Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers to and Facilitators of the Evaluation of Integrated Community-Wide Overweight Intervention Approaches: A Qualitative Case Study in Two Dutch Municipalities

To prevent overweight and obesity the implementation of an integrated community-wide intervention approach (ICIA) is often advocated. Evaluation can enhance implementation of such an approach and demonstrate the extent of effectiveness. To be able to support professionals in the evaluation of ICIAs we studied barriers to and facilitators of ICIA evaluation. In this study ten professionals of two Dutch municipalities involved in the evaluation of an ICIA participated. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 12), observed programme meetings (n = 4) and carried out document analysis. Data were analyzed using a thematic content approach. We learned that evaluation is hampered when it is perceived as unfeasible due to limited time and budget, a lack of evaluation knowledge or a negative evaluation attitude. Other barriers are a poor understanding of the evaluation process and its added value to optimizing the programme. Sufficient communication between involved professionals on evaluation can facilitate evaluation, as does support for evaluation of ICIAs together with stakeholders at a strategic and tactical level. To stimulate the evaluation of ICIAs, we recommend supporting professionals in securing evaluation resources, providing tailored training and tools to enhance evaluation competences and stimulating strategic communication on evaluation.
The Parkinsonian Gait Spatiotemporal Parameters Quantified by a Single Inertial Sensor before and after Automated Mechanical Peripheral Stimulation Treatment

This study aims to evaluate the change in gait spatiotemporal parameters in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) before and after Automated Mechanical Peripheral Stimulation (AMPS) treatment. Thirty-five subjects with PD and 35 healthy age-matched subjects took part in this study. A dedicated medical device (Gondola) was used to administer the AMPS. All patients with PD were treated in off levodopa phase and their gait performances were evaluated by an inertial measurement system before and after the intervention. The one-way ANOVA for repeated measures was performed to assess the differences between pre- and post-AMPS and the one-way ANOVA to assess the differences between PD patients and the control group. Spearman's correlations assessed the associations between patients with PD clinical status (H&Y) and the percentage of improvement of the gait variables after AMPS (α < 0.05 for all tests). The PD group had an improvement of 14.85% in the stride length; 14.77% in the gait velocity; and 29.91% in the gait propulsion. The correlation results showed that the higher the H&Y classification, the higher the stride length percentage of improvement. The treatment based on AMPS intervention seems to induce a better performance in the gait pattern of PD patients, mainly in intermediate and advanced stages of the condition.
Adaptive thermal management for portable system batteries by forced convection cooling

Cycle life of a battery largely varies according to the battery operating conditions, especially the battery temperature. In particular, batteries age much faster at high temperature. Extensive experiments have shown that the battery temperature varies dramatically during continuous charge or discharge process. This paper introduces a forced convection cooling technique for the batteries that power a portable system. Since the cooling fan is also powered by the same battery, it is critical to develop a highly effective, low power-consuming solution. In addition, there is a fundamental tradeoff between the service time of a battery equipped with fans and the cycle life of the same battery. In particular, as the fan speed is increased, the power dissipated by the fan goes up and hence the full charge capacity of the battery is lost at a faster rate, but at the same time, the battery temperature remains lower and hence the battery longevity increases. This is the first work that formulates the adaptive thermal management problem for batteries (ATMB) in portable systems and provides a systematic solution for it. A hierarchical algorithm combining reinforcement learning at the lower level and dynamic programming at the upper level is proposed to derive the ATMB policy.
Symptom Predictors of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Background: Spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, which are considered a cause of intracranial hypotension, generally do not cause any local symptoms. Although symptoms are key elements for further evaluation, few studies have examined symptom predictors of intracranial hypotension. The aim of this study was to determine what symptoms are predictors of CSF leaks in patients suspected of intracranial hypotension. Methods: We performed radionuclide cisternography in 207 consecutive patients suspected of intracranial hypotension. Intracranial hypotension was suspected when a patient had a history of minor trauma and complained about uncontrolled headache, cranial nerve dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, or higher brain dysfunction. The leakage of CSF was defined as direct signs of tracer leak into the spinal epidural space or early accumulation of the tracer in the urinary bladder. We obtained information on 16 symptoms commonly reported in previous studies. Results: CSF leaks were observed in 154 cases (74%). Back pain, limb pain, and limb numbness were inversely associated with CSF leaks (p = 0.042, p = 0.045, and p = 0.006, respectively). In logistic regression analysis, diplopia was a positive predictor of CSF leaks (odds ratio [OR], 6.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.49 to 28.51), whereas limb numbness was a negative predictor (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.84). Of the 21 patients in whom diplopia was present and limb numbness was absent, 20 had CSF leaks (specificity, 98%; positive predictive value, 95%). Conclusion: Some symptoms may be helpful in the diagnosis of CSF leaks in patients suspected of intracranial hypotension.
Template-Based Information Extraction without the Templates

