Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distinct Ontogeny of Glucocorticoid and Mineralocorticoid Receptor and 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Types I and II mRNAs in the Fetal Rat Brain Suggest a Complex Control of Glucocorticoid Actions

Glucocorticoids (GCs) act via intracellular mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR). However, it has recently been recognized that GC access to receptors is determined by the presence of tissue-specific 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSDs) that catalyze the interconversion of active corticosterone and inert 11-dehydrocorticosterone. 11β-HSD type 1 (11β-HSD1) is a bidirectional enzyme in vitro that acts predominantly as a reductase (regenerating corticosterone) in intact neurons. In contrast, 11β-HSD type 2 (11β-HSD2) is a higher affinity exclusive dehydrogenase that excludes GCs from MR in the kidney, producing aldosterone-selectivity in vivo. We have examined the ontogeny of 11β-HSD mRNAs and enzyme activity during prenatal brain development and correlated this with GR and MR mRNA development. These data reveal that (1) 11β-HSD2 mRNA is highly expressed in all CNS regions during midgestation, but expression is dramatically reduced during the third trimester except in the thalamus and cerebellum; (2) 11β-HSD2-like activity parallels closely the pattern of mRNA expression; (3) 11β-HSD1 mRNA is absent from the CNS until the the third trimester, and activity is low or undectectable; and (4) GR mRNA is highly expressed throughout the brain from midgestation, but MR gene expression is absent until the last few days of gestation. High 11β-HSD2 at midgestation may protect the developing brain from activation of GR by GCs. Late in gestation, repression of 11β-HSD2 gene expression may allow increasing GC activation of GR and MR, permitting key GC-dependent neuronal and glial maturational events.
Mentoring in coaching: the means of correct training? An autoethnographic exploration of one Australian swimming coach’s experiences

This paper reports on research that identifies the disciplinary mechanism of surveillance and power at work within pathways for coach education in the Australian swimming culture. Utilising autoethnography and Foucault, one Australian swimming coach’s experiences are explored, particularly his experiences within the mentor–mentee relationship of the Australian swimming coaching culture. It is contended that mentor coaches act as intermediaries of the wider sporting organisation and apply mechanisms to that are perceived as encouraging conformity and obedient, docile bodies within the mentor–mentee relationship. This research investigates the mentor–mentee relationship that one coach was immersed in and seeks to understand the complex interrelationships central to the development of an individual coach’s practice.
Tolerance to the discriminative stimulus effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol

Although tolerance to a variety of behavioral and physiological effects of Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) has been demonstrated, previous studies have reported that tolerance to the discriminative stimulus effects of Δ9-THC does not develop when discrimination training is continued during repeated administration. The present study investigated development of tolerance to the discriminative stimulus effects of Δ9-THC under conditions of supplemental administration during suspended training. Rats, trained to discriminate Δ9-THC (3 mg/kg) from vehicle in a two-lever drug discrimination procedure, under a fixed-ratio 10 schedule of food reinforcement, were tested with cumulative doses of Δ9-THC before and after repeated administration of vehicle and of high doses of Δ9-THC. Following suspended training with repeated vehicle injection, the Δ9-THC dose-effect curve for percentage of drug lever responding showed little change from the prevehicle curve. After supplemental administration of Δ9-THC, the degree of rightward shift in the post-THC dose-effect curve was 40-fold. Recovery to pre-THC levels of percentage of drug lever responding was observed during a second post-THC dose-effect curve administered 23 days later. The large reversible shift in the dose-effect curve following supplemental administration of Δ9-THC suggests that tolerance developed to the discriminative stimulus effects of Δ9-THC under suspended training conditions.
Frame level likelihood transformations for ASR and utterance verification

