Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severity classification for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by using fuzzy logic

OBJECTIVE: To set out a severity classification for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) based on the interaction of pulmonary function parameters with high resolution computed tomography (CT) findings. INTRODUCTION: Despite the contribution of functional and radiological methods in the study of IPF, there are few classification proposals for the disease based on these examinations. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out, in which 41 non-smoking patients with IPF were evaluated. The following high resolution CT findings were quantified using a semi-quantitative scoring system: reticular abnormality, honeycombing and ground-glass opacity. The functional variables were measured by spirometry, forced oscillation technique, helium dilution method, as well as the single-breath method of diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide. With the interaction between functional indexes and high resolution CT scores through fuzzy logic, a classification for IPF has been built. RESULTS: Out of 41 patients studied, 26 were male and 15 female, with a mean age of 70.8 years. Volume measurements were the variables which showed the best interaction with the disease extension on high resolution CT, while the forced vital capacity showed the lowest estimative errors in comparison to total lung capacity. A classification for IPF was suggested based on the 95% confidence interval of the forced vital capacity %: mild group (≥92.7); moderately mild (76.9–92.6); moderate (64.3–76.8%); moderately severe (47.1–64.2); severe (24.3–47.0); and very severe (<24.3). CONCLUSION: Through fuzzy logic, an IPF classification was built based on forced vital capacity measurement with a simple practical application.
Keeping connected: a review of the research relationship

In this paper, some key findings of the Keeping Connected project are discussed in light of the methodological challenges of developing an analytical approach in a large-scale study, particularly in starting with open-ended, participant-selected, digital still visual images as part of 31 longitudinal case studies. The paper works to clarify the methodological and epistemological discussions of the visual data, an issue of great interest in qualitative research and visuality for researchers intent on developing understandings of participatory research methods in the field of youth studies.
Coercion and Consent in Contested Exchange

AT the core of Sam Bowles’ and Herbert Gintis’ paper, &dquo;Contested Exchange,&dquo; is a classical problem in Marxist theory: What are the mechanisms that explain the capacity of capitalists to actually appropriate surplus labor from workers? The simple fact of a labor contract between workers and capitalists is insufficient to explain real appropriation. In the labor contract, workers merely sell their capacity to work to capitalists-their labor power. How is it, then, that capitalists manage to get workers to perform sufficient actual labor effort to produce a profit above the costs (wages) of that labor power? Bowles and Gintis explore one important mechanism for solving this problem, namely the combination of employment rents, surveillance, and threats of firing that constitute the core of their model of contested exchange. Their analyses constitute an interesting contribution on at least two scores. First, radical political economists have paid relatively little attention to effiency wage theory and the transaction costs approach to organizational economics. Bowles and Gintis systematically incorporate these theoretical traditions into the agenda of Marxism. This incorporation has important implications not only for Marxist treatments of exploitation (the transformation of labor power into labor) but also for a range of other problems such as the structural bases for unemployment in a competitive economy, the rationing of credit in capital markets, or the forms of power that divide employed from unemployed workers. Secondly, in a complementary manner, neoclassical economists have not understood the implications of transaction cost theory for the relationship between power and exchange. In their
Effects of Multimedia Annotations on Vocabulary Acquisition

Research on second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition has revealed that words associated with actual objects or imagery techniques are learned more easily than those without. With multimedia applications, it is possible to provide, in addition to traditional definitions of words, different types of information, such as pictures and videos. Thus, one of the fundamental research questions posed in the use of multimedia systems is: How effective are annotations with different media types for vocabulary acquisition? This article discusses the results of three studies done with 160 university German students using CyberBuch, a hypermedia application for reading German texts that contains a variety of annotations for words in the form of text, pictures, and video. The issues examined are related to (a) how well vocabulary is learned incidentally when the goal is reading comprehension, (b) the effectiveness of different types of annotations for vocabulary acquisition, and (c) the relationship between look-up behavior and performance on vocabulary tests. The results showed a higher rate of incidental learning than expected (25% accuracy on production tests, 77% on recognition tests), significantly higher scores for words that were annotated with pictures + text than for those with video + text or text only, and a correlation between looking up a certain annotation type and using this type as the retrieval cue for remembering words.
Utilitarianism or romanticism: the effect of rewards on employees' innovative behaviour

