Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Twin gestation and neuropsychological outcome of preschool age children born prematurely

TWIN GESTATION AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOME OF PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN BORN PREMATURELY by JAMIE CHRISTINE PIERCY August 2015 Advisor: Dr. Sarah Raz Major: Psychology (Clinical) Degree: Master of Arts Multiples are thought to be at increased risk for developmental outcome deficits in the preschool years, following preterm birth. However, little research has been conducted to determine whether this group remains at higher risk in the age of artificial reproductive techniques and the modern NICU. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether multiplicity is a risk factor for neuropsychological outcome deficits in a sample of 118 preschoolers (49 multiples, 75 singletons) born prematurely (<34 weeks gestation). As predicted, there were significant relationships between multiplicity and outcome measures, however, the direction of the effects were opposite to our prediction, with multiplies demonstrating superior performance. Additionally, significant multiplicity by sex interactions revealed a female twin advantage over male twin and singleton performance. In this preschool age sample, preterm multiples were not at a disadvantage when compared to singleton counterparts, demonstrating either equivalent or superior neuropsychological performance.
Existing literature indicates significant comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression. We examined whether PTSD's dysphoria and mood/cognitions factors, conceptualized by the empirically supported four-factor DSM-5 PTSD models, account for PTSD’s inherent relationsh

Existing literature indicates significant comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression. We examined whether PTSD's dysphoria and mood/cognitions factors, conceptualized by the empirically supported four-factor DSM-5 PTSD models, account for PTSD’s inherent relationship with depression. We hypothesized that depression’s somatic and non-somatic factors would be more related to PTSD’s dysphoria and mood/cognitions factors than other PTSD model factors. Further, we hypothesized that PTSD’s arousal would significantly mediate relations between PTSD’s dysphoria and somatic/non-somatic depression. Using 181 trauma-exposed primary care patients, confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) indicated a well-fitting DSM-5 PTSD dysphoria model, DSM-5 numbing model and two-factor depression model. Both somatic and non-somatic depression factors were more related to PTSD’s dysphoria and mood/cognitions factors than to re-experiencing and avoidance factors; non-somatic depression was more related to PTSD’s dysphoria than PTSD’s arousal factor. PTSD’s arousal did not mediate the relationship between PTSD’s dysphoria and somatic/nonsomatic depression. Implications are discussed.
Student teachers' understanding and acceptance of evolution and the nature of science

The focus of this study was student teachers at a South African university enrolled in a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programme and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), respectively. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ understanding and acceptance of evolution and beliefs about the nature of science (NOS), and to discover if these understandings and acceptances changed with the level of their studies. In so doing, we wished to determine if there is a relationship between their understanding of evolution and the NOS, and their level of acceptance of evolution. The study is located within a quantitative framework. Questionnaires were administered to pre-service teachers, who were enrolled in the School of Education. All participants had chosen Biology as their teaching specialisation. Three instruments were included in the questionnaires. The findings revealed that students in the B.Ed. programme have a poorer understanding of evolution and NOS than the graduate group (PGCE), and that there is no significant difference in understanding between different levels within the B.Ed. group. A further significant finding was that acceptance of evolution is independent of changes in conceptual understanding of evolution and independent of changes in beliefs about the NOS.
Interest rates and inflation

A consensus has emerged among practitioners that the instrument of monetary policy ought to be the short-term interest rate, that policy should be focused on the control of inflation, and that inflation can be reduced by increasing short-term interest rates. At the center of this consensus is a rejection of the quantity theory. Such a rejection is a difficult step to take, given the mass of evidence linking money growth, inflation, and interest rates: increases in average rates of money growth are associated with equal increases in average inflation rates and interest rates. These observations need not rule out a constructive role for the use of short-term interest rates as a monetary instrument. One possibility is that increasing short-term rates in the face of increases in inflation is just an indirect way of reducing money growth: sell bonds and take money out of the system. Another possibility is that, while control of monetary aggregates is the key to low long-run average inflation rates, an interest-rate policy can improve the short-run behavior of interest rates and prices. The shortrun connections among money growth, inflation, and interest rates are very unreliable, so there is much room for improvement. These possibilities are surely worth exploring, but doing so requires new theory. The analysis needed to reconcile interest-rate policies with the evidence on which the quantity theory of money is grounded cannot be found in old textbook diagrams.
Integral field spectroscopy based Hα sizes of local luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. A direct comparison with high-z massive star-forming galaxies

