Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mediating political dissent: a study of Thai news organisations and southern conflict reporting

The objective of this thesis is to explore the roles of news media in the political conflict in Thailand’s southernmost provinces by analysing two aspects of Thai journalism: news content and news production practices. Four news organisations of different platforms and organisational natures were selected. The content analysis reveals that, despite their different characteristics, the four organisations’ reports similarly highlight the conflict’s violent aspect and the preservation of public order via law enforcement and security, rely heavily on authority sources, and primarily label perpetrators as criminals. Therefore, the news coverage tends to support the state’s legitimacy in solving the conflict and undermine other interpretations and proposed solutions. Interviews with news workers and ethnography of news production show that journalists encounter several difficulties in reporting about the conflict, from physical threats, limited access to information, and organisational constraints to the pressures from market competition and predominant beliefs in Thai society. The journalist-source relationship is also instrumental in shaping the aforementioned portrayal of the conflict. In all, these elements contribute to journalists’ different stances on the conflict and the various roles they perform. Three prominent roles of Thai journalism in the southern conflict are identified: 1) journalism as a presenter of truth, 2) journalism as a forum for every party, and 3) journalism as a supporter in conflict resolution. These disparate roles reflect the dynamic power play, debates about news professionalism, and reflexivity among journalists. They also signal the interplay between journalism and other political and social institutions. The thesis argues that, while the news coverage still largely endorses the authority’s perspectives and legitimacy, the shifts in the discursive contention and political consensus, as well as diversity and complexity in Thai news ecology could provide opportunities for the counterhegemonic accounts to emerge and facilitate healthy democratic debates about the southern conflict.
Correlation between peripheral blood pressure and pulse-wave velocity values in the institutionalized elderly persons 80 years of age and older: the PARTAGE study.

BACKGROUND Carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (PWV) provides a comprehensive noninvasive indication of arterial stiffness, and is now established as a strong marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The correlation between peripheral blood pressure (BP) and PWV and their respective influences on mortality have been poorly studied in the elderly. Our objective was to analyze this correlation in nursing-home residents over 80 years of age, with the view that the results of this could ultimately be helpful in implementing strategies for the diagnosis and long-term follow-up of CVD and mortality in the very elderly population. METHODS The Predictive Value of Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Institutionalized Very Aged Population (PARTAGE) study is a 2-year cohort study of 1,130 subjects living in 72 nursing homes in France and Italy. The correlation between baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively) and baseline PWV (measured with a PulsePen® tonometer) was studied in 1,071 subjects for whom PWV measurements were available. RESULTS Correlations between peripheral BP and PWV were significant but weak, with r = 0.24 for self-measured SBP, r = 0.30 for casual SBP, r = 0.11 for self-measured DBP, r = 0.14 for casual DBP, and r = 0.26 for casual pulse pressure (PP). A trend toward a weaker correlation was observed in the older age group for self-measured SBP and in the group with a lower level of activities of daily living (ADL) for self-measured SBP and DBP. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that SBP, DBP, and PWV provide different information in the very elderly. The results of the prospective, longitudinal, long-term PARTAGE study will allow further insight into this and provide additional in-depth information about the respective prognostic value of the measurement of peripheral BP and PWV.
Variables associated with oral hygiene levels in 7-year-olds in Belgium.

OBJECTIVES The present investigation aimed to delineate the extent of the correlation between each of a number of possible associated variables and the amount of plaque (as measured by a plaque index) present in 7-year-old Flemish children and to investigate the potential relation between caries experience and the amount of dental plaque. PARTICIPANTS A sample of 4,468 children representative of children living in Flanders and born in 1989 was obtained. Their mean age was 7.1 (SD = 0.4) years with a boys/girls ratio of 51.8%-48.2%. METHODS Analyses were performed with ordinal plaque index outcome, considering the children's school (i.e. class) as a random effect. Random effect models were estimated with the SAS procedure Proc NLMIXED. RESULTS From the multiple logistic regression analysis, it could be concluded that the older the subjects the more dental plaque was observed (OR = 1.35; CI 1.08-1.68; p = 0.0081). Moreover, four explanatory variables could be identified as significant determinants for dental plaque in the mixed dentition: 'start of brushing after the age of 2' (OR = 1.161; CI: 1.09-1.23; p < 0.0001), 'brushing frequency of < 1x/day' (OR = 1.369; CI: 1.012-1.66; p = 0.0019), 'more than two in between meal snacks' (OR = 1.18; CI: 1.023-1.36; p = 0.0111) and 'daily intake of sugar containing drinks' (OR = 1.24; CI: 1.08-1.42; p = 0.0023). Further, being male was associated with a higher amount of plaque (OR = 1.16; CI: 1.00-1.34; p = 0.0506) and finally, a weak but significant correlation (Spearmans' rho: r = 0.23, p < 0.0001) between caries experience and the amount of cervical plaque was shown. CONCLUSION The amount of cervical plaque in the mixed dentition was significantly related to variables associated with oral hygiene and dietary habits. A low but significant correlation between the amount of dental plaque and caries experience was observed.
Learning Hierarchical Feature Extractors For Image Recognition

