Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-term changes in self-reported personality following capsulotomy in anxiety patients

The objective of the study was to describe changes in self-reported personality in anxiety patients undergoing capsulotomy. Sixteen patients with anxiety diagnoses undergoing capsulotomy were included. Ratings of personality characteristics with the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP), anxiety symptoms and adverse effects such as apathy and dysexecution were performed at baseline, at 1 year and 8–18 years post-operatively. Twelve patients had an anxiety reduction of at least 50%. Patients were significantly less anxiety prone at long-term follow-up as measured by KSP. Four patients suffered from adverse effects indicating frontal lobe dysfunction. There was no significant correlation between the reduction in BSA score and the KSP change from pre-operatively to long term in any of the KSP scales. In line with previous studies, high anxiety proneness normalizes after capsulotomy in anxiety patients. Adverse effects were more frequent than expected. The conclusion based on previous KSP findings that the incidence of adverse personality changes following capsulotomy is low and does not increase with time is challenged by the present study.
PULMONARY TOXICITY OF SIMULATED LUNAR AND MARTIAN DUSTS IN MICE: II. BIOMARKERS OF ACUTE RESPONSES AFTER INTRATRACHEAL INSTILLATION

Volcanic ashes from Arizona and Hawaii, with chemical and mineral properties similar to those of lunar and Martian soils, respectively, are used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to simulate lunar and Martian environments for instrument tests. NASA needs toxicity data on these volcanic soils to assess health risks from potential exposures of workers in facilities where these soil simulants are used. In this study we investigated the acute effects of lunar soil simulant (LSS) and Martian soil simulant (MSS), as a complement to a histopathological study assessing their subchronic effects (Lam et al., 2002). Fine dust of LSS, MSS, TiO 2, or quartz suspended in saline was intratracheally instilled into C57Bl/6J mice (4/group) in single doses of 0.1 mg/mouse or 1 mg/mouse. The mice were euthanized 4 or 24 h after the dust treatment, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained. Statistically significant lower cell viability and higher total protein concentration in the BALF were seen only in mice treated with the high dose of quartz for 4 h and with the high dose of MSS or quartz for 24 h, compared to mice treated only with saline. A significant increase in the percentage of neutrophils was not observed with any dust-treated group at 4 h after the instillation, but was observed after 24 h in all the dust-treated groups. This observation indicates that these dusts were not acutely toxic and the effects were gradual; it took some time for neutrophils to be recruited into and accumulate significantly in the lung. A statistically significant increase in apoptosis of lavaged macrophages from mice 4 h after treatment was found only in the high-dose silica group. The overall results of this study on the acute effects of these dusts in the lung indicate that LSS is slightly more toxic than TiO 2, and that MSS is comparable to quartz. These results were consistent with the subchronic histopathological findings in that the order of severity of lung toxicity was TiO 2 < LSS < MSS < quartz.
A dynamic lattice searching method for fast optimization of Lennard–Jones clusters

A highly efficient unbiased global optimization method called dynamic lattice searching (DLS) was proposed. The method starts with a randomly generated local minimum, and finds better solution by a circulation of construction and searching of the dynamic lattice (DL) until the better solution approaches the best solution. The DL is constructed adaptively based on the starting local minimum by searching the possible location sites for an added atom, and the DL searching is implemented by iteratively moving the atom located at the occupied lattice site with the highest energy to the vacant lattice site with the lowest energy. Because the DL can greatly reduce the searching space and the number of the time‐consuming local minimization procedures, the proposed DLS method runs at a very high efficiency, especially for the clusters of larger size. The performance of the DLS is investigated in the optimization of Lennard–Jones (LJ) clusters up to 309 atoms, and the structure of the LJ500 is also predicted. Furthermore, the idea of dynamic lattice can be easily adopted in the optimization of other molecular or atomic clusters. It may be a promising approach to be universally used for structural optimizations in the chemistry field. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 25: 1693–1698, 2004
Common and distinct modulation of electrophysiological indices of feedback processing by autistic and psychopathic traits

