Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Food for thought ... on in silico methods in toxicology.

this series of articles has already addressed in vitro and in vivo tools (Hartung, 2007; Hartung, 2008b). With this contribution addressing computational toxicology we now try to complete considerations on the main methodological approaches in toxicology. However, we do still plan to address specific aspects, such as endpoints (omics, image technologies), high-throughput testing or physiology-based pharmaco-(toxico-)kinetic modelling (PBPK), in later issues. All of these aspects have major in silico components, which already shows how difficult it is to discuss in silico methods on their own. Indeed, their integration and interplay with in vivo and in vitro approaches is critical, at least in the way their development often depends critically on the input of either in vitro or in vivo data. this is a major difference to experimental approaches. An important consideration will thus be whether in silico methods are limited by the limitations of their input and whether we have any hope of overcoming their weaknesses or can only approximate them. there are some excellent introductions to and reviews of computational toxicology (Durham and Pearl, 2001; van de Waterbeemd, 2002; Greene, 2002; Veith, 2004, Helma, 2005; Simon-Hettich et al., 2006; Kavlock et al., 2008; Merlot, 2008; Nigsch et al., 2009; Greene and Naven, 2009). In addition, the ex-eCB website (http://ecb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/qsar/), hosted by Andrew Worth and his team (chronically understaffed given the high expectations) who act as key promoters of computational toxicology, is an excellent resource. the same holds true for the US-based International QSAR Foundation (http://www.qsari. org/) around Gil Veith, non-profit research organization devoted solely to creating alternative methods for identifying chemical hazards without further laboratory testing, and Angelo Vedanis Biographics laboratory 3R in Basel, Switzerland (see his article in this issue). As usual this article aims less at summarizing the state of the art than at feeding discussions and showing up the critical issues faced by a central element of this increasingly important approach to toxicology.
Perceptions of Trust in the Boardroom: A Conceptual Model

The theoretical framework for a comprehensive trust model is presented using McAllister’s affect- and cognitive-based trust model and Siegrist, Earle, and Gutscher’s trust—confidence—cooperation model as the foundation. The enhanced model includes cognitive and affective domains of personality, culture, motivation, reliability, competence, and intuition (as a latent variable) to measure perception of trust between two individuals. The model applies the intercognition of self-leadership for improving trust and building effective relationships within boards of directors. Furthermore, the authors consider the multiplicity of board of director roles and how such complexity affects formation and maintenance of optimal trust.
Managing road safety through the use of linked data and heat maps

Road traffic injuries are a critical public health challenge that requires valuable efforts for effective and sustainable prevention. Worldwide, an estimated 1.2 million people are killed in road crashes each year and as many as 50 million are injured. An analysis of data provided by authoritative sources can be a valuable source for understanding which are the most critical points on the road network. The aim of this paper is to discover data about road accidents in Italy and to provide useful visualization for improving road safety. Starting from the annual report of road accidents of the Automobile Club of Italy, we transform the original data into an RDF dataset according to the Linked Open Data principles and connect it to external datasets. Then, an integration with Open Street Map allows to display the accident data on a map. Here, the final user is able to identify which road sections are most critical based on the number of deaths, injuries or accidents.
[High tibial osteotomy for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee].

OBJECTIVE To summarize clinical application of the high tibial osteatomy (HTO) with lateral closing-wedge for the treatment of pain of unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee. METHODS From February 2000 to February 2004,9 patients (3 males and 6 females, ranging in age from 52 to 58 years, with an average of 56 years) with unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee treated by HTO with lateral closing-wedge. The proximal tibiofibular joint was exposed, the anterior part of the capsule was incised, and to remove a laterally based wedge with saw cuts and osteotomes. Stepped staples were used for the fixation of tibial osteotomies after closing the defect of osteotomy. RESULTS The operative course was uneventful. There were no complications after operation. The postoperative follow-up period ranged from 2 to 5.5 years (mean, 3.5 years). The results were evaluated with functional assessment criterion of the osteoarthritis of the knee, among the 9 cases, excellent was in 5 cases, good in 3 cases, fair in 1 case. CONCLUSION HTO with lateral closing-wedge is an effective operative method for the treatment of pain of unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee, but except for older patients over 60 years.
A lightweight agent framework for interactive multi-agent applications

Usability issues are traditionally associated with user interfaces rather than with agent frameworks. We argue that the metaphors and models used in a framework will affect the thinking of the developer, and will influence the application design. Therefore, usability is of central importance for successful software development, and for reducing development and maintenance costs. We discuss the design and implementation of a lightweight agent framework for interactive multi-agent applications. A lightweight framework is advantageous for distributed interactive applications, for instance applications running on hand-held devices with limited memory. The design is based on minimalism and simplicity. We present the results from a usability study of the framework, where issues such as learnability and attitude have been evaluated. The study shows that minimalist design principles are useful for achieving understandable and navigable frameworks.
Scoping the barriers to implementing policies for inclusive education in Rwanda: an occupational therapy opportunity

