Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Happiness and education: Troubling students for their own contentment

Currently higher education strategies seem to concentrate on the expedient, developing skills that can secure employment in the world of work. This may have immediate advantages, but in totalising pedagogic practice, it may restrict our openness to people and to our own contentment with ourselves. Valuable as this may be as a way to satisfy politicoeconomic policy imperatives, it strays from education as an edifying process where personal development represents, through the facing up to distress and despair, an unsettling of our developing identity and a negation of our immediate desire satisfaction. Such an unsettling is not intended to give pleasure or satisfaction in the normative way in which the imperative of happiness has been used in student satisfaction surveys, nor in the wider societal context that this totalisation represents. What I propose for higher education is not a dominant priority to feed the happiness for others, but a mission to personal contentment revealed through realising student potentialities for them and so recognising their limitations, as part of seeking an attunement to contentment.
Correct Voting in Senate Elections 1

Longstanding research in political behavior tells us that citizens pay very little attention to politics and, in turn, are not civically engaged. Recent studies on heuristics argue that citizens can make good decisions based on limited information; however, the quality of those decisions is questionable. Notably, and for the purposes of this paper, Lau and Redlawsk (1997; 2006) examine “voting correctly” and find convincing evidence on voters’ ability to match their political preferences to presidential candidates. Nonetheless, questions concerning voter ability remain—such as the possible existence of demographic group variation and whether voting incorrectly is more likely to occur in sub-presidential elections. Based on data from the 1990 and 1992 Senate elections, this study finds that individual characteristics of a political nature, such as political knowledge and ideological extremism, do a far better job of predicting a correct vote than an individual’s demographics.
Effect of Crude Protein Levels in Concentrate and Concentrate Levels in Diet on In vitro Fermentation

The effect of concentrate mixtures with crude protein (CP) levels 10%, 13%, 16%, and 19% and diets with roughage to concentrate ratios 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, and 20:80 (w/w) were determined on dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibility, and fermentation metabolites using an in vitro fermentation technique. In vitro fermented attributes were measured after 4, 24, and 48 h of incubation respectively. The digestibility of DM and OM, and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) increased whereas pH decreased with the increased amount of concentrate in the diet (p<0.001), however CP levels of concentrate did not have any influence on these attributes. Gas production reduced with increased CP levels, while it increased with increasing concentrate levels. Ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration and microbial CP production increased significantly (p<0.05) by increasing CP levels and with increasing concentrate levels in diet as well, however, no significant difference was found between 16% and 19% CP levels. Therefore, 16% CP in concentrate and increasing proportion of concentrate up to 80% in diet all had improved digestibility of DM and organic matter, and higher microbial protein production, with improved fermentation characteristics.
Production , Manufacturing and Logistics Vehicle routing with multiple deliverymen : Modeling and heuristic approaches for the VRPTW

0377-2217/$ see front matter 2011 Elsevier B.V. A doi:10.1016/j.ejor. 2011.12. 005 ⇑ Corresponding author. Fax: +55 16 33518240. E-mail addresses: vpureza@dep.ufscar. br (V. (R. Morabito), marc.reimann@uni-graz.at (M. Reiman In real life distribution of goods, relatively long service times may make it difficult to serve all requests during regular working hours. These difficulties are even greater if the beginning of the service in each demand site must occur within a time window and violations of routing time restrictions are particularly undesirable. We address this situation by considering a variant of the vehicle routing problem with time windows for which, besides routing and scheduling decisions, a number of extra deliverymen can be assigned to each route in order to reduce service times. This problem appears, for example, in the distribution of beverage and tobacco in highly dense Brazilian urban areas. We present a mathematical programming formulation for the problem, as well as a tabu search and an ant colony optimization heuristics for obtaining minimum cost routes. The performance of the model and the heuristic approaches are evaluated using instances generated from a set of classic examples from the literature. 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Counseling about IUDs: a mixed-methods analysis.

