Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identity under Construction

Motivated by the unprecedented peak in photoblogs' popularity, in this paper we attempt to come to grips with the consequences of photoblog use for young people's development of identity. In particular we studied the case of Fotolog, a popular photo sharing application in Chile. Our results suggest that Fotolog is an important constituent of adolescents' daily media consumption which is often appropriated by its users as a social networking site, and which helps them to fulfil several of the developmental tasks typical of their age. In particular, we found that adolescents employ Fotolog as a mechanism to receive social validation, to gain social control, to achieve self-clarification, and to maintain social relationships, four of the most important functions of self-disclosure during adolescence.
Personality Characteristics of BASE Jumpers

BASE jumping is an extreme sport, which is associated with significant risk of injury and death. We aimed to determine whether BASE jumpers have different personality characteristics to an age-matched, normal control population. An international population of BASE jumpers was examined using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Mean age was thirty-four years; fifty-nine (87%) jumpers were male; twenty-eight (41%) jumpers had sustained a significant injury. A substantial proportion of the BASE jumpers presented extremely low scores in the temperament measure of Harm Avoidance (p < 0.001); the extent of which has not been reported in any other population.
Meaning Reconstruction in Bereaved Mothers: A Pilot Study Using the Biographical Grid Method

In this study, a constructivist data collection technique, the biographical grid method (BGM), was modified to accommodate the specific needs of mothers who had experienced the death of a child from cancer, and for the purpose of exploring meaning reconstruction and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in this population. Contrasting cases studies of two bereaved mothers are used to illustrate the research and clinical potential of the BGM in examining meaning reconstruction and PTG following the death of a child.
Journaling From Internship to Practice Teaching

This case study aims to discover how journal writing promotes critical reflectivity over time. Six non-native pre-service teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) in an undergraduate program in Hong Kong took part in a 12-month study from the time they took Internship, which entailed a 2-week placement, to the time they completed Practice Teaching, which entailed a 3-week placement. Before the commencement of the Internship program and after the completion of the Practice Teaching course, the teachers were assigned to write about successful English teachers, understanding and expectations of teaching English in the context of local secondary schools. During the five weeks of teaching practicum, the teachers made daily journal entries freely on any topics they wanted. All entries were coded for topics and reflective traits, and further analyzed for changes in content. Results show that while most reflective traits in the free journal entries were located in the area of evaluating teaching, those in the assigned entries concentrated on theories of teaching. Post-coding interviews were held to allow the teachers to verify the codings and interpretations. Discussion in the interviews cross-validated the findings that the six teachers wrote reflectively and that they became more reflective towards the end of the courses, indicating less simplicity in their understanding of the multitude of issues of teaching. Such findings suggest that journal writing as a coursework assignment in pre-service teacher education program fosters teachers' critical reflectivity over time and promotes understanding of the nature, theories, and praxis of teaching.
Treatment of Hypertension Induces a Fall in Platelet Basal Cytoplasmic Calcium Concentration without Influencing Platelet Aggregation

Summary The relationship between blood pressure and platelet basal cytoplasmic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and platelet sensitivity to aggregating agents in hypertension has been investigated in hypertensive patients and normotensive subjects. Ten severely hypertensive patients whose blood pressures were poorly controlled with metoprolol, were given calcium antagonist (either nifedipine or felodipine) as a second line agent. Venous blood samples were collected at each treatment phase for measurement, in whole blood, of platelet aggregation in response to ADP and collagen, and of basal [Ca2+]i using fura-2. Control of blood pressure by the combination of metroprolol and a calcium antagonist induced a significant decrease in median [Ca2+]i from 116 (76–181) to 73 (60–83) nM, which was similar to the median value of 70 (61–80) nM obtained in 14 normotensive subjects. Overall [Ca2+]i correlated with mean blood pressure (r = 0.51). Treatment of hypertension with calcium antagonist did not change the response of platelets to collagen or ADP. The results confirm that effective treatment of hypertension significantly reduced basal [Ca2+]i in platelets but raise doubts whether elevated basal [Ca2+]i is necessarily the sole mechanism by which the sensitivity of platelets to aggregatory agents is increased in hypertension.
Respondent Misreporting of Drug use in Self-Reports: Social Desirability and other Correlates

