Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breast Cancer and Socio-Economic Factors

Purpose: The aim of this study is twofold – on the one hand, to analyze the relationship between incidence of breast cancer, income per capita and medical equipment across countries; after that, the study here discusses the drivers of the incidence of breast cancer across countries in order to pinpoint differences and similarities.Methods: The indicators used are incidence of breast cancer based on Age-standardized rate (ASW); Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita by purchasing power parity (current international $); computed tomography (CT) for cancer diagnosis. Data include 52 countries. The statistical analysis is carried out by correlation, ANOVA and an econometric modeling based on a multiple regression model of the breast cancer incidence on two explanatory variables.Results: Partial correlation is higher: rbreast cancer, GDP | CT=60.3% (sign.0.00). The estimated relationship shows an expected incidence of breast cancer increase of approximately 0.05% for a GDP increase of 1% and an expected incidence of breast cancer increase of approximately 3.23% for a CT increase of 1%. ANOVA confirms that incidence of breast cancer is higher across richer countries, ceteris paribus.Conclusions:Empirical evidence shows that the breast cancer tends to be higher across richer countries, measured by GDP per capita and number of Computed Tomography. The main determinants of these findings can be due to several socio-economic factors, mainly localized in richer countries. In addition, this research may provide an alternative interpretation to the theory of Oh et al. (2010) on the influence of latitude on breast cancer, focusing on socio-economic factors rather than biologic root causes.
The effect of eccentric exercise velocity on selected measures of muscle function and soreness of the Human elbow flexors in untrained males and females

Eccentric contractions, where a musele is repeatedly lengthened while generating torque, result in decreased muscle function and muscle soreness. This study was designed to determine whether there was a difference in muscle response of the elbow flexors from untrained subjects (n = 12) between a bout of high intensity eccentric exercise at 30°·s· (LVE) compared to the equivalent at 210°·s· (HVE). Subjects performed 120 seconds of eccentric ero;:rcise of the elbow flexors using a Cybex 6000 ! so kinetic Dynamometer. At 30°-s·', a total of 30 repetitions were required whilst at 210°·s·, 210 contractions were performed (at a 1:7 work/rest ratio). Both exercise bouts resulted in significant decrements m isometric and dynamic strength measures (p<O·OI) with HYE resulting in significantly greater reductions and a longer recovery compared to LYE. HVE also showed larger (p<0·05) increases in serum CK than LYE and the time taken to return to baseline levels was longer. LYE had significantly (p<0·05) smaller changes in the circumference (CIR) of the upper arm as compared to HVE, mean peak increase in CIR after LYE was 04 ern(± 0·1) and following HVE it was 0·8 em(± 0·1) (SEM). Significant (p<O·OS) levels of palpated, flexed and extended muscle soreness were experienced following both exercise conditions and the recovery time was extended for HVE. The two exercise conditions resulted in significant (p<0·05) reductions in subjects' ROM (LYE= 12° ± 4 and HVE = 23° ± 8) and relaxed arm angle (RANG) (LYE= 4° ± 1 and HYE = II 0 ± 2) (mean ± SEM). Significant (p<0·05) differences were observed between groups and normal function had returned 168 hours following exercise for ROM and RANG. The most likely explanation for the findings is that a greater mechano-chemical strain is placed on fewer fibres in HVE as compared to LYE, despite similar peak torques. The site for where this increased strain occurs is not easily definable, but may possibly be the contractile protein titin or desmin or contractile structures such as costameres or sarcomeres.
NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION IN SURGICAL HOSPITAL IN ZAGAZIG UNIVERSITY

Surgical site infection (SSI) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. A total of 254 bacterial isolates were collected from 303 surgical specimens which were isolated from 92 males (53.2%) and 81 females (46.8%), their mean ages were 39.616.05 years (ranged from 1 month to 74 years). These isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and commensal Gram+ve and Gram-ve bacteria. The most effective antibiotics were imipenem while ampicillin and penicillin G (First and second generation of -Lactam) showed much lower activity against all types of bacterial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of imipenem determined by E-test were 0.0470. 064 , 0.125, 0.19, 0.25 and 0.75g/ml against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively.
Simulation of the specific differential phase (KDP) from 2D- Video-Distrometer measurements at S- and C-band wavelengths

