Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skiing and Snowboarding Injury Prevention

Skiing and snowboarding are popular recreational and competitive sport activities for children and youth. Injuries associated with both activities are frequent and can be serious. There is new evidence documenting the benefit of wearing helmets while skiing and snowboarding, as well as data refuting suggestions that helmet use may increase the risk of neck injury. There is also evidence to support using wrist guards while snowboarding. There is poor uptake of effective preventive measures such as protective equipment use and related policy. Physicians should have the information required to counsel children, youth and families regarding safer snow sport participation, including helmet use, wearing wrist guards for snowboarding, training and supervision, the importance of proper equipment fitting and binding adjustment, sun safety and avoiding substance use while on the slopes.
Relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership of supervisors

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relationships between social skills, motivation and empathy (emotional intelligence components) and transformational leadership in Greek organisations giving emphasis on supervisor‐subordinate interaction on a team basis. In particular, this study aims to investigate employees' perceptions regarding their supervisor's emotional intelligence as well as transformational leadership.Design/methodology/approach – Participants were 267 managers working at various functional units and different hierarchical levels. Data were collected by means of questionnaires in a series of face‐to‐face structured interviews regarding subordinates' perceptions for the following: supervisors' emotional intelligence; and transformational leadership.Findings – Results provided support for the model which suggests that supervisors' emotional intelligence components such as social skills, motivation, and empathy are positively associated with transformational leadership increasing team e.
Packet Loss Reduction During Rerouting

When a network failure is detected by an IP router, its routing table is updated for all affected routing entries. The packet loss resulting from this event depends on the network traffic associated with the updated routing table entries. In this paper, we model this process, define packet loss minimization heuristics relying on network traffic prediction models, and show by simulation that the resulting packet loss can be reduced compared to the default routing table update process.
Fragmented forests, evolving flies: molecular variation in African populations of Drosophila teissieri

Microsatellite variation from eight loci was studied in five populations of Drosophila teissieri, a fruit‐fly found only in the rain forests of sub‐Saharan Africa. Five noncontiguous rain forest sites (from Tanzania, Gabon and Ivory Coast) were sampled to measure the effects of historical forest fragmentation on population structure in an obligatory forest‐dwelling species. The Ivory Coast and Gabon populations showed a wider range of alleles, different modal alleles and had a higher genetic diversity than the three East African populations. As could be expected, genetic differentiation (FST) was significantly correlated with physical distance, but the westernmost population (Ivory Coast) showed values that were intermediate between the central (Gabon) and Eastern (Tanzania) populations. A migration‐drift equilibrium in a stable continuum of populations did not appear adequate to describe the observed distribution. It seems probable that the species has undergone abrupt changes involving isolation, merging and migration of populations, as a consequence of repeated waves of forest fragmentation and coalescence.
Experiences and Meanings of Leisure, Active Living, and Recovery Among Culturally Diverse Community-Dwelling Adults with Mental Illness

This paper presents the findings from Phase II of our multiphase, community-based research project that examined in-depth insights into the meanings of leisure and active living in the recovery experiences of culturally diverse, community-dwelling adults with mental illness. A series of three face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted once each week for 3 weeks with each individual who was purposefully selected from a pool of Phase I study participants. This case-study subsample (n = 23; 14 women and 9 men) included seven White, six Black, six Hispanic American, and four Asian American participants, aged between 23 and 78 years. The findings suggested that actively engaged leisure would act as a mechanism (i.e., “leisure space”) for “movement from” stress and tension and “movement to” something enjoyable and meaningful (e.g., a source of fulfillment, social connections, the reaffirmation of self-worth, hope for the future, altruism).
Cyclical changes in calcium metabolism across the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

CONTEXT Alterations in calcium homeostasis have long been associated with affective disorders. Recently, it has been suggested that abnormalities in calcium metabolism may be responsible for some affective and somatic symptoms in women with premenstrual syndrome. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to measure fluctuations and group differences in calcium-regulating hormones across the menstrual cycle in women with and without premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). DESIGN We conducted a cross-sectional and prospective study of women with and without PMDD. Participating women underwent 2 months of self-assessment symptom screening and 1 month of hormonal evaluation. RESULTS Calcium-regulating hormones varied significantly across the menstrual cycle in both groups. Total serum, ionized and urine calcium, pH, intact PTH, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)(2)D] varied significantly over the menstrual cycle. The PMDD group, when compared with controls, had significantly lower ionized calcium at phase 1 (menses) (1.166 +/- 0.072 vs. 1.182 +/- 0.087 mmol/liter; P = 0.027), significantly lower urine calcium excretion at three of the five phases (late follicular phase 2, midcycle phase 3, and early luteal phase 4), and significantly lower 1,25(OH)(2)D at luteal phase 4 (45.0 +/- 27.5 vs. 50.6 +/- 33.8 pg/ml; P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS Cyclical fluctuations of the calcium-regulating hormones may help us better understand some of the psychological and somatic features of PMDD. The lack of responsiveness in vitamin D metabolism resulting in a decline in 1,25(OH)(2)D during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle may serve as the biological trigger for the classical features of PMDD.
Oxcarbazepine in Affective and Schizoaffective Disorders

