Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationships between self-directed learning, critical thinking, and psychological type, and some implications for teaching in higher education

ABSTRACT The ability to think critically and the willingness and capacity to engage in self-directed learning are considered important prerequisites for lifelong education. Research on self-directed learning and critical thinking, to date, has largely ignored individual differences among learners. This study explored the extent to which students' willingness and perceived capacity to engage in self-directed learning, and their ability to think critically, could be explained by their psychological type. The results indicated that extraverted intuition is a strong predictor for students' inclination to engage in self-directed learning. Psychological type did not appear to be a predictor for critical thinking ability. However, significant relationships were found between self-directed learning and critical thinking. It is argued in this article that educators can foster competence in self-directed learning by providing opportunities for students to develop both their intuition and logical reasoning skills. I.
Outcome and long‐term function of restorative proctocolectomy for Crohn’s disease: comparison to patients with ulcerative colitis

Aim Restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) is the most common operation for chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC), as it provides excellent functional outcome. However, among patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), RPC is generally not recommended, as outcome and long‐term function may be poor. Our purpose was to compare matched cohorts of CD and CUC patients to determine whether there are differences in outcome or function.
Domestic violence against women: Understanding social processes and women's experiences

The prevalence of domestic abuse against women has been estimated as high as one in four. The risk is particularly high for women who are younger, economically dependent, unemployed and with children. Research about the factors that maintain situations of abuse has generally focused separately on the coping strategies of women, barriers to leaving the relationship and the perpetrators' means of abuse. In this study we used a community psychology perspective to seek a broader understanding of what maintains situations of abuse, in order to suggest interventions in a rural County in the North of England. Twelve women who had experienced domestic abuse and had used voluntary sector services agreed to be interviewed about their experiences and the resources and strategies available to them. Using grounded theory we generated four themes: (1) Commonalities and contradictions in the experience of abuse; (2) living with abuse; (3) the response of systems reinforced or challenged the abuse and (4) dealing with abuse beyond the relationship. These findings illustrate how situations of domestic abuse can be prolonged by limited options available to victims for support and protection, and a lack of active public acknowledgement that domestic abuse is unacceptable. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Animal Behavior Models: Increased Sensitivity to Stressors and Other Environmental Experiences after Prenatal Cocaine Exposure a

ABSTRACT: Neural compensations occurring after prenatal cocaine exposure may often permit some functional recovery, although the cost of this reorganization may be a decrease in adaptability. As we have seen in our rodent model of prenatal cocaine exposure, latent deficits may become unmasked when offspring are exposed to cognitive and environmental demands and stressors. In adolescence and adulthood, offspring exposed gestationally to cocaine exhibit characteristic decreases in stress‐induced immobility along with increases in aggression under the demands of social competition. Recently, we observed that cocaine‐exposed offspring are also unusually sensitive to the long‐term effects of early manipulation (noninvasive heart rate testing at 16 days of age). When tested in adulthood, cocaine‐exposed offspring not receiving this early experience exhibited less immobility when tested in the presence of intermittent footshock or when subsequently examined in an open field as well as more locomotion in the open field than control offspring, findings reminiscent of previous work. By contrast, these effects were normalized (shock‐induced immobility) or reversed (open field immobility and locomotion) in cocaine‐exposed animals given the early experience. This marked susceptibility to the effects of early manipulation was less evident in control offspring and even in a group of stunted nutritional controls. Thus, cocaine‐exposed offspring may exhibit increased sensitivity not only to environmental demands and stressors, but also to the potential moderating or beneficial effects of early experiences.
The catalytic function of the Rev1 dCMP transferase is required in a lesion-specific manner for translesion synthesis and base damage-induced mutagenesis

The Rev1-Polζ pathway is believed to be the major mechanism of translesion DNA synthesis and base damage-induced mutagenesis in eukaryotes. While it is widely believed that Rev1 plays a non-catalytic function in translesion synthesis, the role of its dCMP transferase activity remains uncertain. To determine the relevance of its catalytic function in translesion synthesis, we separated the Rev1 dCMP transferase activity from its non-catalytic function in yeast. This was achieved by mutating two conserved amino acid residues in the catalytic domain of Rev1, i.e. D467A/E468A, where its catalytic function was abolished but its non-catalytic function remained intact. In this mutant strain, whereas translesion synthesis and mutagenesis of UV radiation were fully functional, those of a site-specific 1,N6-ethenoadenine were severely deficient. Specifically, the predominant A→G mutations resulting from C insertion opposite the lesion were abolished. Therefore, translesion synthesis and mutagenesis of 1,N6-ethenoadenine require the catalytic function of the Rev1 dCMP transferase, in contrast to those of UV lesions, which only require the non-catalytic function of Rev1. These results show that the catalytic function of the Rev1 dCMP transferase is required in a lesion-specific manner for translesion synthesis and base damage-induced mutagenesis.
Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in psoriatic patients: A controlled study

