Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Poor specificity and recovery of urinary free cortisol as determined by the Bayer ADVIA Centaur extraction method

Background: Immunoassay methods for urinary free cortisol (UFC) lack specificity, and many procedures have not been fully evaluated for routine use. In the current study we evaluated the Bayer ADVIA Centaur extraction UFC immunoassay and compared results to those obtained by a specific gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. Results: The Bayer ADVIA Centaur cortisol assay lacked specificity. Cortisone, a steroid present in urine at concentrations similar to those of cortisol, demonstrated a cross-reactivity of 44%. In addition, the choice of matrix used to resuspend steroids after solvent extraction from urine affected recovery. Recovery was improved if the recommended urine reconstruction buffer was replaced by steroid-free serum. Conclusion: Irrespective of the sample matrix used, the Centaur method overestimates UFC, giving results up to twice those obtained by a specific GC-MS method.
C-Reactive Protein and Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease: The Rotterdam Scan Study

Background—Inflammatory processes are involved in the development and consequences of atherosclerosis. Whether these processes are also involved in cerebral small-vessel disease is unknown. Cerebral white matter lesions and lacunar brain infarcts are caused by small-vessel disease and are commonly observed on MRI scans in elderly people. These lesions are associated with an increased risk of stroke and dementia. We assessed whether higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were related to white matter lesion and lacunar infarcts. Methods and Results—We based our study on 1033 participants of the population-based Rotterdam Scan Study for whom complete data on CRP levels were available and who underwent brain MRI scanning. Subjects were 60 to 90 years of age and free of dementia at baseline. Six hundred thirty-six subjects had a second MRI scan on average 3.3 years later. We used multivariate regression models to assess the associations between CRP levels and markers of small-vessel disease. Higher CRP levels were associated with presence and progression of white matter lesions, particularly with marked lesion progression (ORs for highest versus lowest quartile of CRP 3.1 [95% CI 1.3 to 7.2] and 2.5 [95% CI 1.1 to 5.6] for periventricular and subcortical white matter lesion progression, respectively). These associations persisted after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and carotid atherosclerosis. Persons with higher CRP levels tended to have more prevalent and incident lacunar infarcts. Conclusions—Inflammatory processes may be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral small-vessel disease, in particular, the development of white matter lesions.
The Dance of Closeness-Distance in Couple Relationships after the Death of a Parent

In-depth interviews of 18 couples focused on the couple relationship after a partner experienced the death of a parent. Working from a view of couple relationships as involving a dance of closeness and distance, never getting too far apart or coming too close, the article explores how a parent's death can alter the conditions, forms, and grounds of closeness-distance and how issues of support following the death are entangled in the dance. As they grieve, bereaved partners might want closeness at some times, distance at others, and might welcome or reject offered support. A parent death may be freeing in terms of time or emotion and may profoundly effect thoughts about the meaning of life. The dance of closeness-distance may change if people feel freed by the death and work with new life meanings. Closeness-distance is also affected by how partners feel about what they shared or did not share as a result of the loss. Further complicating the dance are the effects of practical issues that may arise following a parent death, including dealing with a surviving parent and with the estate of the deceased.
Involvement of NOX1/NADPH Oxidase in Morphine-Induced Analgesia and Tolerance

The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in morphine-induced analgesia and tolerance has been suggested, yet how and where ROS take part in these processes remains largely unknown. Here, we report a novel role for the superoxide-generating enzyme NOX1/NADPH oxidase in the regulation of analgesia and acute analgesic tolerance. In mice lacking Nox1 (Nox1−/Y), the magnitude of the analgesia induced by morphine was significantly augmented. More importantly, analgesic tolerance induced by repeated administration of morphine was significantly suppressed compared with that in the littermates, wild-type Nox1+/Y. In a membrane fraction obtained from the dorsal spinal cord, no difference was observed in morphine-induced [35S]GTPγS-binding between the genotypes, whereas morphine-stimulated GTPase activity was significantly attenuated in Nox1−/Y. At 2 h after morphine administration, a significant decline in [35S]GTPγS-binding was observed in Nox1+/Y but not in Nox1−/Y. No difference in the maximal binding and affinity of [3H]DAMGO was observed between the genotypes, but the translocation of protein kinase C isoforms to the membrane fraction following morphine administration was almost completely abolished in Nox1−/Y. Finally, the phosphorylation of RGS9-2 and formation of a complex by Gαi2/RGS9-2 with 14-3-3 found in morphine-treated Nox1+/Y were significantly suppressed in Nox1−/Y. Together, these results suggest that NOX1/NADPH oxidase attenuates the pharmacological effects of opioids by regulating GTPase activity and the phosphorylation of RGS9-2 by protein kinase C. NOX1/NADPH oxidase may thus be a novel target for the development of adjuvant therapy to retain the beneficial effects of morphine.
A model for acoustic ultrashort pulseby a disc-shaped transducer