Anticonvulsants have been successfully used in pharmacopsychiatry after their therapeutic value in affective and schizoaffective disorders had been documented in several clinical trials. As the authorities in several countries registered newer anticonvulsants with fewer side effects, their therapeutic value in psychiatric disorders was studied. Clinical studies from the early 80's onward have demonstrated the efficacy of oxcarbazepine (OCBZ), a keto derivative of carbamazepine, in treating mania in affective and schizoaffective disorders. In addition, OCBZ has a distinct pharmacokinetic profile concerning drug-drug interactions compared to carbamazepine and other anticonvulsants. Therefore, the value of OCBZ in the treatment of affective and schizoaffective disorders needs to be evaluated. We reviewed the literature with regard to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of OCBZ, drug-drug interactions relevant in pharmacopsychiatry, and the clinical effects of OCBZ in the treatment of patients with affective and schizoaffective disorders. According to the literature, OCBZ is regarded as effective in acute mania and appears to reduce the dosage of neuroleptics required for the treatment of affective and schizoaffective disorders. In addition, it has a preferable pharmacokinetic profile with less severe side effects compared to carbamazepine and neuroleptics. Furthermore, since OCBZ does not interact substantially with the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, co-administration with neuroleptics or antidepressants appears to be well tolerated in affective disorders. However, despite promising effects of OCBZ, few clinical studies have been published in the last 15 years. We conclude that further studies should validate the efficacy of OCBZ in treating mania and evaluate possible pharmacopsychiatric indications as well as limitations for this psychotropic compound.
Rapid Genus- and Species-Specific Identification of Cronobacter spp. by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

ABSTRACT Cronobacter spp. are Gram-negative opportunistic food-borne pathogens and are known as rare but important causes of life-threatening neonatal infections. Rapid and reliable identification of Cronobacter species and their differentiation from phenotypically similar, nonpathogenic Enterobacter turicensis, Enterobacter helveticus, and Enterobacter pulveris have become increasingly important. We evaluated here the application of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for rapid genus and species identification of the six Cronobacter species recognized so far. To this end, we developed a reference MS database library that includes 54 Cronobacter target strains as well as 17 nontarget strains. The strains provided reproducible and unique mass spectra profiles covering a wide molecular mass range (2,000 to 30,000 Da). Genus- and species-specific biomarker protein mass patterns were determined. The defined biomarker mass patterns (Spectral Archive and Microbial Identification System [SARAMIS] SuperSpectrum) were validated using 36 strains from various Cronobacter species as well as eight nontarget strains. For all strains the mass spectrometry-based identification scheme yielded identical results as with a PCR-based identification system. All strains were correctly identified, and no nontarget strain was misidentified as Cronobacter. Our study demonstrates that MALDI-TOF MS is a reliable and powerful tool for the rapid identification of Cronobacter strains to the genus and species level.
Disintegration of Highly Soluble Immediate Release Tablets: A Surrogate for Dissolution

The purpose of the work was to investigate correlation between disintegration and dissolution for immediate release tablets containing a high solubility drug and to identify formulations where disintegration test, instead of the dissolution test, may be used as the acceptance criteria based on International Conference on Harmonization Q6A guidelines. A statistical design of experiments was used to study the effect of filler, binder, disintegrating agent, and tablet hardness on the disintegration and dissolution of verapamil hydrochloride tablets. All formulation variables, i.e., filler, binder, and disintegrating agent, were found to influence tablet dissolution and disintegration, with the filler and disintegrating agent exerting the most significant influence. Slower dissolution was observed with increasing disintegration time when either the filler or the disintegrating agent was kept constant. However, no direct corelationship was observed between the disintegration and dissolution across all formulations due to the interactions between different formulation components. Although all tablets containing sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as the disintegrating agent, disintegrated in less than 3 min, half of them failed to meet the US Pharmacopeia 30 dissolution criteria for the verapamil hydrochloride tablets highlighting the dependence of dissolution process on the formulation components other than the disintegrating agent. The results identified only one formulation as suitable for using the disintegration test, instead of the dissolution test, as drug product acceptance criteria and highlight the need for systematic studies before using the disintegration test, instead of the dissolution test as the drug acceptance criteria.
Aptidão funcional de mulheres idosas ativas com 80 anos ou mais

