Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex Discrimination in UK Academia

This article examines the gendered nature of employment in UK universities, showing women's experience of discrimination through differences in contract status and in access to academic hierarchies. It argues that the typical academic career path is structured according to a male perception of success: research-active, participating in the Research Assessment Exercise, an uninterrupted career history. The system of meritocracy upon which appointment and promotion within academic are based, the article argues, reinforces such a masculine approach to career success. These meritocratic systems of inequality reflect and reproduce the discursive practices of masculinity that present disadvantages to a majority of women and some men.
Finding her voice: first class female sexuality

ABSTRACT The focus of this clinical paper is twofold: (1) the equity model of female–male sexuality and (2) female sexuality as first class and that it is more variable, flexible, complex, and individualistic than male sexuality. We explore issues of desire, orgasm, and pain within the context of healthy female sexuality. Furthermore, we provide examples of how women and men, being intimate and erotic allies, promote healthy sexuality for the woman, man, couple, and culture.
Where's the drift in babbling drift? A cross-linguistic study

ABSTRACT Previous research has suggested that infants' early listening experience affects their ability to perceive speech. Many psychologists and linguists have also suggested an early impact of listening experience on prelinguistic production. This belief was formalized in the babbling drift hypothesis (see, e.g., Brown, 1958), which predicts that babbling begins to approximate characteristics of the mother tongue as infants approach meaningful speech. In order to investigate this hypothesis, four experiments were conducted in which adult listeners' perception of the babbling of infants from different language backgrounds was tested. In the first two experiments monolingual English and bilingual English-Spanish adults judged the babbling of fourteen 7–10 month-old English- and Spanish-learning infants. The third and fourth experiments investigated the babbling drift hypothesis with older infants (11–14 months of age). For all experiments conducted during both the beginning and the end of the babbling period, adult judges were unable to identify language background significantly above chance level. Therefore, the findings do not support the babbling drift hypothesis. However, bilingual and monolingual judges showed consistently different patterns of judgment with regard to particular infants and utterances. Thus, it appears that judges are influenced by their language background even if the influence fails to improve their success in determining infant language environment.
Clinical Features and Prognostic Significance of TCF3-PBX1 Fusion Gene in Chinese Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia by Using a Modified ALL-BFM-95 Protocol

For children with precursor B (pre-B) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene, their prognosis has been a controversial topic. From January 2008 to December 2012 in our hospital, 450 patients were diagnosed as ALL. Clinical characteristics of 20 patients with TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene were analyzed retrospectively, which were classified to the intermediate-risk (IR) group according to Chinese Children Leukemia Group-2008 (CCLG-2008) risk-stratification criteria and protocol based on the backbone of BFM 95 trails. Eighty five cases without TCF3-PBX1 in the same IR group were regarded as the comparison group. There were no differences in age, gender, initial white blood cell (WBC) count, status of central nerves system (CNS) at diagnosis and complete remission (CR) rates of bone marrow (BM) between the two groups (P > .05). The 5-year probability of event-free survival (EFS) rates were 84.4 ± 15.6% and 73.5 ± 15.6% in the TCF3-PBX1 group and the comparison group (P = .35), respectively. The 5-year probability of overall survival (OS) rates were 86.0 ± 17.6% and 81.8 ± 17.6% (P = .46), respectively. Relapse rates were 10.5% and 12.9% (P = 1.00), respectively. There were not cases with CNS relapse in the TCF3-PBX1 group. When intensive chemotherapy was used, the TCF3-PBX1 was associated with a favorable outcome in childhood pre-B ALL.
Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics

Evolution by natural selection is responsible for the divergence of species populations through three primary mechanisms: populations being altered over evolutionary time and speciating into separate branches, hybridization of two previously distinct species into one, or termination by extinction. Given the vastness of time elapsed since life first emerged on this planet, many distinct species have evolved which are all related to one another; phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among species and populations. Traditional phylogeny asks how do species evolve and before the advent of genomic data mostly relied on physiological data (bone structure from fossils, etc). We are interested in tackling phylogenetics from a different perspective; analyzing DNA sequence data in order to determine relationships between and among species. At the core, we would like to detect evidence of natural selection in populations. This is an increasingly important area of research in computational biology and is starting to find commercial applications in the realm of personal genomics: it was recently announced that a joint MIT & Harvard affiliated company was established to sequence individual genomes for $5000 (other private companies including “23 and me,” “deCODEme,” are already doing this. We will formulate this biological problem in computational terms by studying two probabilistic models of divergence: Jukes-Cantor & Kimura. Two purely algorithmic approaches (UPGMA & Neighbor-Joining) will be introduced to build species or gene trees from these relatedness data (the distinction between the species & gene trees is explained below). Among the many open problems in phylogenetics that we can currently address with genomics are how similar two species are, what migration paths early humans took when they first left the African continent by studying variations in identical genes of a number of local tribes around the world (The National Genographic Project is one such example), and determining our closest living cousins (chimpanzees or gorillas? ), among many others. Many open questions in evolutionary biology have already been answered by genomnic phylogenetics (a major recent one being the revelation that the closest living relative of the whale is the hippopotamus).
The phonetic constitution of a turn-holding practice

