Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wolof "Magical Thinking"

This paper examines the study of conservation among the Wolof of Senegal as illustrative of methodological problems in cross-cultural Piagetian research. Experiments carried out by Greenfield are compared with more recent investigations conducted in the same area of Senegal. The results suggest that cultural conventions governing the organization of talk are more likely to explain the responses of unschooled Wolof than is "magical thinking. "
Relationship Of Grit, Volition, And Mindset To Undergraduate Student Persistence Of Nontraditional Students

This study examines the relationship of the noncognitive, dispositional characteristics of grit, volition, and mindset to student persistence in undergraduate degree programs by students considered nontraditional and at-risk at three campuses of a for-profit university in New England. Nontraditional students are faced with barriers to success in education. Despite these barriers, some students persist through to program completion. Researchers have indicated the characteristics of grit, volition, and mindset are related to success in education, however these characteristics have not been studied among a nontraditional and at-risk student population. This study measured the characteristics of grit, volition, and mindset in students at three points of program persistence: beginning, middle, and end; and compared the degrees of each characteristic at each point of program persistence. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA models were used to examine and compare the three noncognitive, dispositional characteristics in each student group. The results indicated the non-traditional and at-risk population exhibited each of the three characteristics throughout enrollment. Non-cognitive, dispositional characteristics of grit, volition and a positive growth mindset play a role in student success, but may not change over time.
Comparison of health-related quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with catheter ablation or antiarrhythmic drug therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia and causes patients considerable burden; symptoms such as palpitations and dyspnoea are common, leading to frequent emergency room visits. Patients with AF report reduced health-related quality of life (HQOL) compared with the general population; thus, treatments focus on the restoration of sinus rhythm to improve symptoms. Catheter ablation (CA) is a primary treatment strategy to treat AF-related burden in select patient populations; however, repeat procedures are often needed, there is a risk of major complications and the procedure is quite costly in comparison to medical therapy. As the outcomes after CA are mixed, an updated review that synthesises the available literature, on outcomes that matter to patients, is needed so that patients and their healthcare providers can make quality treatment decisions. The purpose of this review protocol is to extend previous findings by systematically analysing randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of CA in patients with AF and using meta-analytic techniques to identify the benefits and risks of CA with respect to HQOL and AF-related symptoms. Methods and analysis We will include all RCTs that compare CA with antiarrhythmic drugs, or radiofrequency CA with cryoballoon CA, in patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF. To locate studies we will perform comprehensive electronic database searches from database inception to 4 April 2017, with no language restrictions. We will conduct a quantitative synthesis of the effect of CA on HQOL as well as AF-related symptoms and the number of CA procedures needed for success, using meta-analytic techniques. Ethics and dissemination No ethical issues are foreseen and ethical approval is not required given that this is a protocol. The findings of the study will be reported at national and international conferences, and in a peer-reviewed journal using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Trial registration number In accordance with the guidelines, our systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 6 March 2017 and was last updated on 6 March 2017 (registration number CRD42017057427). Protocol amendments Any protocol amendments will be documented on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) and in the final manuscript and indicated as such.
The Impact of Integration Strategies on Food Business Firm Value

The objective of this study is to analyze whether a discount or premium exists for coordination strategies in food processing, wholesale grocery, retail supermarkets, and restaurants. Significant premiums are found for food processor and restaurant vertical integration or diversification strategies. Significant discounts are found for food wholesaler and retail supermarket integration or diversification strategies. Food processors are found to be integrating toward retail supermarkets during this time period.
Visual Psychophysics and Physiological Optics Rapid and Reliable Assessment of the Contrast Sensitivity Function on an iPad

Citation: Dorr M, Lesmes LA, Lu Z-L, Bex PJ. Rapid and reliable assessment of the contrast sensitivity function on an iPad. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54:7266–7273. DOI:10.1167/ iovs.13-11743 PURPOSE. Letter acuity, the predominant clinical assessment of vision, is relatively insensitive to slow vision loss caused by eye disease. While the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) has demonstrated the potential to monitor the slow progress of blinding eye diseases, current tests of CSF lack the reliability or ease-of-use to capture changes in vision timely.
Condition Assessment of Buried Pipes Using Hierarchical Evidential Reasoning Model

