Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical activity, noncommunicable disease, and wellbeing in urban South Africa

If there is one thing that policy makers at the World Health Organisation (WHO) and residents of the South African township of Langa are likely to agree on, it is that ‘just sitting’ is not good for you. The positions from which they approach this conclusion however differ profoundly. This research investigates different conceptualisations of physical activity, health, and wellbeing, and the implications of these differences for policy on the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low and middle income countries, taking South Africa as a case study. With four out of five deaths from diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke now occurring in low and middle income countries, prevention, of what have been termed ‘NCDs’, in these countries is rising rapidly up the global public health agenda. Physical activity is one of the four primary risk factors which have been identified as intervention targets, but there is an acknowledged paucity of research which helps us to understand how physical activity, and inactivity, are conceptualised in low and middle income country contexts. As a result the evidence base for design of physical activity policy interventions to address NCDs is also weak. The global discourse recognises the determinants of health as socially embedded, but struggles with what this means for policy on prevention. This study explores the detail of this social embeddedness by way of ethnographic research into wellbeing, health and physical activity carried out in a South African township, and juxtaposes this with conceptualisation of these same themes emerging from a review of academic and policy-oriented literature on the prevention of NCDs in low and middle income countries. The struggles of local research groups to reconcile the demands made on them from these very different worlds are explored, and strategies for addressing the specifics of NCD prevention without abstracting health from the broader context of the person or society are discussed. The research is theoretically informed by work on wellbeing in developing countries.
Effects of The "What is Beautiful is Good" Stereotype on Perceived Trustworthiness

Attractive individuals are favored in various evaluative and judgmental ways. This study examined the effects of the “what is beautiful is good” stereotype on the specific area of perceived trustworthiness. 284 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory level psychology class at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse participated in an online survey, which rated one of three sets of four attractive and unattractive photographs of both men and women with respect to how likable, attractive, and trustworthy they perceived the stimulus to be. Next, the participants chose which stimulus they would trust the most in a hypothetical situation. Results indicated that attractive individuals were seen as more trustworthy than unattractive individuals and women were seen as more trustworthy than men. When participants were forced to choose among the four pictures in a trust scenario, they overwhelmingly chose the attractive females. Findings from this study should help inform others of possible gender and attractiveness judgmental biases being made regarding trustworthiness.
Haptoglobin-hemoglobin receptor independent killing of African trypanosomes by human serum and trypanosome lytic factors

The haptoglobin-hemoglobin receptor (HpHbR) of African trypanosomes plays a critical role in human innate immunity against these parasites. Localized to the flagellar pocket of the veterinary pathogen Trypanosoma brucei brucei this receptor binds Trypanosome Lytic Factor-1 (TLF-1), a subclass of human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) facilitating endocytosis, lysosomal trafficking and subsequent killing. Recently, we found that group 1 Trypanosoma brucei gambiense does not express a functional HpHbR. We now show that loss of the TbbHpHbR reduces the susceptibility of T. b. brucei to human serum and TLF-1 by 100- and 10,000-fold, respectively. The relatively high concentrations of human serum and TLF-1 needed to kill trypanosomes lacking the HpHbR indicates that high affinity TbbHpHbR binding enhances the cytotoxicity; however, in the absence of TbbHpHbR, other receptors or fluid phase endocytosis are sufficient to provide some level of susceptibility. Human serum contains a second innate immune factor, TLF-2, that has been suggested to kill trypanosomes independently of the TbbHpHbR. We found that T. b. brucei killing by TLF-2 was reduced in TbbHpHbR-deficient cells but to a lesser extent than TLF-1. This suggests that both TLF-1 and TLF-2 can be taken up via the TbbHpHbR but that alternative pathways exist for the uptake of these toxins. Together the findings reported here extend our previously published studies and suggest that group 1 T. b. gambiense has evolved multiple mechanisms to avoid killing by trypanolytic human serum factors.
Efficacy, tolerability, and acceptability of bupropion for major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomized–controlled trials comparison with venlafaxine

