Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relative impacts of mild and major neurocognitive disorder on rate of verbal learning acquisition.

Objective The California Verbal Learning Test-second edition (CVLT-II) learning slope index may signal the presence of cognitive impairment, though the relative impacts of mild (MiND) and major (MaND) neurocognitive disorders on the rate of verbal learning acquisition remain unknown. Methods Latent intercept-only, linear, quadratic, and exponential models were fit to raw scores for the five CVLT-II learning trials of 197 veterans. Dummy-coded variables reflecting MiND and MaND predicted the growth factors. Results Quadratic growth best fit the data. MiND and MaND predicted reduced recall on each trial. MaND predicted reduced rate of learning acquisition (i.e., word gains per trial) over-and-above MiND, even after controlling for age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, and mono/bilingualism. Conclusions Nonlinear growth-with continuous but diminishing gains over trials-best characterized verbal learning acquisition. Reduced word recall each trial may help differentiate MiND from no neurocognitive disorder, while reduced rate of verbal learning acquisition may help differentiate MaND from MiND.
The Impact of Weight Gain During HIV Treatment on Risk of Pre-diabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, Cardiovascular Disease, and Mortality

Since the introduction of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) and more effective treatments for AIDS, there has been a dramatic shift from the weight loss and wasting that characterised HIV/AIDS (and still does in countries where cART is not readily available or is initiated late) to healthy weight, or even overweight and obesity at rates mirroring those seen in the general population. These trends are attributable to several factors, including the “return to health” weight gain with reversal of the catabolic effects of HIV-infection following cART-initiation, strategies for earlier cART-initiation in the course of HIV-infection which have prevented many people living with HIV-infection from developing wasting, in addition to exposure to the modern obesogenic environment. Older cART regimens were associated with increased risk of body fat partitioning disorders (lipodystrophy) and cardiometabolic complications including atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus. Whilst cART now avoids those medications implicated in causing lipodystrophy, long-term cardiometabolic data on more modern cART regimens are lacking. Longitudinal studies show increased rates of incident CVD and diabetes mellitus with weight gain in treated HIV-infection. Abdominal fat gain, weight gain, and rising body mass index (BMI) in the short-term during HIV treatment was found to increase incident diabetes risk. Rising BMI was associated with increased risk of incident CVD, however the relationship varied depending on pre-cART BMI category. In contrast, a protective association with mortality is evident, predominantly in the underweight and in resource-poor settings, where weight gain reflects access to cART and virological suppression. The question of how to best evaluate, manage (and perhaps constrain) weight gain during HIV treatment is of clinical relevance, especially in the current climate of increasingly widespread cART use, rising overweight, and obesity prevalence and growing metabolic and cardiovascular disease burden in people living with HIV-infection. Large prospective studies to further characterise the relationship between weight gain during HIV treatment and risk of diabetes, CVD and mortality are required.
Attachment Styles, Perceived Stress and Social Support in a Malaysian Young Adults Sample

The purpose of this research was to examine the validity of an adult attachment style questionnaire, to understand the relationships between the type of attachment style in relation to self-perceived stress and social support, and to investigate the influence of gender, ethnicity and religion on the above constructs. The participants were 308 university students from Malaysia. A demographic questionnaire and three self-report inventories were administrated in this study. The data indicated that the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) is a multidimensional construct with nine factors: “dismissing,” “preoccupied with romance,” “preoccupied with close relationships,” “fearful,” “preoccupied with dependency,” “secure emotional,” “comfortable depending,” “preoccupied with mistrust” and “mutual secure. ” Different attachment styles were positively or negatively correlated at a significant level with perceived stress and social support. Attachment styles were explained by 20 and 33% of the total variance in self-perceived stress and perceived social support, respectively. There were significant gender, ethnic and religious differences in attachment styles, perceived stress and social support.
Erosional and depositional characteristics of regional overwash deposits caused by multiple hurricanes

Regional‐scale washover deposits along the Florida Gulf and Atlantic coasts induced by multiple hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 were studied through coring, trenching, ground‐penetrating radar imaging, aerial photography, and prestorm and poststorm beach‐profile surveys. Erosional and depositional characteristics in different barrier‐island sub‐environments, including dune field, interior wetland and back‐barrier bay were examined. Over the eroded dune fields, the washover deposits are characterized by an extensive horizontal basal erosional surface truncating the old dune deposits and horizontal to slightly landward‐dipping stratification. Over the marshes in the barrier‐island interior, the washover deposits are characterized by steep tabular bedding, with no erosion at the bottom. Overwash into the back‐barrier bay produced the thickest deposits characterized by steep, prograding sigmoidal bedding. No significant erosional feature was observed at the bottom. Washover deposits within the dense interior mangrove swamp demonstrate both normal and reversed graded bedding. The washover deposits caused by hurricanes Frances (2004) and Jeanne (2004) along the southern Florida Atlantic coast barrier islands are substantially different from those along the northern Florida barrier islands caused by Ivan (2004) and Dennis (2005) in terms of regional extension, erosional features and sedimentary structures. These differences are controlled by different overall barrier‐island morphology, vegetation type and density, and sediment properties. The homogeneity of sediment along the northern Florida coast makes distinguishing between washover deposits from Ivan and Dennis difficult. In contrast, along the Atlantic coast barrier islands, the two overwash events, as demonstrated by two phases of graded bedding of the bimodal sediments, are easily distinguishable.
Understanding Image Quality and Trust in Peer-to-Peer Marketplaces