CONTEXT IUDs are infrequently used in the United States. Assessing how counseling about this method is delivered can help identify barriers to IUD use that might be overcome by improving services. METHODS A sample of 342 family planning visits at six clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009-2012 were audio-recorded, and patients completed surveys both before and after their visits. Descriptive quantitative analyses of counseling were performed, and correlates of IUDs' being mentioned during counseling were investigated using logistic regression. Qualitative analyses investigated the counseling women received about IUDs generally (in a subset of 42 visits), as well as counseling for women who already had an IUD in place (13 visits) or who felt their provider inappropriately expressed a preference for IUDs (five visits). RESULTS IUDs were mentioned in 75% of visits. Patient-initiated mention of IUDs was more likely in visits by women aged 35 or older than in those by women younger than 20 (odds ratio, 6.4); provider-initiated discussion of this method was less common if the provider was older than 55 than if he or she was younger than 46 (0.3). Providers more often discussed potential adverse effects of IUD use than benefits; counseling often was noninteractive and did not address how patient preferences related to characteristics of IUDs. Counseling was frequently fragmented by the need for return visits or referral elsewhere for insertion. CONCLUSIONS IUD counseling may be improved by enhancing comprehensiveness and patient-centeredness, and by decreasing fragmentation of care.
Skull base osteomyelitis: Incidence of resistance, morbidity, and treatment strategy

The pathogeny of osteomyelitis of the skull base has evolved over time with the emergence of ciprofloxacin‐resistant Pseudomonas strains and significant fungal infections, both of which seem to bring a higher morbidity. The aims of this study were 1) to document the incidence of ciprofloxacin‐resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa over the past 7 years; 2) to assess morbidity by a radiologic score, the occurrence of cranial nerve palsies, and the duration of the hospital stay, according to the pathogenesis; and 3) to propose a treatment strategy.
Energy-based approach for predicting limit cycle oscillations in voltage-mode digitally-controlled dc-dc converters

This paper investigates an energy-based approach for the prediction of limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs) in digitally controlled dc-dc converters due to quantization effects on the A/D converters and digital pulse-width modulator (DPWM). Existing static and dynamic models predict the existence of only a part of limit cycle oscillations, so that extensive time-domain simulations are usually needed in order to verify the presence of limit-cycle oscillations under different load and input voltage conditions. This paper proposes an alternative approach based on the incremental energy of converter state variables, which is suited for voltage-mode digitally controlled dc-dc converters. By predicting the variation of the incremental energy due to impulse response of the voltage loop, it is possible to establish when the incremental energy becomes small enough to avoid limit-cycle oscillations. This relation, which is expressed as a function of control and converter parameters, represents a necessary condition for the elimination of limit-cycle oscillations. Extensive time-domain simulations have shown that this relation is also close to the effective limit which ensures the absence of LCOs. Simulation and experimental results confirm the validity of the proposed method.
Tinto's theoretical perspective and expectancy-value paradigm: A confrontation to explain freshmen's academic achievement.

For decades, success in postsecondary education has preoccupied psychological and educational researchers. In this respect, Tinto's student integration model (1982, 1997) is one of the most frequently cited models. Tinto proposed that students' background characteristics, initial intentions and aspirations towards college influence their academic and social integration, which in turn affect their persistence. Unfortunately, although this model is an integrative one, it does not take motivational variables such as students' self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997; Bong & Skaalvik, 2003) and students' subjective value of academic tasks (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002; Neuville, 2004) into account although their impact on learning has been widely demonstrated (Robbins, Lauver, Le, Davis, & Langley, 2004). The purpose of this study, conducted with 2637 first-year university students from all the Bachelor's degree programs of a Belgian university, is to compare, through structural equation models, the explanatory power of these two research traditions (students' integration, on the one hand, and a motivational paradigm, on the other hand) in predicting students' academic performance.
Explaining Neurocognitive Aging: Is One Factor Enough?

As an introduction to the special issue on neurocognitive factors underlying age effects, we discuss a number of recent developments in the literature on aging. The classic distinction between generalized and process-specific cognitive changes with old age has reappeared in the distinctions between the frontal lobe hypothesis and more differentiated views of neurocognitive aging. We argue that neurological decay in the frontal cortex has important implications for cognitive control, but that the frontal lobe hypothesis does not capture the plethora of changes that characterize aging and incorrectly suggests a unitary effect.
Informational sources, self-efficacy and achievement: a temporally displaced approach

