Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial complexity in multimorbidity: the legacy of adverse childhood experiences.

BACKGROUND To effectively meet the health care needs of multimorbid patients, the most important psychosocial factors associated with multimorbidity must be discerned. Our aim was to examine the association between self-reported adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and multimorbidity and the contribution of other social, behavioural and psychological factors to this relationship. METHODS We analysed cross-sectional data from the Mitchelstown study, a population-based cohort recruited from a large primary care centre. ACE was measured by self-report using the Centre for Disease Control ACE questionnaire. Multimorbidity status was categorized as 0, 1 or ≥2 chronic diseases, which were ascertained by self-report of doctor diagnosis. Ordinal logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for multimorbidity, using ACE as the independent variable with adjustment for social (education, public health cover), behavioural (smoking, exercise, diet, body mass index) and psychological factors (anxiety/depression scores). RESULTS Of 2047 participants, 45.3% (n = 927, 95% CI: 43.1-47.4) reported multimorbidity. ACE was reported by 28.4% (n = 248, 95% CI: 25.3-31.3%) of multimorbid participants, 21% (n = 113, 95% CI: 18.0-25.1%) of single chronic disease participants and 16% (n = 83, 95% CI: 13.2-19.7%) of those without chronic disease. The OR for multimorbidity with any history of ACE was 1.6 (95% CI: 1.4-2.0, P < 0.001). Adjusting for social, behavioural and psychological factors only marginally ameliorated this association, OR 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1-1.7, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS Multimorbidity is independently associated with a history of ACEs. These findings demonstrate the psychosocial complexity associated with multimorbidity and should be used to inform health care provision in this patient cohort.
Mitochondria and Ca(2+)in cell physiology and pathophysiology.

There is now a consensus that mitochondria take up and accumulate Ca(2+)during physiological [Ca(2+)](c)signalling. This contribution will consider some of the functional consequences of mitochondrial Ca(2+)uptake for cell physiology and pathophysiology. The ability to remove Ca(2+)from local cytosol enables mitochondria to regulate the [Ca(2+)] in microdomains close to IP3-sensitive Ca(2+)-release channels. The [Ca(2+)] sensitivity of these channels means that, by regulating local [Ca(2+)](c), mitochondrial Ca(2+)uptake modulates the rate and extent of propagation of [Ca(2+)](c)waves in a variety of cell types. The coincidence of mitochondrial Ca(2+)uptake with oxidative stress may open the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). This is a catastrophic event for the cell that will initiate pathways to cell death either by necrotic or apoptotic pathways. A model is presented in which illumination of an intramitochondrial fluorophore is used to generate oxygen radical species within mitochondria. This causes mitochondrial Ca(2+)loading from SR and triggers mPTP opening. In cardiomyocytes, mPTP opening leads to ATP consumption by the mitochondrial ATPase and so results in ATP depletion, rigor and necrotic cell death. In central mammalian neurons exposed to glutamate, a cellular Ca(2+)overload coincident with NO production also causes loss of mitochondrial potential and cell death, but mPTP involvement has proven more difficult to demonstrate unequivocally.
Attitudes Towards and Limitations to ICT Use in Assisted and Independent Living Communities: Findings from a Specially-Designed Technological Intervention

Much literature has been devoted to theoretical explanations of the learning processes of older adults and to the methods of teaching best utilized in older populations. However, there has been less focus on the education of older adults who reside in assisted and independent living communities (AICs), especially with regards to information and communication technology (ICT) education. The purpose of this study is to determine whether participants' attitudes and views towards computers and the Internet are affected as a result of participating in an eight-week training program designed to enhance computer and Internet use among older adults in such communities. Specifically, we examine if ICT education specially designed for AIC residents results in more positive attitudes towards ICTs and a perceived decrease in factors that may limit or prevent computer and Internet use. We discuss the implications of these results for enhancing the quality of life for older adults in AICs and make recommendations for those seeking to decrease digital inequality among older adults in these communities through their own ICT classes.
Personal Growth During the Experience of Advanced Cancer: A Systematic Review

