Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“I'm Really Embarrassed That You're Going to Read This …”: Reflections on Using Diaries in Qualitative Research

This article is a critical reflection on the methodological issues encountered when using handwritten diaries as a method of data collection. It provides a reflection on a longitudinal study that used diary data from competitive trampolinists over a three-month period. This article focuses on the advantages and difficulties encountered by the researchers when using this methodology. It is also centered on the participant's experience of the research and the potential benefits that may be encountered. Issues discussed include setting the duration of the diary and maintaining the motivation of participants, the type of data collected, and the language used by participants. Also discussed is the potential for diary writing to elicit sensitive information, especially that of an otherwise undisclosed nature. Conclusions are drawn in relation to the use of diaries as a method of data collection and the potential advantages that they may offer.
Addressing international mobility confusion – developing definitions and differentiations for self-initiated and assigned expatriates as well as migrants

The literature on international human resource management indicates a growing array of different forms of international work experiences such as assigned and self-initiated expatriation. However, the criteria for demarcation of these different forms and the term ‘migrant’ are often unclear which leads to an unfortunate lack of comparability of research and a potential confusion for readers. Based on the sociological, psychological and economics literature, this article reviews and synthesizes the existing definitions of the three terms in the current research. A qualitative content analysis and the Rubicon model [Heckhausen, H. , and Gollwitzer, P.M. (1987), ‘Thought Contents and Cognitive Functioning in Motivational Versus Volitional States of Mind’, Motivation and Emotion, 1, 101–120. ] are used as a theoretical base to structure the findings. The paper creates a criteria-based definition and differentiation of terms and then develops a typology of four different types of expatriates: assigned expatriates, inter-self-initiated expatriates, intra-self-initiated expatriates and drawn expatriates. Implications for management as well as for future research are outlined.
Discourses of Inclusion: A Critique

This article presents aspects of a study that drew on Foucault's notion of discourse as practice to critically consider prevailing discourses of inclusion in education. An aim was to take the seemingly self-evident object of inclusion and to interrogate and question it as a potentially normalising, hegemonic discourse and as a universalising concept. The study considered how the contemporary discourse(s) of inclusion is constructed and constituted in education, and critically explored its potential effects. A multi-method research approach was adopted to address the question: whose interests are served by the way that inclusion is spoken about and (re)presented in schools? A range of educationalists, including teachers, teaching assistants and lecturers engaged in professional development programmes, were invited to give their views and interpretation of ‘inclusion’ in written form, via an online discussion board facility or as a visual representation in the form of a drawing that was then discussed. The multi-textual responses were analysed and a critical reading of the data revealed various discourses that interacted and reverberated around the themes of ‘policy’, ‘othering’ and ‘self’. The ramifications of these are discussed and it is suggested that newly emergent (entrepreneurial) discourses of ‘self’ are compatible with neo-liberal forms of governance.
Seeking ‘Civilianness’ Police Complaints and the Civilian Control Model of Oversight

The ‘civilian control’ model of police complaints systems is premised on a clear separation between ‘civilian-led’ and ‘police-led’ investigative processes. This paper examines the nature of ‘civilianness’ in civilian control-based oversight agencies by examining the cultural profiles and internal dynamics of three police oversight bodies within the British and Irish islands. Based on over 100 interviews, it presents findings relating to the motivations behind oversight work and the dynamics associated with the joint workings of investigators with both non-police and police backgrounds. It concludes that civilian control may be seen as a differentiated space with varying degrees of civilianness, including remnants from and continuities with police culture.
Interplay between low threshold voltage-gated K+ channels and synaptic inhibition in neurons of the chicken nucleus laminaris along its frequency axis

