Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The stability and reliability of self-reported drinking measures.

OBJECTIVE Estimated test-retest reliabilities of self-re- ported drinking measures are affected by the extent to which respondents provide consistent reports of their own behaviors (reliability) and the extent to which the behaviors reported are stable over time (stability). Unstable behaviors may be reliably reported but correlate poorly over time. This study tests whether an estimate of the stability of drinking patterns is related to test-retest reliabilities of drinking measures. METHOD Data were from a general population telephone survey given twice, 1 month apart, to 307 adult drinkers. Drinking measures included age of onset, and graduated frequency measures used to estimate drinking frequencies, average quantities, and total alcohol consumption. Measures of drinking stability were estimated using a well-tested model for the analysis of drinking patterns (i.e., variances in drinking quantities and frequencies). Heteroscedastic regression models were used to partition covariances in self-reports between Times 1 and 2 into components related to stability and reliability, providing a more accurate picture of the reliability of drinking measures for different drinking groups. RESULTS Overall test-retest reliabilities were good, ranging from a low of . 65 for drinking quantities to a high of . 85 for drinking frequencies. The stability of quantity measures had a large impact on estimated test- retest reliabilities. Stable drinking patterns were associated with much greater test-retest reliabilities. CONCLUSIONS Data on alcohol use from general population telephone surveys are generally reliable. However, observed reliability is a function of the stability of drinking patterns. Ostensibly unreliable self-reports may be highly reliable but may reflect unstable drinking patterns.
Continued high rates of antibiotic prescribing to adults with respiratory tract infection: survey of 568 UK general practices

Objectives Overutilisation of antibiotics may contribute to the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance, a growing international concern. This study aimed to analyse the performance of UK general practices with respect to antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) among young and middle-aged adults. Setting Data are reported for 568 UK general practices contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Participants Participants were adults aged 18–59 years. Consultations were identified for acute upper RTIs including colds, cough, otitis-media, rhino-sinusitis and sore throat. Primary and secondary outcome measures For each consultation, we identified whether an antibiotic was prescribed. The proportion of RTI consultations with antibiotics prescribed was estimated. Results There were 568 general practices analysed. The median general practice prescribed antibiotics at 54% of RTI consultations. At the highest prescribing 10% of practices, antibiotics were prescribed at 69% of RTI consultations. At the lowest prescribing 10% of practices, antibiotics were prescribed at 39% RTI consultations. The median practice prescribed antibiotics at 38% of consultations for ‘colds and upper RTIs’, 48% for ‘cough and bronchitis’, 60% for ‘sore throat’, 60% for ‘otitis-media’ and 91% for ‘rhino-sinusitis’. The highest prescribing 10% of practices issued antibiotic prescriptions at 72% of consultations for ‘colds’, 67% for ‘cough’, 78% for ‘sore throat’, 90% for ‘otitis-media’ and 100% for ‘rhino-sinusitis’. Conclusions Most UK general practices prescribe antibiotics to young and middle-aged adults with respiratory infections at rates that are considerably in excess of what is clinically justified. This will fuel antibiotic resistance.
Institutionalizing Pluralism in Russia: A New Authoritarianism?

Contemporary Russia is a peculiar regime which combines democratic and authoritarian features: here internal factors strongly prevail over external variables of democratic imitation and contagion, showing the extent to which Russia differs from other political contexts. The leadership uses some strategies to solve internal conflicts and become stable in spite of democratizing pressures coming from outside. In particular, the mechanisms are aimed at limiting pluralism within the two arenas of political competition and civil society, from where the major threats to the status quo are supposed to come. The incumbents' interventions in these spheres during the past ten years have shaped a regime that can be understood by reference to the concept of ‘new authoritarianism’.
Progressive immune dysfunction in cats experimentally infected with feline immunodeficiency virus

Within 6 months of infection with the Petaluma isolate of feline immunodeficiency virus, specific-pathogen-free domestic cats exhibited a decrease in the percentage and number of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes and in the CD4+/CD8+ T-cell ratio, along with a marginally significant depression of pokeweed mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. There was no loss of responsiveness to concanavalin A during this stage, and the cats were capable of mounting a satisfactory antibody response to a T-dependent, synthetic polypeptide immunogen. The pokeweed mitogen response deficit became clearly demonstrable by 11 to 12 months postinfection. A decline in the lymphocyte proliferative response to concanavalin A and a diminished ability to mount an in vivo antibody response to the T-dependent immunogen evolved by 25 to 44 months postinfection. Virus infection did not affect the ability of cats to mount an antibody response to a T-independent synthetic polypeptide immunogen. These data indicate that feline immunodeficiency virus produces a slowly progressive deterioration of T-cell function but does not affect the ability of B cells to recognize and respond to a T-independent antigenic stimulus.
Chinese superstition in US commodity trading

