Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Initial Open Trial of a Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression and Medication Adherence in HIV-Infected Patients

Advances in HIV treatment through highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have led to a steady decline in HIV-related mortality rates. However, HAART requires adherence to strict and often complicated medication regimens, and nonadherence to HAART can significantly decrease its effectiveness. Depression has consistently shown a robust association with medication nonadherence; consequently, numerous psychological interventions have been developed to target depression and increase medication adherence among HIV-infected individuals. The length of these interventions, however, may be prohibitive for certain HIV-infected populations, such as patients in rural areas. Therefore, this study provides an initial investigation of a one-session behavioral activation treatment for depression designed specifically for HIV-infected patients (BATD-HIV) at a community infectious disease clinic serving a largely rural population. In this initial uncontrolled open trial, BATD-HIV was administered to 10 HIV-infected patients with elevated symptoms of depression following their clinic appointment. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptom severity; behavioral activation processes; medication adherence; and CD4 T-cell count were assessed pre- and 1 month postintervention. Participants exhibited significant reductions in anxiety symptom severity and avoidance of negative aversive states and rumination from pre- to 1 month posttreatment. Although nonsignificant, participants also showed medium effect size reductions in depression and stress symptoms and work/school and social impairment, and medium effect size improvements in medication adherence and CD4 T-cell counts. Despite the preliminary nature of this study, results suggest that BATD-HIV may have utility as a brief treatment for HIV-infected patients with depression and warrants further investigation in larger scale randomized controlled trials.
State-Denoised Recurrent Neural Networks

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are difficult to train on sequence processing tasks, not only because input noise may be amplified through feedback, but also because any inaccuracy in the weights has similar consequences as input noise. We describe a method for denoising the hidden state during training to achieve more robust representations thereby improving generalization performance. Attractor dynamics are incorporated into the hidden state to `clean up' representations at each step of a sequence. The attractor dynamics are trained through an auxillary denoising loss to recover previously experienced hidden states from noisy versions of those states. This state-denoised recurrent neural network {SDRNN} performs multiple steps of internal processing for each external sequence step. On a range of tasks, we show that the SDRNN outperforms a generic RNN as well as a variant of the SDRNN with attractor dynamics on the hidden state but without the auxillary loss. We argue that attractor dynamics---and corresponding connectivity constraints---are an essential component of the deep learning arsenal and should be invoked not only for recurrent networks but also for improving deep feedforward nets and intertask transfer.
Transcription Factor GATA4 Inhibits Doxorubicin-induced Autophagy and Cardiomyocyte Death*

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent anti-tumor drug known to cause heart failure. The transcription factor GATA4 antagonizes DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. However, the protective mechanism remains obscure. Autophagy is the primary cellular pathway for lysosomal degradation of long-lived proteins and organelles, and its activation could be either protective or detrimental depending on specific pathophysiological conditions. Here we investigated the ability of GATA4 to inhibit autophagy as a potential mechanism underlying its protection against DOX toxicity in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. DOX markedly increased autophagic flux in cardiomyocytes as indicated by the difference in protein levels of LC3-II (microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 form 2) or numbers of autophagic vacuoles in the absence and presence of the lysosomal inhibitor bafilomycin A1. DOX-induced cardiomyocyte death determined by multiple assays was aggravated by a drug or genetic approach that activates autophagy, but it was attenuated by manipulations that inhibit autophagy, suggesting that autophagy contributes to DOX cardiotoxicity. DOX treatment depleted GATA4 protein levels, which predisposed cardiomyocytes to DOX toxicity. Indeed, GATA4 gene silencing triggered autophagy that rendered DOX more toxic, whereas GATA4 overexpression inhibited DOX-induced autophagy, reducing cardiomyocyte death. Mechanistically, GATA4 up-regulated gene expression of the survival factor Bcl2 and suppressed DOX-induced activation of autophagy-related genes, which may likely be responsible for the anti-apoptotic and anti-autophagic effects of GATA4. Together, these findings suggest that activation of autophagy mediates DOX cardiotoxicity, and preservation of GATA4 attenuates DOX cardiotoxicity by inhibiting autophagy through modulation of the expression of Bcl2 and autophagy-related genes.
Identification of long-term high-flow regime changes in selected stations along the Danube River

