Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conflicting commitments: the politics of enforcing immigrant worker rights in San Jose and Houston

in other words, that African-American writers often obscured questions about US imperialism, by focusing instead on domestic race relations. This does indeed bring to the fore a series of interesting theoretical questions about the complex relationship between racial and imperialist oppression. Despite his ambitions to contribute to the ‘transnational turn’ in literary studies, however, Gruesser never really addresses these questions.
Adaptive friction compensation in trajectory tracking control of DLR medical robots with elastic joints

In this paper we introduce an adaptive control scheme for robots with elastic joints (in particular for the DLR medical robot) in order to increase the positioning accuracy and the performance of control with respect to uncertainties of the parameters of the robot dynamics. In order to design control and analyze system stability a static friction model is applied which describes Coulomb, viscose and load dependent friction. A stability analysis is done for this adaptive control scheme, allowing a Lyapunov based convergence analysis in the context of the nonlinear robot dynamics. Experimental results validate the practical efficiency of the approach.
Personality testing and the assessment center : Incremental validity for managerial selection

The authors investigated the relative validity of personality testing and the assessment center (AC) in order to evaluate the incremental validity of both assessment methods in the prediction of managerial performance. Managers (N = 68) from a forestry products organization were evaluated with an AC and selected traits on the Personality Research Form (D. N. Jackson, 1984). Performance and promotability served as criteria. Overall, personality was found to be at least equivalent to the AC in predicting performance. Personality testing resulted in significant incremental validity over that of the AC in the prediction of performance, but the converse was also true. This suggested that personality and the AC assess different domains, with each uniquely and significantly predicting performance. Promotability was not significantly predicted. Practical implications and future directions were discussed.
Older People, Mobile Communication and Risks

Starting from Beck’s concept of reflexivity, the paper investigates differences in risk perception regarding wireless technologies expressed by older people living in Romania and Catalonia (Spain). We combine evidence from conversations held with older individuals in different research projects together with an ad-hoc media content analysis. Our research reveals that seniors’ discourses were consistent with the media prominence of different types of risks in each country. Results show that seniors’ discourses on health risks relate to the way the media discussed them, with Romanian participants, in contrast to older people from Catalonia, expressing no concerns about electromagnetic radiation. Also, Romanian seniors were more concerned about the risk to others—younger family members—whereas seniors in Catalonia were more concerned about their own risks. Seniors from Romania made more references to the country’s development. We discuss aging futures in societies with different risk perceptions. As the media presents the risks associated with digital technologies in differing lights, people’s perceptions are formed accordingly. Also, in countries where technology is perceived as good per se, the techno-optimistic discourse would be reinforced not only by the media but also by the groups exposed to the highest social pressure towards technology adoption—for example, seniors.
Effect of Combining Cognitive Behavioural Therapy With a Lifestyle Program in Assisting the Unemployed: A Pilot Program

Abstract Psychological obstacles often impede the unemployed from finding work. The current study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a combined cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) and lifestyle program when applied to an unemployed population from a Disability Employment Network (DEN) provider. CBT focuses on the relationship between an individual's thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The lifestyle program was developed to assess and provide psycho-education on sleep, diet, exercise and social habits. Eight participants completed a questionnaire and interview prior to and following participation in the lifestyle program. Measures included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSES), Life Orientation Test (LOT), Self-Efficacy Rating scale, one-on-one interview and participation in the lifestyle program. Key workers participated in a one-on-one interview and rated their perception of their participants' engagement in the job search process. Results were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Levels of depressive symptomatology and optimism were not seen to improve, however, levels of self-esteem and ratings of engagement in the job search process did. Inclusion of the lifestyle component appeared to yield promising results for future studies. Further research into application of qualitative analysis in unemployment research is recommended.
Neuropeptide Y restores non‐receptor‐mediated vasoconstrictive action in superior mesenteric arteries in portal hypertension

Vascular hyporeactivity to vasoconstrictors contributes to splanchnic arterial vasodilatation and hemodynamic dysregulation in portal hypertension. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a sympathetic cotransmitter, has been shown to improve adrenergic vascular contractility in portal hypertensive rats and markedly attenuate hyperdynamic circulation. To further characterize the NPY‐effects in portal hypertension, we investigated its role for non‐receptor‐mediated vasoconstriction in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) of portal vein ligated (PVL) and sham‐operated rats.
Consistency in adult reports on child personality over the pre-school years