Introduction: Education is a fundamental right for all children, including those with disability [UN (United Nations). 2013. General Assembly, 68th Session. The Way Forward: A Disability-Inclusive Developmental Agenda Towards 2015 and Beyond: Report of the Secretary-General (A/68/95). June 14. (Masthead). (2012 Readex microfiche). ]. Rwanda has numerous policies for inclusive education but has not been successful in implementing these standards nationally. A multisectoral approach, including interdisciplinary liaisons, is cited to achieve inclusive education. Occupational therapy services recently introduced in Rwanda contribute to reducing obstacles and facilitating the transition of children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms. Overcoming the barriers to inclusive education requires first identifying them before solutions are postulated. Objectives: This research maps the literature to demystify the barriers to implementing national policies for inclusive education. Methods: A scoping approach guided by the Arksey and O'Malley [2005. “Scoping Studies: Towards a Methodological Framework. ” International Journal of Social Research Methodology 8: 19–32] five-stage methodological framework was employed. Results: Seven themes emerged that impede the adoption of inclusive education: financial constraints, physical barriers, insufficient teacher training, cultural attitudes and discrimination, over-reliance on foreign aid, inadequate policies and legislation and ignoring cultural context in policies. Future research: Using a multisectoral approach with occupational therapists, a strategic demonstration project is recommended to: (a) re-operationalise policies, (b) prepare the environment and community, (c) train teachers, and (d) evaluate outcomes. The findings have the potential to assist other regions in identifying challenges to, and adopting, inclusive education in the future.
Attentive user interfaces: the surveillance and sousveillance of gaze-aware objects

Attentive user interfaces are user interfaces that aim to support users' attentional capacities. By sensing users' attention for objects and people in their everyday environment and by treating user attention as a limited resource, these interfaces avoid today's ubiquitous patterns of interruption. Focusing upon attention as a central interaction channel allows development of more sociable methods of communication and repair with ubiquitous devices. Our methods are analogous to human turn-taking in group communication. Turn-taking improves the user's ability to conduct foreground processing of conversations. Attentive user interfaces bridge the gap between foreground and periphery of user activity in a similar fashion, allowing users to move smoothly in between. The authors present a framework for augmenting user attention through attentive user interfaces. We propose 5 key properties of attentive systems: to (1) sense attention, (2) reason about attention, (3) regulate interactions, (4) communicate attention and (5) augment attention. We conclude with a discussion of privacy considerations of attentive user interfaces. Les interfaces utilisateur attentives sont des interfaces utilisateur qui ont pour but de soutenir l'attention de l'utilisateur. En sentant l'attention portée par l'utilisateur aux objets et aux personnes dans l'environnement quotidien et en tenant compte de ce que l'attention de l'utilisateur est une ressource limitée, ces interfaces pallient aux schémas habituels d'interruption pervasive. En faisant de l'attention le canal central d'interaction, on peut développer des méthodes de communication et d'utilisation des dispositifs pervasifs ou ubiquitaires plus conviviales. Ces méthodes sont analogues à la prise de parole tour à tour dans l'interaction et la communication humaine en groupe. La prise de parole tour à tour améliore la capacité de l'utilisateur de conduire au premier plan le processus de la conversation. De même, les interfaces utilisateur attentives comblent le fossé entre le premier plan et la périphérie de l'activité de l'utilisateur, en permettant à l'utilisateur de se déplacer lentement de l'un à l'autre. Les auteurs présentent un cadre permettant d'augmenter l'attention de l'utilisateur par des interfaces utilisateur attentives. Ils proposent cinq propriétés clés des systèmes attentifs: (1) sentir l'attention, (2) raisonner sur l'attention, (3) réguler les interactions, (4) communiquer l'attention et (5) augmenter l'attention. Les auteurs concluent par une discussion des problèmes posés par les interfaces utilisateur attentives quant au respect de la vie privée.
TGFβ1 evokes myoblast apoptotic response via a novel signaling pathway involving S1P4 transactivation upstream of Rho‐kinase‐2 activation