Abstract The aim of the paper is to study spatial and temporal changes in the magnitude, duration and frequency of high flows in the Danube basin. A hydrological series of the mean daily discharges from 20 gauging stations (operated minimally since 1930) were used for the analysis of changes in the daily discharges. The high flow events were classified into three classes: high flow pulses, small floods, and large floods. For each year and for each class, the means of the peak discharges, the number and duration of events, and the rate of changes of the rising and falling limbs of the waves were determined. The long-term trends of the annual time series obtained were analyzed and statistically evaluated. The long-term high flow changes were found to be different in three individual high flow classes. The duration of the category of high flow pulses is decreasing at 19 stations on the Danube and is statistically significant at the Linz, Vienna, Bratislava and Orsova stations. The frequency of the high flow pulses is increasing in all 20 stations. Also, the rising and falling rates of the high flow pulse category are increasing at the majority of the stations. The long-term trends of the selected characteristics of the small floods are very similar to the trends of the high flow pulses, i.e., the duration of small floods is decreasing, and their mean number per year is increasing. In the category of large floods the changes were not proved.
Digital natives v Swine Flu: a study in two halves : how adversity can drive change

This study reports on a study that examined what actually happens when young learners in a primary school go from learning about information and communication technologies (ICTs) to learning with and through ICTs. The study focuses on how the students used learning technologies and how teachers perceived the affordances of technology before and during the time when Swine Flu closed the school for 3 weeks, and teachers were required to use ICTs to support learning at home. This gave the researcher a unique opportunity to assess the capacity of young digital natives to use Web 2.0 technologies to support their learning, and the impact on teacher views and practice. Design Research methodology was used to guide the study. Data generated included interviews with teachers and examples of student’s work. The data provides a unique insight into how teachers and students responded when Web 2.0 applications and a Learning Platform were placed at the centre of the learning environment. The study proposes an ‘Energy of Activation’ model to explain how changes in the balance of forces that normally maintain the status quo can create a ‘tipping point’, creating conditions that foster innovative teaching practices. The findings also demonstrate how confident and comfortable young learners are with new technologies but questions the prevailing assumptions about the capacity of digital natives to re-purpose Web 2.0 as learning tools. The author examines whether the levels of interest, participation and engagement by students seen in this study can be sustained in the long term once the use of Web 2.0 technologies become more persuasive. Further work is needed to study how young people respond as more teachers use greater varieties of technologies, more of the time.
A Longitudinal Mixed Logit Model for Estimation of Push and Pull Effects in Residential Location Choice

Abstract We develop a random effects discrete choice model for the analysis of households’ choice of neighborhood over time. The model is parameterized in a way that exploits longitudinal data to separate the influence of neighborhood characteristics on the decision to move out of the current area (“push” effects) and on the choice of one destination over another (“pull” effects). Random effects are included to allow for unobserved heterogeneity between households in their propensity to move, and in the importance placed on area characteristics. The model also includes area-level random effects. The combination of a large choice set, large sample size, and repeated observations mean that existing estimation approaches are often infeasible. We, therefore, propose an efficient MCMC algorithm for the analysis of large-scale datasets. The model is applied in an analysis of residential choice in England using data from the British Household Panel Survey linked to neighborhood-level census data. We consider how effects of area deprivation and distance from the current area depend on household characteristics and life course transitions in the previous year. We find substantial differences between households in the effects of deprivation on out-mobility and selection of destination, with evidence of severely constrained choices among less-advantaged households. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Confronting Compassion Fatigue: Assessment and intervention in inpatient oncology

BACKGROUND: A notable variation among patient satisfaction scores with nursing care was identified. Contributing factors were examined and revealed significant negative correlations between the unit death rate and surviving patients' satisfaction scores. Compassion fatigue (CF) was hypothesized to be a major contributing factor. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to address CF in RNs and oncology care associates (assistive personnel) by developing an intervention to provide bereavement support to staff after patient deaths. METHODS: A mixed‐methods sequential design was used. Instruments included the Professional Quality of Life scale and Press Ganey survey results. Univariate descriptive statistics, frequencies, an independent t test, and an analysis of covariance were used for data analysis. FINDINGS: The preintervention results revealed average compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress scores and low burnout scores. No significant difference was noted between pre‐ and postintervention CF scores. Patients' perception of nurses' skills improved significantly in the second quarter of 2015.
Applications of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in detecting genetic aberrations of medical significance

