Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncertain transition : exploring the experience of recent graduates

What is the transition from university student to being part of the workforce really like for graduates? How do they reflect upon this transition themselves and how do they tell their stories? Commentary on the graduate labour market comes from many sources; the media publish doom and gloom stories, government produces a raft of statistics about the variable return on a degree, employers bemoan the job-readiness of some graduates, and universities remain resolutely upbeat about their graduates’ prospects. But what do recent graduates say about their lived experience of uncertain and competitive job markets? Graduates for whom the transition from university was not smooth were the priority group for this study, rather than those who tend to be eagerly picked up by university marketers as success stories. Drawing upon a range of data sources including focus groups with students before the end of their degree courses, and a survey and interviews (16-20 months after graduation), this study targets for analysis graduates from Arts, Creative Arts and Humanities subjects ; typically subjects that in mainstream reporting on the benefits of university study are considered to have a lower return in relation to a graduate premium. Data used is part of a larger data-set collected as part of a PhD research project which is still underway focusing on 2014 graduates from one northern, urban, Alliance group university and seeks to build a more nuanced narrative to that which emerges from debates about graduate destinations that are associated with the Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE) survey. The research discovers that some of the fears students have about the job market may not be borne out in reality. Tracing early trajectories shows that graduates experience considerable change in both career circumstances and ideas, with evidence of steady improvement overall. As such, this research supports critical voices which point out the limitations of the current timing of the DLHE survey. It also reveals the subjectivity of graduate responses to questions about the value of their degree for their career, but also shows that most are very proud of their academic achievements. There is a diminished confidence/understanding of the transferability of graduate skills and knowledge to areas of work not directly related to a degree subject. Graduates are not passive players in uncertain and precarious work environments and many are pro-actively responding to the challenges they face in seeking fulfilling work. A number of factors contribute to graduate resilience including the morale-boosting support from family and friends, living in a location where there are graduate opportunities and having people to turn to have career conversations. The ability to draw upon valuable resources in the guise of social, economic and cultural capital is significant in managing early challenges and differences in social background impact on this. Implications are drawn from findings for universities, the current generation of students and graduates and those who advise and employ them.
Foreign Currency Denominated Debt as A Hedging tool for Foreign Exchange Rate Risk Exposure

This study examines the foreign exchange exposure of Indian nonfinancial firms and its Foreign exchange exposure management by using foreign currency denominated debt (FDD). A sample of 86 Indian non financial firms is examined by this study for a period from 2006 to 2012. A two stage cross sectional regression frame work is used to test the main hypothesis of foreign exchange rate exposure that can be effectively hedged by FDD. The study has found statistically significant evidence that the use of FDD is effective hedging tools for reducing currency exposure of Indian nonfinancial firms.
Quantitative follow‐up of patients with multiple sclerosis using MRI: Technical aspects

A highly reproducible automated procedure for quantitative analysis of serial brain magnetic resonance (MR) images was developed for use in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The intracranial cavity (ICC) was identified on standard dual‐echo spin‐echo brain MR images using a supervised automated procedure. MR images obtained from one MS patient at 24 time points in the course of a 1‐year follow‐up were aligned with the images of one of the time points. Next, the contents of the ICC in each MR exam were segmented into four tissues, using a self‐adaptive statistical algorithm. Misclassifications due to partial voluming were corrected using a combination of morphologic operators and connectivity criteria. Finally, a connectivity detection algorithm was used to separate the tissue classified as lesions into individual entities. Registration, classification of the contents of the ICC, and identification of individual lesions are fully automatic. Only identification of the ICC requires operator interaction. In each MR exam, the program estimated volumes for the ICC, gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), white matter lesions (WML), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The reproducibility of the system was superior to that of supervised segmentation, as evidenced by the coefficient of variation: CSF supervised 45.9% vs. automated 7.7%, GM 16.0% vs. 1.4%, WM 15.7% vs. 1.3%, and WML 39.5% vs 52.0%. Our results demonstrate that this computerized procedure allows routine reproducible quantitative analysis of large serial MRI data sets.J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;9:519–530. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
No evidence of sexual transmission of Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus in a heterosexual South African population

