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Axl Inhibition Enhances Sensitivity of BRAF Mutant Melanoma Cells to Vemurafenib
Get PDFMalignant melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer with poor prognosis after the onset of distant metastases. About 50% malignant melanomas harbor BRAFV600E gene mutation, which is amenable to targeted therapy vemurafenib. Patients with BRAFV600E mutation who respond to vemurafenib show remarkable tumor regression. However, the antitumorigenic effect of vemurafenib is only transient due to acquired drug resistance. Most patients that receive targeted treatment present with tumor recurrence and eventually succumb to their disease. Thus, it seems imperative to understand the underlying mechanisms of melanoma targeted therapy resistance to maximize the clinical success of vemurafenib. The receptor tyrosine kinase Axl, which is often overexpressed in neoplastic settings, promotes metastasis and therapeutic resistance. In melanoma, Axl is suggested to be a major signaling molecule that assists melanoma cells to circumvent the effects of vemurafenib. Preliminary evidence suggests that Axl interacts with the molecules of MAPK and PI3K pathway to promote growth, survival and invasion. Therefore, inhibition of Axl could be a novel strategy to overcome melanoma targeted therapy resistance. Here we investigated the effect of Axl inhibition with BGB324 in BRAF mutant vemurafenib sensitive melanoma cells. Our results suggest that Axl inhibitor enhances the anti-cancer potential of vemurafenib in BRAFV600E mutant melanoma, indicating Axl expression might be involved in desensitizing BRAFV600E mutant melanoma cells to targeted inhibition. Secondly, we show that Axl inhibition influences MITF gene transcription and MiTF protein expression in BRAF mutant and wildtype melanoma cells. We also show that MiTF is inversely correlated with Axl and this correlation can be reversed by inhibiting Axl. Finally, in an attempt to understand the effect of vitamin K dependent γ-carboxylation of Gas6 on Axl signaling, we demonstrate that Axl signaling is dependent on the manner in which Gas6 is presented to the receptor, and it is enhanced by oncogenic processes such as EMT. To conclude, our findings suggest Axl as an attractive candidate for anticancer therapies, given its implication in drug resistance, EMT and invasion.Master's Thesis in Biomedical SciencesBMED395MAMD-MEDB
Ad hominem arguments against parlamentarians
No full textDenne oppgaven handler om bruk av personargumenter mot stortingspolitikere. Argumentasjonsteoretisk regnes personargumenter vanligvis som feilslutninger, fordi de forkaster en uttalelse på grunn av den som uttaler seg. Oppgaven undersøker om det likevel kan være argumentasjonsteoretisk, etisk og demokratisk legitimt å bruke personargumenter mot stortingspolitikere, der det er berettiget mistanke om de at beriker seg på fellesskapets bekostning. Det utformes en forståelse av personargumentets karakter. Den bygger på kravene til gode argumenter innenfor uformell logikk, og på en todeling av personargumenter som rettet mot egenskaper ved personen og mot omstendigheter rundt personen. For å undersøke de pliktetiske betingelsene for bruk av personargumenter mot stortingspolitikere utformes et syn på bruken av personargumenter innenfor Ross’ teori om pro tanto plikter. Innenfor det pliktetiske synet undersøkes seks personargumenter med hensyn til fire sentrale sider ved Darwalls teori om anerkjennelsesrespekt. I kontrast til det pliktetiske synet setter jeg mitt eget syn på bruken av personargumenter. Det synet bygger på konsekvensetikk. Innenfor det konsekvensetiske synet undersøker jeg sentrale demokratiske betingelser for å bruke de samme seks personargumentene mot de samme stortingspolitikere. Jeg konkluderer med at selv om personargumenter brukt mot stortingspolitikere ser ut til å medføre en del pliktetiske problemer, kan de ha flere gode konsekvenser for et representativt demokrati.This thesis is about ad hominem arguments against members of the Norwegian parliament. Ad hominem arguments are generally seen as fallacies because they reject statements based on something with the person giving the statement. The thesis explores if argumentation theory, ethics and democratic considerations may still legitimize the use of ad hominem arguments against several parliamentarians, when there is a reason to believe that they enrich themselves on behalf of society. An understanding of the character of the ad hominem argument is developed, based upon the conditions for good arguments within informal logic and on traits belonging to the person and traits belonging to