Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Logical and Mathematical Boxes: Does the Attitudinal Entropy Framework Expand Our Understanding of Attitudes?

People commonly understood the physical world through psychological processes in ancient times, sometimes metaphorically but often literally: The sun and climate were manifestations of Ra, the Egyptian sun god, and fire was the embodiment of the god Agni in Hindu tradition. The pendulum has since swung the other way: The natural sciences have gradually deanthropomorphized the physical world, and with great success. So it isn’t surprising that people now seek to understand the psychological world through physical processes, sometimes metaphorically but often literally. We do, of course, see the utility in advancing mathematical models of human mental processes. For example, modeling the electrical communications of neurons and the movements of neurotransmitters onto the properties of physical movement has led to advances in understanding how the brain works (e.g., Busemeyer & Wang, 2015). And we understand the temptation to continue the exercise of reducing psychological processes to physical ones (e.g., Pentland, 2015; also see work on biomedicalization). However, we wonder whether the pendulum has swung too far in this direction (for a related argument, see Kvaale, Haslam, & Gottdiener, 2013). Despite our concerns about its premise, the Attitude Entropy (AE) framework has potential to provide an engaging challenge to conventional approaches to attitudes research. For a novel model to challenge orthodoxy, it must engage directly with it: The model’s concepts must interact with current concepts in specific and clearly articulated ways. Thus, we first address the issue of how clearly and compellingly the AE framework is communicated, and how variables central to the AE framework engage with variables central to the attitudes and persuasion literature. To offer advances in understanding of any phenomena, a novel model must (ideally) explain existing phenomena and make predictions about as-yet unobserved phenomena. Thus, we address, second, whether the AE framework appears to offer such advances. In the domains of attitude measurement, attitude strength, and attitude consistency, we remain open but skeptical about the explanatory insight offered by the AE framework.
Mapping of long-range associations throughout the fission yeast genome reveals global genome organization linked to transcriptional regulation

We have comprehensively mapped long-range associations between chromosomal regions throughout the fission yeast genome using the latest genomics approach that combines next generation sequencing and chromosome conformation capture (3C). Our relatively simple approach, referred to as enrichment of ligation products (ELP), involves digestion of the 3C sample with a 4 bp cutter and self-ligation, achieving a resolution of 20 kb. It recaptures previously characterized genome organizations and also identifies new and important interactions. We have modeled the 3D structure of the entire fission yeast genome and have explored the functional relationships between the global genome organization and transcriptional regulation. We find significant associations among highly transcribed genes. Moreover, we demonstrate that genes co-regulated during the cell cycle tend to associate with one another when activated. Remarkably, functionally defined genes derived from particular gene ontology groups tend to associate in a statistically significant manner. Those significantly associating genes frequently contain the same DNA motifs at their promoter regions, suggesting that potential transcription factors binding to these motifs are involved in defining the associations among those genes. Our study suggests the presence of a global genome organization in fission yeast that is functionally similar to the recently proposed mammalian transcription factory.
Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos : Where do we go from here?

In keeping with the spirit of the Colston conference on Nonlinear Dynam-ics and Chaos, this chapter emphasizes ideas more than details, describingmy vision of how the bifurcation theory of multiple time scale systemswill unfold. Multiple time scale dynamical systems are rife with compli-cated phenomena. The subject has a complicated history that interweavesthree di erent viewpoints: nonstandard analysis, classical asymptotics andgeometric singular perturbation theory. My perspective is decidedly geo-metric but draws upon asymptotic analysis, recognizing the fundamentalcontributions rst expressed in the language of nonstandard analysis. Thesuccess of dynamical systems theory in elucidating patterns of bifurcationin generic systems with a single time scale motivates the goal here, namelyto extend this bifurcation theory to systems with two time scales. Thereare substantial obstacles to realizing this objective, both theoretical andcomputational. Consequently, the nal shape that the theory will take isstill fuzzy.It may seem strange to talk about computational barriers to a math-ematical theory, so I give some explanation for this. Much of the progress
Evaluation of Vege-Grout Treated Slope by Electrical Resistivity

Soil stabilization using bio-grouting method based on microbial induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology has been developed recently to improve the engineering properties of the soil. This new technology could provide an alternative to traditional methods of soil stabilization using soil-cement and chemical grouting. Vegetable waste is a good source for the growth of various kinds of microorganisms which is suitable to be applied as bio-grouting material. The bio-grout extract known as vege-grout was able to induce bio-cementation and bio-clogging process. In this study, vege-grout from vegetable waste was injected into the soil to strengthen the slope and improve the mechanical properties of the affected area. The changes in the subsurface soil after treatment with vege-grout were evaluated by electrical resistivity measurement. Resistivity test showed the resistance in the soil has increased after the grouting using vege-grout. Results indicated that the underneath soils have transformed from medium dense sand to dense sand. The water containment in the subsurface appeared to shift deeper into the ground. SEM analysis showed evidence of bio-clogging process as a result of microbial activities in the soil. This analysis showed that the vege-grout from vegetable waste has successfully strengthened and stabilized the slope from soil erosion.
Health Assessment Questionnaire modifications: is standardisation needed?

