Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modern apprenticeships in the retail sector: stresses, strains and support

Abstract The findings reported in this article are based on qualitative research that explored the views and experiences of key stakeholders, including employer-bodies, training providers, employers and apprentices of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in retail. The study identifies fundamental barriers to the successful implementation of MAs in this sector. These are related to the culture of the sector, including the mobility of young workers, who frequently change jobs, and the preoccupation with serving the customer, which can restrict and fragment training and development opportunities. The stresses and strains of this working environment do not provide conditions that support the use of MAs. The paper explores some of the steps that could be taken in order to increase the demand for training and more generic skills among employers. However, it concludes that government initiatives such as MAs alone will not change employers' attitudes towards training.
Selective attention and executive functions deficits among criminal psychopaths

The present study examined whether psychopaths exhibit deficits in selective attention and executive functions. Prison inmates were assigned to either a "psychopath" group or a "control" group according to their scores on the PCL-R [Hare, 1991: Toronto, Multi-Health Systems]. The two groups were compared in terms of performance on the following tests: (1) D-II cancellation, (2) Porteus Maze, (3) Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting, (4) Stroop Color Word Interference, (5) Trail Making, and (6) Tower of London. The results support the hypothesis of selective attention and specific executive function deficits among psychopaths. Specifically, psychopaths' abilities to maintain a plan and to inhibit irrelevant information were inferior to those of control participants. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Strength Recovery after Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction

Background Creatine supplementation has been shown to augment training-induced strength gains. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of creatine supplementation on recovery of muscle strength after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Hypothesis Creatine supplementation will facilitate strength gains after ACL reconstruction. Study Design Double-blind, prospective, and randomized clinical trial. Methods Sixty patients were randomized into creatine or placebo groups. Quadriceps and hamstring strength and power were measured isokinetically. Hip flexor, abductor, and adductor strengths were measured with a handheld dynamometer prior to surgery and at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, or 6 months after surgery. Results From 6 weeks to 12 weeks after surgery, there were significant increases in strength on the involved side for knee extension (47%), knee flexion (27%), hip flexion (20%), hip abduction (9%), and hip adduction (17%). These strength improvements were unaffected by creatine supplementation with similar effects in the creatine and placebo groups. From 6 weeks to 12 weeks after surgery, there were significant increases in power on the involved side for knee extension (46%) and knee flexion (26%), but these effects were not affected by creatine supplementation. At 6 months, creatine supplementation did not affect outcome as measured by the single leg hop test for distance or the knee outcome score. Conclusions The results demonstrate that patients do not benefit from creatine supplementation during the first 12 weeks of rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction.
The significance of the gut barrier in disease

In the paper by Wapenaar et al ( see page 10.1136/gut.2007.133132 ) the authors have taken a fascinating approach to identifying shared mechanisms involved in the genesis of either coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 1 They argue that in these two prototypical inflammatory diseases of the intestinal mucosa there exists reasonable evidence for a defect in barrier function that appears to be required before the development of disease. Furthermore, as both diseases have strong genetic components they speculated that these syndromes might share common genetic defects in the control of intestinal barrier function. They used a genetic association analysis approach and through this identified two adapter protein coding genes that were associated with coeliac disease in patients from both Great Britain and The Netherlands. They went on to demonstrate that one of these genes was also associated with ulcerative colitis in a Dutch patient cohort. These observations are important not only for the conclusions reached in the paper but also in the broader context. Until recently, it was believed that IBD, such as Crohn’s disease, represented dysregulation of the adaptive immune system. Over the past decade, however, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of both epithelial barrier function and innate immunity in the genesis of intestinal inflammation. In the broadest sense these two factors could be argued to be different aspects of the same basic system. Within the gastrointestinal tract there is significant exposure to foreign compounds that can drive systemic inflammation through a variety of mechanisms. The gut has a tremendous number of defence mechanisms that have evolved to manage this ever-changing threat (fig 1). In general terms these include the ability to manage commensal flora in preference to pathogenic organisms, the secretion of toxic molecules such as defensins, the scavenging and binding of luminal organisms by …
Effect of the Temporal Pattern of Contralateral Inhibition on Sound Localization Cues

