Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Performance of Paper People

Several recent studies of performance appraisal have used the "paper people" approach, in which raters read performance vignettes and then rate the performance of several hypothetical ratees. This approach may lead to systematically different outcomes from studies in which ratings are based on the direct or indirect (e.g., via videotape) observation of ratees' behavior. One hundred and eleven studies published between 1975 and 1984 were grouped into five major substantive categories, and a comparative meta-analysis was used to contrast the outcomes of paper people studies to those of similar studies in which ratings were based on the observation of ratee behavior. Effect sizes were found to be significantly larger in paper people studies, although this difference was not uniform across all research areas. Results are discussed in terms of differences in signal-to-noise ratios across the two methods. Many methods have been used in research on performance appraisal. One dimension for classifying these methods is based on whether they use a "paper people" approach, in which subjects read a series of vignettes containing scaled behavior descriptions and then rate the performance of one or more hypothetical ratees, or an approach that is based on the direct or indirect observation (i.e., via film or videotape) of the behavior of one or more ratees. The latter method has been used in studies ranging from those examining annual perfomance appraisals conducted for administrative purposes in organizations (e.g., Cleveland & Landy, 1981) to laboratory studies, in which the ratees are actors carrying out performance scripts (e.g., Murphy, Balzer, Kellam, & Armstrong, 1984). The critical difference between the two approaches is that in a paper people study, subjects receive written descriptions of the performance they are to evaluate, whereas in studies involving behavior observation, subjects must observe, interpret, and recall the behavior of ratees in the process of evaluating their performance. The use of paper people in research on the interview has been strongly criticized (Gorman, Clover, & Doherty, 1978), although Dipboye, Stramler, and Fontenelle (1984) noted that this approach in fact simulates several features of the interview process. There are also grounds for criticizing the use of paper people in performance appraisal research. First, the question of whether raters observe or read summaries of the performance they are to evaluate has a substantial impact on the nature of the rating task. For example, raters' ability to accurately observe, encode, and recall performance is a critical concern in much of the recent research on performance appraisal (DeNisi, Meg
Robust stability of positive continuous-time linear systems with delays

Robust stability of positive continuous-time linear systems with delays The paper is devoted to the problem of robust stability of positive continuous-time linear systems with delays with structured perturbations of state matrices. Simple necessary and sufficient conditions for robust stability in the general case and in the case of systems with a linear uncertainty structure in two sub-cases: (i) a unity rank uncertainty structure and (ii) nonnegative perturbation matrices are established. The problems are illustrated with numerical examples.
Characterization of ANIT-Induced Toxicity using Precision-Cut Rat and Dog Liver Slices Cultured in a Dynamic Organ Roller System

This article describes the toxicity of α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT), a compound known to induce dose-dependent hepatobiliary toxicity in vivo, using the slice model. Liver slices (200 μm thick) from male Sprague–Dawley rats and male beagle dogs were cultured for 7 days while exposed to a range of ANIT concentrations (1– 100 μM for rat and 4–320 μM for dog). Tissues (and medium for dog) were evaluated using a panel of clinically relevant biomarkers for liver and histological endpoints to assess viability and proliferation. ANIT increased slice levels of enzyme biomarkers corresponding to biliary markers. At high concentrations (80–100 μM for rat, 320 μM for dog) a diminution of tissue enzyme levels was observed, corresponding to severe hepatobiliary injury. By days 5 and 7, biochemical markers in the medium of dog slices indicated an elevation of hepatocellular and biliary markers. Histologically for both species, minimal hepatocellular injury was noted, but proliferation of biliary epithelial cells (BEC) was observed using 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunostaining. In rat slices, ANIT increased the expression of inducible nitrous oxide synthase (iNOS) within 12 hrs of exposure. In summary, additional experimentation using slice culture may further demonstrate its value in screening compounds that cause hepatobiliary toxicity.
Operation for recurrent saphenofemoral incompetence using a medial approach to the saphenofemoral junction

Forty‐seven patients (53 limbs) with recurrent saphenofemoral incompetence and varicose veins underwent re‐ligation of the saphenofemoral junction using a medial approach to the femoral vein. Twenty‐seven patients (31 re‐ligation procedures) were available for assessment at long‐term follow‐up (mean 30.4 months). Saphenofemoral incompetence was demonstrated in five limbs (16.1 per cent) The operative procedure is described and the alternatives discussed. This is a valuable procedure in the repertoire of the surgeon who has to treat recurrent varicose veins.
Gene Gun Bombardment with DNA-Coated Golden Particles Enhanced the Protective Effect of a DNA Vaccine Based on Thioredoxin Glutathione Reductase of Schistosoma japonicum