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate and compare the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in a group of psoriatic patients and healthy subjects, and its correlation to multiple clinical parameters. Study design: 100 psoriatic patients and 100 closely matched controls underwent clinical oral examination. Oral lesions were diagnosed according to the criteria proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The patients filled the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) questionnaire and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The severity of psoriasis was assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Categorical variables were evaluated using Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test with overall significance set at p< 0.05. Results: Oral mucosal lesions were diagnosed in 43 (43%) psoriatic patients and 17 (17%) control subjects (p=0.000). Comparing psoriatic patients to control subjects the prevalence of fissured tongue (FT) was 35% vs. 13% (p=0.000); geographic tongue (GT) 17% vs. 9% (p=0.09); combination of FT and GT 5% vs. 5% (p=1.00); oral candidosis 3% vs. 0% (p=0.81); leukoedema 1% vs. 3% (p=0.62); physiologic melanin pigmentations 4% vs. 1% (p=0.37) respectively. The clinical type of psoriasis, duration of the disease, method of disease management (medicated vs. non-medicated for psoriasis), smoking habit, psychological status or the disease severity did not influence the prevalence of FT and GT. Psoriatic patients who experienced “very large” to “extremely large” adverse effect of psoriasis on their quality of life have significantly higher prevalence of GT (p=0.04). Conclusions: FT is significantly more common in psoriatic patients compared to controls; hence studies investigating the nature of this relationship are warranted. Oral health care providers should be aware of the predisposition of psoriatic patients to oral candidosis. Key words:Oral lesions, fissured tongue, geographic tongue, leukoedema, oral Candida, candidosis, psoriasis.
Input-Driven Components of Spike-Frequency Adaptation Can Be Unmasked In Vivo

Spike-frequency adaptation affects the response characteristics of many sensory neurons, and different biophysical processes contribute to this phenomenon. Many cellular mechanisms underlying adaptation are triggered by the spike output of the neuron in a feedback manner (e.g., specific potassium currents that are primarily activated by the spiking activity). In contrast, other components of adaptation may be caused by, in a feedforward way, the sensory or synaptic input, which the neuron receives. Examples include viscoelasticity of mechanoreceptors, transducer adaptation in hair cells, and short-term synaptic depression. For a functional characterization of spike-frequency adaptation, it is essential to understand the dependence of adaptation on the input and output of the neuron. Here, we demonstrate how an input-driven component of adaptation can be uncovered in vivo from recordings of spike trains in an insect auditory receptor neuron, even if the total adaptation is dominated by output-driven components. Our method is based on the identification of different inputs that yield the same output and sudden switches between these inputs. In particular, we determined for different sound frequencies those intensities that are required to yield a predefined steady-state firing rate of the neuron. We then found that switching between these sound frequencies causes transient deviations of the firing rate. These firing-rate deflections are evidence of input-driven adaptation and can be used to quantify how this adaptation component affects the neural activity. Based on previous knowledge of the processes in auditory transduction, we conclude that for the investigated auditory receptor neurons, this adaptation phenomenon is of mechanical origin.
Strains, Mechanism, and Perspective: Salmonella-Based Cancer Therapy

Recently, investigation of bacterial-based tumor therapy has regained focus due to progress in molecular, cellular, and microbial biology. Many bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, Escherichia, and Clostridium have proved to have tumor targeting and in some cases even tumor-destroying phenotypes. Furthermore, bacterial clinical treatments for cancer have been improved by combination with other therapeutic methods such as chemotherapeutic drugs and radioactive agents. Synthetic biology techniques have also driven the development of new bacterial-based cancer therapies. However, basic questions about the mechanisms of bacterial-mediated tumor targeting and destruction are still being elucidated. In this review, we focus on three tumor-therapeutic Salmonella models, the most intensively studied bacterial genus in this field. One of these Salmonella models is our Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 derived strain CRC2631, engineered to minimize toxicity but maximize tumor-targeting and destruction effects. The other two are VNP20009 and A1-R. We compare the means by which these therapeutic candidate strain models were selected for study, their tumor targeting and tumor destruction phenotypes in vitro and in vivo, and what is currently known about the mechanisms by which they target and destroy tumors.
Developing teachers’ reflective practice: an explorative study of teachers’ professional learning experience in a private Lebanese school

