Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Rise of Neurotics

Purpose: Increasing evidence suggests the importance of relationships between district and site leaders. However, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the social infrastructure between and among leaders especially as related to the exchange of advice related to reform. Moreover, we have limited understanding regarding the mechanisms that are associated with how certain leaders occupy influential social positions. Method: Using social network data from district and site leaders, we conducted social network analysis and regression models to examine the relationship between a leader’s network position measured by incoming, outgoing, and close ties; personality traits; and leader self-efficacy controlling for demographics. Findings: Findings indicate that leaders with more incoming advice relationships from other leaders were associated with more years of experience in the district, being self-identified as “neurotic,” reporting higher efficacy in leading reform, and less efficacy in management. Leaders with more outgoing advice ties also self-identified as “neurotic” and reported lower efficacy in management. Leaders who were readily sought in terms of advice were explained by the number of years in the district and the self-reported personality traits of “neurotic,” “extraverted,” and “conscientious. ” Leaders who were able to more efficiently connect to other leaders for advice were explained by being “neurotic,” “extraverted,” and “conscientious” as well as reporting low efficacy for management. Implications: Results suggest the importance of considering both personality traits as well as perceptions of efficacy in terms of understanding how leaders come to occupy influential social position in an advice network related to reform.
Please touch the children: appropriate touch in the primary classroom

This study proposes to shift the current theoretical framework in which teachers practise a guarded approach regarding the touching of children in early childhood settings, towards a practice of acceptance. A brief historical context of touching is presented and supplemented with a survey of 63 currently practising K–3rd grade teachers. The survey indicates that teachers understand the benefits of touching, but are fearful of being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour. Teachers are solving this problem by restricting the nurturing practice of touch. This practice needs to be corrected; teachers must be given the freedom to safely and appropriately touch children; children have a basic need to be touched. Suggestions to restore human touch in primary classrooms are offered.
An impairment in processing verbs' thematic roles: A therapy study

Abstract This paper describes a subject with a selective verb disorder. Verb retrieval was impaired both in spontaneous speech and naming. When verbs were accessed a striking dissociation emerged. Subcategorization was surprisingly intact, while the assignment of verbs' thematic roles was poor. Verb comprehension was also impaired, particularly when tasks demanded an appreciation of thematic information. A remediation programme was administered which aimed to improve insight into the role structures and mapping requirements of three argument verbs. Evaluation showed gains in the production of this type of verb, which generalized to untreated items. However, there was no generalization to verbs of a different type. Progress was also suggested by a second evaluative procedure, in which observers were asked to judge the intelligibility of the subject's output, before and after therapy. The theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
Negotiating Control

After the demise of communist rule the relationship between media and politics in Eastern European countries has to adjust to the conditions of democratic politics and a competitive communication environment. This study explores how journalists and politicians understand their relationship past and present and what orientations govern their day-to-day interactions. The political communication cultures in Bulgaria and Poland are investigated on the basis of semi-structured interviews with journalists and politicians. The findings suggest that in Bulgaria closed-knitted networks between the two sets of actors continue to shape political communication breeding ‘deals’ and even corruption that seriously undermine the independence of political journalism. In contrast, political communication roles in Poland appear more differentiated making it more difficult for political actors to exercise control over the public agenda.
The Application of Antecedents in the Functional Assessment Process

Over the past 20 years, functional assessment strategies have been evolving. One aspect of functional assessment is the evaluation of the influence of antecedent events on the occurence of challenging behaviors. Although such influence has been discussed by others in the literature, there is a paucity of research that investigates the use of antecedent-based interventions in natural settings. The lack of antecedent-based intervention research in natural settings significantly limits the applicability of the existing antecedent event research to teachers who work with students with challenging behaviors in classroom settings. This article critically analyzes the current status of the research investigating the use of antecedent events in the functional assessment process, with an emphasis on interventions conducted in natural settings. Issues related to measurement, validation, and antecedent-based interventions are emphasized, and suggestions for future research are outlined.
“I'm in their shoes”: Experiences of peer educators in sexuality and relationship education

Abstract Background Sexuality and relationship education for adults with an intellectual disability has failed to include them in roles other than as learners. This paper reports findings from a study of the experiences of peer educators with an intellectual disability who co-facilitated a respectful relationships education program. Method Qualitative data were collected about the experiences of 16 peer educators through in-depth interviews and observations of their work in delivering the program. These data were thematically analysed. Findings Peer educators reported that peer education gave them a sense of empowerment, positioned them as credible sources of information about relationships, enabled them to help others, and gave them an opportunity to learn new knowledge about respectful relationships, community resources and supports, and new skills. Conclusions This study presents an alternative approach to relationship education that involves people with an intellectual disability as peer educators and that benefits these people.
Intelligibility and Comprehensibility of American andIrish Englishes in Japan