Schistosomiasis, caused by infection with Schistosoma species, remains an important parasitic zoonosis. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase of Schistosoma japonicum (SjTGR) plays an important role in the development of the parasite and for its survival. Here we present a recombinant plasmid DNA vaccine, pVAX1/SjTGR, to estimate its protection against S. japonicum in BALB/c mice. The DNA vaccine administrated by particle bombardment induced higher protection than by intramuscular injection. All animals vaccinated with pVAX1/SjTGR developed significant specific anti-SjTGR antibodies than control groups. Moreover, animals immunized by gene gun exhibited a splenocyte proliferative response, with an increase in IFN-γ and IL-4. The recombinant plasmid administrated by gene gun achieved a medium protective efficacy of 27.83–38.83% (P < 0.01) of worm reduction and 40.38–44.51% (P < 0.01) of liver egg count reduction. It suggests that different modes of administering a DNA vaccine can influence the protective efficacy induced by the vaccine. Interestingly, from the enzymatic activity results, we found that worms obtained from pVAX1/SjTGR-vaccinated animals expressed lower enzymatic activity than the control group and the antibodies weakened the enzymatic activity of SjTGR in vitro, too. It implies that the high-level antibodies may contribute to the protective effects.
Development of the game addiction inventory for adults (GAIA)

This study describes the development of the Game Addiction Inventory for Adults (GAIA). First, a pool of 147 video game addiction-related items was generated from interviews with 25 people who have had experience with video game addiction and a literature review. Next, an online survey of 456 adult-aged video game players drawn from university students and participants of online video game web sites provided data for reduction of the item pool and examination of the factor structure of the pool using common factor analysis. Finally, a correlational analysis was conducted between the factor solution and associated variables. The GAIA consists of five addiction-related subscales: loss of control and consequences, agitated withdrawal, coping, mournful withdrawal, and shame; and a 26-item overall addiction subscale was produced by summing these five factors. In addition, an engagement subscale was also developed from the factor analytic process and was found to be quantitatively and qualitatively different from the addiction related subscales. The subscales of the GAIA demonstrated good internal consistency, good convergent validity, and concurrent validity with other measures of video game addiction. The GAIA demonstrated mixed discriminant validity with pathological gambling and substance addictions. Future research should continue to investigate the psychometric properties of the GAIA and the utility of its subscales in research and clinical settings.
Spontaneous Platelet Aggregation in Cerebrovascular Disease II

Summary A group of 186 patients with Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIA) or cerebral Infarction (Cl) was found to demonstrate in vitro Spontaneous Platelet Aggregation (SPA) in 39% of those studied. Of the 176 normal subjects studied the incidence of in vitro SPA was found to be 5%. Further investigation of the phenomenon of SPA revealed that: 1. it is associated with ADP-hyperaggregability, i. e. the threshold concentration to induce second wave aggregation is decreased; 2. it is dependant on the increase in pH which occurs in platelet-rich plasma stirring in an aggregometer while concurrent ADP-hyperaggregability is independant of this change in pH; 3. it is associated with malondialdehyde production and the release of endogenous 5- hydroxytryptamine; and that 4. in addition Km and Vmax values for [14C]-5HT incorporation are normal; and that 5. no gross abnormalities of the platelet membrane glycoproteins were apparent although occasionally glycoprotein III was found to be increased. This study demonstrates abnormal platelet behaviour in patients with TIA and Cl where the enzyme system involved in thromboxane production is sufficiently stimulated, by stirring alone, to induce aggregation of platelets and the release reaction. Acetylsalicylic acid abolishes SPA and prolongs the bleeding time with similar characteristics as has been described for normal individuals. Plasma (3-thromboglobulin levels are significantly increased in the patients studied. However, no correlation was established with the incidence of in vitro SPA.
The rate of co-dependence in spouses and relatives of alcoholics on the basis of the Cermak co-dependence scale

To create a basis for empirical studies of co-dependence in substance use disorders, Cermak in 1986 suggested a model for diagnostic criteria similar to the DSM type of criteria. In the present study the Cermak criteria were applied to 41 relatives of alcoholics. To validate the co-dependence scale, the following instruments were used: Coping Behavior Scale, Hardship Scale, Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), Trait Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), and The Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (ISSI). The optimal cut-off was 2 of 4 main criteria and 3 of 10 psychiatric symptoms. With this cut-off point, 44% of the relatives met the criteria of co-dependence: 17% males and 83% females. Co-dependence defined in this manner was related to coping style (fear withdrawal) and hardship of the relationship but not to the severity of psychopathology or personality. In conclusion, it was possible to measure the concept of co-dependence and validate it against coping style and hardship.
Fast Learning Requires Good Memory: A Time-Space Lower Bound for Parity Learning