Three types of temporal and cross-observer consistency in adult reports on child personality were investigated over three waves of a longitudinal study. Employing the Inventory of Child Individual Differences (Halverson et al., 2003), 3-year-olds were rated separately by mothers, fathers, and pre-school teachers. The children were re-assessed one and two years later. The teacher-perceived organization of child personality, which resulted in conscientiousness – openness/intellect, extraversion – emotional stability, and disagreeableness domains appeared stable over time, whereas parental ratings also yielded congruent components across the spouses: extraversion, conscientiousness, disagreeableness, and neuroticism. Mother – father agreement was high across the traits and broadband domains in each wave, while the consistency of the parent – teacher trait assessments was lower. The child scores showed a high rank – order stability and small normative change over the pre-school years. Most of the mean-level change patterns as reflected through adult ratings were similar across the informants, indicating age-increases in extraversion, conscientiousness, and the respective marker traits.
Welfare Labourism versus the New Right: the struggle in New Zealand's education policy

ABSTRACT New Zealand's radical education reforms (1987‐1990) provide a valuable case study for the examination of the politics, ideology and process of educational change. This paper examines the strategy of New Right agencies in attacking the established education settlement which embodies principles of Welfare Labourism. The crucial role of the New Zealand Treasury and of other agencies in bringing this settlement to crisis in the 1980s is analysed and discussed as is the response of the Labour Government. Many of the elements of struggle between Welfare Labourism and New Right market doctrines in education show similar features to struggles in other contexts such as the United Kingdom. However, the struggle in New Zealand makes visible and explicit the political and ideological features in a distinctive way. It also makes visible the significance of both race relations and of gender relations in the formation of education policy.
Transient Human Monoclonal Immunoglobulins

Fourteen cases of transient serum monoclonal immunoglobulins are reported. Seven of the patients were young children. In 8 cases (including 5 children) a primary or secondary immunodeficiency could be ascertained. The level of the peak was under 1 g % in all cases except one, where the monoclonal Ig level was 2.5 g %. In 9 cases the monoclonal Ig disappeared in less than 2 months. The significance of these transient homogeneous components is discussed at both the clinical and aetiological level.
Theory and practice in journalism education

Abstract Reflective practice, based on Kolb's experiential learning cycle, is promoted as best practice in higher education, and is now put forward as a solution to the theory—practice divide in journalism education. But reflection must be done within an explicit theoretical framework and the question remains: which framework, and defined by whom? As journalism practitioners continue their progress in the Academy, it is important to avoid assumptions about the nature of the framework that will evolve. In addition, while there has been an effort to show how theory can be integrated into the teaching of practice, much less has been done to show how practice might influence theory. The process must work in both directions to be truly reflective. A small survey of UK journalism educators, outlined here, sheds light on how journalism educators see the role of theory and its relation to practice in their own classrooms.
Application of Statistical Shape Model of the Liver in Classification of Cirrhosis

In computational anatomy, statistical shape model is used for quantitative evaluation of the variations of an organ shape. In this paper, we focus our researches on construction of Statistical Shape Model of the liver and its application to computer aided diagnosis of cirrhosis. We have proved the potential application of statistical shape models in classification of normal and cirrhosis livers. We first construct a statistical shape model of the liver from a training set (either different individuals (inter-patient variability) or the same individual (intra-patient variability)) and then coefficients of the model are used as features to recognize whether liver is normal or abnormal. The effectiveness of the constructed model is evaluated by the classification accuracy of normal and abnormal.
Study on the relationship between love attitudes and marital satisfaction among married women

The purpose of this research was to study the relation between love attitudes with marital satisfaction in women of Tehran. The statistical sample was 150 of married women among 22 regions of Tehran who were selected by Multi-stage cluster sampling. Parakash Marital Satisfaction (1985) and Love Attitude Scale–short form (LAS-SF) (1986) were used to collect data. Pearson correlation and multivariable regression used to analysis data. The result showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between Eros, Storge, Pragma, Agape of love attitudes with marital satisfaction, while Ludus had a negative and significant relationship with marital satisfaction. Stepwise Regression analyses showed that Eros, Pragma, Ludus and Storge of love attitudes were able to predict marital satisfaction.
Modelling users, context and devices for adaptive user interface systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the state-of-the-art in adaptive user interface systems by studying their historical development over the past 20 years. Moreover, this paper contributes with a specific model combining three main entities (users, context and devices) that have been demonstrated to be always represented in these environments. Novel concepts that should be taken into account in these systems are also presented. Design/methodology/approach – The authors first provide a review and a comparison of current user interface adaptive systems. Next, the authors detail the most significant models and the set of techniques used to, finally, propose a novel model based on the studied literature. Findings – Literature solutions for adaptive user interface systems tend to be very domain dependant. This situation restricts the possibility of sharing and exporting the information between such systems. Furthermore, the studied approaches barely highlight the dynamism of these models. Origina.
Angiotensin II Signaling to Phospholipase D in Renal Microvascular Smooth Muscle Cells in SHR

