Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Local diagnostics to estimate density-induced sea level variations over topography and along coastlines

[1] In the open ocean, sea level variability is primarily steric in origin. Steric sea level is given by the depth integral of the density field, raising the question of how tide gauges, which are situated in very shallow water, feel deep ocean variability. Here this question is examined in a high-resolution global ocean model. By considering a series of assumptions we show that if we wish to reconstruct coastal sea level using only local density information, then the best assumption we can make is one of no horizontal pressure gradient, and therefore no geostrophic flow, at the seafloor. Coastal sea level can then be determined using density at the ocean's floor. When attempting to discriminate between mass and volume components of sea level measured by tide gauges, the conventional approach is to take steric height at deep-ocean sites close to the tide gauges as an estimate of the steric component. We find that with steric height computed at 3000 m this approach only works well in the equatorial band of the Atlantic and Pacific eastern boundaries. In most cases the steric correction can be improved by calculating steric height closer to shore, with the best results obtained in the depth range 500–1000 m. Yet, for western boundaries, large discrepancies remain. Our results therefore suggest that on time scales up to about 5 years, and perhaps longer, the presence of boundary currents means that the conventional steric correction to tide gauges may not be valid in many places.
Carbohydrates for Physical Activity

Intake of carbohydrates above the dietary guidelines to support performance of physical activity is common but may be unnecessary and counterproductive. Sports nutrition guidelines have not been designed to incorporate characteristics that may make high carbohydrate consumption a source of metabolic stress that may increase oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipogenesis. This metabolic stress is linked to the physiology underlying the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. This review describes research-based evidence to aid in bridging the gap between dietary guidelines for overall health and those to support physical activity. Characteristics that increase the likelihood of metabolic stress resulting from carbohydrate intake include overweight and obesity, central/visceral adiposity, older age, sedentary lifestyle, and caloric state. Carbohydrate-based foods that provide the most health benefits are whole grains, beans and legumes, fruits, and vegetables. Carbohydrate-based foods that most readily elicit metabolic stress are those with added sugars and refined grains or that have a high glycemic index. A checklist that incorporates both the number of these characteristics and prevailing guidelines for nutrition and physical activity is presented. This may be useful in determining whether additional carbohydrates are needed to support the physical activity level of the individual.
Multisystemic Therapy versus management as usual in the treatment of adolescent antisocial behaviour (START): a randomised controlled pragmatic effectiveness superiority trial

Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on King's Research Portal is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Post-Print version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections.
Exploring the Relationships among Service Quality, Satisfaction, Trust and Store Loyalty among Retail Customers

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationships among service quality, satisfaction, trust, and store loyalty in a retailing context. All these variables have considerable importance on store performance, measured by financial indicators or market ones. The data were collected from a sample of 258 students at two universities in Albania, during the first quarter of 2012. The items included in the survey measured the variables of the study as well as demographic characteristics of the sample. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to evaluate the hypotheses regarding relationships among model constructs. All the hypotheses developed in the study were positively confirmed, reinforcing the theory and previous research on this field. The study also reveals interesting implications in service quality, satisfaction, trust, and store loyalty, useful to both academics and practitioners. Managers will find this research helpful in better understanding these variables and their roles on their companies’ performance.
An investigation of relationship satisfaction on resilience and body image

The aim of this study was to explore the association between relationship satisfaction and low body image. The current research also investigated whether body image dissatisfaction (BID) was affected by ethnic diversity. Past research has examined many factors which are highly related to BID; however, there is a paucity of research investigating relationship satisfaction, resilience, and body image as interrelated factors. A community sample consisting of male and female participants (N = 169) classified as “in a relationship” completed an online survey. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated, consistent with expectations, that resilience was a predictor of relationship satisfaction and body image. A mediation analysis revealed a bidirectional relationship between relationship satisfaction and body image, not mediated by resilience. Implications to this study are discussed in regards to couples’ therapy and interventions for body image and resilience.
Assessment of fire risk in relation to land cover in WUI areas

