Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Measures of Optimism and Sport Confidence

ABSTRACT The psychometric properties of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), the Sport Confidence Inventory (SCI), and the Carolina SCI (CSCI) were examined in a study involving 260 athletes. The study aimed to test the dimensional structure, convergent and divergent validity, and invariance over competition level of scores generated by these instruments. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) supported the measurement models for the SCI and CSCI but favoured a two-dimensional model for the LOT-R. ESEM analyses of the total pool of 33 items indicated satisfactory divergent validity among these optimism and sport confidence measures with the only overlap occurring between the LOT-R and CSCI measures of optimism. The SCI discriminated among athletes participating at different competitive levels and emerged as the most suitable instrument for measuring individual differences in sport confidence. The CSCI emerged as a better measure of optimism in a sporting context than the more general LOT-R.
Adaptive video transmission over multilink networks

Nowadays the importance of multilink networks is rapidly growing due to the expanding demand for high-speed Internet access and real-time video transmission. Moreover, in terrestrial systems that operate at high carrier frequencies (above 10 GHz) one of the most harmful circumstantial factors is the attenuation caused by precipitation, especially by rain. Since channel conditions can vary in time and space, selection of the used communication links depends on traffic load, latency, coverage and desired data rate. Therefore combining multilink architecture and adaptive video transmission can be an effective solution for broadcasting video streams. In this paper the efficiency of adaptive transmission scheme in a terrestrial multilink network will be presented.
Recurrent otitis media in association with immunodeficiency.

• A patient with recurrent middle ear infections may have an underlying disease that causes him to have an increased susceptibility to infection. An 8-year-old boy had recurrent otitis media in association with common variable immunodeficiency (VID). HLA typing and in vitro tests for lymphocyte function were carried out on members of his family, and results suggested that the mother's HLA haplotypes might provide a link to low responsiveness of lymphocytes to one of the streptococcal cell wall antigens. The site of lesion of B-cell differentiation and immunological and clinical aspects of VID are discussed. ( Arch Otolaryngol 1982;108:204-207)
An Efficient Fuzzy based Congestion Control Technique for Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor networks (WSN), congestion causes overall channel quality to degrade and loss rates to increase, leads to buffer drops and increased delays, and tends to be grossly unfair toward nodes whose data has to traverse a larger number of radio hops. In order to control the congestion in an effective manner, we need a complete congestion control mechanism which makes fuzzy based decisions. In this paper, we design an efficient fuzzy based congestion control algorithm which takes into consideration the node degree, queue length and the data arrival rate as parameters for congestion detection. The fuzzy table accepts the values of data arrival rate, node degree and the queue length as input and the output is given in the form of fuzzy variables which indicates the level of congestion. The output gives us a strict passive measure of the congestion level and will result in a perfect measurement for congestion estimation. Thus our algorithm proves to be more effective in controlling the congestion in wireless sensor networks. By simulation results, we show that our proposed technique attains better packet delivery ratio with reduced packet drops and delay.
Reply to Cain and Watts

Bredemeier, Harry C. 1968 "Schools and student growth. " The Urban Review (April) :21-27. Bowles, Samuel S. and Henry M. Levin 1968a "The determinants of scholastic achievement-An appraisal of some recent evidence. " Journal of Human Resources 3 (Winter) :3-29. 1968b "More on multicollinearity and the effectiveness of schools. " Journal of Human Resources 3 (Summer) :393-400. Coleman, James S. 1966 "Equal schools or equal students? " The Public Interest 1 (Summer): 70-75. 1968a "Equality of educational opportunity: Reply to Bowles and Levin. " Journal of Human Resources 3 (Spring) :237-246. 1968b "The evaluation of equality of educational opportunity. " Report No. 25. The Center for the Study of the Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University. Coleman, James S. , Ernest Q. Campbell, Carl F. Hobson, James McPartland, Alexander M. Mood, et al. 1966 Equality of Educational Opportunity. Washington: U. S. Office of Education. Darlington, Richard B. 1968 "Multiple regression in psychological research and practice. " Psychological Bulletin 69:161-182. Kain, John F. and Eric A. Hanushek 1968 "On the value of equality of educational opportunity as a guide to policy. " Discussion Paper No. 36. Program on Regional and Urban Economics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University. Mosteller, Frederick 1967a "Preliminary report for Group D" (March 29, 1967), in Report of the Harvard Faculty Seminar on the Equal Educational Opporunity Report, 1967. 1967b "Report of the Harvard SEEOR Group A" (May 11, 1967), in Report of the Harvard Faculty Seminar on the Equal Educational Opportunity Report, 1967. Moynihan, Daniel P. 1968 "Sources of resistance to the Coleman Report. " Harvard Education Review 38 (Winter):23-26. Nichols, Robert C. 1966 "Schools and the disadvantaged. " Science 154 (December 9):1312-1314.
Moderate alcohol intake and cancer incidence in women.

