Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Attachment, Insecurity, and Stress in Partner Maltreatment: A Meta-Analysis

Negative, destructive, and abusive behaviors in romantic relationships can vary from explicit kinds of abuse and aggression to more subtle and seemingly innocuous slights against or ways of treating a partner. However, regardless of the severity or explicit nature, these behaviors all, to one extent or another, reflect acts of invalidation, disrespect, aggression, or neglect toward a partner, and could be considered maltreatment of a partner. The current paper proposes the term partner maltreatment as a broad overarching concept, which was used to facilitate a meta-analytic synthesis of the literature to examine the associations between attachment insecurity (i.e., attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance) and perpetration of partner maltreatment. Additionally, this paper situated partner maltreatment within an attachment-based diathesis-stress perspective to explore the moderating role of stress. Five databases were systematically searched for published and unpublished studies that examined the direct association between perpetrator’s adult attachment orientation and perpetration of partner maltreatment behaviors. We synthesized effect sizes from 139 studies (N = 38,472) and found the effect between attachment insecurity and acts of partner maltreatment varied between r = . 11 to . 21. Our findings provide meta-analytic evidence to suggest that attachment insecurity is a significant individual vulnerability factor (diathesis) associated with partner maltreatment; and that when individuals with an insecure attachment orientation experience stress, the tendency to perpetrate partner maltreatment is typically heightened. The findings of this meta-analysis provide empirical evidence for the importance of considering and addressing contextual factors, especially stress, for those individuals and couples seeking therapy for partner maltreatment.
Assessing the Risk of Prostate Cancer with Nutritional and Environmental Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2010

Abstract Screening for prostate cancer (PCa) using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is common. This study aimed to identify potential nutritional variables associated with PSA levels and develop a PCa risk prediction model. A total of 5,725 participants from the 2001–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database were recruited and divided into discovery and validation sets. Three machine learning (ML) algorithms were performed in discovery set to select features associated with a high-risk PSA level. Age, red blood cell (RBC), blood cholesterol, blood lead, and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were overlapping important contributors among the three ML models. Furthermore, the relationship between the selected variables and the high-risk PSA level was verified using weighted logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves. After adjustment, age and blood lead were significantly positively associated with high-risk PSA, while PNI was significantly negatively associated with high-risk PSA. A nomogram including age, RBC, blood cholesterol, and PNI was constructed for predicting the PCa risk according to PSA levels, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of discovery and validation sets was 0.755 and 0.756, respectively. The constructed nomogram may be used for targeted PSA testing and cancer screening in community healthcare.
Decay-Accelerating Factor Restrains Complement Activation and Delays Progression of Murine cBSA-Induced Membranous Nephropathy

Key Points In a murine model of cationic bovine serum albumin (cBSA)–induced membranous nephropathy (MN), complement regulator decay-accelerating factor is upregulated and restrains complement activation. Studies using genetic deletion or pharmacological antagonism of C3aR indicate that the main effector mechanism of complement activation in cBSA-induced MN is C3a/C3aR signaling. C3a formation and/or C3aR-mediated signaling represent promising targets for hypothesis-driven therapies for MN. Background Complement activation is believed to play a major pathogenic role in membranous nephropathy (MN), but its effector mechanisms are still unclear. Even less investigated is the role of podocyte-expressed complement regulators, including decay-accelerating factor (DAF) in disease pathophysiology. Methods We induced MN by serial injections of cationic bovine serum albumin (cBSA) in WT, DAF−/−, and C3aR−/− BALB/c mice and measured disease severity (by albuminuria, BUN, serum albumin, and glomerular histologic changes) and signs of complement activation in the glomeruli (immunofluorescence for C1q, C3b, and membrane attack complex). We also treated DAF−/− mice with cBSA-induced MN with a selective C3aR antagonist and measured the same readouts. Results cBSA-induced MN was associated with increased glomerular expression of DAF. Genetic deletion of DAF resulted in increased complement activation and higher disease severity than in WT animals. Treating cBSA-injected DAF−/− mice with a C3aR antagonist reduced disease severity. Similarly, C3aR−/− animals were protected from cBSA-induced MN, despite IgG deposition in the glomeruli and complement activation. Evidence of C1q and C3b deposition in the glomeruli of these mice suggest that IgG-cBSA immune complex formation in the glomeruli activates complement through the classical pathway. Conclusions On cBSA-induced injury, podocytes upregulate DAF expression, which restrains complement activation. However, after prolonged injury, complement activation overcomes DAF regulatory effects leading to the formation of soluble anaphylatoxin C3a that, by signaling through C3aR, promotes glomerular injury and cBSA-induced MN disease progression. Considering the growing number of complement targeting therapies, our findings may have major translational effect on the treatment of patients with MN.
Phenotypic trait variations in the frog Nanorana parkeri: differing adaptive strategies to altitude between sexes

