Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the criminals exposed to inter-partner violence and child abuse: A case–control study

Introduction: There are numerous studies on the intergenerational transmission of violence and criminal acts. However, the role of the confounding factors has been suggested as social and contextual factors. This study investigated whether violent criminals are more exposed to both their parents' inter-partner violence (IPV) and their own childhood abuse in comparison to noncriminal people after controlling for potentially confounding factors. Methods: This is a retrospective study on 101 Iranian young medical students at the Qazvin University of Medical Science (control) and 98 young adults who have been imprisoned in Choobindar prison due to violent crimes. Two groups have been assessed by Adult Recall Version of The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales: CTS2-CA and CTSPC-CA questionnaires. Results: Logistic regression of IPV and demographic variables showed that exp(β) for father's and mother's education in criminals is 0.307 and 0.203, respectively. Father's and mother's education were significant predictors of inter-partner violence among criminals with odds ratio of 0.24 and 0.29, respectively. Furthermore, childhood psychological aggregation and neglect are meaningful factors. Conclusion: After controlling for potentially confounding risk factors, multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that a history of witness IPV is not associated with the criminal act. The family context is important which they grew up in, such as mother's and father's education. Many criminal acts are the result of a combination of several factors, such as psychological, educational, cultural, social, and economic factors.
Bilateral Gait Six and Twelve Months Post-ACL Reconstruction Compared to Controls.

PURPOSE To compare gait biomechanics throughout stance phase 6 and 12 months following unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) between ACLR and contralateral limbs and compared to controls. METHODS Vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), knee flexion angle (KFA), and internal knee extension moment (KEM) were collected bilaterally 6 and 12 months post-ACLR in 30 individuals (50% female, 22±3 years, body mass index [BMI]=23.8±2.2kg/m) and at a single time point in 30 matched uninjured controls (50% female, 22±4 years, BMI=23.6±2.1kg/m). Functional analyses of variance were used to evaluate the effects of limb (ACLR, contralateral, and control) and time (6 and 12 months) on biomechanical outcomes throughout stance. RESULTS Compared to the uninjured controls, the ACLR group demonstrated bilaterally lesser vGRF (ACLR=9%BW, contralateral=4%BW) during early stance and greater vGRF during mid-stance (ACLR=5%BW, contralateral=4%BW) 6 months post-ACLR. Compared to the uninjured controls, the ACLR group demonstrated bilaterally lesser vGRF (ACLR=10%BW, contralateral=8%BW) during early stance and greater vGRF during mid-stance (ACLR=5%BW, contralateral=5%BW) 12 months post-ACLR. Compared to controls, the ACLR limb demonstrated lesser KFA during early stance at 6 (2.3°) and 12 months post-ACLR (2.0°), and the contralateral limb demonstrated lesser KFA during early stance at 12 months post-ACLR (2.8°). Compared to controls, the ACLR limb demonstrated lesser KEM during early stance at both 6 (0.011BW*height) and 12 months (0.007BW*height) post-ACLR, and the contralateral limb demonstrated lesser KEM during early stance only at 12 months (0.006BW*height). CONCLUSION Walking biomechanics are altered bilaterally following ACLR. During the first 12 months post-ACLR, both the ACLR and contralateral limbs demonstrate biomechanical differences compared to control limbs. Differences between the contralateral and control limbs increase from 6 to 12 months post-ACLR. Key Terms: Vertical ground reaction force, knee flexion angle, knee extension moment, walking biomechanics, anterior cruciate ligament.
Workplace-Related Interpersonal Group Psychotherapy to Improve Life at Work in Individuals With Major Depressive Disorders: A Randomized Interventional Pilot Study

Objectives Individuals suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) often report workplace-related stress as the major cause of their disorder. Accordingly, workplace-related stress was established as a fifth psychosocial problem area of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (workplace-related Interpersonal Psychotherapy, W-IPT). The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of W-IPT on depressive symptoms and on workplace-related issues in individuals with MDD compared to a treatment-as-usual (TAU) condition. Methods A total of 27 individuals with MDD (mean age = 43 years, 48% males) were randomly assigned either to eight weekly group sessions of W-IPT or to the TAU condition. At baseline, 8 weeks later at the end of the intervention, and 20 weeks later at follow-up, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was conducted. In addition, the participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the Work Ability Index (WAI), the Return to Work Attitude (RTW-SE), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results Symptoms of depression in experts' ratings as well as in self-rated ratings decreased over time, but more so in the W-IPT condition compared to the TAU condition [experts rating: large effect size (d = 1.25) and self-assessment: large effect sizes (d = 0.94)]. The subjective ability to work (WAI) [medium effect size (d = 0.68)], self-efficacy to returning to work RTW-SE [medium effect size (d = 0.57)], and subjective symptoms of insomnia (ISI) [large effect size (d = 1.15)] increased over time, but again more so in the W-IPT condition compared to the TAU condition. The effects of the intervention remained stable from the end of the intervention to follow-up. Conclusions The pattern of results of this pilot study suggests that a newly established fifth IPT focus on workplace-related stress appeared to be particularly efficient in individuals with MDD due to work-related stress in reducing depressive symptoms and reducing sleep complaints as well as in improving occupational outcomes.
Oscillometric Blood Pressure Profile of Adolescent Secondary School Students in Abakaliki Metropolis

