Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowing Neoliberalism

ABSTRACT Critical accounts over the past years have focused on neoliberalism as a subject of knowledge; there has been a recently growing interest in neoliberalism as an object of knowledge. This article considers the theoretical, epistemological and political implications of the relationship between neoliberalism as an epistemic subject and neoliberalism as an epistemic object. It argues that the ‘gnossification’ of neoliberalism – framing it an epistemic project, and deriving implications for political engagement from this – avoids engaging with numerous ambiguous elements of the production of knowledge. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of the ‘scholastic fallacy’ and Boltanski and Chiapello’s work in sociology of critique, the article lays out a framework for the study of the relationship between epistemic, moral, and political elements of critique of neoliberalism, including the conditions of its own production in contemporary academic contexts.
Gender, Race, and Perceived Environmental Risk: The “White Male” Effect in Cancer Alley, LA

Research on risk perceptions are replete with race- and gender-specific hypotheses attempting to account for attitudinal variation. However, race and gender differences may mask more notable patterns across subgroups, patterns that lie at the intersection of race and gender. Recent national studies suggest that being a White male leads to lower risk perceptions and greater willingness to accept risks. This article extends this research by examining the “White male” effect in a chronically polluted context, an area where industrial pollution is palpable and well-documented. Data are drawn from a survey of a population living in “Cancer Alley,” a stretch of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. We find that women more than men and Blacks more than Whites perceive environmental risks as serious. Further, evidence suggests that these differences are mostly due to the relatively extreme perceptions of risk accepting White males and risk adverse Black females. After controlling for select variables in hierarchical multiple regression analyses, being a White male or Black female still has a statistically significant impact on risk perceptions.
Characterization of a Novel Machining Additive in Diffusion-Alloyed Mixes : Sensitivity Analysis of Tool Life , Machining Quality and Wear Dynamics

The ability to produce a component which is as dimensionally close to the finished product as possible can drastically reduce production costs and time, material waste, and possible post-processing errors. PM assures manufacturing near-net-shape parts, but despite this, the rising number of high precision applications supports ongoing research to improve machinability of PM products. Manganese sulfide (MnS), a common machining additive for PM, has the shortcoming of oxidizing when exposed to the environment, which is highly detrimental for tool life and accelerates rusting of parts. A novel machining additive has been designed and tested with the goal of replacing MnS both in turning and drilling applications. In the present work, extensive investigation of the machining behavior of diffusion alloyed premixes in drilling has been performed. Tool life and machining quality in the presence of no additive, MnS, and the novel machining additive have been quantified for several drill bit materials, coatings, coolant conditions, speeds and feeds. Surface roughness for different additives has also been measured. In addition, a wear model linking type of wear (abrasive or adhesive) to tool life, dimensional accuracy of machining process, drilling conditions and machining additive has been developed and implemented.
On the Set of Limit Points of Normed Sums of Geometrically Weighted I.I.D. Unbounded Random Variables

For a sequence of i.i. d. unbounded random variables {Y n , n ≥ 1} and a constant b > 1, it is shown for that if 𝔼(log (max {|Y 1|, e})) < ∞, then and for almost every ω ∈ Ω, where l and L are the essential infimum of Y 1 and the essential supremum of Y 1, respectively. For the case where 𝔼(log (max {|Y 1|, e})) = ∞, examples are given wherein the limit point set ℂ is identified and it is not necessarily the interval [l, L]. The current work is a follow-up to the investigation of Li, Qi, and Rosalsky (Stochastic Analysis and Applications, 2008, 28:86–102) identifying the limit point set of W n when Y 1 is bounded; the results for unbounded Y 1 are structurally different from those for bounded Y 1 and are thus not merely simple extensions of the bounded case.
Factors Influencing Forest Values and Attitudes of Two Stakeholder Groups: The Case of the Foothills Model Forest, Alberta, Canada

Canada's Model Forest Program was established as a means of implementing concepts of sustainable forest management. An initial step to achieving this is understanding stakeholders' forest values and attitudes. A study was undertaken to examine forest values and attitudes toward forest management of campers and hunters in the Foothills Model Forest of Alberta within the context of a cognitive hierarchy model. Data were collected by mail survey in 1996. Campers and hunters were primarily biocentric in their forest values orientation. These groups supported protection-oriented management strategies, were not in favor of economic development and timber-oriented strategies, and did not believe that current forest management is sustainable. Socioeconomic factors, social influences, and knowledge had little influence on values or attitudes. Forest values were related strongly to attitudes providing support for the cognitive hierarchy model.
The role of the informal trade in medicinal plants in sustaining livelihoods: a case study of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Eastern Cape

