Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AGENCY-IN-PRACTICE: AN INTERPENETRATION OF INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES

Agency-in-practice is the concrete application of individual constructive capacities as permeated and potentiated by contemporaneous social meanings, practices, and institutions. This concept is proposed as one that maintains an intelligible, potent role for human agency in postmodern theorizing, while embracing the constructive processes of social interactions and institutions. Agency-in-practice is examined in three domains: (1) coordination of subpersonal processes, (2) construal and predication, and (3) language development and use. Implications of such a reformulation of agency are suggested, especially those regarding conditions for the full development of agency and for facilitating social change.
Physical Properties of an Ultisol Under Plastic Film and No-Mulches and their Effect on the Yield of Maize

Film mulching is an important agricultural practices used to improve crop productivity. Field experiments were conducted using maize (Zea mays L. ) to determine the effect of film mulching on soil physical properties and maize yield in 2006 and 2007 cropping seasons. The experiment was a randomized complete black design (RCBD) with four film treatments viz. Black film (BM), white film (WM), Black / white film (BWM) and no-treatment (NM). Seedling from three mulching treatments emerged 2days earlier than those from non-mulched treatments. Film mulching significantly (P <- 0.05) increased soil temperature (taken at different times) and water retention relative to the un-mulched treatments. Results of the study show bulk density decrease of 9% (BWM), 4% (WM) and 17% (BM) at 45 DAP in the first season and 4% (BM), 1% (BWM) and 6% (WM) at 90 DAP in the second season compared to the un-mulched treatment. Yield increase of 55-78% (first season) and 108-142% (second season) were observed in film mulch treatment relative to the control. Film mulch can be used to increase crop production to meet the food need of the increasing human population.
Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder and Somatoform Disorders

Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS), also known as Complex posttraumatic stress disorder, was assessed in a sample (N = 472) of adult psychiatric patients with confirmed diagnoses of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Somatoform Disorders (SoD), comorbid BPD + SoD, or Affective or Anxiety Disorders (Psychiatric Controls, PC). BPD + SoD patients had the most extensive childhood trauma histories and were most likely (38%) to meet DESNOS criteria, followed by BPD (26%), PC (17%), and SoD (10%), The BPD + SoD and BPD-only groups reported significantly higher levels of DESNOS symptoms than the SoD or PC groups, and did not differ from each other except for greater severity of DESNOS somatic symptoms by the BPD + SoD group. DESNOS warrants further investigation with psychiatrically impaired adults as a potential independent syndrome or as a marker identifying a subgroups of affectively or both affectively and somatically dysregulated patients diagnosed with BPD who have childhood trauma histories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Somatoform Disorders (PDF Download Available). Available from: http://www.researchgate. net/publication/232491929_Complex_Posttraumatic_Stress_Disorder_in_Patients_With_Borderline_Personality_Disorder_and_Somatoform_Disorders [accessed Oct 29, 2015].
The democratic boundary problem and social contract theory

How to demarcate the political units within which democracy will be practiced? Although recent years have witnessed a steadily increasing academic interest in this question concerning the boundary problem in democratic theory, social contract theory’s potential for solving it has largely been ignored. In fact, contract views are premised on the assumption of a given people and so presuppose what requires legitimization: the existence of a demarcated group of individuals materializing, as it were, from nowhere and whose members agree among themselves to establish a political order. In order to fill this gap in social contract theory, a distinction is made between three kinds of contract views: Lockean political voluntarism, contractarianism, and contractualism. Each of these views can be (re)interpreted in such a way that it offers a democratic solution to the boundary problem. Ultimately, however, a Rawlsian interpretation of the contractualist solution is defended.
Head gesture recognition for hands-free control of an intelligent wheelchair

