Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perception of non-native consonant length in naïve English listeners

English speakers are sensitive to phonetic length [Pickett and Decker (1960)] but do not maintain a phonemic length contrast [Hayes (2002)]. This study examines English speakers’ ability to discriminate and identify intervocalic consonant length in Finnish non-words. The consonants were manipulated for length and half of the participants were given brief written instruction regarding the Finnish length contrast. In an AX discrimination task, participants responded to increasing contrast ratio gradiently; however, the instructed group performed significantly better than the uninstructed group. Proficiency in any second language aids contrast detection in those receiving no instruction. In a forced-choice identification task, participants showed no evidence of boundary effects; however, the instructed group performed significantly more like native Finnish controls. Again, second language proficiency aids in consonant length detection. The present results indicate that information about and attention to a no.
THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE PISA AND THE STEM EDUCATION MOVEMENT IN BRAZIL

ABSTRACT: In this article, we explore the fact that, far beyond obvious effects such as the ranking of educational systems and the construction of model countries, the narratives built by PISA also indirectly support the emergence of technicist educational trends such as the STEM education movement (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), which has occupied significant space in the Brazilian educational agenda and is already part of government policies. Based on the theoretical reference in sociology of education, we analyze how the arguments built around STEM education, not by chance, similar to OECD perspectives: the solution to the challenges of the economy through education, throwing the bill of economic successes (and failures) to the school and the teacher. We have established a critical analysis of how STEM education has been presented as a universal solution, supported by being a trend imported especially from the United States, and given as a norm in Brazil. We have observed that the STEM movement is a product of globalizing practices, a byproduct of the performance and competitiveness policies that the OECD establishes on education systems worldwide.
Buoyant‐thermocapillary instabilities of differentially heated liquid layers

The stability of buoyant‐thermocapillary‐driven flows in a fluid layer subjected to a horizontal temperature gradient is analyzed. Our purpose is the modelization of recent experimental results obtained for a fluid of Prandtl number Pr=7, by Daviaud and Vince [Phys. Rev. E 48, 4432 (1993)], who observed a transition between traveling waves and stationary rolls when the height of fluid is increased. Our model takes into account several effects that were examined separately in previous studies. The relative importance of buoyancy and thermocapillarity is controlled by the ratio W of Marangoni number to Rayleigh number. The fluid layer is bounded below by a rigid plane whose temperature varies linearly along the direction of the thermal gradient. A Biot number is introduced to describe heat transfer at the top free surface. Our stability analysis establishes the existence of a transition between stationary and oscillatory modes when W exceeds a value W0 which is a function of the Biot number. Moreover, two t.
Protostellar candidates in a sample of bright far-infrared IRAS sources

CO and radio continuum emission has been observed in the direction of 39 bright 100-micron sources from the IRAS point source catalog in an attempt to better understand the early stages of star formation. All 39 sources are found to be associated with molecular clouds and are generally characterized by high temperatures (15-40 K) and wide wings in the profiles (up to 34 km/s). Twenty-six of the 39 sources show wide (C-12)O lines, which are interpreted as a result of gas outflow associated with star formation processes. Of the 24 sources for which distances and 6-cm flux densities can be assigned, 11 are premain sequence objects, and 4 others are possibly in this category. Six of the eleven premain sequence sources have associated continuum emission. 30 refs.
Comparison of observed and predicted MUF(3000)F2 in the polar cap region

The maximum usable frequency for a 3000 km range circuit (MUF(3000)F2), computed from ionosonde measurements at Resolute (74.75∘N, 265.00∘E) and Pond Inlet (72.69∘N, 282.04∘E), has been compared with values obtained from the Ionospheric Communications Enhanced Profile Analysis and Circuit Prediction Program (ICEPAC), Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program (VOACAP), and International Telecommunication Union Recommendation 533 (REC533) models over a 4 year period. Predictions and observations show diurnal and seasonal variations; however, the VOACAP and ICEPAC models fail to reproduce the diurnal variation trend observed in the measurements during the summer period. The performance of these models has been statistically analysed: REC533 gives a better performance in winter and equinox months, while VOACAP has a better performance for both equinox and summer months. ICEPAC shows poor performance during low solar activity.
The convergence almost everywhere of Legendre series

