Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relation of Heart Rate and its Variability during Sleep with Age, Physical Activity, and Body Composition in Young Children

Background: Recent studies have claimed a positive effect of physical activity and body composition on vagal tone. In pediatric populations, there is a pronounced decrease in heart rate with age. While this decrease is often interpreted as an age-related increase in vagal tone, there is some evidence that it may be related to a decrease in intrinsic heart rate. This factor has not been taken into account in most previous studies. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between physical activity and/or body composition and heart rate variability (HRV) independently of the decline in heart rate in young children. Methods: Anthropometric measurements were taken in 309 children aged 2–6 years. Ambulatory electrocardiograms were collected over 14–18 h comprising a full night and accelerometry over 7 days. HRV was determined of three different night segments: (1) over 5 min during deep sleep identified automatically based on HRV characteristics; (2) during a 20 min segment starting 15 min after sleep onset; (3) over a 4-h segment between midnight and 4 a.m. Linear models were computed for HRV parameters with anthropometric and physical activity variables adjusted for heart rate and other confounding variables (e.g., age for physical activity models). Results: We found a decline in heart rate with increasing physical activity and decreasing skinfold thickness. HRV parameters decreased with increasing age, height, and weight in HR-adjusted regression models. These relationships were only found in segments of deep sleep detected automatically based on HRV or manually 15 min after sleep onset, but not in the 4-h segment with random sleep phases. Conclusions: Contrary to most previous studies, we found no increase of standard HRV parameters with age, however, when adjusted for heart rate, there was a significant decrease of HRV parameters with increasing age. Without knowing intrinsic heart rate correct interpretation of HRV in growing children is impossible.
Conceptualising motherhood in twentieth century South Africa

This article attempts to move the debate around the political significance of motherhood beyond the two dominant themes in the literature, that of ‘collusion with patriarchy’ and ‘difference’ in black and white women's constructions of motherhood. The first privileges political discourse over an examination of women's own practice and social identity as mothers, while the second ignores historical evidence for overlapping meanings and common cultural influences among black and white women in the twentieth century. Motherhood cannot be reduced simply to a role imposed on women by men. While the proponents of ‘difference’ recognise this, they tend to apply this insight to black women only and to assume that black and white women have operated within quite separate and pure cultural domains. A more useful analysis of the significance of motherhood requires greater definitional complexity and more attention to history, which this article begins to do. While the values of peace and nurturing associated with mo.
ESSAYS ON MICROECONOMIC THEORY AND ITS APPLICATIONS

Dissertation Abstract My thesis is comprised of three chapters. In the first chapter, coauthored with Stephen Spear, we study endogenous shocks driven by collective actions of managers. A good recent example of this is how the collective actions of bank managers engaging in securitization of loans ended up freezing the world financial markets in 2008. Motivated by examples like the 2008 crisis, we analyze how endogenous shocks driven by collective actions of managers impact social welfare by using a dynamic general equilibrium model. We first show that such endogenous shocks render competitive equilibrium allocations inefficient due to externalities. We establish that a socially optimal allocation can only be attained by paying managers the socially optimal wages, and this can be achieved by imposing wage taxes (or subsidies) on managers. Finally, we extend the model by allowing for information asymmetry, and show that it is not possible to attain a socially optimal (i.e., first-best) allocation. We instead examine second-best allocations. In the second chapter, I study whether coalitions of consumers are beneficial to consumers when producers have market power. I refer to coalitions of consumers as consumer unions and the number of consumers in a union as union size. By constructing an imperfect competition model in a general equilibrium setting, I gauge how union size impacts consumer welfare. I establish, contrary to the literature on coalitions, that consumer welfare decreases with union size when the union size is above a threshold. I also prove that consumer unions discourage producers' investments , which may have repercussions for long-term consumer welfare. Finally, I show that depending on the production technology, having a higher number of producers can be more effective in promoting consumer welfare than consumer unions. In the third chapter, coauthored with Stephen Spear, we study imperfectly competitive production economies in which technology exhibits arbitrary returns to scale including increasing returns. Increasing returns are well-documented empirically and widely recognized as the driving force of economic growth. Recognizing the significance of increasing returns, the general equilibrium literature has tried to incorporate it into the conventional general equilibrium framework. These attempts have usually been unsuccessful because of fundamental incompatibilities between increasing returns and the competitive paradigm. By using an imperfectly competitive model in a general equilibrium setting-in particular, the market game model, we prove the existence of equilibrium for arbitrary returns to scale in production including increasing returns. Via an extended example, we demonstrate …
Factors affecting employee use of work-life balance initiatives

