Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aristotelian virtue and teaching and learning in music performance

This study investigates the significance of Aristotelian virtue in teaching and learning in music performance. In response to a number of critical issues in professional practice, it is argued that virtue, framed within eudaimonistic happiness, should form an integral part of teaching and learning. Through an examination of Aristotle’s analysis of virtue, and primarily through his Nicomachean Ethics, virtue is presented as having the hallmarks of dynamic and responsive action and therefore as being of potential interest to teachers of music. Having acknowledged that music performance can be a particularly challenging arena, this study also considers why Aristotle, via his analysis in Politics of the reasons for educating students in music, provides further underlying reasons for its inclusion. By considering the work of one of his students, Aristoxenus, the investigation also establishes that here in Aristotle is a philosopher-teacher who is, we can be reassured, very much an informed music ‘amateur’. Noting the twofold importance that Aristotle gives to music in education, that is, how music contributes to our development and the worthwhile nature of understanding music for itself, the discussion explores and clarifies the notion of music performance. A range of frameworks are analysed and, after Godlovitch, personalism is defended as a framework. This is significant because personalism recognises the individual as both musician and human being. Thus, the demands, on both character and intellect, emerge strongly here as they do in Nicomachean Ethics. Having established that music performance is demanding, of both character and intellect, the virtue of courage is argued as crucial. The Aristotelian notion of courage is tested and its reaches extended, partly through the analysis of case studies. Ultimately, it is posited that courageous action forms part of eudaimonistic happiness. This study also considers Egan’s theory that intellectual disturbance occurs during stages of learning, thus providing further demands. It is argued that, in responding to such disturbance, teachers’ practice should embody characteristics of Aristotelian practical wisdom. In this way, it is posited that teachers act as valuable role models, both to their students and to their colleagues, including those colleagues new to the profession. With these challenges now identified and analysed, music performance is conceptualised as gift making. Importantly, this contributes to foregrounding the significant aspect of pleasure that is integral to Aristotelian virtuous action. The discussion closes by providing a defence of the position that Aristotelian virtue is of significance to teachers and students as they navigate their daily existence within the world of music performance.
Numerical reflection of evanescent waves from perfectly matched layers

Berenger (see IEEE Ant. and Propag., vol.44, no.1, p.110-17, 1996) found the conditions to be satisfied by a perfectly matched layer (PML) located close to scattering structures so as to make the numerical reflection negligible. This analysis was mainly based on numerical experiments. Since then, other authors have investigated the problem of numerical reflection from a theoretical point of view. De Moerloose and Stuchly (see IEEE Micr., and Guid. Wav. Letters, vol.5, no.10, p.344-6, 1995) considered the reflection of evanescent waves from PMLs bounding waveguides. Starting from De Moerloose et al. proposals, we investigated the propagation of general evanescent waves in a PML, along with the numerical reflection of such waves from PML interfaces. From this theory, the observations of Berenger can be clearly interpreted. The numerical reflection is due to strongly evanescent waves that are totally reflected below a cutoff frequency which is exactly the cutoff empirically found by Berenger.
Lap-band: outcomes and results.

INTRODUCTION Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding was first introduced in the early 1990s as a potentially safe, controllable, and reversible method for achieving significant weight loss in the severely obese. The Bioenterics Lap-Band system (Inamed Health, Santa Barbara, California) is the device most commonly used. After 10 years of experience in treating more than 100000 patients with the Lap-Band, it is timely for us to review the outcomes. METHODS Data for the review are derived from the experience of our unit in the treatment of 1250 patients to date, from an independent systematic review of the published literature up to September 2001, and from major studies published after the date of closure of the systematic review. RESULTS Lap-Band placement has proved to be a very safe procedure with a mortality rate in the published reports of 1 in 2000, only 10% of the published mortality rate of gastric bypass. The early complication rate has been very low, but late complications of prolapse or erosions have been more frequent, particularly during the early experience. Weight is lost during the first 2 to 3 years after surgery. The systematic review reports 56% excess weight loss (EWL) at 5 years (three reports). In comparison, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is reported to have achieved 59% EWL at 5 years (four reports). Major improvements in comorbid conditions have been reported in association with weight loss after Lap-Band placement. Most importantly, type 2 diabetes is usually cured, and insulin resistance and reduced pancreatic beta-cell function are reversed. Gastroesophageal reflux, obstructive sleep apnea, and depression are other diseases in which marked improvement is noted. Quality-of-life scores return to normal values. CONCLUSIONS Lap-Band placement is proving to be safe and effective. In view of the attributes of adjustability, safe laparoscopic placement, and reversibility, it should be considered the optimal initial approach for the control of obesity and its comorbid conditions.
Physician diagnostic and reporting practices for gastrointestinal illnesses in three health regions of British Columbia.

