Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Noise exposure and hearing loss among student employees working in university entertainment venues.

OBJECTIVES Most studies to date on sound levels in entertainment establishments have concentrated on exposure levels for the attending public, rather than employees who may be at greater risk of hearing loss. Of particular concern are young employees. The aim of this pilot study was to (i) estimate typical sound levels in different areas where amplified music was played, (ii) measure temporary threshold shift (TTS) and (iii) estimate the dependence of hearing threshold shifts on measured noise levels. METHODS This study focused on students working part-time (up to 16 h/week) in music bars and discotheques in a university entertainment venue. All 28 staff were invited to participate in the study. Pre- and post-exposure audiometry was used to determine hearing threshold at both high and low frequencies. Personal dosemeters and static measurements were made to assess noise levels and frequency characteristics. A questionnaire was used to determine patterns of noise exposure and attitudes to noise levels and hearing loss. RESULTS Of the 28 student employees working in the three areas, 14 (50%) agreed to take part in the study, giving 21 pre- and post-shift audiograms. The mean personal exposure levels for security staff were higher than those of bar staff, with both groups exceeding 90 dB(A). The maximum peak pressure reading for security staff was 124 dB. Although TTS values were moderate, they were found to be highly significant at both low and high frequencies and for both ears. Twenty-nine per cent of subjects showed permanent hearing loss of more than 30 dB at either low or high frequencies. The correlation between TTS and personal exposure was higher at 4 kHz than the low and high frequencies. CONCLUSIONS Contemporary music may be an important yet little considered contributor to total personal noise exposure, especially amongst young employees. Employees need to be better informed of risks of hearing loss and the need to report changes in hearing acuity. Suggestions are made on strategies for improving the assessment of noise exposure in entertainment venues.
P300 change and cognitive behavioral therapy in subjects with Internet addiction disorder: A 3-month follow-up study

Event-related potential studies of cognitive function in addiction behaviors have focused on the P300 event-related potential component. The current study investigated the association between P300 component and Internet addiction disorder. We found that individuals with Internet addiction disorder exhibited significantly longer P300 latencies than controls (N2: P = 0.035; P3a: P = 0.031; P3b: P = 0.043) and similar P300 amplitudes compared to control participants. After 3 months of cognitive behavioral therapy, P300 latencies decreased significantly in the P3a and P3b (P3a: P = 0.045; P3b: P = 0.062). These results suggest that deficits in cognitive function may be involved in Internet addiction disorder, and that clinical psychological treatment may be effective.
Ethnic Identity, Perceived Social Support, and Posttraumatic Growth Following Loss: Quantitative and Qualitative Findings from a University Sample

Individuals across cultures can experience both negative and positive outcomes following loss and trauma. Social support and group identity have been found to promote growth following trauma while reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms. Guided by Calhoun and Tedeschi’s (2006) conceptualization of posttraumatic growth and the influence of one’s ethnic group on growth, the present study aimed to expand previous research by examining the impact of ethnic identity and receiving social support from members of one’s ethnic group on posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic stress symptoms following the loss of an important relationship. University students (N = 183) who had experienced a recent relationship loss completed self-report measures of posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress disorder, ethnic identity, and social support received separately from members of their ethnic group and their general social network. Additionally, participants commented on how their ethnic group helped and hindered their recovery following the loss. Initial results indicated that ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity commitment were positively correlated with posttraumatic growth. When controlling for important covariates, such as ethnicity and type of loss, ethnic identity exploration remained a significant predictor of growth, but the influence of ethnic identity commitment was no longer significant. It was further hypothesized that social support from one’s ethnic group would be a more important predictor of growth than general support. Findings did not support this hypothesis. Finally, as hypothesized, social support from one’s ethnic group partially mediated the relation between ethnic identity commitment and posttraumatic growth following loss. Qualitative findings highlighted the primary role of ethnic group members in the recovery process through opportunities
New Labour, New Language?

[][1] Norman Fairclough Routledge, £9.99, pp 178 ISBN 0 415 21827 6 Rating: ! [Graphic][2] ! [Graphic][3] ! [Graphic][4] ! [Graphic][5] “I can suck melancholy out of a song,” says Shakespeare's Jaques, “as a weasel sucks eggs. ” Hence the phrase “weasel words,” coined for political purposes in the United States at the end of the 19th century and used (most famously by Theodore Roosevelt, criticising President Woodrow Wilson) to describe rhetoric that sounds as if it has substance but is actually empty of specific meaning, or is at best ambiguous and vague. All competent politicians know, often purely instinctively, how to coin weasel words, or at least how to use them. But none is as good at it as Tony Blair and “new Labour,” according to Norman Fairclough in this penetrating disquisition, refreshingly free of sociolinguistic jargon and bolstered by linguistic evidence and analysis. Some short words make superb weasels. Like “we. ” Not much ambiguity there, you might think. But “we” … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [4]: /embed/inline-graphic-3.gif [5]: /embed/inline-graphic-4.gif
A narrative review of the safety concerns of deprescribing in older adults and strategies to mitigate potential harms

