Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Critical Voices and Human Security: To Endure, To Engage or To Critique?

Narratives of human security have been widely adopted and adapted within both academic and policy communities. Despite debates over its meanings and uses, the concept has proven to be remarkably resilient. In particular, there has a been a surprising willingness by critical scholars not only to analyse and critique human security, but also to embrace it as a means of furthering political goals. This article maps the ways in which various strands of critical scholarship in international relations have striven to use human security. It concludes by arguing that human security has lost any true critical potential and has become a new orthodoxy. Thus, while the concept may have value in highlighting particular issues and may enable short-term gains, it is unable to provide the basis for a substantive change of the system of international security.
Uncertainty as knowledge

This issue of Philosophical Transactions examines the relationship between scientific uncertainty about climate change and knowledge. Uncertainty is an inherent feature of the climate system. Considerable effort has therefore been devoted to understanding how to effectively respond to a changing, yet uncertain climate. Politicians and the public often appeal to uncertainty as an argument to delay mitigative action. We argue that the appropriate response to uncertainty is exactly the opposite: uncertainty provides an impetus to be concerned about climate change, because greater uncertainty increases the risks associated with climate change. We therefore suggest that uncertainty can be a source of actionable knowledge. We survey the papers in this issue, which address the relationship between uncertainty and knowledge from physical, economic and social perspectives. We also summarize the pervasive psychological effects of uncertainty, some of which may militate against a meaningful response to climate change, and we provide pointers to how those difficulties may be ameliorated.
Enterprise resource planning: the role of the CIO and it function in ERP

B y early 2000 the ERP revolution generated over $20 billion in revenues annually for suppliers and an additional $20 billion for consulting firms. However, for many organizations ERP represents the return of the old IT catch-22 with a vengeance: competitively and technically it’s a must-do, but economically there is conflicting evidence, suggesting it is difficult to justify the associated costs, and difficult to implement to achieve a lasting business advantage. Critical success factors, and reasons for failure in ERP implementations, have now been widely researched [4–8]. However, what is more noticeable is how the difficulties experienced in ERP implementations and with their business value are not atypical of most IT projects, especially when they are large and complex, expensive, take over a year or more to install, use new technology, and impact significantly on the organizational culture and existing business processes [5, 6, 10, 11]. Our own work on ERP success and failure factors differs in one essential respect from all previous studies. We have identified serious neglect in ERP implementations in securing the most effective roles for the CIO and IT function. Moreover, in case studies we have found failures in this area to be correlated strongly to subsequent difficulties in achieving delivery and business value. This article spells out the several ways in which we have found the CIO and IT function (and relatedly it must be said, often senior business executives), asleep at the wheel on ERP. We then detail the more effective capabilities and organizational and cultural practices that explain ERP, and indeed wider IT, success. In practice, irrespective of the differing technologies being implemented, we have indeed found that there are still consistent IT management principles to be applied to ERP, and many lessons to be had from history.
Drivers of in‐group and out‐of‐group electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM)

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to address a recent call for additional research on electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM). In response to this call, this study draws on the social network paradigm and the uses and gratification theory (UGT) to propose and empirically test a conceptual framework of key drivers of two types of eWOM, namely in‐group and out‐of‐group.Design/methodology/approach – The proposed model, which examines the impact of usage motivations on eWOM in‐group and eWOM out‐of‐group, is tested in a sample of 302 internet users in Portugal.Findings – Results from the survey show that the different drivers (i.e. mood‐enhancement, escapism, experiential learning and social interaction) vary in terms of their impact on the two different types of eWOM. Surprisingly, while results show a positive relationship between experiential learning and eWOM out‐of‐group, no relationship is found between experiential learning and eWOM in‐group.Research limitations/implications – This is the first study inve.
Company financing, capital structure and ownership: a survey and implications for developing countries

