Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Belief Elicitation Game Play

The assumptions that subjects hold beliefs and that the chosen actions are not altered by a proper elicitation of these beliefs are widely used in economics. In this paper I experimentally test whether the second assumption is correct. Especially controlling for different game properties, I nd that in dominance solvable two-player normal-form games belief elicitation results in a signi cant increase of equilibrium play. Therefore the elicitation of beliefs can affect the choices made by subjects and lead to more equilibrium actions being chosen. Surprisingly one major reason for this effect is the decreased play of own dominated actions. The results indicate that belief elicitation induces subjects to think harder about the presented decision situation, which results in a better understanding of the given situation and consequently in a modi cation of their beliefs. Therefore, in certain decision situations, belief elicitation affects the decisions made by subjects.
The Relation Between Assessment Practices and Outcomes of Studies: The Case of Research on Prior Knowledge

The purpose of this review was to (a) overview prior knowledge research and its role in student performance, and (b) examine the effects of prior knowledge in relation to the method of assessment. We selected 183 articles, books, papers, and research reports related to prior knowledge. While prior knowledge generally had positive effects on students' performance, the effects varied by assessment method. More specifically, prior knowledge was more likely to have negative or no effects on performance when flawed assessment measures were used. However, in some studies, flawed methods yielded informative results. Thus, in educational research the implications of assessment measures must be considered when examining the effects of prior knowledge.
Re-assessing the current assessment practice of children with special education needs in Europe

This article reports the results of the European ‘DAFFODIL’’ (Dynamic Assessment of Functioning and Oriented at Development and Inclusive Learning) Project on the question of how functional and learning assessment systems facilitate or inhibit participation of children with developmental difficulties in inclusive education. Questionnaires were sent to medical, psychological, educational professionals, and parents in Sweden, Portugal, Hungary, Belgium, Romania, Norway, and the Virgin Islands. Interviews and focus groups were organized. Results (95%) showed that static standardized psychometric tests of intellectual, behavioural, and language functioning were mainly used, with the WISC-III being the most frequent test applied. Less than 5% of the 166 professionals in our sample used formative assessment and contextual observation to reveal learning or developmental potential in a process-oriented way. Experts were generally not satisfied with current assessment practices. Reported weaknesses included lack of time, human resources, materials, cooperation, and follow-up. Assessment practice was mainly used to determine whether a child should be placed in a special needs programme, a special school, or an institutional setting, depending on whether a country has inclusive education practice or not. Parents were satisfied with static functional assessment when its purpose was to obtain disability benefits (financial, special education resources, recognition), but were unhappy with the negative outlook of reports. The main complaint of teachers and parents was about the poverty of recommendations on how to work with the child. Our conclusion is that the current practice of standardized psychometric testing seems to contribute to barriers to learning if it is used in a deterministic or predictive way. In this regard, dynamic and functional assessment methods that are qualitatively oriented seem promising in addressing the issues of learning and development in a different way. The methods also contribute to an understanding of the child’s needs in learning and development. However, interpretation and communication of assessment results in a way that emphasizes a more adequate and challenging educational intervention for the child seems to be central.
The Impact of Familial and Environmental Factors on the Adjustment of Immigrants

This study examined the impact of family interaction, perceived discrimination, stressful life events, and the hosting country on the adjustment of Israeli and German immigrants. Results show that changes in self-esteem between the 1st year of immigration and 2 and 4 years later were significantly related to family relations: the better the functioning, the greater the improvement. The patterns of relationships in the family, however, only partially explained changes in psychological well-being and language proficiency. Perceived discrimination explained discrepancies over time in psychological well-being among fathers and adolescents and the discrepancies in language proficiency among mothers: the lower the discrimination, the greater the improvement. Adult immigrants who experienced more stressful life events presented deterioration in their psychological well-being over time. Finally, adults who immigrated to Germany were more likely to acquire the new language than their counterparts who immigrated to Israel.
New aspects of airborne MTI

The performance of adaptive moving target indication (MTI) filters for use on airborne radar platforms is addressed. Clutter returns received by a moving radar exhibit a Doppler shift which depends on the platform velocity, on the cosine of the angle between the flight axis, and the position of the individual scatterer. Therefore, the platform motion causes clutter echoes to be Doppler broadband, with the bandlimits determined by the platform speed. Efficient clutter suppression requires platform motion compensation or, more general, two-dimensional MTI filters which operate in time and space. In the spatial dimension echo signals may be subject to decorrelation due to the system bandwidth. Such effects are discussed. The results are of particular importance for high-resolution airborne search radar, including real and synthetic aperture applications. <<ETX>>
Polyhydroxybutyrate production using agro-industrial residue as substrate by Bacillus sphaericus NCIM 5149

