Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Portuguese validation of the Short Health Anxiety Inventory: Factor structure, reliability, and factor invariance

The Short Health Anxiety Inventory is a brief instrument to assess health anxiety widely used across countries; however, no validated version is available for Portuguese-speaking population. Factorial structure, reliability, and equivalency factor with the Spanish version were analyzed with Portuguese adolescents aged 14–18 years. A Portuguese adolescent cohort (N = 629) and a comparative Spanish adolescent cohort (N = 1502) were evaluated. The original two-factor version was the best fitting model for the Portuguese version. The reliability was excellent. Complete measurement invariance across both countries was supported. The Portuguese version of the Short Health Anxiety Inventory is a valid screening inventory to assess health anxiety in adolescents.
Evidence-based practice supports among Canadian occupational therapists

Background. Supports for evidence-based practice (EBP) and research utilization are needed for moving evidence into practice. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the presence of individual and organizational EBP supports (based on a previous scoping review) and the attitudes toward the supports in a convenience sample of Canadian occupational therapists. Method. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from members of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. Findings. Data from 368 clinicians (21%) indicated that although factors that have been shown to support EBP, such as student supervision and participation in research and mentoring, were not common practice, attitudes toward these EBP supports were positive. Implications. EBP supports, although viewed favourably by clinicians, have yet to be integrated fully into clinical practice. These findings provide researchers with an opportunity to design studies to support clinicians who view EBP in a positive light in integrating evidence into their practice. Description. Des mécanismes de soutien de la pratique fondée sur les données probantes (PFDP) et l’utilisation de la recherche sont requis pour appliquer ces faits dans la pratique. But. Le but de cette étude était d’identifier la présence de mécanismes de soutien individuels et organisationnels (à partir d’une recension précédente des écrits) et les attitudes face à ces mécanismes dans un échantillon de commodité composé d’ergothérapeutes canadiens. Méthologie. Une enquête transversale a été menée pour recueillir des données auprès d’ergothérapeutes membres de l’Association canadienne des ergothérapeutes. Résultats. Des données recueillies auprès de 368 cliniciens (21%) ont indiqué que bien que l’on considère que certains facteurs favorisant la PFDP—supervision des étudiants, et participation à des activités de recherche et de mentorat—n’étaient pas courants dans la pratique, les attitudes étaient positives face à ces mécanismes de soutien. Conséquences. Bien que les mécanismes de soutien de la PFDP soient accueillis favorablement par les cliniciens, ils ne sont pas encore intégrés pleinement dans la pratique clinique. Ces résultats offrent aux chercheurs la possibilité de concevoir des études pour appuyer les cliniciens qui ont une attitude positive face à la PFDP, afin qu’ils puissent intégrer des preuves scientifiques dans leur pratique.
The cosmological evolution of quasar black hole masses

Virial black hole mass estimates are presented for 12 698 quasars in the redshift interval 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 2.1, based on modelling of spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) first data release. The black hole masses of the SDSS quasars are found to lie between ≃10 7 M ○. and an upper limit of ≃3 x 10 9 M ○. , entirely consistent with the largest black hole masses found to date in the local Universe. The estimated Eddington ratios of the broad-line quasars (full width at half-maximum ≥ 2000 km s -1 ) show a clear upper boundary at L bol /L Edd ≃ 1, suggesting that the Eddington luminosity is still a relevant physical limit to the accretion rate of luminous broad-line quasars at z ≤ 2. By combining the black hole mass distribution of the SDSS quasars with the two degree field (2dF) quasar luminosity function, the number density of active black holes at z ≃ 2 is estimated as a function of mass. In addition, we independently estimate the local black hole mass function for early-type galaxies using the M bh -σ and M bh -L bulge correlations. Based on the SDSS velocity dispersion function and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) K-band luminosity function, both estimates are found to be consistent at the high-mass end (M bh ≥ 10 8 M ○. ). By comparing the estimated number density of active black holes at z ≃ 2 with the local mass density of dormant black holes, we set lower limits on the quasar lifetimes and find that the majority of black holes with mass ≥10 8.5 M ○. are in place by ≃2.
Towards broad coverage surface realization with CCG

This paper reports on progress towards developing the first broad coverage English surface realizer for Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG). The paper provides initial automatic evaluation results which are roughly comparable to those reported with other formalisms when using a (nonblind) grammar derived from the development section of the CCGbank; the results are worse, though still respectable, when using the standard dev/train/test splits, highlighting the need for better lexical smoothing and more focused search. The paper also shows that factored language models that interpolate word-level n-grams with n-grams over POS tags and supertags provide similar absolute performance improvements over word-level n-grams as have been observed with parsing-inspired log-linear models.
Expression Divergence of Tandemly Arrayed Genes in Human and Mouse

