Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of parental attachment styles among second year students in Universiti Malaysia Sabah

The strong point of the family institution and the community is the vanguard formation of a company that is disciplined, noble values features and integrity (Malaysia National Integrity Plan, 2010). In order to avoid suspicions, disagreements and breakup the family institution, the member must possess the sense of respect and trust towards each other. This study targeted to explore parent attachment styles among second year students in Universiti Malaysia Sabah. A total of 108 respondents (43 males and 65 females) took part in the research. The mean age is 21.00 years. The respondents were administered two questionnaires including demographics questionnaire and the Inventory of Parent and Peers Attachment (IPPA) by Armsden & Greenberg (1987). Results indicated that 50.0% of the respondents were designated as Secure, 24.1% were designated as Ambivalent, and 25.9% were designated as Avoidant. Overall, gender is a significant predictor of parent attachment styles which female are more securely attached to parent and male are more avoidant attachment.
Variations of the prize‐collecting Steiner tree problem

The prize‐collecting Steiner tree problem is well known to be NP‐hard. We consider seven variations of this problem generalizing several well‐studied bottleneck and minsum problems with feasible solutions as trees of a graph. Four of these problems are shown to be solvable in O(m+n log n) time and the remaining are shown to be NP‐hard where n is the number of nodes and m is the number of edges in the underlying graph. For one of these polynomially solvable cases, we also provide an O(m) algorithm generalizing and unifying known linear time algorithms for the bottleneck spanning tree problem, bottleneck s−t path problem, and bottleneck Steiner tree problem. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 47(4), 199–205 2006
Follow-up study of blindness attributed to cataract in Karnataka State, India.

AIM Presentation of the results of rapid assessments of bilateral cataract blindness in persons 50 years of age and older in 19 districts of Karnataka State, India. MATERIALS A total of 21,950 persons 50 years of age and older in 19 out of 20 districts were examined. In each district, 15 clusters were randomly selected and in each cluster the visual acuity and lens status were assessed in 90 persons 50 years of age and older. METHODS Systematic Random Cluster Sampling was used. Assuming a prevalence of at least 4.3% and a design effect of 1.5, the survey was designed to give an estimated prevalence with a sampling error of 20% or less at 80% confidence. Visual acuity was measured with a tumbling E chart at 6 meters distance with available correction. Lens status was assessed by distant direct ophthalmoscopy with undilated pupil under semi-dark conditions. RESULTS The average age and sex adjusted prevalence of cataract blindness was 4.93%, with a variation of 1.58% to 7.24% in different districts. The prevalence in females was higher than in males. Cataract Surgical Coverage, an indicator for coverage and service utilization, varied from 42% to 68% in different districts. On average, males had a higher coverage than females. Of all aphakic eyes in the sample, 26.4% could not see 6/60. Barriers to cataract surgery are linked to service providers. CONCLUSIONS Rapid assessments for cataract blindness in persons aged 50 years and older can be conducted at district level in India with existing resources and at affordable costs. The results suggest an increase in cataract blindness since the previous survey of 1986. The long-term visual outcome needs improvement. Change in barriers to cataract surgery requires a shift in health education strategy and messages. The large variation in prevalence justifies district-level surveys. A change in the sampling frame from 15 clusters of 90 to 28 x 40 or 37 x 30 will increase the precision.
Women-Owned businesses and access to bank credit: Evidence from three surveys since 1987

Abstract Women-owned businesses are often thought to face difficulties in applying for and securing bank loans (Schwartz, 1979; Riding and Swift, 1990; Buttner and Rosen, 1992; Fabowale et al., 1995; Haines et al., 1999; Coleman, 2000). While there may always be individual instances of difficulties with credit availability that might receive the attention of the media, the more important issue—especially given the increasing contribution of women-owned business to growth in the US economy, is whether women-owned businesses face any systemic, non-economic discrimination in applying for credit. We test three questions related to the success of women-owned businesses in accessing commercial bank financing. First, are women-owned businesses less likely to apply for bank loans than businesses owned by men? Second are women-owned businesses more likely to be turned down in their most recent loan application? And finally, if approved on their most recent loan application, are they more likely to receive a smaller loan? We found gender to be related to the application for bank loans as well as the size of the loans but not to the frequency of turndowns. These findings may be due to an omitted variable that could capture women's concerns about maintaining control over their business.
Comparison of Current-Use Pesticide and Other Toxicant Urinary Metabolite Levels among Pregnant Women in the CHAMACOS Cohort and NHANES

