Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relating Decision under Uncertainty and MCDM Models

We point out the striking similarity between decision under uncertainty and multicriteria decision making problems, two areas which have been developed in an almost completely independent way until now. This pertains both to additive and non-additive (including qualitative) approaches existing for the two decision paradigms. This leads to emphasize the remarkable formal equivalence between postulates underlying these approaches (like between the "sure-thing principle" and mutual preferential independence of criteria), and to emphasize the benefit of importing uncertainty-originated notions to multicriteria evaluation (for weighting the importance of (coalitions of) criteria especially). Eventually, we also take advantage of the relation between possibilistic logic and multicriteria evaluation in the qualitative setting for representing and handling context-dependent,"nonmonotonic", aggregation attitudes.
Effects of 8-week, interval-based inspiratory muscle training and breathing retraining in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of interval-based inspiratory muscle training (IMT) combined with breathing retraining (BR) in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) in a partial home program. DESIGN A randomized controlled trial with blinding of outcome assessment. SETTING A secondary-care respiratory clinic. PATIENTS Twenty-seven patients with generalized MG were randomized to a control group or a training group. INTERVENTIONS The training group underwent interval-based IMT associated with BR (diaphragmatic breathing [DB] and pursed-lips breathing [PLB]) three times a week for 8 weeks. The sessions included 10 min each of DB, interval-based IMT, and PLB. Interval-based IMT consisted of training series interspersed with recovery time. The threshold load was increased from 20 to 60% of maximal inspiratory pressure (P(Imax)) over the 8 weeks. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Lung function, respiratory pattern, respiratory muscle strength, respiratory endurance, and thoracic mobility were measured before and after the 8 weeks. The training group improved significantly compared to control group in P(Imax) (p = 0.001), maximal expiratory pressure (P(Emax)) [p = 0.01], respiratory rate (RR)/tidal volume (V(T)) ratio (p = 0.05), and upper chest wall expansion (p = 0.02) and reduction (p = 0.04). Significant differences were seen in the training group compared to baseline P(Imax) (p = 0.001), P(Emax) (p = 0.01), maximal voluntary ventilation (p = 0.02), RR/V(T) ratio (p = 0.003), Vt (p = 0.02), RR (p = 0.01), total time of RR (p = 0.01), and upper chest wall expansion (p = 0.005) and reduction (p = 0.005). No significant improvement was seen in lower chest wall or lung function. CONCLUSIONS The partial home program of interval-based IMT associated with BR is feasible and effective in patients with generalized MG. Improvements in respiratory muscle strength, chest wall mobility, respiratory pattern, and respiratory endurance were observed.
Youth and parental perspectives on the functional family therapy programme

Assessing clients’ satisfaction with family therapy interventions has important practical and theoretical implications. This article presents findings on client satisfaction after participating in functional family therapy (FFT), which addresses youths at risk of delinquency behaviour and communication problems in the family. Qualitative interviews and quantitative research methods are employed to compare programme perceptions with standardized therapeutic outcomes. The data include a parent or guardian interview, a youth interview, a services tracking form and the initial and discharge strengths and needs assessment (SNA). We observed high levels of satisfaction with FFT, yet satisfaction with family therapy and therapists was higher among parents. Parents uniformly indicated satisfaction on six Likert scale items while the youths were satisfied only on one. We found five significant differences between the parents’ and youths’ responses. The parents reported greater trust in therapists, more engagement in family therapy and more positive perception of changes in family dynamics following the intervention. The two scales, satisfaction with the programme and satisfaction with the therapists, were correlated only for parents. However, both scales were correlated with some items on our outcome variable: the changes in the SNA, for parents and young people. We assessed predictors of satisfaction and found that satisfaction with therapy was inversely related to the number of sessions for youth. For parents, the only common predictor of both satisfaction with the therapist and satisfaction with the programme were the changes on the caregivers’ strengths scale. The answers to the open-ended questions indicated that, although both parents and adolescents valued the improvements in communication patterns, the youth seemed to be especially attuned to changes in this area. Researchers should continue assessing satisfaction with family therapy and study the relationship
Unaltered Prion Pathogenesis in a Mouse Model of High-Fat Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance

Epidemiological, clinical, and experimental animal studies suggest a strong correlation between insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, type-2 diabetes is considered an important risk factor of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, impaired insulin signaling in the Alzheimer’s disease brain may promote Aβ production, impair Aβ clearance and induce tau hyperphosphorylation, thereby leading to deterioration of the disease. The pathological prion protein, PrPSc, deposits in the form of extracellular aggregates and leads to dementia, raising the question as to whether prion pathogenesis may also be affected by insulin resistance. We therefore established high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance in tga20 mice, which overexpress the prion protein. We then inoculated the insulin-resistant mice with prions. We found that insulin resistance in tga20 mice did not affect prion disease progression, PrPSc deposition, astrogliosis or microglial activation, and had no effect on survival. Our study demonstrates that in a mouse model, insulin resistance does not significantly contribute to prion pathogenesis.
Chinese Medicine Neuroaid Efficacy on Stroke Recovery: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Study

