Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The SPQ-B: A brief screening instrument for schizotypal personality disorder.

Currently there are no brief screening instruments for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) defined schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). This study reports the development of a brief, 2-minute, 22-item self-report screening instrument, the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B), for SPD. Four independent subject samples provided the basis for test development. The SPQ-B contains a total scale score and three subscales to assess the three main factors of SPD, viz. Cognitive-Perceptual Deficits, Interpersonal Deficits, and Disorganization. Reliability for the scales averaged 0.76, and scale scores correlated significantly with independent clinical ratings of DSM-III-R schizotypal traits (average r = 0.62), indicating criterion validity for the scales. The SPQ-B is recommended for use in large-scale screening for SPD prior to a confirmatory clinical interview and also for dimensional research on the correlates of schizotypal features in the normal population.
Current Applications for the Use of Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal in Critically Ill Patients

Mechanical ventilation in patients with respiratory failure has been associated with secondary lung injury, termed ventilator-induced lung injury. Extracorporeal venovenous carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) appears to be a feasible means to facilitate more protective mechanical ventilation or potentially avoid mechanical ventilation in select patient groups. With this expanding role of ECCO2R, we aim to describe the technology and the main indications of ECCO2R.
Immunity to Cryptosporidium muris infection in mice is expressed through gut CD4+ intraepithelial lymphocytes

The role of gut intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) in immunity to cryptosporidial infection was investigated with a murine infection model involving Cryptosporidium muris. Oocyst shedding was monitored in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice infected with C. muris following intravenous injection of mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells or intestinal IEL from BALB/c donor mice which were naive or previously infected with C. muris. SCID mice receiving no lymphoid cells developed chronic infections and excreted large numbers of oocysts until the end of the experiment. SCID mice injected with IEL from immune animals, however, were able to overcome the infection, and furthermore, these animals produced fewer oocysts and recovered sooner than ones which received IEL or MLN cells from naive BALB/c donors. Similar levels of protection were obtained in SCID mice injected with either 2 X 10(6) IEL or MLN cells from immune donor mice. Depletion of CD4+ cells from immune IEL, however, abrogated the ability to transfer immunity to SCID mice, while depletion of CD8+ cells only marginally reduced the protective capacity of immune IEL. Finally, control SCID mice which received no lymphocytes had < or = 1% CD4+ cells in the IEL from the small intestine, whereas the IEL from SCID mice recovered from infection, as a result of injection with immune IEL, contained 15% CD4+ cells. Thus, the ability to control C. muris infection correlated with the presence of the protective CD4+ cells in the gut epithelium.
The paper investigates the key factors of export dynamics for a set of Central and Southeast European ( CSEE ) countries in the context of current economic and financial crisis

The paper investigates the key factors of export dynamics for a set of Central and Southeast European (CSEE) countries in the context of current economic and financial crisis. In order to model the export dynamics a Global Vector Auto Regressive (GVAR) model is defined. As opposed to models which model each country separately, the GVAR combines all country models in a global model which enables obtaining important information on spillover effects in the context of globalisation and rising international linkages. The results of the study indicate that for most of the CSEE countries, exports are mainly driven by domestic shocks, both in the short run and in the long run. This study is the first application of the GVAR model to studying the export dynamics in the CSEE countries and therefore the results of the study present an important empirical contribution. Keywords—Export, GFEVD, Global VAR, International trade, weak exogeneity.
The psychological and social impact of epilepsy