the persons’ circumstances. To explore the deontological conditions for using ad hominem arguments against parliamentarians, a position on the use of ad hominem arguments is developed, based on the Rossian pro tanto theory. Within that position, six ad hominem arguments regarding four central features of Darwalls’ theory of recognition respect are explored. As a contrast to this position, a consequentialist position on the use of ad hominem arguments against parliamentarians is posed. Within that position, central democratic conditions for using the same six ad hominem arguments against the same parliamentarians are explored. I conclude that even though ad hominem arguments against parliamentarians seem to cause some deontological problems, they may still have a number of good consequences for a representative democracy.Filosofi mastergradsoppgaveFILO350MAHF-FIL
Dominant Disciplinary and Thematic Approaches to Automated Fact-Checking: A Scoping Review and Reflection
Get PDFAs artificial intelligence (AI) has become pervasive in journalistic production, the influence of algorithms on media practices has grown. We must always consider the interdisciplinary character of such sociotechnical systems. Otherwise, disciplinary discrepancies might impede the further development of these technologies. This article examines the emerging phenomenon of automated fact-checking in the context of information disorder and the growing demand for scalable solutions for information verification. Here, I identify the dominant disciplinary approaches and themes in research through a scoping review of 199 paper abstracts. My analysis shows that the literature on automated fact-checking is dominated by computer science, while the media perspective remains overlooked. Thematically, abstracts mostly concern the purpose and scope of such systems, their key components, tasks, features, and limits. Based on disciplinary and thematic analysis, I make a distinction between a computational and journalistic understanding of automated fact-checking and offer an interdisciplinary understanding of it. I argue for emphasizing the mundane use of AI technologies instead of striving for the epistemic authority of algorithms by anthropomorphizing them. This study offers the journalism research community new insights into emerging media technologies while suggesting a realistic research agenda for computer scientists by the interdisciplinary conception of automated fact-checking.publishedVersio
Treatment with extended-release naltrexone: Risk of relapse to addictive substances and need of treatment duration in opioid dependent patients
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Avhengighet av opioider betraktes som en kronisk tilbakevendende lidelse som medfører økt risiko for tilbakefall og overdosedødsfall. Å utvide tilgangen til behandling for avhengighet er en vesentlig del av en helhetlig respons. Den mest brukte behandlingsmetoden for opioidavhengighet er legemiddelassistert rehabilitering (LAR), som inkluderer metadon og buprenorfin. Et alternativ til denne metoden er fullstendig avrusning og oppstart på opioid-beskyttende medisiner, slik som langtidsvirkende naltrekson. Denne medisinen er en fullstendig opioidantagonist og tilbyr farmakologisk beskyttelse mot tilbakefall og overdose. En injeksjon med langtidsvarende naltrekson gir beskyttelse som varer i en måned.
I denne studien har vi undersøkt risikoen for tilbakefall til heroin og andre ulovlige opioider hos pasienter med opioidavhengighet som ble behandlet med enten langtidsvirkende naltrekson eller daglig buprenorfin. I tillegg undersøkte vi eventuelle kompenserende økninger i forbruket av ulovlige stoffer utover opioider samt alkohol under både en randomisert klinisk studie og en påfølgende oppfølgingsstudie. Gitt mangelen på langtidsdata om XR-NTX og fraværet av etablerte retningslinjer for nødvendig behandlingsvarighet, hadde studien vår også som mål å fastslå pasientenes opplevde behov for forlenget behandling med XR-NTX og å vurdere resultatene av slik utvidet terapi.
Metode
Vi gjennomførte en åpen, randomisert klinisk studie ved fem urbane klinikker for behandling av avhengighet og avgiftning i Norge. Pasientene ble tilfeldig tildelt enten intramuskulær injeksjon med langtidsvirkende naltrekson eller daglig buprenorfin med nalokson, plassert under tungen, i en periode på 12 uker, med mulighet for å fortsette behandlingen med langtidsvirkende naltrekson i ytterligere 36 uker. Etter dette ble det satt i gang en prospektiv kohortstudie som fulgte opp ettårsstudien av XR-NTX, der pasientene kunne velge å fortsette behandlingen med XR-NTX etter eget ønske i opptil 104 uker.
