Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early-warning health and process indicators for sentinel surveillance in Madagascar 2007-2011

Background: Epidemics pose major threats in resource-poor countries, and surveillance tools for their early detection and response are often inadequate. In 2007, a sentinel surveillance system was established in Madagascar, with the aim of rapidly identifying potential epidemics of febrile or diarrhoeal syndromes and issuing alerts. We present the health and process indicators for the five years during which this system was constructed, showing the spatiotemporal trends, early-warning sign detection capability and process evaluation through timely analyses of high-quality data. Methods: The Malagasy sentinel surveillance network is currently based on data for fever and diarrhoeal syndromes collected from 34 primary health centres and reported daily via the transmission of short messages from mobile telephones. Data are analysed daily at the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar to make it possible to issue alerts more rapidly, and integrated process indicators (timeliness, data quality) are used to monitor the system. Results: From 2007 to 2011, 917,798 visits were reported. Febrile syndromes accounted for about 11% of visits annually, but the trends observed differed between years and sentinel sites. From 2007 to 2011, 21 epidemic alerts were confirmed. However, delays in data transmission were observed (88% transmitted within 24 hours in 2008; 67% in 2011) and the percentage of forms transmitted each week for validity control decreased from 99.9% in 2007 to 63.5% in 2011. Conclusion: A sentinel surveillance scheme should take into account both epidemiological and process indicators. It must also be governed by the main purpose of the surveillance and by local factors, such as the motivation of healthcare workers and telecommunication infrastructure. Permanent evaluation indicators are required for regular improvement of the system.
A model of credit risk without commitment

This paper studies an economy with credit risk in which borrowers cannot commit to exclusive contracts with lenders as in Bizer and DeMarzo (1992). But we study a framework with multiple borrowing periods. In particular, we remove the exclusive contracts assumption from a baseline model of credit risk `a la Eaton and Gersovitz (1981), similar to those used in quantitative studies of household bankruptcy, corporate bankruptcy and sovereign default. We compare equilibrium allocations with and without commitment to exclusive contracts. We show that borrowing levels may be lower without commitment. This is the case because when commitment to exclusive contracts is not assumed, an increase in current borrowing levels deteriorates future borrowing conditions. This does not occur when commitment is assumed. This finding stands in sharp contrast with the results in previous work that study environment where current borrowing does not affect future borrowing opportunities. We also show that borrowing levels tend to be lower without commitment if the borrowers’ discount factor is higher or debt needs to be rollover more often, and when the endogenous default probability is lower.
R2P: From Idea to Norm—and Action?

The most dramatic normative development of our time—comparable to the Nuremberg trials and the 1948 Convention on Genocide in the immediate aftermath of World War II—relates to the 'responsibility to protect', the title of the 2001 report from the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty. It no longer is necessary to finesse the tensions between sovereignty and human rights in the UN Charter; they can now be confronted because sovereignty no longer implies the license to kill. This essay outlines the origins of the R2P idea, describes the background factors in the 1990s that paved the way for the advancement of this norm by norm entrepreneurs, champions, and brokers. It continues with an account of the process by which the ICISS arrived at its landmark report, a description of the sustained engagement with the R2P agenda from 2001, when the ICISS report was published, to its adoption at the 2005 World Summit. The essay concludes with a sketch of the tasks and challenges that lie ahead to move R2P from a norm to a template for policy and action.
Network monarchy and legitimacy crises in Thailand

Abstract This article argues that widely used ideas such as bureaucratic polity, constitutional monarchy, transitional democracy and political reform fail to characterize accurately the recent politics of Thailand. Instead, Thai politics are best understood in terms of political networks. The leading network of the period 1973–2001 was centred on the palace, and is here termed ‘network monarchy’. Network monarchy involved active interventions in the political process by the Thai King and his proxies, notably former prime minister Prem Tinsulanond. Network monarchy developed considerable influence, but never achieved the conditions for domination. Instead, the palace was obliged to work with and through other political institutions, primarily the elected parliament. Although essentially conservative, network monarchy also took on liberal forms during the 1990s. Thailand experienced three major legitimacy crises after 1992; in each case, Prem acted on behalf of the palace to restore political equilibrium. However, these interventions reflected the growing weakness of the monarchy, especially following the landslide election victories of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001 and 2005. Thaksin sought to displace network monarchy with new networks of his own devising. This article suggests that conventional understandings of the power of the monarchy need to be rethought.
Optimizing color reproduction of natural images

The paper elaborates on understanding, measuring and optimizing perceived color quality of natural images. We introduce a model for optimal color reproduction of natural scenes which is based on the assumption that color quality of natural images is constrained by perceived naturalness and colorfulness of these images. To verify the model, a few experiments were carried out where subjects estimated the perceived 'naturalness', 'colorfulness' and 'quality' of images of natural scenes. The judgments were related to statistical parameters of the color point distribution across the images in the CIELUV color space. It was found that the perceptually optimal color reproduction can be derived from this statistic within the framework of our model. We specify naturalness, colorfulness and quality indices, describing the observer's judgments. Finally, an algorithm for optimizing perceived quality of color reproduction of natural scenes is discussed.
Clinical, hormonal and molecular characterization of pituitary ACTH adenomas without (silent corticotroph adenomas) and with Cushing's disease.

