Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studying Social Cognition in Patients with Schizophrenia and Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia: Theory of Mind and the Perception of Sarcasm

We investigated social cognition and theory of mind in patients with schizophrenia and in patients with frontotemporal dementia in order to elucidate the cognitive mechanisms involved in the breakdown of these skills in psychiatric and neurological patients. Our tasks included videotaped scenarios of social interactions depicting sincere, sarcastic and paradoxical remarks, as well as lies. We found impaired performance of the schizophrenia group on all theory of mind conditions despite their intact understanding of sincere statements. In contrast, the FTD group performed poorly only when they had to rely on paralinguistic cues indicating sarcasm or lies, and not on paradoxical remarks or sarcasm when given additional verbal cues. Our findings suggest that, while current deficits in social and interpersonal functioning in patients with FTD may reflect a decrement in previously acquired skills, similar deficits in patients with schizophrenia may reflect an altogether inadequately learned process.
The Outcome of Assisted Reproductive Techniques among Couples with Male Factors at Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Fertility Centre, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Thirty-three percent of infertility due to paternal factors, there are an increasing proportion of couples who decide to conceive by assisted reproductive techniques (ART). The outcome prediction is pivotal for decision making. AIM: We aimed to study the pregnancy outcomes of different ART with male factors infertility. METHODS: This is retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One hundred fifteen patients’ records reviewed using a structured checklist to collect demographic data, sperm (concentration, motility, and morphology). Female with significant infertility factor were excluded. Chi-square was used for the outcome of various ART. RESULTS: Out of 115 couples with male factors; treated by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI); the mean age was 35.2 ± 6.3 years for men and 29.7 ± 5.1 for females. IVF had the highest success rate overall and had a high pregnancy rate with oligospermia and asthenospermia. ICSI has a good outcome for those with azoospermia, severe oligospermia, and teratozoospermia. IUI must be tried as a first line treatment when semen concentration is more than 10 million sperm/ml. all are not significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: No significant differences were reported in the pregnancy outcome between various assisted reproductive techniques, smoking, type of infertility and medication.
Visual servoing for underactuated VTOL UAVs: A linear, Homography-Based Approach

The paper addresses the control of Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Underactuated Autonomous Vehicles (UAVs) in hover flight, based on measurements provided by an on-board video camera and rate gyros. The objective is to stabilize the vehicle to the pose associated with a visual image of a planar target. By using the homography matrix computed from the camera measurements of the target, stabilizing feedback laws are derived. Explicit stability conditions on the control parameters are provided. It is shown that very good robustness and performance can be achieved without any apriori information on the visual target (like geometry, or orientation), by a proper tuning of the control parameters. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the approach.
Leadership in the context of culture

Most leadership theories are North American in origin. These theories may not be appropriate to be applied on a worldwide basis, especially in cultures, which differ in significant respects from the American culture. This study investigates the suitability of applying Bass and Avolio's transformational/transactional leadership model in a Middle Eastern country such as Egypt. A questionnaire based on Bass and Avolio's multifactor leadership questionnaire, with additional questions which were believed to reflect Egyptian culture, was administered to managers and subordinates in ten Egyptian investment banks. Usable responses were obtained from 70 managers and 173 subordinates. Factor analysis of the data revealed a factor structure, which differed in significant respects from that found on the basis of research in the USA, providing strong support for the argument that adjustment and modification of Bass and Avolio's model of leadership are required in different cultures.
The development of morality

Evidence that individuals distinguish between moral and conventional rules is reviewed. Moral rules prohibit actions that result in victims (e.g., violence, stealing, etc.). Conventional rules prohibit actions that do not result in victims (e.g., not saying please, dressing in opposite sex clothes). Previous theoretical accounts of the development of the moral/conventional distinction are discussed. These theories are contrasted with an approach that is developed here. It is proposed that there is a mechanism, a Violence Inhibition Mechanism (VIM), that is responsible for the previously observed aversive arousal response to the distress of others. It is proposed that this aversive arousal response is a prerequisite for the development of the moral/ conventional distinction, the moral emotions and the inhibition of violent behaviour. Previous accounts have stressed role taking as a prerequisite for the moral/ conventional distinction. However, this was found not to be the case. Autistics, already known to be lacking a 'Theory of Mind' and therefore unable to role take, were found to make the moral/ conventional distinction. It was hypothesized that Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) might be a consequence of a lack of VIM; the clinical description of APD stresses their lack of the moral emotions and their inability to inhibit their violent actions. In line with this, APD subjects were not found to make a moral/conventional distinction. Two rival explanations of APD were investigated: that APD is due to an inability to role take and; that APD is due to frontal lobe damage. APD subjects were not found to be impaired in either of these respects in comparison to criminal controls. A final investigation focused on the emotion attributions of APD subjects. It was hypothesized, given the contention that VIM is a prerequisite for the development of the moral emotions, that APD subjects might make anomalous attributions in victim situations though their attributions of other situations should prove normal. This study observed that while the attributions of APD subjects and criminal controls did not differ if the emotions attributed were happiness, sadness or embarrassment there was significant difference in victim situations where APD subjects were less likely to attribute guilt and more likely to attribute indifference than criminal controls. This finding was taken as indirect support of the VIM position. Additional tests, and implications of the VIM model are then discussed.
A velocity algorithm for the implementation of gain scheduled controllers with applications to rigid body motion control

