Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system to stressors in normal infants and children.

How children cope with stressful events is an important subject in child development and pediatric medicine. Although most work on childhood stress is behavioral,1 growing evidence that chronic stress is related to a variety of childhood illnesses2 makes it imperative that we understand the relations between children9s behavioral and physiologic responses. The focus of the research covered in this manuscript is activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system. Since Hans Selye9s3 initial formulations of the stress concept, activity of this neuroendocrine system has been viewed as almost synonymous with the term stress. The work on human adults and infrahuman species shows that this system plays a central role in stress resistance, although the mechanisms are not fully understood.4,5 With the exception of our own work, there has been little systematic hormone-behavior research on this system in healthy, normal children. However, the recent modification of radioimmunoassays to allow assessment of cortisol levels in small samples of saliva is altering this picture, and researchers are now including salivary cortisol level in their research as one of a number of indices of emotional distress. The results of this recent work indicate that elevations in cortisol appear to be part of the biologic cost of adaptive functioning, a conclusion consistent with previous work in animals and adults.3 Furthermore, increases in cortisol level frequently correlate with children9s active and appropriate attempts to cope with potentially distressing circumstances. DESCRIPTION, RATIONALE, AND MEASUREMENT Physiologic Significance Cortisol is the primary glucocorticoid of the HPA system in humans. Organisms deprived of cortisol can survive in protected environments, but without replacement hormones they cannot tolerate even the normal physical and emotional perturbations of daily life.6
The Voice of Teachers in Marketing their School: Personal perspectives in competitive environments

At the end of a decade of enhanced marketisation in schools, this article considers the subjective meanings attached to educational marketing by school teachers and the ways they construct and interpret teachers' 'idealised' and 'actual' involvement and contribution to school marketing. Through semi-structured interviews with 12 secondary school teachers from the south of England, the study revealed teachers' perceptions of and attitudes towards competition, marketing and education, their awareness of the marketing activities of their schools, the teachers' role in marketing the school and the perceived impact of the market upon teachers' well being. The results show that there is no coherent, organised view of education marketing among teachers in the study but rather that there are a number of inchoate voices amongst teachers concerning their role in school marketing. Broadly, two voices are revealed that reflect a cognitive dissonance which may exist among school teachers in the era of marketisation. This dissonance may stem from teachers' ideology-based difficulty in perceiving marketing as part of school life, while at the same time, they are aware of its importance to the school's success.
QoS Routing Under Multiple Additive Constraints: A Generalization of the LARAC Algorithm

Consider a directed graph G(V, E), where V is the set of nodes and E is the set of links in G. Each link (u, v) is associated with a set of k+ 1 additive nonnegative integer weights C<sub>uv</sub> = (c<sub>uv</sub>, w<sub>uv</sub><sup>1</sup>, w<sub>uv</sub><sup>2</sup>,⋯, w<sub>uv</sub><sup>k</sup>). Here, c<sub>uv</sub> is called the cost of link (u, v) and w<sub>uv</sub><sup>i</sup> is called the i th delay of (u, v). Given any two distinguish nodes s and t, the QoS routing (QSR) problem QSR(k) is to determine a minimum cost s-t path such that the i<sup>th</sup> delay on the path is atmost a specified bound. This problem is NP-complete. The LARAC algorithm based on a relaxation of the problem is a very efficient approximation algorithm for QSR(1). In this paper, we present a generalization of the LARAC algorithm called GEN-LARAC. A detailed convergence analysis of GEN-LARAC with simulation results is given. Simulation results provide an evidence of the excellent performance of GEN-LARAC. We also give a strongly polynomial time approximation algorithm for the QSR(1) problem.
The relationship of time orientation with perceived academic performance and preparation for assessment in adolescents

The purpose of this study was to operationalise a model of time orientation and investigate the variability of its factors based on preparation for assessment and perceived academic performance. Responses from 113 male adolescents (mean age = 16.46 years) and 115 female adolescents (mean age = 16.42 years) to items operationalising an expanded model of the contextual approach to adolescent orientation to the future were analysed using principal component analysis. The results rendered five factors including a past orientation, three present orientation factors (task focus, positive social support, and negative social support), and a future orientation. A series of two‐way ANOVAs showed an association of present and future time orientation with academic achievement. Results also showed that students’ approaches to learning varied mainly as a function of present positive social support and task focus. Students who prepared well for assessment had the highest future time orientation. This research highlights the importance of an elevated present and future time orientation to academic achievement and appropriate preparation for assessment tasks.
Depressive Symptoms Predict Norepinephrine Response to a Psychological Stressor Task in Alzheimer’s Caregivers