OBJECTIVE Silent corticotroph adenomas (SCAs) are rare pituitary tumours immunoreactive for ACTH, but without clinical evidence of Cushing's disease. We characterized SCAs based on clinical, hormonal and molecular data, and compared the characteristics of these tumours with those of macro (MCA)- and micro (mCA)-ACTH adenomas with Cushing's disease. METHODS Fifty ACTH adenomas (14 SCAs, 15 MCAs and 21 mCAs) with complete corresponding clinical, radiological and biochemical data were selected. Histological corticotroph differentiation; immunostaining for ACTH, beta-endorphin and beta-LPH; and mRNA expression levels of TPIT, POMC, GRalpha, prohormone convertase 1/3 (PC1/3) and galectin-3 were compared in 21 representative tumours. RESULTS Despite the absence of clinical hypercortisolism in patients with SCA, elevated plasma ACTH levels that were similar to those associated with mCA were observed. The cortisol/ACTH ratio was similar between SCA and MCA groups and lower than that found with mCA (P<0.05). This dissociation could be explained by lower expression of PC1/3 in SCA and MCA than in mCA (P<0.05). After an i.v. dexamethasone suppression test, ACTH levels were significantly higher in patients with MCA than in those with mCA (P<0.05). Cytological and immunocytochemical analyses as well as mRNA expression levels of TPIT, POMC and GRalpha confirmed corticotroph differentiation in both mCAs and MCAs and in half of the SCAs, with a strong correlation between TPIT and POMC mRNA expression levels in SCAs (R(2)=0.72; P<0.01) and in MCAs (R(2)=0.65; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Despite the absence of hypercortisolism, SCAs exhibit histological, biochemical and molecular corticotroph differentiation. SCA and MCA show hormonal and molecular similarities differentiating them from mCA.
IQ and the Wealth of Nations

Introduction Why Are Some Countries So Rich and Others So Poor? Intelligence: An Introduction to the Concept Intelligence and Earnings Intelligence and Further Economic and Social Phenomena The Sociology of Intelligence, Earnings, and Social Competence Data on Variables and Methods of Analysis National IQs and Economic Development in 81 Nations National IQs and Economic Development in 185 Countries Intelligence and Markets as the Determinants of Economic Development The Future of the Wealth of Nations Appendix 1: The Calculation of National Intelligence Levels Appendix 2: Data on Per Capita Income and Economic Growth in 185 Countries Bibliography Index
Healthy organization: analysing its meaning based on the HERO Model / Organizaciones saludables: analizando su significado desde el Modelo HERO

Abstract The aim of this study is to analyse the meaning of healthy organization from an empirical-theoretical perspective based on the HERO Model (HEalthy & Resilient Organizations). Analyses were performed by four independent judges on 14 interviews carried out with 14 CEOs or human resources managers in 14 Spanish organizations using content analysis. Qualitative results show: (1) a partial overlap in the categories proposed by the theoretical model (based on the concordance index, Cohen’s Kappa and ICC); and (2) that the empirical definition mainly focuses on employees’ psychosocial health as a key element of the meaning of healthy organization. Finally, categorical matrixes provide evidence of subcategories emanating from the key elements that comprise a healthy organization. Results as well as theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on the HERO Model.
Organization-based self-esteem and well-being: empirical examination of a spillover effect

Global self-esteem is believed to be a major determinant of both subjective and eudaimonic (psychological) well-being (Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.95. 3.542; Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.57. 6.1069). This relationship is termed a spillover effect because it is believed that self-esteem “spills over” onto general well-being. In light of the dominant role that work plays in the lives of many people, we asked whether there is also a spillover effect of self-esteem formed around one’s work and organizational experiences (viz., organization-based self-esteem) on general well-being. Building from disposition theory we posited a positive relationship between organization-based self-esteem and well-being. Drawing upon evidence from two field studies, involving focal participant and co-worker reports, we present evidence in support of the hypothesized relationships. In addition, we observe evidence suggesting that work engagement may play a role by influencing the extent to which this spillover effect might occur. Implications of this research are discussed.
Decision-to-Delivery Time and Perinatal Complications in Emergency Cesarean Section.

