Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between mean platelet volume with microalbuminuria and glycemic control in patients with type II diabetes mellitus

Microalbuminuria is the best predictor of diabetic nephropathy development in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (DM). It is also accepted as an indicator of diabetic microangiopathy. Increased activation of platelets has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular complications. In light of these findings, this study was designed to investigate the association of microalbuminuria — an indicator glycemic control and microangiopathy — with mean platelet volume (MPV). Subjects underwent laboratory analyses and their MPV, HbA1c, serum creatinine, fasting, and postprandial blood glucose levels and 24-hour urine albumin levels were recorded. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v13.0 for Windows XP. Mann–Whitney U-test, student's t-test, spearman correlation analysis, ROC analysis, categorical regression analysis, and chi-square test were used for statistical evaluations. The study included 354 patients with type II DM. The median MPV value of microalbuminuria-positive patients was 9 (8–9.5) fl while MPV of patients without microalbuminuria was 8.5 (8–9.2) fl and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.004). We determined positive correlation between MPV and 24-hour urine microalbuminuria (r = 0.14, p = 0.009). There were no significant differences between patients with HbA1c levels below and above 7% in terms of MPV (p > 0.05). We determined no correlation between MPV and HbA1c levels (r = −0.36, p = 0.64). This study determined a significant positive relationship between microalbuminuria — a microvascular complication of diabetes — and MPV. No significant correlation was identified between poor glycemic control and MPV in diabetic patients. However, we are in the opinion that the association between poor glycemic control and MPV in type II diabetic patients should be investigated in prospective studies with larger samples.
The industrial craftsworker : skill, managerial strategies, and workplace relationships

This study of skilled workers in industry analyzes the linked and often apparently contradictory relationships between craftsmen and managers and craftsmen and non-skilled workers. It considers the alternative views of the craftsman as a status-striving "labour aristocrat" within the workforce and as a focus for radical and militant challenge to management, and shows how craft skill and craft control are an important dynamic force for technological and organizational development in industry, as well as an influence on working class development in a broader sense. The argument is illustrated by two case studies - of the automobile industry in the USA, focusing on the role of the craftsman and of the UK motor industry (the Rover plant at Cowley).
Perceived sibling use of relational communication messages and sibling satisfaction, liking, and loving

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among perceived sibling use of relational communication dimensions (i.e., immediacy, similarity, receptivity, composure, formality, dominance, equality, task orientation) and sibling communication satisfaction, liking, and loving. Participants were 303 individuals who reported on a recent interaction with a sibling. Results indicated that (a) sibling communication satisfaction is predicted by the relational communication dimensions of equality, receptivity, immediacy, similarity, and composure, (b) sibling liking is predicted by the relational communication dimensions of composure, equality, similarity, and receptivity, (c) sibling loving is predicted by the relational communication dimensions of equality, similarity, receptivity, and formality, and (d) sibling communication satisfaction is positively correlated with sibling liking and loving.
Winning and losing in the creative industries: an analysis of creative graduates' career opportunities across creative disciplines

Following earlier work looking at overall career difficulties and low economic rewards faced by graduates in creative disciplines, the paper takes a closer look into the different career patterns and economic performance of “Bohemian” graduates across different creative disciplines. While it is widely acknowledged in the literature that careers in the creative field tend to be unstructured, often relying on part-time work and low wages, our knowledge of how these characteristics differ across the creative industries and occupational sectors is very limited. The paper explores the different trajectory and career patterns experienced by graduates in different creative disciplinary fields and their ability to enter creative occupations. Data from the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) are presented, articulating a complex picture of the reality of finding a creative occupation for creative graduates. While students of some disciplines struggle to find full-time work in the creative economy, for others full-time occupation is the norm. Geography plays a crucial role also in offering graduates opportunities in creative occupations and higher salaries. The findings are contextualised in the New Labour cultural policy framework and conclusions are drawn on whether the creative industries policy construct has hidden a very problematic reality of winners and losers in the creative economy.
Revisiting Future Dangerousness Revisited: Response to DeLisi and Munoz

In a recently published article in this journal titled “Future Dangerousness Revisited,” DeLisi and Munoz (2003) offered a number of findings regarding the major disciplinary and violent misconduct of inmates in the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADOC). Most prominently, they opined that their findings demonstrated that death row inmates are more dangerous than other inmate groups. The methodology and analysis of DeLisi and Munoz, however, suffered from such fundamental flaws and errors that their conclusions were without support. Our own comparison of rates of assault between death row and general prison population inmates in ADOC failed to reveal significant differences. Our analysis of the disciplinary records and current risk classifications of all inmates on the Arizona death row in 2003 revealed that although averaging 10 years at risk on death row, 82% had no serious violent misconduct and 87% were rated by ADOC at the lowest risk of institutional violence.
The Extent of Academic Retardation in a Residential Treatment Center

