Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An investigation of adult attachment and coping with exam-related stress

ABSTRACT Students differ in how they cope with and manage stress associated with university life. This study investigates associations between adult attachment and coping strategies for exam-related stress. Fifty-seven students at a university in the north of England completed online questionnaires to assess attachment anxiety and avoidance, helpful and unhelpful coping strategies, and positive and negative affect. We found that students who were more avoidant in their attachment relationships were less likely to report using helpful problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies to cope with their exams. We also found that students who were more anxious in their attachment relationships reported using more dysfunctional coping strategies. We discuss the implications of the findings for university pastoral care and academic support systems.
Improved method for epoch estimation in telephonic speech signals using zero frequency filtering

Epochs are the locations correspond to glottal closure instants for voiced speech segments and onset of bursts or frication in unvoiced segments. In the recent years, the zero frequency filtering (ZFF) based epoch estimation has received a growing attention for clean or studio speech signals. The ZFF based epoch estimation exploits the impulse like excitation characteristics at the zero frequency (DC) region in speech. As the lower frequency regions in telephonic speech are significantly attenuated, ZFF approach gives degraded epoch estimation performance. Therefore, the objective of the present work is to propose refinements to the existing ZFF based epoch estimation algorithm for improved epoch estimation in telephonic speech. The strength of the impulses at the zero frequency region are enhanced by computing the Hilbert envelope (HE) of the speech which in turn improve the epoch estimation performance. The resonators located at the approximate F0 locations of the short term blocks of conventional zero frequency filtered signal, are also found to improve the epoch estimation performance in telephonic speech. The performance of the refined ZFF method is evaluated on 3 speaker voices (JMK, SLT and BDL) of CMU Arctic database having simultaneous speech and EGG recordings. The telephonic version of CMU Arctic database is simulated using tools provided by the international telecommunication union (ITU).
EVALUATION OF PEDESTRIAN CROSSING SPEED IN URBAN ROADS

Pedestrian crossings play an important role in the operation and safety of the pedestrian network, since they usually constitute critical points with high interaction and conflict between pedestrians and vehicle streams. These conflicts depend on the volume of pedestrians and traffic, as well as the hierarchy of the road crossed, which justifies the implementation of different types of pedestrian crossings. One of the key parameters of its design, particularly in the case of crossings with traffic lights, is the crossing speed. This paper focuses on a detailed presentation of the adopted methodology, concerning both the data collection, processing and the results analysis. The work was supported by a real database with 510 cases, collected from a set of seven different pedestrian crossing types all located in the city of Coimbra. Fieldwork consisted in gathering video footage, complemented by the registration of the vehicle speeds distribution using a mobile radar. Data analysis was based on the application of statistical techniques which allowed the identification and evaluation of the factors that have proven statistical significance in explaining the observed crossing speed. In general, the conclusions confirm the results of previous studies, pointing to an average of 1.22 m/s for the crossing speed, with a minimum of 0.63 m/s and a maximum of 1.83 m/s. It was found that pedestrians tend to adopt higher crossing speeds at crosswalks with traffic lights. Age, walking alone or in a group and average vehicle circulation speed were identified as the most significant explanatories variables for both crossings. Pedestrian density, crossing length, and the existence of a central refuge island, were only statistically relevant for crossings with traffic lights. The gender variable is on the verge of being considered statistically significant for crossings with traffic lights.
Europeanization in the ‘other’ Europe: writing the nation into ‘Europe’ education in Slovakia and Estonia

How is the tension between renewed nationalist and European narratives of belonging being unfolded in the curricula, discourse, and practice of civic education in Slovakia and Estonia. As two post‐socialist territories that were ‘reborn’ as independent nation‐states in the 1990s, Slovakia and Estonia were confronted with pressure to ‘Europeanize’. ‘Europeanization’ is intended to challenge doctrines of ethno‐cultural citizenship, and is expected to play a significant role within civic education. One might expect nationalists in these contexts to reject Europeanization and those with a more tolerant or cosmopolitan bent to embrace it. These different case studies show, however, that educators, curriculum developers, and textbook authors at the national level do not simply dismiss conceptions of Europe. Rather, two trends emerge: First, Europe is redefined geographically, allowing Estonia and Slovakia to assert that they are inherently European (as the borderland and the centre, respectively). Second, the meaning of Europe is contested through counter‐narratives about what constitutes Europeanness, and the concept of Europe is sometimes appropriated not to advance civic citizenship, but rather for exclusionary and nationalist ends.
Patterns of individualism and collectivism across the United States

