Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The development of the revised version of the Educational Outcome Expectancy Scale

Lent, Brown, & Hackett's (1994) social cognitive career theory (SCCT) proposes that the three processing mechanisms that underlie the development of educational interests, persistence, and achievement are self efficacy (SE), outcome expectancies (OEs), and goal representations. The researcher had two goals for this paper: to revise a measure of educational outcome expectancies, the Educational Outcome Expectancy Scale-Revised (EOE-R; Springer, Larson, Tilley, & Casser, 2001) and obtain initial validity and reliability estimates for the measure. The researcher conducted an exploratory factor analysis and provided reliability estimates. He also obtained estimates of convergent validity for the measure using a measure of college SE, the College Self-Efficacy Instrument (CSEI; Solberg, O'Brien, Villareal, & Kennel, 1993) and a measure of personality, the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; Tellegen, 1982; Tellegen & Waller, in press). In addition, he obtained an estimate of criterion validity using a measure of satisfaction for college students, the Your First College Year measure (YFCY; Astin, 1993). The results supported a 23-item single-factor model with internal consistency of a=. 93. The results also supported convergent and criterion validity estimates of the EOE-R with expected significant correlations with the CSEI, with some primary scales of the MPQ, and with the YFCY. The results supported the positive correlation between educational OE and college SE as theorized in SCCT and found in the literature. The results added to the relative lack of literature by supporting a relation between educational OE and some facets of personality. Finally, results also support the positive relation between OE and satisfaction as conceptually discussed (Bandura, 1986; Lent et al., 1994). Additional Analyses included exploration of a six-factor solution for the EOE-R and EOE-R scores by college major.
The role of personal values in corporate social entrepreneurship

The literature acknowledges a distinction between immoral, amoral and moral management (Carroll, 1987; Crane 2000). This paper makes a case for the manager as a moral agent, even though the paper begins by highlighting a body of evidence which suggests that individual moral agency is sacrificed at work and is compromised in deference to other pressures. This leads to a discussion of the notion of managerial discretion and an examination of a separate, contrary body of literature which indicates that some managers in corporations may use their discretion to behave in a socially entrepreneurial manner. The underlying assumption of the study is that CSR isn’t solely driven by economics and that it may also be championed as a result of a personal morality, inspired by an individual’s own socially oriented personal values. A conceptual framework is put forward and it is suggested that individuals may be categorized as Active or Frustrated Corporate Social Entrepreneurs; Conformists or Apathetics: distinguished by individualistic or collectivist personal values. In a discussion of the nature of values, this paper highlights how values may act as drivers of our behavior and pays particular attention to the values of the entrepreneur, thereby linking the existing debate on moral agency with the field of corporate social responsibility.
Researching glutamate – induced cytotoxicity in different cell lines: a comparative/collective analysis/study

Although glutamate is one of the most important excitatory neurotransmitters of the central nervous system, its excessive extracellular concentration leads to uncontrolled continuous depolarization of neurons, a toxic process called, excitotoxicity. In excitotoxicity glutamate triggers the rise of intracellular Ca2+ levels, followed by up regulation of nNOS, dysfunction of mitochondria, ROS production, ER stress, and release of lysosomal enzymes. Excessive calcium concentration is the key mediator of glutamate toxicity through over activation of ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. In addition, glutamate accumulation can also inhibit cystine (CySS) uptake by reversing the action of the CySS/glutamate antiporter. Reversal of the antiporter action reinforces the aforementioned events by depleting neurons of cysteine and eventually glutathione’s reducing potential. Various cell lines have been employed in the pursuit to understand the mechanism(s) by which excitotoxicity affects the cells leading them ultimately to their demise. In some cell lines glutamate toxicity is exerted mainly through over activation of NMDA, AMPA, or kainate receptors whereas in other cell lines lacking such receptors, the toxicity is due to glutamate induced oxidative stress. However, in the greatest majority of the cell lines ionotropic glutamate receptors are present, co-existing to CySS/glutamate antiporters and metabotropic glutamate receptors, supporting the assumption that excitotoxicity effect in these cells is accumulative. Different cell lines differ in their responses when exposed to glutamate. In this review article the responses of PC12, SH-SY5Y, HT-22, NT-2, OLCs, C6, primary rat cortical neurons, RGC-5, and SCN2.2 cell systems are systematically collected and analyzed.
Prophylactic Pinning of the Contralateral Hip in Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis: Evaluation of Long-Term Outcome for the Contralateral Hip with Use of Decision Analysis

