Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Comparisons in Boundary-Spanning Work: Effects of Community Outreach on Members' Organizational Identity and Identification

This research investigated how experiences in a particular boundary-spanning context (community outreach) affected members' organizational identity and identification. Multimethod panel data from 219 participants showed that intergroup comparisons with clients (emphasizing differences) and intragroup comparisons with other organization members (emphasizing similarities) changed how members construed their organization's defining qualities. Intergroup comparisons also enhanced the esteem members derived from organizational membership, which, in turn, strengthened organizational identification. Supervisors reported higher interpersonal cooperation and work effort for members whose organizational identification became stronger. The results reveal potential outcomes of boundary-spanning work as well as how organizational identification processes operate in everyday work contexts.
Do Domestic and Foreign Institutional Investors Have Similar Portfolio Preferences?

Using the portfolio data of Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFIIs) and Domestic Mutual Funds, we first compare their portfolio decision. The empirical results show that, despite the commonalities, the foreign and domestic institutional investors differ in portfolio selection in some aspects. We then examine the compensation ratio offered by non-tradable shareholders to tradable shareholders in the share structure reform. It is found that the state-owned companies with ownership of QFIIs but not domestic mutual funds, the average compensation ratio is the highest, while the state-owned companies with ownership of domestic mutual funds but without QFII ownership, the compensation ratio is significantly lower. Overall, our results imply that foreign institutional investors tend to have more bargaining power than their local peers.
Loneliness of People with Physical Disabilities

Physical disability has a profound effect on one’s quality of life, social intercourse and emotional well-being. Loneliness has been found to be a frequent companion of those afflicted with chronic illnesses that result in physical disabilities. This study examined the qualitative aspects of that loneliness. Five hundred and ninety-three participants volunteered to answer a 30-item yes/no questionnaire. Those with physical disabilities were compared to the nondisabled (general population), and then further divided into five homogeneous subgroups (i.e., those with multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s, arthritis, and “other” disabilities) which were compared to each other and to the general population sample who are healthy and not chronically ill. Results indicate that the loneliness of those with physical disabilities differs significantly from that of the general population.
Testing the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model: Fatness and Fitness as Enabling Factors

As the prevalence of childhood obesity increases, it is important to examine possible differences in psychosocial correlates of physical activity between normal weight and overweight children. The study examined fatness (weight status) and (aerobic) fitness as Enabling factors related to youth physical activity within the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model (YPAP). Youth ages 9–11 years (N = 1,103) completed the Children’s Physical Activity Correlates survey and the Children’s Physical Activity Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships among variables. Overweight children reported lower scores on global self-esteem, perceived competence, attraction to physical activity, and parental influence (Cohen’s d ranging from .23 to .45 for girls; Cohen’s d ranging from .31 to .43 for boys). Weight status showed a small positive direct effect on physical activity (standardized path coefficient = .11), but did not show effects on psychosocial correlates (p > .05). Furthermore, aerobic fitness proved to be a stronger Enabling factor (standardized path coefficient = .26) than weight status within the YPAP model. Future research using the YPAP model may extend its utility as an evaluation framework for youth physical activity intervention studies.
Do brief screening questions or provider perception accurately identify persons with low health literacy in the HIV primary care setting?

Rapid and accurate health literacy screening tools could assist interventions to improve care in the HIV clinic setting. Prior studies described brief screening questions for identification of persons with low health literacy, but the performance of these questions in HIV clinics is unknown. We examined the accuracy of provider perception and previously described brief screening questions for identification of low health literacy among 147 persons attending two HIV specialty clinics. Mean age was 41 and 48% were African American. Using the short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) as reference measure, the combined prevalence of marginal and inadequate health literacy (low health literacy) was 16%. Sensitivity and specificity of provider perception for identifying persons with low health literacy were 0.47 and 0.79. The screening question "How confident are you filling out medical forms by yourself? " had an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.67. Response of "somewhat" to this question had sensitivity 0.30, specificity 0.91, positive likelihood ratio 3.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-6.4) and negative likelihood ratio 0.76 (95% CI 0.4-1.4). Educational attainment was a more sensitive but less specific measure of low health literacy (sensitivity 0.90, specificity 0.61 for completed high school or fewer years education), but was overall a more accurate discriminator of health literacy than either provider perception or screening questions (AUROC 0.79; p<0.05 for comparison of AUROCs). HIV providers often misjudge patients' health literacy. In the absence of rapid and accurate health literacy screening tools, clinics caring for persons with HIV/AIDS should implement clinic-wide interventions to improve health communication.
A flexible winner takes all neural network with the conscience mechanism realized on microcontrollers

