Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Air Pollution and Heart Rate Variability Among the Elderly in Mexico City

Background: Suspended particles and ozone have been associated with varying degrees of cardiac autonomic dysfunction Methods: In Mexico City, residents from a nursing home underwent heart rate variability analysis every other day for 3 months. Indoor and outdoor PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 mm in diameter) were measured daily at the nursing home. Levels of ozone and other atmospheric pollutants were obtained from a nearby automated monitoring station. Results: Of the initial 42 screened participants, 34 (81%) were followed during the study period. The 24-hour average levels of indoor PM2.5 ranged from 15 to 67 &mgr;g/m3, and outdoor PM2.5 ranged from 9 to 87 &mgr;g/m3. Daily 1-hour maximum ozone levels ranged from 47 to 228 ppb. After adjusting for age and heart rate, we observed a strong decrease in the high frequency component of heart rate variability and the average 24-hour concentrations of PM2.5. Participants with hypertension had considerably larger reductions in their HF-HRV (high frequency–heart rate variability) component in relation to both ozone and PM2.5 exposure. Conclusions: Our results suggest that ambient levels of PM2.5 and ozone can reduce the high-frequency component of heart rate variability in elderly subjects living in Mexico City and that subjects with underlying hypertension are particularly susceptible to this effect.
Policy innovation and tertiary education graduation rates: a cross-country analysis

This study extends Trow’s theory of higher education development to examine changes in national-level tertiary education graduation rates. Applying Trow’s framework we arrive at three stages: (1) elite systems with gross tertiary graduation rates less than 15%, (2) massified systems with gross tertiary graduation rates between 15% and 50%, and (3) universal systems with gross tertiary graduation rates above 50%. This study conducts event history analyses using a unique cross-national panel dataset, which spans the time period from 1999–2005. Following the work of Berry and Berry, our event history analyses model both the internal features of each country and the influence that nation-states have on each other with regard to setting tertiary education graduation policy. We find significant influences of both internal determinants and diffusion factors. We find a positive, significant effect of membership in the OECD consistent across both the massified and universal thresholds. We also find a positive, significant effect of having a more stable political system for crossing the 15% threshold. In addition, being located near a pioneering nation, the UK, has a positive, significant effect of crossing the 50% threshold.
The Lebanese Brevet Professionnel: resurgence of a lower secondary vocational track

The Lebanese Brevet Professionnel (BP) is an occupationally‐specific vocational qualification at lower secondary level. Despite being on the margins of Lebanese education, the BP has been showing signs of a resurgence over the past few years. This paper discusses the structure and role of the BP in the context of the Lebanese education system and presents the results of a survey of BP students. The BP appears to fulfil important functions for socio‐economically identifiable sections of Lebanese society both through the direct connection which it forges with the employment market and through its bridging function to Baccalauréat‐level technical–vocational programmes. The study is discussed in the context of the challenges facing MENA (Middle East and North Africa) educational development.
The dual pathway to creativity model: Creative ideation as a function of flexibility and persistence

The dual pathway to creativity model argues that creativity—the generation of original and appropriate ideas—is a function of cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence, and that dispositional or situational variables may influence creativity either through their effects on flexibility, on persistence, or both. This model is tested in a number of studies in which participants performed creative ideation tasks. We review work showing that cognitive flexibility, operationalised as the number of content categories surveyed, directly relates to idea originality, but that originality can also be achieved by exploring a few content categories in great depth (i.e., persistence). We also show that a global processing mode is associated with cognitive flexibility, but only leads to high originality in tasks that capitalise on cognitive flexibility. We finally show that activating positive mood states enhance creativity because they stimulate flexibility, while activating negative mood states can enhance creativity because they stimulate persistence. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Development and Validation of a Measure of Sport Fans’ Specific Curiosity

While there is a relatively rich literature measuring curiosity outside of sport, there is little research on measuring sport fans’ curiosity. Based on Berlyne’s (1960) two dimensions of curiosity, the current research project aimed to develop a reliable and valid measurement scale for sport fans’ specific curiosity. Convenience samples of university students were used. Three studies were used to develop the 11-item Sport Fan Specific Curiosity Scale (SFSCS) was developed. Specifically, the SFSCS consisted of three factors: specific information (5 items), general information (3 items), and sport facility information (3 items). The SFSCS was found to be a reliable and valid scale to measure sport fans’ specific curiosity. The scale should be useful in predicting aspects of sport fan behavior for sport fans at various stages.
INTERPERSONAL EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE REDUCES THE GAP IN ANGER REGULATION CONFIDENCE CAUSED BY SELF-OTHER DISSIMILARITY