We studied the temporal coding properties of identified interneurons in the auditory system of crickets, using information theory as an analytical tool. The ascending neuron 1 (AN1), which is tuned to the dominant carrier frequency (CF) of cricket songs, selectively codes the limited range of amplitude modulation (AM) frequencies that occur in these signals. AN2, which is most sensitive to the ultrasonic frequencies that occur in echolocation calls of insectivorous bats, codes a broader range of AM frequencies, as occur in bat calls. A third neuron, omega neuron 1 (ON1), which is dually tuned to both ranges of carrier frequency, was shown previously to have CF-specific coding properties, allowing it to represent accurately the differing temporal structures of both cricket songs and bat calls. ON1 is a source of contralateral inhibition to AN1 and AN2, enhancing binaural contrast and facilitating sound localization. We used dichotic stimulation to examine the importance of the temporal structure of contralateral inhibition for enhancing binaural contrast. Contralateral inhibition degrades the coding of temporal pattern by AN1 and AN2, but only if the temporal pattern of inhibitory input matches that of excitation. Firing rate is also decreased most strongly by temporally matched contralateral inhibition. This is apparent for AN1 in its mean firing rate; for AN2, high-frequency firing is selectively suppressed. Our results show that the CF-specific coding properties of ON1 allow this single neuron to enhance effectively localization cues for both cricket-like and bat-like acoustic signals.
A neurocognitive approach to brand memory

Abstract Consumer decisions are largely influenced by prior experiences via memory, and the episodic (autobiographical)/semantic dichotomy has particular relevance to the cognitive versus emotional decision-making models. Yet, consumer research is limited in its consideration of the separate memory systems conceptualisation dominant in psychology, and rather has primarily focused on semantic forms of memory. As Autobiographical Memory (AM) may equally affect one's brand consumption decisions, it is critical to integrate this system into brand-related memory studies for a complete understanding of the consumer learning and decision-making process. The study conceptualises affective, self-relevant brand episodes as Brand-Related Autobiographical Memory (BRAM), and storage of abstract brand knowledge as Brand-Related Semantic Memory (BRSM). It presents a conceptualisation of brand-related memories, posits the relationships between different memory systems/behaviours, and investigates the neural response of these brand-related memories. Through a series of fMRI experiments, the neural correlates of BRAM and BRSM can be distinguished, and the association between BRAM and the self-construal demonstrated. The study contributes to theoretical debates surrounding consumer learning, determining the concomitant affects of abstract knowledge and affective experience on decision outcomes.
SİMULASYON EĞİTİMİNİN ÖNEMLİ BİR BİLEŞENİ: ÇÖZÜMLEME

The importance of simulation as a teaching strategy in nursing education are increasing day by day and more integrated into the curriculaum of nursing education strategy. Simulation education consists of three stages. These are prebriefing, simulation and debrifing. Debriefing session is an important component of simulation education process. Debriefing is in and of itself a teaching strategy. Debriefing is the process whereby faculty and students reexamine the clinical encounter in order to foster the development of clinical reasoning and judgment skills through reflective learning. The design of the debriefing session should be tailored to the learning objectives and the participant and team characteristics. Unlike the traditional classroom “teacher,” facilitators tend to position themselves not as authorities or experts, but rather as colearners. Debriefing is an important component in the process of simulation training sessions. Debriefing sessions structured learning objectives and necessary physical conditions provides significant contribution to achieving the objectives of education and learning purposes in simulation. In this review intended to provide information an important part of education process in the application of simulation debriefing session configuration, time, physical environ-ment, and for the properties of the facilitators.
FILIAL/FAMILY PLAY THERAPY: AN INTERVENTION FOR CUSTODIAL GRANDPARENTS AND THEIR GRANDCHILDREN

Families headed by custodial grandparents form an increasing portion of the population with particular needs. In the last decade there has been a significant rise in the number of grandparents assuming primary responsibility for their grandchildren whose parents are absent or incapacitated. Grandparents encounter many challenges in adjusting to their changing role; and their grandchildren, most of whom are disconnected from their parents, face an increased risk of emotional/ behavioral difficulties. The Filial/Family Play Therapy (FFPT) grandparent training model is a unique intervention for custodial grandparents aimed at fostering healthy parent‐child relationships through training and supervising grandparents in the basic methodology of child‐centered play therapy, while providing them with the emotional support they need. Grandparents conduct weekly play therapy‐type sessions with their grandchild; learning to convey acceptance, empathy, and encouragement, as well as master the skills of effective lim.
The effects of background music and sound in economic decision making: Evidence from a laboratory experiment

This paper experimentally studies the effects of background music and sound on the preference of the decision makers for rewards in pairwise intertemporal choice tasks and lottery choice tasks. The participants took part in the current experiment, involving four treatments: (1) the familiar music treatment; (2) the unfamiliar music treatment; (3) the noise treatment and (4) the no music treatment. The experimental results confirm that background noise affects human performance in decision making under risk and intertemporal decision making, though the results do not indicate the significant familiarity effect that is a change of the preference in the presence of familiar background music and sound.
Complications of Anterior and Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery

