Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eating and weight concerns among Sikkimese adolescent girls and their biocultural correlates: an exploratory study

Abstract Objectives Growing concern about ideal body image among adolescent girls in developing countries has led them to follow dietary modifications. In general, the ideal body image is perceived as a ‘thin body’ and now tagged with the concept of being physically fit. The present study evaluates the prevalence of weight concerns, and subsequent eating behaviour modifications among a group of adolescent girls in Sikkim. Design Pre-tested FFQ and dietary behaviour questionnaire were canvassed through direct interviews. Anthropometric measurements were taken following standard techniques. In the present study, dieting stands for skipping meals or avoiding certain food items. Setting Sikkim, India. Subjects A total of 577 girls were selected from several blocks of all four districts of Sikkim. Results The results of the study show that concern with weight reduction is growing among adolescent girls, particularly among urban girls of affluent families. Girls from families with a higher economic status are about two times more likely to report dissatisfaction with their body weight (OR = 1·96; P ≤ 0·05) and these girls are five times more likely to report the need for dieting. Conclusions It is evident that weight concern and dissatisfaction over body weight are growing among adolescents. It can be safely argued that eating disorder, once a problem of the Western world, is now slowly creeping in among adolescents of the developing world as a consequence of rapid lifestyle changes over the past few decades.
A Biomechanical Analysis of Straight and Hexagonal Barbell Deadlifts Using Submaximal Loads

Swinton, PA, Stewart, A, Agouris, I, Keogh, JWL, and Lloyd, R. A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads. J Strength Cond Res 25(7): 2000-2009, 2011—The purpose of the investigation was to compare the kinematics and kinetics of the deadlift performed with 2 distinct barbells across a range of submaximal loads. Nineteen male powerlifters performed the deadlift with a conventional straight barbell and a hexagonal barbell that allowed the lifter to stand within its frame. Subjects performed trials at maximum speed with loads of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% of their predetermined 1-repetition maximum (1RM). Inverse dynamics and spatial tracking of the external resistance were used to quantify kinematic and kinetic variables. Subjects were able to lift a heavier 1RM load in the hexagonal barbell deadlift (HBD) than the straight barbell deadlift (SBD) (265 ± 41 kg vs. 245 ± 39 kg, p < 0.05). The design of the hexagonal barbell significantly altered the resistance moment at the joints analyzed (p < 0.05), resulting in lower peak moments at the lumbar spine, hip, and ankle (p < 0.05) and an increased peak moment at the knee (p < 0.05). Maximum peak power values of 4,388 ± 713 and 4,872 ± 636 W were obtained for the SBD and HBD, respectively (p < 0.05). Across the submaximal loads, significantly greater peak force, peak velocity and peak power values were produced during the HBD compared to during the SBD (p < 0.05). The results demonstrate that the choice of barbell used to perform the deadlift has a significant effect on a range of kinematic and kinetic variables. The enhanced mechanical stimulus obtained with the hexagonal barbell suggests that in general the HBD is a more effective exercise than the SBD.
Chocs sectoriels et chômage

In this article, the hypothesis that an important part of the fluctuations in the aggregate unemployment rate is attributable to sector-specific shocks is reviewed both theoretically and empirically, and is tested using Canadian data for the 1963-84 period. The main conclusion from this empirical analysis is that, even after controlling for the influence of changes in the relative price of oil and for unanticipated money growth, sector-specific shocks have a significant impact on aggregate unemployment in Canada for the period under study. Dans cette etude, l’hypothese qu’une partie importante des fluctuations dans le taux de chomage puisse s’expliquer par la presence de chocs sectoriels est passee en revue tant au niveau theorique qu’empirique. Cette proposition est ensuite testee a l’aide de donnees canadiennes couvrant la periode 1963-84. La conclusion principale de cette analyse empirique est que, meme en controlant pour l’influence des variations dans le prix relatif du petrole ainsi que pour la partie non anticipee de la politique monetaire, les chocs sectoriels ont contribue de facon significative aux fluctuations dans le taux de chomage canadien au cours de cette periode.
Impact of Stinging Jellyfish Proliferations along South Italian Coasts: Human Health Hazards, Treatment and Social Costs

