Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dutch Adolescents’ Motives, Perceptions, and Reflections Toward Sex-Related Internet Use: Results of a Web-Based Focus-Group Study

The Internet offers adolescents unique opportunities to actively shape their own sexual media environment. The aim of this study was to gain in-depth insight into Dutch adolescents’ motives, perceptions, and reflections toward Internet use for (a) finding information or advice related to romance and sexuality; (b) searching for and viewing pornographic or erotic material; and (c) romantic and sexual communication (i.e., cybersex/sexting). Data were collected through 12 Web-based focus groups (36 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years, 72.2% girls) and analyzed through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. The themes that emerged from the focus-group discussions suggest that sex-related Internet use is a complex and ambivalent experience for adolescents. Sex-related Internet use seems an increasingly normalized and common phenomenon. Participants perceived the Internet as a useful source of sexual information, stimulation, inspiration, and communication. Yet they discussed a range of negative consequences and risks related to sex-related online behaviors, particularly concerning pornography’s potential to create unrealistic expectations about sex and sexual attractiveness. Participants generally believed they had the necessary skills to navigate through the online sexual landscape in a responsible way, although they believed other young people could be influenced inadvertently and adversely by sex-related online content.
A Place for Sexual Dysfunctions in an Empirical Taxonomy of Psychopathology

Sexual dysfunctions commonly co-occur with various depressive and anxiety disorders. An emerging framework for understanding the classification of mental disorders suggests that such comorbidity is a manifestation of underlying dimensions of psychopathology (or “spectra”). In this review, we synthesize the evidence that sexual dysfunctions should be included in the empirical taxonomy of psychopathology as part of the internalizing spectrum, which accounts for comorbidity among the depressive and anxiety disorders. The review has four parts. Part 1 summarizes the empirical basis and utility of the empirical taxonomy of psychopathology. Part 2 reviews the prima facie evidence for the hypothesis that sexual dysfunctions are part of the internalizing spectrum (i.e., high rates of comorbidity; shared cognitive, affective, and temperament characteristics; common neural substrates and biomarkers; shared course and treatment response; and the lack of causal relationships between them). Part 3 critically analyzes and integrates the results of the eight studies that have addressed this hypothesis. Finally, Part 4 examines the implications of reconceptualizing sexual dysfunctions as part of the internalizing spectrum, and explores avenues for future research.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale

Although the ESS has advantages of being brief and simple to carry out, subjects can overor underscore. The score is subjective and subjects may convey symptoms of fatigue rather than purely excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Arbitrarily, a score of . 10 has been suggested as being an indicator of EDS, but on an individual basis, the ESS cannot be used as a diagnostic tool for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in isolation. Detailed history and formal multichannel respiratory monitoring during sleep is recommended. Whether an ESS score can predict health outcomes is not clear. However, the ESS remains a popular questionnaire due to its simplicity and brevity. The ESS has been translated into other languages such as Spanish and Greek with successful validation of the questionnaire.
Can Incorporating Inpatient Overnight Work Hours Into a Pediatric Clerkship Improve the Clerkship Experience for Students?

Purpose After incorporating medical students into pediatric resident night-float teams, the authors studied the effects of the new schedule on (1) cognitive performance, (2) number of new admissions, (3) clerkship satisfaction, and (4) amount and quality of resident teaching. Method Part 1 was a retrospective historical controls study. The intervention was a schedule change that eliminated inpatient call. The historical control group had a four-week inpatient schedule of daytime hours plus five calls (DT+C). The comparison group had a schedule of three weeks of daytime hours plus five consecutive overnight shifts (DT+OS). National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Pediatrics Subject Exam scores, number of admission history and physicals (HPEs), and clerkship satisfaction data from both groups were compared. Part 2 was a two-item survey with open-ended comments that measured perceptions of resident teaching time and quality of resident teaching (QRT) from students on the DT+OS schedule. Results DT+OS students had a significantly increased number of HPEs (t = 2.17; P = .03) compared with the DT+C group (mean = 7.49, standard deviation [SD] = 3.34 in DT+OS versus mean = 6.11, SD = 2.95 in DT+C). The paired samples t test showed that students rated QRT significantly higher when on overnights than when they were on daytime hours (t = 2.47; P = .02). There were no differences in satisfaction or NBME scores. Conclusion Overnight work hours for medical students increased clerkship capacity while maintaining student satisfaction and cognitive performance. Added benefits included increased clinical experience and improved QRT.
Functional Characterization of TRPV4 As an Osmotically Sensitive Ion Channel in Articular Chondrocytes

