Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Long-Run Effects of Universal Pre-K on Criminal Activity

While Pre-K enrollment has expanded rapidly over the last decade, there is little evidence to date regarding the long-run effects of statewide universal preschool programs, only studies of programs targeted at more at-risk populations (e.g. Head Start and Perry Preschool) that are often more resource-intensive. I estimate the impact of Oklahoma’s universal prekindergarten program (UPK) on later criminal activity, an outcome that accounted for 40-65% of the large estimated long-run benefits of Perry Preschool. I assemble data on criminal charges in the state of Oklahoma and identify the effect of UPK availability using a regression discontinuity design that leverages the birthdate cutoff for UPK in the program’s first year of implementation. I find significant negative impacts of UPK availability on the likelihood that black children are later charged with a crime at age 18 or 19 of 7 percentage points for misdemeanors and 5 percentage points for felonies. I find no impact on the likelihood of later charges for white children. The results suggest that universal Pre-K can, like more targeted programs, have dramatic effects on later criminal outcomes, but these effects are concentrated among more at-risk populations.
Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Functions of Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH): A Psychometric Examination of the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS) Scale

Deliberate self-harm (DSH), commonly defined as the intentional, direct and non-suicidal destruction of one's body, appears to be common across both clinical and non-clinical populations. A recently developed measure of functions of DSH, the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS), was examined to test its two-factor model within a sample of members of online social networks. The approach adopted was to fit data from the scale to the Rasch measurement model, which is increasingly used to develop and/or assess scales. Two hundred and one (n = 201) participants aged over 18 years of age, who had engaged in DSH in the last 12 months, were recruited from online social networks’ DSH peer support groups to complete an online survey. An exploratory factor analysis supported interpersonal and intrapersonal factors based on 13 function domains. Furthermore, both factors demonstrated satisfactory fit to the Rasch model. Some local dependency was detected, and when addressed, it impacted on the alpha coefficient level for intrapersonal factor. This study is the first independent psychometric investigation of ISAS, further supporting the scale authors’ psychometric evaluations. Additional validation across different DSH samples is recommended.
Central and Peripheral Precuing of Forced-Choice Discrimination

There are suggestions in the literature that spatial precuing of attention with peripheral and central cues may be mediated by different mechanisms. To investigate this issue, data from two previous papers were reanalysed to investigate the complete time course of precuing target location with either: (1) a peripheral cue that may draw attention reflexively, or (2) a central, symbolic cue that may require attention to be directed voluntarily. This analysis led to predictions that were tested in another experiment. The main result of this experiment was that a peripheral cue produced its largest effects on discrimination performance within 100 msec, whereas a central cue required approximately 300 msec to achieve maximum effects. In conjunction with previous findings, the present evidence for time differences between the two cuing conditions suggests that more than one process is involved in the spatial precuing of attention.
A Novel Technique for the Deposition of Bismuth Tungstate onto Titania Nanoparticulates for Enhancing the Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

A novel powder handling technique was used to allow the deposition of bismuth tungstate coatings onto commercial titanium dioxide photocatalytic nanoparticles. The coatings were deposited by reactive pulsed DC magnetron sputtering in an argon/oxygen atmosphere. The use of an oscillating bowl with rotary particle propagation, positioned beneath two closed-field planar magnetrons, provided uniform coverage of the titania particle surfaces. The bismuth/tungsten atomic ratio of the coatings was controlled by varying the power applied to each target. The resulting materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation were assessed using an acetone degradation test. It was found that deposition of bismuth tungstate onto titania nanoparticles resulted in significant increases in visible light photocatalytic activity, compared to uncoated titania. Of the coatings studied, the highest photocatalytic activity was measured for the sample with a Bi/W atomic ratio of 2/1.
Characterization of a CD44/CD122int Memory CD8 T Cell Subset Generated under Sterile Inflammatory Conditions1

Most memory CD8 T cell subsets that have been hitherto defined are generated in response to infectious pathogens. In this study, we have characterized the CD8 T cells that survive priming conditions, devoid of pathogen-derived danger signals. In both a TCR-transgenic model and a model of contact hypersensitivity, we show that the priming of naive CD8 T cells under sterile inflammatory conditions generates memory. The corresponding memory CD8 T cells can be identified by their intermediate expression levels of CD44 and CD122. We also show that CD44/122int memory CD8 T cells spontaneously develop in wild type mice and that they display intermediate levels of several other memory traits including functional (IFN-γ secretion capacity, CCL5 messenger stores), phenotypic, and molecular (T-bet and eomesodermin expression levels) features. We finally show that they correspond to an early differentiation stage and can further differentiate in CD44/122high memory T cells. Altogether, our results identify a new memory CD8 T cell subset that is generated under sterile inflammatory conditions and involved in the recall contact hypersensitivity reactions that are responsible for allergic contact dermatitis.
Investigating Metacognitive Awareness and Self-Efficacy of High School Students through Prompted Reflections in Mathematics and Science

