Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Four-Corner Arthrodesis Using the Quad Memory Staple

Range of motion, pain, consolidation and complications were evaluated for nine patients who underwent four-corner arthrodesis using the Quad Memory Staple (QMS) at a mean follow-up of 44 months. The mean pre-operative range of motion was 50° extension, 62° flexion, 9° radial deviation and 24° ulnar deviation. The postoperative range of motion was similar to previous studies at 32° extension, 31° flexion, 15° radial deviation and 20° ulnar deviation. The grip strength was 28 kg pre-operatively and 26 kg postoperatively. The mean pain score improved from 41 to 23 and the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score from 24 to 20. Non-union, haematoma and wound infection were not seen and eventually all four-corner fusions were consolidated. The main advantages of the QMS are its compressive property and the simple fixation technique. It gives good stability, enables early rehabilitation and avoids the risks of pin fixation methods.
First record of Inocutis tamaricis in Romania with comments on its cultural characteristics

Abstract Inocutis tamaricis is a lignicolous basidiomycete associated exclusively with Tamarix species. The first Romanian record of this species is reported from Constanţa city near the Black Sea coast where it was detected on Tamarix tetrandra. We noticed that in pure culture it forms swollen hyphae in the aerial mycelium, which have not been reported so far for I. tamaricis.
Predictors of White Adoptive Parents’ Cultural and Racial Socialization Behaviors With Their Asian Adopted Children

This study investigated the role of White racial identity statuses, cultural and racial socialization beliefs, cultural socialization self-efficacy, and racial socialization self-efficacy in predicting White adoptive parents’ (N = 200) cultural and racial socialization behaviors with their Asian adopted children. Only cultural and racial socialization beliefs contributed to the prediction of socialization practices. In addition, we examined whether cultural and racial socialization self-efficacy would moderate the relationship between parents’ cultural socialization and racial socialization beliefs and behaviors; there was no support for cultural or racial socialization self-efficacy as moderators in the beliefs–behaviors relationships. Finally, findings revealed that parents were more involved in cultural socialization than racial socialization behaviors, although they did not engage frequently in either type of socialization behavior, particularly racial socialization.
Analysis of subspace fitting and ML techniques for parameter estimation from sensor array data

It is shown that the multidimensional signal subspace method, termed weighted subspace fitting (WSF), is asymptotically efficient. This results in a novel, compact matrix expression for the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) on the estimation error variance. The asymptotic analysis of the maximum likelihood (ML) and WSF methods is extended to deterministic emitter signals. The asymptotic properties of the estimates for this case are shown to be identical to the Gaussian emitter signal case, i.e. independent of the actual signal waveforms. Conclusions concerning the modeling aspect of the sensor array problem are drawn. >
Engagement and social capital as elements of active ageing: an analysis of older europeans

This study addresses the relative contribution of social capital and engagement in activity to life satisfaction and quality of life among older Europeans. It examines data from respondents aged 50 and older from the fourth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N=57,234). Employing hierarchical OLS regressions, the findings show that social network ties and activity participation are both related to positive well-being. However, consideration of their interaction reveals that the association between activity participation and well-being varies according to the extent of social capital. Respondents without meaningful social ties benefit most from engagement in a greater diversity of activities. In contrast, respondents with a greater number of social ties experience relatively fewer gains in well-being from activity participation. Thus, it may not be activity, per se, that improves the quality of late life, but rather the social components of the activities in which older adults are involved.
Becoming familiar with eternal anonymity: how sperm banks use relationship marketing strategy

The article focuses on donor profiles as a major marketing tool of the fertility industry and proposes some theoretical insights into sperm banking and sperm consumption, using a content analysis of 135 extended sperm donor profiles and a visual analysis of 36 baby photos in nine sperm banks. Theorizing sperm consumption is inspired by Grönroos' conceptualization of relationship marketing (RM). Contrary to conventional logic, I show how RM itself has become a product on its own, rather than a business strategy: while the sperm consumer is invited through anonymously written narratives to become an active prosumer by encoding and decoding parts of the donor's identity, the imaginary relationship with the donor constitutes the core product. Since donor profiles are purchased as a complementary service product, sperm banks activate identity construction among the donors by asking them to provide lengthy essays; donors produce polyphonic narratives and therefore participate in a Bakhtinian mask parade.
Job Satisfaction And Labour Turnover Amongst Women Workers

