Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tuning the Brake While Raising the Stake: Network Dynamics during Sequential Decision-Making

When gathering valued goods, risk and reward are often coupled and escalate over time, for instance, during foraging, trading, or gambling. This escalating frame requires agents to continuously balance expectations of reward against those of risk. To address how the human brain dynamically computes these tradeoffs, we performed whole-brain fMRI while healthy young individuals engaged in a sequential gambling task. Participants were repeatedly confronted with the option to continue with throwing a die to accumulate monetary reward under escalating risk, or the alternative option to stop to bank the current balance. Within each gambling round, the accumulation of gains gradually increased reaction times for “continue” choices, indicating growing uncertainty in the decision to continue. Neural activity evoked by “continue” choices was associated with growing activity and connectivity of a cortico-subcortical “braking” network that positively scaled with the accumulated gains, including pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), inferior frontal gyrus, caudate, and subthalamic nucleus (STN). The influence of the STN on continue-evoked activity in the pre-SMA was predicted by interindividual differences in risk-aversion attitudes expressed during the gambling task. Furthermore, activity in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) reflected individual choice tendencies by showing increased activation when subjects made nondefault “continue” choices despite an increasing tendency to stop, but ACC activity did not change in proportion with subjective choice uncertainty. Together, the results implicate a key role of dorsal ACC, pre-SMA, inferior frontal gyrus, and STN in computing the trade-off between escalating reward and risk in sequential decision-making. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Using a paradigm where subjects experienced increasing potential rewards coupled with increasing risk, this study addressed two unresolved questions in the field of decision-making: First, we investigated an “inhibitory” network of regions that has so far been investigated with externally cued action inhibition. In this study, we show that the dynamics in this network under increasingly risky decisions are predictive of subjects' risk attitudes. Second, we contribute to a currently ongoing debate about the anterior cingulate cortex's role in sequential foraging decisions by showing that its activity is related to making nondefault choices rather than to choice uncertainty.
The Perceptions of Community Change through Promoting Positive Sexual Health: A Teenage Pregnancy Program Evaluation

Teenage pregnancy is associated with adverse social, economic and health outcomes for both mother and child. The factors frequently associated with teenage pregnancy or related sexual health issues include teenagers' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about sex and other social-economic factors such as levels of poverty, academic success or failure, and parents' education. This paper reports on the evaluation of a teenage pregnancy program conducted in the Southern and North Western regions of Tasmania to address the high levels of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STIs) in these regions. The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of the Teenage Pregnancy Programs by examining any evidence for a community change in attitudes and behaviours, and any changes in youth awareness about sexual health. The study adopted a qualitative approach and data were collected from a total of 25 participants (17 who were interviewed and eight who participated in focus groups) residing in the target regions. Data were analysed using thematic analysis using Nvivo 9.0. The study results indicated that the program was well managed and delivered. There were reported changes in the awareness, attitudes and behaviours regarding sexual health within the target communities, which were considered necessary for young people to make well informed choices. The evaluation of the program provides valuable knowledge regarding the processes and outcomes that may have application in future community based sexual health initiatives may be delivered into regional communities.
Standard Steady State Genetic Algorithms Can Hillclimb Faster Than Mutation-Only Evolutionary Algorithms

Explaining to what extent the real power of genetic algorithms (GAs) lies in the ability of crossover to recombine individuals into higher quality solutions is an important problem in evolutionary computation. In this paper we show how the interplay between mutation and crossover can make GAs hillclimb faster than their mutation-only counterparts. We devise a Markov chain framework that allows to rigorously prove an upper bound on the runtime of standard steady state GAs to hillclimb the OneMax function. The bound establishes that the steady-state GAs are 25% faster than all standard bit mutation-only evolutionary algorithms with static mutation rate up to lower order terms for moderate population sizes. The analysis also suggests that larger populations may be faster than populations of size 2. We present a lower bound for a greedy (2 + 1) GA that matches the upper bound for populations larger than 2, rigorously proving that two individuals cannot outperform larger population sizes under greedy selection and greedy crossover up to lower order terms. In complementary experiments the best population size is greater than 2 and the greedy GAs are faster than standard ones, further suggesting that the derived lower bound also holds for the standard steady state (2 + 1) GA.
Parental bonding and inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown a relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and psychological stress. Adverse parenting is recognized as an important risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood. OBJECTIVE The authors sought to further investigate this relationship by clarifying aspects of the bonding relationship in IBD patients and control subjects. METHOD A group of 307 patients with IBD and a group of 307 healthy subjects filled out the questionnaire Parental Bonding Instrument. RESULTS Patients with IBD perceived their parents' behaviors as characterized by low care and paternal overprotection; the category Optimal Parenting differs highly in the two samples. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated an association between inadequate parenting and a chronic physical illness. These findings are consistent with a growing literature that links early parental experience to chronic illness.
Evaluation of PCR for Diagnosis of Melioidosis