Acoustic lens is the kernel of acoustic microscopes. Its quality determines the quality of an imaging system. For impulse acoustical imaging system, it becomes more important. The ultrashort probe excited by an acoustic lens is an unique ultrasound source. Analyzing the signal structure of ultrashort pulse is the key to evaluate the acoustic lens. This paper presents a mathematic model, simulating an impulse pulse generated by a disc-shaped piezoelectric transducer of an acoustic lens, evaluating the temporal spatial distribution of the impulse wave propagation in the waveguide of the acoustic lens. The simulation results show this model is significant and practical for investigating the mechanism of acoustic ultrashort pulse and its application.
Inflammation and Airway Microbiota during Cystic Fibrosis Pulmonary Exacerbations

Background Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx), frequently associated with airway infection and inflammation, are the leading cause of morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF). Molecular microbiologic approaches detect complex microbiota from CF airway samples taken during PEx. The relationship between airway microbiota, inflammation, and lung function during CF PEx is not well understood. Objective To determine the relationships between airway microbiota, inflammation, and lung function in CF subjects treated for PEx. Methods Expectorated sputum and blood were collected and lung function testing performed in CF subjects during early (0–3d.) and late treatment (>7d.) for PEx. Sputum was analyzed by culture, pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons, and quantitative PCR for total and specific bacteria. Sputum IL-8 and neutrophil elastase (NE); and circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Results Thirty-seven sputum samples were collected from 21 CF subjects. At early treatment, lower diversity was associated with high relative abundance (RA) of Pseudomonas (r = −0.67, p<0.001), decreased FEV1% predicted (r = 0.49, p = 0.03) and increased CRP (r = −0.58, p = 0.01). In contrast to Pseudomonas, obligate and facultative anaerobic genera were associated with less inflammation and higher FEV1. With treatment, Pseudomonas RA and P. aeruginosa by qPCR decreased while anaerobic genera showed marked variability in response. Change in RA of Prevotella was associated with more variability in FEV1 response to treatment than Pseudomonas or Staphylococcus. Conclusions Anaerobes identified from sputum by sequencing are associated with less inflammation and higher lung function compared to Pseudomonas at early exacerbation. CF PEx treatment results in variable changes of anaerobic genera suggesting the need for larger studies particularly of patients without traditional CF pathogens.
STABILITY OF CURCUMIN IN TURMERIC OLEORESIN-β-CYCLODEXTRIN INCLUSION COMPLEX DURING STORAGE ( KESTABILAN KURKUMIN DI DALAM KOMPLEKS RANGKUMAN OLEORESIN-β-SIKLODEKSTRIN SEMASA PENYIMPANAN )

To improve the stability of curcumin in turmeric rhizome (Curcuma domestica) oleoresin during storage, complexation with βcyclodextrin was studied. Pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) is a fast method to extract high quality turmeric rhizome oleoresin. Extraction conditions was optimised based on maximum major volatile compounds (1,8-cineol, tumerone + ar-tumerone, αzingeberene, β-zingeberene and α-phellandrene). Turmeric oleoresin exhibit sensitivity to light, heat, oxygen and have short storage lives. Therefore, oleoresin obtained was encapsulated with β-cyclodextrin (BCD) using kneading method. The stability of curcumin in inclusion complex was monitored for 64 days with exposure to heat and light. The shelf-life of the product was estimated based on half life t1/2 (day) and activation energy, E (kJ/mol). Shelf life of turmeric oleoresin inclusion complex, stored at 5C in dark containers can be extended to 154 days.
Condensed Filter Tree for Cost-Sensitive Multi-Label Classification

Different real-world applications of multilabel classification often demand different evaluation criteria. We formalize this demand with a general setup, cost-sensitive multi-label classification (CSMLC), which takes the evaluation criteria into account during learning. Nevertheless, most existing algorithms can only focus on optimizing a few specific evaluation criteria, and cannot systematically deal with different ones. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm, called condensed filter tree (CFT), for optimizing any criteria in CSMLC. CFT is derived from reducing CSMLC to the famous filter tree algorithm for cost-sensitive multi-class classification via constructing the label powerset. We successfully cope with the difficulty of having exponentially many extended-classes within the powerset for representation, training and prediction by carefully designing the tree structure and focusing on the key nodes. Experimental results across many real-world datasets validate that CFT is competitive with special purpose algorithms on special criteria and reaches better performance on general criteria.
Urban Inequality and Racial Differences in Risk for Violent Victimization

