Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Book Review: Neural Network Models of Schizophrenia

There is considerable neurobiological evidence suggesting that schizophrenia is associated with reduced corticocortical connectivity. The authors describe two neural network computer simulations that explore functional consequences of these abnormalities. The first utilized an “attractor” neural network capable of content-addressable memory. Application of a pruning rule that eliminated weaker connections over longer distances produced functional fragmentation and the emergence of localized, “parasitic” attractors that intruded into network dynamics. These pathologies generally were expressed only when input information was ambiguous and provide models for delusions and cognitive disorganization. A second neural network simulation examined effects of corticocortical pruning in a speech perception network. Excessive pruning caused the network to produce percepts spontaneously, that is, in the absence of inputs, thereby simulating hallucinations. The “hallucinating” network also demonstrated subtle impairments in narrative speech perception. A parallel study of human patients found similar impairments when comparing hallucinating patients with nonhallucinating patients. In addition, the authors have used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to directly probe speech perception neurocircuitry in patients with these hallucinations. As predicted by the neural network model, the authors confirmed that “suppressive” low-frequency TMS reduces auditory hallucinations. Neural network simulations provide empirically testable concepts linking phenomenological, cognitive, and neurobiological findings in schizophrenia.
A Social Constructionist Reconfiguration of Metaphor Analysis: An Application of "SCMA" to Organizational Socialization Theorizing.

This article details a social constructionist reconfiguration of metaphor analysis (SCMA) that is advanced as a powerful, reflexive analytic tool for discourse—centered social constructionist investigations. We begin by delineating the general assumptions of social constructionism. Next we document the importance of reflexivity, second—order constructionism, and discourse to the social constructionist, together with the growing relevance of post—modernist/structuralist arguments that variously advance resistance to discursive closure. Cumulatively, our delineations highlight the need for specific analytic methods capable of addressing the discursive construction of conceptual and theoretical orders. We then argue that with some reconfiguration metaphor analysis can be advanced as one such analytic method. We then reconfigure metaphor analysis to produce SCMA and in the latter half of the article, apply it to a body of organizational socialization texts. Our application demonstrates both the general utilit.
Effectiveness of Power Strategies in Interpersonal Conflict among Japanese Students

Abstract This study was an attempt to examine the effectiveness of four different types of power strategies based on Falbo & Peplau'S model (1980), which assumed directness and bilaterality dimensions. Two hundred and twenty-eight Japanese students read 12 hypothetical conflict situations. In each situation, an actor used one of the four types of strategies with a target person for one of three different issues. The subjects were asked to read each story as if they were the targets of the strategies, rate their affective and evaluative responses to each strategy, and indicate the extent to which they would accept it. An analysis of variance of the acceptance showed that the direct strategies were accepted by the subjects more than by the indirect ones and that the bilateral strategies were accepted more than the unilateral ones, with the direct-bilateral type being most effective. Regression analyses further suggested that the effectiveness of strategies was determined by the subjects' affective and evalu.
COMPUTER SIMULATIONS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION: Implications for Distance Education

This paper is a review of the literature about the use of computer simulations in science education. This review examines the types and good examples of computer simulations. The literature review indicated that although computer simulations cannot replace science classroom and laboratory activities completely, they offer various advantages both for classroom and distance education. This paper consists of four parts. The first part describes computer simulations; the second part reviews the benefits in science education; the third part looks for the relation with science process skills; and the last part makes connections with the distance education. The literature suggests that the success of computer simulations use in science education depends on how they incorporated into curriculum and how teacher use it. The most appropriate use of computer simulations seems that use them for a supplementary tools for classroom instruction and laboratory. Multimedia supported, highly interactive, collaborative computer simulations appealing growing interest because of their potentials to supplement constructivist learning. They offer inquiry environments and cognitive tools to scaffold learning and apply problem-solving skills. Computer simulations are good tools to improve students’ hypothesis construction, graphic interpretation and prediction skills. The literature review also implied that computer simulations have potential for distance education laboratories. Yet this area is elusive and needs to be researched further.
A Seat at the Table—Is it Enough? Gender, Multiparty Negotiations, and Institutional Design in South Africa and Northern Ireland