This paper critically surveys the key literature on corporate financing policy, capital structure and firm ownership in order to identify the leading theoretical and empirical issues in this area. The theoretical component of the survey attempts to reconcile competing theories of capital structure and appraises recent models which use agency theory and asymmetric information to explore the impact of managerial shareholdings, corporate strategy and taxation on the firm’s capital structure. The empirical component focuses on univariate analyses as well as multivariate models of capital structure, and makes a comparison between theoretical predictions and empirical results. Implications are identified in terms of promising research ideas (PRIs) for further research. The bulk of the empirical research that we survey is concerned with the experience of a few western industrial countries, and the implications of this research are assessed accordingly. However, we also aim to draw out implications for new research in developing and newly industrialised countries with an expanding corporate sector.
Natural disaster news and communities of feeling: the affective interpellation of local and global publics

This paper engages with contemporary debates around the mediation of distant suffering by examining the ways in which news selection and reporting interpellate audiences into communities of feeling, in which affective belonging is structured by multimodal rhetorical strategies. Concepts drawn from discursive psychology and systemic-functional linguistics (appraisal theory) are used to show how news coverage of natural disasters positions audiences affectively. Analysis of Australian print media coverage of the 2009 Australian bushfires and the 2010 Haiti earthquake will be used to show how this process differs for local and international events. The paper contributes to debates on the “emotionalisation” of public culture by exploring the precise functions of affect within disaster reporting; in particular, how the production of various kinds of affects in the wake of a disaster shapes local and global publics.
Lecture Series Immunology and Homeopathy . 4 . Clinical Studies — Part 1

The evidence-based research of the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines in common immunologic disorders is reviewed. In part 1, we introduce methodological issues of clinical research in homeopathy, and criteria utilized to evaluate the literature. Then 24 studies (12 randomized and 12 non-randomized) on common upper respiratory tract infections and otorhinolaryngologic complaints are described. In part 2, the focus will be on allergic diseases and the effectiveness of homeopathy will be globally evaluated and discussed using the criteria of evidence-based medicine.
Analysis of Some Metals in Human Hair by the AAS Method

Heavy metals is a term that covers a group of elements with similar chemical properties. Some of them, including copper, iron, zinc, play an important role in human organism and are called essential metals, while others are not known as being useful for our health, or more precisely they are toxic. High concentrations of heavy metals may cause health problems (Puntaric et. al., 2012). People may be exposed to small quantities of heavy metals through food, water, air and
Surveillance of acute bacterial meningitis among children admitted to a district hospital in rural Mozambique.

BACKGROUND Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) remains an important cause of mortality among African children. Epidemiologic data with regard to ABM infection are necessary for prioritizing public health interventions. METHODS We strengthened hospital-based surveillance of ABM among children admitted to Manhiça District Hospital (Maputo, Mozambique). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from children admitted to the hospital who met clinical criteria of ABM. Laboratory determinations were performed. Clinical information and outcome of cases were recorded. RESULTS During the first 12 months of surveillance, which began in January 2006, CSF samples were collected from 642 children <15 years of age with suspected meningitis (18% of all pediatric patients admitted to the hospital during that time). ABM was confirmed in 43 (7%) of the 642 cases. Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (14 cases), pneumococcus (9 cases), and meningococcus (7 cases) represented approximately 70% of confirmed cases. Four of the 9 pneumococci were serotypes covered by the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The case fatality rate among patients with ABM was 24% (8 of 33 with known outcome); an additional 8 patients left the hospital before discharge. The incidence of ABM was 85 per 100,000 population, which peaked at 2-12 months of age at 1078 cases per 100,000 population. All 9 pneumococci isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, and 8 were susceptible to penicillin (the additional 1 had intermediate resistance). For the 10 Hib isolates tested, only 1 was susceptible to chloramphenicol, and 5 were susceptible to ampicillin. CONCLUSION These data reinforce the importance of ABM as a cause of hospital admission and death in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Most observed ABM cases could have been prevented by current pneumococcal and Hib conjugate vaccines.
Predictors of Beliefs about Money

This study was done to examine the causal structure of attitudinal variables that relate to beliefs about money. In all 306 subjects completed various questionnaires measuring the work ethic, achievement motivation, mastery, competitiveness, conformity, and beliefs about money. Path analysis indicated the variables of work ethic, conformity, and mastery operated indirectly through the mediating effect on achievement motivation, competitiveness, and beliefs about money. Factors such as work ethic, mastery, and achievement appear to have a direct causal effect on competitiveness. Ultimately in our culture, monetary success is a result of successful competitiveness.
High occurrence of Acanthamoeba genotype T4 in soil sources from Bolívar State, Venezuela

