Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
(Un/Be)Coming Out? Rethinking Fat Politics

Eve Sedgwick suggests that it is possible to “speak” your fatness, to “come out” as fat and renegotiate the “representational contract between one's body and one's world. ”(1994: 230). Sedgwick's words have resonated particularly loudly with the Fat Acceptance movement, which has been embraced with feverish glee by fat women in the United States and the United Kingdom. I was immediately attracted to the politics of this new fat pride movement, who seemed to take up this idea of intervening in the ‘contract’ one's fatness had with the world, insisting on being seen in new ways. So, I go out into the world armed with the Fat Manifesto (Waun: 1998), wearing a sleeveless top, my dimpled arms on display. I feel strong, powerful, swollen with my fat identity, snarling at others who cast withering glances at my bulky frame. And then, I pass a shop window. I shudder as I catch a reflection of myself, my body appearing to me as grotesque and foreign, a bulging, jiggling vehicle of disgust and shame I want nothing to do with. I experience myself/my body in ways that shift and vary and contradict each other. NIkki Sullivan points out the problems with the act of ‘coming out’ as part of a project to overturn public ‘knowingness’ about homosexuality. “The call to come out presupposes that such an action is in itself transformative and that the identity that one publicly declares is unambiguous. ” (Sulilvan: 31) In this paper, I take up Sullivan's point about the problematic act of ‘coming out’ as a fat woman. I critique the problematic model of subjectivity the Fat Acceptance Movement is founded on, given the ways in which I live my fat body are always multiple, contradictory and eminently ambiguous. This paper looks at the rise of the Fat Pride movement in the United States, and the model of subjectivity it proposes as a means of overcoming oppression of the fat woman. I critique the humanist principles on which this model of subjectivity is founded, and, moreover, the difficulties with liberationist politics.
Using Dialectic for Effective App Security

The lack of good secure development practice for app developers threatens everyone who uses mobile software. Current practice emphasizes checklists of processes and security errors to avoid, and has not proved effective in the application development domain. Based on analysis of interviews with relevant security experts, we suggest that secure app development requires ‘dialectic’: challenging dialog with a range of counterparties, continued throughout the development cycle. By further studying the different dialectic techniques possible in programmers’ communications, we shall be able to empower app developers to produce the secure software that we need.
‘Stop Thinking of Culture as Geography’: Early Childhood Educators' Conceptions of Sociocultural Theory as an Informant to Curriculum

The discourse and concepts associated with sociocultural theory have become increasingly important in discussion associated with early childhood education and curriculum at a theoretical level since the early 1990s. However, the extent to which such ideas have been adopted and understood by early childhood educators at the level of practice remains unclear. This study reports the findings from an investigation aimed at examining the understandings of sociocultural theory held by a group of early childhood educators and assistants without previous in-depth exposure to the discourse and concepts of sociocultural theory. The findings suggested that the educators initially interpreted sociocultural theory in multicultural terms. As opportunity to explore their ideas continued, this understanding shifted to one in which the educators saw sociocultural theory as related to the children they taught within their educational contexts. Questions were raised by the educators regarding the extent to which sociocultural theory challenged their existing sense of self as teachers.
Planar Soft Surfaces and Their Application to Mutual Coupling Reduction

This paper presents a numerical study of the behavior of a planar version of traditional soft surfaces. The application of these structures, although limited to one direction, can be enough for many applications where the directions along which the waves must be suppressed are clearly defined. The proposed soft surface is compact and its design is flexible due to the different parameters of the structure. This work analyzes the effects of all these parameters in both the position and size of the bandgap or stop band. Also a practical application to reduce mutual coupling in patch antennas is presented. The work is supported by experimental results.
Pronunciation and language learning: An integrative approach

Abstract This paper addresses pedagogical issues on the integration of pronunciation into a language program. Basic to the discussion is the gradual nature of pronunciation learning. Like grammar and vocabulary, the learner should be gradually immersed into pronunciation. This is better achieved by (a) setting priorities for aural-oral intelligibility in order to better deal with immediate phonological needs; (b) starting instruction from a beginner-level. Instruction is suggested in meaningful units or tone groups rather than with isolated segments or words, even for beginner-levels. Rhythmic patterns are presented as the basic realisation of the tone groups. Suggestions are also given on how to integrate pronunciation practice into the listening-speaking activities of a communicative course.
Morphologic Characteristics of Atherosclerotic Middle Cerebral Arteries on 3T High-Resolution MRI

