Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Density-functional study of the methoxy intermediates at Cu(111), Cu(110) and Cu(001) surfaces

Although the geometry of the methoxy intermediates on copper surfaces has been investigated in a number of experimental and also in several theoretical papers, the situation remains controversial for the (110) and (001) surface orientations. In the present study, we perform density-functional calculations for the Cu(111), (110) and (001) surfaces. The stress is laid upon the models and ideas proposed in the literature. At the (111) face, the fcc three-fold adsorption site is found to be slightly more favourable than the hcp one. At the (110) surface, we predict the methoxy to adsorb close to the short-bridge site in a tilted geometry. Metastable long-bridge positions are less stable by more than 0.3 eV. Since for coverages up to θ = 0.5 the interaction between the methoxy groups is weak, we see no reason for the presence of two different adsorbed methoxy forms unless the copper surface is reconstructed. For the (001) surface we obtain almost the same adsorption energy for the upright adsorbed methoxy in the hollow site, and a tilted methoxy form in a position between the bridge and the hollow site. The calculations agree semiquantitatively with the available experimental data, and admit the presence of two distinct methoxy surface forms.
Auditory speaker discrimination by forensic phoneticians and naive listeners in voiced and whispered speech

In whispered speech some important cues to a speaker’s identity (e.g. fundamental frequency, intonation) are inevitably absent. In the present study we investigated listeners’ ability to discriminate between speakers in short utterances in voiced and whispered speech. The performances of a group of 11 forensic phoneticians and a group of 22 naive listeners were compared in a binary forced-choice speaker dis- crimination task, with 48 same-speaker and 60 different-speaker pairs of short speech samples (≤ 3 s) in each test. Listeners were asked to say whether the two voice samples in each pair were produced by the same or different speakers, and to give a certainty rating. The results showed that speaker discrimination is more difficult in whispered than in voiced speech, and that while the phoneticians were only slightly better than the naive listeners in voiced speech, the gap widened in whispered speech. Phoneticians were more cautious in their responses, but also more accurate than naive listeners. When unsure, the phoneticians tended to say two utterances came from different speakers, whereas naive listeners tended to say two utterances came from the same speaker. Results support the view that trained phoneticians may have an advantage over naive listeners in auditory speaker discrimination when the signal is degraded.
Prevalence-dependent decision limits for the early detection of type 2 diabetes mellitus in venous blood, venous plasma and capillary blood during glucose challenge

Abstract Background: The glycemia decision limits recommended by WHO/ADA for type 2 diabetes detection are derived from clinical signs in advanced stages of the disease. Since insulin secretion patterns and sensitivitity are impaired at the beginning of type 2 diabetes, this stage may be better suited to identify decision limits with higher diagnostic efficiency than those currently applied. Methods: Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed in 300 subjects. Glucose concentrations were measured at 30-min intervals in venous plasma, venous blood and capillary blood. Insulin concentrations in venous plasma, an insulin sensitivity index and body mass index were used to indicate a type 2 diabetic state. A multiple logistic regression procedure was “trained” using only subjects “clearly” considered to be non-diseased or diseased based on an oral glucose tolerance test according to WHO criteria. This insulin algorithm was applied to the whole study group, leading to definitive classification into the non-diseased or the diseased group. This a posteriori classification was used to identify cutoff values with the highest diagnostic efficiency. Results: The diagnostic efficiency was significantly higher when decision limits lower than the WHO recommendations for glucose concentrations were applied in a preselected subpopulation and in all three sample systems tested, e.g., 9.49mmol/L (171mg/dL) for venous plasma and 8.94mmol/L (161mg/dL) for capillary blood in the 2-h post-load state. The optimized and WHO 2-h cutoff values corresponded to a disease prevalence of 28% and ∼5% (20% in the fasting state), respectively. Diagnostic efficiency was higher in the 2-h post-load than in the fasting state. Combining fasting values with 2-h post-load values did not further improve the diagnostic efficiency. Glucose concentrations determined from capillary blood were as efficient as those from venous blood or plasma. The number of diabetic subjects detected differed considerably between capillary blood and venous plasma for the WHO/ADA cutoff values, but not for the optimized cutoff values. Conclusions: The efficiency of type 2 diabetes diagnosis can be improved by optimizing cutoff values according to disease prevalence. Unexpectedly, the optimized 2-h post-load cutoff was lower for capillary blood than for venous plasma. It is proposed to identify a risk group e.g., by characteristics of the metabolic syndrome in which the 2-h post-challenge concentration is determined using lower cut-off values than presently recommended. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1462–71.
Cardiac rehabilitation services in New Zealand: access and utilisation.