Metacognition has been identified as a crucial component of effective learning of mathematics and science education. It entails students recognizing their learning processes, styles, preferences and self-efficacy. The present study aims to determine the effects of metacognitive prompted reflection for enhancing students’ metacognitive awareness and selfefficacy in Physics and Mathematics classes. A quantitative research approach by employing a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was adopted to fulfill the study purposes. The participants were 184 high school students in a K-12 private school in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The experimental group participated in metacognitive treatment by responding to prompted reflection questions for six weeks. Data were collected using the Self-Efficacy and Metacognition Learning Inventory (SEMLI-Math & SEMLI-Physics) as a pretest and posttest, and subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics of both metacognitive awareness and selfefficacy. Data analysis revealed that prompted reflections have affected the students’ metacognitive awareness and self-efficacy positively. There was significant improvement in metacognitive awareness and self-efficacy of students in the experimental groups except the physics groups which showed little improvement in self-efficacy. These findings are important as they can guide educators in understanding different metacognitive factors and selecting strategies that improve students’ metacognitive awareness and self-efficacy within the realm of curriculum innovation and change.
Structure of Isolated Nucleocapsids from Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus and Implications for Assembly and Disassembly of Enveloped Virus

ABSTRACT Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an important human and equine pathogen in the Americas, with widespread reoccurring epidemics extending from South America to the southern United States. Most troubling, VEEV has been made into a weapon by several countries and is currently restricted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential biological warfare and terrorism agent. To facilitate the development of antiviral compounds, the structure of the nucleocapsid isolated from VEEV has been determined by electron cryomicroscopy and image reconstruction and represents the first three-dimensional structure of a nucleocapsid isolated from a single-stranded enveloped RNA virus. The isolated VEEV nucleocapsid undergoes significant reorganization relative to its structure within VEEV. However, the isolated nucleocapsid clearly exhibits T=4 icosahedral symmetry, and its characteristic nucleocapsid hexons and pentons are preserved. The diameter of the isolated nucleocapsid is ∼11.5% larger than that of the nucleocapsid within VEEV, with radial expansion being greatest near the hexons. Significantly, this is the first direct structural evidence showing that a simple enveloped virus undergoes large conformational changes during maturation, suggesting that the lipid bilayer and the transmembrane proteins of simple enveloped viruses provide the energy necessary to reorganize the nucleocapsid during maturation.
Market Integration: Case Studies of Structural Change

The grain/oilseed industry is undergoing considerable structural change through mergers and new value-added businesses, which raises price-related questions. We analyze the level of price integration prior to and following a merger between two grain firms and the start-up of a producer-owned ethanol facility. This research utilizes error correction vector autoregression analysis to compute market integration structural change effects. We find evidence that market integration initially increases with the merger, but deteriorates with time following the merger. We find no significant localized change in the level of price integration for the case of a new value-added business.
Developments in Ultra-Stable Quartz Oscillators for Deep Space Reliability

Abstract : For over four decades, the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University (JHU/APL) has supplied the U.S. military and commercial space sectors with a quartz oscillator of unsurpassed performance and reliability. Referred to as having Ultra-Stable performance, this oscillator has been given the nomenclature of USO. The current USO, at 1.2 kilograms and 1.1 watts steady-state power consumption, features time- dependent drift (aging) of less than 1 10-11 per day and fractional frequency variance approaching 1 10-13 over the range of 1 to 100 seconds. Our paper will present performance data and describe the unique advantages afforded by the use of quartz oscillators in deep space, including in-flight data that demonstrates no degradation to long-term frequency by repeated radiation exposures. We will also present an outlook of technology projects planned for the next 5 years, including the use of Kalman filtering, direct digital synthesis, and alternative piezoelectric materials. We will present our viewpoint that further development in quartz resonators for space applications will only gain in importance as communication needs expand into interplanetary networks.
Awareness and knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), HPV‐related cancers, and HPV vaccines in an uninsured adult clinic population