Standard algorithms for template-based information extraction (IE) require predefined template schemas, and often labeled data, to learn to extract their slot fillers (e.g., an embassy is the Target of a Bombing template). This paper describes an approach to template-based IE that removes this requirement and performs extraction without knowing the template structure in advance. Our algorithm instead learns the template structure automatically from raw text, inducing template schemas as sets of linked events (e.g., bombings include detonate, set off, and destroy events) associated with semantic roles. We also solve the standard IE task, using the induced syntactic patterns to extract role fillers from specific documents. We evaluate on the MUC-4 terrorism dataset and show that we induce template structure very similar to hand-created gold structure, and we extract role fillers with an F1 score of . 40, approaching the performance of algorithms that require full knowledge of the templates.
How Moral Identity Influences Leadership Ethics: A Historical Case Study

This historical case study of U. S. Presidents Kennedy and Nixon explored how individual moral identity can influence leadership ethics in decision making. The study examined how four key influences of education, family, peers, and religion could affect a leader's ability to make ethical or unethical decisions. Data analysis determined emergent themes from these influences to establish positive or negative moral identity development. Study results contributed to the literature by demonstrating how moral identity influences that emphasize societal welfare versus a self-focus can affect a leader's ability to make ethical or unethical decisions.
Effects of ultraviolet radiation and PAR on the content of usnic and divaricatic acids in two arctic-alpine lichens

The fruticose lichen Flavocetraria nivalis and the crustose lichen Ophioparma ventosa , both common in light-exposed arctic-alpine environments, were exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in growth chambers for 30 days. Treatment with visible light (PAR) served as control. Both species accumulate the UV-absorbing phenolic compound usnic acid in the upper cortex. The latter species also synthesises several UV-absorbing medullary compounds, among them divaricatic acid. The effects of treatment with UVR on the synthesis of these two compounds were investigated by analysing the compounds quantitatively by RP-HPLC. UV-exposed thallus tips of F. nivalis contained higher concentrations of usnic acid than those not grown under UVR. Both treatments had a positive effect on the synthesis of usnic acid in O. ventosa . An additional experiment with O. ventosa was performed by first storing samples in a low-light habitat for 1 year to obtain near-zero levels of phenolics, and thereby exposing the samples to UVR and PAR for 90 days. A rapid resynthesis of usnic acid was observed for both treatments. The amounts of divaricatic acid were highly variable in all groups, and were not correlated with usnic acid concentrations or treatments. A comparison of O. ventosa from three different habitat types showed that the highest usnic acid amounts were found in the habitat with the highest levels of solar radiation. Results indicate that the induction of usnic acid production by UVR depends on the species studied, and on how well acclimatised the lichen samples are to solar radiation before they are exposed to supplementary UVR. In lichens with an already well-developed internal screening capacity, like the population of F. nivalis , enhanced UVR need not induce further accumulation of usnic acid, but removal of UVR may induce a biodegradation of usnic acid. Results also indicate that PAR is just as important as UVR for triggering the resynthesis of usnic acid in shade-adapted lichens. Divaricatic acid seems to be of low importance for the UV-screening properties of O. ventosa .
Sensitive ant model for combinatorial optimization

A combinatorial optimization metaheuristic called Sensitive Ant Model (SAM) based on the Ant Colony System (ACS) technique is proposed. ACS agents cooperate indirectly using pheromone trails. SAM improves and extends the ACS approach by enhancing each agent of the model with properties that induce heterogeneity. Agents are endowed with different pheromone sensitivity levels. Highly-sensitive agents are essentially influenced in the decision making process by stigmergic information and thus likely to select strong pheromone-marked moves. Search intensification can be therefore sustained. Agents with low sensitivity are biased towards random search inducing diversity for exploration of the environment. SAM is studied on a dynamic optimization problem. Numerical experiments offer promising results indicating the potential of the proposed SAM metaheuristic.
Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors: A Cross-Cultural Analysis in France and the United States