AIM To identify factors associated with patient referral to, uptake of, and completion of cardiac rehabilitation programmes in New Zealand. METHODS Information was collected on referrals to cardiac rehabilitation during February 2002. Routinely collected hospitalisation data were obtained for men and women aged over 35 years with specified coronary episodes. The data were merged, and four predictive logistic regression models developed. RESULTS There were 2001 people either hospitalised or referred to cardiac rehabilitation. Of the 1696 hospitalised, 36% were referred for rehabilitation. After adjusting for ethnicity, women were less likely to be referred: odds ratio (OR)=0.72 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-0.91]. With each 10-year age increase, there was a lower likelihood of referral (OR=0.74; 95%CI 0.67-0.82). Of those people who were referred to inpatient rehabilitation, 83% were referred to an outpatient programme. Lack of access to transport was associated with reduced likelihood of referral (OR=0.44 95%; CI 0.28-0.70) and with attendance (OR=0.54; 95%CI 0.33-0.88). Those who had previously attended a cardiac rehabilitation programme were significantly more likely to attend, and compared to those aged 65 to 74 years, those older or younger were less likely to complete the programme. Some associations with deprivation were found, but none with ethnicity. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated considerable scope for improvement in referral to, uptake of and completion of cardiac rehabilitation programmes in New Zealand. It highlighted the need to improve referral processes, promotion, provision, delivery and monitoring of cardiac rehabilitation services.
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases in Costa Rica: a feasibility study toward a national screening program

Background The integration of mental and neurologic services in healthcare is a global priority. The universal Social Security of Costa Rica aspires to develop national screening of neurodegenerative disorders among the elderly, as part of the non-communicable disease agenda. Objective This study assessed the feasibility of routine screening for Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) within the public healthcare system of Costa Rica. Design The population (aged ≥65) in the catchment areas of two primary healthcare clinics was targeted for motor and cognitive screening during routine annual health check-ups. The screening followed a tiered three-step approach, with increasing specificity. Step 1 involved a two-symptom questionnaire (tremor-at-rest; balance) and a spiral drawing test for motor assessment, as well as a three-word recall and animal category fluency test for cognitive assessment. Step 2 (for those failing Step 1) was a 10-item version of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Step 3 (for those failing Step 2) was a comprehensive neurologic exam with definitive diagnosis of PD, AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), other disorders, or subjects who were healthy. Screening parameters and disease prevalence were calculated. Results Of the 401 screened subjects (80% of target population), 370 (92%), 163 (45%), and 81 (56%) failed in Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3, respectively. Thirty-three, 20, and 35 patients were diagnosed with PD, AD, and MCI, respectively (7 were PD with MCI/AD); 90% were new cases. Step 1 sensitivities of motor and cognitive assessments regarding Step 2 were both 93%, and Step 2 sensitivities regarding definitive diagnosis 100 and 96%, respectively. Specificities for Step 1 motor and cognitive tests were low (23% and 29%, respectively) and for Step 2 tests acceptable (76%, 94%). Based on international data, PD prevalence was 3.7 times higher than expected; AD prevalence was as expected. Conclusion Proposed protocol adjustments will increase test specificity and reduce administration time. A routine screening program is feasible within the public healthcare system of Costa Rica.
Origin, destination and convergence : understanding the fertility of international migrants and their descendants