Compared to regulating their own emotions, people have to take into account self-other dissimilarities when regulating others’ emotions. We investigate whether self-other dissimilarity decreases confidence in extrinsic anger regulation and how trait emotional intelligence moderates this difference in anger regulation confidence, regardless of context (none, confrontational, and collaborative). Participants indicated how they would respond to provocation-related vignettes. They rated their confidence in successfully regulating their own anger, a similar other’s anger, and a dissimilar other’s anger. Results showed that individuals had lowest confidence in regulating anger for the dissimilar other, followed by the similar other and self. Moreover, individuals high in interpersonal emotional intelligence had higher confidence in regulating anger of a dissimilar other; confidence was nearly as high as for regulating their own anger. These results generalized to all contexts. They offer novel insights into extrinsic emotion regulation and social functions of trait emotional intelligence.
Accountability in a Performance Appraisal Context: The Effect of Audience and Form of Accounting on Rater Response and Behavior

This study explored how context influences accountability in a performance appraisal context. Results demonstrate that audience characteristics influence rating quality, as raters accountable to higher status or mixed-status audiences provided more accurate ratings, whereas those accountable to a lower status audience provided more inflated ratings. Participant note taking also mediated the relationship between accountability to higher status or mixed-status audiences and rating accuracy. Raters required to account for ratings in person as opposed to in writing were more accurate when accountable to higher status or mixed audiences and provided more positive indicators of behavior when accountable to a lower status audience.
Communication patterns of primary care physicians in the United States and the Netherlands

AbstractBACKGROUND: While international comparisons of medical practice have noted differences in length of visit, few studies have addressed the dynamics of visit exchange. OBJECTIVES: To compare the communication of Dutch and U.S. hypertensive patients and their physicians in routine medical visits. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of visit audio/video tapes contrasting a Dutch sample of 102 visits with 27 general practitioners and a U.S. sample of 98 visits with 52 primary care physicians. MEASUREMENTS: The Roter Interaction Analysis System applied to visit audiotapes. Total visit length and duration of the physical exam were measured directly. MAIN RESULTS: U.S. visits were 6 minutes longer than comparable Dutch visits (15.4 vs 9.5 min, respectively), but the proportion of visits devoted to the physical examination was the same (24%). American doctors asked more questions and provided more information of both a biomedical and psychosocial nature, but were less patient-centered in their visit communication than were Dutch physicians. Cluster analysis revealed similar proportions of exam-centered (with especially long physical exam segments) and biopsychosocial visits in the 2 countries; however, 48% of the U.S. visits were biomedically intensive, while only 18% of the Dutch visits were of this type. Fifty percent of the Dutch visits were socioemotional, while this was true for only 10% of the U.S. visits. CONCLUSIONS: U.S. and Dutch primary care visits showed substantial differences in communication patterns and visit length. These differences may reflect country distinctions in medical training and philosophy, health care system characteristics, and cultural values and expectations relevant to the delivery and receipt of medical services.
Pediatric meningiomas an aggressive subset: A clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study

Background: Meningiomas are uncommon neoplasms in the pediatric age group and differ in various aspects from their adult counterparts. They account for 0.4-4.6% of all primary brain tumors. Aims: To retrospectively analyze the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of pediatric meningiomas. Materials and Methods: Meningiomas in patients under 18 years of age diagnosed between January 2001 to December 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. The hematoxylin and eosin stained sections and Ki 67 labelling index (LI) were reviewed for all the cases Results: The pediatric meningiomas accounted for 1.52% of total meningiomas (15/983). The mean age at presentation was 12 years with male to female ratio of 1.5:1. The presenting symptoms were headache, seizures, and motor deficits. The histology included 9 cases (60%) of atypical meningioma (WHO grade II) followed by 4 cases (26.67%) of WHO grade-I and 2 cases (13.33%) of anaplastic meningioma (WHO grade III). Five cases had a recurrence. Ki67 LI ranged from 0.5% to 1.5% in grade I, 0.5% to 15% in grade II and 13% to 24% in grade III meningiomas. Conclusion: Meningiomas are rare in children and show a male preponderance. There was a higher incidence of atypical and anaplastic meningiomas in pediatric population.
The effect of splint material rigidity in implant impression techniques.

