Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Daily exposure to negative campaign messages decreases same-sex couples’ psychological and relational well-being

Throughout history, the rights of stigmatized minority group members have been subject to popular debate and voter referenda. The impact of the resulting devaluing social discourse on the well-being of minority group members remains unknown. For example, exposure to the discourse leading up to decisions on same-sex marriage may have negative consequences for sexual minority individuals and same-sex couples. We examined the impact of exposure to same-sex marriage campaign messages (e.g., commercials, billboards, yard signs) on the psychological and relational well-being of couples living in the four states that had same-sex marriage voter initiatives in the 2012 general election. Sixty-two same-sex couples (N = 124) completed a baseline survey and 10 daily diary reports during the month before the election. Daily exposure to negative campaign messages was associated with increased negative affect and decreased positive affect and relationship satisfaction. These associations persisted controlling for baseline levels of depression and daily fluctuations in general stress among both members of the couple. Exposure to a devaluing social discourse regarding the rights of same-sex couples represents a unique form of social stress resulting in negative consequences for the psychological and relational well-being of same-sex couples. Thus, the health of same-sex couples may be of particular concern in contexts where marriage policy decisions are pending and the subject of popular debate.
SAT-based analysis of sensitisable paths

Manufacturing defects in nanoscale technologies have highly complex timing behaviour that is also affected by process variations. While conventional wisdom suggests that it is optimal to detect a delay defect through the longest sensitisable path, non-trivial defect behaviour along with modelling inaccuracies necessitate consideration of paths of well-controlled length during test generation. We present a generic methodology that yields tests through all sensitisable paths of user-specified length. The resulting tests can be employed within the framework of adaptive testing. The methodology is based on encoding the problem as a Boolean-satisfiability (SAT) instance and thereby leverages recent advances in SAT-solving technology.
In Vivo Evidence for Lactate as a Neuronal Energy Source

Cerebral energy metabolism is a highly compartmentalized and complex process in which transcellular trafficking of metabolites plays a pivotal role. Over the past decade, a role for lactate in fueling the energetic requirements of neurons has emerged. Furthermore, a neuroprotective effect of lactate during hypoglycemia or cerebral ischemia has been reported. The majority of the current evidence concerning lactate metabolism at the cellular level is based on in vitro data; only a few recent in vivo results have demonstrated that the brain preferentially utilizes lactate over glucose. Using voltage-sensitive dye (VSD) imaging, beta-probe measurements of radiotracer kinetics, and brain activation by sensory stimulation in the anesthetized rat, we investigated several aspects of cerebral lactate metabolism. The present study is the first in vivo demonstration of the maintenance of neuronal activity in the presence of lactate as the primary energy source. The loss of the voltage-sensitive dye signal found during severe insulin-induced hypoglycemia is completely prevented by lactate infusion. Thus, lactate has a direct neuroprotective effect. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the brain readily oxidizes lactate in an activity-dependent manner. The washout of 1-[11C]l-lactate, reflecting cerebral lactate oxidation, was observed to increase during brain activation from 0.077 ± 0.009 to 0.105 ± 0.007 min−1. Finally, our data confirm that the brain prefers lactate over glucose as an energy substrate when both substrates are available. Using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to measure the local cerebral metabolic rate of glucose, we demonstrated a lactate concentration-dependent reduction of cerebral glucose utilization during experimentally increased plasma lactate levels.
Personality and cognitive findings among patients electing gastroplasty for morbid obesity

This study examined the personality and cognitive characteristics of morbidly obese patients seeking gastroplasty. Rather than seeking "modal" psychological characteristics for the group as a whole, this investigation attempted to identify potentially relevant sources of variability that might serve as psychological markers for later identifying patients at risk for poor surgical outcome. Results indicate that while the patients share many life concerns and normal-range personality characteristics, they are quite heterogenous in terms of psychopatholo gical features, with 72% of the patients falling into one of three modal personality types on the MMPI. Cognitively, the patients' general intellectual abilities were normally distributed, and a substantial portion of the sample evidenced significant deficits in new concept formation and capacity to follow sequential procedures in a prescribed manner, abilities that seem, at face value, to be related to issues of compliance and ability to make lifestyle changes. The possibility of generating multivariate templates associated with different surgical outcomes from this data is discussed.
GROUP GOAL SETTING IN AGE-DIVERSE TEAMS: INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF GOAL CLARITY AND REFLEXIVITY