Both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychopathy are primarily characterized by social dysfunction; overlapping phenotypic features may reflect altered function in common brain mechanisms. The current study examined the degree to which neural response to social and nonsocial feedback is modulated by autistic versus psychopathic traits in a sample of typically developing adults (N = 31, 11 males, 18–52 years). Event-related potentials were recorded whilst participants completed a behavioral task and received feedback on task performance. Both autistic and psychopathic traits were associated with alterations in the neural correlates of feedback processing. Sensitivity to specific forms of feedback (social, nonsocial, positively valenced, negatively valenced) differed between the two traits. Autistic traits were associated with decreased sensitivity to social feedback. In contrast, the antisocial domain of psychopathic traits was associated with an overall decrease in sensitivity to feedback, and the interpersonal manipulation domain was associated with preserved processing of positively valenced feedback. Results suggest distinct alterations within specific mechanisms of feedback processing may underlie similar difficulties in social behavior.
Mortality effects of temperature changes in the United Kingdom

Temperature changes are known to affect the social and environmental determinants of health in various ways. Consequently, excess in deaths as a result of extreme weather conditions may increase over the next decades by cause of climate change. In this article, the relationship between trends in mortality and trends in temperature change (as a proxy for climate change) is investigated using annual data and for specified (warm and cold) periods during the year in the United Kingdom. A thoughtful statistical analysis is implemented and a new stochastic, central mortality rate model is proposed. The proposed model encompasses the good features of the Lee and Carter (1992) model and its recent extensions, and for a very first time include exogenous factor which is a temperature-related factor. The new model is shown to provide a significantly better fitting performance and more interpretable forecasts. This leads to more accurate pre-dictions of the future mortality rates and contributes to a better pricing of the life insurance and financial products.
Optimizing efficacy of mucosal vaccines

In general, there are only a few vaccines administered via mucosal routes, as the mucosal immune system presents numerous hurdles, including diversity in mucosal surface structure, complexity in immune cell interaction and limitations in experimental methodology. This therefore necessitates a range of strategies to be used for each target area. With reference to the three main routes of delivery and associated mucosal surfaces (oral/intestinal, nasal/respiratory and female genital tract), this review examines how coadministration of immune-stimulatory molecules, adjuvants, delivery systems and mucoadhesives are used to improve mucosal vaccine efficacy. Key considerations to the development of next-generation mucosal vaccines include improved efficacy and safety, technological advancements in medical devices to enable convenience and better administration, as well as reduced manufacturing costs.
Higher oxidation states of prostaglandin H synthase. EPR study of a transient tyrosyl radical in the enzyme during the peroxidase reaction.

Purified prostaglandin H synthase (EC 1.14.99.1), reconstituted with hemin, was reacted with substrates of the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase reaction. The resulting EPR spectra were measured below 90 K. Arachidonic acid, added under anaerobic conditions, did not change the EPR spectrum of the native enzyme due to high-spin ferric heme. Arachidonic acid with O2, as well as prostaglandin G2 or H2O2, decreased the spectrum of the native enzyme and concomitantly a doublet signal at g = 2.005 was formed with maximal intensity of 0.35 spins/enzyme and a half-life of less than 20 s at -12 degrees C. From the conditions for the formation and the effect of inhibitors, this doublet signal was assigned to an enzyme intermediate of the peroxidase reaction, namely a higher oxidation state. The doublet signal with characteristic hyperfine structure was nearly identical to the signal of the tyrosyl radical in ribonucleotide reductase (EC 1.17.4.1). Hence the signal of prostaglandin H synthase was assigned to a tyrosyl radical. Electronic spectra as well as decreased power saturation of the tyrosyl radical signal indicated heme in its ferryl state which coupled to the tyrosyl radical weakly. [FeIVO(protoporphyrin IX)]. Tyr+. was suggested as the structure of this two-electron oxidized state of the enzyme. A hypothetical role for the tyrosyl radical could be the abstraction of a hydrogen at C-13 of arachidonic acid which is assumed to be the initial step of the cyclooxygenase reaction.
'Beyond the Riots' – Policing in Partnership to Prevent and Contain Urban Unrest