Tandemly arrayed genes (TAGs) account for about one third of the duplicated genes in eukaryotic genomes, yet there has not been any systematic study of their gene expression patterns. Taking advantage of recently published large-scale microarray data sets, we studied the expression divergence of 361 two-member TAGs in human and 212 two-member TAGs in mouse and examined the effect of sequence divergence, gene orientation, and chromosomal proximity on the divergence of TAG expression patterns. Our results show that there is a weak negative correlation between sequence divergence of TAG members and their expression similarity. There is also a weak negative correlation between chromosomal proximity of TAG members and their expression similarity. We did not detect any significant relationship between gene orientation and expression similarity. We also found that downstream TAG members do not show significantly narrower expression breadth than upstream members, contrary to what we predict based on TAG expression divergence hypothesis that we propose. Finally, we show that both chromosomal proximity and expression correlation in TAGs do not differ significantly from their neighboring non-TAG gene pairs, suggesting that tandem duplication is unlikely to be the cause for the higher-than-random expression association between neighboring genes on a chromosome in human and mouse.
Effect of Mo and W on the Phase Stability of Precipitates in Low Cr Heat Resistant Steels

Effects of Mo and W on creep strength of low Cr heat resistant steels have been investigated from the stand points of the phase stability of precipitates during long-term exposure at the elevated temperatures. The study on 2.25%Cr-Mo-V-Nb (Mo-steel) and 2.25%Cr-W-V-Nb (W-steel) with a same amount of Mo-equivalent has shown that the substituting W for Mo retards the evolution of microstructure, and thus remarkably improves the creep rupture strength. TEM observations have suggested that the most important precipitates strongly affecting the stability of microstructure are M 6 C type carbide and MC type carbide in both Mo-steel and W-steel. It is found that the M 6 C carbide precipitates with concentration of Mo and W during long-term aging. Therefore, the amounts of solute Mo and W supersaturated in matrix have reduced to the thermal equilibrium levels with changing the substructure from bainite lath structure to sub-grain liked structure. The kinetics of Mo- and W-partitioning between matrix and M 6 C carbide has been successfully expressed by a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami type equation and estimated the activation energy for diffusion of solutes; 125 kJ/mol in Mo-steel and 219 kJ/mol in W-steel. Thus the diffusion rate of W is suggested to be definitely lower than that of Mo. Furthermore, Mo- and W-partitioning to MC carbides have also been confirmed to affect the coherency and the growth rate of MC carbides. TEM observations on the strain image have shown that the MC carbide in Mo-steel has already lost the coherency with matrix. On the other hand, the finer MC carbide in W-steel has kept the coherent relationship with matrix even after long-term aging. It is concluded that W-steel is superior to Mo-steel in the stabilization of bainite lath structure and precipitates at elevated temperatures, resulting in the higher creep strength.
Magnetic resonance imaging and histological classification of intracranial meningiomas in 112 dogs.

BACKGROUND Intracranial meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors in dogs. Classification of meningiomas by tumor grade and subtype has not been reported, and the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics for predicting tumor subtype and grade has not been investigated. HYPOTHESIS Canine intracranial meningiomas are a heterogenous group of tumors with differing histological subtypes and grades. Prediction of histopathological classification is possible based on MRI characteristics. ANIMALS One hundred and twelve dogs with a histological diagnosis of intracranial meningioma. METHODS Retrospective observational study. RESULTS Meningiomas were overrepresented in the Golden Retriever and Boxer breeds with no sex predilection. The incidence of specific tumor grades was 56% benign (Grade I), 43% atypical (Grade II), and 1% malignant (Grade III). Grade I histological subtypes included meningothelial (43%), transitional (40%), microcystic (8%), psammomatous (6%), and angiomatous (3%). No statistically significant (P < .05) associations were found among tumor subtype or grade and any of the MRI features studied. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Meningiomas in dogs differ from their counterparts in humans mainly in their higher incidence of atypical (Grade II) tumors observed. MRI characteristics do not allow for prediction of meningioma subtype or grade, emphasizing the necessity of histopathology for antemortem diagnosis. The higher incidence of atypical tumors in dogs may contribute to the poorer therapeutic response in dogs with meningiomas as compared with the response in humans with meningiomas.
Active transport of iron by intestine: effects of oral iron and pregnancy.

