Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Individual and Organizational Consequences of Job Insecurity: A European Study

The increased flexibility on the labour market has given rise to feelings of job insecurity in many individuals. The stress literature suggests that the fear of losing one's job could be as detrimental as losing the job itself, and numerous studies indicate that job insecurity may indeed have important consequences for both the individual and the organization. However, the effects of job insecurity are typically greater with regard to short-term rather than long-term consequences. Therefore, the aim of this article is to investigate if short-term consequences (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) mediate the impact of job insecurity on long-term outcomes (mental health complaints and turnover intention). Survey data from four European countries show that the effect of job insecurity on turnover intention is mediated by organizational commitment and job satisfaction. In contrast, it appears that work attitudes partially mediate the effect of job insecurity on mental health complaints.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-37) augments insulin-mediated glucose uptake in elderly patients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an intestinal insulinotropic hormone that augments glucose-induced insulin secretion in patients with type 2 diabetes. It has also been proposed that a substantial component of the glucose-lowering effects of GLP-1 occurs because this hormone enhances insulin-mediated glucose disposal. However, interpretations of the studies have been controversial. This study determines the effect of GLP-1 on insulin-mediated glucose disposal in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS Studies were conducted on 8 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (age range, 76 +/- 1 years; body mass index, 28 +/- 1 kg/m(2)). Each subject underwent two 180-minute euglycemic (insulin infusion rate, 40 mU/m(2)/min) insulin clamps in random order. Glucose production (Ra) and disposal (Rd) rates were measured using tritiated glucose methodology. In one study, glucose and insulin alone were infused. In the other study, a primed-continuous infusion of GLP-1 was administered at a final rate of 1.5 pmol x kg(-1) x min(-1) from 30 to 180 minutes. RESULTS Glucose values were similar between the control and GLP-1 infusion studies. 120- to 180-minute insulin values appeared to be higher during the GLP-1 infusion study (control, 795 +/- 63 pmol/l; GLP-1, 1140 +/- 275 pmol/l; p = not significant [NS]). The higher insulin values were largely due to 2 subjects who had substantial insulin responses to GLP-1 despite euglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. The 120- to 180-minute insulin values were similar in the other 6 subjects (control, 746 +/- 35 pmol/l; GLP-1, 781 +/- 41 pmol/l; p = NS). Basal (control, 2.08 +/- 0.05 mg/kg/min; GLP-1, 2.13 +/- 0.04 mg/kg/min; p = NS) and 120- to 180-minute (control, 0.50 +/- 0.18 mg/kg/min; GLP-1, 0.45 +/- 0.14 mg/kg/min; p = NS) Ra was similar between studies. The 120- to 180-minute Rd values were higher during the GLP-1 infusion studies (control, 4.73 +/- 0.39 mg/kg/min; GLP-1, 5.52 +/- 0.43 mg/kg/min; p <.01). When the 2 subjects who had significant insulin responses to GLP-1 during the euglycemic clamp were excluded, the 120- to 180-minute Rd values were still higher in the GLP-1 infusion study (control, 5.22 +/- 0.32 mg/kg/min; GLP-1, 6.05 +/- 0.37 mg/kg/min; p <.05). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that GLP-1 may enhance insulin sensitivity in elderly patients with diabetes.
Raising FPGA Logic Density Through Synthesis-Inspired Architecture

