Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sexual orientation and the desires and intentions to become parents

Abstract This is the first study in Italy to evaluate parenting desires and intentions, the value of parenthood and individual perception of competence as a parent in an Italian sample of lesbian women (N = 201), gay men (N = 199) and heterosexual participants (female = 314 and male = 216) 18–35 years of age. Childless lesbian and gay individuals were less likely than their heterosexual peers to report parenting desires and intentions. Data suggested that lesbians and gay male participants reported a lower level of enrichment and less confidence in receiving social support as parents than their heterosexual counterparts. Regression analysis indicated that sexual orientation is the best predictor of desires and intentions for women and men participants. Our findings suggest that, while some Italian lesbian and gay people want to become parents, their intentions probably founder due to the difficulty to access to adoption, donor insemination or surrogate maternity.
The Effects of Dual-Task Processing on Consumers' Responses to High- and Low-Imagery Radio Advertisements

This study was designed to investigate the effects of dual-task processing on consumers' responses to high-versus low-imagery radio advertisements. In a repeated-measures experimental design, participants listened to six high- and six low-imagery radio spots while simultaneously performing a visual-processing task (viewing a series of pictures unrelated to the ads or viewing a blank/black screen). Consistent with theoretical expectations, the high-imagery radio advertisements performed better than the low-imagery ads on measures of advertising involvement, attitude toward the ad, brand attitude, and purchase intention. The study found that high-imagery radio ads are universally superior, but suffer more when there is competition for cognitive resources. When a visual-processing task (viewing pictures) was introduced, consumers' responses became generally less favorable. The pattern of responses, however, varied across ad types and processing conditions. In particular, the detrimental effect of introducing a picture-viewing task was more pronounced for high-imagery ads than for low-imagery ads, as well as on measures of ad-related response (advertising involvement and attitude toward the ad). No such moderating effect was observed for brand-related responses (brand attitude and purchase intention). Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.
Stilt Root Structure in the Neotropical Palms Iriartea deltoidea and Socratea exorrhiza 1

Many arborescent palms develop a stilt root cone that provides increased mechanical support on steep hillsides, better root aeration under waterlogged conditions, resprouting after mechanical damage, and rapid stem elongation. However, for most species the role of stilt roots is not well understood. We determined how palm size and slope inclination affected the structure of stilt roots in the neotropical palms Iriartea deltoidea and Socratea exorrhiza. We expected palm height to be lower on steep slopes because the effectiveness of root support could decrease as slope inclination increases, and thus, the structure of the root cone would vary mostly with slope. Alternatively, if stilt root development is determined by palm size, their production should match stem height, with taller palms having larger cones. We measured the stilt root cone of 31 Iriartea and 36 Socratea palms in San Ramón Biological Reserve and Golfito Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica. We divided the cone into five variables (horizontal projections of the cone base and stilt root height up and down the slope, and width of the cone base), from which we extracted the first two principal components and used them to measure the effects of slope and palm size on stilt root structure. We found stilt roots to be determined by palm size, not by slope conditions. Stilt roots matched palm size, with larger palms having taller and larger cones, maintaining stability under diverse slope conditions.
Foreign-body granulomas in the trunk and extremities may simulate malignant soft-tissue tumors: report of three cases

Three cases of foreign-body granulomas arising from soft tissues of the extremities or trunk are reported. All patients had a history of having undergone surgery 19 to 35 years ago. It was difficult to distinguish these granulomas from malignant soft-tissue tumors preoperatively by magnetic resonance (MR) images, as the tumors were over 10 cm in diameter and degenerated foreign bodies could not be detected on MR images. Finally, a histological diagnosis of foreign-body granuloma was made by preoperative or intraoperative biopsy in all cases. A palpable tumor adjacent to a previous surgery scar is therefore a warning that it might represent a granuloma, in spite of various image findings.
Cultural Patterns of Metacognitive Guidance in Australian Homes

