Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Objective standard setting (or truth in advertising).

Over the past 40 years criterion referencing has become the major method for setting passing standards on most high-stakes examinations. This paper serves three purposes. First it reveals the limitations and methodological weaknesses of most popular standard setting models, supported by a large volume of prior investigation. Second, it presents a radically different approach to the question of setting standards. The new model called Objective Standard Setting was developed in the early 1990s and has been successfully practiced in a variety of settings since that time. While presented in educational forums for many years, this paper represents the first published account of its methods. Thirdly,suggestions for new considerations of validity in standard setting are addressed. There port concludes with the suggestion that however well-intentioned popular standard setting efforts may be, psychometric experts must more carefully and fully understand the models behind their practices and the validity, meaning and implications of their thought processes.
Legitimate peripheral participation and supervising Ph.D. students

This article is part of a larger scale project on some aspects of the process of academic socialization of a group of Iranian Ph.D. students studying in five UK universities, particularly focusing on the relationship between these students and their supervisors. The study included eight engineering and five social sciences/humanities students, as well as four engineering and two social sciences/humanities supervisors. The overall methodology of the study has been a constructivist version of grounded theory, which is based on a rigorous approach to working with qualitative data and a constructivist epistemology according to which the results of the study are not ‘realities out there’ but the result of the interaction between the researcher and the data. This study looks at the relationship between students and supervisors as legitimate peripheral participation. The main features of this are that novice members are given enough credibility to be considered as ‘legitimate’ members of their target communities and are given ‘less demanding’ practices to perform to learn the craft of their ‘masters’. It is argued that this concept is a productive tool to understand the nature of learning at the Ph.D. level, but it is realized differently in various fields of study. It is also argued that legitimate peripheral participation is in line with informal routes to learning, an aspect which seems to be partially ignored in recent Ph.D. training guidelines by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Soft-tissue facial characteristics of attractive and normal adolescent boys and girls.

OBJECTIVES To identify possible esthetic canons in facial size and shape of Italian adolescent boys and girls. MATERIALS AND METHODS The three-dimensional coordinates of 50 facial landmarks (forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth, jaw, ears) were collected in 231 healthy, reference adolescents (10- 17 years old) and in 93 similar age group "attractive" adolescents selected by a commercial casting organization. Soft-tissue facial angles, distances, areas, and volumes were computed. Comparisons were made with analysis of variance. RESULTS Attractive adolescents had wider, shorter, and less deep faces than reference adolescents, with a relatively larger forehead and maxilla, and a reduced mandible relative to the maxilla. Lips were larger and more prominent, and the nasolabial angle was reduced, but in older boys the effect was reversed. The prominence of the soft-tissue profile, and of the maxilla relative to the mandible, were larger in attractive boys, but smaller in attractive girls than in their reference peers. In the horizontal plane, attractive "young" adolescents had a flatter face, while the opposite pattern was observed in the "old" adolescents, with a relatively more prominent chin. Attractive adolescents had smaller noses than reference subjects of the same age and sex. CONCLUSIONS Overall, all the measurements appeared sufficiently homogenous, and the quantitative characteristics of an "attractive" face well defined. Esthetic reference values can be used to determine optimal timing and goals in orthodontic treatment.
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: Resistance to the Max

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is intrinsically resistant to a variety of antimicrobials and can develop resistance during anti-pseudomonal chemotherapy both of which compromise treatment of infections caused by this organism. Resistance to multiple classes of antimicrobials (multidrug resistance) in particular is increasingly common in P. aeruginosa, with a number of reports of pan-resistant isolates treatable with a single agent, colistin. Acquired resistance in this organism is multifactorial and attributable to chromosomal mutations and the acquisition of resistance genes via horizontal gene transfer. Mutational changes impacting resistance include upregulation of multidrug efflux systems to promote antimicrobial expulsion, derepression of ampC, AmpC alterations that expand the enzyme's substrate specificity (i.e., extended-spectrum AmpC), alterations to outer membrane permeability to limit antimicrobial entry and alterations to antimicrobial targets. Acquired mechanisms contributing to resistance in P. aeruginosa include β-lactamases, notably the extended-spectrum β-lactamases and the carbapenemases that hydrolyze most β-lactams, aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes, and 16S rRNA methylases that provide high-level pan-aminoglycoside resistance. The organism's propensity to grow in vivo as antimicrobial-tolerant biofilms and the occurrence of hypermutator strains that yield antimicrobial resistant mutants at higher frequency also compromise anti-pseudomonal chemotherapy. With limited therapeutic options and increasing resistance will the untreatable P. aeruginosa infection soon be upon us?
Definition of the Dirac sea in the presence of external fields

It is shown that the Dirac sea can be uniquely defined for the Dirac equation with general interaction, if we impose a causality condition on the Dirac sea. We derive an explicit formula for the Dirac sea in terms of a power series in the bosonic potentials. The construction is extended to systems of Dirac seas. If the system contains chiral fermions, the causality condition yields a restriction for the bosonic potentials.
High-energy photons from quark-gluon plasma versus hot hadronic gas.

