Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sense of self and psychosis, part 2: A single case study on amniotic therapy

Abstract Some people diagnosed with schizophrenia show an alteration of the sense of self. From a psychodynamic perspective, it has been hypothesized they have disorders of the integration of self/other identification/differentiation processes. From a neuroscientific view some with this diagnosis present dysfunctions in neural correlates of representation of self from other (the implicit sensorimotor-based bodily self), and self united with other. In “Sense of self and psychosis, part 1” we discussed scientific literature offering empirical evidence for the psychodynamic clinical observations that patients with diagnoses of psychoses didn't receive adequate early infancy parental care and sufficient affective-sensorial/tactile interactions. Introducing parental care/cutaneous interactions seemed relevant in the analytic treatment of psychoses, as the pioneers of the psychoanalytic approach to psychosis suggested. From this theoretical basis we developed amniotic therapy, which reproduces the affective-tactile interactions of early infancy, insufficient in cases of psychosis, and aims at integrating the processes of differentiation and identification. We present a single case study of an experimental intervention plan including amniotic therapy. Results showed increases in interoception and global functioning, with significant decreases in positive symptoms suggesting that amniotic therapy contributes to increasing the protective strength of self-boundaries and integration of identification/differentiation processes.
To Be or Not to Be: The Divergent Action and Metabolism of Sphingosine-1 Phosphate in Pancreatic Beta-Cells in Response to Cytokines and Fatty Acids

Sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid with multiple functions conveyed by the activation of cell surface receptors and/or intracellular mediators. A growing body of evidence indicates its important role in pancreatic insulin-secreting beta-cells that are necessary for maintenance of glucose homeostasis. The dysfunction and/or death of beta-cells lead to diabetes development. Diabetes is a serious public health burden with incidence growing rapidly in recent decades. The two major types of diabetes are the autoimmune-mediated type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and the metabolic stress-related type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Despite many differences in the development, both types of diabetes are characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and inflammation. The inflammatory component of diabetes remains under-characterized. Recent years have brought new insights into the possible mechanism involved in the increased inflammatory response, suggesting that environmental factors such as a westernized diet may participate in this process. Dietary lipids, particularly palmitate, are substrates for the biosynthesis of bioactive sphingolipids. Disturbed serum sphingolipid profiles were observed in both T1DM and T2DM patients. Many polymorphisms were identified in genes encoding enzymes of the sphingolipid pathway, including sphingosine kinase 2 (SK2), the S1P generating enzyme which is highly expressed in beta-cells. Proinflammatory cytokines and free fatty acids have been shown to modulate the expression and activity of S1P-generating and S1P-catabolizing enzymes. In this review, the similarities and differences in the action of extracellular and intracellular S1P in beta-cells exposed to cytokines or free fatty acids will be identified and the outlook for future research will be discussed.
PENGARUH KEBIJAKAN MAKROPRUDENSIAL TERHADAP SIKLUS KREDIT: SEBUAH STUDI ATAS PENGGUNAAN INSTRUMEN CAR DAN GWM PERBANKAN INDONESIA 2006-2013

Penelitian ini mengkaji berapa besar dan bagaimana mekanisme instrumen kebijakan makroprudensial CAR dan GWM mempengaruhi siklus kredit. Data yang digunakan adalah data panel triwulanan 103 bank umum konvensional yang termasuk dalam BUKU I – BUKU IV di Indonesia periode 2006-2013. Peneliti membangun dua model berdasarkan teori mekanisme transmisi kebijakan makroprudensial pada instrumen berbasis modal dan instrumen berbasis likuiditas. Model pertama mencakup keseluruhan bank sedangkan model kedua mencakup 47 bank dengan menambahkan variabel ATMR pasar. Dengan menggunakan teknik path analysis , peneliti menemukan bahwa CAR mempengaruhi penyaluran kredit perbankan secara negatif sedangkan GWM mempengaruhi penyaluran kredit perbankan secara positif baik pada model pertama dan model kedua. Pada model kedua, peneliti juga menemukan bahwa CAR mempengaruhi ATMR pasar secara positif. Peneliti menyimpulkan bahwa kebijakan makroprudensial CAR dan GWM cukup efektif dalam meredam siklus kredit. Kata kunci : Kebijakan Makroprudensial, CAR, GWM, Siklus Kredit.
Public Perception of the Use of Digital Contact-Tracing Tools After the COVID-19 Lockdown: Sentiment Analysis and Opinion Mining

