Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Black students misbehave more? Investigating the differential involvement hypothesis and out-of-school suspensions

ABSTRACT Black students are much more likely to be disciplined using out-of-school suspensions (OSS) compared with White students. One often-cited hypothesis, though relatively untested, is the role of misconduct and students attitudes that support deviant behavior. The differential involvement hypothesis suggests that disproportionate sanctioning may result if one group of students is engaged in greater levels of misbehavior compared with the other group. Using a national high school dataset, the author used various student-reported measures of misconduct (e.g., fighting) and 18 attitudes supporting deviant behavior (e.g., it is okay to disobey school rules) to investigate their association with receiving an OSS. Findings showed that misconduct and deviant attitudes were important factors in predicting the receipt of OSS though results indicated that Black students did not generally misbehave or endorse deviant attitudes more than White students did.
Acute Psychosocial Stress-Mediated Changes in the Expression and Methylation of Perforin in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Perforin (PRF1) is essential for immune surveillance and studies report decreased perforin in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), an illness potentially associated with stress and/or infection. We hypothesize that stress can influence regulation of PRF1 expression, and that this regulation will differ between CFS and non-fatigued (NF) controls. We used the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) as a standardized acute psychosocial stress, and evaluated its effect on PRF1 expression and methylation in CFS (n = 34) compared with NF (n = 47) participants. During the TSST, natural killer (NK) cells increased significantly in both CFS (P = <0.0001) and NF subjects (P = <0.0001). Unlike previous reports, there was no significant difference in PRF1 expression at baseline or during TSST between CFS and NF. However, whole blood PRF1 expression increased 1.6 fold during the TSST in both CFS (P = 0.0003) and NF (P = <0.0001). Further, the peak response immediately following the TSST was lower in CFS compared with NF (P = 0.04). In addition, at 1.5 hours post TSST, PRF1 expression was elevated in CFS compared with NF (whole blood, P = 0.06; PBMC, P = 0.02). Methylation of seven CpG sites in the methylation sensitive region of the PRF1 promoter ranged from 38%-79% with no significant differences between CFS and NF. Although, the average baseline methylation of all seven CpG sites did not differ between CFS and NF groups, it showed a significant negative correlation with PRF1 expression at all TSST time points in both CFS (r = –0.56, P = <0.0001) and NF (r = –0.38, P = <0.0001). Among participants with high average methylation (≥65%), PRF1 expression was significantly lower in CFS than NF subjects immediately following TSST. These findings suggest methylation could be an important epigenetic determinant of inter-individual differences in PRF1 expression and that the differences in PRF1 expression and methylation between CFS and NF in the acute stress response require further investigation.
Applying moral foundations theory to understanding public views of sexual offending

ABSTRACT Much research has examined the views held by citizens about sexual offenders and related policy responses. Although studies have extensively examined demographic correlates of such views, little attention has been paid to psychological mechanisms that underpin them. Gaining a deeper understanding of such mechanisms may ultimately prove useful for informing communication strategies around the problem of sexual violence. We propose the application of moral foundations theory as a means of exploring the roots of the current punitive consensus around sexual crime policy at the macro level, as well as individual variability in attitudes about sexual violence. Following an overview of the sexual offender policy landscape, and a description of MFT principles, we outline how this framework can help to explain both convergence and divergence in responses to sexual offending among members of the public. We also provide a series of testable hypotheses to stimulate further research in this area.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells infiltrating ovarian cancer are associated with poor prognosis

Using two different and complementary approaches (flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry) on two independent cohorts of ovarian cancer patients, we found that accumulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) in tumors is associated with early relapse. This deleterious effect of tumor-associated pDC was evident when they are present in cancer epithelium but not in lymphoid aggregates.
Real‐time RT‐PCR assays for type and subtype detection of influenza A and B viruses

Influenza viruses type A (H3N2 and H1N1 subtypes) and B are the most prevalently circulating human influenza viruses. However, an increase in several confirmed cases of high pathogenic H5N1 in humans has raised concerns of a potential pandemic underscoring the need for rapid, point of contact detection. In this report, we describe development and evaluation of ‘type,’ i.e., influenza virus A and B, and ‘subtype,’ i.e., H1, H3, and H5, specific, single‐step/reaction vessel format, real‐time RT‐PCR assays using total RNA from archived reference strains, shell‐vial cultured and uncultured primary (throat swab/nasal wash) clinical samples. The type A and B specific assays detected all 16 influenza type A viruses and both currently circulating influenza B lineages (Yamagata and Victoria), respectively. ‘Type’ and ‘subtype’ specific assays utilize one common set of thermocycling conditions, are specific and highly sensitive (detection threshold of approximately 100 target template molecules). All clinical specimens and samples were evaluated using both the unconventional portable Ruggedized Advanced Pathogen Identification Device (RAPID) and standard laboratory bench LightCycler instruments. These potentially field‐deployable assays could offer significant utility for rapid, point of care screening needs arising from a pandemic influenza outbreak.
Strategic Renewal: Past Research, Theoretical Tensions and Future Challenges

