Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical Fitness and Risk for Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease

Background—Multiple studies have demonstrated strong associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and lower cardiovascular disease mortality. In contrast, little is known about associations of fitness with nonfatal cardiovascular events. Methods and Results—Linking individual participant data from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study with Medicare claims files, we studied 20 642 participants (21% women) with fitness measured at the mean age of 49 years and who survived to receive Medicare coverage from 1999 to 2009. Fitness was categorized into age- and sex-specific quintiles (Q) according to Balke protocol treadmill time with Q1 as low fitness. Fitness was also estimated in metabolic equivalents according to treadmill time. Associations between midlife fitness and hospitalizations for heart failure and acute myocardial infarction after the age of 65 years were assessed by applying a proportional hazards model to the multivariate failure time data. After 133 514 person-years of Medicare follow-up, we observed 1051 hospitalizations for heart failure and 832 hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction. Compared with high fitness (Q4–5), low fitness (Q1) was associated with a higher rate of heart failure hospitalization (14.3% versus 4.2%) and hospitalization for myocardial infarction (9.7% versus 4.5%). After multivariable adjustment for baseline age, blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, smoking status, and total cholesterol, a 1 unit greater fitness level in metabolic equivalents achieved in midlife was associated with ≈20% lower risk for heart failure hospitalization after the age of 65 years (men: hazard ratio [95% confidence intervals], 0.79 [0.75–0.83]; P<0.001 and women: 0.81 [0.68–0.96]; P=0.01) but just a 10% lower risk for acute myocardial infarction in men (0.91 [0.87–0.95]; P<0.001) and no association in women (0.97 [0.83–1.13]; P=0.68). Conclusions—Fitness in healthy, middle-aged adults is more strongly associated with heart failure hospitalization than acute myocardial infarction outcomes decades later in older age.
Managing the Maternal Body: A Comprehensive Review and Transdisciplinary Analysis

This paper comprehensively reviews transdisciplinary and critical perspectives on the employed maternal (pregnant and post-birth) body in the context of management studies. It highlights the disparities between equal opportunities policies and everyday management practices in relation to pregnancy and new motherhood. In so doing, the review examines the contradictions between equal opportunities policies aimed at protecting pregnant and newly maternal employees and the discouraging treatment that such women receive in practice at work. In analysing the disparity between policy and practice, the review identifies gaps within the field of research on the employed maternal body. It then shows how perceptions about the pregnant and newly maternal body are based more on myth than on evidence. In keeping with policies encouraging family friendly working practices and aimed at enhancing parental health, the paper argues that research on the maternal body is integral to management studies.
Design Aspects of an Active Electromagnetic Suspension System for Automotive Applications

This paper is concerned with the design aspects of an active electromagnet suspension system for automotive applications which combines a brushless tubular permanent-magnet actuator with a passive spring. This system provides for additional stability and safety by performing active roll and pitch control during cornering and braking. Furthermore, elimination of the road irregularities is possible, hence, passenger drive comfort is increased. Based upon measurements, static and dynamic specifications of the actuator are derived. The electromagnetic suspension is installed on a quarter-car test setup, and the improved performance using roll control is measured and compared with a commercial passive system. An alternative design using a slotless external-magnet tubular actuator is proposed which fulfills the thermal and volume specifications.
Sharp control time for viscoelastic bodys

It is now well understood that equations of viscoelasticity can be seen as perturbation of wave type equations. This observation can be exploited in several different ways and it turns out that it is a usefull tool when studying controllability. Here we compare a viscoelastic system which fills a surface of a solid region (the string case has already been studied) with its memoryless counterpart (which is a generalized telegraph equation) in order to prove exact controllability of the viscoelastic body at precisely the same times at which the telegraph equation is controllable. The comparison is done using a moment method approach to controllability and we prove, using the perturbations theorems of Paley-Wiener and Bari, that a new sequence derived from the viscoelastic system is a Riesz sequence, a fact that implies controllability of the viscoelastic system. The results so obtained generalize existing controllability results and furthermore show that the ``sharp'' control time for the telegraph equation and the viscoelastic system coincide.
Norm of Reciprocity, Reciprocal Benefits, and Reciprocal Relationships: A Revisit of the Role of Reciprocity in Knowledge Sharing

Reciprocity has been considered as one of the most important constructs in knowledge sharing literature. However, prior studies have defined and measured this construct in different ways, leading to mixed research findings about its role. To solve the controversy, based on prior reciprocity literature, we differentiate three relevant concepts namely norm of reciprocity, reciprocal benefits, and reciprocal relationships and propose the causal relationships between these constructs according to the norm internalization theory. A field survey with 386 employees in a Chinese organization is conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. The results show that reciprocal benefits and reciprocal relationships fully mediate the impacts of norm of reciprocity on knowledge sharing intention. These findings suggest that the internalization mechanism (e.g., indirect effect) works better than the compliance mechanism (e.g., direct effect) under the voluntary knowledge sharing context. This study enriches the knowledge sharing literature and provides suggestions on organizational knowledge sharing practices.
Contribution of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin in Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenesis

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains typically carry genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). We used wild-type parental and isogenic PVL-deletion (Δpvl) strains of USA300 (LAC and SF8300) and USA400 (MW2) to test whether PVL alters global gene regulatory networks and contributes to pathogenesis of bacteremia, a hallmark feature of invasive staphylococcal disease. Microarray and proteomic analyses revealed that PVL does not alter gene or protein expression, thereby demonstrating that any contribution of PVL to CA-MRSA pathogenesis is not mediated through interference of global gene regulatory networks. Inasmuch as a direct role for PVL in CA-MRSA pathogenesis remains to be determined, we developed a rabbit bacteremia model of CA-MRSA infection to evaluate the effects of PVL. Following experimental infection of rabbits, an animal species whose granulocytes are more sensitive to the effects of PVL compared with the mouse, we found a contribution of PVL to pathogenesis over the time course of bacteremia. At 24 and 48 hours post infection, PVL appears to play a modest, but measurable role in pathogenesis during the early stages of bacteremic seeding of the kidney, the target organ from which bacteria were not cleared. However, the early survival advantage of this USA300 strain conferred by PVL was lost by 72 hours post infection. These data are consistent with the clinical presentation of rapid-onset, fulminant infection that has been associated with PVL-positive CA-MRSA strains. Taken together, our data indicate a modest and transient positive effect of PVL in the acute phase of bacteremia, thereby providing evidence that PVL contributes to CA-MRSA pathogenesis.
Integrating Models of Collaborative Consultation and Systems Change to Implement Forgiveness-Focused Bullying Interventions

Through collaborative consultation with school staff, school psychologists have increasingly helped schools add bullying prevention and intervention programming to their service delivery systems. As schools search for ways to lessen the impact of bullying on the social-emotional health and academic achievement of students, forgiveness education is an area that may offer another perspective to bullying prevention and intervention. In order to infuse forgiveness education into schools' current tiered-service delivery systems, school psychologists and their district partners can use the frameworks of collaborative strategic planning (CSP) and the concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) in tandem to guide the development and implementation of forgiveness-focused bullying interventions at the core, supplementary, and intensive levels of a multitiered system of service delivery.
Use of recombinant virus to assess human cytomegalovirus early and late promoters in the context of the viral genome

We have developed a system to study human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) cis-acting promoter elements within the context of the viral genome. A recombinant HCMV (RV134) containing a marker gene (beta-glucuronidase) was used to insert HCMV promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene constructs into the viral genome between open reading frames US9 and US10. Using this system, we have studied the promoters for the early DNA polymerase gene (UL54), the early-late lower matrix phosphoprotein gene (pp65, UL83), and the true late 28-kDa structural phosphoprotein gene (pp28, UL99). Transient-expression assays demonstrated that the pp65 and pp28 promoters are activated earlier and to higher levels than typically observed with the endogenous gene. In contrast, insertion of these promoters into the viral genome resulted in kinetics which mimicked that of the endogenous genes. In addition, we have also tested a variant of the pp28 promoter (d24/26CAT) which is deleted from -609 to -41. This promoter behaved similarly to the wild-type pp28 promoter, indicating that sequences from -40 to +106 are sufficient for conferring true late kinetics. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the viral genome affords a level of regulation on HCMV gene expression that has been previously unrealized. Therefore, these experiments provide a model system for the analysis of cis-acting promoter regulatory elements in the context of the viral genome.
Learner Attitudes towards CALL Applications at YADIM

The use of educational technology to assist learners in their language studies has become a great concern for scholars over the past decade. YADIM (School for Foreign Languages) at Cukurova University in Turkey has invested substantially to introduce students to computer-based language learning materials and to integrate technology into existing curriculum. This paper reports on attitudes of YADIM students towards the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and their perceptions on CALL’s relevancy to their regular classroom work. Surveys and follow-up interviews explored how learners see the role of the instructor and the accessibility of the labs. The paper also looks at how students assess the impact of technology on their language learning process.
Enacting Literacy Pedagogies: A collaborative self-study by teacher educators in physical education and science