This article examines the in-house professional development program in a private school in Lebanon and the approach it adopts to train teachers on reflective practice. It identifies the contextual factors in the school that teachers perceive as supporting their professional learning of reflective practice, and investigates the teachers’ perceptions of the impact of this professional learning experience on enhancing their ability and understanding of reflective practice. The study adopted a qualitative case-study design guided by interpretive epistemology to explore the meaning that the participants gave to their professional learning experiences as they developed their reflective skills within the organizational context of a professional learning community. The study finds that the school vision of building a professional learning community combined with an in-house professional development program that provides structured opportunities for professional collaboration have set conditions that successfully promote the teachers’ ability to reflect on their practice. However, despite the promises of the school approach for promoting reflective practice, the study reveals two areas for improvement: differences in the teachers’ and administrations’ interpretations of reflection; and a limited view that both teachers and administrations hold of reflection and how it can be practiced at higher levels.
Utilizing Music in Sport and Exercise at Elementary School in Indonesia

Some researchers have mentioned that music can be used in sports. The first research was published in 1999 about music in sports. It shows that music can decrease exhaustion in athletes. Most of the research is related to the influence of music toward sports and exercises, and is conducted on professional atheletes. However, it is still rarely used or researched for the early stages of chilhood education. This article intends to explain the use of music in sports and exercises in elementary schools in Indonesia. It studies early childhood characteristics and the music that has been used in sports. It also highlights some of music that can be used for the purpose of stimulating the students to do given exercises. This article is intended for the use of coaches and physical education teachers.
A discrete random effects probit model with application to the demand for preventive care.

I have developed a random effects probit model in which the distribution of the random intercept is approximated by a discrete density. Monte Carlo results show that only three to four points of support are required for the discrete density to closely mimic normal and chi-squared densities and provide unbiased estimates of the structural parameters and the variance of the random intercept. The empirical application shows that both observed family characteristics and unobserved family-level heterogeneity are important determinants of the demand for preventive care.
Phonological memory and lexical, narrative, and grammatical skills in second language oral production by adult learners

This study investigated the role of phonological memory (PM) in second language (L2) speech production by English-speaking adults who were learning Spanish. PM, operationalized as serial nonword recognition, and L2 lexical, narrative, and grammatical abilities from speech samples were assessed 13 weeks apart. After controlling for the amount of speech output, PM contributed significantly to the development of L2 narrative skills for less proficient participants (17.5% of variance explained) and to gains in correct use of function words for more proficient participants (15.7% of variance explained). These findings suggest that PM plays an important role in narrative development at earlier stages of L2 learning and in the acquisition of grammatical competence at later stages.
Travelling in your backyard: the unfamiliar places of parenting

Current theoretical understandings of family-as-activity, as suggested by the terms ‘doing family’ or ‘families we choose’, locate family practices such as parenting, within the realm of the spatial. Feminist geography particularly has been instrumental in conceptualisations of parenting as a spatial project that involves constant renegotiation of the ‘everyday’ spaces of home, work and play. However, what are less evident in the literature are the specificities of the actual places and spaces of parenting: where parents go in the course of their parenting or how they actually use particular spaces. Furthermore, most scholarly work on parenting has been based on the theoretical and material experience of heterosexual parents, with the experiences of non-heterosexual parented families under-documented. Using data from a recent study with lesbian parents, this paper seeks to address some of these conceptual and empirical gaps, suggesting that an exploration of the everyday spatialities of same-sex parenting contributes, not only to expanding current geographic understandings of family and parenting, but also understanding of the material places where these identities—familial, parental, sexual—intersect.
The Multifactorial Nature of Extraversion-Introversion in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Eysenck Personality Inventory

The study was designed to test the construct validity of extraversion-introversion and to explore the nature of the concept as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). The psychometric properties of the MBTI have been inadequately studied, whereas those of the EPI have been investigated extensively. Responses of 840 subjects to the two measures were submitted in toto to factor analysis. Of the seven factors retained, three measures of extraversion appeared: Factor 2 (a sociability component), Factor 4 (an impulsivity/non-planning component), and Factor 7 (a liveliness/risk-taking/jocularity component). Findings supported the view of extraversion-introversion as a complex construct (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1977; Guilford, 1977; Howarth, 1976). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-Extraversion Introversion (MBTI-EI) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-Judging Perceiving (MBTI-JP), scales were found, surprisingly, to be factorially valid measures of impulsivity/non-planning. Implications and suggested research are discussed.
Inactivation of AR/TMPRSS2-ERG/Wnt Signaling Networks Attenuates the Aggressive Behavior of Prostate Cancer Cells