Background:The transmission of Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV) in men who have sex with men is clearly associated with sexual risk factors, but evidence of heterosexual transmission of KSHV is conflicting. Methods:Sera were obtained from 2103 South African individuals (862 miners, 95 sex workers, 731 female and 415 male township residents; mean age 33.2 years; ± 10.1). All sera were tested for antibodies to KSHV lytic K8.1 and latent Orf73, HIV, gonococcus, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), syphilis and chlamydia. Information on social, demographic and high-risk sexual behavior was linked to laboratory data, to evaluate risk factors, expressed as odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for KSHV. Results:Overall KSHV and HIV prevalences were 47.5 and 40%, respectively (P = 0.43). The risk of HIV infection was highest in sex workers then female residents and miners, compared with male residents (P < 0.001). HSV-2 infection was highly prevalent (66%) and lower, but still substantial, prevalences (6–8%) were observed for other sexually transmitted infections (STI). No significant difference in KSHV infection was observed among the residential groups (P > 0.05). KSHV was not associated with any of the STI or any measures of sexual behavior (P > 0.05). Conclusion:The pattern of HIV and STI in sex workers suggests high rates of high-risk sexual behavior in this population. The lack of association with high-risk sexual behavior, particularly in sex workers, and with any markers of STI strongly suggest that the sexual mode does not play a significant role in KSHV transmission in this South African population.
The topography of brain damage at different stages of Parkinson's disease

This study investigated gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) damage in 89 patients at different clinical stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) (17 early, 46 mild, 14 moderate, and 12 severe) to differentiate the trajectories of tissue injury in this condition. PD patients had a very little GM atrophy even at the more advanced stages of the disease. Microstructural damage to the WM occurs with increasing PD severity and involves the brainstem, thalamocortical pathways, olfactory tracts, as well as the major interhemispheric, limbic, and extramotor association tracts. The most marked WM damage was found in moderate vs. mild cases. WM damage correlated with the degree of global cognitive deficits. WM abnormalities beyond the nigrostriatal system accumulate with increasing PD severity. WM damage is likely to contribute to the more severe motor and nonmotor dysfunctions occurring in patients at the later stages. Hum Brain Mapp 34:2798–2807, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Design thinking: breaking fixation for new relationships between organizations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show how design thinking can be a useful approach for helping interorganizational partnerships create higher levels of value creation for both parties. By integrating concepts related to human cognition, contracts and performance, the authors show how interorganizational relationships often hit a brick wall. The authors show how they can break through such obstacles in a systematic way using design thinking. Design/methodology/approach The authors anchor their conceptual and prescriptive advice in a real-life case study between a large logistics company and a global technology firm. The case study was conducted over a multiyear period with many sources of data collected: interview data, observational, participant observation, archival presentations, etc. Findings The authors show the factors that lead to rigidity in interorganizational relationships over time, and the cycle of confirmation and exploitation that truly squeezes the life out of relationships if firms are not careful. They offer a prescriptive approach for addressing this issue that should be valuable for many firms across the globe. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a single-case study, so generalizability is always an issue. However, we think that most practicing managers who have been involved (in any way) with managing an interorganizational relationship will attest to the fact that they often experience the patterns that the authors illuminate in their study. Practical implications By applying the design thinking methodology within the context of interorganizational relationships, managers will help their firms break fixation and enter entirely new plateaus of value creation for both firms. Social implications The world of work occurs through partnerships and relationships, companies rarely “go it alone”. Thus, developing the capacities in managers to continuously assess relationship efficacy, break from inertia and discover new ways of creating value will lead to positive social implications. Additionally, the design thinking methodology is based on developing empathy for others, and the authors would argue that such capabilities are sorely needed in this world. Originality/value There is a lot of work on interorganizational partnerships, but an absence of help for practicing managers on how to make such relationships great. Grounded in a real-life case study, this paper provides practical contributions to those currently managing such relationships.
A spectral analysis of perceptual shape variation

Many methods of statistical shape description operate by describing shapes in terms of the variations inherent in a training set. This represents a limitation in that a training set must be assembled beforehand, and that only shapes lying within the span of the training data can be succinctly described. We develop a statistical representation that describes a shape in terms of the variations inherent in that shape, without reference to training images. Our new representation is then used to characterise a number of perceptual deformations, with the intent being to investigate how well such deformations can be captured and modelled by our description.
Effect of Acidosis on Contractile Function in the Newborn Rabbit Heart