Central auditory neurons that localize sound in horizontal space have specialized intrinsic and synaptic cellular mechanisms to tightly control the threshold and timing for action potential generation. However, the critical interplay between intrinsic voltage-gated conductances and extrinsic synaptic conductances in determining neuronal output are not well understood. In chicken, neurons in the nucleus laminaris (NL) encode sound location using interaural time difference (ITD) as a cue. Along the tonotopic axis of NL, there exist robust differences among low, middle, and high frequency (LF, MF, and HF, respectively) neurons in a variety of neuronal properties such as low threshold voltage-gated K+ (LTK) channels and depolarizing inhibition. This establishes NL as an ideal model to examine the interactions between LTK currents and synaptic inhibition across the tonotopic axis. Using whole-cell patch clamp recordings prepared from chicken embryos (E17–E18), we found that LTK currents were larger in MF and HF neurons than in LF neurons. Kinetic analysis revealed that LTK currents in MF neurons activated at lower voltages than in LF and HF neurons, whereas the inactivation of the currents was similar across the tonotopic axis. Surprisingly, blockade of LTK currents using dendrotoxin-I (DTX) tended to broaden the duration and increase the amplitude of the depolarizing inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in NL neurons without dependence on coding frequency regions. Analyses of the effects of DTX on inhibitory postsynaptic currents led us to interpret this unexpected observation as a result of primarily postsynaptic effects of LTK currents on MF and HF neurons, and combined presynaptic and postsynaptic effects in LF neurons. Furthermore, DTX transferred subthreshold IPSPs to spikes. Taken together, the results suggest a critical role for LTK currents in regulating inhibitory synaptic strength in ITD-coding neurons at various frequencies.
The Regional Distribution and Relative Frequency of Gastrointestinal Endocrine Cells in SHK‐1 Hairless Mice: An Immunohistochemical Study

The regional distributions and relative frequencies of some gastrointestinal endocrine cells in the eight portions (fundus, pylorus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, colon and rectum) of the gastrointestinal tract of SKH‐1 hairless mice were investigated using immunohistochemical methods and seven types of specific antisera against somatostatin, serotonin, glucagon, cholecystokinin (CCK)‐8, secretin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and gastrin. In this study, somatostatin‐, serotonin‐, glucagon‐, CCK‐8‐, secretin‐ and gastrin‐immunoreactive (IR) cells were identified. Most of these IR cells in the intestinal portion were generally spherical or spindle‐shaped (open‐type cell) while cells that were round in shape (close‐type cell) were occasionally found in the stomach regions. Their relative frequencies were varied according to each portion of gastrointestinal tract. Somatostatin‐IR cells were found throughout the gastrointestinal tract except for the large intestine. Serotonin‐IR cells were detected throughout the whole gastrointestinal tract and were the most predominant endocrine cell types in this species of mouse. Glucagon‐IR cells were restricted to the fundus, occurring rarely. CCK‐8‐IR cells were observed in the pylorus, duodenum and jejunum with freuqencies that were numerous, moderate and few, respectively. Peculiarly, secretin‐IR cells were demonstrated in the whole intestinal tract with either few or rare frequencies. Gastrin‐IR cells were restricted to the pylorus and were numerous. However, no PP‐IR cells were found in this study. In conclusion, some peculiar distributional patterns of gastrointestinal endocrine cells were found in SKH‐1 hairless mouse.
Gendered meanings and everyday experiences of violence in urban Brazil

Violent acts are not random, but are infused with meaning: those intended by the perpetrators and those ascribed by others. This article explores how dominant gangs in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro attempt to manipulate the meanings of violence to maintain their control of territory, presenting themselves as protectors of the community. Gangs impose violent punishment on residents who have breached their rules and behavioural norms. The messages they send out regarding the (un)acceptability of violence against women is highly ambiguous, however, which reduces women's options and increases levels of insecurity. Despite the ambiguity and unpredictability of gang rule, residents refrain from challenging gang control, preferring to moderate their own daily routines as a means to feel secure in the face of high levels of insecurity.
Environmental Education in Malta: trends and challenges

Summary The development of environmental education in Malta followed three major evolutionary stages: the Awareness Stage, the Fragmentary Stage and the Co‐ordinated Stage. This paper analyses the main events that have characterised this evolutionary process. Besides highlighting the problems environmental education initiatives characteristically face in similar small island states, the historical analysis identifies emerging trends in the development of environmental education in Malta. Among these trends is the move to educate the general public on environmental issues and the preference for a more participatory process of policy making regarding environmental matters. However, the most significant shift has been that from a fragmentary approach to a coordinated nationwide approach to environmental education planning.
Error probability of digital communications using relay diversity over Nakagami-m fading channels

The (lower-bound) symbol error rate (SER) performance of cooperative digital communication schemes is investigated, where multiple dual-hop relays are invoked for achieving the cooperative diversity with the aid of the maximal ratio combining (MRC). A range of closed-form expressions are obtained for the probability density functions (PDFs) of the relay-channels' output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Accurate and approximated closed-form expressions are derived for computing the SER. Our study shows that, with the aid of the closed-form expressions obtained in this contribution, the SER performance of the relay-assisted digital communications schemes, which may employ various classes of coherent modulations, can be readily evaluated in the context of a variety of fading scenarios that the cooperative signals might experience.
Use of Memokath temporary urethral stent in treatment of detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia.