The development of prostate cancer and its progression to castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after antiandrogen ablation therapy are driven by persistent biological activity of androgen receptor (AR) signaling. Moreover, studies have shown that more than 50% of human prostate cancers overexpress ERG (v-ets avian erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene related gene) due to AR-regulated TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene. However, the reported roles of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion in cancer progression are not clear. In this study, we investigated the signal transduction in the AR/TMPRSS2-ERG/Wnt signaling network for studying the aggressive behavior of prostate cancer cells and further assessed the effects of BR-DIM and CDF [natural agents-derived synthetic formulation and analogue of 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) and curcumin, respectively, with improved bioavailability] on the regulation of AR/TMPRSS2-ERG/Wnt signaling. We found that activation of AR resulted in the induction of ERG expression through TMPRSS2-ERG fusion. Moreover, we found that ERG overexpression and nuclear translocation activated the activity of Wnt signaling. Furthermore, forced overexpression of ERG promoted invasive capacity of prostate cancer cells. More important, we found that BR-DIM and CDF inhibited the signal transduction in the AR/TMPRSS2-ERG/Wnt signaling network, leading to the inactivation of Wnt signaling consistent with inhibition of prostate cancer cell invasion. In addition, BR-DIM and CDF inhibited proliferation of prostate cancer cells and induced apoptotic cell death. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that because BR-DIM and CDF downregulate multiple signaling pathways including AR/TMPRSS2-ERG/Wnt signaling, these agents could be useful for designing novel strategies for the prevention and/or treatment of prostate cancer. Cancer Prev Res; 4(9); 1495–506. ©2011 AACR.
Use of dietary assessment tools in randomized trials evaluating diet-based interventions in pregnancy: a systematic review of literature

Purpose of review Accurate assessment of dietary intake in interventional trials is the key to evaluate changes in dietary behaviour and compliance. We evaluated the use of dietary assessment tools in randomized trials on diet-based interventions in pregnancy by a systematic review. Recent findings We updated our previous search (until January 2012) on trials of diet and lifestyle interventions in pregnancy using Medline and EMBASE up to December 2015. Two independent reviewers undertook study selection and data extraction. We assessed the characteristics of dietary assessment tools, the timing and frequency of use and any validation undertaken. Two-thirds (39/58, 67%) of the included studies used some form of tools to assess dietary intake. Multiple days’ food diaries were the most commonly used (23/39, 59%). Three studies (3/39, 8%) validated the used tools in a pregnant population. Three studies (3/39, 8%) prespecified the criteria for adherence to the intervention. The use of dietary assessment tools was not associated with study quality, year of publication, journal impact factor, type of journal and the study sample size. Summary Although self-reporting dietary assessment tools are widely used in interventional dietary trials in pregnancy, the quality and applicability of existing tools are low.
Generic Attributes in Accounting: The Significance of the Disciplinary Context

Generic skills and attributes are a significant issue in accounting education as a consequence of the changing business environment and a perception that graduates are not equipped for the workforce of the twenty-first century. Until recently, generic attributes have been poorly theorised and defined and have been viewed as separate from the disciplinary context. This paper examines the nature of generic attributes and presents a conceptual overview for theorising generic attributes. It reports the findings of a qualitative study which investigated the relationship between disciplinary culture and generic attributes. This study found that academics' conceptualisation of generic attributes is influenced by the culture of the discipline in which they are taught. This has profound implications for accounting education as this paper argues that generic attributes must be understood as part of the professional and scholarly practice of accounting and so taught as integral to disciplinary practice.
Optimal Investment for Worst-Case Crash Scenarios: A Martingale Approach

We investigate the optimal portfolio problem under the threat of a financial market crash in a multidimensional jump-diffusion framework. We set up a nonprobabilistic crash model and consider an investor that seeks to maximize CRRA utility in the worst possible crash scenario. We recast the problem as a stochastic differential game; with the help of the fundamental notion of indifference strategies, we completely solve the portfolio problem using martingale arguments.