Proposes a novel method of implementing gain scheduled controllers for rigid body motion control. This is a subject of considerable interest when realizing controllers for autonomous vehicles in order to achieve precise tracking of reference trajectories given in an inertial reference frame. The authors describe the implementation of tracking controllers that may be scheduled on the position, velocity and attitude of the rigid body, and provide a natural conversion of commands and measured output variables from an inertial frame to the body reference frame. This achieves automatic recruiting of the actuators, while preserving the properties of the original linear designs (linearization property). <<ETX>>
Allergan’s silicone gel breast implants

In the USA, women seeking breast implants for augmentation, revision or reconstruction can choose between saline-filled devices and round, silicone gel-filled devices. Form-stable, highly cohesive silicone gel-filled breast implants are marketed in other countries and are currently under review by the US FDA. Allergan has conducted clinical studies to investigate the safety and effectiveness of its round and anatomical (Style 410) devices for US marketing approval. The most frequently reported complications were reoperation, implant removal with replacement, implant malposition and capsular contracture. The FDA approved the round devices in 2006. The weight of the scientific literature suggests that silicone gel-filled breast implants do not increase a patient’s risk of cancer, autoimmune disease, reproductive effects or suicide. As differently shaped, cohesive breast implants continue to be introduced, breast implant surgery will become more customized to the patient’s biological conditions and desires.
College Students' Awareness and Interpretation of the AIDS Risk.

As Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) continues to be a major health problem, health officials must increasingly consider how to communicate effectively information about the risk of this disease to those individuals who are most threatened. Initially, the communication of the AIDS risk centered primarily on the gay community and information campaigns about the believed risk factors were aimed at one segment of the total population. Eventually, researchers realized that other groups such as intravenous drug abusers, prostitutes, and hemophiliacs also were at risk. More recently, there has been a growing concern about the risk to the general heterosexual population. ' One particular group that deserves increased attention is college students. As of this writing, the number of college students with AIDS is relatively low. However, one of the primary modes of transmission for the AIDS virus is sexual intercourse and studies have indicated that college students have both relatively high levels of sexual activity, and high potential for multiple sex partners.2 Many observers believe, therefore, that the low numbers of AIDS cases among college students do not accurately reflect the potential high risk. If students are not properly informed about the risk, or if they do not heed the best available medical advice for prevention, then the transmission rate may rise. The college community has responded to this challenge with repeated calls for more education. Few would disagree that education is necessary; but education will be effective only if: (1) the guiding assumptions for the formulation of risk communication strategies are grounded in baseline data for the target group; (2) educational efforts address the persistent dilemma that knowledge does not necessarily lead to desired changes in behavior; and (3) strategies do not result in ethical difficulties for administrators or students.
No time to think: policy, pedagogy and professional learning

In this study, we seek to illuminate the effects of the global policy convergence in education through a close study of its enactment within an Australian Teacher Education course. Building on an examination of the changing priorities of a cohort of pre-service teachers over a short space of time, we argue that the enactment of New Public Management approaches to the governance of teaching in Australia is having adverse effects on the professional learning of new teachers, defeating the policy goals. Previous studies have investigated the affective impact of current global policy formations on teachers. Building on that work, this study considers the impacts that the teacher policy emphasis on ‘performance’ has had on professional learning processes, which are understood with reference to Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. The study is undertaken using an interpretative phenomenographic approach and informed by the related methods of discursive psychology, which positions discourse as a discursive practice to achieve specific goals in specific contexts.
Ubiquitylation-independent ER-associated degradation of an AE1 mutant associated with dominant hereditary spherocytosis in cattle