Photons in the energy range of about one-half to several GeV have been proposed as a signal of the formation of a quark-gluon plasma in high-energy collisions. To lowest order the thermal emission rate is infrared divergent for massless quarks, but we regulate this divergence using the resummation technique of Braaten and Pisarski. Photons can also be produced in the hadron phase. We find that the dominant contribution comes from the reactions $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\gamma}$; the decays $\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and $\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ are also significant. Comparing the thermal emission rates at a temperature $T=200$ MeV we conclude that the hadron gas shines just as brightly as the quark-gluon plasma.
Changes in health behaviors of older adults: the San Diego Medicare Preventive Health Project.

BACKGROUND This study presents behavioral outcomes at 1-year follow-up from a preventive services intervention trial with Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS The health promotion package consisted of goal setting and counseling based on a health risk appraisal and a series of eight educational sessions. All subjects completed a health risk appraisal questionnaire immediately prior to the intervention and 1 year later; this served as the dependent measure. RESULTS Results indicated that there were significant, positive changes in intervention subjects in activity level and selected nutrition behaviors relative to control subjects. The strengths and weaknesses of a broad-based approach to intervention are discussed.
Cognitive and affective risk perceptions toward food safety outbreaks: mediating the relation between news use and food consumption intention

Much research on risk perception and health behavior has examined cognitive dimensions of risk but not affective dimensions. To address this gap, this study examines both cognitive risk perception (perceived risk of susceptibility and severity) and affective risk perception (worry) in the context of food safety risks in East Asia. We investigate their roles in independently and jointly predicting intention to consume outbreak-associated food products, as well as mediating the influences of news exposure and attention on intention. Data from a nationwide survey in South Korea (N = 1500) lent overall support for our hypotheses in both cases of processed food from China and seafood from Japan. Our findings show: (1) both perceived risk and worry were negatively associated with food consumption intention, and the association between perceived risk and intention was stronger among those higher in worry; (2) news attention had stronger associations with perceived risk and worry than news exposure, and attention moderated the relationship between news exposure and perceived risk; and (3) perceived risk and worry mediated the associations between news use and food consumption intention. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.
(How) do norms guide Presidency behaviour in EU negotiations?

This paper takes stock of the growing body of research on the European Union (EU) Presidency, a vital player in EU negotiations. The paper also suggests new avenues of research, among which we prioritize one issue cluster: we ask under what conditions and in what way (following which social logic) norms guide Presidency behaviour? Our focus is directed towards the impartiality norm as that norm most strongly influences whether, and to what extent, Presidencies act as a ‘broker’, one of the Presidency functions that has received most attention in the literature. We also suggest a number of pointers concerning methodology and operationalization of the above question for empirical research. We conclude with some brief thoughts on the implications of our proposed approach to Presidency norms for bridge-building between rationalist and sociological accounts.
Change in Self-Perceived Barriers to Employment as a Predictor of Vocational Rehabilitation Outcome

Research on the effectiveness of vocational rehabilitation for individuals with severe mental illness describes many barriers to employment, but it has not addressed 2 important questions: whether perceptions of personal barriers to employment are modified during rehabilitation, and whether reductions in perceived barriers predict better outcome. Self-reported change in barriers pertaining to mental illness (illness-related) and to general factors (common) affecting employment were examined in 56 consumers across the first 3 months of supported employment service. Reductions in illness-related barriers were associated with concurrent improvement in subjective quality of life and hopefulness. Among participants who attained employment, those reporting reductions in illness-related barriers worked nearly twice as long as those with stable barrier ratings. Reductions in common barriers predicted improvement in clinician-rated independent functioning, but they were unassociated with employment outcome. Preliminary findings suggest that perceptions of employment barriers are modified during rehabilitation and that positive modification may promote secondary change in vocational and nonvocational functioning.
Ketogenic diet improves behaviors in a maternal immune activation model of autism spectrum disorder

