Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parent Mediation Empowers Sibling Conflict Resolution

Research Findings: For the current study, formal mediation procedures were adapted for families and parents were trained and asked to mediate their children's disputes; control group parents intervened as they normally would. Conflict negotiations with parents and their children (ages 3½–11 years) occurring 3 and 7 weeks following training, and with children alone 7 months later, were videotaped and coded. Parents were able to learn and implement mediation techniques: They were more likely to discuss the children's emotions and less likely to blame them for past transgressions and to propose solutions to the children's conflicts than were control group parents. Children in the mediation group learned from their parents and were more likely to ask each other for plans to resolve the conflict, to generate plans, and to discuss their own and their siblings’ emotions than were control group children. Younger mediation group children were specifically empowered, as both they and their older siblings were more likely to discuss the younger children's interests and emotions and to resolve issues so that younger siblings’ goals were achieved. Practice or Policy: Our results replicate and strengthen previous findings of the benefits of conflict mediation for children's conflict resolution abilities.
A Novel Method to Couple Electrophysiological Measurements and Fluorescence Imaging of Suspended Lipid Membranes: The Example of T5 Bacteriophage DNA Ejection

We present an innovative method to couple electrophysiological measurements with fluorescence imaging of functionalized suspended bilayers. Our method combines several advantages: it is well suited to study transmembrane proteins that are difficult to incorporate in suspended bilayers, it allows single molecule resolution both in terms of electrophysiological measurements and fluorescence imaging, and it enables mechanical stimulations of the membrane. The approach comprises of two steps: first the reconstitution of membrane proteins in giant unilamellar vesicles; then the formation of a suspended bilayer spanning a 5 to 15 micron-wide aperture that can be visualized by high NA microscope objectives. We exemplified how the technique can be used to detect in real time the translocation of T5 DNA across the bilayer during its ejection from the bacteriophage capsid.
Correlation of Serum CA-125 and Progesterone Levels with Ultrasound Markers in The Prediction of Pregnancy Outcome in Threatened Miscarriage