Abstract. In many animals, changes in altitude drive adaptive variation in body size. However, how other phenotypic traits change when faced with different environments has been little studied in ectotherms. In this study, we selected the high Himalaya frog Nanorana parkeri as a model species for investigating the adaptive evolution of phenotypic traits that respond to altitude in both sexes. First, we found that body mass in populations at higher altitudes was lower than at lower altitudes in females, with no difference observed in males. Second, we found significant differences in fresh liver mass, fresh heart mass, and the ratio of liver mass to body mass with increasing altitude, while hindlimb length decreased with altitude in both sexes. Third, snout-urostyle length, hindlimb length, fresh heart mass and the ratio of heart mass to body mass showed significant negative correlations with increasing altitude in both sexes. In contrast, body mass showed a significant correlation with altitude in females but not males. On the other hand, the ratio of liver mass to body mass showed a significant correlation with altitude in males but not in females. Thus, the species displayed sex-specific organ-size variation along elevation gradients, which may trade-off in life history strategies among populations. We speculate that selection favours a larger heart and liver mass to maintain a higher respiratory rate and energy consumption as an adaptation to high-altitude environments.
Needs for care of residents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and association with daily activities and mood monitored with experience sampling method: the DIAPASON study

Abstract Aims Care needs represent an essential paradigm in planning residential facility (RF) interventions. However, possible disagreements between users and staff are critical issues in service delivery. The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) tracks experiences in the real world and real time. This study aimed to evaluate the care needs of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) in RFs and its association with daily activities and mood monitored using the ESM. Methods As part of the DIAPASON project, 313 residents with SSD were recruited from 99 Italian RFs. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. Care needs, the severity of symptomatology and negative symptoms were assessed. Fifty-six residents were also assessed for 7 consecutive days using the mobile ESM. Descriptive, agreement, predictor and moderator analyses were conducted. Results The staff rated a higher number of total and met needs than service users (p < 0.001). Only a slight agreement between users and staff on unmet needs was found in self-care (k = 0.106) and information (k = 0.100) needs, while a moderate agreement was found in accommodation (k = 0.484), food (k = 0.406), childcare (k = 0.530), physical health (k = 0.470), telephone (k = 0.458) and transport (k = 0.425) needs. Older age (−0.15; p < 0.01), longer SSD diagnosis (−0.16; p < 0.01), higher collaboration (−0.16; p < 0.01) and lower symptomatology (−0.16; p < 0.01) decreased the number of unmet needs, while being a female (0.27; p < 0.05) and a shorter length of stay in an RF (0.54; p < 0.001) increased the number of unmet needs. A higher number of unmet needs was associated with a lower amount of time spent in leisure activities or reporting a positive mood: on the contrary, more unmet needs were associated with a greater amount of time spent in religious or non-productive activities. The associations between unmet needs rated by staff and users and momentary mood as assessed using the ESM were not moderated by the severity of symptomatology. Conclusions Although care needs are fundamental in planning residential activities aimed at recovery-oriented rehabilitation, RF interventions did not fully meet users' needs, and some disagreements on unmet needs between users and staff were reported. Further efforts are necessary to overcome Italian RF limits in delivering rehabilitative interventions defined by real users' needs to facilitate users' productivity and progress towards personal recovery.
Intermittent swimming of two self-propelled flexible fins with laterally constrained heaving motions in a side-by-side configuration