Angiotensin II (Ang II)–induced phospholipase D (PLD) activity is greater in aortic smooth muscle from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) versus normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Whether and how this signaling pathway is altered in preglomerular microvascular smooth muscle cells (PGSMCs), a cell type that may participate in genetic hypertension, is unknown. The goals of the present study were to determine in SHR and WKY PGSMCs the following: (1) whether Ang II induces PLD activity; (2) whether the effect of Ang II on PLD activity is greater in SHR; (3) which PLD isoform is stimulated by Ang II; (4) what signaling pathway mediates Ang II–induced PLD stimulation; and (5) whether the signaling pathways mediating Ang II–induced PLD activity are different in SHR and WKY. The EC50 for Ang II–induced PLD stimulation in SHR was 10-fold lower than the EC50 in WKY, and both were inhibited by L-158,805, an AT1 antagonist. Inhibitors of phosphoinositol-3-kinase and protein kinase C did not block Ang II–induced PLD activity in SHR and WKY PGSMCs. Catalytically-inactive constructs of PLD2 and RhoA, but not PLD1, ADP ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1), ARF6, or ADP ribosylation factor nucleotide exchange factor (ARNO) blocked Ang II–induced PLD activity in SHR and WKY PGSMCs. Brefeldin A completely blocked Ang II–induced PLD activity in SHR but only slightly reduced Ang II–induced PLD activity in WKY PGSMCs. Therefore, we conclude that in PGSMCs, the effect of Ang II on PLD activity is (1) greater in SHR; (2) mediated by AT1 receptors signaling to PLD2; (3) transduced primarily by Rho proteins; and (4) inhibited in SHR by brefeldin A.
Project-Based Science: Reflections of a Middle School Teacher

This article describes my experiences using the project-based science approach with 2 groups of seventh-grade students. I explain why I joined 10 veteran teachers and a group of university researchers in an effort to enhance the teaching of science. After identifying the key features of project-based science and describing the content and activities of the 2 project-based science units I taught, I discuss challenges I faced in implementing this approach. Time management presented the greatest difficulty. This included constraints imposed by district curriculum requirements, class period length, planning preparations, technology and telecommunication problems, and unit deadlines. Student collaboration and team cohesiveness also posed problems. I analyze how successfully the implementation of the units exemplified the project-based model. In the final sections I compare the strengths and weaknesses of my project-based and traditional science instruction. I decide that the "dividends" of project-based science are worth the energy and time "investment. " However, I believe my students would benefit most from a project-based science approach if it were integrated into a school year punctuated by units of varying length, intensity, and learning styles. After acknowledging the new dimensions of student achievement stimulated by project-based science, I conclude that I could not be satisfied returning to a traditional approach to science teaching.
Zika virus: An updated review of competent or naturally infected mosquitoes

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) that recently caused outbreaks in the Americas. Over the past 60 years, this virus has been observed circulating among African, Asian, and Pacific Island populations, but little attention has been paid by the scientific community until the discovery that large-scale urban ZIKV outbreaks were associated with neurological complications such as microcephaly and several other neurological malformations in fetuses and newborns. This paper is a systematic review intended to list all mosquito species studied for ZIKV infection or for their vector competence. We discuss whether studies on ZIKV vectors have brought enough evidence to formally exclude other mosquitoes than Aedes species (and particularly Aedes aegypti) to be ZIKV vectors. From 1952 to August 15, 2017, ZIKV has been studied in 53 mosquito species, including 6 Anopheles, 26 Aedes, 11 Culex, 2 Lutzia, 3 Coquillettidia, 2 Mansonia, 2 Eretmapodites, and 1 Uranotaenia. Among those, ZIKV was isolated from 16 different Aedes species. The only species other than Aedes genus for which ZIKV was isolated were Anopheles coustani, Anopheles gambiae, Culex perfuscus, and Mansonia uniformis. Vector competence assays were performed on 22 different mosquito species, including 13 Aedes, 7 Culex, and 2 Anopheles species with, as a result, the discovery that A. aegypti and Aedes albopictus were competent for ZIKV, as well as some other Aedes species, and that there was a controversy surrounding Culex quinquefasciatus competence. Although Culex, Anopheles, and most of Aedes species were generally observed to be refractory to ZIKV infection, other potential vectors transmitting ZIKV should be explored.
Beneficial Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Low Density Lipoprotein Particle Size in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Already under Statin Therapy

