Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in Post-Secondary Persistence, by Gender: A Phenomenological Study of Traditional College Students

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore persistence differences by gender, among traditional-age college students at a private, residential, liberal arts college in a Mid-Atlantic state. The number of students attending college has steadily increased. However, females have increasingly outnumbered males in college enrollment and persistence. This is a growing concern for higher education. The following research questions guided the research: How do traditional-age college seniors describe persistence? How do traditional-age college seniors describe experiences or beliefs that contributed to their persistence? What are the persistence differences, by gender? Twenty females and thirteen males (n=33) participated in the data collection which included focus groups, individual interviews, and follow-up email questions. Each participant also provided basic background information through a data collection instrument. In the data analysis phase, statements were categorized according to the research questions and then coded. The codes were organized them into themes. The most prominent factor that contributed to persistence for both genders was a combination of a goal, a relentless internal drive, and at least one supportive family member. Other factors included supportive faculty and a friend group that espoused similar academic values. Gender differences in the persistence process were unveiled. Females were more likely to initiate asking for help, especially during the vulnerable freshman year. Females also expressed more stress over grades and the college experience, in general. Males expressed more academic regret when reflecting on their freshman priorities. Males were more likely to attribute their persistence to athletic involvement, either on a varsity level or through intramurals.
Neutrophil Dysfunction, Immature Granulocytes, and Cell-free DNA are Early Biomarkers of Sepsis in Burn-injured Patients: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to measure neutrophil function longitudinally following burn injury and to examine the relationship between neutrophil dysfunction and sepsis. Background: Sepsis prevalence and its associated mortality is high following burn injury, and sepsis diagnosis is complicated by the ongoing inflammatory response. Previous studies have suggested that neutrophil dysfunction may underlie high infection rates and sepsis postburn; however, neutrophil dysfunction has not been thoroughly characterized over time in burns patients. Methods: Neutrophil phagocytosis, oxidative burst capacity, and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) generation (NETosis) were measured from 1 day to up to 1 year postburn injury in 63 patients with major burns (≥15% total body surface area). In addition, immature granulocyte (IG) count, plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and plasma citrullinated histone H3 (Cit H3) levels were measured. Results: Neutrophil function was reduced for 28 days postburn injury and to a greater degree in patients who developed sepsis, which was also characterized by elevated IG counts. Plasma cfDNA and Cit-H3, a specific marker of NETosis, were elevated during septic episodes. The combination of neutrophil phagocytic capacity, plasma cfDNA levels, and IG count at day 1 postinjury gave good discriminatory power for the identification of septic patients. Conclusion: Neutrophil function, IG count, and plasma cfDNA levels show potential as biomarkers for the prediction/early diagnosis of sepsis postburn injury and neutrophil dysfunction may actively contribute to the development of sepsis. Targeting neutrophil dysfunction and IG release may be a viable therapeutic intervention to help reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections and sepsis postburn.
Localization of N‐acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPE‐PLD) expression in mouse brain: A new perspective on N‐acylethanolamines as neural signaling molecules

N‐acylethanolamines (NAEs) are membrane‐derived lipids that are utilized as signaling molecules in the nervous system (e.g., the endocannabinoid anandamide). An N‐acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPE‐PLD) that catalyzes formation of NAEs was recently identified as a member of the zinc metallohydrolase family of enzymes. NAPE‐PLD−/− mice have greatly reduced brain levels of long‐chain saturated NAEs but wild‐type levels of polyunsaturated NAEs (e.g., anandamide), suggesting an important role for NAPE‐PLD in the biosynthesis of at least a subset of endogenous NAEs in the mammalian nervous system. To provide a neuroanatomical basis for investigation of NAPE‐PLD function, here we have analyzed expression of NAPE‐PLD in the mouse brain using mRNA in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. NAPE‐PLD−/− mice were utilized to establish the specificity of probes/antibodies used. The most striking feature of NAPE‐PLD expression in the brain was in the dentate gyrus, where a strong mRNA signal was detected in granule cells. Accordingly, immunocytochemical analysis revealed intense NAPE‐PLD immunoreactivity in the axons of granule cells (mossy fibers). Intense NAPE‐PLD immunoreactivity was also detected in axons of the vomeronasal nerve that project to the accessory olfactory bulb. NAPE‐PLD expression was detected in other brain regions (e.g., hippocampus, cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus), but the intensity of immunostaining was weaker than in mossy fibers. Collectively, the data obtained indicate that NAPE‐PLD is expressed by specific populations of neurons in the brain and targeted to axonal processes. We suggest that NAEs generated by NAPE‐PLD in axons may act as anterograde synaptic signaling molecules that regulate the activity of postsynaptic neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 506:604–615, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing Cultural Receptivity in Fostering: Scale Development and Validation