Areas where urban and wildland intermingle, known as wildland-urban interface (WUI), are increasing worldwide over the last decades (Theobald and Romme 2007; Montiel and Herrero 2010). These WUI areas are of particular concern in forest fire risk management because the presence of housing developments in contact with forestlands increases the likelihood of a fire starting as a consequence of human activities. In Spain, for example, there is increasing evidence that the wildland-urban interface constitutes a highly risk prone area (Herrero et al. 2012; Chas-Amil et al. 2013). Given the recognised role of land cover distribution in fire risk (Bajocco and Ricotta 2008; Oliveira et al. 2013), this paper evaluates recent fire activity across different land cover categories, and the causes and motivations, comparing WUI and non-WUI areas. Fire data were collected in Galicia, Spain, where fires are mostly due to deliberately-caused ignitions. We show that arsonist are more likely to ignited a fire in WUI areas than in non-WUI; and the same seems to be true for fires ignited by agricultural activities. Moreover, land cover types only have a significant impact on the patterns of fire occurrence in WUI areas.
Ultracold electron source for ultrafast electron diffraction

Single-shot ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) was introduced as a viable way to measure ultrafast processes, such as structural transitions in materials. For UED, the dynamics in a sample are induced by a femtosecond laser pulse and ultrashort electron bunches are used to probe the ultrafast processes in the sample. The ultracold charged particle cloud (UCPC) source researched in this work is an extended electron source with the potential to produce electron bunches with the extreme quality required for single shot UED. The UCPC source uses rubidium atoms that are trapped and cooled in a magneto-optical trap. The rubidium atoms are near-threshold photoionized in a two step ionization process to form the ultracold charged particle cloud. The electrons in the ionization volume are accelerated by a DC electric field. In previous work, nanosecond long, narrow bandwidth ionization pulses were used to create ultracold electron bunches. In this work, measurements of the transverse source temperature are presented for bunches that are ionized with femtosecond long, broad bandwidth ionization pulses. For near-threshold ionization laser wavelengths from 489 nm to 477 nm, temperatures were measured from 25 to 240 K. Very low bunch temperatures were measured despite the broad bandwidth of the ionization laser. Transverse coherence lengths up to 20 nm are reported, which is sufficiently long to perform diffraction experiments on typical protein crystal samples. Individual electron bunches contain typically 10 electrons, less than what is ideally required for single shot UED. The temperature measurements are compared to simulations performed with a semi-analytical model based on electron trajectories in the combined potential energy function of the rubidium atoms and the electric field of the accelerator. The overall shape of the simulated temperature as a function of the ionization laser wavelength mirrors the measured data. From additional measurements, we saw that the transverse source temperature varies sinusoidally as a function of the polarization angle of the ionization laser. The mean value of the oscillations of the transverse source temperature increases monotonously for decreasing ionization laser wavelengths, as does the amplitude of the oscillations. This behavior is also confirmed by the model. The first diffraction patterns that have been measured with the UCPC source setup are also reported in this thesis, measured with a graphene sample. With crystal domains that are several times smaller than the electron beam at the sample, the diffraction pattern consists of rings. The diffraction angles of the first two diffraction rings were measured as a function of the beam energy and match with values calculated using the grating equation. The angular spread determined from the measured diffraction patterns is however many times larger than what is expected based on the transverse source temperature. To improve experiments, a quadrupole lens is added to the setup to counter astigmatism and a second solenoid lens is added. It is left up to future researchers to use the improved setup.
Energy and protein intake , anthropometrics , disease burden and 1-year mortality in elderly homecare receivers living in Germany Inaugural-Dissertation

Objective: To date, no study has examined the nutritional status and disease burden of elderly home-care receivers living in Germany. Aim of this cross-sectional study was, first, to assess disease burden and nutritional status, denoted in anthropometrics, and, second, to investigate associations between anthropometrics and disease burden. Design : Cross-sectional multi-centre study. Setting: Home-care receivers living in three urban areas of Germany in 2010. Participants: 353 elderly (>64 years) in home care (128 males aged 79.1 ±7.8 years, 225 females aged 82.0 ±7.5 years). Measurements: Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI), mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) and calf circumference (CC). Medical conditions were assessed in personal interviews. A 3-day prospective nutrition diary was kept. Metric data are reported as mean±SD or median (interquartile range), p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Most participants were substantially (59%), and 11% severest in need of care. The seniors suffered from 5 (4-7) chronic diseases; dementia, depression, stroke, and respiratory illness were most prevalent (each 20-40%). More than onethird of participants had only moderate or poor appetite, nearly half were unable to eat independently. Chewing problems were reported for 52% of study participants, and more than one quarter of elderly had swallowing problems. Daily mean energy intake was 2017±528 in men (n=123) and 1731±451 in women (n=216; p<0.001). Mean protein intake amounted to 1.0 g/kg body weight. Mean BMI was 28.2±6.2 kg/m2 (n=341), 14% of seniors had a BMI <22 kg/m2 (including 4% with BMI <20 kg/m2). Critical MUAC (<22 cm) was indicated in 6% of subjects; and CC <31 cm in 11% of men, 21% of women (p<0.05). After adjusting for sex and age, BMI, MUAC and CC were negatively associated with high care level, hospitalization in the previous year, nausea/vomiting, prevalence of dementia, poor appetite, and eating difficulties like dependency, chewing and swallowing problems. Conclusions: We recommend to pay special attention to the nutritional status of elderly persons in home care exhibiting named disease burden.
Psychological Distress among Cancer Patients from Saudi Arabia

