Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of College Grades across Curricular Areas: Some Implications for GPA as a Criterion

Transcript records of over 1,900 college students were transformed into a profile of grades across 12 curricular areas. The record for each subject also included high school grade point average (GPA) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. Intercorrelations among the 12 college GPA variables were comparable to previous research which analyzed GPA over successive semesters. Factor analysis resulted in two GPA factors, General Academic Achievement and Grades Independent of Achievement/Aptitude, indicating that GPA is not unitary, but is also not a multifaceted composite. It was concluded that the system of grades could be considered singular for most predictive purposes.
Classifying Child Abusers: Its Relevance to Theory and Clinical Practice

A major problem in the development of an adequate theory of the sexual offence process is the heterogeneity of offenders. This lack of a clear understanding of both why and how people sexually offend against children continues to hinder the development of effective methods of intervention for these individuals. The aim of this article is to critically review some of the approaches that have been adopted in an attempt to provide a reliable and valid classification system for child molesters and to consider the impact that such systems have had on the structuring of interventions to meet the differing needs of this client group.
The Mode of Information: Poststructuralism and Social Context

From the Publisher: Electronic communications are new language experiences in part by virtue of electrification. But how are they different from ordinary speech and writing? And what is the significance of this difference? This book explores these differences and in particular considers various theoretical perspectives that might be useful for opening new interpretive strategies for critical social theory in relation to these differences.
Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ oscillations in mammalian eggs

Summary Changes in the intracellular concentration of free calcium ([Ca2+]i) regulate diverse cellular processes including fertilization. In mammalian eggs, the [Ca2+]i changes induced by the sperm unfold in a pattern of periodical rises, also known as [Ca2+]i oscillations. The source of Ca2+ during oscillations is the endoplasmic reticulum ([Ca2+]ER), but it is presently unknown how [Ca2+]ER is regulated. Here, we show using mouse eggs that [Ca2+]i oscillations induced by a variety of agonists, including PLC&zgr;, SrCl2 and thimerosal, provoke simultaneous but opposite changes in [Ca2+]ER and cause differential effects on the refilling and overall load of [Ca2+]ER. We also found that Ca2+ influx is required to refill [Ca2+]ER, because the loss of [Ca2+]ER was accelerated in medium devoid of Ca2+. Pharmacological inactivation of the function of the mitochondria and of the Ca2+-ATPase pumps PMCA and SERCA altered the pattern of oscillations and abruptly reduced [Ca2+]ER, especially after inactivation of mitochondria and SERCA functions. We also examined the expression of SERCA2b protein and found that it was expressed throughout oocyte maturation and attained a conspicuous cortical cluster organization in mature eggs. We show that its overexpression reduces the duration of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate-induced [Ca2+]i rises, promotes initiation of oscillations and enhances refilling of [Ca2+]ER. Collectively, our results provide novel insights on the regulation of [Ca2+]ER oscillations, which underlie the unique Ca2+-signalling system that activates the developmental program in mammalian eggs.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE RAINBOW NATION: EFFECT OF CULTURAL VALUES AND ESE ON INTENTIONS

Because of South Africa's multicultural society, different cultural values were hypothesized to influence proclivity toward entrepreneurship across ethnic groups. Building on previous research conducted on ethnicity and entrepreneurship, selected findings were investigated to formulate hypotheses and contextualize the study. By adapting entrepreneurial intentions to reflect entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) as a separate measure of feasibility to start a business, principal component analysis was conducted to verify the construct validity of the measures and internal consistency was established. The latest VSM 94 was used to capture the five dimensions of culture. ANOVA and Duncan's multiple tests indicated some significant differences across ethnic groups, while correlation and multiple regression analysis demonstrated that it was the ESE beliefs rather than cultural values that influence intentions.
Developmental course of auditory processing interactions: Garner interference and Simon interference.