We examine the potential effect of Chinese superstition on the prices of four commodities traded in the US commodity market using daily data from January 1994 to September 2012. We focus on market responses to days that Chinese traders superstitiously deem as either lucky or unlucky. Our results suggest that day 4 in the month (considered unlucky) is associated with significantly lower returns for three commodities (copper, cotton and soybean). The evidence controls for the possible effects of other anomalies and emerges despite the fact that China buys only about half of the US total exports of these commodities. These results seem in conflict with an efficient US commodity market as it opens the possibility for formulating profitable trading rules based on day 4 trading.
Functional Recovery after the Transplantation of Neurally Differentiated Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Bone Marrow in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury

This study was designed to investigate functional recovery after the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or neurally differentiated MSCs (NMSCs) derived from bone marrow in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to incomplete SCI using an NYU impactor to create a free drop contusion at the T9 level. The SCI rats were then classified into three groups; MSCs, NMSCs, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated groups. The cells or PBS were administrated 1 week after SCI. Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scores were measured at 1-week intervals for 9 weeks. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were also recorded 8 weeks after transplantation. While transplantation of MSCs led to a clear tendency of motor recovery, NMSC-treated rats had significantly improved BBB scores and showed significantly shortened initial latency, N1 latency, and P1 latency of the SSEPs compared to PBS controls. In addition, 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-prelabeled MSCs costained for BrdU and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or myelin basic protein (MBP) were found rostrally and caudally 5 mm each from the epicenter of the necrotic cavity 4 weeks after transplantation. These results suggest that neurally differentiated cells might be an effective therapeutic source for functional recovery after SCI.
The power of ICT-based social networks in higher education

Today, social networks are becoming ubiquitous in an increasing rate throughout the world; they particularly attract the younger generation, becoming an inseparable part of their daily lives. Among the various kinds of these networks (Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flicker, Twitter, blogs, and del.ici.us) Facebook is the best known and the most popular network with the incredible number of 400 million users who spend a significant part of their day in Facebook. In fact, results of various studies indicate that on average, the rate of Facebook usage by the young university students exceeds one hour a day. It seems that given the high rate of its usage among university students and its unique features (email, bulletin boards, instant messaging, posting videos, pictures and personal information), the claim can be made that Facebook has a high potential for educational use, especially in higher education, and can be regarded as a big classroom with many facilities and equipments which let users publish notes, share information, communicate and, of course, learn. In fact, experts and teachers should regard social network as an opportunity in the higher education and try to make the best use its popularity as well as its rich and entertaining features in order to enhance their teaching, thus the need to further study and investigate this social network and all it has to offer to higher education. Given this need in today's fast growing educational world, and based on the Technology Acceptance Model, in this research we try to assess and investigate the possible potentials of the social networks for learning through analyzing students' and instructors' attitudes towards using the social networks for higher education.
Dietary Factors Associated with Plasma Thyroid Peroxidase and Thyroglobulin Antibodies

The knowledge about dietary habits and their influence in the development of autoimmune thyroid disease is insufficient. The aim of this study was to analyse the association of dietary factors and plasma thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) and/or thyroglobulin antibodies (Tg-Ab). The study enrolled 1887 participants originating from the South Croatia. Participants with elevated plasma TPO-Ab and/or Tg-Ab were defined as cases (n = 462) and those with TPO-Ab and/or Tg-Ab within referent values were defined as controls (n = 1425). Dietary intake was evaluated according to a food frequency questionnaire containing 58 food items. Principal component analysis was used to group food items into dietary groups. We used logistic regression analysis to examine dietary groups associated with positive plasma TPO-Ab and/or Tg-Ab. The results indicate that the dietary group with frequent consumption of animal fats and butter is associated with positive plasma TPO-Ab and/or Tg-Ab (p = 0.01). The dietary group with frequent consumption of vegetables as well as the dietary group with high consumption of dried fruit, nuts, and muesli are associated with negative findings of TPO-Ab and/or Tg-Ab (p = 0.048 and p = 0.02, respectively). We showed that the anti-inflammatory dietary groups are associated with the negative findings of plasma TPO-Ab and/or Tg-Ab.
Finance, Growth and Volatility