In a sample of 43 teams, the present study examines goal clarity as a mediator of the relationship between age diversity and team performance. As hypothesized, more age-diverse groups did not obtain high levels of goal clarity, and consequently performed worse than less age-diverse groups. Results further show that team reflexivity moderates the relationship between age diversity and goal clarity, such that the inverse relationship between age diversity and goal clarity will be weaker for teams high on reflexivity, than for teams low on reflexivity. Contrary to expectations, we did not find support for the hypothesized moderated mediation model, as the moderating effect of team reflexivity was not carried all the way through the mediating relationship to affect team performance. Overall, this study highlights the importance of examining the impact of diversity on the group goal setting process and the boundary conditions that impact this relationship.
Studies of the epidemiology and risk factors involved in the pathogenesis of congenital chondrodystrophy of unknown origin in Australian beef herds

Introduction: A congenital chondrodystrophy of unknown aetiology (CCUO) has been reported among cattle herds in southern Australia. The disorder is characterised by skeletal deformities resulting from inappropriate longitudinal growth (endochondral ossification) of bones causing disproportionate dwarfism. Similar disorders reported in other parts of the world have been contributed to maternal NUTRITIONal deficiency, but a cause has never been determined. In Australia, the disorder has occurred sporadically and appears to be associated with drought. Climatic conditions over the past 7 years have seen an increase in the reporting of affected calves with some producers experiencing significant losses with over 50% of calves affected.
The International Journal of Biostatistics Two-Sample Tests of Area-Under-the-Curve in the Presence of Missing Data

The commonly used two-sample tests of equal area-under-the-curve (AUC), where AUC is based on the linear trapezoidal rule, may have poor properties when observations are missing, even if they are missing completely at random (MCAR). We propose two tests: one that has good properties when data are MCAR and another that has good properties when the data are missing at random (MAR), provided that the pattern of missingness is monotonic. In addition, we discuss other non-parametric tests of hypotheses that are similar, but not identical, to the hypothesis of equal AUCs, but that often have better statistical properties than do AUC tests and may be more scientifically appropriate for many settings.
Subclinical Left Ventricular Dysfunction and Silent Cerebrovascular Disease: The Cardiovascular Abnormalities and Brain Lesions (CABL) Study

Background— Silent brain infarcts (SBIs) and white matter hyperintensities are subclinical cerebrovascular lesions associated with incident stroke and cognitive decline. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a predictor of stroke in patients with heart failure, but its association with subclinical brain disease in the general population is unknown. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) can detect subclinical cardiac dysfunction even when LVEF is normal. We investigated the relationship of LVEF and GLS with subclinical brain disease in a community-based cohort. Methods and Results— LVEF and GLS were assessed by 2-dimensional and speckle-tracking echocardiography in 439 participants free of stroke and cardiac disease from the Cardiovascular Abnormalities and Brain Lesions (CABL) study. SBIs and white matter hyperintensities were assessed by brain MRI. Mean age of the study population was 69±10 years, 61% were women, LVEF was 63.8±6.4%, GLS was −17.1±3.0%. SBIs were detected in 53 participants (12%), white matter hyperintensity volume was 0.63±0.86%. GLS was significantly lower in participants with SBI versus those without (−15.7±3.5% versus −17.3±2.9%, P<0.01), whereas no difference in LVEF was observed (63.3±8.6% versus 63.8±6.0%, P=0.60). In multivariate analysis, lower GLS was associated with SBI (odds ratio/unit decrease=1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.33; P<0.01), whereas LVEF was not (odds ratio/unit increase=1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.96–1.05; P=0.98). Lower GLS was associated with greater white matter hyperintensity volume (adjusted &bgr;=0.11, P<0.05), unlike LVEF (adjusted &bgr;=−0.04, P=0.42). Conclusions— Lower GLS was independently associated with subclinical brain disease in a community-based cohort without overt cardiac disease. GLS can provide additional information on cerebrovascular risk burden beyond LVEF assessment.
Analysis of Encoding Degradation in Spiking Sensors Due to Spike Delay Variation

Spiking sensors such as the silicon retina and cochlea encode analog signals into massively parallel asynchronous spike train output where the information is contained in the precise spike timing. The variation of the spike timing that arises from spike transmission degrades signal encoding quality. Using the signal-to-distortion ratio (SDR) metric with nonlinear spike train decoding based on frame theory, two particular sources of delay variation including comparison delay <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{\mathbf {DC}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and queueing delay <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{\mathbf {DQ}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> are evaluated on two encoding mechanisms which have been used for implementations of silicon array spiking sensors: asynchronous delta modulation and self-timed reset. As specific examples, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{\mathbf {DC}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is obtained from a 2T current-mode comparator, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{\mathbf {DQ}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is obtained from an M/D/1 queue for 1-D sensors like the silicon cochlea and an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text {M}^{\mathrm {\mathbf {X}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/D/1 queue for 2-D sensors like the silicon retina. Quantitative relations between the SDR and the circuit and system parameters of spiking sensors are established. The analysis method presented in this work will be useful for future specifications-guided designs of spiking sensors.
Quality measurement of android messaging application based on user experience in Microblog