As beginning teacher educators we aimed to examine our pedagogical approaches for engaging teacher candidates in thinking about physical literacy and scientific literacy, respectively. We employed self-study research methodologies to explore our literacy practices and developing pedagogies of teacher education, the similarities and differences in our approaches and practices, and the utility of collaborating in two different subject areas. Data were collected and analyzed over one academic year using a collaborative blog and bi-weekly meetings. The self-study helped us understand several conceptual similarities between the concepts of physical literacy and scientific literacy. By discussing our thoughts about teaching and learning, we began to craft a shared vision for our pedagogies of teacher education with literacy as the central piece of that vision. The collaborative nature of this self-study provided both support and encouragement from a trusted colleague and a safe space to explore and reframe problematic aspects of practice.
Pharmacokinetics of Dactinomycin in a Pediatric Patient Population: a United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group Study

Purpose: Dactinomycin (actinomycin D) is an antitumor antibiotic used routinely to treat certain pediatric and adult cancers. Despite concerns over the incidence of toxicity, little is known about the pharmacology of dactinomycin. A study was done to investigate dactinomycin pharmacokinetics in children. Experimental Design: Dactinomycin was administered to 31 patients by bolus i.v. infusion, at doses of 0.70 to 1.50 mg/m2. Plasma concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry up to 24 hours after drug administration and National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria was assessed. Results: Pharmacokinetic data analysis suggested that a three-compartment model most accurately reflected dactinomycin pharmacokinetics. However, there was insufficient data available to fully characterize this model. A median peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of 25.1 ng/mL (range, 3.2-99.2 ng/mL) was observed at 15 minutes after administration. The median exposure (AUC0-6), determined in 16 patients with sampling to 6 hours, was 2.67 mg/L.min (range, 1.12-4.90 mg/L.min). After adjusting for body size, AUC0-6 and Cmax were positively related to dose (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively). Patients who experienced any level of Common Toxicity Criteria grade had a 1.46-fold higher AUC0-6, 95% confidence interval (1.02-2.09). AUC0-6 was higher in patients <40 kg, possibly indicating a greater toxicity risk. Conclusions: Data presented suggest that dosing of dactinomycin based on surface area is not optimal, either in younger patients in whom the risk of toxicity is greater, or in older patients where doses are capped.
How long to get to the “gist” of real-world natural scenes?

This study aimed at assessing the processing time of a natural scene in a fast categorization task of its context or “gist”. In Experiment 1, human subjects performed 4 go/no-go categorization tasks in succession with colour pictures of real-world scenes belonging to 2 natural categories: “Sea” and “mountain”, and 2 artificial categories: “Indoor” and “urban”. Experiment 2 used colour and grey-level scenes in the same tasks to assess the role of colour cues on performance. Pictures were flashed for 26 ms. Both experiments showed that the gist of real-world scenes can be extracted with high accuracy (>90%), short median RT (400-460 ms) and early responses triggered with latencies as short as 260-300 ms. Natural scenes were processed faster than artificial scenes. Categories for which colour could have a diagnostic value were processed faster in colour than in grey. Finally, processing speed is compared for scene and object categorization tasks.
Uneasy Reunions: Immigration, Citizenship, and Family Life in Post-1997 Hong Kong

Uneasy Reunions: Immigration, Citizenship, and Family Life in Post-1997 Hong Kong, by Nicole DeJong Newendorp. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008. xii + 299 pp. US$55.00 (hardcover). Hong Kong families split across the border with mainland China are not a new development, but the issue has not yet received sufficient attention in policy thinking and academic research. The significance of the issue was given a new twist with the handover in 1997. As Nicole DeJong Newendorp poignantly points out, it is a rather unusual phenomenon when members of the same nuclear family who are all citizens of one country endure years of waiting to be reunited with one another. Given the administrative hurdles that stand in the way of family reunion, and the political, socio-economic and cultural differences between the two societies, the phenomenon has given rise to huge anxieties, inequalities and adjustment problems on the part of Chinese immigrant women who have waited for years to come to Hong Kong to reunite with their long-separated family members. The book presents a compelling case study of the anxiety-ridden experiences of adjustment, exclusion and discrimination of a group of immigrants who share the same ethnicity of the people in Hong Kong. This, as Newendorp argues, demonstrates the powerful roles played by positionality (such as class, gender, marital status, educational background and employment) in voicing competing claims to membership. Using the methods of field observation and in-depth interviews, Newendorp follows the immigrant women along the path from their marriages and the long waits on the mainland to the familial struggles and adjustment process in Hong Kong. The accounts are illustrated with numerous stories in very vivid and touching detail from the perspective of the immigrants, and include such issues as control over home space, mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict and discrepancies between media images and reality. Through her ethnographic lens, Newendorp shows an admirable dose of empathy for her subjects and is able to sensitize readers to the difficulties and struggles faced by Chinese immigrant women in Hong Kong. In the second half of the book, Newendorp focuses on the immigrants' experiences with social workers and the government. In seeking help through the social service centers, the immigrant women find themselves having to adjust to the social workers' attitudes and the modes of social work provision in Hong Kong. The immigrants rely upon social workers' advice and services with regard to basic needs such as getting around the city, finding jobs, finding schools for children, and speaking Cantonese and English. Despite common ethnicity, the immigrant women are seen by many Hong Kong people as a threat to the city's values and ethos. Such deep-seated prejudice is the result of socio-cultural and economic differences that have developed between the two societies over several decades. …
Echoes of the Past: Organizational Foundings as Sources of an Institutional Legacy of Mutualism1

