Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pet Ownership and Attachment in Relation to the Health of U.S. Adults, 21 to 64 Years of Age

AbstractPet ownership and attachment to a pet have been reported to have a salutary influence on health in selected populations. General population surveys of the beneficial effects of pet ownership have not been conducted. The purpose of this national survey was to examine the relationship of pet ownership and attachment to self-reported illness behavior and emotional distress in three stages of life: early adulthood (21 to 34 years of age), early middle age (35 to 44 years of age), and late middle age (45 to 64 years of age). Data were obtained from a probability sample of U.S. households with at least one resident aged 21 to 64 years of age selected by random-digit dialing using a two-stage cluster design stratified by U.S. census regions. The response rate was 65.7%, yielding a sample of 1,300 household respondents. Emotional distress was measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Illness behavior was assessed by the number of physician visits, prescription m.
Exact Threshold Circuits

We initiate a systematic study of constant depth Boolean circuits built using exact threshold gates. We consider both unweighted and weighted exact threshold gates and introduce corresponding circuit classes. We next show that this gives a hierarchy of classes that seamlessly interleave with the well-studied corresponding hierarchies defined using ordinary threshold gates. A major open problem in Boolean circuit complexity is to provide an explicit super-polynomial lower bound for depth two threshold circuits. We identify the class of depth two exact threshold circuits as a natural subclass of these where also no explicit lower bounds are known. Many of our results can be seen as evidence that this class is a strict subclass of depth two threshold circuits --- thus we argue that efforts in proving lower bounds should be directed towards this class.
Essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera, and myelofibrosis: Current management and the prospect of targeted therapy

The recent discovery of JAK2 and/or MPL mutations in polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) has had a major impact on how we diagnose and treat these disorders. For instance, the presence of a JAK2 mutation is now considered conditio sine qua non for the diagnosis of PV and the World Health Organization classification system has recently revised its diagnostic criteria for PV, ET, and PMF to include JAK2 and MPL mutations as clonal markers. From the standpoint of treatment, JAK‐STAT is now identified as a legitimate target pathway for drug development in myeloproliferative neoplasms. Herein, I will first outline my views regarding current management in ET, PV, and PMF and then discuss emerging data on preclinical and clinical activity of anti‐JAK2 small molecule drugs. Am. J. Hematol. , 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Government Funding and Nonprofit Organizations

In this article, the author tests whether there is a simultaneous relationship between the number of nonprofits and government funding of nonprofit activity and whether the fundraising efforts of nonprofits are the means by which nonprofits affect the grants available to them. Estimates of the model are consistent with the proposition that government grants and contracts (program revenues) received by nonprofits are strong determinants of the number of nonprofits in a state. They lend support to the argument that nonprofit fundraising activities have an independent effect on the availability of the grants and contracts; however, although the number of nonprofit organizations per state has a similar effect on grants to nonprofits, they do not have an effect on the contacts they receive.
Liquidity Flows and Fragility of Business Enterprises

This paper develops a macroeconomic model in which investable assets flow to entrepreneurs through long-term relationships with lenders. Low asset flows cause relationships to break up due to insufficient liquidity. Multiple Pareto ranked steady states emerge from complementarity between financial intermediation, reflected by the number of relationships, and households' incentives to provide assets. This complementarity also serves as a mechanism for propagating aggregate shocks. Financial collapse may become inescapable if a shock destroys sufficiently many relationships.
Predictors of longitudinal changes in pulmonary function among swine confinement workers.

