Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
/str/-->/str/: Assimilation at a Distance?

In this journal, Michael Shapiro (1995) has argued that the environment of an innovating change of [s] to [ S] in American English is /str/, with the change not observed in /st/ clusters lacking /r/, and that /t/ undergoes no change qua phoneme in the cluster (i.e., is not affricated to /c6/). From this he concludes that “/s/ changes to /S/ owing to the presence of /r/” (103) and observes that “if assimilation it be then it is not an example of contact assimilation but of assimilation at a distance. ” In this paper I shall demonstrate that this innovation, although assimilation, is not assimilation to /r/ and that it need not be viewed as assimilation at a distance. The sound change /str/ ü /Str/ is, as pointed out by Shapiro (1995), geographically widely distributed. It is found in New Zealand (all examples herein are from New Zealand English speakers), and for speakers who evince the change it applies not only word-internally (straight, strategy, stronger, instruments, Australia) but also across word boundaries (race track, last race). 1 Shapiro (1995, 103) notes that “there is a relevant phonetic similarity between [ S] and [r],” in that they are both palatal. Such a similarity is what accounts for /s/ becoming [ S] when it precedes /r/ in the same syllable, as in, for example, Sri Lanka.2 In the speech of some, this process has been generalized to apply over syllable boundaries, giving such pronunciations as I[Z]rael (Shapiro 1995, 105 n. 5) and cla[ S]room. An innovative pronunciation of /s/ as [ S] is also attested before [tS]. This applies to all sequences of /stj/, typical examples being moisture, question3 (word-internal) and last year, best yet (straddling a word boundary), these being /stj/ ü /stS/ ü /StS/, both historically and synchronically.4 The speakers whom I have observed using /Str/ also use /StS/. I have observed one speaker who consistently uses /Str/, but notably he does not palatalize the first [s] in last race, although other speakers do. What is significant here is that in this speaker’s pronunciation, the /t/ is elided, giving la[sr]ace. This speaker palatalizes /s/ in the sequences /stS/ (from /stj/) and /str/, but not in heterosyllabic /sr/. Because we would not expect to have assimilation at a distance (i.e., across /t/) without also assimilation of the same target
The Consolations of Going Back to Prison: What ‘Revolving Door’ Prisoners Think of Their Prospects

Thirty-five in-depth, face-to-face interviews were carried out with sentenced male prisoners shortly before their release from prison. All but two of them had been incarcerated on at least one prior occasion, and had served an average of five previous prison sentences. A quarter of them had been flagged by the prison staff as being at risk for suicide or self-harm. The study was designed in partnership with the users' involvement group of the Revolving Doors Agency, a voluntary sector organization that provides services to ex-offenders with mental health problems. Although the principal objective in setting up the study was to explore the factors that influence help-seeking for mental distress, the respondents talked more generally about their problems, concerns, and expectations on leaving prison. Fifty-four percent of them were re-interviewed four to six weeks following their discharge date. While most faced multiple social problems, a dominant theme in their accounts was positive thinking about imprisonment combined with fatalism (or defensive-pessimism) about coping with obstacles such as homelessness or substance addictions, and distrust of “helping” professionals. This article discusses the contribution of such thinking patterns to the phenomenon of “revolving door” prison sentences.
The employer's perspective: employment of people with disabilities in wage subsidized employments

The aim of this article is to examine employers' perspectives of the conditions of employment of people with disabilities within a context of wage subsidies. Employers in different workplaces were interviewed, and the interviews were analysed according to qualitative content analysis (Graneheim and Lundman 2004). The results show that four factors – attitude, matching, economic incentives and accommodations – are important for the employment of people with disabilities within a context of wage subsidies. Positive earlier experiences of people with disabilities serve as one of the reasons employers are willing to consider people with disabilities for jobs, but for hiring to take place, there must also be a match between the right person and the right job. Wage subsidies are seen, within this context, as an incentive to hire people who have reduced work capacity; accommodations are seen as necessary for the successful implementation of such hiring decisions. This knowledge can be applied in the design of support measures for unemployed people with disabilities.
Effect of peritoneal fluid from endometriosis patients on neuroblastoma cells in culture

