Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Propofol concentrations in follicular fluid during general anaesthesia for transvaginal oocyte retrieval.

Propofol (Diprivan) is an i.v. anaesthetic used for general anaesthesia. The purpose of this study was to measure the propofol concentration in arterial blood and follicular fluid in patients during transvaginal oocyte retrieval. After approval by the University Ethics Committee, 30 women participated in this prospective study. Following induction of anaesthesia with 0.5 mg alfentanil and 2 mg.kg-1 propofol i.v. , a continuous infusion of propofol at 10 mg.kg-1.h-1 was used for maintenance of anaesthesia. Follicular fluid and arterial blood samples were aspirated simultaneously at fixed intervals during the surgical procedure and propofol assayed by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The mean follicular fluid concentration of propofol increased linearly with time from 0.10 +/- 0.02 microgram.ml-1 to 0.57 +/- 0.06 microgram.ml-1 and was strongly related to the cumulative dose of propofol administered. The absorption of propofol was time-dependent. There was no correlation between the concentration of propofol in the follicular fluid and the arterial blood concentration of the drug. In conclusion, a propofol-based anaesthetic technique resulted in significant concentrations of this agent in follicular fluid, related to the dose administered and to the duration of propofol administration.
The influence of step frequency on the range of perceptually natural visual walking speeds during walking-in-place and treadmill locomotion

Walking-In-Place (WIP) techniques make relatively natural walking experiences within immersive virtual environments possible when the physical interaction space is limited in size. In order to facilitate such experiences it is necessary to establish a natural connection between steps in place and virtual walking speeds. This paper details a study investigating the effects of movement type (treadmill walking and WIP) and step frequency (1.4, 1.8 and 2.2 steps per second) on the range of perceptually natural visual walking speeds. The results suggests statistically significant main effects of both movement type and step frequency but no significant interaction between the two variables.
Jet-breaks in the X-ray Light-Curves of Swift GRB Afterglows

In the set of 236 GRB afterglows observed by Swift between January 2005 and March 2007, we identify 30 X-ray light-curves whose power-law fall-off exhibit a steepening ("break") at 0.1-10 day after trigger, to a decay steeper than t^{-1.5}. For most of these afterglows, the X-ray spectral slope and the decay indices before and after the break can be accommodated by the standard jet model although a different origin of the breaks cannot be ruled out. In addition, there are 27 other afterglows whose X-ray light-curves may also exhibit a late break to a steep decay, but the evidence is not that compelling. The X-ray emissions of 38 afterglows decay slower than t^{-1.5} until after 3 day, half of them exhibiting such a slow decay until after 10 day. Therefore, the fraction of well-monitored Swift afterglows with potential jet-breaks is around 60 percent, whether we count only the strongest cases for each type or all of them. This fraction is comparable to the 75 percent of pre-Swift afterglows whose optical light-curves displayed similar breaks at ~1 day. The properties of the prompt emission of Swift afterglows with light-curve breaks show the same correlations (peak energy of GRB spectrum with the burst isotropic output and with burst collimated output) as previously found for pre-Swift optical afterglows with light-curve breaks (the Amati and Ghirlanda relations, respectively). However, we find that Ghirlanda relation is largely a consequence of Amati's and that the use of the jet-break time leads to a stronger Ghirlanda correlation only when the few outliers to the Amati relation are included.
Non-Tariff Measures and Standards in Trade and Global Value Chains

We assess the literature on public and private quality standards and their impact in food markets, international trade, and global supply chains. We focus on their effects on welfare, trade, industrial organization, and labor markets and with special attention to the North-South context. We also attempt to better characterize when these measures constitute protectionism, a complicated task. We look at studies investigating public and private standards and across various quantitative approaches and countries. These standards have complex effects. The evidence is mixed regarding standards as catalyst for or as impediment against trade and development, reflecting the complexity of these effects and their specificity to industries and countries. The analysis of standard-like nontariff measures and their impacts does not lead to sweeping prescriptions for policy reforms. We identify more modest prescriptions and make some recommendations for fruitful research directions.
A small constellation: risk factors informing police perceptions of domestic abuse

ABSTRACT Police in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) now routinely use risk assessment tools to identify common risk factors for re-abuse and lethality when responding to domestic abuse. Nevertheless, little is known about the extent to which officers understand and perceive the importance of factors commonly included on risk assessment tools for predicting future abuse. This study attempts to shed some light into this area of research by exploring the responses of 720 British and American police officers to questions regarding how important and how essential various risk factors are for evaluating the level of risk or harm a victim of domestic abuse may face in the future. Findings indicated that British and American officers were largely in agreement about a small constellation of risk factors that they considered integral to the risk assessment process: using or threatening to use a weapon; strangulation; physical assault resulting in injury and escalation of abuse. The results revealed that officers’ country of employment, rather than their demographic characteristics or experience policing domestic abuse, was a particularly influential predictor of their perceptions, and that both the situational context and the victim's perception about risk are important in domestic abuse risk assessment.
Time-dependent CO depletion during the formation of protoplanetary disks