AbstractOver the past decade, research has documented the positive consequences individuals attribute to the experience of traumatic, life-threatening events, including enhanced life appreciation, improved social relationships, and a deepened sense of self and meaning. Despite evidence that individuals with cancer frequently perceive growth as a result of their experience, personal growth in the context of advanced cancer has received markedly less attention. In light of the unique challenges accompanying the experience of advanced cancer, the phenomenon of perceiving positive consequences and making meaning of the cancer experience (i.e., personal growth) may be distinct in patients with life-limiting disease as compared with more commonly studied early-stage cancer survivor samples. The purpose of this article was to review studies examining personal growth in adults diagnosed with advanced cancer to encourage medical professionals to consider and respond to their concerns around meaning within palliative care. We conducted a systematic review of the PubMed and PsycINFO electronic databases for studies examining personal growth in patients with advanced cancer published between January 1960 and January 2013. Of the 197 studies reviewed, 12 quantitative studies and 10 qualitative studies met criteria for inclusion. The review revealed that many patients with advanced cancer both cite finding meaning at the end of life as important and perceive positive consequences as a result of their experience. In comparison to early-stage cancer or benign disease, advanced cancer may serve to prompt higher levels of personal growth. However, these findings are mixed and may indicate a complex, nonlinear relationship between cancer prognosis and personal growth. The most promising candidates for promoting personal growth during advanced disease include younger adult age, spirituality, and psychosocial resources (optimism, marriage, and social support from close others and health care providers). Importantly, a co-occurrence of personal growth with both distress and well-being in advanced cancer suggests that personal growth in this unique context is characterized by perceived positive consequences in the face of considerable demands, which may be reflected by greater negative and positive markers of adjustment. Understanding and awareness of personal growth in individuals with advanced cancer may facilitate health care providers’ ability to consider and respond to concerns around meaning and personal growth within palliative care, given the growing literature on psychosocial interventions for patients with advanced cancer. Integration of the existing research base with intervention development is an opportunity for future research.
Learning and generalization in feed-forward neural networks

Aspects of learning and generalization in feed-forward neural networks are studied. The networks are taught using the backpropagation learning algorithm. The performance of the algorithm is studied using a training set which can be made to have a variable difficulty. Using such a training set the performance is evaluated and improvements and modifications suggested. A simple classification of problem domain types is made and a particular class is suggested to be the most appropriate for the 3—layer feed-forward network to learn. This class is characterized by underlying regularities among the training set members, such that the mapping required for each pattern in the training set is consistent with all the other required pattern mappings. The suitability of this class of training sets is demonstrated with observation of the emergent properties of the network in actual learning speed and nature, and in the generalization ability displayed after learning an incomplete training set. This behaviour is contrasted with training sets not possessing the underlying properties of this class, from which it is concluded that this type of network is more effectively used for extracting salient information about a training set, given that underlying regularities exist, rather than for other classes of mappings. The dependence of generalization of the network on such problem domains is studied as a function of hidden layer size. It is shown that in general the number of different solutions available in the algorithm's search space increases rapidly with the hidden layer size. Despite this, it is shown that the generalization performance does not degrade correspondingly, but in fact remains at a steady high level. This observation suggests that the salient information about a training set is more likely to be extracted during learning, as opposed to merely mapping the patterns independently (which form a large set of other possible solutions), and that this information is stored in a distributed manner throughout all the weights of the network.
Comparative 32P-analysis of cigarette smoke-induced DNA damage in human tissues and mouse skin.

Previous studies using a highly sensitive 32P-postlabeling assay for the analysis of carcinogen/mutagen-induced DNA damage have shown the presence of tobacco smoking-related DNA adducts in human placenta (Everson, R.B., Randerath, E., Santella, R.M., Cefalo, R.C., Avitts, T. A., and Randerath, K., Science (Wash. DC), 231: 54-57, 1986). The occurrence of such adducts in smokers' bronchus and larynx is reported here. Since the chemical nature of these adducts could not be characterized by direct methods due to the extremely low levels of individual adducts (less than 0.03 fmol per microgram DNA), we have sought an experimental animal model for studying the formation of tobacco-related DNA adducts. Because cigarette smoke condensate is known to initiate tumors in mouse skin, ICR mice were treated topically with cigarette tar equivalent to 1.5, 3, 6, and 9 cigarettes for 0.4, 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively, and skin DNA was isolated 1 day after the last treatment. When DNA from exposed mice was analyzed by the 32P-postlabeling assay, 12 distinct 32P-labeled DNA adduct spots, as well as a diagonal radioactive zone, which presumably reflected the presence of incompletely resolved adducts, were noted on polyethyleneimine-cellulose TLC fingerprints. One derivative in particular (adduct 1) was seen to increase rapidly during the early treatment phase and also to persist to 8 days after treatment. The prominent adduct 1 was observed in the same location on the fingerprints of DNA samples from smokers. Cochromatography experiments suggested identity of human and mouse DNA adduct 1. Similarly, several other human and mouse adducts (adducts 3, 5, 6, and 9) appeared identical, and the diagonal radioactive zone was also present on DNA adduct maps from smokers. While absolute levels of individual human adducts were too low to be accurately quantitated, semiquantitative estimation of total tobacco-related aromatic DNA adducts in the human specimens gave values of 1 adduct in (1.7-2.9) X 10(7) nucleotides (0.10-0.18 fmol per micrograms DNA), with adduct 1 constituting 8.5-14% of the total. On the basis of these results, it appears now feasible to determine the chemical origin of smoking-induced DNA adducts in human tissues by preparation of authentic 32P-labeled reference adducts from animals treated with characterized subfractions of cigarette tar, 32P-postlabeling, and cochromatography of 32P-labeled human and animal adducts.
Constitutional Downregulation of SEMA5A Expression in Autism

