Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Peer Praise Notes Issued During Recess: Effects on Office Disciplinary Referrals

The Impact of Peer Praise Notes Issued During Recess: Effects on Office Disciplinary Referrals Elise A. Teerlink Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU Educational Specialist School recess can be a problematic setting due to inadequate safety, supervision, and structure. Peer praise notes (PPNs) is a school-wide positive behavior support strategy that was implemented during recess to address these concerns at a Title I elementary school. An ABAB reversal design across all students was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of PPNs. Overall changes in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) in each phase of the design, an effect size that reflects a highly effective treatment, and a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation suggest that PPNs decreased ODRs. Results from social validity surveys completed by eight recess aides and 88 students indicated that participants had positive perceptions of PPNs improving student behavior and peer relations, communicating playground rules, extending supervision responsibilities, and offering structured activity to peer praisers. Students’ perceptions were overall more positive than the recess aides’ perceptions. Limitations, future research, and implications are addressed.
Polarity Therapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Background. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most frequently reported side effect of cancer and its treatment. In previous research, Polarity Therapy (PT), an energy therapy, was shown to reduce CRF in patients receiving radiation. This study reports on a small randomized clinical trial designed to collect preliminary data on the efficacy of PT compared with an active control (massage) and passive control (standard care) for CRF among cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. Methods. Forty-five women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer were randomized to 1 of 3 weekly treatment conditions. Patients received standard clinical care, 3 modified massages, or 3 PT treatments. CRF and health-related quality of life (HRQL) were assessed during baseline and the 3 intervention weeks. Results. TResults show CRF ratings were reduced after PT. The effect sizes for PT versus modified massage and versus standard care were small when using the primary measure of CRF (Brief Fatigue Inventory) and large when using the secondary measure of CRF (Daily CRF Diaries). The effect size was medium when assessing the benefit of PT on maintaining HRQL compared with standard care with very little difference between the PT and modified massage conditions. Patients’ feedback showed that both the modified massage and PT treatments were deemed useful by radiation patients. Conclusion. The present pilot randomized clinical trial supports previous experimental research showing that PT, a noninvasive and gentle energy therapy, may be effective in controlling CRF. Further confirmatory studies as well as investigations of the possible mechanisms of PT are warranted.
Algorithm and Architecture of Disparity Estimation With Mini-Census Adaptive Support Weight

High-performance real-time stereo vision system is crucial to various stereo vision applications, such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, multiview video coding, freeview TV, and 3-D video conferencing. In this paper, we proposed a high-performance hardware-friendly disparity estimation algorithm called mini-census adaptive support weight (MCADSW) and also proposed its corresponding real-time very large scale integration (VLSI) architecture. To make the proposed MCADSW algorithm hardware-friendly, we proposed simplification techniques such as using mini-census, removing proximity weight, using YUV color representation, using Manhattan color distance, and using scaled-and-truncate weight approximation. After applied these simplifications, the MCADSW algorithm was not only hardware-friendly, but was also 1.63 times faster. In the corresponding real-time VLSI architecture, we proposed partial column reuse and access reduction with expanded window to significantly reduce the bandwidth requirement. The proposed architecture was implemented using United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) 90 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology and can achieve a disparity estimation frame rate of 42 frames/s for common intermediate format size images when clocked at 95 MHz. The synthesized gate-count and memory size is 563 k and 21.3 kB, respectively.
Neglect in Monkeys : effect of permanent and reversible lesions.

This chapter outlines results from permanent and reversible lesion experiments in monkeys. It also describes these in the light of current knowledge of the anatomical and functional organization of the parietal and frontal cortices. It first briefly establishes the current anatomical and functional background with respect to which monkey lesion experiments have to be interpreted. Cortical ablation studies in monkeys have demonstrated that neglect can occur following lesions of either the periarcuate frontal or the inferior parietal regions. In addition, it has been shown that the inactivation of distinct parietal and frontal subregions can generate selective deficits in visual attention and in target and movement selection, largely confirming the functional role originally postulated for these areas on the basis of single-cell recording studies.
Reasons for recent marijuana use in relation to use of other illicit drugs among high school seniors in the United States