Two hundred and ninety female shop floor workers and sixty‐five female shop floor ex‐workers of a large electrical/electronic engineering company were given a multiple choice questionnaire and unstructured interview. Thirty per cent of the total sample expressed general dissatisfaction with their job. An analysis of their responses indicated the over‐riding importance of the work itself as a determinant of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. An analysis of reasons for leaving the company indicated that ‘voluntary’ labour turnover resulted mainly from dissatisfaction with the work. No evidence was gained to support Herzberg's principle of duality, although the practical implications from the study are very similar to those evident in the motivation/hygiene theory.
Washback to learning outcomes: a comparative study of IELTS preparation and university pre‐sessional language courses

This study investigated whether dedicated test preparation classes gave learners an advantage in improving their writing test scores. Score gains following instruction on a measure of academic writing skills—the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) academic writing test—were compared across language courses of three types; all designed for international students preparing for entry to UK universities. Course types included those with a test preparation focus, those designed to introduce students to academic writing in the university setting and those combining the two. In addition to IELTS academic writing test scores, data relating to differences in participants and practices across courses were collected through supplementary questionnaire and test instruments. To take account of the large number of moderating variables and non‐linearity in the data, a neural network approach was used in the analysis. Findings indicated no clear advantage for focused test preparation.
Effects of activated carbon fibre-supported metal oxide characteristics on toluene removal

Few studies have investigated the use of activated carbon fibres (ACFs) impregnated with metal oxides for the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Thus, the effects of the ACF-supported metal oxides on toluene removal are determined in this study. Three catalysts, namely, Ce, Mn, and Cu, two pretreatment solutions NaOH and H2O2, and three reaction temperatures of 250°C, 300°C, and 350°C, were employed to determine toluene removal. The composition and morphology of the catalysts were analysed using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), transmission electron microscope (TEM), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), and thermo-gravimetric analyser (TGA) to study the effects of the catalyst's characteristics on toluene removal. The results demonstrated that the metal catalysts supported on the ACFs could significantly increase toluene removal. The Mn/ACFs and Cu/ACFs were observed to be most active in toluene removal at a reaction temperature of 250°C with 10% oxygen content. Moreover, the data also indicated that toluene removal was slightly improved after pretreating the ACFs with NaOH and H2O2. The results suggested that surface-metal loading and the surface characteristics of the ACFs were the determinant parameters for toluene removal. Furthermore, the removal of toluene over Mn/ACFs-H2O2 decreased when the reaction temperature considered was>300°C.
Constructing Female Athleticism

As more female athletes enter the sporting arena, girls and women are finding ways to manage the cultural contradiction of female athleticism. Past research has focused on the apologetic defense as a strategy that allows female athletes to combine athleticism and traditional femininity. Using observations and interviews with a group of preadolescent and adolescent girls participating in a recreational softball league, this study highlights how age affects the social construction of gender. Although the classic apologetic defense is characterized by exaggerated femininity motivated by a fear of perceived masculinization through sports, this study reveals that the girls' overemphasis on traditionally feminine traits is motivated instead by a desire to prove maturity, which is demonstrated through gendered behavior. The younger, preadolescent girls most closely resemble traditional tomboys who embrace masculine activities and demeanors. As the girls enter adolescence, approximately 12 and 13 years of age, their displays of traditionally feminine behavior peak, whereas the older girls' displays of traditional femininity are less vigorous.
Fear of rejection or concern for fairness: The proposer’s offering behavior in the Ultimatum Game

In previous studies of the Ultimatum Game (UG), it has been found that proposers do not maximize self-interest by making extremely unfair offers, but instead make relatively fair offers. The main issue is whether or not the proposer’s fair behavior is motivated by fear of rejection or by a concern for fairness. We, therefore, conducted this study to examine the impact on the proposer’s decision in the UG when information was obtained about the responder’s minimum acceptable offer (MAO). The results show that a high percentage of the proposer’s offers were close to the MAO, indicating that fear of rejection, rather than concern for fairness, accounted for the proposer’s positive offer. We also found that Machiavellian personality traits played an important role in the proposer’s offering behavior. This indicated that fear of rejection may be more prominently displayed by people scoring highly in Machiavellianism.
Chronic Hyperglycemia and Glucose Toxicity: Pathology and Clinical Sequelae