The active transport of iron has been studied further with everted gut sacs and loops of duodenum in the rat. The two-step absorptive mechanism appears to be one of the cellular processes which regulates iron absorption. A single dose of iron by mouth decreases both the net mucosal uptake and the net serosal transfer of iron, as studied with gut sacs in vitro. As little as 0.1 mg Fe is effective; the inhibition observed with 4.0 mg Fe persisted for approximately 17 hr. The reduction in transport appears to result, in part at least, from a direct effect of Fe on the intestine. The active transport mechanism also responds adaptively to the level of Fe in the diet. Late pregnancy increases the Fe transport, as observed with gut sacs in vitro and duodenal loops in vivo, and the effect is primarily on the serosal transfer step.
The influence of gender on the primary care management of diabetes in Tunisia

Background: Gender differences in access to high quality care for chronic illnesses have been suggested yet little work in this potentially vital area of health care inequality has been undertaken in Africa. We explored the influence of patient gender on the care of people with diabetes within a multi-method, national study of diabetes management in primary care in Tunisia. Methods: Methodologies used were quantitative (nationwide randomized study of 2160 medical records) and qualitative (participant observation, focus groups and interviews of patients and health care professionals). Results: Differences in patient characteristics, treatments prescribed, process and outcome data and access to care variables were demonstrated. The most striking disparity found was the high female to male ratio of patients attending for diabetes care (61.1%). A number of possible explanations for this emerged: Men were thought to under-attend for practical, financial and behavioural reasons whereas women were thought to have increased morbidity and potentially over-attend for social and psychological reasons. Conclusion: We have demonstrated a number of disparities in the care of men and women with diabetes in Tunisian primary care. In particular, a dual but related problem emerges from the data: more women than men attend for diabetes care and yet women do not get the same level of risk factor control as men. A number of local explanations for these disparities have emerged, which inform our analysis of the impact of gendered beliefs on diabetes care. Strategies to address these disparities will require a careful consideration of local beliefs and practices.
Binding of Ceftobiprole and Comparators to the Penicillin-Binding Proteins of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Ceftobiprole exhibited tight binding to PBP2a in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, PBP2x in penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and PBP3 and other essential penicillin-binding proteins in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ceftobiprole also bound well to PBP2 in the latter organisms, contributing to the broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.
A Study on the Effect of Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC) Rheology During Encapsulation of Stacked-CHIP Scale Packages (S-CSP)

The numerical and experimental investigations of three-dimensional (3-D) mold filling during encapsulation process in stacked-chip scale package (S-CSP) are presented. The finite difference method (FDM) based on Navier—Stokes equations has been employed for the flow analysis in the mold cavity. The mold flow is assumed to be non-Newtonian and non-isothermal. The proposed models can take care of polymer rheology with cure effect (Castro—Macosko model) and without cure effect (Cross model). A package with five, six, and seven overhang stacking dies without wire bonds is considered for simulation. The epoxy molding compound (EMC) used is HITACHI CEL-9200. The effects of gap between die top and mold cap surface, and between adjacent dies on flow rheology are analyzed and presented. The flow retardation in the limitation region (gap region) and smooth flow in the free region of the package is being predicted. Higher initial conversion of EMC demonstrated higher viscosity and slower melt front advancement especially under the overhang area of same die stacking region and critical gap between the die and mold cap. The void mechanism occurred due to unbalanced mold flow and critical gap clearance. The simulation results are verified with those obtained from a typical electronic industry and found in good agreement. From the results; the Castro—Macosko model is found to be more stable and reliable on the flow rheology.
A unified approach for inversion problems in intensity-modulated radiation therapy

We propose and study a unified model for handling dose constraints (physical dose, equivalent uniform dose (EUD), etc) and radiation source constraints in a single mathematical framework based on the split feasibility problem. The model does not impose on the constraints an exogenous objective (merit) function. The optimization algorithm minimizes a weighted proximity function that measures the sum of the squares of the distances to the constraint sets. This guarantees convergence to a feasible solution point if the split feasibility problem is consistent (i.e., has a solution), or, otherwise, convergence to a solution that minimally violates the physical dose constraints and EUD constraints. We present computational results that demonstrate the validity of the model and the power of the proposed algorithmic scheme.
Seasonal variation in the prevalence of Down syndrome at birth: a review.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Many studies on seasonality in Down syndrome (DS) have been performed and have come to different conclusions. It is suggested that seasonal variation in hormone production by the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis just before ovulation leads to seasonality in conception rates of DS. This study aimed to determine whether there is seasonal variation in the prevalence of DS at birth as a proxy for seasonality in DS at conception. DESIGN: All the English and Dutch articles on this topic were reviewed. Articles published between 1966 and January 1996 were traced by Medline, and by the reference lists. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty articles met the criteria for inclusion. Although seven of these studies reported seasonality in DS prevalence, no consistent seasonal pattern was found in DS at birth in these studies, or in the remaining studies. A seasonal pattern could not have been masked by the effects of maternal age, induced abortions, shortened gestation, or misclassification of DS. CONCLUSION: Seasonality in the prevalence of DS at birth does not exist. Evidence did not support the suggestion that DS occurrence is related to seasonality in hormone production.
Truthful and near-optimal mechanism design via linear programming

