Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loneliness among German University Students: Some Correlates.

Education students at a large West German university ( n = 154) filled out the UCLA Loneliness Questionnaire (revised version) and also responded to some additional questions. The scale proved satisfactory on various criteria. Average loneliness was found to be very close to a US comparison sample, with no gender differences. Significant correlations with self-rated shyness, social contact difficulty, and lack of physical at­tractiveness were found. No significant differences between males and females were found on these correlations, though there was a trend towards higher coefficients among males.
Trajectories of Alcohol Consumption among Older Japanese Followed from 1987—1999

This study examined the longitudinal changes in alcohol consumption among elderly Japanese, characterized the subtrajectories within the aggregate trend, and examined potential predictors of these trajectories. Data come from a nationally representative survey of 2,566 persons in Japan, ages 60 to 96, followed over five waves between 1987—1999. Hierarchical linear modeling and cluster analysis were used to uncover trajectories of alcohol use. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to examine the predictors of trajectory association at baseline. Alcohol use appears relatively stable between ages 60 and 70, but declines thereafter. Further, there are three subtrajectories: stable, declining, and curvilinear (in addition to abstainers). Predictors of these trajectories varied by trajectory. Alcohol use may continue to be an important part of life at older ages. However, older drinkers appear to follow four drinking trajectories. Demographic characteristics and stressors may be associated with these trajectories. Knowledge of these trajectories may aid in targeting of interventions.
Interactions between View Changes and Shape Changes in Picture–Picture Matching

Four experiments are reported in which pictures of different morphs of novel, complex, 3-D objects, similar to objects which we must identify in the real world, were presented. We investigated how changes of viewpoint influence our ability to discriminate between morphs. View changes had a powerful effect on performance in picture–picture matching tasks when similarly shaped morphs had to be discriminated. Shape changes were detected faster and more accurately when morphs were depicted from the same rather than different views. In contrast, view change had no effect when dissimilarly shaped morphs had to be discriminated. This interaction between the effects of view change and shape change was found both for simultaneous stimulus presentation and for sequential presentation with interstimulus intervals up to 3600 ms. The interaction was found after repeated presentations of the stimuli before the matching task and after practice at the matching task as well as after no such pre-exposure to the stimuli or to the task. The results demonstrate the difficulty in activating abstract, view-insensitive representations to help to achieve object constancy, even when matching over long interstimulus intervals or after stimuli have already been seen many times.
Neural distance amplification of lexical tone in human auditory cortex

In tonal languages, like Chinese, lexical tone serves as a key feature to provide contrast in word meaning. Behavior studies suggest that Mandarin Chinese tone is categorically perceived. However, the neural mechanism underlying Mandarin tone perception is still poorly understood. In this study, an Oddball paradigm was designed by selecting two standard-deviant stimulus pairs with same physical distance but different category labels, among the synthesized tones with continuously varying pitch contours. Using electrocorticography (ECoG) recording over human auditory cortex, high temporal and spatial resolution cortical neural signals were used for the first time to investigate the cortical processing of lexical tone. Here, we found different neural responses to the two standard-deviant tone pairs, and the difference increased from low to high level along the hierarchy of human auditory cortex. In the two dimensional neural space, cross-category neural distance of lexical tones is selectively amplified on those high level electrodes. These findings support a hierarchical and categorical model of Mandarin tone perception, and favor the using of high-level electrodes for a better performance of lexical tone discrimination in speech brain computer interface.
Dropping Out of Child Psychotherapy: Issues for Research and Implications for Practice

Dropping out of psychotherapy among children and adolescents is a significant problem affecting 40-60 percent of the cases receiving outpatient care. I review research on premature termination from treatment and current issues raised by that work. Our research work on dropping out of treatment among children referred for conduct disorder is highlighted to convey a risk factor and burden-of-treatment model to identify and explain who drops out of treatment and why. Factors that predict dropping out of treatment, the clinical outcomes of children who drop out and influences that moderate the impact of risk factors are discussed. A risk-factor model can aid clinical practice. Those in practice can readily test a variety of factors to determine whether such factors predict premature termination. Once at-risk cases are identified, interventions can be used early in treatment to retain cases. Efforts to establish a therapeutic alliance at the earliest points of contact within families is one such strategy. Some factors that place families at risk (e.g. high stress) may guide foci of treatment or initial clinic contacts. Clinical practice is an excellent venue for testing hypotheses about factors that place families at risk for premature termination and for intervening to improve participation in treatment.
A Multi-Tier Social-Ecological System Analysis of Protected Areas Co-Management in Belize