Objective: Increased depressive symptoms have been associated with increased basal plasma norepinephrine (NE), and may be associated with exaggerated NE response to stress. This exaggerated response may play a role in health consequences associated with caring for a loved-one with Alzheimer’s disease. The current study examined the relations between the level of depressive symptoms in spousal caregivers and the physiological response to a psychological stress task. Methods: Fifty-five spousal caregivers (mean age 73 ± 8 years) completed the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Plasma NE levels were assessed before and immediately after a speech stressor conducted at the caregiver’s home. Hierarchical linear regression was used to determine whether caregiver depressive symptoms significantly improved prediction of change in NE levels beyond other factors theoretically and empirically related to NE. Results: Level of depressive symptoms significantly predicted post-stressor change in NE levels (p < .01), even when controlling for age, caregiver distress, presence of caregiver hypertension, and care recipient level of cognitive function. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with a greater plasma NE response to the psychological stress task. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms may act to exaggerate NE response to the stress of caregiving, potentially leading to an allostatic load that might predispose caregivers to negative health consequences, including cardiovascular morbidity. NE = norepinephrine; SAM = sympatho-adrenalmedullary; UCSD = University of California, San Diego; ADRC = Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; AD = Alzheimer’s disease; BSI = Brief Symptom Inventory; CDR = Clinical Dementia Rating Scale.
Graffiti: A Precursor to Future Deviant Behavior during Adolescence?

This study examines if graffiti initiation leads to greater deviant behavior. Swedish students (N = 1,010) completed questionnaires in grades 7, 8, and 9 (aged 14 to 16 years). Students who initiated tagging or graffiti art in grade 8 consistently reported higher rates of deviant behavior 12 months later. However, graffiti initiation did not increase the likelihood of most behaviors after the effect of confounding factors from the individual, peer, and family domains were accounted for. The findings indicate that other confounding risk factors should be considered when understanding links between graffiti involvement and future criminality.
Mine subsidence monitoring: A comparison among Envisat, ERS and JERS-1

ABSTRACT This paper reports the progress of the Envisat CAL/VAL Project No 1078. Subsidence in an underground coal mining region southwest of Sydney, Australia, has been monitored using ERS and JERS-1. Seven Envisat images have been acquired in various imaging modes from both ascending and descending passes over the same mining region. More Envisat images have been scheduled and will be acquired in the future. This paper demonstrates that the mine subsidence have been measured by utilising differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) technique with the C- and L-band SAR images from ERS and JERS-1 satellites. Tandem differential InSAR analysis has revealed 1 cm subsidence in 24 hours with a resolution of +/- 3 mm. The RMS error for DInSAR measured subsidence against ground survey data is 1.4 cm using the JERS-1 repeat-pass images. 1. INTRODUCTION Australia is one of the leading mineral resource extraction nations in the world. However, the complexity of the environmental issues and the potentially damaging consequences of both open-cut and underground mining have attracted public attention and political controversy. Currently the majority of subsidence surveys are performed using total stations, digital levels and GPS, with a height resolution of a few millimetres on a point-by-point basis. This would be, however, very time consuming and expensive when a dense survey is required over a large area. Differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) has been considered as a competitively cost-effective technique for ground surface displacement mapping. It has been increasingly used to monitor ground surface deformations due to such occurrences as fluid extraction [1], earthquake [2, 3] and volcanic activities [4]. For mine subsidence monitoring, DInSAR has demonstrated its feasibility in the studies in the UK [5, 6], France [7, 8] and Germany [9, 10]. The ERS-1/2 satellite images were primarily used in those studies. Underground mining subsidence normally has a magnitude of tens of centimetres over a short period of time and the results from the studies showed that the phase ambiguity becomes difficult to be resolved due to the strong phase noise caused by unfavourable vegetated cover and/or high gradient of phase fringes for long time span between the interferometric image pairs. This paper shows the outcomes of the project for mine subsidence monitoring using the integration of DInSAR and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the region southwest of Sydney, Australia. This project is supported by ESA (Envisat CAL/VAL) and Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP). Both ERS (C-band) and JERS-1 (L-band) images have been processed and analysed. The results are presented in the later sections.
The Influence of PBL Parameterization on the Practical Predictability of Convection Initiation during the Mesoscale Predictability Experiment (MPEX)