When it comes to measuring and analyzing the extent of drug problems … there is an abundance of numbers, but the glass of insight is, at best, half full. (Caulkins, 2000, p. 433) To assess possible validity problems associated with self-reported drug use, drug use forecasting (DUF) data collected in 1995 from the Birmingham (AL) catchment area were used to examine the statistical correlates of arrestees misreporting their drug use by comparing self-reported drug use involving (1) marijuana, (2) cocaine, and (3) both cocaine and marijuana with results of urinalysis tests performed on the arrestees. We used the social desirability theory to explain why some arrestees misreported using drugs while others did not. Multivariate analyses revealed, as predicted by the theory, differences between the two groups based on drugs consumed and personal, legal, and other factors. Our results have implications for the validity of larger-scale self-reported estimates of the extent and nature of drug use in the U.S. that must be addressed before realistic policy choices can occur.
The influence of growth regulating substances on the development of enhanced metabolic rates in thin slices of beetroot storage tissue.

Freshly cut disks of beetroot tissue develop high rates of respiration, uptake of phosphate and activity of the enzyme invertase after having been washed for 18 hours in 0.01 m potassium maleate.Incubation of the disks in solutions of indole-3-acetic acid or kinetin completely prevented the development of the higher activities in all 3 systems assayed, while incubation in gibberellic acid had no inhibitory effect. Using a series of synthetic plant growth regulating compounds it was possible to establish that there was no correlation between the activity of the compound as an auxin and the ability of the compound to prevent the development of the enhanced rates of metabolism.
Family history of liver cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma

Familial clustering of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been frequently reported in eastern Asiatic countries, where hepatitis B infection is common. Little is known about the relationship between family history of liver cancer and HCC in Western populations. We carried out a case‐control study in Italy, involving 229 HCC cases and 431 hospital controls. Data on family history were summarized through a binary indicator (yes/no) and a family history score (FHscore), considering selected family characteristics. Odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained from unconditional multiple logistic regression models, including terms for age, sex, study center, education, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, hepatitis B surface antigen, and/or anti–hepatitis C virus positivity. We also performed a meta‐analysis on family history of liver cancer and liver cancer updated to April 2011 using random‐effects models. After adjustment for chronic infection with hepatitis B/C viruses, family history of liver cancer was associated with HCC risk, when using both the binary indicator (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.01‐5.58) and the FHscore, with increasing ORs for successive score categories. Compared to subjects without family history and no chronic infection with hepatitis B/C viruses, the OR for those exposed to both risk factors was 72.48 (95% CI, 21.92‐239.73). In the meta‐analysis, based on nine case‐control and four cohort studies, for a total of approximately 3,600 liver cancer cases, the pooled relative risk for family history of liver cancer was 2.50 (95% CI, 2.06‐3.03). Conclusion: A family history of liver cancer increases HCC risk, independently of hepatitis. The combination of family history of liver cancer and hepatitis B/C serum markers is associated with an over 70‐fold elevated HCC risk. (HEPATOLOGY 2011)
Supply Chain Network Design with Concave Costs: Theory and Applications