Conventional wisdom in organization theory holds that the environment imprints organizations at the time of their birth. We reverse the imagery and propose that early founding of a nonprofit organization in one domain imprints a community with a general institutional legacy of collective civic action. Consequently, the community is more likely to later establish new nonprofit organizations in a different domain. Empirically, we show that Norwegian communities that were the earliest to establish mutual fire insurance organizations and mutual savings banks in the 19th century were more likely to experience foundings of cooperative stores in the 20th century. We discuss how the founding of formal nonprofit organizations creates an institutional legacy that amplifies variations in the civic capacity of communities and outline how it complements accounts of organizational imprinting.
Analysis of two human pre-ribosomal factors, bystin and hTsr1, highlights differences in evolution of ribosome biogenesis between yeast and mammals

Recent studies reveal that maturation of the 40S ribosomal subunit precursors in mammals includes an additional step during processing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), when compared with yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, even though the protein content of the pre-40S particle appears to be the same. Here, we examine by depletion with siRNA treatment the function of human orthologs of two essential yeast pre-ribosomal factors, hEnp1/bystin and hTsr1. Like their yeast orthologs, bystin is required for efficient cleavage of the ITS1 and further processing of this domain within the pre-40S particles, whereas hTsr1 is necessary for the final maturation steps. However, bystin depletion leads to accumulation of an unusual 18S rRNA precursor, revealing a new step in ITS1 processing that potentially involves an exonuclease. In addition, pre-40S particles lacking hTsr1 are partially retained in the nucleus, whereas depletion of Tsr1p in yeast results in strong cytoplasmic accumulation of pre-40S particles. These data indicate that ITS1 processing in human cells may be more complex than currently envisioned and that coordination between maturation and nuclear export of pre-40S particles has evolved differently in yeast and mammalian cells.
'Keeping it real': young working class femininities and celebrity culture

Through a discourse analysis of several celebrity gossip texts, this thesis argues that the discourses within celebrity culture are highly classed and highlights that the little empirical research on female audiences of celebrity gossip magazines does pay significant attention to the category of class.Therefore, this research seeks to explore how young working class women not only negotiate and interact with the classed discourses of celebrity culture, but also the role these discourses play in young working class women's everyday lives and lived experiences. The empirical data demonstrates how young working class women negotiate the complex discourses that are at work in celebrity culture, particularly with regards to the construction of the self, the female body, fashion and beautification. Furthermore, through a feminist ethnographic framework, this thesis explores the place of celebrity discourses within the context of young female working class experience, and provides a valuable and much needed insight into the ways in which these discourses are at play in the subjectivities of young working class women.
The Effects of Three Different Analgesia Techniques on Long-Term Postthoracotomy Pain

In this clinical, randomized, prospective study, we compared the effects of three different analgesia techniques (thoracic epidural analgesia [TEA] with and without preoperative initiation and IV patient-controlled analgesia [IV-PCA]) on postthoracotomy pain in 69 patients. In two groups, a thoracic epidural catheter was inserted preoperatively. Group Pre-TEA had bupivacaine and morphine solution preoperatively and intraoperatively. Postoperative analgesia was maintained with epidural PCA with a similar solution. Group Post-TEA, with no intraoperative medication, had the same postoperative analgesia as Group Pre-TEA plus the bolus dose. Group IV-PCA received only IV-PCA with morphine for postoperative analgesia. Pain was evaluated every 4 h during the first 48 h at rest, cough, and movement. Pre-TEA was associated with decreased pain compared with the other groups. Six months later, the patients were asked about their pain. The incidence and the intensity of pain were most frequent in Group IV-PCA (78%) and were the least in Group Pre-TEA (45%) (Group Pre-TEA versus Group IV-PCA, P = 0.0233; Group Pre-TEA versus Group IV-PCA, P = 0.014). Patients having pain on the second postoperative day had 83% chronic pain. TEA with preoperative initiation is a preferable method in preventing acute and long-term thoracotomy pain.