Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Re-imagining occupational therapy clients as communities: Presenting the community-centred practice framework

Abstract Background: Occupational therapists’ are increasingly working with communities and providing services at the community level. There is, however, a lack of conceptual frameworks to guide this work. Aim: The aim of this article is to present a new conceptual framework for community-centered practice in occupational therapy. Material and Method: The conceptual framework was developed from qualitative multi-case research on exemplars of community participation. The first was, a network of Canadian food security programs, and the second, a rural Australian community banking initiative. Key themes were identified from across the case studies, and cross-case findings interpreted using occupational therapy and occupational science knowledge, and relevant social theory. The outcome is a four-stage, occupation-focused, community-centered practice framework. Findings: The Community-Centred Practice Framework can be used by occupational therapists to understand and apply a community-centered practice approach. The four stages are: (1) Community Identity, (2) Community Occupations, (3) Community Resources and Barriers, and (4) Participation Enablement. Conclusions: Further research is needed to trial and critically evaluate the framework, to assess its usefulness as a robust, occupation-focused, frame of reference to guide community-centered practice in occupational therapy. Significance: The proposed framework should assist occupational therapists to conceptualize community-centered practice, and to utilize and apply theory.
Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the BADS to anterior executive dysfunction

In this study we investigated the validity of the BADS subtests to adequately discriminate anterior lesions (AL) from posterior lesions (PL). Therefore, we compared the performances of 30 AL patients, 22 PL patients and 29 healthy controls (HC) on the BADS subtests. Seven standard executive test variables were also examined. Our multiple comparisons showed that the BADS Zoo Map–Part 1 was not indicative for AL, whereas Rule Shifting, Action Programme, Key Search, Zoo Map–total score, and BADS–total score were found to be sensitive to AL. More importantly, the Modified Six Element Test (MSET), and the Zoo Map–Part 2 were highly specific for AL. In both BADS subtests AL patients performed significantly worse than either the PL or the HC groups, whereas no significant differences on the same variables were found between PL and HC individuals. Further logistic regression analysis revealed that the BADSMSET was the best predictor for distinguishing AL from PL patients, correctly classifying 78.8% of the patients. These results suggest that the BADSMSET is an accurate screening tool for the detection of anterior pathology. Poor performance on this BADS subtest is a significant indicator of executive dysfunctioning after anterior brain damage.
The Leapfrogging Model of Income Leadership in International Trade with Specified Learning

The Leapfrogging model of income leadership in trade gives an economic explanation why open economies overtake, e.g. leapfrog, each other in per capita income. This Leapfrogging mechanism is based on endogenous learning and exogenous technological change. Albeit, it is carefully described in literature, it lags the specification, when Leapfrogging really occurs. In this paper we specify learning with a simple yield curve. With this specification, we can prove, whether Leapfrogging occurs or not.
Anterior thigh composition measured using ultrasound imaging to quantify relative thickness of muscle and non-contractile tissue: a potential biomarker for musculoskeletal health

This study aimed to use ultrasound imaging to provide objective data on the effects of ageing and gender on relative thickness of quadriceps muscle and non-contractile tissue thickness (subcutaneous fat, SF, combined with perimuscular fascia). In 136 healthy males and females (aged 18–90 years n = 63 aged 18–35 years; n = 73 aged 65–90) images of the anterior thigh (dominant) were taken in relaxed supine using B-mode ultrasound imaging. Thickness of muscle, SF and perimuscular fascia were measured, and percentage thickness of total anterior thigh thickness calculated. Independent t-tests compared groups. Correlation between tissue thickness and BMI was examined using Pearson’s coefficient. Muscle thickness was: 39 ± 8 mm in young males, 29 ± 6 mm in females, 25 ± 4 mm in older males and 20 ± 5 mm in females. Percentage muscle to thigh thickness was greater in young participants (p = 0.001). Percentage SF and fascia was 17 ± 6% in young and 26 ± 8% in older males, 32 ± 7% in young and 44 ± 7% in older females. BMI was similar for age and correlated moderately with non-contractile tissue (r = 0.54; p < 0.001) and poorly with muscle (r = −0.01; p = 0.93). In conclusion, this novel application of ultrasound imaging as a simple and rapid means of assessing thigh composition (relative thickness of muscle and non-contractile tissue) may help inform health status, e.g. in older people at risk of frailty and loss of mobility, and aid monitoring effects of weight loss or gain, deconditioning and exercise.
The utility of patient characteristics in predicting severe ADAMTS13 deficiency and response to plasma exchange