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between ultrasonographic findings and serum progesterone and cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) levels in threatened miscarriage and to predict pregnancy outcome. Materials and Methods In a prospective comparative case-control study, serum CA-125 and progesterone levels were measured for 100 pregnant women with threatened miscarriage who attended the outpatient clinic or the causality department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kasr El-Aini Hospital, Giza, Egypt, during the period from March 2013 to October 2013. Ultrasound was performed for fetal viability, crown-rump length (CRL), gestational sac diameter (GSD) and fetal heart rate (FHR). The patients were followed up and divided into two groups based on the outcome: 20 women who miscarried (group 1), and 80 women who continued pregnancy (group 2). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and overall accuracy were tested for CA-125 and progesterone levels in prediction of the pregnancy outcome. Correlation of these chemical markers with the ultrasound markers was also examined. Results In the group that miscarried, CA-125 level was significantly higher (P<0.001) and serum progesterone level was significantly lower (P<0.001). For prediction of the outcome of pregnancy, the cut-off limit of 31.2 IU/ml for CA-125 level yielded sensitivity, specificity and an overall accuracy of 96.2, 100 and 99.4% respectively. The cut-off limit of 11.5 ng/ml for progesterone level yielded sensitivity, specificity and an overall accuracy of 97.5, 100 and 99.8% respectively. CA-125 level had a negative correlation with progesterone level and FHR levels (r=-0.716, P<0.001) and (r=-0.414, P<0.001) respectively. Serum progesterone level correlated with GSD (r=0.521, P<0.001) and with CRL (r=0.407, P<0.001) and FHR (r=0.363, P<0.001). CA-125 level was significantly higher in the group that showed hematoma as compared with the group without hematoma (P<0.001). Also, serum progesterone level was significantly lower in the group that showed hematoma as compared with the group without hematoma (P=0.017). Conclusion Serum CA-125 and progesterone levels are valid early predictors of the outcome of pregnancy in women with threatened miscarriage. They are correlated with some ultrasonographic markers (GSD, CRL, and FHR).
Direct Electrochemistry of Hemoglobin Immobilized on a Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Gold Nanoparticles Nanocomplex-Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Direct electron transfer of hemoglobin (Hb) was realized by immobilizing Hb on a carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (FMWCNTs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) nanocomplex-modified glassy carbon electrode. The ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrometry (UV-Vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) methods were utilized for additional characterization of the AuNPs and FMWCNTs. The cyclic voltammogram of the modified electrode has a pair of well-defined quasi-reversible redox peaks with a formal potential of −0.270 ± 0.002 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) at a scan rate of 0.05 V/s. The heterogeneous electron transfer constant (ks) was evaluated to be 4.0 ± 0.2 s−1. The average surface concentration of electro-active Hb on the surface of the modified glassy carbon electrode was calculated to be 6.8 ± 0.3 × 10−10 mol cm−2. The cathodic peak current of the modified electrode increased linearly with increasing concentration of hydrogen peroxide (from 0.05 nM to 1 nM) with a detection limit of 0.05 ± 0.01 nM. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Kmapp) was calculated to be 0.85 ± 0.1 nM. Thus, the modified electrode could be applied as a third generation biosensor with high sensitivity, long-term stability and low detection limit.
Carbonic Anhydrase IX as a Marker for Poor Prognosis in Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Purpose: Hypoxia is associated with malignant progression and poor outcome in several human tumors, including soft tissue sarcoma. Recent studies have suggested that carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX is an intrinsic marker of hypoxia, and that CA IX correlates with poor prognosis in several types of carcinoma. The aim of this study was to quantify the extent of CA IX expression and to investigate whether CA IX is a marker for poor prognosis in soft tissue sarcoma patients at high risk of developing metastasis. Experimental Design: Archival paraffin-embedded blocks were retrieved from 47 patients with deep, large, high-grade soft tissue sarcoma. Sections from two separate and representative tumor areas were immunostained for CA IX, and the CA IX-positive area fraction was quantified by image analysis, excluding areas of normal stroma and necrosis that were identified from serial H&E-stained sections. Patients were then subject to survival analysis. Results: CA IX-positive area fractions of viable tumor tissue varied significantly between tumors (range, 0–0.23; median, 0.004), with positive membranous CA IX staining in 66% (31 of 47) of the tumors. Patients with CA IX-positive tumors had a significantly lower disease-specific and overall survival than patients with CA IX-negative tumors (P = 0.033 and P = 0.044, respectively). Conclusions: These data suggest that CA IX, a potential intrinsic marker of hypoxia, predicts for poor prognosis in patients with deep, large, high-grade soft tissue sarcoma. Larger studies are required to determine whether CA IX has independent prognostic value in this group of tumors.
Effectiveness of Question Exploration to Enhance Students' Written Expression of Content Knowledge and Comprehension

This study examined the effectiveness of a Question Exploration Routine and associated graphic organizer for enhancing the performance of students of diverse abilities when assessed on knowledge and comprehension of content and quality of written responses. Participants were 36 students with and without learning disabilities (LD) in Grades 9 through 12 in an inner city school district. Students were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions. Results showed significant differences and moderately large to very large effect sizes for students in the experimental condition compared to students in the control condition with regard to knowledge and comprehension of content and written responses to a question. More variation in performance was found for the group of students with LD than for those without LD.
Acute Hemodynamic Decompensation During Catheter Ablation of Scar-Related Ventricular Tachycardia: Incidence, Predictors, and Impact on Mortality

