Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self‐reports, peer ratings and construct validity

Self‐reports of behaviour have been criticized as fraught with problems that seriously undermine the construct validity of conventional personality measures. The problems are related to a putative absence of, or distortion of, a person's knowledge about himself or herself. A proposed solution is to use peer reports of personality instead, because such observer ratings are presumably more impartial and free of the distorting influences affecting self‐reports. We review some past research on moderators of the agreement between self‐reports and peer ratings of personality, arguing that those findings support the validity of self‐ratings. We conclude that peer ratings, although highly useful as adjuncts to other methods of assessment, are no substitute for self‐reports as a source of personality information. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The use of quantitative and qualitative methods in the analysis of academic achievement among undergraduates in Jamaica

This paper describes a study which uses quantitative and qualitative methods in determining the relationship between academic, institutional and psychological variables and degree performance for a sample of Jamaican undergraduate students. Quantitative methods, traditionally associated with the positivist paradigm, and involving the counting and measurement of events and statistical analysis of a body of numerical data, constitute the primary research approach to this investigation. At the same time, qualitative methods are also employed to enhance the contextual meaning and to provide insight into the quantitative-based findings. Full account is taken of concerns relating to paradigmatic violations – that of the positivist and interpretivist in particular – and relevant literature is used to carve a clearer path towards an understanding and reconciliation of combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Further, implications for the findings as they relate to mixed-method design and institutional direction are discussed.
Indo‐European and Computational Cladistics

This paper reports the results of an attempt to recover the first-order subgrouping of the Indo-European family using a new computational method devised by the authors and based on a ‘perfect phylogeny’ algorithm. The methodology is also briefly described, and points of theory and methodology are addressed in connection with the experiment whose results are here reported.
Neuroanatomical Classification in a Population-Based Sample of Psychotic Major Depression and Bipolar I Disorder with 1 Year of Diagnostic Stability

The presence of psychotic features in the course of a depressive disorder is known to increase the risk for bipolarity, but the early identification of such cases remains challenging in clinical practice. In the present study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of a neuroanatomical pattern classification method in the discrimination between psychotic major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar I disorder (BD-I), and healthy controls (HC) using a homogenous sample of patients at an early course of their illness. Twenty-three cases of first-episode psychotic mania (BD-I) and 19 individuals with a first episode of psychotic MDD whose diagnosis remained stable during 1 year of followup underwent 1.5 T MRI at baseline. A previously validated multivariate classifier based on support vector machine (SVM) was employed and measures of diagnostic performance were obtained for the discrimination between each diagnostic group and subsamples of age- and gender-matched controls recruited in the same neighborhood of the patients. Based on T1-weighted images only, the SVM-classifier afforded poor discrimination in all 3 pairwise comparisons: BD-I versus HC; MDD versus HC; and BD-I versus MDD. Thus, at the population level and using structural MRI only, we failed to achieve good discrimination between BD-I, psychotic MDD, and HC in this proof of concept study.
Soy isoflavone supplementation and bone mineral density in menopausal women: a 2-y multicenter clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Isoflavones are naturally occurring plant estrogens that are abundant in soy. Although purported to protect against bone loss, the efficacy of soy isoflavone supplementation in the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women remains controversial. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to test the effect of soy isoflavone supplementation on bone health. DESIGN A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 24-mo trial was conducted to assess the effects of daily supplementation with 80 or 120 mg of soy hypocotyl aglycone isoflavones plus calcium and vitamin D on bone changes in 403 postmenopausal women. Study subjects were tested annually and changes in whole-body and regional bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), and T scores were assessed. Changes in serum biochemical markers of bone metabolism were also assessed. RESULTS After study site, soy intake, and pretreatment values were controlled for, subjects receiving a daily supplement with 120 mg soy isoflavones had a statistically significant smaller reduction in whole-body BMD than did the placebo group both at 1 y (P < 0.03) and at 2 y (P < 0.05) of treatment. Smaller decreases in whole-body BMD T score were observed among this group of women at 1 y (P < 0.03) but not at 2 y of treatment. When compared with the placebo, soy isoflavone supplementation had no effect on changes in regional BMD, BMC, T scores, or biochemical markers of bone metabolism. CONCLUSION Daily supplementation with 120 mg soy hypocotyl isoflavones reduces whole-body bone loss but does not slow bone loss at common fracture sites in healthy postmenopausal women. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00665860.
Professional ideals and daily practice in journalism

Professional ideals are crucial in terms of guiding and committing journalists in modern media organizations. But what happens if there are discrepancies between the journalists’ professional ideals and their daily working practice? Research suggests negative consequences, such as withdrawal of commitment, but until now these assumptions have never been empirically examined. This article provides new knowledge of the relationship between professional ideals and daily practice in journalism by describing the contours of the existing discrepancies in the generation of news in Denmark. In addition it examines the journalists’ reactions to discrepancies in relation to their organizational commitment. The results suggest that discrepancies do have a negative impact on journalists’ commitment. Further implications for research and practice of the findings are discussed.
Root and stem hydraulic conductivity as determinants of growth potential in grafted trees of apple (Malus pumila Mill.).