Research on migrant fertility has often found differences between the childbearing of migrants and natives. These ‘differentials’ are important because they demonstrate how migrants contribute towards population change. They can be also used to investigate how living in a new destination affects the fertility of immigrants and their descendants. This is especially true when demographers study how differentials change over time as a process of convergence. Unfortunately, the literature on migrant fertility differentials suffers from a number of limitations. Firstly, existing definitions of migrant fertility convergence are ambiguous. It is unclear what the concept means, and how it should be tested. Secondly, researchers have limited knowledge about variation in differentials over the life course, in particular for women who have completed childbearing. Thirdly, there is a lack of empirical research that examines why differentials exist, and whether they can be explained by exposure to cultural norms. This thesis responds to these issues with four papers, one that critically evaluates convergence, and three that analyse migrant fertility in the UK. The results show evidence of generational convergence for some descendants of immigrants, notably those with Irish and Jamaican ancestry, but evidence against convergence for the descendants of immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh. These results are partly explained by childhood socialisation and culturally entrenched fertility norms, such that differentials are lower for child migrants who grow up in areas where they are more likely to be exposed to native cultural norms. Overall, the results show that differentials vary considerably over the life course, and follow very different patterns for different migrant groups. The findings suggest that researchers must be careful when trying to make generalisations about migrant fertility behaviour. They also highlight the immigrants, descendants, life course stages, and explanations of migrant fertility that may be most fruitfully studied by future research.
Hierarchical Hybrid Decision Tree Fusion of Multiple Hyperspectral Data Processing Chains

In many practical applications of hyperspectral remotely sensed data, maps of different land cover classes or features of interest are best achieved by means of different processing algorithms and techniques. In this paper, we introduce a novel methodology to build a multistage hierarchical data processing approach that is able to combine the advantages of different processing chains, which may be best suited for specific classes, or simply already available to the data interpreters. The combination process is carried out using a hierarchical hybrid decision tree architecture where, at each node, the most useful input information source, i.e., the processing chain, is used. The structure of the tree is created by using the predicted accuracy level of the whole structure estimated on a validation set. The final maps are achieved by applying the designed framework to the whole data set. The usefulness of the procedure is proved by two instances of a specific application, i.e., vegetation mapping, in mountainous and plain areas.
The Relationship between Sense of Mattering, Stigma, and Recovery: An Empirical Study of Clubhouse Participants in the U.S. Midwest

Individuals who experience a sense of mattering are more likely to experience higher levels of psychosocial well-being. Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) often experience ostracism and social rejection rather than a sense of mattering, partly due to the stigma associated with SMI. Examining sense of mattering as a component of social support is a contribution of this study. Clubhouses provide support and assistance to individuals with SMI. The clubhouse program provides an intentional environment that creates a sense of community and offers an opportunity to develop sense of mattering, build skills, and develop peer relationships, which promotes recovery. A sample of 143 clubhouse members from 10 clubhouses participated in interviews about experiences of being a clubhouse member; perceptions of sense of mattering, stigma, and recovery. Results confirmed a sense of mattering is predictive of a subjective recovery. Individuals that experience a greater sense of mattering experienced less perceived stigma. *This study is part of a Dissertation completed by the first author to fulfill requirements for a Doctorate in Philosophy in Educational Psychology at Wayne State University.
Replication of Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara in Primary Chicken Embryo Fibroblasts Requires Expression of the Interferon Resistance Gene E3L