RESEARCH INTO the causal relationship be tween emotional disturbance and educational dis ability is necessarily complex. Many authorities support the view that this relationship is an in teracting "vicious circle" phenomenon. Bennett (1) and Monroe (5) support this view. Robinson (6) produced clinical evidence to support this reciprocating theory. Gates (2) estimated that 75 percent of severely disabled readers showed personality maladjustment and in about 25 per cent of the cases emotional factors were a contributing cause of reading difficulty. Harris (3) thinks this is a serious underestimation and found that almost all of the cases seen in his clinic exhibited some type of maladjustment. His staff estimated that in at least 50 percent of the cases emotional difficulties were causally related to reading problems. Recently Tamkin (7) using "chronological age rather than mental age as the basis from which to measure educational achievement," felt that "emotional problems could not be construed as a cause of educational disability since . only one third of the emotionally disturbed children had accompanying educational disabilities. " Tamkin also found in line with Jastak's (4) theory a sig nificant difference favoring reading achievement over arithmetic achievement even though accord ing to Tamkin arithmetic scores were in accord ance with expected achievement of pupils that age. He used chronogical age rather than mental age as a base because of the unavailability of I.Q. scores for all cases in the sample, and said that, "the justification for this procedure was predicated upon the assumption that the S's would not show extreme dispersion about the average I.Q. range. " The purpose of this study is to replicate Tarn kin's work using more sensitive instruments: to survey reading comprehension and arithmetic computation achievement in emotionally disturbed children, to ascertain the frequency of educa tional disability, and to measure the relationship between reading comprehension and arithmetic computation. It is hypothesized that in a dis turbed population there will be severe academic retardation, and there will be no evidence sup porting a significant difference favoring reading comprehension over arithmetic computation achievement.
Pathogenesis of oral FIV infection

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is the feline analogue of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and features many hallmarks of HIV infection and pathogenesis, including the development of concurrent oral lesions. While HIV is typically transmitted via parenteral transmucosal contact, recent studies prove that oral transmission can occur, and that saliva from infected individuals contains significant amounts of HIV RNA and DNA. While it is accepted that FIV is primarily transmitted by biting, few studies have evaluated FIV oral infection kinetics and transmission mechanisms over the last 20 years. Modern quantitative analyses applied to natural FIV oral infection could significantly further our understanding of lentiviral oral disease and transmission. We therefore characterized FIV salivary viral kinetics and antibody secretions to more fully document oral viral pathogenesis. Our results demonstrate that: (i) saliva of FIV-infected cats contains infectious virus particles, FIV viral RNA at levels equivalent to circulation, and lower but significant amounts of FIV proviral DNA; (ii) the ratio of FIV RNA to DNA is significantly higher in saliva than in circulation; (iii) FIV viral load in oral lymphoid tissues (tonsil, lymph nodes) is significantly higher than mucosal tissues (buccal mucosa, salivary gland, tongue); (iv) salivary IgG antibodies increase significantly over time in FIV-infected cats, while salivary IgA levels remain static; and, (v) saliva from naïve Specific Pathogen Free cats inhibits FIV growth in vitro. Collectively, these results suggest that oral lymphoid tissues serve as a site for enhanced FIV replication, resulting in accumulation of FIV particles and FIV-infected cells in saliva. Failure to induce a virus-specific oral mucosal antibody response, and/or viral capability to overcome inhibitory components in saliva may perpetuate chronic oral cavity infection. Based upon these findings, we propose a model of oral FIV pathogenesis and suggest alternative diagnostic modalities and translational approaches to study oral HIV infection.
Uniformity and diversity of response properties of neurons in the primary visual cortex: Selectivity for orientation, direction of motion, and stimulus size from center to far periphery

