Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thought contagion theory and terrorism in the media

Terrorism continues to cause fear and anxiety far beyond the cities where it occurs. Amongst the variety of theories that attempt to explain this is that offered in thought contagion theory. Many people living in Australia’s major cities believe that terrorism poses a significant threat. This is despite no significant act of terrorism ever occurring on the Australian homeland. Australians have witnessed terrorism occur in New York, London, Madrid, recently Mumbai and, of course, twice in Bali. The possibility of it occurring here has lead to public fear and anxiety, increased stress, and a culture fuelled by a national security obsession. The mass media and the ease with which people stay informed and communicate with one another means the threat posed by terrorism is reinforced daily. For the media consuming public terrorism is a popular concept. As such, fear of terrorism in Australia is intense, held by many, and is likely to continue to be a social problem in the foreseeable future. This paper discusses thought contagion theory and its importance in understanding the threat of terrorism. Analysis of popular media is conducted and the role of perception leaders as contagion thought creators is examined. The threat of terrorism has significant consequences in many parts of the world. Devastating attacks carried out in New York and Washington, Bali and Jakarta, Madrid, London, and Mumbai have created fearful populations in the world’s major cities. Whilst many agree that it is reasonable for people living in already targeted cities to be fearful of terrorism, is it less reasonable for people in distant cities to feel intense fear and dread from the threat of terrorism? In Australia terrorism is only a remote possibility yet politicians, the media, and the public often argue that terrorism poses an immediate
Effect of Metabolic Syndrome on Late‐Life Depression: Associations with Disease Severity and Treatment Resistance

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is the co‐occurrence of obesity and metabolic derangements. Prior research implicates MetS in prolongation of the course of depression in older adults, but its effect on antidepressant response is unknown in this population. The objective was to determine whether MetS and related metabolic dyscrasias are associated with decreased rate of remission from depression in older adults treated pharmacologically for depression.
Anaemia and iron deficiency between 2003 and 2007 in Amazonian children under 2 years of age: trends and associated factors

Abstract Objective To describe trends in the prevalence of anaemia and Fe deficiency in children under 2 years of age living in a town in western Brazilian Amazonia. Design Temporal analysis of two cross-sectional population-based surveys. Information on socio-economic status, morbidity and breast-feeding was obtained using a structured questionnaire. Child weight and length were measured for anthropometric evaluation. Concentrations of blood Hb, plasma ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor were measured. Setting The town of Acrelândia, state of Acre, north-west Brazil. Subjects A total of 170 and 224 participants of the 2003 and 2007 surveys, respectively. Results Comparison between the 2003 and 2007 surveys revealed no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of anaemia (48 (95 % CI 39, 56) % to 40 (95 % CI 33, 47) %) or Fe-deficiency anaemia (39 (95 % CI 30, 48) % to 37 (95 % CI 30, 45) %), respectively. However, an increase in the overall prevalence of Fe deficiency from 62 (95 % CI 51, 68) % to 81 (95 % CI 75, 86) % was observed (χ2 test, P ≤ 0·001). In age- and sex-adjusted analyses for risk of Fe deficiency, only early introduction of cow's milk (<90 d) was associated with Fe deficiency in 2003 (prevalence ratio (PR) = 0·76; 95 % CI 0·57, 1·01), while caesarean section (PR = 1·18; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·35) and birth weight <3500 g (PR = 1·15; 95 % CI 1·00, 1·34) were associated with Fe deficiency in 2007. Conclusions No improvements were observed in the prevalence of anaemia, exposing a worrying scenario for public health, while a significant increase was found in the prevalence of Fe deficiency in the studied infants and toddlers.
Ecological-Level Associations Between Highly Processed Food Intakes and Plasma Phospholipid Elaidic Acid Concentrations: Results From a Cross-Sectional Study Within the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

Elaidic acid is the main unnatural trans fatty acid isomer occurring during partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils used as ingredients for the formulation of processed foods. The main objective is to assess associations between processed food intakes and plasma phospholipid elaidic acid concentrations within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. A cross-sectional study was used to determine fatty acid profiles in 3,003 subjects from 16 centers. Single 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDR) were collected using a standardized computerized interview program. Food intakes were computed according to their degree of processing (moderately/nonprocessed foods, processed staple foods, highly processed foods). Adjusted ecological and individual correlations were calculated between processed food intakes and plasma elaidic acid levels. At the population level, mean intakes of highly processed foods were strongly correlated with mean levels of plasma elaidic acid in men (P = 0.0016) and in women (P = 0.0012). At the individual level, these associations remained but at a much lower level in men (r = 0.08, P = 0.006) and in women (r = 0.09, P = 0.0001). The use of an averaged 24-HDR measure of highly processed food intakes is adequate for predicting mean levels of plasma elaidic acid among European populations.
Reduction of an Afterhyperpolarization Current Increases Excitability in Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons in Rat Parkinsonism

