Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loneliness Promotes Inflammation During Acute Stress

Although evidence suggests that loneliness may increase risk for health problems, the mechanisms responsible are not well understood. Immune dysregulation is one potential pathway: Elevated proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) increase risk for health problems. In our first study (N = 134), lonelier healthy adults exposed to acute stress exhibited greater synthesis of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-6 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) than their less lonely counterparts. Similarly, in the second study (N = 144), lonelier posttreatment breast-cancer survivors exposed to acute stress exhibited greater synthesis of IL-6 and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) by LPS-stimulated PBMCs than their counterparts who felt more socially connected. However, loneliness was unrelated to TNF-α in Study 2, although the result was in the expected direction. Thus, two different populations demonstrated that lonelier participants had more stimulated cytokine production in response to stress than less lonely participants, which reflects a proinflammatory phenotype. These data provide a glimpse into the pathways through which loneliness may affect health.
Plasma ferritin, iron intake, and the risk of colorectal polyps.

High iron exposure has been associated with colorectal neoplasia in several studies. The authors investigated plasma ferritin, an indicator of iron stores, and iron intake as risk factors for adenomatous polyps, intermediate markers for colorectal cancer. During 1991-1993, they collected fasting blood samples from and administered questionnaires to men and women 50-75 years old who visited free sigmoidoscopy clinics at a health maintenance organization. Data from 965 subjects (467 cases, 498 controls) were analyzed. Compared with those who had low-normal plasma ferritin concentrations (73-141 micrograms/liter), those with elevated concentrations ( > 289 micrograms/liter) had a multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of 1.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-2.3) after excluding subjects with possible non-iron-related elevations in ferritin. Compared with subjects consuming an adequate amount of iron (11.6-13.6 mg/day), multivariate-adjusted odds ratios were 1.6 (95% CI 1.1-2.4) for < 11.6 mg/day and 1.4 (95% CI 0.9-2.0) for > 27.3 mg/day. These results provide further support for a weak positive association between iron exposure and colorectal polyps.
Nothing Is As Practical As a Good Theory

The demands brought on public relations (PR) by management can only be met by more evidence-based procedures. Of course, single and subjective experiences are also a form of “evidence” but they are of a different kind and of a different quality because they often are not measurable, not quantifiable, and not repeatable. Thus, they are nontheoretical in a sense as described above. This article takes a look at what communication research can offer to PR practice. Three main services are discussed: (1) modeling the field and its variables, (2) providing methods for the measurement of PR effectiveness, and (3) measuring PR effectiveness and its quality.
The Effect of Gamma Interferon on IL‐1 Secretion of In Vitro Differentiated Human Macrophages

After being cultured overnight, human monocytes lose their ability to secrete interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) when stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, when these monocytes were cultured for up to 9 days with various concentrations of interferon‐gamma (IFN‐gamma), these cells were found to retain their ability to secrete appreciable amounts of IL‐1 on LPS stimulation. However, the effect was observed only if the monocytes were exposed to the IFN before LPS stimulation and simultaneous addition of IFN and LPS to macrophages was ineffective. This effect of IFN‐gamma was related to the concentration of IFN added to the cultures and was completely neutralized by a monoclonal antibody to IFN‐gamma. In addition to inducing IL‐1 secretion, IFN‐gamma also appeared to increase the overall production of IL‐1, since reinduction of IL‐1 secretion was not associated with a decrease in intracellular IL‐1 content. When these macrophages were initially cultured with IFN‐gamma, washed, and further cultured with IFN free medium, these macrophages were found to progressively lose their capacity to secrete IL‐1 in response to LPS. Conversely, when monocytes were initially cultured in medium free of IFN, washed, and then further cultured in new medium, but now containing IFN‐gamma, these macrophages were found to regain their capacity to secrete IL‐1. However, the amount of reinduced IL‐1 secretion decreased as the length of the initial culture period without IFN increased, with less than optimal IL‐1 secretion occurring if monocytes were allowed to mature for 6 days before IFN‐gamma pretreatment. In summary, these studies suggest that IFN‐gamma may be important in enhancing IL‐1 production and secretion by maturing macrophages and tissue macrophages and consequently may play a role in regulating the accessory cell activity of these cells for a variety of immune responses in vivo.
‘I'm not going to be in Japan forever’: how Filipina immigrant youth in Japan construct the meaning of home

