Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Burden of Heat-Related Illness and Death within the Florida Population

The failure of the human body to thermoregulate can lead to severe outcomes (e.g., death) and lasting physiological damage. However, heat-related illness (HRI) is highly preventable via individual- and community-level modification. A thorough understanding of the burden is necessary for effective intervention. This paper describes the burden of severe HRI morbidity and mortality among residents of a humid subtropical climate. Work-related and non-work-related HRI emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths among Florida residents during May to October (2005–2012) were examined. Sub-groups susceptible to HRI were identified. The age-adjusted rates/100,000 person-years for non-work-related HRI were 33.1 ED visits, 5.9 hospitalizations, and 0.2 deaths, while for work-related HRI/100,000 worker-years there were 8.5 ED visits, 1.1 hospitalizations, and 0.1 deaths. The rates of HRI varied by county, data source, and work-related status, with the highest rates observed in the panhandle and south central Florida. The sub-groups with the highest relative rates regardless of data source or work-relatedness were males, minorities, and rural residents. Those aged 15–35 years had the highest ED visit rates, while for non-work-related hospitalizations and deaths the rates increased with age. The results of this study can be used for targeted interventions and evaluating changes in the HRI burden over time.
The impact of lifetime alcohol use on hepatitis C treatment outcomes in privately insured members of an integrated health care plan

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection (HCV+) has historically been shown to be less effective in patients with a heavy drinking history. The effect of moderate and heavy alcohol use on treatment with pegylated interferon‐alpha and ribavirin (P/R) in an insured household population has not been previously reported. We investigated the effect of alcohol on treatment outcome in a cohort of 421 treatment‐naïve HCV+ patients, members of an integrated health care plan treated with P/R between January 2002 and June 2008. A detailed drinking history was obtained for 259 (61.5%) eligible patients. Regular drinking was reported by 93.1% of patients before HCV diagnosis, by 30.9% between HCV diagnosis and treatment, by 1.9% during treatment, and 11.6% after the end of treatment. Heavy drinking patterns were reported by 67.9%, 63.5% of patients drank more than 100 kg of ethanol before initiating HCV treatment, and 29.3% reported abstaining less than the required 6 months before treatment. Despite these reports of heavy drinking, sustained virological responses (SVRs) were obtained in 80.2% of patients with HCV genotypes 2 or 3 and 45.1% of patients with genotypes 1, 4, or 6. Pretreatment drinking patterns and total alcohol intake were both unrelated to SVR rates. Abstaining less than 6 months before treatment was related to lower SVR rates in moderate, but not heavy, drinkers. HCV treatment relapse was unrelated to drinking after treatment ended. Conclusion: The amount of alcohol consumed before HCV treatment did not have a negative effect on treatment outcomes in our population. A history of heavy drinking should not be considered a deterrent to HCV treatment in members of an integrated health care plan who are closely monitored. (HEPATOLOGY 2012)
Refinement of the sphere-packing bound

We provide a refinement of the sphere-packing bound for constant composition codes over discrete memoryless channels that improves the pre-factor in front of the exponential term. The order of our pre-factor is O(N<sup>-1/2(1+ρ*R)</sup>), where ρ*<sub>R</sub> is related to the slope of the sphere-packing exponent and N is the blocklength.
Children’s Physical Activity Behavior during School Recess: A Pilot Study Using GPS, Accelerometer, Participant Observation, and Go-Along Interview

Schoolyards are recognized as important settings for physical activity interventions during recess. However, varying results have been reported. This pilot study was conducted to gain in-depth knowledge of children’s physical activity behavior during recess using a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative GPS and accelerometer measurements with qualitative go-along group interviews and participant observations. Data were collected during three weekdays in a public school in Denmark. Eighty-one children (47 girls) wore an accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X) and GPS (QStarz BT-Q1000xt), sixteen children participated in go-along group interviews, and recess behavior was observed using an ethnographical participant observation approach. All data were analyzed separated systematically answering the Five W Questions. Children were categorized into Low, Middle and High physical activity groups and these groups were predominantly staying in three different locations during recess: school building, schoolyard and field, respectively. Mostly girls were in the building remaining in there because of a perceived lack of attractive outdoor play facilities. The children in the schoolyard were predominantly girls who preferred the schoolyard over the field to avoid the competitive soccer games on the field whereas boys dominated the field playing soccer. Using a mixed-methods approach to investigate children’s physical activity behavior during recess helped gain in-depth knowledge that can aid development of future interventions in the school environment.
An investigation into communication apprehension and self-efficacy of first year accountancy students