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare form of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) characterized by extreme deficiency of ADAMTS13, an enzyme responsible for cleavage of von Willebrand factor. Plasma exchange therapy is the cornerstone of current treatment and is ineffective for most other forms of TMA. The availability of ADAMTS13 testing has improved diagnostic accuracy and appropriate selection of patients who are most likely to respond to plasma exchange.
Online Versions of the New York Times Agenda Setting and the "New" News: Patterns of Issue Importance Among Readers of the Paper and

In the process of disseminating information about what Walter Lippmanncalled the “world outside,”the press does much more than merely inform itsaudiences. By selecting which public affairs stories will be reported and bygivingspecialprominencetosomestories,thenewsmediasuggestwhichpeo-ple,issues,andeventsareespeciallydeservingofpublicattention.Giventheimportance of this attention-directing function, we might ask whether thenatureofagendasettingbythenewsmediamightchangeasthetechnologiesof news dissemination adapt to the formats of new communication media.Newspaper readers quickly learn to navigate the familiar signals employedbyeditorstosetthemomentousapartfromthetrivial:Fewreadersmissthepointthatlongfront-pagearticleswithbannerheadlinesaremoreimportantthan short inside stories. How accurately are news agendas perceived bythesesamereaderswhenWeb-basednewssourcesareusedinplaceoftradi-tional newspapers? Theagenda-settingtraditionofmassmediaeffectsresearchhaslongbeeninterestedinthewaysthatnewsformatsinfluencetheperceivedimportanceof issues in the news. For instance, one study of survey respondents found
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Abstract Background. Both non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and insulin resistance (IR). Except for a few case reports, there are no systematic assessments of NASH in PCOS patients. Aim. To determine the prevalence of NASH and independent factors associated with NASH in a cohort of patients with documented PCOS. Methods. Patients with established diagnosis of PCOS and matched controls (matched for gender, age, and body mass index (BMI)) were included in the study. Causes of other liver diseases were systematically excluded by clinical and laboratory tests. Excessive alcohol use was defined as alcohol consumption of greater than 10 g/day. All liver biopsies were read by a single pathologist blinded to the clinical data. Histologic NASH was defined as steatosis with lobular inflammation and ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes with or without Mallory–Denk bodies or pericellular fibrosis. Univariate and multivariate analyses with logistic regression were performed to compare PCOS to matched controls. Results. Sixty-six patients were included in the study (34 PCOS and 32 matched controls). Of PCOS patients, 73% had a liver biopsy while 78% of the matched controls had a liver biopsy. In comparing PCOS patients to the matched controls, clinical (BMI, waist circumference, type 2 diabetes, MS, or its components, any alcohol consumption in the prior year, ethnic background, age, gender, etc.) and laboratory data (aminotransferases, ferritin, glucose, etc.) were not significantly different (p > 0.05). However, PCOS patients tended to have more histologic NASH on their liver biopsies (44.0% vs. 20.8%, p = 0.08). Independent predictors of histologic NASH in PCOS patients were elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST), high triglycerides and small amounts of alcohol consumption (p = 0.019, 10-fold cross-validated AUC = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.56–0.94). Although about half of PCOS patients did not report any alcohol consumption, 50% did report rare alcohol use. In fact, PCOS patients with histologic NASH tended to report higher alcohol consumption per week than PCOS without NASH (3.80 ± 6.16 vs. 1.11 ± 1.87 g/week, p = 0.1). Nevertheless, these amounts of alcohol consumption were quite minimal. Conclusions. Despite similar clinical and laboratory profiles to the matched controls, PCOS patients seem to have more histologic NASH. Although alcohol consumption was rare for both PCOS and controls, even rare alcohol consumption in PCOS patients was independently associated with histologic NASH.
Diversity of Bacillus thuringiensis Strains from Latin America with Insecticidal Activity against Different Mosquito Species

ABSTRACT The characterization of selected Bacillus thuringiensis strains isolated from different Latin America countries is presented. Characterization was based on their insecticidal activity against Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Anopheles albimanus larvae, scanning electron microscopy, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and plasmid profiles as well as PCR analysis using novel general and specific primers for cry and cyt genes encoding proteins active against mosquitoes (cyt1, cyt2, cry2, cry4A, cry4B, cry10, cry11, cry17, cry19, cry24, cry25, cry27, cry29, cry30, cry32, cry39, and cry40). Strains LBIT315, LBIT348, and IB604 showed threefold higher mosquitocidal activity against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus larvae than B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and displayed high similarities with the B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis used in this study with regard to protein and plasmid profiles and the presence of cry genes. Strain 147-8906 has activity against A. aegypti similar to that of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis but has different protein and plasmid profiles. This strain, harboring cry11, cry30, cyt1, and cyt2 genes, could be relevant for future resistance management interventions. Finally, the PCR screening strategy presented here led us to identify a putative novel cry11B gene.
Fractionalization and Economic Freedom