Telling cow from sheep is effortless for most animals, but requires much engineering for computers. In this thesis, we seek to tease out basic principles that underlie many recent advances in image recognition. First, we recast many methods into a common unsupervised feature extraction framework based on an alternation of coding steps, which encode the input by comparing it with a collection of reference patterns, and pooling steps, which compute an aggregation statistic summarizing the codes within some region of interest of the image. Within that framework, we conduct extensive comparative evaluations of many coding or pooling operators proposed in the literature. Our results demonstrate a robust superiority of sparse coding (which decomposes an input as a linear combination of a few visual words) and max pooling (which summarizes a set of inputs by their maximum value). We also propose macrofeatures, which import into the popular spatial pyramid framework the joint encoding of nearby features commonly practiced in neural networks, and obtain significantly improved image recognition performance. Next, we analyze the statistical properties of max pooling that underlie its better performance, through a simple theoretical model of feature activation. We then present results of experiments that confirm many predictions of the model. Beyond the pooling operator itself, an important parameter is the set of pools over which the summary statistic is computed. We propose locality in feature configuration space as a natural criterion for devising better pools. Finally, we propose ways to make coding faster and more powerful through fast convolutional feedforward architectures, and examine how to incorporate supervision into feature extraction schemes. Overall, our experiments offer insights into what makes current systems work so well, and state-of-the-art results on several image recognition benchmarks.
Delays of Inflation Stabilizations

In some new political economic models, delays of stabilizations result from coordination problems caused by collective choice-making mechanisms. Although several previous studies have tested the effects of political instability and fragmentation on seigniorage, deficits, or inflation, no direct tests of the influence of these factors on the delays of stabilizations have previously been undertaken. This paper reports the results of such tests. The degree of fragmentation of the political system and the level of inflation are identified as important determinants of the timing of inflation stabilizations.
Commodity Taxation as a Determinant of Trade

La taxation des marchandises comme facteur de'terminant du commerce international. Les developpements contemporains de la theorie pure du commerce international reposent sur le postulat que ce commerce provient des differences existant entre les pays quant a l'abondance relative des ressources. L'auteur reconnait qu'il s'agit la d'un determinant du commerce. Toutefois, il est d'avis qu'on n'a pas accorde aux autres determinants possibles toute l'attention qu'ils meritent. Il croit que cela a conduiit 'a l'elaboration d'un ensemble th6orique qu'il est difficile d'utiliser dans certaines situations concretes. On a particulierement neglige l'effet sur le commerce des imperfections relatives A l'6quilibre concurrentiel. L'auteur s'attache ici a l'une des sources de ces imperfections: la taxation des marchandises. II montre en premier lieu que la taxation des marchandises peut faire naitre un commerce entre deux pays qui sont par ailleurs dans des conditions identiques. De plus, le niveau de la perception (consommateurs ou producteurs) a une incidence sur le fait qu'un produit soit importe ou exporte. L'auteur trouve encore que le commerce lie a la taxation ne beneficie pas necessairement au pays qui l'impose. Cette constation laisse voir la possibilite qu'un tarif optimal puisse n'etre que prohibitif. Dans le cas d'une taxation a l'etape de la production, le commerce conduit a des diff6rences entre les prix des facteurs. La question de la mobilite des facteurs prend alors une importance accrue. En presence d'une mobilit6 des facteurs, on constate la meme chose qu'Heckscher-Ohlin. Toutefois, il ne s'agit pas alors d'une cause, mais plut6t d'une cons'quence du commerce. L'auteur etudie les caracteristiques de l'equilibre quand il y a mobilite des facteurs. II souligne qu'il est important d'identifier le facteur mobile pour bien caracteriser l'equilibre final. En conclusion, I'auteur fait un bref commentaire sur les implications de son mod'ele quant a certaines des propositions bien connues d'Heckscher-Ohlin.
Some developmental aspects of the head skeleton of the 35–37 mm Squalus acanthias foetus