PURPOSE This in vitro study compared the dimensional accuracy of two impression techniques: Duralay splinted impression copings (D) and metal splinted impression copings (M) for implant-supported prostheses. MATERIALS AND METHODS A master cast with four parallel implant abutment analogs and a passive framework were fabricated. Vinyl polysiloxane impression material was used for all impressions with a metal stock tray. Two groups (D and M) were tested (n = 5). The measurement method employed was just one titanium screw tightened to the framework. Each group's measurements were analyzed using software that received the images of a video camera coupled to a stereomicroscope at 3100 magnification. The results were analyzed statistically (t test). RESULTS The mean values of abutment/framework interface gaps were: master cast = 32 Μm (SD 2), group D =165 Μm (SD 60), and group M = 69 Μm (SD 36). There was a statistically significant difference between the D and M groups (P ⋜ .001). CONCLUSION Under the limitations of this study, it could be suggested that a more accurate working cast can be fabricated using metal splinted impression copings.
You Are What You Eat (and Drink): Identifying Cultural Boundaries by Analyzing Food and Drink Habits in Foursquare

Food and drink are two of the most basic needs of human beings. However, as society evolved, food and drink became also a strong cultural aspect, being able to describe strong differences among people. Traditional methods used to analyze cross-cultural differences are mainly based on surveys and, for this reason, they are very difficult to represent a significant statistical sample at a global scale. In this paper, we propose a new methodology to identify cultural boundaries and similarities across populations at different scales based on the analysis of Foursquare check-ins. This approach might be useful not only for economic purposes, but also to support existing and novel marketing and social applications. Our methodology consists of the following steps. First, we map food and drink related check-ins extracted from Foursquare into users' cultural preferences. Second, we identify particular individual preferences, such as the taste for a certain type of food or drink, e.g., pizza or sake, as well as temporal habits, such as the time and day of the week when an individual goes to a restaurant or a bar. Third, we show how to analyze this information to assess the cultural distance between two countries, cities or even areas of a city. Fourth, we apply a simple clustering technique, using this cultural distance measure, to draw cultural boundaries across countries, cities and regions.
The under-representation of African Americans in animal welfare fields in the United States

Abstract This research explored possible reasons for the under-representation of African Americans in animal welfare fields. Semi-structured interviews of nine senior-level African Americans working in the animal welfare-related fields of veterinary medicine, nonprofit animal welfare organizations, animal shelters, and animal control revealed the following reasons: 1) economic disparities, 2) on-going civil rights struggle, 3) moral obligation to serve people, 4) unattractive career incentives, 5) inadequate career exposure and recruitment, 6) non-supportive environments, 7) negative images of the fields, 8) little or no positive animal experience, and 9) prejudice and discrimination. Participants objected to the suggestion of cultural differences in attitudes toward companion animals. All participants said increasing diversity in animal welfare fields was essential, and made suggestions for its increase.
Tooth loss, dementia and neuropathology in the Nun study.

BACKGROUND Numerous studies have linked dementia to the subsequent deterioration of oral health. Few investigators, however, have examined oral disease as a potential risk factor in the development of dementia. The authors conducted a study to investigate a potential association between a history of oral disease and the development of dementia. METHODS Longitudinal dental records supplemented data collected from 10 annual cognitive assessments of 144 Milwaukee participants in the Nun Study, a longitudinal study of aging and Alzheimer disease, who were 75 to 98 years old. Neuropathologic findings at autopsy were available for 118 participants who died. RESULTS A low number of teeth increased the risk of higher prevalence and incidence of dementia. CONCLUSION Participants with the fewest teeth had the highest risk of prevalence and incidence of dementia. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Edentulism or very few (one to nine) teeth may be predictors of dementia late in life.
Fault-tolerant IaaS management for networked cloud infrastructure with SDN

In this work, we have introduced a fault tolerant IaaS resource management framework for networked cloud Infrastructure. Distributed multiple cloud provider sites (i.e. datacenters) are interconnected with software defined network (SDN). Both datacenter and SDN resources are allocated by formulating and solving integer linear programming based virtual network embedding problem. Two reactive traffic engineering network failure restoration algorithms have been added to the framework along with SDN-based monitoring scheme to dynamically identify and recover from unexpected link failures. We have implemented the framework on an emulated SDN testbed and evaluated the performance of aforementioned algorithms with multiple link failures. Experimental results demonstrate tradeoffs of proposed approaches and their applicability in different application scenarios.
An Inquiry into the Existence and Uniqueness of Equilibrium with State-Dependent Pricing

State-dependent pricing models are now an operational framework for quantitative business cycle analysis. The analysis in Ball and Romer [1991], however, suggests that such models may be rife with multiple equilibria: in their static model price adjustment is always characterized by complementarity, a necessary condition for multiplicity. We study existence and uniqueness of equilibrium in a discrete-time state-dependent pricing model. In steady states of our model, we find only weak complementarity and no evidence of multiplicity. We likewise find no evidence of multiplicity in the presence of monetary shocks. However, nonexistence of symmetric steady-state equilibrium with pure strategies arises in a small region of the parameter space.
Optimal carbon monoxide criteria to confirm 24-hr smoking abstinence.