It is proved that the Legendre series of an LP function converges almost everywhere, provided 4/3 1, then its Fourier series converges p.p. By combining his theorem with standard equiconvergence theorems we can prove the first part of the following result. THEOREM. Iff E LPfor some p in the range 4/3 <p < xo, then its Legendre series converges p.p. The resultfails if 1 <p<4/3. It is interesting to contrast the range 4/3 <p < xo with the range 4/3< p< 4 of mean convergence. The second part of the theorem follows from the fact that the Legendre series of (1-X)-3/4 diverges everywhere [5, p. 249]. Incidentally, I do not know what happens if p=4/3; analogy with the Fourier case suggests failure of the result there. We turn to the first part of the theorem, and assume that 4/3<p<2. This is clearly no handicap, for iff E LI for some p greater than 2 it also belongs to L2. Becausef E LI for some p greater than 4/3, it follows from H6lder's inequality that (1) f(lJ X')-1/4 If(x){ dx < oo. This enables us to invoke an equiconvergence theorem of Szego [5, p. 239] which says this: let sn(x) denote the partial sums of the Legendre series of Received by the editors January 26, 1972. AMS 1970 subject classfications. Primary 42A56; Secondary 40A05.
Diffusion in alumina

Experimental results on diffusion in alumina are summarized and critically discussed. The most reliable results are those on volume diffusion in single crystals (sapphire), and are available for a wide variety of substances, including the structural elements oxygen and alumina, water, monovalent cations, and trivalent cations. Experimental results on volume diffusion in polycrystalline alumina have also been reported for hydrogen, water, some actinides, and rare earths. Diffusion coefficients have been deduced from deep penetration tails on diffusion profiles, and have been interpreted to result from fast diffusion along dislocations or grain boundaries. However, there are questions about these interpretations that are discussed. Mechanisms of diffusion in alumina are uncertain; a variety of charged defects has been suggested to control diffusion in alumina, but no interpretation is widely accepted because of discrepancies with experimental results. The possibility of an AlO defect is put forward to stimu.
Elemental Abundances and Mass Densities of Dust and Gas in the Local Interstellar Cloud

Observationally derived gas-phase abundances and appropriate assumptions for the total elemental abundances of dust and gas determine the elemental composition of dust and the elemental depletion from gas in the interstellar medium (ISM). In addition to the elemental abundances, the total mass ratio of hydrogen atoms to dust grains per spatial volume is a measure of the interaction between dust and gas in the ISM. Recent remote astronomical observations and in situ measurements provide the opportunity of estimating the elemental abundances and the hydrogen gas-to-dust mass ratio of the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), in which the Sun is currently embedded. We show that the composition of dust in the LIC is similar to that of cometary dust in the solar system, although the nitrogen abundance remains uncertain. Depletions of elements from the LIC gas are consistent with measurements of warm neutral clouds in the Galactic disk, except for Mg and Si, which are heavily depleted in the LIC. Remote astronomical observations and in situ measurements give essentially the same value for the gas-to-dust mass ratio of the LIC, which is comparable to the average value of the diffuse ISM in the Galaxy. This indicates the association of dust with gas in the LIC, which is also inferred from the depletion pattern in the LIC. Neither the depletions of elements nor the gas-to-dust mass ratio show evidence for severe grain destruction that would result from shocks with velocity ~1.5 × 107 cm s-1 as suggested by a model that postulates the LIC to be a fragment of the expanding Loop I superbubble shell. Our results rather favor an alternative model that describes the origin of the LIC as being one of H I cloudlets expelled from the interaction zone between the Loop I superbubble and the Local Bubble, which encloses the LIC and similar clouds in the solar neighborhood.
Multiple Comparison Procedures for Identifying the Minimum Effective Dose with More Than One Control

SYNOPTIC ABSTRACT In this study, we develop a step-down procedure to find the Minimum Effective Dose (MINED) of a new drug when there is more than one control drug. The computation of critical points required to implement the proposed procedure is discussed by taking the normal probability model under equal sample size allocation. Power of the test is computed, and some power comparisons are made under different sample sizes.
The qq-estimator and heavy tails

A common visual technique for assessing goodness of fit and estimating location and scale is the qq-plot. We apply this technique to data from a Pareto distribution and more generally to data generated by a distribution with a heavy tail. A procedure for assessing the presence of heavy tails and for estimating the parameter of regular variation is discussed which can supplement other standard techniques such as the Hill plot. Some examples are given using telecommunications data
Plasma proteome profiling of healthy subjects undergoing bed rest reveals unloading‐dependent changes linked to muscle atrophy

Inactivity and unloading induce skeletal muscle atrophy, loss of strength and detrimental metabolic effects. Bed rest is a model to study the impact of inactivity on the musculoskeletal system. It not only provides information for bed‐ridden patients care, but it is also a ground‐based spaceflight analogue used to mimic the challenges of long space missions for the human body. In both cases, it would be desirable to develop a panel of biomarkers to monitor muscle atrophy in a minimally invasive way at point of care to limit the onset of muscle loss in a personalized fashion.
Compositional Surface Diversity in the Trans-Neptunian Objects

The knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) is still incomplete and confused. To investigate their physical properties, we are continuing the TNO observational program started in 1997 at ESO in La Silla, Chile with the 3.5 m New Technology Telescope. In February 1999, broadband optical colors were obtained for eight new objects: 1993 FW, 1995 HM5, 1997 CQ29, 1997 CS29, 1997 CT29, 1997 CU29, 1998 FS144, and 1998 WH24. Particular attention has been paid to the observations and data reduction of these faint objects. These new data increase the available statistical sample and will help us to understand the surface properties and the mechanisms of the surface modification of the TNOs. The observed objects present a wide spread of colors. The color distribution does not show any bimodality. Knowledge of the colors of a large number of these objects is important to understand this population, which represents an important reservoir of primordial material.
Adaptation and Validation of the Spanish Version of Decisional Conflict Scale in People with Migraine in Spain

Purpose We aimed to validate the Spanish version of the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) and analyze its psychometric properties in people with migraine. Patients and Methods The DCS validation comprised two phases. First, a translation and cross-cultural adaptation following the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Good Practices: 1-preparation, 2-independent forward translation, 3-reconciliation, 4-back-translation, 5-harmonization, 6-clinical review, and 7-content validation in a group of migraine patients. Second, the analysis of the psychometric properties. The reliability or internal consistency of the DCS scale and subscales was assessed using Cronbach’s α value. The item-subscale correlation was also evaluated. A floor and ceiling effects for DCS score was considered when at least 15% of respondents obtained DCS >90 (ceiling) or <10 (floor). The construct validity was studied through the correlation between the DCS subscales and by the correlation between the DCS and other questionnaires (Decision Self-Efficacy Scale [DSES] and 9-item Shared Decision-Making [SDM-Q-9]). Spearman’s coefficients were estimated for the correlations. Results The cross-cultural adaptation was conducted on 17 patients who completed the questionnaire in a mean of 2.4 ±1.1 minutes. Generally, more than 75% of them considered that DCS items were adequate, easy to understand, and relevant. The psychometric properties were evaluated in a sample of n=128 patients. Accordingly, the internal consistency of DCS was high, with a Cronbach’s α of 0.97 for the scale and between 0.87 to 0.96 for subscales. Also, a slight floor effect was observed, with 24.2% of patients having DCS scores <10. The correlation between subscales exceeded Spearman’s coefficient of 0.7. Whereas the correlation between the DCS and the other questionnaires was generally moderate (Spearman’s coefficient >0.4). Conclusion The Spanish version (Spain) of the DCS has very acceptable psychometric properties (reliability and construct validity) and good potential for assessing decisional conflicts among migraine patients.
Global and regional climate in 2012

The global annual average temperature in 2012 as calculated from the HadCRUT4 data set (jointly produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre and the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit, Morice et al., 2012) was 0.43 ± 0.10 degC above the 1961–1990 average (Figure 1(a)). Similar estimates produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center (NOAA NCDC, Smith et al., 2008) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA GISS, Hansen et al., 2010) were 0.45 and 0.48 degC above the 1961–1990 average respectively. The datasets in 2012 were based on air temperature measurements made at 1738 stations and on a global fleet of around 1100 drifting and 400 moored buoys, and 4000 voluntary observing ships that routinely measure sea-surface temperatures. It is not possible to measure global average temperature with perfect accuracy. Instead a likely range is calculated that takes into account the sparse coverage, which is most pronounced at high latitudes, the range of typical errors in the observations, and the effects of long-term changes in the observing networks – such as urbanization and changing instrumentation – which are hard to eliminate completely from the record. There is estimated to be less than a 5% chance that the true global average temperature anomaly in 2012 lies outside the range 0.33–0.54 degC. Consequently it is very likely that 2012 was between the fourth and fourteenth warmest year on record, and most likely was the ninth or tenth warmest. The average temperature for the northern hemisphere in 2012 (Figure 1(b)) was 0.56 ± 0.09 degC above the 1961–1990 average, making it very likely to have been between the fourth and fourteenth warmest and most likely the tenth warmest year. The uncertainties are larger in the southern hemisphere owing to the smaller number of observations; the anomaly here was 0.31 ± 0.15 degC above the long-term average (Figure 1(c)), with the best estimate of the ranking also making it the tenth warmest, but it is only possible to say that it was very likely one of the 23 warmest years in the southern hemisphere. The average temperature for the tropics (20°S to 20°N) was 0.32 ± 0.07 degC above the 1961–1990 average (Figure 2). Following the ‘double-dip’ La Niña, which occurred during late 2010 and 2011, 2012 saw a return to warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the tropical Pacific. However, SST only neared, and did not exceed, El Niño thresholds and other atmospheric signs of El Niño, such as changes in the strength of the trade winds, pressure and cloudiness, were absent. It is the 186
Evaluation of Hemoglobin and Serum Ferritin level in Preterm Labour and Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membrane (PPROM): a Case-Control Study