Two specimens of a group of five foetuses, 35–37 mm in total length, of Squalus acanthias were serially sectioned and stained. These specimens were studied for the purpose of testing statements made in the literature, especially by Holmgren ('40), regarding cell sources and skeletal development. Many of Holmgren's results were confirmed with some important differences in detail. Limited blastemas of dermal bones were not evident although a diffuse subepidermal blastema was present in certain areas. There is evidence of delamination addition to the jaws and many parts of the endocranium. Although the trabecula is in part of visceral origin, the visceral material does not represent an infrapharyngohyal since it always has been an integral part of the endocranium, never a formed element of the arch. The same applies to the pharyngo region of the hyoid arch. The pharyngohyal tissue forms the area of articulation of the hyomandibula and the lamina hypotica. Thus a typical lateral commissure is not formed and the resulting otic capsule‐basicranial association is unique to the elasmobranchs. The hyomandibula is the epihyal and there is no evidence of a symplectic in this group. The jaws appear to incorporate delamination tissue, associated in teleostomes with dermal bone, in addition to the neural crest proper.
Expected Inflation and Interest Rates

While there may have been a Darby-Feldstein effect in the 1960's (interest rates rising by more than expected inflation because of tax considerations), the relationship is so variable that it more likely reflects changing investor confidence in the expected returns to capital assets. In addition, the degree of capacity utilization appears to have a strong influence on short-term interest rates, and there is a statistically significant but quantitatively small liquidity effect from changes in the growth rate of money.
The Tricuspid Valve: Current Perspective and Evolving Management of Tricuspid Regurgitation

Cardiovascular specialists have entered an era of renewed interest and enthusiasm surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of valvular heart disease, driven in part by emerging percutaneous therapies for the treatment of aortic, pulmonic, and mitral valve disease. Despite this wave of investigation, little or no attention has been given to the treatment of tricuspid valve disease. Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) occurs mainly from tricuspid annular dilation, which can result from left-sided heart failure from myocardial or valvular causes, right ventricular volume and pressure overload, or dilation of cardiac chambers. If untreated at the time of surgical mitral valve repair, significant residual TR negatively impacts perioperative outcomes, functional class, and survival. TR does not reliably resolve after successful mitral valve surgery. If present at the time of mitral valve surgery, TR can usually be effectively addressed with ring annuloplasty. Because reoperations for recurrent TR carry high mortality rates, few patients are offered reoperation for redo tricuspid repair or replacement. As transcatheter therapies for mitral regurgitation arise, parallel percutaneous approaches for TR may be necessary. In this article, we review the anatomy, pathophysiology, and value of mechanical correction of TR, including potential transcatheter therapies for TR.
The German Business Services Statistics Panel 2003 to 2007

The majority of empirical studies on the firm level have focused only on the manufacturing sector, largely because there are few datasets that allow a detailed investigation of the service sector. However, the German structural survey in the services sector (“Strukturerhebung im Dienstleistungsbereich”), hereafter called the “German business services statistics”, contains a dataset that gives a better picture about enterprises and professional persons in the business-related services sector, namely, firms that are active in the German WZ2003 Sections I (transport, storage and communication) and K (real estate, renting and business activities). 1 This dataset includes information about the number of employed persons, turnover, salaries and wages, investments, subsidies, and variations in stocks. Because the sample of enterprises and professional persons required to give information in 2003 was also used in 2004-2007, it is possible to merge the cross-sectional datasets into a panel dataset that covers the reporting years 2003-2007. The combination is done within the AFiD project 2 of the research data centre of the statistical offices of the Federal States. The resulting “AFiD-Panel Services”, hereafter called the “German business services statistics panel”, allows panel analyses of the German business services sector for the first time. In the remainder of this paper, Section 2 gives an overview of the business services statistics. Section 3 describes the variables included in the panel dataset, and in Section 4 selected studies that have worked with the German business services statistics panel are presented to show the research potential of the dataset. Section 5 gives a short overview of upcoming changes to the services statistics in the reporting year 2008. Section 6 closes the paper with information about the way of data access. * Many thanks go to Karl-Heinz Pesch (Federal Statistical Office), Brigitta Redling (Federal Statistical Office), and Ramona Voshage (Research Data Centre of the statistical office Berlin/ Brandenburg) for helpful comments and valuable information concerning the specific characteristics of the business services statistics. All errors are my own. 1
The impact of local unemployment rates on reservation wages and the duration of search for a job.

Evidence about the relationship of local unemployment rates and individuals' reservation wages and duration of search for a job if unemployed is sparse and mixed. This study uses US data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to test whether relatively high local unemployment rates reduce the reservation wages of area residents or increase the duration of search. Labour search theory provides the grounding for the sample selection corrected simultaneous equations econometric model. In neither OLS nor 2SLS results is evidence found that local unemployment rates affect either reservation wages or the duration of search. These results suggest that policies targeted at alleviating unemployment should focus on increasing the demand for labour rather than hope that such policies will be beneficial if pursued in high-unemployment areas because of their effects on labour force characteristics.
Ceramide Disables 3-Phosphoinositide Binding to the Pleckstrin Homology Domain of Protein Kinase B (PKB)/Akt by a PKCζ-Dependent Mechanism