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to empirically explore the relationship between human resource rewards management and innovative behaviours, particularly between the utilitarianism and romanticism reward approaches and employee creativity in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach - The paper adopts a quantitative approach. After analysing construct validity and reliability, the study empirically tests its hypotheses by performing a multi-regression analysis with a sample of 216 individuals. Findings - The study reaches three main conclusions. First, tangible extrinsic rewards affect the innovative behaviour of employees in an “inverse-U” shape. Second, intrinsic motivations have a substantially positive impact on the innovative behaviour of employees. And third, extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivations have positive interaction effects on individual creativity at the workplace. Originality/value - The paper focuses on the theoretical battle between the utilitarianism and the romanticism perspective of human resource reward approaches toward employees' creativity. Based on examination of the main effects of monetary incentives and intrinsic reward practices respectively, the study highlights a complementary view to explore a positive interaction between the two reward configurations, and to exploit a total reward system for facilitating individual innovative behaviours.
Galactosylsphingosine (psychosine)-induced demyelination is attenuated by sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling

ABSTRACT Globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) is a rare infantile neurodegenerative disorder. Krabbe disease is caused by deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme galactocerebrosidase (GALC) resulting in accumulation, in the micromolar range, of the toxic metabolite galactosylsphingosine (psychosine) in the brain. Here we find that psychosine induces human astrocyte cell death probably via an apoptotic process in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (EC50∼15 μM at 4 h). We show these effects of psychosine are attenuated by pre-treatment with the sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor agonist pFTY720 (fingolimod) (IC50∼100 nM). Psychosine (1 μM, 10 μM) also enhances LPS-induced (EC50∼100 ng/ml) production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in mouse astrocytes, which is also attenuated by pFTY720 (1 μM). Most notably, for the first time, we show that psychosine, at a concentration found in the brains of patients with Krabbe disease (EC50∼100 nM), directly induces demyelination in mouse organotypic cerebellar slices in a manner that is independent of pro-inflammatory cytokine response and that pFTY720 (0.1 nM) significantly inhibits. These results support the idea that psychosine is a pathogenic agent in Krabbe disease and suggest that sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling could be a potential drug target for this disorder. Highlighted Article: We provide data suggesting that sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling could be a potential drug target for Krabbe disease and perhaps other demyelinating illnesses, in addition to multiple sclerosis.
A successful IT change in a police service

Abstract Organizations face a high rate of failure when introducing technological change. This article presents the results of a study conducted on the end-users of a successful technological change in a police service. It describes the method used to manage the transition, and pinpoints a number of factors related to the success. This change was introduced without undesirable side effects. It seems that the guidance provided to the end-users played a determinant role.
Evaluation of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Serum D-Dimer Levels in Pregnant Women with Adnexal Torsion

We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of serum D-dimer levels in pregnant women with adnexal torsion (AT). The pregnant women with ovarian cysts who suffered from pelvic pain were divided into two groups; the first group consisted of the cases with surgically proven as AT (n = 17) and the second group consisted of the cases whose pain were resolved in the course of follow-up period without required surgery (n = 34). The clinical characteristics and serum D-dimer levels were compared between the groups. Patients with AT had a higher rate of elevated serum white blood cell (WBC) count (57% vs. 16%, p = 0.04) and serum D-dimer levels (77% vs. 21%, p < 0.01) on admission in the study group than in the control group. Elevated D-dimer and cyst diameter larger than 5 cm yielded highest sensitivity (82% for each); whereas the presence of nausea and vomiting and elevated CRP had the highest specificity (85% and 88%, respectively). This is the first study that evaluates the serum D-dimer levels in humans in the diagnosis of AT, and our findings supported the use of D-dimer for the early diagnosis of AT in pregnant women.
Multiple Stereotypes of Stepfathers

Abstract Three separate studies were conducted to determine whether university students hold multiple stereotypes of stepfathers. In the first study, 116 undergraduate students were asked to list all of the traits that are typically associated with stepfathers. After semantically similar traits were grouped together, 77 distinct traits (45 negative and 32 positive) remained. In the second study, 34 undergraduate students were asked to sort the 77 traits from Study 1 into one or more groups; each group consisting of traits that could be found together in one and the same stepfather. Hierarchical cluster analysis resulted in nine negative and six positive trait clusters, indicating that people have multiple stereotypes for stepfathers. In the final study, 29 undergraduate students were asked to rate their impressions of a person who possessed each of the 15 sets of traits, using a semantic differential scale. In addition, students were asked to indicate how typical each trait cluster (or stereotype) was of stepfathers in general. The results indicated that the positive stereotypes received higher ratings than the negative stereotypes. Further, the positive stereotypes were seen as more typical of stepfathers, while the negative stereotypes were not viewed as typical of stepfathers.
Mother and Toddler Activity in the Zone of Proximal Development for Pretend Play as a Predictor of Higher Child IQ