OBJECTIVE To determine predictors of longitudinal changes in pulmonary function in swine confinement workers. DESIGN Longitudinal study conducted from November 1989 to June 1991 and January 1994 to May 1995. SETTING Swine confinement workers in Saskatchewan. PARTICIPANTS Forty-two swine confinement workers who were studied in 1989/90 and studied again in 1994/95. RESULTS Of 98 male swine confinement workers (mean age SD 36.3 11.1 years) studied at baseline, 42 were studied again five years following. Complete information on baseline across-shift pulmonary function (preshift forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC], and every 2 h FEV1 and FVC during the shift), and five-year follow-up pulmonary function (with FEV1 and FVC) were available on all 42 subjects. Mean across-shift changes (preshift measurement to last measurement of the day) at baseline were -159. 8 61.7 mL in FEV1 and -35.3 65.6 mL in FVC. Mean annual rate change between baseline and follow-up for FEV1 was -53.9 61.7 mL/year and for FVC -48.9 71.6 mL/year. After adjusting for age, height, smoking and hours spent in the barn, the baseline across-shift change in FEV1 and FVC was a significant predictor of annual rate change in FEV1 (P=0.01) and FVC (P=0.02), respectively. To determine the effects of indoor air quality on longitudinal lung function decline, indoor air environmental measurements were analysed. Complete information on respiratory health and indoor air quality was available on 34 of the 42 subjects. Assessment of indoor environment of swine barns included a summer and winter measurement for airborne dust, gases and endotoxin levels. After adjusting for age, height, smoking, ammonia and hours spent in the barn, the endotoxin level (Eu/mg)was a significant predictor of annual rate change for FEV1 but not FVC. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that shift change is an important predictor of longitudinal changes in lung function in swine confinement workers and that endotoxin exposures may mediate annual decline in FEV1 in these workers.
Nuevos hábitos de los jóvenes españoles y tendencias de futuro en el consumo de radio y televisión

Radio and TV are, after the Internet, the most favorite mass media among young population. Despite the wide range of options the web makes available for the young audiences spare time, consumption of traditional media remains unchanged since the beginning of year 2000. This data, however, does not mean that nowadays young people keep on consuming radio and television in the same terms than a decade ago, neither that they agree with the contents offered in different programming grids. On the following lines, first it is offered a comparative analysis of the opinion that young people between 18 and 25 have about present radio and television, ongoing into the analysis of what are their consumption habits and demands in both media.
Reduced Progression to Type 2 Diabetes From Impaired Glucose Tolerance After a 2-Day In-Hospital Diabetes Educational Program

OBJECTIVE—We assessed the effects of a 2-day in-hospital diabetes educational program in preventing or delaying progression of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to type 2 diabetes, including analysis of changes in serum lipids, body weight, and blood pressure after the program. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A total of 426 subjects (51 ± 9 years, BMI 24.6 ± 3.9 kg/m2) with newly diagnosed IGT were randomly assigned to three groups, 143 as the short-term hospitalization with diabetes education and support (STH) group, 141 as the nonhospitalization but diabetes education and support (DES) group, and 142 as the neither hospitalization nor education (control) group. RESULTS—The average follow-up was 3.1 years. The incidence of diabetes was 8.0, 10.7, and 13.2 cases per 100 person-years for STH, DES, and control groups, respectively. The incidence of diabetes was 42% lower (95% CI 33–51%) in the STH group and 27% lower (15–37%) in the DES group than in the control group. The incidence of diabetes was 21% lower (10–31%) in the STH group than in the DES group. CONCLUSIONS—The 2-day in-hospital program with diabetes education and support every 3 months was more effective in preventing or delaying the progression from IGT to diabetes than only diabetes education and support every 3 months.
Isoflurane produces only minor preconditioning in coronary artery bypass grafting