Effective inspection and monitoring practices for the condition assessment of pipes ensure better decision(s) for repair or replacement before they fail. Pipe deterioration is a physical manifestation of the aging process in which many factors can contribute to structural failure. Various technologies/ techniques have been developed during the last few years to inspect/monitor piping systems, but how to intelligently interpret the collected data remains a challenge. In this paper, a new approach based on hierarchical evidential reasoning is proposed. This approach uses Dempster – Shafer (D-S) theory to make inferences for condition assessment of buried pipes. A hierarchical evidential reasoning model can help combine different distress indicators (bodies of evidence) at different hierarchical levels using D-S rule of combination. The proposed hierarchical evidential reasoning method is demonstrated with an example of condition assessment for a large diameter pipe. Information from multiple sources is fused to obtain a more reliable assessment of pipe deterioration.
Validating a primed identity leads to expectations of group-relevant outcomes / La validación de una identidad previamente primada facilita que se anticipen respuestas de discriminación

Abstract We argue that a person’s identity can be changed by seemingly irrelevant primes to the point where one expects to be treated as a member of an activated social group. We further argue that primes should only influence the self to the extent that they are seen as valid. We experimentally manipulated conditions that foster perceptions of prime validity using a head movement induction. Previous research has linked head nodding to higher levels of confidence than head shaking. Participants primed with the African American stereotype (versus control) expected more future discrimination, but only if they were nodding their heads. Results are discussed with respect to research on priming and validation processes.
Guest Editorial: The Space—Times of Decision Making

By way of an extended introduction to a theme issue on the space–times of decision making, this paper pursues two objectives. We first review some of the ways in which geographers—and especially economic geographers—have examined decision making over the past decades, showing that previous engagements with the decision are informed primarily by thinking from economics, psychology, and certain strands of sociology. Drawing on a wider range of intellectual resources, we then outline eight propositions that might guide future research by geographers and others into the space–times of decision making. These propositions help us to move beyond the idea that the decision is a singular moment abstracted from the context within which it takes place and undertaken by a discrete actor or set of actors. Instead the decision is understood as a differentiated, affectively registered, transformative, and ongoing actualisation of potential against a horizon of undecidability in which past, present, and future fold together in complex ways. A number of research questions follow from the outlined propositions: these pertain to the sites and techniques of decision making, its relationships to the governing of life, and our own decision-making practices as academics.
Effects of Allopurinol and Deferoxamine on Reperfusion Injury of the Brain in Newborn Piglets after Neonatal Hypoxia-Ischemia

The hypothesis was tested that treatment with allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, or deferoxamine, a chelator of nonprotein-bound iron, preserved cerebral energy metabolism, attenuated development of edema, and improved histologic outcome in the newborn piglet at 24 h after hypoxia-ischemia. Thirty-two newborn piglets were subjected to 1 h of hypoxia-ischemia by occluding both carotid arteries and reducing the fraction of inspired oxygen; five newborn piglets served as sham-operated controls. The depth of hypoxia-ischemia was controlled by phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Upon reperfusion and reoxygenation, piglets received vehicle (n = 12), allopurinol (30 mg/kg/d, n = 10), or deferoxamine (12.5 mg/kg/d, n = 10). The cerebral energy status was determined with phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The presence of vasogenic edema was assessed by T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Brain cell injury was assessed with caspase-3 activity, histology, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin in situ nick end (TUNEL)-labeling. At 24 h after hypoxia-ischemia, the phosphocreatine/inorganic phosphate ratios were significantly decreased in vehicle-treated, but not in allopurinol- or deferoxamine-treated piglets. Water T2 values were significantly increased at 24 h after hypoxia-ischemia in cerebral cortex, thalamus, and striatum of vehicle-treated piglets, but not in allopurinol- and deferoxamine-treated piglets. No differences in caspase-3 activity, histologic outcome, or TUNEL-labeling were demonstrated between the three treatment groups. We suggest that allopurinol and deferoxamine may have an additional value in the treatment of perinatal hypoxia-ischemia with other neuroprotective agents or in combination with hypothermia.
Antiulcer and Antioxidant Activity of Asparagus racemosus WILLD and Withania somnifera DUNAL in Rats