BACKGROUND With the exception of breast cancer, little is known about the effect of moderate intakes of alcohol, or of particular types of alcohol, on cancer risk in women. METHODS A total of 1,280,296 middle-aged women in the United Kingdom enrolled in the Million Women Study were routinely followed for incident cancer. Cox regression models were used to calculate adjusted relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 21 site-specific cancers according to amount and type of alcoholic beverage consumed. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS A quarter of the cohort reported drinking no alcohol; 98% of drinkers consumed fewer than 21 drinks per week, with drinkers consuming an average of 10 g alcohol (1 drink) per day. During an average 7.2 years of follow-up per woman 68,775 invasive cancers occurred. Increasing alcohol consumption was associated with increased risks of cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx (increase per 10 g/d = 29%, 95% CI = 14% to 45%, Ptrend < .001), esophagus (22%, 95% CI = 8% to 38%, Ptrend = .002), larynx (44%, 95% CI = 10% to 88%, Ptrend = .008), rectum (10%, 95% CI = 2% to 18%, Ptrend = .02), liver (24%, 95% CI = 2% to 51%, Ptrend = .03), breast (12%, 95% CI = 9% to 14%, Ptrend < .001), and total cancer (6%, 95% CI = 4% to 7%, Ptrend < .001). The trends were similar in women who drank wine exclusively and other consumers of alcohol. For cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, the alcohol-associated risk was confined to current smokers, with little or no effect of alcohol among never and past smokers (P(heterogeneity) < . 001). Increasing levels of alcohol consumption were associated with a decreased risk of thyroid cancer (Ptrend = .005), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Ptrend = .001), and renal cell carcinoma (Ptrend = .03). CONCLUSIONS Low to moderate alcohol consumption in women increases the risk of certain cancers. For every additional drink regularly consumed per day, the increase in incidence up to age 75 years per 1000 for women in developed countries is estimated to be about 11 for breast cancer, 1 for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, 1 for cancer of the rectum, and 0.7 each for cancers of the esophagus, larynx and liver, giving a total excess of about 15 cancers per 1000 women up to age 75.
Emotion and Auditory Virtual Environments: Affect-Based Judgments of Music Reproduced with Virtual Reverberation Times

Emotions are experienced both in real and virtual environments (VEs). Most research to date have focused on the content that causes emotional reactions, but noncontent features of a VE (such as the realism and quality of object rendering) may also influence emotional reactions to the mediated object. The present research studied how noncontent features (different reverberation times) of an auditory VE influenced 76 participants' ratings of emotional reactions and expressed emotional qualities of the sounds. The results showed that the two emotion dimensions of pleasantness and arousal were systematically affected if the same musical piece was rendered with different reverberation times. Overall, it was found that high reverberation time was perceived as most unpleasant. Taken together, the results suggested that noncontent features of a VE influence emotional reactions to mediated objects. Moreover, the study suggests that emotional reactions may be a important aspect of the VE experience that can help complementing standard presence questionnaires and quality evaluations.
La polygamie en Algérie

Résumé Nombreux sont les auteurs du XVIIe siècle qui, sans avoir beaucoup réfléchi, et cédant à l'attraction du préfixe, ont cru que la polygamie était particulièrement féconde. Telle qu'elle est le plus souvent pratiquée, elle réduit, au contraire, la fécondité d'une population. Le nombre d'études statistiques sur la polygamie est peu élevé, du moins à l'échelle nationale, car, dans les pays où elle est pratiquée, les recensements sont souvent de qualité médiocre, sinon même inexistants. Des renseignements ont été demandés à ce sujet, lors des recensements en Algérie, depuis celui de 1886. Les hommes mariés étaient appelés à indiquer le nombre de leurs femmes. Bien que cette donnée ne fournisse pas d'information sur le nombre d'enfants, les renseignements présentent un vif intérêt, car l'influence de divers facteurs peut être mesurée et l'évolution dans le temps peut être suivie. M. Dominique Tabutin, démographe français à Oran, présente et analyse ici les résultats.
The mediating effect of burnout on the relationship between structural empowerment and organizational citizenship behaviours.