Background: The risk of a contralateral slip in patients who are first seen with a unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis has been reported to be 2335 times higher than the risk of an initial slip. The overall prevalence of bilaterality varies widely throughout the literature, with some reports indicating rates as high as 80%. This finding has led many authors to recommend prophylactic pinning of the contralateral asymptomatic hip in patients presenting with a unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis.Methods: A decision analysis model with probabilities for the occurrence of contralateral slip and for the severity of slip at different intervals of follow-up was used in the present study. These probabilities were compared with those for various outcomes when the contralateral hip is prophylactically pinned. Scores representing long-term outcome, according to the Iowa hip-rating system, were used in the model as a measure of utility. The probabilities of contralateral slip and the rates of slip severity were taken from large retrospective series. All meaningful clinical scenarios with regard to long-term outcome for the hip were considered in the model. Variables of uncertainty were subjected to sensitivity analyses in order to explore the effect on outcome over the range of plausible values for variables of interest.Results: The results showed a benefit in the long-term outcome for patients who had prophylactic pinning of the contralateral hip. The threshold level at which a benefit is obtained with prophylactic pinning is expressed according to the rates of sequential slip, rates of slips overlooked at follow-up, and complications associated with prophylactic pinning of the contralateral hip.Conclusions: The decision model shows that, when pooled data are used to predict probabilities of sequential slip, treatment of the contralateral hip with prophylactic pinning is beneficial to the long-term outcome for that hip. When considering prophylactic pinning of the contralateral hip, the clinician should use sound clinical judgment with respect to the age, sex, and endocrine status of the patient. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to establish the efficacy of prophylactic pinning, but the predictions in the present study, which are based on findings in the literature, support the safety of this procedure.
Gelsolin and Progression of Aortic Arch Calcification in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients

Background:Vascular calcification (VC) is a key process associated with cardiovascular mortality in dialysis patients. Gelsolin is an actin-binding protein that can modulate inflammation, correlated inversely with hemodialysis (HD) mortality and involved in bone calcification homeostasis. In this report, we aim to characterize progression in aortic arch calcification (AAC) and investigate its association with gelsolin. Methods: 184 HD patients were enrolled and their annual posterior-anterior chest X-ray films (CXR) in 2009 and 2013 were examined. The severity of AAC was classified as grade 0 to 3. Blood levels of gelsolin were measured by ELISA kits. Biographic and biochemical data at baseline were analyzed with status of AAC at baseline and changes after 4 years. Results: At baseline, 60% of the patients had detectable AAC on CXR. After 4 years, 77% had AAC. Patients with grade 1 and 2 AAC had increased risk of progression (Odds ratio [OR] 2~3, P=0.001) compared to those with grade 0 at baseline. Compared to those with no AAC, patients with AAC progression had older age, lower gelsolin, higher waist circumference and prevalence of vascular disease. Regression analysis confirmed baseline gelsolin (odds ratio 0.845, 95% confidence interval [0.734-0.974]) and waist circumference as the independent factors associated with AAC progression. Gelsolin is positively correlated with serum albumin and negatively with tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that HD patients with grades 1 or 2 baseline AAC are at increased risk of further progression compared to those with grade 0. We also found lower blood levels of gelsolin associated with progressive AAC. Further investigation into the mechanistic roles of gelsolin in vascular calcification may provide new understanding of this key process.
From angels to aliens : teenagers, the media, and the supernatural

Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Left Behind series are but the latest manifestations of American teenagers' longstanding fascination with the supernatural and the paranormal. In this groundbreaking book, Lynn Schofield Clark explores the implications of this fascination for contemporary religious and spiritual practices. Relying on stories gleaned from more than 250 in-depth interviews with teens and their families, Clark seeks to discover what today's teens really believe and why. She finds that as adherence to formal religious bodies declines, interest in alternative spiritualities as well as belief in "superstition" grow accordingly. Ironically, she argues, fundamentalist Christian alarmism about the forces of evil has also fed belief in a wider array of supernatural entities. L Resisting the claim that the media "brainwash" teens, Clark argues that today's popular stories of demons, hell, and the afterlife actually have their roots in the U.S.'s religious heritage. She considers why some young people are nervous about supernatural stories in the media, while others comfortably and often unselfconsciously blur the boundaries between those stories of the realm beyond that belong to traditional religion and those offered by the entertainment media. At a time of increased religious pluralism and declining participation in formal religious institutions, Clark says, we must completely reexamine what young people mean-and what they may believe-when they identify themselves as "spiritual" or "religious. " L Offering provocative insights into how the entertainment media shape contemporary religious ideas and practices, From Angels to Aliens paints a surprising-and perhaps alarming-portrait of the spiritual state of America's youth.
语言教学的环境与文化 = Context and culture in language teaching

Acknowledgements Preface Introduction Dubious dichotomies and deceptive symmetries The importance of context in language education A discourse perspective Notes 1. Educational challenge Of challenges and conditions Challenge as action Challenge as paradox Challenge as dialogue Double-voiced discourse Dialogic breakthrough Notes 2. Contexts of speech and social interaction What's in a context? Discourse and culture Contextual shaping Conclusion Notes 3. Teaching the spoken language Five case studies Problems and paradoxes Teaching language as (con)/text Notes 4. Stories and discourses Dimensions of particularity Understanding of particularity Conclusion Notes 5. Teaching the literary text Current practices Defining the reader Teaching the narrative Teaching poetry Post-teaching activities Conclusion Notes 6. Authentic texts and contexts What is cultural authenticity? The communicative proficiency approach The discourse analysis approach The challenge of multimedia Notes 7. Teaching language across the cultural faultline Cultural reality and cultural imagination C2, C2': reconstructing the C2 context of production and reception C1, C1': constructing a context of reception in the learner's native culture C1", C2": in the eyes of others Of bridges and boundaries Notes 8. Looking for third places A popular culture A critical culture An ecological culture Conclusion Notes Appendices Bibliography Index
Social Structure and Development: A Legacy of the Holocaust in Russia

We document a statistical association between the severity of the persecution and mass murder of Jews (the Holocaust) by the Nazis during World War II and long-run economic and political outcomes within Russia. Cities that experienced the Holocaust most intensely have grown less, and cities as well as administrative districts (oblasts) where the Holocaust had the largest impact have worse economic and political outcomes since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although we cannot rule out the possibility that these statistical relationships are caused by other factors, the overall patterns appear generally robust. We provide evidence on one possible mechanism that we hypothesize may link the Holocaust to the present---the change it induced in the social structure, in particular the size of the middle class, across different regions of Russia. Before World War II, Russian Jews were predominantly in white collar (middle class) occupations and the Holocaust appears to have had a large negative effect on the size of the middle class after the war.
Foundations of Chinese psychology : Confucian social relations

The Epistemological Goal of Indigenous Psychology. - The Modernization of Non-Western Societies: A Perspective of Constructive Realism. - Western Philosophy's Concepts of Person and Paradigm Shifts. - The Construction of the Face and Favor Model. - The Deep Structure of Confucianism. - Paradigms for Studying Chinese Moral Thought:A Meta-theoretical Analysis. - Moral Thought in Confucian Society. - Confucian Relationalism and Social Exchange. - Life Goals and Achievement Motivation in Confucian Society. - Face and Morality in Confucian Society. - Guanxi and Organizational Behaviors in Chinese Societies. - Chinese Models of Conflict Resolution.
Low-cost differential front-end for Doppler radar vital sign monitoring