Abstract Although the primary visual cortex (V1) is one of the most extensively studied areas of the primate brain, very little is known about how the far periphery of visual space is represented in this area. We characterized the physiological response properties of V1 neurons in anaesthetized marmoset monkeys, using high-contrast drifting gratings. Comparisons were made between cells with receptive fields located in three regions of V1, defined by eccentricity: central (3–5°), near peripheral (5–15°), and far peripheral (>50°). We found that orientation selectivity of individual cells was similar from the center to the far periphery. Nonetheless, the proportion of orientation-selective neurons was higher in central visual field representation than in the peripheral representations. In addition, there were similar proportions of cells representing all orientations, with the exception of the representation of the far periphery, where we detected a bias favoring near-horizontal orientations. The proportions of direction-selective cells were similar throughout V1. When the center/surround organization of the receptive fields was tested with gratings with varying diameters, we found that the population of neurons that was suppressed by large gratings was smaller in the far periphery, although the strength of suppression in these cells tended to be stronger. In addition, the ratio between the diameters of the excitatory centers and suppressive surrounds was similar across the entire visual field. These results suggest that, superimposed on the broad uniformity of V1, there are subtle physiological differences, which indicate that spatial information is processed differently in the central versus far peripheral visual fields.
Relationships Between Attachment Security and Self-Construal Orientations

The authors report the results of two studies in which they explored the relationship of related and individuated self-construals, as suggested by the balanced integration—differentiation (BID) model (E. O. Imamoğlu, 2003), with (a) general attachment security in the first study (N = 168 Turkish university students) and (b) relationshipspecific attachment security with the family, peers, and romantic partners in the second study (N = 110 Turkish university students). Results indicated that attachment security tended to be associated with the relational self-orientation; however, when relatedness was complemented with individuation, there was a trend toward enhanced attachment security that reached significance when multiple measures of attachment across relationship contexts were considered. The authors discuss results with reference to their implications for attachment theory and the BID model.
Trends of Reproductive Hormones in Male Rats During Psychosocial Stress: Role of Glucocorticoid Metabolism in Behavioral Dominance1

Abstract Stress in socially subordinate male rats, associated with aggressive attacks by dominant males, was studied in a group-housing context called the visible burrow system (VBS). It has been established that subordinate males have reduced serum testosterone (T) and higher corticosterone (CORT) relative to dominant and singly housed control males. The relationship of the decreased circulating T levels in subordinate males to changes in serum LH concentrations has not been evaluated previously. Since decreases in LH during stress may cause reductions in Leydig cell steroidogenic activity, the present study defined the temporal profiles of serum LH, T, and CORT in dominant and subordinate males on Days 4, 7, and 14 of a 14-day housing period in the VBS. The same parameters were followed in serum samples from single-housed control males. Leydig cells express glucocorticoid receptors and may also be targeted for direct inhibition of steroidogenesis by glucocorticoid. We hypothesize that Leydig cells are protected from inhibition by CORT at basal concentrations through oxidative inactivation of glucocorticoid by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11βHSD). However, Leydig cell steroidogenesis is inhibited when 11βHSD metabolizing capacity is exceeded. Therefore, 11βHSD enzyme activity levels were measured in Leydig cells of VBS-housed males at the same time points. Significant increases in LH and T relative to control were observed in the dominant animals on Day 4, which were associated with the overt establishment of behavioral dominance as evidenced by victorious agonistic encounters. Serum LH and T were lower in subordinate males on Day 7, but T alone was lower on Day 14, suggesting that lowered LH secretion in subordinates may gradually be reversed by declines in androgen-negative feedback. Serum CORT levels were higher in subordinate males compared to control at all three time points. In contrast, oxidative 11βHSD activity in Leydig cells of dominant males was higher relative to control and unchanged in subordinates. These results suggest the following: 1) failure of Leydig cells of subordinate males to compensate for increased glucocorticoid action during stress, by increasing 11βHSD oxidative activity, potentiates stress-mediated reductions in T secretion; and 2) an inhibition of the reproductive axis in subordinate males at the level of the pituitary.
Do Cooperators Exit More Readily than Defectors?

Standard prisoners' dilemma games offer players the binary choice between cooperating and defecting, but in a related game there is the third possibility of leaving the game altogether. We conceptualize exiting as taking the individual beyond the reach of externalities generated in the original group, and on that basis—together with the assumption of self-interested (dollar-maximizing) behavior on the part of all players—we derive the prediction that the exit option will drain the community or group more of cooperators than of defectors. But experimental data do not support this prediction; cooperators do not leave more frequently than defectors and, in fact, there is evidence that defectors are more prone to leave than cooperators. We consider and reject the possibility that this failure of prediction results from the (admitted) greater optimism of cooperators about the incidence of cooperation “here,” and present data supporting the hypothesis that cooperators often stay when their personal interest is with exiting because of the same ethical or group-regarding impulse that (presumably) led them to cooperate in the first place. Cooperation can be produced for a group or community either by inducing people to cooperate or by inducing those who are going to cooperate to stay in the game, and ethical considerations seem to underlie the decision to stay as well as the decision to cooperate while staying.
Volunteers in the heritage sector: a neglected audience?