Epilepsy has many non-medical effects on the people with epilepsy, their family and community. To ensure that epilepsy is fully controlled requires a specialist neurologist or paediatrician with up-todate detailed knowledge to diagnose and prescribe treatment, a general practitioner to supervise dayto-day medical management and an epilepsy specialist community worker to provide psychosocial support, information and education to help maintain quality of life. By working together as a team, the specialist, the general practitioner and the epilepsy specialist community worker can ensure that the psychological and social impact of epilepsy is reduced to a minimum. Although epilepsy is a medical condition, the person with epilepsy also has to cope with its psychological and social consequences. This paper discusses how the people with epilepsy can be assisted to cope with those consequences. IMPACT ON THE SELF A person’s body is an integral part of their selfpercept, or identity. Finding that the brain does not function as others’ brains do forces a change in body percept and therefore self-percept. The adolescent’s question “Who am I? ” recurs, which can be traumatic for an adult. Lower self-esteem can result from perception of the self as less competent than others and self-categorisation as an “epileptic” and consequent perception of stigma. 1
On improving the accuracy of the Hough transform: theory, simulations, and experiments

The authors present two methods for very-high-precision estimation of straight-line parameters from the Hough transform and compare them with the standard method of taking the absolute peak in the Hough array and with least-squares fitting using both extensive simulation and a number of tests with real target images. Both methods use preprocessing and interpolation in the Hough array, and are based on compensating for effects that cause a spreading of the peak in Hough space. By interpolation, the authors achieve accuracy better than the accumulator cell size. A complete set of simulations show that the two methods produce similar results, which are much better than taking the absolute peak in Hough space. They also compare well with least-square fitting, which was considered optimal in the case of zero mean noise. Results of experiments with real images are reported, confirming that the Hough transform can yield very accurate results, almost as good as least-squares fitting for zero mean noise. <<ETX>>
A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future

This paper reports on a literature review conducted in the UK for the Design Council and CfBT (Higgins et al., 2005) which looked at the evidence of the impact of environments on learning in schools. We have reviewed the available evidence regarding different facets of the physical environment and provided an analysis based on different areas of effect, including the extent to which different facets interact (positively and negatively) with one another. Our conclusions suggest that, although the research often indicates the parameters of an effective environment, there is an overall lack of empirical evidence about the impact of individual elements of the physical environment which might inform school design at a practical level to support student achievement. However, at a secondary level of analysis, there are indications that environmental change can be part of a catalytic process of school development and improvement. The implications of these findings for Building Schools for the Future will be discussed.
SPARC triggers a cell-autonomous program of synapse elimination

Significance Neuronal circuits require eliminating the excess of synaptic connectivity to acquire complete functionality. Here we show that secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), a molecule secreted exclusively by glia, is a trigger for synapse elimination. Acting through a region located in its C-terminal domain, SPARC activates synapse disassembly and formation of retracted axon terminals in cholinergic neurons in vitro. The onset of this cell-autonomous program in the tails of living tadpoles drives a loss of motor innervation, causing transient paralysis. We propose that along with their well-established role in ending the process of synapse elimination by engulfing retracted terminals, glia can also act as a trigger through the release of specific molecules, such as SPARC. Elimination of the excess synaptic contacts established in the early stages of neuronal development is required to refine the function of neuronal circuits. Here we investigate whether secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), a molecule produced by glial cells, is involved in synapse removal. SPARC production peaks when innervation of the rat superior cervical ganglion and the tail of Xenopus tropicalis tadpoles are remodeled. The formation of new cholinergic synapses in autaptic single-cell microcultures is inhibited by SPARC. The effect resides in the C-terminal domain, which is also responsible for triggering a concentration- and time-dependent disassembly of stable cholinergic synapses. The loss of synaptic contacts is associated with the formation of retracted axon terminals containing multivesicular bodies and secondary lysosomes. The biological relevance of in vitro results was supported by injecting the tail of Xenopus tropicalis tadpoles with peptide 4.2, a 20-aa sequence derived from SPARC that mimics full-length protein effects. Swimming was severely impaired at ∼5 h after peptide application, caused by the massive elimination of neuromuscular junctions and pruning of axonal branches. Effects revert by 6 d after injection, as motor innervation reforms. In conclusion, SPARC triggers a cell-autonomous program of synapse elimination in cholinergic neurons that likely occurs when protein production peaks during normal development.
CD 34 + Endothelial Cell Lines Derived From Murine Yolk Sac Induce the Proliferation and Differentiation of Yolk Sac CD 34 + Hematopoietic Progenitors