Background—The occurrence of periprocedural acute hemodynamic decompensation (AHD) in patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation of scar-related ventricular tachycardia (VT) has not been previously investigated. Methods and Results—We identified univariate predictors of periprocedural AHD in 193 consecutive patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation of scar-related VT. AHD was defined as persistent hypotension despite vasopressors and requiring mechanical support or procedure discontinuation. AHD occurred in 22 (11%) patients. Compared with the rest of the population, patients with AHD were older (68.5±10.7 versus 61.6±15.0 years; P=0.037); had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (36% versus 18%; P=0.045), ischemic cardiomyopathy (86% versus 52%; P=0.002), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (41% versus 13%; P=0.001), and VT storm (77% versus 43%; P=0.002); had more severe heart failure (New York Heart Association class III/IV: 55% versus 15%, P<0.001; left ventricular ejection fraction: 26±10% versus 36±16%, P=0.003); and more often received periprocedural general anesthesia (59% versus 29%; P=0.004). At 21±7 months follow-up, the mortality rate was higher in the AHD group compared with the rest of the population (50% versus 11%, log-rank P<0.001). Conclusions—AHD occurs in 11% of patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation of scar-related VT and is associated with increased risk of mortality over follow-up. AHD may be predicted by clinical factors, including advanced age, ischemic cardiomyopathy, more severe heart failure status (New York Heart Association class III/IV, lower ejection fraction), associated comorbidities (diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), presentation with VT storm, and use of general anesthesia.
Recall-to-Reject in Recognition: Evidence from ROC Curves ☆ ☆☆

Dual-process models of recognition assume that recognition judgments are based on a fast-acting familiarity-based process and a slower, more accurate, recall-based process. Often, the recall process is assumed to operate as a recall-to-reject process in which mismatching information that is retrieved from memory is used to reject test foils that are similar to studied items. In four experiments, we use receiver operating characteristic curves to evaluate the evidence for a recall-to-reject process in recognition judgments. Recall-to-reject emerged in item recognition and was especially apparent when participants were explicitly told that it was an appropriate strategy. Recall-to-reject also emerged in associative-recognition tasks in which sufficient time was allowed for a recall process to contribute to the recognition judgments.
Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 2 Test Performance and Leg Muscle Growth in a Six-month Period among Pubescent Soccer Players at Different Stages of Maturity

This study examined the relationships between longitudinal changes in data obtained in the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 2 test (Yo-Yo IR2), maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and leg muscle size and function in pubescent soccer players. Forty-four soccer players with a mean age of 12.8±0.2 years participated, and were classified into three maturational groups (Late, Average and Early) according to their peak height velocity age. The Yo-Yo IR2 and five-jump tests along with measurement of VO2max and thigh muscle volume were conducted on two occasions 6 months apart. Performances in the Yo-Yo IR2 for the Late, Average and Early groups were 311±61, 371±88 and 411±72 meters at the first measurement, and 389±73, 509±117 and 621±69 meters 6 months later. Consequently, two-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction whereby the improvement in Yo-Yo IR2 performance was larger in the Early group (51.3%) than in the Late group (24.8%). Greater increases of thigh muscle volume and the result of the five-jump test were found in the Early group, and these were correlated significantly (r=0.52, p<0.05; r=0.39, p<0.05) with improvement of Yo-Yo IR2 performance. In contrast, there was no relationship (r=−0.02, n.s.) between the increments of VO2max and Yo-Yo IR2 performance. These results suggest that performance in the Yo-Yo IR2 is affected by maturity to a great extent, early-maturing players having an advantage in terms of leg muscle development.
Perceptions of News Media, External Efficacy, and Public Affairs Apathy in Political Decision Making and Disaffection

A telephone survey of 416 randomly selected registered voters examined the distinctive contributions of cynicism and skepticism to citizens’ media satisfaction, external political efficacy, and apathy. Results suggest that cynicism and skepticism reflect dissatisfaction with media coverage, but have opposite effects on external efficacy. Cynicism has no relationship with apathy, while skepticism decreases it. Satisfaction with news media increases efficacy and apathy. Although cynicism’s relationship to efficacy is of concern, these findings undercut the argument frequently made that dissatisfaction with media coverage is responsible for cynicism and political apathy.
The sex killer