Women actors and gender concerns have often been absent from the negotiated settlements that bring an end to violent conflicts and create new political institutions. And although scholars and activists argue that both women actors and gender concerns should be incorporated, there is less consensus about how this can happen effectively. Taking up Jane Mansbridge's (2014, 11) recent call for political scientists to analyze “negotiations to agreement” and the institutions that facilitate negotiations, this paper argues that analyzing not only the involvement of women and gender actors and their outcomes, but also the form and structure of the negotiations themselves, will give us a greater understanding of how these processes are gendered. Through a comparative analysis of two negotiated settlements—in South Africa and Northern Ireland—this paper examines how institutional design processes were gendered and the impact that gender actors (understood here as actors organizing around gender interests) had on these “new” institutions/structures. In each case, women, organized as women, attempted to influence from the inside the creation of new institutional frameworks intended to end long-standing conflicts.
Connecting work and learning: design engineers' learning at work

Purpose – The paper seeks to investigate design engineers' and product developers' learning through their work. The aim was to approach designers' work practice and their learning in the course of it as perceived by the designers themselves. The aim is also to examine their learning through the various individual and social processes, which take place in the workplace.Design/methodology/approach – The ethnographic approach in this paper, with its use of combined and qualitative data gathering and analytical methods, was selected to approach the aim described above. Observations in two Finnish high‐tech companies and interviews with 18 designers were conducted. The observations and interviews were analysed with help of combined methods of analysis, such as phenomenographic, narrative and ethnographic analysis.Findings – The findings in this paper suggest that in redefining designers' work and learning, four central themes are important: design practice is learning in itself; there is a close relationship b.
An Examination of African Americans' Stereotyped Perceptions of Fictional Media Characters

An extensive body of research has already illustrated the myriad ways in which media help form perceptions of various social groups. Theories such as cultivation, stereotype theory, social learning, and social identity theory all discuss how audiences can internalize what they see presented in the media, and project that information onto their beliefs about reality. However, many of these theories pay less attention to both negative and positive stereotypes, as well as how multiple social groups are perceived within the same context. Likewise, research has neglected thoroughly to examine the perceptions of African American media viewers regarding other marginalized social groups. This study examines the underlying dimensions of stereotypes by applying the stereotype content model (SCM) to African Americans’ perceptions of media representations of their own and other marginalized groups. The results of the study provided mixed support for the SCM; however, perceptions of African American characters were favorable.
Machiavellianism in Belbin team roles

In the description of his team model, Belbin describes certain “allowable” weaknesses in the roles, the true‐life experience of teamworking, however, sometimes reveals behaviour among colleagues which is far from “allowable”. The Belbin model is silent on such behaviour, so an investigation of Machiavellianism within each of the Belbin team roles was undertaken to explore this darker side of team behaviour. The instrument chosen for the investigation was the Christie and Geis Machiavellianism IV scale. Sizeable correlations in the experimental data were obtained which were readily interpreted within the framework of the Belbin theory. Suggestions regarding aspects of team management were made based on the experimental findings.
Flemish Sign Language standardisation

In 1997, the Flemish Deaf1 community officially rejected standardisation of Flemish Sign Language. It was a bold choice, which at the time was not in line with some of the decisions taken in the neighbouring countries. In this article, we shall discuss the choices the Flemish Deaf community has made in this respect and explore why the Flemish Deaf community has decided to reject standardisation imposed from above. The main reasons are negative experiences with a former lexical unification scheme within the ‘Signed Dutch’ project and a lack of in-depth lexicological research into Flemish Sign Language. At the same time, it has become clear that a form of spontaneous standardisation has been evolving in the past decades. While the Flemish Deaf community has rejected imposition of a standardised form from above, they have opted to find ways to support this ongoing standardisation process. We shall look at what actions have been proposed and taken in this respect.
Design of an epitope-based peptide vaccine against spike protein of human coronavirus: an in silico approach

Human coronavirus (HCoV), a member of Coronaviridae family, is the causative agent of upper respiratory tract infections and “atypical pneumonia”. Despite severe epidemic outbreaks on several occasions and lack of antiviral drug, not much progress has been made with regard to an epitope-based vaccine designed for HCoV. In this study, a computational approach was adopted to identify a multiepitope vaccine candidate against this virus that could be suitable to trigger a significant immune response. Sequences of the spike proteins were collected from a protein database and analyzed with an in silico tool, to identify the most immunogenic protein. Both T cell immunity and B cell immunity were checked for the peptides to ensure that they had the capacity to induce both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The peptide sequence from 88–94 amino acids and the sequence KSSTGFVYF were found as the most potential B cell and T cell epitopes, respectively. Furthermore, conservancy analysis was also done using in silico tools and showed a conservancy of 64.29% for all epitopes. The peptide sequence could interact with as many as 16 human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and showed high cumulative population coverage, ranging from 75.68% to 90.73%. The epitope was further tested for binding against the HLA molecules, using in silico docking techniques, to verify the binding cleft epitope interaction. The allergenicity of the epitopes was also evaluated. This computational study of design of an epitope-based peptide vaccine against HCoVs allows us to determine novel peptide antigen targets in spike proteins on intuitive grounds, albeit the preliminary results thereof require validation by in vitro and in vivo experiments.
neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet capsulotomy rates after combined cataract surgery with implantation of a 4% water content hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens and vitrectomy