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to study the production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) using agro- industrial residues as the carbon source. Seven substrates, viz., wheat bran, potato starch, sesame oil cake, groundnut oil cake, cassava powder, jackfruit seed powder and corn flour were hydrolyzed using commercial enzymes and the hydrolyzates assessed for selecting the best substrate for PHB production. Jackfruit seed powder gave the maximum production of PHB under submerged fermentation using Bacillus sphaericus ( 19%) at the initial pH of 7.5. Key words: Bacillus sphaericus , Polyhydroxybutyrate, Jackfruit seed powder * Author for correspondence: ashokpandey56@yahoo.co.in INTRODUCTION The history of plastic begins from 1862 by Alexander Parkes. The superior characters such as durability, strengths, shape and moldable oblige mankind incredibly depend on plastic for their daily life. According to the statistics in 2000, the annual consumption of plastics in India was about to reach 4kg/person/year, and that of world average of 24.5 kg. By 2010, global consumption of plastics is expected to reach up 258 mt/year from 180mt/year (Association of German Plastics Manufacturers, 2001). Since these plastics have high molecular weight and tightly bonded together, these are not degradable, which makes their disposal difficult and inversely leads to negative impact on the environment. Thus, the concept of biodegradable plastic came as a solution for this problem, which could be degraded by the microorganism in the environment when proper conditions such as the sunlight, moisture, oxygen, etc are available (Abe and Doi, 2002). The degradation rate of P(3HB) ranges in the order of a few months
Making the Case for Narrative Methods in Cross-Cultural Organizational Research

The prevailing literature on cross-cultural research in management studies has tended to conceptualize the meaning and the impact of culture on organizations by using distinct categories. This article argues that given the embedded nature of organizations, a narrative methodology offers an alternative and complementary approach to developing our understanding in cross-cultural research. Using examples of story-driven investigations into cultural differences, it explains the potential of this approach. It therefore seeks to offer a contribution to the variety of methods for organizational research on cross-cultural issues.
Stress and Social Support in Fathers and Mothers of Young Children with and without Disabilities

This study compared perceived stress and social support in fathers and mothers of children with and without disabilities. The sample consisted of 15 families with special needs children and 15 with children with no known handicapping conditions. The Parent Stress Index and a parental questionnaire were used. Findings indicated higher perceived stress in families with special needs children. Within these families no significant differences were found between fathers' and mothers' perceived stress. Significant negative correlations were found between families' stress and support received from fiends and relatives. Negative correlations were found for mothers' stress in Child Domain and support from the community. Implications include planning for active engagement of fathers in all areas of service delivery in early intervention programs, including encouragement for more participation in programming; opening a direct line of communication through designing tailored workshops, support groups and counseling; .
Clinical and Vascular Anatomical Study of Distally Based Sural Flap

Methods:The distally based sural flap has been useful for reconstruction of the distal third portion of the lower leg. We retrospectively review in this report the clinical outcomes. Moreover, we studied the vascular anatomy surrounding the sural nerve using preserved cadavers. Twenty-eight consecutive cases of distally based sural flap transfer were reviewed retrospectively. All flaps were harvested with the deep fascia and lesser saphenous vein, but the sural nerve was excluded in all cases to prevent paresthesia. The sural nerve can be easily detached from the flap by meticulous dissection from the deep fascia without causing significant bleeding. In the vascular anatomic study, barium was injected through the femoral artery after elevating the flap in 20 legs of preserved cadavers. Subsequently, tissue specimens were harvested from the upper, middle, and lower sites of the flap for histologic analyses. Results:Clinically, 22 of 28 flaps survived completely. Distal partial necrosis was observed in 5 flaps, and total necrosis was observed in 1 flap. Causes of total or partial necrosis have been suggested to be dependent on flap shape, pedicle length, and complicating diseases. Anatomic angiography revealed that small extrinsic vessels around the sural nerve and the lesser saphenous vein are important, especially in distally-based sural flap transfer; those around the sural nerve seem to have the most important impact on flap survival. The sural nerve has fewer intrinsic vessels than the extrinsic vessels of the sural nerve and lesser saphenous vein. Conclusion:The distally based sural flap was useful for reconstruction of the distal third portion of the lower leg. Moreover, these clinical and anatomic findings suggest that the sural nerve can be preserved to prevent surgically induced paresthesia.
Genetic susceptibility to tardive dyskinesia among schizophrenia subjects: IV. Role of dopaminergic pathway gene polymorphisms