Many practical decision models can be formulated as concave minimization problems. Supply chain network design problems (SCNDP) that explicitly account for economies-ofscale and/or risk pooling often lead to mathematical problems with a concave objective and linear constraints. In this thesis, we propose new solution approaches for this class of problems and use them to tackle new applications. In the first part of the thesis, we propose two new solution methods for an important class of mixed-integer concave minimization problems over a polytope that appear frequently in SCNDP. The first is a Lagrangian decomposition approach that enables a tight bound and a high quality solution to be obtained in a single iteration by providing a closed-form expression for the best Lagrangian multipliers. The Lagrangian approach is then embedded within a branch-and-bound framework. Extensive numerical testing, including implementation on three SCNDP from the literature, demonstrates the validity and efficiency of the proposed approach. The second method is a Benders approach that is particularly effective when the number of concave terms is small. The concave terms are isolated in a low-dimensional master problem that can be efficiently solved through enumeration. The subproblem is a linear program that is solved to provide a Benders cut. Branch-and-bound is then used to restore integrality if necessary. The Benders approach is tested and benchmarked against commercial solvers and is found to outperform them in many cases. In the second part, we formulate and solve the problem of designing a supply chain for chilled and frozen products. The cold supply chain design problem is formulated as a mixed-integer concave minimization problem with dual objectives of minimizing the total cost, including capacity, transportation, and inventory costs, and minimizing the global warming impact that includes, in addition to the carbon emissions from energy usage, the leakage of high global-warming-potential refrigerant gases. Demand is modeled as a general distribution, whereas inventory is assumed managed using a known policy but without explicit formulas for the inventory cost and maximum level functions. The Lagrangian approach proposed in the first part is combined with a simulation-optimization approach to tackle the problem. An important advantage of this approach is that it can be used with different demand distributions and inventory policies under mild conditions. The solution approach is verified through extensive numerical testing on two realistic case studies from different industries, and some managerial insights are drawn. In the third part, we propose a new mathematical model and a solution approach for the SCNDP faced by a medical sterilization service provider serving a network of hospitals. The sterilization network design problem is formulated as a mixed-integer concave
Échelle auto-rapportée de psychopathie de Levenson : adaptation française et validation

L’echelle auto-rapportee de psychopathie de Levenson (LSRP ; Levenson, Kiehl & Fitzpatrick, 1995) est un instrument visant a evaluer les traits de personnalite psychopathiques au sein de la population generale. Il conceptualise la psychopathie en deux facteurs distincts, mais interrelies, appeles psychopathie primaire et secondaire. La validite de l’instrument dans son format original est bien demontree, mais aucune donnee n’est disponible en ce qui a trait a l’adaptation francophone de l’instrument. L’etude vise donc a evaluer la structure factorielle et la validite convergente de la version francaise aupres d’une population de jeunes adultes. Un echantillon de 2529 participants âges de 15 a 26 ans remplissent l’echelle auto-rapportee de psychopathie, le NEO-FFI et repondent aussi a des questions sur leurs habitudes a l’egard de la consommation de substances psychoactives. Les resultats des analyses factorielles exploratoires et confirmatoires montrent que l’adaptation francophone respecte la structure en deux facteurs, avec des coefficients de saturation et de consistance interne pour les deux echelles se comparant a ceux de la version originale anglaise. Les modeles de mesure pour les hommes et les femmes se sont averes partiellement invariants ; les hommes obtiennent des resultats superieurs a ceux des femmes aux echelles de psychopathie primaire et totale. Enfin, le LSRP demontre de bons indices de validite convergente.
Corporatised leadership in English schools

Corporatised leadership in schools in England is being promoted through new actors and new types of school, these latter with corporate structures, values, regulatory freedoms and contractual arrangements with staff. Corporatised leadership is characterised inter alia by the promotion of the interests of business through the curriculum, school structure, learning materials and pupil experiences, and the adoption of business-derived leadership practices and identities. Corporate leadership produces and is produced through new actors – here, Chairs of Governors, the alignment of whose symbolic capital with the privileged corporate discourse increases their influence. The paper draws on semi-structured interviews with nine school leaders from a range of school types. The data were analysed using Bourdieu's concept of fields to explore the cross-field effects of business/economics and educational leadership.
Fermi's golden rule, nonequilibrium electron capture from the wetting layer, and the modulation response in P-doped quantum-dot lasers