There is strong evidence for the importance of genetic factors in idiopathic autism. The results from independent twin and family studies suggest that the disorder is caused by the action of several genes, possibly acting epistatically. We have used cDNA microarray technology for the identification of constitutional changes in the gene expression profile associated with idiopathic autism. Samples were obtained and analyzed from 6 affected subjects belonging to multiplex autism families and from 6 healthy controls. We assessed the expression levels for approximately 7,700 genes by cDNA microarrays using mRNA derived from Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B lymphocytes. The microarray data were analyzed in order to identify up- or downregulation of specific genes. A common pattern with nine downregulated genes was identified among samples derived from individuals with autism when compared to controls. Four of these nine genes encode proteins involved in biological processes associated with brain function or the immune system, and are consequently considered as candidates for genes associated with autism. Quantitative real-time PCR confirms the downregulation of the gene encoding SEMA5A, a protein involved in axonal guidance. Epstein-Barr virus should be considered as a possible source for altered expression, but our consistent results make us suggest SEMA5A as a candidate gene in the etiology of idiopathic autism.
Heat shock proteins of vegetative and fruiting Myxococcus xanthus cells

The heat shock response of Myxococcus xanthus was investigated and characterized. When shifted from 28 to 40 degrees C, log-phase cells rapidly ceased growth, exhibited a 50% reduction in CFU, and initiated the synthesis of heat shock proteins (HTPs). Heat-shocked log-phase M. xanthus cells labeled with [35S]methionine were found to produce 18 major HTPs. The HTPs, analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography, were characterized with regard to molecular mass, subcellular location (periplasm, membrane, or cytoplasm), and temperature required for expression. Most HTPs were expressed at 36 degrees C, the optimum growth temperature of M. xanthus. Cells preincubated at 36 degrees C for 1 h before being shifted to 40 degrees C demonstrated increased thermotolerance compared with cells shifted directly from 28 to 40 degrees C. The HTPs produced by heat-shocked starvation-induced fruiting cells and glycerol-induced sporulating cells were also analyzed and characterized. Thirteen HTPs were detected in fruiting cells shifted from 28 to 40 degrees C. Six of these HTPs were not seen in vegetative M. xanthus cells. Log-phase cells induced to sporulate by the addition of glycerol produced 17 HTPs after being shifted to 40 degrees C. These HTPs were found to be a mixture of HTPs detected in heat-shocked log-phase cells and heat-shocked fruiting cells.
Self-regulation workshop and Occupational Performance Coaching with teachers: A pilot study

Background. Teachers’ occupational role and performance can be undermined when working with students with disruptive classroom behaviours. Purpose. This pilot study aimed to explore the impact of school-based occupational therapy intervention on teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy and perceived performance/satisfaction in their management of students with disruptive behaviours. Method. This pilot study used a multiple-case replication study design. A cohort of regular classroom elementary school teachers (n = 11) participated in a 1-day workshop on sensorimotor strategies for supporting student self-regulation followed by eight individual sessions of Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). Measurement tools were the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), and Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Scale–Classroom Management. Findings. Improvement in teachers’ perception of performance, satisfaction, and classroom management was seen. GAS showed clinically significant improvement. Improvements were sustained at 7 weeks follow-up. Implications. Preliminary results support the use of sensorimotor education combined with OPC to enable teachers’ occupational performance.
Child abandonment Five dramatic cases of mothers in Addis Ababa

InEthiopia,many children are abandoned every year, directly or indirectly, in harsh or relatively safe environments. The problem appears to be more serious in Addis Ababa than in any other urban area of Ethiopia. In this paper, I present five dramatic cases of child abandonment which led to the death of the child, and examine the possible factors that account for this practice. The article is based on interviews with mothers, police officers, and court officials and on the study of hospital records. The problem of child abandonment in Addis Ababa is mainly linked to general conditions of poverty, incompatibilities in marital life and problems of migration.
Laser line illumination scheme allowing the reduction of background signal and the correction of absorption heterogeneities effects for fluorescence reflectance imaging

