Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Community, Liberalism and Christian Ethics

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Christian ethical distinctiveness 3. Ecclesial ethics - Stanley Hauerwas 4. Moral realism in recent philosophy 5. Virtue, tradition and God - Alisdair MacIntyre 6. Communitarians and its critics 7. Conclusion Bibliography Index.
Orangutans modify facial displays depending on recipient attention

Primate facial expressions are widely accepted as underpinned by reflexive emotional processes and not under voluntary control. In contrast, other modes of primate communication, especially gestures, are widely accepted as underpinned by intentional, goal-driven cognitive processes. One reason for this distinction is that production of primate gestures is often sensitive to the attentional state of the recipient, a phenomenon used as one of the key behavioural criteria for identifying intentionality in signal production. The reasoning is that modifying/producing a signal when a potential recipient is looking could demonstrate that the sender intends to communicate with them. Here, we show that the production of a primate facial expression can also be sensitive to the attention of the play partner. Using the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Facial Action Coding System (OrangFACS), we demonstrate that facial movements are more intense and more complex when recipient attention is directed towards the sender. Therefore, production of the playface is not an automated response to play (or simply a play behaviour itself) and is instead produced flexibly depending on the context. If sensitivity to attentional stance is a good indicator of intentionality, we must also conclude that the orangutan playface is intentionally produced. However, a number of alternative, lower level interpretations for flexible production of signals in response to the attention of another are discussed. As intentionality is a key feature of human language, claims of intentional communication in related primate species are powerful drivers in language evolution debates, and thus caution in identifying intentionality is important.
The Importance of Interaction in Web-Based Education: A Program-Level Case Study of Online MBA Courses

Though interaction is often billed as a significant component of successful online learning, empirical evidence of its importance as well as practical guidance or specific interaction techniques continue to be lacking. In response, this study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate how instructors and students perceive the importance of online interaction and which instructional techniques enhance those interactions. Results show that instructors perceive the learner-instructor and learnerlearner interactions as key factors in high quality online programs. While online students generally perceive interaction as an effective means of learning, they vary with regard to having more interaction in online courses. Such variations seem to be associated with differences in personality or learning style. The present study also shows that instructors tend to use technologies and instructional activities that they are familiar with or have relied on in traditional classroom settings. When it comes to learning more sophisticated technologies or techniques, instructors vary significantly in their usage of new approaches. The rapid development of computer and Internet technologies has dramatically increased the ways of teaching and learning. Among these new approaches, online Webbased education has become a promising field. In the United States alone, the number of students enrolled in distance education classes has increased from 753,640 in the 19941995 academic year, to an estimated number of 3,077,000 in the 2000-2001 academic year (Lewis, Alexander, & Farris, 1997; Waits & Lewis, 2003). While increasing enrollment is certainly desirable from an administrative perspective, there is a growing concern about program quality. How can universities guarantee quality online programs when in the midst of such explosive growth? What are the exemplary pedagogical experiences that can help establish a high quality online program? These questions are
Toxoplasma gondii major surface antigen (SAG1): in vitro analysis of host cell binding

Previous studies have indicated that SAG1, the major surface molecule of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is an important attachment ligand for the host cell. However, the research data that supports this claim comes largely from studies investigating tachyzoite binding, and not SAG1 binding per se. In this study we successfully developed an in vitro attachment assay to directly evaluate the mechanism of SAG1-host cell binding. Competition experiments were then performed using SAG1 that had been pre-treated with the neoglycoprotein BSA-glucosamide or with antibody. Soluble BSA-glucosamide blocked SAG1 attachment to MDBK cells in a dose-dependent manner, implying that SAG1 binding is mediated, in part, via attachment to host cell surface glucosamine. Interestingly, pre-incubation of SAG1 in polyclonal sera from chronically infected mice failed to block binding. This challenges the assumption that anti-SAG1 antibodies block parasite attachment through the masking of SAG1 host cell binding domains. Taken together, this evidence presents new strategies for understanding SAG1-mediated attachment.
A SMART Stochastic Algorithm for Nonconvex Optimization with Applications to Robust Machine Learning

In this paper, we show how to transform any optimization problem that arises from fitting a machine learning model into one that (1) detects and removes contaminated data from the training set while (2) simultaneously fitting the trimmed model on the uncontaminated data that remains. To solve the resulting nonconvex optimization problem, we introduce a fast stochastic proximal-gradient algorithm that incorporates prior knowledge through nonsmooth regularization. For datasets of size $n$, our approach requires $O(n^{2/3}/\varepsilon)$ gradient evaluations to reach $\varepsilon$-accuracy and, when a certain error bound holds, the complexity improves to $O(\kappa n^{2/3}\log(1/\varepsilon))$. These rates are $n^{1/3}$ times better than those achieved by typical, full gradient methods.
Analyse des facteurs explicatifs de la publication des rapports sociétaux en France