We give a general technique to obtain approximation mechanisms that are truthful in expectation. We show that for packing domains, any /spl alpha/-approximation algorithm that also bounds the integrality gap of the IF relaxation of the problem by a can be used to construct an /spl alpha/-approximation mechanism that is truthful in expectation. This immediately yields a variety of new and significantly improved results for various problem domains and furthermore, yields truthful (in expectation) mechanisms with guarantees that match the best known approximation guarantees when truthfulness is not required. In particular, we obtain the first truthful mechanisms with approximation guarantees for a variety of multi-parameter domains. We obtain truthful (in expectation) mechanisms achieving approximation guarantees of O(/spl radic/m) for combinatorial auctions (CAs), (1 + /spl epsi/ ) for multiunit CAs with B = /spl Omega/(log m) copies of each item, and 2 for multiparameter knapsack problems (multiunit auctions). Our construction is based on considering an LP relaxation of the problem and using the classic VCG mechanism by W. Vickrey (1961), E. Clarke (1971) and T. Groves (1973) to obtain a truthful mechanism in this fractional domain. We argue that the (fractional) optimal solution scaled down by a, where a is the integrality gap of the problem, can be represented as a convex combination of integer solutions, and by viewing this convex combination as specifying a probability distribution over integer solutions, we get a randomized, truthful in expectation mechanism. Our construction can be seen as a way of exploiting VCG in a computational tractable way even when the underlying social-welfare maximization problem is NP-hard.
Human Geophagia, Calabash Chalk and Undongo: Mineral Element Nutritional Implications

The prime aim of our work is to report and comment on the bioaccessible concentrations – i.e., the soluble content of chemical elements in the gastrointestinal environment that is available for absorption – of a number of essential mineral nutrients and potentially harmful elements (PHEs) associated with the deliberate ingestion of African geophagical materials, namely Calabash chalk and Undongo. The pseudo-total concentrations of 13 mineral nutrients/PHEs were quantified following a nitric-perchloric acid digestion of nine different Calabash chalk samples, and bioaccessible contents of eight of these chemical elements were determined in simulated saliva/gastric and intestinal solutions obtained via use of the Fed ORganic Estimation human Simulation Test (FOREhST) in vitro procedure. The Calabash chalk pseudo-total content of the chemical elements is often below what may be regarded as average for soils/shales, and no concentration is excessively high. The in vitro leachate solutions had concentrations that were often lower than those of the blanks used in our experimental procedure, indicative of effective adsorption: lead, a PHE about which concern has been previously raised in connection with the consumption of Calabash chalk, was one such chemical element where this was evident. However, some concentrations in the leachate solutions are suggestive that Calabash chalk can be a source of chemical elements to humans in bioaccessible form, although generally the materials appear to be only a modest supplier: this applies even to iron, a mineral nutrient that has often been linked to the benefits of geophagia in previous academic literature. Our investigations indicate that at the reported rates of ingestion, Calabash chalk on the whole is not an important source of mineral nutrients or PHEs to humans. Similarly, although Undongo contains elevated pseudo-total concentrations of chromium and nickel, this soil is not a significant source to humans for any of the bioaccessible elements investigated.
Validation and Reliability of a Novel Test of Upper Body Isometric Strength

Abstract The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the association of a novel test of upper body isometric strength against a 1RM bench press measurement. Forty college age adults (n = 20 female, n = 20 male; age 22.8 ± 2.8 years; body height 171.6 ± 10.8 cm; body mass 73.5 ± 16.3 kg; body fat 23.1 ± 5.4%) volunteered for the present investigation. The participants reported to the lab on three occasions. The first visit included anthropometric measurements and familiarization with both the upper body isometric test and bench press exercise. The final visits were conducted in a randomized order, with one being a 1RM assessment on the bench press and the other consisting of three trials of the upper body isometric assessment. For the isometric test, participants were positioned in a “push-up” style position while tethered (stainless steel chain) to a load cell (high frequency) anchored to the ground. The peak isometric force was consistent across all three trials (ICC = 0.98) suggesting good reliability. Multiple regression analysis was completed with the predictors: peak isometric force, gender, against the outcome variable 1RM bench press. The analysis resulted in a significant model (r2 = 0.861, p≤0.001) with all predictor variables attaining significance in the model (p<0.05). Isometric peak strength had the greatest effect on the model (Beta = 5.19, p≤0.001). Results from this study suggest that the described isometric upper body strength assessment is likely a valid and reliable tool to determine strength. Further research is warranted to gather a larger pool of data in regard to this assessment.