Purpose – This paper presents a novel hands‐free control system for intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) based on visual recognition of head gestures.Design/methodology/approach – A robust head gesture‐based interface (HGI), is designed for head gesture recognition of the RoboChair user. The recognised gestures are used to generate motion control commands to the low‐level DSP motion controller so that it can control the motion of the RoboChair according to the user's intention. Adaboost face detection algorithm and Camshift object tracking algorithm are combined in our system to achieve accurate face detection, tracking and gesture recognition in real time. It is intended to be used as a human‐friendly interface for elderly and disabled people to operate our intelligent wheelchair using their head gestures rather than their hands.Findings – This is an extremely useful system for the users who have restricted limb movements caused by some diseases such as Parkinson's disease and quadriplegics.Practical implicatio.
σB and the σB-Dependent arlRS and yabJ-spoVG Loci Affect Capsule Formation in Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT The alternative transcription factor σB of Staphylococcus aureus affects the transcription of the cap gene cluster, required for the synthesis of capsular polysaccharide (CP), although this operon is lacking an apparent σB-dependent promoter. Regulation of cap expression and CP production in S. aureus strain Newman was shown here to be influenced by σB, the two-component signal transduction regulatory system ArlRS, and the yabJ-spoVG locus to different extents. Inactivation of arlR or deletion of the sigB operon strongly suppressed capA (CP synthesis enzyme A) transcription. Deletion of spoVG had a polar effect on yabJ-spoVG transcription and resulted in a two- to threefold decrease in capA transcription. Interestingly, immunofluorescence showed that CP production was strongly impaired in all three mutants, signaling that the yabJ-spoVG inactivation, despite its only partial effect on capA transcription, abolished capsule formation. trans-Complementation of the ΔspoVG mutant with yabJ-spoVG under the control of its native promoter restored CP-5 production and capA expression to levels seen in the wild type. Northern analyses revealed a strong impact of σB on arlRS and yabJ-spoVG transcription. We hypothesize that ArlR and products of the yabJ-spoVG locus may serve as effectors that modulate σB control over σB-dependent genes lacking an apparent σB promoter.
A Qualitative Examination of Mexican Immigrants' Career Development

This study examines the variables shaping career development among Mexican immigrants. Based on qualitative interviews with 17 adult, Mexican immigrants, a model describing the barriers and motivators to career development for this sample is offered. Findings indicate that Mexican immigrants' careers are shaped by three sets of interrelated variables: individual-level variables (i.e., personal characteristics and personal goals), group-level variables (i.e., cultural value orientation, immigrant status, and workplace discrimination), and contextual variables (i.e., the state of the labor market and immigration trends). In addition, findings indicate a need to examine progression into higher level line positions separately from supervisory and/or managerial positions.
Three Scoring Approaches to the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory for Measuring Clinical Change in Service Members Receiving Intensive Treatment for Combat-Related mTBI

Objective:To examine the use of the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory to measure clinical changes over time in a population of US service members undergoing treatment of mild traumatic brain injury and comorbid psychological health conditions. Setting:A 4-week, 8-hour per day, intensive, outpatient, interdisciplinary, comprehensive treatment program at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland. Participants:Three hundred fourteen active-duty service members being treated for combat-related comorbid mild traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions. Design:Repeated-measures, retrospective analysis of a single-group using a pretest-posttest treatment design. Main Measures:Three Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory scoring methods: (1) a total summated score, (2) the 3-factor method, and (3) the 4-factor method (with and without orphan items). Results:All 3 scoring methods yielded statistically significant within-subject changes between admission and discharge. The evaluation of effect sizes indicated that the 3 different Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory scoring methods were comparable. Conclusion:Findings indicate that the different scoring methods all have potential for assessing clinical changes in symptoms for groups of patients undergoing treatment, with no clear advantage with any one method.
Young adults' achievement and attributional strategies in the transition from school to work: antecedents and consequences

This study focused on investigating the extent to which the achievement and attributional strategies individuals deploy influence their success in dealing with the transition from school to work, and whether their success or failure in this particular would have consequences for the kinds of strategy they deployed later in life. Two hundred and fifty young adults filled in the Cartoon‐Attribution‐Strategy Inventory, a revised version of Beck's Depression Inventory, and a work status questionnaire at the beginning of the last spring term of their curriculum, four months after their graduation, and a year and a half after it. The results showed that the deployment of maladaptive strategies, such as passive avoidance, led to problems in dealing with the transition from school to work. In turn, young adults' problems in dealing with this transition decreased their use of self‐serving causal attributions, which was also found to lead to increased depressive symptomatology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Disruption of Rat Testis Development Following Combined In Utero Exposure to the Phytoestrogen Genistein and Antiandrogenic Plasticizer Di-(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate1