Background We measured 34 metabolites of current-use pesticides and other precursor compounds in urine samples collected twice during pregnancy from 538 women living in the Salinas Valley of California, a highly agricultural area (1999–2001). Precursors of these metabolites included fungicides, carbamate, organochlorine, organophosphorus (OP), and pyrethroid insecticides, and triazine and chloroacetanilide herbicides. We also measured ethylenethiourea, a metabolite of the ethylene-bisdithiocarbamate fungicides. Repeat measurements of the compounds presented here have not been reported in pregnant women previously. To understand the impact of the women’s regional environment on these findings, we compared metabolite concentrations from the CHAMACOS (Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas) cohort with U.S. national reference data for 342 pregnant women sampled by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2002). Results The eight metabolites detected in > 50% of samples [2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP); 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP); 1- and 2-naphthol; ortho-phenylphenol (ORTH); para-nitrophenol (PNP); 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP); and 3,4,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy)] may be related to home or agricultural pesticide use in the Salinas Valley, household products, and other sources of chlorinated phenols. More than 78% of women in this study had detectable levels of at least one of the OP pesticide-specific metabolites that we measured, and > 30% had two or more. The 95th percentile values of six of the most commonly detected (> 50%) compounds were significantly higher among the CHAMACOS women after controlling for age, race, socioeconomic status, and smoking [(2,4-DCP; 2,5-DCP; ORTH; PNP; 2,4,6-TCP; and TCPy); quantile regression p < 0.05]. Conclusions Findings suggest that the CHAMACOS cohort has an additional burden of precursor pesticide exposure compared with the national sample, possibly from living and/or working in an agricultural area.
Alteration of bone cell function by RANKL and OPG in different in vitro models

Background Receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are well‐documented potent regulators of osteoclast development. However, their effects in mature bone cells and in organ cultures have not been well studied. It is uncertain whether their activities in different experimental models are comparable.
An improved recognition module for the identification of handwritten digits

Optical Character Recognition (OCR), more specifically handwriting recognition, is a complex subject that has received much attention over the past 35 years. However, in spite of many years of research, optical readers that can recognize handwritten materials at a satisfactory rate are rare. Reasons for difficulty in reading hand-printed alphanumeric data include the variety of handwritten characters and the ambiguity in the distinction of characters. This paper proposes a new and improved recognition module designed to read the courtesy amount on Brazilian checks. This system focuses on a neural network classifier with a structural system to verify recognition which have both been designed and tailored in a unique way. The 2 of 43 1/14/2002 10:31 AM Introduction file:///C|/users/palacios/doc/paper/anshu/anshuthesis.htm
Expertise, experience and self‐confidence in consumers' travel information search

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between consumer self‐confidence, product expertise, and travel experience in the context of travel information search during vacation planning.Design/methodology/approach – The research design is based on a panel study to monitor trip planning processes of Austrian travelers. A structural model is used to assess to what degree consumer self‐confidence, product expertise, and travel experience affect travel information search and to examine the influence of consumer self‐confidence on product expertise.Findings – Findings from the study show that consumer self‐confidence significantly affects product expertise. Travel experience, on the other hand, positively influences product expertise that again is positively related to travel information search. No significant relationship is established between travel experience and travel information search.Research limitations/implications – While most of the previous studies investigated informatio.
The mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between alexithymia, anger and anger rumination with ego defense styles

Emotions, cognitions, and defenses are considered as fundamental psychological processes. These complex and multidimensional variables have intertwined relationships with each other. Discovering the novel aspects of these variables and their relationships has theoretical and clinical importance. The purpose of the present study was to examine the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between alexithymia, anger and anger rumination with ego defense styles. A total of 378 students (227 females, 148 males) from University of Tehran participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS20), Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and Defense Style Questionnaire. Alexithymia, anger, and anger rumination revealed significant negative correlations with mature defense style as well as significant positive correlations with immature defense style. Adaptive emotion regulation strategies showed significant positive correlations with mature defense style, while maladaptive emotion regulation strategies showed significant positive correlations with neurotic and immature defense styles. Based on the results of path analysis, cognitive emotion regulation strategies did not play a significant mediating role on the relationship between alexithymia and defense styles. The results of this study indicated that mediating effect of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between anger and anger rumination with immature defense style was stronger than the other variables. Also mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in case of anger rumination and defense styles was more stronger than anger and defense styles. Based on the results of the present study, it is concluded that the relationship between alexithymia, anger, and anger rumination with defense styles is not a simple linear one, but the other variables such as cognitive emotion regulation strategies play a mediating role in this relationship. Results of the present study were a novel step to conceptualize a theoretical model in predicting ego defense styles.
The Impact of Attention Bias Modification Training and Attentional Control on the Salivary Cortisol and Alpha Amylase response to Acute PsychosocialStress

