Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Information Framing on Academic Task Completion

Abstract Information framing was investigated as a classroom management technique for academic task completion. Framing effect refers to the finding that people's choices are affected by how pre‐decisional information is framed (Tversky & Kahneman, 1984). In five 3rd and 4th Grade classrooms, teachers observed task completion rates of their students under five different framing conditions: unframed instruction; positively framed instruction with (a) group and (b) individual consequence; negatively framed instruction with (a) group and (b) individual consequence. Task completion rates were significantly greater under all framed instruction conditions than unframed, with effect sizes ranging from 0.21 to 0.32 and much greater at the class level. Improvement rates corresponding to effect sizes ranged from 20% to 70% at the class level, showing the usefulness of framing instructional directives.
Program Proficiency in Training Graduate Students for Clinical Faculty Careers: Does Program Size Matter?

Hunt suggests that our published analysis of program proficiency in training graduate students for clinical psychology faculty careers is “worse than useless,” inasmuch as it utilizes as its principal measure the total number (rather than the percentage) of each program's graduates which have attained training faculty status— an approach that, according to Hunt, “systematically underrates small programs. ” In reply, we note that (a) our analysis was not intended as an overall rating of program strength, but rather as an indication of program achievement in a narrowly specified domain, (b) the utilized total number metric has considerable specific informative utility, and (c) additional analyses based upon Hunt's preferred percentage metric do not support the claim that our previously published report systematically underrated small programs. Because it may be of interest to prospective students (and others), a rank-ordered listing of programs which have placed at least 5% of recent Ph.D. recipients in clinical faculty positions is provided.
Comparison of Short-Term Clinical and Electrophysiological Outcomes of Local Steroid Injection and Surgical Decompression in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

AIM To investigate the effectiveness of local steroid injection and surgical decompression in the treatment of patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and also to compare short-term outcomes using clinical and electrophysiological criteria. MATERIAL AND METHODS The patients diagnosed as severe CTS were divided into two groups. Group 1 received local steroid injection and Group 2 underwent surgical decompression. The Boston Questionnaire that consists of two sections as the Boston Symptom Severity Scale (BSS) and the Functional Status Scale (FSS) was completed by the patients. RESULTS A total of 33 patients completed the study. Since two patients had bilateral severe CTS, a total of 35 hands were evaluated in the study. In Group 1, a significant difference was recorded between some pre- and post-treatment clinical parameters (BSS and FSS scores) and all electrophysiological parameters excluding motor conduction velocities. In Group 2, a statistically significant difference was found between pre- and post-treatment BSS scores and all electrophysiological parameters excluding motor conduction velocity and distal latency. However intergroup differences were not statistically significant as for all clinical and electrophysiological parameters (BSS, FSS, sensory amplitude, sensory conduction velocity, distal latency, motor amplitude, motor conduction velocity). CONCLUSION In the treatment of severe CTS, steroid injection and surgical decompression achieved favourable improvements in clinical and electrophysiological parameters within a short-term without superiority of one treatment over other. Therefore, in patients in whom surgical decompression can not be applied, local steroid injection can be recommended as a less invasive and a promising treatment alternative.
Asperger's Disorder, Criminal Responsibility and Criminal Culpability

It was nice in the police cell. It was almost a perfect cube, 2 metres long by 2 metres wide by 2 metres high… . [The policeman asked], “Are you telling the truth? ” I said, “I always tell the truth. ” And he said, “Right. I am going to give you a caution. ” I asked, “Is that going to be on a piece of paper like a certificate I can keep? ” He replied, “No, a caution means that we are going to keep a record of what you did, that you hit a policeman but that it was an accident and that you didn't mean to hurt the policeman. ” I said, “But it wasn't an accident. ” M Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (David Fickling Books, London 2004) Asperger's syndrome was only formally accepted into the ICD and DSM classifications of psychiatric disorders in the 1990s. It has been written about extensively in the scholarly literature for two decades, but diagnostic tools are continuing to evolve, as well as understanding of its genetic component and its brain development features. In the criminal law context it poses difficult issues at trial and at sentencing. Contextualising Asperger's disorder within current knowledge about autism spectrum disorders, this article identifies relevant court decisions internationally, and particularly scrutinises selected decisions in the United Kingdom (Sultan v The Queen [2008] EWCA Crim 6), Victoria, Australia (Parish v DPP [2007] VSC 494), and Nova Scotia, Canada (R v Kagan (2007) 261 NSR (2d) 285; (2008) 261 NSR (2d) 168). It argues that Asperger's disorder needs to be distinguished by the courts from other disorders, such as personality disorders and intellectual disability, and should be recognised as having the potential to affect in important, albeit subtle, ways defendants' thinking and understanding, as well as their emotional responses to situations that are to them traumatic. This makes Asperger's disorder relevant to a number of threshold issues in relation to criminal responsibility as well as to criminal culpability.
Self-regulated learning of a motoric skill: The role of goal setting and self-monitoring