Although the individualism-collectivism dimension is usually examined in a U.S. versus Asian context, there is variation within the United States. The authors created an eight-item index ranking states in terms of collectivist versus individualist tendencies. As predicted, collectivist tendencies were strongest in the Deep South, and individualist tendencies were strongest in the Mountain West and Great Plains. In Part 2, convergent validity for the index was obtained by showing that state collectivism scores predicted variation in individual attitudes, as measured by a national survey, In Part 3, the index was used to explore the relationship between individualism-collectivism and a variety of demographic, economic, cultural, and health-related variables. The index may be used to complement traditional measures of collectivism and individualism and may be of use to scholars seeking a construct to account for unique U.S. regional variation.
Statin Therapy Negatively Impacts Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Cutaneous Wound Repair in Type 1 Diabetic Mice

Those with diabetes invariably develop complications including cardiovascular disease (CVD). To reduce their CVD risk, diabetics are generally prescribed cholesterol-lowering 3-hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (i.e., statins). Statins inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis, but also reduce the synthesis of a number of mevalonate pathway intermediates, leading to several cholesterol-independent effects. One of the pleiotropic effects of statins is the reduction of the anti-fibrinolytic hormone plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). We have previously demonstrated that a PAI-1 specific inhibitor alleviated diabetes-induced delays in skin and muscle repair. Here we tested if statin administration, through its pleiotropic effects on PAI-1, could improve skin and muscle repair in a diabetic rodent model. Six weeks after diabetes onset, adult male streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ), and WT mice were assigned to receive control chow or a diet enriched with 600 mg/kg Fluvastatin. Tibialis anterior muscles were injured via Cardiotoxin injection to induce skeletal muscle injury. Punch biopsies were administered on the dorsal scapular region to induce injury of skin. Twenty-four days after the onset of statin therapy (10 days post-injury), tissues were harvested and analyzed. PAI-1 levels were attenuated in statin-treated diabetic tissue when compared to control-treated tissue, however no differences were observed in non-diabetic tissue as a result of treatment. Muscle and skin repair were significantly attenuated in Fluvastatin-treated STZ-diabetic mice as demonstrated by larger wound areas, less mature granulation tissue, and an increased presence of smaller regenerating muscle fibers. Despite attenuating PAI-1 levels in diabetic tissue, Fluvastatin treatment impaired cutaneous healing and skeletal muscle repair in STZ-diabetic mice.
Optimized Design of Interconnected Bus on Chip for Low Power

In this paper, we firstly propose an on-chip bus power consumption model, which includes the self transition power dissipated on the signal lines and the coupled transition power dissipated between every two signal lines. And then a new heuristic algorithm is proposed to determine a physical order of signal lines in bus. Experimental results show that average power saving is 26.85%
Infant feeding and childhood cognition at ages 3 and 7 years: Effects of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity.

IMPORTANCE Breastfeeding may benefit child cognitive development, but few studies have quantified breastfeeding duration or exclusivity, nor has any study to date examined the role of maternal diet during lactation on child cognition. OBJECTIVES To examine relationships of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity with child cognition at ages 3 and 7 years and to evaluate the extent to which maternal fish intake during lactation modifies associations of infant feeding with later cognition. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective cohort study (Project Viva), a US prebirth cohort that enrolled mothers from April 22, 1999, to July 31, 2002, and followed up children to age 7 years, including 1312 Project Viva mothers and children. MAIN EXPOSURE Duration of any breastfeeding to age 12 months. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Child receptive language assessed with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test at age 3 years, Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities at ages 3 and 7 years, and Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test and Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning at age 7 years. RESULTS Adjusting for sociodemographics, maternal intelligence, and home environment in linear regression, longer breastfeeding duration was associated with higher Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test score at age 3 years (0.21; 95% CI, 0.03-0.38 points per month breastfed) and with higher intelligence on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test at age 7 years (0.35; 0.16-0.53 verbal points per month breastfed; and 0.29; 0.05-0.54 nonverbal points per month breastfed). Breastfeeding duration was not associated with Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning scores. Beneficial effects of breastfeeding on the Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities at age 3 years seemed greater for women who consumed 2 or more servings of fish per week (0.24; 0.00-0.47 points per month breastfed) compared with less than 2 servings of fish per week (−0.01; −0.22 to 0.20 points per month breastfed) (P = .16 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our results support a causal relationship of breastfeeding duration with receptive language and verbal and nonverbal intelligence later in life.
A History of Coeliac Disease