The commercialisation of natural resources such as medicinal plants is a method that is increasingly being used by poor people in developing countries, as a means of generating an income. Increasing economic hardship and lack of employment opportunities in the formal sector of the economy in South Africa have led many urban dwellers to seek alternative ways of meeting their everyday livelihood needs. However, although the contribution of the trade in medicinal plants to subsistence economies has been widely recognised in a number of countries, few studies have examined the significance of the medicinal plant trade to the livelihoods of poor and marginalised people. In this study, the medicinal plant traders who operated in the informal sector of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality were interviewed to investigate the role of the trade in sustaining their livelihoods. The findings of the research indicate that although the income from the trade was modest, it contributed substantially to the total household income of the traders and the medicinal plant trade offered other non-financial benefits as well. Without the income generated from the medicinal plant trade, many traders and their families would be destitute and thus the trade is vital to the well-being of these people.
Time to onset of action of vardenafil: a retrospective analysis of the pivotal trials for the orodispersible and film-coated tablet formulations.

INTRODUCTION Patients and physicians consider a rapid onset of action to be an important attribute of oral pharmacotherapy for erectile dysfunction. AIM To investigate the time to onset of action of a new orodispersible tablet (ODT) formulation of vardenafil. METHODS A post hoc integrated analysis was performed on data from two 12-week, double-blind, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled phase III trials of 10 mg vardenafil ODT. Data for the vardenafil film-coated tablet were generated from a retrospective integrated analysis at week 12 of four double-blind, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, fixed-dose, placebo-controlled phase III trials. Time intervals (in 15-, 30-, and 60-minute increments, up to ≥6 hours after study medication intake) were determined for the period between dosing and start of sexual activity (with the intention of intercourse). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The total number of sexual intercourse attempts and Sexual Encounter Profile question 3 (SEP3) success rates were calculated per time interval. RESULTS Within 15 minutes postdosing, mean per-patient SEP3 success rates were 62.5% (vardenafil ODT) vs. 29.4% (placebo), with corresponding overall SEP3 success rates of 59.8% and 38.2%. In this time interval, 5.3% vs. 2.8% of all sexual activity attempts were initiated by subjects taking vardenafil ODT (n = 89) or placebo (n = 62), respectively. At 16-30 minutes postdosing, SEP3 success rates were 65.3% and 32.6% (mean per-patient) and 70.2% and 51.0% (overall) for vardenafil ODT vs. placebo, respectively, with a corresponding 10.4% and 8.7% of all sexual activity attempts being made by subjects taking vardenafil ODT (n = 170) or placebo (n = 118). Comparable results were observed for vardenafil 10 and 20 mg film-coated tablet at corresponding time intervals. CONCLUSIONS Vardenafil ODT shows a rapid onset of action comparable with that of vardenafil film-coated tablet. In those men who begin sexual activity within 30 minutes after dosing, the majority of sexual attempts lead to successful intercourse.
“TRU-SANEX”: A variation on the EURO-GANEX and i-SANEX processes for heterogeneous recycling of actinides Np-Cm

ABSTRACT A novel separation process for recovering transuranic actinides has been tested in centrifugal contactors using a surrogate feed solution. This “TRU-SANEX” (transuranic element-selective actinide extraction) process uses solvent extraction between nitric acid and an organic phase containing 0.2 mol/L N,N,N′,N′-tetraoctyl diglycolamide with 0.5 mol/L N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-dioctylhexylethoxy-malonamide to co-extract actinides and lanthanides followed by separate sections for plutonium–neptunium and americium–curium stripping. Overall, good performance was achieved with good recoveries of plutonium and americium in the products and only small amounts of cross-contamination between products. Decontamination factors for selected lanthanides in the americium–curium product ranged from ~40 to >1300.
Practical evaluation of resistance of high-speed catamaran hull forms—Part II

This study attempts to extend the analysis of several resistance prediction procedures based on experimental work carried out by researchers and, subsequently, wave resistance estimation as illustrated in Part I of this study by Sahoo et al. (2007). All the methods used have been analysed and compared with results obtained from towing tank tests, CFD analysis by use of SHIPFLOW and a computational analysis is software package CATRES, whose operation is based around thin ship theory. The results obtained from each of the resistance prediction methods have been investigated, and the limitations and areas of effectiveness for each of the resistance methods have been determined in relation to the vessels tested. Throughout this study, the primary objective of validating the resistance equations developed in Part I of this study has been achieved. The level to which the resistance prediction tool can be utilized during the designing of high-speed catamarans was further determined through the analysis of the results.
Surface-Enhanced Infrared Spectral Investigations of 2,3-Bis(chloromethyl)anthracene-1,4,9,10-tetraone on Copper Nanoparticles