Background Bupropion and venlafaxine are effective antidepressants with unique pharmacological profiles. Objectives The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability of bupropion and venlafaxine therapies for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). The authors searched clinical trials with low risk of bias, performed from January 1985 to February 2013. Data sources The searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were conducted in February 2013. Included populations consisted of adult patients with MDD or major depression. Study eligible criteria, participants, and interventions Included studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing bupropion and venlafaxine in adult patients with MDD and offering endpoint results relevant to: (1) severity of depression; (2) response rate; (3) remission rate; (4) overall discontinuation rate; or (5) discontinuation rate due to adverse events. Limitation of language was not utilized. Study appraisal and synthesis methods The abstracts located from the electronic databases were reviewed. The completed reports from pertinent studies were examined, and essential data were extracted. Based on the Cochrane’s bias assessment, risks of bias were assessed. Any study with two risks or more was excluded. Efficacious outcomes included the mean changed scores of rating scales for depression, overall response rates, and overall remission rates. Acceptability was determined by the overall discontinuation rates. The discontinuation rates due to adverse events were the measurement of tolerability. Relative risks (RR) and weighted mean differences or standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using a random effect model. Results A total of 1,117 participants in three RCTs were included. Depression rating scales used in one and two studies were the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale, respectively. The pooled mean changed scores of the bupropion-treated group were comparable to those of the venlafaxine-treated group with standardized mean differences (95% CI) of 0.05 (−0.16 to 0.26). The overall response and remission rates were similar with the RRs (95% CI) of 0.92 (0.79–1.08) and 0.97 (0.75–1.24), respectively. The pooled overall discontinuation rate and discontinuation rate due to adverse events were not different between groups with the RRs (95% CI) of 1.00 (0.80–1.26) and 0.69 (0.44–1.10), respectively. Limitations The small number of RCTs included in the meta-analysis. Conclusion According to the limited data obtained from three RCTs, bupropion XL is as effective and tolerable as venlafaxine XR for adult patients with MDD. Further studies in this area should be conducted to confirm these findings.
Response of freshwater microcosm communities to nutrients, fish, and elevated temperature during winter and summer

Under conditions of stress, shallow freshwater ecosystems can undergo a state change characterized by the rapid loss of macrophytes and subsequent dominance of phytoplankton. Elevated water temperature may promote such change. Here we report the impact of two warming regimes (continuous 3°C above ambient and 3°C above ambient during summer only), with two nutrient loadings and the presence or absence of fish, on 48 microcosm ecosystems created to mimic shallow pond environments. We found that warming did not significantly encourage phytoplankton blooms, even in combination with increased nutrients and fish. Instead, macrophyte communities remained dominant. Macrophyte‐associated invertebrates (gastropods and ostracods) increased in numbers in the warmed microcosms, potentially helping to stabilize the macrophyte communities. Nevertheless, warming produced trends in water chemistry that could be problematic. It increased phosphorus concentrations, total alkalinity, and conductivity. It decreased pH and oxygen saturation and increased the frequency of severe deoxygenation. These trends were largely independent of the other experimental treatments and support the suggestion that moderate warming has the potential to exacerbate existing eutrophication problems.
An Examination of the Effects of the Motivational and Informational Roles of Budget Participation on Performance

This paper examines the effects of motivational and informational roles of budget participation on performance. A structural model is proposed which includes variables such as budget participation, job-relevant information, budget goal commitment, and budgetary and overall job performance. The data were collected by survey questionnaires. Seventynine middle-level managers, drawn randomly from a cross-section of manufacturing companies in Australia, participated in the project. A structural equation modeling technique was used to test the hypothesized linkages. Support was found for the effects of motivational and informational roles of budget participation on overall job performance. However, no support was found for the effects of motivational and informational roles of budget participation on budgetary performance.
Stopping Hyperinflation in Croatia 1993-1994

U ovom radu autor daje pregled procesa razbuktavanja hiperinflacije u Hrvatskoj pocetkom 1990-tih, kao i glavnih razloga zasto je antiinflacijski program uspio izvanredno brzo ugasiti hiperinflaciju. Pri tome se autor koncentrira na kretanje novcane ponude i potražnje za novcem za koje opravdano smatra kako su bili glavni izvor hiperinflacije, a poslije i glavni kljuc uspjesnog antiinflacijskog programa. Autor analizira proces novcane multiplikacije te ocjenjuje funkciju potražnje za dva razdoblja: razdoblje hiperinflacije i razdoblje nakon smirivanja inflacije. Uspoređujuci rezultate za ta dva razdoblja, autor dolazi do zakljucka kako je povecana ponuda novca, osobito eskontnih kredita i posebnih kredita iz primarne emisije bio glavni uzrocnik zahuktavanja hiperinflacije, dok su rezanje ponude novca vec prije pocetka antiinflacijskog programa i promjena potražnje za novcem nakon poduzimanja antiinflacijskog programa glavni uzroci uspjeha antiinflacijskog programa.
Paper Special Section on Recent Development of Electromechanical Devices (selected Papers from Is-emd2005) Investigation on the Thermal Process of Anode in Vacuum Arc