ABSTRACT: Effects of respiratory and metabolic acidosis (pH approximately 6.8) on myocardial function were studied in the newborn and adult rabbits. Mechanical function was studied in the isolated arterially perfused heart preparation. Acidosis was induced either by increase of the perfusate Pco2 or by decrease of the bicarbonate content. During respiratory acidosis, developed tension (DT) decreased to 43 ± 3% of control (n = 18) in the adult and this depression was significantly greater than in the newborn (DT = 92 ± 4%, n = 6). Depression of DT by respiratory acidosis was observed even at high extracellular Ca. During metabolic acidosis, mechanical function decreased gradually and DT at 30 min into acidosis in the adult was 78 ± 3% of control (n = 6). This depression of DT in the adult was significantly greater than in the newborn (DT at 30 min = 96 ± 1% of control, n = 6). Statistical analysis using paired t test showed that respiratory acidosis, but not metabolic acidosis, caused significant negative inotropism in the newborn. Myofibrils were isolated and the ATPase was measured at 10−8 to 10−4 M Ca and at pH of 7.1 (control), 6.5, and 6.0. Reducing pH depressed the ATPase activity similarly in the newborn and adult. Intracellular buffer capacity was determined by titrating muscle homogenate with HC1. Although the initial pH was not different, addition of HCI to the homogenate caused less decrease in pH in the newborn. These data indicate that contractile function in the newborn heart is more resistant to acidosis and this may be due partly to the greater intracellular buffer capacity.
Developmental Shift of Cyclophilin D Contribution to Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

Cyclophilin D (CypD), a regulator of the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore (PTP), enhances Ca2+-induced mitochondrial permeabilization and cell death in the brain. However, the role of CypD in hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury at different developmental ages is unknown. At postnatal day (P) 9 or P60, littermates of CypD-deficient [knock-out (KO)], wild-type (WT), and heterozygous mice were subjected to HI, and brain injury was evaluated 7 d after HI. CypD deficiency resulted in a significant reduction of HI brain injury at P60 but worsened injury at P9. After HI, caspase-dependent and -independent cell death pathways were more induced in P9 CypD KO mice than in WT controls, and apoptotic activation was minimal at P60. The PTP had a considerably higher induction threshold and lower sensitivity to cyclosporin A in neonatal versus adult mice. On the contrary, Bax inhibition markedly reduced caspase activation and brain injury in immature mice but was ineffective in the adult brain. Our findings suggest that CypD/PTP is critical for the development of brain injury in the adult, whereas Bax-dependent mechanisms prevail in the immature brain. The role of CypD in HI shifts from a predominantly prosurvival protein in the immature to a cell death mediator in the adult brain.
Immediate-early Fos Protein Levels in Brainstem Neurons of Male and Female Gonadectomized Mice Subjected to Cold Exposure

The expression of the immediate early gene c-fos has been used extensively as a marker for neural activation in response to acute and chronic stressful stimuli in brain and spinal cord. The present study examined the expression of Fos protein in the brainstem nuclei of male and female gonadectomized mice in response to cold stress. Free-floating sections were processed immunohistochemically for Fos protein using standard avidin-biotin complex methods. The number of Fos-positive neurons in each nucleus was determined. Although the experiment was designed to look for gender differences, results were equivalent between females and males. After mice were exposed to a cold ambient temperature (4°C) for 2 h, elevated numbers of Fos-positive neurons were counted in the medullary gigantocellular reticular nucleus, medullary raphe nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract and in locus coeruleus. However, no elevated expression was found in nucleus ambiguus, nor in neurons of the A1 group, nor the C2 or C3 group. Similar to rats, these results with mice reveal a widespread arousal system in the lower brainstem activated by cold stress in both genders. These findings in gonadectomized mice have set the stage for investigations following hormonal and genetic manipulations.
An in vitro assessment of the physical properties of novel Hyflex nickel-titanium rotary instruments.

AIM To determine several properties including torsional and fatigue limits, as well as torque during canal preparation, of Hyflex, a rotary instrument manufactured from so-called controlled memory nickel-titanium alloy. METHODOLOGY The instruments were tested in vitro using a special torque bench that permits both stationary torque tests according to ISO3630-1 and fatigue limit determination, as well as measurement of torque (in Ncm) and apical force (in N) during canal preparation. Fatigue limit (in numbers of cycles to failure) was determined in a 90°, 5 mm radius block-and-rod assembly. Simulated canals in plastic blocks were prepared using both a manufacturer-recommended single-length technique as well as a generic crown-down approach. anova with Bonferroni post hoc procedures was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Torque at failure ranged from 0.47 to 1.38 Ncm, with significant differences between instrument sizes (P < 0.0001). Fatigue life ranged from 260 to 2565, with the shortest and longest lifespan for instruments size 20, . 04 taper and size 25, . 08 taper, respectively. Torque during canal preparation was significantly higher for small instruments used in the single-length technique but lower for the size 40, . 04 taper, compared to a crown-down approach. No instrument fractured; 82% of the instruments used were plastically deformed; however, only 37% of these remained deformed after a sterilization cycle. CONCLUSIONS Hyflex rotary instruments are bendable and flexible and have similar torsional resistance compared to instruments made of conventional NiTi. Fatigue resistance is much higher, and torque during preparation is less, compared to other rotary instruments tested previously under similar conditions.
A hybrid DTC drive for high performance induction motor control