In most of the current speech recognition systems based on HMM, existing decoding and utterance veri cation methods make use of state output likelihood as a measure of the acoustic match between the input data and the acoustic models. In this paper, we present a new and more generalized approach to the formation of the acoustic match score. The essence of this approach is to transform the likelihood of each acoustic vector with respect to any particular HMM state according to some non-linear function. We have investigated two types of such transformation functions. The rst one, performs likelihood normalization, and the second one transforms likelihoods into exponentially ordered weights. The transformed likelihoods, as new acoustic scores, are used further for decoding, recognition and veri cation instead of the conventional likelihoods. In our evaluation experiments we used TIMIT database for phoneme recognition and veri cation and a database of 710 speakers and a total of 4252 distinct words, for isolated word recognition and veri cation. The results we achieved show that the transformed likelihood scores, in average, increase slightly the recognition accuracy and reduce the veri cation error rates up to 30%.
Effects of a single terlipressin administration on cardiac function and perfusion in cirrhosis

Background The vasoconstrictor terlipressin is widely used in the treatment of the hepatorenal syndrome and variceal bleeding. However, terlipressin may compromise cardiac function and induce ischemia. Aim Therefore, we aimed to assess the effects of terlipressin on cardiac function and perfusion. Methods Twenty-four patients with cirrhosis and ascites participated, including nine with refractory ascites. Gated myocardial perfusion imaging, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), cardiac output (CO), ejection fraction (EF), end-diastolic volume (EDV), perfusion, and motion of the myocardium were determined before and after a bolus injection of 2 mg terlipressin. Results MAP increased after terlipressin (P value of less than 0.001). EF and CO fell by −16 and −17%, respectively in the terlipressin group versus 1 and −2%, respectively in the placebo group (P value of less than 0.001 and P value of less than 0.01). In the terlipressin group, EDV increased by 18 versus −4% in the placebo group (P value of less than 0.01). Wall motion in the anterior and posterior walls fell by −18 and −22%, respectively after terlipressin treatment versus 0 and 0% in the placebo group (P value of less than 0.01). In contrast, myocardial perfusion and stroke volume were unaltered in both the groups. The change in EF during terlipressin treatment correlated significantly with the change in MAP (r=−0.60, P value <0.002). Patients with refractory ascites had a higher EF and lower EDV and ESV than the patients with nonrefractory ascites, both at baseline and after terlipressin treatment. The decrease in the left ventricular wall thickening and wall motion correlated with the Child--Pugh score, r=−0.59, P=0.005 and r=−0.48, P=0.03. Conclusion In advanced cirrhosis, the increase in afterload and EDV after terlipressin treatment result in a decrease in left ventricular wall motion, resulting in reduced CO and EF, but myocardial perfusion is preserved. Alteration in cardiac function at baseline and after terlipressin treatment relates to the stage of decompensation.
Text messaging in Kuwait. Is the medium the message?

Abstract In Kuwait the use of the mobile phone has spread rapidly and universally and the use of text messaging has become popular among the younger members of society. One aim of the paper was (by means of a questionnaire) to elicit some basic information about users' attitudes and practices with regard to the medium in their culture. Until comparatively recently it was not technically possible to send Arabic text messages using the Arabic alphabet and they had to be sent using the English alphabet. Another aim, therefore, was to ascertain whether Kuwaitis still use the English alphabet for Arabic text messages or whether they make use of the Arabic keypad now available. It was found that while Arabic messages are sent, a substantial percentage of messages use English and a mixture of Arabic and English. Of particular interest is how users use English characters to transcribe their Arabic texts. This raises linguistic and cultural questions which are explored in the paper.
The Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) Study Protocol