ABSTRACT Fetal exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors (EDs) is thought to contribute to reported idiopathic increases in adult male reproductive abnormalities. Although humans are exposed to myriad EDs from conception to adulthood, few studies have evaluated the effects of combined EDs on male reproduction. In the present study, we demonstrate that simultaneous gestational exposure to the phytoestrogen genistein and the antiandrogenic plasticizer di-(2-ethyhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) induces long-term alterations in testis development and function. Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were gavaged from Gestational Day 14 to birth with corn oil, genistein, DEHP, or their mixture at 10 mg/kg/day, a dose selected from previous dose-response studies using single chemicals for its lack of long-term testicular effects. Hormonal and testicular end points were examined in adult male offspring. Serum testosterone levels were unchanged. However, significant increases were observed in testis weight and in the expression of mast cell markers in testes from adult rats exposed gestationally to combined compounds. The ED mixture also altered the mRNA expression of Sertoli cell makers Wt1 and Amh and germ cell markers cKit and Sox17, measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), suggesting long-term disruption in testis function and spermatogenesis. Alterations in germ cell markers might reflect direct effects on fetal gonocytes or indirect effects via primary targeting of somatic cells, as suggested by differentially regulated Leydig cell associated genes (Hsd3b, Anxa1, Foxa3, and Pdgfra), determined by gene expression array, qPCR, and protein analyses. The two chemicals, when given in combination, induced long-term reproductive toxicity at doses not previously reported to produce any conspicuous long-term effects. Our study therefore highlights a need for a more comprehensive evaluation of the effects of ED mixtures.
Minor intraoral salivary gland tumors: a clinical-pathological study

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the clinical-pathological profile of patients with minor salivary gland neoplasms. Methods A retrospective study of specific cases diagnosed as benign and malignant tumors of the minor salivary glands was performed. The data were collected from medical records of patients seen at a hospital over a period of 15 years. The sample was made up of 37 cases. For the pathological study, slides containing 5μm thick sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin were used. The data were tabulated using descriptive statistics. Results Malignant neoplasms represented 70.3% of cases. The mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common neoplasm (45.9%), followed by pleomorphic adenoma (24.4%). Most patients were female (70.3%), aged between 71 and 80 years. The palate (67.6%) and the retromolar region (10.8%) were the most affected sites. Conclusion Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common tumor in minor salivary glands. These tumors are more common in females aged over 40 years. The palate was the most common affected site.
Sparse Packetized Predictive Control for Networked Control Over Erasure Channels

We study feedback control over erasure channels with packet-dropouts. To achieve robustness with respect to packet-dropouts, the controller transmits data packets containing plant input predictions, which minimize a finite horizon cost function. To reduce the data size of packets, we propose to adopt sparsity-promoting optimizations, namely, l1 - l2 and l2-constrained l0 optimizations, for which efficient algorithms exist. We show how to design the tuning parameters to ensure (practical) stability of the resulting feedback control systems when the number of consecutive packet-dropouts is bounded.
Media, War, and Propaganda: Strategies of Information Management During the 2003 Iraq War

It is now widely acknowledged that the Bush administration used faulty and false information to justify the 2003 war on Iraq, and that the mainstream media, by not adequately investigating the case for war, assisted with the project. In this paper, I outline the particular strategies employed by the media–military industrial complex to ensure a dominance of pro-war arguments in the public sphere. I conclude by arguing that the failure of the media in the US to meet the democratic needs of this society places enormous responsibility on intellectuals to produce scholarship critical of the new imperialism.
Creativity in interpreting

The objective of this paper is to examine how the findings of psychological research concerning creativity can be explored within the framework of interpreting studies. I will begin by reviewing the literature on the psychology of creativity, followed by the presentation and analysis of an empirical survey. Finally, I will suggest that creativity in interpreting can be examined on three levels, depending on the aspect we are focusing on: (1) the products; (2) mental processes; or (3) the behaviour of the interpreter. In the first case, the primary object is the product, while in the second and third, it is the process. What makes interpreting a special area of study in terms of creativity is not only the creative nature of the mental processes involved, but also, and perhaps even primarily, the creativity required of interpreters in terms of their professional behaviour in a communicational situation, where they are present but in which they are not natural participants.
A critical examination of sex differences in marital communication

Despite the persistence of sex‐typed images of the expressivity of wife and husband, past observational studies have given little indication of sex‐linked differences in marital communication. Thus, we proposed that inter personally negotiated role expectations would be a better predictor of communication about marital conflict than sex. However, we also proposed that there might be sex differences within particular clusters of couples who endorse sex‐differentiated role expectations. Couples were classified into groups using Fitzpatrick's (1983) typology. The results of two studies indicated that couple type was significantly related to communication about marital conflict; however, there were neither any clear overall sex differences in communication nor sex differences within couple types. Rather, the results indicated that conflict styles are so strongly reciprocal that mutual influence within conversations tends to remove individual speaker differences. The research suggests that mutual influence pro.
The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education: A Study of Iranian Students' Entrepreneurial Intentions and Opportunity Identification

Building on the theory of planned behavior, an ex ante and ex post survey was used to assess the impacts of elective and compulsory entrepreneurship education programs (s) on students' entrepreneurial intention and identification of opportunities. Data were collected by questionnaire from a sample of 205 participants in s at six ranian universities. Both types of s had significant positive impacts on students' subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Results also indicated that the elective s significantly increased students' entrepreneurial intention, although this increase was not significant for the compulsory s. The findings contribute to the theory of planned behavior and have implications for the design and delivery of s.
The Fear-of-Intimacy Scale: Replication and extension.