Striatal cholinergic interneurons show tonic spiking activity in the intact and sliced brain, which stems from intrinsic mechanisms. Because of it, they are also known as “tonically active neurons” (TANs). Another hallmark of TAN electrophysiology is a pause response to appetitive and aversive events and to environmental cues that have predicted these events during learning. Notably, the pause response is lost after the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in animal models of Parkinson's disease. Moreover, Parkinson's disease patients are in a hypercholinergic state and find some clinical benefit in anticholinergic drugs. Current theories propose that excitatory thalamic inputs conveying information about salient sensory stimuli trigger an intrinsic hyperpolarizing response in the striatal cholinergic interneurons. Moreover, it has been postulated that the loss of the pause response in Parkinson's disease is related to a diminution of IsAHP, a slow outward current that mediates an afterhyperpolarization following a train of action potentials. Here we report that IsAHP induces a marked spike-frequency adaptation in adult rat striatal cholinergic interneurons, inducing an abrupt end of firing during sustained excitation. Chronic loss of dopaminergic neurons markedly reduces IsAHP and spike-frequency adaptation in cholinergic interneurons, allowing them to fire continuously and at higher rates during sustained excitation. These findings provide a plausible explanation for the hypercholinergic state in Parkinson's disease. Moreover, a reduction of IsAHP may alter synchronization of cholinergic interneurons with afferent inputs, thus contributing to the loss of the pause response in Parkinson's disease.
Grid fuzzy models with variable boundaries and their application to monitoring of plant operations

This paper describes a special type of fuzzy models with incomplete grid-type fuzzy rule base in the multidimensional input space. The number and locations of the fuzzy rules are automatically defined by the concrete distribution of the training data and by the assumptions for the size and the structure of the grid. A simplified iterative learning algorithm for calculating the singletons of such Grid Fuzzy Models is presented in the paper. The Grid Fuzzy Models are important element in the proposed monitoring system for plant operations. Here the moving window approach is used for model prediction based on each window data. Then a dissimilarity degree between the current operation and another, previously known one is calculated. Real plant operation data from the Stabilization unit in a petrochemical plant are used to prove that the proposed monitoring system is able to properly detect different plant operations.
Empowering Women, Strengthening Children: A Multi-Level Analysis of Gender Inequality and Child Malnutrition in Developing Countries

Abstract Purpose Previous research assumes that economic development is the key to increasing the food supply and alleviating child malnutrition. However, economic development alone does not promise that income is distributed fairly, nor does it guarantee that other human needs will be fulfilled. What has been missing from cross-national research is an analysis of how gender inequality shapes women’s abilities to effectively maintain food security. The current study contributes to this literature by exploring the multidimensional effects of women’s empowerment on child stunting and wasting. Methodology/approach Pooling data from the Demographic and Health Surveys and the World Bank, the analysis estimates a series of multi-level models that examine the country-level influences on malnutrition, while also accounting for household and maternal characteristics that affect food security at the individual level. Findings Results suggest that improvements in women’s education, control over reproduction, representation in national politics, and life expectancy correspond to improvements in child malnutrition. Notably, the effects of gender inequality are comparable to or larger than those of economic development. The multi-level modeling technique illustrates how social forces that are larger than the individual shape the chances of experiencing food insecurity. Research limitations Cross-national data are limited in scope and cannot prove causality. Further research is also needed to better understand the process by which women wield advances in rights and empowerment to affect food security. Social implications If policymakers want to facilitate food security in poor countries, they should not disregard the potential of policies that will promote more equitable rights for women.
I see you lying on the ground — Can I help you? Fast fallen person detection in 3D with a mobile robot

One important function in assistive robotics for home applications is the detection of emergency cases, like falls. In this paper, we present a new detection system which can run on a mobile robot to detect persons after a fall event robustly. The system is based on 3D Normal Distributions Transform (NDT) maps on which a powerful segmentation is applied. Segments most likely belonging to a person lying on the ground are grouped into clusters. After extracting features with a soft encoding approach, each cluster is classified separately. Our experiments show that the system is able to reliably detect fallen persons in real-time. It clearly outperforms other 3D state-of-the-art approaches. We can show that our system is able to handle even very challenging situations, where fallen persons are very close to other objects in the apartment. Such complex fall events often occur in real-world applications.
In vitro and in vivo comparison of 18F and 123I-labeled ML10 with 68Ga-Cys2-AnxA5 for molecular imaging of apoptosis.

