Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Communication Power for Individuals with Autism

Visual language and augmentative communication systems for individuals with pervasive developmental disorders and autism are presented as both a legitimate language and an effective strategy. Using the natural aided language paradigm and picture symbols or printed words, language stimulation is implemented in natural environments to increase communication, interaction, participation, and compliance. Methods for choosing target environments, generating appropriate vocabulary, creating interactive language boards, and implementing them with appropriate communication partners are described. Samples of environmentally specific language boards are included. Effective strategies for inclusion, behavior management, leisure skills, and cognitive activities are targeted through visual language systems and augmentative communication.
Test data compression based on Variable Prefix Dual-Run-Length Code

Higher circuit densities in System-on-a-Chip (SoC) designs have led to drastic increase in test data volume. Larger test data size demands not only higher memory requirements, but also an increase in testing time. In order to reduce the volume of SoC test data, an improved FDR code was proposed, called Variable Prefix Dual-Run-Length Code. This coding scheme has two steps: firstly, the don't care bits in the test data are filled with 0s or 1s using the Dynamic Programming Algorithm (DPA); then according to the novel partition way, the test data was divided as alternate runs of 0's and 1's, and the 0 runs and 1 runs was encoded. Due to its simple architecture, the decompression circuit for this proposed code needs only little additional hardware. Experimental results for the ISCAS'89 benchmark circuits show that the proposed code outperforms other similar codes in achieving higher compression ratio and requiring smaller area overhead for the on-chip decoder.
‘A nation of vicars and merchants’: religiosity and Dutch MEPs

Religion is a major driving force in the Dutch political system and as European integration has progressed, it is often argued that these national practices affect how national representatives act in the European Parliament (EP). Our aim in this study is to determine to what extent the religious divide impacts upon the work of Dutch MEPs in the European political arena. On the basis of the RelEP survey and interviews, we argue that religious or secular views are very salient to Dutch MEPs, but that their impact is largely indirect. Moreover, we find that Dutch MEPs actively use the EP and its committee system in an attempt to redefine the relationship between church and state in the Netherlands. And finally, we argue that the European arena offers new opportunities for mobilisation among those promoting secularist interests.
The problem-solving service worker: Appraisal mechanisms and positive affective experiences during customer interactions

Affective Events Theory suggests customer interactions elicit event appraisals that, in turn, prompt affective reactions in employees. A qualitative diary study was used to examine the daily events and cognitive appraisals that elicit positive emotions during customer service interactions. Thematic analysis of the diary contents of 276 sales employees from a variety of industries (874 positive events) showed helping customers solve their problem was the event most likely to trigger positive emotions. The data and resulting model revealed that particular configurations of employees’ appraisals predicted particular emotion(s). Within-person differences in cognitive appraisals also helped explain why some initially negative events may ultimately become a positive experience. Emotional contagion was found, where the positive emotions of the sales employees, or those of the customer, influenced the emotion of the other. The implications of the study for employees’ happiness and well-being, and for enhanced customer service relations, are discussed.
Looking Up

The present research examined the relation between mindfulness and negativity bias, or the tendency to weigh negative information more heavily than positive. A randomized experiment compared a brief mindfulness induction to an unfocused attention control condition. Negativity bias was assessed with a subjective measure of optimism and pessimism and an objective measure of negativity bias in attitude formation, BeanFest, which required associating novel stimuli with positive or negative outcomes. Participants in the mindfulness condition demonstrated less negativity bias in attitude formation. That is, they correctly classified positive and negative stimuli more equally than those in the control condition. Interestingly, the difference in negativity bias stemmed from better categorization of positives. Furthermore, those in the mindfulness condition reported higher levels of optimism compared to the control condition. Together, these results suggest that mindfulness increases positive judgments and reduces negativity bias.
Reggio Emilia, Vygotsky, and Family Childcare: Four American Providers Describe their Pedagogical Practice

This case study considers pedagogical techniques used in family childcare to promote children's learning experiences. Data extracted from an earlier study were used to inform this examination of four family childcare providers’ pedagogy. In the current study, I use socio-cultural theory and the Reggio Emilia approach to address the following research question: how do family childcare providers describe learning experiences of children in their care? Four themes emerged from the data: responsiveness to children, children's play, reflective thinking, and didactic teaching. The study indicated that providers’ work is informal, but nonetheless these caregivers follow a natural, experiential learning, along with more didactic practices common to traditional classrooms.
Growth Need Strength and Context Satisfactions as Moderators of the Relations of the Job Characteristics Model

