Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Hypotonic and Isotonic Sports Drinks on Endurance Performance and Physiology

Isotonic sports drinks containing carbohydrate and electrolytes are often consumed for endurance performance, but hypotonic drinks may be superior. The purpose of this study was to compare effects on performance and related physiology of a new sports drink, Mizone Rapid (hypotonic; containing carbohydrate and electrolytes) with three other drinks: Mizone (hypotonic; carbohydrate only), Powerade (isotonic; carbohydrate and electrolytes), and a water placebo. Methods: Sixteen well-trained cyclists were randomized in balanced doubleblind crossover fashion to consume each of the four drinks on separate days at a rate of 250 ml every 15 min during a 2-h steady ride at constant power, followed by a continuous incremental test to peak power. Tests were performed on a cycle ergometer at room temperature (18-22°C) and were separated by 37 d. Results and Discussion: Peak power with Mizone Rapid was substantially higher than that with water and Mizone (4.3% and 3.2% respectively) but similar to that with Powerade (0.2%) (90% confidence limits for differences, ±2.6%). Analysis of urine composition and volume after the performance test provided evidence that Mizone Rapid was excreted and therefore probably absorbed more rapidly than the other drinks: it produced both the lowest urine osmolarity and the highest urine volume. There were no clear differences between the effects of the drinks in the steady ride on tympanic temperature, heart rate, blood glucose and blood lactate that were consistent with the effects on subsequent performance. Conclusion: Consumption of a hypotonic drink aimed at optimizing fluid absorption has an effect on endurance performance similar to that of an isotonic drink and may have beneficial effects on endurance performance relative to water and a hypotonic drink lacking sodium.
Encouraging Consensus-Challenging Research in Universities

Drawing from self-efficacy theory and transcriptions of in-depth interviews, we construct a conjoint experiment that we then administer to 54 tenure-tracked assistant professors from two Research-I universities in the United States. Findings from their 1728 nested decisions show that the administrative effectiveness of outcome expectations and time constraints in encouraging highly uncertain, consensus-challenging research depends on the research self-efficacy of scholars. As expected, we find that increases in anticipated credit are more effective at encouraging consensus-challenging research when scholars perceive themselves to be highly competent in the line of research being pursued. Surprisingly, however, we also find that increases in both blame and time pressures are more discouraging of consensus-challenging research when scholars perceive themselves to be highly competent in a research area. We conclude by discussing the findings and their implications for research and practice.
Social Capital and the Integration of Zimbabwean Immigrants in the United States

Increasing diversity among contemporary immigrants to the United States requires social workers to constantly update their understanding of who constitutes the new immigrant population and what their integration experiences are (Balgopal, 2000). Despite advances that have been made to understand experiences of African immigrant populations, little is “known about the variations and diversity of experiences of . recent African immigrants” (Takyi, 2002, p. 33). For instance, the 2000 U.S. Census established that Zimbabwean immigrants increased by 210% between 1980 and 2000, yet efforts to understand their integration experiences are still in their infancy (Marrow, 2007). There were over 12,000 Zimbabweans in the United States in 2000, making them the second largest group of immigrants from Southern Africa, after South Africa (Marrow, 2007). The main purpose of this research study was twofold: to examine the social capital of Zimbabweans in the United States, and then to understand how it aided or hindered their integration experiences. For the purposes of this research, social capital was conceptualized as characterized by networks of friends and group memberships, trust, and the exchange of specific social resources among networks to facilitate integration (Franke, 2005).
Academic buoyancy, student's achievement, and the linking role of control: A cross-lagged analysis of high school students.

BACKGROUND Previous research has indicated that although academic buoyancy and student's achievement are associated, the relationship is relatively modest. AIMS We sought to determine whether another construct might link academic buoyancy and student's achievement. Based on prior theoretical and empirical work, we examined a sense of control as one possible linking mechanism. SAMPLE The study analysed data from 2,971 students attending 21 Australian high schools. METHODS We conducted a cross-lagged panel design as a first means of disentangling the relative salience of academic buoyancy, control, and achievement (Phase 1). Based upon these results, we proceeded with follow-up analyses of an ordered process model linking the constructs over time (Phase 2). RESULTS Findings showed that buoyancy and achievement were associated with control over time, but not with one another (Phase 1). In addition, control appeared to play a role in how buoyancy influenced achievement and that a cyclical process may operate among the three factors over time (Phase 2). CONCLUSION The findings suggest that control may play an important role in linking past experiences of academic buoyancy and achievement to subsequent academic buoyancy and achievement.
The NAS Parallel Benchmarks 2.0