Embryonic hematopoiesis is initiated in part in the blood islands of the yolk sac. Previous confocal microscopic analysis has shown that the CD34 antigen, a mucin-like cell surface glycoprotein that is expressed by hematopoietic progenitors and all endothelial cells of the adult and embryo, is also found on a subset of luminal hematopoietic-like cells in the yolk sac blood islands as well as on the vascular endothelium lining these early hematopoietic locations. We show here that, as in all other hematopoietic sites thus far examined, immunoaffinity-purified CD34+ nonadherent cells from murine yolk sacs contain the vast majority of erythroid and myeloid progenitor cell colony forming activity. To examine the developmental interactions between these CD34' hematopoietic progenitor cells of the yolk sac and the CD34' yolk sac endothelium, we have immunaffinity-purified adherent endothelial cells from day 10.5 yolk sacs using CD34 antiserum and produced cell lines by transformation with a retrovirus expressing the polyoma middle T antigen. Analysis of these cell lines for CD34, von Willebrands factor, FLK 1 and FLT 1 expression, and capillary growth in Matrigel indicates that they appear to be endothelial cells, consistent with their original phenotype in vivo. Coculture of yolk sac CD34' hematopoietic cells on these endothelial cell lines results in up to a 60-fold increase in total hematopoietic cell number after approximately 8 days. Analysis of these expanded hematopoietic cells showed that the majority were of the mono-
Attribute Weighted Value Difference Metric

Classification is an important task in data mining, while accurate class probability estimation is also desirable in real-world applications. Some probability-based classifiers, such as the k-nearest neighbor algorithm (KNN) and its variants, can estimate the class membership probabilities of the test instance. Unfortunately, a good classifier is not always a good class probability estimator. In this paper, we try to improve the class probability estimation performance of KNN and its variants. As we all know, KNN and its variants are all of the distance-related algorithms and their performance is closely related to the used distance metric. Value Difference Metric (VDM) is one of the widely used distance metrics for nominal attributes. Thus, in order to scale up the class probability estimation performance of the distance-related algorithms such as KNN and its variants, we propose an Attribute Weighted Value Difference Metric (AWVDM) in this paper. AWVDM uses the mutual information between the attribute variable and the class variable to weight the difference between two attribute values of each pair of instances. Experimental results on 36 UCI benchmark datasets validate the effectiveness of the proposed AWVDM.
Decoupling of Fluctuating Power in Single-Phase Systems Through a Symmetrical Half-Bridge Circuit

Single-phase ac/dc or dc/ac systems are inherently subject to the harmonic disturbance that is caused by the well-known double-line frequency ripple power. This issue can be eased through the installation of bulky electrolytic capacitors in the dc link. Unfortunately, such passive filtering approach may inevitably lead to low power density and limited system lifetime. An alternative approach is to use active power decoupling so that the ripple power can be diverted into other energy storage devices to gain an improved system performance. Nevertheless, all existing active methods have to introduce extra energy storage elements, either inductors or film capacitors in the system to store the ripple power, and this again leads to increased component costs. In view of this, this paper presents a symmetrical half-bridge circuit which utilizes the dc-link capacitors to absorb the ripple power, and the only additional components are a pair of switches and a small filtering inductor. A design example is presented and the proposed circuit concept is also verified with simulation and experimental results. It shows that at least ten times capacitance reduction can be achieved with the proposed active power decoupling method, and both the input current and output voltage of the converter can be well regulated even when very small dc-link capacitors are employed.
Distinct effects of alpha-SNAP, 14-3-3 proteins, and calmodulin on priming and triggering of regulated exocytosis