Despite the fact that receptivity to children's cultures seems to be a useful concept for foster care, the literature includes no conceptual or empirical references to the issue and to my knowledge, no measure of cultural receptivity has existed heretofore. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to test the psychometric properties of the Cultural Receptivity in Fostering Scale (CRFS) (developed by the author) that assesses foster parents' levels of cultural receptivity.
Careful, not fearful: A mixed methods study to investigate fall-risk appraisal and fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults

ii Acknowledgements iii List of Tables vi List of Figure viii List of Appendices ix Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Fear and Fear of Falling 2 Methods of Measurement of Fear of Falling 3 Falls and the Consequences of Fear and Falls 6 Statement of the Problem 9 Research Objective 10 Chapter 2: Literature Review 12 Introduction 12 Factors Associated with Falls 12 Fear of Falling and Associated Avoidance of Activity 16 Interpretations of Fear and Fear of Falling 20 Self-efficacy 25 The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) Model 28 Appraisal of Risk 31 Study Objectives 34 Chapter 3: Methods 36 Epistemological Assumptions 36 Research Design 36 Participants 38 Procedures 38 Data Analysis 45 Research Question 1: Is fall-related fall-risk appraisal general or situation specific? 48 Research Question 2: Are older adults’ fall-risk appraisals and balance confidence judgements accurate? 49 Chapter 4: Results 51 Descriptive Results 51 Research Question 1: Is fall-related fall-risk appraisal general or situation specific? 53 Absolute risk judgement. 53 Balance confidence 54 Fear of falling. 57 Research Question 2: Are older adults’ fall-risk appraisals and balance confidence judgements accurate? 60 Hazards identified. 60 Relative risk judgement. 62 Absolute risk judgement. 65 Balance confidence 67 Chapter 5: Discussion 70 Significance of Study 70 Research Question 1: Is fall-related risk appraisal general or situation specific? 70
On Non-Stationary Urban Macrocell Channels in a Cooperative Downlink Beamforming Scenario

A common simplification in the treatment of random linear channels is the assumption of stationarity of the channel in time. The wireless channel is, however, known to be inherently non-stationary. We detail a methodology for non-stationarity analysis from an algorithmic perspective. For the determination of local quasi-stationarity regions, we consider a multi-link downlink scenario where multiple base stations use transmit beamforming to concurrently transmit to a single mobile terminal per time slot. We obtain an algorithm-specific measure, i.e., the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) degradation, with which we evaluate local quasi-stationarity regions. Furthermore, we relate and compare the SINR degradation to the correlation matrix distance (CMD). In an urban macrocell scenario relevant to 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), we find that the resulting local quasi-stationarity distances show the same trends, but that the CMD overestimates the average distances for our system model.
Preparation and Microstructural, Structural, Optical and Electro-Optical Properties of La Doped Pmn-Pt Transparent Ceramics

Transparent relaxor ferroelectric ceramics of the system lanthanum modified lead magnesium niobate have been investigated for a variety of electro-optic properties could make these materials alternatives to (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3. However, a study that relates the properties in function stoichiometric formula, it has not been analyzed heretofore. Therefore, in this work the effect of A-site substitution of La+3 in the characterization microstructural, structural, optical and electro-optical on (1-x)[Pb(1-3/2y)Lay(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]-xPbTiO3 and (1-z)[(1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3+xPbTiO3]+zLa2O3 has been performed. It was observed that the properties according to the stoichiometric formula and the PT had a maximum whose behavior was related to the addition of lanthanum in each stoichiometries.
Learning by stimulation avoidance: A principle to control spiking neural networks dynamics

Learning based on networks of real neurons, and learning based on biologically inspired models of neural networks, have yet to find general learning rules leading to widespread applications. In this paper, we argue for the existence of a principle allowing to steer the dynamics of a biologically inspired neural network. Using carefully timed external stimulation, the network can be driven towards a desired dynamical state. We term this principle “Learning by Stimulation Avoidance” (LSA). We demonstrate through simulation that the minimal sufficient conditions leading to LSA in artificial networks are also sufficient to reproduce learning results similar to those obtained in biological neurons by Shahaf and Marom, and in addition explains synaptic pruning. We examined the underlying mechanism by simulating a small network of 3 neurons, then scaled it up to a hundred neurons. We show that LSA has a higher explanatory power than existing hypotheses about the response of biological neural networks to external simulation, and can be used as a learning rule for an embodied application: learning of wall avoidance by a simulated robot. In other works, reinforcement learning with spiking networks can be obtained through global reward signals akin simulating the dopamine system; we believe that this is the first project demonstrating sensory-motor learning with random spiking networks through Hebbian learning relying on environmental conditions without a separate reward system.
ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIFUNGAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA NEES. LEAVES

