Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Roadblock testing in Western Australia and the process of deterrence

Abstract Prior to the introduction of random breath testing (RBT) in Western Australia, a random stopping program was in operation. In this study, the effectiveness of random stopping as a dement was investigated, using the causal model suggested by Homel(1986). Five hundred Western Australian drivers were questioned in a community survey about their behaviour. attitudes and opinions relating to drink—driving. The data were analysed using the full LISREL7 model and the weighted least squares method of parameter estimation for ordinal variables. We found little similarity between the final structural model and Homel's model. which suggests that random stopping was not an effective deterrent. The finding is supported by accident statistics which show that Western Australia had a more severe drink–driving problem than states with more effective deterrent measures, such as RBT.
To the question of the formation of personal qualities of future doctors by means of combat sports.

Purpose : to provide theoretical analysis of the notion of -assertiveness- and rationale of approaches to the development of future doctors' assertiveness by means of combat sports (Sambo and Judo). Material : analysis of regulatory documents, literary sources. Results : the author has analysed the essence of the notion of assertiveness, and ideas about the relevance of the quality in doctors' professional activity. The notion of assertiveness has been defined as the subject quality of an individual integrating initiative and willingness to take risks in difficult situations, self-confidence and positive attitude towards others, the ability to freely make decisions and be responsible for their consequences, persistence in protecting one's own rights and achieve life goals. It has been shown that the key component of assertiveness manifestations are technologies of subject-subject interaction, that provide mutual correctness and effectiveness of acceptable relations. Means of the combat sports have been viewed as instruments of the development of future doctors' personal qualities. The potentialities of assertiveness formation by means of the combat sports have been defined. Conclusions : the introduction of the combat sports elements in the professionally applied training of medical university students is an important issue of nowadays, which needs theoretical substantiation and methodical support.
Relação entre ambiente de trabalho e alteração vocal em trabalhadores metalúrgicos

OBJETIVO: Verificar o risco de trabalhadores metalurgicos para desenvolver alteracoes vocais, e se tais alteracoes estariam relacionadas a fatores ambientais de seu local de trabalho. METODOS: Duzentos e oitenta metalurgicos responderam a um questionario sobre o ambiente de trabalho, sintomas vocais, habitos vocais negativos, aspectos vocais, auditivos e saude geral. Apos a entrevista realizou-se uma triagem vocal, classificando-se a voz em adaptada ou alterada. Foi realizada analise estatistica de correlacoes entre variaveis. RESULTADOS: Considerando o ambiente de trabalho, 278 (99,3%) dos metalurgicos referiram estar expostos a ruido, 194 (69,3%) a produtos quimicos, 244 (87,1%) a poeira e 171 (61,1%) a fumaca. Quanto aos sintomas vocais mais citados, 204 (72,9%) referiram ter garganta seca, 193 (68,9%) dor ou irritacao na garganta, 185 (66,1%) pigarro, 163 (58,2%) episodios de rouquidao e 141 (50,4%) tosse. Os resultados da triagem vocal indicaram que 226 (80,7%) dos metalurgicos apresentaram vozes adaptadas e 54 (19,3%) vozes alteradas, o que sugere elevada ocorrencia de possivel alteracao vocal. A analise estatistica revelou relacao significante entre as medias das idades, tempo de trabalho e o tempo maximo de fonacao dos metalurgicos em relacao as vozes alteradas, mostrando que quanto maior a idade e o tempo de trabalho, menor o tempo maximo de fonacao. Tambem encontramos resultados estatisticamente significantes na correlacao voz alterada e referencia de exposicao a poeira, rouquidao, garganta seca e pigarro. CONCLUSAO: Os trabalhadores metalurgicos apresentaram elevada ocorrencia de alteracoes vocais, que podem estar relacionadas ao ambiente de trabalho e contribuir para o desenvolvimento de disfonia.
Assessing a Multi-Site Development Organization for Architectural Compliance

Multi-site development organizations require coordination and communication efforts between different sites to ensure successful distributed development. These efforts need to be guided by a set of principles and statements on the software architecture that must be complied with throughout the organization: architectural rules. It is of paramount importance that multi-site development organizations incorporate measures in the architecting process to secure compliance with these rules throughout the organization. We describe a method to assess the degree to which compliance measures are secured in multi-site development organizations. We share our experience in applying this method in a large development organization in the consumer electronics domain.
EOG based eye movement measure of visual fatigue caused by 2D and 3D displays

According to dissemination of appliance such as 3D TV and 3D games, visual fatigue estimation of 3D contents has been focused. EOG(Electro-ocular gram) is one of popular methods to measure the movement of the eye for visual fatigue estimation. However, voltage of EOG signal is depending on the eye shape or physiological state of the subject and its basis voltage is changed by the small movements of other body parts. This paper proposes an eye movement measuring method using EOG signal based on basis voltage adjustment for visual fatigue caused by 2D and 3D displays. The method resolve DC drift problem and can measure eye movement correctly without depending on head movement. Experimental results show that recall of the proposed method is 93% and the frequency of blinks and large saccade in case of 3D video is larger than those in case of 2D video.
Conjugate addition/cyclization sequence enables selective and simultaneous fluorescence detection of cysteine and homocysteine.