Aims. We study the analogy between local luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) and high-z massive star forming galaxies (SFGs) by comparing their basic Hα structural characteristics, such as size and luminosity surface density, in an homoge- neous way (i.e. same tracer, size definition, and similar physical scales). Methods. We use integral field spectroscopy (IFS) based Hα emission maps for a representative sample of 54 local U/LIRGs (66 galax- ies) observed with INTEGRAL/WHT and VIMOS/VLT. From this initial sample, we select 26 objects with similar Hα luminosities (L(Hα)) to those of massive (i.e. M� ∼ 10 10 Mor larger) SFGs at z ∼ 2, and observed on similar physical scales. We then directly compare the sizes, and luminosity (and SFR) surface densities of these local and high-z samples. Results. The size of the Hα emitting region in the local U/LIRGs that we study has a wide range of values, with r1/2(Hα) from 0.2 kpc to 7 kpc. However, about two-thirds of local U/LIRGs with Lir > 10 11.4 Lhave compact Hα emission (i.e. r1/2 2 kpc). These are systems that show evidence of pre-coalescence merger activity and are indistinguishable from the massive high-z SFGs galaxies in terms of their Hα sizes, and luminosity and SFR surface densities.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF LEAD FREE SOLDER ALLOY FOR GREEN ELECTRONICS UNDER HIGH STRAIN RATE AND THERMAL AGING

Lead free solder (LFS) alloys have been widely acknowledged due to its good mechanical properties and noharmful effect on environment. The current work is focused on the examination of thermal aging and strain rateson mechanical properties of Sn96.5-Ag3.0-Cu0.5 (SAC305) LFS alloy. The selected thermal aging temperatures are 60°C, 100 °C and 140 °C. Strain rates are measured at 10/s, 20/s, 30/s and 40/s. The microstructure examinationbefore and after thermal aging is carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) followed by confirmationof chemical composition with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The microstructure is further analyzed using ImageJto investigate the Intermetallic compounds (IMCs) particle average size at different aging temperature. Mechanicalproperties including Yield strength (YS) and Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are examined before and after thermalaging and at different high strain rates from stress-strain curves using universal testing machine (UTM). Results showthat LFS alloys are extremely sensitive to changes in both temperature and strain rate. The microstructure becomescoarsen after thermal aging due to growth of average IMCs particle size which significantly results in reduction inYS and UTS. Furthermore, increasing strain rates results in increasing YS and UTS due to less creep deformation.Mathematical relations are also developed to predict these properties at various levels of aging temperature and strainrate. A power law relationship exists between strain rate and mechanical properties while a reciprocal relationshipis obtained between aging temperature and mechanical properties.
A photospheric metal line profile analysis of hot DA white dwarfs with circumstellar material

Some hot DA white dwarfs have circumstellar high ion absorption features in their spectra, in addition to those originating in the photosphere. In many cases, the line profiles of these absorbing components are unresolved. Given the importance of the atmospheric composition of white dwarfs to studies of stellar evolution, extra-solar planetary systems and the interstellar medium, we examine the effect of including circumstellar line profiles in the abundance estimates of photospheric metals in six DA stars. The photospheric C and Si abundances are reduced in five cases where the circumstellar contamination is strong, though the relative weakness of the circumstellar Si IV absorption introduces minimal contamination, resulting in a small change in abundance. The inability of previous, approximate models to reproduce the photospheric line profiles here demonstrates the need for a technique that accounts for the physical line profiles of both the circumstellar and photospheric lines when modelling these blended absorption features.
Risk Factors of Hepatocellular Carcinoma , is low in Aseer Region , Saudi Arabia

Aim: Risks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following hepatitis B (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are well known. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B and C virus infections in blood donors at Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia Methods: The study was conducted on random blood samples collected from healthy blood donor volunteers, who were referred to Blood Transfusion Centers found at Aseer region, during the period March 2012 to February 2013. All the collected blood units were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBc, HCV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 1 and 2, human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) I/II, venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) and malaria. All donated blood were checked for HBV-DNA, HCV-RNA and HIV-RNA by nucleic acid test (NAT) technology. Results: Of 7267 (26 (0.36%) females and 7241 (99.64) males) blood donors screened, with median age of 28 (female) and 30 years (males), 71 (0.98%) were HBsAg positive of them 66 (0.91) were positive to HBV-DNA, 449 (6.18%) were anti-HBc positive of them 78 (1.07%) were positive to HBV-DNA. Cases positive to both HBsAg and HBc-Ab were 69 (0.95%) all of them were positive to HBV-DNA. There were 5 (0.069%) cases positive for HCV, none of them showed mixed infection with HVB. All positive cases for HBsAg, HBc-Ab and HCV were shown to be among male volunteers. Conclusion: Prevalence of HCV in Asser region is very low. In the time that HBsAg is low, prevalence of HBcAb is relatively moderate. Expected incidence of heptatocellular carcinoma due to infection with HCV is much lower than HBV.
Magnitude and nature of the quadratic electro-optic effect in potassium dihydrogen phosphate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystals