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) capsulotomy rates after combined cataract surgery with implantation of a three-piece 4% water content hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (X-70, Eternity ® ) and vitrectomy, and compare diabetic retinopathy with nondiabetic retinopathy. Methods: Nd:YAG capsulotomy rates were evaluated for 72 eyes of 72 patients with diabetic retinopathy and 81 eyes of 81 patients with nondiabetic retinopathy (50 eyes with retinal detachment, 13 eyes with macular hole, nine eyes with epiretinal membrane, seven eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion, and two eyes with uveitis) who underwent combined cataract surgery and vitrectomy and implantation of X-70. Results: Two years after combination surgery, four of 72 eyes (5.6%) in the diabetic retinopathy group and four of 81 eyes (5.0%) in the nondiabetic retinopathy group required Nd:YAG capsulotomies. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups ( P = 0.30, Mantel–Cox log-rank test). Conclusion: The rate of Nd:YAG capsulotomy did not significantly differ between diabetic retinopathy and nondiabetic retinopathy after combined cataract surgery with implantation of the X-70 and vitrectomy. X-70 is an acceptable intraocular lens for patients undergoing combined cataract surgery and vitrectomy. Optometry; Visual science; Pharmacology and drug therapy in eye diseases; Basic Sciences; Primary and Secondary eye care; Patient and Quality of
Research and development in technikons: lacunae and challenges

This article is underpinned by the current changes in the South African Higher Education environment and its impact on research within the Technikon sector. It is based on a case study of the M.L. Sultan Technikon (which has subsequently merged with Natal Technikon in April 2002 to form the Durban Institute of Technology). Instruments used include the weighted publication index for 2001 by amount of research activity and a survey of the structural and personal factors related to institutional research productivity. The rationale for the article is the growing sense of disillusionment among academic staff at previously disadvantaged Technikons that have a legacy of poor governance and research capacity. Also, standards of research and teaching have come under increasingly close examination as can be seen with the release of the New Academic Policy for Higher Education. Evidence from parallel investigations in the UK (Bassey 1995) and Australia (Ramsden 1998) point to the crucial role of academic leadership at management level in maintaining morale, enhancing productivity and increasing research output. The key recommendation of the article points toward a change in the dichotomous model of Technikon work (teaching versus research, practice versus theory) to continuous ones. More important to the Arts and Humanities is the need to devise appropriate measures of the range of scholarly outputs. (South African Journal of Higher Education: 2003 17 (1): 9-15)
Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease: What a Coincidence?

The incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) is markedly increased in both insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The background for this coincidence is as yet incompletely understood. In uncomplicated IDDM, the levels of cardiovascular risk factors do not show any substantial abnormalities if the metabolic control is good. However, when diabetic nephropathy ensues, even in its early microalbuminuric stage, blood pressure tends to become elevated and multiple atherogenic plasma lipid abnormalities appear. In juvenile-onset IDDM, increased occurrence of clinically manifest CAD emerges after the age of 30 years and becomes particularly marked in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Premenopausal female patients with IDDM develop CAD almost as often as male diabetics with IDDM of the same age—a situation in sharp contrast to that in nondiabetics, with a large excess of CAD in men. IDDM may act as a promoter of the progression of atherosclerotic lesions in subjects who are otherwise prone to develop them. This could explain why patients with IDDM have an increased risk of CAD, even in the absence of diabetic nephropathy, which enhances atherogenesis through several mechanisms. NIDDM is associated with multiple changes in cardiovascular risk factors, including abnormalities in the levels and composition of plasma lipids and lipoproteins and increased frequency of hypertension. These changes in cardiovascular risk factors are already present in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), the precursor stage of NIDDM. In patients with NIDDM, the incidence of CAD is markedly increased compared to that in nondiabetic subjects of the same age, and more markedly in women than in men. Paradoxically, in NIDDM, the frequency of CAD shows very little relationship to the known duration of diabetes. This may be explained by the presence of multiple metabolic and other atherogenic abnormalities in IGT preceding the clinical manifestation of NIDDM. It is even possible that NIDDM and CAD may share common antecedents. The so-called “insulin resistance syndrome” could be such a common antecedent. Although diabetes, in particular NIDDM, is associated with changes in cardiovascular risk factors, the major part of the excess risk of CAD in diabetics is not explained by the effect of diabetes on risk factors, but must be due to an independent effect of diabetes itself or its antecedents through mechanisms that may in part be different in IDDM and NIDDM.
THE ETHNOGRAPHY OF SECOND LANGUAGE PRODUCTION

