Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soil erosion in the kingdom of Lesotho: origins and colonial response, 1830s–1950s

The Kingdom of Lesotho has a well-established international reputation as an exceptionally eroded landscape. Since the turn of the century there have been reports of increasing degradation and blame has been laid at the feet of the land users. Bad or 'primitive' farming methods and overgrazing have been repeatedly identified as the agents of destruction. The attributes of blame have become so accepted as fact that they now form a part of the description of the nation. The jacket of a recent record album of Sotho music described Lesotho as follows:
Real-Time Iris Detection on Coronal-Axis-Rotated Faces

Real-time face and iris detection on video sequences is important in diverse applications such as, study of the eye function, drowsiness detection, virtual keyboard interfaces, face recognition, and multimedia retrieval. In this paper, a real-time robust method is developed to detect irises on faces with coronal axis rotation within the normal range of to . The method allows head movements with no restrictions to the background. The method is based on anthropometric templates applied to detect the face and eyes. The templates use key features of the face such as the elliptical shape, and location of the eyebrows, nose, and lips. For iris detection, a template following the iris-sclera boundary shape is used. The method was compared to Maio-Maltoni's and Rowley's methods for face detection on five video sequences (TEST 1). The method was also assessed in an additional set of five video sequences for iris detection (TEST 2). Results of correct face detection in TEST 1 were above 99% in three of the five video sequences. The fourth video sequence reached 97.6% and the third 90.6%. In TEST 2, the iris detection was above 96% in all five video sequences with two above 99.7% and two at 100%. Face size estimation is also above 99.9%. The average processing time of our method was 0.02 s per frame. Thus, the proposed method can process frames at a rate near to 50 frames/s, and therefore, is applicable in real time in a standard personal computer (PC 1.8 GHz).
Enhancing Older Drivers’ Safety: On Effects Induced by Stereotype Threat to Older Adults’ Driving Performance, Working Memory and Self-Regulation

In a study concerned with driving behaviors of older drivers (mean age 70 years) in a driving simulator, our findings indicate that telling older drivers that they are more at risk of accidents because of their age and their driving performance-related decline (i.e., exposing them to a stereotype threat concerning older drivers) severely impairs their self-regulatory skills. Moreover, our results show that this is at least partly due to exhaustion of the executive resources (older drivers under stereotype threat tended to contradict the stereotype of being slow by driving faster), appearing also through working memory overload (older drivers under stereotype threat performed markedly less well in a modular arithmetic task than drivers in the control condition). We thus complete the existing evidence that older drivers’ performance may be affected by socially-grounded factors, suggesting that simply being investigated may be enough to tax many capabilities in older people. We also propose that stereotype threat might be at least a partial explanation for why older drivers sometimes have poorer self-regulation performances after attending rehabilitation programs designed to make older drivers safer ones.
Comparison of Perioperative Outcomes of Total Laparoscopic and Robotically Assisted Hysterectomy for Benign Pathology during Introduction of a Robotic Program

Study Objective. Prospectively compare outcomes of robotically assisted and laparoscopic hysterectomy in the process of implementing a new robotic program. Design. Prospectively comparative observational nonrandomized study. Design Classification. II-1. Setting. Tertiary caregiver university hospital. Patients. Data collected consecutively 24 months, 34 patients underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy, 25 patients underwent robotic hysterectomy, and 11 patients underwent vaginal hysterectomy at our institution. Interventions. Outcomes of robotically assisted, laparoscopic, and vaginal complex hysterectomies performed by a single surgeon for noncancerous indications. Measurements and Main Results. Operative times were 208.3 ± 59.01 minutes for laparoscopic, 286.2 ± 82.87 minutes for robotic, and 163.5 ± 61.89 minutes for vaginal (P < .0001). Estimated blood loss for patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery was 242.7 ± 211.37 cc, 137.4 ± 107.50 cc for robotic surgery, and 243.2 ± 127.52 cc for vaginal surgery (P = 0.05). The mean length of stay ranged from 1.8 to 2.3 days for the 3 methods. Association was significant for uterine weight (P = 0.0043) among surgery methods. Conclusion. Robotically assisted hysterectomy is feasible with low morbidity, a shorter hospital stay, and less blood loss. This suggests that robotic assistance facilitates a minimally invasive approach for patients with larger uterine size even during implementing a new robotic program.
Attitudes toward international careers among male and female Canadian business students after 9‐11