Resultater
I artikkel II presenterte vi funn fra en studie hvor 58 pasienter fullførte det opprinnelige studiet på 48 uker, og av disse ønsket 50 å fortsette behandlingen med XR-NTX. Gjennomsnittlig behandlingstid var 44 uker, denne varierte fra 8 til 104 uker. Av alle pasientene rapporterte 70% at de ikke hadde brukt opioider i løpet av studien, og tilfredsheten med behandlingen, samt sannsynligheten for å anbefale behandlingen til andre var veldig høy. Gjennomsnittlig trang eller «sug» til opioider var svært lav gjennom hele studien. Det ble ikke rapportert om alvorlige bivirkninger blant pasientene i de første tre månedene etter at studien var avsluttet. Artikkel III viste at risikoen for første tilbakefall og risikoen for tilbakefall generelt til heroin og andre ulovlige opioider begge var betydelig lavere i XR-NTX-gruppen sammenlignet med BP-NLX-gruppen. I oppfølgingsstudien, der alle deltakende pasienter mottok XR-NTX, var risikoen for tilbakefall lav og stabil i begge grupper. Artikkel IV viste at det ikke var tydelige forskjeller mellom de to randomiserte gruppene når det gjaldt risiko for første tilbakefall til alkohol, amfetamin, benzodiazepiner eller cannabis. Vi fant de samme resultatene i oppfølgingsstudien mellom de som fortsatte med XRNTX og de som byttet til XR-NTX etter 12 ukers perioden. Det var heller ingen tydelig sammenheng mellom første tilbakefall til ulovlige opioider og første tilbakefall til ikke-opioide avhengighetsskapende stoffer. I begge studieperiodene var gjennomsnittlig tid i studien lengre blant de som fikk tilbakefall til ikke-opioide avhengighetsskapende stoffer enn de som ikke gjorde det.
Konklusjon
Funnene fra disse studiene dokumenterer hvor effektiv XR-NTX er i langtidsbehandling av opioidavhengighet. Det er verd å legge merke til at en stor andel av pasientene valgte å fortsette behandlingen med langtidsvirkende naltrekson, noen opptil 104 uker, noe som understreker aksepten av denne medisinen blant pasientene. Dette valget blir ytterligere bekreftet av den betydelige andelen som ikke hadde brukt opioider (70%), kombinert med høy behandlingstilfredshet og en markant reduksjon i trang etter opioider.
I tillegg viste den sammenlignende analysen en betydelig redusert risiko for tilbakefall til heroin og annen ulovlig opioidbruk i XR-NTX-gruppen sammenlignet med BP-NLX-gruppen, noe som bekrefter XR-NTX sin overlegne effektivitet i å forebygge opioidtilbakefall. Denne lave risikoen varte ved også under oppfølgingsfasen der alle deltakerne mottok XR-NTX; en konsekvent lav og stabil risiko for tilbakefall.
Langtidsvirkende naltrekson er effektivt i langtidsbehandling av opioidavhengighet, og viser lave tilbakefallsrater og høy behandlingstilfredshet blant pasienter. Disse resultatene taler for en bredere bruk av XR-NTX i behandling av opioidavhengighet.Background
Opioid dependence is considered a chronic relapsing disorder that carries an increased risk of repeated intoxication and overdose deaths, and expanding access to addiction treatment is an essential component of a comprehensive response. The most used therapeutic modality for opioid addiction is opioid agonist treatment (OAT), including methadone and buprenorphine. An alternative to this approach is complete detoxification and induction to antagonist medication, like extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX). This medication is a full opioid antagonist and offers pharmacological protection against relapse, re-dependence and overdose. An injection with XR-NTX lasts for one month.
We investigated the relapse risk to heroin and other illicit opioids among patients with opioid dependence treated with either XR-NTX or BP-NLX. Additionally, we evaluated any compensatory increases in the consumption of non-opioid illicit substances and alcohol during both a randomised clinical trial and a subsequent follow-up study. Given the paucity of long-term data on XR-NTX and the absence of established guidelines regarding the necessary duration of treatment, our study also aimed to ascertain patients' perceived need for prolonged treatment with XR-NTX and to assess the outcomes of such extended therapy.
Methods
We conducted a multicentre, open-label randomised clinical trial across five urban addiction treatment and detoxification clinics in Norway. Patients were randomised to receive either intramuscular extended-release naltrexone hydrochloride (380 mg/month) or daily sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone (8-24/2-6 mg) for a duration of 12 weeks, with an option to continue treatment with extended-release naltrexone for an additional 36 weeks. Subsequently, a prospective cohort study was initiated following the one-year study of XR-NTX, wherein patients could opt to continue receiving XR-NTX treatment at their discretion for up to 104 weeks.