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are limited studies on the morphologic characteristics of MCA atherosclerotic stenosis. Our aim was to quantitatively assess the remodeling pattern and plaque distribution of atherosclerotic MCAs with 3T high-resolution MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-seven consecutive patients with symptomatic atherosclerotic stenoses at the M1 segment of the MCA on DSA (50%–99%) were enrolled. The remodeling index was calculated as the Vessel Area at Maximal Lumen Narrowing/Reference Vessel Area. A remodeling index ≥ 1.0 was defined as positive remodeling, and a remodeling index < 1.0, as negative remodeling. Plaque distribution at the maximal lumen narrowing site was classified on the basis of the involvement of the superior, inferior, dorsal, or ventral MCA wall. RESULTS: Forty-three of 87 patients were excluded due to poor imaging quality (n = 8) or scan plane obliquity secondary to a tortuous M1 segment of the MCA or an MCA ostium lesion or angled lesion (n = 35). Of 44 patients in the final analysis, negative remodeling was found in 19 (43.2%) lesions, and positive remodeling, in 25 (56.8%) lesions. At maximal lumen narrowing sites, lesions with negative remodeling had less vessel area, wall area, and percentage of plaque burden (P < .0001) and a lower eccentricity index (P = .023), compared with lesions with positive remodeling. The plaque involved the superior and dorsal walls in 15 (34.1%) of 44 patients. CONCLUSIONS: 2D high-resolution MR imaging can help assess the remodeling pattern and plaque distribution of MCA stenosis, but the imaging and postprocessing protocol for remodeling assessment needs to be improved in the tortuous course of the MCA and in MCA ostium or angled lesions.
Effect of dietary fatty acid intake on prospective weight change in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Abstract Objective To evaluate the association between fatty acid (α-linolenic acid (ALA), EPA, DHA, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids) intake and prospective weight change in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Design Prospective cohort study with mean follow-up time of 6·5 years. In a total of 9182 men and 10867 women aged 35 to 64 years, from body weight measurement at recruitment and calibrated body weight during follow-up, weight change was expressed as mean annual weight change relative to baseline weight (%/year) and categorised into four groups (weight loss, <−2·5%/5 years; stable weight, between −2·5 and +2·5%/5 years; small weight gain, ≥2·5 to <7·5%/5 years; large weight gain, ≥7·5%/5 years). Energy-adjusted dietary fatty acid intake data were estimated from the FFQ completed at baseline. Multivariate linear regression models as well as multinomial logistic regression analyses (carbohydrate replacement models) were conducted. Results Stearic acid intake was linearly associated with weight gain (P < 0·01) in men and women. Linear associations also existed for ALA and arachidonic acid intake, significantly so in women. In multinomial models, women in the highest tertile of ALA and stearic acid intake showed increased OR (95 % CI) for small weight gain (1·16 (0·94, 1·88) and 1·24 (1·08, 1·43), respectively), and large weight gain (1·39 (1·03, 1·88) and 1·56 (1·27, 1·90), respectively), whereas OR were non-significantly increased in men. Dietary intake of ALA was inversely associated with large (0·80 (0·65, 0·99)) weight gain in women only. Conclusions These results suggest differential effects of single dietary fatty acids on prospective weight gain in adults.
Gambling, alcohol, consumption, cigarette smoking and health: Findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey

Previous research has shown an association between gambling, alcohol and cigarette smoking. Co-occurrence of problem gambling with other behavioural and psychological disorders can exacerbate, or be exacerbated by, problem gambling. Using participant data from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey (n = 9003 adults aged 16 years and above), secondary analysis was carried out on the relationship between gambling and three particular areas of co-occurrence. These were general health status, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. All analysis was age standardised to allow comparisons between groups after adjusting for the effects of any difference in their age distributions. Results showed that: (i) cigarette smokers were significantly more likely to gamble in the past year compared to non-smokers, (ii) cigarette smokers were over three times more likely than non-smokers to be a problem gambler, (iii) alcohol consumption as measured by the number of units drunk on the person's heaviest drinking day was not significantly associated with having gambled in the past year, (iv) alcohol consumption as measured by the number of units drank on the person's heaviest drinking day in the past year was significantly associated with problem gambling, (v) health status was not significantly associated with past year gambling and (vi) the prevalence rate of problem gambling among those with poor health were over three times as likely to be a problem gambler compared to those with good health. Implications of these results are discussed.
Role of TGF-β1/Smad3 Signaling Pathway in Secretion of Type I and III Collagen by Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells of Rats Undergoing Balloon Injury

