Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moments like diamonds in space: savoring the ageing process through positive engagement with adventure sports

ABSTRACT There are over 10 million people in the United Kingdom aged over 65, a figure predicted to double by 2050. Despite calls for the outdoors to be a focus for health-related physical activity younger adults still tend to be the predominant users of this resource. In an attempt to understand how older adults aged 65+ relate to outdoor adventure sports, data from purposive samples of rock climbers from the north of England (n = 8) and sea kayakers from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (n = 5) were gathered using focus groups and targeted semi-structured interviews. Analysis using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and critical friends showed clear links to theory and highlights the notion that older adults with life course commitments to adventurous ‘serious leisure’ savor the opportunities afforded by growing older. Furthermore, they reject the constant ‘pathologization’ of the ageing process, emphasising instead its positive and meaningful aspects.
Customer Responses to Switching Costs: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Moderating Influence of Culture

Relationship marketing effectiveness varies across different markets, but prior research has provided limited evidence on how cultural variations relate to the effects of relationship variables such as switching costs. The authors develop and test a theoretical framework that explains how culture moderates the relationship between perceived switching costs and key consequences. The findings of a meta-analysis, based on 451 effect sizes collected in 25 countries, show that similar components that refer to a match between the value essence of Hofstede's cultural dimensions and the motivators that steer particular consequences explain how individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity moderate the impact of switching costs on word of mouth of customers and loyalty types. Furthermore, the economic development of a country explains when switching costs either reduce or increase switching of customers. The findings of this study support international companies in making decisions about the generation of switching costs in particular markets and the formation of international relationship marketing and referral programs.
Policing political mega-events through ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ tactics: reflections on local and organisational tensions in public order policing

ABSTRACT Public order policing has long been a central area of concern for policing political mega-events. Following the Toronto 2010 Group of 20 (G20) meeting, however, public order policing policy and practice attracted renewed attention that has had a considerable influence on subsequent political mega-events. The Toronto G20 involved up to 20,000 protesters, over 1000 arrests, and widespread criticisms against the Toronto Police Service and Royal Canadian Mounted Police regarding excessive use of force. Using the Brisbane 2014 G20 as a case study, this article reflects on the localised tensions involved in public order policing in the context of political mega-events. We look inside the operations of Brisbane 2014, which was heavily influenced by the events from Toronto 2010, to focus on the tensions that underpin public order policing tactics in the context of political mega-events and call attention to the significance of these tensions in shaping policing policy and practice. More particularly, we examine how tensions between competing perceptions of risk amongst security actors in relation to more formal preferred strategies and tactics to manage risk can shape various public order policing outcomes. We trace these local and organisational tensions as they relate to so-called ‘hard’ tactics such as intelligence operations and spatial containment strategies and ‘soft’ tactics such as negotiated management strategies and relationship building with protest groups.
Cognitive Decline Is Associated with Risk Aversion and Temporal Discounting in Older Adults without Dementia

Risk aversion and temporal discounting are preferences that are strongly linked to sub-optimal financial and health decision making ability. Prior studies have shown they differ by age and cognitive ability, but it remains unclear whether differences are due to age-related cognitive decline or lower cognitive abilities over the life span. We tested the hypothesis that cognitive decline is associated with higher risk aversion and temporal discounting in 455 older persons without dementia from the Memory and Aging Project, a longitudinal cohort study of aging in Chicago. All underwent repeated annual cognitive evaluations using a detailed battery including 19 tests. Risk aversion was measured using standard behavioral economics questions: participants were asked to choose between a certain monetary payment versus a gamble in which they could gain more or nothing; potential gamble gains varied across questions. Temporal discounting: participants were asked to choose between an immediate, smaller payment and a delayed, larger one; two sets of questions addressed small and large stakes based on payment amount. Regression analyses were used to examine whether prior rate of cognitive decline predicted level of risk aversion and temporal discounting, controlling for age, sex, and education. Over an average of 5.5 (SD=2.9) years, cognition declined at an average of 0.016 units per year (SD=0.03). More rapid cognitive decline predicted higher levels of risk aversion (p=0.002) and temporal discounting (small stakes: p=0.01, high stakes: p=0.006). Further, associations between cognitive decline and risk aversion (p=0.015) and large stakes temporal discounting (p=0.026) persisted in analyses restricted to persons without any cognitive impairment (i.e., no dementia or mild cognitive impairment); the association of cognitive decline and small stakes temporal discounting was no longer statistically significant (p=0.078). These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that subtle age-related changes in cognition can detrimentally affect individual preferences that are critical for maintaining health and well being.
Inner Structure of Protostellar Collapse Candidate B335 Derived from Millimeter-Wave Interferometry