Cervical spine surgery performed for the correct indications yields good results. However, surgeons need to be mindful of the many possible pitfalls. Complications may occur starting from the anaesthestic procedure and patient positioning to dura exposure and instrumentation. This review examines specific complications related to anterior and posterior cervical spine surgery, discusses their causes and considers methods to prevent or treat them. In general, avoiding complications is best achieved with meticulous preoperative analysis of the pathology, good patient selection for a specific procedure and careful execution of the surgery. Cervical spine surgery is usually effective in treating most pathologies and only a reasonable complication rate exists.
Avaliação da qualidade dos serviços de saúde: notas bibliográficas

No momento em que se discute a reorganizacao dos servicos de saude no Brasil, a avaliacao da qualidade destes servicos ganha importância. Nesta revisao, buscamos os antecedentes historicos da avaliacao dos servicos de saude e apresentamos as propostas contemporâneas de sistematizacao da avaliacao de qualidade. Atraves da analise dos trabalhos revisados, identificamos duas grandes linhas metodologicas de acordo com seu objeto de estudo: Estudos Corporativos Racionalizadores e Estudos Antropossociais. A maioria destes se referenciam nos trabalhos desenvolvidos por Avedis Donabedian, autor que, nos ultimos vinte anos, vem desenvolvendo estudos de avaliacao dos servicos de saude.
Benefits of Stimulus Congruency for Multisensory Facilitation of Visual Learning

Background Studies of perceptual learning have largely focused on unisensory stimuli. However, multisensory interactions are ubiquitous in perception, even at early processing stages, and thus can potentially play a role in learning. Here, we examine the effect of auditory-visual congruency on visual learning. Methodology/Principle Findings Subjects were trained over five days on a visual motion coherence detection task with either congruent audiovisual, or incongruent audiovisual stimuli. Comparing performance on visual-only trials, we find that training with congruent audiovisual stimuli produces significantly better learning than training with incongruent audiovisual stimuli or with only visual stimuli. Conclusions/Significance This advantage from stimulus congruency during training suggests that the benefits of multisensory training may result from audiovisual interactions at a perceptual rather than cognitive level.
A Literature Review on Circle and Sphere Packing Problems: Models and Methodologies

This paper reviews the most relevant literature on efficient models and methods for packing circular objects/items into Euclidean plane regions where the objects/items and regions are either two- or three-dimensional. These packing problems are NP hard optimization problems with a wide variety of applications. They have been tackled using various approaches-based algorithms ranging from computer-aided optimality proofs, to branch-and-bound procedures, to constructive approaches, to multi-start nonconvex minimization, to billiard simulation, to multiphase heuristics, and metaheuristics.
Segmenting young adults through their consumption styles: a cross‐cultural study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to validate the CSI scale and segment young adults from a developed and a developing country on the basis of their consumption styles as consumers.Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted in France and Turkey. To determine the consumption styles, the CSI scale was used. The data were collected from college students aged 18‐24 by a self‐administered questionnaire. To define the segments, cluster analysis was used. The segments are profiled by young adults' demographic characteristics, attitudes towards shopping influence, and reliance on media.Findings – In both of the countries, four segments were distinguished and defined as “fashion‐brand conscious consumers”, indifferent consumers”, “recreation seekers” and “quality seekers”. Research limitations/implications – The study was executed in just one city (Istanbul) in Turkey and one city (Toulouse) in France. The study focused on a single product class, apparel products, since young adults act more as d.
Pot1, the Putative Telomere End-Binding Protein in Fission Yeast and Humans

Telomere proteins from ciliated protozoa bind to the single-stranded G-rich DNA extensions at the ends of macronuclear chromosomes. We have now identified homologous proteins in fission yeast and in humans. These Pot1 (protection oftelomeres) proteins each bind the G-rich strand of their own telomeric repeat sequence, consistent with a direct role in protecting chromosome ends. Deletion of the fission yeastpot1 + gene has an immediate effect on chromosome stability, causing rapid loss of telomeric DNA and chromosome circularization. It now appears that the protein that caps the ends of chromosomes is widely dispersed throughout the eukaryotic kingdom.
Gender-Specific Cancers, Gender-Specific Reporters?

This research investigated the role of reporter gender in reporting about sensitive genderspecific cancers. On ABC, CBS, and NBC national newscasts from 1972 through 1995, male reporters presented 75 percent of all gender-specific cancer stories, delivered more stories over time, and delivered 96 percent of male-cancer stories and 72 percent of female-cancer stories. Female reporters delivered fewer female-cancer stories over time and never broke the sensitivity barrier regarding male-specific cancers. Male reporters delivered cancer as a science story, focused on treatment and therapy, and mentioned more medical research, journals, and organizations. Female reporters were more likely to report on health policy or famous women with cancer.
Comparative Characterization of Cells from the Various Compartments of the Human Umbilical Cord Shows that the Wharton’s Jelly Compartment Provides the Best Source of Clinically Utilizable Mesenchymal Stem Cells