For estimating rainrates (R) from radar measurements, the specific differential phase (KDP) has several advantages over the radar reflectivity factor (Z). KDP is for instance unsusceptible to the radar calibration error, partial beam blockage, and attenuation. R-KDP relationships are therefore especially useful to overcome the problem of attenuation of C-band radar waves in heavy rainfall. A variety of physical and empirical approaches exists to find R(KDP) estimators, resulting in a wide range of relationships (Table 1). At Cband the situation is more complex since the influence of the raindrop temperature is not negligibly small as opposed to Sband. Table 1. R-KDP relationships for S-band. (KDP units are ° km ; R is in mm h)
An investigation into issues related to the establishment of a parental training course to develop an early intervention home-based programme for children with autism

V Table of tables . XI Table of Figures . XII Chapter 1: Introduction: . 1 1.1 The Study‟s Visual Map: . 3 1.2 The Context of the Research: . 4 1.2. 1 Personal Motivation: . 4 1.2. 2 Study Rationale: . 4 1.3 Current Practice in Parent Training: . 7 1.4 Saudi Context: Gap in Practice . 9 1.4. 1 The Study‟s Importance: . 10 1.4. 2 Justification of Benefit: . 12 1.5 Research Objectives: . 12 1.6 Research Questions: . 13 1.7 Research Methods and Design: . 14 1.8 Dissertation Outline: . 16 Chapter 2: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . 18 2.
Translation and National clinical validation of the Nursing Management Minimum Data Set (NMMDS) in hospitals in the country of Iceland

Rising health care costs place increased burden on patients, health care personnel, administrators and policymakers. Decisions in health care are influenced by data which can be transferred into valuable information and knowledge. Data sets that facilitate data collection, information management and knowledge building are needed by nurse managers to support administrative decision-making. The Nursing Management Minimum Data Set (NMMDS) offers a standardized method to capture core data that can be collected in information systems, shared and reused for multiple purposes to support safe and cost-effective care. The purpose of this descriptive study was to adapt to Iceland and clinically test the NMMDS-ICE in all adult inpatient care units in the country of Iceland. The aims were to 1) translate the NMMDS from source language (English) to target language (Icelandic); 2) to validate the translated instrument; and 3) to describe the environment, nursing care resources, and financial resources across acute adult inpatient care units in Iceland. Instrument development consisted of translation, expert validation, and psychometric testing. The target population was all adult acute care units in hospitals in Iceland, and the nurse managers (n=38) representing these units. Data collection included a mailed survey. The sample equaled the population. Furthermore, 134 staff nurses on these units (excluding staff nurses at Landspitali) completed a job satisfaction survey. For nurse managers the return rate was 74%, however 53% was usable. Return rate was 71% for staff nurses. Semantic and content equivalence of the NMMDS-ICE was established. Five of seven subscales of the instrument received Cronbach’s alpha score of 0.70 or higher. Results indicated that it was feasible to collect the NMMDS-ICE in hospitals in Iceland, albeit, there was an issue with time commitment to do so. The specialty services that best
Evaluation of shear bond strength of acrylic resin teeth to heat-polymerized denture base resin before and after thermocycling: An in vitro study