Background and Purpose— Epidemiological studies of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have consistently demonstrated variation in incidence, location, age at presentation, and outcomes among non-Hispanic white, black, and Hispanic populations. We report here the design and methods for this large, prospective, multi-center case–control study of ICH. Methods— The Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) study is a multi-center, prospective case–control study of ICH. Cases are identified by hot-pursuit and enrolled using standard phenotype and risk factor information and include neuroimaging and blood sample collection. Controls are centrally identified by random digit dialing to match cases by age (±5 years), race, ethnicity, sex, and metropolitan region. Results— As of March 22, 2013, 1655 cases of ICH had been recruited into the study, which is 101.5% of the target for that date, and 851 controls had been recruited, which is 67.2% of the target for that date (1267 controls) for a total of 2506 subjects, which is 86.5% of the target for that date (2897 subjects). Of the 1655 cases enrolled, 1640 cases had the case interview entered into the database, of which 628 (38%) were non-Hispanic black, 458 (28%) were non-Hispanic white, and 554 (34%) were Hispanic. Of the 1197 cases with imaging submitted, 876 (73.2%) had a 24 hour follow-up CT available. In addition to CT imaging, 607 cases have had MRI evaluation. Conclusions— The ERICH study is a large, case–control study of ICH with particular emphasis on recruitment of minority populations for the identification of genetic and epidemiological risk factors for ICH and outcomes after ICH.
Adding nominal spice to SALSA - frame-semantic annotation of German nouns and verbs

This paper presents Release 2.0 of the SALSA corpus, a German resource for lexical semantics. The new corpus release provides new annotations for German nouns, complementing the existing annotations of German verbs in Release 1.0. The corpus now includes around 24,000 sentences with more than 36,000 annotated instances. It was designed with an eye towards NLP applications such as semantic role labeling but will also be a useful resource for linguistic studies in lexical semantics.
Prenatal maternal depression related to allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in the first 5 years of life in children of the EDEN mother-child cohort study

Backgroud Evidence about the relationship between prenatal maternal depression and the development of childhood asthma and allergies in early life is scarce. We aimed to examine this relationship by using data set of EDEN mother-child cohort study. A total of 1139 children were followed-up until the age of 5 years. Methods Prenatal maternal depression was self-reported by using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D) questionnaire and was classified into binary variable (maternal depression [CES-D score of≥16] and no maternal depression [CES-D score of <16]). Asthma and allergies in the first 5 years were assessed by using the questionnaire of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was estimated for the relationship between prenatal maternal depression and early life asthma and allergies by marginal models through the method of generalized estimating equation (GEE) when adjusting for the confounders. Results In our study population, 13.67 % of the mothers had clinical significant depression (the total scores for CES-D ≥16) during pregnancy. For children ages 5 years, the prevalence of wheezing, physician-diagnosed asthma, physician-diagnosed eczema and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis were 46.78, 20.99, 29.17, and 22.54%, respectively. Prenatal maternal depression was associated with ever allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (aOR 1.87 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.33–2.62]). No significant relationships were found between prenatal maternal depression and wheezing, physician-diagnosed asthma and physician-diagnosed eczema (aOR 1.12 [95% CI, 0.91–1.39], aOR 1.23 [95% CI, 0.81–1.85] and aOR 1.17 [95% CI, 0.86–1.61], respecitvely). Conclusion Prenatal maternal depression was related to ever allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in the first 5 years of life in children of EDEN mother-child cohort study.
The experiences and beliefs of patients with complex regional pain syndrome: An exploratory survey study

Objectives To determine the beliefs and describe the health care experiences of patients with complex regional pain syndrome. Methods A survey tool for patients with complex regional pain syndrome was designed for this study. The survey tool collected self-reported measures associated with pain, disability, health care experiences, education, beliefs, and treatments. Results Thirty-one patients attending physical therapy for complex regional pain syndrome (mean age 40.48; female n = 20) completed the survey. Patients with presented with high levels of pain and disability and reported various changes associated with altered neuroplasticity such as confused body part recognition, left/right discrimination, neglect, and spreading pain. The patients’ experiences with diagnostic testing and interventions are not in line with the current pain science research and/or evidence-based practice. Overall, patients are ill-informed, confused, and receive conflicting information. Discussion The suffering associated with complex regional pain syndrome is real, as told by patients. This suffering coincides with a lack of consensus by health care providers and conflicting information on complex regional pain syndrome. Overall, patient experiences show health care providers are not up to date with the current best-evidence regarding complex regional pain syndrome.
Depression is an adaptation.