Context: Adolescence is characterized by a tremendous pace in growth, biological, and psychosocial changes. This may translate to rapid increases in anthropometric parameters and indulgence in youth risk behaviors, and these are the risk factors for arterial hypertension (HTN). Aim: This study aimed to determine the oscillometric blood pressure (BP) profile of apparently healthy secondary school adolescents in Abakaliki metropolis and its relationship with sex and anthropometric variables. Subjects and Methods: This multistage process selected 2401 students among those aged 10–19 years spanning from August 2015 to January 2016. BP was measured using the oscillometric method. Information on modifiable risk factors for HTN was obtained. Anthropometric parameters were measured. Data were analyzed with Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and correlation analysis. Results: The mean age (years) of the study population was 15.12 ± 2.29. The mean systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were 106.72 ± 11.37 mmHg and 63.60 ± 7.34 mmHg, respectively. Females had significantly higher mean DBP but with no significant gender difference in mean SBP. The means of anthropometric parameters were 49.19 ± 10.28 kg, 1.54 ± 0.10 m, and 20.46 ± 2.86 kg/m2 for weight, height, and body mass index, respectively, and all showed significant gender differences, with females having higher values except for height. A relatively low rate of indulgence in alcohol use compared to another study in the same region as well as a significant association of alcohol use among those found to have HTN was noted. The prevalence of HTN was 4.6%, which was significantly higher in females. Conclusions: Routine BP monitoring is recommended for adolescents, especially those with prevailing risk factors including a family history of HTN, obesity, and substance and alcohol misuse. Early detection will help in mitigating the effect of these cardiovascular risk factors.
Preparation of High-Performance CdS@C Catalyst Using Cd-Enriched Biochar Recycled From Plating Wastewater

Biochar is widely used for the adsorptive removal of Cd from water and soil, but the Cd-enriched biochar produced carries a risk of secondary pollution. In this work, biochar derived from rice straw was used to adsorb Cd from plating wastewater. The Cd-enriched biochar showed a saturated adsorption capacity of about 63.5 mg/g and could be recycled and used in a mesoporous carbon-supported CdS (CdS@C) photocatalyst after pyrolysis carbonization and a hydrothermal reaction. The results demonstrated that the as-prepared CdS@C photocatalyst contained mixed cubic and hexagonal CdS phases, with a considerably lower band gap (2.1 eV) than pure CdS (2.6 eV). CdS@C exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of organic dyes under visible light irradiation compared with pure CdS due to its excellent light-harvesting capacity and efficient electron-hole separation. Moreover, the continuous formation of active species (h+, •OH, and O2•−) was responsible for the photodegradation of organic dyes using CdS@C. This work provides new insights for the safe disposal of Cd-enriched wastewater and for improving the economic viability of Cd-contaminated resources by recovering a value-added photocatalyst.
Effects of Expectancy on Cognitive Performance, Mood, and Psychophysiology in Healthy Adolescents and Their Parents in an Experimental Study

Objective Placebo effects on cognitive performance and mood and their underlying mechanisms have rarely been investigated in adolescents. Therefore, the following hypotheses were investigated with an experimental paradigm: (1) placebo effects could be larger in adolescents than in adults, (2) parents’ expectations influence their adolescents’ expectations and placebo effects, and (3) a decrease in stress levels could be an underlying mechanism of placebo effects. Methods Twenty-six healthy adolescents (13.8 ± 1.6 years, 14 girls) each with a parent (45.5 ± 4.2 years, 17 mothers) took part in an experimental within-subjects study. On two occasions, a transdermal patch was applied to their hips and they received an envelope containing either the information that it is a Ginkgo patch to improve cognitive performance and mood, or it is an inactive placebo patch, in counterbalanced order. Cognitive performance and mood were assessed with a parametric Go/No-Go task (PGNG), a modification of California Verbal Learning Test, and Profile of Mood Scales (POMS). Subjects rated their expectations about Ginkgo’s effects before patch application as well as their subjective assessment of its effects after the tests. An electrocardiogram and skin conductance levels (SCLs) were recorded and root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), high-frequency power (HF), and the area under the curve of the SCL (AUC) were analyzed as psychophysiological stress markers. Results Expectations did not differ between adolescents and parents and were correlated concerning reaction times only. Overall, expectations did not influence placebo effects. There was only one significant placebo effect on the percentage of correct inhibited trials in one level of the PGNG in adolescents, but not in parents. RMSSD and HF significantly increased, and AUC decreased from pre- to post-patch application in adolescents, but not in parents. Conclusion With this experimental paradigm, we could not induce relevant placebo effects in adolescents and parents. This could be due to aspects of the study design such as application form and substance, and that healthy subjects were employed. Nevertheless, we could show that adolescents are more sensitive to psychophysiological reactions related with interventions which could be part of the underlying mechanisms of placebo effects in adolescents.
Characteristics of Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae: Does Low Expression of rmpA Contribute to the Absence of Hypervirulence?