We present a study of the density structure of the protostellar collapse candidate B335 using continuum observations from the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer made at wavelengths of 1.2 and 3.0 mm. We analyze these data, which probe spatial scales from 5000 to 500 AU, directly in the visibility domain by comparison with synthetic observations constructed from models that assume different physical conditions. This approach allows for much more stringent constraints to be derived from the data than from analysis of images. A single radial power law in density provides a good description of the data, with a best-fit power-law density index p = 1.65 ± 0.05. Through simulations, we quantify the sensitivity of this result to various model uncertainties, including assumptions of temperature distribution, outer boundary, dust opacity spectral index, and an unresolved central component. The largest uncertainty comes from the unknown presence of a centralized point source. The maximal point source, with 1.2 mm flux of F = 12 ± 7 mJy, reduces the power-law density index to p = 1.47 ± 0.07. The remaining sources of systematic uncertainty, of which the most important is the radial dependence of the temperature distribution, likely contribute a total uncertainty at the level of δp ≲ 0.2. Taking into account the uncertainties, we find strong evidence that the power-law index of the density distribution within 5000 AU is significantly less than the value at larger radii, close to 2.0, from previous studies of dust emission and extinction. Images made from the data show clear departures from spherical symmetry, with the globule being slightly extended perpendicular to the outflow axis. The inclusion of a crude model of the outflow as a hollow bipolar cone of constant opening angle improves the fit and leaves the resulting density power-law index unchanged. These results conform well to the generic paradigm of isolated, low-mass star formation, which predicts a power-law density index close to p = 1.5 for an inner region of gravitational free fall onto the protostar. However, the standard inside-out collapse model does not fit the data as successfully as a simple p = 1.5 power law, because of the relative shallowness of the predicted density profile just within the infall radius.
Stigma Against Mental Illness and Cerebral Palsy in China

This dissertation examines the stigmatization of two health conditions: mental disability and physical disability in the context of China. In particular, it addresses two main themes: the processes and impacts of stigma, and the variables that moderate the association of stigma with social attributes. The first paper applied a qualitative approach to identify the sources of burdens of raising a child with cerebral palsy in China and how stigma and “face” as a cultural factor affect children with cerebral palsy and their families. The findings showed that families with children of cerebral palsy report tremendous financial burdens, insufficient educational and medical services, as well as discrimination among family members and communities. An overwhelming majority of caregivers reported to have had the feeling of “loss of face,” while family members considered the child with cerebral palsy as “useless” and “burdensome. ” Their common remarks o “send away the child to orphanage” and “give another birth to a normal child”, reinforced caregivers’ feeling of helplessness, and put many family relationships to an end. The second and third papers on stigma and mental illness studied the underlying social determinants of public stigma and the variations in the general public’s attitudes and reactions toward people with mental illness. Using a population-based stratified sample of 3703 adults from the Stigma in Global Context-Mental Health Study, paper II investigated social attributes, stigma, and the links between them. Paper III assessed how demographics and geographical location structured public perceptions and reactions towards people with mental illness.
Microbiological Assessment of Moringa Oleifera Extracts and Its Incorporation in Novel Dental Remedies against Some Oral Pathogens

AIM: To assess the antibacterial and antifungal potentials of different parts of Moringa oleifera plant using different extraction methods in attempts to formulate natural dental remedies from this plant. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three solvents extracts (Ethanol, acetone, and ethyl acetate) of different parts of Egyptian Moringa tree were prepared and tested against oral pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and Candida albicans using disc diffusion method; As well as to incorporate the plant extract to formulate experimental toothpaste and mouthwash. The two dental remedies were assessed against the same microbial strains. Statistical analysis was performed using One-Way ANOVA test to compare the inhibition zone diameter and t-test. RESULTS: Ethanol extracts as well as leaves extracts demonstrated the highest significant mean inhibition zone values (P ≤ 0.05) against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans growth. However, all extracts revealed no inhibition zone against Candida albicans. For dental remedies, experimental toothpaste exhibited higher mean inhibition than the mouthwash against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans and only the toothpaste revealed antifungal effect against Candida albicans. CONCLUSION: The different extracts of different parts of Moringa showed an antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans growth. The novel toothpaste of ethanolic leaves extract has antimicrobial and antifungal potential effects all selected strains.
Zone-based hybrid feature extraction algorithm for handwritten numeral recognition of two popular Indian scripts

