Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How to measure prenatal stress? A systematic review of psychometric instruments to assess psychosocial stress during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND A growing body of literature documents associations of maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy with fetal, infant and child behaviour and development. However, findings across studies are often inconsistent, which may in part be due to differences in stress definitions and assessments. METHODS We systematically reviewed methods applied to assess maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy in studies looking at associations with biobehavioural outcomes in the offspring. A systematic literature search was performed on Web of Science and PubMed for the time period between January 1999 and October 2009. Psychometric instruments assessing maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy were identified and described if data on psychometric properties were available. RESULTS We identified 115 publications that assessed psychosocial stress during pregnancy with validated methods. These publications applied overall 43 different instruments assessing constructs falling under seven categories, ordered according to their frequency of use: anxiety, depression, daily hassles, aspects of psychological symptomatology (not reduced to anxiety or depression), life events, specific socio-environmental stressors and stress related to pregnancy and parenting. If available, we provide information on validity and reliability of the instruments for samples of pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS Within the 'prenatal stress' research, a broad range of instruments is applied to assess psychosocial stress during pregnancy. Prenatal stress research should take into consideration that the variety of methods in use might hamper the comparability of stress research results. In each category of stress constructs, one instrument with good psychometric properties in pregnant women is highlighted as the best currently available measure.
Changes in the level of serum liver enzymes after laparoscopic surgery.

AIM The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of laparoscopic surgery on liver function in humans and the possible mechanisms behind such effect. METHODS Blood samples from 286 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and 40 patients who underwent open cholecystectomy (OC) were tested for liver function by measuring the level of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) before and after the operations. The same tests were also applied to 18 laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection (LCR) patients and 23 open colorectal cancer resection (OCR) patients to determine whether CO(2) pneumoperitoneum could alter the serum liver enzymes. RESULTS The level of serum ALT and AST increased significantly during the first 48 hours post operations in both LC and LCR patients. However, no significant change of the serum liver enzymes was detected in both OC and OCR patients. As a result, there was statistically significant difference in change of both ALT and AST levels between LC and OC patients and LCR and OCR patients, respectively. By the 7(th) day post operation, the level of both enzymes returned to normal values in LC, OC and OCR patients except LCR patients whose enzymes remained at a higher level. CONCLUSION Transient elevation of hepatic transaminases occurred after laparoscopic surgery. The major causative factor seemed to be the CO(2) pneumoperitoneum. In most of the laparoscopic surgery patients, the transient elevation of serum liver enzymes showed no apparent clinical implications. However, if preoperative liver function was very poor, laparoscopic surgery may not be the best choice for the treatment of patients with certain abdominal diseases.
Proposing a power management method for more exploitation of a stand-alone DFIG-based wind turbine

In this paper, a power management method for appropriate performance and more exploitation of a wind turbine in stand-alone mode has been proposed and simulated. The structure is composed of a wind turbine based on a doubly fed induction generator, which is assumed without the presence of energy storage systems (ESS) and other distributed generators (DGs). In this paper, the stand-alone structure is considered to operate in real conditions, and the real wind profile has been applied. The challenge ahead in this situation, is inequality between the mechanical power received from the wind, and the demanded power of local load. Regulation of the voltage and frequency is also the responsibility of DFIG. The proposed power management method operates considering the amount of kinetic energy stored in the turbine inertia, so that more exploitation of wind turbine is possible under these conditions. This power management method has not been studied in the references yet. In this method, when the received power from the wind is more than the load power, the controlling method based on the pitch angle control, operates in a way that the most possible kinetic energy may be stored in the inertia of the turbine, thus the local load is fed for longer time. If the load power is greater than the received power from the wind, the unnecessary loads elimination method is suggested. The proposed method by matlab/simulink is simulated and its results are analyzed at the end. According to the results, it can be concluded that the stability of the turbine in stand-alone mode is increased and the local load is fed at a fixed voltage and fixed frequency, based on the proposed power management method.
1.2 Information and Disinformation Through Advertising Literacy in Communication Studies: Action Research and Real Social Projects