We present a differential front end design for improving the performance of short-range low-cost Doppler radars for vital sign detection with application to automotive driver safety systems, health monitoring, and security screening. By using dual helical antennas each with a 40-degree beamwidth, it is possible to illuminate the body in two adjacent locations to perform a differential measurement. Since only one of the beams illuminates the heart, the baseband signal from the second radar is used for motion cancellation. We demonstrate this approach using a custom-designed dual helical antenna and simple direct-conversion radar circuits implemented in microstrip operating at 2.460 GHz and 2.510 GHz. , respectively. Heart rate data is shown for detection distances of 0.5 meter showing reduction in background motion noise compared to data from traditional single radar unit design.
Relationship between Complex and Simple Spike Activity in Macaque Caudal Vermis during Three-Dimensional Vestibular Stimulation

Lobules 10 and 9 in the caudal posterior vermis [also known as nodulus and uvula (NU)] are thought important for spatial orientation and balance. Here, we characterize complex spike (CS) and simple spike (SS) activity in response to three-dimensional vestibular stimulation. The strongest modulation was seen during translation (CS: 12.8 ± 1.5, SS: 287.0 ± 23.2 spikes/s/G, 0.5 Hz). Preferred directions tended to cluster along the cardinal axes (lateral, fore-aft, vertical) for CSs and along the semicircular canal axes for SSs. Most notably, the preferred directions for CS/SS pairs arising from the same Purkinje cells were rarely aligned. During 0.5 Hz pitch/roll tilt, only about a third of CSs had significant modulation. Thus, most CSs correlated best with inertial rather than net linear acceleration. By comparison, all SSs were selective for translation and ignored changes in spatial orientation relative to gravity. Like SSs, tilt modulation of CSs increased at lower frequencies. CSs and SSs had similar response dynamics, responding to linear velocity during translation and angular position during tilt. The most salient finding is that CSs did not always modulate out-of-phase with SSs. The CS/SS phase difference varied broadly among Purkinje cells, yet for each cell it was precisely matched for the otolith-driven and canal-driven components of the response. These findings illustrate a spatiotemporal mismatch between CS/SS pairs and provide the first comprehensive description of the macaque NU, an important step toward understanding how CSs and SSs interact during complex movements and spatial disorientation.
Crystal Structure and Hydrogen Bonding Study of (10E)-2,2-Dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[g]chromene-5,10-dione 10-Oxime Derived From α-Lapachone

The compound (10E)-2,2-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[g]chromene-5,10-dione-10-oxime (1) was synthesized from α-lapachone and hydroxylamine chloride in alkaline medium. Single-crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction measurements were grown from an ethanol solution, and the crystal structure of the title molecule is reported for the first time. The title molecule was also characterized by 1H- and 13C-NMR in CDCl3 solution, FTIR and MS. The crystal structure of 1 shows an E stereochemistry and dimers formed through classical hydrogen bonds.
Correlation between Environmental Factors and Prevalence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Oysters Harvested in the Southern Coastal Area of Sao Paulo State, Brazil

ABSTRACT The presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in 123 oyster samples collected from an estuary on the southern coast of Sao Paulo state, Brazil, was investigated. Of the 123 samples, 99.2% were positive with densities ranging from <3 to 105 most probable number (MPN)/g. Densities correlated significantly with water temperature (r = 0.48; P < 0.001) but not with salinity (r = −0.09; P = 0.34). The effect of harvest site on counts was not significant (P > 0.05). These data provide information for the assessment of exposure of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters at harvest.
Verification and uniformity control of doses for 90Sr/90Y intravascular brachytherapy sources using radiochromic film dosimetry