Background: Contemporary cancer care considers psychological and social management as important as biomedical counterpart. Although considerable development has been achieved in these aspects, adequate recognition and assessment is not fully met. Objective: This study aims to (1) Screen for emotional distress in cancer patients attending at KAUH and (2) determine the associations between distress and demographic and clinical variables. Methodology: We conducted a survey of oncology clinic and admitted patients at an academic hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients completed the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Screening Tool and Problem List. Results: Data analysis showed no statistical significant association between high level of distress and age , gender, marital and employment status or the type of cancer. High level of distress was found among individual who admitted their need for support. Conclusion: Services to recognize and treat distress to all cancer patients regardless of their demographics or cancer type.
[Redacted] Response to National Toxicology Program’s request for comments on Carbon Black by the Scientific Advisory Group on behalf of the International Carbon Black Association February 27, 2012

On behalf of the International Carbon Black Association (ICBA, www.carbon-black.org), the Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) would like to respond to the request for comments on the nomination of carbon black for possible review for future editions of the Report on Carcinogens (77 Fed. Reg. 2728, Jan. 19, 2012). The SAG advises the ICBA on scientific studies related to protecting the health of manufacturers and users of carbon black. Since 1995, the SAG has recommended and overseen epidemiological, toxicological and exposure related assessments associated with carbon black.
A Review of the Research on Interventions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What Works Best?

This meta-analysis examined 74 studies in which there had been an intervention that aimed to improve the behavioral, cognitive, and/or social functioning of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or attention deficit disorder (ADD). Overall, there were larger effects of the various interventions on behavioral than on educational outcomes. These overall effects were larger for medical interventions than for educational, psychosocial, or parent training interventions, but there was little support for flow-over effects, from the reduction in behavior problems to enhanced educational outcomes. The effects on educational outcomes were greater for educational interventions than for other types of intervention.
Agency Cost Determinants of Bank Risk-Taking

This paper studies risk-taking when loan officer compensation is optimally structured to generate competition. Compensation contracts are necessary because bank managers must incentivize officers to screen borrowers and charge type-contingent loan rates. Optimality of a relative performance contract then arises because the bank is imperfectly informed about the quality of the borrower pool from which officers draw. If even good borrowers are slightly risky, I find that the optimal contract can be implemented as a rank-order tournament which compels loan officers to minimize risk-taking across the board. Otherwise, rank-order tournaments are not optimal and a bank which restricts attention to them will find selected risk-taking less costly to incentivize when moderately pessimistic about the borrower pool. Therefore, if the fixed cost of changing compensation structures is high, transitioning from a world without riskless assets to a world with riskless assets can actually increase risk-taking and create more dispersion in the output of bank-dependent borrowers.
Quantitative Estimation of Fougerite Green Rust in Soils and Sediments by Citrate—Bicarbonate Kinetic Extractions