Various mutations in the AE1 (anion exchanger 1, band 3) gene cause dominant hereditary spherocytosis, a common congenital hemolytic anemia associated with deficiencies of AE1 of different degrees and loss of mutant protein from red blood cell membranes. To determine the mechanisms underlying decreases in AE1 protein levels, we employed K562 and HEK293 cell lines and Xenopus oocytes together with bovine wild-type AE1 and an R664X nonsense mutant responsible for dominant hereditary spherocytosis to analyze protein expression, turnover, and intracellular localization. R664X-mutant protein underwent rapid degradation and caused specifically increased turnover and impaired trafficking to the plasma membrane of the wild-type protein through hetero-oligomer formation in K562 cells. Consistent with those observations, co-expression of mutant and wild-type AE1 reduced anion transport by the wild-type protein in oocytes. Transfection studies in K562 and HEK293 cells revealed that the major pathway mediating degradation of both R664X and wild-type AE1 employed endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation through the proteasomal pathway. Proteasomal degradation of R664X protein appeared to be independent of both ubiquitylation and N-glycosylation, and aggresome formation was not observed following proteasome inhibition. These findings indicate that AE1 R664X protein, which is associated with dominant hereditary spherocytosis, has a dominant-negative effect on the expression of wild-type AE1.
The Process of Field Instruction

This article reports on the results of two surveys that asked BSW and MSW students to evaluate the supervision provided by their field instructors at two points during their practicum. Students responded to a variety of questions pertaining to the supervisory assignments and activities of their field instructor. The author discusses the relationship between supervisory skills and students’ perceptions of enhanced learning. Early in the practicum, activities reported as most helpful to students were those that introduced them to the agency and clarified expectations of their performance. At the end of their experience, students perceived as most helpful those activities which helped them to be self-critical and to link classroom and field learning.
Mental Imagery, Learning Styles, and Text Comprehension

The present dissertation offers a theoretical integration of the orientation to studying tradition (e.g. Entwistle, 1988, Ramsden, 1988) and theories of reading cognition (Kintsch, 1994, Sadoski & Paivio, 2001) and describes two studies based on this integrative conceptualization of the determinants of text understanding. One study of 78 Hungarian elementary/middle school students explored choice of learning approach, reported mental images while reading, and perceived connections between understanding and picturing texts and examined relationships between reported surface learning and ASI (Approaches to Studying Inventory, Entwistle & Kozeki, 1985). Students reported using different approaches in different situations and consciously choosing surface learning to get better grades and avoid punishment, even though they knew its disadvantages. No relationship was found between reported use of surface learning and scores on the ASI. Reports of forming mental images of different texts varied across students and texts. The idea of a relationship between text concreteness and text understanding was supported. An experiment examined the effects of (high, medium, and low) text imagery evokingness or concreteness, learning styles (ASI), and grades on text comprehension, as measured by SOLO (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome, Biggs & Collis, 1982) in a group of 273 Hungarian 6th graders. It found weak support for the hypothesis that text concreteness and learning style affect understanding. The discussion suggests that not only text concreteness, but also other text and student factors, such as the context and structure of the text and prior knowledge, determine text understanding. Grades explained more of the difference in understanding than did text concreteness or learning approach. Creating texts with different levels of concreteness was found to be much more complicated than earlier research suggests. The dissertation raises serious question about the validity and reliability of the ASI as a measure of learning styles.
Dual Process Th eories

Dual process theories divide the realm of mental processes into two general categories depending on whether they operate automatically or in a controlled fashion. This chapter provides an overview of dual process theories in social psychology, focusing on their historical and conceptual developments. Identifying three general categories of dual process theories, the chapter distinguishes between domain-specific theories that focus on particular phenomena, generalized dual process theories that identify domain-independent principles underlying various kinds of phenomena, and formalized dual process theories that quantify the joint contributions of automatic and controlled processes to responses within a single task. The chapter also discusses critical arguments against each type of dual process theorizing, which are integrated in a general outlook on future directions.
Thiamine Deficiency in Self-Induced Refeeding Syndrome, an Undetected and Potentially Lethal Condition