The study examines work-life balance (WLB) using a sample of 153 employees in a large New Zealand organisation. Analysis of company policies identifi ed sixteen WLB initiatives currently being offered. Employees were surveyed to determine the extent of their awareness and use of currently offered initiatives. Factors infl uencing WLB initiative use and employee outcomes for initiative use were investigated. Female employees and younger employees used more WLB initiatives while employees reporting higher levels of management support and supervisor support, and perceiving fewer career damage and time demands also used more WLB initiatives. No support was found for the role of coworker support on WLB initiative use. Initiative use was related to reduced work-to-family confl ict. Work-to-family confl ict, family-to-work confl ict, and commitment to the organisation were related to intention to turnover. The results highlight the importance of workplace culture in enabling an environment that is supportive of WLB and consequently use of initiatives that are offered by the organisation.
Cancer trends in Kashmir; common types, site incidence and demographic profiles: National Cancer Registry 2000-2012.

BACKGROUND An assessment of cancer incidence in population is required for prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and resource allocation. This will also guide in the formation of facilities for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up for these patients. The demographic trend of cancer will help to identify common types and etiological factors. Efforts at clinical, research and administrative levels are needed to overcome this problem. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Present retro prospective study was conducted in regional cancer center of a tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS After permission from ethics committee, a retro prospective study of 1 year duration was undertaken to study the profile of cancer patients and to compare it with other cancer registries in India. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Pearson's Chi-square test and simple linear regression were used. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version-16 (University of Bristol information services (www.bristol.ac.uk/is/learning/resources) was used. RESULTS The overall incidence of cancer in Kashmir is on the increase and common sites of cancer are esophagus and gastroesophageal (GE) junction, lung, stomach, colorectal, lymphomas, skin, laryngopharynx, acute leukemias, prostate and brain in males.In females common sites are breast, esophagus and GE junction, ovary, colorectal, stomach, lung, gallbladder, lymphomas, acute leukemias and brain. CONCLUSION Cancers of esophagus, stomach and lungs have a high incidence both in men and women in Kashmir. Future studies on sources and types of environmental pollution and exposures in relation to these cancers may improve our understanding of risk factors held responsible for causation of these malignancies in this region. This will help in the allocation of available resources for prevention and treatment strategies.
A Serological and Molecular study on Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep and goat in Tabriz

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonotic diseases in human and animals. The disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. To determine the infection rate of toxoplasmosis in sheep and goats in east Azarbaijan province of Iran a total of 186 sera, 13 fetal brains, 13 cotyledons and 34 whole blood samples were collected from sheep and goats in Tabriz abattoir during the year 2010. Serum samples were tested for IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). This test is used in conjunction with direct and nested PCR techniques for detection of T. gondii DNA in blood, cotyledon and brain of fetuses, using 4 pairs of universal and specific primers, 18SrRNA, ITS-1, (Tg1,Tg2) and (Tg3,Tg4). Antibodies against T. gondii were found in 18.3% serum samples. DNA of T. gondii was detected in 69% of fetal brains, 23% of cotyledons and 14.7% of blood samples. The prevalence rate of T. gondii in sheep was 24.8% and in goats was 10.6% and the significant difference was observed between sheep and goats groups (p≤0.05). The prevalence of toxoplasmosis antibodies was significantly higher in adult sheep and goats than younger animals. There was significant difference between male (10.5%) and female (19.2%) sheep and goat was observed (p≤0.05). Detection of T. gondii DNA using PCR minimizes the problems which the researcher may face when using serological methods and facilitates diagnosis in complex cases. The presence of T. gondii in blood, fetal tissues and neonatal specimens strongly suggests active and or congenital infection.
A Study of the Views of Full-time Further Education Lecturers Regarding their College Corporations and Agencies of the Further Education Sector