This article, based on an ethnographic study of five Filipino-born daughters of Filipina migrant workers in Japan, discusses how these young women construct understandings of home as they navigate the borderlands between the Philippines, Japan and the US. The study reveals the ways in which these young women negotiate the possibilities and constraints of their homeland in the Philippines, their new land of Japan and an imagined future home in the US. Their senses of safety, economic security, community and cultural/linguistic affirmation all affected how they understand these countries as potential and possible homes. The study reveals how these youth search for and build homes across multiple spaces and the struggles they encounter within that search.
Modeling the evolution of topics in source code histories

Studying the evolution of topics (collections of co-occurring words) in a software project is an emerging technique to automatically shed light on how the project is changing over time: which topics are becoming more actively developed, which ones are dying down, or which topics are lately more error-prone and hence require more testing. Existing techniques for modeling the evolution of topics in software projects suffer from issues of data duplication, i.e., when the repository contains multiple copies of the same document, as is the case in source code histories. To address this issue, we propose the Diff model, which applies a topic model only to the changes of the documents in each version instead of to the whole document at each version. A comparative study with a state-of-the-art topic evolution model shows that the Diff model can detect more distinct topics as well as more sensitive and accurate topic evolutions, which are both useful for analyzing source code histories.
Older Adults' Preferences for Future Care: Formal Plans and Familial Support

A total of 45 adults, ranging in age from 56 to 88, were asked whom they expected to provide care for them if they became frail. Past experiences, family structure, and current relationships with children and grandchildren influenced their perceptions of how they would manage in the future. For some individuals, evidence of family conflict was linked with plans not to rely on family members. Others with formal plans, and those who identified family members as being responsible for their future care, did so regardless of the nature of their relationships. The findings point to a potential transformation in family caregiving and challenge the notion that families are always the preferred provider of care in the later years.
Phenotypic performance profile of children with reading disabilities: A regression-based test of the phonological-core variable-difference model.

In this study, we introduce a new analytic strategy for comparing the cognitive profiles of children developing reading skills at different rates: a regression-based logic that is analogous to the reading-level match design, but one without some of the methodological problems of that design. It provides a unique method for examining whether the reading subskill profiles of poor readers with aptitude/achievement discrepancy differ from those without discrepancy. Children were compared on a varied set of phonological, orthographic, memory, and language processing tasks. The results indicated that cognitive differences between these 2 groups of poor readers all reside outside of the word recognition module
Internet Health Resources: from Quality to Trust

Summary Objectives: Quality of online health resources remains a much debated topic, despite considerable international efforts. The lack of a systematic and comprehensive conceptual analysis is hindering further progress. Therefore we aim at clarifying the origins, nature and interrelations of pertinent concepts. Further, we claim that quality is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for Internet health resources to produce an effect offline. As users’ trust is also required, we examine the relation of quality aspects to trust building online. Methods: We reviewed and analyzed the key documentation and deliverables of quality initiatives, as well as relevant scientific publications. Using the insights of philosophy, we identified the elementary dimensions which underlie the key concepts and theories presented so far in the context of online health information quality. We examined the interrelations of various perspectives and explored how trust as a phenomenon relates to these dimensions of quality. Results: Various aspects associated with the quality of online health resources originate from four conceptual dimensions: epistemic, ethical, economic and technological. We propose a conceptual framework that incorporates all these perspectives. We argue that total quality exists only if all four dimensions have been addressed adequately and that high total quality is conducive to warranted trust. Conclusions: Quality and trust are intertwined, but distinct concepts, and their relation is not always straightforward. Ideally, trust should track quality. Apprehending the composition of these concepts will help to understand and guide the behavior of both users and providers of online information, as well as to foster warranted trust in online resources. The framework we propose provides a conceptual starting point for further deliberations and empirical work.
RTNS: an NS-2 extension to simulate wireless real-time distributed systems for structured topologies

Wireless Sensor Networks are now being considered for use in industrial automation and process control. These applications present different characteristics with respect to classical WSN application domains. In particular, the nodes may have high computational load due to the high sampling frequencies; moreover, they present real-time constraints, as data must be processed and transmitted with bounded delay. In this paper, we present RTNS, a simulator for distributed realtime systems that allows to model and simulate the temporal behavior of network protocols, real-time Operating System and distributed applications. The tool has been developed as a plug-in extension of the popular NS-2 simulator, hence it is possible to reuse most of the packages already available for NS-2. The aspects related to real-time Operating System, the overhead of interrupt handlers and protocol management, and the set of concurrent tasks executing on each node, are modeled using the RTSim simulator. With respect to a previously documented version, the package now has an extended scope and can model complex multi-hop scenarios. After presenting the simulator structure, we show how the tool can be used to model and simulate realistic WSN scenarios. Hereby, three examples are presented with the aim of showing how possible failures in the nodes or a load suddenly appearing in gateways connecting neighbor clusters for structured topologies can cause a worsening in the end-to-end transmission delays. We show that the adoption of a real-time Operating System in the nodes along with a proper scheduling policy for tasks can avoid (or at least keep under control) unpredictable effects in end-to-end delay.
Fine-Grain Redundant Logic Using Defect-Prediction Flip-Flops

