Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Police are Influenced by Anchoring and Risk When Allocating Resources for Scenario-based Intimate Partner Violence Cases

Sixty-six police officers were given four intimate partner violence (IPV) scenarios to rate for risk of future violence. At the start of the experiment, participants were provided with either a low-risk or high-risk “anchor” scenario of police attending an IPV incident. Next, participants were given three counterbalanced scenarios: high, medium, and low risk. Half the participants were given a structured professional judgment tool to guide their decisions. Participants given the low-risk anchor rated the following scenarios as being of greater risk than those given the high-risk anchor. Participants were consistent in identifying high-, medium-, and low-risk scenarios and the tool made no difference to these ratings. Participants were more confident in their higher risk judgments than their lower risk judgments. Officers distributed a disproportionately high amount of resources to the high-risk offenders and the results suggest that police officers can make decisions consistent with Risk-Need-Responsivity principles. However, anchoring effects and working in a context where violence is more severe and frequent has the potential to bias perceptions and make officers less sensitive to risk.
Guanidine Derivatives: How Simple Structural Modification of Histamine H3R Antagonists Has Led to the Discovery of Potent Muscarinic M2R/M4R Antagonists

This article describes the discovery of novel potent muscarinic receptor antagonists identified during a search for more active histamine H3 receptor (H3R) ligands. The idea was to replace the flexible seven methylene linker with a semirigid 1,4-cyclohexylene or p-phenylene substituted group of the previously described histamine H3R antagonists ADS1017 and ADS1020. These simple structural modifications of the histamine H3R antagonist led to the emergence of additional pharmacological effects, some of which unexpectedly showed strong antagonist potency at muscarinic receptors. This paper reports the routes of synthesis and pharmacological characterization of guanidine derivatives, a novel chemotype of muscarinic receptor antagonists binding to the human muscarinic M2 and M4 receptors (hM2R and hM4R, respectively) in nanomolar concentration ranges. The affinities of the newly synthesized ADS10227 (1-{4-{4-{[4-(phenoxymethyl)cyclohexyl]methyl}piperazin-1-yl}but-1-yl}-1-(benzyl)guanidine) at hM2R and hM4R were 2.8 nM and 5.1 nM, respectively.
Lycium barbarum extract promotes M2 polarization and reduces oligomeric amyloid-β-induced inflammatory reactions in microglial cells

Lycium barbarum (LB) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been demonstrated to exhibit a wide variety of biological functions, such as antioxidation, neuroprotection, and immune modulation. One of the main mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease is that microglia activated by amyloid beta (Aβ) transform from the resting state to an M1 state and release pro-inflammatory cytokines to the surrounding environment. In the present study, immortalized microglial cells were pretreated with L. barbarum extract for 1 hour and then treated with oligomeric Aβ for 23 hours. The results showed that LB extract significantly increased the survival of oligomeric Aβ-induced microglial cells, downregulated the expression of M1 pro-inflammatory markers (inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β), and upregulated the expression of M2 anti-inflammatory markers (arginase-1, chitinase-like protein 3, and interleukin-4). LB extract also inhibited the oligomeric Aβ-induced secretion of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β in microglial cells. The results of in vitro cytological experiments suggest that, in microglial cells, LB extract can inhibit oligomeric Aβ-induced M1 polarization and concomitant inflammatory reactions, and promote M2 polarization.
Distinctive waves of innate immune response in the retina in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Neurodegeneration mediates neurological disability in inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the CNS. The role of innate immune cells in mediating this damage has remained controversial with evidence for destructive and protective effects. This has complicated efforts to develop treatment. The time sequence and dynamic evolution of the opposing functions are especially unclear. Given limits of in vivo monitoring in human diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), animal models are warranted to investigate the association and timing of innate immune activation with neurodegeneration. Using noninvasive in vivo retinal imaging of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) in CX3CR1GFP/+–knock-in mice followed by transcriptional profiling, we are able to show 2 distinct waves separated by a marked reduction in the number of innate immune cells and change in cell morphology. The first wave is characterized by an inflammatory phagocytic phenotype preceding the onset of EAE, whereas the second wave is characterized by a regulatory, antiinflammatory phenotype during the chronic stage. Additionally, the magnitude of the first wave is associated with neuronal loss. Two transcripts identified — growth arrest–specific protein 6 (GAS6) and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) — might be promising targets for enhancing protective effects of microglia in the chronic phase after initial injury.
Nurses’ self-assessed moral courage and related socio-demographic factors