Coeliac disease may have an ancient history dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The first clear description was given by Samuel Gee in 1888. He suggested that dietary treatment might be of benefit. In the early 20th century various diets were tried, with some success, but without clear recognition of the toxic components. The doctoral thesis of Wim Dicke of 1950 established that exclusion of wheat, rye and oats from the diet led to dramatic improvement. The toxicity was shown to be a protein component, referred to as gluten. Dicke’s colleagues, Weijers and Van de Kamer, showed that measurement of stool fat reflected the clinical condition. Early studies were in children but stool fat measurements documented that the condition could be recognised in adults. Histological abnormalities of the lining of the small intestine were demonstrated beyond doubt by Paulley in 1954 and techniques of per-oral biopsy described by Royer in 1955 and Shiner in 1956 afforded reliable diagnosis. Concurrence in monozygotic twins suggested a genetic component, confirmed by studies of HLA antigens. Additional, non-genetic factors seem likely. Circulating antibodies suggest an immunological mechanism of damage and provide non-invasive screening tests. Lymphoma, adenocarcinoma and ulceration of the small intestine and a range of immunological disorders are associated. A relationship with dermatitis herpetiformis was suggested by Samman in 1955 and established by Shuster and Marks in 1965 and 1968. The Coeliac Society (now Coeliac UK) was founded in 1968 and similar societies now exist across the world. They provide an extremely valuable service. Present problems include definition of the tolerated levels of gluten, whether oats are toxic for some or all coeliacs and the likelihood that the condition is relatively common and frequently without classical symptoms. Hope for the future is that more convenient methods of treatment will follow better understanding.
The failure mechanism of low-voltage electrical relays

The mechanism of increase in the resistance of low-voltage electrical contacts with the number of on-off switch cycles is investigated. Experiments are conducted at room temperature on Au and a number of base metals (Ni, Fe, Ti and Sb) in mixtures of air and organic vapors (benzene, toluene and xylene). The increase in contact resistance is found to be primarily due to carbon formation on the contact surfaces. It is proposed that molecules of the organic vapor first adsorb on the contact surfaces, possibly forming a monolayer. Then, as a spark strikes, carbon is produced by pyrolysis of that layer. Subsequently, more vapor adsorbs on carbon and the process repeats. When a sufficient amount of carbon builds up on the electrodes the contact resistance will be very high. <<ETX>>
Multigene mutation analysis of metastatic lymph nodes in non-small cell lung cancer diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration.

BACKGROUND The importance of biomarker analysis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is well known. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mutation status of multiple genes in metastatic lymph nodes obtained by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and to examine the correlation between treatments and outcomes. METHODS Genetic alterations were analyzed in metastatic hilar or mediastinal lymph nodes diagnosed by EBUS-TBNA in 156 patients with NSCLC. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was analyzed using the peptide nucleic acid-locked nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction clamp method (n = 156). V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (K-ras) (exons 2-3) and tumor protein 53 (p53) (exons 4-8) were analyzed by direct sequencing (n = 113). In addition, retrospective chart review was performed for clinical data analysis. RESULTS EGFR gene mutations were detected in 42 cases (26.9%). Twenty-three patients with EGFR mutations received gefitinib, with an overall response rate (partial response [PR]) of 54.5% and disease control rate (PR + stable disease) of 86.4% (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors). K-ras gene mutations were detected in four cases (3.5%), and p53 gene mutations were detected in 47 cases (41.6%). Fifty-two patients underwent conventional chemotherapy (46 patients underwent platinum-based chemotherapy). Patients with p53 gene mutations showed chemoresistance (progressive disease of 42.9%, P = .0339) and a relatively poor prognosis after chemotherapy (P = .1391). CONCLUSIONS Multigene mutation analysis can be performed in EBUS-TBNA samples of metastatic lymph nodes from patients with NSCLC. EBUS-TBNA allows genetic evaluation of tumor cells within the metastatic node, which may allow physicians to better select treatments, particularly EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Clinical Features and Drug Characteristics of Patients with Generalized Fixed Drug Eruption in the West of Iran (2005–2014)