SUMMARY Anode activity in vacuum arc plays a very important role in both characteristics of vacuum arc and the interruption capacity of vacuum interrupters. In this paper, the transient thermal processes of anode in vacuum arc in a half of arc current cycle with frequency of 50 Hz are simulated by finite element analysis software, ANSYS. Some important phenomena of anode, e.g., the melt and solidification, mass loss due to evaporation, are investigated.
Innovation and productivity: evidence for 4 Latin American countries manufacturing industry

The literature on firm level productivity in developed countries recognizes the important role played by firm innovation activities on the evolution of firm productivity. However, the literature on this topic for developing and emerging economies is scarcer and far from conclusive. The aim of this paper is to study the innovation-productivity link at the firm level for four Latin American countries (Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Peru) for the manufacturing sector. The paper distinguishes between different innovations types such as process and product innovations. The data used have been drawn from the World Bank panel Enterprise Surveys, which provides data for these countries for the years 2006 and 2010. Our estimation strategy follows two-steps: first, we estimate TFP measures following De Loecker (2010) approach and Wooldridge (2009) estimation procedure (this allows us to compare results both considering an exogenous or endogenous Markov process for the dynamics of productivity); and, second, we use the estimated TFPs as dependent variables in several models with innovation activities as covariates, in order to disentangle the effects of those variables on the TFP. From our results we confirm that the most productive firms self-select into innovation activities under the endogenous Markov, driven by product innovations, only for Argentina and Mexico. Further, we obtain that there are returns to innovation in terms of productivity for all innovation types, under an exogenous or endogenous Markov process but, again, only for Argentina and Mexico.
Severity of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms among Middle Aged and Elderly Nigerian Men: Impact on Quality of Life

Objectives. To compare the severity of LUTS among middle aged and elderly Nigerian men and determine the influence of LUTS severity on QoL. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted among new patients presenting with LUTS attending Urology clinic between 2011 and 2015. Assessment of symptoms was based on IPSS and bother score completed by the eligible subjects on the same day of their clinic visits. Results. Four hundred patients were studied comprising 229 middle aged and 171 elderly men. Interquartile range (IQR) of IPSS scores for men <65 years and those ≥65 years was 14.0 (16.0) and 19 (15.0), respectively (p < 0.001). Mild LUTS was significantly associated with best, good, and poor quality of life while moderate LUTS was associated with poor QoL. Severe LUTS was significantly associated with all the categories of QoL (Best-Worst). Among the cohort of subjects with poor QoL, elderly patients had a significantly higher median IPSS score (p < 0.05). Conclusions. There is no level of severity of LUTS in which patients' QoL is not impaired although mild symptomatology may be associated with better QoL and severe symptomatology with poor QoL. Careful attention to QoL may help identify patients who require early and prompt treatment irrespective of the IPSS.
Factors related to successful outcome of conservative treatment for rotator cuff tears

Abstract Background. Much controversy exists as to the management of full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff. Not all patients with rotator cuff tears require surgical treatment. We have little information whether there are factors that are related to successful outcome of conservative treatment. Aim. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors related to the successful outcome following conservative treatment. Methods. This study included 123 shoulders in 118 patients with full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff diagnosed by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging with a microscopy coil. All patients were treated conservatively for at least 3 months. Clinical symptoms improved in 65 shoulders in 62 patients by conservative treatment (conservative group), but remained unchanged or aggravated in 58 shoulders in 56 patients, who eventually underwent surgical repair (surgical group). Results. The following parameters showed significant differences: 1) integrity of the intramuscular tendon of the supraspinatus (24.1% in the surgical group and 58.4% in the conservative group showed an intact intramuscular tendon); 2) supraspinatus muscle atrophy (occupancy ratio was 69.8% in the surgical group and 78.0% in the conservative group); 3) impingement sign (positive in 79.3% in the surgical group and 30.7% in the conservative group); and 4) external rotation angle (35.0 degrees in the surgical group and 52.2 degrees in the conservative group). The success rate of conservative treatment was 87% in the cases with at least three of these four factors. Conclusion. These four factors are useful in selecting patients who will respond well to conservative treatment before initiating the treatment.
USGS HIGH-RESOLUTION TOPOMAPPING OF MARS WITH MARS ORBITER CAMERA NARROW-ANGLE IMAGES