In today’s “liquid modern world” where everything is transitory and perishable and consumerism has become a social product in itself accelerating the cyclic reposition of worn goods and services, nourished by a fear of dropping out of “the social circulation” of esteem and human networks a growing number of critical societal actors have started to demand a more responsible approach for commercial communication, requiring more complete, accurate and truthful information about brands and corporations. Consumers, consumer organizations, communication scholars and media, among others, are willing to become part of the co-creation of brand information and stories, moving the focus from disinformation to information, responding to the demands for a more responsible commercial world, aligned with the emerging concept of responsible research and innovation (RRI). New interactive ways of advertising and the blurring of boundaries between advertising and entertainment also contribute to creating a challenging scenario for future advertising professionals who need to re-define their way of informing and communicating not only with consumers but all other societal stakeholders. The purpose of this article is to explain how including advertising literacy and education in the curricula of university level communication studies and applying innovating teaching methodology can efficiently respond to at least part of these new societal demands, emphasizing the “right impacts and values” of advertising by future communicators. 1 Advertising Literacy and Youth Since the start of the new millennium, dramatic changes in the commercial media environment have occurred because the boundaries between advertising, entertainment and information have become increasingly blurred (Balasubramanian
Towards measuring societal impact of research: Insights from an Irish case study

Academic research is increasingly required to demonstrate economic and policy relevance, with this becoming a key metric by which the success of research projects are being judged. Furthermore, the active, as opposed to passive, participation of citizens in science is now encouraged through dissemination and outreach, using, for example, co-production techniques. These non-traditional academic impacts have become a key component of a number of funding agency calls, most notably the European Union’s research funding programme Horizon 2020. However, exactly how measurable these ‘impacts’ are, particularly social and policy impacts, is unclear as there is not an obvious metric. Additionally, there is no standardised approach to assessing research impact recognised in the social sciences. Using a case study which describes the experience of using public engagement seminars as a means to disseminate academic research to stakeholder communities, this article aims to develop an impact assessment strategy to measure societal impact applicable in the social sciences. Based on recommendations in the UK Research Excellence Framework, amongst other literature, we put forward three steps to better capture research ‘impact’ in a more meaningful way in future research projects: (i) establish the quality of the academic research, (ii) choose appropriate discipline-specific criteria for measuring societal impact and (iii) choose appropriate measurable indicators. Other useful insights include the difficulty of motivating public interest in topics that are no longer high profile or emotive, and hence the necessity to provide access to research findings as early as possible in the research cycle. The article concludes with a discussion of the difficulties of measuring ‘impact’ in a meaningful sense.
Channel Estimation Based on Echo State Networks in Wireless MIMO Systems

Echo state networks (ESNs) provide architecture and supervised learning principle for recurrent neural networks (RNNs). In this paper, we apply ESN to channel estimation in wireless Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO). There is the multipath propagation environment between a transmitter and receiver. Thus the received signal undergoes phase shift, attenuation and time delay. In order to mitigate these random effects and decoding the transmitted signal at the reservoir, we present ESNs for learning nonlinear systems and realizing accurate channel estimation. We also design a teaching scheme to train the output weights of ESNs. The potential for engineering application is illustrated by channel estimation. Numerical results show that accuracy is improved by the number of reservoir units.
Resident Participation in Cadaveric Temporal Bone Dissection Correlates With Improved Performance on a Standardized Skill Assessment Instrument

Hypothesis Increasing numbers of cadaveric temporal bone (CTB) dissection translates to improved scores on a timed microdissection of a CTB. Background Recent literature regarding resident education has focused on virtual learning. However, advocates for virtual temporal bone drilling admit that there is not yet a substitute for drilling a CTB. Methods Retrospective review of resident performance on a standardized instrument during a timed microdissection of CTBs. Resident performance on the graded dissection was compared with the number of CTBs drilled during the year. Graded performance was also compared with the total number of CTBs dissected over 4 years of residency. Faculty assessed intraoperative skill of the senior residents. These rankings were compared with the number of CTBs drilled. Comparisons were made using Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlations. Results Comparison of test scores from the most recent resident year to the number of CTBs drilled during the corresponding year correlated well (r = 0.41, p = 0.002). The correlation between the score during the highest year of training and the cumulative number of CTB drilled during residency was even stronger (r = 0.604, p = 0.005). Faculty rankings correlated well comparing general surgical skills with TB surgical skills (r = 0.655, p = 0.008). Comparing faculty rankings of TB surgical skill with the number of CTB drilled during the final year of residency yielded a negative correlation (r = −0.8) but was not significant (p = 0.1). Conclusion Greater exposure to CTB dissection correlates with improved scoring on a standardized instrument. Residents who struggle with temporal bone surgery tend to use CTB dissection more than those who are more facile.
Suppression of NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation and tumor necrosis factor-α by Pongamia pinnata seed extract in adjuvant-induced arthritis

