Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Tourette Syndrome: A Preliminary Investigation of the Effects of Disclosure on Peer Perceptions and Social Functioning

Abstract Individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS) often experience social difficulties, which may be caused or compounded by others' negative perceptions of persons with the disorder. As a result, researchers and clinicians have called for the development of attitude change strategies. One such strategy is preventative disclosure, in which one informs others about his or her condition. To date, no known research exists exploring the effects of this type of disclosure with TS. In an attempt to examine the effects of TS disclosure, adults (N = 369) read vignettes that varied in a 2 (male vs. female character) × 2 (preventative disclosure of disorder vs. nondisclosure) design. Respondents answered several questions regarding the character presented in the vignette, which when factor-analyzed, resulted in four factors (social rejection, attributions of a drug/alcohol problem, perceptions of psychological/medical problems, and general concern). The results of this preliminary study are promising, in that the data suggest that preventative disclosure of TS may reduce social rejection, minimize concern, and decrease perceptions of drug and alcohol problems. No effect of character gender was found. Implications of these findings, limitations to the current study, and directions for future research are discussed.
The relationship between disease activity and radiologic progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal analysis.

OBJECTIVE Radiologic progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered the consequence of persistent inflammatory activity. To determine whether a change in disease activity is related to a change in radiologic progression in individual patients, we investigated the longitudinal relationship between inflammatory disease activity and subsequent radiologic progression. METHODS The databases of the University Medical Center Nijmegen (UMCN) cohort and the Maastricht Combination Therapy in RA (COBRA) followup study cohort were analyzed. The UMCN cohort included 185 patients with early RA who were followed up for up to 9 years. Patients were assessed every 3 months for disease activity and every 3 years for radiologic damage. The COBRA cohort included 152 patients with early RA who were followed up for up to 6 years. Patients were assessed at least every year for disease activity and every 12 months for radiologic damage. Disease activity was assessed with the Disease Activity Score (DAS) (original DAS in the UMCN cohort, DAS28 in the COBRA cohort). Radiologic damage was measured by the Sharp/van der Heijde score in both cohorts. Data were analyzed with longitudinal regression analysis (generalized estimating equations [GEE]), using autoregression for longitudinal associations and radiologic damage as the dependent variable. Time, time(2) baseline predictors for radiologic progression and their interactions with time, as well as DAS/DAS28 (actual values or interval means and interval SDs of the means) were subsequently modeled as explanatory variables. RESULTS Data analyzed by GEE showed a decrease in radiologic progression over time (regression coefficient for time(2) -1.0 [95% confidence interval -1.4, -0.6] in the UMCN cohort and -0.4 [95% confidence interval -0.8, 0.0] in the COBRA cohort). After adjustment for time effects and baseline predictors of radiologic progression and their interactions with time, a positive longitudinal relationship was indicated by autoregressive GEE between the mean interval DAS and radiologic progression in the UMCN cohort (regression coefficient 5.4 [95% confidence interval 2.1, 8.6]), and between the DAS28 and radiologic progression in the COBRA cohort (regression coefficient 1.4 [95% confidence interval 0.8, 2.0]). In the UMCN cohort, the SD of the mean interval DAS was independently longitudinally related to the radiologic progression over the same periods (regression coefficient 20.2 [95% confidence interval 7.2, 33.3]). In both cohorts, the longitudinal relationships between (fluctuations in) disease activity and radiologic progression were found selectively in rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive patients. CONCLUSION Radiologic progression is not linear in individual patients. Fluctuations in disease activity are directly related to changes in radiologic progression, which supports the hypothesis that disease activity causes radiologic damage. This relationship might only exist in RF-positive patients.
Baseline prevalence of symptoms related to indoor environment

Aims: Health problems associated with indoor environments have been reported and discussed extensively during the past few decades, not least in Sweden. There is, however, great uncertainty concerning the background prevalence of the symptoms in question. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of general, mucosal, and skin symptoms in the Swedish population. Methods: A survey comprising 3,000 randomly selected Swedes, age 18—64, was carried out. The survey addressed 25 symptoms, principally general, mucosal, and skin symptoms. A number of other areas were covered and individual data registered at Statistics Sweden were added. The response rate was 70% (2,154 cases). Results: The prevalence of symptoms in the Swedish population was found to accord with results in studies based on different kinds of samples. Women reported significantly more single symptoms, as well as sets of symptoms, than men. There was no clear connection between age and symptoms. The prevalence of symptoms was slightly lower among employees compared with non-workers. Office workers did not report symptoms related to ``sick building syndrome'' (SBS) more frequently than employees not working in offices. SBS symptoms, skin symptoms, and symptoms similar to those reported by individuals with ``electric hypersensitivity'' were significantly more prevalent among employees with extensive VDU usage. Conclusions: The prevalence of reported health complaints accords with that which has been found in previous studies. The background prevalence reported here can serve as a reference for further studies. The high prevalence of symptoms among individuals with extensive VDU usage gives cause for further studies.
Bayesian Wavelet Shrinkage With Heterogeneity-Adaptive Threshold for SAR Image Despeckling Based on Generalized Gamma Distribution