For four days in August 2011 there were widespread public disturbances in 66 locations across the country. Known as the ‘2011 English Riots’, they were estimated to have involved 15,000 participants, cost half a billion pounds and were associated with five deaths (Bridges 2012). The Prime Minister described them as ‘criminality, pure and simple’ (Cameron 2011). Consequently, there was no major official inquiry. An academic literature emerged, but this was theoretically driven and London-centric. The lack of an empirical evidence-base provided the rationale for this study. The aims were to understand why the riots occurred in some places outside London, but not others; to explore the role of police and partners in preventing and containing unrest; and, recognising that policing rarely takes place in a vacuum, to identify other contextual factors undermining and promoting social order at local levels. The case study method was selected for its ability to capture context. Cases included a riot affected city and an ‘at risk’ city, which were characteristically similar, to support a compare and contrast approach. Neighbourhood 'sub-cases' were used as a methodological tool to access community-level variables. The study drew on quantitative and qualitative data, but was primarily based on 45 interviews with police and partners involved in the public order response or working with affected communities. The study found that inequality, exclusion and poor treatment of communities provided motivation for rioting. However, the activities of police and partners were able to prevent and contain unrest. The involvement of neighbourhood police officers and practitioners in the main public order response offered greater chance of success, due to their local knowledge and rapport, but was dependent on pre-existing partnerships and the mind-set of police commanders. Informal social controls, underpinned by community attachment, played an important role in inhibiting violence, especially where supported by formal controls.
Greek economic crisis and impaired perinatal parameters: experience from a public maternity hospital

Abstract Since 2008, Greece suffers a severe economic crisis. Adverse health outcomes have been reported, but studies on perinatal health are sparse. We aimed to examine the impact of economic crisis on perinatal parameters during early and established crisis periods. Birth records of 14 923 neonates, born in a public maternity hospital from 2005–2014, were reviewed for maternal (age, delivery mode) and neonatal (gender, birthweight, gestational age) variables. Univariable analysis tested the association of study variables with time-periods 2005–2007, 2009–2011 and 2012–2014. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified factors independently associated with low birthweight (LBW) (<2500 g), prematurity (<37 weeks) and caesarean section (CS). During 2012–2014, compared to 2005–2007, LBW rate increased from 8.4 to 10.5% (RR 1.16; 95%CI 1.01–1.33); prematurity from 9.7 to 11.2% (RR 1.09; 95%CI 0.96–1.24), comprising mainly late-preterm neonates; CS from 43.2 to 54.8% (RR 1.21; 95%CI 1.16–1.26). Maternal age ≥30 years was risk factor for LBW, prematurity and CS; LBW was additional risk factor for CS. However, LBW and CSs increased during the study period, independently of maternal age. In conclusion, impaired perinatal parameters, manifested by increasing maternal age, LBW, prematurity and CS rate, were observed during the years of economic decline, with possible adverse consequences for later health.
The Signs of Deconsolidation

In recent years, parties and candidates challenging key democratic norms have won unprecedented popular support in liberal democracies across the globe. Drawing on public opinion data from the World Values Survey and various national polls, we show that the success of anti-establishment parties and candidates is not a temporal or geographic aberration, but rather a reflection of growing popular disaffection with liberal-democratic norms and institutions, and of increasing support for authoritarian interpretations of democracy. The record number of anti-system politicians in office raises uncertainty about the strength of supposedly “consolidated” liberal democracies and highlights the need for further analysis of the signs of democratic deconsolidation.
Looking beyond the district: The representation of geographical sub-constituencies across Europe