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines offer primary prevention of cervical cancer and protection against other HPV‐associated cancers. HPV vaccine coverage in the United States (U.S.) remains low, particularly among older adolescents/young adults, and the uninsured. We assessed awareness and knowledge of HPV disease, HPV‐related cancers, and HPV vaccines among working, uninsured adults. Data from the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4, Cycle 4) were used as a benchmark. Patients were surveyed in late 2014 at the Volunteers in Medicine free clinic in Duval County, Florida. Surveys contained validated measures of HPV disease and vaccine knowledge; HPV‐related cancer knowledge was also assessed. Two‐hundred and ninety‐six surveys were analyzable with an 84% participation rate. Half (50.3%) of participants had heard of HPV, and 32.1% had heard of the HPV vaccine; in HINTS, these estimates were 63.6% and 62.7%, respectively (both P < 0.0001). In adjusted models, high HPV disease knowledge was associated with white race and increased education; high vaccine knowledge was associated with white race, increased education, and female sex. Recognition of HPV as a causative agent was 43.9% for cervical, 9.1% for anal, and 11.1% for throat cancers. For all HPV‐associated cancers, participants had lower knowledge/recognition relative to HINTS. The uninsured, socioeconomically disadvantaged adults we surveyed were unaware of a ubiquitous virus that can cause cancer and the existence of a vaccine to protect against it. These findings point to settings and populations in which initiatives to promote HPV vaccination as a cancer prevention tool remain critical.
Association of the CT values of real‐time PCR of viral upper respiratory tract infection with clinical severity, Kenya

Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) assay of the upper respiratory tract is used increasingly to diagnose lower respiratory tract infections. The cycle threshold (CT) values of qRT‐PCR are continuous, semi‐quantitative measurements of viral load, although interpretation of diagnostic qRT‐PCR results are often categorized as positive, indeterminate, or negative, obscuring potentially useful clinical interpretation of CT values. From 2008 to 2010, naso/oropharyngeal swabs were collected from outpatients with influenza‐like illness, inpatients with severe respiratory illness, and asymptomatic controls in rural Kenya. CT values of positive specimens (i.e., CT values < 40.0) were compared by clinical severity category for five viruses using Mann–Whitney U‐test and logistic regression. Among children <5 years old we tested with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), inpatients had lower median CT values (27.2) than controls (35.8, P = 0.008) and outpatients (34.7, P < 0.001). Among children and older patients infected with influenza virus, outpatients had the lowest median CT values (29.8 and 24.1, respectively) compared with controls (P = 0.193 for children, P < 0.001 for older participants) and inpatients (P = 0.009 for children, P < 0.001 for older participants). All differences remained significant in logistic regression when controlling for age, days since onset, and coinfection. CT values were similar for adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, and parainfluenza virus in all severity groups. In conclusion, the CT values from the qRT‐PCR of upper respiratory tract specimens were associated with clinical severity for some respiratory viruses. J. Med. Virol. 85:924–932, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Gender differences in the relationship between oral communicative competence and peer rejection: an explorative study in early childhood education

This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between oral communicative competence and peer rejection in early childhood education. It was hypothesized that children with poorer oral communicative competence would be rejected by their peers more frequently and that the strength of this relationship would differ for boys and girls. A sample of N = 54 children was tested on the Nijmegen Test for Pragmatics (NPT) to measure their oral communicative competence, defined as their ability to use language appropriately in a particular situation. Further, a sociometric method was used to measure the level of peer rejection and peer acceptance. No relationship was found between oral communicative competence and peer rejection. However, a positive relationship was observed between oral communicative competence and peer acceptance. Interestingly, this relationship only applied to boys. It is suggested that early childhood education teachers trying to enhance peer acceptance should take the promotion of oral communicative competence into account.
The RADAR Study: Week 48 Safety and Efficacy of RAltegravir Combined with Boosted DARunavir Compared to Tenofovir/Emtricitabine Combined with Boosted Darunavir in Antiretroviral-Naive Patients. Impact on Bone Health

Background NRTI-sparing regimens may avoid long-term mitochondrial, bone and renal toxicities and maintain viral suppression. Methods In the RADAR study, 85 antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected patients were randomized to receive either raltegravir (RAL) (n = 42) or tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) (n = 43), each with ritonavir-boosted darunavir (DRV/r). Virologic efficacy was assessed at weeks 24 and 48. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan at baseline and week 48, and bone turnover markers (BTM) assessed at weeks 0, 16 and 48. Results Using an intention-to-treat analysis, 62.5% of RAL subjects and 83.7% of TDF/FTC subjects were responders (VL<48 copies/mL) at week 48 (p = 0.045; chi-square test). The proportions of patients achieving VL<200 copies/mL were similar: 72.5% and 86.0% (p = 0.175). Premature treatment discontinuation was the main cause for failure. No treatment-emergent resistance was observed. Changes from baseline in RAL vs. TDF/FTC for CD4+ (+199 vs. +216 cells/µL, p = 0.63), total cholesterol/HDL (−0.25 vs. −0.71 mg/dL (p = 0.270), and eGFR (−4.4 vs. −7.9 ml/min, p = 0.44) were comparable between groups. Changes in subtotal BMD to week 48 were: +9.2 with RAL vs. −7 g/cm2 with TDF/FTC (p = 0.002). Mean CTX changes were +0.04 vs. +0.24 ng/mL (p = 0.001), and mean P1NP changes were +3.59 vs. +30.09 ng/mL (p = 0.023). BTM changes at week 16 predicted change in BMD by week 48 (R = −0.394, p = 0.003 for CTX; and R = −0.477, p<0.001 for P1NP). Conclusion The NRTI-sparing regimen RAL+DRV/r did not achieve similar week 48 virologic efficacy compared with TDF/FTC+DRV/r, but was better with regard to markers of bone health. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 00677300
[Interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis].

