Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can Changes in Eye Movement Scanning Alter the Age-Related Deficit in Recognition Memory?

Older adults typically exhibit poorer face recognition compared to younger adults. These recognition differences may be due to underlying age-related changes in eye movement scanning. We examined whether older adults’ recognition could be improved by yoking their eye movements to those of younger adults. Participants studied younger and older faces, under free viewing conditions (bases), through a gaze-contingent moving window (own), or a moving window which replayed the eye movements of a base participant (yoked). During the recognition test, participants freely viewed the faces with no viewing restrictions. Own-age recognition biases were observed for older adults in all viewing conditions, suggesting that this effect occurs independently of scanning. Participants in the bases condition had the highest recognition accuracy, and participants in the yoked condition were more accurate than participants in the own condition. Among yoked participants, recognition did not depend on age of the base participant. These results suggest that successful encoding for all participants requires the bottom-up contribution of peripheral information, regardless of the locus of control of the viewer. Although altering the pattern of eye movements did not increase recognition, the amount of sampling of the face during encoding predicted subsequent recognition accuracy for all participants. Increased sampling may confer some advantages for subsequent recognition, particularly for people who have declining memory abilities.
The Roles of Theory in Canonical Action Research

Canonical action research (CAR) aims to address real-world problems and improve organizational performance by combining scholarly observations with practical interventions. However, efforts to conduct CAR have revealed challenges that reflect a significant research-practice gap. We examine these challenges by revisiting the process, principles, and criteria of CAR developed earlier. The specific roles of two different types of theory in the cyclical action research process are considered. A project undertaken in two public relations firms illustrates how our methodological revision improves the rigor and quality of CAR. This article contributes both a significantly enhanced action research method, with detailed guidelines and suggestions that emphasize the roles of focal and instrumental theories, and an emerging theory of knowledge sharing that incorporates key elements of Chinese management and culture.
E-government diffusion in Iran: a public sector employees' perspective

Governments worldwide, since the 1990s, have launched projects with the mission to simplify delivery of services through electronic means Torres et al., 2005. E-government is a breakthrough of communication and transaction between a government and its citizens or government and industries. The purpose of this paper is to identify the most salient factors that are currently influencing the development and diffusion of e-government in Iran as perceived by government employees involved in e-government service delivery. After studying previous researches, seven effective e-government diffusion indicators are selected for prioritising using fuzzy AHP and based on the experts' viewpoints who are the government employees involved in e-government service delivery. The findings reveal that accessibility, security and availability of public services are the first three most important criteria among citizens in relation to e-government adoption in Iran, respectively. This research strategy offers a new and more balanced perspective of e-government adoption and diffusion in Iran.
Sales and profit growth and the effects of crises: comparative evidence from the recent crisis

The global crisis has called to further reflection on the role of multinationals in host economies during crisis. The evidence on this matter is scarce. Using panel data analysis, this paper examines the link between foreign ownership, firm profit and turnover growth over 1996-2009 covering two economic downturns in particular. The empirical analysis covers not only previous periods of recession, of the early 2000s in Portugal, but also analyses the most recent recession. To our knowledge the paper is unique in this regard. We analyse the determinants of firm profit and turnover growth and investigate whether there are significant differences between domestic and foreign firms during and after two different economic downturns. After controlling for several firm and industry characteristics, we find no significant differences between domestic and foreign firms. However, foreign firms' profit growth seems to have been more severely affected in the second crises. Indeed, during the first crisis period, and for the group of foreign firms, the impact is negative but not significant.
Technology independent honeynet description language

Several languages have been proposed for the task of describing networks of systems, either to help on managing, simulate or deploy testbeds for testing purposes. However, there is no one specifically designed to describe the honeynets, covering the specific characteristics in terms of applications and tools included in the honeypot systems that make the honeynet. In this paper, the requirements of honeynet description are studied and a survey of existing description languages is presented, concluding that a CIM (Common Information Model) match the basic requirements. Thus, a CIM like technology independent honeynet description language (TIHDL) is proposed. The language is defined being independent of the platform where the honeynet will be deployed later, and it can be translated, either using model-driven techniques or other translation mechanisms, into the description languages of honeynet deployment platforms and tools. This approach gives flexibility to allow the use of a combination of heterogeneous deployment platforms. Besides, a flexible virtual honeynet generation tool (HoneyGen) based on the approach and description language proposed and capable of deploying honeynets over VNX (Virtual Networks over LinuX) and Honeyd platforms is presented for validation purposes.
Vitamin D Level is Associated with Increased Left Ventricular Mass and Arterial Stiffness in Older Patients with Impaired Renal Function