Abstract Objectives: Studies show that illicit cannabis (marijuana) use is related to use of other illicit drugs and that reasons for use are related to frequency of marijuana use. However, research is needed to examine whether specific reasons for marijuana use are associated with use of other illicit drugs. Methods: Data from recent marijuana-using high school seniors were examined from 12 cohorts of Monitoring the Future (Weighted n = 6481) to examine whether reasons for recent marijuana use are associated with use of eight other illicit drugs. Results: Using “to experiment” decreased odds of reporting use of each drug and using to decrease effects of other drugs increased odds of reporting use of each drug. In multivariable models, using marijuana “to experiment” decreased the odds for reporting use of hallucinogens other than LSD and narcotics other than heroin. Using marijuana for “insight” increased the odds for use of hallucinogens other than LSD, and use due to “boredom” increased the odds for reporting use of powder cocaine and hallucinogens other than LSD. Using marijuana to increase effects of other drugs increased odds of reporting use of each of the eight drugs, and using it to decrease other drug effects increased odds of reporting use of crack, hallucinogens other than LSD, and amphetamine/stimulants. Conclusions: This study helped identify illicit marijuana users who are more likely to report use of other illicit drugs. Prevention efforts need to focus on students who report certain reasons for marijuana use as they may be at risk for use of other illicit drugs.
A robust online secondary path modeling method with auxiliary noise power scheduling strategy and norm constraint manipulation

In many practical cases for active noise control (ANC), the online secondary path modeling methods that use auxiliary noise are often applied. However, the auxiliary noise contributes to residual noise, and thus deteriorates the noise control performance of ANC systems. Moreover, a sudden and large change in the secondary path leads to easy divergence of the existing online secondary path modeling methods. To mitigate these problems, this paper proposes a new online secondary path modeling method with auxiliary noise power scheduling and adaptive filter norm manipulation. The auxiliary noise power is scheduled based on the convergence status of an ANC system with consideration of the variation of the primary noise. The purpose is to alleviate the increment of the residual noise due to the auxiliary noise. In addition, the norm manipulation is applied to adaptive filters in the ANC system. The objective is to avoid over-updates of adaptive filters due to the sudden large change in the secondary path and thus prevent the ANC system from diverging. Computer simulations show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
Democracy, Society and the Governance of Security

Introduction: understanding the governance of security Jennifer Wood and Benoit Dupont 1. Reflections on the refusal to acknowledge private governments Clifford Shearing 2. Transnational security governance Les Johnston 3. Two case studies of American anti-terrorism Peter K. Manning 4. Power struggles in the field of security: implications for democratic transformation Benoit Dupont 5. Policing and security as 'club goods': the new enclosures? Adam Crawford 6. The state, the people and democratic policing: the case of South Africa Monique Marks and Andrew Goldsmith 7. Necessary virtues: the legitimate place of the state in the production of security Ian Loader and Neil Walker 8. From security to health Scott Burris 9. Research and innovation in the field of security: a nodal governance view Jennifer Wood Conclusion: the future of democracy Benoit Dupont and Jennifer Wood.
Measuring job satisfaction from the perspective of interpersonal relationship and faculty workload among academic staff at public universities in Kelantan, Malaysia

This study was conducted to examine the influence of interpersonal relationship and faculty workload on job satisfaction among academicians in public universities in Malaysia. By using systematic random procedures data was collected from 320 lecturers from four public universities in Kelantan, Malaysia through self-administered research questionnaires. Data was analysed using descriptive analysis to describe the demographic profiles of the respondents, and using Pearson Product Moment Correlation to test the relationship between variables. From data analysis, the result indicated that there was positive significant relationship between interpersonal relationship and job satisfaction, whereas daily workload and satisfaction was inversely correlated. The organization should consider these variables in promoting job satisfaction among employees in order to enhance organizational citizenship.
Simultaneous hearing problems: health conditions in tinnitus, sound sensitivity and both diagnoses

Little research has been conducted on simultaneous hearing problems. The aim of this study was to investigate health conditions (stress, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and burnout) in individuals with 1) tinnitus, 2) sound sensitivity, and 3) both tinnitus and sound sensitivity, compared to a reference group without these diagnoses. Data from a Swedish population-based sample, stratified for age and gender, was collected through a mail survey. The participation rate was 40 %, and 3406 individuals participated. The results showed that the sample with sound sensitivity was in poorest health condition, raising the notion of different underlying mechanisms of the sound sensitivity in the samples with sound sensitivity versus double diagnoses. More research is needed to further explore the effects of living with simultaneous hearing problems, and subgroups within the phenomena of sensitivity to sound.
Deletion of the Murine Duffy Gene (Dfy) Reveals that the Duffy Receptor Is Functionally Redundant