Prenatal factors influence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) incidence in children and can increase ASD symptoms in offspring of animal models. These may include maternal immune activation (MIA) due to viral or bacterial infection during the first trimesters. Unfortunately, regardless of ASD etiology, existing drugs are poorly effective against core symptoms. For nearly a century a ketogenic diet (KD) has been used to treat seizures, and recent insights into mechanisms of ASD and a growing recognition that immune/inflammatory conditions exacerbate ASD risk has increased interest in KD as a treatment for ASD. Here we studied the effects of KD on core ASD symptoms in offspring exposed to MIA. To produce MIA, pregnant C57Bl/6 mice were injected with the viral mimic polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid; after weaning offspring were fed KD or control diet for three weeks. Consistent with an ASD phenotype of a higher incidence in males, control diet-fed MIA male offspring were not social and exhibited high levels of repetitive self-directed behaviors; female offspring were unaffected. However, KD feeding partially or completely reversed all MIA-induced behavioral abnormalities in males; it had no effect on behavior in females. KD-induced metabolic changes of reduced blood glucose and elevated blood ketones were quantified in offspring of both sexes. Prior work from our laboratory and others demonstrate KDs improve relevant behaviors in several ASD models, and here we demonstrate clear benefits of KD in the MIA model of ASD. Together these studies suggest a broad utility for metabolic therapy in improving core ASD symptoms, and support further research to develop and apply ketogenic and/or metabolic strategies in patients with ASD.
Effect of Threatening Feedback on Expected Grade, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perceived threat on expecred course grade, self-efficacy, and motivation. The study required college students to decide whether they perceived their most recent examination grade in a statistics course to be threatening to achievement of their over-all expected course grade and, based on that assessment of threat, subsequently place themselves into one of three feedback categories (positive nonthreatening, negative nonthreatening, or negative outcome-threatening). Expected course grade, self-efficacy, and motivation (intended effort) were assessed before the examination and after feedback had been delivered. Ratings of expected course grade, self-efficacy, and motivation significantly changed from pre- to posttest for subjects who perceived that their goals were threatened.
Torsional-Vibration Assessment and Gear-Fault Diagnosis in Railway Traction System

The diagnosis of mechanical faults in railway traction systems (RTSs) has a significant importance on both safety and reliability, which can avoid train crashes. This paper deals with torsional-vibration assessment and gear-fault diagnosis in the mechanical transmission of a high-speed RTS by a fully noninvasive technique. Previous studies on a simple gearbox-based electromechanical system have shown that the influence of gearbox torsional vibrations on the torque and on the stator-current signatures are obvious. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the traction motor can be considered as a torque sensor through its electromagnetic-torque estimation for torsional-vibration monitoring without any extra mechanical sensor. The effects of both tooth-damage and surface-wear faults at the output wheel on the stator current and on the estimated electromagnetic torque have been investigated. The results of the estimation are compared with the measured mechanical torque and validated through a reduced-scale RTS in both stationary and nonstationary conditions.
A New Estimate of the AverageEarth Surface Land TemperatureSpanning 1753 to 2011

A New Estimate of the Average Earth Surface Land Temperature Spanning 1753 to 2011 We report an estimate of the Earth’s average land surface temperature for the period 1753 to 2011. To address issues of potential station selection bias, we used larger sampling of stations than having prior studies. For the period post 1880, our estimate is similar to those previously reported by other groups, although we report smaller error uncertainties. The land temperature rise from the 1950s decade to the 2000s decade is 0.90 ± 0.05°C (95% confidence).
Health Science Curriculum Reform: A framework for evaluation

This paper presents a framework for evaluating curriculum changes undertaken in the University of Sydney's Faculty of Health Sciences. In a climate of shrinking resources for higher education in Australia and an international move away from 'mono-disciplinary' educational practices, the Faculty of Health Sciences has undertaken curriculum reform to decrease the staff time associated with preparing and delivering many versions of similar units of study and increase the opportunities for disciplinary mingling at an undergraduate level. Twenty-nine cross-disciplinary units of study in which students from a range of disciplines will work together have been introduced to replace 100 units of study unique to individual disciplines. It is expected that the curriculum changes will create savings in terms of staff time that can be diverted to other activities, such as research, reduce the workload demands of assessment on staff and students and improve students' learning experiences, particularly with regard to working in teams, multidisciplinary teaching and learning environments and overall course satisfaction. The paper presents a framework of cost-consequence analysis for evaluating the curriculum changes and presents some preliminary comparative data.
Monitoring of cognitive processes in older persons

