Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deafness, Teacher-of-the-deaf Support and Self-concept in Australian Deaf Students

Abstract This study examines whether self-concept scores of deaf students vary according to age at diagnosis of deafness, the degree of deafness and the number of visits students receive from a teacher of the deaf. Thirty-seven deaf students between the ages of 12 and 18 attending inclusive educational settings in Western Australia participated in the study. The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition (Piers-Harris 2) was used as a measure of self-concept. Overall, group mean self-concept scores on the Piers-Harris 2 were within the average range, with some differences between groups in relation to these. There were no significant main effects of age at diagnosis of deafness or the degree of deafness on Piers-Harris 2 domain scale and total self-concept scores. There was also no significant main effect of the number of visits by a teacher of the deaf on the Piers-Harris 2 total self-concept score. However, a significant main effect of the number of visits from a teacher of the deaf found on Piers-Harris 2 domain-scale scores was attributable to differences between the groups on the Physical Attributes and Happiness and Satisfaction scales. Specifically, students receiving one visit per week scored higher on these self-concept scales than students who received two or more visits per week. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Another Look At Technology Use In Classrooms: The Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Teachers’ Perceptions

This article describes the development and initial validation of scores from a survey designed to measure teachers’ reported use of technology in their classrooms. Based on data obtained from a sample of approximately 2,000 practicing teachers, factor analytic and correlational methods were used to obtain evidence of the validity of scores derived from responses to the instrument. In addition, analyses of Web and paper versions of the survey suggest relatively minor differences in responses, although the response rates for the paper version were substantially higher. The results were interpreted in terms of the utility of the instrument for measuring the confluence of factors that are critical for inquiry related to technology use in classrooms.
Feminism, the Family and the New ‘Mediated’ Maternalism

This essay interrogates the emergence of a new moment in the unfolding of contemporary neoliberal hegemony which sees the political potential in creating strong connections with liberal feminism, updating this while also retaining some of its most salient features dating back to the mid to late 1970s. At the same time this process, which can be traced through the very contemporary entanglements of political culture, visual media and new social media, finds concretisation through the figure of the middle-class mother who is slim and youthful in appearance. This persona, whether in full time work or a ‘stay home Mum’ is accredited a more substantial professional status than was the case in the era of the ‘housewife’. With feminism ‘taken into account’ she is considered an equal partner in marriage and thus charged with making the right choices and decisions for her family needs. In this neoliberal version of past notions of ‘maternal citizenship’ a number of socio-political processes can be seen at work, she is compared favourably for her well-planned and healthy life in comparison to her less advantaged, low income, single parent counterparts. Her lifestyle and childcare choices mark a strong departure, indeed an entirely different trajectory to previous generations of mothers, who across the boundaries of class and ethnicity, benefited from a feminist post-war welfare ethos which regarded nursery provision for pre-school children, toddlers and indeed babies as a social good. And finally her presence and visibility in a number of campaigning and online organisations suggests a stronger class divide than was the case in the past and with this the eclipsing of the egalitarian principles of social democracy. The essay reflects on the film Revolutionary Road (2009) and the recent book by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg as conduits for this new ‘maternal-feminine’.
Whole school support for vulnerable children: the evaluation of a part‐time nurture group

The positive impact that nurture groups can offer is well documented. This study aims to describe the evaluation of a nurture group intervention across six schools. In contrast to previous research, children accessed the group for a maximum of four mornings per week. The findings show that this model did not comprise the gains reported in previous studies. The results show a significant positive effect on the children with reference to their behaviour both in school and at home. In addition, the intervention appears to have contributed further to the whole school system. Schools reported an improved ethos and an increased capacity to support children with social and emotional difficulties. This paper concludes by considering the new Scottish Curriculum guidelines A curriculum for excellence and whether the principles and theoretical underpinnings of nurture groups can be fully integrated into a mainstream environment.
“Aha!”: The neural correlates of verbal insight solutions

What are the neural correlates of insight solutions? To explore this question we asked participants to perform an anagram task while in the fMRI scanner. Previous research indicates that anagrams are unique in that they can yield both insight and search solutions in expert subjects. Using a single‐trial fMRI paradigm, we utilized the anagram methodology to explore the neural correlates of insight versus search solutions. We used both reaction time measures and subjective reports to classify each trial as a search or insight solution. Data indicate that verbal insight solutions activate a distributed neural network that includes bilateral activation in the insula, the right prefrontal cortex, and the anterior cingulate. These areas are discussed with their possible role in evaluation and metacognition of insight solutions, as well as attention and monitoring during insight. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthetic Jet Thrust Optimization for Application in Underwater Vehicles

