Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acceptance and commitment therapy as guided self-help for psychological distress and positive mental health: a randomized controlled trial

Background In order to reduce the high prevalence of depression, early interventions for people at risk of depression are warranted. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an early guided self-help programme based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for reducing depressive symptomatology. Method Participants with mild to moderate depressive symptomatology were recruited from the general population and randomized to the self-help programme with extensive email support (n=125), the self-help programme with minimal email support (n=125) or to a waiting list control group (n=126). Participants completed measures before and after the intervention to assess depression, anxiety, fatigue, experiential avoidance, positive mental health and mindfulness. Participants in the experimental conditions also completed these measures at a 3-month follow-up. Results In the experimental conditions significant reductions in depression, anxiety, fatigue, experiential avoidance and improvements in positive mental health and mindfulness were found, compared with the waiting list condition (effect sizes Cohen's d=0.51–1.00). These effects were sustained at the 3-month follow-up. There were no significant differences between the experimental conditions on the outcome measures. Conclusions The ACT-based self-help programme with minimal email support is effective for people with mild to moderate depressive symptomatology.
Complex pelvic fracture urethral distraction defects revisited

Abstract Objective. This study aimed to establish some guidelines for the definition, diagnosis and treatment of complex pelvic fracture urethral distraction defects (PFUDD). Material and methods. A total of 40 patients with complex PFUDD was enrolled in this study. Urethral defects were associated with a paraurethral bladder base fistula (PBBF) (six patients), urethrorectal fistula (eight), urethrocutaneous fistula (nine), urinoma cavity (eight) or bladder neck incompetence (nine). In four patients the urethra had been wrongly reconstructed into a bladder base fistula (three) or urinoma cavity (one), elsewhere. Repair was performed by a perineal anastomotic urethroplasty in 15 patients and by a perineoabdominal transpubic procedure in 25. Results. Repair was successful in nine out of 15 (60%) patients who received a perineal repair and in 23 out of 25 (92%) who underwent a perineoabdominal transpubic procedure. Of the eight patients with unsuccessful outcomes five were successfully recorrected by transpubic urethroplasty. Conclusions. A PFUDD may be considered as complex if it is associated with a PBBF, urethrorectal or urethrocutaneous fistula, urinoma cavity, or bladder neck incompetence. Complete excision of a PBBF usually requires a perineoretropubic approach. The initial trauma-related urethrorectal fistula usually opens into the prostatic urethra and its repair requires an abdominal approach, whereas an iatrogenic rectal fistula usually opens into the proximal bulbar urethra and can be resolved by a relatively simple perineal operation. Excision of a urinoma cavity or urethrocutaneous fistula can usually be accomplished from the perineum, while repair of a bladder neck incompetence requires an abdominal approach.
The Bologna Process from a Latin American Perspective

Although Latin America’s geography, history, and languages might seem a suitable foundation for a Bologna-type process, the development of a common Latin American higher education and research area meets predictable difficulties.The reasons are to be found in the continent’s historic and modern institutional patterns. Latin American governments increasingly limit their interventions to funding and rely on the free play of the forces of supply and demand, institutional and corporate interests, and negotiated rules of the game to coordinate their systems. Moreover, Latin America’s dynamic tertiary education systems face structural, organizational, and functional obstacles that often discourage international convergence.However, Bologna is stimulating closer university collaboration between Latin American and European institutions, particularly Spanish and Portuguese universities, in an effort to create an Ibero-American area of knowledge, with student and faculty exchanges. Thus Bologna has had an indirect stimulus by encouraging collaboration, and concomitant issues such as Latin America’s current debate about curricular reform and higher education competitiveness.
AGGREGATION OF PREFERENCES WITH VARIABLE ELECTORATE

