Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Back to basics: an audit of measurement of infant growth at presentation to hospital.

OBJECTIVES Infants who present or are admitted to hospital with illness or with inadequate growth and development are those most at risk of decreased nutritional status. However, not all infants who present or are admitted to hospital have their growth assessed. The aim of the present study was to identify how frequently anthropometric measurements were documented in charts of infants presenting and/or admitted to a tertiary paediatric hospital. METHODS A systematic random sample of hospital charts of infants who had presented to the emergency department between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012 was audited retrospectively for the presence of appropriate documentation of measurement. RESULTS In all, 465 charts were audited, representing 10% of infants who presented to the emergency department in the year. The frequency of anthropometric measures was: birthweight 103 (22%), presentation weight 275 (59%), length 8 (2%), head circumference 15 (3%), percentiles 27 (6%) and body mass index score 1 (0%). Age of the infant was significantly associated with recording of birthweight. There were no significant relationships found between gender, socioeconomic status, gestational age, delivery type and recording of diagnosis and birthweight. CONCLUSIONS Infant measurements were not recorded on many occasions. Assessment of growth as a marker of illness or nutritional deficit has been poorly assessed in this group. This is a missed opportunity to assess infant growth in this population, which has been found to be at risk of decreased nutritional status. Identification and treatment of growth deficits are a cost-effective method of optimising infant health worldwide.
Exposure of Taiwanese adolescents to pornographic media and its impact on sexual attitudes and behaviour

This article examines the use of pornographic media by Taiwanese high school students, and explores the effects of exposure to such on their attitudes and behaviour in terms of sexual permissiveness. The results of this research indicate that more than 90 per cent of the students interviewed had at least some exposure to a variety of pornography, with males reporting significantly higher exposure frequencies than females. The results also show that exposure to pornographic media has significant effects on high school students’ sexual permissiveness and nonexclusive sexual attitudes and behaviour.
Stability of Parallel Triangular System Solvers

Several parallel algorithms have been proposed for the solution of triangular systems. The stability of four of them is analysed here: a fan-in algorithm, a block elimination method, a method based on a factorized power series expansion of the matrix inverse, and a method based on a divide and conquer matrix inversion technique. New forward error and residual bounds are derived, including an improvement on the bounds of Sameh and Brent for the fan-in algorithm. A forward error bound is identified that holds not only for all the methods described here, but for any triangular equation solver that does not rely on algebraic cancellation; among the implications of the bound is that any such method is extremely accurate for certain special types of triangular systems.
Controlled Drawing Observation for Assessing a Child’s Readiness for School and Predicting Academic Achievement at the End of the First Grade

Controlled Drawing Observation (CDO) was developed by Tove Krogh and it has been used in Denmark, Finland and Estonia for assessing a child’s readiness for school. CDO is a group test, it gives information about a child’s functioning in an educational setting and it serves as a starting point for later individual assessment. The goal of the study was to examine the suitability of CDO for assessing a child’s readiness for school and predicting school achievement during the transition period from kindergarten to school in Estonia. A total of 112 children were studied longitudinally at two points in time. Forward‐stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that results of CDO predict a child’s success in mathematics and the Estonian language at the end of the first grade better than teacher reports and the results of individual tests.
Using the inclined-plane test to evaluate the resistance of outdoor polymer insulating materials to electrical tracking and erosion

Evaluating the electrical tracking and erosion resistance of polymeric housing materials is an essential task performed in the development of outdoor insulators. “Tracking” means the formation of a surface carbonaceous path, and “erosion” means weight loss of the housing material. An absolute measurement of the tracking and erosion resistance is not possible; only relative ranking of composites can be achieved using the standard tracking and erosion tests. During the early use of organic insulating materials, failure due to tracking was a major concern, and therefore standard screening methods were proposed to evaluate the tracking rather than the erosion resistance. Erosion has become more important following the development of tracking resistant composites containing high levels of inorganic fillers.
Financial Constraints and Moral Hazard: The Case of Franchising

Financial constraints are considered an important impediment to growth for small businesses. We study theoretically and empirically the relationship between the financial constraints of agents and the organizational decisions and growth of principals, in the context of franchising. We find that a 30 percent decrease in average collateralizable housing wealth in an area is associated with a delay in chains’ entry into franchising by 0.33 year on average, or 10 percent of the average waiting time, and a reduction in chain growth and hence a reduction in franchised chain employment of about 9 percent.
Relationship of goals and microlevel work processes to performance on a multipath manual task

This laboratory experiment used real-time observation to examine the relationships among goals, work processes, and quantity and quality outcomes using a simple multipath assembly task. Trained observers were able to reliably and accurately document work processes used to perform the task, supporting the use of real-time observation for documenting microlevel task strategies. Results show that (a) work processes were affected by goal content (quantity vs. quality );(b )goal form (gradually difficult vs. fixed and difficult) did not influence outcomes or processes used;(c) work processes and personal goals completely mediated the prediction of quantity outcomes and partially mediated quality outcomes; (d) process-only goals produced a greater number of process changes than outcome goals but led to poorer performance; and (e) outcome goals had a lagged effect on performance. The implications for goal-setting theory are discussed.
Evidence for a contribution of the motor cortex to the long‐latency stretch reflex of the human thumb.

