Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The New Transnationalism and Comparative Politics

In the back jacket blurb to Michael Barnett and Martha Finnemore's Rules for the World, Thomas Weiss writes, "realists beware," noting that "states matter, but so do their creations, international organizations. " He might have extended this caution to comparativists as well, since both comparative politics and international relations scholars are increasingly challenged to respond to the rising significance of transna tional activities by state, nonstate, and subnational actors constituting new spheres of cross-border governance. The four works discussed in this review advance current understandings of transnational politics and go well beyond the insight that the "global" and the "local" can no longer be neatly separated. Each presents an ambi tious research agenda that crosses the boundary between international relations and comparative politics, a sharper theoretical vision, and new tools of analysis. This review makes two core arguments about the relevance of the new transna tionalism to comparative politics. First, a contemporary analysis of what used to be called "domestic" or "international" politics must include a systematic recognition of transnational influences. Core areas of comparative inquiry, including the study of regime change and policy formation, need to take into account the increasing rele vance of diffusion processes and transnational mobilization. Second, comparativists have a great opportunity to apply their characteristic methods and theories to the study of transnational actors and emerging spheres of governance. By bringing dis
Fidelity and Survival of Juvenile Coho Salmon in Response to a Flood

Abstract We compared the movement and spring out-migrant trap capture of 1,038 juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags among four alcoves, seven backwaters, and six main-channel pool habitats after a 5-year flood. Sampling was conducted in November 1998 before the flood on 21 November and again in December, January, February, and March in selected habitat units. Along with out-migrant trapping during spring 1999, these repeated sampling efforts were used to measure the fidelity of juvenile coho salmon to particular habitat units, the immigration of coho salmon into those habitat units, and out-migration from them. Following the flood, fidelity and out-migrant trap capture were greater for juvenile coho salmon occupying alcoves (50% and 17.0%) than for those occupying backwaters (16% and 6.1%) or main-channel pools (7% and 2.7%). The out-migrant trap capture of juvenile coho salmon that had been PIT-tagged before the flood (16.1%; N = 209) was similar.
Difference between CKD-EPI and MDRD equations in calculating glomerular filtration rate in patients with cirrhosis.

AIM To evaluate the difference between the performance of the (CKD-EPI) and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equations in cirrhotic patients. METHODS From Jan 2004 to Oct 2008, 4127 cirrhotic patients were reviewed. Patients with incomplete data with respect to renal function were excluded; thus, a total of 3791 patients were included in the study. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by the 4-variable MDRD (MDRD-4), 6-variable MDRD (MDRD-6), and CKD-EPI equations. RESULTS When serum creatinine was 0.7-6.8 mg/dL and 0.6-5.3 mg/dL in men and women, respectively, a significantly lower GFR was estimated by the MDRD-6 than by the CKD-EPI. Similar GFRs were calculated by both equations when creatinine was > 6.9 mg/dL and > 5.4 mg/dL in men and women, respectively. In predicting in-hospital mortality, estimated GFR obtained by the MDRD-6 showed better accuracy [81.72%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.94-0.95] than that obtained by the MDRD-4 (80.22%; 95%CI, 0.96-0.97), CKD-EPI (79.93%; 95%CI, 0.96-0.96), and creatinine (77.50%; 95%CI, 2.27-2.63). CONCLUSION GFR calculated by the 6-variable MDRD equation may be closer to the true GFR than that calculated by the CKD-EPI equation.
An exploratory survey of in-vehicle music listening

Listening to music whilst driving is a common activity, with a number of potentially positive and negative influences on driving performance and safety: previous research suggests that music is a source of distraction and can influence driver mood, with subsequent effects on driving behaviour. However, little systematic evidence exists about the extent or type of in-vehicle listening practices in real-world contexts, and their effect on driving performance. A survey was carried out to discover the extent to which people listen to music while driving, what they are listening to and why, and whether there is any association with driving safety, measured by possession of four or more years' no-claims on motor insurance. The survey of 1780 British drivers reveals that approximately two-thirds listen to recorded music and music radio while driving, with music reported to be less distracting than conversation. The most commonly cited reasons for listening to music while driving were its benefits for relaxation and concentration. The survey indicates associations between possession of `no claims' on motor insurance and a preference for silence. However, the genre of music playing also appears to influence driving performance: there is an association between possession of no-claims, genre of music, and a difference in the frequency with which certain genres were playing at the time of the last accident, relative to the expected norm for that genre. These findings support evidence for music as a source of in-vehicle distraction, which can have both positive and negative effects on driving performance.
Use of an ex vivo canine ventral slot model to test the efficacy of a piezoelectric cutting tool for decompressive spinal surgery.