I study the time series relation between financial development, economic growth and growth volatility in one unified framework. Relying on a parsimonious panel VAR framework with a panel of 81 countries between 1962 and 2000, I find significant positive Granger causality from financial development to growth and negative Granger causality from financial development to volatility of growth. Financial development accounts for 2.6% of negative forecast error covariance between growth and growth volatility. These empirical regularities, however, are detected in emerging countries only and not in advanced economies. My findings are consistent with the idea that financial development is especially beneficial to countries at the early stage of industrialization. Further, country specific economic environment and structural factors, such as banking concentration degree, proportion of privately held banks, and legal environments, determine the likelihood of both Granger causality from financial development to growth and volatility, and the fraction of covariance between growth and volatility due to financial development.
Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of once-daily trazodone extended-release caplets in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of an extended-release formulation of trazodone hydrochloride (HCl), Trazodone Contramid® Once-a-Day (TzCOAD) developed as scored 150-mg and 300-mg caplets for oncedaily administration. METHODS Relative bioavailability studies compared the pharmacokinetics of TzCOAD and trazodone immediate-release (TzIR) tablets following single- and multiple-dose administration. In addition, the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of TzCOAD was assessed. RESULTS After single-dose administration of 300 mg TzCOAD, trazodone AUC and C(max) were approximately 20% and 60% lower, respectively, than for TzIR 100-mg tablets administered as 3 doses, 8 h apart. After multipledose administration of 300 mg daily for 7 days, TzCOAD given once daily and TzIR given 3 times a day were equivalent with respect to AUC, while C(max) was 43% lower for TzCOAD. Trazodone AUC following single-dose administration of TzCOAD was similar to AUC at steady state, suggesting that steady-state exposure can be predicted from single-dose data. When TzCOAD was taken shortly after ingestion of a high-fat meal, C(max) increased 86% compared with fasting conditions. However, AUC and t(max) were not affected by food. CONCLUSION Administration of TzCOAD 300 mg once daily provides equivalent steady-state exposure to, with a lower C(max) than, TzIR 100 mg given 3 times a day. A high-fat meal results in an increase in C(max), but there is no substantial effect on AUC.
An improved merging algorithm for the Gaussian mixture probability hypothesis density filter

The probability hypothesis density filter has attracted increasing interest since Mahler first introduced it in 2000. This paper proposes an improved merging algorithm for the Gaussian mixture probability hypothesis density filter, which can track closely proximity targets. The proposed algorithm utilizes not only the Gaussian components' means and covariance, but their weights as a new criterion to improve the conventional pruning algorithm's estimate precision. Simulation results demonstrate that this improved algorithm is more robust and easier to implement than the formal one.
The Maximum Capture Problem with Uncertainty

The strategic location of servers by a firm in a competitive environment is basic in the determination or division of market shares. Let us suppose that a firm wants to locate p servers so as to maximize market capture in a region where competitors are already located but where there is uncertainty—there are several possible future scenarios with respect to demand and/or the location of competitors. The firm will want a strategy of positioning that will do as ‘well as possible’ over the future scenarios. In this paper we will present a discrete location model formulation to address this maximum capture problem with uncertainty.
Streamlining project management through online solutions

The ultimate goal of streamlining solutions for project management is to optimize the performance of the team. Automating business processes and integrating customized business solutions can not only increase productivity but also profitability. However, very few project‐ or service‐oriented organizations efficiently manage their processes. The authors describe an easily replicable online process that resulted in improved management and efficiency for one company.
Does Practice Make Perfect? Debate about Principles versus Practice in New Zealand Local Government Planning

Legislation and practice are two arms of public policy planning. Legislation empowers or enables; practice is the articulation and implementation of legislative principle. In New Zealand there has been widespread debate in recent years about the relative importance of practice versus legislation in achieving planning outcomes under its key planning legislation, the Resource Management Act 1991. This paper proposes that the effectiveness and efficiency of planning practice may depend on a range of factors, some of which are beyond the control of planners, and outside of legislation. They include political priorities and the countervailing administrative responsibilities of the public agencies involved. Local government, as the agency in New Zealand which administers the Resource Management Act at local levels, is subject to a number of structural factors which may influence planning responsibilities and political and administrative commitment to those responsibilities. A survey of district council planning officers was conducted which showed great variation in the levels of work and the nature of the tasks that were assigned to planning departments within different councils. The paper concludes that the range of factors which may limit the ability of planners to implement the
Labor's Untold Story

fight for human rights worldwide: for the rights of oppressed workers, women, children, trade unionists, and journalists, from Iran to China to El Salvador. This story largely fails to make it into the high school history classroom.17. From “Labor’s Untold Story” by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais! Published by United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, NY, 1955/1979. One night, probably in 1880, John Swinton, then the preeminent New York journalist, was the guest of honor at a banquet given him by the leaders of his craft. Published on May 18, 2017. Labor s Untold Story: The Adventure Story of the Battles, Betrayals and Victories of American Working Men and Women http://readbooks.site/? book=0916180018. Category. Education. Top Read book Development NGOs and Labor Unions: Terms of Engagement (Development in Practice) Duration: 1:11. Sanda Zayac No views. 1:11. Download Daughters of the Shtetl: Life and Labor in the Immigrant Generation Duration: 0:42.
Epoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid inhibit vasopressin response in toad bladder.