The anatomy of the graft tissue between a rootstock and its shoot (scion) can provide a mechanistic explanation of the way dwarfing Malus rootstocks reduce shoot growth. Considerable xylem tissue disorganization may result in graft tissue having a low hydraulic conductivity (k(h)), relative to the scion stem. The graft may influence the movement of substances in the xylem such as ions, water and plant-growth-regulating hormones. Measurements were made on 3-year-old apple trees with a low-pressure flow system to determine k(h) of root and scion stem sections incorporating the graft tissue. A range of rootstocks was examined, with different abilities of dwarfing; both ungrafted and grafted with the same scion shoot cultivar. The results showed that the hydraulic conductivity (k(hroot)) of roots from dwarfing rootstocks was lower compared with semi-vigorous rootstocks, at least for the size class of root measured (1.5 mm diameter). Scion hydraulic conductivity (k(hs)) was linked to leaf area and also to the rootstock on to which it was grafted, i.e. hydraulic conductivity was greater for the scion stem on the semi-vigorous rootstock. Expressing conductivities relative to xylem cross-sectional areas (k(s)) did not remove these differences suggesting that there were anatomical changes induced by the rootstock. The calculated hydraulic conductivity of the graft tissue was found to be lower for grafted trees on dwarfing rootstocks compared to invigorating rootstocks. These observations are discussed in relation to the mechanism(s) by which rootstock influences shoot growth in grafted trees.
Visualizing community: understanding narrative inquiry as action research

Throughout the school year I invited children in a Grade Two/Three learning strategies classroom to participate in a visual narrative inquiry. The intention was to explore children’s knowledge of community in artful ways; the children photographed and wrote in what was often an iterative process, where writing/talking and photographing intermingled. One of the interim research texts was the creation of an alphabet book. During this process the children envisioned images they wanted to photograph, photographed them using a medium format camera, altered the negatives through scratching and writing, and subsequently developed the images in the darkroom. Throughout the project the children and I engaged in sustained conversations and during this process they became (co‐)researchers into their own and each other’s understanding of community. During the creation of the alphabet book the children often resisted placing words alongside the images as they were afraid that they would limit the possible interpretations of their images; they wanted the viewer to respond to their images and imagination. Each photograph entailed a desire to understand community in relation and as lived experience. Learning to know a community and creating a vision of community were central elements in the children’s visual narratives.
Clinical presentation of anxiety among patients with epilepsy

Different factors have been related with interictal anxiety, reported in 10%–25% of patients with epilepsy. We determined the frequency of interictal anxiety in 196 patients with active epilepsy in a cross-sectional survey to know which symptoms of anxiety were most frequently reported in patients with epilepsy and to analyze the factors associated with their presence. Patients were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Data were analyzed with a logistic regression model. The HAMA ratings revealed that 38.8% experienced significant anxiety symptoms, as defined by a rating above 18 points. Use of primidone, depression, cryptogenic, and posttraumatic etiologies significantly predicted anxiety after logistic regression. Symptoms related to higher scores on HAMA were anxious mood, tension, insomnia, intellectual function, depressed mood, cardiovascular and genitourinary symptoms. Further studies should be performed to define the role of psychosocial factors in the development and evolution of anxiety among these patients.
Direct Observation of Microbial Inhibition of Calcite Dissolution

ABSTRACT Vertical scanning interferometry (VSI) provides a method for quantification of surface topography at the angstrom to nanometer level. Time-dependent VSI measurements can be used to study the surface-normal retreat across crystal and other solid surfaces during dissolution or corrosion processes. Therefore, VSI can be used to directly and nondestructively measure mineral dissolution rates with high precision. We have used this method to compare the abiotic dissolution behavior of a representative calcite (CaCO3) cleavage face with that observed upon addition of an environmental microbe, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, to the crystal surface. From our direct observations, we have concluded that the presence of the microbes results in a significant inhibition of the rate of calcite dissolution. This inhibition appears to be a 2nd-order effect that is related to the formation of etch pits. The opening of etch pits was greatly inhibited in the presence of added bacteria, suggesting that the bacterial cells exert their effect by inhibiting the formation of etch pits at high-energy sites at the crystal surface caused by lattice defects, e.g., screw or point dislocations. The experimental methodology thus provides a nondestructive, directly quantifiable, and easily visualized view of the interactions of microbes and minerals during weathering (or corrosion) processes or during mineral precipitation.
Coercion and Protest: An Empirical Test in Two Democratic States