As any savvy online shopper knows, second-hand peer-to-peer marketplaces are filled with images of mixed quality. How does image quality impact marketplace outcomes, and can quality be automatically predicted? In this work, we conducted a large-scale study on the quality of user-generated images in peer-to-peer marketplaces. By gathering a dataset of common second-hand products (≈75,000 images) and annotating a subset with human-labeled quality judgments, we were able to model and predict image quality with decent accuracy (≈87%). We then conducted two studies focused on understanding the relationship between these image quality scores and two marketplace outcomes: sales and perceived trustworthiness. We show that image quality is associated with higher likelihood that an item will be sold, though other factors such as view count were better predictors of sales. Nonetheless, we show that high quality user-generated images selected by our models outperform stock imagery in eliciting perceptions of trust from users. Our findings can inform the design of future marketplaces and guide potential sellers to take better product images.
Intrapersonal Achievement Goals and Underlying Reasons among Long Distance Runners: Their Relation with Race Experience, Self-Talk, and Running Time

In a sample of long distance runners, we examined the role of type of intrapersonal achievement goals (i.e., approach versus avoidance) and type of underlying reasons (i.e., autonomous and controlled), assessed prior to the race, as predictors of both pre-race (e.g., race appraisals) and post-race (e.g., flow experience) outcomes. Of 221 (62.4% males) runners, 111 reported pursuing an intrapersonal-approach goal (i.e., doing better than before) as their dominant or preferred achievement goal for the race, while 86 prioritized intrapersonal-avoidance goals (i.e., avoiding to perform worse than before). Regression and path analyses showed that the type of achievement goals predicted none of the outcomes except for running time, with approach goals predicting better performance when compared to avoidance goals. Path analyses revealed that autonomous reasons underlying intrapersonal goal pursuit related positively to pre-race challenge appraisals, performance and, via need satisfaction, to flow experience. Interestingly, controlled reasons positively related to pre-race threat appraisals and positively predicted both positive and negative self-talk, with both yielding opposing relations with flow. These findings complement past research on the intersection between the Achievement Goal Approach and Self-Determination Theory and highlight the value of studying the reasons underlying intrapersonal achievement goals.
Beyond the traditional simulation design for evaluating type 1 error control: From the “theoretical” null to “empirical” null

When evaluating a newly developed statistical test, an important step is to check its type 1 error (T1E) control using simulations. This is often achieved by the standard simulation design S0 under the so‐called “theoretical” null of no association. In practice, the whole‐genome association analyses scan through a large number of genetic markers ( G s) for the ones associated with an outcome of interest ( Y ), where Y comes from an alternative while the majority of G s are not associated with Y ; the Y−G relationships are under the “empirical” null. This reality can be better represented by two other simulation designs, where design S1.1 simulates Y from analternative model based on G , then evaluates its association with independently generated Gnew ; while design S1.2 evaluates the association between permutated Y and G . More than a decade ago, Efron (2004) has noted the important distinction between the “theoretical” and “empirical” null in false discovery rate control. Using scale tests for variance heterogeneity, direct univariate, and multivariate interaction tests as examples, here we show that not all null simulation designs are equal. In examining the accuracy of a likelihood ratio test, while simulation design S0 suggested the method being accurate, designs S1.1 and S1.2 revealed its increased empirical T1E rate if applied in real data setting. The inflation becomes more severe at the tail and does not diminish as sample size increases. This is an important observation that calls for new practices for methods evaluation and T1E control interpretation.
Kinetic pathways of topology simplification by Type-II topoisomerases in knotted supercoiled DNA