Stinging jellyfish outbreaks represent a health hazard, causing contact dermatitis and systemic reactions. This study investigated the epidemiology, severity, and treatment protocols of jellyfish stings in a coastal area with high tourist development and frequent stinging jellyfish outbreaks of the central Mediterranean (Salento, Southern Italy), and the associated costs for the Italian National Health Service. In 2007–2011, 1,733 bathers (mostly children and females) sought medical assistance following jellyfish stings, the main cause of human pathologies due to contact with marine organisms. The majority of events were reported in the years 2007–2009, whereas the occurrence of cnidarian jellyfish outbreaks has been increasingly reported in the same area since summer 2010. Most symptoms were limited to local and cutaneous reactions; conversely, 8.7% of cases evoked complications, mainly due to allergic reactions. The main drugs used were corticosteroids, locally applied and systemic (46% and 43%, respectively), and with ammonia (74%) as the main non-pharmacological treatment. The estimated cost of jellyfish-related first-aid services along the Salento coastline over the 5-year period was approximately 400,000 Euros. Therefore the management of jellyfish outbreak phenomena need coordinated research efforts towards a better understanding of underlying ecological mechanisms, together with the adoption of effective prevention policy, mitigation strategies, and appropriate planning of health services at tourist hot spots.
Time optimal, parameters-insensitive digital controller for DC-DC buck converters

In this paper a digital control approach is investigated for time-optimal load step response of DC-DC synchronous buck converters intended for point-of-load applications employing low-ESR ceramic output capacitors. Unlike previously reported approaches, the proposed technique is insensitive to the power stage parameters, as its operation does not rely on the knowledge of the output filter inductance or capacitance. The time-optimal response is achieved through a single on/off switching action undertaken as soon as a load transient is detected. An asynchronous A/D converter has been employed, realized in a standard 0.35 mum CMOS process. The A/D converter quantizes the output voltage and triggers a nonlinear, event-based digital controller whenever a quantization level transition is detected. Time-optimal response is based solely on output voltage measurements and on the knowledge of the steady-state duty cycle, a number easily available within the digital controller. Effectiveness and properties of the proposed robust time-optimal approach are validated through both computer simulations and experimental tests on a synchronous buck converter prototype and a VHDL implementation of the control algorithm on an FPGA device.
CLSTERS

Trajectory data generated by outdoor activities have great potential for location based services. However, depending on the localization technique used, certain trajectory data could contain large errors. For example, the error of trajectories generated by cellular-based localization techniques is around 100m which is ten times larger than that of GPS-based trajectories. Hence, enhancing the utility of those large-error trajectories becomes a challenge. In this paper we show how to improve the quality of trajectory data having large errors. Some existing works reduce the error through hardware which requires information such as the time of arrival (TOA), received signal strength indication (RSSI), the position of cell towers, etc. Moreover, different positioning techniques will result in different hardware-based solutions and different data formats, which limit the generalizablity. Other works study a related but different problem, i.e., map matching, with the aid of road network information, to reduce the uncertainty and the noise of trajectory data. However, most of these approaches are designed for the GPS-sampled data, and hence they might not be able to achieve a similar performance when applied directly to trajectories with large errors. Motivated by this, we propose a general error reduction system namely CLSTERS for trajectories with large scale of errors. Our system is hardware independent and only requires the coordinates and the time stamp of each sample point which makes it general and ubiquitous. We present results from experiments using three real-world datasets in three different cities generated by two different localization techniques and the results show that our approach outperforms existing solutions.
“Directed” self‐assessment: Practice and feedback within a social context

Introduction: Accurate self‐assessment appears to be difficult and, some would propose, even impossible. Recent reviews suggest that peer assessment may be more accurate and that multisource feedback (MSF) may inform self‐assessment. We had conducted a series of studies of family physicians in an MSF program including assessments from patients, medical colleagues, and coworkers and self‐assessment. Using this body of research, this article explores self‐assessment within the social context of multisource feedback and investigates the influence of feedback from peers and others upon self‐assessment. Methods: This is a review article in which we synthesized findings of the series of studies with respect to self‐assessment, used conclusions to propose a model for self‐assessment within a social context, and suggest practical and research implications. Results: Physicians compared peers' and others' assessment feedback with global self‐perceptions of performance. Negative feedback, especially from medical colleagues, that was inconsistent with self‐perceptions was not readily reconciled with self‐assessments. Multiple internal and environmental factors influenced reconciliation and assimilation of negative feedback. Reflection upon feedback and self‐perceptions appeared to be instrumental to reconciliation, and reflection could be facilitated. Discussion: We propose a model of “directed” self‐assessment to facilitate the integration of external feedback, especially negative feedback, with self‐perceptions and enable its use for practice improvement. Implications for education and research include increasing understanding of ways physicians assimilate external feedback and of the role of educators as facilitators of “directed” self‐assessment and self‐learning to assist physicians in integrating external feedback.
Low Altruism, Austerity, and Aversion to Default: Are Countries Converging to the Natural Debt Limit?