BACKGROUND A decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) of no more than 20 minutes has long been considered a requirement for cesarean sections, even though there have hardly been any studies on this topic. We retrospectively investigated data relevant to DDI for emergency cesarean sections performed for the most common indications, namely, suspected and documented fetal asphyxia. METHODS We analyzed data on emergency in-hospital cesarean sections in the period 2008-2015. Low 5- and 10-minute Apgar scores (a scheme with points awarded for breathing, heart rate, muscle tone, skin coloration, and the elicitability of reflexes) were the primary endpoints; acid-base status in arterial cord blood and in-hospital neonatal death were the secondary endpoints. The raw analysis was supplemented by an analysis adjusted for various factors including gestational age, maternal age, and obstetrical presentation. RESULTS Data from 39 291 neonates were included. The DDI was up to 10 minutes in 64.6% of cases, from 11 to 20 minutes in 34.3%, and over 20 minutes in 1.1%. Low Apgar scores were less common in children whose emergency cesarean sections were performed within 10 minutes or within 20 minutes. For example, the adjusted odds ratio for a 10-minute Apgar score below 4 was 0.49 (95% confidence interval [0.25; 0.96] when a DDI of more than 20 minutes was used as the reference criterion. CONCLUSION This is the largest population-based, risk-adjusted analysis to be carried out on this topic to date. It reveals, for the first time, an association between DDI of 20 minutes or less and the avoidance of outcomes that are dangerous to the child. As it is not possible to predict such obstetrical emergencies in advance, it seems reasonable to ensure the availability of caredelivery structures that make it possible for emergency cesarean sections to be performed within 20 minutes of the decision to do so.
‘Who you gonna call?’ The role of trust and relationships in desistance from crime

Motivation and engagement in desistance programmes are examined in an article that analyses two projects that aimed to ‘normalize lifestyles’ of chaotic offenders. In one of the projects, participants claimed that their engagement was related to the charitable sector of the provider, which meant that staff were outside of the parameters of offender management regimes. However, similar claims were made by participants in the other programme − which was delivered by statutory public sector agencies but by staff operating in different roles to the usual probation service framework. On this basis it is argued that the character, culture and ethos of programmes is of greater significance than their status in terms of third, public or private sectors.
Chlamydomonas Swims with Two “Gears” in a Eukaryotic Version of Run-and-Tumble Locomotion

All Together Now (Sometimes) Motile cilia and flagella protrude from the surface of many eukaryotic cells. Understanding how cilia and flagella operate is important for understanding ciliated cells in metazoans, the ecology and behavior of motile microorganisms, and the mechanisms of molecular motors and signal transduction. Using very-high-speed video microscopy, Polin et al. (p. 487; see the Perspective by Stocker and Durham) discovered that the biflagellated cells of the single-cell alga Chlamydomonas rheinhartii switch between synchronous beating, which keeps the cells traveling forward, and asynchronous beating, which allows the organisms to make sharp turns. This random progression occurs in the dark and allows cells to diffuse, and it may underpin directional movement toward light in the same way that the run-and-tumble behavior of prokaryotes allows them to move up chemical gradients. Algal cilia beat synchronously for forward movement and asynchronously for turning. The coordination of eukaryotic flagella is essential for many of the most basic processes of life (motility, sensing, and development), yet its emergence and regulation and its connection to locomotion are poorly understood. Previous studies show that the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas, widely regarded as an ideal system in which to study flagellar biology, swims forward by the synchronous action of its two flagella. Using high-speed imaging over long intervals, we found a richer behavior: A cell swimming in the dark stochastically switches between synchronous and asynchronous flagellar beating. Three-dimensional tracking shows that these regimes lead, respectively, to nearly straight swimming and to abrupt large reorientations, which yield a eukaryotic version of the "run-and-tumble" motion of peritrichously flagellated bacteria.
RCDA: Recoverable Concealed Data Aggregation for Data Integrity in Wireless Sensor Networks

Recently, several data aggregation schemes based on privacy homomorphism encryption have been proposed and investigated on wireless sensor networks. These data aggregation schemes provide better security compared with traditional aggregation since cluster heads (aggregator) can directly aggregate the ciphertexts without decryption; consequently, transmission overhead is reduced. However, the base station only retrieves the aggregated result, not individual data, which causes two problems. First, the usage of aggregation functions is constrained. For example, the base station cannot retrieve the maximum value of all sensing data if the aggregated result is the summation of sensing data. Second, the base station cannot confirm data integrity and authenticity via attaching message digests or signatures to each sensing sample. In this paper, we attempt to overcome the above two drawbacks. In our design, the base station can recover all sensing data even these data has been aggregated. This property is called “recoverable. ” Experiment results demonstrate that the transmission overhead is still reduced even if our approach is recoverable on sensing data. Furthermore, the design has been generalized and adopted on both homogeneous and heterogeneous wireless sensor networks.
Social Mobility and Class Structure in Modern Britain