Abstract. Intraoperative fluorescence imaging in reflectance geometry is an attractive imaging modality as it allows to noninvasively monitor the fluorescence targeted tumors located below the tissue surface. Some drawbacks of this technique are the background fluorescence decreasing the contrast and absorption heterogeneities leading to misinterpretations concerning fluorescence concentrations. We propose a correction technique based on a laser line scanning illumination scheme. We scan the medium with the laser line and acquire, at each position of the line, both fluorescence and excitation images. We then use the finding that there is a relationship between the excitation intensity profile and the background fluorescence one to predict the amount of signal to subtract from the fluorescence images to get a better contrast. As the light absorption information is contained both in fluorescence and excitation images, this method also permits us to correct the effects of absorption heterogeneities. This technique has been validated on simulations and experimentally. Fluorescent inclusions are observed in several configurations at depths ranging from 1 mm to 1 cm. Results obtained with this technique are compared with those obtained with a classical wide-field detection scheme for contrast enhancement and with the fluorescence by an excitation ratio approach for absorption correction.
Disambiguating Stickers Grammatical Agreement as a Design Pattern

Many of the world’s languages exhibit grammatical agreement, meaning that at least two words in a sentence match in some way. For example, the words in the Spanish utterance “las casas altas” (the tall houses) all share the same ending “-as”, which indicates the grammatical gender and number features of the houses the speaker is referring to. In this paper, I will address the function of what seems to be redundant marking by presenting the results of multi-agent language games. Faced with the ecological need to reduce parsing effort, agents are forced to group words that belong together. This is done through morphological markers such as “-as” which unlike their Spanish counterparts do not refer to any grammatical feature but only impose a linguistic sticker onto words that form a group. I will demonstrate how such stickers can propagate in a population of software agents based on their token frequency. The interactive web demonstration that accompanies this paper can be found on: http: //arti.vub. ac.be/ ̃katrien/disambiguating-stickers/index.xhtml.
Biochemical Characterization of the Binding of Echistatin to Integrin αvβ3 Receptor

Echistatin is a 49-amino-acid peptide belonging to the family of disintegrins that are derived from snake venoms and are potent inhibitors of platelet aggregation and cell adhesion. Integrin α v β 3 receptor plays a critical role in several physiological processes such as tumor-induced angiogenesis, tumor cell metastasis, osteoporosis and wound repair. In this study, we have characterized the binding of echistatin to purified integrin α v β 3 receptor and the form expressed on human embryonic kidney 293 cells. We show that both purified and membrane-bound integrin α v β 3 binds to echistatin with a high affinity, which can be competed efficiently by linear and cyclic peptides containing the RGD sequence. Previous studies have shown that α v β 3 binds to vitronectin in a nondissociable manner, whereas an RGD-containing peptide derived from vitronectin binds in a dissociable manner with a K d of 9.4 × 10 −7 M. Our studies indicate that radiolabeled echistatin binds to α v β 3 in a nondissociable manner, similar to native echistatin. However, echistatin does not support the adhesion of 293 cells expressing α v β 3 receptor because of poor binding to plastic dishes and is a potent antagonist of the adhesion of these cells to vitronectin. These studies demonstrate that echistatin binding to α v β 3 is of high affinity and irreversible similar to vitronectin and provides an alternate ligand for high-throughput screening for α v β 3 antagonists.
Sensation seeking and behavior disorders.

To the Editor. — Cloninger 1 has recently presented an interesting proposal for classifications of personality variants based on monoamine functions. One of his three postulated dimensions of personality is termed novelty seeking . A reading of the description of this dimension suggests that it is practically identical to the trait dimension termed sensation seeking , 2 defined as "the need for varied, novel and complex sensations and experiences and the willingness to take physical and social risks for the sake of such experience. " This trait has been studied for 23 years beginning with the report of the development of the first form of the Sensation Seeking Scale in 1964. It is regrettable that Cloninger has ignored the voluminous literature on sensation seeking 2,3 and its biologic correlates 3-5 and relations to behavior disorders, including antisocial personality, alcohol and other drug abuse, and manicdepressive disorder. The omission of this large body of research
Group management system design for supporting society 5.0 in smart society platform

The needs of the group as a collection of people who interact with each other become an opportunity in the smart society. The group will be needed to interact and perform functions that can improve the quality of human life. The group can be implemented in the form of an application platform. However, the need for group exploration as a function of group management system (GMS) and its implementation in the smart society platform still needs to be done. The challenge of this study is how the design of group management system implementation as a group manager application in the smart society platform. This study is aimed to get the right resource in implementing group management system in smart society platform. Smart Society as one form of Service Computing System can be explored in service computing perspective. This perspective is needed to see the needs and opportunities to build group management applications as a smart society platform. This study shows that conceptual design of group management systems have potential benefits to support the Society 5.0 in the form of smart society platform. The design result is expected to be used to develop the implementation of group management system in smart society platform.