1. In normal subjects, transcranial magnetic stimulation of the hand region of the motor cortex evokes motor responses only in contralateral hand muscles at a latency of about 19‐24 ms. In contrast, stimulation of the motor cortex of three mirror movement subjects evoked, nearly simultaneously, motor responses in hand muscles on both sides of the body at latencies similar to those of normal subjects. In these subjects no other neuroanatomical pathways appear to be abnormally directed across the mid‐line. Thus, their mirror movements are probably due to a projection of the corticospinal tract to homologous motoneurone pools on each side of the body. 2. We reasoned that if the motor cortex contributes to the generation of long‐latency stretch reflex responses then in these mirror movement subjects stretching a muscle on one side of the body should produce long‐latency reflex responses in the ipsilateral and the homologous contralateral muscle. 3. To test this idea experiments were done on normal human subjects and on the subjects with mirror movements. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the flexor pollicis longus muscle (FPL) on each side of the body was recorded. Stretch of the distal phalanx of the thumb of one hand produced a series of distinct reflex EMG responses in the ipsilateral FPL. The earliest response, when present, began at 25 ms (S.D. = 3.5 ms) and was followed by responses at 40 (S.D. = 3.9 ms) and 56 ms (S.D. = 4.3 ms). There was no difference, either in timing or intensity, between the ipsilateral FPL EMG responses of normal subjects and those of the mirror movement subjects. 4. No response of any kind was observed in the contralateral (unstretched) FPL of normal subjects. In contrast, we observed in all three mirror movement subjects EMG responses in the contralateral (unstretched) FPL beginning at 45‐50 ms. The latency of this response is considerably shorter than the fastest voluntary kinaesthetic reaction time, which was on average 130 ms (S.D. = 11 ms). The contralateral long‐latency EMG response observed in the mirror movement subjects was on average 30% (range 5‐60%) of that on the ipsilateral side. No short‐latency response (25 ms) was ever observed in the contralateral FPL of these subjects. 5. These observations are quite consistent with the idea that the long‐latency stretch reflex responses of hand and finger muscles are produced, at least in part, by the motor cortex.
Casearin X, Its Degradation Product and Other Clerodane Diterpenes from Leaves of Casearia sylvestris: Evaluation of Cytotoxicity against Normal and Tumor Human Cells

An EtOH extract of the leaves of Casearia sylvestris afforded new clerodane diterpene, casearin X, together with the known compounds casearins B, D, L, and O, and caseargrewiin F. Casearin X degraded to the corresponding dialdehyde when stored in CDCl3. The diterpenes isolated were cytotoxic to human cancer cell lines, with caseargrewiin F being the most active and the new clerodane, casearin X, the second active compound with IC50 values comparable to the positive control doxorubicin. All isolated diterpenes showed lower activities against normal human cells than against cancer cell lines, which might indicate a possible selective action on cancer cells. Casearin X dialdehyde was not cytotoxic to cancer cells indicating that the occurrence of these CO groups at C(18) and C(19) is incompatible with the cytotoxic activity.
Comparison of five portable peak flow meters

OBJECTIVE To compare the measurements of spirometric peak expiratory flow (PEF) from five different PEF meters and to determine if their values are in agreement. Inaccurate equipment may result in incorrect diagnoses of asthma and inappropriate treatments. METHODS Sixty-eight healthy, sedentary and insufficiently active subjects, aged from 19 to 40 years, performed PEF measurements using Air Zone®, Assess®, Galemed®, Personal Best® and Vitalograph® peak flow meters. The highest value recorded for each subject for each device was compared to the corresponding spirometric values using Friedman’s test with Dunn’s post-hoc (p<0.05), Spearman’s correlation test and Bland-Altman’s agreement test. RESULTS The median and interquartile ranges for the spirometric values and the Air Zone®, Assess®, Galemed®, Personal Best® and Vitalograph® meters were 428 (263–688 L/min), 450 (350–800 L/min), 420 (310–720 L/min), 380 (300–735 L/min), 400 (310–685 L/min) and 415 (335–610 L/min), respectively. Significant differences were found when the spirometric values were compared to those recorded by the Air Zone® (p<0.001) and Galemed ® (p<0.01) meters. There was no agreement between the spirometric values and the five PEF meters. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the values recorded from Galemed® meters may underestimate the actual value, which could lead to unnecessary interventions, and that Air Zone® meters overestimate spirometric values, which could obfuscate the need for intervention. These findings must be taken into account when interpreting both devices’ results in younger people. These differences should also be considered when directly comparing values from different types of PEF meters.
Learning a ‘new language’ – the objective approach to early literacy in English