This is the second edition of John Goldthorpe's study of social mobility in relation to class structure. The author has updated and extended the original material to include an analysis of recent trends in intergenerational mobility, the class mobility of women, and views of social mobility in modern Britain from a cross-national perspective. The book should be of interest to first-degree students and graduates studying sociology, especially social stratification; professional sociologists interested in quantitative analyses, especially log-linear modelling; and economists and political scientists researching social stratification, mobility, or the sociology of modern Britain.
Output Consensus of Heterogeneous Linear Multi-Agent Systems by Distributed Event-Triggered/Self-Triggered Strategy

This paper addresses the output consensus problem of heterogeneous linear multi-agent systems. We first propose a novel distributed event-triggered control scheme. It is shown that, with the proposed control scheme, the output consensus problem can be solved if two matrix equations are satisfied. Then, we further propose a novel self-triggered control scheme, with which continuous monitoring is avoided. By introducing a fixed timer into both event- and self-triggered control schemes, Zeno behavior can be ruled out for each agent. The effectiveness of the event- and self-triggered control schemes is illustrated by an example.
Influence of Low-Level Stimulus Features, Task Dependent Factors, and Spatial Biases on Overt Visual Attention

Visual attention is thought to be driven by the interplay between low-level visual features and task dependent information content of local image regions, as well as by spatial viewing biases. Though dependent on experimental paradigms and model assumptions, this idea has given rise to varying claims that either bottom-up or top-down mechanisms dominate visual attention. To contribute toward a resolution of this discussion, here we quantify the influence of these factors and their relative importance in a set of classification tasks. Our stimuli consist of individual image patches (bubbles). For each bubble we derive three measures: a measure of salience based on low-level stimulus features, a measure of salience based on the task dependent information content derived from our subjects' classification responses and a measure of salience based on spatial viewing biases. Furthermore, we measure the empirical salience of each bubble based on our subjects' measured eye gazes thus characterizing the overt visual attention each bubble receives. A multivariate linear model relates the three salience measures to overt visual attention. It reveals that all three salience measures contribute significantly. The effect of spatial viewing biases is highest and rather constant in different tasks. The contribution of task dependent information is a close runner-up. Specifically, in a standardized task of judging facial expressions it scores highly. The contribution of low-level features is, on average, somewhat lower. However, in a prototypical search task, without an available template, it makes a strong contribution on par with the two other measures. Finally, the contributions of the three factors are only slightly redundant, and the semi-partial correlation coefficients are only slightly lower than the coefficients for full correlations. These data provide evidence that all three measures make significant and independent contributions and that none can be neglected in a model of human overt visual attention.
Evolutionary psychology as public science and boundary work

This paper explores the phenomena of public scientific debates, where scientific controversies are argued out in public fora such as the mass media, using the case of popular evolutionary psychology in the UK of the 1990s. An earlier quantitative analysis of the UK press coverage of the subject (Cassidy, 2005) suggested that academics associated with evolutionary psychology had been unusually active in the media at that time, particularly in association with the publication of popular science books on the subject. Previous research by Turner, by Gieryn, and by Bucchi has established the relationship between such appeals to the public domain and the establishment of scientific legitimacy and academic disciplinary boundaries. Following this work, I argue here that popular science has, in this case, provided a creative space for scientists, outside of the constraints of ordinary academic discourse, allowing them to reach across scientific boundaries in order to claim expertise in the study of human beings.
Inflammation and Cognitive Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetic Carotid Endarterectomy Patients

OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetic patients have a high incidence of cerebrovascular disease, elevated inflammation, and high risk of developing cognitive dysfunction following carotid endarterectomy (CEA). To elucidate the relationship between inflammation and the risk of cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetic patients, we aim to determine whether elevated levels of systemic inflammatory markers are associated with cognitive dysfunction 1 day after CEA. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS One hundred fifteen type 2 diabetic CEA patients and 156 reference surgical patients were recruited with written informed consent in this single-center cohort study. All patients were evaluated with an extensive battery of neuropsychometric tests. Preoperative monocyte counts, HbA1c, C-reactive protein (CRP), intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 activity levels were obtained. RESULTS In a multivariate logistic regression model constructed to identify predictors of cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetic CEA patients, each unit of monocyte counts (odds ratio [OR] 1.76 [95% CI 1.17–2.93]; P = 0.005) and CRP (OR 1.17 [1.10–1.29]; P < 0.001) was significantly associated with higher odds of developing cognitive dysfunction 1 day after CEA in type 2 diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS Type 2 diabetic patients with elevated levels of preoperative systemic inflammatory markers exhibit more cognitive dysfunction 1 day after CEA. These observations have implications for the preoperative medical management of this high-risk group of surgical patients undergoing carotid revascularization with CEA.