We describe a set of implementations of the NAS Parallel Benchmarks based on Fortran 77 and the MPI message passing standard. These implementations, which are intended to be run with little or no tuning, approximate the performance a typical user can expect for a portable parallel program on a distributed memory computer. They complement rather than replace the original NAS Parallel Benchmarks. We also present two additions to the original pencil and paper specification. First, we define “class C” sizes of the benchmarks to better suit the current and next generation of supercomputers. Second, we introduce changes to the reporting requirements for NAS Parallel Benchmark results. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035-1000. MRJ, Inc. This work is supported through NASA Contract NAS 2-14303. MCAT, Inc. This work is supported through NASA Contract NAS 2-14109. Sterling Software, Palo Alto, California. This work is supported through NASA Contract NAS 2-13210.
The Driving Forces of Stability

This article explores the nature of long-term interactions between bureaucrats and interest groups by examining two behavioral logics associated with stability in public policy making. In addition to the implicit short-term strategic choices that usually feature in resource-exchange explanations of interest group access to policy makers, this article shows that bureaucracy–interest group interactions are likely to be dictated by routine behavior and anticipating future consequences as well. By drawing on survey and face-to-face interview data of Dutch senior civil servants and interest groups, the analyses reveal that a practice of regular consultations, the need for political support, and a perceived influential position together explain why bureaucrats maintain interactions with interest groups. The combination of these behavioral logics adds important explanatory leverage to existing resource-exchange explanations and shows that organizational processes as well as long-term strategic considerations should be taken into account to fully explain bureaucracy–interest group interactions.
Sex Differences in Help-Seeking Appear in Early Childhood.

This study tested the hypothesis that sex differences in help-seeking, which have been obtained consistently with adults and adolescents, would appear in early childhood. To this end, 32 girls and 32 boys aged 3 and 6 years from lower and upper-middle socio-economic class schools were asked to perform four tasks (drawing an animal, building a house with blocks, piecing together a puzzle, and matching sounds) in the presence of a male or female adult. After explaining each task, the adult offered help to the child. Latencies to request help were significantly lower for girls than boys across both age and socio-economic levels. The implications of sex differences in latencies to obtain help are discussed.
Divide and Conquer: The European Union Enlargement's Successful Conclusion?

What drives enlargement of the European Union is a topic of great debate and is comparatively undertheorized. This fact is surprising given the degree of long-term membership growth in the European Union. Begun in 1957 as a geographically tight-knit group of six countries (France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), the European Union has now progressively expanded to a group of 25 countries and will likely reach 27 member states in 2007. Turkey and Croatia began negotiating membership in 2005 and Macedonia was granted candidate status at the 2005 December Summit. Further potential applicants are standing in the wings. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Albania, and some of the remaining Russian satellite states (Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus) will likely pursue future membership bids. A close examination of the final terms of the EU membership agreement involving Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and the bargaining process by which it was decided, helps illustrate the typically intergovernmental character of the accession process. Some scholars (see, in particular, Fierke and Wiener 1999; Schimmelfennig 2001; Sedelmeier 2001) have suggested that enlargement and the decision of Western states to accept the Central and East European countries has been effectively driven by the constraints of collective identity and social norms, that is, by a sense of “community values. ” By contrast, this essay will argue that a more traditional intergovernmental model is better suited to explaining the enlargement process and the final terms of the agreement. Recent intergovernmental approaches (see Moravcsik and Vachudova 2003) that insist on the importance of national interests provide a more realistic assessment of the final impact of these agreements. However, even current intergovernmental accounts underestimate the benefits to West European states and overestimate the benefits and underestimate the costs to new member states. The details of the final agreement document an intense …
Risk Assessment: The Value of Structured Professional Judgments

International research suggests that using formalized risk assessment methods may improve the predictive validity of professionals’ predictions of risk of future violence. This study presents data on forensic psychiatric patients discharged from a forensic unit in Denmark in year 2001–2002 (n =107). All patients were assessed for risk of future violence utilizing a structured professional judgment model: the HCR-20 violence risk assessment scheme. After a follow-up period of 5.6 years, recidivism outcome were obtained from the Danish National Crime Register. Overall, the predictive validity of the HCR-20 was good. The structured final risk judgment had the highest predictive accuracy of violent recidivism and was superior to the HCR-20 used in an actuarial manner. At the individual item level, a higher number of the dynamic items were significantly predictive of violent recidivism compared to static items. In sum, the findings support the use of structured professional judgment models of risk assessment and in particular the HCR-20 violence risk assessment scheme. Findings regarding the importance of the (clinical) structured final risk judgment and the individual dynamic items strengthen the use of this scheme in clinical practice.
Argumentstruktur und Erstgliedinterpretation bei deverbalen Derivaten — ein semantikbasierter Ansatz