BACKGROUND Physical disability is part of the end point measures in rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials. The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ DI) is often used for this purpose but lacks international uniformity owing to variations in the translated and adapted questionnaires and variations in its calculation. To study the consequences of these variations the previous Dutch HAQ (HAQ90) was revised, resulting in a new Dutch HAQ (HAQ99). OBJECTIVE To compare DI scores from the two versions, and to study the consequences of applying different calculation methods for the DI score. METHODS 78 patients completed both the HAQ99 and the HAQ90. To compare the use of different category score calculation methods a post hoc analysis on prospectively collected data obtained in clinical trials was performed. RESULTS No statistically significant differences were observed between the DI scores of the HAQ90 and the HAQ99 using the alternative method (that is, without correcting for aid and devices). However, correcting for the use of aid or devices or not did result in statistically significant different DI scores. The systematic shift when using the maximum or mean item score for calculation of the category score resulted in non-comparable absolute DI scores. CONCLUSION The use of HAQ DI questionnaires with different numbers of items and/or categories does not hinder international comparability, except when these variations interfere with the calculation method of the DI (as in the case of questionnaires without a section correcting for devices). For the sake of international uniformity the HAQ or any validated translation should be used and calculated in a standard way, including correcting for the use of aid and devices, and taking the maximum within each category as the category score.
LFP power spectra in V1 cortex: the graded effect of stimulus contrast.

We recorded local field potentials (LFPs) and single-unit activity simultaneously in the macaque primary visual cortex (V1) and studied their responses to drifting sinusoidal gratings that were chosen to be "optimal" for the single units. Over all stimulus conditions, the LFP spectra have much greater power in the low-frequency band (< or = 10 Hz) than higher frequencies and can be described as "1/f. " Analysis of the total power limited to the low, gamma (25-90 Hz), or broad (8-240 Hz) frequency bands of the LFP as a function of stimulus contrast indicates that the LFP power gradually increases with stimulus strength across a wide band in a manner roughly comparable to the increase in the simultaneously recorded spike activity. However, the low-frequency band power remains approximately constant across all stimulus contrasts. More specifically the gamma-band LFP power increases differentially more with respect to baseline than either higher or lower bands as stimulus contrast increases. At the highest stimulus contrasts, we report as others have previously, that the power spectrum of the LFP typically contains an obvious peak in the gamma-frequency band. The gamma-band peak emerges from the overall broadband enhancement in LFP power at stimulus contrasts where most single units' responses have begun to saturate. The temporal/spectral structures of the LFP located in the gamma band-which become most evident at the highest contrasts-provide additional constraints on potential mechanisms underlying the stimulus response properties of spiking neurons in V1.
Utilizing Problem Structure in Planning: A Local Search Approach

Planning: Motivation, Definitions, Methodology. - 1: Introduction. - 2: Planning. - A Local Search Approach. - 3: Base Architecture. - 4: Dead Ends. - 5: Goal Orderings. - 6: The AIPS-2000 Competition. - Local Search Topology. - 7: Gathering Insights. - 8: Verifying the h? +? Hypotheses. - 9: Supporting the hFF Hypotheses. - 10: Discussion. - Appendix A: Formalized Benchmark Domains. - Appendix B: Automated Instance Generation.
Spanish-speaking Preschoolers' Conceptual Vocabulary Knowledge: Towards More Comprehensive Assessment

This study examined Spanish-English preschoolers’ (n = 32) vocabulary performance when using traditional English-only compared to measures that utilize conceptual scoring (i.e., vocabulary knowledge in terms of known concepts independent of whether the label for the concept is known in either Spanish or English) designed for and normed on Spanish-English bilinguals. Children’s performance at the item level on the conceptually scored measures was also examined. In English, receptive and expressive average scores were in the below-average ranges. However, on the conceptually scored vocabulary measures, the average scores were within the average range, receptively and expressively. Examination of children’s performance at the item level suggests there may be differences by language in bilingual children’s receptive and expressive vocabulary performance. The findings underscore the value of utilizing conceptually scored vocabulary measures, suggesting that their use may have potential for differentiate language difference from language disorder among young bilingual learners.
Conversion of oil palm trunk into bio-oil via treatment with subcritical water

