Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of a metatextual intervention program in developing written narratives of students with learning difficulties

This study aimed to verify the effects of a metatextual intervention program, in the elaboration of stories written by students with learning difficulties. Four students were included in the sample of both genders, with ages ranging between eight years and four months and ten years and two months of age. The program was implemented at the participant schools, using an approach of multiple baseline within-subjects, with two conditions: baseline and intervention. Data analysis was based on the classification of stories produced by the students. Mann-Whitney testing was also applied, to analyze whether there have been significant changes in these productions. The results indicated that all students have improved performance in relation to the categories of produced stories, from elementary schemas (33%), for a more elaborate scheme (77%), with a better structuring of the elements that constitute a story. Statistical analysis also showed that the intervention has produced significant results for all variables analyzed. The data obtained have shown that the program was effective.
A desires congruency model of consumer satisfaction

The disconfirmation of expectations model has been increasingly criticized in recent years and, as a result, standards other than expectations have been suggested. The present research proposes consumer desires, based on means-end theory, as the comparison standard. Results of an experiment show that the extent to which performance is congruent with desires is a powerful antecedent to satisfaction, while the effect of disconfirmation of expectations is nonsignificant.
Environmental Turbulence and Complexity and the Optimal Degree of Internal Open Innovation for MNCs

In today's knowledge economy, it is vital for Multi-National Corporations MNCs to leverage all their globally dispersed knowledge resources. Extant literature argues that MNCs can be viewed as knowledge sharing networks and that knowledge exchange within the group enhances performance. This exploration of new knowledge through search among peer subsidiaries of the parent MNC can be regarded as Internal Open Innovation IOI. However, literature on Open Innovation is largely focused on the external boundary of the firm, so that little can be said on whether openness towards corporate group internal knowledge sources is either or both, beneficial and/or detrimental, and how this depends on the difference of national industries and on the correct communication of these before the final transfer of knowledge. The principal research question thus is: To what degree should MNC subsidiaries be open to their intra-MNC peers given a common, evolving technological environment but different local market contexts? In this paper, the authors contribute with new propositions regarding this issue developed based on results from an agent-based model that is analyzed through computer simulation. The authors explore the degree of openness of MNC subsidiaries together with their communication competence in different organizational structures and environments, based on previous developments in theory of knowledge transfer and complexity as well as international business.
Enhanced crystallization of the Cys18 to Ser mutant of bovine gammaB crystallin.

The cysteine residues of the gamma crystallins, a family of ocular lens proteins, are involved in the aggregation and phase separation of these proteins. Both these phenomena are implicated in cataract formation. We have used bovine gammaB crystallin as a model system to study the role of the individual cysteine residues in the aggregation and phase separation of the gamma crystallins. Here, we compare the thermodynamic and kinetic behavior of the recombinant wild-type protein (WT) and the Cys18 to Ser (C18S) mutant. We find that the solubilities of the two proteins are similar. The kinetics of crystallization, however, are different. The WT crystallizes slowly enough for the metastable liquid-liquid coexistence to be easily observed. C18S, on the other hand, crystallizes rapidly; the metastable coexisting liquid phases of the pure mutant do not form. Nevertheless, the coexistence curve of C18S can be determined provided that crystallization is kinetically suppressed. In this way we found that the coexistence curve coincides with that of the WT. Despite the difference in the kinetics of crystallization, the two proteins were found to have the same crystal forms and almost identical X-ray structures. Our results demonstrate that even conservative point mutations can bring about dramatic changes in the kinetics of crystallization. The implications of our findings for cataract formation and protein crystallization are discussed.
Diabetes, Medicine and Modernity in Cameroon

This article examines popular understandings of diabetes, and conflicts and ambiguities in the management of diabetes care, in two areas of Cameroon. Conducted over a two-year period, comparative ethnography in Yaoundé and Bafut started in four diabetes clinics (two in each place). From there it extended outwards, first to the homes of patients with diabetes, and then on to a number of indigenous healers consulted by patients or their families. We explore here the tension between clinic-based demands for patients' ‘compliance’ with treatment guidelines, including repeated strictures against resorting to ‘traditional’ medicine, and patients' own willingness to alternate between biomedicine and indigenous practitioners, a process in which they subject the claims of both to a kind of pragmatic evaluation. The continuing importance of indigenous healing practices, and explanations for diabetes in terms of ancestral intervention or witchcraft, are considered in the light of recent anthropological debate about the ‘modernity of witchcraft’ in Africa. Cet article examine les interprétations populaires du diabète, ainsi que les conflits et les ambiguïtés dans la gestion du traitement du diabète dans deux régions du Cameroun. L'ethnographie comparative menée sur une période de deux ans à Yaoundé et Bafut a commencé dans quatre cliniques du diabète (deux dans chaque ville). L’étude s'est ensuite élargie au domicile des patients diabétiques, puis à un certain nombre de guérisseurs indigènes consultés par les patients ou leur famille. L'article explore les tensions entre d'une part les exigences des cliniques en matière d'observance de traitement par les patients (y compris des critiques sévères répétées contre le recours à la médecine « traditionnelle ») et, d'autre part, la volonté des patients d'alterner entre praticiens de la biomédecine et praticiens indigènes, un processus dans lequel ils soumettent les prétentions des uns et des autres à une sorte d’évaluation pragmatique. L'importance persistante des pratiques de guérison indigènes, et les explications du diabète en termes d'intervention ancestrale ou de sorcellerie, sont étudiées à la lumière du débat anthropologique récent sur la « modernité de la sorcellerie » en Afrique.
Impaired cerebral blood flow and oxygenation during exercise in type 2 diabetic patients