ABSTRACT Introduction: As with prescribing or continuing medications, deprescribing brings with it the potential for harm as well as benefit. Uncertainty and avoidance of harm has been reported as a barrier to deprescribing in practice and may contribute to continuation of inappropriate medications. Areas covered: This narrative review covers four main safety concerns/potential harms of deprescribing in older adults: adverse drug withdrawal events, return of medical condition(s), reversal of drug-drug interactions and damage to the doctor-patient relationship. These are discussed in relation to medications in general, with some examples of medication classes used to illustrate the potential safety concerns. The majority of these harms can be minimized or even prevented by using a patient-centered, structured deprescribing process with planning, tapering and close monitoring during, and after medication withdrawal. Expert opinion: More research is needed into the safety concerns of deprescribing, however, avenues exist during drug development and post-marketing surveillance to gain knowledge on this topic. Questions remain about when it is suitable to discontinue certain medications/medication classes and there is uncertainty about the harms and benefits of both medication continuation and discontinuation in complex older adults.
Intensity‐dependent timing and precision of startle response latency in larval zebrafish

Using high‐speed videos time‐locked with whole‐animal electrical recordings, simultaneous measurement of behavioural kinematics and field potential parameters of C‐start startle responses allowed for discrimination between short‐latency and long‐latency C‐starts (SLCs vs. LLCs) in larval zebrafish. Apart from their latencies, SLC kinematics and SLC field potential parameters were intensity independent. Increasing stimulus intensity increased the probability of evoking an SLC and decreased mean SLC latencies while increasing their precision; subtraction of field potential latencies from SLC latencies revealed a fixed time delay between the two measurements that was intensity independent. The latency and the precision in the latency of the SLC field potentials were linearly correlated to the latencies and precision of the first evoked action potentials (spikes) in hair‐cell afferent neurons of the lateral line. Together, these findings indicate that first spike latency (FSL) is a fast encoding mechanism that can serve to precisely initiate startle responses when speed is critical for survival.
Cerebral Sinus Thrombosis: A Fatal Neurological Complication of Ulcerative Colitis

Cerebral sinus thrombosis has been reported as an uncommon complication of ulcerative colitis (UC), occurring in up to 7.5% of cases. It is suspected to be a consequence of genetic predisposition and the hypercoagulable state occurring during disease relapse. We report a case of a 23-year-old male patient with one-year history of UC. He presented to the Emergency Room with left-sided progressive hemiparesis, numbness, hemiparesthesia, and pain, which followed a recent exacerbation of UC. The patient died 3 days after admission and an autopsy revealed superior and inferior sagittal sinus and cortical vein thrombosis with associated cerebral edema, hemorrhagic infarction, and herniation. The gastrointestinal tract had continuous cobblestone appearance extending from rectum to cecum, with hemorrhage and ulceration, consistent with active UC. Awareness of this rare complication of UC can contribute to early recognition and attempts at treatment of this serious and often fatal condition.
The Second Shift: Working Parents And The Revolution

In this landmark study, sociologist Arlie Hochschild takes us into the homes of two-career parents to observe what really goes on at the end of the "work day. " Overwhelmingly, she discovers, it's the working mother who takes on the second shift. Hochschild finds that men share housework equally with their wives in only twenty percent of dual-career families. While many women accept this inequity in order to keep peace, they tend to suffer from chronic exhaustion, low sex drive, and more frequent illness as a result. The ultimate cost is the forfeited health and happiness of both partners, and often the survival of the marriage itself.
Video Imaging to Assess Neuromuscular Blockade at the Larynx

