Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying barriers that prevent US insured adults at-risk for and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from accessing primary care services : An exploratory study

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes is a condition that affects millions of individuals within the United States and it is one of the leading causes of death. Access to quality care is necessary to decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and associated complications. This study focused on assessing the barriers that prevented insured individuals, identified through a community health screening as at-risk for or suffering from type 2 diabetes, from accessing primary care services. Methods: A quali-quantitative design was used in this study. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and 64 participants were identified through community outreach events sponsored by the Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Community Health Center. Barriers were measured through the ‘Barriers to Care’ Survey Instrument, which was administered face-to-face at community outreach events. Results: Descriptive analyses indicated that participants identified cost of care as the most reported barrier (73.4% of sample) to accessing care. Lack of family and friend support was the least reported barrier (7.8% of sample). Regression analyses showed a significant association between reported barriers and participants’ access to primary care services by measuring participants’ last primary doctor’s appointment (R2 = 0.47, P = 0.001). Three factors significant resulted in predicting participants’ last primary doctor’s appointment: ‘not having time to go to the doctor’ (P = 0.022), ‘feeling too sad about disease to see a doctor’ (P = 0.021), and ‘not feeling sick’ (P = 0.001). Discussion and Conclusions: Findings have important clinical implications since addressing identified barriers can lead to increased access to primary care services and enhanced health outcomes. Future research should focus on the significant impact of self-management techniques, sociocultural factors, and psychosocial factors to help inform researchers how they impact the barriers associated with individuals at-risk for or suffering from type 2 diabetes. Having health insurance is not the only answer to accessing primary care. Affiliations:
CONSTRUCTING A PROPOSAL AS A THOUGHT: A WAY TO MANAGE PROBLEMS IN THE INITIATION OF JOINT DECISION-MAKING IN FINNISH WORKPLACE INTERACTION

Drawing on fifteen video-recorded planning meetings as data, and on conversation analysis as a method, I examine the interactional import of the common Finnish practice of constructing a proposal as a thought. As a point of departure, I consider two different types of conditional utterances in which a speaker presents a plan: (1) ‘asking conditionals’ (jos ‘what if’ prefaced declarative conditionals and interrogative conditionals) and (2) ‘stating conditionals’ (declarative conditionals). While asking conditionals mark the plan as contingent on the recipient’s approval and involve a straightforward request for the recipient to engage in joint decision-making about the proposed plan, stating conditionals are regularly treated as informings about plans in which the recipients have actually no word to say. However, when asking and stating conditionals are prefaced with references to the speakers’ thoughts (ma aattelin et ‘I was thinking that’), the projected responses and sequential trajectories are more open-ended: The participants have the opportunity to share the responsibility, not only for what is to be decided with respect to the proposed plan, but also for what is to be jointly decided upon in the first place. Constructing a proposal as a thought seems thus to be a practice with which participants may enable the symmetrical distribution of deontic rights at the very beginning of joint decision-making sequences.
Analytical Surface Potential Model for Columnar Nanocrystalline Silicon Ultra-Thin Film Transistors

An analytical model to calculate the nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) ultra-thin film transistors (UTFT) surface potential is proposed. This pattern repose on an ultrathin channel with a columnar morphology. Our approach is based on the charge trapping at the grain boundary, the welldefined charge distribution into the inversion layer, and the consideration of quantum size effects on dielectric constant and band gap. Results denote that, the surface potential is associated to the silicon crystallites size and geometry. The comparison of our results with existing research model shows a good agreement between the surface potential shapes, and an interesting difference in the surface potential variation, caused essentially by the morphology considered. Keywords—nanocrystalline silicon; thin film transistor; quantum size effects; columnar morphology; surface potential;
Editing Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology was founded in 1965 by some of the early giants in psychiatric epidemiology and the study of the social factors that impact on psychiatric disorder. The journal was originally called Social Psychiatry, a term that proved ambiguous and was not necessarily positively viewed, especially in the United States where it was seen as having a particular political slant. This partly motivated the expansion of the name in 1988. The purpose of the journal from its inauguration was to publish empirical research in a difficult area. It was consciously international and would publish articles in English, French or German. The increasing hegemony of English as the language of science finally ended this arrangement in 1989. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology is intended to provide a medium for the prompt publication of scientific contributions concerned with all aspects of the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders – social, biological and genetic. In addition, the journal has a particular focus on the effects of social conditions upon behaviour and the relationship between psychiatric disorders and the social environment. Contributions may be of a clinical nature provided they relate to social issues, or they may deal with specialised investigations in the fields of social psychology, sociology, anthropology, epidemiology, health service research, health economies, or public mental health. We publish papers on cross-cultural and trans-cultural themes. The original internationalism of the journal remains. Like many journals, it has an editorial board of individuals from many countries, but in addition we have editors to represent different areas of the world: the Americas, the western Pacific, and areas of the German, Italian, Spanish and French language groups. The chief editor takes the rest. The role of the editors is in part to encourage the submission of papers from these areas. The group of editors has been stable for many years. This is by design, as the journal has felt the advantages of continuity outweigh the disadvantages of atherosclerosis. I have been the English language group editor since 1986, and editor-in-chief since 1993. The journal is published by a small company, a subsidiary of the much larger Springer Verlag, and this permits a close relationship between the editors and the publishing team. This allows rapid response to problems and a close control of the publishing process.
Large-Scale Replication Projects in Contemporary Psychological Research