Thirteen sex killers were compared to 13 nonsex killers and 13 nonhomicidal sexually aggressive men on sexual history, substance abuse, history of violence, mental illness and personality, brain pathology and endocrine abnormalities. There were more similarities among the three groups than differences. Among the findings, the presence of transvestism and the early appearance of sadism differentiated the sex killers from the other two groups. Sex killers also killed by strangulation more often than nonsex killers and more often victimized a female stranger. The sex killer was more often diagnosed as ‘antisocial’ personality and ‘sadist’ than the other two groups. They were more often considered psychotic at the time of their offence and more often considered not guilty by reason of insanity. Directions for future research are noted.
The Impact of “Tuition-Paying” Policy on Retention and Graduation Rates at the University of Ghana

African universities over the past decade have developed new modes of financial mobilization in search for fiscal solutions to the declining public support for higher education. The creation of the “tuition-paying” (“dual track” or “fee-paying”) admission track policy, a variant of cost sharing, is one of such strategic initiatives that has gained popularity in public universities in Ghana and other East African countries. Using official institutional data, this descriptive study examines and compares retention and graduation rates of students enrolled in the University of Ghana as “tuition-paying” and regular admits. The author discusses the factors accounting for students' attrition and persistence in the University of Ghana. The article concludes that, although the “fee-paying” scheme has had some potential successes in revenue generation and enrollment expansion, there exists graduation gap/disparity between tuition-paying and regular admits (non-tuition-free students).
A Deliberative Approach to Conflicts of Culture

How should liberal democratic states respond to cultural practices and arrangements that run afoul of liberal norms and laws? This article argues for a reframing of the challenges posed by traditional or nonliberal cultural minorities. The author suggests that viewed from up close, such dilemmas are revealed to be primarily intracultural rather than intercultural conflicts, and reflect the political and practical interests of factions of communities much more thandeep moral differences. Using the example of the reform of customary marriage laws in post-apartheid South Africa, this article makes the case for a more pragmatic, politically focused approach to resolving conflicts of culture that it is argued is both more democratic and effective than alternatives recently advanced by liberals and deliberative democracy theorists.
Psychometric Properties of the American-International Relations Scale

A multidimensional instrument, the American-International Relations Scale, purports to measure the acculturation of international students, scholars, and academicians to the white-dominant society. Data from 606 respondents, making a return rate of 67%, were collected. Factor analysis of completed 34-item questionnaires (N - 481), using varimax rotation, yielded three interpretable factors, tentatively labeled (a) Perceived Prejudice, (b) Acculturation, and (c) Language Usage. Factor loadings of items ranged between . 33 and . 89 on one of the respective factors, with no item loading saliently on two or more factors. Full scale and subscale internal-consistency reliabilities (alphas) were . 89, . 88, . 79, and . 82, respectively.
Second-order susceptibility imaging with polarization-resolved second harmonic generation microscopy

Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy has become an important tool for minimally invasive biomedical imaging. However, differentiation of different second harmonic generating species is mainly provided by morphological features. Using excitation polarization-resolved SHG microscopy we determined the ratios of the second-order susceptibility tensor elements at single pixel resolution. Mapping the resultant ratios for each pixel onto an image provides additional contrast for the differentiation of different sources of SHG. We demonstrate this technique by imaging collagen-muscle junction of chicken wing.
Spatially Encoding Temporal Correlations to Classify Temporal Data Using Convolutional Neural Networks

We propose an off-line approach to explicitly encode temporal patterns spatially as different types of images, namely, Gramian Angular Fields and Markov Transition Fields. This enables the use of techniques from computer vision for feature learning and classification. We used Tiled Convolutional Neural Networks to learn high-level features from individual GAF, MTF, and GAF-MTF images on 12 benchmark time series datasets and two real spatial-temporal trajectory datasets. The classification results of our approach are competitive with state-of-the-art approaches on both types of data. An analysis of the features and weights learned by the CNNs explains why the approach works.
REBELLIOUS YOUTH IN COLONIAL AFRICA