Results
Paper II presented findings showed that of the 58 patients who finished the parent study, 50 wanted to continue their treatment with XR-NTX, with a median prolonged treatment time of 44 weeks, ranging from 8-104 weeks. Of all the patients 70% reported no use of opioids during the study, and the mean scores for treatment satisfaction and recommending treatment to others were very high. The mean opioid craving score was very low throughout the study. No serious adverse events were reported among the patients during the first three months after study completion. Paper III reports that the risk of first relapse and risk of any relapse to heroin and other illicit opioids were both significantly lower in the XR-NTX group compared with the BP-NLX group. In the follow-up, where all participating patients received XR-NTX, the risk of relapse was low and stable in both groups. Paper IV showed that there were no significant differences between the two randomised groups in the risk of first relapse to alcohol, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, or cannabis. We found the same results in the follow-up between those continuing XR-NTX and those switching to XR-NTX after the trial period. There was no significant association between first relapse to illicit opioids and first relapse to non-opioid addictive substances. In both study periods, the mean time in the study was longer among those relapsing to nonopioid addictive substances than those who did not.
Conclusion
The findings from these studies provide robust evidence supporting the effectiveness of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) in the long-term treatment of opioid use dependence. Notably, a significant proportion of patients chose to continue with XR-NTX treatment, some for up to 104 weeks, underscoring its acceptability among patients. This choice is further strengthened by the substantial abstinence rate (70%) from opioids observed, coupled with high treatment satisfaction and a marked reduction in opioid cravings. Additionally, the comparative analysis revealed a significantly reduced risk of relapse to heroin and other illicit opioid use in the XRNTX group compared to the BP-NLX group, affirming XR-NTX's superior efficacy in preventing opioid relapse. This was consistent even during the follow-up phase where all participants received XR-NTX, with a consistently low and stable risk of relapse.
Extended-release naltrexone is effective in the long-term management of opioid dependence, demonstrating low relapse rates and high treatment satisfaction among patients. These results advocate for the broader adoption of XR-NTX in opioid dependence treatment protocols, considering its benefits in maintaining sobriety and quality of life for affected individuals.Doktorgradsavhandlin
Mestringsforventning hos innsatte med barnevernserfaring
Get PDFBakgrunn: Forskning viser at en stor andel barn og unge som har eller har hatt kontakt med barnevernet har store utfordringer relatert til skole. Videre er det funnet sammenhenger mellom omsorgssvikt og senere kriminell atferd. Til tross for slike funn, foreligger det lite forskning som har undersøkt innsatte med barnevernserfaring. De som imidlertid foreligger, viser at 1⁄3 av innsatte i norske fengsel har hatt kontakt med barnevernet i sin oppvekst. Problemstilling: Har innsatte med barnevernserfaring lavere akademisk mestringsforventning enn innsatte uten slik bakgrunn, og predikerer mestringsforventning deltakelse i utdanningsaktivitet i fengsel? Metode: I 2012 gjennomførte Forskningsgruppe for kognisjon og læring ved det psykologiske fakultetet ved Universitet i Bergen sammen med Fylkesmannen i Hordaland, Utdanningsavdelinga og Eikeland forskning og undervisning en spørreundersøkelse blant innsatte i norske fengsel. 1276 innsatte deltok, som ga en svarprosent på 52,3 av målpopulasjonen. I denne oppgaven er deler av datamaterialet fra spørreskjemaet tatt i bruk for å innhente kunnskap om innsatte med barnevernserfaring. Resultater: Forskningsfunnene viser at innsatte med barnevernserfaring skårer signifikant lavere i akademisk mestringsforventning innenfor lesing og skriving, matematikk og selvregulert læring enn øvrige innsatte. Videre påpekes det signifikant sammenheng mellom disse dimensjonene og deltakelse i utdanningsaktivitet i fengsel. Lav grad av mestringsforventning i lesing og skriving og høy grad av mestringsforventning i matematikk og selvregulert læring har vist seg å være det som predikerer deltakelse i utdanningsaktivitet i fengsel for denne gruppen. Konklusjon: Våre funn bidrar med ny verdifull kunnskap om hvordan de innsatte med barnevernserfaring selv evaluerer egen mestring og hvorvidt dette har sammenheng med deres deltakelse i utdanningsaktivitet i fengselet - kunnskap som bør få betydning for tilrettelegging og utvikling av undervisningen i norske fengsler.Masteroppgave i barnevernMABARN35
Responding to whom? An experimental study of the dynamics of responsiveness to interest groups and the public
