Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
196-202 Khadem.qxp

The aims of this study were to test pulmonary function of welders, to examine the relation between environmental and biological indices of exposure to metal fumes and to assess the risk related to them for confined spaces welders. Spirometric tests were performed on 9 back welders and 12 controls. Fumes measurement and biomonitoring were performed by related NIOSH analytical methods. Risk assessment was performed using a semi-quantitative method. There was significant difference between welders and controls only for FEV1 in pre and post shift (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between concentrations of cobalt and molybdenum in air and urine. Almost for all metals (in air and urine) there were significant differences between welders and controls (p<0.05). Based on risk assessment, cadmium, total fumes, total chromium, and nickel were ranked in “high” legend. Although there was no significant difference between two groups for pulmonary functions, poor ventilation system in confined spaces causes welders’ exposures to fumes; therefore the potential for debilitating lung disease is even more likely. Concentrations of some urinary metals were not correlated with their personal air monitoring results. Urinary metal may represent more long-term metal exposure rather than air metal measured at the same day. Thus personal air monitoring for just one day may not represent actual personal exposure. Also, some insignificant results may be due to the small sample size. Always based on the pollutants concentrations cannot be judged about their health hazards and made decisions on control approaches and their priorities.
Horizontal distribution of ciliates: open peatbog vs. Lagg (Roztocze National Park)

The primary objectives of this paper were to analyse the qualitative and quantitative structure of ciliates in the horizontal laggopen peatbog, and to assess the influence of physical and chemical parameters on protozoa communities. Sampling was done in highmoor peatbog from May to October 2012 in a transect including two sites: 1 – lagg, 2 – open peatbog (the centre of the peatbog). The species richness and abundance of protozoa significantly differed between the studied stations, with the lowest numbers in the open peatbog and the highest in the lagg. These differences between macro-habitats may be due to differences in environmental conditions. The results of PCA analysis showed that Axis 1 and Axis 2 explained 47.8% of the total variance in composition of studied zoocenosis. The distribution of samples in ordination space led to conclude that studied habitats are distributed along the falling gradient of water level and rising gradient of total organic carbon, and nitrate nitrogen. Assemblages of investigated microorganisms showed a strong compositional gradient correlated with surface water and phosphates.
Effect of socio-economic characteristics on food security of small scale farmers in Rawalpindi.

About half of the population in Pakistan is food insecure. The study focused the food secure population and the strategies for reducing poverty in district Rawalpindi. The study was carried out in district Rawalpindi in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Simple random sampling technique was used for this research study in district Rawalpindi. A sample of 120 respondents was selected. Then the data was analyzed through SPSS. It was concluded that majority people have low income, high food expenditures, low educational level affecting food security and government policies were not satisfactory to ensure food security. Moreover significant associations were found between education and food security and food security with the government policies. It was experienced that the more the people were educated were food secure.
Relationship between self-efficacy and career aspiration among higher secondary school students

Being one of the major determinants of career aspiration, self efficacy plays a major role in developing career orientations among adolescent students. Formal education at higher secondary level is a turning point in the life of an individual at which he/she makes career decisions. The present study attempts to assess the level of self efficacy and career aspiration among higher secondary school students and to explore the relationship between these two constructs. A self efficacy scale (Singh & Narain, 2014) and a career aspiration scale (Grewal, 2011) were administered to a sample of 250 students from various higher secondary schools in Ernakulam district of Kerala state. The results of the study show that the higher secondary school students possess medium levels of self efficacy as well as career aspiration. It was found that there exists a significant positive correlation between self efficacy and career aspiration among higher secondary school students. The findings of the study indicate the need for enhancing self efficacy among higher secondary school students by providing conducive atmosphere for learning, setting realistic and challenging goals, etc. It is also recommended that career guidance programmes should be organised systematically in institutions to augment the career aspiration of students.
Mentally tough athletes are more aware of unsupportive coaching behaviours: Perceptions of coach behaviour, motivational climate, and mental toughness in sport

In this study, we tested an a priori model that included coach behaviour, motivational climate, and mental toughness among 290 athletes. Structural equation modelling demonstrated that supportive coach behaviours were related to a task-involving climate, and that task-involving climates positively associated with mental toughness. The path between supportive coach behaviours and mental toughness was insignificant. When task-involving climate was taken into account, however, supportive coach behaviours were positively associated with task-involving climates, which in turn was positively associated with mental toughness. This study illustrates the importance of coach behaviour in relation to shaping the motivational climate, which in turn may impact on the development of mental toughness among athletes.
Patient’s Intention to Use Mobile Health App