L'A. situe son travail dans une contribution a la theorie de la formation des mots. Il se positionne contre les theories qui veulent expliquer syntaxiquement la formation des derives deverbaux (e.g. theorie de l'incorporation) et tente d'expliquer ce phenomene de facon semantique. Il examine plus particulierement les nominalisations complexes en allemand avec le suffixe -ung (e.g. Luftverschmutzung) et les adjectifs participiaux (e.g. maschinegeschrieben) pour demontrer que ce sont les regles semantiques - et non pas les proprietes de la base verbale - qui sont decisives dans l'interpretation des derives deverbaux. L'A. se detourne ainsi du lien explicatif entre l'interpretation du premier membre et la realisation d'arguments externe au mot.
The Melanoma Antigens MELOE-1 and MELOE-2 Are Translated from a Bona Fide Polycistronic mRNA Containing Functional IRES Sequences

Our previous studies on melanoma antigens identified two new polypeptides, named MELOE-1 and MELOE-2, that are involved in immunosurveillance. Intriguingly, these antigens are coded by distinct open reading frames (ORF) of the meloe mRNA which is significantly expressed only in the melanocytic lineage. In addition, MELOE-1 and -2 specific T cell clones recognized melanoma cells but very poorly normal melanocytes suggesting differential translation of meloe in normal vs tumor cells. This prompted us to elucidate the mechanisms of translation of these antigens in melanoma cells. We first demonstrated that no splicing event or cryptic promoter could generate shorter meloe transcripts containing only one of the two ORFs. Triggering meloe RNA degradation with a siRNA close to the ORF coding for MELOE-2 abrogated expression of both MELOE-1 and MELOE-2, thus confirming that the two ORFs are always associated. Next we showed, in a bicistronic reporter system, that IRES activities could be detected upstream of MELOE-1 and MELOE-2 and finally confirmed their translation from full length meloe cDNA in melanoma cells with eGFP constructs. In conclusion, meloe is a polycistronic mRNA that generates both MELOE-1 and MELOE-2 antigens through IRES-dependent translation in melanoma cells and that may explain their tumor specificity.
Academic risk factors and deficits of learned hopelessness: a longitudinal study of Hong Kong secondary school students

The aim of the present study is to explore a causal model of academic achievement and learning‐related personal variables by testing the nature of relationships between learned hopelessness, its risk factors and hopelessness deficits as proposed in major theories in this area. The model investigates affective–motivational characteristics of students such as prior academic failures, academic attributional style, self‐efficacy, thoughts about intelligence, school values, learned hopelessness, self‐esteem, learning strategy effectiveness and academic achievement, and the relationships among them. A sample of 741 Hong Kong secondary students completed a series of scales over a school year. As expected, prior achievement was the best predictor of subsequent achievement. The next best predictors were perceived learning difficulties and learned hopelessness. This in turn leads to disengagement from schooling and students taking on most responsibility for their failing. Recommendations for teachers and schools to ameliorate these beliefs may redress the move towards hopelessness.
Imperialism in the Silicon Age

One epoch does not lead tidily into another. Each epoch carries with it a burden of the past—an idea perhaps, a set of values, even bits and pieces of an outmoded economic and political system. And the longer and more durable the previous epoch the more halting is the emergence of the new.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Sociability and social interaction on social networking websites

Purpose – Social websites have become a major medium for social interaction. From Facebook to MySpace to emergent sites like Twitter, social websites are increasing exponentially in user numbers and unique visits every day. How do these websites encourage sociability? What features or design practices enable users to socialize with other users? The purpose of this paper is to explore sociability on the social web and details how different social websites encourage their users to interact.Design/methodology/approach – Four social websites (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter) were examined from a user study perspective. After thoroughly participating on the websites, a series of observations were recorded from each experience. These experiences were then compared to understand the different approaches of each website.Findings – Social websites use a number of different approaches to encourage sociability amongst their users. Facebook promotes privacy and representing “real world” networks in web enviro.
Association between Blood Pressure and Mortality in 80-Year-Old Subjects from a Population-Based Prospective Study in Japan