Biological thiols are essential for maintaining the appropriate redox status of proteins, cells, and organisms. [1] Cysteine (Cys) is an essential amino acid that is involved in protein synthesis, detoxification, and metabolism. Elevated levels of Cys have been associated with neurotoxicity,[2] and Cys deficiency is involved in slowed growth rate, hair depigmentation, edema, lethargy, liver damage, muscle and fat loss, skin lesions, and weakness. [3] Homocysteine (Hcy) has been implicated in various types of vascular and renal diseases. Elevated Hcy in the blood (>12 µm) is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular[4a] and Alzheimer’s disease,[4b] neutral tube defects, complications during pregnancy, inflammatory bowel disease, and osteoporosis. [4c] Because Cys and Hcy levels are associated with different diseases despite their similar structures, their discrimination is necessary.
The dual-specificity CLK kinase induces neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells

CLK is a dual-specificity protein kinase capable of phosphorylating serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues. We have investigated the action of CLK by establishing stable PC12 cell lines capable of inducibly expressing CLK. Expression of CLK in stably transfected PC12 cells mimicked a number of nerve growth factor (NGF)-dependent events, including the morphological differentiation of these cells and the elaboration of neurites. Moreover, CLK expression enhanced the rate of NGF-mediated neurite outgrowth of these cells, indicating that CLK expression and NGF treatment activate similar signal transduction pathways. CLK expression, unlike NGF, was not able to promote PC12 cell survival in serum-free media, demonstrating that CLK only partially recapitulated the actions of NGF on these cells and that the biochemical pathways necessary for morphological differentiation can be stimulated without also stimulating those necessary for survival. Induction of CLK expression also resulted in the selective activation of protein kinases that are components of growth factor-stimulated signal transduction cascades, including ERK1, ERK2, pp90RSK, and S6PKII. Induction of CLK expression, however, did not stimulate pp70S6K or Fos kinase, two NGF-sensitive protein kinases. These data indicate that CLK action mediates the morphological differentiation of these cells through its capacity to independently stimulate signal transduction pathways normally employed by NGF.
The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy: Development and Preliminary Psychometric Data

The present study was designed to develop a brief instrument to measure empathy in health care providers in patient care situations. Three groups participated in the study: Group 1 consisted of 55 physicians, Group 2 was 41 internal medicine residents, and Group 3 was composed of 193 third-year medical students. A 90-item preliminary version of the Empathy scale was developed based on a review of the literature and distributed to Group 1 for feedback. After pilot testing, a revised and shortened 45-item version of the instrument was distributed to Groups 2 and 3. A final version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy containing 20 items based on statistical analyses was constructed. Psychometric findings provided support for the construct validity, criterion-related validity (convergent and discriminant), and internal consistency reliability (coefficient alpha) of the scale scores.
Helping mothers fight depression: Evaluation of a home-based intervention program for depressed mothers and their infants

Studied demographically matched groups of 38 nondepressed and 73 clinically depressed mothers of 3- to 13-month-old infants in a home visit intervention (n = 37) or usual care (n = 36). Intervention mothers improved more in reported depression and daily hassles than the other groups (ps < .01). Better maternal and child adjustment accompanied decreased depression. Maternal punitiveness significantly increased in depressed control but not other groups, yielding a marginal (p = .06) Time × Group interaction. Social support decreased among depressed control mothers only. More children of depressed mothers were insecurely attached, and intervention children were less avoidant/inhibited and more resistant/coercive than children of depressed controls.
Power Laws from Linear Neuronal Cable Theory: Power Spectral Densities of the Soma Potential, Soma Membrane Current and Single-Neuron Contribution to the EEG

