Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motivated numeracy and enlightened self-government

Abstract Why does public conflict over societal risks persist in the face of compelling and widely accessible scientific evidence? We conducted an experiment to probe two alternative answers: the ‘science comprehension thesis’ (SCT), which identifies defects in the public's knowledge and reasoning capacities as the source of such controversies; and the ‘identity-protective cognition thesis’ (ICT), which treats cultural conflict as disabling the faculties that members of the public use to make sense of decision-relevant science. In our experiment, we presented subjects with a difficult problem that turned on their ability to draw valid causal inferences from empirical data. As expected, subjects highest in numeracy – a measure of the ability and disposition to make use of quantitative information – did substantially better than less numerate ones when the data were presented as results from a study of a new skin rash treatment. Also as expected, subjects’ responses became politically polarized – and even less accurate – when the same data were presented as results from the study of a gun control ban. But contrary to the prediction of SCT, such polarization did not abate among subjects highest in numeracy; instead, it increased. This outcome supported ICT, which predicted that more numerate subjects would use their quantitative-reasoning capacity selectively to conform their interpretation of the data to the result most consistent with their political outlooks. We discuss the theoretical and practical significance of these findings.
The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Perinatal mental health difficulties are associated with adverse consequences for parents and infants. However, the potential risks associated with the use of psychotropic medication for pregnant and breastfeeding women and the preferences expressed by women for non-pharmacological interventions mean it is important to ensure that effective psychological interventions are available. It has been argued that mindfulness-based interventions may offer a novel approach to treating perinatal mental health difficulties, but relatively little is known about their effectiveness with perinatal populations. This paper therefore presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for reducing depression, anxiety and stress and improving mindfulness skills in the perinatal period. A systematic review identified seventeen studies of mindfulness-based interventions in the perinatal period, including both controlled trials (n = 9) and pre-post uncontrolled studies (n = 8). Eight of these studies also included qualitative data. Hedge’s g was used to assess uncontrolled and controlled effect sizes in separate meta-analyses, and a narrative synthesis of qualitative data was produced. Pre- to post-analyses showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety and stress and significant increases in mindfulness skills post intervention, each with small to medium effect sizes. Completion of the mindfulness-based interventions was reasonable with around three quarters of participants meeting study-defined criteria for engagement or completion where this was recorded. Qualitative data suggested that participants viewed mindfulness interventions positively. However, between-group analyses failed to find any significant post-intervention benefits for depression, anxiety or stress of mindfulness-based interventions in comparison to control conditions: effect sizes were negligible and it was conspicuous that intervention group participants did not appear to improve significantly more than controls in their mindfulness skills. The interventions offered often deviated from traditional mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or mindfulness-based stress reduction programmes, and there was also a tendency for studies to focus on healthy rather than clinical populations, and on antenatal rather than postnatal populations. It is argued that these and other limitations with the included studies and their interventions may have been partly responsible for the lack of significant between-group effects. The implications of the findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.
The proof is in the eating: subjective peer norms are associated with adolescents’ eating behaviour

Abstract Objective To investigate associations of self-perceived eating-related peer norms (called ‘subjective peer norms’) with adolescents’ healthy eating intentions and intake of healthy and unhealthy food. Design Cross-sectional data were collected in a large international survey. Setting Two types of subjective peer norms were assessed: perceived peer encouragement of healthy eating and perceived peer discouragement of unhealthy eating. Outcome variables were healthy eating intentions, intake of healthy food (fruits and vegetables) and intake of unhealthy food (snacks and soft drinks). Subjects Over 2500 European (pre-)adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years participated. Results Subjective peer norms were associated with all three outcome variables. While both perceived encouragement of healthy eating and perceived discouragement of unhealthy eating were related to intentions, only peer encouragement of healthy eating was related to intakes of both healthy and unhealthy food. Conclusions Subjective peer norms play a role in adolescent eating behaviour and as such are an important target for health promotion. Addressing norms that encourage healthy eating may be more promising in changing behaviour than norms that discourage unhealthy eating.
Genetic research and donation of tissue samples to biobanks. What do potential sample donors in the Swedish general public think?