There is a need to get to grips with the phonetic design of talk in its totality and without a separation of prosodic and non-prosodic aspects. Features of duration, phonation and articulation are all shown to be systematic features of rush-throughs, and bound up with the turn-holding function of the practice. Data are drawn from audio and video recordings made in a range of interactional settings, all involving speakers of English from the UK or the US. The paper concludes by reviewing some of the reasons why this holistic approach is desirable, namely: empirical findings, the parametric nature of speech, and a commitment to a mode of enquiry which takes seriously observable details of all kinds.
Tattooing and risk of hepatitis B: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the association between tattooing and the risk of transmission of hepatitis B virus. METHODS A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, ACP Journal Club and BIOSIS Previews was performed up to March 2011. RESULTS Forty-two observational studies were included in this systematic review, of which 31 were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of the association of tattooing and hepatitis B infection was 1.48 (1.30-1.68) when all studies were included in the analysis. Subgroup analysis shows the strongest association between tattooing and risk of hepatitis B among populations involved in high-risk behaviours (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.32-2.03). CONCLUSION Findings of the current systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that tattooing is associated with hepatitis B transmission in all subgroups. A population health approach that emphasizes universal hepatitis B immunization, education of young adults who are more likely to get tattoos, and education of prison inmates (who have the highest background rate of hepatitis B infection), along with enforcement of guidelines and safer tattooing practices in prison, are fundamental in prevention of transmission of hepatitis B.
TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF VEGETABLE FARMERS IN PERI-URBAN GHANA INFLUENCE AND EFFECTS OF RESOURCE INEQUALITIES

In Ghana, statistics indicate that women account for about 70% of total food production and are the most important actors in the food chain which begins from the farm production, market and intra household distribution of food. They play a lead role in post-harvest activities such as shelling of grains, storage, processing and marketing. They are also becoming increasingly visible in farm tasks which traditionally have been designated as male preserve. Despite the increasing central role of women in food production, they have much more limited access to resources than their male counterparts especially in the areas of education, land, agricultural extension services and access to credit, all of which combine to restrain their ability to increase productivity. This study was therefore undertaken toexamine the technical efficiency of male and female vegetable farmers in the Kumasi Metropolis using the stochastic production frontier model. Female vegetable farmers were found to be producing at high levels of inefficiency. The predicted efficiencies differed substantially from between 2 and 85 percent, with mean efficiency of 24 percent. The low mean efficiency index is an indication of inefficiencies in resource use. Also, female headed farms recorded a mean technical efficiency of 16.5 percent with a range between 2 and 66 percent. The male headed farms, on the other hand, showed a mean technical efficiency of 30.8 percent, and a range between 2 and 85 percent. The results imply that on the average, female vegetable farmers were relatively technically inefficient than their male counterparts. The paper concludes that since women farmers contribute immensely of domestic food supply in Ghana, it is important that efforts be made to build their capacity to produce efficiently.
PODIUM: Procuring Opinions from Diverse Users in a Multi-Dimensional World

The procurement of opinions is an important task in many contexts. When selecting members of a certain population to ask for their opinions, diversity inside the selected subset is a central consideration. People with diverse profiles are assumed to provide a wider range of opinions and thus to better represent the opinions of the entire population. However, in platforms with a large user base such as crowdsourcing applications and social networks, defining and realizing notions of diversity are both nontrivial. The profiles of users typically contain information that is high-dimensional and semantically rich. We present PODIUM, a tool for opinion procurement that accounts for complex user profiles and enables customizable user selection. Beyond selecting a subset of users with diverse profiles, PODIUM produces explanation for the choice of each user and visual aids to compare the selected subset to the entire population on different dimensions. We demonstrate the use of PODIUM on the TripAdvisor user base, which further enables us to examine the ability of our system to predict diverse opinions in user reviews.
Progression of low back and lower extremity pain in a cohort of patients with achondroplasia.