Comparative study of the antiulcer and antisecretory activity of Asparagus racemosus Willd (Shatawari) and Withania somnifera Dunal (Ashwagandha) root extract with a standard drug, ranitidine, in various models of gastric ulcer in rats is presented. Ulcer was induced by the indomethacin (NSAID) and swim (restraint) stress treatment. Results demonstrated that A. racemosus as well as W. somnifera methanolic extract (100 mg/kg BW/day p.o.) given orally for 15 days significantly reduced the ulcer index, volume of gastric secretion, free acidity, and total acidity. A significant increase in the total carbohydrate and total carbohydrate/protein ratio was also observed. Study also indicated an increase in antioxidant defense, that is, enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbic acid, increased significantly, whereas a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation was observed. A. racemosus was more effective in reducing gastric ulcer in indomethacin‐treated gastric ulcerative rats, whereas W. somnifera was effective in stress‐induced gastric ulcer. Results obtained for both herbal drugs were comparable to those of the standard drug ranitidine.
Preceptorship and Affirmation in the Intergenerational World of Nursing Practice

Research has shown that while preceptorship offers a reality-oriented learning environment and facilitates competence of students, there are inherent rewards and stressors associated with the experience. Students and preceptors can be from different generations, and as such, they may often come to the learning space with differing values and expectations. The nature of the preceptorship experience in this intergenerational context was explored in a recent phenomenological study with seven preceptors and seven nursing students in an undergraduate nursing program in Eastern Canada. Overall the experience was found to be inclusive of three main themes: being affirmed, being challenged, and being on a pedagogical journey. In this paper we explore the first of these themes, being affirmed. Highlighting the positive aspects of the preceptorship experience in the intergenerational context is necessary to promote a culture of openness and respect for generational differences within clinical nursing practice settings and to improving the overall quality of the educational experience.
Understanding Authority in Classrooms: A Review of Theory, Ideology, and Research

Authority is a fundamental, problematic, and poorly understood component of classroom life. A better understanding of classroom authority can be achieved by reviewing writings on social theory, educational ideology, and qualitative research in schools. Social theories provide important analytical tools for examining the constitutive elements of authority but fall short of explaining its variability and contextual influences. Discussion of educational ideologies offers insights into the debates, historical contexts, and policy and reform agendas that shape the politics of authority while neglecting empirical realities. Qualitative studies present empirical data and analyses on the challenges intrinsic to classroom relations, but, exceptions aside, they often lack explicit attention to authority. More research focused on classroom authority as a social construction is needed to address critical educational concerns for contemporary practitioners, policy makers, and researchers.
A Career with a View: Agentic Perspectives of Women Faculty

This study examined how women faculty in one research university enacted agency via perspectives that facilitated their career advancement amidst gendered organizational practices. Archer's (2003) critical realist theory of agency and inner conversations and Acker's (2006) work on gendered organizations guided analysis. Four perspectives adopted by women associate and full professors to achieve their goals are described and analyzed. These four perspectives contributed toward agentic actions, as well as women's satisfaction and well-being. The strengths and the limitations of supporting agentic perspectives as a way to advance gender equity and organizational change are presented.
A Time-Varying Eigenspectrum/SVM Method for Semg Classification of Reaching Movements in Healthy and Stroke Subjects

A method for classification of sEMG recordings based on the time-varying covariance patterns between sEMG muscle channels is proposed. The proposed eigenspectral feature vector appears to enhance classification of sEMG patterns with an SVM classifier. The method is shown to be more reliable, robust and enhances classification between stroke and normal subjects, compared to standard analysis methods that examine each muscle individually. This simple, easily-implemented, biologically-inspired approach appears to be a promising means to monitor motor performance in healthy and disease subjects
Embodying the Public Sphere: Censorship and the Reading Subject in Beaumarchais's Mariage de Figaro

ON 27 APRIL 1784, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL play of eighteenthcentury France opened at the Comedie-Francaise: Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais's Marlage de Figaro. Although the play had been accepted for performance by the theater's actors nearly three years earlier (September 1781), only after reports by six official censors, interdiction, a vigorous campaign of letters and readings by Beaumarchais, and finally approval by Louis XVI, could it at last be staged publicly. Friedrich Melchior Grimm's cejebrated description of opening night, in the Correspondance litte'raire, captures the public's enthusiasm for this controversial play:
Strongly reduced volumes of putamen and thalamus in Alzheimer's disease: an MRI study