The present study focuses on the effect of familiarity with different English accents. Specifically, the study investigates Japanese university students’ intelligibility and comprehensibility judgements of familiar and unfamiliar English – American English and Irish English, respectively. To see to what extent each variety was intelligible to them, subjects were asked to listen to self introductions of native speakers and fill missing words in blanks. To examine how comprehensible the varieties were, they were asked to indicate their judgements subjectively by using 7-point scales. Findings include: (1) Even if the listeners felt an utterance was easy to understand, it did not necessarily mean they could transcribe the words or understand the message correctly; (2) the amount of exposure and familiarity seemed to be factors contributing to higher perceived comprehensibility but not necessarily to better understanding of the message; and (3) listeners’ perception of speech was likely to be affected by salient vocal features such as clarity, intonation, fluency and pauses. It is assumed that familiarity and exposure had at least a positive psychological effect on the listeners, which could lead to less inhibition, bias toward and more tolerance of different varieties of English.
The Academic Career as a Developmental Process: Implications for Higher Education.

Since World War II, higher education has profited from a steady flow of new personnel. Young academics, fresh from graduate school, have stimulated the educational system with novel perspectives and up-to-date knowledge. It is now obvious, however, that the number of academic vacancies in colleges and universities has slowed to a trickle. Along with others, Mathis [20] fears that during the 1980s higher education may become a declining industry characterized by reduced options for maintaining quality. Assuming that knowledgeable, creative, enthusiastic faculty are essential elements of a successful higher education institution, one fundamental question requires immediate attention: How can colleges and universities most effectively capitalize on the potential of their currently employed, experienced faculty? Higher education literature does not lack for efforts to answer this question. Most of these responses fall under the heading of "faculty development. " Several books and many articles advance various techniques and policies to encourage the professional growth of college teachers. Yet many faculty development approaches seem to lack a basic understanding of individual professors. Blackburn, Behymer, and Hall [5] and Wergin, Mason, and Munson [33] show that faculty development programs often bear little relationship to the clearly defined needs of professors. Based on experience at Virginia Commonwealth University, the latter researchers conclude that "the factor most predictive of success [in faculty development is] . depth of knowl-
Acylated and unacylated ghrelin administration to blunt muscle wasting

Purpose of review Muscle wasting is a comorbidity often associated with a wide range of disorders that severely affects patient prognosis and quality of life. Ghrelin, through its receptor GHSR-1a, stimulates appetite and growth hormone (GH) release. Several studies indicate that ghrelin administration is a valid treatment for cachexia because it improves muscle mass and function, likely by restoring a positive energy balance. Recent findings In addition to its GHSR-1a-mediated effects on muscle mass, ghrelin acts directly on skeletal muscle, wherein it exerts a protective activity against muscle wasting. This direct activity is independent of GHSR-1a and is shared by the unacylated form of ghrelin, which does not bind GHSR-1a and is devoid of the effects on appetite and GH release. Summary Both the acylated and unacylated forms of ghrelin might have therapeutic potential for the treatment of skeletal muscle wasting.
Individual Patient and Program Factors Related to Prison and Community Treatment Completion in Prison-Initiated Methadone Maintenance Treatment

While prison-initiated methadone maintenance treatment is effective, it is largely unknown as to what patient and program factors are related to outcomes. These issues were studied in a secondary analysis of data from 67 male prerelease prison inmates with preincarceration heroin addiction. Three outcomes are examined: completed prison treatment; completed 1 year of community treatment; and number of days in community treatment. Being employed (p=.045) during the three years prior to index incarceration was significantly and positively related to community treatment completion. Increased frequency of urine tests taken was significantly associated with a greater number of days in community treatment (p<.001). Limitations, policy implications, and directions for future research are discussed.
Risk Perceptions and Pleasure Travel: An Exploratory Analysis

This article investigates risk perceptions associated with pleasure travel. Psychophy sical scaling methods and multivariate analysis identified three basic dimensions of perceived risk: physical-equipment risk, vacation risk, and destination risk. Subsequent cluster analysis of the respondents based on the three risk dimensions identified three groups of travelers with substantially different risk perceptions regarding travel. The three risk groups differed in terms of the most recent trip taken and the benefits soughtfrom travel as well as basic demographic characteristics. Interestingly, relationships between risk perceptions and travel behavior appear to be situation-specific, suggesting that it may be difficult to generalize behaviors observed in the purchase of goods to travel decision making.
In situ studies of a platform for metastable inorganic crystal growth and materials discovery