Previous research suggests that with increasing age children become more efficient in inhibiting conflicting responses and in resisting interference from irrelevant information. We assessed the abilities of 100 children (ages 3-16 years) and 20 adults to resist interference during the processing of 2 auditory dimensions of speech, namely the speaker's gender and spatial location. The degree of interference from irrelevant variability in either dimension did not vary with age. Apparently, young children do not have more difficulty in resisting interference when the nontarget and the target are both perceptual attributes. We also assessed the participants' abilities to inhibit conflicting task-irrelevant information from spatial location and to resist interference from spatial variability in the context of conflict. In the presence of conflicting task-irrelevant information, both interference effects declined significantly with age. Developmental change in auditory processing seems to vary as a function of (1) the nature of the target-nontarget combination and (2) the presence/absence of conflicting task-irrelevant information.
What Is Social about Justice? Inclusive Identity and Group Values as the Basis of the Justice Motive

Abstract Three studies tested the claim that the justice motive is based on commitment to the perceived values of the “primary category” of potential recipients of an allocation. In Study 1, participants who identified more strongly with their group regarded a member who represented the group's strengths as more entitled to a common profit. In Study 2, participants judged their own entitlement versus that of a member who represented the group's strengths. Members who identified more strongly with their group were less likely to display self-interest in their judgments. In Study 3, participants judged the entitlement of an in-group member representing out-group strengths versus an out-group member representing in-group strengths. When identification with the primary category (including in-group and out-group) was strong, members who identified more strongly with their in-group viewed the out-group member representing in-group values as more deserving.
Nonlinear Panel Data Analysis

Nonlinear panel data models arise naturally in economic applications, yet their analysis is challenging. Here we provide a progress report on some recent advances in the area. We start by reviewing the properties of random-effects likelihood approaches. We emphasize a link with Bayesian computation and Markov chain Monte Carlo, which provides a convenient approach to estimation and inference. The relaxation of parametric assumptions on the distribution of individual effects raises serious identification problems. In discrete choice models, common parameters and average marginal effects are generally set identified. The availability of continuous outcomes, however, provides opportunities for point identification. We end by reviewing recent progress on non-fixed-T approaches. In panel applications in which the time dimension is not negligible relative to the size of the cross section, it makes sense to view the estimation problem as a time-series finite-sample bias. Several perspectives to bias reduction are now available. We review their properties, with a special emphasis on random-effects methods.
‘How dare you say that about my friend’: negotiating disability and identity within Australian high schools

ABSTRACT Australian education policies advocate equal opportunities and non-discrimination through legislation that people with disabilities willing to attend ‘main-stream’ schools must be accommodated for. In this paper, people with mobility disabilities talk about their high school experiences in New South Wales, Australia. We are particularly interested in how these men and women talk about the affirmation of bodily differences within various high school spaces. Adopting narrative analysis and a feminist approach we understand identity as constructed spatially. Our interpretation is focused upon how school spaces helped to shape participants’ sense of self and in turn how participants shaped school spaces. We present a series of vignettes which illustrate how participants with mobility disabilities negotiated their bodily differences in and through school space.
Measures of Kidney Disease and the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) Study.

BACKGROUND Kidney disease has been associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk, but results conflict and there is little information regarding blacks. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 30,239 black and white adults 45 years or older enrolled in the REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) Study 2003 to 2007. PREDICTORS Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the combined creatinine-cystatin C (eGFRcr-cys) equation and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR). OUTCOMES The primary outcome was adjudicated VTE, and secondary outcomes were provoked and unprovoked VTE, separately. Mortality was a competing-risk event. RESULTS During 4.6 years of follow-up, 239 incident VTE events occurred over 124,624 person-years. Cause-specific HRs of VTE were calculated using proportional hazards regression adjusted for age, sex, race, region of residence, and body mass index. Adjusted VTE HRs for eGFRcr-cys of 60 to <90, 45 to <60, and <45 versus ≥90mL/min/1.73m2 were 1.28 (95% CI, 0.94-1.76), 1.30 (95% CI, 0.77-2.18), and 2.13 (95% CI, 1.21-3.76). Adjusted VTE HRs for ACR of 10 to <30, 30 to <300, and ≥300 versus <10mg/g were 1.14 (95% CI, 0.84-1.56), 1.15 (95% CI, 0.79-1.69), and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.25-1.62). Associations were similar for provoked and unprovoked VTE. LIMITATIONS Single measurement of eGFR and ACR may have led to misclassification. Smaller numbers of events may have limited power. CONCLUSIONS There was an independent association of low eGFR (<45 vs ≥90mL/min/1.73m2) with VTE risk, but no association of ACR and VTE.
Does Inadequate Housing Perpetuate Children's Poverty?