Electron capture from a quantum dot's (QDs) wetting layer is described by Fermi's golden rule that relates the transition rate to the density of final states. The wetting layer capture causes a brief nonequilibrium electron distribution between the QD ground state and its wetting layer states and can slow a QD laser's modulation response. This effect is studied for time constants and capture conditions relevant to self-organized InAs QDs. It is shown that even a moderately fast electron capture consistent with present low temperature measurements can limit a QD laser's modulation speed.
Müzik eğitimi alma cinsiyet ve sınıf düzeyi değişkenlerine göre ergenlerin empatik becerilerinin ve uyum düzeylerinin incelenmesi

OZET: Bu arastirma muzik egitimi alan ve almayan er- genlerin empatik becerileri ve uyum duzeylerinde cinsiyet ve sinif duzeyi degiskenlerinin farkliliga neden olup olma- diginin belirlenmesi amaciyla planlanmistir. Arastirma 206 ergen uzerinde yurutulmustur. Arastirmada "Empatik Be- ceri Olcegi - B Formu" ve "Hacettepe Kisilik Envanteri" veri toplama araci olarak kullanilmistir. Elde edilen veriler "Cift Yonlu Varyans Analizi" ve "Korelasyon Katsayisi Onemlilik Testi" ile degerlendirilmistir. Arastirma sonu- cunda, muzik egitimi alip almamanin, cinsiyetin ve sinif duzeyinin ergenlerin empatik beceri puanlari uzerinde ista- tiksel acidan onemli bir farkliliga neden olmadigi bulun- mustur (P>()'05). Muzik egitimi alip almamanin ergenlerin kisisel ve genel uyum, cinsiyetin ise sadece kisisel uyum puanlari uzerinde anlamli bir farklilik yarattigi (P O,05). Whether or not getting musical education on in- dividual and general adjustment scores while sex only on individual adjustment scores of the adolescents caused sig- nificant differences (P
Comparison of the Spine and Hip BMD Assessments Derived from Quantitative Computed Tomography

Quantification of bone mineral density (BMD) is being used as the main method to diagnose osteoporosis. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most common tools for measuring BMD. Compared to DXA, quantitative computed tomography (QCT) can determine in three dimensions the true volumetric BMD (vBMD) at any skeletal site. In addition to the spine, the hip is an important site for axial BMD measurement. This study examines lumbar spine and hip BMD of Chinese adults by QCT. Age related changes in bone mass derived by QCT measurements were determined. The osteoporosis QCT detection rates at the spine and hip are assessed in both female and male, and agreement of skeletal status category between the spine and hip in older adults is also assessed.
Variability of ESL Learners' Acquisition of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: What Can We Learn From Achievement Measures?

With the revamping of the Canada Immigration Act in 1985, the demographic profile of new arrivals to Canada took a marked shift to place a priority on better educated, business-class immigrants. Most of these immigrants are from the Pacific Rim, and they have high expectations for the academic achievement of their children in the Canadian school system. The purpose of this study was to look at age on arrival and first-language proficiency of these children, as these factors interact with instructed ESL support on achievement measures in grade 12. Analysis of the data reveals that although all learners benefit from structured ESL support, it is the younger-arriving ESL learners who have the most to gain, even after many years of little or no support. We note that all ESL learners, regardless of age on arrival, struggle to acquire the cultural and metaphoric competence that is beyond the linguistic threshold required for success, but nevertheless central to successful engagement in a literature-based program of studies.
Comparative Assessment of Scoring Functions on an Updated Benchmark: 2. Evaluation Methods and General Results

