Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taxometrics of Personality Disorders 1 Reference: Kotov, R. & Aumer-Ryan, K. (2009). Categories or continua: Taxometric analysis of personality disorders. Retrieved from http://www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/psychiatry/kotov_r Categories or Continua? Taxometric Analysis of Personality Disorders

Recent calls to replace the categorical classification of personality pathology with a dimensional system implicitly assume that none of the current personality disorders (PDs) are natural categories. Taxometrics is a statistical method designed to test this assumption. However, it has been rarely applied to PDs. We evaluated the categorical nature of the 10 specific PDs using three taxometric procedures: MAXCOV, MAMBAC, and L-Mode. Each disorder was operationalized with dichotomous diagnostic criteria and with continuous maladaptive personality traits. Both were assessed with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP). In trait analyses, PDs were defined by clusters of personality dimensions, which were derived from empirical and conceptual matches between traits and diagnoses. Analyses were performed in a combined sample of patients, community dwellers, and undergraduates (N = 3309). None of the syndromes produced compelling evidence of taxonicity in either operationalization. It appears that existing PDs are dimensional constructs.
The impact of Basel III on financial (in)stability: an agent-based credit network approach

The Basel III accord reacts to the events of the recent financial crisis with a combination of revised micro- and new macroprudential regulatory instruments to address various dimensions of systemic risk. This approach of cumulating requirements bears the risk of individual measures negating or even conflicting with each other which might lessen their desired effects on financial stability. We provide an analysis of the impact of Basel III’s main components on financial stability in a stock-flow consistent agent-based computational economic model. We find that the positive joint impact of the microprudential instruments is considerably larger than the sum of the individual contributions to stability, i.e. the standalone impacts are non-additive. However, except for the buffers, the macroprudential overlay’s impact is either marginal or even destabilizing. Despite its simplicity, the leverage ratio performs poorly, especially when associated drawbacks are explicitly taken into account. Surcharges on SIBs seem to rather contribute to financial regulations complexity than to the resilience of the system.
Imbalance in ornithine metabolism in hepatomas of different growth rates as expressed in behavior of L-ornithine carbamyl transferase activity.

The behavior of ornithine carbamyl transferase activity (carbamylphosphate:l-ornithine carbamyltransferase, EC 2.1.3.3) was compared in proliferating normal liver (from developing rats and from partially hepatectomized rats) and in neoplastic liver (spectrum of hepatomas of different growth rates). The behavior of the liver enzyme in starved animals was also examined. The enzyme activity was determined in the homogenate. The affinity of the liver enzyme to ornithine was Km = 1.0 mm, for carbamyl phosphate it was Km = 0.8 mm, and an optimum pH of 9.0 was observed. In the hepatomas the affinity of the enzyme and the pH optimum were similar to the values of the liver of control normal rats. Six-day starvation decreased the liver enzyme activity in the average cell to 40% of the activity of fed rats. Studies in differentiation showed that the enzyme activity of the average hepatic cell in the newborn rat was 33% of that of the adult, and it increased gradually during development. In a spectrum of hepatomas omithine carbamyl transferase activity decreased in parallel with the increase in hepatoma growth rate. In the most rapidly growing tumors (3924A, 3683F) the activities were less than 1% of those observed in the liver of control rats of the same strain, sex, age, and weight. In the regenerating liver at 24 hr after partial hepatectomy, the enzyme activity decreased to 83% of that of the sham-operated controls. Since the regenerating liver proliferates at a rate comparable to that of the rapidly growing hepatoma, the marked decrease observed in the tumor appears to be specific to neoplastic cell growth. The close linking of the decrease in the activity of this enzyme with the increase in hepatoma growth rate provides further evidence in support of the Molecular Correlation Concept. The decrease in the activity of ornithine carbamyl transferase should lead to a decline in the utilization of carbamyl phosphate and aspartate for urea synthesis, and consequently these precursors could be spared for the biosynthesis of DNA and RNA. Thus, the metabolic imbalance occurring in ornithine metabolism might confer a selective biological advantage on the hepatoma cells.
Seasonal Effects on Body Composition, Muscle Characteristics, and Performance of Collegiate Swimmers and Divers.