ABSTRACT Highly attenuated modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) serves as a candidate vaccine to immunize against infectious diseases and cancer. MVA was randomly obtained by serial growth in cultures of chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF), resulting in the loss of substantial genomic information including many genes regulating virus-host interactions. The vaccinia virus interferon (IFN) resistance gene E3L is among the few conserved open reading frames encoding viral immune defense proteins. To investigate the relevance of E3L in the MVA life cycle, we generated the deletion mutant MVA-ΔE3L. Surprisingly, we found that MVA-ΔE3L had lost the ability to grow in CEF, which is the first finding of a vaccinia virus host range phenotype in this otherwise highly permissive cell culture. Reinsertion of E3L led to the generation of revertant virus MVA-E3rev and rescued productive replication in CEF. Nonproductive infection of CEF with MVA-ΔE3L allowed viral DNA replication to occur but resulted in an abrupt inhibition of viral protein synthesis at late times. Under these nonpermissive conditions, CEF underwent apoptosis starting as early as 6 h after infection, as shown by DNA fragmentation, Hoechst staining, and caspase activation. Moreover, we detected high levels of active chicken alpha/beta IFN (IFN-α/β) in supernatants of MVA-ΔE3L-infected CEF, while moderate IFN quantities were found after MVA or MVA-E3rev infection and no IFN activity was present upon infection with wild-type vaccinia viruses. Interestingly, pretreatment of CEF with similar amounts of recombinant chicken IFN-α inhibited growth of vaccinia viruses, including MVA. We conclude that efficient propagation of MVA in CEF, the tissue culture system used for production of MVA-based vaccines, essentially requires conserved E3L gene function as an inhibitor of apoptosis and/or IFN induction.
Cancer Tissue Procoagulant Mechanisms and the Hypercoagulable State of Patients with Cancer

Abstract Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Many clinical factors contribute to the high thrombotic risk of this condition, including the type of malignancy, its disease stage, anticancer therapies, and comorbidities. However, the cancer cell-specific prothrombotic properties together with the host cell inflammatory response are important players in the pathogenesis of the cancer-associated hypercoagulability. Tissue factor (TF) is the most important procoagulant protein expressed by cancer cells, and with other cancer tissue procoagulant properties highly contributes to the procoagulant phenotype of malignant cells. Recent discoveries indicate that oncogenes determine the procoagulant protein expression, including TF, in cancer tissues. In addition, in malignancy, TF is also overexpressed by host normal blood cells triggered by cancer-derived inflammatory stimuli. As a consequence, a subclinical activation of blood coagulation is typically present in cancer patients, as demonstrated by abnormalities of circulating thrombotic biomarkers. The relevance of measuring these biomarkers to determine the patient thrombotic risk level is under active investigation. The goal is to identify the high-risk subgroups to establish more accurate and targeted anticoagulation strategies to prevent thrombosis in cancer patients. Ultimately, the clarification of specific molecular mechanisms triggering blood coagulation in specific cancer types may also indicate alternative ways to inhibit clotting activation in these conditions.
MSX1 gene polymorphisms in non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of 6 polymorphic variants of the MSX1 gene in non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P). METHODS Three hundred and fifty-eight individuals (158 NSCL/P cases and 200 controls) were genotyped by TaqMan allelic discrimination using predesigned SNP assays. Statistical analyses were conducted using the software spss 15.0 and the r statistical suite. Haplotype block structure and haplotype frequencies were determined using the Haploview. A P-value of 0.05 and confidence interval of 95% were used for all of statistical tests. RESULTS The patients with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate were characterized by similar distribution of MSX1 genotypes and allele in comparison to subjects without oral clefts (P > 0.05). Two haplotype blocks were constructed with polymorphisms of MSX1 gene and haplotypes formed showed a similar frequency in patients with and without oral clefts. CONCLUSIONS The present study provides no evidence that MSX1 polymorphisms (rs3775261, rs1042484, rs12532, rs6446693, rs4464513 and rs1907998) play a major role in NSCL/P.
Cognitive Fluency: High-Level Processing Dynamics in Art Appreciation