Background. Generalized fixed drug eruption is a specific variant of fixed drug eruption with multifocal lesions. Diagnosis of this drug reaction is straightforward, but occasionally recognition of the causative drug is not possible. This study was aimed at evaluating the clinical features and culprit drugs in generalized fixed drug eruptions in the west of Iran. Method. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 30 patients with criteria of generalized fixed drug eruption over 9 years. Demographic, clinical, and drug intake information were collected. Results. Out of 30 patients (17 females and 13 males) with the mean age of 26.67 ± 10.21 years, 28 (93.3%) and 2 (6.7%) cases had plaque and bullous clinical presentation, respectively. Upper limbs were the most common (90%) site of involvement. The antibiotic group, especially cotrimoxazole (26.1%), was reported to be the most common offending drug, but the causative drug was not determined in 7 (23.3%) patients. Conclusion. Many cases of generalized fixed drug eruption firstly presented as limited lesions and led to generalized lesion due to repeated intake of the causative drug. No causative drug was found in some patients, which might be associated with concurrent intake of several drugs, multiple FDE, and peculiarity of the patch test.
Language use, and language policy and planning in Hong Kong

This monograph provides an overview of the language situation in Hong Kong from a historical perspective. Hong Kong has evolved in the past 167 years from a small fishing port to an international financial centre which forms part of a financial network hailed by Time Magazine as Ny.Lon. Kong (i.e. New York-London-Hong Kong). Hong Kong has gone through changes of sovereignty twice, once in 1842 as a Chinese territory ceded to Britain after the first Opium War, and a second time in 1997 as a British colony returned to China. It is a micro polity with no natural resources except its deep harbour. Economically, Hong Kong has gradually developed from a fishing port when British settlement began in 1841, to an entrepôt during 1945–1950s, to a manufacturing hub during 1960–1970s, to an international financial centre since the 1980s. The historical, political and economic development has had a great impact on the language situation in Hong Kong. Its language community started with two separate monolingual groups: one consisting of local Chinese speaking Cantonese and other Chinese dialects, and the other composed of British colonists speaking English. Because of language spread and language shift as a result of political, economic and social changes, the monolingual group of Chinese speakers has become trilingual, speaking Cantonese, English and Putonghua, whereas the monolingual group of English speakers has expanded to include native speakers of such other English varieties as American English, Australian English, Canadian English, Indian English and Singaporean English. In addition, there is a large group of minorities composed of bilingual speakers of English and a south Asian language. Although the development of language use is a natural process, it can be influenced by the government's language policy and planning. In 1997 there was a major political change, and Hong Kong, a capitalist city that practised a free economy for 155 years, was handed back to a socialist regime in China and now functions as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (PRC) under the ‘One Country Two Systems’ policy. Hong Kong's prospects for a changing language situation depend on its political and economic development as well as PRC's policy.
Pathways Linking Child Physical Abuse, Depression, and Aggressiveness across Genders

Previous research suggests that child physical abuse, depression, and aggressiveness are linked, but gender differences remain poorly understood. This study examined gender differences in the mediational relationships among these constructs, after controlling for the confounding effects of other negative life events. Men and women completed questionnaires about physical abuse and negative life events that occurred prior to age 18, depressive symptoms, and aggressiveness. Results indicated significant gender differences in the pathways between child physical abuse and depression, and between child abuse and aggressiveness, with direct and mediating links pertaining only to men. These findings suggest that links among child physical abuse, depression, and aggressiveness are specific to men, and negative life events might play a more potent role for women.
Learning Paths to Offshore Outsourcing - From Cost Reduction to Knowledge Seeking

A corporation's offshore outsourcing may be seen as the result of a discrete, strategic decision taken in response to an increasing pressure from worldwide competition. However, empirical evidence of a representative cross-sector sample of international Danish firms indicates that offshore sourcing in low-cost countries is best described as a learning-by-doing process in which the offshore outsourcing of a corporation goes through a sequence of stages towards sourcing for innovation. Initially, a corporation's outsourcing is driven by a desire for cost minimization. Over a period of time the outsourcing experience lessens the cognitive limitations of decision-makers as to the advantages that can be achieved through outsourcing in low-cost countries: the insourcer/vendor may not only offer cost advantages, but also quality improvement and innovation. The quality improvements that offshore outsourcing may bring about evoke a realization in the corporation that even innovative processes can be outsourced.