The objective of this study was to verify the functional fitness of 40 physically active elderly women aged 80 years and over from the city of Florianopolis, SC, Brazil. Their functional fitness was determined by means of the AAHPERD motor function test battery. Statistical analyses were performed using mean, standard desviation, range of variation and percentiles. The mean women elderly aged was 81,9±2,6 years. The performances were: 55.5±13.5 centimeters for the flexibility test; 15.2±4.3 seconds for coordination; 31.0±8.5 seconds for agility; 19.5±4.2 repetitions for strength endurance and 626.9±98.3 seconds for aerobic endurance. The elderly women aged 80 have lower functional fitness, characteristic of the aging process.
The Small Fibrinopeptide Bβ15–42 as Renoprotective Agent Preserving the Endothelial and Vascular Integrity in Early Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in the Mouse Kidney

Disruption of the renal endothelial integrity is pivotal for the development of a vascular leak, tissue edema and consequently acute kidney injury. Kidney ischemia amplifies endothelial activation and up-regulation of pro-inflammatory mechanisms. After restoring a sufficient blood flow, the kidney is damaged through complex pathomechanisms that are classically referred to as ischemia and reperfusion injury, where the disruption of the inter-endothelial connections seems to be a crucial step in this pathomechanism. Focusing on the molecular cell-cell interaction, the fibrinopeptide Bβ15–42 prevents vascular leakage by stabilizing these inter-endothelial junctions. The peptide associates with vascular endothelial-cadherin, thus preventing early kidney dysfunction by preserving blood perfusion efficacy, edema formation and thus organ dysfunction. We intended to demonstrate the early therapeutic benefit of intravenously administered Bβ15–42 in a mouse model of renal ischemia and reperfusion. After 30 minutes of ischemia, the fibrinopeptide Bβ15–42 was administered intravenously before reperfusion was commenced for 1 and 3 hours. We show that Bβ15–42 alleviates early functional and morphological kidney damage as soon as 1 h and 3 h after ischemia and reperfusion. Mice treated with Bβ15–42 displayed a significantly reduced loss of VE-cadherin, indicating a conserved endothelial barrier leading to less neutrophil infiltration which in turn resulted in significantly reduced structural renal damage. The significant reduction in tissue and serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels reinforced our findings. Moreover, renal perfusion analysis by color duplex sonography revealed that Bβ15–42 treatment preserved resistive indices and even improved blood velocity. Our data demonstrate the efficacy of early therapeutic intervention using the fibrinopeptide Bβ15–42 in the treatment of acute kidney injury resulting from ischemia and reperfusion. In this context Bβ15–42 may act as a potent renoprotective agent by preserving the endothelial and vascular integrity.
Using wearable sensors to measure motor abilities following stroke

Motor abilities of stroke survivors are often severely affected. Post-stroke rehabilitation is guided by the use of clinical assessments of motor abilities. Clinical assessment scores can be predicted by models based on features extracted from the wearable sensor data. Wearable sensors would allow monitoring of subjects in the home and provide accurate assessments to guide the rehabilitation process. We propose the use of a wearable sensor system to assess the motor abilities of stroke victims. Preliminary results from twelve subjects show the ability of this system to predict clinical scores of motor abilities
A Reduced Basis for Option Pricing

We introduce a reduced basis method for the efficient numerical solution of partial integro-differential equations (PIDEs) which arise in option pricing theory. Our method constructs the solution as a linear combination of basis functions constructed from a sequence of Black-Scholes solutions with different volatilities. We show that this a priori choice of basis leads to a sparse representation of option pricing functions, yielding an approximation error which decays exponentially in the number of basis functions. A Galerkin method using this basis for solving the pricing PDE is shown to have better numerical performance relative to commonly used finite-difference and finite-element methods for the CEV diffusion model and the Merton jump diffusion model. We also compare our method with a numerical proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). Finally, we show that this approach may be used advantageously for the calibration of local volatility functions.
Till death do us join: media, mourning rituals and the sacred centre of the society