Past research has shown that racial inequality in urban areas—Black and White residential segregation and economic inequality—is associated with increased levels of homicide offending and that victimization among Blacks yet serves as a protection mechanism against such violence among Whites. However, few studies have considered alternative measures of violence, namely nonfatal violent victimization in the study of racial inequality in urban areas. This oversight is problematic, given that although some scholars suggest that homicide is a reliable indicator of all forms of violence in general, victimization reports often point to qualitative differences in lethal and nonlethal forms of violence. Consequently, this research examines the link between city-level White and Black residential segregation and economic inequality and individual risks for nonfatal violent victimization net of individual-level factors that have also been associated with such risks. The data are disaggregated by race, because White and Black residential segregation and economic inequality are believed to have disparate effects on non-Hispanic Whites’ and non-Hispanic Blacks’ risks. Overall, the findings indicate that both forms of racial inequality function to protect Whites from nonfatal violent victimization but concomitantly increase such risks among Blacks. The implications of these findings and areas of future research are also discussed.
The Effects of Relationship Governance Mechanisms on Relationship Performance

Abstract Relationship governance improves performance and is considered as the key to the creation of competitive advantage in the twenty-first century. The extant literature examined the direct effect of relationship governance of commitment, consensus, and communication on relationship performance outcomes and hence ignored the intervening processes. The purpose of this study is to provide one of the first empirical tests of the intervening role of relationship learning processes (i.e., joint information sharing, sense-making, and memory-building) in the linkage between relationship governance mechanisms (i.e., commitment, consensus, and communication) and relationship performance (i.e., relational efficiency and relational effectiveness). By empirically exploring the notion of partial mediation of the effects of relationship governance through relationship learning processes, this study has opened up a fruitful avenue for future research on relationship marketing.
Unconscious processing of emotions : the role of spatial frequency composition in amygdala's processing of hybrid fearful faces - a fMRI study

Authors: Ole Kristian Kristiansen, and Marius Bøe Viken Supervisor: Tor Endestad Title: Unconscious processing of emotions. The role of spatial frequency composition in amygdala`s processing of hybrid fearful faces. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on 14 human subjects, we investigated the hypothesis that unconscious processing of emotions can take place, and that this process is driven by visual cues in the low spatial frequencies. Furthermore we investigated the role of the amygdala in a hypothesised subcortical pathway designated for rapid emotional processing. Participants viewed “hybrid” faces that either showed a fearful expression in the lowest spatial frequencies (1-8 cycles/image) and a neutral expression in the rest of the bandwidth, or “hybrids” that showed a neutral expression in the lowest spatial frequencies and a fearful expression in the rest of the bandwidth. Contrary to our initial hypothesis we found increased activation in the amygdala when participants viewed hybrids containing explicit fear, compared to when they viewed hybrids containing implicit fear. In addition we found increased activation of the fusiform face area (FFA), and the precentral gyrus for the same comparison. These results are interpreted in the light of the existence of a distributed cortical network involved in processing of emotions. Other possible explanations for our findings are also discussed.
Recollections, Apologies, and Possibilities

RECOLLECTIONS In looking back over the last few years of research, theory, and practice in learning disabilities (LD), we must conclude that the topics of research are very similar but the quality much improved, and there is more balance and attention given to comprehension research than in the past when the perceptual and mechanical aspects of learning dominated the landscape. There are new names (authors) and old names, and some significant advances that hold promising new opportunities. Sadly, we are still trying to define learning disabilities, and some have begun to argue for the more postmodern and critical definitions (more about this later). In part, the field has been restricted ever since the first legislation locked us into a reductionistic way of seeing, defining, and treating LD. The legalism surrounding LD also has kept us asking ourselves “Is it legal? ” or “Can we get away with it? ” rather than “Is this the very best we can do? ” Hopefully, refinements to law will open up new possibilities. APOLOGIES
Testing a Model of Work Performance in an Academic Environment

In modern society, people both work and study. The intersection between organizational and educational research suggests that a common model should apply to both academic and job performance. The purpose of this study was to apply a model of work and job performance (based on general expectancy theory) to a classroom setting, and test the predicted relationships using a causal/path model methodology. The findings revealed that motivation and ability predicted student expectations and self-efficacy, and that expectations and efficacy predicted class performance. Limitations, implications, and future research directions are discussed. This study showed how the research in industrial and organizational psychology is relevant to education. It was concluded that greater effort should be made to integrate knowledge across a wider set of domains.
Sainsbury's in Egypt: the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is first, to explore the role of institutional theory constructs in a case of international retail divestment. Second, to examine the potential of constructed metaphors as a means of analyzing and communicating the findings of managerial research.Design/methodology/approach – The data were generated from participant observations and interactions with stakeholder groups during a three‐month ethnographic study based in a Sainsbury store in Egypt. Data were analysed and presented via a constructed metaphor – namely Robert Louis Stevenson's story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.Findings – The case illustrated an apparent paradox between Sainsbury's technical superiority as a retail operator in the Egyptian market, and its social inferiority in its interactions with a variety of stakeholders, primarily customers and employees. The use of the metaphor to organize, analyse and present the findings proves to be a fruitful way to illustrate this issue, and parallels between the two “st.
Incorporating Acoustic Features for Spontaneous Speech Driven Content Retrieval