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a powerful technique used in the detection of chromosomal abnormalities. The high sensi- tivity and specificity of FISH and the speed with which the assays can be performed have made FISH a pivotal cytogenetic technique that has provided significant advances in both the research and diagnosis of haematological malignancies and solid tumours. From a medical perspective, FISH can be applied to detect genetic abnormalities such as characteristic gene fusions, aneuploidy, loss of a chromosomal region or a whole chromosome or to monitor the progression of an aberration serving as a technique that can help in both the diagnosis of a genetic disease or suggesting prognostic outcomes. FISH can also be applied to such research applications as gene mapping or the identification of novel oncogenes or genetic aberrations that contribute towards various cancers. FISH is based on DNA probes annealing to specific target sequence of sample DNA. Attached to the probes are fluorescent reporter molecules which under fluorescence microscopy confirm the presence or absence of a particular genetic aberration when viewed under fluorescence microscopy. The tech- nique has recently evolved to allow screening of the whole genome simultaneously through multicolour whole-chromosome probe techniques such as multiplex FISH or spectral karyotyping, or through an array-based method using comparative genomic hybridization. This simple, yet effective, technique has revolutionized cytogenetics and has become well established in its potential as a diagnostic and discovery tool in the fight against cancer.
Sequential drug treatment algorithm for agitation and aggression in Alzheimer’s and mixed dementia

Introduction: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) include agitation and aggression in people with dementia. BPSD is common on inpatient psychogeriatric units and may prevent individuals from living at home or in residential/nursing home settings. Several drugs and non-pharmacological treatments have been shown to be effective in reducing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Algorithmic treatment may address the challenge of synthesizing this evidence-based knowledge. Methods: A multidisciplinary team created evidence-based algorithms for the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. We present drug treatment algorithms for agitation and aggression associated with Alzheimer’s and mixed Alzheimer’s/vascular dementia. Drugs were appraised by psychiatrists based on strength of evidence of efficacy, time to onset of clinical effect, tolerability, ease of use, and efficacy for indications other than behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Results: After baseline assessment and discontinuation of potentially exacerbating medications, sequential trials are recommended with risperidone, aripiprazole or quetiapine, carbamazepine, citalopram, gabapentin, and prazosin. Titration schedules are proposed, with adjustments for frailty. Additional guidance is given on use of electroconvulsive therapy, optimization of existing cholinesterase inhibitors/memantine, and use of pro re nata medications. Conclusion: This algorithm-based approach for drug treatment of agitation/aggression in Alzheimer’s/mixed dementia has been implemented in several Canadian Hospital Inpatient Units. Impact should be assessed in future research.
Soybean Cyst Nematode HG Type Test Results Differ Among Multiple Samples from the Same Field but the Management Implications Are the Same

Growing soybean cultivars that are resistant to the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is an effective way to preserve soybean yield and limit increases in population densities of the nematode. The ability of SCN populations to reproduce on germplasm lines that are used in soybean breeding programs to develop SCN-resistant cultivars was measured and classified originally by the race test (Golden et al. 1970; Riggs and Schmitt 1988) and more recently by the HG type test (Niblack et al. 2002). The “HG” represents the first letters in the genus and species names of SCN, Heterodera glycines. Seven different soybean germplasm lines or cultivars that have been registered in a scientific journal currently are the indicator lines in the HG type test. The indicator lines are assigned index numbers 1 through 7, and the ability of an SCN population to reproduce on each of the HG type indicator lines is determined by calculating a female index. The female index is the average number of SCN females produced on the HG type indicator line relative to the number produced on a standard, susceptible soybean cultivar in a 30-daylong HG type test conducted in a greenhouse (Niblack et al. 2002). Disciplines Agricultural Science | Agriculture | Plant Breeding and Genetics | Plant Pathology Comments This article is published as Beeman, A. Q. , Harbach, C. J., Marett, C. C. , and Tylka, G. L. 2016. Soybean cyst nematode HG type test results differ among multiple samples from the same field but the management implications are the same. Plant Health Prog. 17:160-162. doi: 10.1094/PHP-BR-16-0033. Posted with permission. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/plantpath_pubs/202
The Study of Antivital Activity of Youth