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the intention of patients to adopt mobile health apps. The factors selected to conduct this study are perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm. The proposed research model was reviewed and validated using the PLS-SEM with a sample of 300 respondents. The results of this study showed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm could positively affect the patient's intention to use the mobile health app. The results of this study have made it possible to fill the research gap and provide adequate statistical support to the future expansion of research in the field of mobile health app. For practical reasons, these results have also provided researchers, app developers and healthcare providers with valuable information on how to evaluate and develop effective mobile health apps from the users’ perspective.
Variation of an indicator of Escherichia coli persistence from surface waters of mixed-use watersheds, and relationship with environmental factors

Escherichia coli is an indicator of fecal pollution used to mandate recreational and drinking water quality. Concentrations of culturable E. coli following contamination of surface water are determined by three factors: dilution; cell attachment to particulate material and settling or resuspension in the water column; and the net rate of change in viability. This study evaluated the variability in the latter parameter, and how predictive variation in death rate was of culturable population densities at the time of sampling. Water samples (N =232) with varying levels of E. coli contamination were collected from 46 discrete locations in four watersheds across Canada over a three-month period and enumerated for culturable E. coli by membrane filtration plate counting (T0EC ). Water samples were again enumerated following a laboratory 24 h holding period at 30°C in the dark, and the difference considered the death rate (ΔEC ). Relationships of T0EC and ΔEC with environmental and water chemistry factors were explored using step-wise multiple regression. The model predicting T0EC indicated that stream order, total rainfall seven days in advance of sampling day, total phosphorus, and ΔEC were the most significant contributors. The model predicting ΔEC indicated that turbidity and NH3 +NH4 were the most important contributors. A model suggests that the persistence factor is less important than dilution (i.e. stream order) in describing E. coli densities, followed by factors that influence the loading of E. coli into watersheds.
Personality traits and adherence to physical activity in patients attending a primary health centre1

Personality influences the practice of physical activity (PA). The purpose of this observational descriptive study was to analyze the association of personality traits with adherence to PA among 208 patients attending a primary health care centre (Granada, Spain). The patients answered a questionnaire inquiring socio-demographic characteristics, personality traits and PA. Personality was measured using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125); and PA by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Multiple linear regression analysis showed (in both men and women) that the higher the score on the Temperament dimension of harm avoidance the lower the adherence to PA (partial r = – .19). Similarly, age (partial r = – .30) and educational level (partial r = – .22) were inversely associated with adherence to PA. The present results can help to predict poor adherence to lifestyle PA. Interventions on high harm avoidance individuals through anxiety reduction might help them in becoming more physically active.
Divisions of Research & Statistics and Monetary Affairs Federal Reserve Board , Washington , D . C . Foreclosure ’ s Wake : The Credit Experiences of Individuals Following Foreclosure

While a substantial literature has examined the causes of mortgage foreclosure, there has been relatively little work on the consequences of foreclosure for the borrowers themselves. Using a large sample of anonymous credit bureau records, observed quarterly from 1999Q1 through 2010Q1, we examine the credit experiences of almost 350,000 borrowers before and after their mortgage foreclosure. Our analysis documents the substantial declines in credit scores that accompany foreclosure and examines the length of time it takes individuals to return their credit scores to pre-delinquency levels. The results suggest that, particularly for prime borrowers, credit score recovery comes slowly, if at all. This appears to be driven by persistently higher levels of delinquency on consumer credit (such as auto and credit card loans) in the years that follow foreclosure. Our results also indicate that the experiences of individuals whose mortgages entered foreclosure from 2007 to 2009 have followed a similar path to borrowers foreclosed earlier in the decade, though post-foreclosure delinquency rates for the recently foreclosed have been higher and, consequently, credit score recovery appears to be taking longer.  The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Board or its staff. We thank Bob Avery, Glenn Canner, Beth Kiser, Bob Hunt, Robin Prager, and seminar participants at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Mortgage Foreclosures and the Future of Housing Finance Conference for helpful comments.
Differences in aerobic capacity among students with regard to their level of nutritional status