Background Impaired renal function is common among older patients. Deficiency of vitamin D is a frequent phenomenon among patients with impaired renal function, who are likely to develop cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the association of 25 (OH) D levels with left ventricular mass and arterial stiffness in older patients with impaired renal function. Material/Methods Based on their admission estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), 273 inpatients (≥65 years) were allocated into a normal eGFR group (≥60 ml/min) and an impaired eGFR group (<60 ml/min). The 25 (OH) D levels were measured and the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was estimated. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was used to explore arterial stiffness. Results The 25 (OH) D levels of patients in the impaired eGFR group were significantly lower than in the normal eGFR group [(11.92±6.01) μg/L vs. (18.14±8.07) μg/L, p<0.05). LVMI and PWV were both significantly higher in the impaired eGFR group than in the normal eGFR group [(104.89±33.50) g/m2 vs. (92.95±18.95) g/m2, P<0.05; (15.99±3.10) m/s vs. (13.62±2.90) m/s, P<0.05]. After adjusting for age, sex, eGFR, cardiovascular risk factors, serum calcium, and iPTH levels, the inverse association between LVMI and 25 (OH) D, PWV, and 25 (OH) D were statistically significant. Conclusions Vitamin D level is lower in older patients with impaired renal function. Lower vitamin D levels were correlated with higher left ventricular mass and increased arterial stiffness in older patients.
Differences between Teachers and Students in Opinions about Testing and Test Use.

Studies of teacher use of tests suggest that classroom tests are widely used and standardized test results are rarely used. Previous comparisons of preservice and inservice teachers' attitudes toward assessment suggest few differences. Differences in opinions about the use of classroom and standardized tests were assessed via surveys of three groups: 84 college sophomores beginning a teacher education program; 152 college seniors completing a teacher education program, but without student teaching experience; and 553 inservice teachers in a western state. Significant,, differences in'opinions were found, with inservice teachers having more favorable attitudes than teacher education students toward classroom testing and less favorable attitudes toward standardized testing. This difference may reflect current realities of test use in teachers' and students' lives. Two data tables and a 25-item list of references are included. (SLD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************
Physical activity in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: prevalence of inactivity and perceived barriers

Objectives This study aimed to determine the prevalence of physical inactivity and perceived barriers to physical activity among individuals with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and to determine potential demographic, clinical and health-related factors influencing likelihood of meeting physical activity guidelines. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of consecutive patients (n=198) with HCM attending a specialist HCM centre from July 2014 to November 2015. The primary outcome measure was physical activity (minutes per day), as measured by self-report (International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)) and objective means (ActiGraph accelerometer). For both, participants were classified as meeting guidelines if they did at least 150 min per week of physical activity. Quality of life (Short Form-36 V.2, SF-36v2), barriers to exercise and clinical–demographic data were also collected. Results In total, 54.8% of participants did not meet physical activity recommendations based on IPAQ, and 12.7% did not meet guidelines based on accelerometer data. The most commonly identified barriers to exercise were ‘pain interferes with my exercise’ (33%) and ‘I have an injury/disability that stops me’ (29%). Independent factors associated with meeting guidelines included older age (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.85, p=0.002), higher education level (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.08 to 4.93, p=0.03), better physical quality of life (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.09, p=0.05) and more reported barriers (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.91, p=0.01). Conclusions More than half of the patients with HCM did not meet minimum physical activity recommendations. Several barriers to exercise among individuals with HCM exist, and provide the basis for targeted interventions to promote physical activity and improve overall health in patients with HCM.
Changes in Integrity of Normal-Appearing White Matter in Patients with Moyamoya Disease: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: DTI is widely used for the evaluation of white matter integrity in various neurologic diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in white matter integrity by using DTI in NAWM of patients with MMD and to evaluate the correlation between diffusion and perfusion characteristics through an interhemispheric comparison. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 20 primary MMD patients with asymmetric disease stage and 20 age-matched healthy controls. FACS and ADCCS values of bilateral centrum semiovale were measured by using region of interest analysis. Mean FACS and ADCCS were compared between patient and control groups by unpaired t test. Interhemispheric differences in FACS and ADCCS were assessed and compared between the H-TTPdelayed and the H-TTPshorter by using paired t test. AIs also were assessed to verify interhemispheric differences. RESULTS: The patient group showed a significantly lower mean FACS and a higher mean ADCCS value than the control group. In the patient group, the H-TTPdelayed had a significantly lower FACS and higher ADCCS value than the H-TTPshorter. Both AIFA and AIADC were significantly higher in the patient compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: DTI can describe subtle changes in white matter integrity in NAWM of patients with primary MMD that are not detected by conventional MR imaging. In addition, diffusion characteristics are well correlated with perfusion characteristics. We believe that DTI is a useful ancillary tool to evaluate patients with MMD.
Greek Economic Interests and The Single European Act: The Market Takes Over? *