Increasing numbers of children in the United States live in housing that is considered substandard. However, there is little understanding of the long-term impact of such housing for children. Using a framework provided by prospective studies of resilience, this article draws on ethnographic research to speculate on the significance of unsuitable housing for the long-term capacity of children to break out of poverty. Events and circumstances in the household lives of three young children are examined closely in order to clarify the connections between specific dimensions of housing, parental behavior and the children's sense of identity, trust, autonomy, competence and general development. Evidence gathered through both interviews and observation suggests that inadequate housing contributes, along with other factors, to patterns of behavior and perception that can undermine positive development and perpetuate disadvantage. The implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Early sexual abuse and low cortisol

Abstract Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder precipitated by a stressful event that produces fear or terror in the individual. Post‐traumatic stress disorder studies, particularly in early sexual abuse, have been associated with neuroendocrine dysfunction, most notably the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Since the literature on PTSD and neuroendocrine factors in young subjects has been sparse, the present studies were designed to look at the basal functioning of the HPA axis in response to early sexual abuse in girls aged 5 to 7 years. Morning salivary samples were collected for cortisol determination from subjects and controls who were scheduled for a physical exam by their pediatrician. The present study shows that subjects who had been abused within the last couple of months had significantly lower cortisol in comparison to control subjects (age, social economic status and race matched). The data suggest that children may have an impaired HPA axis after early trauma.
Reducing the risk of insurance fraud by appearances of online surveillance

The efforts to tackle the growing problem of insurance fraud have focused primarily on examining suspicious claims and claimants after the accident has happened, ignoring a risk-reduction opportunity that exists even before the policy is purchased. The current paper aims to address this gap. In Study 1, a group of 40 participants were asked to input their personal details on a simulated comparison site. It showed that the numbers of obtained online quotes (i.e., how many times participants obtained them) and time spent to produce them by completing all the relevant information were positively correlated with misrepresentation of personal details for financial gain. In Study 2, a separate group of 120 participants took part in navigating a different simulated comparison site. The results suggest that equipping the site with mere appearances of online surveillance reduced the time that they took to input their details and minimized their manipulation for financial gain. Elaborating on the important theoretical and practical implications, the paper identifies a relatively easy and effective method of discouraging prospective policyholders from misrepresenting their details online.
Effect of long-term hormone replacement therapy on angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and bradykinin in postmenopausal women with essential hypertension and normotensive postmenopausal women