CONTEXT Previous researchers have indicated the importance of body composition and muscle quality in athletic performance. However, body composition and muscle-quality measures in swimmers and divers over a training season have yet to be evaluated. OBJECTIVE To identify changes in body composition and muscle characteristics over a competitive season and identify relationships between these variables and performance in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I swimmers and divers. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING University laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 17 collegiate swimmers and divers (age = 18.6 ± 0.7 years, height = 175.8 ± 4.0 cm, body mass = 69.7 ± 7.0 kg). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) At preseason and postseason, body composition in each participant was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Echo intensity and muscle cross-sectional area were determined from an ultrasound panoramic scan of the vastus lateralis muscle. Race times were obtained from the university athletic Web site. RESULTS Lean mass (P = .016), arm lean mass (P = .008), and muscle cross-sectional area (P = .03) were higher at postseason, whereas body fat percentage (P = .041) and echo intensity (P = .0007) were lower at postseason. Performance improved from preseason to postseason in all event groups (sprinters, distance swimmers, and divers; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Body composition and muscle characteristics improved through 1 training season, which may have implications for performance. Quantifying body composition and muscle characteristics may be beneficial for professionals who work with athletes in order to improve performance and prevent injury.
Zeb1 promotes androgen independence of prostate cancer via induction of stem cell-like properties

Current androgen deprivation therapy often leads to androgen independence. However, mechanism of the therapeutic failure is still not well understood. Here, we demonstrate elevated expression of Zeb1 in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells and prostate tumors of castrated PTEN conditional knockout mice. While Zeb1 shRNA resulted in a sensitization of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells, forced Zeb1 expression caused androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells to be more resistant to androgen deprivation. Moreover, such effects appeared to be mediated by induction of pluripotent genes or stem cell-like properties. Collectively, these findings suggest that inhibition of Zeb1 might be a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer.
p16/MTS1 inactivation in ovarian carcinomas: High frequency of reduced protein expression associated with hyper‐methylation or mutation in endometrioid and mucinous tumors

Inactivation of the tumor‐suppressor gene p16 (MTS1/CDKN2/INK4a) has been described in various human malignancies. Although p16 deletion has been found in various ovarian tumor cell lines, p16 inactivation by homozygous deletion or mutation has been reported only sporadically in primary ovarian carcinomas. In a comprehensive study, we analyzed p16 protein expression by immuno‐histochemistry (IHC) on paraffin sections of 94 primary ovarian carcinomas of different histological subtype. Loss of expression was detected in 19 primary tumors (20%), mainly mucinous and endometrioid carcinomas. To reveal the cause of suppressed expression, we performed (i) analysis of homozygous deletions by comparative PCR after micro‐dissection, (ii) mutation analysis by single‐strand conformation polymorphism analysis and subsequent direct sequencing and (iii) methylation‐specific PCR to determine the methylation status of 5′‐CpG islands. Loss of or weak p16 expression was caused by hyper‐methylation (12/19 IHC‐negative cases), somatic mutation (10 tumors) or homozygous deletion (1 case). Aberrant p16 results by one of these methods were detected in 71–79% of endometrioid and mucinous, but in only 10% of serous‐papillary, carcinomas. Our data suggest that p16 inactivation is a typical feature of certain subtypes of ovarian carcinoma. Int. J. Cancer (Pred. Oncol.) 75:61–65, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Real-Time Task Scheduling for Dynamically Variable Voltage Processors