Due to contemporary lifestyle, nutritional status of students is poorer and therefore it negatively affects the aerobic capacity. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in aerobic capacity among female students of Faculty of Teacher Education with regard to their level of nutritional status. The study included 281 female students of the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb. The sample of variables consisted of anthropometric measures: body height, body weight, sub-scapular and triceps skinfolds. Aerobic capacity was measured by 20 meter shuttle run test and nutritional status was determined by the body mass index (BMI). The subjects were divided into four groups according to their nutritional status: underweight, normal body weight, overweight and obese. Mean values of the BMI place the students into normal weight group, however, mean values of aerobic capacity show that students achieved poor results. Kruskal Wallis test and its post-hoc test (multiple comparisons for all groups with Bonferroni adjustment) for determining the difference between subsamples according to the level of nutritional status among students show that the subsamples differ in four of the five variables that describe the morphological characteristics (body weight, BMI, sub-scapular skinfold, triceps skinfold) as well as in aerobic capacity. The results obtained in this study show that the increased body mass have extremely high impact on the aerobic capacity results. It can be concluded that the tested students' aerobic capacity is poor and students with normal body weight have better aerobic capacity than overweight or obese students.
Endobronchial coils â therapeutic innovations for severe emphysema

Emphysema is a frequent phenotypic manifestation of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases which does not respond to pharmacotherapy. Interventional methods can provide relief for severely ill and highly symptomatic emphysema patients. A quite well studied endoscopic method is the minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure with coils. Coils are small, shape-memory Nitinol implants designed to gather and compress lung tissue, re-tension the diseased airway network and increase the elastic recoil in the emphysematous lung. To date, the positive benefit-risk ratio of coils is documented by several well-designed randomized clinical trials.
The systematic position of Cubanthus and other shrubby endemic species of Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) in Cuba

Steinmann, V.W. , Van Ee, B. , Berry, P.E. & Gutierrez, J. 2007. The systematic position of Cubanthus and other shrubby endemic species of Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) in Cuba. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 64(2): 123-133. Cubanthus (Euphorbiaceae) has traditionally been recognized as a small genus of three similar species restricted to Cuba and Hispaniola. In this study we used DNA sequence data from the nuclear ITS and chloroplast ndhF gene regions to investigate its systematic position and the position of four other shrubby Euphorbia species endemic to Cuba: E. cubensis, E. helenae, E. munizii, and E. podocarpifolia. The results demonstrate that all of these taxa belong to a well-supported Antillean clade nested within Euphorbia that also includes E. punicea and E. gymnonota. For that reason, we treat Cubanthus as a section of Euphorbia instead of a separate genus. Euphorbia sect. Adenorima is relegated to a synonym of sect. Cubanthus. New names are proposed for Cubanthus brittonii and Cubanthus linearifolius (Euphorbia millspaughii and E. scutiformis, respectively), and a new combination is made for Cubanthus umbelliformis (Euphorbia umbelliformis). Section Cubanthus belongs to clade C of Euphorbia and is part of a New World assemblage that includes members of sections Euphorbiastrum, Pteroneurae, Portulacastrum, Stachydium, and the former genus Pedilanthus. Based on both the molecular results and morphological differences, two subsections are proposed: subsect. Cubanthus and subsect. Moa. The molecular phylogeny supports the hypothesis that section Cubanthus radiated entirely within the Antilles and the nearby Bahamian archipelago.
Somatic parameters of 17 year old soccer players in the older youth category in relation to sports performance

Background: Somatic parameters are included not only in the general structure of sporting performance, but also in the structure of sporting performance in soccer. In light of this structure, higher performance players should have better somatic performance prerequisites, and their somatic parameters should differ from players with lower performance levels. Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the somatic parameters of players with different performance levels. Methods: The research included 90 soccer players in the age of 17 years in three performance categories playing in the junior competition in the Czech Republic. Average age of the individual levels - highest performance 17.61 ± 0.48, middle performance 17.50 ± 0.50, lowest performance 17.50 ± 0.50 years. The following was monitored - basic anthropometric parameters (body weight, body height), somatotype (Heath-Carter), representation of body fat (BF), fat free mass (FFM) and the total body water (TBW). The Tanita 418 MA tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance (BIA) scale was used for the determination of the representation of BF and the TBW. All players were measured at the beginning of the competition period in the same year. All measurements were implemented in the morning hours by the same person with corresponding experience. Results: The average values of somatic parameters measured in the individual performance categories show that we can only consider them to be an indicator of sporting performance up to a particular performance level. The boundary was the middle performance level (teams playing regional competition) as their mean values of the monitored somatic parameters significantly differed from the mean values of players at the lowest performance level (teams playing at the district and municipal levels) but they did not differ when compared with the mean values of the players at the highest performance level (teams playing the top junior league). Conclusions: From the middle performance level (regional competition), we do not consider the monitored body composition parameters as crucial in terms of individual playing performance.
Fraction-Corrected Mitotic Index In Prostate Cancer