We leverage properties of the logic synthesis netlist to define both a new field-programmable gate-array (FPGA) logic element (function generator) architecture and an associated technology mapping algorithm that together provide improved logic density. We demonstrate that an “extended” logic element with slightly modified K -input lookup tables (LUTs) achieves much of the benefit of an architecture with K+1-input LUTs, while consuming silicon area close to a K-LUT (a K-LUT requires half the area of a K+1-LUT). We introduce the notion of “non-inverting paths” in a circuit's and-inverter graph (AIG) and show their utility in mapping into the proposed logic element architectures. We propose a general family of logic element architectures, and present results showing that they offer a variety of area/performance tradeoffs. One of our key results demonstrates that while circuits mapped to a traditional 5-LUT architecture need 15% more LUTs and have 14% more depth than a 6-LUT architecture, our extended 5-LUT architecture requires only 7% more LUTs and 5% more depth than 6-LUTs, on average. Nearly all of the depth reduction associated with moving from K -input to K+1 -input LUTs can be achieved with considerably less area using extended K-LUTs. We further show that 6-LUT optimal mapping depths can be achieved with a small fraction of the LUTs in hardware being 6-LUTs and the remainder being extended 5-LUTs, suggesting that a heterogeneous logic block architecture may prove to be advantageous.
A measurement technique for circumventing hysteresis and conductance drift in carbon nanotube field-effect transistors

We present a measurement protocol that effectively eliminates both the hysteresis and the temporal drift typically observed in the channel conductance of single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (SWNT FETs) during the application of gate voltages. Before each resistance measurement, the gate is first stepped through a series of alternating positive and negative voltages to produce a neutral charge distribution within the device. This process is highly effective at removing the hysteresis in the channel conductance, and time-dependent measurements further demonstrate that the drain current is stable and single-valued, independent of the prior measurement history. The effectiveness of this method can be understood within the Preisach hysteresis model, which we demonstrate as a useful framework to predict the observed results.
Environmental assessment of three egg production systems–Part I: Monitoring system and indoor air quality

To comprehensively assess conventional vs. some alternative laying-hen housing systems under U.S. production conditions, a multi-institute and multi-disciplinary project, known as the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES) study, was carried out at a commercial egg production farm in the Midwestern United States over two single-cycle production flocks. The housing systems studied include a conventional cage house (200,000 hen capacity), an aviary house (50,000 hen capacity), and an enriched colony house (50,000 hen capacity). As an integral part of the CSES project, continual environmental monitoring over a 27-month period described in this paper quantifies indoor gaseous and particulate matter concentrations, thermal environment, and building ventilation rate of each house. Results showed that similar indoor thermal environments in all three houses were maintained through ventilation management and environmental control. Gaseous and particulate matter concentrations of the enriched colony house were comparable with those of the conventional cage house. In comparison, the aviary house had poorer indoor air quality, especially in wintertime, resulting from the presence of floor litter (higher ammonia levels) and hens’ activities (higher particulate matter levels) in it. Specifically, daily mean indoor ammonia concentrations had the 95% confidence interval values of 3.8 to 4.2 (overall mean of 4.0) ppm for the conventional cage house; 6.2 to 7.2 (overall mean of 6.7) ppm for the aviary house; and 2.7 to 3.0 (overall mean of 2.8) ppm for the enriched colony house. The 95% confidence interval (overall mean) values of daily mean indoor carbon dioxide concentrations were 1997 to 2170 (2083) ppm for the conventional cage house, 2367 to 2582 (2475) ppm for the aviary house, and 2124 to 2309 (2216) ppm for the enriched colony house. Daily mean indoor methane concentrations were similar for all three houses, with 95% confidence interval values of 11.1 to 11.9 (overall mean of 11.5) ppm. The 95% confidence interval values (overall mean) of daily mean PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, in mg/m3, were, respectively, 0.57 to 0.61 (0.59) and 0.033 to 0.037 (0.035) for the conventional cage house, 3.61 to 4.29 (3.95) and 0.374 to 0.446 (0.410) for the aviary house, and 0.42 to 0.46 (0.44) and 0.054 to 0.059 (0.056) for the enriched colony house. Investigation of mitigation practices to improve indoor air quality of the litter-floor aviary housing system is warranted.
Domestic Political Survival and International Conflict: Is Democracy Good for Peace?