Background: Nurses need moral courage to ensure ethically good care. Moral courage is an individual characteristic and therefore it is relevant to examine its association with nurses’ socio-demographic factors. Objective: To describe nurses’ self-assessed level of moral courage and its association with their socio-demographic factors. Research design: Quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study. The data were collected with Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale and analyzed statistically. Participants and research context: A total of 482 registered nurses from a major university hospital in Southern Finland completed the Finnish language version of Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale in autumn 2017. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was obtained from the university ethics committee and permission for the data collection from the participating hospital. Ethical principles and scientific guidelines were followed throughout the research process. Findings: Nurses’ self-assessed level of moral courage was rather high. On Visual Analogy Scale (0–10), the mean value was 8.20 and the mean score of the four dimensional, 21-item Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale was 4.09 on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Respondents’ gender, present work role, ethical knowledge base, additional ethics education, self-study as a means to acquire ethical knowledge, and frequency of work situations needing moral courage were statistically significantly associated with nurses’ moral courage. Discussion: Strongest association was found between nurses’ higher moral courage level and formal and informal ethics education. Honesty and patient’s humane and dignified encounter received the highest scores indicating respondents’ internalization of the core values of nursing. Conclusion: Although nurses were fairly morally courageous, moral courage should be a part of nurses’ basic and continuing education thus covering its theoretical and practical learning. Since moral courage is a virtue that can be taught, learnt, and practiced, education is a relevant way to maintain and further strengthen nurses’ moral courage.
Realistic molecular cluster models for exfoliated kaolinite

Abstract Molecular cluster models, developed for an exfoliated kaolinite, provide a structural description comparable to that of periodic slab models for a fraction of the computational cost. These models include both the octahedral and the tetrahedral sheets of kaolinite. The first-generation model (G1) contains the inner and outer coordination sphere of the Al- and Si-honeycombs as the preferred sites for adsorption of small organic molecules. Since no experimental information is available to date at the atomic level for exfoliated kaolinite, we carried out a systematic density functional theory evaluation for establishing the most reasonable coordinates of the ions and groups. The results of molecular cluster and periodic calculations were utilized for evaluating semi-empirical Hamiltonians on larger models. Using a PM7 Hamiltonian, the structure of cluster models containing 1 + 6 (second generation) and 1 + 6 + 12 (third generation) Al- and Si-honeycombs which are out of reach for ab initio calculations, were determined. These molecular slab models offer a structural platform for adsorption, intercalation and delamination studies.
Representing Variability: The Case of Life Cycle Diagrams

Two foundational concepts in biology education are 1) offspring are not identical to their parents, and 2) organisms undergo changes throughout their lives. These concepts are included in both international and U.S. curricular standards. Research in psychology has shown that children often have difficulty understanding these concepts, as they are inconsistent with their intuitive theories of the biological world. Additionally, prior research suggests that diagrams are commonly used in instruction and that their features influence student learning. Given this prior work, we explored the characteristics of life cycle diagrams and discuss possible implications for student learning. We examined 75 life cycle diagrams from books, including five biology or general science textbooks and 25 specialized trade books focusing on biology for children. We also examined 633 life cycle diagrams from a publicly available online database of science diagrams. Most diagrams failed to show any within-species variability. Additionally, many diagrams had perceptually rich backgrounds, which prior research suggests might hinder learning. We discuss how the design characteristics of diagrams may reinforce students’ intuitive theories of biology, which might make it difficult for students to understand key biological concepts in the future.
Toward achieving persistent behavior change in household water conservation

Significance Researchers have been successful in inducing environmental conservation behavior, but the effect is usually transient. Persistence in behavior change has been elusive. We developed a simple, cost-effective, and replicable behavioral intervention for household water conservation that achieved persistence of behavior change. Our method uses objectively defined, sustainability-based per-person goals rather than comparative social norms that can themselves be beyond the threshold of biophysical sustainability or policy goals. Per-person goals help transcend the limitations of extant social comparison interventions that ignore household size. This work also expands the scope of behavioral interventions to settings where resource pricing is not possible or is difficult. Achieving persistence in household behavior modification has been a central but elusive goal of environmental conservation attempts that rely on behavioral interventions. We implemented a habit change intervention, designed to achieve persistent change in household water conservation behavior in an affluent residential community in urban India. We found a 15 to 25% reduction in household water consumption in the absence of any volumetric pricing. Most importantly, the effects of our 5-wk intervention persisted for more than a year, after which marginal pricing was introduced. The treatment gap was not bridged even after a year under the marginal price regime.
Impact of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis on PD discontinuation and mortality: A population-based national cohort study