AbstractThis study evaluates the influence of planetary boundary layer parameterization on short-range (0–15 h) convection initiation (CI) forecasts within convection-allowing ensembles that utilize subsynoptic-scale observations collected during the Mesoscale Predictability Experiment. Three cases, 19–20 May, 31 May–1 June, and 8–9 June 2013, are considered, each characterized by a different large-scale flow pattern. An object-based method is used to verify and analyze CI forecasts. Local mixing parameterizations have, relative to nonlocal mixing parameterizations, higher probabilities of detection but also higher false alarm ratios, such that the ensemble mean forecast skill only subtly varied between parameterizations considered. Temporal error distributions associated with matched events are approximately normal around a zero mean, suggesting little systematic timing bias. Spatial error distributions are skewed, with average mean (median) distance errors of approximately 44 km (28 km). Matched event c.
Biomonitoring of Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides: McKelvey et al. Respond

In their letter, Ross and Ginevan criticize the conclusion of our recent article on pesticide biomonitoring in New York City (NYC), in which we stated that Estimates of exposure to pyrethroids and dimethyl organophosphates were higher in NYC than in the United States overall, underscoring the importance of considering pest and pesticide burdens in cities when formulating pesticide regulations. (McKelvey et al. 2013) However, in our article, we raised similar concerns as Ross and Ginevan—namely, the possibility that the exposures we measured could have been exposures to the metabolites themselves or to compounds that originated in food (either as the parent compound or the metabolite). We discussed the reduced likelihood that the dimethyl metabolites originated from structural pest control, based on limited use of these products for indoor pest control in NYC at the time. We also noted the possibility of exposure through use of flea and tick control products on pets or for outdoor garden care. Tetrachlorvinphos is a common ingredient in flea and tick products and a credible source of exposure in New York City, where pets tend to stay indoors and living spaces are smaller. We call attention to recent concern over indoor use of dichlorvos, a dimethyl organophoshate ingredient of insecticidal pest strips, which could have also been a source of exposure (Tsai et al. 2014). Our interpretation of elevated levels of urinary dimethyl phosphates in NYC adults was consistent with the recommendation of Krieger et al. (2012), cited by Ross and Ginevan in their letter, that use of dialkylphosphate compounds as biomarkers of exposure to organophosphates be limited to identifying potentially exposed groups or changing use patterns. We followed this recommendation in reporting evidence for increased exposure to dimethyl organophosphate products at the high end of the distribution in the general NYC adult population. More importantly, pyrethroids are now the largest share of structural pesticide applications in NYC (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene 2014). The 95th percentiles of urinary pyrethroid metabolites we measured in NYC adults were higher than those in the general U.S. population. Exposure may be greater in NYC because of more applications, drift between housing units in multiunit dwellings, or other factors related to the built environment. The registration and regulation of pesticides do not adequately account for such phenomena. More regulatory oversight of pesticide use in densely populated areas such as NYC is a logical response.
Quality Gain Analysis of the Weighted Recombination Evolution Strategy on General Convex Quadratic Functions

We investigate evolution strategies with weighted recombination on general convex quadratic functions. We derive the asymptotic quality gain in the limit of the dimension to infinity, and derive the optimal recombination weights and the optimal step-size. This work is an extension of previous works where the asymptotic quality gain of evolution strategies with weighted recombination was derived on the infinite dimensional sphere function. Moreover, for a finite dimensional search space, we derive rigorous bounds for the quality gain on a general quadratic function. They reveal the dependency of the quality gain both in the eigenvalue distribution of the Hessian matrix and on the recombination weights. Taking the search space dimension to infinity, it turns out that the optimal recombination weights are independent of the Hessian matrix, i.e., the recombination weights optimal for the sphere function are optimal for convex quadratic functions.
A higher education TQM excellence model: HETQMEX

Suggests that, in higher education management in the 1990s, a strategy utilized by increasing numbers of organizations for effective change and sustained competitive advantage is TQM. Aims to determine the advantages of TQM and how TQM can be applied effectively and efficiently in higher education institutions. Develops a higher education TQM excellence (HETQMEX) model based on fundamental concepts of service quality: five‐S, marketing and education quality control, quality control circles, ISO 9000 and total preventive maintenance. Acknowledges the diversity of customers which TQM must satisfy and highlights some of the problems encountered in implementing the model, based on well‐founded research and experience of the authors.
Asymmetric Distribution of pl10 and bruno2, New Members of a Conserved Core of Early Germline Determinants in Cephalochordates