Co-management of protected areas has been recognized as a viable option to sustainably manage ecosystems. This collaborative approach actively engages civil society in the protected areas governance processes. Attempts at co-management, however, have not been uniformly successful; whereas the governance of some initiatives succeed and become strong and sustainable, others become weak or fail over time. In this paper, we provide a nuanced application of Ostrom’s multi-tier SES framework to carry out a systematic analysis of representative cases of co-management in Belize. This novel approach allows us to avoid the common problem of overstating the explanatory power of individual variables, while enabling us to tease out the interrelationships among critical process and contextual variables that may influence co-management outcomes. Our findings show that strong co-management is associated with a multiplicity of variables, including information sharing, conflict resolution, investments, self-organization, and networking. Contextual conditions inclusive of strong leadership, social capital, and high levels of dependence on resources for daily livelihoods seem to have influenced these processes over time. The presence of cross-scale and cross-level networks also seems to be important in influencing co-management outcomes. Our study contributes to the further development of Ostrom’s multi-tier SES framework by proposing the addition of five new third-tier variables. We advance some key lessons in the analysis of co-management outcomes and offer some policy recommendations to improve protected areas co-management policy and practice in Belize.
THE EFFECT OF HISTOCOMPATIBILITY-2 TYPE ON RESPONSE TO THE FRIEND LEUKEMIA VIRUS IN MICE

Two types of quantitative response to the F-B strain of Friend virus in segregating generations of a cross involving a susceptible (DBA/2 or BALB/c; H-2 2) and a resistant (C57BL/6; H-2 b) mouse strain show a marked correlation with the H-2 type of the mice. Essential susceptibility, as determined by the splenomegalic response to high virus doses, is controlled by a single pair of alleles which segregates independently with respect to the H-2 locus. However, relative susceptibility, as determined by the incidence of the splenomegalic response at moderate or low levels of virus dosage, is significantly greater among mice homozygous or heterozygous for the H-2 d allele than among H-2 b homozygotes in these populations. In addition, the incidence of recovery from splenomegaly induced by a given level of virus dosage is significantly greater in H-2 b homozygotes than in segregants of other H-2 types among their littermates. Possible mechanisms responsible for these effects are discussed.
Delayed Endoluminal Vacuum Therapy for Rectal Anastomotic Leaks after Rectal Resection in a Swine Model: A New Treatment Option

Anastomotic leaks are a dreaded surgical complication following colorectal operations. Creation of a temporary proximal diverting ileostomy is used in high‐risk anastomoses, however, additional surgical risk is accumulated with its creation and reversal. Endoluminal vacuum therapy has been shown to seal anastomotic defects in the prophylactic setting in a pig model and we hypothesized it could be utilized in a delayed fashion to rescue subjects with an active anastomotic leak. Yorkshire pigs underwent rectal resection, intentional leak confirmed by fluoroscopy, and endoluminal vacuum therapy device placement to low continuous suction. Following treatment, a contrast enema and necropsy was performed for gross and histopathology. Pigs underwent 2 (or 5) days of free intraperitoneal leak prior to device placement and 5 (or 7) subsequent days of endoluminal vacuum therapy. Six of seven early‐treated pigs sealed their anastomotic defect, while two of the four treated pigs in this extended group sealed the defect. Endoluminal vacuum therapy is feasible and well tolerated in a pig model, and it has been shown to seal a significant number of freely leaking anastomoses in the early period (86%). This technology warrants further study as it may provide a noninvasive means to treatment of anastomotic leaks.
Independent regulation of tumor necrosis factor and lymphotoxin production by human peripheral blood lymphocytes

We present evidence that human peripheral blood lymphocytes, free of contaminating monocytes, rapidly produce high levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) when stimulated with phorbol diester and calcium ionophore, and lower but significant levels of TNF when stimulated with mitogens. These two types of inducers act preferentially on T cells, both CD4+ and CD8+. NK cells produce TNF only when stimulated with phorbol diester and calcium ionophore, and they do so at a much lower level than T cells. The procedures used in the purification of lymphocytes and the differential ability to respond to various inducers allow us to exclude that monocytes or basophils contaminating the lymphocyte preparation participate in the production of TNF. In particular, LPS, a potent inducer of TNF production from monocytes, is unable to induce significant levels of TNF in the lymphocyte preparations. The TNF produced by lymphocytes has antigenic, physicochemical, and biochemical characteristics identical to those of the TNF produced by myeloid cell lines or monocytes upon stimulation with LPS. LT is also produced by lymphocyte preparations. Production of TNF and LT proteins in response to the different inducers is paralleled by accumulation of cytoplasmic TNF and LT mRNA. Both at mRNA and at protein levels, stimulation of T lymphocytes with phorbol diester and calcium ionophore preferentially induces TNF, whereas mitogen stimulation preferentially induces LT. Our data suggest that the TNF and LT genes, two closely linked genes encoding two partially homologous proteins with almost identical biological functions, are independently regulated in lymphocytes.
Work intensity and non-completion of university: longitudinal approach and causal inference