There are many options of android messaging application which give opportunity to user in order to choose which one as best or famous android messaging application and make it become suitable for them. Usually, people used to look at the information about best or famous android messaging application by texting in search engine such as google and get some link information from user/blogger reviews, and based on that reviews they will make decisions which one as suitable for them. We proposed the other way how to measure the quality of each android messaging application based on user experience which they text in Microblog such as Twitter. The unstructured data in the Microblog will be processed with 2 operators for sentiment analysis method in RapidMiner such as AYLIEN and ROSETTE. AYLIEN sentiment analysis has 3 categories such as positive, negative, and neutral, whilst ROSETTE sentiment analysis has 2 categories such as positive and negative sentiments. Finally, the finding sentiment analysis with these 2 operators will be compared with PlayStore review.
Cross‐curricular competencies of student teachers: a selection model based on assessment centre admission tests and study success after the first year of teacher training

There has been increasing interest in assessing teachers’ cross‐curricular competencies as a result of reforms in teacher education in Switzerland. At Zurich University of Teacher Education, future students who do not have formal qualifications are required to pass several examinations and a test, which is known as an ‘assessment centre’. The goal of the assessment centre is to match students’ individual competencies and interests with the university requirements. The predictive validity of the underlying selection model of competencies is currently being evaluated in a longitudinal study. This study, so far, has indicated that student teachers with high assessment centre ratings were not only more likely to be successful in their teaching profession after their first year of study but were also seen as suitable teachers by their mentors after their first year of teaching activity. Major findings in the study certify the selection model as a valid instrument of competency assessment in the case of beginning student teachers while also endorsing professionalisation as it clearly reflects teacher‐training standards.
Effects of Noise Pollution on Anxiety Level in

Studies show that there is association between noise pollution and psychological diseases in crowded areas. The main aim of this study was to determine the effects of noise pollution on anxiety levels in rat. In our study male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control, and groups exposed to 1 h and 2h/day noise pollution of 5 rats in each. Anxiety level was measured in animals using elevated plus maze. Data were statistically analyzed and compared between groups using ANOVA. The results indicated that anxiety level was increased in rats exposed to noise pollution for 2h/days compared to control rats Our findings show that noise pollution can enhance anxiety level.
ASSESSING LEARNING STYLES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING PROGRAMS: A PILOT STUDY

Why are many community college students unable to exit remedial college preparation programs and advance into credit courses? Many educators have grappled with this question for years. While many fads and new techniques have been tried, few have been successful, except for learning styles, a research-based approach that has demonstrated statistically significant results. Learning styles refer to the way students concentrate on, process, internalize, and recall new and difficult information. Most people have learning-style preferences, but individual preferences differ significantly and the stronger the preference, the more important it is to provide compatible instructional strategies, especially among less academically successful students whose preferences may be quite different from successful students. With this in mind, two experiments were conducted at an urban community college experiencing difficulty getting remedial students to pass the ACT Writing Skills Test. In both experiments, the majority of students passed the standardized test and improved their scores significantly.
Ethnomuse: Archiving folk music and dance culture

The paper presents the development of EthnoMuse: multimedia digital library of Slovenian folk music and dance culture. The main scope of the project concerns the digitization of production and post-production processes that relate to collecting, documenting and archiving of folk heritage and development of multimedia applications for various content types (folk song, music and dance) and formats (image, audio, video, notation, MIDI etc.). The main objective of this paper is to discuss the former, focusing on the conceptual design of a flexible data model the archive is based on. We also briefly describe the tools developed to support the workflow of researchers involved in collecting and archiving of folk music related contents.
Partenariat, vassalité, marché et seigneurie : 4 configurations de contrôle client-fournisseur

L’article presente les resultats d’une recherche sur le controle client-fournisseur en milieu industriel a partir de six etudes de cas. Quatre configurations de controle sont proposees en fonction de l’environnement achat des entreprises clientes. Pour chaque configuration, une organisation interne (structure achat et controle des acheteurs) et un controle sur les fournisseurs sont presentes. L’etude revele egalement la coexistence de plusieurs modes de controle client-fournisseur pour une meme configuration.
Specific haplotypes of the RET proto-oncogene are over-represented in patients with sporadic papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), which may be sporadic (95%) or familial (5%), has a prevalence adjusted for age in the general population of 1:100 000. Somatic rearrangements of the RET proto-oncogene are present in up to 66% of sporadic tumours, while they are rarely found in familial cases. Purpose: In order to determine if some variants of this gene, or a combination of them, might predispose to PTC, we looked for an association of RET haplotype(s) in PTC cases and in controls from four countries matched for sex, age, and population. Methods: Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the RET coding sequence were typed and haplotype frequencies were estimated. Genotype and haplotype distributions were compared among these cases and controls. Results: Ten haplotypes were observed, the seven most frequent of which have been previously described in sporadic Hirschsprung patients and controls. The single locus analyses suggested association of exon 2 and exon 13 SNPs with sporadic PTC. The haplotype analysis showed over-representation of one haplotype in French and Italian sporadic PTC, whereas a different haplotype was significantly under-represented in French familial PTC. Conclusions: Our data suggest that some variants of RET and some specific haplotypes may act as low penetrance alleles in the predisposition to PTC.
Measuring What Works: An Impact Evaluation of Women’s Groups on Maternal Health Uptake in Rural Nepal