ObjectiveHormone replacement therapy (HRT) reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Three-month short-term HRT in postmenopausal women with essential hypertension increased the plasma concentrations of bradykinin with decreased serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, which may be partially responsible for the cardioprotective effects of HRT. The objective was to determine whether 12-month long-term HRT in postmenopausal women with essential hypertension would maintain the decreased ACE activity and increased bradykinin levels and whether long-term HRT would increase the plasma bradykinin concentrations of normotensive postmenopausal women who had shown no significant changes in the 3-month HRT study, despite their decreased serum ACE activity. DesignTwenty hypertensive and 15 normotensive postmenopausal women were treated with conjugated estrogens (0.625 mg/day) and medroxyprogesterone (2.5 mg/day) for 12 months. Twenty hypertensive and 15 normotensive postmenopausal women were used as controls. The controls were not treated with HRT. Serum ACE activity and plasma bradykinin concentrations were measured at baseline and at 12 months. ResultsLong-term HRT in both hypertensive and normotensive postmenopausal women significantly decreased serum ACE activity from 15.5 ± 0.7 IU/L and 16.0 ± 0.9 IU/L, respectively, at baseline to 13.3 ± 0.5 IU/L and 14.2 ± 0.9 IU/L, respectively, 12 months after the start of HRT (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively). Long-term HRT in both hypertensive and normotensive postmenopausal women also significantly increased plasma bradykinin concentrations from 22.1 ± 4.4 pg/mL and 19.2 ± 3.0 pg/mL, respectively, at baseline to 86.7 ± 21.2 pg/mL and 73.5 ± 23.0 pg/mL, respectively, 12 months after the start of HRT (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). No significant changes in serum ACE activity or plasma bradykinin concentrations were observed in the control groups. ConclusionsLong-term HRT in hypertensive and normotensive postmenopausal women decreases their serum ACE activity and increases their plasma bradykinin concentrations. Thus, maintenance of elevated bradykinin with decreased serum ACE activity by HRT may be useful in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in both hypertensive and normotensive postmenopausal women.
Synchronization of E. coli O157 shedding in a grass-fed beef herd: a longitudinal study

SUMMARY This study aims to describe in detail the temporal dynamics of E. coli O157 shedding and risk factors for shedding in a grass-fed beef herd. During a 9-month period, 23 beef cows were sampled twice a week (58 sampling points) and E. coli O157 was enumerated from faecal samples. Isolates were screened by PCR for presence of rfbE, stx 1 and stx 2 . The prevalence per sampling day ranged from 0% to 57%. This study demonstrates that many members of the herd were concurrently shedding E. coli O157. Occurrence of rainfall (P < 0·01), feeding silage (P < 0·01) and lactating (P < 0·01) were found to be predictors of shedding. Moving cattle to a new paddock had a negative effect on shedding. This approach, based on short-interval sampling, confirms the known variability of shedding within a herd and highlights that high shedding events are rare.
Structural Contingency Revisited: Toward a Dynamic System Model

