Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The story of socio‐technical design: reflections on its successes, failures and potential

Abstract. This paper traces the history of socio‐technical design, emphasizing the set of values it embraces, the people espousing its theory and the organizations that practise it. Its role in the implementation of computer systems and its impact in a number of different countries are stressed. It also shows its relationship with action research, as a humanistic set of principles aimed at increasing human knowledge while improving practice in work situations. Its evolution in the 1960s and 1970s evidencing improved working practices and joint agreements between workers and management are contrasted with the much harsher economic climate of the 1980s and 1990s when such principled practices, with one or two notable exceptions, gave way to lean production, downsizing and cost cutting in a global economy, partly reflecting the impact of information and communications technology. Different future scenarios are discussed where socio‐technical principles might return in a different guise to humanize the potential impact of technology in a world of work where consistent organizational and economic change are the norm.
Antibody to mouse alpha/beta interferon abrogates Pichinde virus-induced liver lesions in suckling mice

Infection of newborn C3HeB/FeJ mice with the arenavirus Pichinde resulted in stunted growth, severe liver cell degeneration, and death. Administration of sheep anti-mouse alpha/beta interferon globulin completely abrogated liver lesions in virus-infected mice, although it did not decrease the incidence of mortality. These results indicate that endogenous interferon may be responsible for some manifestations of viral disease.
Formulating a complete epidemiological profile of major depressive disorder: Investigating the global distribution, risk factors, outcomes, and burden of major depressive disorder

ii Declaration by author . iv Publications during candidature . v Peer reviewed papers . v Book chapters . vii Conference abstracts . viii Publications included in this thesis . ix Contributions by others to the thesis . xiii Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree . xiii Acknowledgements . xiv
Duration of suppression of bone turnover following treatment with zoledronic acid in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Aim: Zoledronate is approved for use every 3 weeks in men with bone metastases from castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) but the basis for such frequency is unclear. Methods: In men with bone metastasis from CRPC we measured the markers of bone turnover - urine and serum telopeptides before the first injection of zoledronate and at four 3-weekly intervals thereafter. Men received further zoledronate treatment after 12 weeks, or earlier if the telopeptides did not meet predefined adequate suppression. The primary end point was the proportion of evaluable subjects with suppressed telopeptides at 12 weeks. Exploratory analyses evaluated predictors of bone turnover suppression and quality-of-life. Results: 31 patients were enrolled. Median age was 70 (range: 53–86) years. 65%, (95% CI: 46–81%) had suppressed telopeptides at 12 weeks. Prior skeletal-related events, chemotherapy, bone surgery and higher baseline levels of telopeptides were associated with shorter duration of telopeptides. Conclusion: 12-weekly zoledronate suppresses bone turnover in the majority of men with bone metastasis from CRPC.
A study of the importance and impact of autonomy on the motivation and subjective well being of British and Ecuadorian university students

Autonomy has been proposed by Self-determination theory (SDT) as universally beneficial to subjective well-being (SWB). This assumption is questioned, however, by cross-cultural researchers who argue that autonomy is less central within collectivist societies. The thesis addressed this controversy by conducting a mixed methods study with Ecuadorian and British university students. In line with SDT, the results of questionnaires and focus groups demonstrate that autonomy is likely to be conducive to SWB in both collectivist (Ecuador) and individualist (the UK) societies. On the other hand, the findings suggest a cross-cultural differentiation in ways in which various versions of autonomy correlate with SWB. Self-generated or individual autonomy correlated positively with SWB in both cultural contexts, whereas autonomy achieved by genuine self-endorsement/internalization of external influences was only beneficial for participants from the collectivist culture. Furthermore, the data point to higher levels of individual autonomy in the British sample. Finally, the findings from focus groups indicate the higher importance and internalization of external influences among Ecuadorian students. Overall, therefore, although the study reconfirms key tenets within SDT, it also suggests that the studied variables and their relationships might be mediated by cultural self-construal, which, in turn, can have implications for international pedagogical practices.
Health implications of α1-antitrypsin deficiency in Sub-Sahara African countries and their emigrants in Europe and the New World

Purpose: To determine the frequencies of the protease inhibitor (PI) deficiency alleles of α1-antitrypsin deficiency (AAT Deficiency) in indigenous populations in 12 countries in Sub-Sahara Africa because of their potential impact on the health in these populations with regard to the high risk for development of liver and lung disease. In addition, to discuss the unique susceptibility of these populations and emigrants to Europe and the New World to the adverse health effects associated with exposure to environmental microbes, chemicals, and particulates.Methods: Detailed statistical analysis of the 24 control cohort databases from genetic epidemiological studies by others were used to estimate the allele frequencies and prevalence for the two most common deficiency alleles PIS and PIZ and to estimate the numbers at risk in each of the local Sub-Sahara populations as well as those who have emigrated from these countries to Europe and the New World.Results: The present study has provided evidence for the presence of both PIS and PIZ in the general populations of Nigeria, Republic of South Africa, and Somalia, the PIS allele in Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Mozambique, Namibia, and the Republic of Congo, and only the PIZ allele in Mali.Conclusion: AAT Deficiency is found in both the Black and “Colored” populations in many of the Sub-Sahara countries in Africa, providing evidence for the presence of AAT Deficiency in such populations in Europe and in the New World. Such populations should be screened for AAT Deficiency and made aware of their unique susceptibility to exposure to chemical and particulate agents in the environment.
Phase-amplitude coupling supports phase coding in human ECoG