Measurements of the magnitude and the sign of certain quadratic electro-optic coefficients of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) were made with an actively stabilized Michelson interferometer. The results obtained for these coefficients are, in units of 10-20 m2 V-2 (as opposed to literature values of order 10-18 m2 V-2), as follows: (KDP)gxxxx=-3.4±0.5, gyyxx=-0.2±0.4, and gzzxx=-0.7±0.4; (ADP)gxxxx=-7.4±1.0, gyyxx=-1.7±0.9, and gzzxx=-1.4±0.9. The quadratic Faust–Henry coefficient describing the lattice and the electronic contributions to the quadratic electro-optic effect in KDP and ADP is estimated from our results. These show that the nonlinear susceptibility responsible for the quadratic electro-optic effect in these crystals is due mainly to nonlinear interactions of the low-frequency electric field with the crystal lattice.
Nanoplatforms for Plant Pathogenic Fungi Management

Copyright: © 2012 Abd-Elsalam KA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Plant pathologists are striving to develop a successful solution for protecting food and agricultural products from bacteria, fungal and viral agents. New technology such as nanoscale platforms, biological sensors, miniature detection devices and nano sensors could play a significant role in the future pathogen detection and disease management. Nano grower-friendly methods need to be integrated into present practices, and be readily useable for protecting crops and avoiding crop loss to pests and disease.
Performance of some novel optimization algorithms

Three global optimization algorithms are tested against some chosen benchmark tests with known minima. Particle Swarm Optimization yields results closest to the sought minima, but is also the slowest algorithm. The hybrid Simplex-Simulated Annealing approach requires fine-tuning of its settings in most cases. Streszczenie. Przetestowano zachowanie trzech algorytmow optymalizacji globalnej wykorzystując wybrane zadania testowe o znanych minimach globalnych. Optymalizacja metodą roju cząstek daje rezultaty najbardziej zblizone do poszukiwanych, lecz rownocześnie jest to najwolniejszy algorytm z rozpatrywanych. Podejście hybrydowe simpleks symulowane wyzarzanie wymaga dostrajania swoich parametrow w wiekszości przypadkow. (Ocena wybranych nowoczesnych algorytmow optymalizacji).
Labour Market Reform and Wage Bargaining in a Monetary Union

This paper examines the effect of monopolistic labour unions' behavior on governments' incentives to undertake labour market reform, inside and outside a symmetric and an asymmetric monetary union (MU). Incentives for reform are increased inside the MU when governments and labour unions move simultaneously in the first stage of the policy game. Inside the MU there is also a possibility of a "race to the bottom" deregulation. This can be avoided by cooperation of the two governments, only in the case of a symmetric MU and in particular when unions are powerful in wage setting. Area-wide reform is above its pre-MU levels when labour unions have incentives to coordinate their wage setting decisions in an asymmetric MU. In that case the governments have no incentive to set reform in a cooperative manner, because this would lead to higher nominal wage demands by the union members.
A global stratospheric bromine monoxide climatology based on the BASCOE chemical transport model

A new climatology of stratospheric BrO profiles based on a parameterization using dynamical and chemical indicators has been developed, with the aim to apply it to the retrieval of tropospheric BrO columns from space nadir measurements. The adopted parameterization is based on three years of output data from the 3-D chemistry transport model BASCOE. The impact of the atmospheric dynamics on the stratospheric BrO distribution is treated by means of Bry/ozone correlations built from 3-D-CTM model results, while photochemical effects are taken into account using stratospheric NO2 columns as an indicator of the BrO/Bry ratio. The model simulations have been optimized for bromine chemistry and budget, and validated through comparisons using an extensive data set of ground-based, balloon-borne and satellite limb (SCIAMACHY) stratospheric BrO observations.
Silver L1, L2 and L3 cross-sections for ionization and x-ray production by electron impact