Abstract Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a progressive disease characterized by elevated plasma glucose levels. Type 2 DM results from a combination of factors affecting both peripheral tissue insulin sensitivity and β-cell function. A survey of the scientific literature on DM, glucose toxicity, hyperglycemia, nephropathy, neuropathy, reactive oxygen species, and retinopathy cited on PubMed/Medline from January 1975 to May 2011 was conducted. The relevant publications, chosen at the author's discretion, were used to synthesize this narrative review article. Chronic hyperglycemia imposes damage (glucose toxicity) on a number of cell types and is strongly correlated with the myriad of DM–related complications. Tissues most vulnerable to the effects of prolonged elevated plasma glucose levels include pancreatic β cells and vascular endothelial cells. The ensuing β-cell dysfunction promotes decreased insulin synthesis and secretion, further perpetuating the associated hyperglycemia. As for the vascular endothelium, chronic hyperglycemia is strongly correlated with many DM–related microvascular complications, including retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. The role of hyperglycemia in macrovascular complications is not well defined. Pathophysiologic modifications that arise in response to chronic hyperglycemia persist and may promote DM–related complications that manifest years later, even if plasma glucose levels have been brought under control. Increasing awareness of the mechanisms by which even modest hyperglycemia promotes long–lasting tissue damage highlights the need to achieve early tight glycemic control in patients with DM before substantial disease progression.
From FIMS to PISA to our classrooms: Can large‐scale cross‐national studies help us to teach and learn differently?

Abstract This paper examines the evolution of large‐scale cross‐national studies, from the original First International Mathematics Study (FIMS) to the current Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The paper addresses two questions: can the studies help us to critique our curricula; and can they help us to critique our classroom methods, discourse and assumptions, and so consider teaching and learning differently? It is argued that there is much to be learnt from taking part in the process of carrying out such studies, and that their main benefits are obtained when international findings are rigorously evaluated and data examined at national level.
Balanced communication in mid-infancy promotes early vocabulary development: effects of play with mother and father in mono- and bilingual families

In this longitudinal study on Finnish and Finnish-Russian families, infants’ play interaction at 7 months with each parent was observed during 5-minute play sessions (N = 96) and predictive relations between co-regulated communication in mid-infancy and language development at 14 months were examined. Parental differences in communication were greater within the culturally diverse Finnish-Russian families than within the culturally less diverse Finnish families. Four family-level communication profiles were identified that differed with respect to how balanced, or similar, infants’ co-regulation with each parent appeared. Three of the profiles were equally distributed across the families, whereas one of the unbalanced profiles was typical for the culturally diverse families. Language exposure and balance of the family-level communication profiles in mid-infancy predicted differences in children’s expressive and productive vocabulary size beyond infancy.
Isolation and Characterization of Photoautotrophic Mutants ofChlamydomonas reinhardtii Deficient in State Transition*

In photosynthetic cells of higher plants and algae, the distribution of light energy between photosystem I and photosystem II is controlled by light quality through a process called state transition. It involves a reorganization of the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHCII) within the thylakoid membrane whereby light energy captured preferentially by photosystem II is redirected toward photosystem I or vice versa. State transition is correlated with the reversible phosphorylation of several LHCII proteins and requires the presence of functional cytochromeb 6 f complex. Most factors controlling state transition are still not identified. Here we describe the isolation of photoautotrophic mutants of the unicellular algaChlamydomonas reinhardtii, which are deficient in state transition. Mutant stt7 is unable to undergo state transition and remains blocked in state I as assayed by fluorescence and photoacoustic measurements. Immunocytochemical studies indicate that the distribution of LHCII and of the cytochromeb 6 f complex between appressed and nonappressed thylakoid membranes does not change significantly during state transition in stt7, in contrast to the wild type. This mutant displays the same deficiency in LHCII phosphorylation as observed for mutants deficient in cytochromeb 6 f complex that are known to be unable to undergo state transition. The stt7 mutant grows photoautotrophically, although at a slower rate than wild type, and does not appear to be more sensitive to photoinactivation than the wild-type strain. Mutant stt3-4b is partially deficient in state transition but is still able to phosphorylate LHCII. Potential factors affected in these mutant strains and the function of state transition in C. reinhardtii are discussed.
Defining the knowledge units of a synthetic language: comment on Vokey and Brooks (1992)

Vokey and Brooks (1992) reported a set of experiments intended to demonstrate that judgments of grammaticality are determined by two characteristics of the test items: their similarity with a specific study item and their conformity with an abstract representation of the generative grammar. I argue that both effects may be encompassed within a unified account, which requires neither a specific-item retrieval process nor an abstractive capacity. My basic assumption is that the primary knowledge units are not whole strings of letters, as postulated in models relying on specific similarity or abstraction, but rather fragments of 2 or 3 letters. Partial memorization of these small units provides a convenient account of the whole pattern of Vokey and Brooks's findings because study items have more units in common with similar than with dissimilar test items, and likewise with grammatical than with ungrammatical ones
Antimicrobial Therapy of Experimental Enterococcal Endocarditis