Context. Understanding the gas abundance distribution is essential when tracing star formation using molecular line observations. Changing density and temperature conditions cause gas to freeze-out onto dust grains, and this needs to be taken into account when modeling a collapsing molecular cloud. Aims. This study aims to provide a realistic estimate of the CO abundance distribution throughout the collapse of a molecular cloud. We provide abundance profiles and synthetic spectral lines w hich can be compared to observations. Methods. We use a 2D hydrodynamical simulation of a collapsing cloud and subsequent formation of a protoplanetary disk as input for the chemical calculations. From the resulting abundances, synthetic spectra are calculated using a molecular excitat ion and radiation transfer code. Results. We compare three different methods to calculate the abundance of CO. Our models also consider cosmic ray desorption and the effects of an increased CO binding energy. The resulting abundance profiles are compared to observations from the literatur e and are found to agree well. Conclusions. The resulting abundance profiles agree well with analytic ap proximations, and the corresponding line fluxes match observational data. Our developed method to calculate abundances in hydrodynamical simulations should greatly aid in comparing these to observations, and can easily be generalized to incl ude gas-phase reaction networks.
Bootstrap testing for fractional integration

Asymptotic tests for fractional integration, such as the Geweke-Porter-Hudak test, the modified rescaled range test and Lagrange multiplier type tests, exhibit size-distortions in small-samples. This paper investigates a parametric bootstrap testing procedure, for size-correction, by means of a computer simulation study. The bootstrap provides a practical method to eliminate size-distortions in the case of an asymptotic pivotal statistic while the power, in general,is close to the corresponding size-adjusted asymptotic test. The results are very encouraging and suggest that a bootstrap testing procedure does correct for size-distortions.
The convergence of the global and the local : what teachers bring to their classrooms after a Fulbright experience in Kenya and Tanzania.

THE CONVERGENCE OF THE GLOBAL AND THE LOCAL: WHAT TEACHERS BRING TO THEIR CLASSROOMS AFTER A FULBRIGHT EXPERIENCE IN KENYA AND TANZANIA. MAY 2006 KELLY BRYN O'BRIEN, B.S., ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY M.A., AMERICAN UNIVERSITY Ed.D. , UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Gretchen Rossman After the events of September 1 1 th 2001, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts revised their curriculum frameworks to include extensive coverage of Islam and Muslim society. As a result, K-l 2 teachers had to seek out professional development courses to increase their knowledge on this vast subject. In the summer of 2004, with funding from Fulbright, the University of Massachusetts Amherst together with Boston University offered Massachusetts teachers a cultural immersion program into Islam and Muslim communities in East Africa. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand not just what teachers learned as a result of this four and a half week immersion experience into the lives of Muslims in Kenya and Tanzania, but more importantly how it was learned. I sought to understand and examine what conditions were critical to learning, and subsequently how teachers utilized that learning in their classrooms upon their return, particularly within the contexts ol multicultural and global education.
Evaluation of the resin cement thicknesses and push-out bond strengths of circular and oval fiber posts in oval-shapes canals

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the push-out bond strength varies between oval and circular fiber posts, and to examine the effect on the resin cement thicknesses around the posts. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighteen mandibular premolar roots were separated into two groups for oval and circular fiber posts systems. Post spaces were prepared and fiber posts were luted to the post spaces. Roots were cut horizontally to produce 1-mm-thick specimens. Resin cement thicknesses were determined with a metallographic optical microscope and push-out tests were done. RESULTS No significant differences were observed in terms of push-out bond strength between the oval and circular fiber posts (P>.05) The resin cement thicknesses of the oval posts were greater than those of the circular posts group in the coronal, middle and apical specimens (P<.05). CONCLUSION In the light of these results, it can be stated that resin cement thickness does not affect the push-out bond strength.
Utilization of the Icelandic Cod Stock in a Multispecies Context

The purpose of this paper is to discuss rules for deciding Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Icelandic cod. For this purpose, a bioeconomic model describing harvesting and processing of cod, capelin, and shrimp in the Icelandic marine ecosystem is constructed and estimated. The model is used to analyze the probable effects of harvesting strategies on biomass, catch, and economic benefits from the exploitation of these species. Simulations are used to investigate probability profiles of biological and economic variables, taking into account inaccuracies in assessments and uncertainties in predictions. Optimal harvesting strategies are also investigated using a deterministic version of the model and taking into account problems of unemployment, overcapacity, and aversion to fluctuations in consumption. The analysis shows that it is beneficial to reduce fishing from the cod stock in order to allow the stock to recover to its optimum size. This increase in the cod stock will result in big decreases in the catch of capelin and shrimp.
How Are Personal Values Linked to Help-Seeking Stigma?

