Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Sentiment-Based Approach to Twitter User Recommendation

Nowadays, the emerging popularity of Social Web raises new application areas for recommender systems. The aim of a social user recommendation is to suggest new friends having similar interests. In order to identify such interests, current recommender algorithms exploit social network information or the similarity of user-generated content. The rationale of this work is that users may share similar interests but have different opinions on them. As a result, considering the contribution of user sentiments, can yield benefits in recommending possible friends to follow. In this paper we propose a user recommendation technique based on a novel weighting function, we named sentimentvolume-objectivity (SVO) function, which takes into account not only user interests, but also his sentiments. Such function allows us to build richer user profiles to employ in the recommendation process than other content-based approaches. Preliminary results based on a comparative analysis show the benefits of the advanced approach in comparison with some state-of-the-art user recommender systems.
Effect of Stimulant Medication on Children with Attention Deficit Disorder: A “Review of Reviews”

The University of California, Irvine ADD Center recently conducted a synthesis of the literature on the use of stimulants with children with attention deficit disorder (ADD), using a unique “review of reviews” methodology. In this article, we compare three reviews from each of three review types (traditional, meta-analytic, general audience) and illustrate how coding variables can highlight sources of divergence. In general, divergent conclusions stemmed from variations in goal rather than from variations in the sources selected to review. Across quantitative reviews, the average effect size for symptomatic improvement (.83) was twice that for benefits on IQ and achievement measures (.35). A summary of what should and should not be expected of the use of stimulants with ADD children, derived from the literature synthesis, is provided.
Enhancing physical activity coaching through personalized motivational strategies and self-adaptive goal-setting: development of self-adaptive processes in a monitoring and coaching smartphone application

Technology supported services for achieving a healthy lifestyle have shown their short term effects and are receiving increasing interest from the research community. However, long term adherence to these services is poor. This paper describes research-in-progress regarding the implementation of automated goal-setting and tailored feedback messages into one such technology supported service, which aims to improve the user’s physical activity pattern. Tailored feedback messages for several personas were set up based on theories from behavioral science and categorized by experts during an expert workshop. Results indicate reasonable agreement on the matching of motivational messages to four personas. Additional expert input is discussed descriptively. Future research will focus on examining the effectiveness of the new version of the service under investigation.
Levels indeed! A response to Broadbent

Although Broadbent concedes that we are probably correct in supposing that memory representations are distributed, he argues that psychological evidence is irrelevant to our argument because our point is relevant only at what Marr (1982) has called the implementation^ level of description and that psychological theory is only properly concerned with what Marr calls the computational level. We believe that Broadbent is wrong on both counts. First, our model is stated at a third level between the other two, Marr's representational and algorithmic level. Second, we believe that psychology is properly concerned with all three of these levels and that the information processing approach to psychology has been primarily concerned with the same level that we are, namely, the algorithmic level. Thus, our model is a competitor of the logogen model and other models of human information processing. We discuss these and other aspects of the question of levels, concluding that distributed models may ultimately provide more compelling accounts of a number of aspects of cognitive processes than other, competing algorithmic accounts.
Characterization of the Differential Response of Endothelial Cells Exposed to Normal and Elevated Laminar Shear Stress

Most acute coronary events occur in the upstream region of stenotic atherosclerotic plaques that experience laminar shear stress (LSS) elevated above normal physiological levels. Many studies have described the atheroprotective effect on endothelial behavior of normal physiological LSS (approximately 15 dynes/cm2) compared to static or oscillatory shear stress (OSS), but it is unknown whether the levels of elevated shear stress imposed by a stenotic plaque would preserve, enhance or reverse this effect. Therefore we used transcriptomics and related functional analyses to compare human endothelial cells exposed to laminar shear stress of 15 (LSS15‐normal) or 75 dynes/cm2 (LSS75‐elevated). LSS75 upregulated expression of 145 and downregulated expression of 158 genes more than twofold relative to LSS15. Modulation of the metallothioneins (MT1‐G, ‐M, ‐X) and NADPH oxidase subunits (NOX2, NOX4, NOX5, and p67phox) accompanied suppression of reactive oxygen species production at LSS75. Shear induced changes in dual specificity phosphatases (DUSPs 1, 5, 8, and 16 increasing and DUSPs 6 and 23 decreasing) were observed as well as reduced ERK1/2 but increased p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation. Amongst vasoactive substances, endothelin‐1 expression decreased whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and prostacyclin expression increased, despite which intracellular cAMP levels were reduced. Promoter analysis by rVISTA identified a significant over representation of ATF and Nrf2 transcription factor binding sites in genes upregulated by LSS75 compared to LSS15. In summary, LSS75 induced a specific change in behavior, modifying gene expression, reducing ROS levels, altering MAP kinase signaling and reducing cAMP levels, opening multiple avenues for future study. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 2841–2848, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Optimism, Social Support, and Coping Strategies As Factors Contributing to Posttraumatic Growth: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analytic review examines the role of optimism, social support, and coping strategies in contributing to posttraumatic growth. Results from 103 studies showed that all three systems of variables yielded significant effect sizes. Religious coping and positive reappraisal coping produced the largest effect sizes. Social support, seeking social support coping, spirituality, and optimism were moderately related to posttraumatic growth. Acceptance coping yielded the smallest effect sizes. Moderator analyses showed that effect sizes did not differ according to time elapsed since trauma, gender, and type of posttraumatic growth measure (posttraumatic growth vs. benefit finding). Age and gender were significant moderators of religious coping, whereas study design (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional) significantly moderated the effect of positive reappraisal coping. Implications for research and interventions on posttraumatic growth are also discussed.
Pericardium: anatomy and spectrum of disease on computed tomography.