Objective Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is an antipsychotic induced side effect observed in 20–30% of schizophrenia subjects on long-term typical antipsychotic treatment. We tested the possible association of 24 polymorphisms from six dopaminergic genes: namely, dopamine receptors D1, D2, D3, D4; the dopamine transporter (DAT); and the catalyzing enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), with TD. Methods Multiple SNP/VNTR markers from candidate genes were analyzed using suitable approaches and allelic, genotypic and haplotypic associations were tested. Results 120 bp duplication marker, 1.2 kb upstream from initiation codon of DRD4 gene showed a significant genotypic association [χ2=9.29, P=0.009; OR (95% CI)=0.52 (0.31–0.86) for genotype 120 dup/120 dup]. In the COMT gene, a significant allelic [χ2=13.87, P=0.0002] as well as genotypic association [χ2=16.08, P=0.0003; OR (95%CI)=0.24 (0.11–0.55) for genotype GG] was observed with the 408 C>G (exon 4) single nucleotide polymorphism and a significant genotypic association [χ2=6.32, P=0.04; OR (95%CI)=0.50 (0.33–0.92) for genotype GG] was observed with 472 G>A (exon 4, Val 158 Met) SNP. 120 bp dup-T-repeat 3 in DRD4 and G-C-A-insC in COMT genes were observed to be TD associated haplotypes. Conclusions Our study presents a detailed analysis of the possible role of dopaminergic genes in the genesis of TD. DRD4 and COMT genes were observed to be the most important candidates in North Indian schizophrenia subjects. These suggestive associations need to be investigated in replicate studies.
The contributions of expectancy value theory and special education status to reading achievement of African American adolescents

Title of dissertation: THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF EXPECTANCY VALUE THEORY AND SPECIAL EDUCATION STATUS TO READING ACHIEVMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS Katryna Natalya Andrusik, Doctor of Philosophy, 2011 Dissertation directed by: Professor Deborah L. Speece Department of Special Education In light of concerns about decreased academic motivation among adolescents and the subsequent lack of achievement, particularly among African American students and those with learning disabilities, this study examined adolescent motivation for academic achievement and future course enrollment intentions. Expectancy-value motivation has been extensively explored with European American adolescents without learning disabilities; the associated constructs of this theory are positively correlated with GPA, classroom-based assessments, and future course enrollment and employment. Limitations of the extant literature included homogeneous samples, limited reliability and validity of academic achievement measures, and a lack of control of extraneous variables. Using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, I found that the expectancies for success/perceived ability, importance value, and intrinsic value latent factor models of expectancy-value motivation for a sample of urban African American adolescents do not differ from those for their European American peers; however, the constructs themselves have different relationships with the two dependent variables, reading achievement on a standardized assessment and future enrollment intentions. Motivation latent factors did not predict reading achievement when SES, prior achievement, and gender were in the analysis. However, all motivation constructs were significant predictors when enrollment intentions constituted the dependent variable. Additionally, the IEP reading goal variable (learner status) was not a significant predictor of either dependent variable. These results are discussed in light of the limitations of the study. Finally, areas for further research are suggested. THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF EXPECTANCY VALUE THEORY AND SPECIAL EDUCATION STATUS TO READING ACHIEVMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS by Katryna Natalya Andrusik Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2011
A longitudinal study exploring the relationships between occupational stressors, non-work stressors, and work performance

Abstract There is a lack of intricate research into the relationships between work performance and other variables. This study examined the causal relationship between work, non-work stressors, and work performance. Using longitudinal multi-group data from three groups—university staff, trainee nurses, and part-time employees (overall N=244)—structural equation modelling was employed to explore one-way and reverse competing models. The results produced a good fitting model with one-way causal paths from work-related and non-work stressors (time 1) to job performance (time 2). Nested model comparison analysis provided further evidence to support this best fitting model, emphasizing the strong influence that non-work factors have within the workplace. This study has important implications for theory, methodology and statistical analysis, and practice in the field of work-related stressors and performance.
Renal Function Recovery in Chronic Dialysis Patients

Renal function recovery (RFR) from acute kidney injury requiring dialysis occurs at a high frequency. RFR from chronic dialysis, on the other hand, is an uncommon but well‐recognized phenomenon, occurring at a rate of 1.0–2.4% according to data from large observational studies. The underlying etiology of renal failure is the single most important predicting factor of RFR in chronic dialysis patients. The disease types with the highest RFR rates are atheroembolic renal disease, systemic autoimmune disease, renovascular diseases, and scleroderma. The disease types with the lowest RFR rates are diabetic nephropathy and cystic kidney disease. Initial dialysis modality does not appear to influence RFR. Careful observation and history taking are needed to recognize the often nonspecific clinical and laboratory signs of RFR. When RFR is suspected in a chronic dialysis patient, a 24‐hour urine urea and creatinine clearance should be measured. Based on the renal clearance, along with other clinical factors, the dialysis prescription may be gradually reduced until a complete discontinuation of dialysis. After RFR from maintenance dialysis, patients require close follow‐up in an office setting for chronic kidney disease management.
Comparing the Effects of Echinophora-platyloba, Fennel and Placebo on Pre-menstrual Syndrome