ABSTRACT Surface-enhanced infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopic technique has been employed to investigate the orientation of 2,3-bis(chloromethyl)anthracene-1,4,9,10-tetraone (BCMAT) on copper nanoparticles (NPs). Copper NPs have been prepared by the chemical reduction method. The observed ring stretching modes show higher downshifts, broader bandwidths, and higher enhancement. The observed features in out-of-plane and in-plane CH deformation modes indicate that the BCMAT molecules may be adsorbed in a “flat-on” orientation on the copper NPs. The observed lower enhancement factor of the in-plane C˭O deformation mode and C˭O stretching mode and the higher enhancement factor of out-of-plane C˭O deformation mode elucidate that the BCMAT molecules are adsorbed on the copper NPs in a “flat-on” orientation. All these observations show that BCMAT is adsorbed on copper NPs through the π-anthraquinone ring system in a “flat-on” orientation.
Resistance Management: We know why, but do

The high efficacy and target specificity of modern single-site fungicides exert strong selection for resistance in pathogen populations. Strategies to prevent or delay the development of resistance are an essential part of product stewardship. Technological advances have provided more rapid, sensitive, and accurate methods for the detection and quantification of resistance in pathogen populations. There has also been good progess in understanding the genetics and mechanisms of resistance to specific fungicide classes. But devising effective ways to reduce selection for resistance while maintaining disease control remains a challenge. There is still no foolproof way to predict when and where resistance will emerge, how quickly it might increase to affect field efficacy, and what management tactics will be most effective in preventing it. Resistance risk assessments based on multiple agricultural, biological, chemical and molecular parameters influencing pathogen evolution are now available, together with mathematical models evaluating the likely outcomes of different resistance management strategies. Despite these advances resistance management remains an inexact science. Delaying or reducing directional selection through use of fungicide mixtures and improved integration with cultivar resistance and agronomic measures, where available, is currently the main strategy, supplemented in future by the new tools emerging from genomics and biotechnology.
Confessions of an inadequate researcher: space and supervision in research with learning disabled children

Abstract Location is often at the fore of decision-making regarding fieldwork and choice of methods. However, little research has directly discussed the importance of the choice of site in the production of research data, particularly concerning the way that different relationships will manifest between researcher and participant in different spaces. Site may be particularly important in research with (learning disabled) children, as research location is intertwined with the level of caregiving required from the researcher, and the sorts of surveillance the research engagement may be subject to. This paper draws on research with learning disabled 6–16-year olds that took place in homes, schools and the outdoors, in a variety of microgeographical locations from bedrooms to nature reserves. This paper reflects on the challenges, including the very ‘worst’ research moments, occurring in the different research environments. Whilst the research was carried out with learning disabled children and young people, the discussion has implications for research with non-disabled children and ‘vulnerable’ participants more broadly.
(Re)Telling lived experiences in different tales: a potential pathway in working towards an inclusive PE

Existing research reveals that there are large discrepancies between the rhetoric of inclusive practice and what actually takes place in physical education (PE) lessons. PE appears to be a conservative subject, where little has changed over the years, despite increased diversity in schools and new modes of movement in society at large. In this article, I will argue that there is a need for ‘different’ ways of knowing, to gain knowledge about the complexity of creating an inclusive PE. My critical interpretive PhD project will serve as a starting point for arguing how narratives can be well suited to help illuminate individual experiences located within broader social and cultural structures. By engaging in self-biographical story sharing from my position as a neophyte researcher, I will highlight some of the theoretical and methodological tensions that I have encountered in my narrative inquiry of embodied experience. Narratives provide insight into the multiple realities of inclusion and/or exclusion, disability and PE. Emancipatory educational storysharing may have the potential to revisit and challenge well-worn, taken for granted realities about these phenomena and facilitate professional self-reflection. For illustrative purposes, I will share some narratives from young disabled people’s experiences in PE lessons, in different narrative forms: an ethnographic fiction and a poetic transcription. In addition to contributing cognitive ways of knowing, narratives recognize the role emotions play in how we come to understand our world. Different ways of retelling stories, if well done, may evoke feelings and create new understandings of inclusion, disability and PE. Narrative ways of knowing could therefore contribute to bringing us further in working towards more inclusive education and create, at least, modest change.
Reading pornography

Over the last 30 years academic discussion of pornography has been largely confined to questions about its social and psychological effects. The debate has been caste in black and white terms; partly because the stakes were political, as in the debate over porn amongst feminists, and partly because social scientists have sought to produce a hard, definitive conclusion as to the harmfulness or otherwise of porn. Recently, however, these disputes have died down. This new climate provides the opportunity for a calmer and more considered evaluation of the part that pornography plays in the formation of sexual identities, practices and experiences. We need to view pornography as one more significant factor in the life‐long sexual socialization of individuals in modern society. Drawing on previous qualitative research this paper seeks to illustrate ways in which the social and personal impact of reading pornography can be treated in terms of three aspects: how the act of reading fits into personal biography; how the reader or viewer negotiates the meanings about sexuality and gender contained in porn; and the processes of identification and interpretation involved in the use of such material.
Data-driven smooth tests for the extreme value distribution