We build a game-theoretic model where aggression can be triggered by domestic political concerns as well as the fear of being attacked. In the model, leaders of full and limited democracies risk losing power if they do not stand up to threats from abroad. In addition, the leader of a fully democratic country loses the support of the median voter if he attacks a non-hostile country. The result is a non-monotonic relationship between democracy and peace. Using Polity data, we classify countries as full democracies, limited democracies, and dictatorships. For the period 1816–2000, Correlates of War data suggest that limited democracies are more aggressive than other regime types, including dictatorships, and not only during periods when the political regime is changing. In particular, a dyad of limited democracies is more likely to be involved in a militarized dispute than any other dyad (including “mixed” dyads, where the two countries have different regime types). Thus, while full democratization might advance the cause of peace, limited democratization might advance the cause of war. We also find that as the environment becomes more hostile, fully democratic countries become more aggressive faster than other regime types.
Listening to Participants

Studying the social validity of consultation research could lead to research results being more widely used among practitioners, improving the validity of consultation research, and furthering social justice. The following qualitative study investigates school psychologists' and teachers' perceptions of school-based consultation in four elementary schools. The findings are organized into two interrelated themes: the impact of the research on the participants and the impact of the participants and their surrounds on the data collection. Soliciting participants' reactions to studies could advance our knowledge considerably, thereby leading to more sophisticated future studies that could make research results more useful to practitioners and, ultimately, improve outcomes for students.
Subclavian artery stenosis: A review for the vascular medicine practitioner

Peripheral artery disease assessment typically focuses on the evaluation of lower extremity symptoms and physical findings. Few practitioners consider the importance of upper extremity arterial disease; which, besides causing hand and arm symptoms, can be associated with significant neurologic and cardiac sequelae. A review of the existing literature through PubMed using the search term ‘subclavian stenosis’ was performed. The latest original articles, including clinical studies, case reports and limited reviews of this topic were adapted. A comprehensive article review focusing on the diagnostic and treatment approach for subclavian stenosis was prepared. In conclusion, vascular medicine practitioners including cardiologists and vascular surgeons caring for patients with arterial disease should routinely assess for subclavian stenosis. There are excellent screening tools and effective medical therapies which can be instituted if diagnosed early. When the need for revascularization arises, percutaneous modalities are favored given their proven long-term efficacy, decreased morbidity and mortality, and cost-effectiveness.
Pedagogical Architecture -- Internet Artifacts for Bilingualism of the Deaf (Sign Language/Portuguese)

Deaf children born to non-Deaf parents have little to no exposure to Sign Language acquisition. Sign Language, the natural language of the Deaf, is a complete linguistic system, different from the oral language, and it is necessary for intellectual development. There is a lack of educational tools for/in Sign Language and few researches to inform designers on how to build computational tools to provide the Deaf children and their parents with Literacy: the effective appropriation of knowledge, via bilingualism. Such goal can be achieved by the use of Sign Language as the first language for the Deaf and as a second language for the parents, and by the use of the written modality of the oral language for the Deaf. This paper presents a pedagogical architecture and a computational process that allows for scientific-based design of Artifacts. A case study is presented to discuss the development of a prototype.
Work stress and low sense of coherence is associated with type 2 diabetes in middle-aged Swedish women.

OBJECTIVE The risk of type 2 diabetes is suggested to be increased for individuals exposed to stress. We analyzed the association of work stress by high demands, low decision latitude, and job strain (combination of high demands and low decision latitude) with type 2 diabetes. We also studied low sense of coherence (SOC) (a factor for successful coping with stressors) in association with type 2 diabetes. Finally, we investigated the combination of SOC and demands or SOC and decision latitude in association with the disease. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This cross-sectional study recruited 4821 healthy Swedish women (aged 35-56 years) residing in five municipalities in the Stockholm area. An oral glucose tolerance test identified 52 women with type 2 diabetes. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% CIs were estimated in a logistic multiple regression analysis. RESULTS No association was found between high demands and type 2 diabetes (RR 1.1 [CI 0.5-2.2]). Low decision latitude was associated with type 2 diabetes with a RR of 2.2 (1.0-4.8). The RR of type 2 diabetes with low SOC was 3.7 (1.2-11.2). The combination of low SOC and low decision latitude was associated with type 2 diabetes with a RR of 2.6 (1.2-5.7). Homeostasis model assessment revealed an association of 4.2 (1.2-15.0) between low SOC and insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS This study provided new evidence that stress factors such as low decision latitude at work and low SOC were associated with type 2 diabetes in middle-aged Swedish women.
Single-Event Transients in Readout Circuitries at Low Temperature Down to 50 K