Prior studies have shown that high-frequency activity (HFA) is modulated by the phase of low-frequency activity. This phenomenon of phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) is often interpreted as reflecting phase coding of neural representations, although evidence for this link is still lacking in humans. Here, we show that PAC indeed supports phase-dependent stimulus representations for categories. Six patients with medication-resistant epilepsy viewed images of faces, tools, houses, and scenes during simultaneous acquisition of intracranial recordings. Analyzing 167 electrodes, we observed PAC at 43% of electrodes. Further inspection of PAC revealed that category specific HFA modulations occurred at different phases and frequencies of the underlying low-frequency rhythm, permitting decoding of categorical information using the phase at which HFA events occurred. These results provide evidence for categorical phase-coded neural representations and are the first to show that PAC coincides with phase-dependent coding in the human brain. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.07886. 001
Relationships between neurokinin receptor-expressing interstitial cells of Cajal and tachykininergic nerves in the gut

The so‐called interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are distributed throughout the muscle coat of the alimentary tract with characteristic intramual location and species‐variations in structure and staining. Several ICC sub‐types have been identified: ICC‐DMP, ICC‐MP, ICC‐IM, ICC‐SM. Gut motility is regulated by ICC and each sub‐type is responsible for the electrical activities typical of each gut region and/or muscle layer. The interstitial position of the ICC between nerve endings contain tachykinins. Three distinct tachykinin receptors (NK1r, NK2r and NK3r) have been demonstrated by molecular biology. Each of them binds with different affinities to a series of tachykinins (SP, NKA and NKB). In the ileum, SP‐immunoreactive (SP‐IR) nerve fibers form a rich plexus at the deep muscular plexus (DMP), distributed around SP‐negative cells, and ICC‐DMP intensely express the SP‐preffered receptor NK1r; conversely a faint NK1r‐IR is detected on the ICC‐MP and mainly after receptor internalization was induced by agonists. ICC‐IM are never stained in laboratory mammals, while those of the human, antrum are NK1r‐IR. RT‐PCR conducted on isolated idleal ICC‐MP and gastric ICC‐IM showed that these cells express NK1r and NK3r. Colonic ICC, except those in humans, do not express NK1r‐IR, at least in resting conditions. Outside the gut, NK1r‐IR cells were seen in the arterial wall and exocrine pancreas. In the mouse gut only, NK1r‐IR is present in non‐neuronal cells located within the intestinal villi, so‐called myoid cells, which are c‐kit‐negative and α‐smooth muscle actin‐positive. Immunohistochemistry and functional studies confirmed that ICC receive input from SP‐IR terminals, with differences between ICC sub‐types. In the rat, very early after birth, NK1r is expressed by the ICC‐DMP and SP by the related nerve varicosities. Studies on pathological conditions are few and those on mutant strains practically absent. It has only been reported that in the inflamed ileum of rats the NK1r‐IR ICC‐DMP disappear and that at the peak of inflammatory conditions ICC‐MP are NK1r‐IR. In ileum of mice with a mutation in the W locus, ICC‐DMP were seen to express c‐kit‐IR but not NK1‐IR, and SP‐IR innervation seems unchanged. In summary, there are distinct ICC populations, each of them under a different tachkininergic control and, likely, having different functions. Further studies are recommended at the aim of understanding ICC involvement in modulating/transmitting tachykininergic inputs.
LUNGx Challenge for computerized lung nodule classification

Abstract. The purpose of this work is to describe the LUNGx Challenge for the computerized classification of lung nodules on diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans as benign or malignant and report the performance of participants’ computerized methods along with that of six radiologists who participated in an observer study performing the same Challenge task on the same dataset. The Challenge provided sets of calibration and testing scans, established a performance assessment process, and created an infrastructure for case dissemination and result submission. Ten groups applied their own methods to 73 lung nodules (37 benign and 36 malignant) that were selected to achieve approximate size matching between the two cohorts. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for these methods ranged from 0.50 to 0.68; only three methods performed statistically better than random guessing. The radiologists’ AUC values ranged from 0.70 to 0.85; three radiologists performed statistically better than the best-performing computer method. The LUNGx Challenge compared the performance of computerized methods in the task of differentiating benign from malignant lung nodules on CT scans, placed in the context of the performance of radiologists on the same task. The continued public availability of the Challenge cases will provide a valuable resource for the medical imaging research community.
Spectroscopic optical coherence elastography