With the demands of power-constrained mobile applications and devices, it becomes a crucial and challenging issue to reduce the power consumptions of embedded systems. In this paper, we focus on the issue of scheduling problems with variable voltage processor core to optimize power consumption in real-time systems. We model the problem with real-time and online problems, and our solution is to incorporate the reservation list scheme for variable voltage schedulings. Our decision algorithm consists of a variety of selection criteria including the best effort, average computation time, average power consumption, average energy consumption, pre-defined threshold value, and weighted hybrid schemes for scheduling task. We think our scheme gives a comprehensive study for the problem of scheduling real-time tasks to reduce energy consumptions.
Comparative responses to endocrine disrupting compounds in earlylife stages of Atlantic salmon , Salmo

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are endangered anadromous fish that may be exposed to feminizing endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) during early development, potentially altering physiological capacities, survival and fitness. To assess differential life stage sensitivity to common EDCs, we carried out short-term (4 day) exposures using three doses each of 17 -ethinylestradiol (EE2), 17 -estradiol (E2), and nonylphenol (NP) on four early life stages; embryos, yolk-sac larvae, feeding fry and 1 year old smolts. Differential response was compared using vitellogenin (Vtg, a precursor egg protein) gene transcription. Smolts were also examined for impacts on plasma Vtg, cortisol, thyroid hormones (T4/T3) and hepatosomatic index (HSI). Compound-related mortality was not observed in any life stage, but Vtg mRNA was elevated in a dose-dependent manner in yolk-sac larvae, fry and smolts but not in embryos. The estrogens EE2 and E2 were consistently stronger inducers of Vtg than NP. Embryos responded significantly to the highest concentration of EE2 only, while older life stages responded to the highest doses of all three compounds, as well as intermediate doses of EE2 and E2. Maximal transcription was greater for fry among the three earliest life stages, suggesting fry may be the most responsive life stage in early development. Smolt plasma Vtg was also significantly increased, and this response was observed at lower doses of each compound than was detected by gene transcription suggesting plasma Vtg is a more sensitive indicator at this life stage. HSI was increased at the highest doses of EE2 and E2, and plasma T3 was decreased at the highest dose of EE2. Our results indicate that all life stages are potentially sensitive to endocrine disruption by estrogenic compounds and that physiological responses were altered over a short window of exposure, indicating the potential for these compounds to impact fish in the wild. © 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Educational Research and Reviews

The issue of the escalating incidents of rape in Nigerian higher institutions has, not unexpectedly, agitated the minds of both students and university workers on the one hand, and the general public, on the other. This development has forced the hands of the authorities in some of the Nigerian universities to give priority to finding a solution to the issue by out rightly legislating against it, while in others, series of codes of conduct expected to guide proper dressing, the abuse of which was considered chief among factors encouraging rape, were put in place. This study, therefore, focused on investigating what the people, particularly, those that populate the university environment, perceive of rape. The outcome of the study revealed among other things that rape is associated with a forceful attempt at having sexual intercourse with an unwilling female victim. For this reason, it was labeled a crime by participants. There was also a unanimous agreement by participants that rape incidents are rampant, in the last ten years on university campuses across Nigeria than was the case in previous years and that creating a dressing regime by introducing dressing code for, especially, female students would be an effective palliative measure for curbing rape incidents. Causative factors and what can be done to totally put a stop to rape incidents on university campuses were suggested by participants. Key words: Rape, Rape perception, Nigerian university stakeholders
The Role of ADAMT-13 in Platelet Adhesion in Flow: methods for Diagnosis of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Von willebrand factor (VWF) is synthesized and released from endothelial cells and megakaryocytes. VWF multimers that are immobilized on the activated endothelial cells and unfolded by high shear stress, undergo proteolysis by specific VWF-cleaving protease, ADAMTS-13. Severe deficiency of ADAMTS-13 is followed by accumulation of ultralarge VWF multimers and development of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Several methods for detection of ADAMTS-13 activity are proposed. However, all these assays are lacking the condition of shear stress, in which rapid cleavage of VWF multimeric strings by the ADAMTS-13 occurs. Impact- R method testing the effect of plasma on normal platelet adhesion under shear stress allows rapid screening of acute TTP and discrimination from other thrombotic microangiopathies.
Numerical Study of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Laminar Flow in Cylindrical Elliptic Pipes