Abstract The effects of goal setting and self-monitoring during self-regulated practice on the acquisition of a novel motoric skill were studied with 50 high school girls. It was hypothesized that process goals would improve not only the development of dart throwing skill more than product goals but also self-efficacy perceptions, self-reactions and intrinsic interest. It was also expected that self-recording, a formal form of self-monitoring, would similarly enhance dart throwing skill, self-efficacy and self-reactive beliefs. Support for both hypotheses was found. Path analyses revealed that goal setting had a larger impact than self-recording on dart throwing skill, however, self-recording influenced self-efficacy beliefs and positive self-reactions as well as skill acquisition. The girls' self-reactions to dart throwing outcomes were highly correlated with their intrinsic interest in the task. The results an discussed in terms of a social cognitive view of self-regulatory processes in the acquisition .
Does Socio-demographic Factors Influence Women’s Choice of Place of Delivery in Rural Areas of Tamilnadu State in India

Every day, approximately 1000 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Of which, 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the socio-demographic factors influence women’s choice of place of delivery in rural areas of Thiruvarur district of Tamilnadu state in India. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in 28 villages selected using multistage sampling technique for selecting 605 women in the age group of 15-24 years during July 2010-April 2011. Data analysis was by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version-17, with statistical significance set at p-value of 0.05. The study reveals that education, age at marriage, birth order, standard of living index and exposure to mass media appeared strong influencing factors for the choice of place of delivery among women in rural areas. The result shows that 69% of home deliveries were monitored by Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs/Dais). Bivariate analysis indicates that all women who had completed higher secondary education were preferred the health institution for their delivery whereas 18.8% of home deliveries have been taken place among illiterates. The proportion of home deliveries (7.3%) was higher among women in households in the less standard of living index. Home deliveries were higher among women who were less exposed to mass media (7.1%) than more exposed to mass media (1.6%). Birth order was significantly influence on the place of delivery among women. First birth order deliveries were less likely to take place at home (2.5%) than second (8.2%) and third birth order deliveries (9.1%). It concludes that family tradition and poor socioeconomic condition of the family appear to be the main reasons for choosing to deliver at home. It recommends that Government should be taken a comprehensive strategy to increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of delivery care services in rural areas. Public health strategies involving traditional birth attendants will be beneficial particularly rural/remote areas where their services are highly utilized.
Everyday Segregation amongst Disabled Children and Their Peers: A Qualitative Longitudinal Study in Norway.

This article is based on a qualitative longitudinal study of children's changing peer relationships through childhood, with particular emphasis on experiences of disabled children. Initial observation of face-to-face-encounters among children in school made us aware of social inclusion and exclusion mechanisms relating to informal interaction rules negotiated and practiced by children. Through qualitative longitudinal fieldwork, these rules were identified, and our understanding of them developed, as changing social structures during childhood. Children not able to identify the nuances, signs and symbols in these rules become marginalised. Intellectually impaired children struggle to grasp the nuances without support, and their challenges increase with age. As the young people reached teenage years, children with mobility difficulties were more successful in adapting to the ways interaction rules developed. Their practical problems relating to time and space decreased over the course of their childhood.
Down-Regulation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Expression Using Vector-Based Small Interfering RNAs Suppresses Growth of Human Prostate Tumor In vivo

Purpose: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is constitutively activated in a variety of cancers and it is a common feature of prostate cancer. Thus, Stat3 represents a promising molecular target for tumor therapy. We applied a DNA vector–based Stat3-specific RNA interference approach to block Stat3 signaling and to evaluate the biological consequences of Stat3 down-modulation on tumor growth using a mouse model. Experimental Design: To investigate the therapeutic potential of blocking Stat3 in cancer cells, three small interfering RNAs (siRNA; Stat3-1, Stat3-2, and Stat3-3) specific for different target sites on Stat3 mRNA were designed and used with a DNA vector–based RNA interference approach expressing short hairpin RNAs to knockdown Stat3 expression in human prostate cancer cells in vitro as well as in vivo. Results: Of the three equivalently expressed siRNAs, only Stat3-3 and Stat3-2, which target the region coding for the SH2 domain and the coiled-coil domain, respectively, strongly suppressed the expression of Stat3 in PC3 and LNCaP cells. The Stat3-1 siRNA, which targeted the DNA-binding domain, exerted no effect on Stat3 expression, indicating that the gene silencing efficiency of siRNA may be dependent on the local structure of Stat3 mRNA. The Stat3 siRNAs down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 (an antiapoptotic protein), and cyclin D1 and c-Myc (cell growth activators) in prostate cancer cells. Inhibition of Stat3 and its related genes was accompanied by growth suppression and induction of apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro and in tumors implanted in nude mice. Conclusions: These data indicate that Stat3 signaling is a promising molecular target for prostate cancer therapy and that vector-based Stat3 siRNA may be useful as a therapeutic agent for treatment of prostate cancer.
Ag85A/ESAT-6 chimeric DNA vaccine induces an adverse response in tuberculosis-infected mice