Power laws, that is, power spectral densities (PSDs) exhibiting behavior for large frequencies f, have been observed both in microscopic (neural membrane potentials and currents) and macroscopic (electroencephalography; EEG) recordings. While complex network behavior has been suggested to be at the root of this phenomenon, we here demonstrate a possible origin of such power laws in the biophysical properties of single neurons described by the standard cable equation. Taking advantage of the analytical tractability of the so called ball and stick neuron model, we derive general expressions for the PSD transfer functions for a set of measures of neuronal activity: the soma membrane current, the current-dipole moment (corresponding to the single-neuron EEG contribution), and the soma membrane potential. These PSD transfer functions relate the PSDs of the respective measurements to the PSDs of the noisy input currents. With homogeneously distributed input currents across the neuronal membrane we find that all PSD transfer functions express asymptotic high-frequency power laws with power-law exponents analytically identified as for the soma membrane current, for the current-dipole moment, and for the soma membrane potential. Comparison with available data suggests that the apparent power laws observed in the high-frequency end of the PSD spectra may stem from uncorrelated current sources which are homogeneously distributed across the neural membranes and themselves exhibit pink () noise distributions. While the PSD noise spectra at low frequencies may be dominated by synaptic noise, our findings suggest that the high-frequency power laws may originate in noise from intrinsic ion channels. The significance of this finding goes beyond neuroscience as it demonstrates how power laws with a wide range of values for the power-law exponent α may arise from a simple, linear partial differential equation.
Glial cytoplasmic inclusions in white matter oligodendrocytes of multiple system atrophy brains contain insoluble α‐synuclein

Recently, α‐synuclein was shown to be a structural component of the filaments in Lewy bodies (LBs) of Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with LBs (DLB) as well as the LB variant of Alzheimer's disease, and this suggests that α‐synuclein could play a mechanistic role in the pathogenesis of these disorders. To determine whether α‐synuclein is a building block of inclusions in other neurodegenerative movement disorders, we examined brains from patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and detected α‐synuclein, but not β‐ or γ‐synuclein, in glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) throughout the MSA brain. In MSA white matter, α‐synuclein–positive GCIs were restricted to oligodendrocytes, and α‐synuclein accumulated selectively in MSA white matter with α‐synuclein–positive GCIs. Taken together with evidence that LBs contain insoluble α‐synuclein, our data suggest that a reduction in the solubility of α‐synuclein may induce this protein to form filaments that aggregate into cytoplasmic inclusions, which contribute to the dysfunction or death of glial cells as well as neurons in neurodegenerative disorders with different phenotypes.
Integrating qualitative research requirements into professional psychology training programs in North America: rationale and curriculum model

At present, there is a paucity of required qualitative research training in graduate-level psychology programs throughout North America. This article presents a rationale and model for integrating qualitative research training in professional psychology. The current status of research training vis-à-vis quantitative and qualitative methods is reviewed, a multilevel rationale for enhanced qualitative training is presented, and specific guidelines for integrating qualitative methods competence into training programs are outlined. The article closes with a sample master's degree and doctoral degree curriculum model for research training in professional psychology.
Notes from the Field: Gender Issues in the Management Curriculum: A Survey of Student Experiences

A major Australian report recently criticized the relationship between the gendered culture of management education and business management practices, in an effort to reduce impediments to equal representation of women in management. It recommended a major overhaul of university management education, whereby institutions would review their own role in shaping corporate management cultures and practices, and raise awareness of gender issues in the classroom. This article reports on a subsequent survey that explored postgraduate business students' perceptions of gender issues in the management curriculum, and their effects on learning experiences. It suggests that a masculine ethos is perceptible in management education, which can disadvantage female and male students in different ways. The study suggests that greater awareness of gender issues should be a major consideration for management educators, to enable future managers to recognize and harness gender diversity in the workplace.
Role of Plants in a Constructed Wetland: Current and New Perspectives

The role of plants in the treatment of effluents by constructed wetland (CW) systems is under debate. Here, we review ways in which plants can affect CW processes and suggest two novel functions for plants in CWs. The first is salt phytoremediation by halophytes. We have strong evidence that halophytic plants can reduce wastewater salinity by accumulating salts in their tissues. Our studies have shown that Bassia indica, a halophytic annual, is capable of salt phytoremediation, accumulating sodium to up to 10% of its dry weight. The second novel use of plants in CWs is as phytoindicators of water quality. We demonstrate that accumulation of H2O2, a marker for plant stress, is reduced in the in successive treatment stages, where water quality is improved. It is recommended that monitoring and management of CWs consider the potential of plants as phytoremediators and phytoindicators.
High Performance Vehicular Connectivity with Opportunistic Erasure Coding

Motivated by poor network connectivity from moving vehicles, we develop a new loss recovery method called opportunistic erasure coding (OEC). Unlike existing erasure codingmethods, which are oblivious to the level of spare capacity along a path, OEC transmits coded packets only during instantaneous openings in a path's spare capacity. This transmission strategy ensures that coded packets provide as much protection as the level of spare capacity allows, without delaying or stealing capacity fromdata packets. OEC uses a novel encoding that greedily maximizes the amount of new data recovered by the receiver with each coded packet. We design and implement a system called PluriBus that uses OEC in the vehicular context. We deploy it on two buses for two months and show that PluriBus reduces the mean flow completion time by a factor of 4 for a realistic workload. We also show that OEC outperforms existing loss recovery methods in a range of lossy environments.
Competition between Calcium-Activated K+ Channels Determines Cholinergic Action on Firing Properties of Basolateral Amygdala Projection Neurons