Fluid flow in cylinders of elliptic cross-section was investigated. Fluid used is Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). LPG found in Nigeria contains majorly butane with percentages of propane. Commercial available code FLUENT which uses finite volume method was used to solve fluid flow governing equations. There has been little attention paid to fluid flow in cylindrical elliptic pipes. The present work aims to predict the LPG gas flow in cylindrical pipes of elliptic cross-section. Results of flow parameters of velocity and pressure distributions are presented. Results show that the pressure drop in elliptic pipes is higher than circular pipe of the same cross-sectional area. This is an important result as the pressure drop is related to the pump power needed to drive the flow. Results show that the velocity increases towards centre of the pipe as the flow moves downstream, and also increases towards the outlet of the pipe. Keywords—Elliptic Pipes, Liquefied Petroleum Gas, Numerical Study, Pressure Drop.
From Europe to America: Pliocene to Recent trans-Atlantic expansion of cold-water North Atlantic molluscs

Data on the geographical distribution, phylogeny and fossil record of cool-temperate North Atlantic shell-bearing molluscs that live in waters shallower than 100 m depth belong to two biogeographic provinces, one in eastern North America north of Cape Cod, the other in northern Europe. Amphi-Atlantic species, which are found in both provinces, comprise 30.8% of the 402 species in the northeastern Atlantic and 47.3% of the 262 species in the northwestern Atlantic. Some 54.8% of these amphi-Atlantic species have phylogenetic origins in the North Pacific. Comparisons among fossil Atlantic faunas show that amphi-Atlantic distributions became established in the Middle Pliocene (about 3.5 million years ago), and that all represent westward expansions of European taxa to North America. No American taxa spread eastward to Europe without human assistance. These results are in accord with previous phylogeographic studies among populations within several amphi-Atlantic species. Explanations for the unidirectional expansion of species across the Atlantic remain uncertain, but may include smaller size and greater prior extinction of the North American as compared to the European fauna and biased transport mechanisms. Destruction of the European source fauna may jeopardize faunas on both sides of the Atlantic.
Complement Component C5a Is Integral to the Febrile Response of Mice to Lipopolysaccharide

Objectives: The complement system is critical to the febrile response of mice to intraperitoneally administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We previously identified C3 and C5 as two components potentially involved in this response. This study was designed to examine whether the complement system is also pivotal in the response of mice to intravenously or intracerebroventricularly injected LPS, to distinguish between C3 and C5 and their cognate derivatives as the essential mediator(s), and to determine whether the failure of complement-deficient mice to develop a fever could be due to their possible inability to secrete pyrogenic cytokines. Methods: Wild-type (WT; C57BL/6J) mice, hypocomplemented or not by intravenously injected cobra venom factor (10 U/mouse), and C3-, CR3- and C5-sufficient and -deficient mice were intravenously challenged with LPS (0.25 µg/mouse); WT and C3–/– mice pretreated with a C5a receptor antagonist (C5aRa) were similarly challenged. In addition, the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6 were compared in LPS-treated C5+/+ and C5–/– mice. Results: LPS induced a 1°C rise in core temperature in all the mice, except C5–/– mice and those pretreated with C5aRa. C5+/+ and C5–/– mice challenged intracerebroventricularly with LPS exhibited identical febrile responses. LPS induced similar increases in the serum levels of IL-1β, TNFα and IL-6 in C5+/+ and C5–/– mice. Conclusions: C5a is crucial for the development of febrile responses to LPS in mice; its site of action is peripheral, not central. The possibility that an inability to produce cytokines could account for the failure of C5–/– mice to develop a fever is not supported.
RESPONSE OF SEEDLINGS TO VARIOUS WAVEBANDS OF LOW INTENSITY IRRADIATION.