This article attempts to provide a political-economic explanation in a rationalist framework, as employed by the approach of Liberal Intergovernmentalism, of the Greek government’s ‘U-Turn’ in the case of the SEA. The government of the Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) from following a rhetoric and economic policy that contradicted to the philosophy of market liberalization inherent in the SEA supported fully and – almost unconditionally – the Single Market Program (SMP). It is the contention of this paper that it was a purely rational decision that can be explained by the economic interests of the PASOK government rather than an ideological shift or a European ‘socializing effect’.
Overview of Grain Models

The properties of interstellar grains can now be defined by a rapidly growing wealth of observational data. We rely upon models to combine these data with unobserved properties such as the size distribution of grains, their structure and shape, and their detailed chemical composition, in a self-consistent manner. I will review the observational constraints which define the boundaries for possible models and will then summarize the features of the three quasi-comprehensive grain models most commonly referred to in the current literature. I will conclude by discussing recent work dealing with single aspects of interstellar grains and the phenomena attributed to them.
Surgical Perioperative Leadership: The Association Between Leadership Style and Team Job Satisfaction

Surgical Perioperative Leadership: The Association Between Leadership Style and Team Job Satisfaction by Corey L. Jamison MEd, Fitchburg State University, 1992 BS, Vassar College, 1988 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Counseling Psychology
Genotypic Prediction of Tropism of Highly Diverse HIV-1 Strains from Cameroon

Background The use of CCR5 antagonists involves determination of HIV-1 tropism prior to initiation of treatment. HIV-1 tropism can be assessed either by phenotypic or genotypic methods. Genotypic methods are extensively used for tropism prediction. However, their validation in predicting tropism of viral isolates belonging to group M non-B subtypes remains challenging. In Cameroon, the genetic diversity of HIV-1 strains is the broadest reported worldwide. To facilitate the integration of CCR5 antagonists into clinical practice in this region, there is a need to evaluate the performance of genotypic methods for predicting tropism of highly diverse group M HIV-1 strains. Methods Tropism of diverse HIV-1 strains isolated from PBMCs from Cameroon was determined using the GHOST cell assay. Prediction, based on V3 sequences from matched plasma samples, was determined using bioinformatics algorithms and rules based on position 11/25 and net charge applied independently or combined according to Delobel's and Garrido's rules. Performance of genotypic methods was evaluated by comparing prediction generated with tropism assigned by the phenotypic assay. Results Specificity for predicting R5-tropic virus was high, ranging from 83.7% to 97.7% depending on the genotypic methods used. Sensitivity for X4-tropic viruses was fairly low, ranging from 33.3% to 50%. In our study, overall, genotypic methods were less able to accurately predict X4-tropic virus belonging to subtype CRF02_AG. In addition, it was found that of the methods we used the Garrido rule has the highest sensitivity rate of over 50% with a specificity of 93%. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that overall, genotypic methods were less sensitive for accurate prediction of HIV-1 tropism in settings where diverse HIV-1 strains co-circulate. Our data suggest that further optimization of genotypic methods is needed and that larger studies to determine their utility for tropism prediction of diverse HIV-1 strains may be warranted.
What works in collaboration: A case study of a facilities partnership between a public school district and a nonprofit organization

In the face of increasing budget cuts, public K-12 schools are collaborating with both public and private organizations in an effort to more efficiently meet the needs of the students they serve. When schools share a facility with a community-based organization, the school not only saves costs in regard to facility maintenance and operations, but potentially improves services to their student population. In addition to facility sharing, community agencies might partner with schools to provide students services that satisfy basic needs, including medical, vision, and dental care, to allow students to perform better in school. Other community organizations have cooperated with school districts to provide beforeand after-school programming to assist working parents concerned about the supervision of their children outside the school day. This is a case study of a collaboration between a school district and a nonprofit organization for the purpose of building two high school facilities together. Through interviews with district and nonprofit leaders, this study explores how this was accomplished. Analysis of interview data resulted in five emergent themes. These themes were juxtaposed with Melaville and Blank’s 1991 framework. Melaville and Blank’s research consisted of a study of multiple partnerships and resulted in five common variables: The Five Variables Shaping Interagency Partnerships. The final chapter of this study synthesizes the collaborative literature and the case study data to suggest a new framework for collaboration: The Five Steps to an Enduring School/Community Collaboration. Educational researchers can use this study and its framework to further explore collaborations in education. School leaders can use this
Sovereign Debt Markets in Turbulent Times: Creditor Discrimination and Crowding-Out Effects