In addition to cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways, the kidney can also metabolize arachidonic acid by a NADPH-dependent cytochrome P-450 enzyme to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs); furthermore, 5,6-EET has been shown to alter electrolyte transport across isolated renal tubules. We examined the effects of three EETs (5,6-, 11, 12-, and 14,15-EET) on osmotic water flow across toad urinary bladder. All three EETs reversibly inhibited vasopressin-stimulated osmotic water flow with 5,6- and 11,12-EET being the most potent. The effects appeared to be independent of prostaglandins. EETs inhibited the water flow response to forskolin but not (with the exception of 11,12-EET) the response to adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) or 8-BrcAMP, consistent with an effect on cAMP generation. For 11,12-EET the question of an additional inhibition at a site beyond or independent of cAMP has to be considered. To determine whether these effects were due to the EETs or to products of their metabolism, we examined the effects of their vicinal diol hydrolysis products, the dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids. Nonenzymatic conversion of labeled 5,6-EET to its vicinal diol occurred rapidly in the buffer, whereas 11,12-EET was hydrolyzed in a saturable manner only when incubated in the presence of bladder tissue. The dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids formed inhibited water flow in a manner paralleling that of the EETs. Both 5,6-EET and 11,12-EET (10(-5) M) prevented the increase in intracellular cAMP content observed in control tissues after vasopressin stimulation. Finally, 11,12- and 14,15-dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid inhibited vasopressin- and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase in the same rank order as their inhibition of water flow. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
High performance indexing for massive audio fingerprint data

Real-time online audio searching systems require high performance indexing architecture for massive audio fingerprints. To improve the performance of hash table based indexing for audio fingerprints, this paper designs and evaluates a hybrid data structure which combines linked list with vector to store the values in the hash table to balance the searching performance and the memory usage. To extend the hash table to cluster environment, three distribution patterns are designed and implemented, and experiments show that the content-oriented distribution pattern is better than the keyoriented distribution pattern. The proposed serialized data layout of the hash table can further improve the searching performance with less memory usage. All the experiments are executed on practical massive data sets including up to 1,000,000 songs, and the results certificate the improvement of the methods proposed.
The Preliminary Study of Unobtrusive respiratory monitoring for e-health

AIn this study, we developed a wearable physiological measurement device (bioshirt). The developed bioshirt can record ECG (lead I, lead II, V1), blood oxygen saturation, 2-axis acceleration, and skin temperature in mobile environment. Sensors are embedded into the bioshirt. It showed noticeable performance in terms of usability and monitoring. Respiration signal is acquired by inductive plethysmograph (IP). However, acquired IP signal is by the upper body movement like arm or abdomen movement. To get correct respiratory signal, we use both IP and EDR (ECG-derived respiration). EDR is used to supplement the IP that is contaminated by some artifact. As result, it provide suitable respiration rate (RR) although IP is contaminated by some noise
Trunk rotation strength and endurance in healthy normals and elite male golfers with and without low back pain.

BACKGROUND The relative importance and asymmetric loading of the trunk muscles in golf (slow rotation backswing followed by high velocity downswing) may cause side-to-side imbalances in axial rotation strength and endurance characteristics amongst elite players who frequently play and practice. Such imbalances may further be compounded by the presence of low back pain. OBJECTIVE To establish and compare trunk rotation strength and endurance of healthy individuals who do not play golf and those that are highly skilled at the sport. Additionally, a smaller group of elite golfers with non-debilitating low back pain (LBP) were also evaluated and compared to their healthy counterparts. METHODS Forty healthy non-golfing control subjects, 32 healthy elite golfers, and 7 golfers with LBP participated in this study. Bilateral trunk rotation strength and endurance was assessed using the Biodex System III Isokinetic Dynamometer with torso rotation attachment. Strength and endurance data was analyzed using 2-way ANOVA. RESULTS No significant differences in peak torque were found within or between groups. However, golfers with LBP demonstrated significantly less endurance in the non-dominant direction (the follow-through of the golf swing) than either healthy group. No significant difference in endurance was found between the non-golfing controls and the healthy elite golfers. CONCLUSIONS Trunk rotation endurance in golfers with LBP might be more important than strength alone in the prevention and treatment of LBP. The results from this study provide useful information on possible risk factors associated with low back pain in golfers (decreased endurance) and allow for sport-specific clinical intervention strategies to be developed.