India is a multi-lingual multi-script country, where eighteen official scripts are accepted and there are over hundred regional languages. In this paper we propose a zone-based hybrid feature extraction algorithm scheme towards the recognition of off-line handwritten numerals of two popular south-Indian scripts. The character centroid is computed and the character/numeral image (50×50) is further divided in to 25 equal zones (10×10). An average distance from the character centroid to the pixels present in the zone column is computed. This procedure is sequentially repeated for all the zone/grid/box columns present in the zone (10 features). There could be some zone column having empty foreground pixels. Hence feature value of such zone column in the feature vector is zero. This procedure is sequentially repeated for the entire zone present in the numeral image (250 features). Similarly we extract zone centroid coordinates as features. The numeral image is divided into 50 equal zones (5×10). The zone centroid is computed. This procedure is sequentially repeated for the entire zone present in the numeral image (100 features). There could be some zone having empty foreground pixels. Hence feature value of such zone in the feature vector is zero. Finally 350 such features are extracted for classification and recognition. The nearest neighbor and the support vector machine classifiers are used for subsequent classification and recognition purpose. We obtained 97.75 % and 93.9 % of recognition rate for Kannada and Tamil numerals respectively using nearest neighbor classifier. We obtained 98.2 % and 94.9 % of recognition rate for Kannada and Tamil numerals respectively using support vector machine classifier.
Work Participation and Executive Abilities in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

The majority of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are unable to retain employment within 10 years from disease onset. Executive abilities, such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, inhibition and mental flexibility may have a direct impact on the ability to maintain a job. This study investigated differences in subjective and objective executive abilities between relapsing-remitting MS patients with and without a paid job. We included 55 relapsing-remitting MS patients from a community-based sample (47 females; mean age: 47 years; 36% employed). Patients underwent neurological, cognitive and psychological assessments at their homes, including an extensive executive test battery. We found that unemployed patients had a longer disease duration (t(53)=2.76, p=0.008) and reported more organising and planning problems (χ2(1)=6.3, p=0.012), higher distractibility (Kendall’s tau-b= -0.24, p=0.03) and more cognitive fatigue (U=205.0, p=0.028, r=-0.30) than employed patients. Unemployed patients completed slightly less categories on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (U=243.5, p=0.042, r=-0.28). Possible influential factors such as age, educational level, physical functioning, depression and anxiety did not differ between groups. In conclusion, while relapsing-remitting MS patients without a paid job reported more executive problems and cognitive fatigue than patients with a paid job, little differences were found in objective executive abilities. Further research is needed to examine possible causal relations.
The Effect of Adolescent Perceptions of Relatedness to Parents and Peers on Perceived Academic Competence

THE EFFECT OF ADOLESCENT PERCEPTIONS OF RELATEDNESS TO PARENTS AND PEERS ON PERCEIVED ACADEMIC COMPETENCE Michael Frye, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2015 Dissertation Director: Dr. Anastasia Kitsantas The relationships that students have with their parents and peers permeate their lives both inside and outside of the classroom. The purpose of the present exploratory study is to assess (a) the psychometric quality of measures gauging the latent variables of adolescents' perceptions of their relatedness to both parents and peers and (b) the effects that these latent variables have on each other and on student-perceived academic competence. The nationally representative study sample consists of 8,607 students in Grades 6 to 10 who responded to the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey. The survey data were obtained from an extant, publically available data set. The data were used to build targeted latent variables measuring sense of relatedness to parents, sense of relatedness to peers, and students’ perceived academic competence. The student responses to survey items serve as observed indicators of the latent variables of interest (relatedness to parents, relatedness to peers, and perceived academic competence). These items were used to build the scales measuring perceived relatedness to parents, perceived relatedness to peers, and perceived academic competence. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the constructed scales are structurally valid—that is, good model fit was demonstrated. Reliability analysis indicated acceptable reliability for the perceived relatedness to parents scale, but lower reliability estimates for the perceived relatedness to peers and perceived academic competence scales. Path analysis conducted within a structural equation modeling framework was used to estimate the direct and indirect effects of perceived relatedness to parents and perceived relatedness to peers on perceived academic competence, controlling for differences in socioeconomic status, gender, age, and minority status. Results indicate that both perceived relatedness to parents and perceived relatedness to peers have a positive and statistically significant effect on perceived academic competence. The analysis also yielded a positive and significant indirect effect of perceived relatedness to parents on perceived academic competence via perceived relatedness to peers. Findings on validity and reliability can be used to inform methodological decisions in similar research on testing for validity and reliability of variables gauging relatedness and relationships as well as to assess the effect these variables have on perceived academic competence, achievement, and success in general.
Learning Representations from EEG with Deep Recurrent-Convolutional Neural Networks