In view of its multiple detrimental effects, transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) is recognized as critical negative regulator of skeletal muscle repair. Apoptosis of skeletal muscle precursor cells driven by TGFβ1 contributes to the negative role exerted by the cytokine in tissue repair, although the underlying molecular mechanisms are still elusive. Herein we report the identification of a new signaling pathway, relying on Rho kinase‐2 stimulation, subsequent to SMAD‐dependent S1P4 up‐regulation and transactivation via sphingosine kinase (SK)‐2, that accounts for TGFβ1‐induced apoptosis in cultured myoblasts. S1P4‐specific gene silencing reduced by almost 50% activation of caspase‐3 and poly‐ADP ribosyl transferase cleavage elicited by TGFβ1. Moreover, the selective S1P4 antagonist CYM50358 also reduced the TGFβ1 proapoptotic effects. By employing pharmacological and molecular biological approaches, the involvement of SK2 and ROCK2 in the transmission of the TGFβ1 apoptotic action was also demonstrated. These results reinforce the notion that the SK/S1P axis plays a fundamental role in TGFβ1 mode of action in skeletal muscle cells and, by disclosing a novel mechanism by which TGFβ1 exerts its harmful action, pinpoint new molecular targets that in principle could be beneficial in the treatment of several skeletal muscle disorders or aging‐dependent muscle atrophy. —Cencetti, F. , Bernacchioni, C. , Tonelli, F. , Roberts, E. , Donati, C. , Bruni, P. TGFβ1 evokes myoblast apoptotic response via a novel signaling pathway involving S1P4 transactivation upstream of Rho‐kinase‐2 activation. FASEB J. 27, 4532–4546 (2013). www.fasebj. org
The impact of otitis media with effusion on early phonetic inventories: a longitudinal prospective investigation

This prospective investigation examined the effects of otitis media with effusion (OME) on early speech production. Two groups of infants, the otitis media positive (OME+; n=8), and the otitis media negative (OME-; n=8) were defined according to otitis media (OM) history during the first year of life. OM documentation was based on results from tympanometry, pneumatic otoscopy, and behavioural audiometry collected bimonthly beginning at age 2 months. Phonetic transcriptions were completed from infants' recorded babbling samples at 10, 12 and 14 months of age. No differences were found between the two groups on rate of vocalizations (i.e. consonants produced per minute). Differences between the two groups were seen in place and manner of articulation. OME infants produced more bilabial stops than OME- infants who, in turn, produced more alveolar stops and nasals than did their OME+ counterparts. Furthermore, within the OME+ group, children with poorer hearing thresholds showed preference for bilabial stops,.
Teaching Practice: A Cross-Professional Perspective

Background/Context This study investigates how people are prepared for professional practice in the clergy, teaching, and clinical psychology. The work is located within research on professional education, and research on the teaching and learning of practice. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose of the study is to develop a framework to describe and analyze the teaching of practice in professional education programs, specifically preparation for relational practices. Setting The research took place in eight professional education programs located in seminaries, schools of professional psychology, and universities across the country. Population/Participants/Subjects Our research participants include faculty members, students, and administrators at each of these eight programs. Research Design This research is a comparative case study of professional education across three different professions—the clergy, clinical psychology, and teaching. Our data include qualitative case studies of eight preparation programs: two teacher education programs, three seminaries, and three clinical psychology programs. Data Collection and Analysis For each institution, we conducted site visits that included interviews with administrators, faculty, and staff; observations of multiple classes and field-work; and focus groups with students who were either at the midpoint or at the end of their programs. Conclusions/Recommendations We have identified three key concepts for understanding the pedagogies of practice in professional education: representations, decomposition, and approximations of practice. Representations of practice comprise the different ways that practice is represented in professional education and what these various representations make visible to novices. Decomposition of practice involves breaking down practice into its constituent parts for the purposes of teaching and learning. Approximations of practice refer to opportunities to engage in practices that are more or less proximal to the practices of a profession. In this article, we define and provide examples of the representation, decomposition, and approximation of practice from our study of professional education in the clergy, clinical psychology, and teaching. We conclude that, in the program we studied, prospective teachers have fewer opportunities to engage in approximations that focus on contingent, interactive practice than do novices in the other two professions we studied.
“We may be pirates, but we are not protesters”: Identity in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Radical activist organizations face the complex task of managing their identity so as to draw political attention but also to appear legitimate and thus gain public support. In this article we develop a picture of the identities of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) members, a group mostly known for their direct action against whaling, via a thematic analysis of material from the SSCS website and interviews with SSCS members. In online commentary, founder Captain Paul Watson establishes several deliberately paradoxical notions of who the Sea Shepherds are. We relate these identity statements to interviews with core activists to examine how they manage the identity conflicts resulting from the group identity, such as being seen as “pirates” and “hard lined vegans. ” We found that SSCS positions themselves as a diverse and unstructured organization, yet distinctively passionate and willing to take action where others will not. The implications of this research are discussed in relation to the importance of understanding the constraints and conflicts around political activist identities.
THE INFLUENCE OF INCREASED AGE AND AGE MATCHING ON GRAFT SURVIVAL AFTER FIRST CADAVERIC RENAL TRANSPLANTATION