OBJECT The aim of this study was to assess the natural history of pain associated with spinal stenosis in individuals with achondroplasia and to characterize pain patterns and associated functional and psychological effects. METHODS The authors measured pain severity, spatial distribution of pain, functional disability, psychological distress, physical symptoms other than pain, and healthcare utilization in 181 individuals with achondroplasia. They also assessed low back and/or lower extremity pain at the initial visit and 1-year follow-up via self-rated patient questionnaires, calculated composite scores from responses via component analyses, and used repeated measures linear regression analyses for score changes (significance, p < or = 0.05). RESULTS At the follow-up, back pain severity was unchanged. Patients reported significant progression of pain toward involvement of the lower extremities and significant increases in lower extremity pain severity overall. There were also significant increases in healthcare utilization overall. Compared with patients with back pain only, those with back pain and proximal or distal leg pain had higher self-rated pain severity; higher functional disability; and more bowel and bladder dysfunction symptoms, sleep disturbances, extremity numbness, and psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with achondroplasia and symptomatic spinal stenosis often experience back pain, which may progress to lower extremity pain and debilitating consequences. A more thorough understanding of the progression of spatial pain characteristics and pain severity may aid clinical decision making regarding the optimal timing for intervention.
THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ATTRIBUTION STYLES, MATHEMATICS SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS, GENDER DIFFERENCES, GOAL SETTING, AND MATH ACHIEVEMENT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

This study was conducted to investigate the causal relationships between attribution styles, mathematics self-efficacy beliefs, gender differences, goal setting, and math achievement of school children. The subjects were 99 seventh-grade students (56 male and 43 female), from public schools in Sooke, Canada, who were selected randomly to participate in this study. A model was tested, using AMOS software. The scales used consisted of modified Stipek s (1993), Attribution for Performance in Math, Self-Efficacy Scale, the Foundation Skills Assessment tests and Lock and Bryan (1968) modified Students Grade Goals Rating Scale. The results showed that the model was statistically fit and that student s math selfefficacy was influenced by his/her attribution. A significant relationship was found between self-efficacy and internal attribution. Also, the path between math selfefficacy and goal setting was significant, implying that self-efficacy plays a key role in students goal setting. In addition, the students goal setting was a predictor of the math achievement. Actually, those students who set higher goals for themselves in mathematics get better grades in math. The effect of self-efficacy on math achievement was indirect, through goal setting. The significant path between the attribution and math achievement shows that the explanatory styles influence math achievement. In other words, those students who attribute the causes of their success in math to internal factors receive higher grades, and those students who attribute the causes of their failure in math to internal factors get lower grades in mathematics.
Attempts to increase viable count recovery of human supragingival dental plaque.

Studies of the microbiota of dental plaque have been hampered by an inability to cultivate all or even a majority of microorganisms present in this site. Failure to recover the microorganisms could be attributed to at least 3 types of losses; inadequate dispersion, adhesion to glassware used in dilution and spreading, and an inability of any single cultural environment to recover all of the resident microorganisms. Clumps of microorganisms could be more effectively dispersed by sonic oscillation than tissue grinders. Anaerobic sonication proved to be significantly more effective in maintaining viability of plaque isolates than aerobic sonication while dispersion in dilute salt solutions permitted recovery of greater numbers of organisms than dispersion in broth. About 5% of the organisms were lost due to adsorption to glassware as determined by pouring molten agar media over the used apparatus and counting the resultant colonies. Optimum recovery of plaque organisms occurred in this study when samples were dispersed by anaerobic sonic oscillation in pre-reduced anaerobically sterilized 1/4 strength Ringer's solution supplemented with 1% sodium metaphosphate, 0.05% L cysteine, and 0.0001% resazurin. When the resulting suspension was anaerobically serially diluted, and plated on trypticase soy 5% sheep blood agar plates which were incubated in Brewer jars containing 80% N2, 10% H2. and 10% CO2, 60% of the total microscopic cell count could be recovered. The use of additional primary isolation environments including blood agar plates incubated aerobically, as well as trypticase soy and reduced benzyl viologen roll tubes increased the recovery an additional 15%. Thus an average of 75% of the microscopic count could be cultivated. An additional 5% was lost due to adsorption to glassware and an average of 10% of the microbiota remained undispersed in clumps.
The Use of Fractional Laser Photothermolysis for the Treatment of Atrophic Scars