IN THIS PAPER we consider procedures for going from several individual preferences among several alternatives, called candidates, to something which may be called a collective preference. The individual preferences take the form of (total) orderings of the alternatives, and the collective preference is to take the form of a (total) weak ordering (i.e., ties allowed). We consider certain properties which seem desirable in such systems and investigate which systems have these properties. The point of view taken here differs from that of other work in this area (e.g., [1, 2, 3, 4]) chiefly in asking that the procedure work for all possible sizes of the voting population, rather than for a fixed population, given in advance. This permits us to require, for example, that if each of two bodies of voters prefers candidate A to candidate B under a given procedure, then the combination of these bodies should prefer A to B under the same procedure. In Section 1 we give the formal definitions of an aggregation procedure and discuss certain desirable features, namely "neutrality" (treats candidates symmetrically), "separability" (the condition mentioned above), "monotonicity," and an "Archimedean" property which says, roughly, that a sufficiently large body with a given distribution of preferences can impose its will on any body of fixed size. In Section 2 we introduce certain procedures: "point systems" and "generalized point systems" (roughly, point systems allowing "infinitesimal points"), which are neutral and separable. They are monotonic if and only if the points are arranged in the "natural" order, and the point systems are, in addition, Archimedean. In Section 3 we prove a converse, namely that any neutral and separable procedure can be realized by a generalized point system and, if it is Archimedean, by a point system. This part requires some familiarity with the notions of least upper bound of a set of real numbers and bases of vector spaces. In Section 4 (which is largely independent of Section 3), we consider "point runoff" systems which use point systems in a succession of eliminations. Such systems are neither separable nor monotonic but do satisfy some very weak separability and monotonicity conditions. While these probably do not characterize point runoff systems, we know of no other systems satisfying them.
Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Among STD Clinic Attenders in Jamaica: Association of Younger Age and Increased Sexual Activity

Background and Objectives Human papillomavirus is the major etiologic agent of cervical cancer. Although the incidence of cancer of the cervix is high in Jamaica, the prevalence of human papillomavirus among Jamaican women has not been defined. Goal of the Study To estimate the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and associated risk factors in women attending an STD clinic in Kingston, Jamaica. Study Design A cross-sectional survey was done of 202 women attending an STD clinic in Kingston in 1990. Cervical and vaginal cells were collected by lavage, and human papillomavirus genomes were detected in extracted DNA using low-stringency Southern blot hybridization. Results Fifty-eight (28.7%) women were identified as HPV positive. Prevalence of HPV by age group was 39% in women 15–19 years old, 33% of women 20–24 years old, 31% in women 25–29 years old, and 17% in those 30 years or older. Increasing age was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus infection (test for trend, P = 0.025). The effect of age was independent of years of sexual activity. Women reporting more than one sexual partner per month on average were found to have a significantly higher HPV prevalence (odds ratio 2.87, 95% confidence Interval 1.29–6.38), as were women who reported more frequent sex (test for trend, P = 0.006). Conclusions Sexual behavior is associated with risk of human papillomavirus infection. The decrease of human papillomavirus prevalence in older women agrees with other studies that argue in favor of a biological effect, such as increased immunity to human papillomavirus with age. A better understanding of why immunity to human papillomavirus may develop in older women may provide the basis for developing an effective vaccine to prevent cancer of the cervix.
Stimulation of muscle ammonia production during exercise following branched‐chain amino acid supplementation in humans.