ABSTRACT Previously published PCR-based diagnostic tests for melioidosis were evaluated for clinical usefulness. A Burkholderia pseudomallei 16S rRNA-derived primer set had a sensitivity approaching 100% for clinical samples from 22 culture-confirmed cases of melioidosis and enabled diagnosis of 3 culture-negative cases. However, samples from 10 of 30 inpatients from Royal Darwin Hospital with other diagnoses were positive by PCR, giving a specificity of 67% and a positive predictive value of only 70%. Although there are a number of intriguing possible explanations for our results, concerns of inappropriate therapy resulting from a positive result by PCR have led us to forgo the advantage of rapid PCR diagnosis for melioidosis until a better system is validated.
“Building through the Grief”: Vicarious Trauma in a Group of Inner-City Family Physicians

Background: Vicarious trauma is an understudied phenomenon among Canadian family physicians. Objective: This phenomenological study set out to explore the experiences of a group of inner-city family physicians caring for women using illicit drugs. Methods: Ten family physicians working in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada, participated in in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using an iterative and interpretive process. Results: The first major theme emerging from the data analysis was the emotional impact of the work. Participants shared the challenges, sorrows, and joys they experienced as they struggled to care for their patients. The sub-themes identified were as follows: tragedy and death, difficult behaviors, and isolation from mainstream medical community. The second major theme identified was coping strategies. Participants were open, thoughtful, and eloquent as they reflected on the three primary coping strategies reported: adaptation and evolution of practice style, teamwork, and modification of expectations. Conclusions: Participants, narratives of loss, grief, and compassion were consistent with vicarious trauma and therefore participants risked developing compassion fatigue—a specific form of burnout. These are new and important findings. Further research exploring vicarious trauma as a possible contributor to burnout among family physicians is warranted.
Egoistic and Moralistic Biases in Self-Perception: The Interplay of Self-Deceptive Styles With Basic Traits and Motives

The literature on personality traits and defense mechanisms suggests individual differences in two self-favoring tendencies, which we label "egoistic bias" and "moralistic bias. " The two biases are self-deceptive in nature and can be traced to two fundamental values, agency and communion, that impel two corresponding motives, nPower and nApproval. The two sequences of values, motives, and biases form two personality constellations, Alpha and Gamma.Associated with Alpha is an egoistic bias, a self-deceptive tendency to exaggerate one's social and intellectual status. This tendency leads to
Serum cortisol and thyroxine concentrations as predictors of death in critically ill puppies with parvoviral diarrhea.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of adrenal and thyroid hormones in the prediction of death in a population of critically ill puppies with parvoviral diarrhea by measuring serial daily serum concentrations of cortisol and thyroxine. DESIGN Prospective case-control study. ANIMALS 57 critically ill puppies with parvoviral diarrhea admitted to the hospital and 17 clinically normal control puppies. PROCEDURES Basal serum cortisol and thyroxine concentrations were measured for each dog with parvoviral diarrhea at admission (prior to treatment) and daily until death, euthanasia, or discharge. RESULTS Median time between admission and death was 48 hours (ie, on day 3). Median serum cortisol concentration on day 1 (admission) in all dogs with parvoviral diarrhea (248 nmol/L) was significantly higher than in control dogs (77 nmol/L). No significant difference was found in the day 1 median serum cortisol concentration of 11 dogs that died (302 nmol/L) and 46 dogs that survived (238 nmol/L). A significantly higher median serum cortisol concentration was, however, found in nonsurvivor group dogs, compared with survivor group dogs, on days 2 and 3. Median serum thyroxine concentration on day 1 in dogs with parvoviral diarrhea was significantly lower than in control dogs (8.12 nmol/L vs 35 nmol/L, respectively). Median serum thyroxine concentration of nonsurvivor group dogs (4.4 nmol/L) was significantly lower than that of survivor group dogs (9.2 nmol/L) at admission and became even lower on days 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE High serum cortisol and low serum thyroxine concentrations at 24 and 48 hours after admission were associated with death in dogs with parvoviral diarrhea.
Health aspects of nightsoil and sludge use in agriculture and aquaculture