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to identify perceptions of the general public regarding research involving human tissues; to assess the public's willingness to donate samples to biobanks; and to identify factors associated with the willingness to donate samples. METHODS Cross-sectional survey. Postal questionnaires to a random sample of the general public in Sweden, 18-80 years of age (n = 6000) in October 2002 (response rate 49.4%; n = 2928). RESULTS A majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards genetic research. Their trust in authorities' capability to evaluate the risks and benefits of genetic research varied. Individual university/hospital-based researchers received the greatest trust, while the county councils (health care providers), and the Swedish Parliament received the lowest trust. Most respondents (86.0%) would donate a linked blood sample for research purposes. Another 3.0% would provide an anonymous sample. In total, 78% of the respondents would agree to both donation and storage. The most common motive was benefit of future patients. The majority was indifferent to the funding source for the research and would delegate this judgment to the research ethics committee. After adjusting for covariates, those more likely to donate a sample were middle-aged, had children, had personal experience of genetic disease, were blood donors, had a positive attitude toward genetic research, and had trust in experts/institutions. CONCLUSIONS The majority of the general public is willing to donate a sample to a biobank. The willingness is mainly driven by altruism, and depends on the public being well-informed and having trust in experts and institutions.
Prejudice and Enforcement of Workforce Homogeneity as Explanations for Employment Discrimination1

We examined the effects of subtle and blatant prejudice and the enforcement of workforce homogeneity on employment discrimination in an experimental simulation. German participants who were advised to maintain a homogeneous (i.e., German) workforce, as hypothesized, selected fewer foreign applicants for a job interview than did participants who did not receive this advice. An interaction qualified this main effect, such that subtly prejudiced participants reacted to the advice to maintain a homogeneous workforce, but blatantly prejudiced and nonprejudiced individuals did not. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed. Discrimination against minorities is a persistent problem in the workplace. In Europe, a survey of the 100 largest corporations showed that very few had minority employees in senior positions, and none had a chief executive officer who was a member of a minority (Foroohar, 2002). In the United States, African Americans made up only 6.5% of corporate management ranks in 2001 (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC], 2003), although they constituted 14% of the labor force. Scientists have long studied employment discrimination, but researchers (Brief, Dietz, Cohen, Pugh, & Vaslow, 2000) have only recently begun to examine subtle prejudice, a new prejudice variant, as an antecedent of employment discrimination (Brief, 1998; cf. Wagner, van Dick, & Zick, 2001). The purpose of our study is to examine the effects of subtle and blatant prejudice on employment discrimination in varying organizational contexts: when forces encouraging
Back-action evasion and squeezing of a mechanical resonator using a cavity detector

We study the quantum measurement of a cantilever using a parametrically coupled electromagnetic cavity which is driven at the two sidebands corresponding to the mechanical motion. This scheme, originally due to Braginsky et al (Braginsky V, Vorontsov Y I and Thorne K P 1980 Science 209 547), allows a back-action free measurement of one quadrature of the cantilever's motion, and hence the possibility of generating a squeezed state. We present a complete quantum theory of this system, and derive simple conditions on when the quantum limit on the added noise can be surpassed. We also study the conditional dynamics of the measurement, and discuss how such a scheme (when coupled with feedback) can be used to generate and detect squeezed states of the oscillator. Our results are relevant to experiments in optomechanics, and to experiments in quantum electromechanics employing stripline resonators coupled to mechanical resonators.
Evaluating a Graphical Model-Driven Approach to Codeless Business App Development

Despite the growing interest in mobile app development, the creation of apps still follows traditional software development practices. Business apps are used by non-technical users in everyday work routines. However, their development is exclusively performed by software developers that need to centrally collect requirements and domain knowledge. Recent advances such as textual domain-specific languages (DSL) for cross-platform app generation reduce development efforts, but still focus on technical users. To alleviate these problems, the Münster App Modeling Language (MAML) is proposed as novel graphical DSL for specifying business apps. For each task to be accomplished within the app, the abstract process flows are modelled together with the respective data elements and view specifications in a combined model. Consequently, also non-technical users can express their domain knowledge without dealing with software engineering specifics. In contrast to existing process modelling notations, the MAML framework then allows for a codeless generation of apps for multiple platforms through model transformations and code generators. In order to automatically generate apps, the notation has to balance technical specificity and graphical simplicity. To assess the comprehensibility and usability of MAML’s DSL, a qualitative usability evaluation was performed with software developers, process modellers, and domain experts.
Soil Properties and Macro Cations Status impacted by Long‐Term Applied Poultry Litter