Full-time lecturers in further education colleges in England form an occupational group which has been subject to many varied and demanding changes, particularly since the incorporation of colleges in 1993. Prior to 1993 lecturers were employees of local education authorities and, as such, were part of an often remote local authority personnel administration framework. Since 1993 full-time lecturers have become employees of college corporations. Most corporations have introduced human resource management practices which have changed the distant employment relationship lecturers had with LEAs. At the same time, the consequence of financial constraints and increasing competition in the further education sector has emphasised the already existing core-periphery organisational model in colleges which has now led to fewer full-time lecturers (core) and more part-time lecturers (periphery). The question of the professional status of lecturers has also been raised by, for example, College Employers Forum rhetoric in the early post-incorporation phase to encourage contractual change; the development of Qualified Teacher Status for primary and secondary teachers only; the debate about further education membership of a General Teaching Council for England, and the expansion of a new vocational curricula which seemed to dilute the educational experience of students. This article considers the views that a sample of full-time lecturers have about their employment experience and is an initial report of a research study which looks at the employment relationship between full-time lecturers and their college corporations. Views and perceptions of 687 full-time lecturers' responses to a postal questionnaire are presented and reviewed. This initial report suggests that, unlike the picture nationally for the UK workforce (as presented in a recent Institute of Personnel and Development report - Guest & Conway, 1998), full-time lecturers in further education colleges may be experiencing a violated psychological contract with the consequences for their employment relationship of loss of trust and a significant, depressing effect on commitment, job satisfaction and work performance.
Transient current testing of dynamic CMOS circuits

We propose methods for testing dynamic CMOS circuits using the transient power supply current, i/sub DDT/. The methods are based on setting the primary inputs of the circuit under test, switching the clock signal and monitoring i/sub DDT/. We target resistive open defects that can either cause the circuit to fail, or introduce unacceptable delay and hence result in degraded circuit performance. Results of fault simulation of domino CMOS circuits show a high rate of detection for resistive open faults that cannot be otherwise detected using traditional voltage or I/sub DDQ/ testing. We also show that by using a normalization procedure, the defects can be detected with a single threshold setup in the presence of leakage and process variations.
Mental imagery in explanations of visual object classification

This paper investigates the integration of verbal and visual information in explanation, from a hybrid neuro-symbolic perspective. The effectiveness of explanations provided by human experts is known to be often enhanced by multiple representation techniques. The latter seem particularly suitable in explanations concerning high-level visual tasks involving both top-down reasoning and bottom-up perceptual processes.
Cyber-Bullying: Creating a Culture of Respect in a Cyber World

In the 1990s, many incidents revolved around student-on-student violence, usually involving guns. Schools implemented many programs to keep guns and gangs out of schools. In the 21st Century, school violence is taking on a new and more insidious form. New technologies have made it easier for bullies to gain access to their victims. This form of bullying has become known as cyber-bullying. This article provides a window on this little known world and offers practical suggestions for dealing with this new challenge.
The Adoption of Interrelated Innovations: A Critical Test of Technological Regime Theory

Banking technologies had two distinct generations: mass automation (MA) and electronic banking (EB). The established Technological Regime (TR) theory predicts that a bank’s accumulation in MA technologies may not impact its adoption of EB. On the hand, banks’ IT literacy acquired in the former generation is the primary antecedent of the adoption of EB. This study tests this theory and proposes a rival perspective of technological interrelatedness to refine it. In the transition between these two generations, many inter-related innovations were introduced, and may evolve into new systemic technologies, achieving synergy. Firms adopt innovations, hence acquire IT literacy, mostly in a piece-meal way, resulting in previous adoptions either supplementing (an accumulation case), or constraining (a burden case) the adoption and integration of current innovation in achieving synergy. The results of a case study, using secondary and interview data from four banks and two industrial experts in Taiwan, reveals that the RB technologies become banks’ burden in adopting EB innovations, and the concept of IT literacy should be re-examined in the context of inter-related technologies.
Evaluation of message delay correlation in distributed systems

Partially synchronous computational models fall in between synchronous models, which are demanding in terms of requirements but admit solutions to most of the important fault-tolerant distributed computing problems, and the purely asynchronous model, where this is not the case. The /spl otimes/-Model is a recently presented partially synchronous model close to pure asynchrony. It just assumes a bound on the ratio of maximum vs. minimum end-to-end delays of messages simultaneously in transit. This paper provides experimental evidence for the assumed correlation of end-to-end delays in some common type of distributed systems: using a comprehensive custom evaluation framework, we measured the end-to-end delays in a simple clock synchronization algorithm running on a fast-Ethernet network connecting Linux workstations. Our results reveal a significant correlation between maximum and minimum delay under several load conditions, and hence confirm that the bounded ratio assumption of the /spl otimes/-Model is well-founded.
Double standards in just earnings for male and female workers