This study develops and empirically tests a model of the corporate decision to disclose stakeholders' reports for French firms. The related literature is then reviewed in the first section. The next section identifies the factors influencing the decision to disclose stakeholders' reports. The variables are then defined before a presentation of the empirical tests. Finally, the summary and the conclusion are presented. The results show that the saillance of stakeholders and the reputation of the industry are the most important factors but the degree of internationalisation of the firms hasn't influence on this decision. We interpret this finding as being consistent with stakeholder theory.
Physiology of Aging Longitudinal changes in aerobic power in older men and women

Stathokostas, Liza, Shanthi Jacob-Johnson, Robert J. Petrella, and Donald H. Paterson. Longitudinal changes in aerobic power in older men and women. J Appl Physiol 97: 784–789, 2004. First published March 26, 2004; 10.1152/japplphysiol.00447. 2003. —The purpose of this study was to describe the longitudinal (10 yr) decline in aerobic power [maximal O2 uptake (V̇O2 max)] and anaerobic threshold [ventilatory threshold (TV̇E)] of older adults living independently in the community. Ten years after initial testing, 62 subjects (34 men, mean age 73.5 6.4 yr; 28 women, 72.1 5.3 yr) achieved V̇O2 max criteria during treadmill walking tests to the limit of tolerance, with TV̇E determined in a subset of 45. V̇O2 max in men showed a rate of decline of 0.43 ml kg 1 min 1 yr , and the decline in V̇O2 max was consequent to a lowered maximal heart rate with no change in the maximum O2 pulse. The women showed a slower rate of decline of V̇O2 max of 0.19 ml kg 1 min 1 yr 1 (P 0.05), again with a lowered HRmax and unchanged O2 pulse. In this sample, lean body mass was not changed over the 10-yr period. Changes in V̇O2 max were not significantly related to physical activity scores. TV̇E showed a nonsignificant decline in both men and women. Groupings of young-old (65–72 yr at follow-up) vs. old-old (73–90 yr at follow-up) were examined. In men, there were no differences in the rate of V̇O2 max decline. The young-old women showed a significant decline in V̇O2 max, whereas old-old women, initially at a V̇O2 max of 19.4 3.1 ml kg 1 min , showed no loss in V̇O2 max. The longitudinal data, vs. cross-sectional analysis, showed a greater decline for men but similar estimates of the rates of change in women. Thus the 10-yr longitudinal study of the cohort of community-dwelling older adults who remained healthy, ambulatory, and independent showed a 14% decline in V̇O2 max in men, and a smaller decline of 7% in women, with the oldest women showing little change over the 10-yr period.
Distributed Relay Selection for MIMO-SDM Cooperative Networks

In this paper, we consider an amplify-and-forward cooperative wireless network in which network nodes use multiple input multiple output (MIMO) spatial division multiplexing (SDM) to communicate with one another. We examine the problem of distributed cooperative relay selection and signal combining at the destination. First, we propose three distributed relay selection algorithms based on the maximum channel gains, the maximum harmonic mean of the channel gains, and the minimum mean squared error (MSE) of the signal estimation. Second, we propose a minimum mean square error (MMSE) signal combining scheme which jointly serves as the optimal signal combiner and interference canceler. It is shown that the MSE selection together with the MMSE combining achieves the maximal diversity gain. We also show that in MIMO-SDM cooperative networks increasing the number of candidate nodes does not help to improve the BER performance as opposed to the cooperative networks where each node is equipped with only single antenna. A practical approach to implementation of the combiner based on the current wireless access network protocols will also be presented.
Current and emerging pharmacological treatments for sarcoidosis: a review

The treatment of sarcoidosis is not standardized. Because sarcoidosis may never cause significant symptoms or organ dysfunction, treatment is not mandatory. When treatment is indicated, oral corticosteroids are usually recommended because they are highly likely to be effective in a relative short period of time. However, because sarcoidosis is often a chronic condition, long-term treatment with corticosteroids may cause significant toxicity. Therefore, corticosteroid sparing agents are often indicated in patients requiring chronic therapy. This review outlines the indications for treatment, corticosteroid treatment, and corticosteroid sparing treatments for sarcoidosis.
Magnetic resonance imaging/angiography and transcranial Doppler velocities in sickle cell anemia: results from the SWiTCH trial.