OBJECTIVES To estimate seasonal proportions of patient visits due to acute gastrointestinal illness (GI), assess factors influencing physicians' stool sample requests, their understanding of laboratory testing protocols and adherence to provincial stool request guidelines in three British Columbia (BC) health regions. METHODS During a one-year period, eligible physicians were mailed four self-administered questionnaires used to estimate proportions of patients diagnosed with GI, related stool sample requests in the preceding month, and to assess factors prompting stool sample requests. RESULTS The response rate overall for the initial comprehensive questionnaire was 18.6%; 7.4% responded to all four questionnaires. An estimated 2.5% of patient visits had a GI diagnosis; of these, 24.8% were asked to submit stool samples. Significant (p < 0.05) regional and seasonal variations were found in rates of GI and stool sample requests. Top-ranked factors prompting stool sample requests were: bloody diarrhoea, recent overseas travel, immunocompromised status, and duration of illness > 7 days; "non-patient" factors included: laboratory availability, time to receive laboratory results, and cost. Physicians' perceptions of which organisms were tested for in a 'routine' stool culture varied. INTERPRETATION BC physicians appear to adhere to existing standardized guidelines for sample requests. This may result in systematic under-representation of certain diseases in reportable communicable disease statistics.
Flexible Labour, Income Effects, and Asset Prices

This paper studies how i¬‚exible labour decisions ai¬€ect asset pricing in a Real Business Cycle model. It uses Jaimovich-Rebelo preferences with internal habits in consumption and distinguishes between two income effect channels (i) the â€˜habit income ei¬€ectâ€™ channel and (ii) the â€˜separability income ei¬€ectâ€™ channel. I i¬ nd that asset prices are superior when the i¬ rst channel is strong and the second is weak, this is the case of using GHH preferences with internal habits in consumption.
Effects of intravenous administration of pirfenidone on horses with experimentally induced endotoxemia.

OBJECTIVE To characterize effects of IV administration of pirfenidone on clinical, biochemical, and hematologic variables and circulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentrations in horses after infusion of a low dose of endotoxin. ANIMALS 18 healthy adult horses. PROCEDURES Horses were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n = 6 horses/group) and administered an IV infusion of 30 ng of endotoxin/kg or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution during a 30-minute period. Lipopolysaccharide-pirfenidone horses received endotoxin followed by pirfenidone (loading dose of 11.6 mg/kg and then constant rate infusion [CRI] at 9.9 mg/kg/h for 3 hours). Lipopolysaccharide-saline horses received endotoxin followed by infusion (loading dose and CRI for 3 hours) of saline solution. Saline-pirfenidone horses received saline solution followed by pirfenidone (loading dose and then CRI for 3 hours). Physical examination variables were recorded and blood samples collected at predetermined intervals throughout the 24-hour study period. Blood samples were used for CBCs, biochemical analyses, and determinations of TNF-alpha concentrations. RESULTS IV infusion of pirfenidone after administration of a low dose of endotoxin failed to attenuate the clinical, clinicopathologic, or cytokine alterations that developed secondary to endotoxin exposure. Intravenous infusion of pirfenidone after administration of saline solution induced mild transient clinical signs, but associated clinicopathologic changes were not detected. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE IV administration of pirfenidone was tolerated with only mild transient clinical adverse effects during infusion. However, administration of pirfenidone did not protect horses from the systemic effects of experimentally induced endotoxemia. Further studies of related, but more potent, drugs may be warranted.
Do low-paid workers benefit from the urban escalator? Evidence from British cities

Cities are characterised as places of increased human capital accumulation, dynamic labour markets and faster wage growth: in short, places where workers can get ahead. Studies suggest that urban workers can benefit from faster learning and from better job matching. This article assesses the extent to which cities act as escalators for workers in low-wage jobs using panel data from Great Britain covering the period 2009–2014. When defining low pay using a standard national wage threshold, workers in London, the largest city, are significantly more likely to make a transition from low- to higher-paid employment than workers in non-urban areas. However, the use of a national wage threshold to measure progression from low pay is sensitive to geographic variations in wage levels. When using an alternative, occupation-based definition of low pay there is little to no evidence of faster wage growth in London or other large British cities, suggesting that low-paid workers do not benefit significantly from faster learning or more efficient job matching in cities. The findings, once adjusted for differences in the wage distribution, fail to identify an urban escalator effect for those in low-paid employment, suggesting that there is a fairly consistent set of underlying factors shaping progression from low pay across geographies.
Cigarette smoking during the last 3 months of pregnancy among women who gave birth to live infants--Maine, 1988-1997.

Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes (e.g., low birthweight and preterm delivery). The adverse effect of smoking on birthweight occurs primarily during the last trimester of pregnancy. To study smoking prevalence over time among women who gave birth to live infants in Maine, CDC and the Maine Department of Human Services (MDHS) analyzed self-reported data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) collected during 1988-1997. This report summarizes the results of this analysis, which indicate that despite the overall decline in smoking prevalence in Maine among women who gave birth to live infants, smoking prevalence remains high during the last 3 months of pregnancy among young women and low-income women, particularly those participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
Impact of High-Powered Incentive Regulations on Efficiency and Productivity Growth of Norwegian Electricity Utilities

This study examines the hypothesis that changes to high-powered incentive regulations have a positive efficiency and productivity growth effects in a regulated electricity distribution industry. We estimate an input distance function using the stochastic frontier analysis method to compute technical efficiency scores for 121 Norwegian utilities over the period 2004-2012. We explore sources of productivity growth by parametrically decomposing the Malmquist productivity index into efficiency change, technical change, and scale change. Unlike previous studies, we examine the difference in performance across two regulatory regimes: yardstick competition (2007-2012) and RPI-X incentive regulation (2004-2006). Results show significant efficiency and productivity growth improvements with embodied technical change as the main driver.
Patterns of benzodiazepine use in a Canadian population sample

SUMMARY Aim – The objective of this study was to identify clinical and demographic factors that may be associated with benzodiazepine treatment, to describe the reported reasons for use of these medications and to appraise the pattern of use in relation to standard guidelines in a general population sample. Methods – Telephone survey methods were employed to select a sample of 3345 people between the ages of 18 and 64. A computer assisted telephone interview, including the Mini Neuropsychiatric Diagnostic Interview (MINI), was administered. Estimates were weighted for design features and population demographics. Results – The overall prevalence of benzodiazepines use was 3.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6 to 4.1%). There was a higher frequency of medication use in women than men, among respondents who were widowed, separated or divorced, and those with lower levels of education. In relation to MINI diagnosis, diagnoses of Panic Disorder and Major Depression increased the probability of taking benzodiazepines. The reported main reason for use was “Sleep disorders” (68.9%), “Anxiety” (35.8%), “Depression” (27.8%) and “Pain management” (21.2%). More than 80% of subjects were taking benzodiazepines for more than one year. Conclusions – When compared to previous estimates, the lower frequency of benzodiazepines use suggests that there has been improvement in their evidence-based use at a population level. However our results once more confirm the difficulty stopping the use of these medications once they have been started. Further randomized control studies may help clinicians in having a better practical approach to rational benzodiazepine use. Declaration of Interest: None.
Heterogeneity in Income: Effects of Racial Concentration on Foreclosures in Los Angeles, California

ABSTRACT The United States continues to be defined by racial concentration, where most racial/ethnic groups live apart from each other. For homeownership, neighborhoods with large proportions of racial minorities are often linked to negative outcomes for minority homeowners; this was particularly the case during the Great Recession. However, middle and upper income ethnic neighborhoods, or resurgent neighborhoods, have grown in numbers because of a concentration of immigrants, federal policies favoring professionals, ethnic-specific resources, and affluence. In 2007, about 37% of Los Angeles, California, Latino tracts were resurgent and 53% of Asian tracts were resurgent. This study finds that homeowners in resurgent neighborhoods had lower default/foreclosure rates and predicted probabilities than those in low-income neighborhoods. Asian resurgent neighborhoods had the lowest predicted probabilities of default or foreclosure, followed by Latino resurgent and White middle-class neighborhoods. There were also discrepancies among Asian neighborhoods based on nativity. Consequently, it is important to recognize that minority neighborhoods are heterogeneous, with differing impacts on homeownership opportunities when examined by class.
Design of cement plant waste heat recovery generation

Waste heat in cement plant is a huge waste heat from kiln and raw mill plant. Such as ordinary power plant, waste heat recovery generation consist of various operation units ie. , economizer, evaporator, super heater, steam drum, and turbine. In order to obtain the optimal heat recovery, proper operation units should be designed and arranged optimally. This paper describes heat recovery unit operations modelling using Aspen HYSYS software. Hysys can be utilized as single tool for design and simulate WHRG system. The steady-state and dynamic process simulation, simulate pinch analysis result, area of heat transfer and roughly cost-estimation could be provided using this tool. The results show the Aspen HYSYS model could provide satisfied engineering design data that could be used in construction stage.
Utilization of real-time electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to gain further insight into the course of nucleotide degradation by intestinal alkaline phosphatase.