Career aspirations of 145 senior undergraduate business students in Canada were analyzed. An overwhelming majority desired an overseas assignment at some point in their career, and they were not adversely affected by the 9‐11 terrorist attack. While 60 percent of the students considered pursuing a global career with multiple international assignments, 40 percent of those did so hesitantly. While receptivity to international careers was affected by the expectations of how such a career would enhance the quality of professional life and speed career advancement, willingness to accept a particular position was mostly influenced by the extent to which it would allow for a satisfying personal life. An international assignment would likely be rejected if it was at an undesirable location or would negatively affect family life. Women were as receptive to international careers as men, and multilingual students with foreign friends tended to have a strong interest in international careers.
Employee Machiavellianism to Unethical Behavior

Drawing on trait activation theory, we examine a person-situation interactionist model to predict unethical behavior in organizations. In particular, we examine abusive supervision as a condition under which employee Machiavellianism (Mach) is activated and thus more strongly predicts unethical behavior. We offer a more fine-grained analysis of the Mach–trait activation process by specifically examining the interactive effect of each Mach dimension (viz., Distrust in Others, Desire for Control, Desire for Status, and Amoral Manipulation) and abusive supervision onto unethical behavior. We collected multisource field data to test our hypotheses across two studies. We then tested our theoretical model utilizing an experimental design. The results of our field studies indicate that the interaction of amoral manipulation and abusive supervision is the most predictive of unethical behavior, whereas our experimental findings indicate that the interaction of desire for control and abusive supervision is the primary predictor of unethical behavior. Implications for the Machiavellianism literature and trait activation theory are discussed.
Using Autobiographical Approaches with People with Learning Difficulties

Biography and autobiography have been used in numerous ways to represent people with learning difficulties. In this paper we review a variety of approaches to biography and autobiography with people with learning difficulties, and discuss the roles researchers play. The paper ends with a discussion of the potential of autobiography as a means to change the power relationships in disability research.
Using Problem-Based Learning to Bring the Workplace into the Classroom

A modified form of problem-based learning (PBL) with problems based on real workplace scenarios was trialled in a third year university class on Environmental Geology. Problems were developed in consultation with industry and based on their recent projects. These were then modified to allow for the shorter timeframe available, the less developed technical skills of the students, and their inability to collect data on working sites. Students worked in small “company” groups. Each problem required the students to produce a tender or request for proposal (RFP) document and a report based on the industry-standard guidelines. Problem topics included a preliminary investigation of a contaminated site, a geotechnical investigation of a landslide-prone area, and preparation of geological data for an environmental impact assessment of a proposed mine site. The unit was designed using PBL as this teaching format leads to increased student engagement with the subject matter and development of a range of graduate attributes. Our modified form of PBL provides a lecture series that gives background to the problems and in this instance, almost all lectures were given by industry representatives. Students enjoyed the overall format and the use of real workplace examples. Group work generally rated more poorly in the unit evaluation than expected. Working with industry brought new challenges largely due to the mobility and time commitments of industry representatives in a field-based and global industry.
Development of a telehealth monitoring service after colorectal surgery: A feasibility study

AIM To evaluate the feasibility of a text-messaging system to remotely monitor and support patients after discharge following elective colorectal surgery, within an enhanced recovery protocol. METHODS Florence (FLO) is a National Health Service telehealth solution utilised for monitoring chronic health conditions, such as hypertension, using text-messaging. New algorithms were designed to monitor the well-being, basic physiological observations and any patient-reported symptoms, and provide support messages to patients undergoing colorectal surgery within an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol for 30 d after discharge. All interactions with FLO and physiological readings were recorded and patients were invited to provide feedback. RESULTS Over a four-week period, 16 out of 17 patients used the FLO telehealth service at home. These patients did not receive telephone follow-up at three days, as per our standard protocol, unless they reported being unwell or did not make use of the technology. Three patients were readmitted within 30 d, and two of these were identified as being unwell by FLO prior to readmission. No adverse events attributable to the use of the technology were encountered. CONCLUSION The utilisation of telehealth in the early follow-up of patients who have undergone major colorectal surgery after discharge is feasible. The use of this technology may assist in the early recognition and management of complications after discharge.
Comparison of wind turbine power control strategies to provide power reserves