Atrophy is regarded a sensitive marker of neurodegenerative pathology. In addition to confirming the well-known presence of decreased global grey matter and hippocampal volumes in Alzheimer's disease, this study investigated whether deep grey matter structure also suffer degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, and whether such degeneration is associated with cognitive deterioration. In this cross-sectional correlation study, two groups were compared on volumes of seven subcortical regions: 70 memory complainers (MCs) and 69 subjects diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease. Using 3T 3D T1 MR images, volumes of nucleus accumbens, amygdala, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, pallidum, putamen and thalamus were automatically calculated by the FMRIB's Integrated Registration and Segmentation Tool (FIRST)—algorithm FMRIB's Software Library (FSL). Subsequently, the volumes of the different regions were correlated with cognitive test results. In addition to finding the expected association between hippocampal atrophy and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, volumes of putamen and thalamus were significantly reduced in patients diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease. We also found that the decrease in volume correlated linearly with impaired global cognitive performance. These findings strongly suggest that, beside neo-cortical atrophy, deep grey matter structures in Alzheimer's disease suffer atrophy as well and that degenerative processes in the putamen and thalamus, like the hippocampus, may contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.
Is Genetic Background Important in Lung Cancer Survival?

Background In lung cancer, a patient's survival is poor with a wide variation in survival within the stage of disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the familial concordance in lung cancer survival by means of analyses of pairs with different degrees of familial relationships. Methods Our population-based Swedish family database included three million families and over 58 100 lung cancer patients. We modelled the proband (parent, sibling, spouse) survival utilizing a multivariate proportional hazard (Cox) model adjusting for possible confounders of survival. Subsequently, the survival in proband's relative (child, sibling, spouse) was analysed with a Cox model. Findings By use of Cox modelling with 5 years follow-up, we noted a decreased hazard ratio for death in children with good parental survival (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.51 to 0.99), compared to those with poor parental survival. Also for siblings, a very strong protective effect was seen (HR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.030 to 0.65). Finally, in spouses no correlation in survival was found. Interpretation Our findings suggest that genetic factors are important in lung cancer survival. In a clinical setting, information on prognosis in a relative may be vital in foreseeing the survival in an individual newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Future molecular studies enhancing the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and pathways are needed.
Surgery in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background and Aims: The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide, and most of the cases are type 2 diabetes mellitus. The relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity is well established, and surgical treatment is widely used for obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim was to present current knowledge about the possible mechanisms responsible for glucose control after surgical procedures and to review the surgical treatment results. Material and Methods: Medical literature was searched for the articles presenting the impact of surgical treatment on glycemic control, long-term results, and possible mechanisms of action among obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results: Remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus after bariatric surgery depends on the definition of the remission used. Complete remission rate after surgery with the new criteria is lower than was considered before. Randomized controlled studies demonstrate that surgery is superior to best medical treatment for the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The recurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus after bariatric surgery is observed in up to 40% of cases with ≥5 years of follow-up. Despite the recurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in this group, better glycemic control and lower risk of macrovascular complications are present. Incretin effects on glycemic control after bariatric surgery are well described, but the role of other possible mechanisms (bile acids, microbiota, intestinal gluconeogenesis) in humans is unclear. Conclusion: Surgery is an effective treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in obese patients. The most optimal surgical procedure for the treatment of obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is still to be established. More research is needed to explore the mechanisms of glycemic control after bariatric surgery.
Value of radiological diagnosis of skull fracture in the management of mild head injury: meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES Head injury is a common event. Most patients sustain a mild head injury (MHI), and management depends on the risk of an intracranial haemorrhage (ICH). The value of a plain skull radiograph as a screening tool for ICH is controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to estimate and explain differences in reported sensitivity and specificity of the finding of a skull fracture for the diagnosis of ICH, in order to assess the value of the plain skull radiograph in the investigation of patients with MHI, and to estimate the prevalence of ICH in these patients. METHOD After a systematic literature search 20 studies were selected that reported data on the prevalence of ICH after MHI and/ or data on the diagnostic value of skull fracture for the diagnosis of ICH. The mean prevalence of ICH weighted for the sample size was determined. The sensitivity and specificity of different studies were combined using a summary receiver operator characteristic curve. Correlation analysis was used to determine factors that could explain the reported differences between studies. RESULTS The weighted mean prevalence of ICH after MHI is 0.083. The potential for verification bias and the percentage of patients who had suffered loss of consciousness or post-traumatic amnesia were the most significant factors explaining interstudy differences in sensitivity and specificity. Based on studies wherein at least 50% of patients had a CT study of the brain, the estimated sensitivity of a radiographic finding of skull fracture for the diagnosis of ICH is 0.38 with a corresponding specificity of 0.95. CONCLUSION The plain skull radiograph is of little value in the initial assessment of MHI patients.