Zero-mass pulsatile jets are proposed for low speed maneuvering and station keeping of small underwater vehicles. The flow field of such jets are initially dominated by vortex ring formation. Such pulsatile jets can be actuated through a variety of techniques. Two prototypes of such actuators, presented here, include a mechanical plunger system and a solenoid actuator. The actuators consist of a small cavity with an orifice on one side and a moving diaphragm on the other side. Oscillation frequencies are varied between zero and 40 Hz for the mechanical plunger and upto 50 Hz for the solenoid actuator. The mechanical actuator is designed so that the cavity dimensions, orifice diameter, actuation frequency, and actuation profile can be easily varied in order to find the optimal operation point of the actuator. Thrust measurement data is provided for various formation numbers while the actuation frequency in varied. The empirical thrust profiles were seen to follow the same trend as a model previously developed by our group. It is also observed that the measured thrust has a maximum value for formation numbers between 4 and 5.5 for various actuation frequencies and for two different cavity diameters. Solenoid actuation shows an almost linear stroke dependency on the actuation frequency.
Protein transport to the vacuole and receptor-mediated endocytosis by clathrin heavy chain-deficient yeast

Clathrin heavy chain-deficient mutants (chcl) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are viable but exhibit compromised growth rates. To investigate the role of clathrin in intercompartmental protein transport, two pathways have been monitored in chcl cells: transport of newly synthesized vacuolar proteins to the vacuole and receptor- mediated uptake of mating pheromone. Newly synthesized precursors of the vacuolar protease carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) were converted to mature CPY with similar kinetics in mutant and wild-type cells. chcl cells did not aberrantly secrete CPY and immunolocalization techniques revealed most of the CPY in chcl cells within morphologically identifiable vacuolar structures. Receptor-mediated internalization of the mating pheromone alpha-factor occurred in chcl cells at 36-50% wild-type levels. The mutant cells were fully competent to respond to pheromone- induced cell-cycle arrest. These results argue that in yeast, clathrin may not play an essential role either in vacuolar protein sorting and delivery or in receptor-mediated endocytosis of alpha-factor. Alternative mechanisms ordinarily may execute these pathways, or be activated in clathrin-deficient cells.
Dynamic Patterns of Histone Methylation Are Associated with Ontogenic Expression of the Cyp3a Genes during Mouse Liver Maturation

Human cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) members are major drug-metabolizing enzymes in the liver. Two genes, CYP3A4 and CYP3A7, exhibit a developmental switch in gene expression during liver maturation. CYP3A4 is mainly expressed in adults, whereas CYP3A7 is dominantly expressed during the fetal and neonatal stages. Their ontogenic expression results in developmentally related changes in the capacity to metabolize endogenous and exogenous compounds. Thus, it is desirable to understand the mechanisms controlling the developmental switch. Mice also exhibit a developmental switch between Cyp3a16 (neonatal isoform) and Cyp3a11 (adult isoform) and may serve as a model to study the mechanisms controlling the developmental switch. Because the epigenetic code (e.g., DNA methylation and histone modifications) is implicated in regulating gene expression and cellular differentiation during development, the current study determined the status of DNA methylation, histone-3-lysine-4 dimethylation (H3K4me2) and histone-3-lysine-27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) around the mouse Cyp3a locus at various developmental ages from prenatal, through neonatal, to young adult. DNA was not hypermethylated in the Cyp3a locus at any age. However, increases in Cyp3a16 expression in neonatal livers and Cyp3a11 in adult livers were associated with increases of H3K4me2. Suppression of Cyp3a16 expression in adult livers coincided with decreases of H3K4me2 and increases of H3K27me3 around Cyp3a16. In conclusion, histone modifications of H3K4me2 and H3K27me3 are dynamically changed in a locus-specific manner along the Cyp3a locus. Developmental switch between Cyp3a11 and Cyp3a16 gene expression seems to be due to dynamic changes of histone modifications during postnatal liver maturation.
Overcoming the Inevitable Anchoring Effect: Considering the Opposite Compensates for Selective Accessibility