This paper presents a simple overmodulation strategy to achieve high torque capability for a wide speed range using a hybrid DTC scheme. The hybrid DTC drive incorporates both DTC-hysteresis and Direct Self Control (DSC) operations. In the proposed method, the control of circular flux locus is changed to the hexagonal when the motor operates under acceleration condition. By controlling the locus flux into the hexagonal, it is possible to extent the limit of stator voltage to the six-step mode, as the speed approaching to its base speed. As a consequence, an extended constant torque region as well as higher capability of torque in a flux weakening region can be achieved. In the proposed method, the hexagonal flux operation can be established by modifying the flux error status, before it is being fed to the look-up table. The feasibility of the hybrid DTC in providing high performance control is verified with some simulation and experimental results.
Context Effects in Survey Ratings of Health, Symptoms, and Satisfaction

Background:Survey self-reports of health status, symptoms (pain and fatigue), and life satisfaction often serve as outcomes in clinical trials. Prior studies have shown, however, that such reports can be subject to context effects, which could threaten their validity. Research Design:We examined the impact of 2 context effects: the effect of the reporting period associated with a question (No Period Specified; Last Month; Right Now) and the effect of whom the respondent compared themselves to in answering a question (None Specified; Compared with Others in the US; Compared with 20-Year-Olds). Results:One thousand four hundred seventy-one community adults aged 20 through 70 years, who were members of an internet panel, responded to 1 of 9 questionnaires formed by crossing the 2 context variables. A significant effect of Reporting Period was observed indicating that higher levels of Pain and Fatigue were associated with the 1-Month reporting period. When no reporting period was specified, symptom levels were equivalent to the Right Now levels of symptoms. Reporting Period had no effect on the other outcomes. Educational level did not interact with these main effects, with 1 exception. None of the predicted effects were found for Comparison Group, although Pain was significantly associated with this factor. Conclusions:Reporting period in survey questions is a factor that influences responses and should be considered by survey researchers in their study designs.
Specialization, Slack Orientation, and Adaptive Capacity in Uncertain Environments

This paper applies a structural contingency perspective toward the problem of operations specialization under conditions of uncertainty. Generally, more environmental uncertainty is proposed to reduce the degree of specialization associated with effective adaptation. The study also considers how specialized operations, which are costly to modify due to their high asset specificities, cope with changing environments. The concept of organizational slack is used to develop various orientations proposed to offer adaptive capacity for specialized operations. Slack orientations enable specialized operations to cope with change, depending on whether volume or technological uncertainty is prevalent in the environment.
Occupational exposure profile of Pb, Mn, and Cd in nonferrous Brazilian sanitary alloy foundries

In addition to the primary components of alloys, approximately 5% of the formulation may contain other metals, including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic, manganese (Mn), iron, phosphorus, and nickel. Workers in the foundries are exposed to several compounds; therefore, it is important to assess the levels of injury that may reflect an additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effect caused by these compounds. The mean values of the environmental evaluation of the facilities range from 16.65 to 40.31 µg m−3 for Pb, 0.99 to 1.73 µg m−3 for Cd, and 0.91 to 1.70 µg m−3 for Mn. The mean values of the metal concentrations for furnace, mold, melting, and automatic melting activities range from 15.37 to 19.26 µg m−3 for Pb, 7.07 to 9.14 µg m−3 for Cd, and 8.83 to 16.00 µg m−3 for Mn. Biological samples were divided into two groups: control (n = 38) and exposed (n = 45). The obtained data are3.41 ± 3.40 and 14.89 ± 7.82 µg dL−1 for Pb, 0.90 ± 0.80 and 1.91 ± 1.90 µg g−1 creatinine for Cd, and 0.51 ± 0.40 and 3.17 ± 1.93 µg g−1 creatinine for Mn. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Positive linear correlations were established between metal concentrations in the air and the biological matrixes: Pb (r = 0.68; p < 0.001), Cd (r = 0.81; p = 0.17), and Mn (r = 0.12; p < 0.03). Regression analysis showed that professional activities can interfere with element exposure profiles in occupational settings. The analysis in the event of exposure to metals in these companies allowed investigating whether the simultaneous exposure leads to biological damage even if the levels of the compounds are within the exposure limits that are considered to be safe.