Introduction Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a condition characterized by a number of behavioral, psychological and physical symptoms recurring cyclically during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The uncertainty in the pathogenesis of PMS has led to many treatment protocols being suggested as possible therapies. The present study was carried out to compare the effects of echinophora-platyloba and fennel extracts on the PMS against placebo in students of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 2008. Methods In this single-blind randomized clinical trial, 90 students with moderate to severe PMS enrolled in the study and were randomely divided into three equal groups. The first group received echinophora-platyloba extract, the second group received fennel extracts and the third group received placebo. The severity of PMS was measured by Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) questionnaire at the end of the first and second menstrual cycles before the intervention and the results were compared with them after the intervention. Data was analyzed using Dunn, Kruskal Wallis, and Pearson correlation tests by SPSS (v. 11.5) and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results There were not any significant differences in the means of premenstrual syndrome scores before the intervention among the three groups (100.8±22.1 in echinophora-platyloba group, 101.3±27.1 in fennel group and 104.3±19.5 in placebo group, p > 0.05), but the differences were significant after the intervention (49.7±23.2 in echinophora-platyloba group, 64.4±27.5 in fennel group and 79.1±28.1 in placebo group, respectively, p < 0.001). No significant differences were seen between the echinophora-platyloba and fennel groups. Conclusion The echinophora-platyloba and fennel extracts could reduce the severity of PMS. The effects of echinophora-platyloba and fennel were similar and greater than the placebo. Administration of the extracts of these herbs is suggested for relieving the signs and symptoms of PMS.
Perceptions of Victims and Defendants in Criminal Assault Cases

An experiment was conducted to ascertain the manner in which male and female subjects perceive the victim and the defendant involved in criminal assault. Characteristics of the victim, type of crime committed, and sex of the subject were systematically varied. The experiment, therefore, took the form of a 5 (Married Woman/Single, Virgin/Single, Nonvirgin/Divorced Woman/Prostitute) X 3 (Rape/ Attempted Rape/Physical Assault) X 2 (Male Subjects/Female Subjects) factorial design. The findings indicate that as the respectability of the victim decreases, her perceived responsibility for the rape increases. Furthermore, as the victim's respectability declines, the perceived impact of the crime on the victim decreases. In addition, significant sex differences (female > males) emerged in conjunction with the length of jail sentence recommended for the defendant, perceived psychological impact of the crime on the victim, the seriousness of the crime, and the perceived guilt of the defendant. The results are interpreted within a balance theory framework, and the implications of the research for legal procedures are discussed.
The Mediating Effect of Destination Image on the Relationship Between Spectator Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions at an International Sporting Event

Although many previous studies have examined the effect of sporting events on destination image, relatively a limited number of studies have examined the effect of destination image on sporting events. Therefore, this study attempted to identify the mediating effect of destination image on the relationship between spectator satisfaction and behavioral intentions, including word-of-mouth (WOM) and revisit intentions, at an international sporting event, the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix (F-1). The results indicated that the effects of spectator satisfaction on WOM and repurchase intentions were found to be mediated by spectators’ reported destination images. Destination image fully mediated the effects of visual features and accessibility satisfaction on both WOM and revisit intentions. In addition, ticket and staff satisfaction had a direct effect only on WOM intentions. In other words, there was no mediating effect of destination image on the relationship between ticket and staff satisfaction and WOM intentions.
Serum leptin concentrations, leptin mRNA expression, and food intake during the estrous cycle in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate food intake, serum leptin levels, and leptin mRNA expression during the sexual cycle in rats. Female Wistar-Imamichi rats aged 8-10 weeks were used in this experiment. Food intake was measured during the light and dark phases (light on at 07:00 and off at 19:00) of the 4-day estrous cycle in female rats. Serum leptin levels were measured by ELISA, and leptin mRNA expression levels were analyzed using real-time PCR on diestrous- and proestrous-stage rats. Our results revealed that during the sexual cycle, food intake was significantly higher in the dark phase compared with the light phase. Food intake in proestrous females was significantly lower in the light and dark phases compared with the other groups. Serum leptin concentrations were significantly higher in both phases in proestrous rats compared with diestrous rats. There was a significant increase in leptin mRNA expression in adipose tissue during the proestrous period compared with the diestrous period. These findings suggest that increased leptin mRNA expression and serum leptin levels, which are induced by estrogen during the proestrous stage, may play a role in regulating appetitive behavior.