Diversity is often thought to create conflict and harm economic institutions. We hypothesize, however, that the impact of diversity on economic institutions is conditional on political institutions, and may be negative in some settings but positive in others, due to differences in the nature of rent seeking in different regimes. To test this hypothesis, we estimate the impact of ethnic and linguistic fractionalization on economic freedom, conditional on the level of political rights. We find that the marginal impact of ethnic and linguistic fractionalization on economic freedom is positive in the most democratic nations and that the marginal impact of ethnic fractionalization is negative in the most autocratic nations. Our results suggest that the nature of the relation between diversity and economic institutions may be more complicated than prior literature conveys.
Beta and Biased Beliefs

Relying on 116 million firm days from 50 stock markets and guided by behavioral theories, I provide evidence for the conjecture that the puzzling beta anomaly is the result of mispricing partly caused by expectational errors and biased beliefs. First, long/short return spreads across the globe are several times larger surrounding a broad range of firm-specific news announcements. Second, the anomaly is largely explained by a composite local mispricing factor. Third, the anomaly is positively related to lagged local market gains. Fourth, local consumer confidence positively predicts alphas. Fifth, the anomaly is concentrated in heavily traded stocks.
Ascorbic acid increases the thyrotropin-releasing hormone content of hypothalamic cell cultures

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is one of many COOH-terminal alpha- amidated neuropeptides. Recent work with the intermediate pituitary has indicated that ascorbate is a required cofactor for the COOH-terminal alpha-amidation of alpha-melanotropin. This is consistent with the ascorbate requirement of an enzyme found in pituitary and hypothalamus capable of converting peptides with a COOH-terminal glycine (-X-Gly) to alpha-amidated molecules (-H-NH2). Thus, it has been proposed that COOH- terminal glycine-extended TRH (TRH-Gly) may be the direct precursor to TRH. In the present study, primary hypothalamic cultures supplemented with ascorbate for 7 d contained two- to threefold more TRH immunoactivity (amide-specific) than cultures maintained without ascorbate. A dose-response experiment indicated that 20 microM ascorbate was capable of producing 50% of the maximum observable increase in culture TRH immunoactivity; this concentration is similar to the Km value for ascorbate uptake obtained in adrenal chromaffin and pituitary cells. A stereoisomer of ascorbate, D-isoascorbate, was also capable of producing an increase in TRH immunoactivity, but oxidized ascorbate was not. Recent studies have shown that the amidation enzyme from pituitary is capable of utilizing both L-ascorbate and D- isoascorbate but is incapable of utilizing oxidized ascorbate. The culture extracts were analyzed further by reversed-phase high- performance liquid chromatography; the increased TRH immunoactivity observed in extracts of cultures maintained in ascorbate comigrated with standard synthetic TRH. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Investigating the Human Capital Development–growth Nexus

In this article, we test whether economic growth depends on human capital development mainly operating through an upgrading of human capital stock in the area where the universities are located. We specify a growth model where a qualitative measure of human capital development, university efficiency, is considered in conjunction with a customary quantitative measure of human capital development, number of graduates. The model is estimated on panel data over the period 2003 to 2011. The evidence suggests that both indicators of human capital development have a positive and significant impact on gross domestic product per capita. Results also show that knowledge spillovers occur between areas through the geographical proximity to the efficient universities, suggesting that the geography of production is affected. Results hold when robustness checks are performed.
Response to Hepatitis A Vaccine in Children after a Single Dose with a Booster Administration 6 Months Later.

Background: Children are of an age group susceptible to infection by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). Active immunization of children against HAV became reality in 1993, when the first pediatric hepatitis A vaccine was licensed. This initial vaccine required two injections to induce a full immune response in recipients. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a single dose primary vaccine plus a booster after 6 months against hepatitis A in children. Methods: A total of 60 healthy and seronegative children between 2 and 13 years of age were administered inactivated hepatitis A vaccine, containing 720 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) units (EL.U) of hepatitis A antigen, intramuscularly in the deltoid region at months 0 and 6. Symptoms were recorded by parents or guardians on individual diary cards. Antibodies against HAV (antiHAV) were measured using an ELISA inhibition assay, and a seropositive titer was defined as being >=20 mIU/mL. Results: Fifteen days after the single primary dose, 96% of the vaccinees were seropositive with a geometric mean titer (GMT) of 351 mIU/mL. The seropositivity rate reached 100% 1 month after the first dose, with a GMT of 305 mIU/mL. Prior to the second dose at month 6, 93% remained seropositive, and the GMT was 153 mIU/mL. By month 7, 1 month after the second vaccination, the seropositivity rate recovered to 100% with a rise in GMTs to 3644 mIU/mL. Local symptoms were reported after 23.9% of doses, and general symptoms after 19.7% of doses. All symptoms were of short duration and resolved spontaneously. Conclusions: This inactivated vaccine against hepatitis A is safe, well-tolerated, and excellently immunogenic when administered to children following a single dose plus booster course at months 0 and 6.
Photocatalytic Oxidation of Arsenite by a Composite of Titanium Dioxide and Activated Carbon Fiber