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are inherently affected by multiplicative speckle noise, which will degrade the human interpretation and computer-aided scene analysis. In this paper, we propose a novel Bayesian multiscale method for SAR image despeckling in the non-homomorphic framework. To address the multiplicative nature, we first make the speckle contribution additive by a linear decomposition. Then, in the stationary wavelet transform domain, a two-sided generalized Gamma distribution (GTD) is introduced as a prior to capture the heavy-tailed nature of wavelet coefficients of the noise-free reflectivity. By exploiting this prior together with a Gaussian likelihood, an analytical wavelet shrinkage function is derived based on maximum a posteriori criteria, which further adopts heterogeneity-adaptive thresholding technique to achieve better estimates of noise-free wavelet coefficients. Moreover, a pilot-signal-assisted strategy is proposed to estimate the parameters of two-sided GTD with the estimator based on second-kind cumulants. Finally, experimental results, carried out on the synthetic and actual SAR images, are given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed despeckling method.
Land–Atmosphere Exchange of Water and Heat in the Arid Mountainous Grasslands of Central Asia during the Growing Season

Arid grassland ecosystems are widely distributed across Central Asia. However, there is a lack of research and observations of the land–atmosphere exchange of water and heat in the arid grasslands in this region, particularly over complex surfaces. In this study, systematic observations were conducted from 2013 to 2015 using an HL20 Bowen ratio and TDR300 and WatchDog1400 systems to determine the characteristics of these processes during the growing season (April–October) of the arid mountainous grasslands of this region. (1) The latent heat flux (Le) was lower than the sensible heat flux (He) overall, and a small transient decrease in Le was observed before its daytime maximum; daily comparative variations in both fluxes were closely related to vegetation growth. (2) Evapotranspiration (ET) showed substantial variation across different years, seasons and months, and monthly variations in ET were closely related to vegetation growth. Water condensation (Q) was low and relatively stable. Relatively high levels of soil water were measured in spring followed by a decreasing trend. The land–atmosphere exchange of water and heat during the growing season in this region was closely associated with phenology, available precipitation and terrain. This study provides data support for the scientific management of arid mountainous grasslands.
Immunoglobulin Gene Implicated in Murine Herpes Stromal Keratitis Is Not Associated With the Human Disease

Purpose: Susceptibility to herpes stromal keratitis (HSK) is strongly influenced by genetic factors, as shown by multiple rodent models using human herpes simplex virus. A single gene, encoding the immunoglobulin G (IgG) 2a heavy chain protein, confers susceptibility or resistance through a mechanism involving molecular mimicry in one mouse model. However, other rodent studies have produced contradictory results. This study tested the hypothesis that the GM23 gene (the human IgG2a homolog) influences susceptibility to HSK in humans. Methods: The study population consisted of all consenting patients diagnosed with HSK (25 whites, 2 African Americans) at the Medical University of South Carolina Storm Eye Institute Clinic in Charleston, SC, between August 2000 and June 2004. Healthy controls (23 white adults with no history of HSK) were recruited from the same local population. Genomic DNA from subjects was genotyped at the GM23 locus, which has been implicated as an HSK resistance gene in animal models, by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Results: No difference in GM23 genotype frequency was observed between patients with HSK and controls. Conclusion: Susceptibility to HSK in whites is not predicted by GM23 genotype.
Named entity similarity computation: The case of social event entities

We consider events as complex named entities, recursively consisting of simple named entities (people, places, organizations, dates, etc.) and/or other complex named entities. We have developed a processing chain dedicated to extracting, indexing and searching for social events in Web pages. In this context, we are proposing a generic similarity computation function that targets any type of complex named entity. In this paper, we implement this function according to three approaches which we shall describe and then experiment on a set of social events.
P2Y2 Receptor Up-Regulation Induced by Guanosine or UTP in Rat Brain Cultured Astrocytes