One of the challenges in modeling cognitive events from electroencephalogram (EEG) data is finding representations that are invariant to inter- and intra-subject differences, as well as to inherent noise associated with such data. Herein, we propose a novel approach for learning such representations from multi-channel EEG time-series, and demonstrate its advantages in the context of mental load classification task. First, we transform EEG activities into a sequence of topology-preserving multi-spectral images, as opposed to standard EEG analysis techniques that ignore such spatial information. Next, we train a deep recurrent-convolutional network inspired by state-of-the-art video classification to learn robust representations from the sequence of images. The proposed approach is designed to preserve the spatial, spectral, and temporal structure of EEG which leads to finding features that are less sensitive to variations and distortions within each dimension. Empirical evaluation on the cognitive load classification task demonstrated significant improvements in classification accuracy over current state-of-the-art approaches in this field.
Primate behavioral responses to burning as a model for hominin fire use

iii LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES . viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ix Chapters 1. FIRE, TRAVEL, AND HOME RANGE EXPANSION: A BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE TO BURNING AMONG SAVANNA DWELLING VERVET MONKEYS (CHLOROCEBUS AETHIOPS). 1 1.1 Abstract . 2 1.2 Introduction . 2 1.3 Methods . 3 1.3. 1 Site location, fire, and subjects . 3 1.3. 2 Behavioral data collection . 4 1.3. 3 Spatial data collection . 4 1.3. 4 Spatial analyses . 4 1.4 Results . 5 1.4. 1 Vervet responses to burning . 5 1.4. 2 Habitat use and home range . 6 1.5 Discussion . 6 1.5. 1 Fire and expanding home ranges . 6 1.5. 2 Primates and fire, the phylogenetic legacy . 7 1.6 Acknowledgments . 7 1.7 Literature cited . 7 2. WHAT’S BURNING GOT TO DO WITH IT? PRIMATE FORAGING OPPORTUNITIES IN FIRE-MODIFIED LANDSCAPES . 9 2.1 Abstract . 9 2.2 Introduction . 9 2.3 Methods . 14 2.3. 1 Study site and subjects . 14 2.3. 2 Behavioral data collection . 15 2.3. 3 Statistical analyses.19 2.4 Results . 20 2.4. 1 Fire’s effect on search: encounter rates . 20 2.4. 2 Fire and handling: prey profitabilities . 22 2.5 Discussion . 23 2.6 Literature cited . 33
Business model design: conceptualizing networked value co-creation

Purpose – A common thread in the modern marketing theories, such as service‐dominant logic and viable systems approach, is the notion value co‐creation: the locus of value creation is no longer perceived to reside within firm boundaries but value is considered to be co‐created among various actors within the networked market. The evolution of value creation, from value creation by the manufacturing firm to value co‐creation in a network, necessitates a corresponding change in the concepts used to depict value creation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate business models as a broader conceptualization of value co‐creation that captures this change.Design/methodology/approach – The topic is approached by a combination of literature review and interactive research, including interactions with managers from 12 international companies.Findings – Business models are defined as configurations of 12 interrelated elements, covering market, offering, operational, and management viewpoints. The effectiveness.
Does Oppositional Culture Exist in Minority and Poverty Peer Groups?

Cette etude teste les travaux exposes en aout 1998 dans la presente revue par Ainsworth-Darnell et Downey et parvient a la conclusion opposee. Contrairement aux auteurs precites, la presente etude montre qu'il est premature de rejeter la culture d'opposition comme un mecanisme pouvant influencer des performances scolaires moins elevees chez les etudiants de minorites ethniques ou d'origine modeste
Dose and Latency Effects of Leucine Supplementation in Modulating Glucose Homeostasis: Opposite Effects in Healthy and Glucocorticoid-Induced Insulin-Resistance States

Dexamethasone (DEXA) is a potent immunosupressant and anti-inflammatory agent whose main side effects are muscle atrophy and insulin resistance in skeletal muscles. In this context, leucine supplementation may represent a way to limit the DEXA side effects. In this study, we have investigated the effects of a low and a high dose of leucine supplementation (via a bolus) on glucose homeostasis, muscle mass and muscle strength in energy-restricted and DEXA-treated rats. Since the leucine response may also be linked to the administration of this amino acid, we performed a second set of experiments with leucine given in bolus (via gavage) versus leucine given via drinking water. Leucine supplementation was found to produce positive effects (e.g., reduced insulin levels) only when administrated in low dosage, both via the bolus or via drinking water. However, under DEXA treatment, leucine administration was found to significantly influence this response, since leucine supplementation via drinking water clearly induced a diabetic state, whereas the same effect was not observed when supplied via the gavage.
Women Empowerment and Economic Development

Women's empowerment and economic development are closely related: in one direction, development alone can play a major role in driving down inequality between men and women; in the other direction, empowering women may benefit development. Does this imply that pushing just one of these two levers would set a virtuous circle in motion? This paper reviews the literature on both sides of the empowerment-development nexus, and argues that the inter-relationships are probably too weak to be self-sustaining, and that continuous policy commitment to equality for its own sake may be needed to bring about equality between men and women.