ABSTRACT Replication is complicated in psychological research because studies of a given psychological phenomenon can never be direct or exact replications of one another, and thus effect sizes vary from one study of the phenomenon to the next—an issue of clear importance for replication. Current large-scale replication projects represent an important step forward for assessing replicability, but provide only limited information because they have thus far been designed in a manner such that heterogeneity either cannot be assessed or is intended to be eliminated. Consequently, the nontrivial degree of heterogeneity found in these projects represents a lower bound on the true degree of heterogeneity. We recommend enriching large-scale replication projects going forward by embracing heterogeneity. We argue this is the key for assessing replicability: if effect sizes are sufficiently heterogeneous—even if the sign of the effect is consistent—the phenomenon in question does not seem particularly replicable and the theory underlying it seems poorly constructed and in need of enrichment. Uncovering why and revising theory in light of it will lead to improved theory that explains heterogeneity and increases replicability. Given this, large-scale replication projects can play an important role not only in assessing replicability but also in advancing theory.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index: Nature, Purpose, and Findings

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is a new type of market-based performance measure for firms, industries, economic sectors, and national economies. The authors discuss the nature and purpose of ACSI and explain the theory underlying the ACSI model, the nation-wide survey methodology used to collect the data, and the econometric approach employed to estimate the indices. They also illustrate the use of ACSI in conducting benchmarking studies, both cross-sectionally and over time. The authors find customer satisfaction to be greater for goods than for services and, in turn, greater for services than for government agencies, as well as find cause for concern in the observation that customer satisfaction in the United States is declining, primarily because of decreasing satisfaction with services. The authors estimate the model for the seven major economic sectors for which data are collected. Highlights of the findings include that (1) customization is more important than reliability in determining customer satisfaction, (2) customer expectations play a greater role in sectors in which variance in production and consumption is relatively low, and (3) customer satisfaction is more quality-driven than value- or price-driven. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of ACSI for public policymakers, managers, consumers, and marketing in general.
Effects of Altered Excitation-Inhibition Balance on Decision Making in a Cortical Circuit Model

The synaptic balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I balance) is a fundamental principle of cortical circuits, and disruptions in E/I balance are commonly linked to cognitive deficits such as impaired decision-making. Explanatory gaps remain in a mechanistic understanding of how E/I balance contributes to cognitive computations, and how E/I disruptions at the synaptic level can propagate to induce behavioral deficits. Here, we studied how E/I perturbations may impair perceptual decision-making in a biophysically-based association cortical circuit model. We found that both elevating and lowering E/I ratio, via NMDA receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction at inhibitory interneurons and excitatory pyramidal neurons, respectively, can similarly impair psychometric performance, following an inverted-U dependence. Nonetheless, these E/I perturbations differentially alter the process of evidence accumulation across time. Under elevated E/I ratio, decision-making is impulsive, overweighting early evidence and underweighting late evidence. Under lowered E/I ratio, decision-making is indecisive, with both evidence integration and winner-take-all competition weakened. The distinct time courses of evidence accumulation at the circuit level can be measured at the behavioral level, using multiple psychophysical task paradigms which provide dissociable predictions. These results are well captured by a generalized drift-diffusion model (DDM) with self-coupling, implementing leaky or unstable integration, which thereby links biophysical circuit modeling to algorithmic process modeling and facilitates model fitting to behavioral choice data. In general, our findings characterize critical roles of cortical E/I balance in cognitive function, bridging from biophysical to behavioral levels of analysis. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cognitive deficits in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, have been associated with alterations in the balance of synaptic excitation and inhibition (E/I) in cerebral cortical circuits. However, the circuit mechanisms by which E/I imbalance leads to cognitive deficits in decision-making have remained unclear. We used a computational model of decision-making in cortical circuits to study the neural and behavioral effects of E/I imbalance. We found that elevating and lowering E/I ratio produce distinct modes of dysfunction in decision-making processes, which can be dissociated in behavior through psychophysical task paradigms. The biophysical circuit model can be mapped onto a psychological model of decision-making which can facilitate experimental tests of model predictions.
Mode Localization and Sensitivity in Weakly Coupled Resonators