Significance Dense inorganic materials comprise most functional electronic, optical, and magnetic devices. Whereas the discovery of new inorganic materials can increase our technical capabilities and uncover new phenomena, the search is difficult due to their formation at high temperatures where only the most stable (often known) materials can be isolated postreaction. We find a variety of unexpected and unknown materials nucleating at moderate temperatures in molten salts. By probing these processes with in situ diffraction, we are able to identify a large variety of new phases quickly and pave a path to more efficient materials discovery. Rapid shifts in the energy, technological, and environmental demands of materials science call for focused and efficient expansion of the library of functional inorganic compounds. To achieve the requisite efficiency, we need a materials discovery and optimization paradigm that can rapidly reveal all possible compounds for a given reaction and composition space. Here we provide such a paradigm via in situ X-ray diffraction measurements spanning solid, liquid flux, and recrystallization processes. We identify four new ternary sulfides from reactive salt fluxes in a matter of hours, simultaneously revealing routes for ex situ synthesis and crystal growth. Changing the flux chemistry, here accomplished by increasing sulfur content, permits comparison of the allowable crystalline building blocks in each reaction space. The speed and structural information inherent to this method of in situ synthesis provide an experimental complement to computational efforts to predict new compounds and uncover routes to targeted materials by design.
Factors associated with acceptance of sex before marriage among high school freshmen who have not experienced sexual intercourse

This study examined the association of demographic and other factors with acceptance of sex before marriage among 262 male and female freshmen attending Missouri high schools who reported they had never experienced sexual intercourse. The students completed the 7-item Acceptance of Sex Before Marriage Scale. Just under half (48.5%) of the students strongly agreed or agreed that “People should have sex only if they are married,” 22.5% were unsure, and 29% strongly disagreed or disagreed. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify factors significantly associated with acceptance of sex before marriage by tertile (higher scores on the 7-item scale indicate more acceptance of sex before marriage). Results indicate freshmen who were female (OR=0.39), satisfied with their sexually activity status (OR=0.18), and received parent support when needed (OR=0.16) were significantly less likely to have high acceptance of sex before marriage. Conversely, those who reported strict household rules (OR=7.05).
Limits to convergence of vegetation during early primary succession

Abstract Questions: Primary succession, measured by changes in species composition, is slow, usually forcing a chronosequence approach. A unique data set is used to explore spatial and temporal changes in vegetation structure after a 1980 volcanic eruption. On the basis of data from a transect of 20 permanent plots with an altitudinal range of 250 m sampled through 2005, two questions are asked: Do changes along the transect recapitulate succession? Do plots converge to similar composition over time? Location: A ridge between 1218 and 1468 m on Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA. Methods: Repeat sampling of plots for species cover along a 1-km transect. Floristic changes were characterized by techniques including DCA, clustering and similarity. Results: Species richness and cover increased with time at rates that decreased with increasing elevation. The establishment of Lupinus lepidus accelerated the rate of succession and may control its trajectory. Diversity (H′) at first increased with richness, then d.
Warp features in DBI inflation

In Dirac-Born-Infeld inflation, changes in the sound speed that transiently break the slow roll approximation lead to features in the power spectrum. We develop and test the generalized slow roll approximation for calculating such effects and show that it can be extended to treat order unity features. As in slow-roll, model independent constraints on the potential of canonical inflation can be directly reinterpreted in the DBI context through this approximation. In particular, a sharp horizon scale step in the warped brane tension can explain oscillatory features in the WMAP7 CMB power spectrum as well as features in the potential. Differences appear only as a small suppression of power on horizon scales and larger.
COMPUTER-BASED AND INSTRUCTOR-LED INJURY PREVENTION TRAINING FOR BOARD AND CARE STAFF

Board and care owners and administrators must find new and innovative ways to meet the training needs of those on their staffs. The authors investigated computer-based instruction as a way to teach injury prevention techniques to these care providers. A computer-based (CB) training program was used that had been adapted from a print-based/instructor-led (IL) program. This article discusses the effectiveness of the CB training as compared to the effectiveness of the traditional IL format. The CB and IL versions of a prevention training program were presented to board and care staff during five sessions. The 78 participants were randomly assigned to either the CB or IL groups. Both the CB and IL groups significantly increased their knowledge scores from pretest to posttest. The CB participants reported that they enjoyed the training and had no difficulty using the computers, even though some of them had never used a computer previously for any activity. Computer-based training can be an effective alternative training technique for this population.
Asian International Students’ Mental Health-Related Outcomes