Endothelial vascular function and capacity to increase cardiac output during exercise are impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We tested the hypothesis that the increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF) during exercise is also blunted and, therefore, that cerebral oxygenation becomes affected and perceived exertion increased in T2DM patients. We quantified cerebrovascular besides systemic hemodynamic responses to incremental ergometer cycling exercise in eight male T2DM and seven control subjects. CBF was assessed from the Fick equation and by transcranial Doppler‐determined middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity. Cerebral oxygenation and metabolism were evaluated from the arterial‐to‐venous differences for oxygen, glucose, and lactate. Blood pressure was comparable during exercise between the two groups. However, the partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide was lower at higher workloads in T2DM patients and their work capacity and increase in cardiac output were only ~80% of that established in the control subjects. CBF and cerebral oxygenation were reduced during exercise in T2DM patients (P < 0.05), and they expressed a higher rating of perceived exertion (P < 0.05). In contrast, CBF increased ~20% during exercise in the control group while the brain uptake of lactate and glucose was similar in the two groups. In conclusion, these results suggest that impaired CBF and oxygenation responses to exercise in T2DM patients may relate to limited ability to increase cardiac output and to reduced vasodilatory capacity and could contribute to their high perceived exertion.
Coupling of Nanoporous Chromium, Aluminium-Containing Silicates with an Ionic Liquid for the Transformation of Glucose into 5-(Hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde

Micro/mesoporous chromium, aluminium-containing silicates of the type TUD-1 (Al-TUD-1, Cr-TUD-1, CrAl-TUD-1) and zeolite BEA, Cr-BEA, and related composites BEA/TUD-1 and Cr-BEA/TUD-1, were prepared, characterised, and tested as solid acids coupled with the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([bmim]Cl) as solvent, in the transformation of d-glucose into 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (Hmf), at 120 °C. The chromium-containing catalytic systems lead to considerably higher Hmf yields in comparison to the related systems without chromium. The IL is a favourable solvent for this target reaction (in terms of Hmf yields reached) compared to water or dimethylsulfoxide. A detailed study on the stabilities of the nanoporous solid acids in the IL medium is presented.
Assessing the contributions of multiple interacting traits to plant reproductive success: environmental dependence

The reproductive success of sibling cocklebur plants (Compositae: Xanthium strumarium) was monitored after growth at different levels of availability of water and nutrient resources. Variation in reproductive success among individual plants was related to physiological, structural, and phenological characteristics. Reproductive success increased with increased availability of resources, but the relative contribution of particular traits to reproductive success varied with resource availability. Allocation of biomass to different vegetative tissues, time to seedling emergence, degree of branching, transpiration rates, water use efficiency, the rate of decline in height growth after seedling emergence and final plant size all varied significantly with resource availability. However, the changes in each of these phenotypic traits across three garden environments did not always correlate with reproductive success. The shifts across environments in the apparent importance of somatic traits for reproductive success were attributed to plastic changes in the traits but also to changes in the phenotypic correlations of the traits with reproductive success.
Los dibujos animados como recurso de transmisión de los valores educativos y culturales