Objective— Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a Ca 2+ permeable channel that can be gated by tonicity (osmolarity) and mechanical stimuli. Chondrocytes, the cells in cartilage, respond to their osmotic and mechanical environments; however, the molecular basis of this signal transduction is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the presence and functionality of TRPV4 in chondrocytes. Methods— TRPV4 protein expression was measured by immunolabeling and Western blotting. In response to TRPV4 agonist/antagonists, osmotic stress, and interleukin-1 (IL-1), changes in Ca 2+ signaling, cell volume, and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) production were measured in porcine chondrocytes using fluorescence microscopy, light microscopy, or immunoassay, respectively. Results— TRPV4 was expressed abundantly at the RNA and protein level. Exposure to 4 α PDD, a TRPV4 activator, caused Ca 2+ signaling in chondrocytes, which was blocked by the selective TRPV4 antagonist, GSK205. Blocking TRPV4 diminished the chondrocytes' response to hypo-osmotic stress, reducing the fraction of Ca 2+ and normalized to baseline levels. signal transduction in chondrocytes. Our data also reveal a potentially central role for TRPV4 in mediating the inflammatory response of chondrocytes; activation of TRPV4 counteracts several tested effects of IL-1, while TRPV4 block decreases short-term release of PGE 2 . Finally, our data suggest that chondrocytic TRPV4 activation is critically dependent on the integrity of the primary cilium. These from normal levels of TPRV4. Previous have cartilage 2 release in response to hypo-osmotic stress in chondrocytes appear seemingly consistent with activation of an arachidonic acid pathway up-stream of TRPV4. However, specific inhibition of TRPV4 using GSK205 blocked PGE 2 production in response to hypo-osmotic medium, which apparently argues against critical involvement of the PLA2-P450-epoxygenase signaling pathway.
Simple exposure to alcohol cues causally increases negative implicit attitudes toward lesbians and gay men

ABSTRACT Previous research has shown that acute alcohol consumption is associated with negative responses toward outgroup members such as sexual minorities. However, simple alcohol cue exposure without actually consuming alcohol also influences social behavior. Hence, it was reasoned that priming participants with words related to alcohol (relative to neutral words) would promote prejudiced attitudes toward sexual minorities. In fact, an experiment showed that alcohol cue exposure causally led to more negative implicit attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. In contrast, participants’ explicit attitudes were relatively unaffected by the priming manipulation. Moreover, participants’ typical alcohol use was not related to their attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. In sum, it appears that not only acute alcohol consumption but also the simple exposure of alcohol cues may promote negative views toward lesbians and gay men.
Prejudice in the pub: How alcohol and ideology loosen the tongue

ABSTRACT This study (N = 124) tested the main and interactive effects of alcohol consumption, egalitarianism, and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) in relation to prejudice suppression in the natural environment of a British Public House (pub). Employing a quasi-experimental between-subjects design, participants who had consumed alcohol were worse at suppressing their prejudice than participants with no alcohol consumption. Further, the more participants endorsed egalitarian values, the more they were able to suppress their prejudice. This tendency was resistant to the effects of alcohol. By contrast, the stronger participants held RWA beliefs, the less they were able to suppress their prejudice. In addition, this tendency was accentuated by alcohol consumption. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.
Continuous peripheral nerve blocks in the ambulatory setting: an update of the published evidence

Purpose of review To review the evidence recently published involving the use of continuous peripheral nerve blocks (cPNBs) in the ambulatory setting. Recent findings New evidence exists involving the risks and benefits of cPNB in ambulatory patient populations such as pediatric ambulatory and postmastectomy patients. In addition, new related equipment is now available to facilitate ambulatory cPNB. Summary Recent advancements in equipment for cPNB facilitate the usage in the ambulatory setting. Research-supported ambulatory cPNB indications have expanded to include pediatric subpopulations and major breast surgery, while further evidence mounts for its efficacy in patient populations with previously demonstrated benefits, such as foot, ankle and shoulder surgery.
A Confirmatory Analysis of Item Reliability Trends (CAIRT): Differentiating True Score and Error Variance in the Analysis of Item Context Effects

Numerous studies have shown increasing item reliabilities as an effect of the item position in personality scales. Traditionally, these context effects are analyzed based on item-total correlations. This approach neglects that trends in item reliabilities can be caused either by an increase in true score variance or by a decrease in error variance. This article presents the Confirmatory Analysis of Item Reliability Trends (CAIRT) that allows estimating both trends separately within a structural equation modeling framework. Results of a simulation study prove the CAIRT method to provide reliable and independent parameter estimates; the power exceeds the analysis of item-total correlations. We present an empirical application to self- and peer ratings collected in an Internet-based experiment. Results show that reliability trends are caused by increasing true score variance in self-ratings and by decreasing error variance in peer ratings.
SEM with Missing Data and Unknown Population Distributions Using Two-Stage ML: Theory and Its Application