Rapid restoration of nutrients and electrolytes after prolonged starvation could result in a life threatening condition characterized by sensory and neurological dysfunction and severe metabolic imbalance that has been designated as refeeding syndrome. Its diagnosis is frequently missed resulting in severe complications and even death. We describe a 25-years-old female patient with mental disorders and severe malnutrition who developed severe clinical manifestations and biochemical abnormalities characteristic of the refeeding syndrome, after restarting oral feeding on her own. Schizophrenia was later diagnosed. Increased awareness of this condition and its complications is necessary to prevent its detrimental complications.
Nanoscale surface electrical properties of zinc oxide films investigated by conducting atomic force microscopy

In this study, conducting atomic force microscopy was employed to investigate the nanoscale surface electrical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at different substrate temperatures for use as anode materials in polymer light‐emitting diodes. The results show that the surface conductivity distribution of ZnO is related to its surface structure. At substrate temperatures of 150–200°C, the conducting regions may cover over 90% of the ZnO thin‐film surface, thus providing the best local conductivity. Moreover, heating at substrate temperatures of above 250°C can effectively make the conductivity on the ZnO surface uniform. In particular, at substrate temperatures of around 300°C, the conducting regions where currents are between 1 and 2 μA may cover as much as 83% of the surface, and furthermore, the transmission ratio in the visible range is higher than 80%. This is a rather ideal production temperature for the PLD for ZnO films. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The role of Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor (SLPI) in progranulin regulation and neurodegeneration

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is an early onset neurodegenerative disorder which selectively destroys frontal and temporal cortical neurones. The resulting damage leads to a range of language and behavioural deficits, however, episodic memory is generally maintained. Around 10% of FTLD cases are caused by progranulin gene mutations that lead to haploinsufficiency and reduced expression of progranulin. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) has been shown to have a key protective effect over progranulin, inhibiting enzymatic cleavage by neutrophil elastase. Previous work demonstrating this role of SLPI is largely from in vitro studies and scenarios with above-physiological SLPI concentrations. To ascertain a role for endogenous SLPI in the regulation of progranulin a murine SLPI knockout model was used and tonic progranulin measurements taken.No change in circulating progranulin levels were seen in SLPI null mice (at 6, 12 or 20 months of age) when compared to non-transgenic controls, though significant differences were observed between male and female SLPI null animals. Similarly, tissue (brain and lung) levels of progranulin were comparable between wild-type and SLPI null mice, despite the presence of active neutrophil elastase. Behavioural analysis of SLPI null mice revealed no major phenotype when compared to wild-type, over a range of behavioural tests. However primary neuronal cultures taken from SLPI null mice did display an elevated progranulin response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These data suggest that, although SLPI may play a role in progranulin regulation during an inflammatory event, it is unlikely to play a major role in progranulin regulation under basal conditions, as reported previously. Therefore under disease conditions regulation of extracellular progranulin is likely through other modulatory factors that have yet to be described.
Levosimendan vs dobutamine for patients with acute decompensated heart failure: the SURVIVE Randomized Trial.

CONTEXT Because acute decompensated heart failure causes substantial morbidity and mortality, there is a need for agents that at least improve hemodynamics and relieve symptoms without adversely affecting survival. OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of a short-term intravenous infusion of levosimendan or dobutamine on long-term survival. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS The Survival of Patients With Acute Heart Failure in Need of Intravenous Inotropic Support (SURVIVE) study was a randomized, double-blind trial comparing the efficacy and safety of intravenous levosimendan or dobutamine in 1327 patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure who required inotropic support. The trial was conducted at 75 centers in 9 countries and patients were randomized between March 2003 and December 2004. INTERVENTIONS Intravenous levosimendan (n = 664) or intravenous dobutamine (n = 663). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE All-cause mortality at 180 days. RESULTS All-cause mortality at 180 days occurred in 173 (26%) patients in the levosimendan group and 185 (28%) patients in the dobutamine group (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.74-1.13; P = .40). The levosimendan group had greater decreases in B-type natriuretic peptide level at 24 hours that persisted through 5 days compared with the dobutamine group (P<.001 for all time points). There were no statistical differences between treatment groups for the other secondary end points (all-cause mortality at 31 days, number of days alive and out of the hospital, patient global assessment, patient assessment of dyspnea at 24 hours, and cardiovascular mortality at 180 days). There was a higher incidence of cardiac failure in the dobutamine group. There were higher incidences of atrial fibrillation, hypokalemia, and headache in the levosimendan group. CONCLUSION Despite an initial reduction in plasma B-type natriuretic peptide level in patients in the levosimendan group compared with patients in the dobutamine group, levosimendan did not significantly reduce all-cause mortality at 180 days or affect any secondary clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00348504.