Objective. Evaluate the level of maternal hemoglobin and ferritin in preterm labor and PPROM among Iraqi women. Materials and methods. The case-control study conducted at Azadi Teaching Hospital-Kirkuk included 225 pregnant women equally distributed into three groups, preterm, PPROM, and control group. A maternal blood sample (5 ml) was collected at the time of presentation, hemoglobin and ferritin measurements were performed for all participants. Results. Hemoglobin showed a significantly low level among the preterm and PPROM groups compared to control group (p=0.0001). While ferritin showed a significantly low level among the preterm group compared to other groups (p=0.0001). Comparing preterm with control, a hemoglobin level of ≥ 10 was associated with 89% sensitivity and 44% specificit y, and a ferritin level of ≥32 was associated with 84% sensitivity and 61% specificity. Comparing PPROM with control, a hemoglobin level of ≥10
Current Pharmacotherapy and Multi-Target Approaches for Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by decreased synaptic transmission and cerebral atrophy with appearance of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Cognitive, functional, and behavioral alterations are commonly associated with the disease. Different pathophysiological pathways of AD have been proposed, some of which interact and influence one another. Current treatment for AD mainly involves the use of therapeutic agents to alleviate the symptoms in AD patients. The conventional single-target treatment approaches do not often cause the desired effect in the disease due to its multifactorial origin. Thus, multi-target strategies have since been undertaken, which aim to simultaneously target multiple targets involved in the development of AD. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathogenesis of AD and the current drug therapies for the disease. Additionally, rationales of the multi-target approaches and examples of multi-target drugs with pharmacological actions against AD are also discussed.
Liver Microenvironment Response to Prostate Cancer Metastasis and Hormonal Therapy

Simple Summary Prostate cancer patients with disease that has invaded the liver have the worst outcomes. Within the liver, cancer cells are exposed to a unique microenvironment of liver specific cells and proteins. In general, interaction between the microenvironment and cancer is known to provide cues which alter cancer cell biology and behavior. This review aims to summarize current knowledge about the microenvironment of the liver, what predisposes prostate cancer to move to the liver, how the liver responds to prostate cancer being there, and how the liver responds to current treatment strategies. We aim to provide insight into this under-investigated area of prostate cancer research as if we can understand why liver metastasis is associated with such poor patient outcomes, we will be better placed to address this. Abstract Prostate cancer-associated deaths arise from disease progression and metastasis. Metastasis to the liver is associated with the worst clinical outcomes for prostate cancer patients, and these metastatic tumors can be particularly resistant to the currently widely used chemotherapy and hormonal therapies, such as anti-androgens which block androgen synthesis or directly target the androgen receptor. The incidence of liver metastases is reportedly increasing, with a potential correlation with use of anti-androgen therapies. A key player in prostate cancer progression and therapeutic response is the microenvironment of the tumor(s). This is a dynamic and adaptive collection of cells and proteins, which impart signals and stimuli that can alter biological processes within prostate cancer cells. Investigation in the prostate primary site has demonstrated that cells of the microenvironment are also responsive to hormones and hormonal therapies. In this review, we collate information about what happens when cancer moves to the liver: the types of prostate cancer cells that metastasize there, the response of resident mesenchymal cells of the liver, and how the interactions between the cancer cells and the microenvironment may be altered by hormonal therapy.
Regular Article: A Fluid-Mixture Type Algorithm for Compressible Multicomponent Flow with van der Waals Equation of State

In previous work by the author, a simple interface-capturing approach has been developed and validated for compressible multicomponent flows with a stiffened gas equation of state in multiple space dimensions. The algorithm uses a mixture type of the model equations written in a quasi-conservative form to ensure a consistent approximation of the energy equation near the interfaces where two or more fluid components are present in a grid cell. A standard high-resolution wave propagation method is employed to solve the proposed system, giving an efficient implementation of the algorithm. In this paper, the method is extended to a more general two-phase (liquid-gas) flow where the fluid of interests is characterized by a van der Waals-type equation of state. Several numerical results are presented in both one and two space dimensions that show the feasibility of the method with the Roe solver as applied to practical problems without introducing any spurious oscillations in the pressure near the interfaces. This includes a convergence study of a shock wave in liquid over a gas bubble. To deal with a difficult slip line problem where there is a strong shear flow moving along the interface, we implement the method based on the shock-only Riemann solver with an additional update by the scheme to the total kinetic energy. Rather than using solutions from the basic conservation laws for the density and momenta which incurs large errors, the resulting total kinetic energy is used to the computation of the pressure from the equation of state, yielding typically more accurate results than the unmodified method near the slip lines. This is demonstrated by numerical results of some sample two-dimensional Riemann problems.