We have used stage-specific assays for MgATP-dependent priming and for Ca(2+)-activated triggering in the absence of free MgATP to examine the effects of alpha-SNAP, 14-3-3 proteins and calmodulin on regulated exocytosis in permeabilized adrenal chromaffin cells. All three proteins lead to a Ca(2+)-dependent increase in catecholamine secretion. Both alpha-SNAP and 14-3-3 proteins stimulated in a priming but not in a triggering assay. In contrast, calmodulin was stimulatory in triggering but not priming. The effects of alpha-SNAP and 14-3-3 proteins were likely to be due to distinct mechanisms of action since they differed in Ca(2+)-dependency, time course and extent of stimulation and their effects were additive. alpha-SNAP and 14-3-3 proteins did not appear to exert their priming action through changes in synthesis of phosphatidylinositol (4,5) bisphosphate. The data show that these three proteins have distinct stage-specific actions on exocytosis and indicate that alpha-SNAP acts in an early MgATP- requiring stage and not in the late Ca(2+)-triggered steps immediately prior to membrane fusion as previously suggested.
Cohabitation, Marriage, and Entry into Motherhood

Findings indicate that there are racial differences in the effect of cohabitation on the life courses of Black and White women. The Teachman and Polonko model of union formation is partly supported. Cohabitation does not in itself promote childbearing. The time spent in cohabitation and the first 8 months of marriage determine first births. Findings show that cohabiting White women are more likely to be pregnant when marrying than noncohabiting White women. Marriage is more likely among cohabiting White women who are pregnant than noncohabiting White women. The transition to first marital birth is the same for noncohabiting White women and cohabiting White women who are not pregnant. Among Black women the probability of marriage before their first birth is the same for pregnant cohabiting women and never married women. The results suggest that cohabitation does not replace marriage as the context for childbearing but is the context for White women in the transition to marriage. The effect of cohabitation on first birth timing is dependent on the duration of time spent cohabiting. White women cohabiting for over a year are 93% more likely to have a first birth within the first 8 months of marriage and 65% more likely to have a first birth within the first year of marriage than noncohabiting women. White women who cohabited between 7 months and 1 year are 108% more likely to have their first birth in the first half of the second year of marriage than noncohabiting women. White women cohabiting within 7 months and 1 year have the same likelihood of a marital first birth at all other marital durations as noncohabiting women. Data is obtained from the 1987 and 1988 National Survey of Families and Households on White and Black women who first married between 1970 and 1984 without a first birth before marriage and who were aged less than 30 years (1311 marriages and 745 cohabiting unions before marriage). 1763 women out of 2056 women in the sample have a marital first birth during the first 3 years of marriage (1555 White women and 208 Black women).
Review of the role of non-invasive ventilation in the emergency department

One of the first descriptions of a “pulmonary plus pressure machine” in 1936 describes varying success in the treatment of cardiac asthma and bronchial asthma.1 The author describes how an Electrolux or Hoover vacuum cleaner can be used to supply air at positive pressure and wisely cautions that “the machine should be run for some minutes first of all to get rid of the dust”. The aim of this article is to review the effects of non-invasive ventilation in acute respiratory failure, the evidence for its use in an emergency setting, and make some recommendations concerning its optimal use. ### EFFECTS ON THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM Extrinsically applied positive end expiratory pressure (ePEEP) increases alveolar size and recruitment.2, 3 This expands the area available for gas exchange, reduces intrapulmonary shunt, improves lung compliance, and decreases the work of breathing.3–6 It acts to negate the effects of intrinsic PEEP (iPEEP), which is the cause of dynamic airway compression and gas trapping.7, 8 Ventilation is improved with beneficial effects on the alveolar-arterial gradient, hypercarbia and, to a lesser extent, hypoxia.9, 10 Pressure support (alone or as part of bilevel positive airway pressure, BiPAP) further augments alveolar ventilation and allows some respiratory muscle rest during the inspiratory phase.11 ### EFFECTS ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM PEEP reduces venous return to the right side of the heart.12 Left ventricular preload, transmural pressure, and relative afterload are all decreased without altering myocardial contractility.12–14 Thus, the ejection fraction improves without an increase in myocardial oxygen consumption.12, 15 It appears that those with worst ventricular dysfunction show the most significant improvement in stroke volume index with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). 16 Overall, CPAP leads to a decrease in arterial pressure, heart rate, and rate-pressure product within 10 minutes, without exacerbation of hypotension.17 …
Coping with Recession: The Impact upon the Entrepreneur