The normal pericardium is seen as a very thin linear density surrounding the heart (Fig 1) but is often not visualized over much of the left ventricle. The normal thickness of the pericardium on computed tomography (CT) is 1 to 2 mm. At the reflections of the serous pericardium between the great vessels at the base of the heart, the pericardial cavity forms the pericardial sinuses and recesses. Among these structures, the transverse sinus and its subdivisions frequently simulate abnormalities such as lymphadenopathy or mediastinal mass. The transverse sinus is posterior to the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunk and above the left atrium (Fig 2, A). Vesely and Cahill subdivided the transverse sinus into 4 recesses: the superior aortic, the inferior aortic, the right pulmonic, and the left pulmonic. The superior aortic recess was subdivided into 3 portions: anterior, posterior, and right lateral (Fig 2, B). Even in patients without pericardial effusion, a significant part of the posterior portion may extend cephalad into the right paratracheal region (the “high-riding” superior pericardial recess) (Fig 3). The left pulmonic recess is situated below the left pulmonary artery and posterolateral to the proximal portion of the right pulmonary artery (Fig 2, C). Recognizing the appearance of these normal variations is extremely important to avoid misidentification as lymphadenopathy and other mediastinal disease processes. CT criteria of the pericardium include presence of a sharply outlined density with smooth margins that was located in the expected anatomic position, uniform attenuation consistent with fluid, and absence of a wall or rim with higher attenuation (Figs 2 and 3).
Blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging during carbogen breathing: differentiation between prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia and correlation with vessel maturity

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can evaluate tumor maturity and preoperatively differentiate prostate cancer (PCa) from benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Patients and methods BOLD MRI based on transverse relaxation time*-weighted echo planar imaging was performed to assess PCa (19) and BPH (22) responses to carbogen (95% O2 and 5% CO2). The average signal values of PCa and BPH before and after carbogen breathing and the relative increased signal values were computed, respectively. The endothelial-cell marker, CD31, and the pericyte marker, α-smooth muscle actin (mature vessels), were detected with immunofluorescence, and were assessed by microvessel density (MVD) and microvessel pericyte density (MPD). The microvessel pericyte coverage index (MPI) was used to evaluate the degree of vascular maturity. The changed signal from BOLD MRI was correlated with MVD, MPD, and MPI. Results After inhaling carbogen, both PCa and BPH showed an increased signal, but a lower slope was found in PCa than that in BPH (P<0.05). PCa had a higher MPD and MVD but a lower MPI than BPH. The increased signal intensity was positively correlated with MPI in PCa and that in BPH (r=0.616, P=0.011; r=0.658, P=0.002); however, there was no correlation between the increased signal intensity and MPD or MVD in PCa than that in BPH (P>0.05). Conclusion Our results confirmed that the increased signal values induced by BOLD MRI well differentiated PCa from BPH and had a positive correlation with vessel maturity in both of them. BOLD MRI can be utilized as a surrogate marker for the noninvasive assessment of the degree of vessel maturity.
Home Health Care: A Needs Assessment with Design Implications

A combination of survey and focus group activities was performed to investigate the functions, capabilities, and interface designs necessary to support home-based care providers. This study strongly verified that the most important factor in the design of a home health care interface was a clear understanding of the user population and their needs, capabilities, and limitations. Patients seen in home care situations are often unfamiliar with technology and have a number of disabilities that would need to be taken into account in the design. Many positive responses were received from home health care professionals on the idea of providing this service for relatively healthy families or for families with members in need of more long-term care.
Repression of myogenic differentiation by aFGF, bFGF, and K-FGF is dependent on cellular heparan sulfate