OBJECTIVE To test the efficacy of a piezoelectric instrument (PI) for bone removal during ventral slot surgery. STUDY DESIGN Ex vivo feasibility study. SAMPLE POPULATION Cadaveric canine cervical spinal specimens (n = 3; C1-7; C1-T1; C2-T1). METHODS The spinal cord of each explanted spinal unit was replaced with a saline-filled latex condom. In 8 disc spaces, ventral slot surgery was performed using a previously reported technique. Bone removal was achieved using a motorized burr (MB). In 8 disc spaces, bone was removed via en bloc ostectomy with a PI that selectively cuts mineralized tissue. Surgical duration and operating field visibility were recorded. Rupture of the fluid filled condom was used as a measure of iatrogenic collateral trauma. Computed tomography was used to measure ventral slot morphometry. RESULTS Mean surgical duration for PI (23.4 minutes) was significantly shorter than for MB (34.1 minutes; P = .049). Using a 4 point Likert scale (4 = excellent, 3 = good, 2 = fair, 1 = poor), median visibility score was significantly higher for PI (2) than for MB (1; P = .03). The condom burst twice (1MB, 1PI) during elevation of the dorsal longitudinal ligament; there was no significant difference between techniques for incidence of collateral trauma (P = .99). Regardless of surgical technique, there was a bias in slot deviation towards the right (i.e., the surgeon's left; P = .021). CONCLUSIONS The PI allowed completion of ventral slots in a significantly shorter time, without an increased incidence of iatrogenic trauma. The right-handed surgeon showed a left-sided aiming bias, regardless of surgical technique.
The Effects of Black English on Stereotyping in Intraracial Perceptions

This study hypothesized that as middle-class African Americans integrate more towards the mainstream of American culture, their perceptions of those African Americans who use Black English (BE) will be more negative than previously believed. A random sample of 38 Black undergraduate students from a predominantly White university served as subjects for the purpose of exploring intraracial perceptions among African American college students toward individuals who spoke BE versus those who spoke Standard English (SE). It was found that African Americans perceived same race SE speakers as more competent and more likeable than same race BE speakers in similar situations. These results raise questions conceming the role of BE among upwardly mobile African American college students.
Adolescents' Perceptions of Peer Acceptance: is Dysphoria Associated With Greater Realism?

Abstract This study assessed bias of adolescents' perceptions of their peer acceptance in order to test the depressive realism hypothesis. High school students (n = 289; 50.5% male; 21.5% minority) completed a depression inventory and predicted acceptance ratings they expected to receive from peers. The difference between mean expected and received peer acceptance ratings was used to measure perceptual bias. Dysphoria was associated with less (positively) biased perceptions of peer acceptance for girls, a finding that held even after controlling for socially desirable response tendencies. Positive bias was not characteristic of most nondysphoric adolescents, but only of a subgroup who endorsed very few items on the depression inventory. These findings challenge that the view positive biases are characteristic of normal thought and that dysphoric individuals are deficient in a protective, self-enhancing bias.
Men, Sex, and Homosociality

Male-male social bonds have a powerful influence on the sexual relations of some young heterosexual men. Qualitative analysis among young men aged eighteen to twenty-six in Canberra, Australia, documents the homosocial organization of men's heterosexual relations. Homosociality organizes men's sociosexual relations in at least four ways. For some of these young men, male-male friendships take priority over male-female relations, and platonic friendships with women are dangerously feminizing. Sexual activity is a key path to masculine status, and other men are the audience, always imagined and sometimes real, for one's sexual activities. Heterosexual sex itself can be the medium through which male bonding is enacted. Last, men's sexual storytelling is shaped by homosocial masculine cultures. While these patterns were evident particularly among young men in the highly homosocial culture of a military academy, their presence also among other groups suggests the wider influence of homosociality on men's sexual and social relations.
The Meaning of Informal Care: Gender and the Contribution of Elderly People

ABSTRACT ‘Caring’ and ‘carers’ are words in frequent use in social policy, but their meaning is often vague and undefined, encompassing a wide range of activities and relationships. This paper discusses the meaning of caring and focuses particular attention on older carers. Secondary analysis of the 1985 Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) Informal Carers Survey data shows that of the estimated six million informal carers in Britain, the largest contribution is made by women in their early 60s, and that elderly men are more likely than younger men to be carers. The bulk of informal caring work, in terms of total time spent, is provided by co-resident carers, most of whom are a spouse or parent of the dependant. However, the largest number of those receiving help live in separate households, and these are mainly parents or parents-in-law of their carers. The emphasis on elderly people as a ‘social burden’ neglects their contribution as providers of informal care. Over a third of informal care to people over 65 is provided by elderly people. Elderly men and women provide equal amounts of co-resident care, reflecting gender equality in the care of elderly spouses. But among younger people marked gender differences are apparent in co-resident care, and in the provision of informal care to elderly people living in separate households.
How South Korean teachers handle an incident of school bullying