Abstract This article provides insight into the cultural patterns of metacognitive guidance that occurs among children and mothers in selected Australian homes. Fourteen Anglo Australian and eight immigrant Indian (Telugu) mothers' inter-actions with their 4-year-old male and female children on a puzzle-solving task were videotaped. Mother-child dyads' interactions were analyzed with respect to metacognitive guidance. The results indicated variations in Anglo Australian and immigrant Indian (Telugu) mothers' metacognitive guidance, rooted in, respectively, cultural frames of independence (Australian) and interdependence (Indian). The results support the notion of cultural specificity in metacognitive guidance. Implications for early childhood practice are provided.
Traversing the empty promise: management, subjectivity and the Other's desire

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the notion of desire in relation to subjectivity at work by drawing on the work of Jacques Lacan. It aims particularly to consider the possible ways in which desire is evoked and channeled in managerial practices that are aimed at managing the self.Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides an illustration of this by a reading of how developmental HRM practices attempt to elicit and channel subjects' desire.Findings – Particular images promulgated by these practices appeal to the subject in such a way, that it becomes caught in a relationship of fascination with them. These practices thereby attempt to create identification with a fantasmatic image of the self, and in so doing, to shape subjectivity in line with managerial objectives. It is also argued that a different modality of relating to desire can provide a way of avoiding the most detrimental effects associated with these practices, and I indicate possible ways in which this different modality or “travers.
Vitrectomy with short term postoperative tamponade using perfluorocarbon liquid for giant retinal tears

Aim: To determine the efficacy and safety of perfluorocarbon liquid as a short term postoperative tamponade in patients with retinal detachment from giant retinal tears. Method: A retrospective consecutive case series of patients with retinal detachment from giant retinal tears who underwent vitrectomy using perfluorocarbon liquid as a short term postoperative internal tamponade. The perfluorocarbon liquid was removed 5–14 days (mean 7.5 days) later and replaced by gas or silicone oil. Scleral buckling was performed in some cases with proliferative vitreoretinopathy. The crystalline lens was removed if there was interference with the surgical view or if it was subluxated. The success rate of retinal reattachment, visual outcome, and postoperative complications were assessed. Results: A total of 62 eyes of 61 patients with a follow up of 8–69 months (mean 24.5 months) were included. All retinas were attached intraoperatively. 14 eyes (22.6%) developed re-detachment and additional operations were performed in 13 eyes. At final visit, 58 eyes (93.5%) had retinas that remained attached with visual acuity 6/12 or better in 27 eyes (46.5%). The visual acuity improved in 34 eyes (54.8%) with 28 eyes (45.2%) improving at least two Snellen lines, it was unchanged in 20 eyes (32.3%), and was worse in eight eyes (12.9%). Three patients developed glaucoma that was controlled medically. There was no retained perfluorocarbon liquid in any eyes. Conclusion: Perfluorocarbon liquid appears safe and effective to use as a short term postoperative tamponade in management of retinal detachment from giant retinal tears.
Storytelling as a Bridge to Literacy: An Examination of Personal Storytelling among Black Middle-Class Mothers and Children.

The present article is concerned with the language socialization practices of Black middle-class children and their families. In describing some preliminary results from research in progress its purpose is two-fold: (1) to determine whether stories of personal experience occur as part of the everyday lives of Black middle-class children, and (2) to show some of the ways stories of personal experience function to affirm these children's literate identities. The present study thus investigates personal storytelling as a conduit through which values, beliefs, and identity are transmitted to middle-class Black children. It is a part of a larger ethnographic investigation of personal storytelling in five communities: Black middleclass, White middle-class, Black working-class, and White-working class in Chicago; and Chinese middle-class in Taiwan (Miller et al., in press). Children in each of the five cultural groups were observed in their homes by a researcher who was racially and culturally similar. The overall goal of the larger study is to "develop a comparative programmatic for studying the ways in which narratives of personal experience function in the socialization and acquisition processes" (Miller & Moore, 1989), with a special focus on personal storytelling as a site of self-construction. This article will present in a preliminary fashioning some of the ways in which stories of personal experience function to affirm the value of schooling and literacy and to create a literate identity in Black middleclass children. Focussing on the personal storytelling practices of the children and their families, it will address the following questions: (1) Do stories of personal experience occur as part of the everyday home life of Black middle-class children? (2) If they occur, are they a major means of communication? (3) Do the children tell literacy stories of personal experience, i.e., stories about their literacy-related experiences in school or church?
Perspectives on learning symbolic data with connectionistic systems