Multidrug-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDR-hvKP) has been increasingly reported and is now recognized as a significant threat to public health; however, characterization of MDR-hvKP has not been systematically investigated. In the present study, 124 of 428 (28.92%) K. pneumoniae clinical isolates collected from January 2010 to December 2016 were identified with aerobactin and defined as hvKP; these included 94 non-MDR-KP, 20 extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae (ESBL-KP), and 10 carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CR-KP) isolates. The remaining 304 isolates without presence of virulence factor aerobactin were defined as classic K. pneumoniae (cKP). The antimicrobial resistance rate of cKP was significantly higher than that of the hvKP isolates in the non-MDR-KP group, but showed no significant differences in the ESBL-KP and CR-KP groups. The detection frequencies of capsular serotype K1 (magA), hypermucoviscosity, sequence type 23 (ST23), and the virulence gene rmpA were significantly higher in the hvKP than cKP isolates in all three groups (P < 0.05). Most of the hypervirulent ESBL-KP and CR-KP isolates were K non-typeable (16/30) and harbored at least one gene for virulence (26/30). The hypervirulent ESBL-KP isolates primarily carried blaCTX–M (12/20, 60%) genes, and the hypervirulent CR-KP isolates mainly carried blaNDM–1 (8/10, 80%) genes. Moreover, three hypervirulent ESBL-KP and two hypervirulent CR-KP isolates showed resistance to tigecycline but were sensitive to colistin. The transcriptional levels of rmpA in cKP were much lower than that in hvKP isolates in all three groups. Furthermore, overexpression of rmpA in the rmpA-low-expression cKP isolates could enhance bacterial virulence in the mouse infection experiment. In conclusion, our data suggest that the capsular serotype K1 (magA), rmpA, hypermucoviscosity, and ST23 were strongly associated with hvKP in non-MDR-KP, ESBL-KP, and CR-KP groups, and low rmpA expression levels contributed to the absence of hypervirulent phenotype.
Gamma Oryzanol Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Anxiety-Like Behaviors Through Downregulation of Dopamine and Inflammation in the Amygdala of Mice

Background A high-fat diet (HFD) can induce obesity and metabolic disorders that are closely associated with cognitive impairments, and the progression of several psychiatric disorders such as anxiety. We have previously demonstrated the anxiolytic-like effect of Gamma oryzanol (GORZ) in chronic restraint stressed mice. Objective We studied the neurochemical and molecular mechanisms that underlie the preventive effect of GORZ in HFD-induced anxiety-like behaviors, monoaminergic dysfunction, and inflammation. Methods Eight-week-old Institute of Cancer (ICR) male mice weighing 33–34 g were divided into the following groups and free-fed for 8 weeks: control (14% casein, AIN 93M); HFD; HFD + GORZ (0.5% GORZ). Body weight gain was checked weekly. The anxiolytic-like effects of GORZ were examined via open-field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Brain levels of monoamines [5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and norepinephrine (NE)] and their metabolites [5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG)], proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-αα (Tnf-α) mRNA levels, and interleukin 1-β (Il-1β) mRNA levels in the cerebral cortex and amygdala were examined using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD), and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. Results Mice fed a HFD for eight weeks showed anxiety-like behaviors in association with HFD-induced body weight gain. GORZ potentially blocked HFD-induced anxiety-like behaviors via significant improvement of the primary behavioral parameters in behavioral tests, with a minor reduction in HFD-induced body weight gain. Furthermore, GORZ treatment significantly downregulated HFD-induced upregulation of dopamine levels in the brain's amygdala. Significant reduction of the relative mRNA expression of Tnf-α and Il-1 β was also observed in the amygdala of HFD + GORZ mice, compared to HFD mice. Conclusions Our findings strongly suggest that 0.5% GORZ exerts anxiolytic-like effects, possibly through downregulation of dopamine, and via expression of proinflammatory cytokines Tnf-α and Il-1 β in the case of chronic HFD exposure.
Dark Times: The Role of Negative Reinforcement in Methamphetamine Addiction