Global climate change is one of the most pressing issues of the contemporary age, and a problem to which different countries have offered various responses. This study uses social, cultural, and behavioral frameworks to address the differences between French and American people’s environmental attitudes and behaviors. Two studies are presented here. The first is an analysis of data from an environmental survey conducted by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), used to establish the relationships between environmental attitudes and behaviors in the United States and in France. The second study is a questionnaire of our design distributed to French and American participants, which tests the influence of cultural norms on perceptions of environmental attitudes and behaviors. Our main hypotheses were (a) American attitudes and behaviors would correlate while those of the French would not; and (b) Americans would emphasize environmental attitudes while French participants would emphasize environmental behaviors. Our results showed that (a) environmental attitudes predict environmental behaviors in the United States but not in France; (b) Americans emphasized norms of environmental attitudes more than norms of environmental behaviors; (c) French people emphasized norms of environmental attitudes and behaviors to the same degree. We concluded that the desire to adhere to perceived cultural norms is a strong predictor of environmental behavior. Since French participants show an already high level of environmental behavior, our recommendations for future action focus on the United States. We suggest that future campaigns designed to promote environmentally conscious behavior focus on forming perceptions of society as high in both proenvironmental attitudes and behavior. ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS 3 Table of
Residual stress in thin-film parylene-c

This paper reports the influence of thermal annealing on the residual stress in parylene-c thin-films on silicon. Although recently others have used the diaphragm bulge testing method to measure the residual stress in parylene, this is the first extensive study of residual stress in parylene using the load-deflection method and rotating tip strain gages. This paper supports the hypothesis that stress is relaxed in parylene-c films at elevated temperatures (>100/spl deg/C) and that thermal stress accounts for 90% of the residual stress in films that have undergone annealing at these elevated temperatures. It was found that this held true up to 180/spl deg/C which is above the glass transition temperature of the material.
Sympathy, distress, and prosocial behavior of preschool children in four cultures

This study examined emotional responding (sympathy and distress) and prosocial behavior as well as their relations across four cultures in a specific context. Preschool children ( N = 212) from two Western cultures, Germany and Israel, and two South-East Asian cultures, Indonesia and Malaysia, participated in this study. Children's emotional reactions and prosocial behavior were observed when interacting with an adult in a quasi-experimental situation. Results showed that children from the two South-East Asian cultures, as compared to children from the two Western cultures, displayed more self-focused distress and less prosocial behavior. Across cultures, a positive relation between sympathy and prosocial behavior and a negative relation between self-focused distress and prosocial behavior were found. The strengths of these relations were moderated by culture. These results are discussed with regard to their cultural meaning in the specific experimental situation as well as to general culture-specific characteristics.
Issue Frames, Personality, and Political Persuasion

We argue that individuals’ personality dispositions influence the relative success of different rhetorical strategies of political persuasion on policy issues, and thus function to constrain the behavior of elite actors in their attempts to win support for favored policy outcomes. Drawing on the psychological concept of functional matching, we propose that policy persuasion can be understood in terms of the “fit” between the regulatory focus of the individual on prevention or promotion and the framing of policies in terms of losses or gains. Using an experimental research design, we find that the success of policy appeals is conditional on the interaction of the policy frame and citizens’ personality. These effects are especially pronounced among the less politically sophisticated. Implications for the role of personality in politics, scholarly work on persuasion and framing, and constraints on elite behavior are discussed.
Mindfulness, coping self-efficacy and foreign language anxiety: a mediation analysis

Abstract This study sought to explore the relationship between mindfulness, coping self-efficacy (CSE) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) among a sample of 295 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Further, the capacity of CSE in mediating the relationship between mindfulness and FLA was tested. The participants were administered self-reported questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised. The results of SEM analysis showed that higher levels of mindfulness were associated with lower levels of FLA and greater CSE. In addition, it was found that CSE could partially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and FLA. Implications are discussed.
Juggling or Struggling? Work and Family Interface and Its Buffers among Small Business Owners

Abstract This study responds to calls for theory and research on work–family aspects in entrepreneurship research. This study examines the role of work–family conflict, work–family enhancement and social support on small business owners’ (SBOs) well-being. Drawing from The Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) panel data, the sample is restricted to SBOs, married with children under the age of 14 during 2010–2011 (two waves), totaling 167 SBOs. Results revealed that work–family conflict has a negative direct effect on mental health, job, family and life satisfactions. Similarly, work–family enhancement was found to have a direct positive effect on job, family and life satisfaction but not mental health. A significant interaction term also suggested that work–family enhancement moderated the relationship between work–family conflict and SBOs’ job satisfaction. Finally social support was found to have positive main effect on both subjective and psychological well-being. The interventions to well-being of SBOs should aim to balance the work and family lives of SBOs as well as making sure they have adequate social support networks. For public policy makers, support programs should extend from traditional means to balancing work–family matters for this particular occupation. Aside from broadening existing knowledge on the effects of work–family conflict, enhancement and social support, this is one of the first studies to examine well-being as a measure of success for SBOs. Additionally, the use of cross-wave data in the present study helps us to reduce this problem and provide a much stronger causal relationship between the focal variables of interest.
The micro patterns of export diversification under financial constraints