We present an optical technique to image the frequency-dependent complex mechanical response of a viscoelastic sample. Three-dimensional hyperspectral data, comprising two-dimensional B-mode images and a third dimension corresponding to vibration frequency, were acquired from samples undergoing external mechanical excitation in the audio-frequency range. We describe the optical coherence tomography (OCT) signal when vibration is applied to a sample and detail the processing and acquisition techniques used to extract the local complex mechanical response from three-dimensional data that, due to a wide range of vibration frequencies, possess a wide range of sample velocities. We demonstrate frequency-dependent contrast of the displacement amplitude and phase of a silicone phantom containing inclusions of higher stiffness. Measurements of an ex vivo tumor margin demonstrate distinct spectra between adipose and tumor regions, and images of displacement amplitude and phase demonstrated spatially-resolved contrast. Contrast was also observed in displacement amplitude and phase images of a rat muscle sample. These results represent the first demonstration of mechanical spectroscopy based on B-mode OCT imaging. Spectroscopic optical coherence elastography (S-OCE) provides a high-resolution imaging capability for the detection of tissue pathologies that are characterized by a frequency-dependent viscoelastic response.
The in vivo osteogenesis of Mg or Zr-modified silicate-based bioceramic spheres.

The use of bioactive microspheres as bone filling materials has received much attention due to their ability to fill the bone defects with irregular and complex shapes and sizes. Divalent Mg(2+) modified silicate-based diopside (DIOP: CaMgSi(2)O(6)) and tetravalent Zr(4+) modified silicate-based baghdadite (BAGD: Ca(3)ZrSi(2)O(9)) ceramics have shown excellent in vitro bioactivity for potential bone repair application. However, their in vivo osteogenesis has not been systematically investigated. The aim of this study is to prepare DIOP and BAGD ceramic microspheres and investigate their in vivo osteogenesis. DIOP and BAGD ceramic spheres with loose microstructure were successfully prepared. The dissolution ability of two silicate-based bioceramics was investigated by testing the release of SiO 44- ions after soaking them in phosphate buffered saline. The ceramic spheres were implanted into supracondylar site of the femur defects in Wistar rats and the degree of in vivo osteogenesis was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H and E), Safranin O staining, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, and immunohistochemistry (type I collagen: Col I, osteopontin: OPN) analyses. The results have shown that BAGD spheres induced a higher rate of new bone formation in the defects than did DIOP and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) spheres. Immunohistochemical analysis showed greater expression of Col I and OPN in BAGD group compared to DIOP and β-TCP groups. The study indicates different ion modification playing an important role to regulate the in vivo osteogenesis of silicate-based bioceramics. BAGD spheres are a promising bone filler material due to their significantly enhanced osteogenesis, compared to β-TCP spheres.
Budget-constrained stochastic approximation

Traditional stochastic approximation (SA) schemes employ a single gradient or a fixed batch of noisy gradients in computing a new iterate. We consider SA schemes in which Nk samples are utilized at step k and the total simulation budget is M, where Σk=1KNk≤M and K denotes the terminal step. This paper makes the following contributions in the strongly convex regime: (I) We conduct an error analysis for constant batches (Nk = N) under constant and diminishing steplengths and prove linear convergence in terms of expected error in solution iterates based on prescribing Nk in terms of simulation and computational budgets; (II) we extend the linear convergence rates to the setting where Nk is increased at a prescribed rate dependent on simulation and computational budgets; (III) finally, when steplengths are constant, we obtain the optimal number of projection steps that minimizes the bound on the mean-squared error.
Autophagy Attenuates Diabetic Glomerular Damage through Protection of Hyperglycemia-Induced Podocyte Injury

Despite the recent attention focused on the important role of autophagy in maintaining podocyte homeostasis, little is known about the changes and mechanisms of autophagy in podocyte dysfunction under diabetic condition. In this study, we investigated the role of autophagy in podocyte biology and its involvement in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Podocytes had a high basal level of autophagy. And basal autophagy inhibition either by 3-methyladenenine (3-MA) or by Beclin-1 siRNA was detrimental to its architectural structure. However, under diabetic condition in vivo and under high glucose conditions in vitro, high basal level of autophagy in podocytes became defective and defective autophagy facilitated the podocyte injury. Since the dynamics of endoplasmic reticulum(ER) seemed to play a vital role in regulating the autophagic flux, the results that Salubrinal/Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) could restore defective autophagy further indicated that the evolution of autophagy may be mediated by the changes of cytoprotective output in the ER stress. Finally, we demonstrated in vivo that the autophagy of podocyte was inhibited under diabetic status and TUDCA could improve defective autophagy. Taken together, these data suggested that autophagy might be interrupted due to the failure of ER cytoprotective capacity upon high glucose induced unmitigated stress, and the defective autophagy might accelerate the irreparable progression of diabetic nephropathy.
Pharmacokinetics and tissue penetration of a single dose of ornidazole (1,000 milligrams intravenously) for antibiotic prophylaxis in colorectal surgery