Evaluation of cognitive function is an important tool in clinical care. A novel method of cognitive monitoring is proposed, whereby subjects complete three sessions of the popular past-time Sudoku while EEG is recorded. Data epochs surrounding a correct solution are extracted and compared to a resting condition. Mean EEG amplitude in the alpha and theta bands are examined by means of the temporal spectral evolution method, and significant results include a desynchronization of alpha amplitude coinciding with an increase in theta amplitude prior to a correct solution in healthy adults. These results indicate that Sudoku may function as a light-touch, non-invasive and enjoyable means of monitoring for deteriorations in cognitive status.
Social network online communities: information sources for apparel shopping

Purpose – This study aims to understand how social network online communities affect information seeking behavior and decision making for apparel shopping.Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study was conducted using a developed research model that hypothesized the effects of selected variables on information seeking behavior at social network online communities. The analyzed data were 186 samples collected from female college students who had more than three months of experience at a social network online community.Findings – The results confirmed the positive relationship between commitment to a social network online community and information seeking behavior at the community. This relationship was expected to be moderated by individuals' sensitivity to group conformity. A visual inspection of the plot suggested a meaningful implication, but no significant statistical results were identified in a following test. Results also found commitment will be developed when the individuals are psychologica.
Microbial Leakage at Morse Taper Conometric Prosthetic Connection: An In Vitro Investigation

Objective: To evaluate in vitro the sealing capability at the prosthetic connection interface of 2 conometric systems. Materials and Methods: Two conometric systems with the same design and different material were used, for a total of 24 samples. Each sample was assembled by a tapered abutment and respective coping. In group A, the copings were made of gold, whereas in group B they were made of PEEK. Three &mgr;L of mix bacterial suspension (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Fusobacterium nucleatum species) was inoculated into the abutment screw hole, and the coping was inserted on the abutment. Samples were immersed into culture tubes and incubated for 24, 48, and 72 hours into anaerobic conditions. Visual evaluation of turbidity was performed at each time point. Qualitative-quantitative assessment using real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed at 72 hours. Any difference between the groups was checked by means of Fisher exact test. Results: Microbial leakage occurred in both groups, and there was no statistically significant difference between groups. Microbial concentration resulted in a presence inferior to 1 × 102 copies/&mgr;L in all positive assemblies. Conclusions: Because of the low bacterial count, it can be concluded that a minimal bacterial infiltration may be allowed by conometric interfaces for prosthetic connection.
The role of neuropeptides in psoriasis

The pathogenesis of psoriasis is incompletely understood but cutaneous neurogenic inflammation is probably involved. This involvement is suggested by a number of clinical and histological observations. Reports about the distribution of cutaneous nerves and the quantification of nerve growth factor and neuropeptides, including calcitonin gene‐related peptide and vasoactive intestinal peptide, in lesional and nonlesional psoriatic skin suggest that sensory neuropeptides contribute to the development of psoriasis. This review summarizes what is known about the role of neurogenic markers in psoriasis.
Identification of growth factor conditions that reduce ex vivo cord blood progenitor expansion but do not alter human repopulating cell function in vivo.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Ex vivo expansion of primitive hematopoietic cells for transplantation is an important step to realizing the optimal clinical potential of human cord blood (CB). We aimed to characterize minimal growth factor (GF) conditions that allow ex vivo expansion of primitive cells, including candidate hematopoietic stem cells. DESIGN AND METHODS Here, we directly investigated the effect of thrombopoietin (TPO) on progenitors and repopulating cells using serum-free culture of CB Lin-CD34+CD38- cells in two different minimal GF conditions: stem cell factor (SCF)+FLT-3-L (termed S/F) and SCF+FLT-3-L+TPO (termed S/F/T). RESULTS While S/F media supported only low levels of total cell and CFU (colony-forming unit) expansion, the addition of TPO (S/F/T) partially restored cell proliferation, and completely restored CFU expansion to levels observed using full GF conditions (SCF+FLT-3-L+interleukin (IL)-3 (IL-3)+ IL-6+ granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Intravenous transplantation of either S/F- or S/F/T-expanded cells into NOD/SCID mice resulted in similar frequencies and levels of multilineage reconstitution. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS The use of minimal cytokine stimulation and simultaneous assessment of CFU and SRC indicate that hematopoietic progenitors and in vivo-detected repopulating cells are differentially responsive to TPO; CFU expand in response to TPO but SRC do not. In addition, our study suggests that TPO can functionally replace IL-3+IL-6+G-CSF for CFU expansion of ex vivo cultured CB Lin-CD34+CD38- hematopoietic stem cells.