A speech-driven information retrieval system is expected to be useful for gathering information with greater ease. In a conventional system, users have to decide on the contents of their utterance before speaking, which takes quite a long time when their request is complicated. To overcome that problem, it is required for the retrieval system to handle a spontaneously spoken query directly. In this work, we propose an extension technique of spoken content retrieval (SCR) for effectively using spontaneously spoken queries. Acoustic features of meaningful terms in the retrieval may have prominence compared to other terms. Also, those terms will have linguistic specificity. From this assumption, we predict the contribution of terms included in spontaneously spoken queries using acoustic and linguistic features, and incorporate it in the query likelihood model (QLM) which is a probabilistic retrieval model. We verified the effectiveness of the proposed method through experiments. Our proposed method was successful in improving retrieval performance under various conditions.
Canaries in the Coal Mine: Responding to Disengaged Students Using Theme-Based Curricula

Disengaged students do not find the physical education curriculum interesting or meaningful and are unwilling to expend effort or participate in physical education activities. Like canaries kept in the coal mines, disengaged students warn us of the danger of continuing with current policies that fail to meet current students' needs. In this paper I examine the context of contemporary sport-based physical education that I believe contributes to student disengagement. I then argue that thematic interventions using a social constructivist perspective on curriculum development, such as “Sport for Peace,” can he used to enhance physical education experiences for disengaged students. I conclude by summarizing characteristics of a social constructivist approach to theme-based curricula that appear to hold promise for reconnecting disengaged students with sport-based physical education.
Remembering and Knowing in Adulthood: Effects of Enacted Encoding and Relations to Processing Speed

We examined age differences in recollective experience accompanying recognition using Tulving's (1985) remember/know procedure, in a population-based sample of adults ranging in age from 35 to 90 years (N =323). A guided encoding condition (enactment) was compared with a non-guided encoding condition. The relation between age differences in remembering and measures of processing speed was furthermore examined. The results demonstrated higher levels of remembering following enacted encoding, but age- related decrease in remember reports following both non-guided and guided encoding. The frequency of know-reports exhibited an age-related decrease, but this effect was weak. Importantly, a large amount of the explained variance in remembering was shared by age and processing speed. Together, these results are more consistent with a common cause or processing deficiency interpretation, than with a production deficiency interpretation of age differences in recollective experience.
Deep networks for image retrieval on large-scale databases

Currently there are hundreds of millions (high-quality) images in online image repositories such as Flickr. This makes is necessary to develop new algorithms that allow for searching and browsing in those large-scale databases. In this work we explore deep networks for deriving a low-dimensional image representation appropriate for image retrieval. A deep network consisting of multiple layers of features aims to capture higher order correlations between basic image features. We will evaluate our approach on a real world large-scale image database and compare it to image representations based on topic models. Our results show the suitability of the approach for very large databases.
ELCEA: An Entity-Based Semantics Towards Effective XML Keyword Search

Keyword search is a user-friendly way to query XML data,such that users do not need to understand the complex syntax of structured query languages and the complex structural information of the underlying XML data.However,existing semantics suffer from limited expressiveness, thus users cannot obtain desired information in many cases.We propose an entity-based semantics,namely ELCEA,to capture users'search intension by supporting additionally the semantics of "NOT". We verified the effectiveness of ELCEA by conducting rich experiment according to different metrics.
Drum extraction in single channel audio signals using multi-layer Non negative Matrix Factor Deconvolution

In this paper, we propose a supervised multilayer factorization method designed for harmonic/percussive source separation and drum extraction. Our method decomposes the audio signals in sparse orthogonal components which capture the harmonic content, while the drum is represented by an extension of non negative matrix factorization which is able to exploit time-frequency dictionaries to take into account non stationary drum sounds. The drum dictionaries represent various real drum hits and the decomposition has more physical sense and allows for a better interpretation of the results. Experiments on real music data for a harmonic/percussive source separation task show that our method outperforms other state of the art algorithms. Finally, our method is very robust to non stationary harmonic sources that are usually poorly decomposed by existing methods.