Levels in serum and tissue penetration of ornidazole were studied after a single intravenous injection of 1,000 mg given to 14 patients for prophylaxis of surgical infection. They were scheduled for elective colorectal surgery. Adequate levels in blood (greater than or equal to MIC for 90% of Bacteroides fragilis strains tested) were found in all patients throughout the procedure and up to hour 24. Mean-maximal (15 min) and last-determined (24 h) ornidazole levels in serum were 24 +/- 5.2 and 6.3 +/- 1.4 mg/liter, respectively. beta-Phase elimination half-life was 14.1 +/- 2.7 h, and clearance and apparent volume of distribution were 47 +/- 12 ml/min and 0.9 +/- 0.13 liters/kg, respectively. In all patient, adequate levels in tissue were found in the abdominal wall and the epiploic fat at time of incision and in the colonic wall at time of anastomosis. At time of closure, all but one patient had adequate levels in tissue in the abdominal wall and the epiploic fat. No anaerobic nor aerobic infection occurred in the study patients.
Giant malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the scalp

Herein, we describe a rare case of giant malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the head in a 38‐year‐old Japanese man. The tumor measured 210 mm at its largest diameter and was ulcerated, hemorrhagic, multilocular and non‐mobile. It should be noted that the patient stubbornly refused to see a doctor for a long time, resulting in the extreme growth of the tumor. We suspect a psychological basis for this behavior. Dermatohistopathological findings of the biopsy indicated ancient schwannoma and total excision was therefore performed. However, after 4 months, the patient developed multiple metastases and died. Post‐mortem skin biopsy revealed features of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. We performed immunohistochemical studies on the primary and recurrent lesions and concluded that there was a difference in the expression of Ki67 and p16. We propose that the expressions of Ki67 and p16 should be checked for all lesions of peripheral nerve sheath tumor for distinguishing benign from malignant forms.
Identities and Social Change in Britain since 1940: The Politics of Method

First historical account of the development of social science research methods in Britain Accessibly and engagingly written Sheds new light on the huge social changes experienced in Britain over the last 70 years Identities and Social Change in Britain since 1940 examines how, between 1940 and 1970 British society was marked by the imprint of the academic social sciences in profound ways which have an enduring legacy on how we see ourselves. It focuses on how interview methods and sample surveys eclipsed literature and the community study as a means of understanding ordinary life. The book shows that these methods were part of a wider remaking of British national identity in the aftermath of decolonisation in which measures of the rational, managed nation eclipsed literary and romantic ones. It also links the emergence of social science methods to the strengthening of technocratic and scientific identities amongst the educated middle classes, and to the rise in masculine authority which challenged feminine expertise. This book is the first to draw extensively on archived qualitative social science data from the 1930s to the 1960s, which it uses to offer a unique, personal and challenging account of post war social change in Britain. It also uses this data to conduct a new kind of historical sociology of the social sciences, one that emphasises the discontinuities in knowledge forms and which stresses how disciplines and institutions competed with each other for reputation. Its emphasis on how social scientific forms of knowing eclipsed those from the arts and humanities during this period offers a radical re-thinking of the role of expertise today which will provoke social scientists, scholars in the humanities, and the general reader alike.
Artificial bee colony algorithm

INTRODUCTION Nature-inspired computational methodologies and approaches are one of the favorite research topics for both researchers and academic studies in recent years. They're very effective tools for solving complex problems of the real world applications. Most of these algorithms are based on swarm intelligence. Artificial bee colony algorithm is one of the recent and very popular swarm based algorithm mimicking the behavior of the bees. Shortly after introduced, many studies are introduced based on both continuous and discrete optimization problems. The Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm is a recently introduced optimization algorithm which simulates the foraging behavior of a bee colony which was proposed by Karaboga (2005) for real-parameter optimization. The algorithm is developed by inspecting the behaviors of reel bees on finding nectar amounts and sharing this information of food sources to other bees in their hive. It's one of the swarm-based algorithms like ants, birds and fishes in which individual units perform collective behavior. The aim of this study is to present a bibliographical base to the researchers and enlighten them with ABC algorithm. The main topic of this paper is to give an extensive literature survey of the algorithm and its application areas. In the first section swarm intelligence will be studied. After the properties of swarm intelligence, bee based algorithms will be given. Following this section, artificial bee colony algorithm is briefly described and an extensive literature study is given. Further study notes and conclusion finalize the paper.