Published research shows that English speakers gain literacy skills up to the 7‐year level more effectively when taught using a language experience approach rather than a word reading approach (reading common words plus phonic reading). It is suggested that this is because of the almost unique nature of English phonology, that is the strengthening of unstressed syllables when converted to stressed syllables, for example, uhn indipendn’t witnis becomes the systematically distorted form of English, with four changes of vowel, that is reflected in the written form. This means that to read English, speakers must learn a ‘new language’. The research evidence is considered and the implications for teaching are suggested.
Patterns of delivery of chemoimmunotherapy to patients with follicular lymphoma in the United States: Results of the National LymphoCare Study

Drug choice and delivered dose of treatment potentially influence outcome in patients treated for follicular lymphoma (FL). Historically, observational studies have evaluated drug choice. The National LymphoCare Study (NLCS) is a prospective, observational study of patients with FL who were enrolled at academic and community practice sites in the United States between 2004 and 2007. In the current study, the authors report on measures of delivered dose and its impact on outcomes for the most common first‐line regimens.
Standing lateral thoracotomy in horses: indications, complications, and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE To describe the indications for, complications arising from, and outcome of horses that had standing lateral thoracotomy for pleural or pericardial disease. STUDY DESIGN Case series. ANIMALS Horses (n=16). METHODS Medical records (January 1990-December 2008) of sedated standing horses that had lateral thoracotomy were reviewed. Clinical and surgical findings, perioperative and short-term complications were recorded. Long-term (>6 months) outcome was determined through telephone conversations with owners and veterinarians. RESULTS Mean (±SD) horse age was 6.6±5.3 years (range, 1-15 years). Thoracotomy was most commonly for treatment of recurrent or chronic pleural infection (94%). Anaerobic bacteria were frequently isolated from pleural effusion associated with pleuropneumonia (63%). Right lateral intercostal thoracotomy was performed in 13 horses (82%); intercostal muscle myectomy in 5 horses; and rib resection in 1. Perioperative complications were hemipneumothorax (2 horses) and short-term complications included cellulitis and abscessation of the thoracotomy site (6 horses). Fourteen (88%) horses survived to discharge and 46% of horses that survived returned to their previous level of athletic activity. CONCLUSIONS Lateral thoracotomy is well tolerated by standing sedated horses with minimal perioperative and short-term complications. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Standing lateral thoracotomy should be considered for the treatment of complicated pleuropneumonia in horses.
The Antioxidant Activity of New Coumarin Derivatives

The antioxidant activity of two synthesized coumarins namely, N-(4,7-dioxo-2- phenyl-1,3-oxazepin-3(2H,4H,7H)-yl)-2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetamide 5 and N-(4-oxo-2-phenylthiazolidin-3-yl)-2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetamide 6 were studied with the DPPH, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide radical methods and compared with the known antioxidant ascorbic acid. Compounds 5 and 6 were synthesized in a good yield from the addition reaction of maleic anhydride or mercaptoacetic acid to compound 4, namely N′-benzylidene-2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetohydrazide. Compound 4 was synthesized by the condensation of compound 3, namely 2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy) acetohydrazide, with benzaldehyde. Compound 3, however, was synthesized from the addition of hydrazine to compound 2, namely ethyl 2-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yloxy)acetate, which was synthesized from the reaction of ethyl bromoacetate with 4-hydroxycoumarin 1. Structures for the synthesized coumarins 2–6 are proposed on the basis of spectroscopic evidence.
Absorption characteristics of EC-MPS--an enteric-coated formulation of mycophenolic sodium.