This article provides the theory and application of the 2-stage maximum likelihood (ML) procedure for structural equation modeling (SEM) with missing data. The validity of this procedure does not require the assumption of a normally distributed population. When the population is normally distributed and all missing data are missing at random (MAR), the direct ML procedure is nearly optimal for SEM with missing data. When missing data mechanisms are unknown, including auxiliary variables in the analysis will make the missing data mechanism more likely to be MAR. It is much easier to include auxiliary variables in the 2-stage ML than in the direct ML. Based on most recent developments for missing data with an unknown population distribution, the article first provides the least technical material on why the normal distribution-based ML generates consistent parameter estimates when the missing data mechanism is MAR. The article also provides sufficient conditions for the 2-stage ML to be a valid statistical procedure in the general case. For the application of the 2-stage ML, an SAS IML program is given to perform the first-stage analysis and EQS codes are provided to perform the second-stage analysis. An example with open- and closed-book examination data is used to illustrate the application of the provided programs. One aim is for quantitative graduate students/applied psychometricians to understand the technical details for missing data analysis. Another aim is for applied researchers to use the method properly.
Abstract: Local Influence and Robust Methods for Mediation Models

Mediation analysis investigates how certain variables mediate the effect of predictors on outcome variables. Existing studies of mediation models have been limited to normal theory maximum likelihood (ML) or least squares with normally distributed data. Because real data in the social and behavioral sciences are seldom normally distributed and often contain outliers, classical methods can result in biased and inefficient estimates, which lead to inaccurate or unreliable test of the meditated effect. The authors propose two approaches for better mediation analysis. One is to identify cases that strongly affect test results of mediation using local influence methods and robust methods. The other is to use robust methods for parameter estimation, and then test the mediated effect based on the robust estimates. Analytic details of both local influence and robust methods particular for mediation models were provided and one real data example was given. We first used local influence and robust methods to identify influential cases. Then, for the original data and the data with the identified influential cases removed, the mediated effect was tested using two estimation methods: normal theory ML and the robust method, crossing two tests of mediation: the Sobel (1982) test using information-based standard error (z I ) and sandwich-type standard error (z SW ). Results show that local influence and robust methods rank the influence of cases similarly, while the robust method is more objective. The widely used z I statistic is inflated when the distribution is heavy-tailed. Compared to normal theory ML, the robust method provides estimates with smaller standard errors and more reliable test.
Augmented production of chemokines (monocyte chemotactic protein‐1 (MCP‐1), macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α) and MIP‐1β) in patients with systemic sclerosis: MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α may be involved in the development of pulmonary fibrosis

To determine the role of chemokines in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), we examined serum levels, spontaneous production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and histological distribution in the affected skin, of MCP‐1, MIP‐1α and MIP‐1β in SSc patients. Serum levels of these chemokines were examined by ELISA in 58 patients with SSc and 20 normal controls. The levels of these chemokines in culture supernatants from PBMC were also measured by ELISA. Serum levels and spontaneous production levels by PBMC of MCP‐1, MIP‐1α, and MIP‐1β were significantly elevated in patients with SSc compared with normal controls. Elevated serum levels of MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α significantly correlated with the presence of pulmonary fibrosis. MCP‐1 expression in the skin of SSc was immunohistochemically examined using anti‐MCP‐1 MoAb. MCP‐1 was strongly expressed in the epidermis, inflammatory mononuclear cells, and vascular endothelial cells in the sclerotic skin of SSc patients, but not expressed in any control skin. Furthermore, the MCP‐1 expression in inflammatory mononuclear cells and endothelial cells significantly correlated with earlier onset of SSc. Thus, MCP‐1, MIP‐1α and MIP‐1β may be involved in the disease process, possibly by augmenting leucocyte migration into the affected tissues in SSc. Furthermore, MCP‐1 and MIP‐1α may play an important role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis in SSc.
Accuracy and Precision of an Effect Size and Its Variance From a Multilevel Model for Cluster Randomized Trials: A Simulation Study

This article investigates an effect size (MLM ES) and its variance for cluster randomized trials based on parameter estimates from multilevel modeling analysis. Accuracy and precision of MLM ES were evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation methods and compared with the performance of an effect size, computed from summary statistics, proposed by Hedges (2007; Hedges' dB ). Simulation results indicated that MLM ES had acceptable accuracy in all conditions, also demonstrating efficiency and consistency. With small sample sizes, MLM ES did not suffer from the same negative bias as Hedges' dB due to overestimation of between-cluster variance. With large sample sizes, MLM ES and Hedges' dB were comparable for accuracy and efficiency. Both MLM ES and Hedges' dB showed considerable bias in some conditions when cluster sizes were unequal. An illustrative example using real data was provided.
Analyzing Multiple Multivariate Time Series Data Using Multilevel Dynamic Factor Models