The experimental determination of ionization cross-sections and total x-ray production cross-sections under electron impact is carried out for the three silver L-subshells. The very complex spectral structure involving several satellite bands was previously investigated by analyzing wavelength-dispersive spectra acquired in an electron microprobe. In this work, careful spectral processing is carried out by means of the POEMA software developed previously, considering the spectral energy intervals which include the main Ag-L emissions. The resulting ionization cross-sections are compared with analytical models based on distorted wave Born approximation calculations, the experimental determinations of the present work being underestimated by these predictions. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time these magnitudes are reported in the literature in this energy range. The total L-shell x-ray production cross-sections are also compared with the only previous experimental data found, obtained with different experimental settings.
Length-Weight and Length-Length Relationships in Freshwater Garfish Xenentodon cancila (Ham.) from Muriyadhar, Sunsari, Nepal

Present paper attempts to describe length-weight (LW) and total length-standard length (TL and SL) relationships of fresh-water garfi sh Xenentodon cancila. Fish of different length and weight were caught using cast nets from Muriyadhar, Sunsari. The fish were kept in ice box in fresh condition and brought to fi sh laboratory, Department of Zoolog post Graduate Campus, Biratnagar. The data obtained from measurement were analysed using the formula W = aL b . The b values estimated for the total length and standard length in relation to body weight were 3.2202 and 3.2559 respectively. The values of b clearly indicate the allometric growth pattern and for total length and standard length relationship, the linear value of b was 0.3223. J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 26, 2012: 10-14
Contraceptive Knowledge, Attitude and PracticeAmong Eligible Couples of Rural Haryana

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude regarding family planning and the practice of contraceptives among eligible couples of rural Haryana. Study Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Agroha village. Participants: 250 eligible couples. Methodology: The primary tool in this study was predesigned and pretested questionnaire for recording of individual informations. Result:The knowledge about one or more methods of contraception, particularly modern contraceptive methods was 95.0%, being 95.6% among males and 94.4% among females.The knowledge about traditional methods of contraception was 72.0% in males and 46.4% in females. The most common source of knowledge for all couples in general was the “Exposure to family planning messages” (72.0%) followed by discussion with doctors and other health care workers (42.6%). Sex-wise, the most common source of knowledge for males as well as females was “Exposure to family planning messages” (75.2% and 68.8% respectively). Of 250 interviewed couples, 148 (59.2%) were practicing different contraceptive methods. Completion of family was found to be the most common reason for using contraception (81.1%). Fertility related reasons (45.1%) followed by husband’s opposition (28.4%) were the common reasons for not using contraception. Positive attitude for contraception was shown by 198 (79.2%) females and 158 (63.2%) males. Conclusion: The study reveals good knowledge and favourable attitude of rural couples towards contraception. The study also highlights that awareness does not always lead to the use of contraceptives. A lot of educational and motivational activities and improvement in family planning services are needed to promote the use of contraceptives and reduce the high fertility rate.
Of mice and flies - how the age of a carcass affects wind tunnel attraction in the blowfly Calliphora vicina

Larvae of the saprophagous blowfly Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) cause substantial damage by infesting stockfish in Lofoten. A synthetic lure has been developed to control this pest, but the attraction towards this lure is still lower than towards natural odors. Better understanding of the succession of volatiles released from a carcass during decomposition could improve the lure by identifying missing components, or lead to the detection of antagonistic compounds. This study is a wind tunnel experiment investigating how the volatiles from carcasses of different age affects how attractive they are to male and female C. vicina. Mice carcasses were used as natural odor sources. We predicted that flies would be more strongly attracted to carcasses in early stages of decay, and that females would show stronger preferences for early stages than males, since they depend on the carcass for oviposition. We also performed additional experiments investigating how conspecific larval secretion affects attraction. Both male and female C. vicina showed variation in their response to volatiles released from mice carcasses of different age, with significantly higher attraction towards carcasses that were three, six, and nine days old. We found no differences between males and females regarding oriented flight responses, but observed an increase in landings for female flies at the most attractive carcasses. Larval secretion was not attractive when tested alone, and had little effect on attraction when added to a three day old carcass. This study shows that C. vicina is capable of assessing an odor source from a distance, without relying on visual cues provided by the source. This highlights the importance of olfaction for blowflies when locating a resource, and indicates that they use the succession in the volatiles emitted from a carcass to locate suitable carrion. The interaction between gender and age of carcass observed for landings might point to a closer coupling of vision and olfaction in female blowflies compared to males.