It has been identified by research as early as 1986 (AAA's Bedford Report) that the business community requires accountants to display a wide range of vocational skills beyond the traditional requirement of just being good at the numbers. Denna et al. in 1993 identified that due to the increasing influence of Information Technology, accountants needed to possess a strong understanding of business, have significant interpersonal skills and leadership skills. The key vocational skill needed for this new philosophy that enables businesses to continually respond to a constantly changing world is communication (Stout and DaCrema 2004), but it has been noted that this skill is particularly lacking amongst accountants in either a written or verbal manner (Dagget and Liu 1997, Hirsch and Collins 1988, Borzi and Mills 2001, O'Connell 2015, Ireland 2016). The testing and results for one-hundred and thirty-one first year undergraduate accounting students indicate that many students possess high levels of communication apprehension (as first defined by McCroskey 1970). McCroskey's intervention to help reduce communication apprehension is too expensive both in terms of time and resources required. Therefore this thesis investigates the use of self-efficacy techniques (as advocated by Bandura 1977, 1986, 2006) in the first year accounting pedagogy at Sheffield Hallam University. The investigation into communication self-efficacy techniques may be limited to Sheffield Hallam University's first year undergraduate accounting and business studies students but it does indicate that different pedagogical interventions must be created to help male and female accounting students. Both and male and female accounting students indicated that the technique which had the strongest influence on their communication self-efficacy was that of personal mastery (practice). Male accounting students went on to suggest that support by their class colleagues and their tutor acting as a mentor had a significant influence. For female accounting students what has come through strongly is the need for more female accounting role models. There is a call for female professional accountants to get involved with universities. This involvement needs to be in the form of influencing the curriculum and giving guest lectures. This involvement will hopefully allow the female students to vicariously experience (observe) and gain inspiration to be the next future generation of female professional accountants.
Competition, Innovation and Growth in Transition: Exploring the Interactions between Policies

Transition has entailed the introduction of policies to stimulate product market competition, to establish effective corporate governance and to harden enterprise budget constraints. How do these policies interact? Are they substitute policy instruments or does one policy reinforce the effect of another? Although early endogenous growth models predicted a negative relationship between competition and innovation, Aghion, Dewatripont and Rey (1999) showed that this could be reversed if agency considerations were introduced. In their model competition acts as an incentive mechanism to reduce managerial slack, which produces the additional prediction that competition and corporate governance are substitutable. But in a profit-maximizing framework in which incumbent firms innovate to escape competition, there will be complementarity between increased product market competition and governance and between competition and hard budget constraints (Aghion and Howitt 2002). We use the EBRD-World Bank Enterprise survey of over 3,000 firms in 25 transition countries to test for interaction effects between policies. We find that competition and hard budget constraints are complementary. We also find that competitive pressure (a) enhances the performance of old firms, which is suggestive of a role if agency effects and hence of policy substitutability and (b) enhances the performance of new firms, which is consistent with complementarity. Finally, the evidence points to the prevalence of financing constraints facing new firms.
Shortest Paths to Obstacles for a Polygonal Dubins Car

In this paper, we characterize the time-optimal trajectories leading a Dubins car in collision with the obstacles in its workspace. Due to the constant velocity constraint characterizing the Dubins car model, these trajectories form a sufficient set of shortest paths between any robot configuration and the obstacles in the environment. Based on these paths, we define and give the algorithm for computing a distance function that takes into account the nonholonomic constraints and captures the nonsymmetric nature of the system. The developments presented here assume that the obstacles and the robot are polygons although the methodology can be applied to different shapes.
Factors Associated with Gastrointestinal Parasitic Infections among Young Population in Northeast Brazil

Background. Intestinal parasitic infections constitute a major public health problem that is frequently associated with poverty, inadequate sanitation, and the nutritional status of the population. Objective. The aim of the present study is to investigate the possible association of parasitic infections, sanitary conditions, hygiene practices, and the nutritional and socioeconomic status of a poor youth population. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 367 children and adolescents inhabiting a substandard settlement in the urban area of Maceió (Alagoas State, Brazil). Data collection included socioeconomic status, anthropometric measurements, fecal sample examinations, and laboratory blood analysis. The identification of factors associated with gastrointestinal parasitic infections was undertaken through bi- and multivariate analyses. Results. Stool sample analysis obtained from 300 individuals revealed that 204 (68%) were infected with at least one parasite species and of these 130 (63.7%) were polyparasitized. No significant associations were identified between low height for age (stunted), parasitic infections, and polyparasitism. There was also no association between family income and parasitosis. However, low socioeconomic status proved to be a potential risk factor for parasitic infections. Conclusion. Actions must be taken to improve sanitation, housing, and environmental conditions in order to eliminate the risk factors for parasitic infections, and thereby guarantee a better quality of life for this population.
Identification of an evolutionarily conserved superfamily of DOCK180-related proteins with guanine nucleotide exchange activity