Fougerite (IMA 203-057), from green rust (GR) group, is difficult to quantify due to its reactivity and its small concentration in soils and sediments. Chemical extractions with citrate-bicarbonate (CB) reagent, in kinetic mode, can be used for a pre-diagnosis. Performed by steps (0, 1, 6, 48, 168 and 504 h), the proposed protocol was applied on samples from Gleysol of Fougère’s forest with mineralogical controls by Mössbauer and XRD (X-ray diffraction) after each step of extraction. In less than 6 h, the first fraction extracted is composed of 70% Si, 80% Al, 23% Fe and 80% Mg of total element extractable by CB and is ascribed to the “indefinable mineral mixture Si-Al-Fe” named by Tamm. Between 6 and 168 h, the second fraction extracted is composed of Fe and Mg with a constant mole ratio Fe/Mg equal to 10 and is ascribed to the fougerite-GR phase. Analysis of XRD pattern and of Mössbauer spectra confirms: (i) all the other mineral phases containing Al, Mg, Si were not dissolved by CB after 6 h; (ii) the CB treatment extracts fougerite-GR completely. The residual fraction is composed of components not dissolved by CB extraction. Thus, the selectivity of CB can be used to quantitatively estimate the presence of fougerite-GRs in soils and sediments.
Humoral immune alterations caused by lead: studies on an adult toad model

HUMORAL IMMUNE ALTERATIONS CAUSED BY LEAD: STUDIES ON AN ADULT TOAD MODEL. Carolina E. Rosenberg; Nilda E. Fink; Alfredo Salibian. Acta Toxicol. Argent. (2007) 15 (1): 16-23. There is evidence that environmental metal levels affect the immune function. In the particular case of the impact of heavy metals, information available suggests that the immune system is a target for low-dose Pb exposure. Among vertebrates it was shown that amphibians are capable of forming antibodies against a variety of antigens, causing several responses such as anaphylactic response and rejecting grafts. In this study, the production of antibodies was assessed against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in the anuran Bufo are- narum after six weekly injections of sublethal doses of lead (50 mg.kg -1 , as lead acetate). Natural antibodies (natural het- eroagglutinins) were also quantified against SRBC. Both assessments were carried out employing an ELISA method developed to this end, measuring absorbance (A). For natural anti-SRBC antibodies in both control (C) and Pb treated (T) toads, there was a non significant tendency to increase the initial absorbances (C initial: 0.69+0.39 A; T initial: 0.54+0.30 A), relative to those reg- istered at the end of the experiments (C final: 0.89+0.49 A; T final: 0.76+0.31A); the T/C ratios also did not show changes. The only significant difference was found between initial and final samples from lead-treated toads (p<0.014). The immune anti- SRBC antibody levels of toads immunized with SRBC showed a significant lower increase (p<0.05) in lead-treated animals (T final: 0.66+0.36 A), as compared to control toads (C final: 0.91+0.50 A) at the end of the experiment. It was thus concluded that the changes due to the assayed doses of Pb in the levels of antibodies cannot be explained on the basis of only one single action mechanism of the metal, but as the result of a conjunction of effects over different immunocompetent cell subpopula- tions. These different responses suggest that factors affecting animals exposed to a foreign stimulus are different from those influencing the response of wild animals.
Amino acid digestibilities : determination and application in poultry.

It is generally accepted that the provision of amino acids, either free or, much more usually, in the form of protein, accounts for approximately a quarter of the cost of practical diets for poultry. However, as is the case with a number of nutrients the economic influence of amino acids is probably much greater than this, because any dietary shortfall impairs productivity substantially. An important objective of animal nutritional science is to formulate diets to allow a predetermined rate of production to be achieved at least cost. In theory this implies that, as far as protein is concerned, the ideal diet should exactly satisfy the requirements of the target species for amino acids, given that these can be specified. In practice, however, this goal is probably unrealistic, partly because of variable demand by individual animals and partly because of constraints imposed by the amino acid profiles of the raw materials accessible to the animal feed trade. The increasing use of synthetic amino acids in diet formulation is reducing the importance of the latter of these two limitations. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the maximum economic return from poultry production will be achieved until the amino acid concentrations in the diets are known to meet the requirements of the animals being fed.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot? the reverse transfer of knowledge through mobility ties

While mobility's effect on knowledge transfer to firms that hire mobile employees is well demonstrated, we choose to explore mobility's effect on knowledge transfer to firms that lose these employees. Focusing on this ‘outbound mobility’ allows us to isolate effects of social mechanisms associated with mobility. We find that semiconductor firms losing employees are more likely to subsequently cite patents of firms hiring these employees, suggesting that mobility‐driven knowledge flows are bidirectional. In addition, the outbound mobility effect is pronounced when mobility occurs between geographically distant firms, but attenuates for geographically proximate firms since other redundant knowledge channels exist within regions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.