Pathogenic strains of Acanthamoeba are causative agents of keratitis and encephalitis that often may end fatal in humans and other animals. In the present study, twenty-seven soil samples were collected in the Bolivar State in Venezuela and checked for the presence of Acanthamoeba. Samples were cultivated onto 2% non-nutrient agar plates seeded with a layer of heat killed E. coli. Amplification by PCR and sequencing of the DF3 region of the 18S rDNA of Acanthamoeba was carried out in order to confirm morphological identification of the amoebae. Furthermore, Acanthamoeba spp. was isolated from 51.8% of soil samples. Sequencing of the DF3 region of the 18S rDNA resulted in the identification of genotype T4 in all samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of genotype T4 in soil sources from Venezuela. Further studies should be carried out in this State and in the country in order to determine the current occurrence of Acanthamoeba in Venezuelan environments.
What Children Say When They Talk About the Past

The study of children's spontaneous talk about the past is critical to understanding narrative and autobiographical memory development. Mothers of 59 New Zealand children recorded their spontaneous talk about past events. In Study 1, mothers recorded children's verbal memories at 25 and 32 months. Study 2 consisted of one child's verbal memories from 14.5 to 19.5 months of age. The results from both studies revealed that children progressed from talking about absent objects and locations to mentioning more complex aspects of events. At first, children's verbal memories were largely cued by the environment, but children were capable of internally cued memories from a very young age. Children's verbal memory development was not completely dependent on their language skill. Children's spontaneous memories focused on much more mundane events than those adults chose to discuss with their young children. The shift in what children find interesting to encode and discuss, along with their skill in narrating events to others, may contribute to the beginning of autobiographical memory.
Intercellular adhesion mediated by human muscle neural cell adhesion molecule: effects of alternative exon use

Mouse 3T3 fibroblasts were permanently transfected with cDNAs encoding isoforms of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) present in human skeletal muscle and brain. Parental and transfected cells were then used in a range of adhesion assays. In the absence of external shear forces, transfection with cDNAs encoding either transmembrane or glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked N-CAM species significantly increased the intercellular adhesiveness of 3T3 cells in suspension. Transfection of a cDNA encoding a secreted N-CAM isoform was without effect on adhesion. Cells transfected with cDNAs containing or lacking the muscle-specific domain 1 sequence, a four-exon group spliced into the muscle but not the brain GPI-linked N-CAM species, were equally adhesive in the assays used. We also demonstrate that N-CAM-mediated intercellular adhesiveness is inhibited by 0.2 mg/ml heparin; but, at higher concentrations, reduced adhesion of parental cells was also seen. Coaggregation of fluorescently labeled and unlabeled cell populations was performed and measured by comparing their distribution within aggregates with distributions that assume nonspecific (random) aggregation. These studies demonstrate that random aggregation occurs between transfected cells expressing the transmembrane and GPI-linked N- CAM species and between parental cells and those expressing the secreted N-CAM isoform. Other combinations of these populations tested exhibited partial adhesive specificity, indicating homophilic binding between surface-bound N-CAM. Thus, the approach exploited here allows for a full analysis of the requirements, characteristics, and specificities of the adhesive behavior of individual N-CAM isoforms.
Music memory provides access to verbal knowledge in a patient with global amnesia

Abstract We report on the patient CH, who showed marked impairment of declarative memory in everyday life and standardized memory tests subsequent to herpes simplex encephalltis. However, there was anecdotal evidence for preserved learning capacity for verbal material (song titles) in connection with playing accordion music. Our experiments, tallored to CH's individual accordion repertoire, confirmed strong associations between language (song titles) and music (accordion melodies): CH performed 100% of the melodies correctly after being presented with the respective song titles. Presented with melodies, she recognized 90% of the titles out of several distractors. This good verbal memory success is conspicuous in the light of her otherwise severe memory impairments. To elucidate the phenomenon, we examined additionally the semantic knowledge concerning music-associated verbal material in CH by definition, categorization, reading and naming tasks. If music-associated words belonged to an actually better preserved or relearned vocabulary, we would have expected CH to perform better with music-associated concepts than with comparable, non-music-associated concepts. However, that was not the case. CH's good verbal memory in a musical context may be explained in terms of a material-specific, semantically empty priming effect.
Resilience in change: Positive perspectives on the dynamics of change in early childhood systems