Structural contingency theory can be reduced to the following equation: Organizational environment/technology/ uncertainty correlate with organizational structure, such that turbulent environment/unit technology/high uncertainty produce an organic structure, while their opposites produce a mechanistic one. The better the fit, so defined, the higher the effectiveness of the organization (e.g., Burns & Stalker, 1961; Pennings, 1975). Although the structural contingency theory was developed during the early 1960s, its appeal to practitioners and business school academics has not diminished. The theory is still endorsed as a managerial tool, and guidelines based on the contingency model continue to appear in managerial textbooks (Daft, 1995; Mintzberg, 1979). It is still attractive because it makes logical sense (to scholars as well as to managers), but scholars have been frustrated by the fact that numerous research efforts have yielded only fragmented empirical support for the theory. Whereas early research was supportive (Burns & Stalker, 1961; Lawrence & Lorsch, 1967; Woodward, 1958), subsequent studies have failed to produce consistent supporting evidence (Dewar & Werbel, 1979; Fry & Slocum, 1984; Kopp & Litschert, 1980; Mohr, 1971; Pennings, 1975). Refinements in the contingency equation that were offered over the years (Child, 1972; Lewin and Stephens, 1994; Schoonhoven, 1981) did not enhance support for the theory.
Severe accidental hypothermia treated in an ICU: prognosis and outcome.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To assess the characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to an ICU for severe accidental hypothermia, and to identify risk factors for mortality. METHODS All consecutive patients admitted to an ICU between January 1, 1979, and July 31, 1998, with a temperature of < or = 32 degrees C were retrospectively analyzed. Rewarming was always conducted passively with survival blankets and conventional covers. Prognostic factors were studied by means of univariate analysis (Mann-Whitney U and chi(2) tests) and multivariate analysis (logistic regression). RESULTS Forty-seven patients were enrolled (mean +/- SD age, 61.7 +/- 16 years). Five patients had a cardiac arrest before ICU admission. Patient characteristics at ICU admission were as follows: temperature, 28.8 +/- 2.5 degrees C; systolic BP, 85 +/- 23 mm Hg; heart rate, 60 +/- 24 beats/min; Glasgow Coma Scale, 10.4 +/- 3.7; and simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) II, 50.9 +/- 27. Mechanical ventilation was necessary in 23 cases, and 22 patients in shock received vasoactive drugs. The mean length of stay in the ICU was 6.7 +/- 9 days. Eighteen patients (38%) died, but ventricular arrhythmia was never the cause. Univariate analysis identified several prognostic factors (p < 0.05): age (57 +/- 16 years vs 69 +/- 14 years), systolic arterial BP (93 +/- 20 mm Hg vs 71 +/- 21 mm Hg), blood bicarbonate level (23.5 +/- 5.2 mmol/L vs 16.6 +/- 6.2 mmol/L), SAPS II score (35.3 +/- 19.5 vs 72 +/- 21), mechanical ventilation (34% vs 81%), vasopressor agents (42% vs 82%), rewarming time (11.5 +/- 7.2 h vs 17.2 +/- 7 h), and discovery of the patient at home (2.3% vs 54.5%). The initial temperature did not influence vital outcome (28.9 +/- 2.6 degrees C vs 28.6 +/- 2.2 degrees C). Only the use of vasoactive drugs (odds ratio, 9; 95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 50.1) was identified as a prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION Severe accidental hypothermia is a rare cause of ICU admission in an urban area. Its mortality remains high, but there is no overmortality according to the SAPS II-derived prediction of death. Shock, requiring treatment with vasoactive drugs, is an independent risk factor for mortality, while initial core temperature is not. It remains to be determined whether aggressive rather than passive rewarming procedures are better.
Electromagnetic Shielding Analysis of Multiple Slits on a Metal Plate Coated With a Ferrite Sheet

This paper presents a rigorous analysis of electromagnetic (EM) field penetration into multiple slits on a metal plate loaded with a ferrite sheet having frequency-dependent complex permeability. The Fourier transform is used to represent the EM fields in the spectral domain, and the mode-matching technique is enforced to obtain a solution in rapidly converging series form, leading to numerically efficient results. Electric and magnetic shielding characteristics in near-field region are investigated over wideband frequency range in terms of the presence or absence of a ferrite sheet with frequency-dependent magnetic permeability. It is observed that the shielding characteristics of electric and magnetic fields are different from each other at the low-frequency range in the near-field region. The number of slits and the ferrite sheet have significant influence on the magnetic shielding performance. In addition, the effect of nonperiodic multiple slits on the shielding effectiveness is examined. The proposed method is verified by comparing the results with those of a commercial EM solver, and good agreement is achieved using the feature selective validation.
Sex-dependent Antioxidant Enzyme Activities and Lipid Peroxidation in Ageing Mouse Brain

We investigated whether oxidant status and antioxidant enzyme activities during ageing of mouse brain are regulated in sex-dependent manner. In the homogenate from the brain of 1, 4, 10 and 18 months old male and female CBA mice, lipid peroxidation (LPO), total superoxide dismutase (tSOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) were determined. LPO was age- and sex-related, favoring males over females throughout the lifespan with the peak in both sexes at 10 months of age. Throughout ageing, no difference in tSOD activity between male and female brains was observed, except in immature 1 month old mice. Gender-related difference in Gpx activity was observed, with higher level in females comparing to males, reaching statistical significance in senescent (18 months old) animals. CAT activity was drastically changed with ageing in both the male and female brain. We found different age associated trends in CAT activity in males and females: decreased with age in males and increased with age in females. Taken together, the present findings indicate that brains of female mice have lower oxidant and higher antioxidant capacity mostly related to CAT and to a lesser extent to Gpx activity.