Andrographis paniculata Nees. is an important medicinal plant in India which is used in traditional medicine. Although, its antibacterial property has been shown by some researchers, there are very few studies showing its antioxidant activity and there are no reports of its antifungal activity against dermatophytes. So, in this study we evaluate the antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of A. paniculata leaves in different solvent extracts. A. paniculata leaves were extracted with chloroform, hexane, methanol, ethanol and water separately and phenol and flavonoid contents were estimated in these extracts. The antibacterial and antifungal activity studies were carried out by using disc diffusion method and mycelial dry weight method respectively. Ferrous reducing antioxidant power assay, 1, 1diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity and superoxide scavenging activity were used for in vitro antioxidant activity studies. A. panicualta ethanol leaf extract showed the highest phenol and flavonoid contents of 64.82 mg/g and 0.87 mg/g respectively. The highest antibacterial activity was recorded in the ethanol extract with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of 0.75 mg/ml for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 1.0 mg/ml for Staphylococcus aureus. MIC values of 1.75 mg/ml and 3.0 mg/ml were recorded for Epidermophyton floccosum and Trichophyton rubrum in ethanol extract. Antioxidant activity was more in ethanol extract, which showed Inhibitory Concentration (IC50) values of 0.5 mg/ml, 0.1 mg/ml and 0.9 mg/ml for DPPH scavenging activity, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity and superoxide scavenging activity respectively. The result indicates that ethanolic leaf extract of A. paniculata shows potent antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities.
Promoting teacher self-assessment through video-recording (with a questionnaire study on Turkish university teachers)

The need for continuous monitoring and reviewing of the learners and learning activities in class entails the need for teacherassessment. Teacher assessment is necessary for the betterment of teaching practice and brings critical self-inquiry which supportsfuture evaluations and assessments. School administrations also mandate teacher assessment in order to observe improvements inpractice. Video-recording, as part of reflective teaching, has positively influenced the professional development efforts for teachers sincethe time it was started to be used. Among a variety of methods for teacher assessment, video-recording is accepted to be an innovative,effectiveandobjectivity-driven tool.Besides,video-recording hasmade theevaluationself-orientedratherthanageneralevaluationdone by students, colleagues or school administration.This paper describes the use of video-recording for teacher self-assessment and its superiority to other methods with a questionnairestudyon Turkishuniversity teachers throughwhich it was aimed toshow the inclination towardsthe method ofvideorecording.
C1x6: a stereoscopic six-user display for co-located collaboration in shared virtual environments

Stereoscopic multi-user systems provide multiple users with individual views of a virtual environment. We developed a new projection-based stereoscopic display for six users, which employs six customized DLP projectors for fast time-sequential image display in combination with polarization. Our intelligent high-speed shutter glasses can be programmed from the application to adapt to the situation. For instance, it does this by staying open if users do not look at the projection screen or switch to a VIP high brightness mode if less than six users use the system. Each user is tracked and can move freely in front of the display while perceiving perspectively correct views of the virtual environment. Navigating a group of six users through a virtual world leads to situations in which the group will not fit through spatial constrictions. Our augmented group navigation techniques ameliorate this situation by fading out obstacles or by slightly redirecting individual users along a collision-free path. While redirection goes mostly unnoticed, both techniques temporarily give up the notion of a consistent shared space. Our user study confirms that users generally prefer this trade-off over naïve approaches.
Self-Serving Cheap Talk: A Test Of Aumann's Conjecture

Abstract The effectiveness of pre-play communication in achieving efficient outcomes has long been a subject of controversy. Aumann conjectures that, in a variant of the Stag Hunt game, “an agreement to play [the efficient outcome] conveys no information about what the players will do” and thus should not affect behavior. Farrell and Rabin suspect that cheap talk will achieve efficiency. Results show impressive coordination when the sender first chooses a signal and then an action. Without communication, efforts to achieve efficiency are largely unsuccessful. As Farrell suggests, reversing the order of the action and signal appears to change players' behavior. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: A13, C72, C91, D82, D84.
Lest we remember: cold-boot attacks on encryption keys

Contrary to widespread assumption, dynamic RAM (DRAM), the main memory in most modern computers, retains its contents for several seconds after power is lost, even at room temperature and even if removed from a motherboard. Although DRAM becomes less reliable when it is not refreshed, it is not immediately erased, and its contents persist sufficiently for malicious (or forensic) acquisition of usable full-system memory images. We show that this phenomenon limits the ability of an operating system to protect cryptographic key material from an attacker with physical access to a machine. It poses a particular threat to laptop users who rely on disk encryption: we demonstrate that it could be used to compromise several popular disk encryption products without the need for any special devices or materials. We experimentally characterize the extent and predictability of memory retention and report that remanence times can be increased dramatically with simple cooling techniques. We offer new algorithms for finding cryptographic keys in memory images and for correcting errors caused by bit decay. Though we discuss several strategies for mitigating these risks, we know of no simple remedy that would eliminate them.
Young Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in IC 348