Antisense Smad3 adenoviral vectors were used to transfect vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from rats with balloon injury or infused into the rat balloon-catheter injured carotid arteries, and the role of TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in the secretion of type I and III collagen by VSMCs following balloon injury was investigated. Antisense Smad3 adenoviral vectors were used to transfect these VSMCs (antisense Smad3 group). A total 90 rats were randomly assigned into blank control group, experiment group, negative control group. In the in vitro study, the expression of type I and III collagen was markedly reduced in the antisense Smad3 group when compared with the control groups (P < 0.05). In the in vivo study, the expression of type I and III collagen was significantly lower than that in the negative control group at 3 days, 1 week and 2 weeks after injury (P < 0.05). At 2 weeks and 3 months after injury, the lumen area in the antisense Smad3 group was markedly increased but the intimal area dramatically reduced when compared with the negative control (P < 0.05). We conclude that transfection of VSMCs with antisense Smad3 can reduce the secretion of type I and III collagen which then inhibit intimal hyperplasia.
From knowledge to action regulation: Modeling the cognitive prerequisites of sun screen use in australian and uk samples

Abstract Sun protective cognition and behaviour was studied on beaches in Australia (n =113) and in the UK (n = 376). Cognition measures based on social psychological models, including the Theory of Planned Behaviour, were used to construct a model of sunscreen use. Path analysis showed that knowledge, norms, perceived threat, self-efficacy and perceived importance of short-term negative consequences of sun exposure accounted for 44% of the variance in intentions to use sunscreen. A measure of prior planning contributed as much to the prediction of behaviour as did intentions and there was support for both a moderating and a mediating influence of planning on intention. The results support theoretical proposals that post-decisional cognitions should be added to current theoretical models and have implications for intervention design.
The Nature of Utility Functions in Mass Publics

Survey data are used to test the basic tenets of rational choice theory. We find that (1) voters' preferences are orderly but voters do not always have preferences. When the perceived difference between two candidates is below some threshold, voters are indifferent between them. (2) Most voters choose candidates whose issue positions are congruent with their own. (3) Lack of knowledge about candidates affects choice and utility through two routes—indifference and risk aversion. Most voters have highly structured utility functions, but the thresholds and risk aversion in these functions place relatively unknown candidates at a disadvantage in presidential primaries and other electoral situations. Moreover, the importance of knowledge in these functions suggests that social choice theorists must take seriously the classic concerns of public opinion research—the operation of the media and the dynamics of information in elections.
Pregnant Latina Teenagers: Psychosocial and Developmental Determinants of How They Select and Perceive the Men Who Father Their Children

Data from a community sample of 493 pregnant Latina teenagers were used to test a mediated model of mate selection with 5 classes of variables: (a) male partner characteristics (antisocial behaviors, negative relationships with women, harm risk, and relationship length), (b) young women’s psychosocial variables (antisocial behaviors, drug use, social competence, and psychological distress), (c) social connectedness (healthy attachment, cultural pride, and positive neighborhood perception), (d) childhood experiences (abuse, neglect, and satisfaction with childhood), and (e) a structural variable (age). Multiple pathways predicted the women’s choice of male partner. Psychological distress was strongly related to choosing partners with negative relationships with women, confirming W. B. Swann’s (1983, 1990) selfverification hypothesis. Counseling implications are discussed. Pregnancy rates among adolescent girls in the United States have been dropping recently (Ventura, Clarke, & Matthews, 1996), although they remain alarmingly high relative with rates in the rest of the world. It is important that rates among Latinas are dropping at a much slower rate than they are for other groups (Ventura, Martin, Curtin, Matthews, & Park, 2000). In California, for example, 1992 birth rates per thousand were 79, 95, and 123, respectively, among White, Black, and Hispanic teenagers (Henshaw, 1997). We need to know much more about causes, consequences, and factors that influence pregnancy for this vulnerable group of teenagers. Despite the relatively large teenage pregnancy literature, relatively little research has focused on psychological determinants of teen pregnancy (Coley & Chase-Lansdale, 1998), on the male partners (Goodyear, Newcomb, & Allison, 2000), or on factors that affect the young women’s choice of a male partner. The focus of this article is on uncovering the characteristics or attributes of pregnant Latina teenagers that are most influential in their choice of mate. To date, most teen pregnancy research has focused on establishing frequencies and base rates and testing relatively simple direct effects. Few studies have examined more sophisticated models, and even fewer have examined the relative relationships between multiple psychosocial and environmental factors in regard to mate selection. We view the processes that shape mate selec
Exploring Stress Resilience in Trainee Social Workers: The Role of Emotional and Social Competencies