We describe our initial experiences producing controlled digital elevation models (DEMs) of Mars with horizontal resolutions of ≤10 m and vertical precisions of ≤2 m. Such models are of intense interest at all phases of Mars exploration and scientific investigation, from the selection of safe landing sites to the quantitative analysis of the morphologic record of surface processes. Topomapping with a resolution adequate to address many of these issues has only become possible with the success of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission. The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on MGS mapped the planet globally with absolute accuracies 1 km between tracks common at low latitudes). We rely on the MOLA data as the best available source of control and process images from the narrow-angle Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC-NA) with stereo and photoclinometric (shape-from-shading) techniques to produce DEMs with significantly better horizontal resolution. The techniques described here enable mapping not only with MOC but also with the high-resolution cameras (Mars Express HRSC, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE) that will orbit Mars in the next several years.
Solving Tree Containment Problem for Reticulation-visible Networks with Optimal Running Time

Tree containment problem is a fundamental problem in phylogenetic study, as it is used to verify a network model. It asks whether a given network contain a subtree that resembles a binary tree. The problem is NP-complete in general, even in the class of binary network. Recently, it was proven to be solvable in cubic time, and later in quadratic time for the class of general reticulation visible networks. In this paper, we further improve the time complexity into linear time.
Outgrowing Resource Dependence: Theory and Evidence

Many policy makers are concerned about dependence on resource exports. This paper examines three changes that reduce this dependence: (i) accumulation of capital and skills; (ii) changes in protection policy, particularly reductions in the burden of protection on exporters; and (iii) differential rates of technical change. Developing countries as a group have made enormous progress in diversifying their exports away from resources in recent decades, a development that appears to have been aided by accumulation of capital and skills and by dramatic reductions in the cost of protection to exporters, but slowed down by technological advances that favored agriculture.
High-speed nondirective optical communication for wireless networks

The primary obstacles to high-speed communication, namely, shot noise from ambient light, high-capacitance photodiodes and multipath dispersion, are reviewed, and ways to counter them are demonstrated for a prototypical infrared system. The discussion is limited to the physical-layer issues involved in the design of a single high-speed optical link. The focus is on the downlink (from base station to portable), which is a more challenging problem technically than the uplink for two reasons. First, the complexity of the portable receiver is much more constrained than that of the base station, due to power consumption and cost restrictions. Second, the downlink data rates are likely to be much higher than the uplink rates, because downlink communication will include downloading large executable files and possibly video services, whereas uplink communication will be used for transferring working files and keyboard commands which tend to be much smaller. <<ETX>>
Mental Accounting for Multiple Outcomes : A Theoretical and Empirical Study

We develop a theoretical basis for integration and segregation of multiple outcomes with underlying S-shaped value functions. Our theoretical findings suggest that Thaler’ principles of mental accounting work as postulated when we deal with events having only positive outcomes (gains) or only negative ones (losses). In the case of ‘mixed’ events with positive and negative outcomes, determining preferences for integration and segregation is a complex task, whose thorough solution we provide in the case of three outcomes. This supplements the only so far in the literature developed case of two outcomes. Our theoretical research is illustrated with a number of examples, as well as weith an experimental study conducted in Changchun, Hong Kong, and Paris.
Effect of a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern on electrophoretic characteristics of low-density lipoprotein particles in healthy women from the Québec City metropolitan area

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern in free-living conditions on LDL electrophoretic characteristics in a group of seventy-one healthy women, aged between 30 and 65 years. The 12-week nutritional intervention consisted of two courses on nutrition and seven individual sessions with a dietitian. The first course provided information on the Mediterranean food pattern and the second was a cooking lesson. LDL peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) and cholesterol levels in small (LDL-cholesterol<255? Å) and large LDL fractions (LDL-cholesterol>260? Å) were obtained by 2–16% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole plasma. The sample was divided on the basis of baseline LDL-PPD using tertiles of the distribution (258·4 Å and 260·0 Å). Among the total sample of women, no significant change in LDL-PPD was observed in response to the nutritional intervention. However, subjects who at baseline were in the first tertile of the LDL-PPD distribution (>258·4 Å) showed a significant increase in LDL-PPD and in the proportion of LDL% >260? %uest;Å in response to the 12-week nutritional intervention (P>0·05). In contrast, LDL-PPD decreased significantly (P=0·007) among women with large LDL particles at baseline (LDL-PPD >260 Å) while the proportion of LDL%<255 Å and of LDL%>260 Å remained unchanged. To conclude, changes in the food pattern, in response to a nutritional intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern, were accompanied by beneficial modifications in LDL electrophoretic characteristics in women who were characterised at baseline by smaller LDL particles.