Background Singapore’s national digital contact-tracing (DCT) tool—TraceTogether—attained an above 70% uptake by December 2020 after a slew of measures. Sentiment analysis can help policymakers to assess public sentiments on the implementation of new policy measures in a short time, but there is a paucity of sentiment analysis studies on the usage of DCT tools. Objective We sought to understand the public’s knowledge of, concerns with, and sentiments on the use of TraceTogether over time and their preferences for the type of TraceTogether tool. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey at a large public hospital in Singapore after the COVID-19 lockdown, from July 2020 through February 2021. In total, 4097 respondents aged 21-80 years were sampled proportionately by sex and 4 age groups. The open-ended responses were processed and analyzed using natural language processing tools. We manually corrected the language and logic errors and replaced phrases with words available in the syuzhet sentiment library without altering the original meaning of the phrases. The sentiment scores were computed by summing the scores of all the tokens (phrases split into smaller units) in the phrase. Stopwords (prepositions and connectors) were removed, followed by implementing the bag-of-words model to calculate the bigram and trigram occurrence in the data set. Demographic and time filters were applied to segment the responses. Results Respondents’ knowledge of and concerns with TraceTogether changed from a focus on contact tracing and Bluetooth activation in July-August 2020 to QR code scanning and location check-ins in January-February 2021. Younger males had the highest TraceTogether uptake (24/40, 60%), while older females had the lowest uptake (8/34, 24%) in the first half of July 2020. This trend was reversed in mid-October after the announcement on mandatory TraceTogether check-ins at public venues. Although their TraceTogether uptake increased over time, older females continued to have lower sentiment scores. The mean sentiment scores were the lowest in January 2021 when the media reported that data collected by TraceTogether were used for criminal investigations. Smartphone apps were initially preferred over tokens, but the preference for the type of TraceTogether tool equalized over time as tokens became accessible to the whole population. The sentiments on token-related comments became more positive as the preference for tokens increased. Conclusions The public’s knowledge of and concerns with the use of a mandatory DCT tool varied with the national regulations and public communications over time with the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective communications tailored to subpopulations and greater transparency in data handling will help allay public concerns with data misuse and improve trust in the authorities. Having alternative forms of the DCT tool can increase the uptake of and positive sentiments on DCT.
Exploring the pathways model in a sample of patients with gambling disorder

ABSTRACT From clinical and research perspectives, the Pathways Model has been supported in adolescent and adult populations as a theoretical explanatory framework for considering gambling disorder (GD). However, it has been less well explored in clinical samples. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the Pathways Model, specifically pathways 2 (emotionally vulnerable) and 3 (antisocial impulsivist), in 241 consecutive treatment-seeking adults with GD. Structural equation modeling was used. Path analyses that considered continuous variables provided, in general, support for the Pathways Model in this clinical population, albeit with some caveats. The results suggest the presence of different profiles of gamblers, with some having emotions and others impulsivity-related factors more prominently involved. Additional associations, not raised by the model, were also found. For example, a greater role for anxiety as compared with depression was observed in pathway 2, and important mediating roles for cognitive distortions and habituation were observed across pathways. Using an approach that considered variables dimensionally may help aid in understanding clinically relevant relationships. The current findings suggest complexities regarding relationships between factors involved in GD clinical samples. These findings have implications for characterizing subtypes of GD and development of optimal prevention and treatment approaches.
Different Alterations in Gut Microbiota between Bifidobacterium longum and Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Treatments in Propionic Acid Rat Model of Autism

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) consist of a range of neurodevelopmental conditions accompanied by dysbiosis of gut microbiota. Therefore, a number of microbiota manipulation strategies were developed to restore their balance. However, a comprehensive comparison of the various methods on gut microbiota is still lacking. Here, we evaluated the effect of Bifidobacterium (BF) treatment and fecal microbiota transplantation (FT) on gut microbiota in a propionic acid (PPA) rat model of autism using 16S rRNA sequencing. Following PPA treatment, gut microbiota showed depletion of Bacteroidia and Akkermansia accompanied by a concomitant increase of Streptococcus, Lachnospiraceae, and Paraeggerthella. The dysbiosis was predicted to cause increased levels of porphyrin metabolism and impairments of acyl-CoA thioesterase and ubiquinone biosynthesis. On the contrary, BF and FT treatments resulted in a distinct increase of Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, Marvinbryantia, Butyricicoccus, and Dorea. The taxa in BF group positively correlated with vitamin B12 and flagella biosynthesis, while FT mainly enriched flagella biosynthesis. In contrast, BF and FT treatments negatively correlated with succinate biosynthesis, pyruvate metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, beta-Lactam resistance, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that BF and FT treatments restored the PPA-induced dysbiosis in a treatment-specific manner.
INFLUENCE OF PERCEPTION OF EASE, SECURITY, AND FEATURES ON DECISION TO USE DIGITAL WALLET GOPAY