Introduction: One of the most common denture repairs is the replacement of detached acrylic resin teeth. Given one of the advantages of acrylic teeth is the ability to chemically bond to denture base resins. The ability of acrylic teeth to bond to denture base resins may also be affected by the type of denture teeth. Studies have addressed the degradation at the acrylic teeth/denture base resin interface as a result of thermal stress. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the shear bond strength of commercially available heat-polymerized acrylic resins to denture base resins to acrylic resin teeth before and after thermocycling. Materials and Methods: Two heat-polymerized denture base resins (Meliodent and DPI) were selected and bonded to acrylic resin molar teeth. A total of 60 samples were prepared and divided into two main groups: 30 for Meliodent and 30 for DPI. These were again divided into two subgroups: with and without thermocycling. For half the number of samples of each brand, thermocycling was carried out and shear bond testing was done, using Instron universal testing machine. The findings were statistically analyzed and the shear bond strength was calculated in Map. Results and Conclusion: After comparing the results, it was found that the shear bond strength was not significantly affected before and after thermocycling for these two heat-polymerized denture base resins. Among two, Meliodent was found better denture base material for bonding to acrylic resin molar tooth than DPI, before and after thermocycling.
Older adult education in a Maltese University of the Third Age : a critical perspective

The education of older adults has been considered the fastest growing branch of adult education in post-industrial countries and one of the most crucial challenges facing current adult European education. It has generated a significant number of research projects and publications seeking to analyse the character of third age learning. This article represents a further attempt, in Sandra Cusack's words, to root down the expansion of older adult education programmes in 'Critical Educational Theory', as a distinct form of 'Critical Sociological Theory'. Critical field research was carried out at the University of the Third Age (U3A) in Valletta (Malta), due to the fact that the U3A represents one of the most successful and important educational programmes specifically developed for older people. Data were interpreted through Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy and critical educational gerontological theory. The study revealed that despite the often reported positive functions of U3A for older persons and society in general, the Valletta U3A is grounded in mainstream and traditional models of educational practice which equate education as a one-way flow of information from teachers to students. The study concluded that as a result of such a 'banking' ideology, the U3A fails to act as an archetype of transformative education but is yet another euphemism for glorified occupational therapy that is both conservative and oppressive.
Interlaminar Shear Performance of High Temperature Composites

Interlaminar shear properties of a high temperature polymer matrix composite (HTPMC) and a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) were evaluated at elevated temperature. Two variants of the HTPMC were studied. Both consisted of a high-temperature polyimide (AFR-PE-4) matrix reinforced with Astroquartz-III pre-impregnated glass fabric woven in an eight-harness-satin weave. The first HTPMC variant also contained stainless steel foil at the midplane, while the second HTPMC variant did not. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of both variants of the HTPMC was evaluated at 204◦C in laboratory air. The addition of the stainless steel foil resulted in significant loss of ILSS for the HTPMC. The CMC studied in this work was fabricated via chemical vapor infiltration. The CMC had an oxidation-inhibited matrix consisting of alternating layers of SiC and B4C and was reinforced with Hi-Nicalon fibers woven in a five-harness-satin weave. Fiber preforms had pyrolytic carbon coating and boron carbide overlay applied. The ILSS of the CMC was measured at 1300◦C in laboratory air. Additionally, creep performance in interlaminar shear of the CMC was evaluated at 1300◦C in air and in steam. The creep behavior was assessed for interlaminar shear stresses varying from 12 MPa to 20 MPa in air and in steam. In air and in steam, creep run-out of 100 h was achieved at 13 MPa. Both primary and secondary creep regimes were noted in all tests. Presence of steam had little effect on creep performance. The retained properties of the specimens that attained run-out were characterized. Preand post-test composite microstructures were examined to evaluate damage and failure mechanisms.
Exploration of Conditions Affecting Cytokine Production in Experimental Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Cytokines are soluble signalling mediators within the immune system, and have been shown to be of importance in the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D). This thesis studied the production of cytokines in experimental models of T1D and during transplantation of insulin-producing islets of Langerhans. We have demonstrated that the transcriptional TNFα-inhibitor MDL 201,449A, previously shown to reduce immune-mediated diabetes induced in mice by multiple low doses of streptozotocin, was not TNFα-specific, but also inhibited IFNγ and IL-10 in spleen cells. Furthermore, when the inhibitor was removed from in vitro cultures, a rebound phenomenon of increased cytokine secretion occurred. The thesis also investigated whether plastic adhesion, a method generally employed to deplete macrophages, influenced cytokine production in spleen cells. We observed that plastic adhesion increased TNFα, IFNγ and IL-10 release, and decreased IL-4 secretion. Plastic adhesion depleted only ~30% of the macrophages, but as much as ~60% of the regulatory T cells. Thirdly, we found that “control” treatments for islet transplantations, i.e. syngeneic and sham transplantations, exerted a clear effect on cytokine production from spleen cells, possibly due to a decrease in regulatory T cells that may be caused by the surgery and/or anaesthesia. Moreover, spleen cells from mice exposed to surgery exhibited a decreased proliferative capacity to concanavalin A stimulation. We also perceived a marked difference in cytokine response depending on the mouse strain used in the experiments. Finally, we aimed to elucidate if, besides autoimmune activities, also high glucose- and free fatty acid concentrations as seen in diabetes could cause changes in cytokine production. We observed that spleen cells cultured in varying glucose concentrations had different cytokine production profiles. The free fatty acid palmitate might also influence cytokine release, but this effect was obscured by the cytokine-suppressive action of the ethanol used to dissolve the palmitate.
Influence of gradations on performance of emulsified asphalt cold recycled mixture produced using vertical vibration compaction method

