Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aquatic strategies and techniques and their benefit on children with autism

Swimming lessons are recommended as a useful health promotion intervention and life-saving skills for individuals with ASD. This qualitative study examined the perceived benefits of swimming lessons for children with ASD, with particular focus on aspects that can potentially help maximize the instruction of lessons for this population. This study utilized multiple methods to gain an in-depth perspective on the implementation of strategies and techniques for learn-to-swim programs for the six subjects with ASD. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with two instructors, the parents of the six children along with observational data collected from the researcher. Thematic analysis of the data supported perceived gains and benefits by utilization of extended lesson time, use of wetsuits, and using a floating mat/platform for teaching. Some of the most common benefits reported included increased comfort, relaxed, balance, and warmth. The major factors believed to affect the success of this intervention were comfort for the participants, which were derived from the interviews of the parents and instructors. The results from this study demonstrated that there are key strategies and techniques that can be implemented to swimming lesson programs for this population. The study provides preliminary support for the effectiveness of a simple instructional package for teaching swimming to children with autism. A discussion of implications of these perceived benefits along with recommendations for future study for children with
Diffusion-Scale Tightness of Invariant Distributions of a Large-Scale Flexible Service System

A large-scale service system with multiple customer classes and multiple server pools is considered, with the mean service time depending both on the customer class and server pool. The allowed activities (routeing choices) form a tree (in the graph with vertices being both customer classes and server pools). We study the behavior of the system under a leaf activity priority (LAP) policy, introduced by Stolyar and Yudovina (2012). An asymptotic regime is considered, where the arrival rate of customers and number of servers in each pool tend to ∞ in proportion to a scaling parameter r, while the overall system load remains strictly subcritical. We prove tightness of diffusion-scaled (centered at the equilibrium point and scaled down by r −1/2) invariant distributions. As a consequence, we obtain a limit interchange result: the limit of diffusion-scaled invariant distributions is equal to the invariant distribution of the limiting diffusion process.
PREDICTIVE ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY, BELIEF OF TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS AND SOCIAL SUPPORT IN DIABETES MELLITUS SELF-MANAGEMENT

Objectives: The aim of this research was to study the predictive role of self-efficacy, belief of treatment effectiveness, social support and doctor-patient relationship on diabetes Mellitus self-management. Method: 500 type II diabetes outpatients (245 men and 255 women) presenting to Shariati Hospital in Tehran were selected by convenience sampling. The subjects completed the scales related to diabetic self-care, self-efficacy, belief of treatment effectiveness, social support and doctor-patient relationship. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results: There was a significant and positive relationship between self-efficacy, belief of treatment effectiveness, doctor- patient relationship, social support and diabetes self- management (p<0.001). Self-efficacy, belief of treatment effectiveness and social support were capable of predicting diabetes self-management variance significantly (F=1.326, df=3 and 310, p<0.001) and explain 89% of diabetes self-management. Conclusion: Belief of treatment effectiveness, social support and especially, self-efficacy, are important self-management activities in diabetes Mellitus. Therefore, provision of improvement and enrichment programs for self-efficacy, are helpful for the improvement of self-care behaviors and the reduction of diabetes Mellitus associated harm. Keywords: diabetes Mellitus self-management; self-efficacy; belief of effectiveness of treatment; social support; doctor-patient relationship
A tri-helical model for nanoplasmonic gyroid metamaterials

Metallic gyroid metamaterials are formed by a combination of nanoplasmonic helices leading to unique and complex optical characteristics. To unravel this inherent complexity we set up an analytic tri-helical metamaterial model that reveals the underlying physical properties. This analytic tri-helical model is complete in the sense that it is only dependent on the structure's geometric and material parameters. It allows us to elucidate the characteristic transverse and longitudinal modes of the metal nano-gyroid as well as explain the surprisingly small optical chirality of gyroid metamaterials that is observed in experiments. We argue that this behaviour originates from the interconnection of multiple helices of opposing handedness.
Longer Term Effects of Head Start

Little is known about the long-term effects of participation in Head Start. This paper draws on unique non-experimental data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to provide new evidence on the effects of participation in Head Start on schooling attainment, earnings, and criminal behavior. Among whites, participation in Head Start is associated with a significantly increased probability of completing high school and attending college, and we find some evidence of elevated earnings in one's early twenties. African Americans who participated in Head Start are significantly less likely to have been charged or convicted of a crime. The evidence also suggests that there are positive spillovers from older children who attended Head Start to their younger siblings.
Increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease: the price of the decline of infectious burden?