We describe video imaging as a technique for assessing neuromuscular blockade at the larynx. We sought to determine the stability and reproducibility of this technique and to compare the effect of succinylcholine at the adductor pollicis and the larynx. Ten patients were studied. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with propofol. The recurrent laryngeal nerve was stimulated superficially and movements of the vocal cords were recorded on videotape by using a fiberoptic bronchoscope passed via a laryngeal mask airway. Neuromuscular function was recorded at the adductor pollicis by using a mechanomyograph. Twenty images of the vocal cords were examined repeatedly by one investigator and by ten independent observers. The mean difference between the two sets of observations was 0.86 degrees with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.997. For 3 min before the administration of relaxant the coefficient of variation in the cord movement during supramaximal stimulation ranged from 1%–4% (median 2.7%). After the administration of succinylcholine 1 mg · kg−1 the times to loss of T1 at the larynx and hand were 63 ± 15 s and 63 ± 12 s respectively. Times to 25% recovery were 215 ± 36 s at the larynx and 436 ± 74 s at the hand and times to 75% recovery were 285 ± 55 s and 525 ± 85 s respectively. These results indicate that video imaging may be a useful research technique for estimating neuromuscular blockade at the larynx and that the time to onset of succinylcholine at the larynx is similar to that at the hand, whereas the duration of blockade is significantly shorter at the larynx. Implications Assessment of neuromuscular blockade at the larynx is possible by using a video imaging technique. By using this technique, the time to onset of neuromuscular blockade at the larynx is similar to that at the hand after the administration of succinylcholine; this finding is different from previously published data obtained by using a cuff pressure measurement technique.
Sekentei and family caregiving of elders among Japanese : development and evaluation of the sekentei scale

This study describes the development of a measure for assessing sekentei. The concept of sekentei is peculiar to the culture of Japan. Translated, sekentei is defined as social appearance that causes an individual to worry about others' observations and evaluations of his or her behavior. It is believed that sekentei prevents Japanese family caregivers of elders from utilizing needed social services. Although sekentei may be a major factor influencing caregiving burden and stress resulting from avoidance of social services among Japanese family caregivers, little attention has been given to empirically studying the construct of sekentei. Due to the importance of this construct in understanding underutilization of social services among Japanese family caregivers, the purpose of this study was to develop a measure of sekentei and to evaluate the psychometric properties of this new measure. There were five phases in this study. Phase I consisted of item generation based on a thorough review of the Japanese literature on sekentei. Phase 2 consisted of item selection and refinement using seven America-educated Japanese cultural experts. Phase 3 consisted of item translation using back translation procedures to achieve linguistic equivalence of the Japanese and English versions of the Sekentei Scale. Phase 4 consisted of a pilot study in which five Japanese national and three Caucasian American caregivers completed the Sekentei Scale and provided suggestions for correcting ambiguity or lack of clarity in item-wording. Phase 5 consisted of a psychometric evaluation of the Sekentei Scale. Internal consistency reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha and by examining item-total correlations. Validity was evaluated by examining (a) the extent to which sekentei varies between Japanese nationals and
Immunohistochemical status of the p53 protein and Ki-67 antigen using biopsied specimens can predict a sensitivity to neoadjuvant therapy in patients with esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The prediction of an effective adjuvant therapy is essential in order to increase the number of esophageal cancer cases demonstrating an excellent response. Correlation of the immunohistochemical expression of p53 protein and Ki-67 antigen were studied using biopsied specimens of advanced esophageal cancer. The combined staining status of both can help predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with esophageal cancer. METHODOLOGY The overexpression of p53 protein and the Ki-67 labeling percentage were immunohistochemically investigated in 95 biopsied specimens of advanced esophageal carcinoma resected between 1988 and 1996. All patients preoperatively received 1 course of either chemoradiotherapy or hyperthermo-chemoradiotherapy. RESULTS Thirty-nine specimens were positive for p53 protein staining (41.1%), and the treatment modalities were histopathologically effective in 71.8% of these 39 patients (28/39), while the efficiency rate was 58.9% (33/56) in patients with p53(-). On the other hand, the efficiency rate of patients with a high Ki-67 labeling percentage (> or = 30%) was 73.9%, which was significantly higher than that of those with a low Ki-67 labeling percentage (< 30%) (38.5%, P = 0.0013). The efficacy rate of the patients with both a high Ki-67 labeling percentage and p53(+) was 80%, while that of the patients with a low Ki-67 labeling percentage and p53(-) was only 35.3% (P = 0.0098). The combination of a high Ki-67 labeling percentage and p53(-) particularly showed a high sensitivity to hyperthermo-chemoradiotherapy since the efficiency rate of these patients with hyperthermo-chemoradiotherapy was 81.5%, while the rate for those with chemoradiotherapy was 41.7% (P = 0.0129). CONCLUSIONS An immunohistochemical analysis of p53 and the Ki-67 labeling percentage using biopsied specimens was thus found to effectively predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapies in patients with esophageal cancer.
MS-00251-2007 Electronic Companion – Fluid Models for Overloaded Multi-Class Many-Server Queueing Systems with FCFS Routing

1. Transient Dynamics of the Fluid Model We discuss the transient dynamics of the fluid model, thus elaborating on Conjecture 1 of the main paper. We assume we are given transient routing flow rates for the model and specify dynamics in terms of these flow rates. This section closely follows the discussion of transient dynamics of the single-class single-pool fluid model given in Whitt (2006). We can think of Bi,j(t, y) as the amount of class i fluid in service in service pool j at time t that has been in service for time less than or equal to y, and Qi(t, y) as the amount of class i fluid in queue at time t that has been in queue for time less than or equal to y. As stated in Conjecture 1 in the main paper, we assume that these functions are continuous with respect to y. We further stipulate that they should have densities b and q:
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Synovial Proliferation in Temporomandibular Disorders with Pain