‘That rebellious youth’ alarmed colonial authorities and elders alike is increasingly an issue for historians. This article surveys the issue as an introduction to the two studies that follow. It considers both the creation of images of youthful defiance as part of a debate about youth conducted largely by their seniors and the real predicaments faced by young people themselves. Concern revolved around the meanings of maturity in a changing world where models of responsible male and female adulthood, gendered expectations and future prospects were all in flux. Surviving the present and facing the future made elders anxious and divided as well as united the young. The article concludes by suggesting a number of areas, including leisure and politics, where the voice of youth might be more clearly heard, and proposes comparisons – with the past, between racial groups and between ‘town’ and ‘country’ – that link the varied experiences of the young.
Interactions between internal forces, body stiffness, and fluid environment in a neuromechanical model of lamprey swimming

Animal movements result from a complex balance of many different forces. Muscles produce force to move the body; the body has inertial, elastic, and damping properties that may aid or oppose the muscle force; and the environment produces reaction forces back on the body. The actual motion is an emergent property of these interactions. To examine the roles of body stiffness, muscle activation, and fluid environment for swimming animals, a computational model of a lamprey was developed. The model uses an immersed boundary framework that fully couples the Navier–Stokes equations of fluid dynamics with an actuated, elastic body model. This is the first model at a Reynolds number appropriate for a swimming fish that captures the complete fluid-structure interaction, in which the body deforms according to both internal muscular forces and external fluid forces. Results indicate that identical muscle activation patterns can produce different kinematics depending on body stiffness, and the optimal value of stiffness for maximum acceleration is different from that for maximum steady swimming speed. Additionally, negative muscle work, observed in many fishes, emerges at higher tail beat frequencies without sensory input and may contribute to energy efficiency. Swimming fishes that can tune their body stiffness by appropriately timed muscle contractions may therefore be able to optimize the passive dynamics of their bodies to maximize peak acceleration or swimming speed.
Rationing of total knee replacement: a cost-effectiveness analysis on a large trial data set

Objectives Many UK primary care trusts have recently introduced eligibility criteria restricting total knee replacement (TKR) to patients with low pre-operative Oxford Knee Scores (OKS) to cut expenditure. We evaluate these criteria by assessing the cost-effectiveness of TKR compared with no knee replacement for patients with different baseline characteristics from an NHS perspective. Design The cost-effectiveness of TKR in different patient subgroups was assessed using regression analyses of patient-level data from the Knee Arthroplasty Trial, a large, pragmatic randomised trial comparing knee prostheses. Setting 34 UK hospitals. Participants 2131 osteoarthritis patients undergoing TKR. Interventions and outcome measures Costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) observed in the Knee Arthroplasty Trial within 5 years of TKR were compared with conservative assumptions about the costs and outcomes that would have been accrued had TKR not been performed. Results On average, primary TKR and 5 years of subsequent care cost £7458 per patient (SD: £4058), and patients gained an average of 1.33 (SD: 1.43) QALYs. As a result, TKR cost £5623/QALY gained. Although costs and health outcomes varied with age and sex, TKR cost <£20 000/QALY gained for patients with American Society of Anaesthesiologists grades 1–2 who had baseline OKS <40 and for American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade 3 patients with OKS <35, even with highly conservative assumptions about costs and outcomes without TKR. Body mass index had no significant effect on costs or outcomes. Restricting TKR to patients with pre-operative OKS <27 would inappropriately deny a highly cost-effective treatment to >10 000 patients annually. Conclusions TKR is highly cost-effective for most current patients if the NHS is willing to pay £20 000–£30 000/QALY gained. At least 97% of TKR patients in England have more severe symptoms than the thresholds we have identified, suggesting that further rationing by OKS is probably unjustified. Trial registration number ISRCTN 45837371.