The extent to which individuals prioritize different personal values may be conceptually linked to the perceptions of societal stigma associated with seeking psychological help (public stigma), as well as the extent to which they apply that stigma to themselves (self-stigma). We examined how personal values predicted public stigma and self-stigma of seeking psychological help. Undergraduates (N = 342) from two universities, one historically Black college/university and one predominantly White institution, completed questionnaires assessing personal values and public stigma and self-stigma of seeking psychological help. Self-transcendence values predicted lower self-stigma directly and indirectly via public stigma. Though there were no structural differences between the modeled relationships of values, public stigma, and self-stigma between Black/African American and White/European American undergraduates, the groups differed in their prioritization of self-transcendence, openness to change, and conservation values. Results suggest that understanding how individuals prioritize certain values over others may help explain group-differences in help-seeking stigmas.
A cross-national comparison of reminiscence functions between Canadian and Israeli older adults.

OBJECTIVES Recently, a model of reminiscence and well-being has emerged in which reminiscence functions have been shown to predict both the mental and physical health of middle-aged and older adults. Yet this model has thus far been verified only with North American, Western European, and Australian participants. This study was undertaken to compare the latent structure of responses between Canadian and Israeli older adults to ascertain if 8 distinct reminiscence functions map onto 3 second-order factors which, in turn, contribute significantly to measurement of an overarching reminiscence latent construct. METHOD For this study, 336 English Canadian and 206 Jewish Israeli adults more than 49 years of age provided responses for this study via an Internet website constructed specifically for this study. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate the psychometric equivalence as well as various cross-cultural differences in the relative strength of association between latent constructs (boredom reduction, bitterness revival, identity, and the overall contribution of self-negative functions to overall reminiscence). DISCUSSION We discuss various historical and geo-political factors that may account for these differences. For instance, recurrent war, ongoing terror, and regional instability make living and aging in Israel distinct from Canada. This model of reminiscence functions would appear sufficiently sensitive to capture cross-national differences.
Effects of Taurine Supplementation on Hepatic Markers of Inflammation and Lipid Metabolism in Mothers and Offspring in the Setting of Maternal Obesity

Maternal obesity is associated with obesity and metabolic disorders in offspring. However, intervention strategies to reverse or ameliorate the effects of maternal obesity on offspring health are limited. Following maternal undernutrition, taurine supplementation can improve outcomes in offspring, possibly via effects on glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion. The effects of taurine in mediating inflammatory processes as a protective mechanism has not been investigated. Further, the efficacy of taurine supplementation in the setting of maternal obesity is not known. Using a model of maternal obesity, we examined the effects of maternal taurine supplementation on outcomes related to inflammation and lipid metabolism in mothers and neonates. Time-mated Wistar rats were randomised to either: 1) control : control diet during pregnancy and lactation (CON); 2) CON supplemented with 1.5% taurine in drinking water (CT); 3) maternal obesogenic diet (high fat, high fructose) during pregnancy and lactation (MO); or 4) MO supplemented with taurine (MOT). Maternal and neonatal weights, plasma cytokines and hepatic gene expression were analysed. A MO diet resulted in maternal hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia and increased plasma glucose, glutamate and TNF-α concentrations. Taurine normalised maternal plasma TNF-α and glutamate concentrations in MOT animals. Both MO and MOT mothers displayed evidence of fatty liver accompanied by alterations in key markers of hepatic lipid metabolism. MO neonates displayed a pro-inflammatory hepatic profile which was partially rescued in MOT offspring. Conversely, a pro-inflammatory phenotype was observed in MOT mothers suggesting a possible maternal trade-off to protect the neonate. Despite protective effects of taurine in MOT offspring, neonatal mortality was increased in CT neonates, indicating possible adverse effects of taurine in the setting of normal pregnancy. These data suggest that maternal taurine supplementation may ameliorate the adverse effects observed in offspring following a maternal obesogenic diet but these effects are dependent upon prior maternal nutritional background.
The Linking Worlds Research Project: Identifying intercultural educational leadership capabilities