Among P2 metabotropic ATP receptors, P2Y2 subtype seems to be peculiar as its upregulation triggers important biological events in different cells types. In non-stimulated cells including astrocytes, P2Y2 receptors are usually expressed at levels lower than P2Y1 sites, however the promoter region of the P2Y2 receptors has not yet been studied and little is known about the mechanisms underlying the regulation of the expression of this ATP receptor. We showed that not only UTP and ATP are the most potent and naturally occurring agonist for P2Y2 sites, but also guanosine induced an up-regulation of astrocyte P2Y2 receptor mRNA evaluated by Northern blot analysis. We also focused our attention on this nucleoside since in our previous studies it was reported to be released by cultured astrocytes and to exert different neuroprotective effects. UTP and guanosine-evoked P2Y2 receptor up-regulation in rat brain cultured astrocytes was linked to an increased P2Y2-mediated intracellular calcium response, thus suggesting an increased P2Y2 activity. Actinomycin D, a RNA polymerase inhibitor, abrogated both UTP and guanosine-mediated P2Y2 up-regulation, thus indicating that de novo transcription was required. The effect of UTP and guanosine was also evaluated in astrocytes pretreated with different inhibitors of signal transduction pathways including ERK, PKC and PKA reported to be involved in the regulation of other cell surface receptor mRNAs. The results show that ERK1-2/MAPK pathway play a key role in the P2Y2 receptor up-regulation mediated by either UTP or guanosine. Moreover, our data suggest that PKA is also involved in guanosine-induced transcriptional activation of P2Y2 mRNA and that increased intracellular calcium levels and PKC activation may also mediate P2Y2 receptor up-regulation triggered by UTP. The extracellular release of ATP under physiological and pathological conditions has been widely studied. On the contrary, little is known about the release of pyrimidines and in particular of UTP. Here we show that astrocytes are able to release UTP, either at rest or during and following hypoxia/hypoglicemia obtained by submitting the cells to glucose-oxygen deprivation (OGD). Interestingly, also P2Y2 receptor mRNA increased by about two-fold the control values when the cultures were submitted to OGD. It has been recently reported that P2Y receptors can play a protective role in astrocytes, thus either guanosine administration or increased extracellular concentrations of guanosine and UTP reached locally following CNS injury may increase P2Y2-mediated biological events aimed at promoting a protective astrocyte response.
Gut microbiota: methodological aspects to describe taxonomy and functionality

The human gut is populated by a rich and diverse microbiota that has been described as a human metabolic organ. Its composition has an impact on the health status of the host and could be the target or effector of dietary health effects. The advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies and their integration with advanced analysis methods enables the development of new approaches to characterize the gut microbiota composition and initiates the understanding of its functionality. These technological aspects are not necessarily the limiting factor to successfully identify biological correlations between gut microbiota, diet and health status, as there are other very important aspects. The aim of this article is to address the gut microbiota characterization methodologies, highlight some advantages and challenges, and give our opinion on how critical the sampling and the study design are.
A Review: Human Erythrocyte Acetylcholinesterase

In recent years the erythrocyte membrane has received considerable attention by many investigators. Numerous reviews on the composition [21, 111], immunologic [85, 116] and rheologic [65] properties, permeability [73], active transport [99], and molecular organization [109, 113, 117], attest to this interest. Although many studies relating to membrane enzymes have appeared, systematic reviews of this area are limited. More than a dozen enzymes have been recognized in the membrane of the human erythrocyte, although changes in activity associated with pathologic conditions are found regularly only with acetylcholinesterase (EC. 3.1.1.7). Although the physiologic functions of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase remain obscure, the location of this enzyme at or near the cell surface gives it special significance in studies of cellular membranes and the activity alterations seen in several hemolytic disorders may be of importance in understanding certain basic disease processes. Present knowledge concerning erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase as related to health and disease, age of the individual, and erythrocyte aging is so diffuse that a review of this subject seems to be warranted.
Clinical nurses in Magnet hospitals confirm productive, healthy unit work environments.

AIM To describe extent to which experienced nurses in Magnet hospitals confirm healthy work environments (HWE). BACKGROUND Differentiating differences in HWE allows managers to focus attention where changes may be needed to improve nurse and patient outcomes. METHOD The sample was 12,233 experienced nurses from 717 clinical units in 34 Magnet hospitals. Based on Essentials of Magnetism II unit level scores, units were grouped as very healthy work environments (VHWE), HWE or work environments needing improvement. RESULTS VHWE or HWE was confirmed by nurses on 82% of 540 clinical units. The most significant correlates of HWE units occur within individual hospitals. More nurses prepared at the Bachelor of Science in Nursing level or above work on VHWE or HWE units and score higher on seven essential work processes. Nurses' ratings of quality of patient care directly correlate to quality of work environment. CONCLUSIONS Clinical units in 34 Magnet hospitals were markedly skewed toward excellence. Visionary leadership, empowerment and collaboration have an impact on development and maintenance of HWE. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Implementation of structures that promote interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary collaboration and decision-making positively affect development of HWE. Gap analysis of the steps/components of the eight work processes/relationships essential to HWE may enable achievement of HWEs on all hospital clinical units.
Overlap of Female Reproductive Cycles Explains Shortened Interclutch Interval in a Lizard with Invariant Clutch Size (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Paroedura picta)