Purpose of review It is now apparent that the increase in the incidence of autoimmune and allergic diseases in Western countries is explained by the decrease in infections. The question is posed to determine whether a similar explanation can be proposed for the increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease. Recent findings Studies performed in murine experimental models of inflammatory bowel disease have shown that colitis onset can be prevented by bacteria, bacterial extracts, or helminths. Particular interest was given to probiotics (either live or killed), which protect from disease in a toll-like receptor 9 dependent fashion. This protective effect involves regulatory cytokines as indicated by in vitro studies on human inflamed colonic cells. At the clinical level, there is strong suggestion but still limited proof that probiotics improve inflammatory bowel disease through immunoregulatory mechanisms. Summary Converging clinical and experimental data strongly suggest the protective nonspecific role of infections on inflammatory bowel disease independently from the triggering role of some specific bacteria. The extension to inflammatory bowel disease of the hygiene hypothesis opens new therapeutic perspectives including the revisiting of probiotics and other forms of exposure to bacteria or parasite components.
Intrahepatic mRNA Expression of FAS, FASL, and FOXP3 Genes Is Associated with the Pathophysiology of Chronic HCV Infection

This study aimed to evaluate the relative mRNA expression of Fas receptor (FAS), Fas ligand (FASL), and forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) in liver biopsy specimens obtained from patients with viral and non-viral chronic hepatitis and correlate their expression with the fibrosis stage. A total of 51 liver biopsy specimens obtained from HBV (n = 6), HCV (n = 28), and non-viral hepatic disease (NVHD) (n = 9) patients and from individuals with normal liver histology (n = 8) (control—CT) were analyzed. Quantifications of the target genes were assessed using qPCR, and liver biopsies according to the METAVIR classification. The mRNA expression levels of FAS and FASL were lower in the CT group compared to the groups of patients. The increase in the mRNA expression of FAS and FASL was correlated with higher levels of inflammation and disease progression, followed by a decline in tissues with cirrhosis, and it was also associated with increased levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Higher mRNA expression of FOXP3 was observed in the HCV and NVHD groups, with the peak observed among patients with cirrhosis. The increased FOXP3 mRNA expression was positively correlated with increased FAS and FASL mRNA expression and the AST and ALT levels in all patients. Conclusions: These results suggest that regardless of the cause, the course of chronic liver disease may be modulated by the analyzed genes and correlated with an increase in regulatory T cells during the liver damage followed by hepatocyte destruction by Fas/FasL system and subsequent non specific lymphocytic infiltrate accumulation.
Cognitive and Motivational Characteristics of Elementary Teachers in General Education Classrooms and in Gifted Programs

Whether teachers in general education classrooms and in gifted programs differ in their cognitive and motivational characteristics was examined in 182 elementary school teachers. The teacher characteristics examined were epistemological beliefs (beliefs about the nature of knowledge and beliefs about the nature of learning), metacognition (planning, monitoring, and strategy selection), and motivation (self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and goal orientation). Teachers in gifted programs reported more sophisticated epistemological beliefs, higher learning-goal orientation, and lower performance-goal orientation than did teachers in general education classrooms. However, perceived use of metacognitive strategies, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation were not different between the two groups. Teachers in general reported epistemological sophistication more in the nature of learning than in the nature of knowledge, that they use cognitive strategies more so than planning and monitoring of their activities, and that they are more learning-goal oriented than performance-goal oriented. It is suggested that more courses and trainings are needed for preservice and in-service teachers so they have opportunities to learn and self-reflect on their own characteristics. Putting the Research to Use This study compared trait-level cognitive and motivational characteristics between teachers in gifted programs and teachers in general education classrooms. The findings provide some evidence that teachers in gifted programs and teachers in general education classrooms have characteristic differences and that gifted students in pullout programs seem to be more likely to have teachers with certain favorable characteristics. The reality is that the majority of gifted children spend most of their hours in general education classrooms. Therefore, the focus should be whether teacher training can provide opportunities for preservice and in-service teachers in general education as well as in gifted education programs, to become aware of these characteristics evidenced as having strong relationships with student learning. Beyond teacher knowledge and skills, teacher attributes and beliefs about student learning are underscored as important areas in teacher preparation for differentiating instruction for gifted children in the general education classroom. Preservice and in-service teacher trainings should provide teachers with opportunities to learn and self-reflect on their own cognitive and motivational characteristics as they develop into effective teachers.
The prokineticin receptor agonist Bv8 increases GABA release in the periaqueductal grey and modifies RVM cell activities and thermoceptive reflexes in the rat