A flexible, fully programmable Winner Takes All (WTA) Neural Network (NN) has been realized on two microcontrollers (μC) with the AVR and the ARM cores placed on a single board. The proposed device is equipped with an external analog-to-digital (ADC) and four digital-to-analog (DAC) converters, which enable operation with analog signals in parallel in the real time. One of the objectives of the proposed device is to be used as a hardware model of NNs realized as VLSI ASIC. In this paper we focus on the influence of the, so called, conscience mechanism on the learning quality of the NN. A properly tuned conscience mechanism enables activation of all neurons in the network, thus significantly decreasing the quantization error. In the paper we propose an alternative realization of such mechanism, which is especially suitable for transistor level implementations of both analog and digital NNs.
Phobic Disorders Four Years after Treatment: A Prospective Follow-up

In recent years several workers have followed-up the status of patients with phobic disorders after treatment (Terhune, 1949; Friedman, 1950; Tucker, 1956; Roberts, 1964; Sim and Houghton, 1966; Marks and Gelder, 1965; Marks, Birley and Gelder, 1966). These studies were retrospective in that evaluation was largely based on past records, and systematic interviews did not provide the main source of data. Some patients were included with phobias of duration ranging from three days to 32 years, while follow-up results were usually reported at varying durations after treatment, so that it was not possible to evaluate serial change in a cohort.
Laser Ultrasonics for Non-Contact Determination of Material Properties of Continuous Fiber Reinforced or Layered Materials

The optical generation of ultrasound is based at low power levels on the thermoelastic effect, which is the generation of elastic waves by transient surface heating with a laser pulse. At high power level the laser source operates in the ablation regime by vaporizing a small amount of surface material. The radiated field of such a source resembles a monopole radiating in all directions of the half space. Laser ultrasonics uses one laser with a short pulse for the generation of elastic waves and another one, a long pulse or continuous laser, coupled to an optical interferometer for the detection of ultrasound. This technique enables a completely contactless measurement of elastic constants. As the laser pulse generates bulk as well as surface acoustic waves (SAW) both can be used for non-contact material characterization. Short laser pulses were used to generate bulk waves in continuous fiber reinforced aluminium or magnesium. With an optical interferometer the run-time of these waves in various directions of the samples can be measured in a contactless way (point-source-point-receiver technique). From these data, the five independent components of the complete elastic tensor for the unidirectional fiber reinforced composites can be determined. These results agree with measurements by a resonant beam technique, acoustic resonance and 4-point bending tests. For the generation of SAWs the pulsed laser was focused by a cylindrical lens to a thin line to concentrate the acoustic energy in a direction perpendicular to the line. Material properties of anisotropic films deposited on a silicon wafer were determined by phase velocity dispersion measurement. The acoustic waves were detected by two optical methods: a confocal Fabry Perot Interferometer and a beam deflection setup. The laser pulse technique has several advantages: it is contactless, nondestructive and it can be used for online quality control in production processes. ECNDT 2006 Th.4. 7.2
Performance of Low-Cost Bio Adsorbents for the Removal of Metal Ions – A Review

Adsorption is widely used to remove various pollutants from wastewater. The adsorption process by using the activated carbon is expensive and uneconomical from the operational cost aspect. So, the alternative adsorbents include agricultural waste, industrial solid waste, sludge from treatment plants, soils, marine waste, etc are used . The various parameters which affect the adsorption process in batch and column studies are being optimized. The results obtained are used to fit in the available adsorption isotherms for verifying their feasibility. This review article presents the information about the application of alternative bio adsorbents along with conventional activated carbon for the removal or reduction of metal ions from the water and wastewater.
High frequency of monoallelic retinoblastoma gene deletion in B-cell chronic lymphoid leukemia shown by interphase cytogenetics.

Inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor-suppressor gene (RB-1) has been associated with tumorigenicity in various human malignancies. In chronic lymphoid leukemias of B-cell origin (B-CLL) an involvement of RB-1 has been suggested based on cytogenetic data. We examined RB-1 and its chromosomal locus 13q14 in 35 cases of B-CLL by dual-color in situ hybridization to interphase nuclei and by G-banding analysis of metaphase chromosomes. In one patient (pt) a monosomy 13, and in three other pts deletions involving or encompassing band 13q14 were detected by conventional cytogenetic analysis. In contrast, in situ hybridization to interphase nuclei showed a monoallelic RB-1 deletion in 11 cases (31%). One pt showed a translocation with the breakpoint in 13q1? 4 on G-banding, but on in situ hybridization analysis the RB-1 signals were not affected. Our data show that RB-1 deletions can be diagnosed accurately by in situ hybridization on the one-cell level. The frequency of RB-1 deletions detected in this study is significantly higher than previously assumed in B-CLL, and seems to be in the same range as in retinoblastoma.
Apelin Attenuates the Osteoblastic Differentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Vascular calcification, which results from a process osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Apelin is a recently discovered peptide that is the endogenous ligand for the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor, APJ. Several studies have identified the protective effects of apelin on the cardiovascular system. However, the effects and mechanisms of apelin on the osteoblastic differentiation of VSMCs have not been elucidated. Using a culture of calcifying vascular smooth muscle cells (CVMSCs) as a model for the study of vascular calcification, the relationship between apelin and the osteoblastic differentiation of VSMCs and the signal pathway involved were investigated. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin secretion were examined in CVSMCs. The involved signal pathway was studied using the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor, PD98059, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor, LY294002, and APJ siRNA. The results showed that apelin inhibited ALP activity, osteocalcin secretion, and the formation of mineralized nodules. APJ protein was detected in CVSMCs, and apelin activated ERK and AKT (a downstream effector of PI3-K). Suppression of APJ with siRNA abolished the apelin-induced activation of ERK and Akt. Furthermore, inhibition of APJ expression, and the activation of ERK or PI3-K, reversed the effects of apelin on ALP activity. These results showed that apelin inhibited the osteoblastic differentiation of CVSMCs through the APJ/ERK and APJ/PI3-K/AKT signaling pathway. Apelin appears to play a protective role against arterial calcification.
Rumour and gossip in organisations: a conceptual study

Explores the issue of rumour and gossip in organisations. Given that rumour and gossip can break the harmony of the workplace unless well managed, it is rather surprising that they have not been sufficiently examined in management and organisational studies. In addition to providing an analysis of the role played by rumour and gossip within organisations, including, but not limited to, its origin, hidden reasons and its management, the role of gender is examined. Our research reveals that despite the commonly‐held and entrenched view that women are largely responsible for instigating and perpetuating organisational rumour and gossip, a review of the evidence fails to support this claim.
Spelling Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities: Implications for Research and Practice

We reviewed 27 published studies on spelling instruction for students with learning disabilities (LD) and coded them for the following variables: (a) student characteristics, (b) instructional activities, (c) nature of materials to be learned, and (d) criterial tasks (Jenkins, 1979). Most of the studies investigated the impact of instructional activities on the production of targeted spelling items by elementary-grade students with LD. We interpret the results of this review as suggesting that the following activities may enhance learning for some students with LD: (a) limiting the number of new words introduced each day, (b) facilitating student-directed and peer-assisted instruction, (c) directing students to name letters aloud as they are practiced, (d) including instruction in morphemic analysis, (e) providing immediate error imitation and correction, (f) using motivating reinforcers, and (g) providing periodic retesting and review. Only limited information is available on interventions that promote generalization of spelling knowledge to untrained words, use of trained vocabulary in a variety of writing activities, and maintenance of vocabulary across time. We discuss current research issues and future research directions in spelling instruction for students with learning disabilities.
Heritage and archaeology in Chitral, Pakistan: exploring some local views and issues

The present article presents the results of a recent (2009) survey of understandings and attitudes to heritage and culture in Chitral, Pakistan. Chitral has two main ethnic-religious groups: the Muslim Kho and the Kalasha, who are the largest non-Muslim minority group in the Hindu Kush. Very little is known formally of Chitral history and prehistory beyond the last 200–300 years, and this has led to a relatively set list of heritage and cultural events or traits being iterated by local people and outsiders alike. With a growing emphasis on tourism and development in Chitral we think that it is important for local people to have understanding and control of what is and is not presented as heritage here, and also how heritage might be appropriately preserved. We also touch on the tensions between a powerful majority and a less powerful minority group, and the impact such an unequal relationship has on heritage.
Stabilization of Systems With Probabilistic Interval Input Delays and Its Applications to Networked Control Systems