Mammalian DOCK180 protein and its orthologues Myoblast City (MBC) and CED-5 in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans, respectively, function as critical regulators of the small GTPase Rac during several fundamentally important biological processes, such as cell motility and phagocytosis. The mechanism by which DOCK180 and its orthologues regulate Rac has remained elusive. We report here the identification of a domain within DOCK180 named DHR-2 (Dock Homology Region-2) that specifically binds to nucleotide-free Rac and activates Rac in vitro. Our studies further demonstrate that the DHR-2 domain is both necessary and sufficient for DOCK180-mediated Rac activation in vivo. Importantly, we have identified several novel homologues of DOCK180 that possess this domain and found that many of them directly bind to and exchange GDP for GTP both in vitro and in vivo on either Rac or another Rho-family member, Cdc42. Our studies therefore identify a novel protein domain that interacts with and activates GTPases and suggest the presence of an evolutionarily conserved DOCK180-related superfamily of exchange factors.
Endogenous ethanol: a review.

that the normal level some material or materials level as a result of experim^ to be ethanol. Present opinion seems d ethanol found may be an a and (b) that its presence an insubstantial and trivial The topic divides natura appearance of ethanol at la amount ethanol is present i dealt with first, to indicate mal endogenous concentr at Ethanol Disc Data on the elimination mg. per liter of blood are i being an investigation of t (2). There, a uniform into tablished and serial analys, made. In two of three sul 83 kg. a mixture of ethano 15 mg. per liter and at a: previously been establishes was retained, the inhalatil of alcohol per minute (0.1 per cent of all the body I water, and that alcohol body water (all valid ass alcohol per minute is equ hour. At this rate of inta 80 mg. of ethanol per lit seru m) was actuall y ests the subject was exposed per liter of inspired air at that the intake was equ hour and the equilib rium per liter of serum. When does Uot change, its rate the rate of intake corres N SOME 60 occasions since 1858 (1), various investigators have interested themselves in the question of the normal occurrence of ethanol in man under a va riety of circumstances. Ethanol has been found in concen tr ations not differing from the "zero" of a particular an alytical method to as high as 200 mg. per liter of blood. At times it seemed certain that ethanol did arise endogenously; at other times grave doubt was cast on the occurrence of even the low levels reported. Between those who believed in the occurrence of endogenous ethanol and those who did not, no disagreement is evident as to the relative unimportance of this particular contribution to the energy economy of the body. On both sides of this issue, no one attempted to assess the caloric contribution; all assumed that it must be trivial. The general agreement in the literature over the constant rate at which ingested ethanol is eliminated, the few opposing views notwithstanding, would seem to offer suppo rt for those who saw little real evidence of the endogenous occurrence of ethanol. If ethanol is indeed eliminated in such a manner, the maintenance of any particular concentration, no matter how small, requires the liberation or formation of ethanol within the body …
A Study of Rumination among the Employees of BSNL and LIC

Rumination (or over thinking) is driven by anxiety. According to Nofsinger (2005) social moods determine the decisions of consumers, investors, and corporate managers to the level and nature of business activity. The need of the study was observed with the objectives that are (a) to study the occurrence of different moods on work place, (b) to analyze the influence of the thought process and moods on the work place, (c) to know the most preferred techniques to manage the workplace moods, (d) to analyze the notion that rumination is even concerned about bad things as well as good happenings of individual's life. The sample of seventy (70) employees was selected at random from all the departments of the BSNL and LIC in Solan, a town of Himachal Pradesh in India. For data collection an instrument designed by Uday Pareekh was used, which consisted of eight questions referring to rumination at work place. The mean and standard deviation with percentile was used to compare the results. The study confirmed that different moods do transpire on the work place, it affects individual concentration on work. The study further revealed that the rumination is based on the themes related to good as well as bad time but the frequency of thinking about failure was greater. It was found that as far as the management rumination is concerned the most preferred techniques are to take a sleep, get involved in music and playing the game of choice.
Teachers’ Perceptions about the Use of Background Music in Preschool Free Play Time

The allocation of free-play time in an early childhood curriculum provides opportunities for child-centred learning and gives children a chance to explore safely the world around them. However, previous literature suggests that the beneficial use background music during free-play time is contested and that further research would be useful. A specially designed survey was sent to teachers in Seoul, Kyoung-gi, and Choong-chung provinces in South Korea by e-mail and supplemented post-survey by n=12 in-depth interviews. Data from n=127 surveys were gathered for final analyses. The responses were divided into two main categories: the case for the use of background music during free-play time and the case against. The numbers of teachers in each category were similar. 54% of teachers reported using background music for children’s free-play time and transitions, both in accordance with children’s preferences and also to facilitate a musical sound environment for children’s play; however, 46% of teachers did not use background music because of a perception that it would create noise problems in the classroom. Selected background music tended to be of medium tempi, with or without lyrics, often calm and quiet, with medium or soft dynamics. Music choices related to the perceived mood of the music, children’s perceived preferences, and the music’s relationships to a chosen educational theme. The majority of teachers who used background music during free-play time reported that this was also helpful in the learning of songs or to support content-related curricular themes.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation and motor plasticity in human lateral cerebellum: Dual effect on saccadic adaptation