Background and Purpose— Previous clinical studies suggested benefit for poststroke recovery when MLC601 was administered between 2 weeks and 6 months of stroke onset. The Chinese Medicine Neuroaid Efficacy on Stroke recovery (CHIMES) study tested the hypothesis that MLC601 is superior to placebo in acute, moderately severe ischemic stroke within a 72-hour time window. Methods— This multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomized 1100 patients with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 6 to 14, within 72 hours of onset, to trial medications for 3 months. The primary outcome was a shift in the modified Rankin Scale. Secondary outcomes were modified Rankin Scale dichotomy, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale improvement, difference in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale total and motor scores, Barthel index, and mini-mental state examination. Planned subgroup analyses were performed according to age, sex, time to first dose, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, presence of cortical signs, and antiplatelet use. Results— The modified Rankin Scale shift analysis–adjusted odds ratio was 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 0.86–1.32). Statistical difference was not detected between the treatment groups for any of the secondary outcomes. Subgroup analyses showed no statistical heterogeneity for the primary outcome; however, a trend toward benefit in the subgroup receiving treatment beyond 48 hours from stroke onset was noted. Serious and nonserious adverse events rates were similar between the 2 groups. Conclusions— MLC601 is statistically no better than placebo in improving outcomes at 3 months when used among patients with acute ischemic stroke of intermediate severity. Longer treatment duration and follow-up of participants with treatment initiated after 48 hours may be considered in future studies. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00554723.
Shaky attachments: Individual-level stability and change of partisanship among West German voters, 1984–2001

Individual voters’ identification with a political party is believed to be a highly stable core of the political personality, and an ‘unmoved mover’ of political behaviour. In this article, the authors take advantage of a unique longitudinal database – the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) – to test the basic premise of partisanship's high persistence. Analysing individual-level data from 18 annual panel waves conducted in West Germany between 1984 and 2001, it was found that only a minority of the electorate appears steadfast with regard to partisanship over the entire period. Using event history analysis, the authors demonstrate how movements from partisanship into independence and changes between parties are affected by: personal attributes of voters, especially cognitive mobilisation; by properties of their social contexts, in particular spousal relationships and family constellations; by situational contexts, specifically election campaigns; and by the type of party with which voters identify.
Differentiation of Calcification from Chronic Hemorrhage with Corrected Gradient Echo Phase Imaging

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to prospectively evaluate the role of corrected gradient echo phase imaging in differentiation of calcified granuloma from chronic hemorrhage. Method Eighty-five patients with single/multiple calcifications and hemorrhages irrespective of their location were studied with corrected gradient echo phase imaging. In all the cases, CT was used as the gold standard for the presence/absence of calcification. Results All calcified lesions showed positive phase, whereas chronic hemorrhages showed negative phase in all cases. Five calcified lesions showed no phase shift at TE =15 ms and positive shift at TE = 35 ms. Heterogeneous phase shift was observed in three calcified lesions at TE = 35 ms; all three lesions showed positive phase shift at TE = 15 ms. There was no site-specific problem in differentiation of calcification from chronic hemorrhage including in the basal ganglia. Conclusion We conclude that calcified granuloma can be easily differentiated from chronic hemorrhage with corrected gradient echo phase imaging, which may obviate the need for CT for its confirmation.
Infinite Dimensional Groups and Automorphic L-Functions

In this note we will speculate on the possibility of establishing higher symmetric power transfers for cusp forms on GL2(AF), where AF is the ring of adeles of a number field F, by means of extending the Langlands–Shahidi method to infinite dimensional groups (Section 6). It appears that a straightforward generalization [14, 15] of the theory of Eisenstein series from the finite dimensional theory [39, 40] may not suffice. A conceptually different generalization would be necessary if one wants to establish further transfers from forms on GLm(AF) × GLn(AF) to GLmn(AF), from which functoriality for higher symmetric powers could be obtained. We note that to obtain the fifth symmetric power transfer of a cusp form π on GL2(AF), it would be enough to prove that π × Sym 4 π can be transferred to an automorphic representation π ⊠ Sym 4 π of GL10(AF), from which the existence of Sym 5 π follows by an appeal to the classification of automorphic forms on GLN(AF). This was successfully accomplished for the transfer of forms on GL2(AF)×GL3(AF) to GL6(AF) in [34]. No higher transfers of forms on products of general linear groups is available at present. We refer to [44] for GL2 × GL2. We invite the reader to read Section 6 carefully to appreciate different aspects of this observation and evidence for it as well as its positive consequences towards Garland’s work [14, 15] on establishing meromorphic continuation of Eisenstein series for loop groups. We motivate the paper by discussing some very important conjectures in number theory such as those of Ramanujan–Petersson and Selberg on cuspidal representations of GL2(AF), as well as generic forms on groups whose connected L–groups have a classical derived group. We concentrate on the former and refer the reader to [56] for a detailed expository treatment of latter. We conclude
Print vs. Computer Screen: Effects of Medium on Proofreading Accuracy