The successful therapy of enterococcal endocarditis requires prolonged administration of synergistic antibiotic combinations. Controversy has arisen regarding optimal therapy (i) when the organism possesses high-level streptomycin resistance, and (ii) when the patient is allergic to penicillin. This study examines these questions in vitro and in a rabbit model of enterococcal endocarditis. The combination of penicillin with either streptomycin or gentamicin increased the rate of bacterial killing in vitro and in vivo when compared with penicillin alone (P < 0.05) when the test strain was relatively susceptible to streptomycin (minimal inhibitory concentration, 128 μg/ml). Only the combination of penicillin and gentamicin was consistently more effective than penicillin alone (P < 0.01) when the test strain was highly resistant to streptomycin (minimal inhibitory concentration > 150,000 μg/ml). The combination of vancomycin and streptomycin was more rapidly bactericidal than vancomycin alone in vitro and in the animal model against the streptomycin-susceptible strain (P < 0.01). The relative rate of in vitro bacterial killing by various antibiotics and combinations was predictive of the efficacy of these drugs in eradicating enterococci from cardiac vegetation in experimental endocarditis.
Deciphering the Digital Veil: Exploring the Ecosystem of DNS HTTPS Resource Records

The DNS HTTPS resource record is a new DNS record type designed for the delivery of configuration information and parameters required to initiate connections to HTTPS network services. It provides the ability to perform zone apex redirection to a third-party provider, which the existing CNAME record cannot do. In addition, it is a key enabler for TLS Encrypted ClientHello (ECH) by providing the cryptographic keying material needed to encrypt the initial exchange. To understand the adoption and security of this new DNS HTTPS record, we perform a longitudinal study on the server-side deployment of DNS HTTPS for Tranco top 1 million domains over 8 months, as well as the client-side support for DNS HTTPS from major browsers. To the best of knowledge, our work is the first longitudinal study on DNS HTTPS server deployment, and the first known study on client-side support for DNS HTTPS. Despite the rapidly growing trend of DNS HTTPS adoption, our study highlights concerns in the deployment by both servers and clients, such as the complexity in properly maintaining HTTPS records and the concerning hardfail mechanisms in browser when using HTTPS records.
Analysing the politics of self-help books on depression

This article provides a Foucauldian analysis of the politics of self-help books on depression, via a case study of David Burns's top-selling and clinically recommended book Feeling Good — The New Mood Therapy. The article draws on the governmentality literature inspired by Foucault's work, particularly Nikolas Rose's analysis of psychological expertise as a technology of liberal government. The aim is to understand how and to what effects self-help texts construct truths about depression. The central argument is that psychological expertise is arranged in Feeling Good to confer truthfulness, technical authority and ethical legitimacy upon the self-help advice, and to encourage readers to regulate their conduct according to liberal virtues. This has the effect of stifling debate about depression, disavowing the socio-political context in which individuals become depressed, and promoting a model of `active citizenship' that limits how individuality can be expressed.
HOW EARLY CAN WE TELL?: PREDICTORS OF CHILDHOOD CONDUCT DISORDER AND ADOLESCENT DELINQUENCY *

It is often argued that intervention efforts can benefit from the early identification of children at risk for antisocial disorders. Little is known, however about the predictive efficacy of early predictors This study examined the predictive power of a variety of characteristics of the preschool child for antisocial outcome at ages 11 and 15. The subjects were 1,037 members of a longitudinal investigation of a New Zealand birth cohort. Groups with no disorders (n = 837), disorders other than antisocial disorders (n =37), and antisocial disorders (n = SO) were defined. Preschool descriptors were screened for their predictive power. A discriminant function analysis was computed with the jive most promising preschool variables. The function correctly classified 81 % of subjects as antisocial, or not. at age 11, and 66% of subjects as delinquent, or not, at age 15. Having preschool behavior problems was the single best predictor of antisocial disorders at age 11. This result is consistent with earlier findings that, among measures assessed in childhood, behavior problems are the best predictor of later antisocial outcome.
Assessment of visual impairment: The relationship between self-reported vision and ‘gold-standard’ measured visual acuity

Self-report assessments of health are commonly favoured indicators used in large-scale nationally, representative surveys as they can be readily and cost-effectively collected from large numbers of people; however, subjective assessments have been criticised. Using data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), this article examines the relationship between self-reported vision and measured visual acuity (Logarithm of the Minimal Angle of Resolution [logMAR]). The analysis indicates that normal vision is well captured by a subjective response, but there is a slight over-identification of visual impairment using self-reported vision. These findings are discussed in relation to social patterning of misreporting. Given the simplicity of the self-report assessment to administer and the correspondence between this and measured visual acuity, it is argued to be a suitable indicator of visual impairment in older people.