This study investigated the pretend play of mother—toddler dyads in relation to later child IQ. Twenty-one toddlers were videotaped in monthly play sessions with their mothers, from age 8 to 17 months, and later assessed at 5 years of age on the Stanford-Binet IV. Children's and mothers' pretend play levels and frequencies were measured using Brown's (1997) Pretend Play Observation Scale. Dyadic play activity was analyzed using the conceptual frameworks of scaffolding and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Toddlers later assessed as having higher IQ demonstrated more rapid learning in the ZPD for pretend play and experienced earlier maternal transfer of responsibility for play. These findings support other evidence on the differential early development of high ability or gifted children and the role of caregiver interactions in that development. Putting the Research to Use: This study provides evidence that gifted children show differential development, in this case more rapid learning, from the first year of life. It also demonstrates how responsive parental interactions can support this advanced development. For family and professional caregivers, the findings imply that optimum caregiving for the young gifted child involves interactions that are both responsive to individual potential and appropriately challenging. In regard to the methodological challenges of researching early giftedness, the study demonstrated that the constructs of the ZPD and scaffolding were useful frameworks for investigating early gifted development and caregiver influences on that development. Pretend play activity was also shown to be an effective measure and a useful context for the study of gifted development in infants and toddlers. It would be valuable for future researchers in this area to utilize similar approaches that are grounded in the unique developmental characteristics of young children, and that aim to account for the interactive contexts that are so important in children's lives. The field of gifted education, in general, would also benefit from an increased awareness and exploration of the role of play in the development of intellect, imagination and creativity.
Redrawing the Lakshman Rekha: Gender differences and cultural constructions in youth sexuality in urban India

T HE PRESENT PAPER EXAMINES GENDER ASYMMETRY IN YOUTH SEXUALITY IN INDIA through an analysis of young people's sexual experiences and their perceptions and views on marriage, virginity and premarital sex. Through this analysis the cultural constructions of male and female sexualities are explored and an attempt has been made to delineate the core social and ideological forces that shape and reshape gender asymmetry. The paper is based on a larger study that explored youth sexuality in its several dimensions including individual beliefs and practices, sexual socialisation, access to information on sex, exposure to erotic materials and sexual experience.
Behavior construction kits

During the past few years, a group of us[1] has been working on the development of a new generation of construction kits. Whereas first-generation construction kits allowed children to build structures, and second-generation kits allowed them to build mechanisms, our third-generation kits allow children to build behaviors. Children (and adults too! ) have used our new construction kits to build a wide assortment of "behaving machines," such as: a robotic creature that "wants" to move toward the light, a hamster cage that keeps track of the movements of its occupant, and a kinetic sculpture that responds to the movements of a person--or the movements of another machine.
Impaired Glucose Metabolism in Response to High Fat Diet in Female Mice Conceived by In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Ovarian Stimulation Alone

Individuals conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be at increased risk of cardio-metabolic disorders. We recently reported that IVF conceived male mice displayed impaired glucose metabolism at normal and high body weights. In this study, we examined glucose metabolism in mature female C57BL/6J mice that were conceived by natural conception (NC), by ovarian stimulation (OS) or by IVF following chow or high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. By design, litter size was comparable between groups, but interestingly the birth weight of IVF and OS females was lower than NC females (p≤0.001). Mature IVF female mice displayed increased fasting glucose as compared to NC and OS mice, irrespective of diet. Mature IVF and OS mice were also more susceptible to the metabolic consequences of high fat diet as compared with NC females, with impaired glucose tolerance (p≤0.01), whereas peripheral insulin resistance and increased hepatic expression of gluconeogenic genes Ppargc1α, Pck1 and G6pc was observed in IVF mice only (p<0.05). This study suggests that ovarian stimulation alone and IVF program distinct metabolic effects in females, but that high fat diet may be required to unmask these effects. This study adds to the growing body of literature that assisted reproduction procedures may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in an obesity prone environment.
From the Dirigiste State to the Social Anaesthesia State: French Economic Policy in the Longue Durée