AIM We used Kanter's (1977) structural empowerment theory to examine the influence of structural empowerment and emotional exhaustion on healthcare professionals' use of organizational citizenship behaviours directed at the organization (OCBO) and peers (OCBI). BACKGROUND Organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) are discretionary behaviours that are not rewarded directly by the organization but have been linked to positive outcomes, such as increased job satisfaction and lower turnover intentions. Promoting OCB can help employees and organizations flourish despite current challenges in the healthcare system. Structural empowerment may influence the frequency and type of OCB by reducing burnout. METHOD We conducted multiple mediated regression analyses to test two hypothesized models about relationships between empowerment, emotional exhaustion and two types of OCB (OCBI and OCBO) in a sample of 897 healthcare professionals in five Canadian hospitals. RESULTS Emotional exhaustion was found to be a significant mediator of the relationship between empowerment and OCBO. The predicted mediation of the empowerment/OCBI relationship by emotional exhaustion was not supported. CONCLUSIONS Exhaustion was an important mediator of empowering working conditions and OCBO, but was not significantly related to OCBI. Empowerment was significantly related to both OCBO and OCBI. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Promoting empowerment among healthcare workers may decrease burnout and promote OCB. Specific managerial strategies are discussed in the present study.
Students’ motivation to study music: The Mexican context

This article reports the Mexican component of an international mapping exercise that examined students’ motivation to study music as compared to other school subjects, taking into consideration the particular context of each country. Based on an expectancy-value theoretical framework, questionnaires were used to examine students’ competence beliefs, values, and perceptions of task difficulty. A sample of 3613 students (grades 4—12) was drawn from three different school systems: state, federal and private. Mixed-design ANOVAs were used to examine students’ cumulative mean ratings of the motivational constructs, in order to determine differences across school levels and systems. Results of the study suggest students held low perceptions of the value of school music and low expectations for success in learning music across the three surveyed school systems and levels of schooling. However, students who were learning music showed more positive motivation not only in music but in all the other school subjects.
Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Deﬁnition

There has been substantial interest in mindfulness as an approach to reduce cognitive vulnerability to stress and emotional distress in recent years. However, thus far mindfulness has not been deﬁned operationally. This paper describes the results of recent meetings held to establish a consensus on mindfulness and to develop conjointly a testable operational deﬁnition. We propose a two-component model of mindfulness and specify each component in terms of speciﬁc behaviors, experiential manifestations, and implicated psychological processes. We then address issues regarding temporal stability and situational speciﬁcity and speculate on the conceptual and operational distinctiveness of mindfulness. We conclude this paper by discussing implications for instrument development and brieﬂy describing our own approach to measurement.
The Correlation between Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Thyroid Hormones in the General Population: A Meta-Analysis

Objective Certain epidemiological studies have suggested exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) affect the production and secretion of thyroid hormones (TH); however, conflicting results have been reported in different studies. There is not a convincing conclusion about this debate to date. Materials and Methods To perform a meta-analysis determining if there are correlations between PBDEs exposure and the serum levels of TH. Medical and scientific literature databases were searched for articles that met the eligibility criteria. The included articles were assessed for methodological quality. The correlation coefficient values or regression coefficient values between PBDEs and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) or total thyroxine (TT4) from each article were used for analysis. Data Synthesis Sixteen articles were included in this meta-analysis. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were directly collected or calculated from data given in the articles. Then, Fisher’s z transformation was performed to convert each correlation coefficient to an approximately normal distribution. For z values between PBDEs exposure and TSH levels, the pooled z value for 18 studies was 0.08 (95% CI: -0.06, 0.22), and indicated significant heterogeneity (I2 values = 90.7%). Subgroup analysis was performed based on the median values of serum PBDEs in each study, there was not significant heterogeneity in each of the four subgroups (I2 values <30%). In meta-analysis of z values between PBDEs exposure and the levels of TT4, the pooled z value for 11 studies was -0.02 (95% CI: -0.11, 0.08), and also indicated significant heterogeneity (I2 values = 57.6%). Similar subgroup analysis was done for the PBDEs exposures and the levels of TT4. No significant heterogeneity was shown in either of the two subgroups (I2 values = 0). Conclusion The findings in our meta-analysis indicate the effects of PBDEs on thyroid function may mainly depend on PBDEs exposure and their levels found in serum. The relationship between PBDEs exposure and changes in thyroid function seem to fit an approximate u-shaped curve. These predictions await further verification, namely a prospective longitudinal study.
Effects of Self-Efficacy on Students’ Academic Performance

Abstract Earlier researches show effects of self-efficacy on students’ learning and achievement. Self- efficacy has operationally defined as one’s belief that people can successfully perform a given task. The main purpose of the paper is to discuss how self-efficacy developed and the way it influences students’ academic performance in addition to social interaction with peers. A scenario was given to Pakistani schools’ student by solving mathematical problems. Present study was designed to study the impact of self-efficacy on 15 boys, students of the 5th grade of a local school. Hague’s (1990) Urdu Self-efficacy scale was administered. It was found that students with high self-efficacy obtained higher scores on 50 mathematical problems test. Further, content analysis of interviewees’ responses showed that students with high self-efficacy planned to study complex subjects in future. A cross-cultural study is strongly recommended in this issue that determines the students’ future. Keyword: Self-efficacy, Mathematical problems, Pakistani students, Complex course.
Divergent Effects of Metaphoric Company Logos: Do They Convey What the Company Does or What I Need?