This paper presents the impact of cryogenic temperatures, down to 50 K, on the single-event transient (SET) sensitivity of two readout circuits of infrared image sensor designed by Sofradir. Experimental SETs data obtained under heavy ions at the Université Catholique de Louvain la Neuve facility are described, and the temperature impact on the SET cross sections is presented. The analysis of experimental sensitivity trends is completed by means of MUSCA SEP3 tool.
Prevalence and risk factors of neurological disability and impairment in children living in rural Kenya.

BACKGROUND There is little data on the burden of neurological impairment (NI) in developing countries, particularly in children of Africa. METHODS We conducted a survey of NI in children aged 6-9 years in a rural district of Kenya. First, we screened for neurological disability by administering the Ten Questions Questionnaire (TQQ) to parents/guardians of children in a defined population. In phase two, we performed a comprehensive clinical and psychological assessment on children who tested positive on TQQ and on a similar number of children who tested negative. RESULTS A total of 10 218 children were screened, of whom 955 (9.3%) were positive on TQQ. Of these, 810 (84.8%) were assessed, and of those who tested negative 766 (8.3%) were assessed. The prevalence for moderate/severe NI was 61/1000 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 48-74]. The most common domains affected were epilepsy (41/1000), cognition (31/1000), and hearing (14/1000). Motor (5/1000) and vision (2/1000) impairments were less common. Of the neurologically impaired children (n = 251), 56 (22%) had more than one impairment. Neonatal insults were found to have a significant association with moderate/severe NI in both the univariate [odds ratio (OR) = 1.70; 95% CI 1.12-2.47] and multivariate analyses (OR = 1.30; 95% CI 1.09-1.65). CONCLUSIONS There is a considerable burden of moderate/severe NI in this area of rural Kenya, with epilepsy, cognition, and hearing being the most common domains affected. Neonatal insults were identified as an important risk factor.
MAKING MEANING OF GENDER FROM ROLE DIVISION IN LONG-TERM, DUAL-EARNER MARRIAGES

The meaning of gender, as reflected in role division in the home, was qualitatively examined in couples who were married for ten years or more and both worked outside the home. A social construction theory framework was applied to the construction of gender to discern -the contingencies and interactions that inform gender meanings. Sixteen couples were conjointly interviewed regarding their role division in the domains of 1) housework and child-care, 2) financial management and decision-making, and 3) leisure and relationship. Grounded theory techniques guided the interview process and the data, derived from audio-tapes of the interviews, was presented descriptively. Couples were found to mostly conform to a contemporary model of role division where men assume primacy over work and financial matters, women assume primacy over the home, children and relationship concerns. Roles were influenced by primary socialization, ie. , what had been learned in their families of origin; employment, ie. , the relative amounts of time available for the home; and, changes in life circumstances, ie. , work and children. Couples denied power imbalances in their marriages and adamantly stressed teamwork, fairness and equity in their roles. Although women took greater responsibility for negotiating changes in the home share, couples perceived gender to be incidental in their organization, citing balance and equity as driving their role division. Implications of contemporary role structures and the application of equity theory were discussed. MAKING MEANING OF GENDER FROM ROLE DIVISION IN LONG-TERM, DUAL-EARNER MARRIAGES by Barbara Jo Stelmack A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science
Growing old and living alone: perceptions of preventive health services