We prove that any algorithm for learning parities requires either a memory of quadratic size or an exponential number of samples. This proves a recent conjecture of Steinhardt, Valiant and Wager [15] and shows that for some learning problems a large storage space is crucial. More formally, in the problem of parity learning, an unknown string x ϵ {0,1}n was chosen uniformly at random. A learner tries to learn x from a stream of samples (a1, b1), (a2, b2). , where each at is uniformly distributed over {0,1}n and bt is the inner product of at and x, modulo 2. We show that any algorithm for parity learning, that uses less than n2/25 bits of memory, requires an exponential number of samples. Previously, there was no non-trivial lower bound on the number of samples needed, for any learning problem, even if the allowed memory size is O(n) (where n is the space needed to store one sample). We also give an application of our result in the field of bounded-storage cryptography. We show an encryption scheme that requires a private key of length n, as well as time complexity of n per encryption/decryption of each bit, and is provenly and unconditionally secure as long as the attacker uses less than n2/25 memory bits and the scheme is used at most an exponential number of times. Previous works on bounded-storage cryptography assumed that the memory size used by the attacker is at most linear in the time needed for encryption/decryption.
ECM-Dependent HIF Induction Directs Trophoblast Stem Cell Fate via LIMK1-Mediated Cytoskeletal Rearrangement

The Hypoxia-inducible Factor (HIF) family of transcriptional regulators coordinates the expression of dozens of genes in response to oxygen deprivation. Mammalian development occurs in a hypoxic environment and HIF-null mice therefore die in utero due to multiple embryonic and placental defects. Mouse embryonic stem cells do not differentiate into placental cells; therefore, trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) are used to study mouse placental development. Consistent with a requirement for HIF activity during placental development in utero, TSCs derived from HIF-null mice exhibit severe differentiation defects and fail to form trophoblast giant cells (TGCs) in vitro. Interestingly, differentiating TSCs induce HIF activity independent of oxygen tension via unclear mechanisms. Here, we show that altering the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition upon which TSCs are cultured changes their differentiation potential from TGCs to multinucleated syncytiotropholasts (SynTs) and blocks oxygen-independent HIF induction. We further find that modulation of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Kinase-1/2 (MAP2K1/2, MEK-1/2) signaling by ECM composition is responsible for this effect. In the absence of ECM-dependent cues, hypoxia-signaling pathways activate this MAPK cascade to drive HIF induction and redirect TSC fate along the TGC lineage. In addition, we show that integrity of the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton is critical for TGC fate determination. HIF-2α ensures TSC cytoskeletal integrity and promotes invasive TGC formation by interacting with c-MYC to induce non-canonical expression of Lim domain kinase 1–an enzyme that regulates microtubule and actin stability, as well as cell invasion. Thus, we find that HIF can integrate positional and metabolic cues from within the TSC niche to regulate placental development by modulating the cellular cytoskeleton via non-canonical gene expression.
Grief and needs of adults with acquired visual impairments

This report aims to illuminate the complex phenomenon of grief and the needs experienced throughout the time course of their impairments by adults with acquired visual impairments. The study applied a phenomenological research strategy using 10 case studies of South African adults, visually impaired within and beyond six years. Qualitative descriptive data were obtained from follow-up depth interviews. An essential insight gained from the study is that the duration of the acquired visual impairment impacts the unrealistic or realistic awareness of the implications and limitations of living with a chronic visual impairment. This factor profoundly influences the experience of grief and concomitant needs. A chronic, recurrent but episodic grief process and a dynamic process of both experienced needs and need satisfaction were emphasized.
Providing Psychosocial Group Support for Young Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract This article describes our experience offering a collaborative, wellness-based group support program for young women with breast cancer. Goals were (1) to identify needs and priorities of young women with breast cancer; (2) to test the feasibility of a collaboration between an academic medical center, a regional cancer center, and a community-based agency; and (3) to positively influence participants' overall quality of life (QOL), emotional distress, and psychological well-being. The group intervention consisted of presentation of various topics, group discussion, and relaxation exercises. No significant changes on QOL or emotional measures were seen. Participants rated the session on symptom management as most useful and identified two areas for potential improvement (more homogeneity of participants, suggestions for additional topics).
Beliefs about Teaching Science: The relationship between elementary teachers’ participation in professional development and student achievement