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) antigens encoded by the 6 kDa early secretory antigenic target (esat-6) and antigen 85A (ag85a) genes are known to exert protective effects against tuberculosis in animal models. In addition, these antigens represent vaccine components that were tested in early human clinical trials. In the present study, a chimeric DNA vaccine was constructed that contained two copies of the esat-6 gene inserted into the ag85a gene from M. tb. BALB/c mice were treated with this chimeric vaccine following infection with either M. tb H37Rv or a clinical multi drug resistant tuberculosis isolate. Treatment of both groups of mice with the chimeric vaccine resulted in accelerated mortality. These findings are in contrast with previous results, which indicated that DNA vaccines expressing the individual antigens were either beneficial or at least not harmful. The results of the present study suggested that the ESAT-6 antigen is not suitable for inclusion in therapeutic vaccines.
The managerialistic ideology of organisational change management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the reasons and circumstances why strategic change initiatives based on new public management and managerialism go wrong. In particular, how such change initiatives are being justified, communicated, perceived, and implemented within organisational discourses and politics. It reveals personal and group interests behind ideologies, and what change management of this type is really about.Design/methodology/approach – A strategic change initiative at a large Western‐European university (“International University” – IU) had been investigated between 2004 and 2005 based on qualitative empirical research. Data were gained primarily through semi‐structured in‐depths interviews with IU's senior managers. The findings were triangulated by referring to internal documents and academic literature.Findings – The case study reveals a whole set of typical characteristics of managerialistic change management approach and how it is communicated. The paper provid.
A general algorithm for calculation of recombination losses in ionization chambers exposed to ion beams.

PURPOSE Dosimetry with ionization chambers in clinical ion beams for radiation therapy requires correction for recombination effects. However, common radiation protocols discriminate between initial and general recombination and provide no universal correction method for the presence of both recombination types in ion beams of charged particles heavier than protons. The advent of multiple field optimization in ion beams, allowing for complex patterns of dose delivery in both temporal and spatial domains, results in new challenges for recombination correction where the resulting recombination depends on the plan delivered. Here, the authors present the open source code IonTracks version 1.0, where the combined initial and general recombination effects in principle can be predicted for any ion beam with arbitrary particle-energy spectrum and temporal structure. METHODS IonTracks uses track structure theory to distribute the charge carriers in ion tracks. The charge carrier movements are governed by a pair of coupled differential equations, based on fundamental physical properties as charge carrier drift, diffusion, and recombination, which are solved numerically while the initial and general charge carrier recombination is computed. A space charge screening of the electric field is taken into account and the algorithm furthermore allows an inclusion of a free-electron component. RESULTS The algorithm is numerically stable and in accordance with experimentally validated theories for initial recombination in heavy ion tracks and general recombination in a proton beam. CONCLUSIONS Given IonTracks' ability to handle arbitrary inputs, IonTracks can in principle be applied to any complex particle field in the spatial and temporal domain. IonTracks is validated against the Jaffé's and Boag's theory of recombination in pulsed beams of multiple ion species. IonTracks is able to calculate the correction factor for initial and general recombination losses in parallel-plate ionization chambers. Even if only few experimental data on recombination effects in ionization chambers are available today, the universal concept of IonTracks is not limited to the ions investigated here. Future experimental investigations of recombination in pulsed and possibly also continuous ion beams may be conducted with IonTracks, which ultimately may lead to a more precise prediction of recombination factors in complex radiation fields.
Functional Differences of the Catalytic and Non-catalytic Domains in Human ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 in Aggrecanolytic Activity*