UNLABELLED Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium is an advanced formulation delivering mycophenolic acid (MPA), designed to improve MPA-related upper gastrointestinal adverse events by delaying MPA release until the small intestine. OBJECTIVE Two studies were undertaken to identify the absolute bioavailability and dose-proportionality of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium in stable renal transplant patients receiving cyclosporine. METHODS Study 1: The mean MPA AUC(0-t) was shown to be greater after MPA infusion than after oral enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (42.1 vs. 28.9 microg x h/ml). Mean absolute bioavailability was 0.71 +/- 0.21 (SD). Study 2: The AUC(0-t) and C(max) for MPA were proportional to the dose of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium, similarly mean AUC(0-infinity) and C(max) for MPA glucuronide were proportional to dose administered. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS In patients receiving cyclosporine the absolute bioavailability of MPA provided by enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium is equivalent to that provided by mycophenolate mofetil when administered in combination with cyclosporine, and exhibits dose-proportionality. Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium was well tolerated from 180 - 2,160 mg with no serious adverse events reported.
Human-Swarm Interactions Based on Managing Attractors

Leveraging the abilities of multiple affordable robots as a swarm is enticing because of the resulting robustness and emergent behaviors of a swarm. However, because swarms are composed of many different agents, it is difficult for a human to influence the swarm by managing individual agents. Instead, we propose that human influence should focus on (a) managing the higher level attractors of the swarm system and (b) managing trade-offs that appear in mission-relevant performance. We claim that managing attractors theoretically allows a human to abstract the details of individual agents and focus on managing the collective as a whole. Using a swarm model with two attractors, we demonstrate this concept by showing how limited human influence can cause the swarm to switch between attractors. We further claim that using quorum sensing allows a human to manage trade-offs between the scalability of interactions and mitigating the vulnerability of the swarm to agent failures.
Examining the Disparity between Juvenile and Adult Victims in Notifying the Police: A Study of Mediating Variables

Extant research has found that crimes against juveniles are substantially less likely than crimes against adults to come to the attention of the police. Few studies, however, have attempted to systematically examine variation in police reporting between juvenile and adult victims. With assault and robbery data from the 1994-2001 National Crime Victimization Survey, this research explores this issue by addressing whether victim, offender, and situational characteristics of crime are effective in mediating the disparity in police reporting between juvenile and adult victims. Current findings indicate that the relationship between juvenile victims and police reporting was only attenuated, in part, after controlling for school victimizations and crimes perpetrated by juvenile offenders. Current findings also reveal that distinguishing crimes reported to nonpolice officials had no effect, attenuating variation in police reporting between juvenile and adult victims.
Digital Platform for Wafer-Level MEMS Testing and Characterization Using Electrical Response

The uniqueness of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices, with their multiphysics characteristics, presents some limitations to the borrowed test methods from traditional integrated circuits (IC) manufacturing. Although some improvements have been performed, this specific area still lags behind when compared to the design and manufacturing competencies developed over the last decades by the IC industry. A complete digital solution for fast testing and characterization of inertial sensors with built-in actuation mechanisms is presented in this paper, with a fast, full-wafer test as a leading ambition. The full electrical approach and flexibility of modern hardware design technologies allow a fast adaptation for other physical domains with minimum effort. The digital system encloses a processor and the tailored signal acquisition, processing, control, and actuation hardware control modules, capable of the structure position and response analysis when subjected to controlled actuation signals in real time. The hardware performance, together with the simplicity of the sequential programming on a processor, results in a flexible and powerful tool to evaluate the newest and fastest control algorithms. The system enables measurement of resonant frequency (Fr), quality factor (Q), and pull-in voltage (Vpi) within 1.5 s with repeatability better than 5 ppt (parts per thousand). A full-wafer with 420 devices under test (DUTs) has been evaluated detecting the faulty devices and providing important design specification feedback to the designers.
Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy: Moral Concerns and Emotional Experiences among Black South African Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to describe black adolescent women's moral concerns and emotional reactions to the voluntary termination of their pregnancies. Personal, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven women (between the ages 16 and 19 years) who had legal, induced abortions, between one day and three months prior to the interview. A qualitative analysis of the results revealed that moral concerns were based on social, ecclesiastic and cultural values, as well as a sense of accountability towards the self. The women's emotional reactions predominantly involved the negative emotions of shame and embarrassment, as well as guilt and sadness linked to a sense of loss.
Succession planning at Notre Dame: lessons for librarians

Purpose – One of the biggest challenges facing American librarians at present is a mass retirement of highly trained professionals, which will result in a significant loss of expertise. When libraries look at universities for examples of succession planning, they find, for the most part, that they are behind, not ahead of them. A notable exception is the University of Notre Dame, which, as a Catholic institution led by priests, has a very small pool of candidates for high-level positions, so it is forced to select and prepare its top leaders through succession planning. This article aims to examine the work of one such leader. Design/methodology/approach – This article examines the work of one president, Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, whose succession planning efforts resulted in the preparation not only of his successor but also of the members of the administrative team. Findings – This case offers three important lessons for librarians. First, the leadership must be on board with the training program. Sec.