RATIONALE Related with its ability to degrade nucleotides, intestinal alkaline phosphatase (iAP) is an important participant in intestinal pH regulation and inflammatory processes. However, its activity has been investigated mainly by using artificial non-nucleotide substrates to enable the utilization of conventional colorimetric methods. To capture the degradation of the physiological nucleotide substrate of the enzyme along with arising intermediates and the final product, the enzymatic assay was adapted to mass spectrometric detection. Therewith, the drawbacks associated with colorimetric methods could be overcome. METHODS Enzymatic activity was comparatively investigated with a conventional colorimetric malachite green method and a single quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization source using the physiological nucleotide substrates ATP, ADP or AMP and three different pH-values in either methodological approach. By this means the enzymatic activity was assessed on the one hand by detecting the phosphate release spectrometrically at defined time points of enzymatic reaction or on the other by continuous monitoring with mass spectrometric detection. RESULTS Adaption of the enzymatic assay to mass spectrometric detection disclosed the entire course of all reaction components--substrate, intermediates and product--resulting from the degradation of substrate, thereby pointing out a stepwise removal of phosphate groups. By calculating enzymatic substrate conversion rates a distinctively slower degradation of AMP compared to ADP or ATP was revealed together with the finding of a substrate competition between ATP and ADP at alkaline pH. CONCLUSIONS The comparison of colorimetric and mass spectrometric methods to elucidate enzyme kinetics and specificity clearly underlines the advantages of mass spectrometric detection for the investigation of complex multi-component enzymatic assays. The entire course of enzymatic substrate degradation was revealed with different nucleotide substrates, thus allowing a specific monitoring of intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity.
EXPERIENTIAL CHARTER SCHOOLS: A MULTI CASE STUDY

Since their creation in 1991, charter schools have been controversial within the educational community. As charter school laws lie in the realm of state legislation, there is wide variation in the requirements for charter school application and how accountability is measured. National studies comparing standardized student achievement test scores from charter schools with traditional public schools have mixed reviews, with the strongest schools identified within large, urban districts such as Boston, Washington, DC, and Houston. This qualitative study explored non-urban charter schools that utilized experiential learning as their curricular foundation. The purpose of this multi-case study was to examine two charter schools located in different states on the east coast of the United States. The research investigated (a) best practices utilized in their operation, (b) how they defined student success, and (c) what organizational structures existed to support the model. The findings from this research regarding best practices included founding the school on a strong set of principles, or mission, to provide a focus and shared beliefs that provide purpose to the organization, interdisciplinary, collaboration, and flexibility. The findings from this research regarding measuring student success reveal that using multiple data points, focusing on character development, and encouraging self-reflection as successful practices of these schools. Focusing on recruitment of teachers, support through professional development and mentoring, and cultivating community emerged from the study as three best practices of organizational structures to support non-urban charter school utilizing the experiential learning model.
Measuring Alzheimer’s disease progression with transition probabilities

Objectives: To estimate annual transition probabilities (i.e., the likelihood that a patient will move from one disease stage to another in a given time period) for AD progression. Transition probabilities are estimated by disease stages (mild, moderate, severe) and settings of care (community, nursing home), accounting for differences in age, gender, and behavioral symptoms as well as the length of time a patient has been in a disease stage. Methods: Using data from the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD), the authors employed a modified survival analysis to estimate stage-to-stage and stage-to-nursing home transition probabilities. To account for individual variability, a Cox proportional hazards model was fit to the CERAD data to estimate hazard ratios for gender, age (50 to 64, 65 to 74, and more than 75 years), and level of behavioral symptoms (low/high, according to responses to the Behavioral Rating Scale for Dementia) for each of the key stage-to-stage and stage-to-nursing home transitions. Results: The transition probabilities underscore the rapid progression of patients into more severe disease stages and into nursing homes and the differences among population subgroups. In general, male gender, age under 65, and high level of behavioral symptoms were associated with higher transition probabilities to more severe disease stages. Disease progression is roughly constant as a function of the time a patient has spent in a particular stage. Conclusions: Transition probabilities provide a useful means of characterizing AD progression. Economic models of interventions for AD should consider the varied course of progression for different population subgroups, particularly those defined by high levels of behavioral symptoms.