Nowadays, many platforms are emerging-based financial services fintech to support electronic money activities in Indonesia. One of the fintechs is digital payment, fintech provides online payment system services through digital wallets. The development of fintech, especially digital wallets in Indonesia, in the last 5 years has increased in shaping consumer behavior. With the existence of a digital wallet, the opportunities for consumers to make online payments are wider in providing convenience for transactions. One of the most well-known digital wallets is gopay. Many factors influence the use of the GoPay digital wallet, including perceptions of convenience, security, and features. This study aims to examine the effect of perceived convenience, security, and features on the decision to use the GoPay digital wallet. The research method used is quantitative, the population of this study is active students of the 2018-2021 Management Study Program, Faculty of Economics and Business. The sample of this study was 100 students and the sampling technique used non-probability sampling, namely purposive sampling. The data was obtained by giving questionnaires to the respondents, then the returned data was analyzed using multiple linear regression techniques. The results of this study indicate that the perceived convenience variable has a partial effect on the decision to use with a value of sig 0.001 < 0.05, while the security variable also partially affects the decision to use a gopay digital wallet with a value of sig 0.00 < 0.05 but is different from the variable a feature that has no influence on the decision to use a gopay digital wallet with a sig value of 0.114 > 0.05.
Short-term reduction of regional enhancement of atmospheric CO2 in China during the first COVID-19 pandemic period

Recent studies have reported a 9% decrease in global carbon emissions during the COVID-19 lockdown period; however, its impact on the variation of atmospheric CO2 level remains under question. Using atmospheric CO2 observed at Anmyeondo station (AMY) in South Korea, downstream of China, this study examines whether the decrease in China’s emissions due to COVID-19 can be detected from the enhancement of CO2 mole fraction (ΔCO2) relative to the background value. The Weather Research and Forecasting–Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport model was applied to determine when the observed mole fractions at AMY were affected by air parcels from China. Atmospheric observations at AMY showed up to a −20% (−1.92 ppm) decrease in ΔCO2 between February and March 2020 compared to the same period in 2018 and 2019, particularly with a −34% (−3.61 ppm) decrease in March. ΔCO, which was analyzed to explore the short-term effect of emission reductions, had a decrease of −43% (−80.66 ppb) during the lockdown in China. Particularly in East China, where emissions are more concentrated than in Northeast China, ΔCO2 and ΔCO decreased by −44% and −65%, respectively. The ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratio (24.8 ppb ppm−1), which is the indicator of emission characteristics, did not show a significant difference before and after the COVID-19 lockdown period (α = 0.05), suggesting that this decrease in ΔCO2 and ΔCO was associated with emission reductions rather than changes in emission sources or combustion efficiency in China. Reduced carbon emissions due to limited human activity resulted in a decrease in the short-term regional enhancement to the observed atmospheric CO2.
Assessment in Online and Blended Learning Environments

Online and blended learning requires the reconstruction of instructor and learner roles, relations, and practices in many aspects. Assessment becomes an important issue in non-traditional learning environments. Assessment literacy, i.e., understanding assessment and assessment strategies, is critical for both instructors and students in creating online and blended environments that are effective for teaching and learning. Instructors need to identify and implement assessment strategies and methods appropriate to online or blended learning. This includes an understanding of the potential of a variety of technology tools for monitoring student learning and improving their teaching effectiveness. From the students perspective, good assessment practices can show them what is important to learn and how they should approach learning; hence, engaging them in goal-oriented and self-regulatory cognitions and behaviors. The book targets instructors, instructional designers, and educational leaders who are interested in understanding and implementing either summative or formative assessment in online and blended learning environments. This book will assist the relevant audience in the theory and practice of assessment in online and blended learning environments. Providing both a research and practice perspective, this book can help instructors make the connection between pedagogy and technology tools to maximize their teaching and student learning. Among the questions addressed in this book are: What assessment strategies can be used in online or blended learning? How can instructors design effective assessment strategies? What methods or technology tools can be used for assessment in online or blended learning? How does peer-assessment work in online or blended learning environments?
Perception and Control of Finger Forces

The focus of this research is on the perception and control of forces produced by the hand. It is known that the change in force that subjects can reliably discriminate is approximately 6%, and that subjects are able to match forces generated by two corresponding muscle groups with an accuracy of approximately 15%. The present study was concerned with measuring the ability to control finger force using only haptic feedback and both haptic and visual feedback. It was found that subjects were surprising good at controlling forces for up to 120 s using only haptic feedback with mean absolute errors of less than 0.3 N over a force range of 2–6 N. The variation in force averaged 10.5% when haptic feedback was available and decreased to 6% when visual feedback was also provided. These results provide a framework for specifying the characteristics of force-reflecting haptic interfaces that should optimize human perception.
Attitude of Hearing Impaired Students Towards Assistive Technology Utilization in Oyo State Adopting the Survey Method