ABSTRACT All of the antigenic determinants of the Duffy blood group system are in a glycoprotein (gp-Fy), which is encoded by a single-copy gene (FY) located on chromosome 1. gp-Fy is also produced in several cell types, including endothelial cells of capillary and postcapillary venules, the epithelial cell of kidney collecting ducts, lung alveoli, and the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. This protein, which spans the cell membrane seven times, is a member of the superfamily of chemokine receptors and a malarial parasite receptor. The mouse Duffy gene (Dfy) homolog of human FYis also a single-copy gene, which maps in a region of conserved synteny with FY and produces a glycoprotein with 60% homology to the human protein. The mouse Duffy-like protein also binds chemokines. To study the biological role of gp-Fy, we generated a mouse strain in which Dfy was deleted. These homozygousDfy −/− mice were indistinguishable in size, development, and health from wild-type and heterozygous littermates. We also examined components of the immune system and found no differences in lymph nodes or peripheral blood leukocyte levels between knockout and wild-type mice. The gross and histological anatomy of the thymus, spleen, lung, and brain showed no significant differences between mutants and wild-type mice. There was no indication of an overall difference between the knockout and wild-type mice in systematic neurological examinations. The only significant difference betweenDfy −/− and Dfy +/+mice that we found was in neutrophil migration in peritoneal inflammations induced by lipopolysaccharide and thioglycolate. In mice homozygous for the deletion, there was less neutrophil recruitment into the peritoneal cavity and neutrophil influx in the intestines and lungs than in wild-type mice. Despite this, the susceptibility toStaphylococcus aureus infection was the same in the absence and in the presence of gp-Fy. Our results indicate that gp-Fy is functionally a redundant protein that may participate in the neutrophil migratory process.
Sperm metabolism in pigs: a role for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ)

SUMMARY Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a nuclear hormone receptor expressed predominantly in adipose tissue, also implicated in energy homeostasis. In this study, we used western blotting and immunofluorescence techniques to demonstrate for the first time that pig spermatozoa express PPARγ. To investigate the functional role of PPARγ in pig sperm, we evaluated its action on different events that characterize the biology of sperm cells, i.e. motility, capacitation, viability and acrosome reaction, using the PPARγ-agonist 15-deoxy-12,14-prostaglandin J2 (PGJ2). In responses to PGJ2 treatment, motility, cholesterol efflux and tyrosine phosphorylation were increased, which broadens the role of PPARγ from that previously described in the literature, as it also acts to improve sperm functionality. To further our understanding of the significance of PPARγ in pig sperm, we focused its effects on lipid and glucose metabolism. Evaluation of triglyceride content and lipase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and G6PDH activities suggests that PPARγ induces energy expenditure in pig spermatozoa. These data represent a meaningful advance in the field of sperm energy metabolism. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that PPARγ is expressed by pig sperm, thus improving its functionalities in terms of motility, capacitation, acrosome reaction, survival and metabolism.
Effects of Maternal Exposure to Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate during Fetal and/or Neonatal Periods on Atopic Dermatitis in Male Offspring

Background Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been widely used in polyvinyl chloride products and is ubiquitous in developed countries. Although maternal exposure to DEHP during fetal and/or neonatal periods reportedly affects reproductive and developmental systems, its effects on allergic diseases in offspring remain to be determined. Objectives In the present study, we examined whether maternal exposure to DEHP during fetal and/or neonatal periods in NC/Nga mice affects atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions related to mite allergen in offspring. Methods We administered DEHP at a dose of 0, 0.8, 4, 20, or 100 μg/animal/week by intraperitoneal injection into dams during pregnancy (gestation days 0, 7, and 14) and/or lactation (postnatal days 1, 8, and 15). Eight-week-old male offspring of these treated females were injected intradermally with mite allergen into their right ears. We then evaluated clinical scores, ear thickening, histologic findings, and protein expression of eotaxin in the ear. Results Maternal exposure to a 100-μg dose of DEHP during neonatal periods, but not during fetal periods, enhanced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions related to mite allergen in males. The results were concomitant with the enhancement of eosinophilic inflammation, mast cell degranulation, and protein expression of eotaxin in overall trend. Conclusion Maternal exposure to DEHP during neonatal periods can accelerate atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions related to mite allergen in male offspring, possibly via T helper 2 (TH2)-dominant responses, which can be responsible, at least in part, for the recent increase in atopic dermatitis.
The Scaffolding Protein RACK1 Interacts with Androgen Receptor and Promotes Cross-talk through a Protein Kinase C Signaling Pathway*

The androgen receptor (AR), a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, functions as a ligand-dependent transcription factor that regulates genes involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. Using a C-terminal region of the human AR in a yeast two-hybrid screen, we have identified RACK1 (receptor for activated C kinase-1) as an AR-interacting protein. In this report we found that RACK1, which was previously shown to be a protein kinase C (PKC)-anchoring protein that determines the localization of activated PKCβII isoform, facilitates ligand-independent AR nuclear translocation upon PKC activation by indolactam V. We also observed RACK1 to suppress ligand-dependent and -independent AR transactivation through PKC activation. In chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we demonstrate a decrease in AR recruitment to the AR-responsive prostate-specific antigen (PSA) promoter following stimulation of PKC. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to indolactam V, a PKC activator, caused a reduction in PSA mRNA expression in prostate cancer LNCaP cells. Finally, we found PKC activation to have a repressive effect on AR and PSA protein expression in androgen-treated LNCaP cells. Our data suggest that RACK1 may function as a scaffold for the association and modification of AR by PKC enabling translocation of AR to the nucleus but rendering AR unable to activate transcription of its target genes.
Merger Activity in Industry Equilibrium