Guided by a Person × Context cultural framework, this is the first known study to examine the relationship between cultural values and mental health-related outcomes (depressive symptoms and professional psychological help seeking) across diverse interpersonal contexts. Using a quasi-experimental research design, 465 Asian international college students were randomly assigned to report their adherence to the Asian cultural values of emotional self-control and humility during interactions with (a) their families of origin, (b) peers from their country of origin, or (c) American peers. Humility was positively associated with depressive symptoms only during interactions with nonfamily members, and not with family members. Emotional self-control was negatively associated with attitudes toward seeking psychological help only during participants’ interactions with members of their country of origin. Humility was negatively related to psychological help seeking only during participants’ interactions with nonfamily members.
Prospective audit of bacteraemia management in a university hospital ICU using a general strategy of short-course monotherapy.

OBJECTIVE As optimal antibiotic therapy for bacteraemia remains unknown, different strategies have evolved. Routine practice in the University College London Hospitals intensive care unit (ICU) is to use short-course (5-6 days) monotherapy, unless specifically indicated (e.g. endocarditis, osteomyelitis). We decided to assess this approach for treating community-, hospital-, and ICU-acquired bacteraemia by monitoring clinical response, relapse rate and patient outcome. DESIGN Six-month prospective observational study from February to July 2000. SETTING Mixed medical-surgical tertiary referral ICU. PATIENTS All 713 patients admitted to the ICU over the study period. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS In total, 102 bacteraemic episodes occurred in 84 patients. Eight (57%) of 14 community-acquired bacteraemias, 22 (79%) of 28 hospital-acquired bacteraemias, and 48 (80%) of 60 ICU-acquired bacteraemias (in 49 patients) were treated with short-course monotherapy. Compared with previous reported studies, these patients had a low rate (23.8%) of death directly attributable to the bacteraemia and a satisfactory clinical response in 72%. Of six relapses (all Gram-negative), four had received combination therapy for severe deep-seated infections. ICU-acquired multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteraemias (6.5%) and fungaemias (3%) were also uncommon. No patient discharged from ICU subsequently developed a new bacteraemia relapse, or any long-term complication such as osteomyelitis. CONCLUSIONS Our general strategy of short-course antibiotic monotherapy for treating bacteraemia in the critically ill appears to provide a satisfactory clinical response, low relapse rate and no long-term complications in a well-defined group of patients. Multicentre studies are warranted to compare short versus long course therapy, and monotherapy versus combination therapy.
Strategy as Practice

Strategy is supposed to lead an organization through changes and shifts to secure its future growth and sustainable success, and it has become the master concept with which to address CEOs of contemporary organizations and their senior managers. Its talismanic importance can hardly be overstated. Thus, strategic management is increasingly understood as the task of the top management team. While seminal works on strategy bear the imprint of modernist rationality (Ansoff, 1965; Porter, 1980), there have been numerous contributions to the strategy literature that can be characterized as more reflexive and critical (e.g. Clegg et al., 2004). More expressly sociological in nature, they have placed emphasis on, inter alia, how power and politics shape the strategies that emerge (Mintzberg, 1987; Pettigrew, 1985); the strategic choices made (Child, 1972); the language games that constitute strategy (Barry and Elmes, 1997); as well as how strategy is best understood through interpretative approaches (Schwenk, 1989), structuration theory (Whittington, 1992) or epistemology (Knights and Morgan, 1991). Such works set out an alternative to the neat assumptions of ubiquitous rationality underpinning orthodox strategy. Most recently, the so-called strategy as practice approach has claimed to integrate earlier epistemologically and ontologically more reflexive positions into a new orthodoxy. The new approach is one that is very much couched in European characters ( Jarzabkowski, 2003, 2004; Samra-Fredericks, 2003; Whittington, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004), and is clearly to be understood as a systematic critique of orthodox, hegemonic, and mainly North American, or North American-inspired, strategy research. In this essay, we seek to advance the current debate in the field of strategy in several respects: first, we discuss the intellectual genesis of the strategy as practice STRATEGIC ORGANIZATION Vol 6(1): 83–99 DOI: 10.1177/1476127007087154 Copyright ©2008 Sage Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore) http://so.sagepub. com