Get PDFWhile politicians are commonly depicted as having strong incentives to beresponsive to both interest groups and citizens to govern and maintainoffice, the literature lacks designs that allow for assessing the causal effect ofboth types of actors on individual policy-makers. This study addresses thisgap by formulating theoretical propositions regarding responsiveness ofpoliticians to both public opinion and interest groups and testing them in avignette experiment with responses from over 2000 Danish and Dutch local,regional and national elected representatives. Our study finds importantdifferences in the dynamics of responsiveness to the two types of actors:Public opinion has a strong direct effect on the intended voting behaviour ofpoliticians, whereas the effects of interest groups are weaker and mainlydemonstrate the potential to influence the views of ideologically alignedlegislators. Left-wing politicians, in particular, are responsive to civil societygroups. These results have implications for understanding politicalrepresentation and the role of interest groups across multiple levels ofgovernment. While the heightened sensitivity of politicians to some alignedgroups creates a risk of policy-making biases, it is reassuring that interestgroups have a weaker effect than public opinion and primarily hold potentialto influence like-minded politicians.publishedVersio
Patient-reported outcomes after treatment for rectal cancer—A prospective nationwide study
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While modern treatment has improved rectal cancer (RC) survival, it can cause late side effects that impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to evaluate HRQoL and late effects 1 year after diagnosis in patients who underwent major resection for Stage I–III RC.
Method
All patients with RC registered in the Cancer Registry of Norway between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020, aged ≥ 18 years, and a control group without colorectal cancer were invited to participate in the study by answering a questionnaire on HRQoL and late effects. Functional domains and symptoms were compared in different patient groups and between patients and controls.
Results
There were 558 patients and 1693 controls eligible for analysis. Response rates were 41% for patients and 23% for controls. Some differences in HRQoL were observed between treatment modalities. Major low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) was prevalent in 60.8% of patients, and was associated with lower functional and higher symptom scores compared with patients with no/minor LARS. Patients with major chronic pain [n = 86 (15.4%)] had significantly lower scores for most of the functional items and higher symptom scores than patients with no/minor chronic pain. Patients had some lower functional scores and several higher symptoms score compared with controls.
Conclusion
Patients who suffered from major LARS or major chronic pain had significantly impaired functions and more symptoms beyond change in bowel function and pain, respectively. Identification and treatment of these patient may hopefully be beneficial for their HRQoL.publishedVersio
Neurobiological Underpinnings of Electroconvulsive Therapy Studied with Magnetic Resonance Techniques
No full textFormål: Elektrokonvulsiv terapi (ECT) er en sikker og effektiv nevrostimulerende behandling som kan brukes til å behandle alvorlige depressive episoder. Til tross for omfattende forskning gjenstår det ubesvarte spørsmål om ECT, og usikkerheten rundt virkningsmekanismen bidrar til stigma og skepsis knyttet til bruken. Vi har brukt magnetisk resonansavbildning til å undersøke hjernen for å kartlegge de underliggende nevrobiologiske mekanismene til ECT.
Mål: Denne avhandlingen undersøker hvordan ECT påvirker hjernen, med fokus på: 1) Påvirker ECT nivåene av den inhibitorisk nevrotansmitteren gamma-aminosmørsyre i hjernen? 2) Endrer ECT konsentrasjonen av nevrokjemikalier i hjernen som foreslått av hypotesen om bryt opp, forsterk og koble om? 3) Kan vi identifisere nevroradiologiske tegn på hjerneskade relatert til ECT, definert som atrofi, endringer i hvit substans eller mikroblødninger?
Materialer og metoder: Pasienter som ble behandlet med ECT ble undersøkt med magnetisk resonansavbildning på fire tidspunkt: før behandling, etter første behandling, etter behandlingsserien og seks måneder etter behandling. To kontrollgrupper ble inkludert: 1) friske kontroller som ikke mottok behandling ble undersøkt på tilsvarende tidspunkt, og 2) pasienter behandlet med elektrokonvertering mot atrieflimmer. Disse ble vurdert før og etter sin behandling.
Resultater: Vi fant at nivåene av gamma-aminosmørsyre ikke endret seg etter ECT (Artikkel I). Konsentrasjonen av andre nevrokjemikalier, unntatt N-acetylaspartat, forble uendret under ECT-behandling. Nivåene av N-acetylaspartat var lavere etter ECT serien, men etter seks måneder var nivåene uendret sammenlignet med før behandling. Dette tyder på en reversibel påvirkning på nevronal integritet (Artikkel II). Videre undersøkelser av nevroradiologiske korrelater av hjerneskade viste ingen tegn til at ECT påvirket hvit substans, atrofi eller mikroblødninger på en måte som indikerer skade (Artikkel III).