The Stroke With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea (SWiTCH) trial compared standard (transfusions/chelation) to alternative (hydroxyurea/phlebotomy) treatment to prevent recurrent stroke and manage iron overload in children chronically transfused over 7 years before enrollment. Standardized brain magnetic resonance imaging/magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) exams were performed at entry and exit, with a central blinded review. A novel MRA vasculopathy grading scale demonstrated frequent severe baseline left/right vessel stenosis (53%/41% ≥Grade 4); 31% had no vessel stenosis on either side. Baseline parenchymal injury was prevalent (85%/79% subcortical, 53%/37% cortical, 50%/35% subcortical and cortical). Most children had low or uninterpretable baseline middle cerebral artery TCD velocities, which were associated with worse stenoses (incidence risk ratio [IRR] = 5.1, P ≤ .0001 and IRR = 4.1, P < .0001) than normal velocities; only 2% to 12% had any conditional/abnormal velocity. Patients with adjudicated stroke (7) and transient ischemic attacks (19 in 11 standard/8 alternative arm subjects) had substantial parenchymal injury/vessel stenosis. At exit, 1 child (alternative arm) had a new silent infarct, and another had worse stenosis. SWiTCH neuroimaging data document severe parenchymal and vascular abnormalities in children with SCA and stroke and support concerns about chronic transfusions lacking effectiveness for preventing progressive cerebrovascular injury. The novel SWiTCH vasculopathy grading scale warrants validation testing and consideration for use in future clinical trials. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as #NCT00122980.
Increased ratio of circulating neutrophils to monocytes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objective: To elucidate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) biomarkers and potential mechanisms of disease, we measured immune cell populations in whole blood from a large cohort of patients with ALS. Methods: Leukocytes were isolated from the blood of 44 control patients and 90 patients with ALS. The percentages and total numbers of each cell population were analyzed using flow cytometry and matched with patient ALS Functional Rating Scale–Revised (ALSFRS-R) score to correlate leukocyte metrics with disease progression. Results: We show a significant increase in the percentage of neutrophils and a significant decrease in the percentage of CD4 T cells and CD16− monocytes in the blood of patients with ALS compared to controls; however, only CD16− monocyte levels correlated with disease progression. We also examined the monocyte surface expression of CCRL2 and CCR3; CD16− monocytes displayed decreased percentages and total numbers expressing CCR3, but these numbers did not correlate with ALSFRS-R score. We found that combining multiple disease metrics yielded the most accurate predictor of disease progression: the ratio of neutrophils to CD16− monocytes (N:M ratio) is significantly increased in patients with ALS and better correlates with disease progression than any other single metric. Conclusions: These observations implicate neutrophils and monocytes as important factors in late disease progression.
Identification of Hearing Loss in Pediatric Patients with Down Syndrome

Objective. To determine the type of hearing loss, incidence of the lost to follow-up rate, and the time to diagnose sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children with Down syndrome (DS) identified from a statewide database. Study Design. Case series with chart review. Setting. Pediatric referral center. Subjects and Methods. Three hundred forty-four patients with DS born in Utah between January 2002 and December 2006 were identified using the Utah Department of Health’s Newborn Hearing Screening database and birth defects registry. Results. Three hundred thirty-two patients were included in the study. Eighty-seven infants (26.2%) did not pass their newborn hearing screening (NBS). Thirty-three of these children (37.9%) had a conductive hearing loss attributed to serous otitis media. Five infants had SNHL; 3 children were diagnosed with a mixed hearing loss (MHL). The average time to diagnose a sensorineural hearing loss was 485 ± 601 days. One child who passed his NBS was subsequently found to have an SNHL. More than 43% of the newborns with DS who passed their NBS developed a conductive hearing loss requiring insertion of ventilation tubes. Eighty-four percent of newborns with DS who did not undergo NBS did not have any apparent subsequent audiologic testing. Conclusion. Patients with DS present with a relatively high incidence of conductive hearing loss, MHL, and SNHL and a higher lost to follow-up rate compared to patients without DS. The authors were not able to diagnose SNHL within the 90-day period recommended by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.
The serotype distribution of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli isolated from patients with diarrhoea and controls at Tikur Anbassa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Sixty-eight isolates of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli isolated from patients with diarrhoea (n=630) and controls (n=220) at Tikur Anbassa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were serotyped on the basis of the heat-labile (HL) and the heat-stable (HS) antigens, by using 16 and 34 antisera, respectively, for the two methods. With the antisera against heat labile antigens, 89–3% of the C. jejuni and 75% of the C. coli were typable. The HL serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 were the most common among the C. jejuni while HL serotypes 1 and 2 were dominant among the C. coli isolates. These serotypes accounted for 63·2% of all isolates. For the heat-stable antigens, 60% of the C. jejuni and 83·3% of the C. coli isolates were typable. The HS serotypes 1, 3, 8, 26 and 34 were most common among the C. jejuni, while serotypes 3 and 8 were dominant among C. coli isolates. This study shows that the most common HL and HS antigens among campylobacter isolates from Ethiopia correspond to the most frequent antigenic types from other parts of the world. A limited number of antisera were sufficient to identify the majority of the isolates.
Ballistic Random Walk in a Random Environment with a Forbidden Direction