Researchers focused upon the work–dropping out connection tend to show a U-shaped relationship between the likelihood of dropping out and the number of hours worked outside school, with a higher exit rate for both non-working students and for students whose working hours pass a critical threshold. Yet the data typically used by these researchers are drawn mainly from cross-sectional surveys, and as a result does not allow for any causal interpretation. The present article uses an event history analysis of Canadian longitudinal data covering seven years of a cohort, and offers original findings on the causal work–dropping out relationship at the university level. We find evidence showing that the evolution of the exit rates and the factors influencing the decision to quit a particular university programme differ substantially between students who want to enrol in another programme and those who do not. For the latter, we observe a critical threshold of 24 h of work, beyond which negative effects in terms of non-completion start to appear. We find no negative effects arising from not working vs. working a few hours. Our findings thus tend to show that the higher exit rate among non-working students evidenced in cross-sectional data should be attributed to the fact that academic difficulties cause some potential university dropouts to stop working and to devote more time to school.
Black Dialect and Third and Fourth Graders' Performance on the Gray Oral Reading Test.

ANALYZES ERRORS made by 65 inner city third and fourth graders on the Gray Oral Reading Test. Tests were scored first according to the manual (Score I) and were then rescored not counting errors attributable to the use of black dialect (Score II). For the total group, the mean difference between the 2 scorings was about 3 points in raw score; this difference was statistically significant from zero (p<.0005). The mean Score I for the total group yielded a grade equivalent of 1.8; mean Score II was equivalent to a grade level of 1.9. There was no significant difference between third and fourth graders in the mean differences between scores; however, the mean difference for the girls was significantly greater than that for the boys (p<.01). There was also a significant difference between the mean differences of better and poorer readers when the group was divided in half on the basis of the test scores (p<.001). The mean difference of the better readers was equivalent to onehalf year in grade level; a few of them scored differences of a year or more. When errors were counted on score passages only, 46 per cent of the errors made by the total group were attributable to the dialect.
Single-atom catalysts for CO2 electroreduction with significant activity and selectivity improvements

We propose the great potential of single atom catalysts (SACs) for CO2 electroreduction with high activity and selectivity predictions over a competitive H2 evolution reaction. We find the lack of an atomic ensemble for adsorbate binding and unique electronic structure of the single atom catalysts play an important role.
Practical Parameterization of Rotations Using the Exponential Map

Parameterizing three degree-of-freedom (DOF) rotations is difficult to do well. Many graphics applications demand that we be able to compute and differentiate positions and orientations of articulated figures with respect to their rotational (and other) parameters, as well as integrate differential equations, optimize rotation parameters, and interpolate orientations. Widely used parameterizations such as Euler angles and quaternions are well suited to only a few of these operations. The exponential map maps a vector in R 3 describing the axis and magnitude of a three-DOF rotation to the corresponding rotation. Several graphics researchers have applied it with limited success to interpolation of orientations, but it has been virtually ignored with respect to the other operations mentioned above. In this paper we present formulae for computing, differentiating, and integrating three-DOF rotations with the exponential map. We show that our formulation is numerically stable in the face of machine precision issues, and that for most applications all singularities in the map can be avoided through a simple technique of dynamic reparameterization. We demonstrate how to use the exponential map to solve both the "freely rotating body" problem, and the important ball-and-socket joint required to accurately model shoulder and hip joints in articulated figures. Examining several common graphics applications, we explain the benefits of our formulation of the exponential map over Euler angles and quaternions, including robustness, small state vectors, lack of explicit constraints, good modeling capabilities, simplicity of solving ordinary differential equations, and good interpolation behavior.
Post-Debate Analysis and Media Reliance: Influences on Candidate Image and Voting Probabilities

This study of 798 potential voters interviewed beginning three days before the September 25, 1988, presidential candidate debate and ending four days later analyzed the influence of exposure to television post-debate analysis and television and newspaper reliance on evaluations of candidate debate performance, candidate image, and voting preferences. Exposure to the debate and to post-debate television analysis had measurable and consistent influences on the evaluation of Dukakis as a debater (Dukakis was the consensus post-debate analysis winner), on Dukakis's image, and on the probability of voting for both candidates. Television news reliance for debate information was significantly related to debater ratings and the candidates' images for both candidates. There was a slight relationship between television news reliance and the probability of voting for Dukakis.
Idiosyncratic Deals and Employee Outcomes: The Mediating Roles of Social Exchange and Self-Enhancement and the Moderating Role of Individualism