INTRODUCTION Smoking cessation is typically verified biochemically by expired-air carbon monoxide (CO) levels below 9 ppm (i.e., ≤8 ppm), but this CO criterion may lead many who have smoked within 24hr to be misclassified as abstinent. METHODS Adult dependent smokers (N = 261; 124 men, 137 women) prospectively recorded each cigarette smoked and provided CO on five consecutive days during each of two short-term attempts to quit smoking. Participants were those recruited for crossover tests of the effects of placebo versus medication (nicotine patch or varenicline) on the ability to initiate 24-hr abstinence. All had either a high or low interest in permanently quitting smoking soon (within 3 months) and were randomized to the presence or absence of daily ($12) monetary reinforcement of abstinence. RESULTS Total accuracy of sensitivity to detect smoking (83%) plus specificity to verify abstinence (87%) was optimal at a CO criterion for abstinence below 5 ppm (≤4 ppm), compared with below 9 ppm (sensitivity of 60%, specificity of 97%). Overall CO detection of sensitivity and specificity was higher in those with high versus low quit interest, but reinforcement of abstinence made no difference. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate a CO criterion half that used in most clinical research may optimally validate 24-hr cessation and reduce misclassification of smokers as "abstinent. "
The Value of Fingerprint Evidence in Detecting Crime

Fingerprints are collected routinely from crime scenes for a wide range of offences and their timely identification is now seen as key to their success in the investigation and detection of crime. In this study, a logistical regression analysis of fingerprint identifications for the volume crime offences of residential burglary, commercial burglary and theft of motor vehicle in Northamptonshire, UK over a three-year period has revealed a number of predictors, other than timeliness, that influence greatly whether fingerprint identifications result in the detection of crime. The results indicate that a number of these predictors are of statistical significance and may be just as relevant in determining whether a fingerprint identification successfully detects the crime as the timeliness of the fingerprint identification. The most significant predictor was found to be investigating police officer accreditation, with fingerprint location and mobility also being relevant. Accreditation of the Crime Scene Examiner recovering the fingerprints and whether DNA material from the crime scene was also identified were found not to be significant. Consideration is given to where further emphasis is needed by the UK police service to maximise the opportunities to detect volume crime with fingerprints.
SMAX1-LIKE7 Signals from the Nucleus to Regulate Shoot Development in Arabidopsis via Partially EAR Motif-Independent Mechanisms[OPEN]

The strigolactone signaling target, SMXL7, signals from the nucleus to regulate diverse aspects of shoot development through mechanisms that in part do not require its conserved EAR motif. Strigolactones (SLs) are hormonal signals that regulate multiple aspects of shoot architecture, including shoot branching. Like many plant hormonal signaling systems, SLs act by promoting ubiquitination of target proteins and their subsequent proteasome-mediated degradation. Recently, SMXL6, SMXL7, and SMXL8, members of the SMAX1-LIKE (SMXL) family of chaperonin-like proteins, have been identified as proteolytic targets of SL signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the mechanisms by which these proteins regulate downstream events remain largely unclear. Here, we show that SMXL7 functions in the nucleus, as does the SL receptor, DWARF14 (D14). We show that nucleus-localized D14 can physically interact with both SMXL7 and the MAX2 F-box protein in a SL-dependent manner and that disruption of specific conserved domains in SMXL7 affects its localization, SL-induced degradation, and activity. By expressing and overexpressing these SMXL7 protein variants, we show that shoot tissues are broadly sensitive to SMXL7 activity, but degradation normally buffers the effect of increasing SMXL7 expression. SMXL7 contains a well-conserved EAR (ETHYLENE-RESPONSE FACTOR Amphiphilic Repression) motif, which contributes to, but is not essential for, SMXL7 functionality. Intriguingly, different developmental processes show differential sensitivity to the loss of the EAR motif, raising the possibility that there may be several distinct mechanisms at play downstream of SMXL7.
Significantly better: the benefits for an academic institution focused on student learning outcomes

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to describe how a college or university can develop the organizational capacity to focus on student learning outcomes. It seeks to show how the consistent application of this capacity would provide not only a response to external expectations, but also unexpected benefits that, when taken together, would create a significantly better academic institution.Design/methodology/approach – Six years of research and development, primarily as part of an expanding collaborative endeavor between participating colleges/universities and an independent academic R&D firm, has provided a laboratory for iteratively creating and testing new academic processes and supporting technologies.Findings – Five essential elements of outcomes assessment, when incorporated into a system‐supported academic process, can enable an institution to generate data on actual student learning directly out of its regular program wherever and whenever it chooses to do so, with seven significant benefits.Origin.