The prokineticin Bv8, a small protein secreted by the skin of the Bombina variegata frog, is a potent agonist of both the identified prokineticin receptors, the G‐protein‐coupled PK‐R1 and PK‐R2. We found in this study that intraperiaqueductal grey (PAG) Bv8, 100 and 200 pmol per rat, exerted a pronociceptive action and caused opposite effects on the ongoing rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) On‐ and Off‐cell activities in rats. Bv8 increased and decreased the ongoing activity of RVM On and Off cells, respectively. Bv8 decreased tail flick latency and increased the pause and shortened the onset of the Off‐cell pause. Bv8 did not change either the tail flick‐induced On‐cell burst of activity or the onset of On‐cell peak firing. Microdialysis analysis, applied in combination with the plantar test, showed that intra‐PAG perfusion with Bv8 (0.25 and 0.5 pm) increased GABA, but not glutamate, extracellular levels, and decreased thermoceptive thresholds. These findings show that stimulation of PAG PK‐Rs might worsen pain perception and this effect is consistent with both RVM On‐ and Off‐cell ongoing and tail flick‐related activities, as well as with the increase induced by Bv8 in PAG GABA levels.
Suicide ideation and depression in university students in Botswana

The study aimed at exploring suicide ideation and its relationship to depression in university students in Botswana. Data were collected from 122 undergraduate students (68.9% females, 31.1% males) with a mean age of 20.02 years. Depressive symptoms were measured with an adapted version of Beck's Depression Inventory-II. In total, 47.5% of the respondents reported suicide ideation, 28.7% reported previous suicide attempts, and the mean depression score was 19.14. Suicide ideation correlated strongly with total depression scores. The level of depression severity was linearly related to suicide ideation but 14.3% of respondents who scored at the level of minimal depression and 53.8% of those who scored at the level of mild depression had also contemplated suicide. The level of education of respondents’ mothers had an inverse relationship with suicide ideation and with depression in that those whose mothers had a tertiary level education were less likely to engage in suicide ideation and had significantly lower depression scores. The results are discussed from within the specific social ecological context of Botswana.
Study Design and Sampling in the Veterans Health Study

Abstract:There are numerous choices to be made in the design of studies examining the impact of healthcare on patient-reported outcomes. We describe considerations in the design of the Veterans Health Study (VHS), a large-scale longitudinal observational study of healthcare in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). We also consider sampling issues, and discuss the broader theoretical and practical implications of our choices. The VHS was an observational study with a prospective longitudinal design. Subjects were recruited from a cross-sectional sample of the VA patient population, and identified when they came to ambulatory care clinics for a medical visit. Participating patients were contacted by telephone, and scheduled for an interview conducted at the clinic. Prior to the interview they completed a mailed questionnaire. The clinic interview included brief clinical assessments of selected study medical conditions, a medical history interview, limited health examination, and assessments of health status, health-related quality of life, process-of-care measures related to utilization of services, and other patient characteristics. Patients were empaneled and followed over time. Their health was monitored with brief mailed questionnaires completed at 3-month intervals, and with annual patient reassessments at 12 and 24 months. This design had several strengths. Its comprehensiveness and observational nature allowed for examination of a broad range of outcomes and processes of care as they occur in routine practice in the VA system. Study effects on outcomes should be minimal and the longitudinal design permitted the examination of changes in health status and evaluation of the extent to which changes in patients' illnesses and their treatments were associated with changes in outcomes. Many aspects of this study's design were innovative, reflecting careful consideration of design choices and lessons learned from previous outcomes research studies. Choices made in the design of the VHS can serve as models for future studies of the effects of healthcare on patient-reported outcomes.
The Use of the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M) in the Detection of Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Many screening tools for detecting cognitive decline require in-person assessment, which is often not cost-effective or feasible for those with physical limitations. The Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status has been used for screening dementia, but little is known about its usefulness in detecting amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Community-dwelling participants (mean age = 74.9, mean education = 16.1 years) were administered the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status during initial screening and subsequently given a multidomain neuropsychological battery. Participants were classified by consensus panel as cognitively normal older adult (noMCI, N = 54) or amnestic mild cognitive impairment (N = 17) based on neuropsychological performance and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale interview, but independent of Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score. There was a significant difference between groups in Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score (t = 8.04, P < .01, noMCI range 32-43, mean [SD] = 37.4 [2.5], amnestic mild cognitive impairment range 25-37, mean [SD] = 31.2 [3.5]). Discriminant function analysis revealed that TICS-M alone correctly classified 85.9% of participants into their respective diagnostic classification (sensitivity = 82.4%, specificity = 87.0%). Receiver operating characteristics analysis resulted in cutoff score of 34 that optimized sensitivity and specificity of amnestic mild cognitive impairment classification. The Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status is a brief, cost-effective screening measure for identifying those with and without amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Spatialising the politics of coexistence: gui ju (规矩) in Singapore