A key question in representation is how institutional settings bring about particular representational roles among legislators. In this regard, the strategic dilemma that representatives face of whether to represent all people in the district equally or, alternatively, to prioritize some area within the district, has been vastly understudied. Using innovative survey data collected in 12 European democracies, we demonstrate that a striking number of legislators favour representing the interests of their home town over the district as a whole and that the number of representatives elected by the district critically impacts their choice as to whom to represent. As district magnitude increases, an increasing number of legislators will not cater to district opinion but will prioritize the interests of a geographical sub-constituency. These findings have important implications for the study of political representation, challenging the conventional wisdom that – compared to single-seat districts – proportional representation tends not to provide geographical representation.
Can a Repeated Opt-Out Reminder remove hypothetical bias in discrete choice experiments? An application to consumer valuation of novel food products

Recent papers have suggested that use of a so-called Repeated Opt-Out Reminder (ROOR) might mitigate hypothetical bias in stated Discrete Choice Experiments (DCE), but evidence so far has only been circumstantial. We provide the first comprehensive test of whether a ROOR can actually mitigate hypothetical bias in stated DCE. The data originates from a field experiment concerning consumer preferences for a novel food product made from cricket flour. Utilizing a between-subject design with three treatments, we find significantly higher marginal willingness to pay values in hypothetical than in nonhypothetical settings, confirming the usual presence of hypothetical bias. Comparing this to a hypothetical setting where the ROOR is introduced, we find that the ROOR effectively eliminates hypothetical bias for one attribute and significantly reduces it for the rest of the attributes. Our results further suggest that these reductions of hypothetical bias are brought about by a decrease in the tendency to ignore the price attribute.
Determination of the minimum alveolar concentration of isoflurane in llamas.

OBJECTIVE To determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane (ISO) in llamas. STUDY DESIGN Prospective study. ANIMALS Eight adult neutered male llamas (9 +/- 1 years [x +/- SD], 177 +/- 29 kg). METHODS Anesthesia was induced and maintained in otherwise unmedicated llamas with a mixture of ISO in oxygen administered through a standard small-animal, semi-closed circle system using an out-of-circle, agent-specific vaporizer. The time from mask placement to intubation was recorded. Inspired and end-tidal (ET) ISO was sampled continuously. At each anesthetic concentration, a constant ET ISO was maintained for at least 20 minutes before application of a noxious electrical stimulus (50 volts, 5 Hz, 10 ms for up to 1 minute). A positive or negative response to the stimulus was recorded, and ET ISO then increased (if positive response) or decreased (if negative response) by 10% to 20%. Individual MAC was the average of multiple determinations. Body temperature was maintained at 37 +/- 1 degrees C. Selected cardiopulmonary variables (heart rate [HR], respiratory rate [RR], arterial blood pressure [ABP]) and ET ISO were recorded at hourly intervals from first ISO. Arterial blood was collected for pH, PCO2, PO2 analysis and measurement of packed cell volume (PCV) and total protein (TP) at 2 hour intervals. Following MAC determination, the anesthetic was discontinued and llamas were allowed to recover. Duration and quality of recovery were noted. RESULTS The time from start of induction by mask to completion of intubation took 19.1 +/- 4.8 minutes. The MAC of ISO corrected to one atmosphere at sea level (barometric pressure 760 mm Hg) in these llamas was 1.05 +/- 0.17%. Mean ABP increased from 70 +/- 26 mm Hg at the end of the first hour of anesthesia to 102 +/- 7 mm Hg measured at the end of the sixth hour of anesthesia. ET ISO decreased from 2.06 +/- 0.10% to 1.27 +/- 0.07% over the same time period, but MAC did not change with time. The duration from first ISO to discontinuation of ISO averaged 6.19 +/- 0.9 hours. Animals were able to support their heads in a sternal posture at 23 +/- 10 minutes, and stood 62 +/- 26 minutes following discontinuation of the anesthetic. CONCLUSION The MAC for ISO is similar to, but slightly lower than, values reported for other species. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Knowledge of MAC may facilitate appropriate clinical use and provide the basis for future investigation of ISO in llamas.
Discussion of “Are Related Party Transactions Red Flags?”