While there is a vast body of knowledge and research on educational leadership per se, there has been limited research into Indigenous educational leadership, particularly in remote Indigenous communities. The Australian Research Council-funded ‘Linking Worlds’ project contributes to expanding knowledge in this important area, and is of significant interest to academics and educators and all those involved with, and who have a stake in Indigenous leadership, and Indigenous education, especially in remote communities. ‘Linking Worlds’ investigated Indigenous educational leadership in remote settings and aimed to frame the unique ‘worlds’ within which Indigenous educational leaders operate, and to determine the skills, knowledges and attributes required to be an effective leader. ‘Linking Worlds’ emphasises the need for non-Indigenous staff to learn to be intercultural teachers and leaders as well as the needs of the system to work interculturally for both Indigenous and Western outcomes. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people must be willing to step into this intercultural world (the intercultural space) where new leadership practices can be learned and are required.
Neutrophil-Mediated Regulation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity: The Role of Myeloperoxidase

Neutrophils are no longer seen as leukocytes with a sole function of being the essential first responders in the removal of pathogens at sites of infection. Being armed with numerous pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, these phagocytes can also contribute to the development of various autoimmune diseases and can positively or negatively regulate the generation of adaptive immune responses. In this review, we will discuss how myeloperoxidase, the most abundant neutrophil granule protein, plays a key role in the various functions of neutrophils in innate and adaptive immunity.
Persistent Release of IL-1s from Skin Is Associated with Systemic Cardio-Vascular Disease, Emaciation and Systemic Amyloidosis: The Potential of Anti-IL-1 Therapy for Systemic Inflammatory Diseases

The skin is an immune organ that contains innate and acquired immune systems and thus is able to respond to exogenous stimuli producing large amount of proinflammatory cytokines including IL-1 and IL-1 family members. The role of the epidermal IL-1 is not limited to initiation of local inflammatory responses, but also to induction of systemic inflammation. However, association of persistent release of IL-1 family members from severe skin inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, epidermolysis bullosa, atopic dermatitis, blistering diseases and desmoglein-1 deficiency syndrome with diseases in systemic organs have not been so far assessed. Here, we showed the occurrence of severe systemic cardiovascular diseases and metabolic abnormalities including aberrant vascular wall remodeling with aortic stenosis, cardiomegaly, impaired limb and tail circulation, fatty tissue loss and systemic amyloid deposition in multiple organs with liver and kidney dysfunction in mouse models with severe dermatitis caused by persistent release of IL-1s from the skin. These morbid conditions were ameliorated by simultaneous administration of anti-IL-1α and IL-1β antibodies. These findings may explain the morbid association of arteriosclerosis, heart involvement, amyloidosis and cachexia in severe systemic skin diseases and systemic autoinflammatory diseases, and support the value of anti-IL-1 therapy for systemic inflammatory diseases.
Landscapes in Eastern Germany at a turning point - linkages between population decline, ageing and land consumption

Landscapes in Eastern Germany at a turning point - linkages between population decline, ageing and land consumption Since 1990, eastern Germany has been facing not only economic transformation but also demographic change. Two components of demographic change are population decline and ageing. They have a strong influence on landscapes, for example on land consumption by housing and industry. Three rural case study areas in eastern Germany are analysed which have been facing a strong population decline and ageing process over the past 20 years. Expert interviews were carried out and statistics as well as documents were analysed. It is argued that demographic change can be seen as a characteristic of instability in social systems. Moreover, it is an important driving force of landscape change, weakening the socio-ecological resilience of landscapes. Seit 1990 sind die neuen Bundesländer verstärkt vom ökonomischen und demographischen Wandel betroffen. Zwei Komponenten des demographischen Wandels sind der Bevölkerungsrückgang und die Alterung. Diese beeinflussen die Landschaftsentwicklung und auch die Entwicklung der Flächeninanspruchnahme durch Siedlung, Gewerbe und Industrie. Es wurden drei Fallstudienräume in Ostdeutschland, die während der letzten 20 Jahre hohe Bevölkerungsrückgänge und einen starken Alterungsprozess erfahren haben, untersucht. Grundlage sind Experteninterviews und die Analyse statistischer Daten und Dokumente. Es zeigt sich, dass der demographische Wandel als ein Kennzeichen der Instabilität sozialer Systeme verstanden werden kann. Außerdem spielt er eine wichtige Rolle für den Landschaftswandel und schwächt die sozial-ökologische Resilienz von Landschaften.
Foucault: A Very Short Introduction

Foucault: A Very Short Introduction presents a wide-ranging, but non-systematic exploration of some highlights of Foucault’s life and thought. Beginning with a brief biography of the philosopher to set the social and political stage, it then tackles Foucault’s thoughts on literature, in particular the avant-garde scene; his philosophical and historical work; his treatment of knowledge and power in modern society; and his thoughts on sexuality. This new edition includes feminist criticisms of Foucault’s apparently sexist treatment of the Jouy case, as well as a new chapter offering a unified overview of the Collège de France lectures, now a major focus of interest in Foucault.