In this study, the effects of virgin aggregate content, such as mineral filler, machine-made sand, and coarse aggregate, on the performance of emulsified asphalt cold recycled mixtures (ECRMs) produced using the vertical vibration compaction method (VVCM) are evaluated. The optimum virgin aggregate contents are proposed based on the results. The results show that with increasing mineral filler content (mass fraction <5%), the mechanical strength, rutting resistance and crack resistance of the ECRMs gradually increase, whereas the moisture sensitivity increases initially but gradually decreases, and 3% mineral filler demonstrates the optimum moisture sensitivity compared to reclaimed asphalt mixtures. Further, as machine-made sand content increases, the mechanical strength, rutting resistance, crack resistance and moisture sensitivity of the ECRMs increase initially and decrease gradually, and the aforementioned performance of the ECRMs reaches the peak values when 20% machine-made sand is added, compared to mixtures without the machine-made sand. The mechanical strength, rutting resistance, crack resistance and moisture sensitivity of the ECRMs initially increase and then gradually decrease with the addition of the coarse aggregate. When the coarse aggregate content is 10%–30%, the ECRMs show a good performance, compared to mixtures without the coarse aggregate. To effectively improve the engineering properties of the ECRMs, the proposed optimum content of the mineral filler, machine-made sand and coarse aggregate are 3%, 20% and 10–30%, respectively.
Modeling boreal forest evapotranspiration and water balance at stand and catchment scales: a spatial approach

Abstract. Vegetation is known to have strong influence on evapotranspiration (ET), a major component of terrestrial water balance. Yet hydrological models often describe ET by methods unable to include the variability of vegetation characteristics in their predictions. To take advantage of the increasing availability of high-resolution open GIS data on land use, vegetation and soil characteristics in the boreal zone, a modular, spatially distributed model for predicting ET and other hydrological processes from grid cell to catchment level is presented and validated. An improved approach to upscale stomatal conductance to canopy scale using information on plant type (conifer/deciduous) and stand leaf-area index (LAI) is proposed by coupling a common leaf-scale stomatal conductance model with a simple canopy radiation transfer scheme. Further, a generic parametrization for vegetation-related hydrological processes for Nordic boreal forests is derived based on literature and data from a boreal FluxNet site. With the generic parametrization, the model was shown to reproduce daily ET measured using an eddy-covariance technique well at 10 conifer-dominated Nordic forests whose LAI ranged from 0.2 to 6.8 m2 m−2. Topography, soil and vegetation properties at 21 small boreal headwater catchments in Finland were derived from open GIS data at 16 m × 16 m grid size to upscale water balance from stand to catchment level. The predictions of annual ET and specific discharge were successful in all catchments, located from 60 to 68∘ N, and daily discharge was also reasonably well predicted by calibrating only one parameter against discharge measurements. The role of vegetation heterogeneity in soil moisture and partitioning of ET was demonstrated. The proposed framework can support, for example, forest trafficability forecasting and predicting impacts of climate change and forest management on stand and catchment water balance. With appropriate parametrization it can be generalized outside the boreal coniferous forests.
Three-terminal magnetic tunnel junction synapse circuits showing spike-timing-dependent plasticity