Abstract Pongamia pinnata is a plant known for its therapeutic usage in Indian traditional medicine. Despite the controversy regarding toxic flavonoid and erucic acid content, the seed of this plant is consumed in tribal medicine and its oil is used in Ayurveda to treat psoriasis and arthritis. This study explored the potential anti-arthritic effects of a P. pinnata seed (hexane) extract (PSE) at non-lethal doses in an adjuvant-induced arthritic rat model; possible mechanisms of any observed effects were also explored. After establishing the lethal doses arising from oral exposure to the extract, the material was administered per os daily at two doses (0.3 g/kg/day; 0.5 g/kg/day) to arthritic rats. Other rats received indomethacin or vehicle (control). Treatments were performed for a total of 14 days. One day after the final exposure, the rats were euthanized to permit harvest of various cells, blood, and tissues for analyses. Paw diameter and tissue myeloperoxidase activity in the paws were evaluated as indices for edema and neutrophil infiltration into the tissue. The severity of arthritis in the experimental rats was assessed via measures of urinary hydroxyproline (HP) and glucosamine, and of serum pro-inflammatory TNFα and anti-inflammatory IL-10. The extent of NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation in peritoneal macrophages harvested from naïve rats and then treated in vitro was also assessed. The results indicated that exposure to PSE significantly decreased paw diameter, tissue myeloperoxidase level, and levels of urinary HP and glucosamine, as well as of serum TNFα and IL-10 in adjuvant-injected (arthritic) rats. In vitro PSE treatment also resulted in a marked inhibition of NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation in primary cultures of peritoneal macrophages. Thus, PSE appears to be able to prevent experimental arthritis, in part, by helping to maintain the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and by inhibiting NF-κB activation.
Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Exercise Performance in Heart Failure

Background. In heart failure abnormalities of pulmonary function are frequently observed particularly during exercise, which is characterized by hyperpnea, low tidal volume, early expiratory flow limitation and reduced lung compliance. Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) is increased in asthma. We evaluated whether a correlation between exhaled NO and lung mechanics exists during exercise in heart failure. Methods. We studied 33 chronic heart failure patients and 11 healthy subjects with: a) standard pulmonary function, b) lung diffusion for carbon monoxide (DLCO) including its subcomponents, capillary volume and membrane resistance and eNO both at rest and during light exercise, c) maximal cycloergometer cardiopulmonary exercise test. Results. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was reduced in heart failure patients (83 ± 17% of predicted) as was DLCO (75 ± 18% of predicted) due to reduced membrane resistance (32.6 ± 10.3 ml/mmHg/min vs. 39.9 ± 6.9 in patients vs. controls, p < 0.02). eNO was lower in patients vs. controls (9.7 ± 5.4 ppm vs. 14.4 ± 6.4, p < 0.05) and was, during exercise, constant in patients and reduced in controls. No significant correlation was found between eNO and lung function. Vice-versa eNO changes during exercise were correlated with peak exercise oxygen consumption (r = 0.560, p < 0.001). Conclusions. The hypothesis of a link between eNO and lung function in heart failure was not proved. The correlation between eNO changes during exercise and peak VO2 might be due to hemoglobin oxygenation which binds NO to hemoglobin.
DIGITAL IMAGE CAPTURE APPLIED TO ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF RENAL BIOPSIES

Aims: Digital image capture systems to replace traditional film cameras are now available for most electron microscopes. For a diagnostic electron microscope laboratory the test of this new technology is in its application to the examination of renal biopsy specimens. Methods: A long‐term comparison is made between the work procedures employed with conventional film photography versus digital image capture in routine renal biopsy examination. Results: Digital image capture has lead to a reduction in turnaround time and allows for more images to be collected per case, providing more diagnostic information. Ultrastructural measurement is made easier, accuracy of patient records is improved and electronic communication of results is more accessible. Significant operational cost savings are also possible. Conclusion: A quicker and more comprehensive assessment of renal biopsy specimens is possible using digital image capture for ultrastructural examination.
Performance degradation in cooperative radar sensor systems due to Uncorrelated Phase Noise

A cooperative radar sensor system consists of two or more radar sensors, which are capable of mutually receiving the target responses (cross echoes) of the transmitted signals. The sensors have individual signal sources, that are used both for transmission and reception. In addition to the non-ideal properties of single sensors, the usage of different signal sources for transmission and reception in each path leads to uncorrelated phase noise. In this paper, its influence on target position estimation is investigated. An in-system measurement methodology is proposed, which allows to evaluate the effect isolated and to derive phase-noise performance requirements for component design. In the system setup, the signal sources of the radar sensors are represented by an arbitrary-waveform generator (AWG). By this means, both ideally coherent and perturbed sensor signals can be generated for measurements. Starting from the evaluation of phase-noise-free signals, the degradation in target position estimation performance under the influence of phase noise is evaluated in measurements and compared to simulation results.
Grand Challenge, Limited Evidence: The Effect of Non-Monetary Interventions to Promote Pro-Environmental Consumer Behavior