Strategic renewal has become a prominent theme in a variety of organization and management research domains in recent years. It refers to the process that allows organizations to alter their path dependence by transforming their strategic intent and capabilities. With contributions from an increasing range of theoretical perspectives and research contexts, the strategic renewal literature has become fragmented and lacks common definitions and conceptual clarity, which prevent cross-fertilization and harm further development. This study systematically reviews the various literature streams on strategic renewal to provide a more integrative perspective. The authors identify three key theoretical tensions at the heart of strategic renewal research, namely learning vs. resource, induced vs. autonomous, and co-alignment vs. co-creation. By exploring these key tensions, the authors define strategic renewal's conceptual core, identify gaps in the past literature, and provide guidance for future research.
Bradykinin Controls Pool Size of Sensory Neurons Expressing Functional δ-Opioid Receptors

Analgesics targeting the δ-opioid receptor (DOR) may lead to fewer side effects than conventional opioid drugs, which mainly act on μ-opioid receptors (MOR), because of the less abundant expression of DOR in the CNS compared with MOR. Analgesic potential of DOR agonists increases after inflammation, an effect that may be mediated by DOR expressed in the peripheral sensory fibers. However, the expression of functional DOR at the plasma membrane of sensory neurons is controversial. Here we have used patch-clamp recordings and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to study the functional expression of DOR in sensory neurons from rat trigeminal (TG) and dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Real-time total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy revealed that treatment of TG and DRG cultures with the inflammatory mediator bradykinin (BK) caused robust trafficking of heterologously expressed GFP-tagged DOR to the plasma membrane. By contrast, treatment of neurons with the DOR agonist [d-Ala2, d-Leu5]-enkephalin (DADLE) caused a decrease in the membrane abundance of DOR, suggesting internalization of the receptor after agonist binding. Patch-clamp experiments revealed that DADLE inhibited voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) in 23% of small-diameter TG neurons. Pretreatment with BK resulted in more than twice as many DADLE responsive neurons (54%) but did not affect the efficacy of VGCC inhibition by DADLE. Our data suggest that inflammatory mediator-induced membrane insertion of DOR into the plasma membrane of peripheral sensory neurons may underlie increased DOR analgesia in inflamed tissue. Furthermore, the majority of BK-responsive TG neurons may have a potential to become responsive to DOR ligands in inflammatory conditions.
Measuring the Internet using public traceroute servers

This paper characterizes the end-to-end routing measurement infrastructure WTracer and discusses the crucial technologies. Although WTracer is a traceroute server based Internet measurement infrastructure, it can be used in many areas, such as measurement and analysis of end-to-end routing behavior of the Internet, the estimation of the global Internet host distances, the measurement of hop count in the Internet, the discovery of Internet topology at both router level and AS level so on.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATION AND WELLBEING: THEORETICAL, EMPIRICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL PERSPECTIVES AND APPLICATIONS

The aim of the project was to identify and commend the individual difference factors that enhance the overall student experience with reference to academic performance and wellbeing. Psychological theories and constructs provided the context for the research including Trait Personality, Social Cognitive Theory, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Intelligence and Optimism. Empirically, the measures selected were established by meta-analyses but innovation was provided by the way the models were configured, as they were set up as distal and proximal predictors of outcomes. Pedagogically, the study identified the non-ability related individual differences that impact adaptively on academic performance and wellbeing, that will assist both tutors and students in supporting learning, enhancing achievement and facilitating an adaptive approach to wellbeing to optimise the whole student experience. This study employed both within and between participants, cross-sectional analysis combined with concurrent and archival longitudinal data, and a quasi experimental study. The research was carried out at LJMU on Psychology students (N=404) from across levels 4 and 5 who took part in the cross-sectional aspect of the study; and a small sub-sample from TAR college (N=32) who took part in the experimental study. Methods included use of validated self-report measures and academic performance indicators. Strategy for analyses included exploring descriptive statistics, testing associations by correlations and developing significant associations into a variety of multivariate methods including multiple regression, ANOVA, path analysis, factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Results were substantive as indicated by effect sizes which explained up to 20% variance on academic performance and up to 47% variance on wellbeing. Outcomes contributing to knowledge include: stability of self-report measures providing normed referencing across cohorts; the identification of distal and proximal predictors that suggest pathways and processes to academic performance and wellbeing; an extensive map is provided for predictive space, outcome space and their links; a combination of academic and wellbeing factors are endorsed within one integrated study; protective factors for students that facilitate retention and adaptation to university life have been identified.
Transcriptome profiling reveals divergent expression shifts in brown and white adipose tissue from long-lived GHRKO mice