Geographers and other social scientists have developed ways to describe and analyse people's routine and fleeting encounters with others in cities experiencing migrant-led diversification. Much of this work illuminates the significance of everyday rubbing along, but how diversity is lived and negotiated through specific principles of interaction and exchange has so far remained obscure. As such, the politics of fleeting encounters in public spaces have not been explained. Further, the overwhelming majority of conceptualisations of coexistence draw from European and North American contexts. Through an empirically grounded analysis of the principles of social organisation (known as gui ju in Singapore), I demonstrate that everyday norms of civility emerge as ways of boundary-breaking and boundary-making in shared spaces in Singapore's Jurong West. Addressing the potentials and limitations of coexisting with difference, I clarify how diversity is managed and negotiated in the everyday vis-a-vis uneven interconnections between people of different backgrounds. I discuss the prosaic and situated ways in which positive and strained relations can occur simultaneously and situate these in a wider structural context. I argue that the geography of coexistence is constituted through socio-spatial processes where the politics of living with diversity are mediated through, although not limited to, fleeting encounters. Gui ju clarifies the messiness inherent in shared spaces and, effectively, filter and curtail diversity by perpetuating the normativities of acceptable behaviour in public.
Gibt es einen Videodefiziteffekt bei Aufgaben zur Theory of Mind

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie bestand darin, einen moglichen Einfluss des Darbietungsmodus auf die Leistung von Vorschulkindern in einer Aufgabe zur Theory of Mind (ToM) zu uberprufen. Dazu wurden die Leistungen von 94 Kindern zwischen 3 und 5 Jahren in einer klassischen Ortsverlagerungsaufgabe zum Verstandnis falscher Uberzeugungen (Wimmer & Perner, 1983) untersucht. Den Kindern wurde die Originalgeschichte entweder live oder als Videofilm prasentiert. Erstmalig konnte ein signifikanter Effekt des Darbietungsmodus in einer Aufgabe zur ToM nachgewiesen werden. Dieser ergab sich in der Altersgruppe der 4-Jahrigen. Unabhangig vom Darbietungsmodus antworteten 3-Jahrige uberzufallig falsch und 5-Jahrige uberzufallig korrekt. Der nachgewiesene Effekt des Darbietungsmodus wird vor dem Hintergrund bereits bestehender Theorien zum sogenannten Videodefiziteffekt (VDE) diskutiert.
Relationship Among Patients' Perceived Capacity for Communication, Health Literacy, and Diabetes Self-Care

The mechanisms underlying the relations among health literacy, perceived capacity for communication, diabetes knowledge, and diabetes self-care are unclear. This study tested this relation using structural equation modeling with a sample of 137 Chinese patients 65 years of age or older with type 2 diabetes. The model showed that health literacy, knowledge, communication capacity, and diabetes self-care formed complex relations. After adjusting for age, education, and Chinese cultural influence, health literacy affected diabetes self-care indirectly through perceived capacity for communication (standardized estimate coefficient = .641, p < .001) but not diabetes knowledge. To enhance self-care, interventions should be tailored to increase patient health literacy and perceived capacity for communication with health care providers. Training should be provided to patients to enhance their communication abilities.
The effectiveness of Acceptance and Commit- ment Therapy (ACT) on increasing Marital Inti- macy and decreasing Marital Conflicts between the Couples of Tehran

The present study is carried out for examining the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on decreasing marital conflicts. Accordingly, thirty couples were randomly chosen among the clients of different Psychology and Consulting Centers of Tehran and equally placed in two test and control groups (i.e. 15 in each group). And, the eight-session protocol of ACT was implemented on the test group yet not on the control group. The examination was done using pre-test-post-test technique with control group. To measure the extent of marital conflicts, Marital Intimacy Questionnaire (MIQ) was applied. Data analysis was conducted using MANCOVA. Results indicated the effectiveness of ACT on reducing the marital conflicts between couples. Results of the study demonstrated that the improvement of psychological flexibility which is the main component in ACT has significant effect on dependent variables.