Beyond statin therapy for reducing low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), additional therapeutic strategies are required to achieve more optimal reduction in cardiovascular risk among diabetic patients with dyslipidemia. To evaluate the effects and the safety of combined treatment with omega-3 fatty acids and statin in dyslipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes, we conducted a randomized, open-label study in Korea. Patients with persistent hypertriglyceridemia (≥200 mg/dL) while taking statin for at least 6 weeks were eligible. Fifty-one patients were randomized to receive either omega-3 fatty acid 4, 2 g, or no drug for 8 weeks while continuing statin therapy. After 8 weeks of treatment, the mean percentage change of low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size and triglyceride (TG) level was greater in patients who were prescribed 4 g of omega-3 fatty acid with statin than in patients receiving statin monotherapy (2.8%±3.1% vs. 2.3%±3.6%, P=0.024; -41.0%±24.1% vs. -24.2%±31.9%, P=0.049). Coadministration of omega-3 fatty acids with statin increased LDL particle size and decreased TG level in dyslipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes. The therapy was well tolerated without significant adverse effects.
Attachment and Relational Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Emotional Communication

This study investigated associations among one partner's relational satisfaction and the other partner's style of attachment and emotional communication. Findings from a questionnaire study involving 581 couples showed that participants reported more relational satisfaction when their partners scored high in security and low in dismissiveness and preoccupation. These associations between one's relational satisfaction and the partner's attachment style were partially mediated by how the partner reported communicating emotions. Specifically, participants were less satisfied in relationships with preoccupied partners who reported expressing anger using destructive communication. Participants were less satisfied with dismissive partners who reported using detached emotional communication. Finally, participants were more satisfied with secure partners who reported using prosocial emotional communication. These findings suggest that the often-cited relationship between attachment and relational satisfaction is partially explained by emotional communication.
Incidence, therapy, and consequences of lymphocele after sirolimus-cyclosporine-prednisone immunosuppression in renal transplant recipients1.

Background. In a retrospective study we sought to dissect the factors associated with an increased occurrence of clinically significant perinephric fluid collections and lymphoceles among sirolimus-treated renal transplant recipients. Methods. We compared the incidence, predisposing factors, and consequences of these fluid collections among patients treated with sirolimus-cyclosporine (CsA)-prednisone (Pred) (n=354, group I) versus CsA-Pred with or without azathioprine (n=136, group II). Results. More group I patients (135/354; 38.1%) displayed perinephric fluid collections (denoted as group III) then group II patients (24/136; 17.6%) (denoted as group IV) (P <0.001). In both subgroups the serum creatinine levels were elevated at the time of diagnosis from a nadir of 2.04±1.61 to 4.09±2.95 mg/dL (group III) and from 2.53±2.34 to 4.36±2.90 mg/dL (group IV). A significantly greater number of patients required treatment for lymphoceles among group I (56/354; 15.8%) versus group II recipients (6/136; 4.4%;P <0.001). Single or repeated percutaneous drainage procedures successfully treated 35 group I patients versus all 6 group IV patients (P =0.033). No patients in group II versus 21 patients in group I underwent surgical procedures (P <0.001). A significantly higher rate and higher histologic grade of acute rejection episodes, particularly proximate to the onset of the lymphocele, occurred among group IV patients, namely 54.2% (13/24) versus 21.4% (29/135) group III patients (P <0.001). Conclusions. Addition of sirolimus to a CsA-Pred regimen resulted in both a higher incidence and a requirement for more aggressive treatment of perinephric fluid collections and lymphoceles.
Meibomian Gland Diagnostic Expressibility: Correlation With Dry Eye Symptoms and Gland Location

Purpose: To determine (1) if the number of meibomian glands yielding liquid secretion (MGYLS) is correlated with dry eye symptoms and (2) the mean number of MGYLS in the nasal, central, and temporal regions of the lower eyelid in a random clinical sample. Methods: Subjects presenting for routine eye examinations were recruited (n = 133; 90 females, 43 males; mean age = 50.3 ± 14.7 years). The sample included symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals using the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness questionnaire. Meibomian gland evaluations were performed using a standardized technique and diagnostic instrument. Results: The mean number of MGYLS in the lower eyelid correlated with dry eye symptoms, p = 0.0002. The mean numbers of MGYLS in each third of the lower eyelid were significantly different, p ≤ 0.0001: temporal = 0.27 ± 0.06, central = 2.14 ± 0.13, and nasal = 3.10 ± 0.15. The temporal third of the lower lid was 14 times as likely as the nasal third to have zero MGYLS; 86% of temporal versus 6% of nasal thirds had zero MGYLS. Conclusions: This is the first report to document the following: (1) a correlation between the number of MGYLS in the lower eyelid and dry eye symptoms; (2) the number of MGYLS varies significantly across the lower eyelid, with the highest number of MGYLS in the nasal third and the lowest number of MGYLS in the temporal third of the lower eyelid; and (3) instrumentation to standardize diagnostic meibomian gland expression is desirable if not mandatory for the evaluation of meibomian gland function.