Democracies around the world are making promises to the old at the expense of future generations. I interpret this as reflecting low altruism—a discount rate on children’s utility greater than the world interest rate—and I examine the implications in a small open economy with overlapping generations. A focus is on the public sector: The model includes public capital in production and public education as determinant of human capital. I examine to what extent both are crowded out by spending on debt and retiree entitlements. In the model, altruism towards children determines bequests, government debt, and the time-path of consumption. Altruism towards parents influences incentives to default. If altruism is low, voters demand fiscal policies that extract substantial resources from future generations. Public debt rises until debt service requires maximum taxes forever, and an era of austerity ensues: investment in human capital declines to a lower bound, and reduced human capital discourages investment in private and public capital. The threat of default enters as a constraint that may protect future generations.
External Trade and Monetary Policy in a Currency Area

For historical and geographical reasons, the member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU) display different degrees of external trade openness. The paper lays out a model for a currency area composed of two regions. One region is more open to trade with a third country outside the area than the other. Using the utility-based loss function for the currency area, the optimal monetary policy is compared to the one for a homogeneous area. In the model with heterogeneity, the relative competitiveness across regions influences the extent to which shocks are transmitted to the area-wide inflation and output gap. Under a plausible calibration for the EMU, the optimal policy plan exhibits a stronger tendency towards currency area exchange rate stabilization than the one in the homogeneity case. Moreover, it is welfare-improving to forgo some area-wide inflation stabilization to dampen inflation differentials.
Are universities and university research under threat? Towards an evolutionary model of university speciation

According to some, universities and academic research are under threat. As we move towards a more knowledge-intensive economy, academics face pressures to link their work more closely to economic needs, with potentially adverse long-term consequences. This has been characterised as a fundamental change in the 'social contract' between universities and the state, with the latter now having more specific expectations regarding the outputs sought from the former. Others have described this as a transition from 'Mode 1' to 'Mode 2' knowledge production, or in terms of the emergence of a 'Triple Helix' relationship between universities, government and industry. This article critically examines these claims, setting them in historical context. We analyse the history of the university and its evolving functions as it responded to changing external demands. Adopting an evolutionary model, we describe how different university 'species' emerged and co-evolved, each with different emphases on the functions of teaching, research and contributing to the economy and society. Turning to the current environment facing universities, we identify the main drivers for change and assess their likely impact, before arriving at conclusions about the future of the university and university research. What we are witnessing today appears to be not so much the appearance of a new (and hence worrying) phenomenon, but more a shift back towards a social contract for the university closer to the one in effect before the second half of the twentieth century--one which, as it did then, may bring about the emergence of new university species. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved. , Oxford University Press.
Low Levels of Estrogen Receptor β Protein Predict Resistance to Tamoxifen Therapy in Breast Cancer

Purpose: Breast cancer is a hormone-dependent cancer, and the presence of estrogen receptor α (ER-α) in tumors is used clinically to predict the likelihood of response to hormonal therapies. The clinical value of the second recently identified ER isoform, called ER-β, is less clear, and there is currently conflicting data concerning its potential role as a prognostic or predictive factor. Experimental Design: To assess whether ER-β expression is associated with clinical outcome, protein levels were measured by immunoblot analysis of a retrospective bank of tumor cell lysates from 305 axillary node-positive patients. A total of 119 received no adjuvant therapy, and 186 were treated with tamoxifen only. The median follow-up time was 65 months. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression modeling was done to assess the prognostic and predictive significance of ER-β expression. Results: Expression of ER-β protein did not correlate significantly with any other clinical variables, including ER and progesterone levels (as measured ligand binding assay), tumor size, age, or axillary nodal status. In the untreated population, those patients whose tumors who expressed both receptor isoforms exhibited the most favorable outcome as compared with those patients who had lost ER-α expression. However, there was no association between ER-β levels alone and either disease-free or overall survival in the untreated patient population. In contrast, in both univariate and multivariate analyses, high levels of ER-β predicted an improved disease-free and overall survival in patients treated with adjuvant tamoxifen therapy. Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that ER-β may be an independent predictor of response to tamoxifen in breast cancer. Furthermore, these results suggest that ER-β may influence tumor progression in ways different from those mediated by the ER-α isoform.
The Effect of Public Subsidies on Firms’ Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivity: Transient or Persistent?