With school-level variables receiving increasing attention for their role in the maintenance of bullying behaviors, this study examined teacher responses to a hypothetical bullying situation among a sample of South Korean teachers. Using an online survey method, school-level variables (anti-bullying policy and anti-bullying program) and individual characteristics (anti-bullying training and years of teaching experience) were also collected. Factor analyses indicated a two-factor solution in teacher responses: Ignore and Action. The Action scores differed significantly by gender and by years of teaching experience, but not by school-level variables or anti-bullying training. The implications for teacher training are discussed.
Induction of Cell-Mediated Immunity againstMycobacterium tuberculosis Using DNA Vaccines Encoding Cytotoxic and Helper T-Cell Epitopes of the 38-Kilodalton Protein

ABSTRACT Cell-mediated immune responses are crucial in the protection against tuberculosis. In this study, we constructed DNA vaccines encoding cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and T helper cell (Th) epitopes of the 38-kDa lipoglycoprotein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and analyzed and compared their immunogenicities with that of pXJ38, a DNA vaccine encoding the entire 38-kDa protein (X. Zhu, N. Venkataprasad, H. S. Thangaraj, M. Hill, M. Singh, J. Ivanyi, and H. M. Vordermeier, J. Immunol. 158:5921–5926, 1997). Plasmid DNAs encoding a CTL epitope, P3 (pP3), a Th epitope (vTh), or both the Th and the P3 epitopes (pThP3) were prepared and tested in C57BL6/J (H-2b) mice. Our results confirmed that DNA immunization with pXJ38 induces strong CD8+CTL and Th1 responses (high gamma interferon [IFN-γ], low interleukin-4 [IL-4]). Coadministration of plasmid DNAs encoding a Th epitope with those encoding a CTL epitope (vTh+pP3) elicited both antigen-specific CD8+ CTL and Th1 responses. High levels of IFN-γ were secreted by spleen cells from all plasmid DNA-vaccinated mice after in vitro stimulation with the recombinant 38-kDa protein. Small or undetectable amounts of IL-4 were observed, which indicates the induction of a Th1-like response. Multiple-epitope vaccination by vTh+pP3 or pThP3 resulted in a broader Th1 response to peptide or epitopes than the single-epitope plasmid DNAs. Antigen-specific immunoglobulin G2a was only detected in sera from mice immunized with the plasmid pXJ38, and not in mice immunized with the epitope-based DNA vaccines. Thus, the absence of an antibody response after immunization with epitope plasmid DNAs and their ability to trigger only a specific cellular immune response may prove to be important advantages for a vaccine against tuberculosis.
Modifiable risk factors for external cause mortality after release from prison: a nested case–control study

Aim. People released from prison are at higher risk of mortality from potentially preventable causes than their peers in the general population. Because most studies of this phenomenon are reliant on registry data, there is little health and behavioural information available on those at risk, hampering the development of targeted, evidence-based preventive responses. Our aim was to identify modifiable risk and protective factors for external cause and cause-specific mortality after release from prison. Methods. We undertook a nested case–control study using data from a larger retrospective cohort study of mortality after release from prison in Queensland, Australia between 1994 and 2007. Cases were 286 individuals who had died from external causes (drug overdose, suicide, transport accidents, or violence) matched with 286 controls on sex, Indigenous status, and release date. We extracted data from detention, case-management, and prison medical records. Results. Factors associated with increased risk of external cause mortality included use of heroin and other opioids in the community [odds ratio (OR) = 2.20, 95% CI 1.41–3.43, p < 0.001], a prescription for antidepressants during the current prison sentence (OR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.02–3.67, p = 0.042), a history of problematic alcohol use in the community (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.05–2.26, p = 0.028), and having ever served two or more custodial sentences (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.01–2.25, p = 0.045). Being married (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.29–0.70, p < 0.001) was protective. Fewer predictors were associated with cause-specific mortality. Conclusions. We identified several behavioural, psychosocial, and clinical markers associated with mortality from preventable causes in people released from prison. Emerging evidence points to interventions that could be targeted at those at increased risk of external cause mortality. These include treatment and harm reduction programmes (for substance use), improving transitional support programmes and continuity of care (for mental health), diversion and drug reform (for repeat incarceration) and nurturing stable relationships during incarceration. The period of imprisonment and shortly after release provides a unique opportunity to improve the long-term health of ex-prisoners and overcome the disadvantage associated with imprisonment.
Pure pancreatic juice studies in normal subjects and patients with chronic pancreatitis