BACKGROUND Patients with atrophic scars commonly seek treatment for their removal but are often concerned about the prolonged recovery, short-lived results, and/or ineffectiveness of available therapies. A novel treatment using a 1,550-nm erbium-doped fiber laser to induce fractional photothermolysis of treated skin has been used to resurface photodamaged skin but has not been studied previously in patients with atrophic scars to determine its effectiveness for this condition. PURPOSE To determine the effectiveness and safety of 1,550-nm erbium-doped fiber laser treatment on atrophic scars. METHODS Fifty-three patients (skin phototypes I–V) with mild to moderate atrophic facial acne scars received monthly treatment with a 1,550-nm erbium-doped fiber laser (Fraxel, Reliant Technologies Inc., San Diego, CA). Clinical response to treatment was determined at each treatment visit and 6 months after the final treatment session by two independent assessors using a quartile grading scale. Side effects and patient satisfaction were monitored at each follow-up visit. RESULTS Clinical improvement averaged 51% to 75% in nearly 90% of patients after three monthly laser treatments. Mean improvement scores increased proportionately with each successive laser session. Clinical response rates were independent of age, gender, or skin phototype. Side effects included transient erythema and edema in most patients, but no dyspigmentation, ulceration, or scarring. CONCLUSIONS Atrophic scars can be effectively and safely reduced with 1,550-nm erbium-doped fiber laser treatment.
The role of electrostatics in TrxR electron transfer mechanism: A computational approach

Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) is an important enzyme in the control of the intracellular reduced redox environment. It transfers electrons from NADPH to several molecules, including its natural partner, thioredoxin. Although there is a generally accepted model describing how the electrons are transferred along TrxR, which involves a flexible arm working as a “shuttle,” the molecular details of such mechanism are not completely understood. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations with Poisson–Boltzmann/Monte Carlo pKa calculations to investigate the role of electrostatics in the electron transfer mechanism. We observed that the combination of redox/protonation states of the N‐terminal (FAD and Cys59/64) and C‐terminal (Cys497/Selenocysteine498) redox centers defines the preferred relative positions and allows for the flexible arm to work as the desired “shuttle. ” Changing the redox/ionization states of those key players, leads to electrostatic triggers pushing the arm into the pocket when oxidized, and pulling it out, once it has been reduced. The calculated pKa values for Cys497 and Selenocysteine498 are 9.7 and 5.8, respectively, confirming that the selenocysteine is indeed deprotonated at physiological pH. This can be an important advantage in terms of reactivity (thiolate/selenolate are more nucleophilic than thiol/selenol) and ability to work as an electrostatic trigger (the “shuttle” mechanism) and may be the reason why TrxR uses selenium instead of sulfur. Proteins 2016; 84:1836–1843. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Obesity and risk of sleep related upper airway obstruction in Caucasian children.

BACKGROUND Obesity is thought to be a significant risk factor for upper airway obstruction during sleep in children. However, the moderating influences of age and ethnicity have not been well explored and the relative contribution of obesity per se to upper airway obstruction has yet to be quantified. Given the markedly increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, an objective understanding of the impact of obesity on upper airway obstruction is important. The purpose of the present study was to examine the interaction between obesity, age and upper airway obstruction in Australian Caucasian children referred for evaluation of snoring. METHODS This was a retrospective case study involving 190 children (4-12 y) who were referred for evaluation of upper airway obstruction and underwent one night of polysomnography at the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital Sleep Disorders Unit. Children were classified as Infrequent Snorers (n = 80), Habitual Snorers (n = 68) or Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) (n = 42) (i.e., obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) > or = 1). RESULTS Thirty-five percent (66/190) of children were overweight or obese. Body mass index but not age was a significant but weak predictor of OAHI (< 5% of the variance). CONCLUSION In Australian Caucasian children aged 4-12 years who snore, obesity but not age was a significant, albeit weak, predictor of upper airway obstruction during sleep.
Psychological Profiling of Serial Arson Offenses an Assessment of Skills and Accuracy

Although criminal psychological profiling is frequently cited as being applicable to arson offenses, little empirical research exists to substantiate this claim. This study sought to build on previous studies conducted by Kocsis, Irwin, Hayes, and Nunn (2000) by examining the accuracy of professional profilers with others in constructing a profile of a serial arsonist in response to case information presented. The professional profilers produced the most accurate profiles, followed by a group of university science students. Senior detectives and fire investigators tended to perform the worst and never better than a control group that had no specific information about the crime and could do little more than guess. The results offer some insight into the requisite skills for effective profiling. The key factor appears to be a capacity for objective and logical analysis—a characteristic shared by science students and professional profilers.
Idea Engineering: A Case Study of a Practically Oriented University Course in Innovation

This paper describes a course in innovation offered to students at the University of Magdeburg in Germany. The course is based on the premise that idea generation can be viewed as a methodical discipline, and offers a unique combination of the psychological framework for creative thinking, the business background for innovation and state-of-the-art creativity techniques. The course derives much of its impact from close cooperation with an innovation consulting company and enables the students to solve real-life ideation tasks supplied by local corporations and other organizations. The paper describes the goals and design of the course, its innovative features, its reception by students and concludes with benefits and experiences gained.