D r Nesse, in raising the question, " Is Depression an Adaptation? " 1 has contributed greatly to understanding this poorly understood, unpredictable condition. He offers many possible functions for low mood and depression, but he stops short of firmly concluding that depression has adaptive significance. A strong case for the phylogenetically adaptive significance of depressive symptoms can be made, however. Depression has a genetic component: parents of persons with major depressive disorder (MDD) are 2 to 3 times more likely to have had the disease themselves than parents of persons without depression. 2 Depression is also common. Lifetime prevalence of MDD is 15.8%. 2 The rate of spontaneous mutation in humans is 1 per 10000 to 1 per 1000. 3 Taking the conservative values of 1 in 10 for MDD and a mutation rate of 1 per 1000, depression is observed at more than 100 times the mutation rate. Depression must have had a definite selective advantage in the ancestors of modern humans; otherwise, it would be rare. Not all modern depression is necessarily adaptive, of course. Depression consequent to hypothyroidism, for example, is clearly pathological. Also, even if some depression is strongly disadvantageous in modern conditions , the effect of negative selection on prevalence will not be apparent for many generations. Knowing that depression was adaptive to our ancestors and may often still be adaptive as Nesse has shown, encourages a new view of this old disease. This evolutionary view implies that triggers of depression are likely to bear a recognizable relationship to situations in which depression would have improved fitness in ancestral conditions. Seasonal affective disorder, triggered by low light conditions 4 and enforcing reduced energy consumption at times when our ancestors would have suffered seasonal scarcity, may be an example of this. The typical relapsing, noncontinuous course of depression may have increased fitness by enabling behaviors adapted to circumstances. Nesse, noting that repeated episodes of endogenous depression often seem unrelated to life events, argues that these depressive episodes are not defenses. If previous depressive episodes increase sensitivity to subsequent triggers, however , heightened reactions to triggers we do not yet recognize may explain the apparent absence of life events triggering recurrent endogenous depression. In any case, we can say with confidence that depression is an adaptation—the result of eons of positive selection. As the origins, physiology, and adaptive significance of depressive symptoms become better understood , …
Validation of the Emotiv EPOC® EEG gaming system for measuring research quality auditory ERPs

Background. Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) have proved useful in investigating the role of auditory processing in cognitive disorders such as developmental dyslexia, specific language impairment (SLI), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and autism. However, laboratory recordings of auditory ERPs can be lengthy, uncomfortable, or threatening for some participants – particularly children. Recently, a commercial gaming electroencephalography (EEG) system has been developed that is portable, inexpensive, and easy to set up. In this study we tested if auditory ERPs measured using a gaming EEG system (Emotiv EPOC®, www.emotiv.com) were equivalent to those measured by a widely-used, laboratory-based, research EEG system (Neuroscan). Methods. We simultaneously recorded EEGs with the research and gaming EEG systems, whilst presenting 21 adults with 566 standard (1000 Hz) and 100 deviant (1200 Hz) tones under passive (non-attended) and active (attended) conditions. The onset of each tone was marked in the EEGs using a parallel port pulse (Neuroscan) or a stimulus-generated electrical pulse injected into the O1 and O2 channels (Emotiv EPOC®). These markers were used to calculate research and gaming EEG system late auditory ERPs (P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3 peaks) and the mismatch negativity (MMN) in active and passive listening conditions for each participant. Results. Analyses were restricted to frontal sites as these are most commonly reported in auditory ERP research. Intra-class correlations (ICCs) indicated that the morphology of the research and gaming EEG system late auditory ERP waveforms were similar across all participants, but that the research and gaming EEG system MMN waveforms were only similar for participants with non-noisy MMN waveforms (N = 11 out of 21). Peak amplitude and latency measures revealed no significant differences between the size or the timing of the auditory P1, N1, P2, N2, P3, and MMN peaks. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that the gaming EEG system may prove a valid alternative to laboratory ERP systems for recording reliable late auditory ERPs (P1, N1, P2, N2, and the P3) over the frontal cortices. In the future, the gaming EEG system may also prove useful for measuring less reliable ERPs, such as the MMN, if the reliability of such ERPs can be boosted to the same level as late auditory ERPs.
Does school-to-school collaboration promote school improvement? A study of the impact of school federations on student outcomes