Objective—To investigate whether administration of isoflurane prior to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) could partly account for the observed protection of the myocardial function and to decrease myocardial injury in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods—Thirty‐four patients with stable angina who were scheduled for isolated elective CABG operations were randomized into the control group or isoflurane (ISO) group. In the ISO group, isoflurane was inhaled for 5 min followed by another 5‐min washout period before commencing CPB. The control group did not receive isoflurane. Hemodynamic data and biochemical markers of myocardial injury were measured perioperatively. Results—There were no adverse effects related to isoflurane. Cardiac index (CI) increased postoperatively as compared with the baseline. In the ISO group, there was a tendency for a greater increase of CI than that in the control group (p = 0.054, ANOVA for repeated measurements). At 1 h after CPB, the change of CI was much higher in the ISO group than that in the controls (p = 0.001). Both the creatine kinase cardiac isoenzyme (CK‐MB) and troponin I (TnI) reached peak value at 6 h after CPB. Isoflurane patients released slightly less CK‐MB than the controls postoperatively, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.16, ANOVA for repeated measurements). The release of TnI was similar in both groups (p = 0.65, ANOVA for repeated measurements). Conclusions—Administration of isoflurane prior to commencing CPB may bring an improvement in early hemodynamic performance after CABG operations.
The Feasibility of Assessing Teenagers’ Oral English Language Performance with a Rubric

En este articulo se presenta la experiencia de un grupo de estudio en una universidad publica colombiana, conformado principalmente por coordinadores academicos que trabajaron en el diseno de rubricas para la evaluacion. El presente trabajo se centra en la experiencia de la coordinadora del programa de ingles para jovenes, quien usa las rubricas para evaluar el desempeno oral de los estudiantes. Los instrumentos de recoleccion de datos fueron la rubrica y entrevistas a los profesores y estudiantes. Los resultados estan relacionados con la viabilidad y utilidad de la rubrica.
Mentoring: Immigrant teachers bridging professional practices

New teachers who enter Australian educational systems must acquire suitable knowledge that enables them to function effectively as a teacher in this country. For immigrant professionals new to the system mere transfer of knowledge does not suffice and does not satisfy their professional perception of self. Teachers who are born and trained overseas lack culturally specific educational knowledge. These shortfalls can initiate unforseen dilemmas for their professional development and shifts in their definition of self. Acquiring new knowledge requires teachers to understand the social elements of learning and teaching in local contexts and to apply them appropriately. Mentoring relationships can be a means of bridging the gap between the newcomers' former ways of knowing and current practice, thereby mobilizing their capacity to operate effectively as a teacher in their new contexts and develop a positive professional identity. In this paper we draw on interview data from a study that involved immigrant teachers.
PC USAGE AMONG STUDENTS IN A PRIVATE INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING: THE MODERATING ROLE OF PRIOR EXPERIENCE

Abstrak: Selaras dengan Wawasan 2020 dan dasar teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) negara, kajian ini percaya tentang perlunya Malaysia memberi tumpuan kepada penerimaan terhadap komputer peribadi (PC) di institusi pengajian tinggi swasta (IPTS), terutama apabila trend terkini dan masa depan jelas menunjukkan pertambahan kemasukan bilangan pelajar ke institusi berkenaan. Kajian ini meninjau tentang penggunaan PC di kalangan pelajar-pelajar IPTS yang bekerjasama dengan sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) di bawah skim francais. Soal selidik berstruktur telah digunakan untuk mengutip data daripada pelajar-pelajar yang terlibat secara langsung dalam skim pengajian ini. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tanggapan tentang mudah atau sukar menggunakan PC (PEU) mempengaruhi tanggapan terhadap kebergunaan PC (PU), dan secara lebih signifikan apabila pelajar terlibat dalam tugastugas asas; tetapi kesan sebaliknya berlaku bagi tugas-tugas yang lebih sukar. Tambahan pula, PU menjadi pengantara sepenuhnya bagi kesan PEU ke atas penggunaan PC bagi tugas-tugas asas sahaja. Didapati juga pengalaman lepas pelajar menjadi pengantara hubung kait antara PEU – penggunaan PC hanya bagi tugas-tugas mudah sahaja. Oleh itu, kajian lanjutan dan implikasi pengurusan bagi pembuat dasar ICT negara dibincangkan dalam kertas kerja ini.
Modeling relationships between landscape-level attributes and snorkel counts of chinook salmon and steelhead parr in Idaho