The majority of studies on idiosyncratic employment arrangements ("i-deals") are based on social exchange theory. The authors suggest that self-enhancement theory, in addition to social exchange, can be used to explain the effects of i-deals. Using a multisource sample including 230 employees and 102 supervisors from 2 Chinese companies, the authors adopt a 3-wave lagged design to examine the mediating roles of social exchange and self-enhancement and the moderating role of individualism in the relationships between i-deals and employee outcomes, as indicated by proactive behaviors and affective commitment. The results of bootstrapping analyses confirm the mediating effects of social exchange and self-enhancement. In addition, employees with high levels of individualism are more receptive to self-enhancement effects; in contrast, employees with low levels of individualism are more receptive to social exchange effects.
Humor usage in comforting episodes: Factors predicting outcomes

This investigation explores the factors affecting the outcomes experienced by distressed persons when their comfort providers use humor during comforting interactions. The results indicate that the skillfulness of the comforting behavior (Reframing from Negativity, Other Orientation, Problem Solving and Different Perspective), as well as specific qualities of the humor used (Quality and Consciousness) and the relationship between the interactants (Relationship Satisfaction and Perceived Understanding) predicted the Empowerment, Positive Mood, and Stopped Rumination participants reported following their comforting interactions. Implications and future research directions are discussed in terms of comforting research and the consideration of humor in interpersonal communication research.
Image Hierarchical Representations Models based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation

Existing image layer representations methods are very feed-forward, and then not able to deal with small ambiguities. A probabilistic model is proposed, and it learns and deduces each layer in that hierarchy together. Therefore, we consider a recursive probabilistic decomposition process, and derive a new yielded method based on recursive Latent Dirichlet Allocation. We show 2 significant properties of the novel probabilistic method: 1) pulsing another hierarchical to represent the enhanced results on that smooth method; 2) an entire Bayesian method beats a feed-forward running of the novel method. The method can be evaluated on a criterion recognition dataset. It takes the probability of recursive decomposition process into account, and obtains multilayer structure pyramid LDA derived model through the derivation. Experiments demonstrate that the novel technique beats existing hierarchical approaches, and present better performance
Effects of varying target luminance and cue luminance on attentional effects of spatial cues

Attentional effects of letter cues on target processing were investigated in a bilateral spatial cueing paradigm. Luminance contrast of the cue stimuli and of the target stimuli were both manipulated. Consistent with predictions derived from theoretical models of visual attention, manipulating cue luminance and target luminance had very different effects on performance. In agreement with the dorsal stream attention hypothesis (Marrett et al., 2011) orienting effects were unaffected by changes in cue luminance; but in agreement with the work of Reynolds, Pasternak, and Desimone (2000) and Carrasco, Ling, and Read (2004) orienting effects were strongly modulated by changes in the luminance and perceptual quality of the target. Theoretical implications of the results are considered and the data are explained in terms of a sensory enhancement effect, whereby attention amplifies the neuronal responses for attended stimuli.
From Milah (Circumcision) to Milah (Word): Male Identity and Rituals of Childhood in the Jewish Ultraorthodox Community

In contemporary Jewish ultraorthodox communities, most three-year-old male children undergo a twofold ritual sequence in which the first haircut is associated with entering the world of study. Focusing on the paramount value of holy Torah study and its prerequisites, I seek to decode the psychocultural meanings of the haircutting and school initiation ceremonies and their ceremonial antecedent, circumcision, as markers on the male trajectory from milah (circumcision) to milah (word). The ritual sequence is evaluated comparatively against the widespread conception of manhood as a special-status category of achievement that requires indoctrination and testing. In order to account for the recent proliferation of the rituals, an attempt is made to situate them historically in the current context of contemporary ultraorthodox and Israeli society.
Evidence for implicit evaluative in-group bias: Affect-biased spontaneous trait inference in a minimal group paradigm.

Mere categorization of individuals into two distinct social categories has been shown to elicit in-group favoritism. Positive differentiation, even of trivial groups, has been explained in terms of a striving for a positive social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). The present study questions this interpretation by providing evidence for the implicit activation of positive affect toward novel in-groups. A minimal group setting was combined with a typical paradigm measuring spontaneous trait inferences (STIs). Results show that behaviors that implied positive traits about an in-group member were more likely to be categorized in a manner consistent with the implied trait than when (a) the behaviors were performed by an out-group member and (b) the traits implied were negative. There was no facilitation of trait inference to out-group members performing negative behaviors (i.e., there was evidence for implicit in-group favoritism but not out-group derogation).