We examined the influence of donor and recipient age as well as close donor and recipient age matching by analysis of the actuarial survival of 397 consecutive first cadaveric renal transplants carried out in the years 1987 to 1990. Graft failure was defined as return to dialysis, transplant nephrectomy, or death of the recipient from any cause. Overall 1–, 2–, and 3-year actuarial graft survival was 87, 84, and 79%. No effect on graft survival in adult patients was seen of advanced age of either donor or recipient. The source of the donor whether from within or outside the North Western Regional Health Authority did not influence outcome whatever the donor age. Results from patients in whom the donor was within 5 years of the recipient's age were no different from those obtained when the age difference was greater than 5 years. These data do not support the hypothesis that close age matching influences graft survival. Age matching need not be used as a recipient selection criterion. As neither recipient nor donor age influenced early graft survival, consideration should be given to increasing the average age of both donors and recipients.
Impacts of Personality on Herding in Financial Decision-Making

Experimental analyses have identified significant tendencies for individuals to follow herd decisions, a finding which has been explained using Bayesian principles of statistical inference. This paper outlines the results from a herding task designed to extend these analyses. Empirically, we estimate logistic functions using panel fixed effect estimation techniques to quantify the impact of herd decisions on individuals‘ decisions about whether or not to buy a financial asset. We confirm that there are statistically significant propensities to herd and that social information about others‘ decisions has an impact on individuals‘ decisions. We extend these findings by identifying associations between herding propensities and individual characteristics such as gender, age and specific personality traits including impulsivity and venturesomeness.
Unitary Events in Multiple Single-Neuron Spiking Activity: II. Nonstationary Data

In order to detect members of a functional group (cell assembly) in simultaneously recorded neuronal spiking activity, we adopted the widely used operational definition that membership in a common assembly is expressed in near-simultaneous spike activity. Unitary event analysis, a statistical method to detect the significant occurrence of coincident spiking activity in stationary data, was recently developed (see the companion article in this issue). The technique for the detection of unitary events is based on the assumption that the underlying processes are stationary in time. This requirement, however, is usually not fulfilled in neuronal data. Here we describe a method that properly normalizes for changes of rate: the unitary events by moving window analysis (UEMWA). Analysis for unitary events is performed separately in overlapping time segments by sliding a window of constant width along the data. In each window, stationarity is assumed. Performance and sensitivity are demonstrated by use of simulated spike trains of independently firing neurons, into which coincident events are inserted. If cortical neurons organize dynamically into functional groups, the occurrence of near-simultaneous spike activity should be time varying and related to behavior and stimuli. UEMWA also accounts for these potentially interesting nonstationarities and allows locating them in time. The potential of the new method is illustrated by results from multiple single-unit recordings from frontal and motor cortical areas in awake, behaving monkey.
Effects of functional ability and training on chair-rise biomechanics in older adults.

BACKGROUND Difficulty in rising from a chair is common in older adults and may be assessed by examining the biomechanics of the rise. The purposes of this study were (i) to analyze the biomechanics of rise performance during chair-rise tasks with varying task demand in older adults with varying rise ability and (ii) to determine whether a strength-training program might improve chair-rise success and alter chair-rise biomechanics, particularly under situations of increased task demand. METHODS A training group (n = 16; mean age, 82 years) completed a 12-week strength-training regimen while a control group (n = 14; mean age, 84 years) participated in a seated flexibility program. Outcomes included the ability to complete seven chair-rise tasks, and, if the chair-rise tasks were successful, the biomechanics of these rises. Chair-rise task demand was increased by lowering the seat height, restricting the use of hands, increasing rise speed, and limiting foot support. RESULTS At baseline, increased chair-rise task demand generally required increased task completion time, increased anterior center of pressure (COP) placement, increased momentum, increased hip flexion, and increased hip and knee torque output. Those unable to rise at 100% knee height without the use of their hands (task NH-100), compared with those able to rise during task NH-100, followed this pattern in requiring increased time, more anterior placement of the COP, and increased hip flexion to rise in the least demanding tasks allowing the use of hands. However, the unable subjects generated less momentum and knee torque in these tasks. At 12 weeks, and compared with baseline and controls, the training group demonstrated changes in chair-rise biomechanics but no significant changes in rise success. The training subjects, as compared with the controls, maintained a more posterior COP, increased their vertical and horizontal momentum, maintained their knees in greater extension, and maintained their knee-torque output. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that subtle yet significant changes can be demonstrated in chair-rise performance as a result of a controlled resistance-training program. These biomechanical changes may represent a shift away from impairment in chair-rise ability, and, although the changes are small, they represent how training may reduce rise difficulty.