This work analyses the effect of public subsidies on firms’ investments and investment–cash flow sensitivity in a longitudinal sample of 288 Italian unlisted non-venture capital backed owner-managed new-technology-based firms (NTBFs), observed over a 15-year period from 1994 to 2008. Seventy five of these firms received one or more public subsidies in the observation period. We use an error correction model (ECM) specification and system generalised method of moment (GMM) techniques that take into account the endogeneity of public subsidies. First, we find that the investments of small NTBFs are sensitive to internal cash flows, while those of large NTBFs are not. Receipt of public subsidies by small NTBFs results in an increased investment rate and a reduced investment–cash flow sensitivity, in the immediately following year. We interpret these results as an indication of the relaxation of financial constraints. Moreover, while the increase in the investment rate does not persist in the long run, the dependence of investments on cash flow remains negligible after receipt of the first public subsidy. These results support the view that public subsidies can help small NTBFs in persistently removing the financial constraints that bind their investment activity.
Measuring Disability, Need and Outcome in Australian Community Mental Health Services

Objective: This study trialled routine measurement of disability, need and outcome in mental health services within Sydney. Method: Fifteen community mental health clinicians with a combined caseload of 283 patients participated in the study. The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) was used to assess disability and outcome and the patient and staff versions of the Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN) were used to assess need. Results: The HoNOS and CAN appear to be promising contenders for routine use. Patients receiving assertive case management were rated as having higher levels of disability and need than patients receiving standard case management. Significant change in outcome was demonstrated with the HoNOS. Conclusions: To ensure the continued measurement of consumer outcome, issues such as staff education, training, and the development of computerised information systems should be addressed.
Organizational Form and Output Quality

This paper re-examines the relationship between a firm's organizational form, not-for-profit versus for-profit, and its output quality. The Arrow-Hansmann theory of hidden action on the part of providers predicts higher quality for not-for-profit suppliers. This prediction has a puzzling lack of support in the empirical literature. We propose a theory that resolves the empirical puzzle and generates additional testable implications. The theory starts with the traditional assumptions of hidden action and supplier altruism. It then incorporates two additional features of real-world markets: hidden information on supplier ability to provide high quality and a variation across buyers in the degree of informational asymmetry. The central prediction of the theory is that quality has a higher variance across for-profits than across not-for-profits. Preliminary evidence from the US market for hospital care is consistent with this prediction.
Heart rate variability and clinical cardiology.

The first observation that heart rate variability (HRV) could be used as a predictor of mortality after acute myocardial infarction was published in 1978. ' Since then the usefulness of HRV for the identification of patients at high risk after acute infarction has been confirmed in large studies.23 Not surprisingly, these discoveries led to widespread interest in HRV among clinical investigators and until now HRV has been not only the subject of many physiologically oriented investigations but also its potential practical value has been assessed in patients from many different clinical groups. There are important differences between the type of heart rhythm recordings used for purely physiological studies and those used for fully clinical studies. Whereas the physiologist tends to obtain recordings of heart rhythm under strictly controlled conditions, the clinician generally uses standard ambulatory electrocardiograms, and data from these are much less stationary. In clinical recordings the different processes modulating the heart rate are much less easily distinguishable. The editorial by Malliani et al on page 1 of this issue4 describes the state-of-the-art of the physiological background of HRV. We will discuss contemporary experience with and understanding of the clinical use of HRV. Although assessment of HRV is of indisputable value in many non-cardiological clinical disciplines-for example, neurology,5 diabetology,6 obstetrics,7 occupational medicine8-we will concentrate solely on the potential use of HRV in clinical cardiology.