Based on findings that fluency of mental operations is hedonically marked and associated with more favorable evaluations of the processed target (Reber, Schwarz, & Winkielman, 2004a; Winkielman, Schwarz, Fazendeiro, & Reber, 2003) we investigated the contribution of such fluency effects for aesthetic appreciation. Using bogus titles that either facilitated or hindered semantic processing of paintings, fluency was investigated for higher-order cognitive operations on the level of meaning assignment. A cross-modal conceptual priming procedure was used, in which semantically related or unrelated titles, or “no-title” letter strings preceded the presentation of paintings with different degrees of visual abstraction. Results were in accordance with a fluency-affect-liking hypothesis. Related titles produced highest appreciation followed by no titles and unrelated titles conditions. This effect was moderated by the degree of abstraction of the paintings, with fluency effects especially prominent for representational paintings. Results indicated that aesthetic appreciation is partly grounded in the processing dynamics of the viewer and that the phenomenal experience of cognitive-fluency is an intrinsic source for the hedonic value of art.
On Maximum Entropy and Inference

Maximum Entropy is a powerful concept that entails a sharp separation between relevant and irrelevant variables. It is typically invoked in inference, once an assumption is made on what the relevant variables are, in order to estimate a model from data, that affords predictions on all other (dependent) variables. Conversely, maximum entropy can be invoked to retrieve the relevant variables (sufficient statistics) directly from the data, once a model is identified by Bayesian model selection. We explore this approach in the case of spin models with interactions of arbitrary order, and we discuss how relevant interactions can be inferred. In this perspective, the dimensionality of the inference problem is not set by the number of parameters in the model, but by the frequency distribution of the data. We illustrate the method showing its ability to recover the correct model in a few prototype cases and discuss its application on a real dataset.
The ‘systems of relay’ in doing cultural studies: experimenting with the ‘Body without Organs’ in b-girling practice

In this article, I highlight the system of relays between Deleuze and Guattari’s (2010) ‘Body without Organs’ (BwO), the gender politics of Sydney's breakdancing scene that regulate ‘what a body can do’, and my own breakdancing (b-girling) practice. The BwO is not a static notion, but both ‘a practice [and] a set of practices’ through which the body de-stratifies from the prevailing order of domination - such as gender - and refills with intensities that cannot be reduced to the generality of representation. This critical approach invites researchers to ‘experiment’ with the body’s affective capacities, and exposes breakdancing as a salient site to increase the regulated repertoire of bodily expression. My ‘practical action’ as a b-girl, then, deploys a new methodology to both negotiate the gendered assumptions of the scene and locate possible lines of social transformation.
Melodic intonation therapy applied to the production of questions in aphasia

Background: Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) is a treatment approach used to facilitate verbal production in adults with aphasia by combining melodic intoning and rhythmic tapping. Although MIT was developed in the early 1970s, there is limited empirical evidence documenting specific behavioural outcomes. Aims: Two individuals with chronic Broca’s aphasia and acquired apraxia of speech received MIT applied to wh-questions in the context of multiple baseline designs. Methods & Procedures: Linguistic principles were applied to the selection of items used for treatment and measurement of generalisation effects. The dependent variables were (a) production of wh-questions and (b) articulatory accuracy via percentage of consonants correct in the production of wh-questions. Results: For Participant 1, there was an increase in the production of wh-questions for only one wh-morpheme which was maintained at 6 weeks post-treatment. For Participant 2, there was an increase in production of wh-questions for two wh-morphemes; however, performance was variable and declined by 6 weeks post-treatment. For both participants, there were modest gains in percentage of consonants correct for treated and generalisation items at 6 weeks post-treatment. Conclusions: There were limited gains in the production of wh-questions for both participants with the application of MIT. However, there were modest gains in percentage of consonants correct. MIT as applied in this investigation to wh-questions utilising linguistic principles did not result in improvement in the formulation and production of wh-questions, but treatment did have positive effects on articulatory accuracy for treatment and generalisation items. Additional research is needed to further examine the efficacy of MIT for outcomes involving both language and speech production.