Shirley Brennan is a Research Officer and Marie McHugh is a Lecturer at the University of Ulster; Northern Ireland. This research note reports findings from an exploratory study which investigated the impact of recession upon decision making, personality and stress among 30 small business owners in Northern Ireland. A case study approach was adopted; participants took part in a semi-structured interview and completed two psychological tests. Findings highlight the personal impact of the recession on small business owners. They are discussed in terms of their potentially negative impact on key entrepreneurial characteristics, future activities and long-term prospty.
Controllability and Observability of Infinite-Dimensional Descriptor Systems

In this paper, the classical systems theoretic concepts of controllability and observability are considered for descriptor systems with an infinite-dimensional state space. These are systems of the form Exdot(t) = Ax(t) + Bu(t), y(t) = Cx(t), where x(ldr), u(ldr), and y(ldr) are functions with values in separable Hilbert spaces X, U, and Y. For the operators, we assume that E : XrarrZ, B : UrarrZ, and C : XrarrY are bounded, where Z is another Hilbert space. The operator A is assumed to be closed and defined on some dense subspace D(A) sub X. Mappings are defined that induce the notions of controllability and observability. The controllable states and the unobservable states are characterized by invariant subspaces. Based on that, Kalman decompositions of infinite-dimensional descriptor systems are presented.
Extraordinary number of gene rearrangements in the mitochondrial genomes of lice (Phthiraptera: Insecta)

The arrangement of genes in the mitochondrial (mt) genomes of most insects is the same, or near‐identical, to that inferred to be ancestral for insects. We sequenced the entire mt genome of the small pigeon louse, Campanulotes bidentatus compar, and part of the mt genomes of nine other species of lice. These species were from six families and the three main suborders of the order Phthiraptera. There was no variation in gene arrangement among species within a family but there was much variation in gene arrangement among the three suborders of lice. There has been an extraordinary number of gene rearrangements in the mitochondrial genomes of lice!
Optimal Dietary and Plasma Magnesium Statuses Depend on Dietary Quality for a Reduction in the Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults

The association between dietary or plasma magnesium (Mg) with diabetes incidence and with mortality in free-living elderly was investigated. A total of 1400 participants from the Taiwanese Nutrition Survey, aged ≥ 65 years, and diabetes-free from the 1999–2000 were assessed. The dietary intake and plasma Mg concentration were obtained through 24h dietary recall and health examination at baseline. Participants were classified by quartiles (Q) of dietary Mg or by the plasma Mg normal range (0.75–0.95 mmol/L). Dietary diversity score (DDS, range 1–6) represented the dietary quality. During 8 and 10 years, 231 incident diabetes cases and 475 deaths were identified. Cox’s proportional-hazards regression was used to evaluate the association between Mg and health outcomes. The hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for death in Q2 and Q3 of Mg intakes with DDS > 4 were 0.57 (0.44–0.74) and 0.59 (0.39–0.88), respectively, compared with the lowest intake and DDS ≤ 4 participants. Participants with normal and high plasma Mg in conjunction with high DDS had relative risks of 0.58 (0.37–0.89) and 0.46 (0.25–0.85) in mortality compared with low plasma Mg and lower DDS. Optimal dietary Mg intake and plasma Mg depend on dietary quality to reduce the mortality risk in older adults.