Motivated by the study of a class of networked control systems, this correspondence paper is concerned with the design problem of stabilization controllers for linear systems with stochastic input delays. Different from the common assumptions on time delays, it is assumed here that the probability distribution of the delay taking values in some intervals is known a priori. By making full use of the information concerning the probability distribution of the delays, criteria for the stochastic stability and stabilization controller design are derived. Traditionally, in the case that the variation range of the time delay is available, the maximum allowable bound of time delays can be calculated to ensure the stability of the time-delay system. It is shown, via numerical examples, that such a maximum allowable bound could be made larger in the case that the probability distribution of the time delay is known.
“Snitches End Up in Ditches” and Other Cautionary Tales

This article examines the “stop snitching” phenomenon in relation to teenagers and schooling. It shows evidence of a code against sharing information with formal authorities among students at two low-income schools: a predominately Black, urban school and a predominately White, rural school. Using Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, the analysis demonstrates how antisnitching is woven into the social fabric of these communities, prompting student ambivalence toward school-sanctioned methods of conflict resolution. The findings highlight the broad reach of the antisnitching phenomenon, situating this mentality as the result of community-based distrust of formal authority. The article assesses implications of antisnitching for school discipline and climate.
The democratisation of culture in France in the nineteenth & twentieth centuries: an obsolete ambition?

For generations of cultural administrators and players, extending the benefits of culture to the wider population, enabling the majority to access and be involved in cultural life, has been a moral and political priority; not only for the purposes of enjoyment but because the imparting of Enlightenment values, the acquisition of knowledge, the sharing of artistic creation and emotion and the transmission of cultural heritage have all been considered in this country as an integral part of both republican and democratic undertakings. Democratisation has been the guiding principle, both explicitly and implicitly, of a major part of French cultural policy over the last few decades, the primary reason for public involvement in cultural matters and the ultimate sign of the success or failure of all cultural policies. What have been the manifold faces of this ambition, what forms has it taken throughout the various eras and in what forms does it survive today? These are questions which this article seeks to address.
Correlates of Divorce Liberality.

Current theorizing about causes qf the increasing rate of marital instability in the United States has pointed to increasingly liberal attitudes toward divorce as a key explanatory variable. This investigation attempted to identifj significant correlates of divorce liberality by testing a series of hypotheses derived from cognitive dissonance, social learning, and social exchange theories. Based on interviews of a sample qf 240 spouses (120 couples), it was found that husbands and wives differ in terms of the variables influencing the degree qf divorce liberality. In line with social exchange theory, presence and number of children were the strongest predictors of divorce liberality fbr wives, but less so fbr husbands. Childless spouses were significantly more liberal toward divorce than were spouses with children, with childless wives being the most liberal of all. Husbands were more influenced by the perceived quality of the marital relationship, in support of cognitive dissonance theory. However, only 12 percent of the total variance in the divorce liberality measure was explained in a multiple regression analysis, leading to suggestions fbr more methodologically refined research designs and encompassing theoretical models in
The phytocannabinoid, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabivarin, can act through 5‐HT1A receptors to produce antipsychotic effects

This study aimed to address the questions of whether Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) can (i) enhance activation of 5‐HT1A receptors in vitro and (ii) induce any apparent 5‐HT1A receptor‐mediated antipsychotic effects in vivo.
Youth cultures in Britain: the middle class take-over

This article discusses the character of Britain's youth cultures at the end of the 1980s using evidence from the ESRC 16–19 Initiative's longitudinal studies among representative samples from four parts of Britain. The females had the highest social contact scores and equalled the males' levels of overall leisure activity. The females' leisure was not particularly restricted or centred around a bedroom culture although males were the more active in sport, and over-represented among the most committed minorities in all kinds of public leisure. The main social class differences were that middle class youth were slightly the more leisure active overall, had closer relationships with their friends, and, like the males compared with the females, were over-represented among the most committed participants in out-of-home leisure in general. There was no evidence of either middle or working class youth cultures expressing class specific values. There were some relationships between the young people's leisure styl.
Conceptual Representation of Mother, Father, and God According to Sex and Field of Study

Summary The present research studied the influence of field of study, level of studies, and sex on the conceptual representation of mother, father, and God. The Score Dieu-Parent instrument was administered in Canada to 351 male and female university students from the liberal arts, science, and graduate populations. Factors were extracted for each image, and the degree of congruence was obtained for all possible pairs of factors. Semantic differences between the three images were calculated for each S. The Ss were compared, on the basis of the distance scores, in an analysis of variance using a 2 × 3 × 3 factorial design. The results showed that (a) the variable sex had an influence on the representation of the parents but not on the representation of God; (b) the field of studies and the level of studies affected the conceptual image of God; and (c) the mother image appeared to be the most adequate symbol for the representation of God.