Background There is a need for studies evaluating maternal health interventions in low-income countries. This paper evaluates one such intervention designed to promote maternal health among rural women in Nepal. Methods and Results This was a five-year controlled, non-randomised, repeated cross-sectional study (2007, 2010, 2012) of a participatory community-based maternal health promotion intervention focusing on women’s groups to improve maternal health services uptake. In total 1,236 women of childbearing age, who had their last child ≤ two years ago, were interviewed. Difference-in-Difference estimation assessed the effects of the intervention on selected outcome variables while controlling for a constructed wealth index and women’s characteristics. In the first three years (from 2007 to the 2010), the intervention increased women’s likelihood of attending for antenatal care at least once during pregnancy by seven times [OR = 7.0, 95%CI (2.3; 21.4)], of taking iron and folic acid by three times [OR = 3.0, 95%CI (1.2; 7.8)], and of seeking four or more antenatal care visits of two times, although not significantly [OR = 2.2, 95%CI (1.0; 4.7)]. Over five years, women were more likely to seek antenatal care at least once [OR = 3.0, 95%CI (1.5; 5.2)], to take iron/folic acid [OR = 1.9, [95% CI (1.1; 3.2)], and to attend postnatal care [OR = 1.5, [95% CI (1.1; 2.2)]. No improvement was found on attending antenatal care in the first trimester, birthing at an institution or with a skilled birth attendant. Conclusion Community-based health promotion has a much stronger effect on the uptake of antenatal care and less on delivery care. Other factors not easily resolved through health promotion interventions may influence these outcomes, such as costs or geographical constraints. The evaluation has implications for policy and practice in public health, especially maternal health promotion.
Towards A Shared Public Electronic Services Framework

Government is an urgent topic for developing countries. In Egypt and after the latest political, societal and economic changes over the last three years, it is becoming a critical issue for economic and sustainable development. In this paper, we enunciate the need for a shared public services framework for e-government in Egypt. Furthermore, we discuss the different aspects that need to be considered by such a framework.
Low-molecular-weight heparin as bridging anticoagulation during interruption of warfarin: assessment of a standardized periprocedural anticoagulation regimen.

BACKGROUND The treatment of patients at increased risk for arterial thromboembolism who require temporary interruption of warfarin sodium therapy is a common clinical problem. We investigated the efficacy and safety of a standardized periprocedural anticoagulation regimen with low-molecular-weight heparin. METHODS We studied 650 consecutive patients with a mechanical heart valve, chronic atrial fibrillation, or embolic stroke who required interruption of warfarin therapy because of an invasive procedure. Warfarin was stopped 5 or 6 days before the procedure, and patients received subcutaneous dalteparin sodium, 100 IU/kg twice daily, starting 3 days before the procedure. The risk of postprocedural bleeding determined postprocedural anticoagulant management. In patients undergoing a non-high-bleeding-risk procedure who had adequate postprocedural hemostasis, warfarin was resumed on the evening of the procedure, and dalteparin sodium, 100 IU/kg twice daily, was resumed on the next day and continued until the international normalized ratio was 2.0 or more. If postprocedural hemostasis was not secured, the resumption of dalteparin was delayed. In patients undergoing a high-bleeding-risk procedure, warfarin was resumed on the evening of the procedure, but dalteparin was not given after the procedure. RESULTS Patients were followed up during the preprocedural and postprocedural period for a mean of 13.8 days (range, 10-18 days). In 542 patients who underwent a non-high-bleeding-risk procedure, there were 2 thromboembolic events (0.4%), 4 major bleeding episodes (0.7%), and 32 episodes of increased wound-related blood loss that precluded postprocedural dalteparin administration (5.9%). In 108 patients who underwent a high-bleeding-risk procedure, there were 2 deaths (1.8%) possibly due to thromboembolism and 2 major bleeding episodes (1.8%). CONCLUSIONS In patients at increased risk for arterial thromboembolism who require temporary interruption of warfarin therapy, a standardized periprocedural anticoagulant regimen with low-molecular-weight heparin is associated with a low risk of thromboembolic and major bleeding complications.