ABSTRACT The Impact of Attention Bias Modification Training and Attentional Control on the Salivary Cortisol and Alpha Amylase Response to Acute Psychosocial Stress Kamala Pilgrim, Ph.D. Concordia university, 2015 Attention bias modification (ABM) training has demonstrated potential in decreasing symptoms of anxiety, particularly in clinical populations. However, there is a paucity of research examining the impact of this training on physiological adaptation to stress, important for health. The objective of this dissertation was to examine whether ABM training can attenuate the salivary cortisol and alpha amylase (sAA) response to an acute psychosocial stressor. In study 1, university students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: ABM training with supraliminal stimuli, ABM training with masked stimuli, or a control task with no ABM training. The ABM training was a spatial cueing task where participants were implicitly trained to shift attention towards happy faces and away from angry ones. Following the training intervention, participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Unexpectedly, the two ABM training interventions were associated with higher rather than lower salivary cortisol and sAA responses to stress post-intervention. Moderation analyses indicated that participants with high baseline attentional control exhibited elevated cortisol responses to stress following both ABM trainings, relative to those with low attentional control. Study 2 aimed to determine whether the heightened stress response to the ABM training could be attributed to the type of ABM paradigm used (spatial cueing) and/or the type of control task used. The spatial cueing ABM training with supraliminal stimuli employed in study 1 was compared to the more frequently used dot probe training, which fosters change by training participants to allocate attention to positive relative to negative stimuli when they are presented simultaneously. Participants also underwent a second TSST approximately two months post-training. Consistent with study 1, spatial cueing ABM training led to elevated cortisol levels during the first TSST relative to a no training control condition. Both ABM interventions however, reduced cortisol reactivity at the follow-up TSST relative to the first one. Importantly, those in the active training groups with lower baseline attentional control showed greater cortisol attenuation during the follow-up TSST compared to those with higher attentional control. Overall, this work suggests that the use of ABM interventions to reduce stress reactivity should be pursued with caution.
An Implementation of the Fundamental Parameters Approach for Analysis of X-ray Powder Diffraction Line Profiles

This work presents an open implementation of the Fundamental Parameters Approach (FPA) models for analysis of X-ray powder diffraction line profiles. The original literature describing these models was examined and code was developed to allow for their use within a Python based least squares refinement algorithm. The NIST interest in the FPA method is specific to its ability to account for the optical aberrations of the powder diffraction experiment allowing for an accurate assessment of lattice parameter values. Lattice parameters are one of the primary certified measurands of NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for powder diffraction. Lattice parameter values obtained from analysis of data from SRMs 640e and 660c using both the NIST FPA Python code and the proprietary, commercial code Topas, that constitutes the only other actively supported, complete implementation of FPA models within a least-squares data analysis environment, agreed to within 2 fm. This level of agreement demonstrates that both the NIST code and Topas constitute an accurate implementation of published FPA models.
Domain and Development of Cultural Intelligence

The potential for defining a reliable measure of a cross-cultural facet of intelligence has enormous implications for explaining and predicting the increasingly prevalent cross-cultural interactions that occur in business settings. In this article, the author presents a definition of cultural intelligence (CQ) that explicitly introduces the concept of mindfulness as a key component that links knowledge with behavioral capability. It builds on previous definitions by grounding the conceptualization in the cognitive domain and differentiating CQ as a capability that includes skilled behavior. However, alternatives to previous conceptualizations with regard to the constituent elements and their relationship to each other are presented with a view toward a tighter specification of the construct. Also, a developmental stage model of CQ is outlined. Implications for the assessment of CQ are discussed.
Graph Coloring Based Pilot Allocation to Mitigate Pilot Contamination for Multi-Cell Massive MIMO Systems

A massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, which utilizes a large number of base station (BS) antennas to serve a set of users, suffers from pilot contamination due to the inter-cell interference (ICI). In this letter, a graph coloring based pilot allocation (GC-PA) scheme is proposed to mitigate pilot contamination for multi-cell massive MIMO systems. Specifically, by exploiting the large-scale characteristics of fading channels, an interference graph is firstly constructed to describe the potential ICI relationship of all users. Then, with the limited pilot resource, the proposed GC-PA scheme aims to mitigate the potential ICI by efficiently allocating pilots among users in the interference graph. The performance gain of the proposed scheme is verified by simulations.
Effect of age at the start of iron chelation therapy on gonadal function in beta-thalassemia major.