The cerebellum is a key area for movement control and sensory‐motor plasticity. Its medial part is considered as the exclusive cerebellar center controlling the accuracy and adaptive calibration of saccadic eye movements. However, the contribution of other zones situated in its lateral part is unknown. We addressed this question in healthy adult volunteers by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The double‐step target paradigm was used to adaptively lengthen or shorten saccades. TMS pulses over the right hemisphere of the cerebellum were delivered at 0, 30, or 60 ms after saccade detection in separate recording sessions. The effects on saccadic adaptation were assessed relative to a fourth session where TMS was applied to Vertex as a control site. First, TMS applied upon saccade detection before the adaptation phase reduced saccade accuracy. Second, TMS applied during the adaptation phase had a dual effect on saccadic plasticity: adaptation after‐effects revealed a potentiation of the adaptive lengthening and a depression of the adaptive shortening of saccades. For the first time, we demonstrate that TMS on lateral cerebellum can influence plasticity mechanisms underlying motor performance. These findings also provide the first evidence that the human cerebellar hemispheres are involved in the control of saccade accuracy and in saccadic adaptation, with possibly different neuronal populations concerned in adaptive lengthening and shortening. Overall, these results require a reappraisal of current models of cerebellar contribution to oculomotor plasticity. Hum Brain Mapp, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effective and efficient polarity estimation in blogs based on sentence-level evidence

One of the core tasks in Opinion Mining consists of estimating the polarity of the opinionated documents found. In some scenarios (e.g. blogs), this estimation is severely affected by sentences that are off-topic or that simply do not express any opinion. In fact, the key sentiments in a blog post often appear in specific locations of the text. In this paper we propose several effective and robust polarity detection methods based on different sentence features. We show that we can successfully determine the polarity of documents guided by a sentence-level analysis that takes into account topicality and the location in the blog post of the subjective sentences. Our experimental results show that some of our proposed variants are both highly effective and computationally-lightweight.
Central Corneal Thickness Measurement Using Ultrasonic Pachymetry, Rotating Scheimpflug Camera, and Scanning-slit Topography Exclusively in Thin Non-keratoconic Corneas

Purpose: To evaluate the agreement among Pentacam, Orbscan and ultrasound (US) pachymetry for measurement of central corneal thickness (CCT) in thin corneas with normal topographic pattern. Methods: We included 88 eyes of 44 refractive surgery candidates with thinnest pachymetric readings of 500 micrometers (μm) or less on Orbscan, a normal topographic pattern, no sign of keratoconus, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/20. Pentacam, Orbscan and US were performed in one session by the same examiner. Exclusion criteria were history of ocular surgery, topographic abnormalities suggesting forme fruste keratoconus or keratectasia, and recent contact lens wear. Results: The difference in CCT measurements by US pachymetry and Orbscan II [using an acoustic factor (AF) of 0.92] ranged from −34 to +34 μm. The difference between the thinnest point and central readings measured by US reached 16 μm with Orbscan II (AF: 0.92) and 2 μm with Pentacam. Mean differences between the employed devices were 0.2 μm for Pentacam versus US (P = 0.727), 30.1 μm for uncorrected Orbscan versus US (P < 0.001), 10.4 μm for Orbscan II (AF = 0.92) versus US (P < 0.001), and 0.2 μm for Orbscan II (AF = 0.94) versus US (P = 0.851). Conclusion: In normal thin corneas, Pentacam demonstrated better agreement with US pachymetry as compared to corrected Orbscan readings. Results achieved by Orbscan were better consistent with US pachymetry using an AF of 0.94. We speculate that a dynamically graded AF in reverse proportion to CCT constitutes a better approach for correcting Orbscan measurements.
Novel unculturedEpsilonproteobacteria dominatea ¢ lamentous sulphurmat fromthe 13 1 N hydrothermalvent ¢ eld , EastPaci ¢ cRise

sulphurmat fromthe131N hydrothermalvent¢eld, EastPaci¢cRise Hélène Moussard, Erwan Corre, Marie-Anne Cambon-Bonavita, Yves Fouquet & Christian Jeanthon Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IFREMER, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Plouzané, France; FR 2424, Station Biologique, Roscoff, France; and Département de Géosciences Marines, IFREMER Centre de Brest, Plouzané, France