Mitosis counting remains one of the most valuable prognostic indicators in tumour pathology. The aim of this study was to assess the proliferative activity of primary prostate cancer and lymph node metastases using the volume fraction-corrected mitotic index (M/Vv). Mitotic figures were quantitated as number of mitotic figures/mm of neoplastic epithelium in a series of 40 prostatic adenocarcinomas, and the results were related to histologic features as well as to prognosis. Gleason score and mitotic indices were not significantly interrelated. High-grade tumours showed higher mitosis counts than intermediate-grade tumours, and metastasis was related to mitotic indeces as well. The results show that mitotic indeces are useful prognostic parameters in prostatic adenocarcinoma.
Fine-scale modeling of bristlecone pine treeline position in the Great Basin, USA

Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) and foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) are valuable paleoclimate resources due to their longevity and climatic sensitivity of their annually-resolved rings. Treeline research has shown that growing season temperatures limit tree growth at and just below the upper treeline. In the Great Basin, the presence of precisely dated remnant wood above modern treeline shows that the treeline ecotone shifts at centennial timescales tracking long-term changes in climate; in some areas during the Holocene climatic optimum treeline was 100 meters higher than at present. Regional treeline position models built exclusively from climate data may identify characteristics specific to Great Basin treelines and inform future physiological studies, providing a measure of climate sensitivity specific to bristlecone and foxtail pine treelines. This study implements a topoclimatic analysis—using topographic variables to explain patterns in surface temperatures across diverse mountainous terrain—to model the treeline position of three semi-arid bristlecone and/or foxtail pine treelines in the Great Basin as a function of growing season length and mean temperature calculated from in situ measurements. Results indicate: (1) the treeline sites used in this study are similar to other treelines globally, and require a growing season length of between 147–153 days and average temperature ranging from 5.5°C–7.2°C, (2) site-specific treeline position models may be improved through topoclimatic analysis and (3) treeline position in the Great Basin is likely out of equilibrium with the current climate, indicating a possible future upslope shift in treeline position.
Predicting Student Use of the Internet in Bruneian Technical Colleges: a structural equation model

In the educational setting, the Internet is profiteering among academics and students. In fact, this has changed the functioning of the educational establishments. However, the success of use of the Internet is largely dependent upon the user’s behaviour that in turn affects their attitudes. Even when the formidable opportunities exist for the deployment of technology, adverse attitude can inhabit the use. Keeping this in view, a survey of 266 students of four technical and vocational colleges was conducted to study the attitudes of the students toward the use of the Internet. The present study develop a normative model by using Davis’s Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and validates two specific attitudinal variables; perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use that are hypothesised to be fundamental determinants of the attitude that in turn predict the students’ use of the Internet. By adding external variables such as demographics, task characteristics, computer exposure, and institutional support further test the parsimony of the model. A Structural Equation modelling techniques is used to validate the model. The study has confirmed that majority of the students (85%) are using the Internet. The final model has confirmed that external variables do contribute towards both of belief parts: perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness that further affects the attitude of the students in predicting the Internet usage.
Methane Emission from Siberian Wet Polygonal Tundra on Multiple Spatial Scales: Vertical Flux Measurements by Closed Chambers and Eddy Covariance, Samoylov Island, Lena River Delta

Ecosystem-scale measurements and investigations of the small-scale variability of methane emission were carried out in northern Siberian wet polygonal tundra using the eddy covariance technique during the entire 2006 growing season. Simultaneous closed chamber flux measurements were conducted daily at 15 plots in four differently developed polygon centers and a polygon rim from July–September 2006. Our study site was located in the southern part of the Lena River Delta, characterized by arctic continental climate and comparatively cold, continuous permafrost. Controls on methane emission were identified by applying multi-linear and multi-nonlinear regression models. We found a relatively low growing season average methane flux of 18.7 ± 10.2 mg m-2 d-1 on the ecosystem scale and identified near-surface turbulence, soil temperature, and atmospheric pressure as the main controls on the growing season variation methane emissions. On the micro-site scale, fluxes showed large spatial variability and were best described by soil surface temperature.