Variable clutch size is unambiguously an ancestral state in reptiles. Only several lizard lineages have evolved so-called invariant clutch size, where all females lay just one or two eggs per clutch. This mode of reproduction is characteristic for geckos. In some gecko lineages, decreased fecundity in a single clutch is compensated by conspicuous shortening of interclutch intervals. The proximate mechanism of high clutch frequency in these geckos is not known. Here, we document that three subsequently laid clutches develop simultaneously in females of the Madagascar ground gecko (Paroedura picta). The extremely short interclutch intervals in this species—even as short as a week—thus could be attributed to the overlap of female reproductive cycles. Such overlap should be associated with altered female hormonal cycles. Based on measurements of hormonal levels, we suggest that cycles of estradiol and progesterone during reproductive cycles of females in P. picta are largely independent. Thus, in contrast to the presumable ancestral reptile state, higher levels of progesterone do not seem to interfere with vitellogenesis in this species. We discuss potential consequences of this derived mode of reproduction, such as possible simultaneous maternal transfer of nutrients and other yolk components to several subsequent clutches.
Near-field probes using metamaterial inclusions for enhanced sensitivity

Near-field probes are attractive because they provide sub-wavelength resolution. Typical detection using near-field probes involves defects or irregularities present on the surface of the material. Sub-surface defects or irregularities are much more difficult to detect due to the fast decay of evanescent waves emanating from the probe. This work present novel probes employing metamaterial particles which work to substantially enhance the evanescent field energy in the vicinity of the probe, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the probe and enabling subsurface detection. Two experiments are presented where conducting metallic objects immersed in saline water and sand are detected. The results and findings presented here are expected to have strong implications in a wide range of subsurface detection challenges including detection of biological anomalies in human tissue, land mine detection, through-wall detection amongst other applications.
A novel compact wideband directional monopole antenna for use in radar applications

A novel compact directional monopole antenna in microstrip technology is presented. Basic aim of this paper is to maintain a tradeoff between the size and directivity of the antenna for use in radar and microwave imaging systems. Dimensions of the antenna are considerably miniaturized in comparison with conventional directional antennas. The main effort is to convert an Omni-directional radiation pattern of a compact monopole antenna to the desired directional radiation pattern, by using a novel ground plane, and a parasitic element. The ground plane and parasitic element are accurately designed in a way that make the surface currents of radiating elements to move toward the desired direction, which increase the radiation density in the preferred direction and also decrease the radiation intensity in the opposite sides. Simulations confirm a good directional characteristic of the antenna at the frequencies between 5 and 9 GHz. Gain of the antenna is increased over 5 dBi at the desired frequencies. Also Half Power Beam Width (HPBW) of the antenna is significantly decreased. Return-loss bandwidth of the antenna covers the frequencies among 5-9 GHz. Measurements confirm the simulations and desired directional characteristic and return-loss bandwidth of the antenna. Miniaturized size and a good directional characteristic of the antenna make it possible to use it in the microwave imaging systems and radar applications.
The Economic Impacts of Trust and Altruism : An Experimental Approach to Social Capital ¤

This paper experimentally measures the ‘social capital’ of altruism, trust and reciprocity and empirically explores the impact of these norms on economic well-being. Using an experimental design that distinguishes trust and reciprocity from altruism, data were collected from individuals in a random sample of South African communities. Analyzed at the community level, these data suggest that while related, trust and reciprocity are clearly di¤erent from altruism. Moreover, the relatively strong correlation between trust and reciprocity indicates that communities are in a sort of normative equilibrium, with trust strongest where reciprocity norms are most active. Finally, analysis of household living standard data drawn from these same communities shows that these norms have real economic e¤ects on households’ well-being. The e¤ects of both altruism and trust are signi.cantly positive in urban communities, whereas the e¤ects of these same norms are weaker or negative in more traditional rural areas. ¤We thank the MacArthur Foundation for . nancial support. We also thank Jeanine Anderson, Jim Andreoni, Abigail Barr, Jean-Paul Chavas, Adolfo Figueroa, Larry Samuelson and seminar participants at Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin for their comments.