Chip production yield of 70% can be increased to 91 % by using fine-grain redundant logic in which only the defective portion of the main circuit is switched to a redundant subcircuit block. In addition, defect-prediction flip-flops prevent over 80% of in-field failures caused by latent defects, while maintaining correct operation. All flip-flops are connected via a scan chain, which can be employed to reproduce states used in avoiding defects, and to trace defect points.
What Exactly Is a Youth Development Program? Answers From Research and Practice

The philosophy guiding youth development programs-that resilience and competency building are central to helping youth navigate adolescence in healthy ways-provides the groundwork for an exciting and promising array of programs for adolescents. Despite the number of programs or the importance of their objectives, whether they promote healthy adolescent development remains unclear because the definition of youth development programs is elusive and evolving. Drawing on both the literature and the results from a survey of highly regarded youth development programs, this article examines 3 defining characteristics of the youth development program-program goals, atmosphere, and activities. The results suggest a provisional definition of youth development programs based on the prevalent aspects of the goals, atmosphere, and activities reported by respondents. Youth development programs seek not only to prevent adolescents from engaging in health-compromising behaviors but to build their abilities and competencies. They do this by increasing participants' exposure to supportive and empowering environments where activities create multiple opportunities for a range of skill-building and horizon-broadening experiences. The operational definitions of the 3 features of youth development programs can serve as the starting point for the development of better measures to assess the type and quality of experiences youth experience through participation in youth development programs, and the programs' effectiveness at promoting positive developmental outcomes.
Identification of the payload inertial parameters of industrial manipulators

In this paper we present four methods for the identification of the inertial parameters of the load of a manipulator. The knowledge of the values of these parameters can be used to tune the control law parameters in order to improve the dynamic accuracy of the robot. They can also be exploited to verify the load transported by the robot. The methods presented have been validated using Staubli RX 90 robot. The experimentation has been carried out using data collected from the industrial control system (version CS8) of the manufacturer. This version allows to have access to joint positions, velocities and torques. The methods presented are based on solving linear system of equations using weighted least squares solution.
The association between pretreatment change and unplanned termination in family therapy

Abstract Pretreatment change has many theoretical and practical implications in the practice of solution-focused therapy. Despite the importance, the empirical evidence has been very weak. Clients at a university family therapy clinic completed the pretreatment questionnaire, and, following therapy, therapists identified whether termination was planned or unplanned. A logistic regression model revealed that clients' planned/unplanned. terminations could be predicted with 76% accuracy. The significant predictors were the number of sessions and a lack of pretreatment change. Using survival analysis to assess session-by-session dropout rates, it was found that clients without pretreatment change had significantly fewer sessions.
Risk aversion and the culture of fear

Jean's Robinson's account of professional fear as a barrier to consent (Vol 11(12): 719) reflects a wider trend in modern society. In trying to make sense of this troubling phenomenon, it may help to consider it from a broader sociological perspective. The reason why professionals working in maternity care may be unsympathetic to the exercise of choice and autonomy by pregnant women is that, as a society, we are excessively preoccupied with ‘playing it safe’, even though we are far healthier and safer than previous generations.
Patients who somatize in primary care: a longitudinal study of cognitive and social characteristics

Synopsis We examined the cognitive and sociodemographic characteristics of patients making somatic presentations of depression and anxiety in primary care. Only 15% of patients with depressive symptomatology on self-report, and only 21 % of patients with current major depression or anxiety disorders on diagnostic interview, presented psychosocial symptoms to their GP. The remainder of patients with psychiatric distress presented exclusively somatic symptoms and were divided into three groups - initial, facultative and true somatizers - based on their willingness to offer or endorse a psychosocial cause for their symptoms. Somatizers did not differ markedly from psychologizers in sociodemographic characteristics except for a greater proportion of men among the true somatizers. Compared to psychologizers, somatizers reported lower levels of psychological distress, less introspectiveness and less worry about having an emotional problem. Somatizers were also less likely to attribute common somatic symptoms to psychological causes and more likely to endorse normalizing causes. In the 12 months following their initial visit, somatizers made less use of speciality mental health care and were less likely to present emotional problems to their GP. Somatizers were markedly less likely to talk about personal problems to their GP and reported themselves less likely to seek help for anxiety or sadness. Somatization represents a persistent pattern of illness behaviour in which mental health care is not sought despite easily elicited evidence of emotional distress. Somatization is not, however, associated with higher levels of medical health care utilization than that found among patients with frank depression or anxiety.
Impact on alcohol purchasing of a ban on multi-buy promotions: a quasi-experimental evaluation comparing Scotland with England and Wales

