Machine learning item selection for short scale construction: A proof-of-concept using the SIMS.

This proof-of-concept paper provides evidence to support machine learning (ML) as a valid alternative to traditional psychometric techniques in the development of short forms of longer parent psychological tests. ML comprises a variety of feature selection techniques that can be efficiently applied to identify the set of items that best replicates the characteristics of the original test. In the present study, we integrated a dataset of 329 participants from published and unpublished datasets used in previous research on the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) to develop a short version of the scale.

Αcute visceral cysticercosis caused by Taenia hydatigena in lambs: ultrasonographic findings.

Background: Cysticercosis caused by cysticercus tenuicollis is a metacestode infection that affects several species of ungulates. It is caused by the larval stage of Taenia hydatigena, an intestinal tapeworm in dogs and wild canids. In the intermediate host, the mature cysticerci are usually found in the omentum, mesentery, and peritoneum, and less frequently in the pleura and pericardium.

Detecting malingering mental illness in forensics: Known-Group Comparison and Simulation Design with MMPI-2, SIMS and NIM.

Background: Criminal defendants may often exaggerate psychiatric symptoms either to appear non-accountable for their actions or to mitigate their imprisonment. Several psychometric tests have been proposed to detect malingering. These instruments are often validated by Simulation Design (SD) protocols, where normal participants are explicitly requested to either simulate a mental disorder or respond honestly.

Effects of xenobiotic compounds on the cell activities of Euplotes crassus, a single-cell eukaryotic test organism for the study of the pollution of marine sediments.

It is now widely accepted that assays with protists are relevant to be exploited for the study of environmental modifications due to the presence of xenobiotic compounds. In this work, the possibility of utilizing Euplotes crassus, an interstitial marine ciliate, for the pre-chemical screening of estuarine and coastal sediments was evaluated. For this purpose, the effects of exposure to pollutants were tested on the cell viability, fission rate and lysosomal membrane stability of E.

Heavy metal interference with growth hormone signalling in trout hepatoma cells RTH-149.

We have studied the effects of heavy metals (Hg2+, Cu2+, Cd2+) on growth hormone (GH) activation of tyrosine kinase and Ca2+ signaling in the trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hepatoma cell line RTH-149. Molecular cloning techniques using primer designed on Oncorhynchus spp. growth hormone receptor (GHR) genes allowed to isolate a highly homologous cDNA fragment from RTH-149 mRNA.

Rapid effects of 17beta-estradiol on cell signaling and function of Mytilus hemocytes.

Estrogens affect the functioning of several non-reproductive tissues, the immune system in particular. In mammalian immunocytes, 17beta-estradiol (E2) has both dose- and cell-type specific effects and the responses to E2 seem to be mediated by rapid, non-genomic mechanisms; these may be initiated at either membrane or cytosolic locations, and can result in both direct local effects, such as modification of ion fluxes, and regulation of gene transcription secondary to activation of different kinase cascades, including mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs). In this work, the short-term effects of E(2) and the possible mechanisms of estrogen-mediated cell signaling were investigated in the hemocytes, the immune cells of the bivalve mollusc, the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.

Essential role of Ca2+ -dependent phospholipase A2 in estradiol-induced lysosome activation.

The mechanism of lysosome activation by 17beta-estradiol has been studied in mussel blood cells. Cell treatment with estradiol induced a sustained increase of cytosolic free Ca2+ that was completely prevented by preincubating the cells with the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM. Estradiol treatment was also followed by destabilization of the lysosomal membranes, as detected in terms of the lysosomes' increased permeability to neutral red.