Knowledge of environmental factors impacting anadromous salmonids in their freshwater habitats, particu- larly at large spatial scales, may be important for restoring them to previously recorded levels in the northwestern United States. Consequently, we used existing data sets and an information-theoretic approach to model landscape-level attributes and snorkel count categories of spring-summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) parr within index areas in Idaho. Count categories of chinook salmon parr were negatively re- lated to geometric mean road density and positively related to mean annual precipitation, whereas those for steelhead parr were negatively related to percent unconsolidated lithology. Our models predicted that chinook salmon parr would be in low count categories within subwatersheds with >1 km·km -2 geometric mean road densities and (or) 30% unconsolidated lithology. These results provide a starting point for fish biologists and managers attempting to map approximate status and quality of rearing habitats for chinook salmon and steelhead at large spatial scales. Resume : La connaissance des facteurs environnementaux influant sur les salmonides anadromes dans leurs habitats dulcicoles, particulierement aux grandes echelles spatiales, peut etre importante pour le retablissement des populations aux niveaux observes dans le passe dans le nord-ouest des Etats-Unis. Ainsi, nous avons utilise des ensembles de don- nees deja existants et une approche basee sur la theorie de l'information pour relier des attributs du paysage avec l'abondance des tacons de saumon quinnat (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) et de saumon arc-en-ciel (Oncorhynchus mykiss), denombres dans l'eau par plongee au tuba, dans des secteurs temoins de l'Idaho. Les categories d'abondance des tacons de saumon quinnat etaient correlees negativement avec la moyenne geometrique de la densite des routes et correlees positivement avec les precipitations anuelles moyennes, tandis que celles des tacons de saumon arc-en-ciel etaient correlees negativement avec le pourcentage de matiere non consolidee. Nos modeles prevoient que les tacons de saumon quinnat seraient peu abondants dans les bassins secondaires ou les moyennes geometriques de la densite des routes sont >1 km·km -2 et (ou) les precipitations annuelles moyennes sont 30%. Ces resultats peuvent servir de point de depart aux biologistes et aux gestionnaires responsables de la faune ichthyenne qui veulent etablir des cartes representant l'etat et la qualite approximatifs des habitats ou se developpent le saumon quinnat et le saumon arc-en-ciel couvrant de grandes regions. (Traduit par la Redaction) Thompson and Lee 1842
Uncoupling histone turnover from transcription-associated histone H3 modifications

Transcription in eukaryotes is associated with two major changes in chromatin organization. Firstly, nucleosomal histones are continuously replaced by new histones, an event that in yeast occurs predominantly at transcriptionally active promoters. Secondly, histones become modified post-translationally at specific lysine residues. Some modifications, including histone H3 trimethylation at lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and acetylation at lysines 9 (H3K9ac) and 14 (H3K14ac), are specifically enriched at active promoters where histones exchange, suggesting a possible causal relationship. Other modifications accumulate within transcribed regions and one of them, H3K36me3, is thought to prevent histone exchange. Here we explored the relationship between these four H3 modifications and histone turnover at a few selected genes. Using lysine-to-arginine mutants and a histone exchange assay, we found that none of these modifications plays a major role in either promoting or preventing histone turnover. Unexpectedly, mutation of H3K56, whose acetylation occurs prior to chromatin incorporation, had an effect only when introduced into the nucleosomal histone. Furthermore, we used various genetic approaches to show that histone turnover can be experimentally altered with no major consequence on the H3 modifications tested. Together, these results suggest that transcription-associated histone turnover and H3 modification are two correlating but largely independent events.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORPHOLOGICAL RULES IN CHILDREN

Summary. The present study made use of Berko's ‘Wug Test’ to investigate the development of morphological rules in children aged from 4 to 14. The results suggest that the main usefulness of this procedure should be between the ages of 4 and 12, approximately. Within this range, most of the rules tested show a steady improvement towards a ceiling value. The two exceptions are derivation and the use of the comparative and superlative which show a slower and later development.
Why Are Some Academic Fields Tipping Toward Female? The Sex Composition of U.S. Fields of Doctoral Degree Receipt, 1971–2002