Personal self-efficacy is an important theoretical orientation that helps to explain students’ learning and academic achievements. One area of research inquiry has involved the four major sources of information and their predictive effects on self-efficacy. As an extension for examination, the purpose of our investigation was to explore the interrelations between antecedents (e.g. enactive performance accomplishment), self-efficacy beliefs and academic achievement of elementary school students. Our research conceptualisation, unlike previous cross-sectional studies, entails a time displacement between sources of information (Time 1) and self-efficacy (Time 2 and Time 3) and between self-efficacy and academic achievement in science learning (Time 4). Three hundred and thirty-two (152 girls and 180 boys) third and fourth grade students from three government schools participated in this study. Likert-scale inventories were used to measure informational sources and self-efficacy beliefs. Structural equation modelling yielded evidence that supports, in part, our conceptual model. Only enactive performance accomplishment and vicarious experience exerted positive temporally displaced effects on self-efficacy. Self-efficacy at both Time 2 and Time 3 also contributed to the prediction of academic achievement.
Managing in the creative industries: Managing the motley crew

This article introduces its subject with a brief overview of some of the contention concerning the creative industries, in terms of their purview, their significance within political economy, and the extent to which, and how, they may differ from other sectors. Arguing that the `motley crew' is a very broad church, and management must not confine itself solely to the management of production but should also consider the role of consumption, the authors suggest that research into the creative industries may be considered in relation to the capitals that inform its domain: intellectual capital (creative ideas), social capital (networks), and cultural capital (recognized authority or expertise). Considering research in these terms allows us to identify a matrix that might provide the basis for conversations between a range of discrete research areas, while also guiding future research into the creative industries.
Fixation of sternal fractures: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Traumatic sternal fractures occur in approximately 3% to 8% of all blunt trauma patients. Most of these fractures are treated conservatively, but a small number require operative intervention. Only a few studies have reported operative fixation of sternal fractures, and no investigation to our knowledge has systematically reviewed the literature on this intervention. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of the literature published from 1990 through September 2010 regarding the treatment of traumatic sternal fractures. We analyzed the available evidence regarding the surgical fixation of these fractures, the type of fixation used, the timing of the surgery, complications, and patient outcomes. RESULTS Twelve articles with 76 cases of surgically repaired sternal fractures met our study criteria. The indications for surgery, timing, and methods used for fixation were diverse. For instance, plates were used in 52 patients and wiring was selected in 24 patients for fixation. General and cardiothoracic surgeons treated the majority of sternal fractures requiring operative fixation. No serious postoperative complications were found in our review. CONCLUSIONS Although the outcomes were generally positive, only one-half of the articles documented patient follow-up. In future studies, focus needs to be placed on long-term results and specific indications for surgery. The first step toward a standardized sternal fracture operative trial must be a prospective study of incidence and nonoperative long-term outcomes. It is likely that as the interest and demand for plate fixation increases, the demand for orthopedic involvement with sternal fractures will also increase.
Association Between Apolipoprotein E Genotype and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness May Suggest a Specific Effect on Large Artery Atherothrombotic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Apolipoprotein E genotype (APOE) influences cholesterol levels and ischemic heart disease. Although there is no convincing overall association with ischemic stroke, APOE may influence large artery (atherothrombotic) stroke, for which carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is an informative intermediate phenotype. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between APOE and CIMT. Methods— We sought all published studies assessing the association between APOE and CIMT. From each study, we extracted available data on study methods, subjects’ characteristics, and mean (and standard deviation) CIMT for each genotype or genotype group. We calculated study-specific and random effects pooled differences in mean CIMT between genotype groups, and assessed heterogeneity between studies and predefined subgroups using I2 and &khgr;2 statistics. Results— Meta-analysis of 22 published studies (30 879 subjects) showed a significant association between APOE and CIMT (pooled mean difference ϵ4- versus ϵ2-allele containing genotypes 46 &mgr;m, 95% CI 29 to 62, P<0.00001). We found evidence of small study (mainly publication) bias, with a diminished (but still highly statistically significant) association in studies of >1000 subjects (pooled mean difference 17 &mgr;m, 95% CI 12 to 23, P<0.00001). The association was larger among high vascular risk and eastern Asian populations, but this may simply reflect the smaller size of these studies. Conclusion— Our results show a clear association of APOE with CIMT, even though publication bias means that this is overestimated by the published literature. These findings suggest the possibility of a specific association with large artery ischemic stroke.
Organization of Ventricular Fibrillation in the Human Heart