ESL learners' introspective accounts of perceived underlying second language production processes are explored for the discovery of folk models which may impact on pedagogy. The pervasive image which seems to surface is a translation schema with a subcomponent of conscious grammar rule application. Current communicative teaching approaches may be at odds with the expectations generated by this mental framework.
The Clinical Impact of c-MET Over-Expression in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer (BTC)

Background: c-MET is a proto-oncogene that encodes the tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Activation of HGF-c-MET signaling involves cell invasiveness and evokes metastasis through direct involvement of tumor angiogenesis. However, the value of c-MET overexpression is still unknown in metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC). Methods: We analyzed the incidence and clinicopathologic characteristics of c-MET overexpression in advanced BTC. Moreover, we investigated the value of c-MET overexpression in predicting response to gemicitabine plus cisplatin (GC), a first line standard regimen, and as a prognostic marker in metastatic BTC. Results: The BTC subtype distribution (N=44) was as follows: intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC, n=7), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC, n=25) and gallbladder cancer (GBC, n=12). Liver (52.3%) was the predominant metastatic site, followed by lymph nodes (36.4%) and bone (15.9%). Among the 44 patients analyzed for c-MET expression, 15 (34.1%) exhibited c-MET overexpression in tumor tissues. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of c-MET overexpression among primary sites in EHCC (7/25, 28.0%), IHCC (3/7, 42.9%), and GBC (5/12, 41.7%). There was also no significant correlation between specific clinicopathologic variables and c-MET expression. Comparing the tumor-response to GC according to c-MET expression (overexpression vs. non-overexpression), there was no significant difference in either RR or DCR (p=0.394 and p >0.999, respectively). The median PFS for all 44 patients was 9.00 months (95% CI, 7.5-10.5 months) and there was no significant difference for PFS between patients with c-MET overexpression and those without (p=0.917). The median OS was 14.4 months (95% CI, 11.9-16.9 months). There was no significant difference in OS between patients with c-MET overexpression compared to those without (13.7 vs. 14.4 months, respectively; p=0.708). Conclusions: c-MET overexpression was detected in 34.1% of advanced BTC patients irrespective of tumor location. c-MET overexpression did not predict response to GC or survival. Further studies are needed to fully elucidate the value of c-MET overexpression as a novel biomarker in these patients.
Toward Improved Validation of Satellite Sea Surface Skin Temperature Measurements for Climate Research

A poor validation strategy will compromise the quality of satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) products because confidence limits cannot be quantified. This paper addresses the question of how to provide the best operational strategy to validate satellite-derived skin sea surface temperature (SST skin) measurements. High quality in situ observations obtained using different state-of-the-art infrared radiometer systems are used to characterize the relationship between the SST skin, the subsurface SST at depth (SSTdepth), and the surface wind speed. Data are presented for different oceans and seasons. These data indicate that above a wind speed of approximatel y6ms 21 the relationship between the SSTskin and SSTdepth, is well characterized for both day- and nighttime conditions by a cool bias of 20.17 6 0.07 K rms. At lower wind speeds, stratification of the upperocean layers during the day may complicate the relationship, while at night a cooler skin is normally observed. Based on these observations, a long-term global satellite SST skin validation strategy is proposed. Emphasis is placed on the use of autonomous, ship-of-opportunity radiometer systems for areas characterized by prevailing low‐wind speed conditions. For areas characterized by higher wind speed regimes, well-calibrated, qualitycontrolled, ship and buoy SSTdepth observations, corrected for a cool skin bias, should also be used. It is foreseen that SSTdepth data will provide the majority of in situ validation data required for operational satellite SST validation. We test the strategy using SSTskin observations from the Along Track Scanning Radiometer, which are shown to be accurate to approximately 0.2 K in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and using measurements from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. We note that this strategy provides for robust retrospective calibration and validation of satellite SST data and a means to compare and compile in a meaningful and consistent fashion similar datasets. A better understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of thermal stratification of the upper-ocean layers during low‐wind speed conditions is fundamental to improvements in SST validation and development of multisensor satellite SST products.