Hypertension is one of the greatest risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but the contribution of high blood pressure to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is weakened with aging. In the present study, we examined whether high blood pressure would be a risk factor for total and cardiovascular mortality in a group of very elderly Japanese. Six hundred and thirty-nine participants who were 80 years old in 1997 were enrolled. The subjects were divided into three groups on the basis of their systolic blood pressure (SBP) (below 140 mmHg [group 1, n=212], from 140 mmHg to 159 mmHg [group 2, n=217], over 160 mmHg [group 3, n=210]). During the 4-year follow-up period, 87 individuals died and 24 of these deaths were due to cardiovascular diseases. Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that there was no association between total mortality and SBP levels (relative risk [RR] 1.71; confidence interval [CI] 0.81–3.58; group 3 compared with group 1, p=0.35). However, the subjects taking antihypertensive medication showed significantly higher mortality with increasing SBP level (RR 5.72, CI 1.03–31.6, p=0.04, group 3 compared with group 1). Furthermore, in the subjects with a cardiovascular disease such as angina or stroke, high SBP increased the total mortality (RR 13.4, CI 2.39–75.1, p=0.004, group 3 compared with group 1). The present study did not find an association between blood pressure and mortality in the very elderly. However, our results did suggest that high SBP increases the risk of mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases and/or taking antihypertensive medication.
Color-Blind Racial Ideology and Beliefs About a Racialized University Mascot

We examined the link between color-blind racial ideology (CBRI; i.e., the belief that race and racism are irrelevant for the contemporary moment) and students’ agreement with a university’s decision to discontinue a controversial racialized mascot (i.e., “Chief Illiniwek”) among a sample of 389 racially diverse college students. Students also elaborated on their views about the discontinuance of the mascot in an open-ended question. Seven themes emerged from the open-ended responses, including: (a) Chief was Not Offensive/Not Racist, (b) Chief was a Symbol of Honor and Pride, (c) Empathic Concern for American Indians, (d) Chief was Offensive/Racist, (e) University Acquiesced to External Pressure, (f) Discontinuance Decision was Motivated by Political Correctness, and (g) Chief was Not a Big Deal. As predicted, greater levels of CBRI were significantly correlated with lower support for the decision to discontinue the mascot. Findings from a series of multiple logistic regression models indicated that five of the seven themes were predicted by CBRI; only the University Acquiesced to External Pressure and the Chief was Not a Big Deal themes were not predicted by any of the study variables. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
[Expression of mitogen-actived protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha in pulmonary arteries of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression of mitogen-actived protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in pulmonary artery of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and therefore to explore the possible roles of MAPK, PI3K and HIF-1alpha in the development of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH). METHODS Small pulmonary arterial remodeling was observed by morphometric analysis in surgically removed lung tissues from COPD patients and control patients treated for lung tumors. The expression of p-ERK, p-JNK, p-P38, p-PKB and HIF-1alpha in lung tissue was examined by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Morphometry analysis showed that the ratio of wall area to total area (WA%) and pulmonary artery media thickness (PAMT) were increased in COPD patients [18 +/- 3, (31 +/- 3) microm] than in the control [30 +/- 5, (40 +/- 4) microm, t = 7.58, 6.57, all P < 0.01]. The expression levels of p-ERK protein, p-PKB protein, HIF-1alpha protein and HIF-1alpha mRNA level (absorbance, A) were significantly higher in pulmonary artery walls of COPD patients (0.164 +/- 0.012, 0.113 +/- 0.009, 0.232 +/- 0.008, 0.154 +/- 0.013, respectively) as compared to those of the control (0.062 +/- 0.010, 0.031 +/- 0.011, 0.058 +/- 0.006, 0.052 +/- 0.008, respectively, t = 23.18, 21.03, 62.14, 2.44, all P < 0.01), while p-JNK and p-P38 protein levels in the control group (0.048 +/- 0.013, 0.028 +/- 0.007, respectively) and COPD patients (0.041 +/- 0.012, 0.031 +/- 0.010, respectively, all P > 0.05) were barely positive. The expression of p-ERK, p-PKB and HIF-1alpha were negatively correlated with LA% (r = -0.920 - -0.892, all P < 0.05), and positively correlated with PAMT (r = 0.895 - 0.934, all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Differential expression of p-ERK, p-PKB and HIF-1alpha may be involved in the occurrence of HPH in COPD patients.
Motivation and Perceived Control in Early Adolescent Friendships

Motivation is assumed to influence behaviors via perceived agency over goal pursuits, but empirical research integrating motivation and action-control processes in social development is close to nonexistent. We applied this perspective to the study of early adolescent friendships by examining motivation for and perceived control (ability and effort) over establishing and maintaining friendships in association with adolescents’ emotional adjustment, friend-reported friendship closeness, and peer-reported social adjustment. Participants were 648 early adolescents (12-14 years). As expected, intrinsic friendship motivation was associated with perceived ability and effort in the self as well as positive adjustment, whereas extrinsic motivation was associated with relying on others in friendship tasks and poor adjustment. Motivation was also directly related to adjustment and the observed associations differed by gender. The integrated motivation-action control model was supported in terms of adolescent emotional adjustment and friendship quality.