Empirical investigations of the job characteristics model (JCM; Hackman & Oldham, 1980) have failed to systematically explore the moderating effects of growth need strength (GNS) and context satisfactions (viz., pay, job security, co-worker, and supervision) on the relations among the core job characteristics, critical psychological states, and work outcomes. Previous studies also are criticized for the use of subgroup analytic techniques, low statistical power resulting from small sample sizes (i.e, often less than 200) and/or samples consisting of individuals of relatively homogeneous jobs/occupations. As an attempt to address these deficiencies in the literature, this study examined the moderating effects of GNS and each of the four context satisfactions using a large sample (N = 6405) of employees from a variety of jobs and occupations. Overall, the results of univariate and multivariate hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses suggest that none of thefive individual difference factors appeared to be viable moderators of any of the relations among job characteristics, psychological states, and three work outcomes (viz., growth satisfaction, overall job satisfaction, and internal motivation). Also, there was no supportive evidence for potential joint moderating effects between GNS and each context satisfaction on the relations of the JCM.
Students’ Preference for Science Careers: International comparisons based on PISA 2006

This article deals with 15‐year‐old students’ tendencies to consider a future science‐related career. Two aspects have been the focus of our investigation. The first is based on the construct called ‘future science orientation’, an affective construct consisting of four Likert scale items that measure students’ consideration of being involved in future education and careers in science‐related areas. Due to the well‐known evidence for Likert scales providing culturally biased estimates, the aim has been to go beyond the comparison of simple country averages. In a series of regression and correlation analyses, we have investigated how well the variance of this construct in each of the participating countries can be accounted for by other Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) student data. The second aspect is based on a question about students’ future jobs. By separating science‐related jobs into what we have called ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ science‐related types of jobs, we have calculated and compared country percentages within each category. In particular, gender differences are discussed, and interesting international patterns have been identified. The results in this article have been reported not only for individual countries, but also for groups of countries. These cluster analyses of countries are based on item‐by‐item patterns of (residual values of) national average values for the combination of cognitive and affective items. The emerging cluster structure of countries has turned out to contribute to the literature of similarities and differences between countries and the factors behind the country clustering both in science education and more generally.
Clinical evaluation of CAIPIRINHA: Comparison against a GRAPPA standard

To evaluate image quality when using a CAIPIRINHA sampling pattern in comparison to a standard GRAPPA sampling pattern in patients undergoing a routine three‐dimensional (3D) breathheld liver exam. CAIPIRINHA uses an optimized phase encoding sampling strategy to alter aliasing artifacts in 3D acquisitions to improve parallel imaging reconstruction.
An Exploratory Study on Psychosocial Variables of Single Parent Involvement in Education

Despite the proliferation of studies on parent involvement, few have specifically examined the psychosocial variables of single parent involvement. In this qualitative study, ten single mothers with children in the first two years of primary school were interviewed to explore psychosocial variables of their involvement in education. Financial assistance, personal resilience and support from loved ones especially grandparents supported their involvement. The lack of time to provide supervision due to long hours spent at work, low wages, difficulties with quality supervision of children's homework and grandparents' differences in disciplinary practices prevented their involvement. Implications for school-community-family partnerships were discussed.
Overexpression of cyclin D1 inhibits TNF‐induced growth arrest

Although activated macrophages destroy cancer cells more effectively than normal cells, the facility to escape activated macrophages is a characteristic of tumor cells. One of the mechanisms responsible for the specific killing of tumor cells by macrophages is the production of the cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF). Therefore, resistance to TNF may provide such cancer cells a selective advantage against host elimination. In the present work we explore the possibility that cyclin D1 overrides the cytostatic effect of TNF. We show that TNF induces p21waf1 protein in malignant melanoma A375 cells and its binding to CDK2/4 and 6 proteins, and thereby inhibiting the activity of these complexes. This inhibition leads the cells to a G1 arrest. Overexpression of cyclin D1 in these cells makes them insensitive to TNF treatment with the recovery of CDK activity, however, is unable to overcome the inhibitory action of etoposide blocking the cells on G2/M. The bypass of TNF‐induced G1 arrest seems to be related to the increase in the stability of cyclin D bound CDK complexes, increasing the total amount of CDK2/4 and 6 complexes and leading to a functional down titration of the p21waf1 molecules. In these conditions the TNF‐induced increase of p21waf1 is not sufficient to inhibit the high amount of cyclin D‐bound complexes. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that a reduction in the levels of p21waf1 protein, induced by the expression of a mRNA antisense against p21waf1, is also able to bypass of TNF‐induced arrest. Our results confirm that p21waf1 has an essential role in TNF‐induced arrest and that the deregulation of cyclin D1 may be one of the mechanisms to escape physiological signals to restrict tumoral growth. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rampant Problems and Promising Practices in the Identification of Disadvantaged Gifted Students