Subcritical water was applied to produce bio-oil from a 21-year-old abandoned oil palm trunk (OPT). The effects of reaction temperature, time, part of trunk taken, and optimum reaction condition were investigated. Higher heating values (HHVs), CHNS/O elemental and GC-MS analysis were performed to characterize the bio-oil. The subcritical water temperatures were manipulated between 100 °C and 370 °C with 10 °C intervals and the reaction time was varied between 6 s and 20 min. The maximum yield of bio-oil from subcritical water treatment of top and bottom part of OPT was 0.27 and 0.30 kg/kg-dry OPT, respectively. The optimum reaction time and temperature was 5 min and 330 °C. The highest HHV of the bio-oils derived from the top and bottom part of OPT was 33.2 MJ/kg and 26.4 MJ/kg, respectively. From GC-MS measurement, the bio-oil contained phenolic compounds. The bio-oil derived from OPT obtained from subcritical water treatment had high HHV and comparable to other liquid fuels.
Adoption of Technological Products and Services for Different Consumer Profiles: An analysis using the Technology Adoption Propensity Scale

Purpose – To evaluate how different consumer profiles react to the adoption of new technologies through the replication and validation of the TAP scale in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – We designed a descriptive study of a quantitative nature applied through a survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis procedures were performed in order to validate the scale. We used t tests to check for statistical differences between consumer profiles. Findings – The TAP scale proved to be a valid and reliable instrument to measure technology adoption propensity among Brazilian consumers. In this group, those in a higher domain of computational innovation showed greater proficiency in the technology adoption process. In a comparison of the data from our study with those of the original one in the USA, Brazilians presented a higher propensity for technology adoption. Originality/value – The study provided advancements in three ways: 1) validating the TAP scale for Brazilian usage; 2) bringing insights to research on innovation in specific domains; 3) contributing to the studies about potential differences between developed and emergent countries related to new technology adoption and late acceptance of innovation.
Estimating vocal tract shapes of Thai vowels from contextual vowel variation

This paper presents a computational estimation of vocal tract shape parameters as articulatory targets of Thai vowels in an articulatory synthesizer, by means of analysis-by-synthesis with acoustic data as input. A speech corpus designed to capture the contextual variants of nine Thai long vowels, consisting of 81 disyllabic utterances, was recorded by a native Thai speaker. For each utterance, two targets, one for each syllable, were estimated by optimizing the target parameters to minimize the MFCC error between original and synthesized speech. An analysis-by-synthesis approach was used to iteratively optimize the shape parameters. The estimated targets of each vowel type were then averaged, resulting in nine articulatory targets, each corresponding to a vowel. The optimized targets were then used to synthesize Thai vowels both in monosyllables and in disyllabic sequences. The results indicate that the estimated targets effectively represent the underlying articulatory goals of Thai vowels.
The zero-point and thermal vacuum electromagnetic fields and the Schrödinger picture

Several authors have used the Heisenberg picture to show that the atomic transitions, the stability of the ground state and the position-momentum commutation relation [x, p] = i, can only be explained by introducing radiation reaction and vacuum electromagnetic fluctuation forces. Here we consider the simple case of a nonrelativistic charged harmonic oscillator, in one dimension, to investigate how to take into account the radiation reaction and vacuum fluctuation forces within the Schrödinger picture. We consider the effects of both classical zero-point and thermal electromagnetic vacuum fields. We show that the zero-point electromagnetic fluctuations are dynamically related to the momentum operator p = −i∂/∂x used in the Schrödinger picture. Consequently, the introduction of the zero-point electromagnetic fields in the vector potential A x (t) used in the Schrödinger equation , generates " double counting " , as was shown recently by A. A 305 (2002) 322). We explain, in details, how to avoid the " double counting " by introducing only the radiation reaction and the thermal electromagnetic fields into the Schrödinger equation. Within this scenario we conclude that the Heisenberg and the Schrödinger pictures are equivalent.
Nothing Left Unfinished: A Transcendental Phenomenology on the Persistence of Black Women in Distance Education Doctoral Programs

Black women are earning doctoral degrees in the field of education at a rate higher than any other demographic group; however, their overall degree obtainment is increasing at a slower rate than other minority groups. In addition, median degree completion rates in the field of education are higher than any other measured field of study. At the same time, enrollment in distance education doctoral programs is increasing at exponential rates, while doctoral attrition rates continue to hover around 50%. There is a significant amount of research examining persistence for both distance education doctoral programs and Black women; however, there is a gap in the literature regarding the doctoral persistence of Black women enrolled in distance education programs. The purpose of this study was to give voice to the persistence experiences of Black women in distance education doctoral programs, in the field of education. This research study utilized critical race theory of education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) and Tinto’s (1975, 1993, & 2012) theory of student integration as theoretical frameworks. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, letters, and life timelines. Qualitative analysis indicated that Black women in distance education doctoral programs attributed the personal factors of grit, serving as a role model, and status, as well as social factors of mentoring and peer, family, and social group relationships, as important to their persistence experiences. Data analysis further indicated that institutional factors such as faculty support, program structure, university commitment to diversity, and perceived racial anonymity in distance education environments, all contributed to the persistence experiences of Black women in distance education doctoral programs.
Decreased Serum Free Testosterone in Workers Exposed to High Levels of Di-n-butyl Phthalate (DBP) and Di-2-ethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP): A Cross-Sectional Study in China