In order to diagnose anti vital activity of young people (mental and behavioral activity, aimed at the reduction and/or termination of their own social and biological functioning) an association test to study the reaction time of young people to the words-stimuli relevant to the theme of death was used. 90 persons aged 16 to 19 years were examined according to the standard technique. The results of the study show that the median time of reaction to the word-stimuli relevant to the theme of death is more (p < 0.01) than the median time of reaction to the neutral words-stimuli, which proves that there are unnatural trends against life inside the individual (that start to actively function under certain conditions). As an auxiliary method the closest prototype of the association test the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation was used. It allowed detecting that all the suicidal risk factors (isolation, expected fatality, final actions) were present in all age groups that took part in the mini-research. The scores on this scale show high intensity of suicidal intentions in young people. Based on indirect evaluation of the reliability of the two above methods by the Rorschach Comprehensive System the following peculiarities, which can be appraised as indicators of antivital activity were detected: expressed pessimism in thinking, emotional distress caused by excessive overload with negative emotions, inefficient style of problem solving, excessive level of reflection. In general, the obtained results allow making conclusion that mentally healthy young people (learning at schools and tertiary institutions) have a complex of death affect-charged group of ideas relevant to the theme of death. The assumption that the complex of death is related to further suicidal behavior, i.e. violence of the individual against himself proves that early prophylaxis of this syndrome is required. In future it is planned to work out a complex strategy of prophylaxis of suicidal behavior based on the development of positive thinking and vital activity of young students in accordance with the results of the conducted study.
Visual attention and retinal fixation: preprocessing modules for enhanced performance in real-time vision

In systems that operate in real time, the manner in which resources are allocated often determines the success of a system or the failure thereof. The human visual system manages to operate in real time by repeating in order, processes of Fixation, Attention and Recognition. In essence, it chooses regions of interest in the visual scene and subsequently concentrates its computational resources on them. In this paper, we attempt to emulate this characteristic of the human visual system. We present operators for Visual Attention and Retinal Fixation, neural architectures that implement them, and simulation results that con(cid:12)rm the e(cid:11)ectiveness of the underlying mechanisms. We also discuss the biological plausibility of our model in light of some of the available data on the functional characteristics of the visual system.
N 2 O EMISSIONS FROM A CULTIVATED MOLLISOL : OPTIMAL TIME OF DAY FOR SAMPLING AND THE ROLE OF SOIL TEMPERATURE ( 1 )

The correct use of closed field chambers to determine N2O emissions requires defining the time of day that best represents the daily mean N2O flux. A short-term field experiment was carried out on a Mollisol soil, on which annual crops were grown under no-till management in the Pampa Ondulada of Argentina. The N2O emission rates were measured every 3 h for three consecutive days. Fluxes ranged from 62.58 to 145.99 μg N-N2O m-2 h-1 (average of five field chambers) and were negatively related (R2 = 0.34, p < 0.01) to topsoil temperature (14 20 oC). N2O emission rates measured between 9:00 and 12:00 am presented a high relationship to daily mean N2O flux (R2 = 0.87, p < 0.01), showing that, in the study region, sampling in the mornings is preferable for GHG.
CENP-F controls force generation and the dynein-dependent stripping of CENP-E at kinetochores

Accurate chromosome segregation demands efficient capture of microtubules by kinetochores and their conversion to stable bi-oriented attachments that can congress and then segregate chromosomes. An early event is the shedding of the outermost fibrous corona layer of the kinetochore following microtubule attachment. Centromere protein F (CENP-F) is part of the corona, contains two microtubule-binding domains and physically associates with dynein motor regulators. Here, we have combined CRISPR gene editing and engineered separation-of-function mutants to define how CENP-F contributes to kinetochore function. We show here that the two microtubule-binding domains make distinct contributions to attachment stability and force generation that are required to minimise errors in anaphase, but are dispensable for congression. We further identify a specialised domain that functions to inhibit the dynein mediated stripping of CENP-E motors. We show how this “dynein-brake” is crucial for ensuring kinetochores contain the right number of CENP-E motors at the right time during mitosis, with loss of brake function delaying congression.
Spotlight on the Main Actors: How Land Banks and Community Development Corporations Stabilize and Revitalize Cleveland Neighborhoods in the Aftermath of the Foreclosure Crisis

Abstract Cleveland, Ohio provides a useful case for examining and contrasting property transfer practices among certain key actors before, during, and after the foreclosure crisis. Transfers among key actors—Cleveland’s two land banks, the State of Ohio, Fannie Mae, investors, and community development corporations (CDCs)—differed considerably. This article empirically shows that inappropriate property transfer practices by financial institutions and speculator-type investors negatively impacted neighborhoods, compounding the damage brought on by the foreclosure crisis. By contrast, a case study of one of the hardest hit neighborhoods in Cleveland finds that the land banks and CDC are producing positive outcomes. A proactive land bank as a conduit and robust CDCs as a project promoter are an effective combination to cope with vacant and abandoned properties.