Mice lacking the growth hormone receptor (GHRKO) exhibit improved lifespan and healthspan due to loss of growth hormone signaling. Both the distribution and activity of brown and white adipose tissue (BAT and WAT) are altered in GHRKO mice, but the contribution of each tissue to age-related phenotypes has remained unclear. We therefore used whole-genome microarrays to evaluate transcriptional differences in BAT and WAT depots between GHRKO and normal littermates at six months of age. Our findings reveal a unique BAT transcriptome as well as distinctive responses of BAT to Ghr ablation. BAT from GHRKO mice exhibited elevated expression of genes associated with mitochondria and metabolism, along with reduced expression of genes expressed by monocyte-derived cells (dendritic cells [DC] and macrophages). Largely the opposite was observed in WAT, with increased expression of DC-expressed genes and reduced expression of genes associated with metabolism, cellular respiration and the mitochondrial inner envelope. These findings demonstrate divergent response patterns of BAT and WAT to loss of GH signaling in GHRKO mice. These patterns suggest both BAT and WAT contribute in different ways to phenotypes in GHRKO mice, with Ghr ablation blunting inflammation in BAT as well as cellular metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis in WAT.
Closed Curves and Space Curves

So far we have discussed only ‘local’ properties of (plane) curves. These properties depend only on the behavior of a curve near a given point, and not on the ‘global’ shape of the curve. Now let us look at some global results about curves. The most famous, and perhaps the oldest, of these is the ‘isoperimetric inequality’, which relates the length of a certain ‘closed’ curve to the area it contains. Later on, we will discuss space curves with an introduction to the celebrated Frenet formula.
The Relation of Stress and Coping to Psychosocial Outcomes in Pediatric Burn Survivors

The Relation of Stress and Coping to Psychosocial Outcomes in Pediatric Burn Survivors Paul Enlow Stress and coping are important predictor of psychosocial functioning in both healthy and chronically ill populations. However, no studies have investigated the relation of stressors and coping to psychosocial functioning in pediatric burn survivors. Stress consists of major life events (e.g. death of a family member) and daily hassles (e.g. receiving a speeding ticket). Results from previous studies found that stress was related to positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Coping, on the other hand, is a response that aims to combat the stressor and promote positive adjustment. Past studies have shown that the impact of stress may be moderated by constructs such as coping. The inconsistency in findings regarding the relation of stress to psychosocial outcomes, accompanied with the lack of research on pediatric burn survivors, warrant further study of stress and coping in youth with burns. The purpose of this study was to explore how levels of stress and coping are related to psychosocial functioning in pediatric burn survivors. A sample of 40 burn survivors between the ages of 7 and 17 (M age = 12.77; 65% male) and their primary caregivers were recruited from two outpatient burn centers in the United States, a burn registry patient database, and a summer camp for children with burn injuries. Youth and caregivers each completed packets assessing a range of psychosocial and burn injury variables. Hierarchical regressions were used to test whether stress or coping moderated the association between burn-injury variables and psychosocial functioning. A third exploratory aim used hierarchical regression to examine if coping moderated the association between stress and psychosocial functioning Results indicated that neither household stress nor active coping moderated the association between burn size and psychosocial functioning. Additionally, active coping did not moderate the association between household stress and psychosocial adjustment. Greater household stress, however, was associated with more post-traumatic stress symptoms. Use of more active coping strategies was also significantly associated with better self-concept. Finally, more regular use of avoidant coping strategies was significantly related to more posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results from the current study suggest that it may be important to help pediatric burn survivors develop and utilize more adaptive coping strategies during the rehabilitative phase of their injury. Additionally, helping families learn to manage stress at home may promote adjustment following burn injuries. STRESS AND COPING IN PEDIATRIC BURN IN JURY iii
Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding assessment and promotion of school-relevant skills of preschool children