Background Observations of adverse developmental and reproductive effects in laboratory animals and wildlife have fueled increasing public concern regarding the potential for various chemicals to impair human fertility. Objective Our objective in this study was to assess the effect of occupational exposure to high levels of phthalate esters on the balance of gonadotropin and gonadal hormones including luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, free testosterone (fT), and estradiol. Methods We examined urine and blood samples of 74 male workers at a factory producing unfoamed polyvinyl chloride flooring exposed to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and compared them with samples from 63 male workers from a construction company, group matched for age and smoking status. Results Compared to the unexposed workers, the exposed workers had substantially and significantly elevated concentrations of mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP; 644.3 vs. 129.6 μg/g creatinine, p < 0.001) and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP; 565.7 vs. 5.7 μg/g creatinine, p < 0.001). fT was significantly lower (8.4 vs. 9.7 μg/g creatinine, p = 0.019) in exposed workers than in unexposed workers. fT was negatively correlated to MBP (r = −0.25, p = 0.03) and MEHP (r = −0.19, p = 0.095) in the exposed worker group. Regression analyses revealed that fT decreases significantly with increasing total phthalate ester score (the sum of quartiles of MBP and MEHP; r = −0.26, p = 0.002). Conclusion We observed a modest and significant reduction of serum fT in workers with higher levels of urinary MBP and MEHP compared with unexposed workers.
Comparative activity of ceftobiprole against Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates from Europe and the Middle East: the CLASS study.

OBJECTIVES to assess the in vitro activity of ceftobiprole and comparators against a recent collection of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, in order to detect potential changes in susceptibility patterns, and to evaluate the Etest assay for ceftobiprole susceptibility testing. METHODS contemporary Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates (excluding extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing isolates) from across Europe and the Middle East were collected, and their susceptibility to ceftobiprole, vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, ceftazidime and cefepime was assessed using the Etest method. Quality testing [using Etest and broth microdilution (BMD)] was conducted at a central reference laboratory. RESULTS some 5041 Gram-positive and 4026 Gram-negative isolates were included. Against Gram-positive isolates overall, ceftobiprole had the lowest MIC50 (0.5 mg/L), compared with 1 mg/L for its comparators (vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid). Against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, all four agents had a similar MIC90 (2 mg/L), but ceftobiprole had a 4-fold better MIC90 (0.5 mg/L) against methicillin-susceptible strains. Only 38 Gram-positive isolates were confirmed as ceftobiprole resistant. Among Gram-negative strains, 86.9%, 91.7% and 95.2% were susceptible to ceftobiprole, ceftazidime and cefepime, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was less susceptible to all three antimicrobials than any other Gram-negative pathogen. There was generally good agreement between local Etest results and those obtained at the reference laboratory (for ceftobiprole: 86.8% with Gram-negatives; and 94.7% with Gram-positives), as well as between results obtained by BMD and Etest methods (for ceftobiprole: 98.2% with Gram-negatives; and 98.4% with Gram-positives). CONCLUSIONS ceftobiprole exhibits in vitro activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, including multidrug-resistant strains. No changes in its known susceptibility profile were identified.
Nutrient intake variability and number of days needed to assess intake in preschool children

The duration of the period of time during which diet should be recorded for sufficiently accurate results on the usual intake of an individual is an especially challenging issue in prospective studies among children. We set out to describe nutrient intake variability in preschoolers and to determine the number of record days required (D) to estimate intake of energy and thirty-two nutrients. The diet and the use of dietary supplements were assessed with three consecutive daily food records including one weekend day in 1639 children participating in the population-based birth cohort of the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Project (DIPP) in Finland. Variance ratios and D stratified by sex and age groups were calculated for 455 (1-year-old), 471 (3-year-old) and 713 (6-year-old) children (born between 1998 and 2003). Within:between variance ratios and D increase with increasing age, and are slightly higher for girls. Vitamin A, cholesterol, n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, β-carotene and folate intakes require the most replicates. Including supplemental intake has an impact on the variance estimates according to the proportion of supplement users. In the DIPP Nutrition Study with 3 d food records, the correlation coefficients between observed and true intakes of energy and thirty-two nutrients averaged 0·91 in 1-year-old children, 0·79 in 3-year-old children and 0·74 in 6-year-old children. For providing accurate nutrient intake estimates, three replicates of food records are reasonable in 1-year-old children but must be questioned for several nutrients in 3- and 6-year-old children. The accuracy of ranking boys is greater than that for girls.