Abstract Inspired by the intermittent locomotion of fish schools, numerical simulations are performed with two self-propelled flexible fins in a side-by-side configuration with anti-phase oscillation actuated by laterally constrained heaving motions. For an intermittent swimming gait, one type of the half-tail-beating mode (HT mode) and two types of multiple-tail-beating modes coasting at the smallest (MTS mode) and largest (MTL mode) lateral gap distances are applied. Similar to the continuous-tail-beating mode (CT mode), equilibrium lateral gap distances between two fins with HT and MTL modes exist, whereas two fins with MTS mode do not maintain a lateral equilibrium state. Although the cycle-averaged lateral force acting on two fins with CT and MTL modes is mostly determined by an outward deflected jet and enhanced positive pressure between two fins, an added-mass lateral force related to an asymmetric flapping kinematics by passive flexibility also plays an important role in MTL mode to achieve a stable state with a lateral gap distance smaller than that in CT mode. When the cruising speed or the cycle-averaged input power is identical in a stable state, the cost of transport (COT) for two fins with MTL mode is smaller than that with CT mode due to not only a benefit from the intermittent swimming gait but also an enhanced schooling benefit with a small equilibrium lateral gap distance. The COT for two fins with CT mode is reduced further when the bending rigidity increases, whereas it is opposite with MTL mode.
A wearable real-time kinetic measurement sensor setup for human locomotion

Abstract Current laboratory-based setups (optical marker cameras + force plates) for human motion measurement require participants to stay in a constrained capture region which forbids rich movement types. This study established a fully wearable system, based on commercially available sensors (inertial measurement units + pressure insoles), that can measure both kinematic and kinetic motion data simultaneously and support wireless frame-by-frame streaming. In addition, its capability and accuracy were tested against a conventional laboratory-based setup. An experiment was conducted, with 9 participants wearing the wearable measurement system and performing 13 daily motion activities, from slow walking to fast running, together with vertical jump, squat, lunge, and single-leg landing, inside the capture space of the laboratory-based motion capture system. The recorded sensor data were post-processed to obtain joint angles, ground reaction forces (GRFs), and joint torques (via multi-body inverse dynamics). Compared to the laboratory-based system, the established wearable measurement system can measure accurate information of all lower limb joint angles (Pearson’s r = 0.929), vertical GRFs (Pearson’s r = 0.954), and ankle joint torques (Pearson’s r = 0.917). Center of pressure (CoP) in the anterior–posterior direction and knee joint torques were fairly matched (Pearson’s r = 0.683 and 0.612, respectively). Calculated hip joint torques and measured medial–lateral CoP did not match with the laboratory-based system (Pearson’s r = 0.21 and 0.47, respectively). Furthermore, both raw and processed datasets are openly accessible (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6457662). Documentation, data processing codes, and guidelines to establish the real-time wearable kinetic measurement system are also shared (https://github.com/HuaweiWang/WearableMeasurementSystem).
Press H to Help: The Impact of Prosocial Video Games on Prosocial Behaviors by Exposure Time

Research in multiple fields have examined how video games shape behavior. Specifically, one area of research indicates that prosocial video game play (game play that features helping as a core mechanic) impacts subsequent prosocial behaviors, affect, and accessibility of prosocial thoughts relative to neutral game play with no helping behavior. Exposure time in this past research has varied, so we executed an experiment that both replicates this existing line of research in terms of comparing different games and adds the dimension of exposure time. Differences between the prosocial gaming and control groups were assessed, while correcting for trait altruism and aggression. There were no significant differences between participants in control conditions and those that played the prosocial game, though some variables trended in expected directions. Additionally, exposure time had little impact on participant behavior. Therefore, researchers may not need to be concerned about short-term exposure time variance.
Not Tekken Seriously? How Observers Respond to Masculine and Feminine Voices in Videogame Streamers

As many games are centered around challenges, the gaming community is often considered to be a meritocracy where everyone is judged based on performance; however, research has challenged this assumption for players with marginalized identities, such as women. We discuss literature on gender stereotypes in gaming and present a study examining whether the same game footage (Tekken 6) is judged equally by participants when the player has a feminine or a masculine voice. 240 participants watched one of four videos (feminine/winning; masculine/winning; feminine/losing; or masculine/losing) and rated the player along several dimensions. Our results show that player ratings depended on voice and match outcome. The feminine voice was rated as less sympathetic when winning as compared to losing and rated as equally skilled in both outcome conditions. In contrast, the masculine voice was rated as equally sympathetic in both outcome conditions, but more skilled in the winning than losing condition.
Lode Enhancer: Level Co-creation Through Scaling