We have proposed a model in which fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling requires the interaction of FGF with at least two FGF receptors, a heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) and a tyrosine kinase. Since FGF may be a key mediator of skeletal muscle differentiation, we examined the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans in MM14 skeletal muscle myoblasts and their participation in FGF signalling. Proliferating and differentiated MM14 cells exhibit similar levels of HSPG, while differentiated cells exhibit reduced levels of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and heparan sulfate chains. HSPGs, including syndecan, present in proliferating cells bind bFGF, while the majority of chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate chains do not. Treatment of skeletal muscle cells with chlorate, a reversible inhibitor of glycosaminoglycan sulfation, was used to examine the requirement of sulfated proteoglycans for FGF signalling. Chlorate treatment reduced glycosaminoglycan sulfation by 90% and binding of FGF to high affinity sites by 80%. Chlorate treatment of MM14 myoblasts abrogated the biological activity of acidic, basic, and Kaposi's sarcoma FGFs resulting in terminal differentiation. Chlorate inhibition of FGF signalling was reversed by the simultaneous addition of sodium sulfate or heparin. Further support for a direct role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in fibroblast growth factor signal transduction was demonstrated by the ability of heparitinase to inhibit basic FGF binding and biological activity. These results suggest that activation of FGF receptors by acidic, basic or Kaposi's sarcoma FGF requires simultaneous binding to a HSPG and the tyrosine kinase receptor. Skeletal muscle differentiation in vivo may be dependent on FGFs, FGF tyrosine kinase receptors, and HSPGs. The regulation of these molecules may then be expected to have important implications for skeletal muscle development and regeneration.
Perceived Reasonableness of Employment Testing Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities

Laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as well as subsequent legal sanctions, appear to have had limited success in substantially increasing the number of persons with disabilities within the employment context. Therefore, it is critical that a better understanding be developed of both the physical and attitudinal barriers persons with disabilities face with regard to gaining such employment. The present study was conducted to examine how the origin of an applicant's disability, the status of the job being applied for, and the level of test accommodation to be provided influenced perceptions of what was a reasonable pre-employment testing accommodation. Human resources testing professionals from both the public and private sectors rated how reasonable they perceived a variety of testing accommodations to be. The results reveal that origin of disability, job status, and level of accommodation all affected how reasonable a given testing accommodation was perceived to be and that there was significant interaction effects for all three factors. The results of this study also support Stone and Colella's model of the complex nature of workers' reactions to individuals with disabilities in organizations. The implications of the study, as well as needs for future research, are also discussed.
Invariance of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Measurement Model across Institutions in Malaysia

Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) is a discretionary behaviour that benefits organisations and their members. Even though OCB has been broadly researched over the years in the US, the measurement of OCB has received rather limited deliberation particularly in Asian contexts like Malaysia. This study tests the adequacy of the OCB measurement model and analyses the invariance of the model of 417 respondents in two Malaysian institutions. A three–dimensional OCB model was found to be adequate after having been subjected to Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). As a result of discriminant validity, the two dimensions of OCB ‘helping’ and ‘civic virtue’ were found to measure the same thing. Consequently, the two dimensions were merged and named ‘concern’. Although the factors were found to have acceptable reliability and validity with very few modifications, there is a need to further test the model with different and larger samples. This study also shows that the CFA model experienced invariance across institutions. The results have practical implications for recruitment and training managers to utilise the instrument as well as to pay more attention to the importance of cultivating OCB among staff of the sampled institutions.
The night‐eating syndrome and obesity

The rising prevalence of obesity is a global concern. Eating behaviour and circadian rhythm are proving to be important factors in the aetiology of obesity. The night‐eating syndrome (NES) is characterized by increased late‐night eating, insomnia, a depressed mood and distress. It is evident that prevalence is higher among weight‐related populations than the general community. The exact relationship between this syndrome and obesity remains unclear. The reasons for the discrepancies found in the literature likely include varying diagnostic criteria and a wide range of study population characteristics. NES does not always lead to weight gain in thus certain individuals may be susceptible to night‐eating‐related weight gain. Weight loss through surgical and behavioural treatments has shown success in diminishing symptoms. The increasing literature associating obesity with circadian imbalances strengthens the link between the NES and obesity. Circadian genes may play a role in this syndrome. This review will examine different aspects of obesity in the context of the NES.
Prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: approaches to estimating and reducing risk.