Localization of normal modes in weakly coupled resonators is used in the recent MEMS sensors to achieve orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity. It is known that the sensitivity (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of the modal amplitude ratio varies with the strength of the normalized coupling (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\kappa$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S \propto \kappa^{-\textbf {1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> in the case of two identical coupled oscillators, and as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S \propto \kappa^{-\textbf {2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> in the case of three coupled oscillators with the middle oscillator of a much higher natural frequency. We have recently shown that an asymmetry measure <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(\alpha)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> will also affect the sensitivity according to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S \propto \alpha^{-\textbf {1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Here, we prove, using an energy-based analysis, that in the general case of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n-2$ </tex-math></inline-formula> uniformly coupled oscillators chained between two terminal oscillators, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S \propto \alpha^{-\textbf {1}}{\kappa }^{\textbf {1}-{n}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, if the <italic>blocked</italic> resonance spectra of the embedded oscillators and the end oscillators are well-separated. We further show that coupled asymmetric oscillators will also enhance the operating linear range, besides the increased sensitivity when compared with their symmetric counterparts, in a three coupled oscillators system. Our sensitivity and linear range expressions, not based on a (small) perturbation approach, have a wider range of accuracy. These analytical results are validated through numerical computation in the illustrative cases of three and four cell resonator chains.
Emergence of junction dynamics in a strongly interacting Bose mixture

We study the dynamics of a one-dimensional system composed of a bosonic background and one impurity in single- and double-well trapping geometries. In the limit of strong interactions, this system can be modeled by a spin chain where the exchange coefficients are determined by the geometry of the trap. We observe non-trivial dynamics when the repulsion between the impurity and the background is dominant. In this regime, the system exhibits oscillations that resemble the dynamics of a Josephson junction. Furthermore, the double-well geometry allows for an enhancement in the tunneling as compared to the single-well case.
Local String Transduction as Sequence Labeling

We show that the general problem of string transduction can be reduced to the problem of sequence labeling. While character deletion and insertions are allowed in string transduction, they do not exist in sequence labeling. We show how to overcome this difference. Our approach can be used with any sequence labeling algorithm and it works best for problems in which string transduction imposes a strong notion of locality (no long range dependencies). We experiment with spelling correction for social media, OCR correction, and morphological inflection, and we see that it behaves better than seq2seq models and yields state-of-the-art results in several cases.
Executive function training in children with SLI: A pilot study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based executive function (EF) training in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Ten children with SLI, ages 8 to 12 years, completed a 25-session training of visuospatial working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility over a 6-week period. Treatment outcome was examined directly after training and at 6 months follow-up by tasks of the three trained EF, tasks of untrained neurocognitive functions (verbal working memory, attention, planning and fluency), and ratings of EF and behavioral problems by parents and teachers. Directly after training, results showed significant improvement on cognitive flexibility and a positive trend for visuospatial storage and inhibition. At 6 months follow-up, the children performed significantly better on tasks of all three trained EFs. Furthermore, the results showed significant improvement on sustained attention, attention control, parent- and teacher-rated attention behavior and parent-rated EF and externalizing behavior with medium effect sizes. The results of this pilot study highlight the importance of a large-scale, randomized controlled trial examining the possible effects of EF training in children with SLI.
Classifying Processes and Basic Formal Ontology

Unlike what is the case for physical entities and other types of continuants, few process ontologies exist. This is not only because processes received less attention in the research community, but also because classifying them is challenging. Moreover, upper level categories or classification criteria to help in modelling and integrating lower level process ontologies have thus far not been developed or widely adopted. This paper proposes a basis for further classifying processes in the Basic Formal Ontology. The work is inspired by the aspectual characteristics of verbs such as homeomericity, cumulativity, telicity, atomicity, instantaneity and durativity. But whereas these characteristics have been proposed by linguists and philosophers of language from a linguistic perspective with a focus on how matters are described, our focus is on what is the case in reality thus providing an ontological perspective. This was achieved by first investigating the applicability of these characteristics to the top-level processes in the Gene Ontology, and then, where possible, deriving from the linguistic perspective relationships that are faithful to the ontological principles adhered to by the Basic Formal Ontology.
A Mobile Health Wallet for Pregnancy-Related Health Care in Madagascar: Mixed-Methods Study on Opportunities and Challenges