Due to an increasing amount of wind turbines in the power system, which have a volatile power output, the need for flexibility increases. This flexibility can be obtained by ancillary services. Therefore, the provision of ancillary services with wind turbines is gaining interest. As they currently do not participate in the frequency control, this might compromise the proper functioning of the power system. The modern turbines are equipped with a power-electronic converter, so they can be used to provide a variety of ancillary services when the appropriate control strategies are used. In this paper, the provision of active power reserves for frequency control is considered. Three state-of-the-art power control strategies, i.e., constant power control, linear slope control and percentage control are compared to determine their ability to maintain reserves. It is concluded that all the strategies are able to provide reserves, but linear slope control and percentage control perform the best, especially when the wind turbines are aggregated in wind farms.
Coercive family processes: A replication and extension of Patterson’s coercion model

Patterson hypothesized that aggressive behavior develops in families when parents use coercion as the primary mode for controlling their children. The model has been tested with boys and older children. In this paper, through confirmatory factor analysis, we examine how well the coercion model generalizes to 5-year-old children (boys and girls). Our results suggest that the model fits the data similarly for boys and girls. Few sex differences in child antisocial behavior were found on observed or parent-rated measures, nor were differences found in observed parent aversive responses to child behavior. This implies that similar coercion processes apply to both boys and girls. Aggr. Behav. 27:14–25, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Disgust and fear ratings of eating disorder-relevant stimuli: Associations with dieting concerns and fat intake

Abstract The present study examines the relation between fear and disgust and dieting concerns. A sample of women completed measures of eating behavior, attitudes, fear, and disgust. They also provided emotional responses to images depicting high- and low-energy food, overweight and normal body shapes, and disgusting and frightening photographs. Fear and disgust of high-energy foods and overweight body shapes were significantly correlated with dieting concerns, but correlations between fear and disgust towards low-energy foods and slim body shapes were not. No significant correlations were found between eating behavior and emotional responses towards eating disorder-relevant or eating disorder-irrelevant stimuli. These findings suggest that while fear and disgust towards high–energy foods and overweight body shapes are related to dieting concerns, they do not mediate the relationship between dieting concerns and eating behavior. Emotional responses may represent rationalisations of dieting concerns rather than processes that support the avoidance of high-energy foods.
. POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN AMBIENT AIR AND CANCER

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are generated from the incomplete combustion of organic (carbonaceous) material, are ubiquitous contaminants in ambient air (IARC, 1983, 1984a, 1984b, 1985, 2010; WHO, 1998). Their occurrence in the air we breathe has been substantial during the past centuries due to emissions from industrial processes and energy production, motor vehicular traffic, incineration of refuse, and residential heating. PAHs consist of two or more fused aromatic rings made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The ring systems can be present in multiple configurations and may be unsubstituted or substituted. PAHs range from semivolatile molecules to molecules with high boiling points. Thus, they may be found both in the gas and the particulate phase of ambient air or in mixtures of both phases. About 500 different PAHs have been detected in air, but often the measurements focus on benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) as a representative of the whole PAH family (WHO, 1998; Boström et al., 2002). Many of the PAHs in ambient air are carcinogenic (IARC, 1983, 1984a, 1984b, 1985, 2010) (Figure 7.1), and a recent reassessment of their carcinogenic potential led to B[a]P being upgraded to a Group 1 known human carcinogen (IARC, 2010). Thus there is considerable concern about the relationship between PAH exposure in the ambient air and the potential to contribute to human cancer incidence. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors 16 priority PAHs in air due to health concerns: naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, benz[a] anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k] fluoranthene, B[a]P, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, benzo[g,h,i]-perylene, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene (in order of number of aromatic rings per structure) (Figure 7.1). Of particular note is that several PAHs (naphthalene, chrysene, benzo[b] fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, B[a]P, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, dibenzo[a,e]pyrene and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, and anthanthrene) have been found to be carcinogenic in experimental animals after inhalation or intratracheal ingestion, increasing concern about the levels of these carcinogens in ambient air (Figure 7.1). CHAPTER 7 . POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN AMBIENT AIR AND CANCER
The Finishing Moment: Temporal and Spatial Features of Sexual Interactions between Streetwalkers and Car Clients