We quantify the impact of merger activity on productive efficiency. We develop and calibrate a dynamic industry-equilibrium model that features mergers, entry, and exit by heterogeneous firms. Mergers affect productivity directly through realized synergies, and indirectly through firms' incentives to enter or exit the industry. Merger activity increases average firm productivity by 4.8%, of which 4.1% reflects the accumulation of synergies, and 0.7% the interaction between merger options and firms' entry and exit decisions. We show that ignoring the implications of merger activity for public policies that promote entry can reverse the expected impact of these policies on productivity.
A CMOS self-regulating VCO with low supply sensitivity

This paper presents a self-regulating voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with low supply sensitivity. With an adaptive delay cell, the self-regulating VCO achieves a low supply sensitivity of 0.15%-delay/1%-supply or less. This delay cell has a built-in compensation circuit that senses and corrects the delay variation caused by supply fluctuation. The proposed scheme rejects device noise as well and hence achieves a low phase noise of -101.4 dBc/Hz at 600-kHz offset when it runs at 900 MHz. The prototype phase-locked loop with the VCO fabricated in 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS process shows a cycle-to-cycle rms jitter of 2.1 ps at 450 MHz (VCO at 900 MHz) under quiet supply condition.
Effects of low dose metformin in adolescents with type I diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double‐blinded placebo‐controlled study

Insulin resistance increases during adolescence in those with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), complicating glycemic control and potentially increasing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Metformin, typically used in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is a possible adjunct therapy in T1DM to help improve glycemic control and insulin sensitivity.
Motivational features of science shows

This thesis investigates how science shows affect audience motivation. Science shows sometimes termed science theatre or lecture-demonstrations are a form of informal science learning, often performed in science centres, museums and schools. Despite their wide use, little research has been conducted on science shows, and less still on their use as motivational tools. This lack of knowledge hinders development of motivational science shows and hence restricts impacts they have on audiences especially in addressing societal problems where motivating people is part of the solution, such as with health and environmental issues. This research identified potential motivational features, and then tested whether they were associated with short-term motivation from a science show. Quantitative data were collected from eight different shows which had varying motivational aims: broadly improving attitudes to science, inspiring future study and careers, and influencing behaviours related to climate change and HIV AIDS. The motivational features investigated were mainly associated with situational interest and intrinsic motivation theories, including value/relevance, curiosity, immediacy (enthusiasm, humour and interaction), and the emotions of interest, enjoyment and surprise. Prior experience and prior knowledge, and cognitive learning were of secondary importance. Scales were developed to measure these motivational features. Regression analyses identified relationships between the motivational features and motivation, and between the motivational features themselves. Results demonstrate that science shows are effective motivational tools for a range of outcomes. Hence, informal science learning providers should consider their wider use, especially in addressing important societal issues. The key feature of a motivational science show is value, i.e. linking content to real-world contexts that are personally meaningful to audiences. Other audience characteristics also affected motivation: participants with lower prior motivation and/or younger ages reported greater motivation. The motivational impacts of other features depended on show content, desired outcomes, age and other factors. Immediacy and interest-enjoyment were particularly associated with motivation in youth, whereas curiosity was a more effective motivator in older age groups. The research highlights how curiosity and interest differ, the associated role of surprise, and proposes models of how such constructs and discrepant events operate. Recommendations for science show practice are given.
The 12th International Conference on Fluidization-New Horizons in Fluidization Engineering

To account for meso-scale phenomena in coarse grid simulations, correlation terms appearing in the filtered gas-solid flow equations have to be modeled. Filtered models for the gas-solid momentum transfer are focused on and possible approaches are derived and evaluated. The evaluation supports the combination of an apparent distribution of the filtered gas phase pressure gradient over the phases and an apparent drag force to describe filtered gas-solid momentum transfer. As the filter frequency decreases, the contribution of the apparent distribution of the filtered gas phase pressure gradient over the phases to the filtered description of gas-solid momentum transfer gradually grows in importance up to a mass fraction based distribution, whereas the contribution of the apparent drag gradually vanishes, the mesoscopic description of gas-solid momentum transfer gradually being replaced by a more macroscopic description.