Museums and heritage attractions worldwide are dependent on their volunteers, and this is particularly the case within the UK. However, the demographics of volunteers are changing and volunteers are more likely to be retired individuals than seeking work experience. Traditionally, volunteer management in the UK has adopted a top‐down approach. This paper, based on a sample of 222 volunteers within museums and heritage visitor attractions in the UK, argues that a significant proportion of volunteers are leisure seeking. Volunteers at ten museums and heritage attractions were questioned about their motivation, and predominantly leisure‐like motives were cited, including subject interest and social interaction. Indeed, volunteer's motives bear a strong similarity to those of visitors. Thus, older, leisure‐seeking volunteers would be more appropriately considered as an additional element of the museum's audience. A model showing the relationship between visiting, volunteering and paid staff is presented.
A dimensional approach to measuring anxiety for DSM‐5

In preparation for DSM‐5's planned inclusion of dimensional assessments of psychopathology as a complement to traditional categorical diagnoses, we developed brief self‐rated scales for anxiety disorders that are consistent in content and structure. In the present paper, we discuss the creation of the scales and examine their psychometric properties and clinical sensitivity. Phase One assessed psychometric properties of the initial versions of the scales in a large non‐clinical sample (n = 702). Phase Two assessed the psychometric properties of revised versions of the scales, including test–retest reliability, in a non‐clinical sample (n = 57). Phase Three examined the scales' psychometric properties and relationship with clinician ratings of disorder severity in a clinical sample (n = 48). The scales demonstrated internal consistency (α = 0.85–0.92), convergent validity (rs = 0.39–0.69), and test–retest reliability in the non‐clinical samples (ICC = 0.51–0.81). In the clinical sample, the scales demonstrated significantly higher total scores than in the non‐clinical sample (Cohen's d = 0.72–1.50) and moderate to high correlations with clinician ratings of disorder severity (r = 0.43–0.82) Although further evaluation and refinement of the scales (particularly the specific phobia and agoraphobia scales) is needed, the results provide preliminary support for the use of these scales in DSM‐5 and thus take an important step toward the integration of standardized dimensional measurement into the diagnosis of anxiety disorders. Copyright © 2012 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.
Conformal piezoelectric energy harvesting and storage from motions of the heart, lung, and diaphragm

Significance Heart rate monitors, pacemakers, cardioverter-defibrillators, and neural stimulators constitute broad classes of electronic implants that rely on battery power for operation. Means for harvesting power directly from natural processes of the body represent attractive alternatives for these and future types of biomedical devices. Here we demonstrate a complete, flexible, and integrated system that is capable of harvesting and storing energy from the natural contractile and relaxation motions of the heart, lung, and diaphragm at levels that meet requirements for practical applications. Systematic experimental evaluations in large animal models and quantitatively accurate computational models reveal the fundamental modes of operation and establish routes for further improvements. Here, we report advanced materials and devices that enable high-efficiency mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion from the natural contractile and relaxation motions of the heart, lung, and diaphragm, demonstrated in several different animal models, each of which has organs with sizes that approach human scales. A cointegrated collection of such energy-harvesting elements with rectifiers and microbatteries provides an entire flexible system, capable of viable integration with the beating heart via medical sutures and operation with efficiencies of ∼2%. Additional experiments, computational models, and results in multilayer configurations capture the key behaviors, illuminate essential design aspects, and offer sufficient power outputs for operation of pacemakers, with or without battery assist.
Vocabulary input from school textbooks as a potential contributor to the small vocabulary uptake gained by English as a foreign language learners in Saudi Arabia

Research repeatedly reports very little vocabulary uptake by English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in public schools in Saudi Arabia. Factors such as the teaching methodology employed and learner motivation have been suggested to explain this but a further explanation, the vocabulary input these learners receive, remains uninvestigated. An examination of the textbooks in the EFL program in Saudi Arabian public schools suggests they provide around 2800 words from the most frequent 5000 words and an additional 1000 less frequent words over a period of seven years. Most of these words are introduced before the secondary stage which suggests little input and much repetition in the final years of school learning. There is little thematic variation, which suggests the textbooks are dull and will demotivate learners. Surprisingly, portions of the Ministry of Education’s own target word-list are not presented at all. Poverty of input, therefore, helps explain the small volumes of vocabulary uptake. Among the words which are available for learning, three difficulty factors – word length, repetition and concreteness – might explain 63–80% of variance in vocabulary learnability although some caution is suggested since the sample of words investigated is very small.