Background: The impact of peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis (PD peritonitis) on long-term outcomes is uncertain. This nationwide retrospective study was conducted in Taiwan to understand the incidence, risk factors and long-term outcomes of PD peritonitis. Methods: A total of 11,202 incident adult peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients from 2000 to 2010 were collected from a Longitudinal Health Insurance Database and followed up until the end of 2011. Definition of peritonitis, the primary outcome, simultaneously met the diagnosis of peritonitis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification 567) and antibiotic use. Secondary outcomes included the impact of peritonitis on PD discontinuation and survival. Cox proportional hazards models with and without time-dependent variables were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: There were 7634 peritonitis episodes in 4245 patients during the follow-up period. The overall incidence of peritonitis was 0.18 episodes per patient-year. Peritonitis-associated risk factors included older age, female gender, chronic heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, liver cirrhosis and lower monthly income. In an adjusted Cox hazard proportional regression with the time-dependent model, peritonitis patients had a higher risk of PD discontinuation (HR 2.71, 95% CI 2.52–2.92) and mortality (HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.57–1.81) compared to patients without peritonitis. The adjusted HRs for mortality increased with each prior episode: one episode, two episodes and more than two episodes (all p < 0.05). The adjusted HRs for PD discontinuation also increased with the frequency of peritonitis. These negative effects were greatest during the first year and persisted significantly after 5 years. In a sensitivity analysis in which peritonitis within 30 days of death or PD discontinuation was excluded, peritonitis patients still had significantly increased risk of PD discontinuation and mortality compared to patients without peritonitis. Conclusions: Although peritonitis incidence was low, our findings reveal that peritonitis carried acute and long-term sequelae of higher PD discontinuation and lower patient survival.
Experience‐related enhancements in striatal temporal encoding

Temporal control of action is key for a broad range of behaviors and is disrupted in human diseases such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. A brain structure that is critical for temporal control is the dorsal striatum. Experience and learning can influence dorsal striatal neuronal activity, but it is unknown how these neurons change with experience in contexts which require precise temporal control of movement. We investigated this question by recording from medium spiny neurons (MSNs) via dorsal striatal microelectrode arrays in mice as they gained experience controlling their actions in time. We leveraged an interval timing task optimized for mice which required them to “switch” response ports after enough time had passed without receiving a reward. We report three main results. First, we found that time‐related ramping activity and response‐related activity increased with task experience. Second, temporal decoding by MSN ensembles improved with experience and was predominantly driven by time‐related ramping activity. Finally, we found that a subset of MSNs had differential modulation on error trials. These findings enhance our understanding of dorsal striatal temporal processing by demonstrating how MSN ensembles can evolve with experience. Our results can be linked to temporal habituation and illuminate striatal flexibility during interval timing, which may be relevant for human disease.
Physical and mental health in young adults with heart disease – a national survey of Norwegian university students

Abstract Background: Young adults with heart disease constitute a growing group with the risk of cognitive and physical impairment. The knowledge of their academic performance and mental and physical health is, however, scant. This study aimed to compare young adults with CHDs or arrhythmia with their peers. Methods: Information on physical health (Somatic Symptom Scale-8), mental health problems (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25), quality of life (Satisfaction With Life Scale), physical activity, and academic performance was collected online in a national cross-sectional survey in Norway among students in higher education (the SHoT2018 study). Results: Among 50,054 students, 172 (0.34%) reported CHD and 132 (0.26%) arrhythmias. Students reporting arrhythmias scored significantly higher than the control group on somatic symptoms (OR = 2.3 (95% CI: 1.62–3.27)), anxiety (OR = 1.60 (1.08–2.37)), depression (OR = 1.49 (1.05–2.11)), self-harm, and suicide attempt (OR = 2.72 (1.56–4.75)), and lower quality of life (OR 1.64 (1.16–2.32)) and more loneliness (OR = 1.99 (1.28–3.10)) compared to participants without heart disease. Participants with CHD reported an increased somatic symptom burden (OR = 1.58 (1.16–2.16)). Despite a tendency to a higher score, this group did not differ significantly from the control group on anxiety or depression, quality of life, or loneliness. However, the risk of self-harm thoughts and suicidality was significantly increased (OR for suicide attempt 2.22 (1.3–3.77)). There was no difference between the groups on academic performance. Conclusions: Although Norwegian students with heart disease reported more somatic symptoms, their academic progress was not reduced compared to students without heart disease. Students with CHD or arrhythmias showed an increased risk of self-harm thoughts and suicidality.
Effect of noise and ototoxicants on developing standard threshold shifts at a U.S. Air Force depot level maintenance facility