ADAMTS-4 (aggrecanase-1) and ADAMTS-5 (aggrecanase-2) are multidomain metalloproteinases belonging to the ADAMTS family. We have previously reported that human ADAMTS-5 has much higher aggrecanolytic activity than human ADAMTS-4. To investigate the different proteolytic activity of the two enzymes, we generated a series of chimeras by exchanging various non-catalytic domains of the two proteinases. We found that the catalytic domain of ADAMTS-5 has higher intrinsic catalytic ability than that of ADAMTS-4. The studies also demonstrated that the non-catalytic domains of ADAMTS-5 are more effective modifiers than those of ADAMTS-4, making both catalytic domains more active against aggrecan, an Escherichia coli-expressed interglobular domain of aggrecan and fibromodulin. Addition of the C-terminal thrombospondin type I motif of ADAMTS-5 to the C terminus of ADAMTS-4 increased the activity of ADAMTS-4 against aggrecan and fibromodulin severalfold. In contrast to previous reports (Kashiwagi, M., Enghild, J. J., Gendron, C., Hughes, C., Caterson, B., Itoh, Y., and Nagase, H. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 10109–10119 and Gao, G. , Plaas, A. , Thompson, V. P., Jin, S. , Zuo, F. , and Sandy, J. D. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 10042–10051), our detailed investigation of the role of the C-terminal spacer domain of ADAMTS-4 indicated that full-length ADAMTS-4 is ∼20-times more active against aggrecan than its spacer domain deletion mutant, even at the Glu373-Ala374 site of the interglobular domain. This discrepancy is most likely due to selective inhibition of full-length ADAMTS-4 by heparin, particularly for cleavage at the Glu373-Ala374 bond. However, removal of the spacer domain from ADAMTS-4 greatly enhanced more general proteolytic activity against non-aggrecan substrates, e.g. E. coli-expressed interglobular domain, fibromodulin, and carboxymethylated transferrin.
The auditory representation of speech sounds in human motor cortex

In humans, listening to speech evokes neural responses in the motor cortex. This has been controversially interpreted as evidence that speech sounds are processed as articulatory gestures. However, it is unclear what information is actually encoded by such neural activity. We used high-density direct human cortical recordings while participants spoke and listened to speech sounds. Motor cortex neural patterns during listening were substantially different than during articulation of the same sounds. During listening, we observed neural activity in the superior and inferior regions of ventral motor cortex. During speaking, responses were distributed throughout somatotopic representations of speech articulators in motor cortex. The structure of responses in motor cortex during listening was organized along acoustic features similar to auditory cortex, rather than along articulatory features as during speaking. Motor cortex does not contain articulatory representations of perceived actions in speech, but rather, represents auditory vocal information. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.12577. 001
Language Background and Assessment in the Physical Sciences.

ABSTRACT A project was initiated at the University of Technology, Sydney to look at the role of language and gender in assessment of first‐year university students in Physics. Research on student learning has shown that assessment, to a large extent, determines the curriculum for students and their approaches to learning. Assessment plays a crucial role in students’ interest and motivation in a subject and the quality of their learning outcomes. In this paper, we report on a three‐part study. The first involved an analysis of assessment items. The second involved the use of paired questions to investigate the effect of the format of the question. The third involved investigating the effects of including a range of assessment types. The effects of language background were important and were found to interact with gender. Strategies will be discussed for changing assessments in the physical sciences to make them more equitable.
Treatment of Full-Thickness Chondral Defects With Hyalograft C in the Knee

Background: Matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) has become an established articular cartilage repair technique. It provides good short-term and midterm results; however, long-term results are lacking. Purpose: To prospectively assess the clinical outcome after MACT in the knee to report long-term results. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Fifty-three subjects (females/males, 22/31; mean age, 32 ± 12 years) were treated between 2000 and 2006 with a hyaluronan-based MACT product and were followed prospectively. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.5 ± 3.8 kg/m2 and the mean defect size was 4.4 ± 1.9 cm2. Fifty patients had single defects and 3 had multiple defects (41 medial femoral condyle, 6 lateral femoral condyle, 2 patella, 1 tibia). Two patients had 2 defects (medial femoral condyle [MFC]/lateral femoral condyle and tibial/MFC), and in 1 case, multiple defects on the MFC were treated. The patients were stratified into 23 “simple,” 22 “complex,” and 8 “salvage” cases. Instability or malalignment was treated before or at the time of graft implantation. For 6 patients with small defects (<2 cm2), microfracturing was used as first-line treatment before MACT. Clinical assessment was performed once a year with the subjective and objective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores, Lysholm score, and a modified Cincinnati Knee Rating System. Results: The mean follow-up time was 9.07 ± 2.9 years (range, 5-12 years). Treatment failure occurred in 12 of 53 cases (22.6%) an average of 2.99 ± 1.40 years after surgery. There was 1 failure (4.3%) among the simple cases, 4 failures (18.2%) in complex cases, and 7 failures (87.5%) in salvage cases. Statistically significant increases were observed in all scores at all time points compared with presurgery levels (P < .05). The subjective IKDC score improved from median 40.4 preoperatively to 74.7 at 10-year follow-up (n = 13 patients; P < .05). Conclusion: MACT is an excellent surgical therapy for full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee, with good long-term results for simple defects. However, it should not be used in salvage cases.