We consider a ballistic random walk in an i.i. d. random environment that does not allow retreating in a certain fixed direction. Homogenization and regeneration techniques combine to prove a law of large numbers and an averaged invariance principle. The assumptions are non-nestling and $1+\e$ (resp.\ $2+\e$) moments for the step of the walk uniformly in the environment, for the law of large numbers (resp. invariance principles). We also investigate invariance principles under fixed environments, and invariance principles for the environment-dependent mean of the walk.
A test of an etiological model: The development of disordered eating in Division-I university female gymnasts and swimmers/divers.

Certain sport environments may contribute to the development of disordered eating and those that heavily emphasize weight and/or body shape can be particularly damaging to an athlete's body image, self-concept, and eating behaviors. In particular, female athletes in collegiate sports are at a greater risk for engaging in unhealthy behaviors because they face both societal pressures from Western culture to be thin, in addition to sport pressures that focus on performance and appearance. According to the American Medical Association almost half of American women are trying to lose weight, illustrating that societal pressures alone to be thin and attractive can influence the development of disordered eating. Athletes are exposed to the same sociocultural pressures as their nonathlete counterparts, and would be expected to have similar feelings about their bodies as women in general. Add subsequent pressures like team "weigh-ins," coaches' body comp preferences, judges' critiques, revealing attire, and endurance/strength demands, and the stage is set for the development of disordered eating. In the current study, participants were 414 Division-I female gymnasts, swimmers/divers, and they completed self-report measures assessing sport pressures, body satisfaction and disordered eating behavior to test Petrie & Greenleaf's etiological model. Results indicate that sport pressures do lead directly to dietary restraint, a precursor to disordered eating, and are not always mediated through internalization and body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that decreasing and intervening with perceived sport pressures may lessen the risk of female athletes developing an eating disorder.
Clinical diagnosis of ventilator associated pneumonia revisited: comparative validation using immediate post-mortem lung biopsies

BACKGROUND A study was undertaken to assess the diagnostic value of different clinical criteria and the impact of microbiological testing on the accuracy of clinical diagnosis of suspected ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). METHODS Twenty five deceased mechanically ventilated patients were studied prospectively. Immediately after death, multiple bilateral lung biopsy specimens (16 specimens/patient) were obtained for histological examination and quantitative lung cultures. The presence of both histological pneumonia and positive lung cultures was used as a reference test. RESULTS The presence of infiltrates on the chest radiograph and two of three clinical criteria (leucocytosis, purulent secretions, fever) had a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 75%; the corresponding numbers for the clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) were 77% and 42%. Non-invasive as well as invasive sampling techniques had comparable values. The combination of all techniques achieved a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 50%, and these values remained virtually unchanged despite the presence of previous treatment with antibiotics. When microbiological results were added to clinical criteria, adequate diagnoses originating from microbiological results which might have corrected false positive and false negative clinical judgements (n = 5) were countered by a similar proportion of inadequate diagnoses (n = 6). CONCLUSIONS Clinical criteria had reasonable diagnostic values. CPIS was not superior to conventional clinical criteria. Non-invasive and invasive sampling techniques had diagnostic values comparable to clinical criteria. An algorithm guiding antibiotic treatment exclusively by microbiological results does not increase the overall diagnostic accuracy and carries the risk of undertreatment.
Multi-UAV-Aided Networks: Aerial-Ground Cooperative Vehicular Networking Architecture

In this article, an aerial-ground cooperative vehicular networking architecture is proposed. Multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), forming an aerial subnetwork, aid the ground vehicular subnetwork through air-to-air (A2A) and air-to-ground (A2G) communications. UAVs can be dispatched to areas of interest to collect information, and transmit it to ground vehicles. Moreover, UAVs can act as intermediate relays due to their flexible mobility when network partitions happen in the ground vehicular subnetwork. With the assistance of UAVs, the twolayer cooperative networking can facilitate applications such as disaster rescue and polluted area investigation. Potential research issues and challenges in multi-UAV-aided vehicular networks are presented and discussed, which can shed light on extending the applications of vehicular networks in an extreme environment.