BACKGROUND Patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major tend to have abnormal growth and sexual maturation at puberty, presumably as a result of pituitary iron overload. This study was designed to determine whether chelation therapy with deferoxamine before the age of puberty would ameliorate this problem. METHODS We examined 40 patients over 14 years of age with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major. The 19 patients in group A (mean [+/- SD] age at study, 17.0 +/- 1.5 years) had begun nightly treatment with subcutaneous deferoxamine before the age of 10 (mean age at start of treatment, 7.5 +/- 1.8 years). The 21 patients in group B (mean age, 24.1 +/- 3.8 years) had begun treatment after the age of 10 (mean age at start of treatment, 14.4 +/- 4.7 years). RESULTS The abnormal findings were essentially confined to sexual development. The final height did not differ between groups or from the mean parental height in each group. Ninety percent of the patients in group A had normal sexual development, as compared with 38 percent of those in group B (P = 0.001). Outcomes were correlated with indexes of iron overload; the patients in group A had lower serum ferritin levels before chelation treatment (P = 0.01) and lower average serum ferritin levels during treatment (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS Beginning chelation treatment with deferoxamine before the age of puberty can help children with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major to attain normal sexual maturation.
Psychopathology From Childhood Into Adulthood: Follow-Up of An Epidemiological Sample

textabstractUnderstanding the origins, nature, and course of psychopathology across the life span is of importance for mental health professionals working with children as well as for those working with adults. Mental health professionals who work with children are concerned about the long term consequences of disorders in children and adolescents, whereas mental health professionals working with adults are often concerned about childhood origins of adult psychopathology. From both child and adult perspectives it is hoped that the knowledge about the developmental processes underlying the course of psychopathology will give us clues with respect to the prevention and intervention of psychopathology. The individual and societal burdens that are inherent in the less favorable courses of lllany child and adolescent psychiatric disorders make it crucial to gain more empirical knowledge of the development of psychopathology from childhood, across adolescence, and into adulthood, and the processes influencing the development.
Quality of life evaluation in children with cochlear implants.

PURPOSE To evaluate the quality of life of children with cochlear implants from the perspective of their parents. METHODS A clinical and cross-sectional study was conducted with 15 parents of children using cochlear implants of both genders aged between 2 and 12 years old. Parents of these children answered the questionnaire "Children with Cochlear Implants: Parental Perspective" (CCIPP). Data related to auditory category and time of cochlear implants use were collected from medical records of the children. The percentages of responses on the CCIPP domains were tabulated and descriptively and inferentially analyzed. RESULTS The cochlear implants had a positive effect on the quality of life of children in the self-reliance (58.9%) and social relationships (56.7%) domains. No correlation was observed between the time of cochlear implants activation (months) and any of the CCIPP domains. However, children with 24 months or less of cochlear implant use presented higher percentages on the communication domain than those with more than 24 months of cochlear implants use. A negative correlation was observed between the auditory category and the effects of the implant domain. CONCLUSION From the perspective of parents, the use of cochlear implants improves the quality of life of their children; the shorter the time of cochlear implants use, the higher the improvement in quality of life; and the more developed the auditory skills, the lower the percentage of quality of life improvement with the cochlear implants.
Soft tissue artifact in canine kinematic gait analysis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate, noninvasively, the soft tissue artifact (STA) in canine kinematic gait analysis. STUDY DESIGN Experimental study. ANIMALS Labrador retrievers (n = 4). METHODS Kinematic study: Reflective markers were glued to the skin over bony landmarks, with the distance between 2 markers representing the length of the underlying scapula, humerus, ulna, femur, and crus. The distance between these markers (marker distance [MD]) was measured with infrared cameras while the dogs stood still or walked on a treadmill. Fluoroscopy study: Radiopaque markers were glued on the skin over the spinous process of the L6 vertebra and the stifle to allow fluoroscopic observation of the markers and underlying skeletal segments while the dogs walked on the treadmill. The position of the markers was compared with the position of the underlying skeletal segments during different phases of the step cycle. RESULTS Kinematic study: Significant differences were found between MD during standing and walking for all bones investigated. Mean percentage differences in MD ranged from -18% to +6%. Fluoroscopy study: Significant displacements relative to the bony landmarks were found ranging from 0.4 to 1.2 cm. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of the motion of skeletal structures with the use of markers attached to the skin showed that the skin moves relative to underlying skeletal structures. When working with a 3-D motion-capture system using skin markers, researchers should be aware that the STA could significantly influence their results.