Aim. Endometriosis is often associated with lower abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain. There is no correlation between the extent of endometriosis and the intensity of pain. The mechanism of pain in endometriosis is unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of peritoneal fluid (PF) from endometriosis patients on cultured neural cells that are the morphological basis of nociception, and to determine whether there was a relationship between the rAFS staging and an elevation of TGF-β1 production by these cells. Methods. Different human neuroblastoma cell lines were grown to 3/4 confluence and then cultured in presence of PF pooled according to the presence of no, mild, or severe endometriosis. After 6 and 24 h of incubation, the morphological changes were assessed and the metabolic activity was determined. Results. The different cell lines showed strongly varying proliferation and aggregation patterns. The metabolic activity was also varying between cell lines, but no consistently increased cell turnover in the PF when compared with the control medium nor associated to a particular, endometriosis-derived PF pool could be shown. In this experimental setting, we have observed that the cell proliferation in the presence of PF was inhibited, and not enhanced as it might have been expected. Measurement of TGF-β1 showed higher production rates for this cytokine under exposure to PF than in controls for some but not all tested cell lines, but there was no association with the stage (rAFS) of the disease. Conclusion. The neuronal cell culture model may become a useful tool to investigate the endometriosis-derived pain, but different endpoints and cell lines may have to be introduced.
NEUROExos: A Powered Elbow Exoskeleton for Physical Rehabilitation

This paper presents the design and experimental testing of the robotic elbow exoskeleton NEUROBOTICS Elbow Exoskeleton (NEUROExos). The design of NEUROExos focused on three solutions that enable its use for poststroke physical rehabilitation. First, double-shelled links allow an ergonomic physical human-robot interface and, consequently, a comfortable interaction. Second, a four-degree-of-freedom passive mechanism, embedded in the link, allows the user's elbow and robot axes to be constantly aligned during movement. The robot axis can passively rotate on the frontal and horizontal planes 30° and 40°, respectively, and translate on the horizontal plane 30 mm. Finally, a variable impedance antagonistic actuation system allows NEUROExos to be controlled with two alternative strategies: independent control of the joint position and stiffness, for robot-in-charge rehabilitation mode, and near-zero impedance torque control, for patient-in-charge rehabilitation mode. In robot-in-charge mode, the passive joint stiffness can be changed in the range of 24-56 N·m/rad. In patient-in-charge mode, NEUROExos output impedance ranges from 1 N·m/rad, for 0.3 Hz motion, to 10 N·m/rad, for 3.2 Hz motion.
The Role of Social Presence in Opinion Expression During FtF and CMC Discussions

This study sought to examine the process of talk and opinion expression in face-to-face (FtF) and text-based, synchronous, computer-mediated communication (TBS-CMC) discussions. A model was tested in which it was proposed that communication environment and communication apprehension (CA) would affect perceived social presence, which would, in turn, be related to the amount of talk and opinion expression in discussions. An experimental design using an adult sample who engaged in real discussions revealed that the data were a good fit to the model. All hypotheses were supported in that those in the FtF condition experienced more social presence than those in TBS-CMC; those high in CA experienced less social presence than those low in CA; those who experienced high social presence talked more in the discussion than those who experienced low social presence; and those who experienced low social presence expressed more opinions than those who experienced high social presence.
Polygenic hazard scores in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease

Identifying asymptomatic older individuals at elevated risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is of clinical importance. Among 1,081 asymptomatic older adults, a recently validated polygenic hazard score (PHS) significantly predicted time to AD dementia and steeper longitudinal cognitive decline, even after controlling for APOE ε4 carrier status. Older individuals in the highest PHS percentiles showed the highest AD incidence rates. PHS predicted longitudinal clinical decline among older individuals with moderate to high CERAD (amyloid) and Braak (tau) scores at autopsy, even among APOE ε4 non-carriers. Beyond APOE, PHS may help identify asymptomatic individuals at highest risk for developing Alzheimer’s neurodegeneration.
Selective Tuning of the Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent Response during Simple Target Detection Dissociates Human Frontoparietal Subregions

Current models of working memory and focal attention converge on the idea of an adaptable global system, distributed across a network of frontal and parietal brain regions. Here, we examine how the human frontoparietal network selectively adapts to represent currently relevant information during a simple attentional task: monitoring for a target item in a series of nontargets. Across the entire frontoparietal network, there is selective response to targets, in line with a global system for coding task-relevant inputs. At the same time, there are striking dissociations in response to nontargets; whereas ventrolateral frontal cortex responds just to the target, more dorsal/anterior regions respond to all stimuli from the target category. The results show different degrees of target selectivity across different regions of the frontoparietal network.
Volunteer motivation in heritage railways: a study of the West Somerset Railway volunteers

Heritage transport is the focus of academic research less often than other heritage tourism types, especially with regard to volunteer motivation. Thus, the present study extends the literature by examining heritage railway volunteers' initial motivations for volunteering and their demographic profile. The associations between the key variables of age, gender and employment experience and volunteers' initial motivations are analysed. Quantitative data were collected using a deductive methodological approach to design a postal survey employing systematic sampling (n = 252). Five preliminary hypotheses were set up based on the findings from the literature. The data analysis procedures employed principal components analysis and descriptive statistics, and then a series of statistical comparisons involving chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney U-tests and t-tests. Key findings included six motivational dimensions: altruism, for me (work substitute), social/affiliative, instrumental (hobbies), for me (relaxation/change) and instrumental (skills). It is argued that an understanding of these dimensions, and the motivational differences with regard to demographic profiles, can help heritage railway managers to plan for targeted recruitment to address organisational needs and best ensure the longevity of heritage transport tourism attractions.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 7a Accessory Protein Is a Viral Structural Protein

ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SCoV) 7a protein is one of the viral accessory proteins. In expressing cells, 7a protein exhibits a variety of biological activities, including induction of apoptosis, activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, inhibition of host protein translation, and suppression of cell growth progression. Analysis of SCoV particles that were purified by either sucrose gradient equilibrium centrifugation or a virus capture assay, in which intact SCoV particles were specifically immunoprecipitated by anti-S protein monoclonal antibody, demonstrated that 7a protein was associated with purified SCoV particles. Coexpression of 7a protein with SCoV S, M, N, and E proteins resulted in production of virus-like particles (VLPs) carrying 7a protein, while 7a protein was not released from cells expressing 7a protein alone. Although interaction between 7a protein and another SCoV accessory protein, 3a, has been reported, 3a protein was dispensable for assembly of 7a protein into VLPs. S protein was not required for the 7a protein incorporation into VLPs, and yet 7a protein interacted with S protein in coexpressing cells. These data established that, in addition to 3a protein, 7a protein was a SCoV accessory protein identified as a SCoV structural protein.
Validation of a model of regulation in the tryptophan operon against multiple experiment data using global optimisation

This paper is concerned with validating a mathematical model of regulation in the tryptophan operon using global optimization. Although a number of models for this biochemical network are proposed, in many cases only qualitative agreement between the model output and experimental data was demonstrated, since very little information is currently available to guide the selection of parameter values for the models. This paper presents a model validating method using both multiple experimental data and global optimization.
Reading and writing in English and Japanese: A cross-cultural study of young children†

We report a series of experiments which compare the ways in which Japanese and English children read and write single words. The Japanese children read and wrote the words in two types of script, kana and kanji. The first of these consists of symbols which signify syllables, and the second entirely of ideograms. Both groups read and wrote words with and without concurrent vocalization. Concurrent vocalization had no apparent effect on reading or writing kanji: nor did it affect reading English words. But it did consistently impede reading and writing kana words and it did impair writing English. We conclude, tentatively, that English children may read words without the help of prelexical phonological analysis, but that they spell them on the basis of sound-symbol relationships. We also conclude that there may be no such sharp distinction between reading and writing in either of the two types of Japanese script.
Le développement des représentations sur les aliments chez l'enfant de 4 à 12 ans

Notre recherche porte sur le developpement des conceptions alimentaires des enfants de 4 a 12 ans, et sur les consequences de l’ingestion de differentes categories d’aliments, en fonction du type de presentation qui en est faite (ludique ou normale), sur deux dimensions biologiques et une dimension psychologique. Les resultats montrent que, des le CP, les enfants pensent que les fruits et les legumes sont bons pour la sante. Ils revelent egalement que les enfants ne sont pas attires par les aliments dits ludiques. Les enfants distinguent egalement les consequences biologiques et psychologiques des aliments. Les resultats sont discutes a la lumiere des travaux recents sur les theories naives portant sur le monde biologique.
Walker 256 Tumor Growth Suppression by Crotoxin Involves Formyl Peptide Receptors and Lipoxin A4

We investigated the effects of Crotoxin (CTX), the main toxin of South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus terrificus) venom, on Walker 256 tumor growth, the pain symptoms associated (hyperalgesia and allodynia), and participation of endogenous lipoxin A4. Treatment with CTX (s.c.), daily, for 5 days reduced tumor growth at the 5th day after injection of Walker 256 carcinoma cells into the plantar surface of adult rat hind paw. This observation was associated with inhibition of new blood vessel formation and decrease in blood vessel diameter. The treatment with CTX raised plasma concentrations of lipoxin A4 and its natural analogue 15-epi-LXA4, an effect mediated by formyl peptide receptors (FPRs). In fact, the treatment with Boc-2, an inhibitor of FPRs, abolished the increase in plasma levels of these mediators triggered by CTX. The blockage of these receptors also abolished the inhibitory action of CTX on tumor growth and blood vessel formation and the decrease in blood vessel diameter. Together, the results herein presented demonstrate that CTX increases plasma concentrations of lipoxin A4 and 15-epi-LXA4, which might inhibit both tumor growth and formation of new vessels via FPRs.
Autonomic reactivity and psychopathology in middle childhood