When observers judge the amount of a reward they consider just for target recipients, they may treat male and female recipients differently, and this gender-based double standard may itself differ by the observer's own gender. In this paper we develop a framework that enables quantitative assessment of multiple standards as well as of the mechanisms by which they operate. The framework also makes it possible to test for differences in multiple standards across different subsets of respondents; and it is applicable to questions of multiple standards in both justice judgments and allocation decisions. To illustrate the framework, we examine a special case of multiple standards-gender-based double standards-and we focus on judgments of just earnings, using data collected by Rossi's factorial survey method. We conduct two main sets of analyses, the first focusing on the double standard and the second on the mechanisms by which the double standard operates. In the first set we estimate the just gender wage gap, in the eyes of male and female observers separately, establishing the existence and direction of the just gender wage gap and quantifying the differential across male and female observers. In the second set we assess the mechanisms by which the double standards operate, separating and quantifying two mechanisms-double standards in the just base wage (i.e., the base wage regarded as just by the observer) and in the just rate of return to schooling (i.e., the rate of return to schooling regarded as just by the observer)-establishing their direction and testing whether the mechanisms differ by observer's gender.
Time and Context in the Relationship between Acculturation Attitudes and Adaptation among Russian-Speaking Immigrants in Finland and Israel

In this study we examine the time-, context- and outcome-specificity of the effects of acculturation attitudes on immigrant psychological and socio-economic adaptation. The participants were 172 immigrants from Russia and the former Soviet Union residing in Finland and Israel, and the mean time since their arrival was approximately six years. Each of the three acculturation attitudes (separation, assimilation and integration) was positively related to immigrant adaptation, either directly or moderated by the length or by the country of residence. A main effect was obtained only for integration attitude positively predicting psychological adaptation. There was also clear evidence of context-specificity in the effect of the separation attitude on both psychological and socio-economic adaptation. The impact of integration and assimilation attitudes on socio-economic adaptation was also time-specific; these attitudes showed adaptive value only at earlier stages of the acculturation process in the culturally diverse context. These results were interpreted in terms of the different social and economic needs salient at different stages of immigrant acculturation, and of the differences in the opportunities for immigrants to meet these needs in culturally diverse and non-diverse acculturative contexts.
Reboots Are for Hardware: Challenges and Solutions to Updating an Operating System on the Fly

Patches to modern operating systems, including bug fixes and security updates, and the reboots and downtime they require, cause tremendous problems for system users and administrators. Dynamic update allows an operating system to be patched without the need for a reboot or other service interruption. We have taken the approach of building dynamic update functionality directly into an existing operating system, K42. To determine the applicability of our update system, and to investigate the changes that are made to OS code, we analysed K42's revision history. The analysis showed that our original system could only support half of the desired changes to K42. The main problem preventing more changes from being converted to dynamic updates was our system's inability to update interfaces. Other studies, as well as our own investigations, have shown that change to interfaces is also prevalent in systems such as Linux. Thus, it is apparent that a dynamic update mechanism needs to handle interface changes to be widely applicable. In this paper, we describe how to support interface changes in a modular dynamic update system. With this improvement, approximately 79% of past performance and bug fix changes to K42 could be converted to dynamic updates, and we expect the proportion would be even higher if the fixes were being developed for dynamic update. Measurements of our system show that the runtime overhead is very low, and the time to apply updates is acceptable. This paper makes the following contributions. We present a mechanism to handle interface changes for dynamic updates to an operating system. For performance-sensitive updates, we show how to apply changes lazily. We discuss lessons learned, including how an operating system can be structured to better support dynamic update. We also describe how our approach extends to other systems such as Linux, that although structured modularly, are not strictly object-oriented like K42.
Finding a set of high-frequency queries for high-frequency-query-based filter for similarity join

Similarity search and similarity join are two important operations in text databases. Filter-and-verify framework aims to reduce the comparison time by filtering out some pairs of texts before actually comparing the remaining pairs. Many filter methods do not take into account the repetition of the query words over time. A query which is frequently repeated over a time period is called a high-frequency query. High-frequency-queries-based filter is a filter method that deals with this type of queries. The performance of this method depends on the choice of high-frequency queries. This paper proposes methods to find the set of high-frequency queries from the given query set. One method is to use DBSCAN and the other is to use DBSCAN with merging strategy, called DBSM. The experimental results show that both DBSCAN and DBSM can find high-frequency queries, but the set of high-frequency queries obtained from DBSM gives higher the pruning power for high-frequency-queries-based filter.