Combining detailed data on export transactions and an informative firm-level measure of financing constraints, this article provides new evidence on the extent and dynamics of product and geographical diversification of constrained exporters. Financial constraints associate with: (i) narrower product/destination margins, (ii) higher probability to drop products and destinations, (iii) larger loss of export value associated to dropping product or destination markets, (iv) higher probability to discard products with relatively large share in firm total export values, and (v) larger likelihood to drop country markets that are bigger, richer, geographically closer and with a relatively larger share in total firm export value.
Pros & cons of model-based bandwidth control for client-assisted content delivery

A key challenge in client-assisted content delivery is determining how to allocate limited server bandwidth across a large number of files being concurrently served so as to optimize global performance and cost objectives. In this paper, we present a comprehensive experimental evaluation of strategies to control server bandwidth allocation. As part of this effort, we introduce a new model-based control approach that relies on an accurate yet concise “cheat sheet” based on a priori offline measurement to predict swarm performance as a function of the server bandwidth and other swarm parameters. Our evaluation using a prototype system, SwarmServer, instantiating static, dynamic, and model-based controllers shows that static and dynamic controllers can both be suboptimal due to different reasons. In comparison, a model-based approach consistently outperforms both static and dynamic approaches provided it has access to detailed measurements in the regime of interest. Nevertheless, the broad applicability of a model-based approach may be limited in practice because of the overhead of developing and maintaining a comprehensive measurement-based model of swarm performance in each regime of interest.
Limitations of the of the oscillometric method for blood pressure measurements in dialyzed patients

Summary Background Despite more frequent use of the oscillometric method (OSC) for arterial blood pressure (BP) measurement, little is known about OSC’s accuracy when used with hemodialysed patients. This study was undertaken to determine if hemodialysis (HD) and individual features in examined patients can affect the accuracy of OSC for BP measurement. Material/Methods In 54 hemodialysed patients (57±15 years), during 2 sessions (before and after HD), 3 pairs of BP measurements each were performed on arms, alternately employing OSC and auscultatory method, with mercury manometers by 2 observers (REF). Results No difference was found in systolic BP measured before and after HD (SBP before HD: REF −147.3±27.3, OSC −147.5±25.0 mmHg, p>0.05, SBP after HD: REF-141.1±33.9, OSC-141.2±31.5 mmHg, p>0.05, respectively), but diastolic BP (DBP) was significantly higher both before and after HD during REF measurement in comparison with OSC (DBP before HD: REF −79.0±17.0, OSC −76.7±15.0 mmHg, DBP after HD: REF −78.6±18.8, OSC −76.7±16.7 mmHg, p<0.001, respectively). No significant correlation between loss of body weight caused by HD and differences in BP measured by REF and OSC after HD was indicated (Pearson’s correlation coefficients: for SBP −0.041, for DBP 0.030). However, a significant correlation between differences in BP measured by REF and OSC before HD and differences in BP measured by REF and OSC after HD was observed (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients: for SBP 0.502 and for DBP 0.557, p<0.000001). Conclusions Our study found that individual features, not HD, determine the accuracy of OSC for BP measurement in hemodialysed patients.
Mania and Mixed Dissociation (Conversion) Disorder: A Comorbidity.

Delhi Psychiatry Journal 2012; 15:(1) © Delhi Psychiatric Society 225 Introduction Comorbidities are as common as 60% in cases of bipolar affective disorder in the form of substance use, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.1-3 Dissociation (conversion) disorder is common in Indian subcontinent, its comorbidity with anxiety and depression has been reported.4-6 A case of comorbid hypomania with dissociation and panic disorder has been reported.7 However there have been no case reports of mania occurring as comorbidity with Dissociation (conversion) disorder. Here we report a rare case which presented with Dissociation (conversion) disorder and later on developed concurrent mania without psychotic features. Its diagnosis and management is discussed in the light of available literature.
A Comparison of Document Clustering Techniques

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of some common document clustering techniques. In particular, we compare the two main approaches to document clustering, agglomerative hierarchical clustering and K-means. (For K-means we used a “standard” K-means algorithm and a variant of K-means, “bisecting” K-means.) Hierarchical clustering is often portrayed as the better quality clustering approach, but is limited because of its quadratic time complexity. In contrast, K-means and its variants have a time complexity which is linear in the number of documents, but are thought to produce inferior clusters. Sometimes K-means and agglomerative hierarchical approaches are combined so as to “get the best of both worlds. ” However, our results indicate that the bisecting K-means technique is better than the standard K-means approach and as good or better than the hierarchical approaches that we tested for a variety of cluster evaluation metrics. We propose an explanation for these results that is based on an analysis of the specifics of the clustering algorithms and the nature of document