We explore AI-powered upscaling as a design assistance tool in the context of creating 2D game levels. Deep neural networks are used to upscale artificially downscaled patches of levels from the puzzle platformer game Lode Runner. The trained networks are incorporated into a web-based editor, where the user can create and edit levels at three different levels of resolution: 4x4, 8x8, and 16x16. An edit at any resolution instantly transfers to the other resolutions. As upscaling requires inventing features that might not be present at lower resolutions, we train neural networks to reproduce these features. We introduce a neural network architecture that is capable of not only learning upscaling but also giving higher priority to less frequent tiles. To investigate the potential of this tool and guide further development, we conduct a qualitative study with 3 designers to understand how they use it. Designers enjoyed co-designing with the tool, liked its underlying concept, and provided feedback for further improvement.
Physiological-Based Difficulty Assessment for Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Games

This paper proposes an empirical framework that aims to classify difficulty according to the player’s physiological response. As part of the experimental protocol, a simple puzzle-based Virtual Reality (VR) videogame with three levels of difficulty was developed, each targeting a distinct region of the valence-arousal space. A study involving 32 participants was conducted, during which physiological responses (EDA, ECG, Respiration), were measured alongside emotional ratings, which were self-assessed using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) during gameplay. Statistical analysis of the self-reports verified the effectiveness of the three levels in eliciting different emotions. Furthermore, classification using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) was performed to predict difficulty considering the physiological responses associated with each level. Results report an overall F1-score of 74.05% in detecting the three levels of difficulty, which validates the adopted methodology and encourages further research with a larger dataset.
Public depression stigma does not vary by symptom severity

Abstract Background Previous studies on public depression stigma did not include different severity levels and thus, did not adequately consider the continuum notion of depressive disorders. Aims We address the following research questions: 1. Are there differences in public depression stigma according to different severity levels? 2. Is stigma associated with sociodemographic characteristics, experience with depressive symptoms, and symptom severity? Methods Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted in winter 2019/2020 in Germany (N = 1009). Three vignettes representing mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms were used. Three indicators of stigma were assessed: negative stereotypes, anger reactions, and desire for social distance. Age, sex, education, and experience with depression (own affliction, contact) were additionally introduced into multiple linear regression analyses. Results Overall, negative stereotypes, anger reactions, and desire for social distance do not significantly vary by depression symptom severity. All components of depression stigma showed positive associations with age, while anger was negatively associated with experiences. Conclusions Our results do not indicate that public depression stigma is more pronounced when symptoms are more severe. Conclusion is ambivalent: Persons with severe depression do not seem to be additionally burdened by increased stigma, but the German public holds stigmatizing attitudes even towards individuals with mild depressive symptoms.
Metabolic signatures of cardiorenal dysfunction in plasma from sickle cell patients as a function of therapeutic transfusion and hydroxyurea treatment

Metabolomics studies in sickle cell disease (SCD) have been so far limited to tens of samples, owing to technical and experimental limitations. To overcome these limitations, we performed plasma metabolomics analyses on 596 samples from patients with SCD enrolled in the WALK-PHaSST study (clinicaltrials gov. Identifier: NCT00492531). Clinical covariates informed the biological interpretation of metabolomics data, including genotypes (hemoglobin [Hb] SS, hemoglobin SC), history of recent transfusion (HbA%), response to hydroxyurea treatment (fetal Hb%). We investigated metabolic correlates to the degree of intravascular hemolysis, cardiorenal function, as determined by tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and overall hazard ratio (unadjusted or adjusted by age). Recent transfusion events or hydroxyurea treatment were associated with elevation in plasma-free fatty acids and decreases in acyl-carnitines, urate, kynurenine, indoles, carboxylic acids, and glycine- or taurine-conjugated bile acids. High levels of these metabolites, along with low levels of plasma S1P and L-arginine were identified as top markers of hemolysis, cardiorenal function (TRV, eGFR), and overall hazard ratio. We thus uploaded all omics and clinical data on a novel online portal that we used to identify a potential mechanism of dysregulated red cell S1P synthesis and export as a contributor to the more severe clinical manifestations in patients with the SS genotype compared to SC. In conclusion, plasma metabolic signatures - including low S1P, arginine and elevated kynurenine, acyl-carnitines and bile acids - are associated with clinical manifestation and therapeutic efficacy in SCD patients, suggesting new avenues for metabolic interventions in this patient population.