AIM Recently, 18F-labeled 2-(5-fluoropentyl)-2-methylmalonic acid or ML10 has been proposed as a promising PET tracer for imaging of apoptosis. In this study we compared 18F-ML10, the 123I labeled 5-iodo derivative (123I-ML10) and a 68Ga-labeled Annexin A5 (AnxA5) and evaluated them as apoptosis tracers in several distinct models. METHODS In vivo stability and biodistribution were studied in healthy mice. Apoptosis imaging was evaluated in anti-Fas treated mice and mice with muscular apoptosis. Furthermore, 18F-ML10 and 68Ga-Cys2-AnxA5 were evaluated in a rat model with reperfused liver infarct and a rat model with cerebral infarct as well as in Daudi tumor bearing mice, before and after treatment with cyclophosphamide and/or radiotherapy. RESULTS 18F-ML10 and 68Ga-Cys2-AnxA5 were both stable, while 123I-ML10 metabolized very quickly in vivo. All tracers showed a 3-4 times higher uptake in apoptotic muscular tissue in comparison to that in healthy muscular tissue. Animals with anti-Fas induced hepatic apoptosis showed an increased liver uptake which was most pronounced for 18F-ML10. The uptake of both 18F-ML10 and 68Ga-Cys2-AnxA5 increased in the apoptotic region surrounding the cerebral infarction and the reperfused liver infarction. Tumor uptake of 68Ga-Cys2-AnxA5, but not of 18F-ML10, was statistically significantly higher after therapy as measured with PET/MRI. CONCLUSION All radiotracers were able to detect apoptosis in vitro and in vivo in each of the studied animal models of apoptosis. 68Ga-Cys2-AnxA5, but not 18F-ML10, allowed to visualize the effect of tumor therapy in a statistically significant way.
A hybrid BCI speller paradigm combining P300 potential and the SSVEP blocking feature

Objective. Hybrid brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) have been proved to be more effective in mental control by combining another channel of physiologic control signals. Among those studies, little attention has been paid to the combined use of a steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) and P300 potential, both providing the fastest and the most reliable EEG based BCIs. In this paper, a novel hybrid BCI speller is developed to elicit P300 potential and SSVEP blocking (SSVEP-B) distinctly and simultaneously with the same target stimulus. Approach. Twelve subjects were involved in the study and every one performed offline spelling twice in succession with two different speller paradigms for comparison: hybrid speller and control P300-speller. Feature analysis was adopted from the view of time domain, frequency domain and spatial distribution; the performances were evaluated by character accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR). Main results. Signal analysis of the hybrid paradigm shows that SSVEPs are an evident EEG component during the nontarget phase but are dismissed and replaced by P300 potentials after target stimuli. The absence of an SSVEP, called SSVEP-B, mostly appearing in channel Oz, presents a sharp distinction between target responses and nontarget responses. The r2 value of SSVEP-B in channel Oz is comparable to that of P300 in channel Cz. Compared with the control P300-speller, the hybrid speller achieves significantly higher accuracy and ITR with combined features. Significance. The results indicate that the combination of P300 with an SSVEP-B improves target discrimination greatly; the proposed hybrid paradigm is superior to the control paradigm in spelling performance. Thus, our findings provide a new approach to improve BCI performances.
Outcomes and Costs of Community Health Worker Interventions: A Systematic Review

Objectives:We conducted a systematic review on outcomes and costs of community health worker (CHW) interventions. CHWs are increasingly expected to improve health outcomes cost-effectively for the underserved. Research Design:We searched Medline, Cochrane Collaboration resources, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature for studies conducted in the United States and published in English from 1980 through November 2008. We dually reviewed abstracts, full-text articles, data abstractions, quality ratings, and strength of evidence grades and resolved disagreements by consensus. Results:We included 53 studies on outcomes of CHW interventions and 6 on cost or cost-effectiveness. For outcomes, limited evidence (5 studies) suggests that CHW interventions can improve participant knowledge compared with alternative approaches or no intervention. We found mixed evidence for participant behavior change (22 studies) and health outcomes (27 studies). Some studies suggested that CHW interventions can result in greater improvements in participant behavior and health outcomes compared with various alternatives, but other studies suggested that CHW interventions provide no statistically different benefits than alternatives. We found low or moderate strength of evidence suggesting that CHWs can increase appropriate health care utilization for some interventions (30 studies). Six studies with economic information yielded insufficient data to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of CHW interventions relative to other interventions. Conclusions:CHWs can improve outcomes for underserved populations for some health conditions. The effectiveness of CHWs in many health care areas requires further research that addresses the methodologic limitations of prior studies and that contributes to translating research into practice.
Clitoral size and location in relation to sexual function using pelvic MRI.