Preoxidation process is usually needed in the treatment of arsenic‐containing drinking water because arsenite (i.e. As[III]) is less easily removed by adsorption. Nano‐scale titanium dioxide is an efficient photocatalyst for arsenite oxidation but its application in water treatment is limited due to the difficulty of separation or packed‐bed application of the tiny particles. This study synthesized a composite photocatalyst by loading titanium dioxide onto activated carbon fiber (TiO2/ACF). The effects of calcination temperature, photocatalyst dosage, pH, initial concentration of As(III) and common anions on the oxidation of As(III) were studied. Photocatalytic oxidation of As(III) took place in minutes and followed first‐order kinetics. 0.80 mg L−1 of As(III) could be entirely oxidized to As(V) within 30 min in the presence of 3.0 g L−1 photocatalyst and under UV‐light irradiation. The oxidation of As(III) occurred in a wide range of pH as examined from 2 to 10 with the oxidation efficiency increasing markedly with pH. The presence of phosphate and silicate significantly decreased As(III) oxidation at pH 7, while the effect of sulfate and chloride was small.
Regionalisation of the National Land Transport Demand Model

Research was undertaken to convert a National Land Transport Demand Model to a Regional Land Transport Demand Model. The new model is intended to be used to construct quantitative long-term (30 year) regional transport planning scenarios. Model development undertaken included a series of regional and spatial econometric models covering: intra-regional density effects, land use and transport demand (congestion); regional mode of travel choices; inter-regional freight flows by origin and destination; and calibration of regional migration based on age- and location-specific propensities to migrate.
Regulation of product formation during glucose or lactose limitation in nongrowing cells of Streptococcus lactis

Nongrowing cells of Streptococcus lactis in a pH-stat were dosed with sugar to allow fermentation at the maximum rate or were fed a continuous supply of sugar at rates less than the maximum. Under anaerobic conditions, rapid fermentation of either glucose or lactose was essentially homolactic. However, with strain ML3, limiting the fermentation rate diverted approximately half of the pyruvate to formate, acetate, and ethanol. At limiting glucose fermentation rates, cells contained lower concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase activator (fructose 1,6-diphosphate) and pyruvate formate-lyase inhibitors (triose phosphates). As a result, pyruvate formate-lyase and pyruvate dehydrogenase play a greater role in pyruvate metabolism. In contrast to strain ML3, strain ML8 did not give the same diversion of products under anaerobic conditions, and cells retained higher concentrations of the above effector compounds. Lactose metabolism under aerobic conditions resulted in pyruvate excretion by both S. lactis ML3 and ML8. At 7% of the maximum utilization rate, pyruvate accounted for 69 and 35% of the lactose metabolized by ML3 and ML8, respectively. Acetate was also a major product, especially with ML8. The data suggest that NADH oxidase is involved in coenzyme recycling in the presence of oxygen and that pyruvate formate-lyase is inactivated, but the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex still functions.
Functional behaviors of electric field grading composite materials

Non-linear resistive field grading materials (FGM) are used in different high voltage applications e.g. cable terminations, joints and rotating machines, where the electric stress is critical. It is already established that the use of FGM is an improved stress grading technique compared to conventional geometric methods. There is a constant endeavor within the electric power industries to extend these concepts to other power equipment. In order to achieve a wide spread use of FGM, they need to satisfy several functional requirements e.g. fire safety, tracking resistance, hydrophobicity, high thermal conductivity, besides certain dielectric properties e.g. field dependent conductivity, permittivity and low dielectric losses. In the present study ZnO filled silicon rubber (SiR) composite with different functional fillers, in total six different material compositions, are evaluated with respect to several important functional behaviors. Further, stress grading behavior of these six materials are demonstrated by finite element simulations on a generic electrode geometry and by performing inclined plane tracking test. Suitability of these material compositions to industrial applications are discussed.
Theory of Carriers Transport in III-Nitride Materials: State of the Art and Future Outlook

In this paper, we describe the state of the art in the numerical simulation of the carrier transport properties of GaN and its ternary alloys. We outline the characteristics of our state of the art full-band Monte Carlo model that includes a fitting parameter free approach to compute the carrier-phonon interaction and a full quantum mechanical model for multiband transport which is critical to understand the high-field transport properties of these materials. Finally, we provide several examples of applications of the model to the calculation of the low-field electron mobility of GaN and In0.18Al0. 82N, drift velocity in GaN and the impact ionization coefficients in AlxGa1-xN alloys.