Abstract Noise exposure has traditionally been considered the primary risk factor for hearing loss. However, ototoxicants commonly found in occupational settings could affect hearing loss independently, additively, or synergistically when combined with noise exposures. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the combined effect of metal and solvent ototoxicants, continuous noise, and impulse noise on hearing loss. Noise and ototoxicant exposure and pure-tone audiometry results were analyzed for U.S. Air Force personnel (n = 2,372) at a depot-level aircraft maintenance activity at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Eight similar exposure groups based on combinations of ototoxicant and noise exposure were created including: (1) Continuous noise (reference group); (2) Continuous noise + Impulse noise; (3) Metal exposures + Continuous noise; (4) Metal exposures + Continuous noise + Impulse noise; (5) Solvent exposure + Continuous noise; (6) Solvent exposures + Continuous noise + Impulse noise; (7) Metal exposure + Solvent exposures + Continuous noise; and (8) Metal exposure + Solvent exposures + Continuous noise + Impulse noise. Hearing loss was assessed at center octave band frequencies of 500–6,000 Hz and using National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Standard Threshold Shift (STS) criteria. Hearing changes were significantly worse at 2,000 Hz in the Metal exposure + Solvent exposure + Continuous noise group compared to the Continuous noise only reference group (p = 0.023). The Metal exposure + Solvent exposure + Continuous noise group had a significantly greater relative risk (RR) of 2.44; 95% CI [1.24, 4.83] for developing an STS at 2,000 Hz. While not statistically significant, the Solvent exposure + Continuous noise group had a RR of 2.32; 95%CI [1.00, 5.34] for developing an STS at 1,000 Hz. These results indicate that noise exposure may dominate hearing loss at ≥3,000 Hz while combined effects of concomitant exposure to ototoxic substances and noise are only noticeable at ≤2,000 Hz. These results also suggest combined exposures to ototoxicants and noise presents a greater hearing loss risk than just noise.
The new wave of p75 neurotrophin receptor targeted therapies

Neurotrophins have been recognized for decades for their beneficial effects on growth, survival, and maintenance in the central nervous system, all of which suggest potential therapeutic util ity. Although understanding and harnessing the activity of neurotrophins has proven difficult, the past several years have seen significant strides in the development of deliverable therapies that modulate neurotrophin activity (Shen et al., 2019; Yang et al., 2020; Xie et al., 2021). These recent studies have primarily focused on the multifunctional p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75) which is upregulated in central nervous system disease and injury, thus offering a unique target for intervention. Animal studies focusing on neurodegenerative diseases, infection and injury have all illustrated the potential benefit of p75 modulation, such as prevention of neural damage via restoration of calcium homeostasis, facilitation of pro-survival signaling, and reduction of inflammation. In addition, new studies have revealed important interactions of p75 with microtubule-associated protein, Tau, relevant to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis, tauopathies, injury, and infection. Importantly, these investigational therapies have also been shown to be effectively deliverable as well as tolerable, with few side effects in animal models. Although the actions of p75 are complex and studies have only begun to reveal their potential utility, these new developments have paved the way for clinical trials of focused, modulatory interventions that have the potential to be broadly applicable in the treatment and prevention of central nervous system disease.
Effects of Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1) in Patients with Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objectives: (1) To test the effect of local administration of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). (2) To test the effect of local administration of IGF-1 in patients with ototoxicity. Methods: Forty patients with SNHL were included in the study. Their hearing thresholds at different frequencies (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) along with the average hearing threshold were noted. The patients were then randomly allocated to 2 groups and were treated with IGF-1 via one of the following routes: (1) intratympanic injection and (2) Gelfoam.
Clinical features and complications of acromegaly at diagnosis are not all the same: data from two large referral centers

Purpose The number of international acromegaly related registries is increasing; however, heterogeneity of acromegaly symptoms and signs across countries is not well described. We compared clinical disease manifestations at diagnosis between two large University referral centers from two continents. Methods Retrospective, comparative epidemiological study of acromegaly patients at two centers: (i) C. I. Parhon National Institute of Endocrinology, 'Carol Davila' University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, Romania (Parhon), and (ii) Pituitary Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States (OHSU) from approved data repositories was undertaken. Data were extracted from medical charts and questionnaires. Binary logistic regression analysis was undertaken for the most frequently noted symptoms and clinical signs. Results The study included 216 patients (87 Parhon, 129 OHSU). Age, sex, and median delay in diagnosis were similar between centers. IGF-1 index was higher in patients at Parhon (3.3 vs 2.1, P < 0.001). The top five symptoms at both centers were enlarged hands/feet, headache, arthralgia, fatigue, and irregular menses in women. A significant difference was noted for multiple signs and symptoms frequency, often > 20 percentage points between centers. Center was a predictor of many signs and symptoms, independent of acromegaly biochemical severity or disease duration. Conclusion We show in the first comparative study that differences in medical practice, documentation, and likely cultural differences can influence patients’ symptom(s) reporting and screening patterns in geographically different populations. Pooling data into large multicenter international registry databases may lead to loss of regional characteristics and thus a mixed overall picture of combined cohorts.