Because of increasing calls for school accountability, an increased emphasis placed on the role of the teacher, and theoretical connections between teacher beliefs and classroom action, a critical need exists to examine teacher professional development programs to determine their impact on teacher belief systems, teaching practices, and student learning. The primary goal of this study was to assess elementary teachers’ science teaching efficacy as they participated in a large-scale professional development program and to determine the relationship of these beliefs with student learning. It was found that elementary teachers who participated in a long-term, intense (over 100 contact hours annually) science professional development program displayed significant gains in their science teaching self-efficacy. Several background variables were found to be predictive of teacher beliefs including how often teachers spend teaching science. Males tended to display more positive beliefs than their female counterparts. Although a small portion of the variance was explained, teacher beliefs and the number of hours participating in the research-based professional development program were significantly predictive of students’ science achievement. Other factors may be involved in teachers’ beliefs and their connection with student learning, including classroom practices, curriculum materials, support systems, and student background variables. These factors should be the target of future investigations.
The effect of sunblock against oxidative stress in farmers: a pilot study

Farmers are frequently exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation which causes various diseases by inducing oxidative stress. This study aimed to assess the effects of sunblock on oxidative stress in the body. Eighty-seven farmers were divided into two groups: those who wore sunblock for five days and those who did not. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in urine, which is an antioxidant indicator, and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in urine, an oxidative stress indicator, were measured. The urinary TAC of sunblock users was significantly higher than that of non-users, but urinary 8-OHdG levels were not significantly different. Even after adjustment for potential confounders, urinary TAC was found to be markedly increased with sunblock usage. These results suggest that sunblock is effective in preventing oxidative stress among farmers. In addition, they show that urinary TAC can be used as a good effect marker of oxidative stress caused by UV exposure.
Mice With a Null Mutation in the NHE1 Na+-H+ Exchanger Are Resistant to Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Abstract— Pharmacological studies indicate that Na+-H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) plays a central role in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury; however, confirmation by alternative methods is lacking. To address this issue, we examined the role of NHE1 in ischemia-reperfusion injury using gene-targeted NHE1-null mutant (Nhe1−/−) mice. Nhe1−/− and wild-type hearts were perfused in a Langendorff apparatus in both the absence and presence of the NHE1 inhibitor eniporide, subjected to 40 minutes of ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion, and the effects of genetic ablation or inhibition of NHE1 on hemodynamic, biochemical, and pathological changes were assessed. In the absence of eniporide, left ventricular developed pressure, end-diastolic pressure, and coronary flow were significantly less impaired in Nhe1−/− hearts relative to wild-type hearts, and release of lactate dehydrogenase, morphological damage, and ATP depletion were also significantly less. In the presence of eniporide, however, wild-type hearts were significantly protected and there were no significant differences between the two genotypes with respect to cardiac performance, lactate dehydrogenase release, or morphological damage. Furthermore, the presence or absence of eniporide had no apparent effect on the degree of cardioprotection observed in Nhe1−/− hearts. These data demonstrate that genetic ablation of NHE1 protects the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury. In addition to providing direct evidence that confirms previous pharmacological studies indicating a role for NHE1 in ischemia-reperfusion injury, these results suggest that the long-term absence of NHE1 does not elicit major compensatory changes that might negate the cardioprotective effects of blocking its activity over the short-term.
Developing a functional method to apply music in branding: Design language-generated music

Manufacturers, marketing agencies, and researchers of consumer studies have handled music in a haphazard fashion. Music is often captive to financial resources, political agendas, or lack of know-how; choices rarely reflect criteria attributable to the brand. Linking music to a brand or product is a liability, as consumers’ impressions can be manipulated by incongruent music, causing brand image to shift. The current study developed a strategy for applying music by employing design language as a template for composition. Two General Motors (GM) automobile brands served as products under investigation. Four studies, in two countries, recruited potential customers, sales clerks, walk-in buyers, and targeted consumers. The investigation found that consumers could decode composers’ intentions to express brand characteristics and product features, and were consistently successful in designating design language-generated music to the appropriate brand. The study found both culturally specific and cultural-free brand images as expressed through music preferences.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Job Choice Intentions

A theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework was employed to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions on the job choice intentions of American, Chinese, and Lebanese college students. Attitudes toward CSR, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explained moderate levels of the variance in job choice intention in all three countries. Attitudes toward CSR, which entailed individual evaluations of CSR, were positively related to job choice intentions among Lebanese and American respondents, but not Chinese respondents. Subjective norm, the importance accorded the views of significant others, was most strongly related to job choice intentions among Chinese respondents. Perceived behavioral control, the perceived degree of control over one’s actions and outcomes, had the strongest relationship to job choice intentions among American respondents. The authors concluded that respondents in the three countries did not differ in the extent to which they intend to work for socially responsible firms but tended to derive their intentions in different ways. Implications for tailoring CSR and recruitment efforts across countries are derived based on the findings.