Revision de la literatura sobre epidemiologia de las enfermedades transmitidas por la aplicacion de excretas y lodos en el terreno con fines agricolas y en la acuacultura. Considera entre otros, los siguientes topicos: riesgos de enfermedades por consumo de cultivos, algas o pescados fertilizados con excretas o lodos; riesgo humano por consumo de carne o leche proveniente de animales, algas o pescados; infeccion por Taenia saginata y por Salmonella; riesgo de los agricultores y operarios de lagunas fertilizadas con excretas o lodos. Trata sobre la proxima generacion de estudios epidemiologicos, considerando criterios para seleccion del estudio apropiado de riesgos a la salud; seleccion de metodologias para la investigacion epidemiologica del uso de excretas; seleccion de proyectos de evaluacion; seleccion de localidades para evaluacion; seleccion del tipo de personal requerido para la planificacion e implementacion de estudios epidemiologicos
MENINGEAL WORM IN A REINTRODUCED ELK POPULATION IN KENTUCKY

Meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) has been implicated in the failure of several elk (Cervus elaphus) restoration attempts in the eastern United States. However, limited post-release monitoring and a paucity of published literature prevents a clear understanding of this parasite's role in past failures. During winters of 1997–2001, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources translocated 1,044 elk from western states to eastern Kentucky (USA) in an effort to restore a free-ranging population. We monitored 521 radio-collared elk over 4 yr to determine the impact meningeal worm had on population establishment. Thirty (23%) of 129 non-capture related mortalities were attributed to meningeal worm. Twenty-two (73%) of these meningeal worm-caused mortalities were animals <3 yr old. If younger elk born in Kentucky suffer higher mortality rates than older translocated elk, the population growth observed during the initial years of restoration may be temporary. Additional research is necessary to determine the influence meningeal worm will have on elk population growth in Kentucky.
Initial Identification and Characterization of an Emerging Zoonotic Influenza Virus Prior to Pandemic Spread

ABSTRACT Two cases of febrile respiratory illness associated with untypeable influenza A virus were identified in Southern California in March 2009. One was initially detected as influenza virus using an experimental diagnostic device in a clinical trial, while the other was detected at a local reference lab using a diagnostic PCR assay. In both cases, analyses yielded negative results for strain-specific tests targeting circulating strains of influenza A virus (seasonal H1 and H3). These two samples became the first reported cases of the pandemic 2009/H1N1 influenza virus. The first reportable characterization was made from the second collected specimen on 15 April 2009 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention central lab using traditional culture and sequencing methods. The novel nature of the strain and its apparent zoonotic origins were initially characterized using the first collected specimen at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, CA, on 13 April using an experimental molecular analysis tool, PCR electro-spray ionization-mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS), designed to amplify PCR products from any strain of influenza virus and to generate informative (phylogenetic) strain identifications through mass spectrometry of PCR amplicons. The ability of this high-throughput tool to correctly identify both well-characterized and novel influenza strains offers the possibility to integrate surveillance for emerging strains with on-site rapid diagnosis used for patient management, shortening the times between the emergence of new strains, their detection and identification, and appropriate public health response activities. Here we describe the initial characterization of the pandemic 2009/H1N1 influenza strain and discuss the possible roles of diagnostic tools with discovery potential.
Determining Top Quark Couplings at the LHC: Snowmass White Paper

Top quarks are a prime system for hunting for new physics. Nonetheless, two decades on from their discovery few of their couplings have been measured to high precision. We present an overview of current determinations and the expected sensitivities with 300 fb-1 and 3000 fb-1 of 14 TeV LHC data. In addition to direct limits on the top quark's renormalizable couplings to Standard Model bosons, we also explore what bounds can be set on the coefficients of higher-dimension operators, taking particular four-fermion operators that do not interfere with QCD as a test case. Every coupling we consider will benefit greatly from a dedicated study at the future LHC. Some measurements, like the irrelevant operators, are systematics-limited and will saturate in the near-term. Others, like the important ttbar+Higgs coupling, involve rare processes and thus demand as much data as possible.
Premature Atherosclerosis in Children With &bgr;-Thalassemia Major

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between chronic hemolysis and increased body iron burden with development of premature atherosclerosis by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), ferritin, serum lipid profile, homocysteine, nitrate/nitrite, and chitotriosidase enzyme activity in children with &bgr;-thalassemia major. Materials and Methods: A total of 31 children with a diagnosis of &bgr;-thalassemia major between the ages of 4 to 16 years constituted the study group. Control group was consisted of 36 age-matched healthy children. Complete blood count, serum glucose, lipid profile, ferritin, homocysteine, calcium, chitotriosidase, and nitrate/nitrite levels were measured and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic investigation and carotid IMT measurement were performed. Results: In study group serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were found to be significantly reduced, and very–low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were found to be significantly elevated. Plasma nitrate/nitrite levels were significantly reduced; chitotroisidase enzyme activity was significantly increased and carotid IMT was significantly increased in study group. Nitrate/nitrite was found to be the only variable that was statistically significantly related to carotid IMT. Conclusions: Subclinical atherosclerosis in children with &bgr;-thalassemia major begins early in life, and these children are at risk for development of premature atherosclerosis.
Three-dimensional numerical general relativistic hydrodynamics. 1. Formulations, methods, and code tests