Pure pancreatic juice was obtained from within the pancreatic duct in 54 patients after endoscopic cannulation of the papilla of Vater. In all 20 normal subjects there was a brisk response to intravenous injections of GIH secretin in small dosage (1 and 4 CU). Peak bicarbonate concentrations occurred after a 4 CU stimulus, whereas volumes, and bicarbonate and protein outputs were greatest after 70 CU. Total protein and amylase concentrations were highest in the first specimens collected from each patient, and fell rapidly after stimulation. Plateau levels for all indices were achieved 10-20 minutes after starting infusions of secretin and pancreozymin. When normal patients and those with chronic pancreatitis were compared, there was considerable overlap in all indices (volume, bicarbonate and total protein concentrations) after bolus injections of secretin. Most patients with chronic pancreatitis achieved a peak bicarbonate concentration in excess of 100 mmol/l. The median concentrations were not significantly different from normal after any dose of secretin when pooled 10 minute samples were analysed. However there were significant differences in peak bicarbonate concentrations (after 1 and 4 CU, but not after 70 CU), when one minute samples were compared. There were also statistically significant differences in the median 10 minute responses for volume after 1 and 70 CU, for bicarbonate output after 1, 4, and 70 CU, and for protein output after 70 CU. The results of juice studies in patients believed to have early chronic pancreatitis did not differ significantly from those in normal subjects or those with chronic pancreatitis. Endoscopic duct cannulation cannot guarantee complete recovery of pancreatic secretions, and measurements of volume and output may be inaccurate. When standard biochemical indices are used, the diagnostic role of pure juice studies is limited; further research may reveal more specific disease markers.
PERIOD-DOUBLED STRUCTURE FOR THE 90 PARTIAL DISLOCATION IN SILICON

We suggest that the commonly accepted core structure of the 90 ‐ partial dislocation in Si may not be correct, and propose instead a period-doubled structure. We present local-density approximation, tightbinding, and classical Keating-model calculations, all of which indicate that the period-doubled structure is lower in energy. The new structure displays a broken mirror symmetry in addition to the period doubling, leading to a wide variety of possible solitonlike defects and kinks. [S0031-9007(97)03552-7]
Carbonic Anhydrase Is Essential for Growth of Ralstonia eutropha at Ambient CO2 Concentrations

ABSTRACT Mutant strain 25-1 of the facultative chemoautotroph Ralstonia eutropha H16 had previously been shown to exhibit an obligately high-CO2-requiring (HCR) phenotype. Although the requirement varied with the carbon and energy sources utilized, none of these conditions allowed growth at the air concentration of CO2. In the present study, a gene designated can and encoding a β-carbonic anhydrase (CA) was identified as the site altered in strain 25-1. The mutation caused a replacement of the highly conserved glycine residue 98 by aspartate in Can. A can deletion introduced into wild-type strain H16 generated mutant HB1, which showed the same HCR phenotype as mutant 25-1. Overexpression of can in Escherichia coli and mass spectrometric determination of CA activity demonstrated that can encodes a functional CA. The enzyme is inhibited by ethoxyzolamide and requires 40 mM MgSO4 for maximal activity. Low but significant CA activities were detected in wild-type H16 but not in mutant HB1, strongly suggesting that the CA activity of Can is essential for growth of the wild type in the presence of low CO2 concentrations. The HCR phenotype of HB1 was overcome by complementation with heterologous CA genes, indicating that growth of the organism at low CO2 concentrations requires sufficient CA activity rather than the specific function of Can. The metabolic function(s) depending on CA activity remains to be identified.
A psychologist's perspective on incest avoidance behavior

Much clinical and ethnographic evidence suggests that humans, like many other organisms, are selected to avoid close inbreeding because of the fitness costs of inbreeding depression. The proximate mechanism of human inbreeding avoidance seems to be precultural, and to involve the interaction of genetic predispositions and environmental conditions. As first suggested by E. Westermarck, and supported by evidence from Israeli kibbutzim, Chinese sim-pua marriage, and much convergent ethnographic and clinical evidence, humans negatively imprint on intimate associates during a critical period of early childhood (between ages 2 and 6). There is also much evidence that, like other social animals, humans do not seek to maximize outbreeding, but rather to maintain an optimal balance between outbreeding and inbreeding. Close inbreeding reduces fitness through inbreeding depression, but some inbreeding brings the benefits of nepotism. For simple, stateless, horticultural societies, the optimal balance seems to be achieved by a combination of precultural inbreeding avoidance of relatives with an r 2= . 25 and cultural rules of preferential marriage with kin with r «£ . 125. Adjustment of the coefficient of inbreeding to other ecological settings seems to be largely cultural. An interactive model of "culture in nature" is presented, in which culture is seen as coevolving with genes to produce the maximization of individual inclusive fitness.