1. This study examined the effects of a large (308 mg kg‐1) oral dose of branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs) on muscle amino acid and ammonia (NH3) metabolism during 90 min of dynamic knee extensor exercise (64 +/‐ 2% of maximum workload). 2. BCAA supplementation resulted in a 4‐fold increase in the arterial BCAA level (from 373 to 1537 microM, P < 0.05) and a 1.5‐fold increase in the intramuscular BCAA level (from 3.4 +/‐ 0.2 to 5.2 +/‐ 0.5 mmol (kg dry weight)‐1, P < 0.05) by the onset of exercise. Over the 90 min exercise period, the exercising muscle removed a total of 7104 +/‐ 2572 mumol kg‐1 of BCAAs. In contrast, in the control trial, there was a total release of 588 +/‐ 86 mumol kg‐1 (P < 0.05) of BCAAs. 3. The total release of NH3 over the 90 min exercise period was 2889 +/‐ 317 mumol kg‐1 (P < 0.05) in the control trial and 4223 +/‐ 552 mumol kg‐1 (P < 0.05) in the BCAA trial. Similarly, the total release of alanine and glutamine was 1557 +/‐ 153 and 2213 +/‐ 270 mumol kg‐1, respectively, for the control trial and 2771 +/‐ 178 and 3476 +/‐ 217 mumol kg‐1, respectively, for the BCAA trial. 4. The lactate release and arterial lactate values were all consistently lower in the BCAA trial than in the control trial. The net production of lactate (intramuscular shifts + total release) was lower (P < 0.05) in the BCAA trial (49.9 +/‐ 11.4 mmol kg‐1) than in the control trial (64.0 +/‐ 11.7 mmol kg‐1). 5. It is concluded that: (1) the administration of BCAAs can greatly increase their concentration in plasma and subsequently their uptake by muscle during exercise, and (2) long‐term exercise following BCAA administration results in significantly greater muscle NH3, alanine and glutamine production, as well as lower lactate production, than is observed during exercise without BCAA supplementation. These data strongly suggest that BCAAs are an important source of NH3 during submaximal exercise and that their contribution to NH3, alanine and glutamine production can be significantly altered by changes in BCAA availability.
The smooth transition GARCH model: application to international stock indexes

The aim of this article is to study the dynamics of four international stock indexes, by developing a model that introduces asymmetry and nonlinearity on the conditional variance. The Smooth Transition Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (STGARCH) model is considered, where the possibility of intermediate regimes is modelled with the introduction of a smooth transition mechanism in a Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) specification. The transition function is either logistic (the Logistic Smooth Transition GARCH (LSTGARCH) model) or exponential (the Exponential Smooth Transition GARCH (EST-GARCH) model). It is found that, on one side, an important characteristic of the LSTGARCH model is that it highlights the asymmetric effect of unanticipated shocks on the conditional volatility. On the other side, the ESTGARCH model allows the dynamics of the conditional variance to be independent of the sign of past news. Indeed, this model allows to highlight the size effect of the shocks, so that small and big shocks have separate effects. I find that this model performs better than the symmetric GARCH model by allowing for asymmetry and regime changes on the conditional volatility and for gradual change on the transition parameter.
Thrombocytosis and toxocariasis: Report of two pediatric cases

We report two cases of visceral larva migrans (VLM) syndrome by Toxocara in children. The biological presentation was unusual and characterized by persistent secondary thrombocytosis (>1,000 × 109/L) mimicking an essential thrombocythemia and variable hypereosinophilia syndrome. Both children had non‐specific symptoms including abdominal pain, skin rash, and fever. The diagnosis was confirmed by serology. The children were treated with either thiabendazole or albendazole, resulting in normalization of eosinophil and platelet counts. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Family Caregivers At Risk: Who Are They?

This study examined the characteristics, activities, challenges, and perceived burden of high-risk family caregivers of persons diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. A descriptive design was used. A convenience sample of 121 family caregivers participated in the interview. High-risk family caregivers with poor health and one medical condition were compared with low-risk family caregivers. Caregivers with low income, depressive symptoms, and high care demands are more likely to be in the high-risk group. Health care providers need to screen family caregivers for depression and monitor those with high care demands.
Large proportions of overweight and obese children, as well as their parents, underestimate children’s weight status across Europe. The ENERGY (EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth) project