Theory: The theory of protest under varying levels of coercion forms the context for an investigation of the data on protest coercion in Germany and Northern Ireland for 11 years (1982-92), aggregated weekly. Hypotheses: The standard inverted-U hypothesis is tested against competing unstable (protest and coercion diverge and oscillate); backlash (coercion increases protest); and adaptation (protesters change tactics after coercion) hypotheses. Methods: Three forms of the biological predator-prey model are estimated with twoand three-stage least squares and supplemented with a Bayesian updating test. Results: The predator-prey mechanism fits the German data well, even in a context of low coercion. The results cast doubt on the inverted-U hypothesis, support the backlash hypothesis and strengthen the evidence that protesters adapt. Northern Ireland's terror-based protest and coercion did not conform as well to the predatorprey model, but protesters did adapt in a separate test of Bayesian updating.
The endogenous-exogenous partition in attribution theory.

Within lay explanation of actions, several significant inferences are assumed to follow from the partition between endogenous and exogenous attributions. An action is said to be endogenously attributed when it is judged to constitute an end in itself and exogenously attributed when it is judged to serve as a means to some further end. A theoretical framework is developed whereby the action's endogenous attribution is linked with the inferences of intrinsic motivation, subjective freedom, and the action's underlying intention. The endogenous-exogenous distinction is proposed to replace the frequently invoked partition between the action's internal and external causes. Both conceptual and empirical considerations are put forth in favor of such a replacement. Classical attribution topics to which the internal-external partition has been applied are reinterpreted in terms of the endogenous-exogenous distinction, and novel data are reported that support the latter framework. Finally, several categories of conditions for endogenous (or exogenous) attributions are identified, and possible directions of further research within the endogenous-exogenous framework are suggested.
Does Political Information Matter? An Experimental Test Relating to Party Positions on Europe

This article focuses on whether the provision of ‘objectively’ correct information to voters about where parties stand on an issue affects their placement of the parties, and ultimately their own position, on that issue. Classic theories of how mass publics make voting decisions assume that voters are able relatively accurately to place themselves and the parties on various issue dimensions. While these assumptions have been challenged, it is generally assumed that the provision of new information makes voters' placements more informed. We explicitly test this idea using a survey experiment focusing on one political issue – European integration. In the experiment, all respondents were twice asked to place the three main British parties and themselves on a bipolar scale of European integration. This was done towards the beginning, and then at the end of the survey. Most respondents were also given information on the ‘informed’ positions of the parties, derived from expert survey placement. Our analyses indicate that individuals’ placements did change, and the tendency was related to both political sophistication and the inherent difficulty of placing the party. Only less sophisticated voters updated their placements, and these changes are concentrated on the placement of the Labour party, where the elite stance on Europe has been more conflicted. For all respondents we do not detect any corresponding changes in self-placement that would be congruent with ‘cueing’ effects.
Beware of notarios: Neoliberal governance of immigrants as crime victims

Drawing on David Garland’s (1996, 2001) observations about the ‘limits of the sovereign state’, we seek in this article to develop a critical understanding of the recent response in the USA to ‘notario fraud’—an unlawful act committed when a non-lawyer poses as an immigration attorney. While efforts to protect immigrants from fraud on their surface represent a counter to recent anti-immigrant policies, our analysis of materials distributed by what we term an anti-notario fraud apparatus suggests that such activity amounts to neoliberal governance. Specifically, we study immigrant advocacy groups’ discourse around the issue and argue that anti-notario efforts are akin to responsibilization. We also study how law enforcement officials discuss the issue and theorize how a one-dimensional framing of notarios as villains supports the neoliberal regime by protecting the state’s sovereignty to manufacture what Nicholas De Genova (2002) has called ‘deportability’.
Network Weirdness: Exploring the Origins of Network Paradoxes

Social networks have many counter-intuitive properties, including the "friendship paradox" that states, on average, your friends have more friends than you do. Recently, a variety of other paradoxes were demonstrated in online social networks. This paper explores the origins of these network paradoxes. Specifically, we ask whether they arise from mathematical properties of the networks or whether they have a behavioral origin. We show that sampling from heavy-tailed distributions always gives rise to a paradox in the mean, but not the median. We propose a strong form of network paradoxes, based on utilizing the median, and validate it empirically using data from two online social networks. Specifically, we show that for any user the majority of user’s friends and followers have more friends, followers, etc. than the user, and that this cannot be explained by statistical properties of sampling. Next, we explore the behavioral origins of the paradoxes by using the shuffle test to remove correlations between node degrees and attributes. We find that paradoxes for the mean persist in the shuffled network, but not for the median. We demonstrate that strong paradoxes arise due to the assortativity of user attributes, including degree, and correlation between degree and attribute.
The role of hidden-color components in the tetraquark mixing model