ABSTRACT This study addresses preschool teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in assessment and promotion of children’s early language, social-emotional, and mathematical skills. The aim of the study was to find out to what extent preschool teachers believe to be able to assess and promote those skills, respectively. In a sample of 368 German preschool teachers, average scores in all scales were quite homogenously high. However, average scores of self-efficacy beliefs between the domains differed, with self-efficacy beliefs regarding language skills being the strongest. Self-efficacy beliefs regarding assessment were stronger than in promotion in the social-emotional and the mathematical domain, but not in language. Yet, confirmatory factor analyses indicate that self-efficacy beliefs regarding assessment were highly correlated with self-efficacy beliefs regarding promotion of skills in all three domains. Possible explanations for these results and ideas for further research are discussed.
Molecular predictors of outcome with gefitinib in a phase III placebo-controlled study in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE The phase III Iressa Survival Evaluation in Lung Cancer (ISEL) trial compared gefitinib with placebo in 1,692 patients with refractory advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. We analyzed ISEL tumor biopsy samples to examine relationships between biomarkers and clinical outcome after gefitinib treatment in a placebo-controlled setting. METHODS Biomarkers included epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene copy number by fluorescence in situ hybridization (n = 370); EGFR (n = 379) and phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) protein expression (n = 382) by immunohistochemistry; and mutations in EGFR (n = 215), KRAS (n = 152), and BRAF (n = 118). RESULTS High EGFR gene copy number was a predictor of a gefitinib-related effect on survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.61 for high copy number and HR, 1.16 for low copy number; comparison of high v low copy number HR, P = .045). EGFR protein expression was also related to clinical outcome (HR for positive, 0.77; HR for negative, 1.57; comparison of high v low protein expression HR, P = .049). Patients with EGFR mutations had higher response rates than patients without EGFR mutations (37.5% v 2.6%); there were insufficient data for survival analysis. No relationship was observed between p-Akt protein expression and survival outcome, and the limited amount of data collected for KRAS and BRAF mutations prevented any meaningful evaluation of clinical outcomes in relation to these mutations. CONCLUSION EGFR gene copy number was a predictor of clinical benefit from gefitinib in ISEL. Additional studies are warranted to assess these biomarkers fully for the identification of patients most likely to benefit from gefitinib treatment.
Role of Janus Kinase/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription in the Pathogenesis of Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer

In the pathogenesis of pancreatitis, oxidative stress is involved in the activation of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway and cytokine expression. High serum levels of cholecystokinin (CCK) have been reported in patients with acute pancreatitis, and treatment with cerulein, a CCK analogue, induces acute pancreatitis in a rodent model. Recent studies have shown that cerulein-activated nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase elicits reactive oxygen species, which trigger the phosphorylation of the JAK1, STAT1, and STAT3 proteins and induce the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, in pancreatic acinar cells. The JAK/STAT pathway also stimulates cell proliferation and malignant transformation and inhibits apoptosis in the pancreas. This review discusses the possible role of the JAK/STAT pathway in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer in response to oxidative stress.
KCNQ1 subdomains involved in KCNE modulation revealed by an invertebrate KCNQ1 orthologue

KCNQ1 channels are voltage-gated potassium channels that are widely expressed in various non-neuronal tissues, such as the heart, pancreas, and intestine. KCNE proteins are known as the auxiliary subunits for KCNQ1 channels. The effects and functions of the different KCNE proteins on KCNQ1 modulation are various; the KCNQ1–KCNE1 ion channel complex produces a slowly activating potassium channel that is crucial for heartbeat regulation, while the KCNE3 protein makes KCNQ1 channels constitutively active, which is important for K+ and Cl− transport in the intestine. The mechanisms by which KCNE proteins modulate KCNQ1 channels have long been studied and discussed; however, it is not well understood how different KCNE proteins exert considerably different effects on KCNQ1 channels. Here, we approached this point by taking advantage of the recently isolated Ci-KCNQ1, a KCNQ1 homologue from marine invertebrate Ciona intestinalis. We found that Ci-KCNQ1 alone could be expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and produced a voltage-dependent potassium current, but that Ci-KCNQ1 was not properly modulated by KCNE1 and totally unaffected by coexpression of KCNE3. By making chimeras of Ci-KCNQ1 and human KCNQ1, we determined several amino acid residues located in the pore region of human KCNQ1 involved in KCNE1 modulation. Interestingly, though, these amino acid residues of the pore region are not important for KCNE3 modulation, and we subsequently found that the S1 segment plays an important role in making KCNQ1 channels constitutively active by KCNE3. Our findings indicate that different KCNE proteins use different domains of KCNQ1 channels, and that may explain why different KCNE proteins give quite different outcomes by forming a complex with KCNQ1 channels.
VIRTUAL REALITY AND LEARNING: TRENDS AND ISSUES

During the last years we have started to see diverse views in relation to the use of Virtual Reality to enhance learning and cognition. Authors disagree in their opinions about the real value of VR interfaces. VR has rapidly emerged as a very promising technology that will probably match the innovation of technologies such as multimedia/hypermedia. This study stems from our research work and intends to discuss about the VR technology available today and the impact it may have on education. We analyze the major trends in the use of Virtual Reality for learning purposes. We intend to match what the theory says about the possible effects of virtual reality with the actual preliminary results communicated in the specialized literature. In addition, as a result of the trend analysis we shed some light about the major issues highlighted in some experiences of using VR to assist learning and cognition.