Abstract The high levels of stress and burnout endemic to social work have been found to con-tribute to the current retention problems in the UK. It has been argued that resilienceis a protective factor that enhances the ability to manage stress, and promotes well-being in the social care context. Little is known, however, about the individualdifference factors that promote resilience in this context, or whether this protects thewell-being of staff. In order to inform the development of interventions to enhancethe work-related well-being of early career social workers, this study examined severalemotional and social competencies (i.e. emotional intelligence, reflective ability,empathy and social competence) as predictors of resilience in 240 trainees. Whetherresilience predicted psychological distress was also investigated, together with theroleplayedbyresilienceintherelationshipbetweenemotionalintelligenceanddistress.The emotional and social competencies explained 47 per cent of variance in resilience. Asignificant negative relationship was found between resilience and psychologicaldistress. Resilience fully mediated the negative association between emotional inte-lligence and psychological distress, highlighting the importance of inter- and intra-individual emotional competencies in promoting resilience and enhancing well-being.How these findings might inform the curriculum to help trainees enhance resistanceto workplace stress is considered.Keywords: Resilience, work-related stress, well-being
Interactions of dynein arms with b subfibers of Tetrahymena cilia: quantitation of the effects of magnesium and adenosine triphosphate

Tetrahymena 30S dynein was extracted with 0.5 M KCl and tested for retention of several functional properties associated wtih its in situ force-generating capacity. The dynein fraction will rebind to extracted outer doublets in the presence of Mg2+ to restore dynein arms. The arms attach at one end to the A subfiber and form bridges at the other end to the B subfiber of an adjacent doublet. Recombined arms retain an ATPase activity that remains coupled to potential generation of interdoublet sliding forces. To examine important aspects of the dynein- tubulin interaction that we presume are directly related to the dynein force-generating cross-bridge cycle, a simple and quantitative spectrophotometric assay was devised for monitoring the associations between isolated 30S dynein and the B subfiber. Utilizing this assay, the binding of dynein to B subfibers was found to be dependent upon divalent cations, saturating at 3 mM Mg2+. Micromolar concentrations of MgATP2- cause the release of dynein from the B subfiber; however, not all of the dynein bound under these conditions is released by ATP. ATP- insensitive dynein binding results from dynein interactions with non-B- tubule sites on outer-doublet and central-pair microtubules and from ATP-insensitive binding to sites on the B subfiber. Vanadate over a wide concentration range (10(-6)-10(-3) M) has no effect on the Mg2+- induced binding of dynein or its release by MgATP2-, and was used to inhibit secondary doublet disintegration in the suspensions. In the presence of 10 microM vanadate, dynein is maximally dissociated by MgATP2- concentrations greater than or equal to 1 microM with half- maximal release at 0.2 microM. These binding properties of isolated dynein arms closely resemble the cross-bridging behavior of in situ dynein arms reported previously, suggesting that quantitative studies such as those presented here may yield reliable information concerning the mechanism of force generation in dynein-microtubule motile systems. The results also suggest that vanadate may interact with an enzyme- product complex that has a low affinity for tubulin.
‘Thousands waiting at our gates’: moral character, legitimacy and social justice in Irish elite schools

This paper examines how Irish elite schools negotiate change and maintain their legitimacy in times of economic turmoil and rising social inequality. The paper argues that they have not bowed before the demands of democratisation or economic globalisation. Instead they continue to maintain a high level of social closure and control diversity rather than adapt to it. Moral character acts as a principle of distinction and legitimation as these schools pose as the moral vanguards of the nation, in a national context where the economic crisis is commonly blamed on ‘greed’ and moral corruption. Their discourse is based on the defence of a certain social and moral order, somehow at odds with the dominant neoliberal ideology, but consistent with a static view of society and an aristocratic conception of leadership, which their students internalise.
Azathioprine-induced lung toxicity and efficacy of cyclosporin A in a young girl with type 2 autoimmune hepatitis.

Autoimmune hepatitis is rare in children. Two types are identified according to the presence of different autoantibodies in the serum: the antinuclear and/or smooth muscle antibody (ANA/SMA) characterizes type 1, whereas the liver-kidney microsomal (LKM-1) and/or anti-liver cytosol antibody defines type 2 (1). The treatment of autoimmune hepatitis relies on immunosuppressive drugs, usually prednisone and azathioprine, which are often combined, with azathioprine playing a steroidsparing role (2,3). However, these drugs may have side effects that can limit or even contraindicate their administration. Among the possible azathioprine-related side effects, interstitial pneumonitis has rarely been reported in adults (4–13), and even more rarely in children (14). The diagnosis must be determined rapidly so that the treatment may be interrupted before irreversible sequelae develop. In such situations, even though corticosteroids are helpful, they may not control the progress of the disease by themselves, making the use of other drugs necessary, among which cyclosporin A appears to be one of the most promising (15). We report on a young girl with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis in whom azathioprine treatment had to be interrupted after the development of interstitial pneumonitis. She was successfully treated with cyclosporin A for 5 years. A relapse occurred a few months later and was controlled with the reintroduction of cyclosporin A.