This study investigated the validity of the Fear-of-Intimacy Scale (FIS) with a middle-aged sample, using many of the same measures that Descutner and Thelen (1991) used previously with college students, and explored the dimensions of adult attachment as potential correlates of fear of intimacy. Data were obtained from 171 Ss (83 men, 88 women; age range = 35-55) who had completed a battery of questionnaires containing the FIS and other measures of personality, behavior, and background data
A Multi-Value Sequence Generated by Power Residue Symbol and Trace Function over Odd Characteristic Field

SUMMARY This paper proposes a new multi-value sequence gener ated by utilizing primitive element, trace, and power residue symbol over odd characteristic finite field. In detail, let p and k be an odd prime number as the characteristic and a prime factor of p-1, respectively. Our proposal generates k-value sequence 'T = {1; I I; = fk(Tr(wi) +A)}, where w is a primitive element in the extension field 1Fpm, Tr(·) is the trace function that maps IF~ ___, 1Fp. A is a non-zero scalar in the prime field 1Fp, and ! kO is a certain mapping function based on k-th power residue symbol. Thus, the proposed sequence has four parameters as p, m, k, and A.Then, this paper theoretically shows its period, autocorrelation, and cross-correlation. In addition, this paper discusses its linear complexity based on experimental results. Then, these features of the proposed sequence are observed with some examples.
Belief & Evidence in Empirical Software Engineering

Empirical software engineering has produced a steady stream of evidence-based results concerning the factors that affect important outcomes such as cost, quality, and interval. However, programmers often also have strongly-held a priori opinions about these issues. These opinions are important, since developers are highlytrained professionals whose beliefs would doubtless affect their practice. As in evidence-based medicine, disseminating empirical findings to developers is a key step in ensuring that the findings impact practice. In this paper, we describe a case study, on the prior beliefs of developers at Microsoft, and the relationship of these beliefs to actual empirical data on the projects in which these developers work. Our findings are that a) programmers do indeed have very strong beliefs on certain topics b) their beliefs are primarily formed based on personal experience, rather than on findings in empirical research and c) beliefs can vary with each project, but do not necessarily correspond with actual evidence in that project. Our findings suggest that more effort should be taken to disseminate empirical findings to developers and that more in-depth study the interplay of belief and evidence in software practice is needed.
Income Change, Parental Life Outlook and Adolescent Expectations for Job Success.

The present investigation examines the relationship between income change in the early 1980s, the outlook that parents have about their general life situation, and the extent to which adolescents expect to attain job success. In a sample of 112 West German families, correlations showed that income loss was associated with pessimistic life outlooks in fathers and mothers. The father's pessimism was highly related to the mother's pessimism and to the adolescent daughter's lower expectancy for job success. Path analytic procedures were used to model a process in which income loss leads to parental pessimism, and the father's pessimism, in turn, leads to lowered job success expectancies among girls. The results suggest that income loss is a stressor that may disrupt family functioning. The vulnerability of the daughter and the role of the father in the socialization process are discussed.
The Tuaregs : the blue people

This work describes the social conditions, culture and daily life of the Tuaregs, as well as their history with a special reference to the period after the independence of Niger and Mali in 1960. As a minority in these two countries, the Tuaregs have come into a difficult situation. Since independence in 1960, they have been ignored constantly by the different governments. Today, the consequences of this neglect are visible in the underdeveloped areas. The young Tuaregs are mostly illiterate and untrained, with no hope for the future. In 1990, they started a revolt which resulted in the fact that 90 percent of the Tuaregs in Mali have now fled to other countries, mainly Algeria.
How to Resist an Idiom

Idiomatic formulations are often successful in achieving affiliative responses: They are hard to challenge both because their generality makes them independent of the specific details of any particular person or situation, and because they invoke and constitute the taken-for-granted knowledge shared by all competent members of the culture (Drew & Holt, 1988). Drawing on data in which women with breast cancer talk in groups about their experiences, in this article we explore how they resist the rhetorical power of the idiom "think positive. " Three resistance strategies are described and illustrated: (a) pauses and token agreements, (b) the production of competing idioms, and (c) particularization. The article ends with a brief discussion of the implications of these findings for conversation analysis and for current debates about the value of fine-grained conversation-analytic approaches within discourse analysis. Think positive: think in a confident way about what you can do: If you don't think positive, you won't win[italics added]. (Hornby, Cowie, Crowther, & Crowther, 1995, p. 292)