Abstract With a growing population of elderly consumers, marketers and providers of health-related services need to understand the motivations and perceptions influencing the actions of this increasingly important target market. This investigation draws from both the consumer behavior and health literatures to examine participation in a preventive health service designed to enable independent living. Empirical findings showed that motivating factors, including perceptions of susceptibility (risk), seriousness of the consequences and benefits of the service, and the barriers (i.e. lack of awareness and perceived social stigma) were significant predictors of participation in a preventive health service. User participation and satisfaction with core benefits significantly influenced continuing loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. Implications for marketing managers of preventive health services in general and personal emergency response systems in particular are outlined.
Resolving and parameter estimation of non-synchronous sampling pulse signals based on Taylor series expansion

For two overlapped pulse signals passing by a low-pass filter, the most previous algorithms perform well to resolve them in time domain by assuming that the signals are sampled synchronously, but fail to resolve two non-synchronous counterparts. In this paper, we propose a target detection algorithm which can resolve the general types of non-synchronously sampled pulse signals and estimate their true times, amplitudes and phases. Our algorithm estimates each non-synchronous sampling signal's time, amplitude and phase via Taylor series expansion. Then, combining with the CLEAN algorithm, the overlapped pulse signal parameters are estimated one by one through iteration method. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed method can be easily extended to more over-lapped signals.
Increases in central blood volume modulate carotid baroreflex resetting during dynamic exercise in humans

We sought to determine if resetting of the carotid‐vasomotor baroreflex function curve during exercise is modulated by changes in central blood volume (CBV). CBV was increased during exercise by altering: (1) subject posture (supine versus upright) and (2) pedal frequency (80 versus 60 revolutions min−1 (r.p.m.)); while oxygen uptake () was kept constant. Eight male subjects performed three exercise trials: upright cycling at 60 r.p.m. (control); supine cycling at 60 r.p.m. (SupEX) and upright cycling at 80 r.p.m. to enhance the muscle pump (80EX). During each condition, carotid baroreflex (CBR) function was determined using the rapid neck pressure (NP) and neck suction (NS) protocol. Although mean arterial pressure (MAP) was significantly elevated from rest (88 ± 2 mmHg) during all exercise conditions (P < 0.001), the increase in MAP was lower during SupEX (94 ± 2 mmHg) and 80EX (95 ± 2 mmHg) compared with control (105 ± 2 mmHg, P < 0.05). Importantly, the blood pressure responses to NP and NS were maintained around these changed operating points of MAP. However, in comparison to control, the carotid‐vasomotor baroreflex function curve was relocated downward and leftward when CBV was increased during SupEX and 80EX. These alterations in CBR resetting occurred without any differences in or heart rate between the exercise conditions. Thus, increasing CBV and loading the cardiopulmonary baroreflex reduces the magnitude of exercise‐induced increases in MAP and CBR resetting. These findings suggest that changes in cardiopulmonary baroreceptor load influence carotid baroreflex resetting during dynamic exercise.
Risk assessment for possible effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related substances on components and functions of the immune system.

Numerous reports have been published on the effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on components and functions of the immune system of animal species, almost exclusively of rodents. Many of the data, obtained with very different dosing schedules, are conflicting or have not been confirmed. Since the overwhelming majority of evaluations were performed with rodents, it is not possible to perform a reliable quantitative or even qualitative risk assessment for TCDD in man based on immunological data obtained from these experiments and to extrapolate them to the situation in humans. In addition to the fact that the doses needed to induce measurable effects in the different species studied varies from 1- to 10,000-fold, there are intrinsic and general difficulties for extrapolations to human beings in the field of immunotoxicology due to the influence of different individual risk factors, e.g. smoking and drinking as well as the lack of experience and validation in this new field of toxicology. Some immunological variables were studied in populations highly exposed to dioxins. In comparison to the results obtained from nonhuman primates, no convincing evidence for substance-related effects was revealed, however, information on only a few immunological components and functions in exposed adults could be assessed so far. Except for one group of studied persons all other subjects were generally exposed to cocktails of several chemicals, vastly complicating the interpretation with respect to one isolated component of these mixtures. Results from studies on exposed children are not available yet.