Methamphetamine use is associated with substantial adverse outcomes including poor mental and physical health, financial difficulties, and societal costs. Despite deleterious long-term consequences associated with methamphetamine, many people use drugs for short-term reduction of unpleasant physical or emotional sensations. By removing these aversive states, drug use behaviors are negatively reinforced. Abstinence from methamphetamine can then result in a return to previous aversive emotional states linked to withdrawal and craving, often contributing to an increased likelihood for relapse. This negative reinforcement cycle is hypothesized to be a motivating and maintaining factor for addiction. Thus, this review highlights the current evidence for negative reinforcement mechanisms in methamphetamine use disorder by integrating studies of subjective experience, behavior, functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and event-related potentials and examining the efficacy of treatments targeting aspects of negative reinforcement. Overall, the literature demonstrates that individuals who use methamphetamine have diminished cognitive control and process emotions, loss of reward, and interoceptive information differently than non-using individuals. These differences are reflected in behavioral and subjective experiments as well as brain-based experiments which report significant differences in various frontal regions, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and striatum. Together, the results suggest methamphetamine users have an altered experience of negative outcomes, difficulties employing effective emotion regulation, and difficulty engaging in adaptive or goal-directed decision-making. Suggestions for future research to improve our understanding of how negative reinforcement contributes to methamphetamine addiction and to develop effective interventions are provided.
Interhemispheric and Intrahemispheric Connectivity From the Left Pars Opercularis Within the Language Network Is Modulated by Transcranial Stimulation in Healthy Subjects

Neural activity related to language can be modulated within widespread networks following learning or in response to disruption—including the experimental application of noninvasive brain stimulation. However, the spatiotemporal characteristics of such modulation remain insufficiently explored. The present study combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to explore the modulation of activity across the language network following continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) of the left pars opercularis. In 10 healthy subjects (21 ± 2 years old, four females), neuronavigated cTBS was delivered over the left pars opercularis of the frontal operculum (part of the traditional Broca’s area) at 80% of active motor threshold (AMT) stimulation intensity. Real cTBS and sham cTBS were performed in two different visits separated by at least 48 h. Before, immediately, and 10 min after cTBS, 30 single pulses of TMS were delivered to the left pars opercularis at 80% of the resting motor threshold (RMT), whereas EEG was simultaneously recorded. We examined the cTBS-induced modulation of phase locking values (PLVs) between the TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs) recorded over the pars opercularis and those recorded over its right-hemispheric homolog area, the left supramarginal area, and the left superior temporal area in different EEG frequency bands and different time windows following cTBS. cTBS to the left pars opercularis induced within the gamma band: (1) a significant increase in TEP phase synchronization between the left and right pars opercularis at an early time window (250–350 ms) following cTBS; and (2) significantly increased PLV with the left supramarginal area and the left superior temporal area at a later time window (600–700 ms). In the theta and delta band, cTBS to the left pars opercularis induced significantly increased phase synchronization of TEPs between the left pars opercularis and the posterior left hemispheric language areas at a late time window. In sham condition, there was a significant decrease in TEP phase synchronization of the high beta band between left pars opercularis and left superior temporal area at 200–300 ms. These results contribute to characterize the dynamics of the language network and may have implications in the development of noninvasive stimulation protocols to promote the language rehabilitation in aphasia patients.
The Petrified Self 10 Years After: Current Evidence for Mnemonic anosognosia

Lack of awareness about disease, its symptoms and consequences, also termed anosognosia, is a common feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It has been hypothesized that memory disorder may be a key contributing factor to anosognosia, with people with AD not being able to update their personal information about performance and relying on older consolidated material about ability. This potentially outdated sense of self has been named, as a metaphor, the petrified self. In the current review, evidence from the past 10 years in relation to this concept is critically appraised. In particular, focus is given to empirical evidence produced on anterograde memory deficits about performance, the profile of autobiographical retrograde memory loss and the role of frontal lobes in anosognosia in AD. Finally, wider consequences of this metaphor for the understanding of selfhood in dementia are discussed.
Particle-Based Adaptive Discretization for Continuous Control using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Learning controls in high-dimensional continuous action spaces, such as controlling the movements of highly articulated agents and robots, has long been a standing challenge to model-free deep reinforcement learning (DRL). In this paper we propose a general, yet simple, framework for improving the action exploration of policy gradient DRL algorithms. Our approach adapts ideas from the particle filtering literature to dynamically discretize the continuous action space and track policies represented as a mixture of Gaussians. We demonstrate the applicability of our approach on state-of-the-art DRL baselines in challenging high-dimensional motor tasks involving articulated agents. We show that our adaptive particle-based discretization leads to improved final performance and speed of convergence as compared to uniform discretization schemes and to corresponding implementations in continuous action spaces, highlighting the importance of exploration. In addition, the resulting policies are more stable, exhibiting less variance across different training trials.