Sudden cardiac death is a major cause of death in the industrialized world, claiming approximately 300 000 victims annually in the United States alone. In most cases, sudden cardiac death is caused by ventricular fibrillation (VF). Experimental studies in large animal hearts have shown that the uncoordinated contractions during VF are caused by large numbers of chaotically wandering reentrant waves of electrical activity. However, recent clinical data on VF in the human heart seem to suggest that human VF may have a markedly different organization. Here, we use a detailed model of the human ventricles, including a detailed description of cell electrophysiology, ventricular anatomy, and fiber direction anisotropy, to study the organization of human VF. We show that characteristics of our simulated VF are qualitatively similar to the clinical data. Furthermore, we find that human VF is driven by only approximately 10 reentrant sources and thus is much more organized than VF in animal hearts of comparable size, where VF is driven by approximately 50 sources. We investigate the influence of anisotropy ratio, tissue excitability, and restitution properties on the number of reentrant sources driving VF. We find that the number of rotors depends strongest on minimum action potential duration, a property that differs significantly between human and large animal hearts. Based on these findings, we suggest that the simpler spatial organization of human VF relative to VF in large animal hearts may be caused by differences in minimum action potential duration. Both the simpler spatial organization of human VF and its suggested cause may have important implications for treating and preventing this dangerous arrhythmia in humans.
Forecasting the Equity Risk Premium: The Role of Technical Indicators

Academic research relies extensively on macroeconomic variables to forecast the U.S. equity risk premium, with relatively little attention paid to the technical indicators widely employed by practitioners. Our paper fills this gap by comparing the predictive ability of technical indicators with that of macroeconomic variables. Technical indicators display statistically and economically significant in-sample and out-of-sample predictive power, matching or exceeding that of macroeconomic variables. Furthermore, technical indicators and macroeconomic variables provide complementary information over the business cycle: technical indicators better detect the typical decline in the equity risk premium near business-cycle peaks, whereas macroeconomic variables more readily pick up the typical rise in the equity risk premium near cyclical troughs. Consistent with this behavior, we show that combining information from both technical indicators and macroeconomic variables significantly improves equity risk premium forecasts versus using either type of information alone. Overall, the substantial countercyclical fluctuations in the equity risk premium appear well captured by the combined information in technical indicators and macroeconomic variables. Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi. org/10.1287/mnsc.2013. 1838 . This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.
Wearing, Thinking, and Moving: Testing the Feasibility of Fitness Tracking with Urban Youth

Background: Wearable and mobile technologies are often used by people who wish to document their own health and lifestyle behaviors. The feasibility of health tracking among youth is unclear, particularly in low-resource communities where health strategies stand to have the greatest impact. Methods: Youth (n = 24) enrolled in an afterschool program in an urban school district were provided Fitbit physical activity monitors. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected over 6 months; logged data from Fitbit.com were examined to assess physical activity patterns and level engagement with the technology and focus groups were conducted to assess motivators and barriers to use. Results: Data logs revealed low continuous engagement that declined over time. Qualitative findings suggest that, when youth wore their devices, they noticed and engaged with their real-time device data in reflective ways. Some aspects of the device's form factor were problematic for these youth, and technology access, environmental constraints, and motivation were also barriers to continuous engagement. Translation to Health Education Practice: Taken together, these mixed methods findings suggest that effecting sustainable changes in youth behavior through health tracking alone is challenging. Adequate training, programmatic/staff support, technology access, and motivation may help sustain ongoing use and engagement. We recommend that health tracking in similar contexts be situated within educational curricula and/or a broader intervention that facilitates and motivates continuous engagement.
Hydrophobic polymers for orodispersible films: a quality by design approach

ABSTRACT Objectives: To develop orodispersible films (ODF) based on hydrophobic polymers with higher stability to ordinary environmental humidity conditions without compromising their fast disintegration time. Methods: A quality by design approach was applied to screen three different formulations each one based on a different hydrophobic polymer: polyvinyl acetate, methacrylate-based copolymer and shellac. The screening formulations were characterized regarding their mechanical properties, residual water content, disintegration time and appearance, in order to find a suitable ODF formulation according to established critical quality attributes. The selected critical process parameters for the selection of appropriate ODF formulations were the percentage of the different excipients and the plasticizer type. Results: Three hydrophobic-based matrices with fast disintegration were developed. These were generically composed by a hydrophobic polymer, a stabilizer, a disintegrant and a plasticizer. It verified that the common components within the three different formulations behave differently depending on the system/chemical environment that they were included. Conclusions: It was shown that it is possible to develop oral films based on hydrophobic polymers with fast disintegration time, good texture and appearance, breaking a paradigm of the ODF research field.