Abstract Objective To investigate the magnitude and country-specific differences in underestimation of children’s weight status by children and their parents in Europe and to further explore its associations with family characteristics and sociodemographic factors. Design Children’s weight and height were objectively measured. Parental anthropometric and sociodemographic data were self-reported. Children and their parents were asked to comment on children’s weight status based on five-point Likert-type scales, ranging from ‘I am much too thin’ to ‘I am much too fat’ (children) and ‘My child’s weight is way too little’ to ‘My child’s weight is way too much’ (parents). These data were combined with children’s actual weight status, in order to assess underestimation of children’s weight status by children themselves and by their parents, respectively. Chi-square tests and multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the aims of the current study. Setting Eight European countries participating in the ENERGY (EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth) project. Subjects A school-based survey among 6113 children aged 10–12 years and their parents. Results In the total sample, 42·9 % of overweight/obese children and 27·6 % of parents of overweight/obese children underestimated their and their children’s weight status, respectively. A higher likelihood for this underestimation of weight status by children and their parents was observed in Eastern and Southern compared with Central/Northern countries. Overweight or obese parents (OR=1·81; 95 % CI 1·39, 2·35 and OR=1·78, 95 % CI 1·22, 2·60), parents of boys (OR=1·32; 95 % CI 1·05, 1·67) and children from overweight/obese (OR=1·60; 95 % CI 1·29, 1·98 and OR=1·76; 95 % CI 1·29, 2·41) or unemployed parents (OR=1·53; 95 % CI 1·22, 1·92) were more likely to underestimate children’s weight status. Conclusions Children of overweight or obese parents, those from Eastern and Southern Europe, boys, younger children and children with unemployed parents were more likely to underestimate their actual weight status. Overweight or obese parents and parents of boys were more likely to underestimate the actual weight status of their children. In obesity prevention such underestimation may be a barrier for behavioural change.
envexpbot o trade-off between hydraulic and mechanical properties in several transgenic oplars modified for lignins metabolism

Wood provides water transport and mechanical support of trees. Sap is transported under negative pressure in plant xylem conduits, which can be subject to embolism during severe drought. Typically, denser woods show thicker cell walls and stronger mechanical properties. Ten transgenic poplar lines modified for expression of genes involved in lignin metabolism were produced from the female clone 717-1B4 of Populus tremula × Populus alba to test the hypothesis of a possible trade-off between hydraulic and mechanical functions. Poplar lines underexpressed genes encoding for cinnamoyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), cinnamoyl CoA reductase (CCR) and caffeic acid 3-Omethyltransferase (COMT), while new poplar lines underexpressed the CAD genes or overexpressed the MYB308 gene, encoding for a transcription factor repressing the phenylpropanoid metabolism. To maximize the contrast between line behaviors, these plants were grown under two different water regimes, and the impact on their hydraulic traits and xylem properties was analyzed to test for a link between water condition and mechanical and hydraulic properties. Our results show that the resistance to xylem cavitation was lower for the transgenic lines than for the control line 717-1b4 while they show neither a positive nor a negative tendency for the longitudinal Young’s modulus between the transgenic lines and the control line. ASOMT10b and ASOMT2b, which possessed a down-regulated expression for all the genes, showed a lower value of the resistance to implosion index (t/b)2. No difference for xylem hydraulic conductivity between the lines was found. The changes in lignin metabolism in these transgenic lines did not affect the water transport, despite the change in the lignin content. Our data on the transgenic poplar lines do not therefore support the mechanical vs. hydraulic trade-off hypothesis and we point out that angiosperm trees have numerous ways to acclimate their internal structure in order to adjust their mechanical properties without hydraulic coupling. Moreover, we observed an acclimation to water stress for P50 but not for the Young’s modulus. MYB308-25.1 showed better mechanical properties and vulnerability to cavitation than the control line 717-1b4. Finally, we present evidence that lignins are involved in the vulnerability to cavitation, probably through modifications of pit structure and behavior. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Utilization of 3-chloro-2-methylbenzoic acid by Pseudomonas cepacia MB2 through the meta fission pathway