Molecular fingerprinting of conserved germline and somatic ¨stemness¨ markers in different taxa have been key in defining the mechanism of germline specification ("preformation" or "epigenesis"), as well as expression domains of somatic progenitors. The distribution of molecular markers for primordial germ cells (PGCs), including vasa, nanos and piwil1, as well as Vasa antibody staining, support a determinative mechanism of germline specification in the cephalochordate Branchiostoma lanceolatum, similarly to other amphioxus species. pl10 and bruno2, but not bruno4/6, are also expressed in a pattern consistent with these other germline genes, adding to our repertoire of PGC markers in lancelets. Expression of nanos, vasa and the remaining markers (musashi, pufA, pufB, pumilio and piwil2) may define populations of putative somatic progenitors in the tailbud, the amphioxus posterior growth zone, or zones of proliferative activity. Finally, we also identify a novel expression domain for musashi, a classic neural stem cell marker, during notochord development in amphioxus. These results are discussed in the context of germline determination in other taxa, stem cell regulation and regenerative capacity in adult amphioxus.
Video quality assessment for computer graphics applications

Numerous current Computer Graphics methods produce video sequences as their outcome. The merit of these methods is often judged by assessing the quality of a set of results through lengthy user studies. We present a full-reference video quality metric geared specifically towards the requirements of Computer Graphics applications as a faster computational alternative to subjective evaluation. Our metric can compare a video pair with arbitrary dynamic ranges, and comprises a human visual system model for a wide range of luminance levels, that predicts distortion visibility through models of luminance adaptation, spatiotemporal contrast sensitivity and visual masking. We present applications of the proposed metric to quality prediction of HDR video compression and temporal tone mapping, comparison of different rendering approaches and qualities, and assessing the impact of variable frame rate to perceived quality.
The Electoral Consequences of Candidate Appearances on Soft News Programs

The shift in political communication toward soft news has been accelerated by politicians who appear on “soft news” shows, but the literature on the electoral effects of such soft news appearances is limited, especially outside the United State. This article will demonstrate, using a national survey of voters, a survey of politicians, and an Internet-based experiment on Japan's 2007 House of Councillors election campaign, that candidates' appearances on soft news programs have a positive effect on their election results. Candidates accrue votes from appearing on traditional news shows, but they accrue more votes from appearing on soft news shows. Moreover, politicians who make frequent appearances on soft news programs tend to gain more candidate-oriented, rather than party-oriented, votes. However, if the candidate's political message is weak, then the positive electoral effects diminish. In order to maximize their votes, candidates would be well advised to appear both in soft and traditional media and pay attention to their political, as well as entertainment, message.
Psychological Autopsy Interviews in Suicide Research: The Reactions of Informants

Psychological autopsy studies in which in-depth interviews are conducted with relatives or other informants are a key method of investigation in suicide research. These interviews are likely to be emotive and potentially stressful for informants. We followed up 68 informants approximately one month after they were interviewed in three recent studies of suicide in high risk groups (young people, farmers and doctors) to determine their reactions to the interviews. Nearly all the informants (96.9%) said they preferred being approached through a letter from a member of the research team rather than by someone else. While some relatives (22.1%) understandably reported being upset during the interview and/or immediately afterwards, a month later only one informant reported feeling worse than usual. A beneficial effect was suggested in at least a third. Although only 30 informants accepted the offer of a bereavement information pack, probably because in many cases the interviews were conducted rather a long time after the deaths, 90% of these found the pack helpful. It is suggested that such a pack be included in future psychological autopsy studies and that follow-up evaluations of the kind reported here be conducted in order to ensure that potential negative effects of such studies be identified and avoided in further studies.
The O. J. Simpson Criminal Verdict as a Racially Symbolic Event: A Longitudinal Analysis of Racial Attitude Change

White college students’ racial attitudes were assessed before and after the O. J. Simpson criminal verdict. The authors tested two models, derived from the Symbolic Racism perspective, to examine potential changes in racial attitudes following the verdict. According to the construal model, racial attitudes influence how individuals construe race-related events. Therefore, the construal model suggested that pre-verdict racial attitudes would predict perceptions of the Simpson verdict. The symbolic event model, however, suggested that the verdict itself shaped racial attitudes and that perceptions of the verdict would predict changes in racial attitudes, independent of the effect of pre-verdict racial attitudes. The symbolic event model was largely supported; perceptions of the verdict predicted changes in racial attitudes, and racial attitudes became more crystallized following the verdict. The construal model, however, was only weakly supported; pre-verdict racial attitudes predicted the perceived fairness of the verdict, but only for those whose attitudes were well-crystallized.
The myth of masculinity

In this book, Joseph Pleck examines and analyzes the full body of research literature on the male role that has appeared since the 1930s and subjects it to a devastating critique. He identifies the components of the "male sex role paradigm" which has been the basis of research for the past forty years, and notes numerous instances of blatant misrepresentation of data, twisted reinterpretations of disconfirming results, misogyny, homophobia, and class bias. He proposes a new theory, the "sex role strain paradigm," offers a reinterpretation of sex role stereotyping, and a critique of research by sociobiologists that allegedly demonstrates a biological basis for male aggression.