This study adopted a quantitative methodology involving a matched sample of federated and non-federated schools and utilising multilevel modelling techniques to explore the impact of federations on student outcomes. The sample involves a total of 50 school districts and 264 schools. These are grouped into 122 federations; 264 comparator schools were selected to match these. The study has identified 6 broad and sometimes overlapping categories of federations. The findings suggest there is evidence of impact on overall performance, in that, while federation and comparator schools perform similarly at baseline, federation is positively related to performance in the years following federation. There is evidence to suggest that impact is strongest in performance federations. There is no relationship between federation and inspection judgements or differential impact on students from different socioeconomic settings. In conclusion, this article reflects on the findings to discuss the key implications for future research, policy, and practice.
Cloning and Characterization of Two Potent Kunitz Type Protease Inhibitors from Echinococcus granulosus

The tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus is responsible for cystic echinococcosis (CE), a cosmopolitan disease which imposes a significant burden on the health and economy of affected communities. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms whereby E. granulosus is able to survive in the hostile mammalian host environment, avoiding attack by host enzymes and evading immune responses, but protease inhibitors released by the parasite are likely implicated. We identified two nucleotide sequences corresponding to secreted single domain Kunitz type protease inhibitors (EgKIs) in the E. granulosus genome, and their cDNAs were cloned, bacterially expressed and purified. EgKI-1 is highly expressed in the oncosphere (egg) stage and is a potent chymotrypsin and neutrophil elastase inhibitor that binds calcium and reduced neutrophil infiltration in a local inflammation model. EgKI-2 is highly expressed in adult worms and is a potent inhibitor of trypsin. As powerful inhibitors of mammalian intestinal proteases, the EgKIs may play a pivotal protective role in preventing proteolytic enzyme attack thereby ensuring survival of E. granulosus within its mammalian hosts. EgKI-1 may also be involved in the oncosphere in host immune evasion by inhibiting neutrophil elastase and cathepsin G once this stage is exposed to the mammalian blood system. In light of their key roles in protecting E. granulosus from host enzymatic attack, the EgKI proteins represent potential intervention targets to control CE. This is important as new public health measures against CE are required, given the inefficiencies of available drugs and the current difficulties in its treatment and control. In addition, being a small sized highly potent serine protease inhibitor, and an inhibitor of neutrophil chemotaxis, EgKI-1 may have clinical potential as a novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic.
Raising Daughters to Resist Negative Cultural Messages About Body Image

Abstract This essay proposes that resistance in girls to the culturally induced standards in the social environment can be enhanced by parents who have the capability to view the impact and influence of the sociocultural environment with a critical perspective. The notion of culture-wise parenting is suggested as a buffer for daughters, protecting them from the unfiltered absorption of the cultural influences that frequently lead to disturbances in body image and related pathologies. Suggestions are offered about ways to cultivate culture-wise consciousness in girls and their parents.
Foster Children's Report of Psychological Maltreatment Experiences

112 foster care youth were interviewed as part of mandated mental health screenings about 19 types of psychological maltreatment (PM) by birth and foster parents. 77.7% reported at least one form of PM by a parent and 24.3% by a foster parent. The average number of types endorsed was approximately 4 for parents and approximately 1 for foster parents. Data indicate that PM is fairly common among these children who may be underreporting the extent of their experiences. Data also indicate that what they report having experienced is negatively affecting them. Implications for prevention, intervention, and treatment are discussed.