Our comparative assessment of scoring functions (CASF) benchmark is created to provide an objective evaluation of current scoring functions. The key idea of CASF is to compare the general performance of scoring functions on a diverse set of protein-ligand complexes. In order to avoid testing scoring functions in the context of molecular docking, the scoring process is separated from the docking (or sampling) process by using ensembles of ligand binding poses that are generated in prior. Here, we describe the technical methods and evaluation results of the latest CASF-2013 study. The PDBbind core set (version 2013) was employed as the primary test set in this study, which consists of 195 protein-ligand complexes with high-quality three-dimensional structures and reliable binding constants. A panel of 20 scoring functions, most of which are implemented in main-stream commercial software, were evaluated in terms of "scoring power" (binding affinity prediction), "ranking power" (relative ranking prediction), "docking power" (binding pose prediction), and "screening power" (discrimination of true binders from random molecules). Our results reveal that the performance of these scoring functions is generally more promising in the docking/screening power tests than in the scoring/ranking power tests. Top-ranked scoring functions in the scoring power test, such as X-Score(HM), ChemScore@SYBYL, ChemPLP@GOLD, and PLP@DS, are also top-ranked in the ranking power test. Top-ranked scoring functions in the docking power test, such as ChemPLP@GOLD, Chemscore@GOLD, GlidScore-SP, LigScore@DS, and PLP@DS, are also top-ranked in the screening power test. Our results obtained on the entire test set and its subsets suggest that the real challenge in protein-ligand binding affinity prediction lies in polar interactions and associated desolvation effect. Nonadditive features observed among high-affinity protein-ligand complexes also need attention.
Dependence analysis of parallel and distributed programs and its applications

This paper surveys the program dependence analysis technique for parallel and/or distributed programs and its applications from the viewpoint of software engineering. We present primary program dependences which may exist in a parallel and/or distributed program, a general approach to define, analyze, and represent these program dependences formally, and applications of an explicit program dependence based representation for parallel and/or distributed programs in various software engineering activities. We also suggest some research problems an this direction.
Toward Stable Predictions of Apprentices’ Training Success

Mechanical (statistical) predictions have proven to be useful in personnel selection. However, such predictions require the use of an algorithm to aggregate different predictor scores. The identification of such an algorithm requires analyzing predictor and criterion data obtained from previous applicants. The present manuscript compared predictions made by two different statistical methods: artificial neural networks (ANNs) and multiple regression analysis. Therefore, three consecutive cohorts of apprentices (n = 322, 217, and 118) were examined. Algorithms were derived from one cohort and applied to more recent cohorts. It was shown that ANNs outperformed linear predictions in a cross-validation within the cohorts. However, applying trained ANNs to other samples resulted in a predictive power which was worse than most of the linear predictions. Thus, we conclude that ANNs should only be used as selection algorithm if their validity in different cohorts has been confirmed.
Gene therapy with brain-derived neurotrophic factor as a protection: retinal ganglion cells in a rat glaucoma model.

PURPOSE To develop a modified adenoassociated viral (AAV) vector capable of efficient transfection of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and to test the hypothesis that use of this vector to express brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could be protective in experimental glaucoma. METHODS Ninety-three rats received one unilateral, intravitreal injection of either normal saline (n = 30), AAV-BDNF-woodchuck hepatitis posttranscriptional regulatory element (WPRE; n = 30), or AAV-green fluorescent protein (GFP)-WPRE (n = 33). Two weeks later, experimental glaucoma was induced in the injected eye by laser application to the trabecular meshwork. Survival of RGCs was estimated by counting axons in optic nerve cross sections after 4 weeks of glaucoma. Transgene expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis, and direct visualization of GFP. RESULTS The density of GFP-positive cells in retinal wholemounts was 1,828 +/- 299 cells/mm(2) (72,273 +/- 11,814 cells/retina). Exposure to elevated intraocular pressure was similar in all groups. Four weeks after initial laser treatment, axon loss was 52.3% +/- 27.1% in the saline-treated group (n = 25) and 52.3% +/- 24.2% in the AAV-GFP-WPRE group (n = 30), but only 32.3% +/- 23.0% in the AAV-BDNF-WPRE group (n = 27). Survival in AAV-BDNF-WPRE animals increased markedly and the difference was significant compared with those receiving either AAV-GFP-WPRE (P = 0.002, t-test) or saline (P = 0.006, t-test). CONCLUSIONS Overexpression of the BDNF gene protects RGC as estimated by axon counts in a rat glaucoma model, further supporting the potential feasibility of neurotrophic therapy as a complement to the lowering of IOP in the treatment of glaucoma.