Anchoring effects—the assimilation of a numeric estimate to a previously considered standard—have proved to be remarkably robust. Results of two studies, however, demonstrate that anchoring can be reduced by applying a consider-the-opposite strategy. Based on the Selective Accessibility Model, which assumes that anchoring is mediated by the selectively increased accessibility of anchor-consistent knowledge, the authors hypothesized that increasing the accessibility of anchor-inconsistent knowledge mitigates the effect. Considering the opposite (i.e., generating reasons why an anchor is inappropriate) fulfills this objective and consequently proves to be a successful corrective strategy. In a real-world setting using experts as participants, Study 1 dem-onstrated that listing arguments that speak against a provided anchor value reduces the effect. Study 2 further revealed that the effects of anchoring and considering the opposite are additive.
A comparison of MODIS and NOHRSC snow‐cover products for simulating streamflow using the Snowmelt Runoff Model

Remote sensing is an important source of snow‐cover extent for input into the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) and other snowmelt models. Since February 2000, daily global snow‐cover maps have been produced from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The usefulness of this snow‐cover product for streamflow prediction is assessed by comparing SRM simulated streamflow using the MODIS snow‐cover product with streamflow simulated using snow maps from the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC). Simulations were conducted for two tributary watersheds of the Upper Rio Grande basin during the 2001 snowmelt season using representative SRM parameter values. Snow depletion curves developed from MODIS and NOHRSC snow maps were generally comparable in both watersheds: satisfactory streamflow simulations were obtained using both snow‐cover products in larger watershed (volume difference: MODIS, 2·6%; NOHRSC, 14·0%) and less satisfactory streamflow simulations in smaller watershed (volume difference: MODIS, −33·1%; NOHRSC, −18·6%). The snow water equivalent (SWE) on 1 April in the third zone of each basin was computed using the modified depletion curve produced by the SRM and was compared with in situ SWE measured at Snowpack Telemetry sites located in the third zone of each basin. The SRM‐calculated SWEs using both snow products agree with the measured SWEs in both watersheds. Based on these results, the MODIS snow‐cover product appears to be of sufficient quality for streamflow prediction using the SRM in the snowmelt‐dominated basins. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is happiness a cause of health

Abstract Happiness and positive moods influence health, and vice versa. A number of social and personality factors influence health directly, for example by affecting health behaviour or the immune system. These factors also affect health indirectly by influencing happiness and moods. These factors include social relationships, exercise and other aspects of leisure, job status and other aspects of work, social class, and several aspects of personality. The evidence on direct and indirect influences of happiness on health is summarised here.
Diffusion in Social Networks: A Multiagent Perspective

In recent years, significant attention has been paid to diffusion in social networks (SNs), which is, factually, the collective behavior of a set of autonomous social actors for interacting on something in SNs (such as opinions, viruses, or innovations). While this subject has been intensively reported, there have been relatively few systematic reviews concerning the typical diffusion elements and models that are relevant to this subject. Because multiagent computing has already been widely envisioned to be a powerful paradigm for modeling the collective interactions of autonomous multientity systems. In this survey, we review diffusion in SNs through a multiagent perspective. First, we review the following essential elements in diffusion: 1) diffusion actors (who will diffuse), which can be understood to be the interacting agents; 2) diffusion media (where to be diffused), which can be understood to be the interaction environments in multiagent systems (MASs); and 3) diffusion contents (what to be diffused), which can be understood to be the interaction objects in MASs. Next, based on varying situations of diffusion elements, we review the representative diffusion models (how to diffuse), which can be understood as the decision-making mechanisms and interaction protocols in MASs. For each class of diffusion elements and models, we summarize the existing studies and discuss the challenges for solving the complex diffusion problems by applying multiagent methodologies. Finally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of our multiagent perspective by comparing other typical perspectives (the empirical research perspective and the theoretical perspective in empirical research), and we conclude with suggestions for further research.
Sperm competition games: a general approach to risk assessment.