Background Mobile savings and payment systems have been widely adopted to store money and pay for a variety of services, including health care. However, the possible implications of these technologies on financing and payment for maternal health care services—which commonly require large 1-time out-of-pocket payments—have not yet been systematically assessed in low-resource settings. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the structural, contextual, and experiential characteristics of a mobile phone–based savings and payment platform, the Mobile Health Wallet (MHW), for skilled health care during pregnancy among women in Madagascar. Methods We used a 2-stage cluster random sampling scheme to select a representative sample of women utilizing either routine antenatal (ANC) or routine postnatal care (PNC) in public sector health facilities in 2 of 8 urban and peri-urban districts of Antananarivo, Madagascar (Atsimondrano and Renivohitra districts). In a quantitative structured survey among 412 randomly selected women attending ANC or PNC, we identified saving habits, mobile phone use, media consumptions, and perception of an MHW with both savings and payment functions. To confirm and explain the quantitative results, we used qualitative data from 6 semistructured focus group discussions (24 participants in total) in the same population. Results 59.3% (243/410, 95% CI 54.5-64.1) saved toward the expected costs of delivery and, out of those, 64.4% (159/247, 95% CI 58.6-70.2) used household cash savings for this purpose. A total of 80.3% (331/412, 95% CI 76.5-84.1) had access to a personal or family phone and 35.7% (147/412, 95% CI 31.1-40.3) previously used Mobile Money services. Access to skilled health care during pregnancy was primarily limited because of financial obstacles such as saving difficulties or unpredictability of costs. Another key barrier was the lack of information about health benefits or availability of services. The general concept of an MHW for saving toward and payment of pregnancy-related care, including the restriction of payments, was perceived as beneficial and practicable by the majority of participants. In the discussions, several themes pointed to opportunities for ensuring the success of an MHW through design features: (1) intuitive technical ease of use, (2) clear communication and information about benefits and restrictions, and (3) availability of personal customer support. Conclusions Financial obstacles are a major cause of limited access to skilled maternal health care in Madagascar. An MHW for skilled health care during pregnancy was perceived as a useful and desirable tool to reduce financial barriers among women in urban Madagascar. The design of this tool and the communication strategy will likely be the key to success. Particularly important dimensions of design include technical user friendliness and accessible and personal customer service.
Water–fat magnetic resonance imaging quantifies relative proportions of brown and white adipose tissues: ex-vivo experiments

Abstract. Quantifying the amount of brown adipose tissue (BAT) within white adipose tissue (WAT) in human depots may serve as a target to combat obesity. We aimed to quantify proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of BAT and WAT in relatively pure and in mixed preparation using water–fat imaging. Three ex-vivo experiments were performed at 3 T using excised interscapular BAT and inguinal/subcutaneous WAT from mice. The first two experiments consisted of BAT and WAT in separate tubes, and the third used mixed preparation with graded quantities of BAT and WAT. To investigate the influence of partial volume on PDFF metrics, low (2.66 mm3) and high spatial resolution (0.55 mm3 acquired voxels) in two orthogonal three-dimensional sections were compared. The low-resolution acquisitions are corrected for T2* and multipeak lipid spectrum, thus considered “quantitative,” whereas the high-resolution acquisitions are not corrected but were performed to better spatially segment BAT from WAT zones. As potential BAT metrics, we quantified the average PDFF and the volume of tissue having PDFF ≤50 % (VOLPDFF ≤ 50 % ) based on the PDFF histogram. In the first experiment, the average PDFF of BAT was 23 ± 6 % and 21 ± 7.6 % and the average PDFF of WAT was 76 ± 7 % and 87 ± 7 % using high- and low-resolution techniques, respectively. A similar trend with excellent reproducibility in average PDFF of BAT and WAT was observed in the second experiment. In the third experiment over the four acquisitions, the BAT-dominant tube demonstrated lower PDFF (mean ± SD) of 55 ± 2 % than WAT-dominant ( 69 ± 4 % ) and WAT-only tubes ( 88 ± 4 % ) . Estimating VOLPDFF ≤ 50 % , the BAT-dominant tube demonstrated higher volume of 0.26 cm3 than WAT-dominant (0.16 cm3) and WAT-only tubes (0.01 cm3). The presence of BAT exhibits a lower PDFF relative to WAT, thus allowing segmentation of low PDFF tissue for quantification of volume representative of BAT. Future studies will determine the clinical relevance of BAT volume within human depots.