This study was designed to examine whether the medium by which information is presented would influence participants' proofreading accuracy. A general linear model ANCOVA was conducted to examine participants' ability to detect proofreading errors presented in printed text compared to errors detected in text presented on computer screens. The results suggest that the medium by which information is presented could influence participants' proofreading accuracy, and that the participants' familiarity with the topic of the text may hinder their ability to concentrate on the proofreading task.
Calling a squirrel a squirrel but a canoe a wigwam: a category-specific deficit for artefactual objects and body parts

Abstract A single-case study is reported of a patient, CW, with a category-specific deficit for naming artefactual objects and body parts along with good naming of natural objects. Tests using matching rather than naming techniques further suggested that CW had some difficulty in distinguishing between close semantic co-ordinates of artefactual objects. The case provides a double dissociation relative to patients with selective problems in identifying natural objects. Possible reasons for CW's category-specific impairment are discussed.
Short Note: The Sociology of Professional Groups

This article is not a critique of the Sciulli article (2005) but, instead, indicates some current and contemporary research questions about professionalism considered to be important to researchers in the field from North America, Europe and worldwide. The article begins by offering an alternative, more pragmatic, view of the definitional question and argues that most researchers have accepted definitional uncertainty and moved on. Current research questions include a reappraisal and reassessment of professionalism as a normative value – and a move away from market closure as the dominant paradigm. In addition, there are new directions in the analysis that focus on the discourse of professionalism as a mechanism for the control of work and workers.
Bridging structures spanning the junctioning gap at the triad of skeletal muscle

The membrane systems of skeletal muscle were examined after tannic acid fixation. A new structure consisting of bridges spanning the junctional gap is described, and a model is proposed in which the cytoplasmic but not the luminal membrane leaflets of the transverse tubule and of the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) are continuous. The globular particles (presumably the Ca-binding proteins) within the terminal cisternae were arranged in longitudinal rows and appeared adherent to the junctional membrane. The junctional gap was present in negatively stained, frozen thin sections of fixed muscles. Negatively staining material occured within the junctional gap. The cytoplasmic leaflets of the longitudinal, intermediate, and terminal cisterna regions of the SR exhibited a thick coat of densely staining material compatible with the presence of the Ca-ATPase. Similar bridges were also observed at the surface membrane-SR close coupling sites of vascular smooth muscle.
Whither the Environmental Nongovernmental Organizations on Multiple Regions of the US–Mexico Border?

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze what has happened to the US–Mexico border region's environmental nongovernmental organization (ENGO) sector and to understand how it fared over time by interviewing leaders of these groups in multiple regions on the border. ENGOs gained saliency and momentum during the NAFTA negotiations and were able to address environmental problems on the border. Almost 20 years later, some ENGOs no longer exist due to funding, structural and leadership challenges. However, as this research indicates, committed people still provide environmental leadership on the multiple sites along the border, not necessarily through ENGOs, but in other capacities.
La Trypanosomose Humaine Africaine dans l’espace ivoiro-burkinabé : optimisation des stratégies de surveillance épidémiologique