Abstract Most ethnic populations worldwide consume poultry products. Whereas poultry litter (PL) is a traditionally inexpensive and effective fertilizer to improve soil quality and agricultural productivity, overapplication to soils has raised concerns because excess nutrients in runoff could accelerate the eutrophication of fresh bodies of water. A long‐term field experiment of land application of PL to soils used for pasture growth has been maintained for nearly two decades in the Sand Mountain region of north Alabama, USA. In this work, several soil parameters impacted by the long‐term applied litter were characterized. The findings clearly support previous general observations that long‐term applied litter on pasture soils altered soil properties and macrocation levels. Unlike other studies, however, the effects of applied litter at multiple rates and years were examined, thus revealing the dynamic impacts on soil properties. Hay yields increased with the increase of years of PL application, regardless of the applied rate. This observation was consistent with previous observations that the labile phosphorus (P) portion in these soils increases with application years whereas total P increases with the cumulative applied PL amounts. Poultry litter application did not markedly affect soil electric conductivity, bulk density, or sodium (Na) or potassium (K) levels, especially at the soil surface (0–20 cm). Soil pH, carbon (C), C/nitrogen (N) ratio, calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) were profoundly affected at all three soil depths (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm). Most soil parameters analyzed in this study reached peak values with 10–15 years of applied litter. This observation suggests that there was a turning point of impact for applied litter around 10 years: prior to that the soil macrocations were altered positively as a result of accumulative functions. Continuous litter application may negatively alter a soil's capacity to retain macrocations, leading to less impact observed in this study. In other words, pasture soils with more than 10 years of applied litter would have higher potential for leaching and runoff. Our observation suggested that best management practices for land application of PL should take into consideration the different effects of PL application history.
Does cardiac rehabilitation meet minimum standards: an observational study using UK national audit?

Objective To assess the extent by which programmes meet national minimum standards for the delivery of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as part of the National Certification Programme for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation (NCP_CR). Methods The analysis used UK National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation (NACR) data extracted and validated for the period 2013–2014 set against six NCP_CR measures deemed as important for the delivery of high-quality CR programmes. Each programme that achieved a single minimum standard was given a score of 1. The range of the scoring for meeting the minimum standards is between 1 and 6. The performance of CR programmes was categorised into three groups: high (score of 5–6), middle (scores of 3–4) and low (scores of 1–2). If a programme did not meet any of the six criteria, they were considered to have failed. Results Data from 170 CR programmes revealed statistically significant differences among UK CR programmes. The principal findings were that, based on NCP_CR criteria, 30.6% were assessed as high performance with 45.9% as mid-level performance programmes, 18.2% were in the lower-level and 5.3% failed to meet any of the minimum criteria. Conclusions This study shows that high levels of performance is achievable in the era of modern cardiology and that many CR programmes are close to meeting high performance standards. However, substantial variation, below the recommended minimum standards, exists throughout the UK. National certification should be seen as a positive step to ensure that patients, irrespective of where they live, are accessing quality services.
Regional volume deviations of brain structure in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder

Background It is unclear whether schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder are associated with similar deviations of brain morphometry. Aims To assess volumetric abnormalities of grey and white matter throughout the entire brain in individuals with schizophrenia or with bipolar disorder compared with the same control group. Method Brain scans were obtained by magnetic resonance imaging from 25 people with schizophrenia, 37 with bipolar disorder who had experienced psychotic symptoms and 52 healthy volunteers. Regional deviation in grey and white matter volume was assessed using computational morphometry. Results Individuals with schizophrenia had distributed grey matter deficit predominantly involving the fronto-temporal neocortex, medial temporal lobe, insula, thalamus and cerebellum, whereas those with bipolar disorder had no significant regions of grey matter abnormality. Both groups had anatomically overlapping white matter deficits in regions normally occupied by major longitudinal and interhemispheric tracts. Conclusions Schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder are associated with distinct grey matter deficits but anatomically coincident white matter abnormalities.
Spiral grain on logs under bark reveals twist-prone raw material

Twist has been documented as the most common and crucial defect in sawn lumber. Being able to grade trees in the forest or grade logs prior to conversion to avoid using material with a large propensity to twist ought to be very important for the sawmill industry. Spiral grain can have a significant effect on the technical behavior of wood and on twist in particular. The aim is to demonstrate the assumption that avoiding the conversion of logs with a certain large spirality value measured on the log surface would reduce the number of twist-prone studs significantly. The methodologies applied to measure spiral grain under bark on the trunks of trees and on logs are described. The spiral grain angle was measured on at least three occasions: on some growing trees at breast height prior to harvesting, on all the logs after the trees were harvested and crosscut, and on discs from each log along the diameter and on the tangential faces of the sawn lumber. The number of straight studs after drying can be easily increased by avoiding converting logs with a fairly large left-hand spiral grain measured under bark. Only 11 percent of the trees exceeded a spiral grain angle of 3 degrees measured under bark and was based on 335 logs from conifer trees (178 Norway spruces, Picea abies) harvested in 4 European countries. This 11 percent of the trees yielded around 86 percent of the studs with an unacceptable amount of twist.
From spin noise to systematics: Stochastic processes in the first International Pulsar Timing Array data release