In 2007, countries in the euro periphery were enjoying stable growth, low deficits and low spreads. Then the financial crisis erupted and pushed them into deep recession, raising their deficits and debt levels. By 2010, they were facing severe debt problems. Spreads increased and, surprisingly, so did the share of the debt held by domestic creditors. Credit was reallocated from the private to the public sector, reducing investment and deepening the recession even further. To account for these facts, we propose a simple model of sovereign risk in which debt can be traded in secondary markets. The model has two key ingredients: creditor discrimination and crowding-out effects. Creditor discrimination arises because, in turbulent times, sovereign debt offers a higher expected return to domestic creditors than to foreign ones. This provides incentives for domestic purchases of debt. Crowding-out effects arise because private borrowing is limited by financial frictions. This implies that domestic debt purchases displace productive investment. The model shows that these purchases reduce growth and welfare, and may lead to self-fulfilling crises. It also shows how crowding-out effects can be transmitted to other countries in the euro zone, and how they may be addressed by policies at the European level.
The impact of the ‘war on terror’ on Birmingham’s Pakistani/Kashmiri Muslims’ perceptions of the state, the police and Islamic identities

This thesis explores British Muslims’ counter discourse to the ‘war on terror’ through revealing the impact of the dominant ‘war on terror’ discourse created by the state. The research explores the counter discourse through investigating the impact of the ‘war on terror’ on Birmingham’s Pakistani / Kashmiri Muslims’ perceptions of the state, the police and Islamic identities before the ‘war on terror’ and since the ‘war on terror’. The theoretical perspectives of cosmopolitanism and citizenship are used as a foundation from which the ‘war on terror’ and the role of the state and the police in the ‘war on terror’ can be deconstructed, critiqued and reconstructed according to Muslim citizens’ perceptions. In particular attention is paid to the challenges and difficulties the 32 respondents interviewed for the research have faced since the ‘war on terror’. Many themes emerged through this framework and the core themes were injustice, legitimacy and human rights. The impact of the ‘war on terror’ showed the battle for Islamic identity construction versus resistance and the negative impact of regulatory discourses on perceptions of commonality, unity and shared identities.
Pre-professional journalistic culture of Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela. Motivation, expectations and professional experience of students of Journalism and Social Communication

[ES] En este artículo se presenta un análisis comparativo de las culturas p eriodísticas pre-profesional de Ecuador, Cuba y Venezuela enfocado en el estudio de los aspectos que motivan a los estudiantes de Periodismo y/o Comunicación Social a cursar estas carreras y sus expectativas y experiencias profesionales. En el trabajo [EN] This article presents a comparative analysis of the pre-professional journalistic cultures of Ecuador, Cuba and Venezuela focused on the study of the aspects that motivate students of Journalism and/or Social Communication to pursue these careers and their expectations and professional experiences. In the fieldwork, 1273 students from 21 universities enrolled in Journalism and/or Social Communication were surveyed during the first semester of 2016 (Cuba = 383, Ecuador = 500, Venezuela = 390). A sample that has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of less than 5. The results indicate that students in Ecuador, Cuba and Venezuela, although they do not have professional experience in the area -with the exception of Cubans- and acknowledge their doubts about the job security offered by the profession, they have journalism as the main professional option for their future and, specifically, television. The regression analysis shows that in general terms only occupational safety (B = -0.108, p <0.001), vocation (B = -0.083, p <0.01) and gender (B = 0.079, p <0, 05) have a significant influence on the perspectives of personal development of the students in the three countries, F (6, 1190) = 19.455, p <0.001, explaining 8.5% of their variance. 2. Resultados. 2.1. Motivaciones de los estudiantes de Comunicación Social y Periodismo de Cuba, Ecuador y Venezuela para estudiar la carrera. 2.1. 1. Desarrollo profesional. 2.1. 2. Desarrollo personal. 2.1. 3. Seguridad laboral. 2.1. 4. Vocación. 2.2. Experiencia profesional de los estudiantes de Periodismo y Comunicación Social en Cuba, Ecuador y Venezuela. 2.2.1. Experiencia profesional. 2.2.2. Especializacion en el área de trabajo. 2.3. Influencia del desarrollo personal -motivaciones y expectativas profesionales- de los estudiantes de Periodismo y Comunicación Social en Cuba, Ecuador y Venezuela en su experiencia de trabajo, vocación y percepción de la seguridad laboral.