Multiquarks can have two-hadron components and hidden-color components in their wave functions. The presence of two-hadron components in multiquarks introduces a potential source of confusion, particularly with respect to their resemblance to hadronic molecules. On the other hand, hidden-color components are essential for distinguishing between multiquarks and hadronic molecules. In this work, we study the hidden-color components in the wave functions of the tetraquark mixing model, a model that has been proposed as a suitable framework for describing the properties of two nonets in the $J^P=0^+$ channel: the light nonet [$a_0 (980)$, $K_0^* (700)$, $f_0 (500)$, $f_0 (980)$] and the heavy nonet [$a_0 (1450)$, $K_0^* (1430)$, $f_0 (1370)$, $f_0 (1500)$]. Our analysis reveals a substantial presence of hidden-color components within the tetraquark wave functions. To elucidate the impact of hidden-color components on physical quantities, we conduct computations of the hyperfine masses, $\langle V_{CS}\rangle$, for the two nonets, considering scenarios involving only the two-meson components and those incorporating the hidden-color components. We demonstrate that the hidden-color components constitute an important part of the hyperfine masses, such that the mass difference formula, $\Delta M\approx \Delta \langle V_{CS}\rangle$, which has been successful for the two nonets, cannot be achieved without the hidden-color contributions. This can provide another evidence supporting the tetraquark nature of the two nonets.
Illicit Drug Use From Adolescence to Young Adulthood Among Child Welfare-Involved Youths

This study examined illicit substance use among 1,004 adolescents, ages 11–21, involved with the Child Welfare System (CWS) and followed from 1999 to 2007. By the time they reached transition age, more than 60% of the sample had used an illicit substance in their lifetime. Predictors of regular use during adolescence were having a prior CWS report, externalizing behavior problems, delinquency, and any sexual experience. Exposure to physical abuse was predictive of escalating substance use trajectories. Protective factors included having a child at any point during the study, parental monitoring, and being placed in kinship care.
Diffusion abnormalities in the primary sensorimotor pathways in writer's cramp.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there are diffusion abnormalities along the fibers connecting sensorimotor regions, including the primary sensorimotor areas and the striatum, in patients with writer's cramp using voxel-based diffusion analysis and fiber tracking. Recent studies have shown structural changes in these regions in writer's cramp. DESIGN Patient and control group comparison. SETTING Referral center for movement disorders. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-six right-handed patients with writer's cramp and 26 right-handed healthy control subjects matched for sex and age. INTERVENTIONS Clinical motor evaluations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Fractional anisotropy changes and results of fiber tracking in writer's cramp. RESULTS Diffusion-tensor imaging revealed increased fractional anisotropy bilaterally in the white matter of the posterior limb of the internal capsule and adjacent structures in the patients with writer's cramp. Fiber tracking demonstrated that fractional anisotropy changes involve fiber tracts connecting the primary sensorimotor areas with subcortical structures. CONCLUSIONS Diffusion abnormalities are present in fiber tracts connecting the primary sensorimotor areas with subcortical structures in writer's cramp. These abnormalities strengthen the role of the corticosubcortical pathways in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of writer's cramp.
Partial alignment between jets and megamasers: coherent or selective accretion?

Spins play a crucial role in the appearance, evolution and occupation fraction of massive black holes. To date observational estimates of massive black hole spins are scarce, and the assumptions commonly made in such estimates have been recently questioned. Similarly, theoretical models for massive black hole spin evolution, while reproducing the few observational constraints, are based on possibly oversimplified assumptions. New independent constraints on massive black hole spins are therefore of primary importance. We present a rigorous statistical analysis of the relative orientation of radio jets and mega-maser discs in ten low-redshift galaxies. We find a strong preference for (partial) alignment between jets and mega-masers, that can be attributed to two different causes:"coherent"and"selective"accretion. In the first case the partial alignment is due to an anisotropy in the gas reservoir fueling the growth of MBHs. In the second case the spin-dependent anisotropic feedback allows for long-lived accretion only if the orbits of the gas inflows are almost aligned to the MBH equatorial plane. A discussion of the implications of the two accretion scenarios on the evolution of MBHs is presented, together with an outlook on future observational tests aiming at discriminating between the two scenarios and at checking if any of the two apply to different redshifts and black hole mass regimes.