Konklusjon: I denne avhandlingen fant vi ingen endring i konsentrasjonen av gamma-aminosmørsyre etter ECT, men vi fant en midlertidig reduksjon i konsentrasjonen av N-acetylaspartat som ikke lenger var tilstede seks måneder etter behandling. Videre ser det ikke ut til at ECT forårsaker strukturell hjerneskade når dette defineres som økning i hvitsubstansendringer, atrofi eller mikroblødninger. Disse funnene kan bidra til å redusere stigma og skepsis knyttet til ECT og hjelpe med å adressere noen av bekymringene knyttet til bruken.Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective neurostimulatory treatment that can be used to treat severe depression. Despite extensive research, unanswered questions about ECT remain, and the uncertainty surrounding its mechanism of action contributes to the stigma and skepticism associated with its use. Magnetic resonance imaging allows the in vivo study of brain anatomy and neurochemicals, providing a unique opportunity to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of ECT.
Aims: This thesis investigates how ECT impacts the brain, specifically: 1) Does ECT affect brain gamma-aminobutyric acid levels? 2) Does ECT alter neurochemicals in the brain as proposed by the disrupt, potentiate, and rewire hypothesis? 3) Can we identify neuroradiological signs of brain injury related to ECT, defined as atrophy, white matter changes, or microbleeds?
Materials and Methods: Patients receiving ECT were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging at four time points: before treatment, after the first treatment, after the treatment series, and at six-month follow-up. Two control groups were included: healthy controls not receiving treatment were investigated at similar time points, and atrial fibrillation patients receiving electrical cardioversion, assessed before and after their treatment.
Results: We found that levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the anterior cingulate cortex did not change after ECT (Article I). Other investigated metabolites, except N-acetylaspartate, were also unaffected by ECT. N-acetylaspartate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex decreased directly after the ECT series, but returned to pretreatment levels at six-month follow-up, suggesting a reversible impact on neuronal integrity (Article II). Further investigation into neuroradiological correlates of brain injury did not show signs of ECT impacting white matter hyperintensities, atrophy, or microbleeds in a way that indicates macroscopic signs of disruption (Article III).
Conclusion: In this thesis, we found no impact of ECT on gamma-aminobutyric acid, but we found a decrease in N-acetylaspartate after the ECT series, which was reversed to baseline levels after a six-month follow-up. Furthermore, ECT did not appear to cause structural brain injury when defined as increased white matter changes, atrophy, or microbleeds. These findings may help reduce the stigma and skepticism associated with ECT and help address some of the concerns related to its use.Doktorgradsavhandlin
OBF-Psychiatric, a motor activity dataset of patients diagnosed with major depression, schizophrenia, and ADHD
No full textMental health is vital to human well-being, and prevention strategies to address mental illness have a significant impact on the burden of disease and quality of life. With the recent developments in body-worn sensors, it is now possible to continuously collect data that can be used to gain insights into mental health states. This has the potential to optimize psychiatric assessment, thereby improving patient experiences and quality of life. However, access to high-quality medical data for research purposes is limited, especially regarding diagnosed psychiatric patients. To this extent, we present the OBF-Psychiatric dataset which comprises motor activity recordings of patients with bipolar and unipolar major depression, schizophrenia, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). The dataset also contains data from a clinical sample diagnosed with various mood and anxiety disorders, as well as a healthy control group, making it suitable for building machine learning models and other analytical tools. It contains recordings from 162 individuals totalling 1565 days worth of motor activity data with a mean of 9.6 days per individual.publishedVersio
What is a positional good? Recovering Hirsch’s insights
No full text‘Positional goods’, a term coined by Fred Hirsch, is an important concept in economics, social sciences and philosophy; however, it is used in different ways. This paper recovers Hirsch’s concept of positional goods as scarce goods that are fixed or near-fixed in supply and argues for the usefulness of this concept. Hirsch’s concept may have explanatory power beyond the concept used by most economists – that of Robert Frank. Moreover, Hirsch’s concept is more explanatorily basic and useful than the concept used by most philosophers – that of Brighouse and Swift.publishedVersio