Multivariate time series data offer researchers opportunities to study dynamics of various systems in social and behavioral sciences. Dynamic factor model (DFM), as an idiographic approach for studying intraindividual variability and dynamics, has typically been applied to time series data obtained from a single unit. When multivariate time series data are collected from multiple units, how to synchronize dynamical information becomes a silent issue. To address this issue, the current study presented a multilevel dynamic factor model (MDFM) that analyzes multiple multivariate time series in multilevel SEM frameworks. MDFM not only disentangles within- and between-person variability but also models dynamics of the intraindividual processes. To illustrate the uses of MDFMs, we applied lag0, lag1, and lag2 MDFMs to empirical data on affect collected from 205 dating couples who had at least 50 consecutive days of observations. We also considered a model extension where the dynamical coefficients were allowed to be randomly varying in the population. The empirical analysis yielded interesting findings regarding affect regulation and coregulation within couples, demonstrating promising uses of MDFMs in analyzing multiple multivariate time series. In the end, we discussed a number of methodological issues in the applications of MDFMs and pointed out possible directions for future research.
A Different Approach to Dependence Analysis

This article focuses on a statistical tool for dependence analysis in scientific research. Starting from a recent index of concordance for a multiple linear regression model, a coefficient suitable in catching any monotonic dependence relationship between a dependent variable and an independent variable is derived and discussed. Given its interpretation in terms of monotonic dependence, it is called monotonic dependence coefficient (MDC). It is appropriate to all contexts where the dependent variable is quantitative (continuous or discrete) and the independent variable is at least of ordinal nature; tied data are also allowed. MDC’s adequacy is validated through Monte Carlo simulations led by taking into account different scenarios of dependence. Finally, an application to real data is provided to stress MDC’s capability of detecting dependence relationships between two variables, even if some pieces of information about original data are lost.
The expression of genes involved in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway in Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis biofilms exposed to fluconazole

The expression of the ERG1, ERG3, ERG7, ERG9, ERG11 and ERG25 genes in response to incubation with fluconazole and biofilm formation was investigated using reverse‐transcription PCR and real‐time PCR in Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis clinical isolates. The viability of biofilm was measured using an 2,3‐bis(2‐methoxy‐4‐nitro‐5‐sulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium‐5‐carboxanilide (XTT) reduction assay and confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). Expression of the ERG11 gene was found to be low or moderate and it was regulated by fluconazole addition more so than by biofilm formation. Very low or non‐detectable expression of ERG1, ERG7 and ERG25 genes was detected in C. albicans. The expression of the ERG9 increased in the presence of fluconazole in some isolates. Following incubation with fluconazole, formation of biofilm by C. dubliniensis was coupled with up‐regulation of the ERG3 and ERG25 genes as have been observed previously in C. albicans. Planktonic cells of both Candida species released from biofilm displayed similar resistance mechanisms to fluconazole like attached cells. The XTT reduction assay and CSLM revealed that although incubation with fluconazole decreased the biofilm thickness, these were still comprised metabolically active cells able to disseminate and produce biofilm. Our data indicate that biofilm represents a highly adapted community reflecting the individuality of clinical isolates.
Can we predict persistent postoperative pain by testing preoperative experimental pain?

Purpose of review Although it is recognized that medical and surgical procedures may lead to persistent postoperative pain, predicting which patients are at risk for developing chronic pain presents an ongoing challenge. Clinical observations indicate that similar invasive procedures associated with consequent peripheral tissue damage can cause a wide range of pain experience. This broad variability is likely a consequence of the diversity in the central pain processing of the peripherally generated noxious stimulation. Therefore, advanced psychophysical measures that dynamically represent central pain modulation mechanisms may be used to determine an individual's susceptibility to developing persistent postoperative pain. This review highlights how, and to what extent, preoperative experimental pain testing can be utilized in predicting persistent postoperative pain. Recent findings Conflicting findings emerged regarding the role of traditional experimental pain tests, including pain threshold, supra-threshold magnitude estimation, and tolerance in the prediction of acute postoperative pain. Less efficient endogenous modulation and greater sensitization, as preoperatively assessed by advanced experimental pain tests, were associated with higher persistent postoperative pain scores. Summary The preoperative identification of individuals who have enhanced pain sensitivity and are at risk for developing persistent postoperative pain is important to providing them with better treatment that is specifically tailored to their altered pain modulation, as represented psychophysically.