Kohlbeck and Mayhew () create a new data set featuring two types of related party transactions. They use empiricalâ€ archival methods to investigate the effect of such transactions on the likelihood of restatements and on audit fees. Their findings suggest that related party transactions related to directors, officers and major shareholders are associated with poor â€œtone at the topâ€ and that this leads management to negotiate for lowerâ€ quality audits to minimize monitoring costs. To offer avenues for future research, we focus our discussion on three aspects of their paper related to causality, definitions of variables, and generalizability to nonâ€ U.S. jurisdictions.Kohlbeck et Mayhew (2017) constituent un nouvel ensemble de donnA©es relatives A deux catA©gories d'opA©rations entre apparentA©s. Ils utilisent des mA©thodes empiriques d'archivage pour A©tudier l'incidence de ces opA©rations sur la probabilitA© de retraitements et sur les honoraires d'audit. Leurs constatations permettent de croire que les opA©rations entre apparentA©s liA©es aux administrateurs, aux dirigeants et aux principaux actionnaires sont associA©es A un ton inadA©quat donnA© par la direction, et que cette situation amA¨ne la direction A nA©gocier des audits de qualitA© infA©rieure afin de rA©duire au minimum les coA»ts de la surveillance. Dans le but de proposer des pistes de recherche future, les auteurs axent leur analyse sur trois aspects de lâ€™A©tude, soit la causalitA©, la dA©finition des variables et la possibilitA© d'en gA©nA©raliser les conclusions A l'extA©rieur des A‰tatsâ€ Unis.
Uncertainty-Driven Business Cycles: Assessing the Markup Channel

Precautionary pricing and increasing markups in representative‐agent DSGE models with nominal rigidities are commonly used to generate negative output effects of uncertainty shocks. We assess whether this theoretical model channel is consistent with the data. Three things stand out. First, consistent with precautionary wage setting, we find that wage markups increase after uncertainty shocks. Second, the impulse responses of price markups are largely inconsistent with the standard model, both at the aggregate as well as the industry level. Finally, and in contrast to times‐series evidence, our theoretical model robustly predicts that uncertainty shocks have a quantitatively small impact on the economy.
Transforming environmental awareness of students through the arts and place-based pedagogies

Incorporating the Arts into immersive place-based education programs can increase connectivity with the environment and facilitate the development of socially responsible and pro-environmental learners. Increasingly, children and adolescents are alienated and detached from the natural world. Given this noticeable shift, educators working in the outdoor setting need to rethink their modus operandi. Past attempts to promote learner connection with the environment have centred upon short-term stays and risk-centric approaches that embrace high adrenaline activities. This is the antithesis of Touched By The Earth, a yearlong place-based enrichment program using multi-modal creative methods with young learners to delve into the impact of experiential learning and how the Arts promote a personal relationship with the environment.
Lock3DFace: A large-scale database of low-cost Kinect 3D faces

In this paper, we present a large-scale database consisting of low cost Kinect 3D face videos, namely Lock3DFace, for 3D face analysis, particularly for 3D Face Recognition (FR). To the best of our knowledge, Lock3DFace is currently the largest low cost 3D face database for public academic use. The 3D samples are highly noisy and contain a diversity of variations in expression, pose, occlusion, time lapse, and their corresponding texture and near infrared channels have changes in lighting condition and radiation intensity, allowing for evaluating FR methods in complex situations. Furthermore, based on Lock3DFace, we design the standard experimental protocol for low-cost 3D FR, and give the baseline performance of individual subsets belonging to different scenarios for fair comparison in the future.
Managerial Myopia, Financial Expertise, and Executive-Firm Matching

Existing literature emphasizes skills-based explanations for executive-firm matching, namely in the context of financial expertise. In contrast, our paper argues that informational concerns may also be relevant. We model a public firm with a project opportunity of uncertain quality, where long-run shareholders choose between hiring an operational manager or a financial expert. These managers are equally myopic, however financial experts are also privy to stock-market beliefs. Financial experts invest sub-optimally due to catering incentives, while operational managers tend to engage in signaling-driven overinvestment. We show that operational managers are preferred for low-NPV projects or when stock markets are well informed.