There have been recent efforts towards the development of biologically-inspired neuromorphic devices and architecture. Here, we show a synapse circuit that is designed to perform spike-timing-dependent plasticity which works with the leaky, integrate, and fire neuron in a neuromorphic computing architecture. The circuit consists of a three-terminal magnetic tunnel junction with a mobile domain wall between two low-pass filters and has been modeled in SPICE. The results show that the current flowing through the synapse is highly correlated to the timing delay between the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neurons. Using micromagnetic simulations, we show that introducing notches along the length of the domain wall track pins the domain wall at each successive notch to properly respond to the timing between the input and output current pulses of the circuit, producing a multi-state resistance representing synaptic weights. We show in SPICE that a notch-free ideal magnetic device also shows spike-timing dependent plasticity in response to the circuit current. This work is key progress towards making more bio-realistic artificial synapses with multiple weights, which can be trained online with a promise of CMOS compatibility and energy efficiency.
Managing diversity in health care

Introduction. Wholeness and Well--Being: In the Eye of the Beholder. Organization of the Contents. How to Use this Book. 1. Why Diversity is Good for Business: Marketplace and Workforce Issues. Demographics Changes: An Increasingly Complex Patient and Employee Base. What These Population Shifts Mean to Health Care. Meeting New Contractor and Managed Care Requirements. Analyzing the Challenges and Opportunities That Diversity Brings. 2. The Dimensions of Health Care Delivery. Personality: The Unique Core. Internal Dimensions of Diversity: Powerful Influencers of Identity, Opportunity, and Expectations. External Dimensions. Organizational Dimensions. Analyzing the Impact of Diversity Dimensions in Your Organization. Analyzing the Impact of Your own Diversity Dimensions on You as a Health Care Professional. Analyzing Your Own Attitudes Toward Differences. 3. The Truth About Cultural Programming. Realities of Cultural Programming. Dimensions of Culture that Influence Behavior. Questioning and Expanding Your Own Assumptions. 4. Achieving Practical Cultural Literacy. Factors that Influence Adherence to Norms. Definition and Perception of Illness and Health. Key Cultural Values Affecting Care. Non--Western Treatments. The Best of Both Worlds. Beliefs About Illness, the Body, and Its Functioning. Childbirth. Death and Dying. Family and Its Role. Cultural Beliefs About Health, Disease, and Healers. 5. Improving Communication in Diverse Environments. Language. Other Aspects of Communication. Assessing Intercultural Hooks that Block Communication. Learning About the Cultures You Serve. Getting Your Message Across: Directions and Feedback. Soliciting Information. Communicating Across Language Barriers. Getting Help in Interpreting. Culturally Sensitive Medical Interviews. 6. Removing Stereotypes That Block High--Quality Care. The Realities of Stereotypes. The Realities of Human Nature. Managing Your Biases: Suggestions for Fighting Stereotypes. 7. The Diversity Leadership Challenge. The Essentials of Diversity Leadership. Leadership Fulfilled: Steps Toward Lasting Change. 8. Overcoming Barriers to Change. Making Your Diversity Efforts Pay Off. Organizational Barriers to Diversity. 9. Creative Organizational Problem Solving. Demographics--driven Marketing. Kaiser Permanente Southern California Mentoring and Coaching. Providing Health Care to the Underserved: A Revolutionary Plan. A Systematic Commitment to Caring for the Underserved. Resources. Notes. Index.