Pseudomonas cepacia MB2 grew on 3-chloro-2-methylbenzoate as a sole carbon source by metabolism through the meta fission pathway with the subsequent liberation of chloride. meta pyrocatechase activity in cell extracts was induced strongly by 3-chloro-2-methylbenzoate, but not by nongrowth analogs 4- or 5-chloro-2-methylbenzoate. Although rapid turnover of metabolites precluded direct identification, a mutant strain MB2-G5 lacking meta pyrocatechase activity produced 4-chloro-3-methylcatechol when incubated with 3-chloro-2-methylbenzoate. The catecholic product, confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectral analyses, produced a transient meta fission product (lambda max = 391 nm) from cell extracts of the wild-type MB2 strain. Further confirmation of meta pyrocatechase activity was noted by conversion of 4-chlorocatechol to 2-hydroxy-5-chloromuconic semialdehyde, which was not further metabolized. In contrast to 3-chlorocatechol, which was not metabolized and is known to generate suicidal products, 4-chlorocatechols do not generate acyl halides. Thus, further metabolism of the ring fission products is governed in strain MB2 by their suitability as substrates for the hydrolase.
Crisis Management, LDP, and DPJ Style

Abstract This article asks the questions: Did the DPJ engage in crisis response and management differently than the LDP did? If so, why? If not, why not? In order to try to answer these questions systematically I use an inductive comparative method of choosing three equivalent ‘cases’ each under the LDP and the DPJ in which they responded to a similar type of crisis. The crises selected were Okinawa bases issues in 1995 (LDP) and 2009 (DPJ), Senkaku Islands under the LDP (2008) and DPJ (2010), and the Hanshin quake in 1995 (LDP) and Fukushima in 2011 (DPJ). This gave me a nice mix of intense, short-term cases to compare; one domestic (disaster-related), and two foreign (Okinawa bases with US; Senkaku/Daiyou conflict with China); coalition governments under LDP and DPJ (2009) of different kinds vs. single-party (other DPJ). A very brief description of each crisis will be followed by some generalizations comparing the two parties’ responses. I find that both parties had similar problems with information management, but that there were characteristic and predictable trade-offs of their different party decisionmaking structures and relations with the national bureaucracy. Finally, I mention some of the inherent structural problems of Japanese politics and policymaking that inhibit effective response regardless of the party in power.
Contemporary Euroscepticism in the party systems of the European Union candidate states of Central and Eastern Europe

This article examines party-based Euroscepticism in the candidate states of Central and Eastern Europe. In an attempt to develop comparative lessons from the different cases, it presents research into the location, electoral strength and type of Euroscepticism in the party systems of these countries. The data is then used to examine six propositions about the relationship between party-based Euroscepticism and left-right ideological spectrum, party position in party systems, public Euroscepticism, prospects for accession, `hard? and `soft? Euroscepticism and state longevity. The article concludes that extending the scope of our study of Euroscepticism to the candidate states extends our understanding of Euroscepticism from its study in Western Europe and brings new insights into party systems in Central and Eastern Europe. It also offers clues as to some future effects of European Union enlargement.
Modelling self-regulated learning strategies in early-stage entrepreneurs: the role of intentionality and interaction

This research investigates entrepreneurs from a psychological perspective, with a focus on the strategies entrepreneurs use to manage or self-regulate their learning, an area which has largely been ignored in past research with regard to entrepreneurs. The sample consisted of 11 nascent entrepreneurs and new business owners who had started ventures in the sectors of business or consumer services in the last two years. Participants were recruited from a variety of sources throughout Ireland, including university incubator centres, entrepreneurial network groups, enterprise boards, and information and support services for entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur's self-regulated learning strategies were assessed using an in-depth, focused interview. Analysis of the results unravelled the complex network of strategies employed by entrepreneurs to manage their learning and knowledge acquisition in the early stages of a new venture. As such, this research demonstrates that entrepreneurial learning is self-regulated, and can be viewed along the dual continuation of: 1) the level of intentionality of the learning; 2) the level of interaction with other individuals or the environment. Although this research reports on an early-stage, preliminary investigation of a wider study, the examination of the self-regulation of learning and knowledge acquisition can provide valuable insights into the decision-making processes of entrepreneurs and of the process of venture creation more generally.