The topological state of covalently closed, double-stranded DNA is defined by the knot type K and the linking-number difference ΔLk relative to unknotted relaxed DNA. DNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes that control the topology of DNA in all cells. In particular, type-II topoisomerases change both K and ΔLk by a duplex-strand-passage mechanism and have been shown to simplify the topology of DNA to levels below thermal equilibrium at the expense of ATP hydrolysis. It remains a puzzle how small enzymes are able to preferentially select strand passages that result in topology simplification in much larger DNA molecules. Using numerical simulations, we consider the non-equilibrium dynamics of transitions between topological states (K, ΔLk) in DNA induced by type-II topoisomerases. For a biological process that delivers DNA molecules in a given topological state (K,ΔLk) at a constant rate we fully characterize the pathways of topology simplification by type-II topoisomerases in terms of stationary probability distributions and probability currents on the network of topological states (K,ΔLk). In particular, we observe that type-II topoisomerase activity is significantly enhanced in DNA molecules that maintain a supercoiled state with constant torsional tension. This is relevant for bacterial cells in which torsional tension is maintained by enzyme-dependent homeostatic mechanisms such as DNA-gyrase activity.
A Kiss to drive rhythms in reproduction

Reproduction, like many other biological functions, exhibits marked daily and seasonal rhythms in order to anticipate and adapt breeding activity to environmental challenges. In recent years, studies investigating the neuroendocrine mechanisms driving rhythms in reproduction have unveiled the pivotal role of hypothalamic neurons expressing kisspeptin in integrating and forwarding daily and seasonal cues to the reproductive system. The objective of this review is to summarize the knowledge on the effect and role of this neuropeptide on the mammalian hypothalamo‐pituitary‐gonadal axis and describe how it is involved in the daily control of ovulation in females and long‐term adaptation of reproduction in seasonal breeders.
Is abdominal obesity at baseline influencing weight changes in observational studies and during weight loss interventions?

Background Body fat distribution is a marker of metabolic health independent of body size. Visceral fat accumulation has been suggested to result from a decreased expandability of the subcutaneous fat depots. Furthermore, the visceral fat may be easier to mobilize than the peripheral fat. We examined whether differences in abdominal obesity at baseline influenced prospective body-weight changes. Objective In this study we examined whether body-fat distribution at baseline was associated with long-term and short-term weight changes. Design We included 3 observational studies (ntotal = 7271) with mean follow-up times of 5-9 y and two 8-10-wk weight loss intervention studies (ntotal = 1091). We examined the association between baseline waist circumference and weight changes in a substitution regression model, where body weight, height, and fat-free mass were fixed so that a difference in waist circumference would reflect a difference in body fat distribution alone. The results were summarized in meta-analyses. Results In the observational studies, we found no associations between baseline waist circumference and subsequent weight change in men (β: 0.03 kg; 95% CI: -0.01, 0.08 kg; P = 0.19), but a negligible inverse association in women (β: -0.05 kg; 95% CI: -0.08, -0.01 kg; P = 0.01). There was no association between baseline waist circumference and weight loss in the intervention studies (men: β: -0.05 kg; 95% CI: -0.13, 0.03 kg; P = 0.25; women: β: -0.00 kg; 95% CI: -0.03, 0.03 kg; P = 0.84). However, in all studies, the SDs of the weight change residuals were greater, the greater the waist circumference at baseline. This trend was statistically significant in women in most studies as well as in men in 1 of the studies. Conclusions With narrow CIs in 3 observational studies and 2 weight loss interventions, we did not find any clinically or epidemiologically relevant association between baseline abdominal obesity and weight change. However, the present study suggests that a greater baseline abdominal obesity is a marker for greater weight fluctuations. The CCHS trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT02993172. The Health2006 trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT00316667. The ORG study was conducted before trial registration was required. The NUGENOB trial was registered at www.isrctn. com as ISRCTN25867281. The DiOGenes trial was registered atwww.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT00390637.
Ethanol-Induced Hypnotic Tolerance Is Absent in N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor ϵ1 Subunit Knockout Mice

Recent pharmacological studies suggest that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play an important role in neuroadaptive processes in the development of tolerance to addictive drugs, such as opioids, amphetamine, and cocaine. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of the NMDA receptor to ethanol-induced hypnotic tolerance using NMDA receptor ϵ1 subunit knockout mice. Hypnotic sensitivity to a single injection of 3, 3.5, and 4 g/kg ethanol was not significantly different between wild-type mice and NMDA receptor ϵ1 subunit knockout mice. In contrast, although wild-type mice displayed hypnotic tolerance after repeated administration of 4 g/kg ethanol for 4 consecutive days, no change in the duration of hypnosis was observed in knockout mice. No significant differences were observed in blood ethanol clearance between wild-type and knockout mice on day 4. Our results indicate ϵ1 subunit containing the NMDA receptor might be involved in the development of ethanol-induced hypnotic tolerance.
Trust in interdependent and task-oriented human-computer cooperation