The most extensive investigations concerning the influence of radiant energy within the visible spectrum on the growth of shoots of seedlings and storage organs have been conducted by Coupin (1), MacDougal (2), Priestley (4), and Trumpf (6). These workers all agree that relatively low intensities of visible radiant energy in the range of 10 foot candles or less induce almost as complete morphological development of the stems and leaves of such shoots as high intensities of many thousands of foot candles. When low intensities are used, the leaves become green, expand into flat lamina, and the portions of the stem first laid down are greatly shortened as contrasted with plants grown in the complete absence of radiant energy where the leaves fail to develop chlorophyll, frequently do not expand, and the stem portions first laid down are relatively long. Many shoots, such as those of the red kidney bean, emerge from the germination medium with a well defined plumular hook, which does not completely disappear in the total absence of visible radiant energy. After the irradiation of the plants with low intensities of visible radiant energy, the plumular hook disappears. Trumpf came to the conclusion that chlorophyll synthesis was not directly connected with the mechanism involved in the disappearance of those characteristics associated with growth in the total absence of visible radiant energy. With short low intensity exposures he was able to secure leaf expansion, internodal shortening, and disappearance of the plumular hook without any apparent synthesis of chlorophyll. His results also indicated that it was the longer wavelengths of the visible spectrum that were primarily influential in causing leaf expansion, but stem elongation was not greatly affected by the red. The blue was more effective in inducing shortening of the stem. He used relatively wide bands of the red and blue regions which were balanced to equal readings with a selective radiometer. This report concerns a preliminary investigation3 on the influence of spectrally controlled radiant energy on the growth and development of red kidney bean seedlings and other physiologically young plants.
General deterrence of drunk driving: evaluation of recent American policies.

A testable hypothesis of deterrence theory is that efforts to increase the expected cost of criminal activity by increasing the threat of punishment should, other things being equal, reduce the crime rate. In this paper, we examine whether the incidence of drinking and driving is responsive to escalation of the punitive threat. The recent national campaign against drunk driving provides a natural experiment in which to test the predictions of deterrence theory. Using state level data over the 1975-1986 period, we report no conclusive evidence that any specific form of punitive legislation is having a measurable effect on motor vehicle fatalities. We report suggestive evidence that multiple laws designed to increase the certainty of punishment (e.g., sobriety checkpoints and preliminary breath tests) have a synergistic deterrent effect. The most striking finding is that mandatory seat belt use laws and beer taxes may be more effective at reducing drunk driving fatalities than policies aimed at general deterrence.
Schizophrenia, cancer and imprinting: early nutritional influences

We read with interest the important findings of Goldacre et al ([2005][1]) on the association between schizophrenia and cancer morbidity. Compared with the general population, they found a reduced rate of cancer of the colon in the schizophrenia cohort (adjusted rate ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.50–1.01)
Comparative peptidomics analysis of neural adaptations in rats repeatedly exposed to amphetamine

Repeated exposure to amphetamine (AMPH) induces long‐lasting behavioral changes, referred to as sensitization, that are accompanied by various neuroadaptations in the brain. To investigate the chemical changes that occur during behavioral sensitization, we applied a comparative proteomics approach to screen for neuropeptide changes in a rodent model of AMPH‐induced sensitization. By measuring peptide profiles with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and comparing signal intensities using principal component analysis and variance statistics, subsets of peptides are found with significant differences in the dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex of AMPH‐sensitized male Sprague–Dawley rats. These biomarker peptides, identified in follow‐up analyses using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, suggest that behavioral sensitization to AMPH is associated with complex chemical adaptations that regulate energy/metabolism, neurotransmission, apoptosis, neuroprotection, and neuritogenesis, as well as cytoskeleton integrity and neuronal morphology. Our data contribute to a growing number of reports showing that in addition to the mesolimbic dopamine system, which is the best known signaling pathway involved with reinforcing the effect of psychostimulants, concomitant chemical changes in other pathways and in neuronal organization may play a part in the overall effect of chronic AMPH exposure on behavior.