This article analyses the evolution of French economic and social policy over the past 50 years. The key shift occurred in the 1980s, when France largely abandoned its state-led or dirigiste model of economic modernisation. As part of this shift, state authorities expanded social and labour market programmes in order to pacify and demobilise the potential victims of economic liberalisation. The transformation of the dirigiste state into what I term the ‘social anaesthesia state’ enabled French firms to reorganise on a more market-rational basis, but also sent state spending soaring and dampened labour force participation. The challenge for French reformers, including President Sarkozy, is to prune the social anaesthesia state and make it more employment-friendly without triggering widespread social protest and hardship.
ICT and rural societies: Opportunities for growth

The application of ICT solutions for the development of rural India and other developing countries opens up a vast range of possibilities. Giving an opportunity to the vast majority of the population living in rural areas, to cross the digital divide to obtain access to information resources and services provided by ICT is the next revolution waiting to happen. Although this is a development issue, it is just not the government, non-government organizations or the rural masses that have a role to play. Private profit-making institutions can develop solutions to capture the hitherto unrecognized markets, make profits and at the same time aid the rural societies. The new technologies being developed can help surmount barriers present in providing information resources at a low cost and make applications feasible and profitable. This paper presents some cases where ICT has been effectively used for the benefit of the rural societies and analyzes the opportunities that lie in this sphere. The cases range from successful use of ICT in governance, to ICT solutions for improved profits to ICT in microfinance. A case of an initiative by a large mainstream corporation to reach out to the rural sector, help in development and realize profits mutually is also presented. The projects discussed should generate more interest and facilitate private investment in the hitherto virgin territory. A large number of hurdles still remain but creative ideas, breakthrough ICT technologies and committed organizations can usher in the next revolution in the developing world.
Growth factors, genes, bone proteins and apoptosis in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of children with ankylosis and during disease recurrence.

UNLABELLED AIM OF STUDY was complex detection of appearance and distribution of growth factors, facial bone growth stimulating genes, ground substance proteins and apoptosis in bone of ankylotic TMJ in primary and repeatedly operated children. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ankylotic tissue was obtained during the arthroplastic surgery from two 6 years old children (boy and girl) with osseous type of disease. The girl underwent the repeated surgery in TMJ due to the same diagnosis in age of 12 years. Ankylotic tissue was proceeded for detection of BMP2/4, TGFβ, Msx2, osteopontin, osteocalcin immunohistochemically, and apoptosis. RESULTS demonstrated massive bone formation intermixed by neochondrogenesis the lack of BMP 2/4, but abundant number of TGFβ-containing cells in bone of all tested cases. Despite rich osteopontin positive structures in bone obtained from both - primary and repeated surgery, osteocalcin demonstrated variable appearance in 6 years aged children, but was abundant in joint 5 years later during disease recurrence. Expression of Msx2 varied widely before, but with tendency to decrease stabilized until few positive cells in bone of 12 years old girl. Apoptosis practically was not detected in primarily operated TMJ, but massively affected the supportive tissue in girl with recurrent ankylosis. CONCLUSIONS The lack of BMP2/4 expression in ankylotic bone proves the disorders in cellular differentiation with simultaneous compensatory intensification of cellular proliferation and/or growth by rich expression of TGFβ leading to the remodelling of TMJ. Mainly rich distribution of osteocalcin and osteopontin indicate the intensive mineralization processes of ankylotic bone. Persistent Msx2 expression is characteristic for the supportive tissue of recurrent ankylosis of TMJ and indicates the persistent stimulation of bone growth compensatory limitated by massive increase of programmed cell death.
Bad elements: Katrina and the scoured landscape of social reproduction

Hurricane Katrina scoured the political economic landscape of New Orleans revealing the toll of decades of disinvestment in and ‘hostile privatism’ toward social reproduction in a city with corrosive inequalities around class, race, and gender. This piece addresses the failures of the state and capital around issues of social reproduction in the wake of Katrina, and gestures toward the sorts of activism these failures have called forth. Organized around five elements of social reproduction, including the environment and relief infrastructure, health care, education, housing, and social justice, the essay argues that the absence of these elements of the social wage both created conditions that made Katrina a disaster and thwarted response to the storm's social, economic, and physical destruction in New Orleans. The costs can be seen most obviously in the unevenness of neighborhood and infrastructural recovery, the difficulty of establishing a stable workforce of residents because of the lack of support for workers and their families which especially affects women and lone parents, and the deepening of various neoliberal tendencies toward privatization in education, health care, and housing. Examining the classed, gendered, and racialized nature of these issues, I will look at community based social movements working to redress this situation, and interrogate the underlying politics and policies – explicit and implicit – that have produced this situation.