This thesis presents a new paradigm for the modeling of cooperative human–computer interaction in order to evaluate the antecedents, formation, and regulation of human–computer trust. Human–computer trust is the degree to which human users trust computers to help them achieve their goals, and functions as powerful psychological variable that governs user behavior. The modeling framework presented in this thesis aims to extend predominant methods for the study of trust and cooperation by building on competent problemsolving and equal goal contributions by users and computers. Specifically, the framework permits users to participate in interactive and interdependent decision-making games with autonomous computer agents. The main task is to solve a two-dimensional puzzle, similar to the popular game Tetris. The games derived from this framework include cooperative interaction factors known from interpersonal cooperation: the duality of competence and selfishness, anthropomorphism, task advice, and social blame. One validation study (68 participants) and four experiments (318 participants) investigate how these cooperative interaction factors influence human–computer trust. In particular, the results show how trust in computers is mediated by warmth as universal dimension of social cognition, how anthropomorphism of computers influences trust formation over time, and how expressive anthropomorphic cues can be used to regulate trust. We explain how these findings can be applied to design trustworthy computer agents for successful cooperation.
PersEmoN: A Deep Network for Joint Analysis of Apparent Personality, Emotion and Their Relationship

Apparent personality and emotion analysis are both central to affective computing. Existing works solve them individually. In this paper we investigate if such high-level affect traits and their relationship can be jointly learned from face images in the wild. To this end, we introduce PersEmoN, an end-to-end trainable and deep Siamese-like network. It consists of two convolutional network branches, one for emotion and the other for apparent personality. Both networks share their bottom feature extraction module and are optimized within a multi-task learning framework. Emotion and personality networks are dedicated to their own annotated dataset. Furthermore, an adversarial-like loss function is employed to promote representation coherence among heterogeneous dataset sources. Based on this, we also explore the emotion-to-apparent-personality relationship. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of PersEmoN.
Inverse problems for boundary triples with applications

This paper discusses the inverse problem of how much information on an operator can be determined/detected from ‘measurements on the boundary’. Our focus is on non-selfadjoint operators and their detectable subspaces (these determine the part of the operator ‘visible’ from ‘boundary measurements’). We show results in an abstract setting, where we consider the relation between the M function (the abstract Dirichlet to Neumann map or the transfer matrix in system theory) and the resolvent bordered by projections onto the detectable subspaces. More specifically, we investigate questions of unique determination, reconstruction, analytic continuation and jumps across the essential spectrum. The abstract results are illustrated by examples of Schrödinger operators, matrixdi↵erential operators and, mostly, by multiplication operators perturbed by integral operators (the Friedrichs model), where we use a result of Widom to show that the detectable subspace can be characterized in terms of an eigenspace of a Hankel-like operator.
Fatores preditivos ao resultado favorável de tratamento da tuberculose pulmonar (Recife-Pernambuco, Brasil, 2001-2004)

Partindo de dados disponiveis no Sistema de Informacao de Agravos de Notificacao, identificaram-se e analisaram-se fatores preditivos ao resultado favoravel de tratamento dos casos de tuberculose pulmonar, diagnosticados no periodo de 2001-2004, residentes em Recife-PE. Utilizaram-se metodos estatisticos uni e multivariado de regressao logistica. No multivariado permaneceram: Idade (anos), 0 a 9 (OR=4,27; p=0,001) e 10 a 19 (OR=1,78; p=0,011), maior chance de cura que mais de 60; Escolaridade (anos), 8 a 11 (OR=1,52; p=0,049), maior chance de cura que nenhuma escolaridade; Tipo de entrada, casos novos (OR=3,31; p<0,001) e recidiva (OR=3,32; p<0,001), maiores chances de cura que reingresso pos-abandono; Tempo (meses) 2, 5 -|6 (OR=9,15; p<0,001); 6 -| 9 (OR= 27,28; p<0,001) e Mais de 9 (OR=24,78; p<0,001), maiores chances de cura que menor que 5; Distrito da Unidade de Saude, DS I (OR=1,60; p=0,018) e DS IV (OR=2,87; p<0,001), maiores chances de cura que DS VI.
Neural dynamics at successive stages of the ventral visual stream are consistent with hierarchical error signals

Ventral visual stream neural responses are dynamic, even for static image presentations. However, dynamical neural models of visual cortex are lacking as most progress has been made modeling static, time-averaged responses. Here, we studied population neural dynamics during face detection across three cortical processing stages. Remarkably,~30 milliseconds after the initially evoked response, we found that neurons in intermediate level areas decreased their responses to typical configurations of their preferred face parts relative to their response for atypical configurations even while neurons in higher areas achieved and maintained a preference for typical configurations. These hierarchical neural dynamics were inconsistent with standard feedforward circuits. Rather, recurrent models computing prediction errors between stages captured the observed temporal signatures. This model of neural dynamics, which simply augments the standard feedforward model of online vision, suggests that neural responses to static images may encode top-down prediction errors in addition to bottom-up feature estimates.