A traves de esta comunicacion se presenta una primera reflexion sobre los dibujos animados a partir de nuestra realidad actual y enmarcada en nuestra comunidad, analizando la evolucion que han ido experimentando desde su primera implantacion en la pantalla televisiva en los anos setenta hasta nuestros dias. Los dibujos animados representan un recurso facil y accesible practicamente para toda la poblacion infantil, para transmitir una serie de valores culturales y educativos que, paralelamente, se representan tambien a traves de otros medios de comunicacion como los videojuegos, los comics, los juegos por ordenador, las publicaciones infantiles y juveniles, por citar los mas extendidos. Pero tambien se plantea una serie de cuestiones sobre la idoneidad de los dibujos animados como transmisores de nuestros valores culturales y educativos, para nuestros ninos y adolescentes, asi como para los ninos y adolescentes procedentes de otras culturas y con una diversidad de origenes geograficos. Se pueden considerar los dibujos animados autoctonos como un recurso educativo adecuado para informar e implicar a los ninos procedentes de otras culturas de las peculiaridades y caracteristicas especificas de la nuestra? La introduccion de series extranjeras puede ofrecerse como una estrategia didactica para conocer y llegar a valorar otras culturas, con concepciones muy variadas a las nuestras? Una entrada continua de series japonesas o norteamericanas puede llegar a resquebrajar nuestros propios valores? Estas y otras cuestiones se analizan a traves de este apartado de caracter teorico. Para ilustrar estas reflexiones anteriores se ha realizado una pequena investigacion a partir de la programacion actual en la comunidad autonoma catalana, centrandose en una serie de aspectos que consideramos nucleares para esta transmision de valores: etnologicos (caracter informativo, caracter historico.), didacticos (ensenanza, aprendizaje.), psicologicos (emotividad, atencion.) y linguisticos (vocabulario, expresiones propias.). Sin embargo se debe reconocer que muchos autores no estan de acuerdo con esta propuesta de clasificacion, e insisten en aspectos criticables y notablemente dudosos a nivel educativo como: clasismo, machismo, crueldad, irrealidad o amoralidad, entre otros. Y de una manera especifica se insiste en los valores transmitidos a partir de lospersonajes que los protagonizan segun su naturaleza (humana, animal, mineral, objeto magico.), segun sus caracteristicas fisicas (belleza, fortaleza, juventud.), segun su aspecto moral (bondad, astucia.), su estado social y economico (riqueza material, poder eterno.) o la funcion que desarrollan (heroe, mandatario.). Dejando de lado la indiscutible importancia que posee el factor economico para la transmision de series de dibujos animados, se observa una serie de aspectos que en algunas ocasiones reflejan la intencionalidad educativa y cultural de sus autores, y en otras distan mucho de este proposito e incluso se desentienden de el.
Energy-Efficient Multi-Carrier Link Adaptation with Sum Rate-Dependent Circuit Power

Energy-efficient link adaptation is studied for transmission on a frequency-selective parallel AWGN channel. The total power dissipation model includes a circuit power that varies with the sum rate and a power amplifier efficiency that varies with the bandwidth used. The mathematical analysis provides insight into how the subcarrier rates should be chosen for optimal energy efficiency and suggests a simple fixed-point algorithm that finds the solution in few iterations. Moreover, ways of improving the energy efficiency are discussed based on the dependence on bandwidth and distance between transmitter and receiver.
The News Organization in Uncertain Times: Business or Institution?

This study compares rational-choice economics approaches with institutional theory in assessing the ways news organizations respond to uncertainty. Rational-choice approaches suggest newsroom managers facing uncertainty will pursue “tight coupling” by monitoring audiences and collaborating with the newspaper's business side, while institutionalism suggests uncertainty will lead organizations to buffer themselves from their market environments and to mimic other news organizations. Findings from a national survey of editors and a content analysis of interactive features from newspaper Web sites reveal both institutional-ist and rational-choice tendencies. News managers are monitoring audiences, but monitoring is not strongly affecting decisions about content and online features.
Core communication interface for FPGAs

The use of pre-designed and pre-verified hardware modules, also called IP cores, is an important part of the effort to design and implement complex systems. However, many aspects of IP core manipulation are still to be developed. This paper presents an approach to solve problems related to the dynamic interconnection of hard IP cores. The approach targets system-on-a-chip designs build in a single FPGA device. The paper proposes a communication interface that allows IP core replacement during FPGA normal operation. The same interface also allows communication among distinct IP cores to take place.
Seroepidemiology of low and high oncogenic risk types of human papillomavirus in a predominantly male cohort of STD clinic patients

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) infecting the genital tract are associated with warts and anogenital malignancies. Although HPV is a highly prevalent sexually transmitted disease (STD), the majority of research has focused on female cohorts due to gender specific sequelae. Our objective was to measure the epidemiological features and seroprevalences of HPV-6/11 and 16 in a predominantly male group of STD clinic patients. High-risk individuals (n=687), who attended the public STD clinic were administered a behavioural questionnaire and serum tested for antibodies against HPV-6/11 and HPV-16 capsids via capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Despite the male predominance in this study, women were significantly more likely to have antibodies against both HPV-6/11 and HPV-16. Condom use appeared to be partially protective against HPV-16 seropositivity only. In conclusion, despite exhibiting increased risk behaviour, men were less likely to be HPV seropositive. Additional studies utilizing male cohorts are warranted to further elucidate this phenomenon.
Leaving Care with “Cultural Baggage”: The Development of an Identity within a Transnational Space