I present new results from a continuing program to identify and characterize the low-mass stellar and substellar populations in the young cluster IC 348 (0.5-10 Myr). Optical spectroscopy has revealed young objects with spectral types as late as M8.25. The intrinsic J-H and H-K colors of these sources are dwarflike, whereas the R-I and I-J colors appear intermediate between the colors of dwarfs and giants. Furthermore, the spectra from 6500 to 9500 Å are reproduced well with averages of standard dwarf and giant spectra, suggesting that such averages should be used in the classification of young late-type sources. An H-R diagram is constructed for the low-mass population in IC 348 (K6-M8). The presumably coeval components of the young quadruple system GG Tau (White et al.) and the locus of stars in IC 348 are used as empirical isochrones to test the theoretical evolutionary models. The calculations of Burrows et al. do not appear to be consistent with the data at these earliest stages of stellar evolution. There is fair agreement between the data and the model isochrones of D'Antona & Mazzitelli, except near the hydrogen-burning limit. The agreement cannot be improved by changing the conversion between spectral types and effective temperatures. On the other hand, for the models of Baraffe et al., an adjustment of the temperature scale to progressively warmer temperatures at later M types, intermediate between dwarfs and giants, brings all components of GG Tau onto the same model isochrone and gives the population of IC 348 a constant age and age spread as a function of mass. When other observational constraints are considered, such as the dynamical masses of GM Aur, DM Tau, and GG Tau A, the models of Baraffe et al. are the most consistent with observations of young systems. With compatible temperature scales, the models of both D'Antona & Mazzitelli and Baraffe et al. suggest that the hydrogen-burning mass limit occurs near M6 at ages of ≲10 Myr. Thus, several likely brown dwarfs are discovered in this study of IC 348, with masses down to ~20-30 MJ.
From Damsels in Distress to Sexy Superheroes

Video games are an important form of media that have the potential to impact gender role attitudes. Sexist portrayals of characters may affect gender behaviors and attitudes. As such, it is important to discover how characters, particularly females, are portrayed in video games. The current study examined video game magazines analyzing the portrayal of female video game characters and how this portrayal has changed in the last twenty years. Results indicate a growing trend toward a decreased benevolent sexism portrayal and an increase in a hostile sexism portrayal over time.
Nottingham knee osteoarthritis risk prediction models

Objectives (1) To develop risk prediction models for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and (2) to estimate the risk reduction that results from modification of potential risk factors. Method This was a 12-year retrospective cohort study undertaken in the general population in Nottingham, UK. Baseline risk factors were collected by questionnaire. Incident radiographic knee OA was defined by Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) score ≥2. Incident symptomatic knee OA was defined by KL ≥2 plus knee pain. Progression of knee OA was defined by KL ≥1 grade increase from baseline. A logistic regression model was used for prediction. Calibration and discrimination of the models were tested in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) population and Genetics of Osteoarthritis and Lifestyle (GOAL) population. ORs of the models were compared with those obtained from meta-analysis of existing literature. Results From a community sample of 424 people aged over 40, 3 risk prediction models were developed. These included incidence of radiographic knee OA, incidence of symptomatic knee OA and progression of knee OA. All models had good calibration and moderate discrimination power in OAI and GOAL. The ORs lied within the 95% CIs of the published studies. The risk reduction due to modifying obesity at the individual and the population levels were demonstrated. Conclusions Risk prediction of knee OA based on the well established, common modifiable risk factors has been established. The models may be used to predict the risk of knee OA, and risk reduction due to preventing a specific risk factor.
Prevalence of abnormal iron studies in heterozygotes for hereditary hemochromatosis: An analysis of 255 heterozygotes

Iron studies were compared in 434 patients from 80 hemochromatosis families classified as putative homozygotes, heterozygotes, and normal by HLA typing. There were 28 of 255 (11%) heterozygotes with an elevated serum ferritin and 22 of 255 (8.6%) with an elevated transferrin saturation. Serum ferritin (140 ± 10.2 μg/liter; mean ± standard error) was greater in heterozygotes than in normal subjects (87 ± 8.5 μg/liter; P < .05, Mann Whitney test). Transferrin saturation was greater in heterozygotes (38% ± 0.88%) than in normal patients (29% ± 1.1%; P < .0001). Mean hepatic iron concentration was 54 ± 6 μmol/g (n = 17), and the hepatic iron index was <2 in these patients. Most heterozygotes for hemochromatosis have a normal serum ferritin and transferrin saturation. Heterorygotes with minor elevations in serum ferritin or transferrin saturation do not have significant iron overload as assessed by hepatic iron concentration. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.