope protein, hemagglutinin (HA) from 2009 H1N1 and of 1918 H1 HA in complex with a neutralizing antibody that cross-reacts with both pandemic viruses. These studies reveal an epitope that is conserved in the pandemic viruses, but divergent in other known H1 HAs, from the 1930s to the present. This antigenic similarity explains the age-related immunity to the 2009 H1N1 influenza. An epitope conserved between the 1918 and 2009 pandemic flu viruses explains age-related immunity to the 2009 virus. The 2009 H1N1 swine flu is the first influenza pandemic in decades. The crystal structure of the hemagglutinin from the A/California/04/2009 H1N1 virus shows that its antigenic structure, particularly within the Sa antigenic site, is extremely similar to those of human H1N1 viruses circulating early in the 20th century. The cocrystal structure of the 1918 hemagglutinin with 2D1, an antibody from a survivor of the 1918 Spanish flu that neutralizes both 1918 and 2009 H1N1 viruses, reveals an epitope that is conserved in both pandemic viruses. Thus, antigenic similarity between the 2009 and 1918-like viruses provides an explanation for the age-related immunity to the current influenza pandemic.
Nocturnal oxygen desaturation, as assessed by home oximetry, in long-term solvent-exposed workers.

Recent studies have suggested that occupational exposure to solvents may be a cause of sleep apnea. Digital oximetry during one night was performed in solvent-exposed offset printers (n = 21) and in a control group (n = 21), using a Palco 400 Pulse Oximeter. The threshold for recording was set at an arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) of 90%. Furthermore, computerized neurobehavioral tests (NES) and a solvent-related complaints questionnaire (NSC-60) were administered. The mean exposure time was 15 years (SD = 10). Hygiene measurements revealed a large number of different solvents and a cumulative exposure between 15% and 97% of the "cumulative TLV. " The exposed workers had more solvent-related complaints, especially regarding mood (analysis of covariance, P = 0.02), than the nonexposed workers. The neurobehavioral tests indicated that hand-eye coordination was significantly worse in the exposed group (analysis of covariance, P = 0.03). The frequency of nocturnal desaturation was significantly higher in the printers (1.7 events/hr +/- SD = 1.5) than in the controls (0.6 events/hr +/- SD = 1.3) (Mann-Whitney test, P < 0.01). Also, the duration of desaturation was longer in the exposed workers: 3.2 min/hr (SD = 3.2) vs 1.2 min/hr (SD = 2.3) (Mann-Whitney test, P < 0.01). In the analysis of covariance, exposure (P = 0.04) and the interaction between smoking and exposure (P = 0.02) were shown to contribute significantly to the excess of nocturnal desaturation in the exposed. The same was true for the mean duration of desaturation (exposure: P = 0.02 and interaction exposure smoking: P = 0.02). The significant interaction was due to a more pronounced effect of solvent exposure among the nonsmoker group. No relation was found between the excess of complaints or the neuroperformance effects and the oximetry data. These data reinforce the presumption that occupational solvent exposure might contribute to sleep-disordered breathing.
Evaluation of Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder: Self-Report vs. Clinician Ratings

The authors examine the relationship between self-reported and interviewer ratings of individual symptoms of major depressive disorder. The overall rate of agreement between the self-reported and clinician ratings was above 80% for 14 of the 18 symptoms, and the median Kappa for determining the presence or absence of the symptoms was . 62. Disagreement was greatest for psychomotor disturbance, decreased concentration, and indecisiveness. The authors discuss how the unreliability of interviewer assessments limits the amount of agreement between self-reported and clinician ratings.
Timing deviations in jazz performance: The relationships of selected musical variables on horizontal and vertical timing relations: A case study

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects and relationships of selected musical variables on the horizontal (i.e., successive eighth note timing relationships) and vertical (i.e., the degree of ensemble synchronicity between separate parts) timing properties of jazz rhythm. A total of 949 eighth note samples from five improvised solos by saxophonist Chris Potter were analysed. Musical variables included metrical beat placement, melodic character, intervals, articulation, underlying harmony, and tempo. Results of the simultaneous multiple regression analyses revealed that intervals preceding and intervals succeeding the sample eighth notes had a significant effect on eighth note durations. Articulation had a significant effect on upbeat beat ratio. The relationships between the relative onset timing data of the saxophone, bass, and drums yielded significant results. There was a large, negative correlation between the relative timing onsets of saxophone and bass, a large negative correlation between saxophone and drums, and a moderate, negative correlation between bass and drums. Implications for the fields of music education, pedagogy, and cognitive psychology are discussed.
Women in Conflict

This study of 35 women correctional officers working in a large metropolitan jail confirms much prior research. Although most of the women believed that men and women are equal, they tended to believe that men and women perform the corrections job differently and that women are less likely to advance. Furthermore, most of the officers were restricted from working a with male inmates. The women confirmed the existence of sexual harassment, but they tended to minimize it and to report it as less significant than gender harassment. Finally, although both the gender model and the job model for gender role differences were supported, there was more support for the former.