The human umbilical cord (UC) is an attractive source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with unique advantages over other MSC sources. They have been isolated from different compartments of the UC but there has been no rigorous comparison to identify the compartment with the best clinical utility. We compared the histology, fresh and cultured cell numbers, morphology, proliferation, viability, stemness characteristics and differentiation potential of cells from the amnion (AM), subamnion (SA), perivascular (PV), Wharton’s jelly (WJ) and mixed cord (MC) of five UCs. The WJ occupied the largest area in the UC from which 4.61 ± 0.57 x 106 /cm fresh cells could be isolated without culture compared to AM, SA, PV and MC that required culture. The WJ and PV had significantly lesser CD40+ non-stem cell contaminants (26-27%) compared to SA, AM and MC (51-70%). Cells from all compartments were proliferative, expressed the typical MSC-CD, HLA, and ESC markers, telomerase, had normal karyotypes and differentiated into adipocyte, chondrocyte and osteocyte lineages. The cells from WJ showed significantly greater CD24+ and CD108+ numbers and fluorescence intensities that discriminate between MSCs and non-stem cell mesenchymal cells, were negative for the fibroblast-specific and activating-proteins (FSP, FAP) and showed greater osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential compared to AM, SA, PV and MC. Cells from the WJ offer the best clinical utility as (i) they have less non-stem cell contaminants (ii) can be generated in large numbers with minimal culture avoiding changes in phenotype, (iii) their derivation is quick and easy to standardize, (iv) they are rich in stemness characteristics and (v) have high differentiation potential. Our results show that when isolating MSCs from the UC, the WJ should be the preferred compartment, and a standardized method of derivation must be used so as to make meaningful comparisons of data between research groups.
Conformity and diversity of accounting and financial reporting practices in Portuguese local government

Portuguese governmental accounting has evolved from essentially a cash-based budgetary accounting system to an accrual-based financial and cost accounting system. Evidence from financial reports shows a great level of diversity amongst municipalities' voluntary compliance with the new accounting rules. Using a sample of Portuguese municipalities in the year 2003 we calculate and analyse the levels of compliance with the practices required by law and document the diversity in compliance across municipalities. The differences across municipalities are explained by some fundamental factors: size, financial conditions, urban characteristics, and diffusion across neighbouring municipalities. We show an unexpected effect of size. Larger municipalities comply less with accounting standards. Organizational complexity, conservative practices, and aversion to change may explain this result. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. La comptabilite du gouvernement local au Portugal a connu des mutations. On est ainsi passe de la comptabilite de tresorerie au systeme de comptabilite analytique et de comptabilite d'exercice. Toutefois, d'apres les rapports financiers, les municipalites ne se conforment pas toujours de la meme facon aux nouvelles regles comptables. A partir d'un echantillon de municipalites portugaises constitue en 2003, nous calculons et analysons les niveaux de conformite aux pratiques exigees par la loi et la diversite entre ces pratiques. Les differences entre les municipalites s'expliquent par des facteurs essentiels tels que la taille, les conditions financieres, les caracteristiques urbaines et la diffusion entre municipalites voisines. Notre etude met en evidence l'influence insoupconnee du facteur taille. Les municipalites de grande taille semblent avoir plus de difficulte a appliquer les regles comptables. La complexite organisationnelle, les pratiques conservatrices et l'aversion pour le changement sont quelques-uns des facteurs responsables de cette situation. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetic contributions to the association between height and intelligence: evidence from Dutch twin data from childhood to middle age

A positive association between intelligence (IQ) and height has been reported previously. It is generally assumed that this association reflects the effect of childhood environment on IQ, but there is still little research supporting directly this hypothesis. We studied the association between height and IQ in 209 Dutch twin pairs at the ages of 5, 7, 10 and 12 years, 208 twin pairs at 16 and 18 years of age and 567 twin pairs and their siblings in adulthood. The heritability of height was high in all cohorts and across all ages (a2 = 0.93 − 0.96). In adulthood, heritability was also high for full‐scale IQ (FSIQ: a2 = 0.83–0.84) and somewhat lower for verbal IQ (VIQ: a2 = 0.66–0.84). In early childhood, the heritability was lower, and common environmental factors had a substantial effect on FSIQ and VIQ. A positive association of height and IQ was found in early childhood and adolescence. In adulthood, a correlation was found between height and FSIQ in young adulthood and between height and VIQ in middle age. All correlations could be ascribed to genetic factors influencing both height and IQ. Thus, these results show that the association between height and IQ should not be directly regarded as evidence for childhood living conditions affecting IQ, but the effect of genetic factors affecting independently or interacting with environmental factors should be considered as well.