Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of work ability and its predictive value for disability.

BACKGROUND Maintaining the ability of workers to cope with physical and psychosocial demands at work becomes increasingly important in prolonging working life. AIMS To analyse the effects of work-related factors and individual characteristics on work ability and to determine the predictive value of work ability on receiving a work-related disability pension. METHODS A longitudinal study was conducted among 850 construction workers aged 40 years and older, with average follow-up period of 23 months. Disability was defined as receiving a disability pension, granted to workers unable to continue working in their regular job. Work ability was assessed using the work ability index (WAI). Associations between work-related factors and individual characteristics with work ability at baseline were evaluated using linear regression analysis, and Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of work ability for disability. RESULTS Work-related factors were associated with a lower work ability at baseline, but had little prognostic value for disability during follow-up. The hazard ratios for disability among workers with a moderate and poor work ability at baseline were 8 and 32, respectively. All separate scales in the WAI had predictive power for future disability with the highest influence of current work ability in relation to job demands and lowest influence of diseases diagnosed by a physician. CONCLUSION A moderate or poor work ability was highly predictive for receiving a disability pension. Preventive measures should facilitate a good balance between work performance and health in order to prevent quitting labour participation.
A simulation study of confounding in generalized linear models for air pollution epidemiology.

Confounding between the model covariates and causal variables (which may or may not be included as model covariates) is a well-known problem in regression models used in air pollution epidemiology. This problem is usually acknowledged but hardly ever investigated, especially in the context of generalized linear models. Using synthetic data sets, the present study shows how model overfit, underfit, and misfit in the presence of correlated causal variables in a Poisson regression model affect the estimated coefficients of the covariates and their confidence levels. The study also shows how this effect changes with the ranges of the covariates and the sample size. There is qualitative agreement between these study results and the corresponding expressions in the large-sample limit for the ordinary linear models. Confounding of covariates in an overfitted model (with covariates encompassing more than just the causal variables) does not bias the estimated coefficients but reduces their significance. The effect of model underfit (with some causal variables excluded as covariates) or misfit (with covariates encompassing only noncausal variables), on the other hand, leads to not only erroneous estimated coefficients, but a misguided confidence, represented by large t-values, that the estimated coefficients are significant. The results of this study indicate that models which use only one or two air quality variables, such as particulate matter [less than and equal to] 10 microm and sulfur dioxide, are probably unreliable, and that models containing several correlated and toxic or potentially toxic air quality variables should also be investigated in order to minimize the situation of model underfit or misfit. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2Figure 3Figure 4Figure 5Figure 6Figure 7Figure 8
The SPEED Study: Self Paced Exercise and Endpoint Definition

ii Dedication . iv Acknowledgments.v Vita. vi List of Tables . x List of Figures . xi Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Chapter 2: Review of Literature . 17 Chapter 3: Methods . 63 Chapter 4: Results . 79 Chapter 5: Discussion . 99 References . 124 Appendix A: SPEED Study recruitment flyers . 136 Appendix B: ACSM risk stratification guidelines . 139 Appendix C: Scales: Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Feeling Scale (FS). 143 Appendix D: IRB Application – Initial Review of Human Subjects Research . 147 Appendix E: IRB Application – Research Protocol . 165 Appendix F: Informed Consent . 178 ix Appendix G: Medical Health and Running History . 188 Appendix H: Subjects’ Running History . 195 Appendix I: Approval Letter from the Institutional Review Board . 197
Psychologically Healthy Eating and Nutritionally Healthy Eating: Exploring a Two-Factor Theory of Healthy Eating

Background: While much research has investigated disordered eating, obesity, and weight loss treatments, less work has focused on creating a positive definition of psychologically healthy eating. Such a definition could inform obesity and eating disorder treatments. While intuitive eating appears to approximate a definition of psychologically healthy eating, it was believed that adding concepts of moderation, flexibility, and food enjoyment would improve its construct validity, as previous research has supported these constructs as important for psychologically healthy eating. The current paper presents a two-factor model of healthy eating, one that incorporates both psychologically healthy and nutritionally healthy eating. Method: A total of 479 undergraduate students completed online measures of nutritionally healthy eating, intuitive eating, moderation, flexibility, food enjoyment, emotional eating, hedonic hunger, dieting, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, psychological health, ethnic identity, and demographics. Results: Factor analyses indicated that the items assessing moderation, flexibility, and food enjoyment were psychometrically problematic, and so analyses proceeded with the measure of intuitive eating alone. Nutritionally healthy eating and psychologically healthy eating were orthogonal. A latent profile analysis was
Demand Response Management in the Smart Grid in a Large Population Regime