Abstract The transition from care is a critical phase for care leavers in general, and even more complex for those who have arrived in Sweden as unaccompanied minors and belong to an ethnic minority group. The aim of this article is to examine unaccompanied minors' experiences of leaving care, and to explore the experience in relation to perceptions about ethnicity and culture within a transnational space. Interviews were completed with 11 care leavers who had been received in Sweden as unaccompanied minors. The results show that these young people have to deal with multiple adjustments. Conquering obstacles as care leavers involves not only resolving general issues such as reintegration into society, but also adjustment to perceived and created views of how to become Swedish. From the young people's point of view, this seems to be necessary to make a successful transition from care into adulthood.
Size and Structure of the Holistic Milieu: A Comparison of Local Mapping Studies in Austria and Sweden1

Abstract This article presents the results of two local mapping studies in Sweden and Austria that follow the methodological procedure of the British Kendal project. All practitioners offering courses, therapies or counseling in the areas of holistic spirituality and complementary health methods (such as yoga, Reiki, kinesiology, astrology, and shamanism) were mapped. A sub-sample of the mapped practitioners were contacted in person and asked about their professional situation and the number of their clients. On the basis of these data, the proportion of persons participating in the holistic milieu was estimated. The article discusses the similarities and differences between the two regions in regard to the supply of specific types of holistic activities, the professional situation of the practitioners, and the proportion of the population involved in holistic activities. The level of engagement in holistic activities in the Swedish, Austrian, and British mapping areas is also compared with the level of church attendance in the three countries.
Maternal Perceptions of Agency in Intergenerational Transmission of Spanish: The case of Latinos in the U.S. Midwest

This article examines the ways in which a group of first-generation Latino immigrants to the U.S. Midwest conceptualized their role in their children’s bilingual development. Respondents were asked to identify the individuals or institutions on which their children’s language and academic development depended, as well as household practices perceived as conducive to Spanish maintenance, and perceived obstacles to their children’s use of Spanish in the domains of home, school, and community. Discussion centers on maternal perceptions of agency because of the centrality of the mother in intergenerational minority language transmission. It is argued here that immigrant mothers’ perceptions of agency are impacted by several factors. Among them: the experience of migration, the power imbalance created when their children are more fluent than the parents are in the majority language and culture, and finally, by the negotiation of ideological tensions between members of intra-community Latino networks of solidarity and the community at large.
Fin-Tail Coordination during Escape and Predatory Behavior in Larval Zebrafish

Larval zebrafish innately perform a suite of behaviors that are tightly linked to their evolutionary past, notably escape from threatening stimuli and pursuit and capture of prey. These behaviors have been carefully examined in the past, but mostly with regard to the movements of the trunk and tail of the larvae. Here, we employ kinematics analyses to describe the movements of the pectoral fins during escape and predatory behavior. In accord with previous studies, we find roles for the pectoral fins in slow swimming and immediately after striking prey. We find novel roles for the pectoral fins in long-latency, but not in short-latency C-bends. We also observe fin movements that occur during orienting J-turns and S-starts that drive high-velocity predatory strikes. Finally, we find that the use of pectoral fins following a predatory strike is scaled to the velocity of the strike, supporting a role for the fins in braking. The implications of these results for central control of coordinated movements are discussed, and we hope that these results will provide baselines for future analyses of cross-body coordination using mutants, morphants, and transgenic approaches.
Political identity and perceived intragroup homogeneity

A study is described combining the ‘out-group homogeneity hypothesis’, which predicts greater perceived homogeneity in out-groups than in-groups, with the ‘depersonalization hypothesis’ derived from self-categorization theory, which predicts greater perceived homogeneity in both in- and out-groups as social identity becomes salient — particularly along those dimensions most relevant to the categorization criterion. An experiment was conducted in the context of political affiliation, where it is suggested that in-group homogeneity along certain dimensions may be valued as a sign of unity and strength. Subjects were 64 supporters of the Labour Party. Strength of political affiliation and situational group salience were manipulated and perceptions of homogeneity within the Labour and Conservative Parties were measured along a number of dimensions of varying relevance to the categorization criterion. Results confirmed the hypothesized positive relationship between strength of political identity and perceived intragroup homogeneity in both the in- and out-group, as well as illustrating the importance of the type of dimension involved. A significant main effect confirmed that the more relevant the dimension to the categorization criterion, the greater the perceived homogeneity in in- and out-groups, whilst a significant interaction effect confirmed that there was greater perceived out-group homogeneity along irrelevant personality dimensions but greater perceived in-group homogeneity along highly relevant issue dimensions. The theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.