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the clinical significance of synovial proliferation in patients with painful temporomandibular disorders based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. Methods: The current study was conducted in 100 joints of 100 patients with unilateral painful temporomandibular disorders. One hundred joints on the contralateral side of patients with unilateral disease were used as nonpain group. Areas in the articular space that showed a low signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging, a high signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging, and high signal intensity on gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted imaging were judged to be regions of synovial proliferation. Results: Synovial proliferation alone was observed in 8.0% of the pain group, but in none of the nonpain group. Synovial proliferation + effusion was observed in 33.0% of the pain group and in 7.0% of the nonpain group. Effusion alone was observed in 7.0% of the pain group and in 3.0% of the nonpain group. The mean visual analog scale value of pain was in the order of synovial proliferation alone > synovial proliferation + effusion > effusion alone. The incidence rates of anterior displacement of the disk were 100% for synovial proliferation alone, 93.9% for synovial proliferation + effusion, 57.1% for effusion alone, and 57.7% for “without synovial proliferation/effusion. ” Conclusions: Strong correlations were observed between synovial proliferation, pain, and disk displacement. It is considered that evaluating effusion alone provides only limited information on the disease state in painful temporomandibular disorders. Thus, it is essential to include enhanced T1-weighted imaging as a means to judge the disease state as well as to assess disease progression.
Modelling collective motion in animals and the impact of underlying social networks

Nature is rich with examples of the collective motion of animal groups, such as flocks of birds or shoals of fish. The mechanisms of self-organization resulting in these spectacular phenomena have received wide attention. Individual-based models are a popular and promising approach to investigate and explain features of animal collective motion. The first part of this thesis gradually develops a novel modelling framework for the collective motion of animals and justifies it by comparison to empirical findings. Key aspects of the model are stochastic asynchronous updates and sensory zone sampling of individuals. Higher updating frequencies are related to increased levels of perceived threat and reduced stochastic effects leading to synchronisation in moving groups. Sensory zone sampling, biased according to the distance between individuals, provides a possible mechanism for the empirical finding that animals on average only interact with a fixed number of nearest neighbours. Many group-living animals show social preferences for relatives, familiar conspecifics or individuals of similar attributes, such as size. How such preferences could affect the collective motion of animal groups has been rather unexplored. The second part of this thesis reviews previous theoretical work that combines the concepts of social networks and collective motion. Although many of the models reviewed have not been explored with ecology in mind, they present a current context in which a biologically relevant theory can be developed. The modelling framework from the first part is extended to include social connections as preferential reactions between individuals. This is used to show that the structure of social networks could influence the cohesion of groups, the spatial position of individuals within groups and the hierarchical dynamics within such groups. This thesis aims to contribute possible mechanisms, testable hypotheses and an informed starting point for future research on how social networks could affect animal group movement.
An environmental scan of academic pediatric emergency medicine at Canadian medical schools: Identifying variability across Canada.

OBJECTIVE To complement our environmental scan of academic emergency medicine departments, we conducted a similar environmental scan of the academic pediatric emergency medicine programs offered by the Canadian medical schools. METHODS We developed an 88-question form, which was distributed to pediatric academic leaders at each medical school. The responses were validated via email to ensure that the questions were answered completely and consistently. RESULTS Fourteen of the 17 Canadian medical schools have some type of pediatric emergency medicine academic program. None of the pediatric emergency medicine units have full departmental status, while nine are divisions, two are sections, and three have no status. Canadian academic pediatric emergency medicine is practised at 13 major teaching hospitals and one specialized pediatric emergency department. There are 394 pediatric emergency medicine faculty members, including 13 full professors and 64 associate professors. Eight sites regularly take pediatric undergraduate clinical clerks, and all 14 provide resident education. Fellowship training is offered at 10 sites, with five offering advanced pediatric emergency medicine fellowship training. Half of the sites have at least one physician with a Master's degree in education, totalling 18 faculty members across Canada. There are 31 clinical researchers with salary support at nine universities. Eleven sites have published peer-reviewed papers (n=423) in the past five years, ranging from two to 102 per site. Annual academic budgets range from $10,000 to $2,607,515. CONCLUSIONS This comprehensive review of academic activities in pediatric emergency medicine across Canada identifies the variability across the country, including the recognition of sites above and below the national average, which may prompt change at individual sites. Sharing these academic practices may inspire sites to provide more support to teachers, educators, and researchers.