ABSTRACT Ceramide is generated in response to numerous stress-inducing stimuli and has been implicated in the regulation of diverse cellular responses, including cell death, differentiation, and insulin sensitivity. Recent evidence indicates that ceramide may regulate these responses by inhibiting the stimulus-mediated activation of protein kinase B (PKB), a key determinant of cell fate and insulin action. Here we show that inhibition of this kinase involves atypical PKCζ, which physically interacts with PKB in unstimulated cells. Insulin reduces the PKB-PKCζ interaction and stimulates PKB. However, dissociation of the kinase complex and the attendant hormonal activation of PKB were prevented by ceramide. Under these circumstances, ceramide activated PKCζ, leading to phosphorylation of the PKB-PH domain on Thr34. This phosphorylation inhibited phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) binding to PKB, thereby preventing activation of the kinase by insulin. In contrast, a PKB-PH domain with a T34A mutation retained the ability to bind PIP3 even in the presence of a ceramide-activated PKCζ and, as such, expression of PKB T34A mutant in L6 cells was resistant to inhibition by ceramide treatment. Inhibitors of PKCζ and a kinase-dead PKCζ both antagonized the inhibitory effect of ceramide on PKB. Since PKB confers a prosurvival signal and regulates numerous pathways in response to insulin, suppressing its activation by a PKCζ-dependent process may be one mechanism by which ceramide promotes cell death and induces insulin resistance.
Performance of microenterprises in Ghana: a resource‐based view

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the financial performance of microenterprises in Ghana by applying the resource‐based theory of the firm. Specifically, it is tested that if firm‐specific resources dominate sector and market‐wide effects in explaining microenterprise performance, as suggested by the resource‐based theory.Design/methodology/approach – The relevant literature for both microenterprise performance and the resource‐based theory is reviewed. Data from the 1998/1999 Ghana Living Standards Survey are analysed using ordinary least squares, followed by robustness checks.Findings – Factors embodied in firm‐specific resources jointly impact enterprise performance. However, sector/market factors also play a role, suggesting that the interaction between microenterprise, sector, and market factors helps explain enterprise performance.Research limitations/implications – All the constructs of the resource‐based theory cannot be tested due to data limitations.Originality/value – Small enter.
Detection of Intrahepatic Hepatitis B Virus DNA and Correlation with Hepatic Necroinflammation and Fibrosis

ABSTRACT Assessment of intrahepatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B is important in understanding the natural history of the disease and designing antiviral therapy regimens. However, there is no standardized method for the measurement of intrahepatic HBV DNA levels. We describe a convenient novel method for the measurement of intrahepatic HBV DNA levels based on a modified COBAS Amplicor HBV Monitor test for HBV DNA measurement and real-time PCR β-actin gene detection for human genomic DNA (hgDNA) quantitation. Fifteen hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients, 26 patients positive for antibody to HBeAg (anti-HBe), and 8 control patients were recruited. The mean between-run coefficient of variation for the β-actin real-time PCR assay was 15.4%. All eight control patients had undetectable intrahepatic and serum HBV DNA levels. All chronic hepatitis B patients had detectable intrahepatic HBV DNA levels, and all but one anti-HBe-positive patient had detectable serum HBV DNA levels. HBeAg-positive patients had higher median intrahepatic and serum HBV DNA levels than anti-HBe-positive patients (6,950 versus 676 HBV DNA copies/ng of hgDNA, respectively [P < 0.001] and 184 × 106 versus 6.65 × 106 copies/ml, respectively [P < 0.001]). The intrahepatic HBV DNA levels correlated strongly with the serum HBV DNA levels (r = 0.842; P < 0.001) and with the degree of fibrosis (P = 0.014). We conclude that the method that we describe is reliable and convenient for the measurement of intrahepatic HBV DNA levels and has potential clinical significance.
Effect of Potato Flakes as Fat Replacer on the Quality Attributes of Low-Fat Beef Patties

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical, physical and sensory characteristics of low- fat beef patties formulated by replacing different levels (25, 50, 75 and 100%) of fat with hydrated potato flakes. Uncooked and cooked beef patties formulated with potato flakes had higher (p#0.05) moisture, carbohydrate and ash content and lower (p#0.05) fat contents than that of the control. Caloric values of beef patties was lower (p#0.05) than control by between 7 and 57%, cholesterol content of patties decreased as level of potato flakes increased. Cooking yield, Water Holding Capacity (WHC) as well as moisture and fat retention were increased significantly (p#0.05) with increasing the levels of potato flakes. Overall acceptability values for beef patties formulated with potato flakes were higher (p#0.05) than the control samples. Beef patties formulated with 75% potato flakes as fat replacer had significantly (p#0.05) the highest score of overall acceptability. Hydrated potato flack could be an excellent replacement for fat in beef patties maintaining acceptable and desirable sensory properties.