In this paper we present data-driven smooth tests for the extreme value distribution. These tests are based on a general idea of construction of data-driven smooth tests for composite hypotheses introduced by Inglot, T. , Kallenberg, W. C. M. and Ledwina, T. [(1997). Data-driven smooth tests for composite hypotheses. Ann. Statist. , 25, 1222–1250] and its modification for location-scale family proposed in Janic-Wróblewska, A. [(2004). Data-driven smooth test for a location-scale family. Statistics, in press]. Results of power simulations show that the newly introduced test performs very well for a wide range of alternatives and is competitive with other commonly used tests for the extreme value distribution. E-mail: janic@im.pwr. wroc.pl
Reemployment Programs for Dislocated Timber Workers: Lessons from Oregon

Worker reemployment programs in the wood products industries are important policy responses to structural declines in employment levels. This article uses qualitative methods to present the perspectives of the participants in two distinctly different reemployment programs that served the same two-county area in western Oregon. Choices and Options was a 2-wk program that assisted displaced workers to prepare a reemployment plan; it was a traditional part of a continuum of reem ployment services. It served 586 dislocated timber workers between 1992 and 1994. Jobs in the Woods was a more innovative program that grew directly out of the Clinton administration's efforts to aid timber-dependent workers and communities. It was a multimonth training program to create ecosystem restoration specialists and served 20 people over the study period (1994 - 1996). Both programs produced a positive, but modest, effect on the displaced workers' satisfaction with their career transitions. The biggest hindrance to the impact of the Jobs in the Woods program is the challenge involved in starting a small business in a nascent industry.
Migration and a quest for ‘normalcy’. Polish migrant mothers and the capitalization of meritocratic opportunities in the UK

This paper explores strategies Polish migrant mothers undertake in order to achieve a state of ‘normalcy’ as they perceive it themselves, in particular with reference to their children's education and to their future prospects in the UK. ‘Normalcy’ in this paper denotes a state which is desired, projected and placed in the future rather than seen as everyday reality which surrounds the mothers. This article focuses on various ways the mothers negotiate in order to achieve the desired status and state of well-being and discusses these in the light of Pierre Bourdieu's habitus and capital and with reference to Erving Goffman's notions of normality, stigma and rules of conduct. I look at three aspects through which mothers strive to reach their imagined ‘normalcy’: (1) a belief in meritocratic values; (2) the feeling of ‘classlessness’ and (3) management of the ‘migrant stigma’. The study is based on qualitative in-depth interviews with 36 Polish migrant mothers mainly from London with children in primary or secondary state schools. Even though it could be said that mothers as a social group represent social heterogeneity, the majority of the mothers in the study are educated to a post-compulsory level, having some sort of post A-level qualifications. Half of the 36 mothers arrived in the UK after Poland's EU accession.
Safety, Efficacy, and Predictive Factors of Conventional Epithelium-Off Corneal Crosslinking in the Treatment of Progressive Keratoconus

Purpose To report predictive factors of outcome of conventional epithelium-off corneal crosslinking (CXL) in the treatment of progressive keratoconus. Methods This is a monocentric observational retrospective study conducted at Eye and Ear International Hospital, Lebanon. All patients with progressive keratoconus who underwent CXL between January 2008 and January 2016, with minimal 3-years follow-up were included. Primary treatment outcomes were maximum keratometry (K max), best-corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and failure. Failure was defined as an increase of 1.00 diopters (D) or more in K max and/or an increase of 0.1 logMAR or more in CDVA and conversion to corneal transplantation. Statistical analysis was done to identify predictors of treatment success. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the correlations between baseline parameters and outcomes, and an equation for predicting K max and CDVA was created. Results 156 eyes of 102 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 23.85 ± 6.52 years. Failure occurred in 31 eyes (19.87%). Gender and thinnest pachymetry did not have any impact on postoperative outcomes. Concerning the CDVA outcome, multivariate analysis showed that a better preoperative CDVA was associated with higher improvement in CDVA, and higher baseline K max and higher posterior mean K were associated with a worse outcome CDVA. Regarding postoperative K max, a higher baseline K max, a worse baseline CDVA, and a younger age were associated with less flattening postoperatively. Conclusion CXL is a safe and effective method in treating progressive keratoconus. However, the clinical benefits can differ among patients, and in our series, a nonnegligible number of cases show a continued progression of their ectasia. Further studies to identify predictors of postoperative progression prior to the procedure could help sort out good responders to treatment.