Many corporate logos use pictorial metaphors to influence consumer attitudes. Priming concrete concepts—by means of logo exposure or other procedures—changes attitudes toward dissimilar abstract targets in metaphor-consistent ways. It is assumed, however, that observers apply a logo’s metaphor externally to interpret the company and its service. This research examined the possibility that observers may instead apply that metaphor internally to interpret their current condition and hence their need for the company’s service. We hypothesized that the same logo can have divergent effects on company liking depending on the direction of metaphor application. To test this possibility, we built on evidence that people apply available metaphors especially when they feel unsure about the target. We predicted that observers would apply a logo’s metaphor externally when unsure about the company, but internally when unsure about themselves. Three experiments provide convergent support for hypotheses. We discuss implications for research and marketing. Imagine that you walk by a new company offering “creative solutions,” and pasted on their sign is a logo depicting a bright lightbulb. This is not a lighting company, so the logo must be a metaphor. But do you interpret that metaphor to describe the nature of the company’s service or your condition? If the former, the logo signals that the company “illuminates” new solutions to your problems; hence, it addresses your needs, tempting you to inquire further. Yet if you implicitly associate the lightbulb with your internal state, you might perceive that you are sufficiently illuminated (i.e., aware of creative solutions). In this case, the company is irrelevant to your needs, and therefore less appealing.
Variability of the Lagrangian turbulent diffusivity in the lower stratosphere

Ozone and nitrous oxide are measured at high spatial and temporal resolution by instruments ﬂying on the ER-2 NASA research aircraft. Comparing the airborne transects to reconstructions by ensemble of di ﬀ usive backward trajectories allows to estimate the average vertical Lagrangian turbulent di ﬀ usion experienced by the air parcels. The 5 resulting estimates show large Lagrangian di ﬀ usion of the order of 0.1 m 2 s − 1 outside the polar vortex in the surf zone and smaller values of the order of 0.01 m 2 s − 1 inside. Locally, large variation of Lagrangian di ﬀ usion occur over mesoscale distances. It is found that high temporal resolution (3 h or less) is required for o ﬀ -line transport calculations and that the reconstructions are sensitive to spurious motion in standard 10 analysed winds.
etrahedral occupancy of ferric iron in ( Mg , Fe ) O : Implications for point defects n the Earth ’ s lower mantle

We investigated the concentration and site occupation of ferric iron (Fe3+) in (Mg,Fe)O to understand the influence of point defects on transport properties such as atomic diffusion, electrical conductivity and viscosity. We conducted Mössbauer spectroscopy of (Mg0.8Fe0.2)O single crystals synthesized at temperatures from 1673 to 2273 K and pressures from 5 to 15 GPa with Re–ReO2 and Mo–MoO2 oxygen fugacity buffers. The isomer shift of the Mössbauer spectra suggests that Fe3+ occupies mostly the tetrahedral site at reduced conditions and both the octahedral and tetrahedral sites at oxidized conditions. We formulate a thermodynamic model of point defect dissolution in (Mg,Fe)O which suggests that unassociated tetrahedral Fe3+ is more stable than unassociated octahedral Fe3+ at high-pressure and low oxygen fugacity due to the effect of configurational entropy. The pressure dependence of Fe3+ concentration indicates a change in the dominant site occupancy of Fe3+: (1) Fe3+ in the tetrahedral site, (2) Fe3+ in the octahedral site, and (3) defect clusters of Fe3+ and cation vacancy, in the order of increasing oxygen fugacity
Participation in School Sports and Marijuana Use among Male and Female Students

Background: Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance among adolescents. There is a paucity in the literature on the relationship between school sports participation and marijuana use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between school sports participation and recent marijuana use, past year marijuana use, perceived harm, perceived peer disapproval, and ease of marijuana access among males and females. We defined past year marijuana use as having smoked marijuana in the past year of survey completion and recent marijuana use as having used marijuana in the past 30 days of survey completion. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of 2013-2014 PRIDE Survey data including 37,616 7th-12th grade students. Chi-square analyses and odds ratios were performed. Results: Fifteen percent of students indicated that they used marijuana within the past 30 days of survey completion. Nearly one-fourth (23.4%) of students reported recently using marijuana in the past year of completing the survey. Males were more likely to report recent marijuana use and past year marijuana use compared to their female counterparts. Results revealed males and females who reported participating in school sports often/a lot were less likely to report recent or past year marijuana use than those who never/seldom participated in school sports. Perceived harm, peer disapproval, and ease of access also differed based on school sports participation for males and females. Conclusions: Sports participation had a protective effect against marijuana use. Increasing peer disapproval and perceived harm while reducing perceived ease of access may be beneficial in reducing marijuana use. Initiatives to reduce substance use among 7th-12th graders should focus on increasing pro-social activities such as school sports participation.