Intravascular brachytherapy (IVBT) is a useful treatment modality for the recurrence of in-stent restenosis following drug-eluting stents (DES) or IVBT failure. The objective of this study was to measure the dose rate of 90Sr/90Y IVBT sources for comparison with that given by the manufacturer and to control the dose uniformities of these sources along the source axis. The dose rates of 90Sr/90Y beta sources were measured with a radiochromic film in a custom-made phantom. The films for calibration were irradiated using 60Co photon beams. The results for the three sources were 4.5%, 2.3%, and 3.5% higher than the corresponding certificate values. Maximum and minimum of the dose rates varied within ±10% of those at source center; and maximum dose discrepancy for the first 90Sr/90Y source train was 8.2%; for the second source train, 7.1%; and for the third source train, 5.1%. Our study showed that the dose rates given by the manufacturer for the three 90Sr/90Y IVBT sources were reliable and dose uniformities were within ±10% along two thirds of the treatment length.
Evolving neuromodulatory topologies for reinforcement learning-like problems

Environments with varying reward contingencies constitute a challenge to many living creatures. In such conditions, animals capable of adaptation and learning derive an advantage. Recent studies suggest that neuromodulatory dynamics are a key factor in regulating learning and adaptivity when reward conditions are subject to variability. In biological neural networks, specific circuits generate modulatory signals, particularly in situations that involve learning cues such as a reward or novel stimuli. Modulatory signals are then broadcast and applied onto target synapses to activate or regulate synaptic plasticity. Artificial neural models that include modulatory dynamics could prove their potential in uncertain environments when online learning is required. However, a topology that synthesises and delivers modulatory signals to target synapses must be devised. So far, only handcrafted architectures of such kind have been attempted. Here we show that modulatory topologies can be designed autonomously by artificial evolution and achieve superior learning capabilities than traditional fixed-weight or Hebbian networks. In our experiments, we show that simulated bees autonomously evolved a modulatory network to maximise the reward in a reinforcement learning-like environment.
Evaluation of proprioceptive sense of the elbow joint with RehabRoby

In recent years, robot-assisted rehabilitation systems have been an active research area that can quantitatively monitor and adapt to patient progress, and ensure consistency during rehabilitation. In this work, an exoskeleton type robot-assisted rehabilitation system called RehabRoby is developed. A control architecture, which contains a high level controller and a low level controller, is designed for RehabRoby. Proprioceptive sense of healthy subjects has been evaluated during the execution of a task with RehabRoby. Additionally, usability of RehabRoby has been evaluated using a questionnaire.
Prevalence and characteristics of cigarette smokers among undergraduates of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Smoking control is urgently needed to prevent the epidemic of tobacco-related diseases and deaths in developing countries. This requires data on smoking, especially among vulnerable groups like students. We have surveyed cigarette smoking among undergraduates of the University of Ilorin, in the North Central region of Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a questionnaire-based survey among undergraduates of the University of Ilorin. A total of 1800 students were selected by multistage random sampling. RESULTS A total of 1754 students (234 medical and 1520 non-medical students) completed the questionnaires. They were 1148 (65.5%) males and 606 (34.5%) females with a mean age of 21.6 ± 3.1 years. The prevalence rate of current smoking was 5.7% (males 7.7%, females 2.0%) and of ever smoking was 17.1% (males 22.9%, females 6.2%). Smoking was more common in non-medical students. Eighty-three (83.8%) of the smokers had already started smoking by their eighteenth birthday. Fifty-one (51.5%) of them smoked ≤ 5 sticks of cigarettes daily. Most of them were influenced into smoking by peer pressure and commercial advertisements. Sixty-seven (67.6%) of them believed that smoking could never have a negative impact on their health status and quality of life and just 39 (39.4%) smokers were willing to quit. CONCLUSIONS Despite the low prevalence rate of smoking in the studied population, a majority of them were not willing to quit because of a low perception of the negative effects of smoking on their health and quality of life. Comprehensive antismoking campaigns were urgently needed to control cigarette smoking among University undergraduates in Nigeria.