Policy makers worldwide are reaching a consensus about the need to develop policies with a substantial impact on consumer behavior in order to meet the environmental grand challenges of this century: efficient use of scarce natural resources and climate change mitigation. Nonetheless, little consensus exists regarding which are the most effective mechanisms and policy instruments to achieve the needed changes on individual as well as aggregate level. We present a meta-analysis estimating the comparative effect of non-monetary interventions aimed at promoting three key pro-environmental consumer behaviors: energy efficiency, water efficiency, and recycling behavior. Forty-eight field experiments were deemed eligible for inclusion, targeting households (N=265,922) or single individuals (N=4,105). Results show that, on average, information and environmental appeals are not effective interventions. Both individual feedback and comparative feedback have significant small effects. Moderate effects are found for social norms. The strongest effect is estimated for decision infrastructure, removing barriers or structurally facilitating pro-environmental consumer behavior. Nonetheless, most positive effects identified are short-lived and may be overestimated due to publication bias. Our results raise the need for further large field experiments to identify the most successful ways to promote environmentally sustainable consumer behavior. In the meantime, social norms as well as removing barriers and adding structural facilitators would be a pragmatic strategy with a very low probability of producing irreversible behavioral changes going into a false, i.e. non-sustainable direction.
Examining the relationship between psychological distress and adherence to anti-retroviral therapy among Ugandan adolescents living with HIV

ABSTRACT Psychological distress is common among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) worldwide, and has been associated with non-adherence to anti-retroviral therapy (ART), leading to poor virologic suppression, drug resistance, and increased risk for AIDS morbidity and mortality. However, only a few studies have explored the relationship between psychological distress and ART adherence among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper examines the relationship between psychological distress and ART adherence, and effect of psychosocial resources on ART adherence. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 464 ALHIV (aged 12–19; 53% female) seeking HIV care at a large HIV treatment center in Kampala, Uganda. ALHIV were recruited during routine clinic visits. Three self-reported binary adherence measures were utilized: missed pills in the past three days, non-adherence to the prescribed medical regimen, and self-rated adherence assessed using a visual analog scale. Psychological distress was measured as a continuous variable, and computed as the mean score on a locally developed and validated 25-item symptom checklist for Ugandan ALHIV. Psychosocial resources included spirituality, religiosity, optimism, social support, and coping strategies. After adjusting for respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial resources, a unit increase in psychological distress was associated with increased odds of missing pills in past 3 days (Odds Ratio(OR) = 1.75; Confidence Interval (CI): 1.04–2.95), not following the prescribed regimen (OR = 1.63; CI: 1.08–2.46), and lower self-rated adherence (OR = 1.79; CI: 1.19–2.69). Psychosocial resources were associated with lower odds for non-adherence on all three self-report measures. There is a need to strengthen the psychosocial aspects of adolescent HIV care by developing interventions to identify and prevent psychological distress among Ugandan ALHIV.
Enhancement of tumor-to-nontumor localization ratios by hepatocyte-directed blood clearance of antibodies labeled with certain residualizing radiolabels.

UNLABELLED To increase tumor-to-nontumor localization ratios of injected radiolabeled antibodies (Abs), several interrelated methods were used. METHODS The model systems used were two human carcinoma xenografts grown in nude mice, targeted by antibodies RS11 (antiepithelial glycoprotein-2) or MN-14 (anticarcinoembryonic antigen). The Abs were conjugated with biotin and 111In-benzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, and, at various times after injection, were cleared by intraperitoneal injection of galactosylated streptavidin, which delivers the complexes to hepatocytes. The radiolabel used was selected because it is retained within tumors after catabolism of the Ab by the tumor cell but is quite rapidly excreted from hepatocytes into bile. RESULTS With blood clearance induced at 24 h, and dissection 5 h later, high tumor-to-nontumor ratios were attained. Depending on the model used, tumor-to-blood ratios were 16:1 to 31:1, and tumor-to-nontumor ratios for the kidney, lungs and bone were also high and greatly increased by the clearance regimen. Despite clearance into the liver, tumor-to-liver ratios remained >1, due to fairly rapid biliary excretion of the label. The absolute antibody uptake by the tumors was also high, because 24 h was allowed for the Ab to penetrate and bind to cells within the subcutaneous tumors. CONCLUSION The method described produced high tumor-to-nontumor ratios at 1 d after injection and may be advantageous for tumor imaging with antibodies. Radiation dosimetry calculations indicate that there is only a slight advantage with this approach for radioimmunotherapy.