Change is a central feature of the early care and education landscape today. Much of the research on educational change focuses on the negative or challenging aspects of change. This study employed a critical theory framework from the organizational sciences field, positive organizational scholarship, to offer a new way of thinking about change in the early care and education field. This article examines the positive dynamics of change and collective resilience in the implementation of a new early care and education professional development system in one US state. Data sources included 60 in-depth interviews with professional development providers and state education agency staff, meeting observations, and document review. This positive organizational scholarship lens revealed multiple positive processes, including compassion, mutual support, and participants’ ability to make sense of, adapt to, and positively contribute to change. Furthermore, results show how specific communication structures fostered relationships among participants that enabled these positive change dynamics. The article suggests ways that change efforts can be designed to intentionally enable positive change and strengthen collective resilience in the early care and education field.
Family System Dynamics, the Individuation Process, and Psychosocial Development

Measures of family system patterns of interaction and the individuation process were examined as mediators of psychosocial development in a sample of college students. Included is an initial exploration into the construction and development of self-report, paper-and-pencil instruments designed to measure the two exceedingly complex constructs of differentiation and individuation. Indicators of family conflict, parental intrusiveness, and psychological interconnectedness were found to be significant predictors of psychosocial maturity, supporting the theoretical expectation that distance regulation patterns indicative of well differentiated families and age-appropriate manifestations of the individuation process would be independently and interactively related to psychosocial adaptation. Also, the exploration of gender-related differences revealed that males were significantly more financially and psychologically independent from family members than were females but did not differ on any of the other family system and individual variables explored.
Networking by Entrepreneurs: Patterns of Tie—Formation in Emerging Organizations

There are two conflicting patterns of network development of founding entrepreneurs that emerge from existing literature. One of them evolves from an identity-based network dominated by strong ties into an intentionally managed network rich in weak ties. The other involves the opposite, with weak ties dominating in the emergence phase and some of them developing into strong ties, the latter of which are characteristic of the early growth phase. The empirical part of this study focused on the development of the networks of 32 IT start-ups in The Netherlands, which we constructed on the basis of secondary data sources and in-depth interviews with the founders. We found three distinct patterns of network development. The conflicting patterns from the literature fitted two of our patterns and we were able to reconcile them by showing how initial founding conditions and post-founding entrepreneurial processes influence tie-formation processes. We propose that the simultaneous effect of these tie-formation processes leads to particular development patterns of weak and strong ties over time, highlighting the importance of investigating network processes.
Differentially flat trajectory generation for a dynamically stable mobile robot

This work presents a method to find analytic and feasible trajectories for underactuated, balancing robots. The target application is fast computation of achievable trajectories for the ballbot, a dynamically stable mobile robot which balances on a single spherical wheel. To this end, assumptions are made to form the system as differentially flat, and a method of deriving feasible trajectories is shown. These trajectories are tracked on the real robot, demonstrating both point to point motions and recovery from nonzero initial conditions.
Playful Explicitness with Grammar: A Pedagogy for Writing.

The place of grammar within the teaching of writing has long been contested and successive research studies have indicated no correlation between grammar teaching and writing attainment. However, a recent study has shown a significant positive impact on writing outcomes when the grammar input is intrinsically linked to the demands of the writing being taught. The study adopted a mixed methods design with a large-scale randomised controlled trial accompanied by a qualitative dataset, which provided contextual information about how the intervention was implemented. In this paper, we will outline the pedagogical principles that underpinned the intervention, and illustrate both the theoretical grounding and practical classroom examples that exemplify the approach. We will argue that any future policy or professional development that draws on this research must take account of these pedagogical principles, rather than focusing too superficially on either the grammar or the teaching materials which exemplify them.
PCR-Based Diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infection

ABSTRACT We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate use of PCR assays for diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection (PJI). The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 0.92) and 0.91 (CI, 0.81 to 0.96), respectively. Subgroup analyses showed that use of tissue samples may improve sensitivity, and quantitative PCR and sonication of prostheses fluid may improve specificity. The results showed that PCR is reliable and accurate for detection of PJI.