In this paper, we introduce a hierarchical system model that captures the decision making processes involved in a network of multiple providers and a large number of consumers in the smart grid, incorporating multiple processes from power generation to market activities and to power consumption. We establish a Stackelberg game between providers and end users, where the providers behave as leaders maximizing their profit and end users act as the followers maximizing their individual welfare. We obtain closed-form expressions for the Stackelberg equilibrium of the game and prove that a unique equilibrium solution exists. In the large population regime, we show that a higher number of providers help to improve profits for the providers. This is inline with the goal of facilitating multiple distributed power generation units, one of the main design considerations in the smart grid. We further prove that there exist a unique number of providers that maximize their profits, and develop an iterative and distributed algorithm to obtain it. Finally, we provide numerical examples to illustrate the solutions and to corroborate the results.
Coping with stress and anxiety: The role of presence in technology mediated environments

: Several studies in the last decades have demonstrated that exposure therapy is an effective way to treat anxiety and stress and Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) acts as a completely controlled experience. A new perspective is represented by the use of Virtual Reality (VR) for triggering a broad empowerment process to learn coping skills and emotional regulation to cope with stress and anxiety. The link between these approaches is constituted by the sense of presence. In this view, the experience of “being there” is influenced by the ability of “making sense there” and by the possibility to learn by living real experiences in technology-mediated environments. Thanks to the integration of several advanced technologies (virtual reality, advanced sensors and smartphones), as supported by the Interreality approach, it is possible to take advantage of the sense of presence to overcome the limitations of existing protocols for psychological stress and anxiety. Furthermore, a larger availability of unobtrusive biosensors makes possible the effective measurement of presence (and the related affective states) during the interaction instead of using post-experience self-assessments. Future mediated platforms will provide the following advantages: 1) increased accuracy in assessment of ongoing intervention processes; 2) the ability to correlate specific mental states with specific activities executed in the environments; 3) the ability to study the variables related to stress and anxiety in the framework of simulations representing realistic situations and daily contexts, thus increasing the ecological validity of gathered data.
Source Credibility in Social Judgment : Bias , Expertise , and the Judge ' s Point of View

Mathematical models of source credibility were tested in five experiments in which judges estimated the value of hypothetical used cars based on blue book value and/or estimates provided by sources who examined the cars. The sources varied in mechanical expertise and in bias; they were described as friends of the buyer or seller of the car or as neutral. Individuals judged the highest price the buyer should pay, the lowest price the seller should accept, and the "true" value ("fair" price) of the car. Data indicated that expertise amplifies the effect of the source's bias. This effect is predicted by a scale-adjustment model, in which the source's bias shifts the scale value of the source's estimate. The weight of an estimate depends chiefly on the source's expertise. The weight of an estimate also depends configurally on the other estimates: Judges instructed to take the buyer's point of view give greater weight to the lower estimate, whereas judges who identify with the seller place greater weight on the high estimate. Simple premises about human judgment give a good account of the data.
Molecular Analysis Reveals Unique Microbiome in Ileal Pouch During Pouchitis Compared to Healthy Pouches in Ulcerative Colitis and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

In severe cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) unresponsive to current treatment options, patients require a complete proctocolectomy, or surgical removal of the colon. Ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) has become the preferred surgical technique for patients who require surgery, as this method restores rectal function. This procedure is also used to treat colorectal cancers such as adenocarcinoma and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). The surgery involves an abdominal colectomy with the construction of an ileal pouch created from folded tissue recovered from the ileal portion of the small intestine. Up to 50% of patients who require IPAA surgery experience an episode of pouchitis, a non-specific inflammation of the constructed ileal pouch with unknown etiology. Several hypotheses have been proposed regarding the pathogenesis of pouchitis. Current theories include bacterial overgrowth due to fecal stasis, microbial imbalance (dysbiosis), immune alteration, genetic susceptibility, metaplasia, ischemic complications of surgery, a recurrence of UC, or even a novel form of inflammatory bowel disease. The efficacy of antibiotics and probiotics in treating pouchitis and maintaining remission underscores the importance of gut microbiota in the development of this condition. In the study, we aimed to characterize the intestinal bacterial communities that inhabit IPAA pouches of both UC and FAP patients, in an effort to investigate the hypothesis that bacterial dysbiosis is involved in the pathogenesis of pouchitis. Mucosal biopsy and stool samples were analyzed from patients with UC and pouchitis (UCP), healthy UC controls (HUC) and healthy pouches with a background of FAP (FAP). Samples were examined through analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (TRF) and DNA sequencing. The data presented here demonstrate that a microbial imbalance exists in pouchitis, as bacterial communities in pouchitis differ significantly from healthy UC pouches and pouches constructed for FAP. Both methods identified potential groups of organisms that may play a role in the development of pouchitis, including decreases in protective Lactobacillus and Bacteroides and increases in mucin-degrading Clostridium and Akkermansia. A better understanding of the factors driving the pathogenesis of pouchitis will not only benefit patients with this disease, but also lead to a better understanding of the complex v relationship that exists between the human host and the diverse community of organisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract.
Limits of Arbitrage and Corporate Financial Policy