On the night of 19 March 2004, in Konginkangas, Central Finland, a bus carrying passengers on a skiing vacation from Helsinki to Lapland crashed into a tractor-trailer loaded with paper rolls on an icy highway. The heavy rolls ejected into the bus immediately killed most of the passengers, mainly teenagers and young adults. With 23 dead, the Konginkangas bus accident represented the worst traffic accident in Finnish history. The death of young people is not expected in a modern society and perhaps because of that the expressions of public grief and ritualizing were unprecedented: people laid flowers and lighted candles at the snowy road site, placed virtual condolences and attended memorial services. A sense of national tragedy was heightened by intense media coverage that focused on mourning rituals and the youngest of the victims. Recently, a discussion within media research on the notion of ritual and the relationship between ritual and mass media has intensified (e.g. Becker, 1995; Coman, 2005; Cottle, 2006; Couldry, 2003; Dayan and Katz, 1992; Ehrlich, 1996; Ettema, 1990; Kitch, 2003; Liebes, 1998; Rothenbuhler, 1998). Our contribution to this debate is to offer a historical perspective on mourning ritual in news media. What has been lacking thus far within media literature is a discussion on the kind of changes that have taken place in the relationship between ritual and media. In fact, the idea that public mourning, and the rituals it entails, has a history in which the development of media plays a role (for example, the
Developmental Trajectories of Physical and Relational Aggression and Their Relation to Delinquency and Substance Use in Adolescence

DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF PHYSICAL AND RELATIONAL AGGRESSION AND THEIR RELATION TO DELINQUENCY AND SUBSTANCE USE IN ADOLESCENCE By Denicia K. Titchner A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Major Director: Albert D. Farrell, PhD Title: Professor of Psychology Department of Psychology Although researchers studying adolescent aggression have proposed a conceptual distinction between physical and relational aggression, there is contradictory evidence regarding the degree to which they differ in their trajectories and relations to other outcomes. This study explored the importance of differentiating between these two forms of aggression based on comparisons of their trajectories, relation with each other, impact on delinquency and substance use, and gender differences. Data were collected as part of the Multisite Violence Prevention Project, conducted at 19 middle schools from four sites with a predominantly low-income, minority sample of students (N = 2,822). Growth curves showed significant linear increases and quadratic trends for physical and relational aggression. Boys and girls had similar shaped trajectories, but boys reported significantly higher levels of physical aggression than girls. Bivariate latent growth curve models and autoregressive models suggested that physical aggression was a stronger predictor of externalizing difficulties than relational aggression.
Adult learning in the digital age

Learning with technology is viewed globally as crucial to establishing a skilled workforce and empowering citizens by offering opportunities to those who would be otherwise excluded. Governments around the world have therefore set targets and developed policies to help all adults learn, work and live with the support of information and communications technologies (ICTs). This illuminating and engaging book sheds light on the ways in which adults in the 21st century interact with ICTs for learning at home, work and within the wider community. Based on one of the first large-scale academic research projects in this area, the authors present their rich and detailed findings to generate practical recommendations for the use of new technology in a learning society, inviting debate on: * why ICTs are believed to be capable of affecting positive change in adult learning; * the drawbacks and limits of ICT in adult education; * what makes a lifelong learner; * what people use ICT for in the home, work and community; * the wider social, economic, cultural and political realities of the information age and the learning society. "Adult Learning in the Digital Age "addresses key questions and provides a sound empirical foundation to the existing debate, highlighting the 'messy' realities of the learning society and 'e-learning' rhetoric, and telling the story of those who are excluded from the learning society, and offering a set of powerful and stark recommendations for practitioners, policy-makers, and politicians, as well as researchers and students.Author: Selwyn, Neil Publisher: Routledge Illustration: N Language: ENG Title: Adult Learning in the Digital Age Pages: 00000 (Encrypted PDF) On Sale: 2005-09-16 SKU-13/ISBN: 9780415356985 Category: Social Science : General
Epidemiological characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by lectins

A total of 101 isolates of penicillinase-producing and non-penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae with known nutritional requirements, plasmid content, and serovars, were examined for lectin agglutination patterns. These isolates were from outbreaks in Georgia, California, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania. Cell suspensions made from 16- to 18-h cultures were mixed with 14 different lectins, and the resultant agglutination patterns were classified as agglutination groups. Among the 101 isolates tested, 24 different agglutination groups were demonstrated. Of the organisms tested, 55% were located in 3 of the 24 groups, and 86% of the isolates reacted with the lectins Trichosanthes kinlowii, Griffonia simplicifolia I, peanut agglutinin, soybean agglutinin, potato agglutinin, and wheat germ agglutinin. One isolate did not react with peanut or potato agglutinin, five isolates lacked reactivity with potato agglutinin, and six isolates did not react with wheat germ agglutinin. Of the wheat germ-negative isolates, four were from Pennsylvania and were identical with regard to auxotype, plasmid content, serovar, and lectin group. The other two wheat germ-negative isolates were from California and were unrelated by the same criteria to the four Pennsylvania isolates and to each other. Among the isolates tested, there were no differences in lectin groups with regard to the sex of the patient. In the Georgia collection, agglutination with one lectin group was confined to isolates of serogroup IA. This association was not observed for the other geographic areas. Some isolates showing identical auxotype, plasmid content, and serovars could be differentiated based on lectin agglutination patterns, whereas other isolates were identical by all testing criteria.