This study examined attitude of hearing-impaired students towards assistive technology utilization for learning and its gender’ influence. The study adopted the descriptive research type. mean and t-test were used for the research. The findings established that Students with hearing impairments were enthusiastic about using hearing assistive equipment in the classroom. This implies that positive attitude of students towards the use of the assistive technologies will influence their utilization of such technologies for learning. As a result, it was however recommended that schools hire Educational Technologists who can help with the appropriate use of assistive technology tools to enhance classroom instruction.
House Price Expectations

This study examines short-, medium-, and long-run price expectations in housing markets. We derive and test six hypothesis about the incidence, formation, and relevance of price expectations. To do so, we use data from a tailored household survey, past sale and rental oﬀerings, satellites, and from an information RCT. As novel ﬁndings, we show that price expectations exhibit mean reversion in the long-run. Moreover, we do not ﬁnd evidence for biases related to individual housing tenure decisions or regret aversion. Conﬁrming existing ﬁndings, we show that local market characteristics matter for expectations throughout, as well as aggregate price information. Lastly, we corroborate existing evidence that expectations are relevant for portfolio choice.
Assessment of potential for photovoltaic roof installations by extraction of roof tilt from light detection and ranging data and aggregation to census geography

Large-scale adoption of solar photovoltaics (PV) in the built environment requires automation of roof suitability surveying over large geographical areas. Furthermore, as local PV installation density increases, electricity network operators require clearer information on the overall impact the large number of different rooftop PV systems will have on the stability of the local network. Knowledge of roof features (tilt angle, azimuth angle and area) and localised in-plane irradiance data is essential to meet both of these requirements. Such information is currently not available (except by individual roof surveying by PV consultants) and has to be generated. This study demonstrates the automated extraction of building roof plane characteristics from existing wide-area, aircraft-based light detection and ranging data. These characteristics are then aggregated statistically and scaled-up to produce a UK-wide map of average roof tilt variation. Validation of roof tilt with site measurements taken by four different methods demonstrates a mean absolute error of 3°. For major roof plane azimuth angles, banded into compass octants, accurate detection was achieved in 100% of cases, validated by inspection of aerial photography. This is sufficient for calculating in-plane irradiance for a more detailed automated assessment.
Full-scale testing and numerical modeling of a multistory masonry structure subjected to internal blast loading

BRIAN JARVIS ZAPATA. Full-scale testing and numerical modeling of a multistory masonry structure subjected to internal blast loading. (Under the direction of DR. DAVID C. WEGGEL) As military and diplomatic representatives of the United States are deployed throughout the world, they must frequently make use of local, existing facilities; it is inevitable that some of these will be load bearing unreinforced masonry (URM) structures. Although generally suitable for conventional design loads, load bearing URM presents a unique hazard, with respect to collapse, when exposed to blast loading. There is therefore a need to study the blast resistance of load bearing URM construction in order to better protect US citizens assigned to dangerous locales. To address this, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte conducted three blast tests inside a decommissioned, coal-fired, power plant prior to its scheduled demolition. The power plant’s walls were constructed of URM and provided an excellent opportunity to study the response of URM walls in-situ. Post-test analytical studies investigated the ability of existing blast load prediction methodologies to model the case of a cylindrical charge with a low height of burst. It was found that even for the relatively simple blast chamber geometries of these tests, simplified analysis methods predicted blast impulses with an average net error of 22%. The study suggested that existing simplified analysis methods would benefit from additional development to better predict blast loads from cylinders detonated near the ground’s surface. A hydrocode, CTH, was also used to perform two and three-
Pathogenic Molecular Mechanisms in Periodontitis and Peri-Implantitis: Role of Advanced Glycation End Products

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), the products of the non-enzymatic oxidation of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, are accumulated in periodontal tissues under hyperglycemic conditions such as Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and are responsible for sustained periodontal destruction. AGEs mediate their intracellular effects either directly or indirectly through receptor binding (via RAGE) in all types of periodontal ligament cells (osteocytes, gingival fibroblasts, stem cells, epithelial cells), indicating an important target for intervention. In combination with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), the negative impact of AGEs on periodontal tissue is further enhanced and accentuated. In addition, AGE accumulation is evident in peri-implantitis, yet through different underlying molecular mechanisms. Novel therapeutic approaches targeting the effects of AGEs in periodontal ligament cells show beneficial effects in pre-clinical studies. Herein, we provide evidence on the detrimental role of AGE accumulation in oral cavity tissues and their associated signaling pathways in periodontitis and peri-implantitis to further highlight the significance of oral or topical use of AGE blockers or inhibitors along with dental biofilms’ removal and DM regulation in patients’ management.