We focus on an exogenous event that changes the cost of capital of a company – the addition of its stock to the S&P 500 index – and investigate how companies react to it by modifying their corporate financial and investment policies. This allows us to test capital structure theories in an ideal controlled experiment, where the effect of the index addition on the stock price is exogenous from a manager’s point of view. Consistent with both traditional theories and Stein’s (1996) market timing theory, we find more equity issues and increases in investment in response to higher index addition announcement returns. However, in the 24 months after the index addition, firms that issue equity and increase investment display negative abnormal returns and they perform worse than firms that issue but do not increase investment. This finding is consistent only with the market timing theory of Stein (1996) and supports a ‘limits of arbitrage’ story in which the stocks display a downward sloping demand curve and companies themselves act as ‘arbitrageurs’ taking advantage of the window of opportunity.
Early development of glycine- and GABA-mediated synapses in rat spinal cord

Motoneuron responses to the inhibitory amino acids glycine and GABA, and the contribution of inhibitory synapses to developing sensorimotor synapses were studied in rat spinal cords during the last week in utero. In differentiating motoneurons, glycine and GABA induced Cl(-)- dependent membrane depolarizations and large decreases in membrane resistance. These responses gradually decreased during embryonic development, and at birth they were significantly smaller than in embryos. In motoneurons of embryos and neonates, dorsal root stimulation produced only depolarizing potentials, some of which reversed at -50 mV membrane potential. Reduction of extracellular Cl- concentrations increased the amplitude of these potentials, suggesting that they are generated by Cl- current. Contribution of Cl(-)-dependent potentials to compound dorsal root-evoked potentials was studied by determining the effects of glycine and GABA antagonists on them. In motoneurons of embryos at days 16–17 of gestation (D16-D17), strychnine or bicuculline blocked dorsal root-evoked potentials. This suppression was neither the result of a decrease in neuronal excitability nor the inhibition of glutamate receptors. Strychnine-evoked depression was not blocked by atropine, indicating that it was not due to disinhibition of muscarinic synapses. By D19, strychnine and bicuculline significantly increased dorsal root-evoked potentials rather than blocking them. This reversed function did not result from an increase in neuronal excitability or changes in the specificity of strychnine and bicuculline antagonism. The number of glycine- and GABA-immunoreactive cells increased 20% between D17 and D19. The number of immunoreactive cells and fibers significantly increased in the motor nuclei and dorsal horn laminae. These morphological changes may contribute to establishment of new synaptic contacts on motoneurons, thus changing the actions of strychnine and bicuculline on dorsal root-evoked potentials.
Influences of dietary adaptation and source of resistant starch on short-chain fatty acids in the hindgut of rats

The effect of adaptation time on the concentration and pattern of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) formed in the hindgut of rats given resistant starch (RS) in the form of raw potato starch (RPS) or high-amylose maize starch (HAS) was evaluated. Each starchy material was tested in diets containing 100 g indigestible carbohydrate/g DM, and fed for 13, 28 and 42 d. At the end of each period, the content of SCFA was determined in caecum, distal colon and faeces. The caecal concentration of total and individual SCFA increased for both diets with increasing adaptation time. The concentration of butyric acid was higher in the group fed RPS than in that fed HAS at all adaptation times. The caecal proportion of butyric acid was low both in rats fed RPS and HAS (6 and 4 %, respectively) following 13 d of adaptation. However, after 28 d of adaptation, the proportion of butyric acid had increased to 19 % in rats given RPS. A longer adaptation period (42 d) did not increase the proportion of butyric acid further. With HAS, there was also a significant (P<0·01) increase in the proportion of butyric acid with longer adaptation time. However, the increase was much slower and the proportion of butyric acid reached 6 and 8 % after 28 and 42 d respectively. It is concluded that the pattern of SCFA formed from RS in rats is dependent on adaptation time. It cannot be excluded that the different patterns of SCFA reported in the literature for RS may be due to the time of adaptation.
Phonetic variation in production and perception of speech: a comparative study of two Arabic dialects

This paper presents a preliminary study of intra-speaker and inter-speaker variability in speech production and perception with an inter-dialect investigation of acoustic vocalic space according to different phonological systems. This work aims at providing an analytic study based on individual data that might account for individual strategies. We have studied variability in vowel production and perception for 20 speakers of two Arabic dialects: Jordanian Arabic and Moroccan Arabic. Results show on the one hand, that vocalic spaces larger for perception than for production for speaker of both Arabic dialects; and on the other hand that the vocalic space in production for Moroccan Arabic seems more centralized than for Jordanian Arabic.
The extracellular space and epileptic activity in the adult brain: Explaining the antiepileptic effects of furosemide and bumetanide