Aims To evaluate the impact of the 2011 Scottish ban on multi-buy promotions of alcohol in retail stores. Design and setting Difference-in-differences analysis was used to estimate the impact of the ban on the volume of alcohol purchased by Scottish households, compared with those in England and Wales, between January 2010 and June 2012. Participants A total of 22 356 households in Scotland, England and Wales. Measurements Records of alcohol purchasing from each of four categories (beer and cider, wine, spirits and flavoured alcoholic beverages), as well as total volume of pure alcohol purchased. Findings Controlling for general time trends and household heterogeneity, there was no significant effect of the multi-buy ban in Scotland on volume of alcohol purchased either for the whole population or for individual socio-economic groups. There was also no significant effect on those who were large pre-ban purchasers of alcohol. Most multi-buys were for beer and cider or for wine. The frequency of shopping trips involving beer and cider purchases increased by 9.2% following the ban (P < 0.01), while the number of products purchased on each trip decreased by 8.1% (P < 0.01). For wine, however, these effects were not significant. Conclusions Banning multi-buy promotions for alcohol in Scotland did not reduce alcohol purchasing in the short term. Wider regulation of price promotion and price may be needed to achieve this.
On the optimality of particle swarm parameters in dynamic environments

This paper investigates whether the optimal parameter configurations for particle swarm optimizers (PSO) change when changes in the search landscape occur. To test this, specific environmental changes that may occur during dynamic function optimization are deliberately constructed, using the moving peaks function generator. The parameters of the chargedand quantum PSO algorithms are then optimized for the initial environment, as well as for each of the constructed problems. It is shown that the optimal parameter configurations for the various environments differ not only with respect to the initial optimal configurations, but also with respect to each other. The results lead to the conclusion that PSO parameters need to be re-optimized or selfadapted whenever environmental changes are detected.
Teachers' feeling of belonging, exhaustion, and job satisfaction: the role of school goal structure and value consonance

Abstract In their daily teaching and classroom management, teachers inevitably communicate and represent values. The purpose of this study was to explore relations between teachers' perception of school level values represented by the goal structure of the school and value consonance (the degree to which they felt that they shared the prevailing norms and values at the school), teachers' feeling of belonging, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and motivation to leave the teaching profession. The participants were 231 Norwegian teachers in elementary school and middle school. Data were analyzed by means of structural equation modeling (SEM). Teachers' perception of mastery goal structure was strongly and positively related to value consonance and negatively related to emotional exhaustion, whereas performance goal structure, in the SEM model, was not significantly related to these constructs. Furthermore, value consonance was positively related to teachers' feeling of belonging and job satisfaction, whereas emotional exhaustion was negatively associated with job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was the strongest predictor of motivation to leave the teaching profession. A practical implication of the study is that educational goals and values should be explicitly discussed and clarified, both by education authorities and at the school level.
Is a nicotinic influence involved in denervation-induced depolarization of muscle?

The neurotrophic role of acetylcholine (ACh) in the denervation- dependent decline of muscle resting membrane potential (RMP) was evaluated. Freshly dissected rat hemidiaphragms with short or long (2 cm) nerve stumps attached (“-N” and “+N” preparations, respectively) were incubated in organ culture in the presence or absence of the nicotinic blockers, alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BTX) or d-tubocurarine (curare). Subsequently, RMPs and miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs) of the junctional region were measured. Spontaneous MEPPs disappeared with a half-life of 12 and 20 hr in -N and +N preparations, respectively. A 10- to 15-mV depolarization of RMP was observed between 15 and 20 hr in -N muscles and between 24 and 28 hr in +N muscles. This time course of disappearance of spontaneous potentials and of membrane depolarization agrees well with that observed in vivo. Although nicotinic transmission was blocked from the initiation of the incubation period in alpha-BTX- or curare-treated muscles, no acceleration of RMP decline in -N muscles in vitro was observed. Moreover, in +N preparations the effect of the nerve stump in delaying RMP depolarization persisted despite the continuous presence of alpha- BTX or curare. Since excess ACh triggers a lysosomal proteolytic response at the nerve-muscle junction and since this may occur early in denervation, the possible role of a nicotinic-induced proteolytic mechanism was tested in vitro with the potent protease inhibitor leupeptin. This inhibitor did not delay or prevent the denervation- dependent alterations. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)