Identifying disadvantaged gifted children is a critical issue for the field of education for the gifted. The purposes of this article are to define problems in the identification of disadvantaged gifted students and to describe promising practices that identify students with gifted potential among various groups of disadvantaged students. These are issues of theoretical importance, and they have implications for practice in terms of equity in services offered and advocacy for programs for the gifted.
Evaluating Variant Callous–Unemotional Traits Among Noninstitutionalized Youth

Variants in the profile of youth with callous–emotional traits have been observed in juvenile and adult populations, and the presence of such traits has been repeatedly linked with violence. Although data on this issue are often culled from institutionalized populations, little is known about the heterogeneous nature of these psychopathic features in the population of youth at large. This research evaluates these variants in a national sample of youth while examining the intersection of violence–crime between those resembling the two subsets of primary and secondary psychopathy. Distinctions based on variant type and promise for more targeted intervention are also discussed.
Motherhood and entrepreneurship: gender role identity as a resource

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider gender role identity as an informal institution shaping female entrepreneurship, and to illuminate the dual effects of institutions as constraining and enabling forces.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the context of female entrepreneurship in Japan, and highlights the importance of “motherhood” for Japanese women. Outlining the institutional context of gender role and female entrepreneurship, and using two case studies of Japanese female entrepreneurs as illustrative examples, the paper explores how gender role identity can be viewed as a core element driving female entrepreneurship. Drawing on institutional theory and the “role as resource” perspective, a set of propositions are advanced on linkages between gender role identity and female entrepreneurship.Findings – The findings suggest that a strong identification with their family roles, in particular the role as a mother, lead Japanese women onto the entrepreneurial path. A strong gend.
Institute for Mathematical Physics the Magnus Force on Skyrmions in Ferromagnets and Quantum Hall Systems the Magnus Force on Skyrmions in Ferromagnets and Quantum Hall Systems

The topological solitons, or " skyrmions " , in a planar ferromagnet experience a Magnus force proportional to the product of their velocity and the surrounding magnetization. It has been suggested that the charged quasiparticles near filling factor ν = 1 in the GaAs quantum Hall effect are skyrmions. If so, we might expect this spin-induced Magnus force to act on the quasiparticles in addition to the Lorentz force they experience because of their charge. We show that this is not the case, and that the Magnus and Lorentz forces are merely different descriptions of the same physical effect.
Image splicing detection based on moment features and Hilbert-Huang Transform

Image splicing is considered to be more simple and common than other image tamper technology. And the image splicing problem can be tackled as a two-class classification problem under the pattern recognition framework. By analyzing the different characteristics between real images and spliced images, an image splicing blind detection approach based on moment features and Hilbert-Huang Transform is proposed. This algorithm extracts two groups of features from the first order histogram of the image DWT (Discrete Wavelet Transform) coefficients and the Hilbert-Huang Transform of the image. Then the features are fed into the Support Vector Machine to classify real images and spliced images. Experimental results show that the average accuracy rate can achieve 85.8696%, and the real-time is improved.
Molecular analysis of axon repulsion by the notochord

During development of the amniote peripheral nervous system, the initial trajectory of primary sensory axons is determined largely by the action of axon repellents. We have shown previously that tissues flanking dorsal root ganglia, the notochord lying medially and the dermamyotomes lying laterally, are sources of secreted molecules that prevent axons from entering inappropriate territories. Although there is evidence suggesting that SEMA3A contributes to the repellent activity of the dermamyotome, the nature of the activity secreted by the notochord remains undetermined. We have employed an expression cloning strategy to search for axon repellents secreted by the notochord, and have identified SEMA3A as a candidate repellent. Moreover, using a spectrum of different axon populations to assay the notochord activity, together with neuropilin/Fc receptor reagents to block semaphorin activity in collagen gel assays, we show that SEMA3A probably contributes to notochord-mediated repulsion. Sympathetic axons that normally avoid the midline in vivo are also repelled, in part, by a semaphorin-based notochord activity. Although our results implicate semaphorin signalling in mediating repulsion by the notochord, repulsion of early dorsal root ganglion axons is only partially blocked when using neuropilin/Fc reagents. Moreover, retinal axons, which are insensitive to SEMA3A, are also repelled by the notochord. We conclude that multiple factors act in concert to guide axons in this system, and that further notochord repellents remain to be identified.
Extending the Concept of Stereotype Threat to Social Class: The Intellectual Underperformance of Students from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds

Students from poorer families perform worse on intellectual tasks than do other students. The authors tested the stereotype threat hypothesis as a possible explanation for this difference. Students from relatively poor backgrounds, such as members of other stereotyped groups, risk confirming a negative reputation of low intellectual ability. The authors predicted that, on a stereotype-relevant test, members of this group would experience apprehension about confirming their negative reputation and that this susceptibility to the stereotype would impair their performance. The study varied stereotype threat by manipulating the instructions accompanying the test that each participant completed. When described as a measure of intellectual ability, low socioeconomic status (SES) participants performed worse than high SES participants. However, when the test was presented as nondiagnostic of intellectual ability, low SES participants' performances did not suffer, contesting claims of SES differences in intellectual ability.
Role of Type 1 Fimbria- and P Fimbria-Specific Adherence in Colonization of the Neurogenic Human Bladder by Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Recent clinical studies suggest that the deliberate colonization of the human bladder with a prototypic asymptomatic bacteriuria-associated bacterium, Escherichia coli 83972, may reduce the frequency of urinary tract infection in individuals with spinal cord injuries. However, the mechanism by which E. coli 83972 colonizes the bladder is unknown. We examined the role in bladder colonization of the E. coli 83972 genes papG and fimH, which respectively encode P and type 1 receptor-specific fimbrial adhesins. E. coli 83972 and isogenic papGΔ and papGΔ fimHΔ mutants of E. coli 83972 were compared for their capacities to colonize the neurogenic human bladder. Both strains were capable of stable colonization of the bladder. The results indicated that type 1 class-specific adherence and P class-specific adherence, while implicated as significant colonization factors in experiments that employed various animal model systems, were not required for colonization of the neurogenic bladder in human beings. The implications of these results with regard to the selection of potential vaccine antigens for the prevention of urinary tract infection are discussed.
Does “A” stand for alveolization?

The current issue of the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) publishes a report by Hind and Maden 1 showing vitamin A induction of alveolization which has been read with great interest. Vitamin A is a nutrient that is important for lung organogenesis, homeostasis and repair. It was more than 60 years ago that Wolbach and Howe 2 first demonstrated that vitamin A deprivation caused squamous metaplasia of conducting airway epithelium, that could be reversed by vitamin A repletion. Since this report many clinical studies and animal models, have supported the importance of dietary retinoids in lung morphogenesis and repair. These studies have generated optimism that retinoic acid might be useful for promoting alveolization in both the premature neonatal and emphysematous adult lung. Premature infants who are at risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) have low retinoid liver stores and blood levels at birth 3, 4. In fact, infants who develop BPD show squamous metaplasia of the conducting airways and show alveolar arrest, findings similar to those occurring in vitamin A-depleted animals. Therefore, it is not surprising that several investigators suggest that thecourse of BPD in very low birth-weight infants can be ameliorated by supplemental vitamin A 5, 6. In a randomised, controlled multicentre clinical trial, vitamin A supplementation caused a small, but significant reduction in BPD 7. The involvement of vitamin A, not only as a preventive but also as a therapeutic role in lung injury, has previously been suggested by many investigators. For example, …
Comparison of Activated Carbons for Removal of Perfluorinated Compounds From Drinking Water

This article describes the challenge of treating drinking waters contaminated by perfluorinated compounds, especially perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). A goal of the study was to establish the relative effectiveness for perfluorinated compound removal by the two primary types of granular activated carbons (GACs) commonly used in the treatment of municipal drinking water: bituminous coal‐based re‐agglomerated GAC and coconut‐based direct activated GAC. The effectiveness of GACs in removing PFOA and PFOS to nondetectable levels is demonstrated through the use of rapid small‐scale column testing. Results demonstrate that bituminous coal‐based re‐agglomerated carbons provide considerably greater removal capacity of the targeted compounds compared with the coconut‐based direct activated carbon. In support of these findings, summaries of additional third‐party test work and field installations are cited. In addition, the authors provide an overview of reactivation of activated carbon to improve the economics of the technology.
Exposure to internet pornography among Taiwanese adolescents

We examined the use of Internet pornography (IP) by Taiwanese adolescents, and analysed activities involved in seeking IP, motivations and perceptions with regard to IP, and relationships among IP experience and background variables. The results revealed that 71% of respondents had been exposed to IP; of this group, 41.3% reported only unintentional exposure (UE) and 58.7% reported intentional exposure (IE). Most males exposed to IP were classified in the IE as opposed to the UE group. Compared with the female respondents, male respondents tended to report more intentional IP exposure, longer terms of IP exposure history, and greater identification with a positive value of IP. Respondents in more urbanized areas also reported more IE than those in less urbanized areas.