L’objectif de cet article est de décrire les récentes données de surveillance médicale de la Trypanosomose Humaine Africaine (THA) au Burkina Faso et en Côte d’Ivoire afin (i) de dresser un bilan de la situation actuelle de la maladie dans ces deux pays qui entretiennent depuis plus d’un siècle des liens migratoires, économiques et épidémiologiques intimes et (ii) de définir les stratégies à mettre en place dans l’objectif d’une élimination durable. Les résultats de la surveillance active et passive ont montré que les trypanosomés dépistés au Burkina-Faso ces dernières années sont tous des cas importés provenant de Côte d’Ivoire. Cependant, la réintroduction du parasite est effective et le risque d’une reprise de la transmission existe. En Côte d’Ivoire, plusieurs foyers “historiques” toujours endémiques font craindre des phénomènes de réémergence et de propagation. Dans l’objectif d’une élimination durable de la THA dans ces deux pays, les acteurs de la lutte doivent adapter leur système de surveillance en fonction des différents contextes épidémiologiques. Les prévalences actuelles ne justifient plus, excepté des cas particuliers, l’usage systématique et très onéreux du dépistage actif par prospections médicales exhaustives. Elles tendent plutôt à privilégier des systèmes intégrés aux systèmes de santé nationaux et utiliser des méthodes permettant de cibler les zones prioritaires d’intervention à partir notamment d’un échange d’informations épidémiologiques entre les deux pays. Pour accompagner le processus d’élimination durable, les acteurs de la recherche doivent étudier le rôle respectif des réservoirs humain et animal dans le maintien de la transmission, participer au suivi sur le long terme des cas traités et des suspects sérologiques, et évaluer en termes de coût/efficacité les stratégies mises en place par les Programmes Nationaux afin de les optimiser.
Education, identity and Roma families: teachers’ perspectives and engagement with INSETRom training

This paper outlines and discusses work carried out with teachers of Roma children in the North East of England. The paper draws upon continuing professional development (CPD) work carried out in two primary schools as part of the Comenius IN‐SErvice Training for Roma Inclusion (INSETRom) project. The project spanned a number of school terms over an academic year and involved working closely with two groups of teachers from different schools. This paper draws upon data arising from semi‐structured interviews and the authors’ field journals. It identifies critical key issues such as teachers’ misconceptions, limited home–school relations, problems relating to the identification of Roma pupils and the tensions arising from meeting the needs of a marginalized group within an education system underpinned largely by a performance‐driven, neoliberal agenda. It discusses issues arising from delivering CPD within such a context, and highlights the difficulties associated with transforming and challenging perspectives and practices, in particular emphasizing the importance of the leadership and commitment of the head teacher.
A tensor LMS algorithm

Although the LMS algorithm is often preferred in practice due to its numerous positive implementation properties, once the parameter space to estimate becomes large, the algorithm suffers of slow learning. Many ideas have been proposed to introduce some a-priori knowledge into the algorithm to speed up its learning rate. Recently also sparsity concepts have become of interest for such algorithms. In this contribution we follow a different path by focusing on the separability of linear operators, a typical property of interest when dealing with tensors. Once such separability property is given, a gradient type algorithm can be derived with significant increase in learning rate. Even if separability is only given to a certain extent, we show that the algorithm can still provide gains. We derive quality and quantity measures to describe the algorithmic behavior in such contexts and evaluate its properties by Monte Carlo simulations.
Looking down, around, and up: Mechanistic explanation in psychology

Accounts of mechanistic explanation have emphasized the importance of looking down—decomposing a mechanism into its parts and operations. Using research on visual processing as an exemplar, I illustrate how productive such research has been. But once multiple components of a mechanism have been identified, researchers also need to figure out how it is organized—they must look around and determine how to recompose the mechanism. Although researchers often begin by trying to recompose the mechanism in terms of sequential operations, they frequently find that the components of a mechanism interact in complex ways involving positive and negative feedback and that the organization often exhibits highly interactive local networks linked by a few long-range connections (small-worlds organization) and power law distributions of connections. The mechanisms are themselves active systems that are perturbed by inputs but not set in motion by them. Researchers also need to look up—situate a mechanism in its context, which may be a larger mechanism that modulates its behavior. When looking down is combined with looking around and up, mechanistic research results in an integrated, multi-level perspective.
Antioxidant and Angiostatic Effect of Spirulina platensis Suspension in Complete Freund’s Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis in Rats

Background Currently, natural products have built a well-recognized role in the management of many degenerative diseases, mainly rheumatoid arthritis. Recent studies suggest that Spirulina, a unicellular blue-green alga, may have a variety of health benefits and curative properties and is also competent of acting as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and recently anti-angiogenic agent. In the present study, the antioxidant and the immunomodulatory effect of Spirulina platensis as well as its anti-angiogenic effect against complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) in rat model were tested. Results We found that the development of arthritis was concealed; moreover it successfully inhibited the development of macroscopic as well as microscopic and histopathological lesions in AIA rats when compared to control. Spirulina treated group showed a higher survival rate and moreover, it reduced the clinical score of RA in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, Spirulina decreased serum levels of COX-2, TNF-α, IL-6, TBARS, VEGF and increased serum levels of GSH compared to the RA non-treated group. Conclusions The present study concluded that Spirulina is able to restrain the changes produced through adjuvant-induced arthritis. The suppressing effect of Spirulina could be attributed, at least in part, to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-angiogenic properties.