We analyse the stochastic properties of the 49 pulsars that comprise the first International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) data release. We use Bayesian methodology, performing model selection to determine the optimal description of the stochastic signals present in each pulsar. In addition to spin-noise and dispersion-measure (DM) variations, these models can include timing noise unique to a single observing system, or frequency band. We show the improved radio-frequency coverage and presence of overlapping data from different observing systems in the IPTA data set enables us to separate both system and band-dependent effects with much greater efficacy than in the individual PTA data sets. For example, we show that PSR J1643−1224 has, in addition to DM variations, significant band-dependent noise that is coherent between PTAs which we interpret as coming from time-variable scattering or refraction in the ionised interstellar medium. Failing to model these different contributions appropriately can dramatically alter the astrophysical interpretation of the stochastic signals observed in the residuals. In some cases, the spectral exponent of the spin noise signal can vary from 1.6 to 4 depending upon the model, which has direct implications for the long-term sensitivity of the pulsar to a stochastic gravitational-wave (GW) background. By using a more appropriate model, however, we can greatly improve a pulsar's sensitivity to GWs. For example, including system and band-dependent signals in the PSR J0437−4715 data set improves the upper limit on a fiducial GW background by ∼ 60% compared to a model that includes DM variations and spin-noise only.
Description of Self-Report Measures of Decentering and Defusion

Defusion and decentering are related constructs that describe an objective, distanced, and open approach toward one’s internal experiences. These constructs are thought to play important protective roles in models of psychopathology, and several common therapeutic interventions include techniques to increase levels of defusion and decentering. However, little research has examined the construct validity or the underlying structure of measures of these constructs. Across 4 samples—3 unselected student samples and 1 clinical sample— we examined 5 self-report measures of defusion/decentering. We found that measures of decentering and defusion were only weakly to modestly associated with each other. Item-level analyses revealed a 2-factor structure, consisting of “Observer Perspective” and “Reduced Struggle with Inner Experience,” which generally showed expected and distinct patterns of convergent and discriminant validity, although the latter factor had questionable discriminant validity namely a-namely indices of psychological distress (e.g., neuroticism, negative affect, internalizing symptoms, rumination). The factors also related differently to believability of positive versus negative thoughts, which was partially explained by the overrepresentation of negative items in the measures. Implications for the structure and validity of these constructs, as well as for their assessment and use in clinical settings, are discussed.
Endovascular repair with bifurcated stent-grafts under local anaesthesia to improve outcome of ruptured aortoiliac aneurysms.

INTRODUCTION acute haemodynamic changes and/or loss of abdominal muscle tone can occur during induction of general anaesthesia and may be the Achilles' tendon in endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of ruptured aortoiliac aneurysms (rAIA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of local anaesthesia (LA) for EVAR to overcome these limitations. METHODS twenty-one consecutive patients with rAIA are included in this study. Twenty patients underwent EVAR under LA, and 1 patient was treated under general anaesthesia. Haemodynamics were stabilised during assessment of EVAR feasibility by CT-scan and during the procedure itself by controlled hypotension (MAP 50-60 mmHg) and moderate fluid resuscitation. RESULTS median procedure time was 120 min. Haemodynamics remained stable in all but 3 patients who required transfemoral balloon occlusion of the supra-renal aorta. Perioperative intubation was necessary in 5 patients because of respiratory distress (n=3), or retroperitoneal access (n=2). Temporary deterioration of renal function occurred in 6 patients, with 2 requiring hemofiltration. CT-scan confirmed sealing of the rAIA in all patients at discharge. 30-day mortality was 9.5% (2 deaths). In the median follow-up of 19 months, there were no deaths, but 3 endovascularre-interventions, 1 crossover femoro-femoral bypass, and 1 open surgical graft repair. DISCUSSION our series is the first to show that EVAR for rAIA can be safely performed under LA. This approach allows implantation of commercially available bifurcated SG and improves patient outcome.