INTRODUCTION Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are mainly encountered in patients with diffuse disease although they may occur less frequently in patients with limited cutaneous disease. BACKGROUND In SSc early detection of ILD should be achieved by high resolution computed tomography and pulmonary function tests, including measurement of DLCO. In total up to 75% of patients with SSc develop ILD but it is progressive in only a minority of patients. Unlike idiopathic ILD, SSc associated ILD corresponds to non-specific interstitial pneumonia rather than usual interstitial pneumonia in the majority of cases. This explains the better prognosis of SSc associated ILD compared with idiopathic ILD. Nevertheless ILD represents one of the two main causes of death in SSc. VIEWPOINT The treatment of SSc associated ILD is not well established. Anti-fibrosing treatments have failed to demonstrate benefit and cyclophosphamide, which has been used for about 15 years in the treatment of this condition, has recently been evaluated in two prospective randomised studies which showed a significant but modest effect on respiratory function. CONCLUSION A subgroup of patients with rapidly progressive ILD might benefit from pulsed intravenous cyclophosphamide combined with prednisone 15 mg daily, but this remains to be confirmed.
Associations of the Inflammatory Marker YKL-40 with Measures of Obesity and Dyslipidaemia in Individuals at High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction Circulating levels of the inflammatory marker YKL-40 are elevated in cardiovascular disease and obesity-related type 2 diabetes (T2D), and serum YKL-40 levels are related to elements of dyslipidaemia. Objective We aimed to investigate the associations between serum YKL-40 and obesity-related traits in a Danish sample of non-diabetic relatives to T2D patients and, furthermore, to estimate the heritability of YKL-40. Research Design and Methods 324 non-diabetic individuals with family relation to a T2D patient were included in the study. The participants underwent oral- and intravenous glucose tolerance tests for estimation of glucose tolerance and surrogate measures of insulin sensitivity. Anthropometric measures were retrieved and biochemical measures of the plasma lipid profile and serum YKL-40 levels were obtained. Association-analyses between serum YKL-40 and obesity-related traits and estimates of the narrow sense heritability of YKL-40 were based on a polygenic variance component model. Results Fasting serum levels of YKL-40 were positively associated with waist-hip-ratio (p<0.001) and fasting plasma triglyceride levels (p<0.001). None of the insulin sensitivity indexes were significantly associated with YKL-40. According to the AE model, the familiality-estimate h 2 of YKL-40 was 0.45 (SE 0.13). When the ACE-model was applied, the heritability-estimate h 2 of YKL-40 did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Our results suggest a role of serum YKL-40 in obesity-related low grade inflammation, but do not indicate that YKL-40 is directly involved in the development of T2D.
End Effects in Multiphase Fractional Slot Concentrated-Winding Surface Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines

Fractional-slot concentrated windings have been gaining a lot of interest in permanent magnet synchronous machines. This is due to the advantages they provide, including shorter nonoverlapping end turns, higher efficiency, higher power density, higher slot fill factor, lower manufacturing cost, better flux-weakening capability resulting in wider constant power versus speed range, and fault tolerance. This paper investigates the end effects in this type of machines. The study focuses on eddy-current losses in the frame, end shields, and clamping rings (magnetic/nonmagnetic). Desirable slot/pole combinations for different number of phases are investigated including both the single- and the double-layer windings. Suggestions for clearances between end windings and the support structure are given.
Career Identification and Women's Attitudes toward Retirement

This study seeks to heighten understanding of the retirement process as experienced by women through an examination of working women's attitudes toward retirement. The subjects for this study were 201 female teachers employed in the public school system in a central Oklahoma district. The survey instrument used was a questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic and work-related variables. The findings indicate that overall, females with stronger work identities have significantly more negative attitudes toward retirement than those with weaker work identities; this difference remains significant when controls are introduced for years of teaching experience, expected age of retirement, and attitude toward work. The implications of these findings are discussed.