We investigate game theory models of ejaculate expenditure by males in a species where there is a risk probability, q, that females will mate twice before laying a given set of eggs. With frequency 1-q females mate just once; then males optimally ejaculate an arbitrary minimum amount of sperm. The paper extends the analysis of Parker et al. (1997) in which males have limited information about the three risk states of the female: 0 (virgins which will mate now but not again), 1 (virgins which will mate now and then once more), and 2 (once-mated females who will mate now but not again). We derive a general structure for finding ESSs under imperfect information about states, and examine two special cases in which males know the overall risk probability q, but have imperfect knowledge of the states (0, 1, 2). In Case 1, males cannot distinguish between states 0 and 1 but have limited information about state 2. As their information increases, so does the difference in sperm allocation, with more going to females assessed as mated (state 2) than to females assessed as virgins (0, 1). This difference decreases with q in a species, but the average ejaculate expenditure increases with q. Even for small amounts of information, the behaviour as q-->0 is different from that predicted for zero information. In Case 2, males have perfect information about state 2, but limited information about states 0, 1. This has a major effect if q is small: males effectively behave as if they had perfect information by giving equal amounts of sperm to females assessed as 1 as those assessed to be 2, while giving a minimum amount to females assessed as 0. Ejaculate expenditures generally increase with the overall species-level risk q. A result common to both cases is that even a small amount of information allows more strategic choice than the zero information case and hence qualitatively different behaviour.
Predicting Tolerance of Journalistic Deception

In a Web-based survey of 740 investigative journalists, competition and medium emerge as the 2 most salient predictors of journalists' tolerance of deception. Journalists who view competition as an important consideration in ethical decision making are more tolerant of deception. Television journalists have a higher tolerance of deception than print journalists. Overall, organizational factors such as medium and organization size are better predictors of deception tolerance than individual-level variables such as age, education, work experience, journalism as a college major, or media ethics instruction.
The influence of previous robotic experience in the initial learning curve of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

ABSTRACT Introduction: This study analyzed the impact of the experience with Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy (RALP) on the initial experience with Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy (LRP) by examining perioperative results and early outcomes of 110 patients. LRPs were performed by two ro-botic fellowship trained surgeons with daily practice in RALP. Patients and Methods: 110 LRP were performed to treat aleatory selected patients. The patients were divided into 4 groups for prospective analyses. A transperitoneal approach that simulates the RALP technique was used. Results: The median operative time was 163 minutes (110-240), and this time significantly decreased through case 40, when the time plateaued (p=0.0007). The median blood loss was 250mL. No patients required blood transfusion. There were no life-threatening complications or deaths. Minor complications were uniformly distributed along the series (P=0.6401). The overall positive surgical margins (PSM) rate was 28.2% (20% in pT2 and 43.6% in pT3). PSM was in the prostate apex in 61.3% of cases. At the 12-month follow-up, 88% of men were continent (0-1 pad). Conclusions: The present study shows that there are multiple learning curves for LRP. The shallowest learning curve was seen for the operative time. Surgeons transitioning between the RALP and LRP techniques were considered competent based on the low perioperative complication rate, absence of major complications, and lack of blood transfusions. This study shows that a learning curve still exists and that there are factors that must be considered by surgeons transitioning between the two techniques.
Demand Dispatch

In this article we touch on some background requirements for demand dispatch and how the Internet can be used for communication and control. In addition, we review some of the basics of the operation of the electric power grid. We show how loads that meet the communication and control requirements can be aggregated and dispatched-turned on or off-to help manage the grid. Aggregated loads will be able to perform many of the same ancillary services for the grid that are provided by power plants today. We describe some benefits of load-based ancillary services, such as the potential for very fast response, and explain how some characteristics of load-based services differ from power plants. Finally, we give a concrete example of demand dispatch as it can be applied to plug-in electric vehicles: smart charging.
Drug markets and distribution systems

Illicit drug markets are a part of our society. How visible and detrimental they are to their host communities has shaped enforcement action against them. Until the mid-1990s, open street-based markets were probably where most illicit drugs of dependency were bought and sold. With the steady rise in market activity, communities tired of the damage these markets caused, and demanded a police response. Quite separately, but around the same time, there was a proliferation in the ownership and use of mobile phones. Together, they provided open markets with both the impetus and the means to evolve into closed markets. Now this type of market is probably where most drugs of dependency are bought and sold. This article offers a classification of retail markets, distinguishing between open markets, closed markets, crack or dealing houses and other forms of retail system, and examines variations in the structure of distribution within these markets – mainly in the United Kingdom. At the same time, we also examine the available evidence on the ‘middle level’ drug markets that support these retail markets; and consider the relationship between supply, demand and enforcement, examining the adaptations that markets will make to enforcement and the perverse effects that enforcement may cause.