Field research on prostitution has ignored the actual interactions between prostitutes and their clients. This gap is, in part, the result of the over-reliance of research on data of a confessional nature. This paper reports on the results of a field research study of street prostitution in a large Dutch city. Experimentation with the "complete observer" field research role is discussed, and a plea for multimethod approach to fieldwork is presented. The paper concentrates on certain temporal and spatial features of the sexual interaction of "finishing" that occur between street prostitutes and their clients. "Finishing" refers to the actual interaction moment where the objects of desire are exchanged. Empirical data on this crucial moment are especially difficult to obtain. In this paper, some qualitative and quantitative data about finishing are presented. Specific tensions are described of time and money, sexuality and sociability, and territoriality and proxemic conflicts. These conflicts are discussed.
The Limits of Minsky's Financial Instability Hypothesis as an Explanation of the Crisis

The financial crisis has been widely interpreted as a Minsky crisis. This paper argues that interpretation is misleading. The processes identified in Minsky's financial instability hypothesis played a critical role in the crisis, but that role was part of a larger economic drama involving the neoliberal growth model. The neoliberal model inaugurated an era of wage stagnation. In place of wage growth spurring demand growth, it relied on borrowing and asset price inflation. That arrangement was always unsustainable but financial innovation and deregulation warded off the model's stagnationist tendencies far longer than expected. These delay mechanisms is where Minsky's financial instability hypothesis enters the narrative. The interpretation of the financial crisis and Great Recession has enormous significance for economic policy. If interpreted as a purely financial crisis, in the spirit of a pure Minsky crisis, the policy implication is simply to fix the financial system. However, there is no need for reform of the real economy because that is not the source of the problem. If instead, the crisis is interpreted through a new Marxist - Structural Keynesian lens the policy implications are deeper and more challenging. Financial sector reform remains needed to deal with the problems of destabilizing speculation and political capture. However, it does not address the root problem which is the neo-liberal growth model. Restoring stable shared prosperity requires replacing the neoliberal model with a new model that restores the link between wage and productivity growth. That will require adoption of a new labor market agenda, re-fashioning globalization, reversing the imbalance between market and government, and restoring the goal of full employment. Financial sector reform without reform of the neoliberal growth model will leave the economy stuck in an era of stagnation. That is because stagnation is the logical next step of the neoliberal model given current conditions. Ironically, financial sector reform alone may worsen stagnation since financial excess was a major driver of the neoliberal model and that driver would be removed.
In Vitro Anti-Echinococcal and Metabolic Effects of Metformin Involve Activation of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase in Larval Stages of Echinococcus granulosus

Metformin (Met) is a biguanide anti-hyperglycemic agent, which also exerts antiproliferative effects on cancer cells. This drug inhibits the complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chain inducing a fall in the cell energy charge and leading 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. AMPK is a highly conserved heterotrimeric complex that coordinates metabolic and growth pathways in order to maintain energy homeostasis and cell survival, mainly under nutritional stress conditions, in a Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1)-dependent manner. This work describes for the first time, the in vitro anti-echinococcal effect of Met on Echinococcus granulosus larval stages, as well as the molecular characterization of AMPK (Eg-AMPK) in this parasite of clinical importance. The drug exerted a dose-dependent effect on the viability of both larval stages. Based on this, we proceeded with the identification of the genes encoding for the different subunits of Eg-AMPK. We cloned one gene coding for the catalytic subunit (Eg-ampkɑ) and two genes coding for the regulatory subunits (Eg-ampkβ and Eg-ampkγ), all of them constitutively transcribed in E. granulosus protoscoleces and metacestodes. Their deduced amino acid sequences show all the conserved functional domains, including key amino acids involved in catalytic activity and protein-protein interactions. In protoscoleces, the drug induced the activation of AMPK (Eg-AMPKɑ-P176), possibly as a consequence of cellular energy charge depletion evidenced by assays with the fluorescent indicator JC-1. Met also led to carbohydrate starvation, it increased glucogenolysis and homolactic fermentation, and decreased transcription of intermediary metabolism genes. By in toto immunolocalization assays, we detected Eg-AMPKɑ-P176 expression, both in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of cells as in the larval tegument, the posterior bladder and the calcareous corpuscles of control and Met-treated protoscoleces. Interestingly, expression of Eg-AMPKɑ was observed in the developmental structures during the de-differentiation process from protoscoleces to microcysts. Therefore, the Eg-AMPK expression during the asexual development of E. granulosus, as well as the in vitro synergic therapeutic effects observed in presence of Met plus albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), suggest the importance of carrying out chemoprophylactic and clinical efficacy studies combining Met with conventional anti-echinococcal agents to test the potential use of this drug in hydatidosis therapy.