Background Better indicators are needed for identifying children with early signs of developmental psychopathology. Aims To identify measures of autonomic nervous system reactivity that discriminate children with internalising and externalising behavioural symptoms. Method A cross-sectional study of 122 children aged 6–7 years examined sympathetic and parasympathetic reactivity to standardised field-laboratory stressors as predictors of parent— and teacher-reported mental health symptoms. Results Measures of autonomic reactivity discriminated between children with internalising behaviour problems, externalising behaviour problems and neither. Internalisers showed high reactivity relative to low-symptom children, principally in the parasympathetic branch, while externalisers showed low reactivity, in both autonomic branches. Conclusions School-age children with mental health symptoms showed a pattern of autonomic dimorphism in their reactivity to standardised challenges. This observation may be of use in early identification of children with presyndromal psychopathology.
The single AmphiTrk receptor highlights increased complexity of neurotrophin signalling in vertebrates and suggests an early role in developing sensory neuroepidermal cells

Neurotrophins (Nt) and their tyrosine kinase Trk receptors play an essential role in the development and maintenance of the complex vertebrate nervous system. Invertebrate genome sequencing projects have suggested that the Nt/Trk system is a vertebrate innovation. We describe the isolation and characterisation of the amphioxus Trk receptor, AmphiTrk. Its ancestral link to vertebrate Trk receptors is supported by phylogenetic analysis and domain characterisation. The genomic structure of AmphiTrk strongly suggests that a ProtoTrk gene emerged by means of exon-shuffling prior to the cephalochordate/vertebrate split. We also examined the physiological response of AmphiTrk to vertebrate neurotrophins, and found that despite 500 million years of divergence, AmphiTrk transduces signals mediated by NGF, BDNF, NT3 and NT4. Markedly, AmphiTrk is able to activate survival and differentiation pathways, but fails to activate the PLCγ pathway, which is involved in synaptic plasticity in higher vertebrates. AmphiTrk is expressed during amphioxus embryogenesis in sensory neural precursors in the epidermis, which possesses single migratory cells. We propose that the duplication and divergence of the Nt/Trk system, in tandem with recruitment of the PLCγ pathway, may have provided the genetic basis for a key aspect of vertebrate evolution: the complexity of the nervous system.
SEXUAL SELECTION AND COMMUNICATION IN A NEOTROPICAL FROG, PHYSALAEMUS PUSTULOSUS

Many sexually dimorphic characters have evolved under the influence of sexual selection, either because they increase an individual's ability to compete for access to members of the opposite sex, or because they increase an individual's probability of being chosen as a mate (Darwin, 1871). Some of the most elaborate displays in animal communication are those used by males to attract and court females. Male sexual displays may provide information which allows females to identify males as conspecifics (Mayr, 1963) or possibly to assess mate quality (Fisher, 1958; Trivers, 1972). Other suggested functions of sexual displays, such as synchronizing male and female receptivity (Lehrman, 1965) or persuading a female to approach an aggressive male (West Eberhard, 1979) probably are proximate effects of a signal which evolved to enhance mate discrimination (also see Dawkins and Krebs, 1978). Most sexual displays seem to contain information far in excess of that needed for species recognition (but see Rand and Williams, 1970). Darwin (1871) maintained that male sexual displays allowed females to pick more vigorous males and that female choice thus caused the further elaboration of male sexual displays. This idea was extended by Fisher's theory of runaway sexual selection (Fisher, 1958; also see Trivers, 1972; West Eberhard, 1979; Lande, 1980, 1981). Thus there is an important relation between sexual selection and communication. However, few studies have demon-
Metrics with conic singularities and spherical polygons

A spherical n-gon is a bordered surface homeomorphic to a closed disk, with n distinguished boundary points called corners, equipped with a Riemannian metric of constant curvature 1, except at the corners, and such that the boundary arcs between the corners are geodesic. We discuss the problem of classification of these polygons and enumerate them in the case that two angles at the corners are not multiples of �. The problem is equivalent to classification of some second order linear differential equations with regular singularities, with real parameters and unitary monodromy. MSC 2010: 30C20, 34M03.
What Makes a Recycler?

Knowledge and motivational factors represent important but neglected topics in the study of recycling behavior. This article examines differences in knowledge, motives, and demographic characteristics of people who have the opportunity to recycle voluntarily. Information on these variables was obtained for 197 households in Illinois. The results indicated that recyclers in general were more aware of publicity about recycling and more knowledgeable about materials that were recyclable in the local area and the means for recycling these materials than were nonrecyclers. While both recyclers and nonrecyclers were motivated by concerns for the environment, non-recyclers were more concerned with financial incentives to recycle, rewards for recycling, and with matters of personal convenience. Few demographic characteristics distinguished recyclers from nonrecyclers.