Treatments that modulate the size of the extracellular space (ECS) also block epileptiform activity in adult brain tissue. This includes the loop diuretics furosemide and bumetanide, and alterations of the osmolarity of the ECS. These treatments block epileptiform activity in a variety of laboratory adult seizure models regardless of the underlying synaptic and physiologic mechanisms generating the seizure activity. Optical imaging studies on adult hippocampal slices show that the blockade of epileptiform activity by these treatments is concomitant with their blockade of activity‐driven changes of the ECS. Here we develop and analyze the hypothesis that activity‐driven changes in the size of the ECS are necessary for the maintenance of hypersynchronous epileptiform activity. In support of this hypothesis is an accumulation of data from a number of studies suggesting that furosemide and bumetanide mediate antiepileptic effects through their blockade of cell swelling, dependent on their antagonism of the glial Na+‐K‐2Cl cotransporter (NKCC1).
Implementation with renegotiation when preferences and feasible sets are state dependent

In this paper, we present a model of implementation where infeasible allocations are converted into feasible ones through a process of renegotiation that is represented by a reversion function. We describe the maximal set of Social Choice Correspondences that can be implemented in Nash Equilibrium in a class of reversion functions that punish agents for infeasibilities. This is used to study the implementation of the Walrasian Correspondence and several axiomatic solutions to problems of bargaining and taxation.
Activation of c‐kit is necessary for mobilization of reparative bone marrow progenitor cells in response to cardiac injury

Cardiovascular disease is the number‐one cause of mortality in the developed world. The aim of this study is to define the mechanisms by which bone marrow progenitor cells are mobilized in response to cardiac ischemic injury. We used a closed‐chest model of murine cardiac infarction/reperfusion, which segregated the surgical thoracotomy from the induction of cardiac infarction, so that we could study isolated fluctuations in cytokines without the confounding impact of surgery. We show here that bone marrow activation of the c‐kit tyrosine kinase receptor in response to released soluble KitL is necessary for bone marrow progenitor cell mobilization after ischemic cardiac injury. We also show that release of KitL and c‐kit activation require the activity of matrix metallo‐proteinase‐9 within the bone marrow compartment. Finally, we demonstrate that mice with c‐kit dysfunction develop cardiac failure after myocardial infarction and that bone marrow transplantation rescues the failing cardiac phenotype. In light of the ongoing trials of progenitor cell therapy for heart disease, our study outlines the endogenous repair mechanisms that are invoked after cardiac injury. Amplification of this pathway may aid in restoration of cardiac function after myocardial infarction. —Fazel, S. S. , Chen, L. , Angoul‐vant, D. , Li, S. H. , Weisel, R. D. , Keating, A. , Li, R. K. Activation of c‐kit is necessary for mobilization of reparative bone marrow progenitor cells in response to cardiac injury. FASEB J. 22, 930–940 (2008)
Virtual machines placement for network isolation in clouds

Performance isolation is a serious issue in multi-tenant data center because interference among tenants can cause immense service troubles. Therefore, present data center provides performance isolation among tenants. However, it is limited to system resources, not network resources, nevertheless oversubscription that is caused by network interference entails troubles. Therefore, we place virtual machines (VMs) with matching algorithm into servers based on measured traffic distribution of VMs. We present our approach named Incubating that reduces oversubscription, also increases link utilization. We also show that our work has better practicality compared with prior work because we consider traffic distribution as a time unit.
On holistic properties of morphological constructions: the case of Akan verb–verb nominal compounds

Abstract Akan verb–verb nominal compounds exhibit unusual formal and semantic properties, including extreme formal exocentricity, where the composition of two verbs yields a noun some of whose semantic properties may not be directly coded in the constituents, and argument structure suppression, where no argument of either constituent can occur in the compound. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, I delineate the membership of the class, showing that some of the constructions listed in the literature as verb–verb compounds do not belong to the class; they have formal features that betray them as affix-derived nominals. Secondly, I discuss the rather idiosyncratic properties of the compound. I argue that the form class is inherited from a meta-schema for compounding in Akan which bears a nominal output category. Again, it is a unique constructional property of Akan verb–verb compounds that, unlike other verb-involved compounds, they do not allow any argument of the constituents to become part of the compound. These extra-compositional holistic properties can be accounted for straightforwardly in a framework like Construction Morphology which does not assume that every property in a construction must emanate from its constituents. This study provides evidence for the view that constructions can have holistic properties.