Acetylcholine (ACh) is an important modulator of learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and other brain regions. Activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) suppresses a variety of potassium currents, including sIAHP, the calcium-activated potassium conductance primarily responsible for the slow afterhyperpolarization (AHP) that follows a train of action potentials. Muscarinic stimulation also produces inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), releasing calcium from intracellular stores. Here, we show using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings and high-speed fluorescence imaging that focal application of mAChR agonists evokes large rises in cytosolic calcium in the soma and proximal dendrites in rat BLA projection neurons that are often associated with activation of an outward current that hyperpolarizes the cell. This hyperpolarization results from activation of small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels, secondary to the release of calcium from intracellular stores. Unlike bath application of cholinergic agonists, which always suppressed the AHP, focal application of ACh often evoked a paradoxical enhancement of the AHP and spike-frequency adaptation. This enhancement was correlated with amplification of the action potential-evoked calcium response and resulted from the activation of SK channels. When SK channels were blocked, cholinergic stimulation always reduced the AHP and spike-frequency adaptation. Conversely, suppression of the sIAHP by the β-adrenoreceptor agonist, isoprenaline, potentiated the cholinergic enhancement of the AHP. These results suggest that competition between cholinergic suppression of the sIAHP and cholinergic activation of the SK channels shapes the AHP and spike-frequency adaptation.
Effect of treatment with atypical drugs for 6 months on brain levels of N-acetyl aspartate or serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in early-stage first-episode schizophrenia - a preliminary study

In the present study, we investigated the effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs on brain NAA and serum BDNF levels in early-stage first-episode schizophrenia patients. Sixteen (8 males, 8 females; mean age: 30 ±11 yr) of 18 patients were followed for 6 months. All patients were treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs. No changes in NAA concentrations in the three regions were observed from before treatment to 6 months after atypical psychotic treatment. In addition, serum BDNF levels also did not change from before to 6 months after treatment. These preliminary results suggest that relatively short-term treatment with atypical antipsychotic drugs may be unlikely to alter brain NAA concentrations and serum BDNF levels in early-stage first-episode schizophrenia.
The Predictive Validity of Alternative Approaches to Evaluating Quality of a Festival

Alternative conceptualizations of the quality and satisfaction constructs are presented from both the leisure/tourism and the marketing literatures, and differences between them are noted. The predictive validity of seven alternative operationalizations of quality that were suggested by the literature were measured by evaluating them against an overall measure of quality in the context of a festival. Results showed that the most valid measures of quality were the performance-based operationalizations; the least valid were the disconfirmation-based operationalizations; and the inclusion of importance weights did not improve predictive validity of the measures. There was no significant difference between first-time and frequent visitors to the festival on any of the seven alternative operationalizations. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Career Success: The Effects of Personality.

Based on social learning theories, this conceptual paper attempts to develop a theoretical framework and testable hypotheses linking the relationship between certain personality traits and career success. Although there has been a long history of exploring the effects of personality on career development, its importance appears to be underestimated, and it is time to revitalize the psychological view of career studies. In this paper, we propose that several personality traits (locus of control, self‐monitoring, self‐esteem, optimism, and machiavellianism) along with job performance and person‐environment fit are determinants of career success. In view of social learning theories, knowledge of this relationship is of practical and theoretical value for individuals, organizations, and career consultants.
Standardization of lung function testing: Current practices in laboratories in Australia and New Zealand

Interlaboratory variability in lung function testing influences the accuracy and utility of the clinical information derived from these tests. Modern equipment standards have resulted in instrumentation variability becoming negligible. Procedural variability in testing, however, still exists. Variation in patient position (standing or sitting), nose clip use and the approach to assessing bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) all affect the outcome. Furthermore, test interpretation critically depends on having reference data, that is appropriate to the laboratory and the referral population, against which test results can be evaluated. While standardization papers for the performance of lung function tests are available, these do not necessarily translate into daily clinical practice. This is highlighted by reports of variability of bronchodilator reversibility testing procedures in Australia and New Zealand and the sporadic use of nose clips in British respiratory function laboratories. In order to assess the consistency of pulmonary function testing across Australian and New Zealand laboratories a questionnaire was placed on the Australian and New Zealand Society for Respiratory Science (ANZSRS) website (http://www.anzsrs. org.au) in November 2003. A single response was sought from each respiratory function laboratory (RFL). Responses were analysed and interpreted in terms of American Thoracic Society (ATS) and American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) guidelines. Fifty responses were received, of an estimated 70 RFLs (71% response rate). Three respondents tested only children (<16 years of age) and 18 only adults. The remainder (29) performed tests on both children and adults. Eleven of the responding laboratories were accredited by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.