In spinal-injured patients, detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia (DSD) can lead to high intravesical pressures, upper tract dilation, and recurrent infections. The standard treatment for DSD is sphincterotomy and, more recently, permanent sphincter stenting. Many spinal-injury patients would prefer a reversible treatment because of concern about fertility or because they are awaiting a "miracle cure. " There is also concern over the theoretical long-term risk of squamous carcinoma after permanent stenting. In view of this, the Memokath, a thermosensitive temporary stent, has been undergoing trials at our center to determine which patients could benefit. Fourteen Memokath stents have been inserted in spinal-injured patients with DSD at our center, and they have been followed up for as long as 2 years. Stents were placed under cystoscopic guidance as a day case procedure. The stents were inserted either through the sphincter alone (short [4-cm] stents; 3 patients) or through the sphincter and bladder neck (long [5-7-cm] stents; 11 patients). There were no complications during surgery in either placement or removal of these stents. There was a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the residual urine volume after stenting. Preoperative hydronephrosis and attacks of autonomic dysreflexia noted in some patients also resolved after stenting. Short stents that bridge the external urethral sphincter were ineffective in emptying the neuropathic bladder. Therefore, we advise that only long stents that lie across both the bladder neck and the external sphincter be used. Because of its easily reversible nature, the Memokath should be adopted for use in patients who are unsure about their preferred option of bladder management and those involved in a fertility program.
Causes of declining interest of students to employment physical education and sports

Цель: анализ основных причин снижения интереса студентов к систематическим занятиям физической культурой и спортом. Материал : в исследовании приняли участие 448 студентов (150 юношей, 298 девушек) Проведен анкетный опрос. Уровень двигательной активности студентов определяли с помощью шагомеров. Результаты : установлено, что переход студентов в специальную медицинскую группу неизбежно влекут за собой значительное снижение уровня двигательной активности (она почти в 2 раза ниже, чем у студентов основной группы здоровья). Отмечается негативная тенденция увеличения числа студентов обоего пола, употребляющих спиртные напитки. Отмечается уменьшение свободного времени у студентов в связи с необходимостью работать. Выводы : Предлагается использовать систему специфических форм организации занятий и способов воздействия, которые отвечают гуманистическому принципу “побуждать, а не понуждать”. Функция таких способов воздействия должна заключаться в обеспечении перестройки мотивационной сферы студентов, адекватно принятой ими цели деятельности.
Identification of a Large SLC25A13 Deletion via Sophisticated Molecular Analyses Using Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in an Infant with Neonatal Intrahepatic Cholestasis Caused by Citrin Deficiency (NICCD): A Clinical and Molecular Study

Background. Neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis caused by citrin deficiency (NICCD) is a Mendelian disorder arising from biallelic SLC25A13 mutations, and SLC25A13 genetic analysis was indispensable for its definite diagnosis. However, conventional SLC25A13 analysis could not detect all mutations, especially obscure large insertions/deletions. This paper aimed to explore the obscure SLC25A13 mutation in an NICCD infant. Methods. Genomic DNA was extracted to screen for 4 high-frequency SLC25A13 mutations, and then all 18 exons and their flanking sequences were analyzed by Sanger sequencing. Subsequently, cDNA cloning, SNP analyses, and semiquantitative PCR were performed to identify the obscure mutation. Results. A maternally inherited mutation IVS16ins3kb was screened out, and then cDNA cloning unveiled paternally inherited alternative splicing variants (ASVs) featuring exon 5 skipping. Ultimately, a large deletion c.329-1687_c. 468+3865del5692bp, which has never been described in any other references, was identified via intensive study on the genomic DNA around exon 5 of SLC25A13 gene. Conclusions. An NICCD patient was definitely diagnosed as a compound heterozygote of IVS16ins3kb and c.329-1687_c. 468+3865del5692bp. The large deletion enriched the SLC25A13 mutation spectrum, and its identification supported the concept that cDNA cloning analysis, along with other molecular tools such as semiquantitative PCR, could provide valuable clues, facilitating the identification of obscure SLC25A13 deletions.
Social Cognitive Approach to Career Development: An Overview

This article provides an overview of a social cognitive framework for understanding career interest, choice, and performance processes. Derived primarily from Bandura's (1986) general social cognitive theory, the framework features several variables (self-efficacy, outcome expectations, personal goals) through which people help to guide their own career development. It also includes a discussion of how these variables interrelate with other aspects of persons (e.g., gender) and their environments (e.g., supports, barriers) within the process of career development. The framework is intended as a base both for unifying existing career theories and for conceptualizing developmental and remedial career interventions.
Power-efficient sum of absolute differences architecture using adder compressors