This is the first in a series of papers on the construction and validation of a three-dimensional code for general relativistic hydrodynamics, and its application to general relativistic astrophysics. This paper studies the consistency and convergence of our general relativistic hydrodynamic treatment and its coupling to the spacetime evolutions described by the full set of Einstein equations with a perfect fluid source. The numerical treatment of the general relativistic hydrodynamic equations is based on high resolution shock capturing schemes. These schemes rely on the characteristic information of the system. A spectral decomposition for general relativistic hydrodynamics suitable for a general spacetime metric is presented. Evolutions based on three different approximate Riemann solvers coupled to four different discretizations of the Einstein equations are studied and compared. The coupling between the hydrodynamics and the spacetime (the right and left hand side of the Einstein equations) is carried out in a treatment which is second order accurate in {\it both} space and time. Convergence tests for all twelve combinations with a variety of test beds are studied, showing consistency with the differential equations and correct convergence properties. The test-beds examined include shocktubes, Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmology tests, evolutions of self-gravitating compact (TOV) stars, and evolutions of relativistically boosted TOV stars. Special attention is paid to the numerical evolution of strongly gravitating objects, e.g., neutron stars, in the full theory of general relativity, including a simple, yet effective treatment for the surface region of the star (where the rest mass density is abruptly dropping to zero).
What Do Editors Maximize? Evidence from Four Economics Journals

Abstract We study editorial decisions using anonymized submissions matched to citations at four leading economics journals. We develop a benchmark model in which editors maximize the expected quality of accepted papers and citations are unbiased measures of quality. We then generalize the model to allow different quality thresholds, systematic gaps between citations and quality, and a direct impact of publication on citations. We find that referee recommendations are strong predictors of citations and that editors follow these recommendations closely. We document two deviations from the benchmark model. First, papers by highly published authors receive more citations, conditional on the referees' recommendations and publication status. Second, recommendations of highly published referees are equally predictive of future citations, yet editors give their views significantly more weight.
Viscum album (L.) in experimental animal tumors: A meta-analysis

Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) has been used as complementary anticancer treatment for ~100 years. Although the clinical efficacy of mistletoe in cancer and associated survival benefits remain contested, several studies point to its effectiveness and others have reported antitumor and immunomodulatory properties. In the present review, a search was conducted for original articles reporting the outcomes of treatments for experimental animal tumors with mistletoe. The inclusion criteria were: Publication in English, from 1996 onwards and in peer-reviewed journals included in the database PubMed. The parameters analyzed were: Provenance and time of publication, rationale, methods (animal species used, mistletoe preparation, treatment protocol, tumor lineage, blinding, randomization, controls and concomitant treatments), outcomes and investigated mechanisms of action. A total of 37 studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was adequate in the terms of sample size and use of controls, and the only animal species employed were mice and rats. However, few studies reported having performed random allocation and none reported blinding. There was wide variation in the type and preparation of mistletoe used, route of administration, regimen, tumor type and the mechanism of action assessed. A temporal trend was identified; earlier studies sought to establish the antitumor effect of mistletoe and its possible mechanisms, cytotoxicity and immunomodulation in particular, whereas the later ones tended to focus more on biologically active principles, genomics and oxidative stress. A total of 32/37 studies reported an antitumor effect, 3 of which had mixed results. A total of 2 studies did not detect any antitumor effect and a further 2 found stimulation of tumor growth in the treated groups. One study did not assess antitumor effects, investigating immunomodulation action instead. The quality of the studies was satisfactory and the majority reported positive outcomes. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of methodological heterogeneity among the studies, which precludes conclusive comparisons. Based on these results, the present authors strongly suggest developing guidelines for reporting in vivo mistletoe cancer treatment experiments.
Successful renal transplantation from a deceased donor who died of bacterial meningitis

DOI: 10.4103/0971-4065.133044 they recommend metallic products to their patients. These preparations are to be administered orally in specified quantities with great caution along with requisite Anupana (vehicles) such as ghee, milk, honey etc., In the absence of Anupana, adverse reactions are likely. [3] Whether these guidelines were followed or not is not highlighted in the published article. Ayurvedic Physician is the registered authority, who has been trained in that specific field as per the syllabus provided by Central Council for Indian Medicine, a body of Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. We are not sure about the identity of the healer referred in the current study.