BACKGROUND It is uncertain whether evidence supports routinely estimating a postmenopausal woman's risk of breast cancer and intervening to reduce risk. METHODS We systematically reviewed prospective studies about models and sex hormone levels to assess breast cancer risk and used meta-analysis with random effects models to summarize the predictive accuracy of breast density. We also reviewed prospective studies of the effects of exercise, weight management, healthy diet, moderate alcohol consumption, and fruit and vegetable intake on breast cancer risk, and used random effects models for a meta-analyses of tamoxifen and raloxifene for primary prevention of breast cancer. All studies reviewed were published before June 2008, and all statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Risk models that are based on demographic characteristics and medical history had modest discriminatory accuracy for estimating breast cancer risk (c-statistics range = 0.58-0.63). Breast density was strongly associated with breast cancer (relative risk [RR] = 4.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.10 to 5.26, for Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category IV vs category I; RR = 4.20, 95% CI = 3.61 to 4.89, for >75% vs <5% of dense area), and adding breast density to models improved discriminatory accuracy (c-statistics range = 0.63-0.66). Estradiol was also associated with breast cancer (RR range = 2.0-2.9, comparing the highest vs lowest quintile of estradiol, P < .01). Most studies found that exercise, weight reduction, low-fat diet, and reduced alcohol intake were associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer. Tamoxifen and raloxifene reduced the risk of estrogen receptor-positive invasive breast cancer and invasive breast cancer overall. CONCLUSIONS Evidence from this study supports screening for breast cancer risk in all postmenopausal women by use of risk factors and breast density and considering chemoprevention for those found to be at high risk. Several lifestyle changes with the potential to prevent breast cancer should be recommended regardless of risk.
Risk factors for esophageal cancer in Shanghai, China. II. Role of diet and nutrients

A population‐based case‐control study of esophageal cancer (902 cases, 1,552 controls) in Shanghai, China, investigated the etiologic role of diet. After adjustment for cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and other risk factors, increasing consumption of fruits, dark orange vegetables and beef or mutton was associated with statistically significant decreasing trends in risk for esophageal cancer. In general, risks were about 40% lower among those in the upper vs. lower quartiles of intake of these foods. Fivefold increases in risk were observed among those who consumed burning hot soup or porridge, with smaller excesses for preserved vegetables, salty and deep fried foods. Nutrient analysis revealed that increased dietary intake of protein, carotene, vitamins C and E and riboflavin was associated with reduced esophageal cancer risk. Our findings support the notion that the reported temporal increases in the per capita consumption of fruits, vegetables and animal products contribute to the substantial reduction in the incidence of esophageal cancer in Shanghai, particularly since cigarette and alcohol use has not decreased.
Voluntary Self-Control of Sleep to Facilitate Quasi-Continuous Performance

Abstract : Quasi-continuous work schedules require individuals to function for prolonged periods with few extensive sleep opportunities. Consequently, sleep loss may jeopardize effective functioning. This research has evaluated the potential of napping to facilitate functioning in such situations. These studies focused on identifying basic individual differences in napping behavior, and determining the implications of these differences for the ability to nap, the nature of naps, the purpose served by naps, and the consequences of napping in both sleep-conducive and non-conducive (alerting) environments. These issues are relevant to implementing prophylactic napping during sustained operations. This study involves both laboratory and field data on the sleep/wakefulness patterns, napping behavior, psychophysiology, performance, subjective activation, and circadian variation in two types of habitual nappers and a group of habitual non-nappers. Replacement nappers nap to compensate for shortened nocturnal sleep the night before, and are the most common type of nappers; appetitive nappers' naps are not tied to reduced nocturnal sleep, but rather may be part of a natural biphasic sleep cycle. Appetitive nappers exhibit a greater control over napping than replacement nappers. Confirmed non-nappers avoid napping because it produces unpleasant consequences for them, the basis of which might be the intrusion of a consolidated nocturnal sleep pattern into their nap. Naps profoundly improve positive mood states in nappers, but they also yield immediate post-nap performance decrements -- related to aspects of sleep infrastructure -- that are relatively quickly dissipated.
FlyRNAi: the Drosophila RNAi screening center database

RNA interference (RNAi) has become a powerful tool for genetic screening in Drosophila. At the Drosophila RNAi Screening Center (DRSC), we are using a library of over 21 000 double-stranded RNAs targeting known and predicted genes in Drosophila. This library is available for the use of visiting scientists wishing to perform full-genome RNAi screens. The data generated from these screens are collected in the DRSC database () in a flexible format for the convenience of the scientist and for archiving data. The long-term goal of this database is to provide annotations for as many of the uncharacterized genes in Drosophila as possible. Data from published screens are available to the public through a highly configurable interface that allows detailed examination of the data and provides access to a number of other databases and bioinformatics tools.