The calculation of the Sum of Absolute Differences (SAD) is one of the most time-consuming operations of the video encoder compatible with the new High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. SAD hardware architecture employs an adder tree to accumulate the coefficients from absolute difference between two video blocks. This paper proposes the exploration of the different adder compressors structures in the SAD hardware architecture. The architectures were synthesized to 45nm standard cells. Synthesis results show that SAD architecture with adder compressors with Kogge-Stone adders in the recombination line reduces power dissipation in 60.8% on average when compared with SAD architecture using conventional adders from the synthesis tool.
Translating Learning Style Theory into University Teaching Practices: An Article Based on Kolb's Experiential Learning Model

The concept of learning style as a construct that affects individual students' learning preferences is not new. Whether defined in terms of self-views, needs, personalities, individual attitudes, differences, processes, temperaments, autonomies, modalities, aptitudes, values, ideal environments, personal touches, motivations, behavior sets, characteristics, preferences, patterns, or nature and make-up, learning style is accepted by many scholars and educators as a determining factor for individual learners' respective successes and failures in schooling situations. Because student success at the university level relies heavily on learning performance in large-group classrooms, small-group assignments, individual essay research-writing situations, and mid-term and final exams, it behooves university instructors and learning assistants to examine the relationships between student learning styles and these instructional contexts. This article uses Kolb's (1984) Experiential Learning Model constructs as the basis for translating learning style theory into the following university teaching practices: classroom learning, group assignments, essay research-writing instruction, and examinations.
Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Hookups Among First-Semester Female College Students

First-semester female college students (N = 118) completed surveys to estimate the prevalence of sexual hookups and event-level assessments to clarify the behavioral characteristics of their most recent hookup. Hookups involving oral, vaginal, or anal sex were reported by 51% before college, 36% during their first semester, and 60% by the end of their first semester. Event-level analyses revealed that hookups were more likely to involve friends (47%) or acquaintances (23%) rather than strangers (14%); alcohol use (median = 3 drinks) preceded 64% of hookups. Condoms were used during 69% of vaginal sex hookups.
The progression of cognition, psychiatric symptoms, and functional abilities in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND Although dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) may be one of most common forms of dementia, relatively little is known about its cognitive and functional course. OBJECTIVE To compare change over time in general cognitive status, memory test performance, psychiatric symptoms, neurological signs, and functional abilities in patients with probable DLB and probable Alzheimer disease (AD). DESIGN Twenty-eight patients who met diagnostic criteria for DLB were recruited into the study from 3 sites. Patients with AD (n = 55) were selected from a larger cohort and matched 2 to 1 to the patients with DLB on age and baseline global cognitive status. Patients were followed up at 6-month intervals for an average of 6.2 visits and assessed at each visit with tests of global cognitive functioning and verbal learning and memory and measures of psychiatric, neurological, and functional status. RESULTS At the baseline evaluation, patients with DLB performed more poorly on a measure of constructional praxis and all measures of functional status. They also had more severe psychiatric symptoms and neurological signs than the AD group. Despite these initial differences, generalized estimating equations applied to regression analyses with repeated measures determined that the only difference between the 2 groups in change in cognitive test performance was on a measure of recognition memory; patients with AD declined, while patients with DLB remained relatively stable. Patients with DLB had relatively stable behavioral symptoms and visual illusions, whereas patients with AD had a significant increase in these symptoms over time. Neurological and functional changes over time were similar in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS Both baseline and longitudinal differences between patients with DLB and patients with AD were noted; these have implications for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Understanding Structural-Functional Relationships in the Human Brain

Relating the brain’s structural connectivity (SC) to its functional connectivity (FC) is a fundamental goal in neuroscience because it is capable of aiding our understanding of how the relatively fixed SC architecture underlies human cognition and diverse behaviors. With the aid of current noninvasive imaging technologies (e.g., structural MRI, diffusion MRI, and functional MRI) and graph theory methods, researchers have modeled the human brain as a complex network of interacting neuronal elements and characterized the underlying structural and functional connectivity patterns that support diverse cognitive functions. Specifically, research has demonstrated a tight SC-FC coupling, not only in interregional connectivity strength but also in network topologic organizations, such as community, rich-club, and motifs. Moreover, this SC-FC coupling exhibits significant changes in normal development and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and epilepsy. This review summarizes recent progress regarding the SC-FC relationship of the human brain and emphasizes the important role of large-scale brain networks in the understanding of structural-functional associations. Future research directions related to this topic are also proposed.