INTRODUCTION The female sexual response is dynamic; anatomic mechanisms may ease or enhance the intensity of orgasm. AIM The aim of this study is to evaluate the clitoral size and location with regard to female sexual function. METHODS This cross-sectional TriHealth Institutional Board Review approved study compared 10 sexually active women with anorgasmia to 20 orgasmic women matched by age and body mass index (BMI). Data included demographics, sexual history, serum hormone levels, Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 (PISQ-12), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Body Exposure during Sexual Activity Questionnaire (BESAQ), and Short Form Health Survey-12. All subjects underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without contrast; measurements of the clitoris were calculated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Our primary outcomes were clitoral size and location as measured by noncontrast MRI imaging in sagittal, coronal, and axial planes. RESULTS Thirty premenopausal women completed the study. The mean age was 32 years (standard deviation [SD] 7), mean BMI 25 (SD 4). The majority was white (90%) and married (61%). Total PISQ-12 (P < 0.001) and total FSFI (P < 0.001) were higher for orgasmic subjects, indicating better sexual function. On MRI, the area of the clitoral glans in coronal view was significantly smaller for the anorgasmic group (P = 0.005). A larger distance from the clitoral glans (51 vs. 45 mm, P = 0.049) and body (29 vs. 21 mm, P = 0.008) to the vaginal lumen was found in the anorgasmic subjects. For the entire sample, larger distance between the clitoris and the vagina correlated with poorer scores on the PISQ-12 (r = -0.44, P = 0.02), FSFI (r = -0.43, P = 0.02), and BESAQ (r = -0.37, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION Women with anorgasmia possessed a smaller clitoral glans and clitoral components farther from the vaginal lumen than women with normal orgasmic function.
Exploring the binding properties and structural stability of an opsin in the chytrid Spizellomyces punctatus using comparative and molecular modeling

Background Opsin proteins are seven transmembrane receptor proteins which detect light. Opsins can be classified into two types and share little sequence identity: type 1, typically found in bacteria, and type 2, primarily characterized in metazoa. The type 2 opsins (Rhodopsins) are a subfamily of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large and diverse class of seven transmembrane proteins and are generally restricted to metazoan lineages. Fungi use light receptors including opsins to sense the environment and transduce signals for developmental or metabolic changes. Opsins characterized in the Dikarya (Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes) are of the type 1 bacteriorhodopsin family but the early diverging fungal lineages have not been as well surveyed. We identified by sequence similarity a rhodopsin-like GPCR in genomes of early diverging chytrids and examined the structural characteristics of this protein to assess its likelihood to be homologous to animal rhodopsins and bind similar chromophores. Methods We used template-based structure modeling, automated ligand docking, and molecular modeling to assess the structural and binding properties of an identified opsin-like protein found in Spizellomyces punctatus, a unicellular, flagellated species belonging to Chytridiomycota, one of the earliest diverging fungal lineages. We tested if the sequence and inferred structure were consistent with a solved crystal structure of a type 2 rhodopsin from the squid Todarodes pacificus. Results Our results indicate that the Spizellomyces opsin has structural characteristics consistent with functional animal type 2 rhodopsins and is capable of maintaining a stable structure when associated with the retinaldehyde chromophore, specifically the 9-cis-retinal isomer. Together, these results support further the homology of Spizellomyces opsins to animal type 2 rhodopsins. Discussion This represents the first test of structure/function relationship of a type 2 rhodopsin identified in early branching fungal lineages, and provides a foundation for future work exploring pathways and components of photoreception in early fungi.
A pipelined D/A converter with an improved driving scheme for DMT&#8211;signals

This paper presents the design of a pipelined switched-capacitor D/A-converter with a novel driving scheme. This driving scheme is optimized for signals with a high crest factor. Such signals occur in modern communication systems such as DMT-based VDSL. The 0.6 µm CMOS prototype circuit was tested with DMT test signals and achieves 12 effective bits for clock frequencies upto 17.664 MHz. The power consumption of the DAC itself is only 60 mW and an additional 25 mW is consumed by a Track&Hold.
Multiple modes control of household DC microgrid with integration of various renewable energy sources

Increase of DC-compatible loads, popularization of renewable distributed generations (DGs) and development of power electronic converters have boosted the applications of DC microgrid in household level. Proper control algorithms for autonomous operation of DC microgrid which coordinates the operation of energy storages, sources and loads become the key challenge. Comparing with centralized energy management system, distributed control eliminates communication link, thus system response speed and reliability could be enhanced. DC-bus signaling (DBS) in which the bus voltage is regarded as global indicator for system power balance is an effective solution for power sharing. Bus voltage band is divided into few sub-regions around the nominal value. Various elements are prioritized based on system control objectives and scheduled to operate with different mode in respective sub-region. Bus voltage variation induced by power supply/demand difference activates operation mode change of system elements autonomously. A lab-scale DC microgrid with integration of modular solar Photovoltaic (PV) system, battery energy storage (BES) and DC loads was developed to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of proposed control algorithm.