Using data on the number of men and women who received doctorates in all academic field from 1971 to 2002, the authors examine changes in the sex composition of fields. During thi period, the proportion of women who received doctorates increased dramatically from 14 per cent to 46 percent. Regression models with fixed effects indicate no evidence that fields with declining relative salaries deter the entry of men, as would be predicted by the queuing the ory of Reskin and Roos. Consistent with the devaluation perspective and Schelling's tipping model, above a certain percentage of women, men are deterred from entering fields by th fields' further feminization. However, the rank order of fields in the percentage of women changed only slightly over time, implying that, to a large extent, men and women continued to choose fields as before, even when many more women received doctorates. The finding
Linking prevention science and social and emotional learning: The Oregon Resiliency Project

This article reviews the contributions of the Oregon Resiliency Project, an effort to enhance positive social–emotional development of children and youth through social and emotional learning (SEL). The project was launched in 2001 as a collaborative effort between faculty and graduate student researchers at the University of Oregon. The primary aims have included training, outreach, and research in school-based mental health promotion. One of the major contributions has been the development of the Strong Kids programs, SEL curricula designed to be used by educators and mental health personnel at the pre-K through Grade 12 level as a brief and low-cost way to promote SEL. The Strong Kids programs and the process of developing and refining them are described. The yield of several feasibility, efficacy, and effectiveness studies are overviewed, as are the lessons learned in conducting this line of work. Additional efforts of the project are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
EJGI:5:Research:Internet Gambling: U.K. Prevalence Study Results

Technology has always played a role in the development of gambling practices, and new technologies such as Internet gambling may provide many people with their first exposure to the world of gambling. Further to this, Internet gambling could be argued to be more psychologically enticing than previous non-technological incarnations of gambling because of anonymity, accessibility and interactivity. This paper reports on the results of the first U.K. study of Internet gambling; 2098 people were interviewed for their behaviour and attitudes. Results indicated that only 1% of Internet users (n=495) had ever gambled on the Internet and that there was no evidence of problematic gambling behaviour associated with the Internet.
Strength of Word-Specific Neural Memory Traces Assessed Electrophysiologically

Memory traces for words are frequently conceptualized neurobiologically as networks of neurons interconnected via reciprocal links developed through associative learning in the process of language acquisition. Neurophysiological reflection of activation of such memory traces has been reported using the mismatch negativity brain potential (MMN), which demonstrates an enhanced response to meaningful words over meaningless items. This enhancement is believed to be generated by the activation of strongly intraconnected long-term memory circuits for words that can be automatically triggered by spoken linguistic input and that are absent for unfamiliar phonological stimuli. This conceptual framework critically predicts different amounts of activation depending on the strength of the word's lexical representation in the brain. The frequent use of words should lead to more strongly connected representations, whereas less frequent items would be associated with more weakly linked circuits. A word with higher frequency of occurrence in the subject's language should therefore lead to a more pronounced lexical MMN response than its low-frequency counterpart. We tested this prediction by comparing the event-related potentials elicited by low- and high-frequency words in a passive oddball paradigm; physical stimulus contrasts were kept identical. We found that, consistent with our prediction, presenting the high-frequency stimulus led to a significantly more pronounced MMN response relative to the low-frequency one, a finding that is highly similar to previously reported MMN enhancement to words over meaningless pseudowords. Furthermore, activation elicited by the higher-frequency word peaked earlier relative to low-frequency one, suggesting more rapid access to frequently used lexical entries. These results lend further support to the above view on word memory traces as strongly connected assemblies of neurons. The speed and magnitude of their activation appears to be linked to the strength of internal connections in a memory circuit, which is in turn determined by the everyday use of language elements.