This paper deals with the connection of symbolic and subsymbolic systems. It focuses on connectionistic systems processing symbolic data. We examine the capability of learning symbolic data with various neural architectures which constitute partially dynamic approaches: discrete time partially recurrent neural networks as a simple and well established model for processing sequences, and advanced generalizations like holographic reduced representation, recursive autoassociative memory, and folding networks for processing tree structured data. The methods share the basic dynamics, but they differ in the specific training methods. We consider the following questions: Which are the representational capabilities of the architectures from an algorithmic point of view? Which are the representational capabilities from a statistical point of view? Are the architectures learnable in an appropriate sense? Are they efficiently learnable?
A toolbox for dynamic inversion based control systems design

In this paper we present a Matlab-based toolbox for the synthesis of control systems based on dynamic inversion for scalar linear systems. The toolbox is based on a devised stable input-output dynamic inversion technique which is applied to a family of parametrized polynomial output functions. The obtained closed-form expression of the parametrized command input signal can be adopted in the design of high-performance control systems in different fields such as robust control, constrained regulation, motion control, process control. Examples illustrate the use of the toolbox.
Understanding the impact of procedural justice, job characteristics, and resources on emotional exhaustion and its marketing-related implications

This paper explores the link between emotional exhaustion (EE) and procedural justice (PJ) of the performance appraisal (PA) system. In particular, PJ refers to the satisfaction with the PA system. Employees who perceive inequity in the PA processes and outcomes may be prone to EE, reflecting a lack of energy and a feeling that their emotional resources are used up. A strong negative relationship between PJ and EE is found in a sample of 224 frontline employees in the hotel industry, where understanding and justifying the appraisal process become the key driver of EE along with resource inadequacy among the job characteristics and role stressors studied. The findings have internal marketing implications in a hospitality industry context.
Using Subpopulation Invariance to Assess Test Score Equity

Score equity assessment (SEA) is introduced, and placed within a fair assessment context that includes differential prediction or fair selection and differential item functioning. The notion of subpopulation invariance of linking functions is central to the assessment of score equity, just as it has been for differential item functioning and differential prediction. Advanced Placement (AP) data are used for illustrative purposes. The use of multiple-choice and constructed response items in AP provides an opportunity to observe a case where subpopulation invariance of linking functions does not hold (U.S. History), and a case in which it does hold (Calculus AB). The lack of invariance for U.S. History might be attributed to several sources. The role of SEA in assessing the fairness of test assembly processes is discussed.
What Serving Adult Learners Can Teach Us: The Entrepreneurial Response

n 2000, I was fortunate enough to be a Management and Leadership in Ed ucation fellow in Harvard University's Institute for Higher Education, offered each summer to college administrators. During the two week session, we were introduced to a large and stimulating m y of read ings and speakers, howev er, there was a special level of energy and engagement on the morning that Laura Palmer Noone, then provost of the University of Phoenix (UOP), was the guest speaker. (She is now UOP's president). Although my classmates didn't attack her outright during her presentation, they were certainly ready to challenge
Pathways into the labour market for Norwegians with mobility disabilities

This article explores pathways into working life for Norwegians with mobility disabilities through a life span approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from 15 employed individuals with mobility disabilities to gain an insight into their interpretation of events and conditions over the course of their life as either obstacles or facilitators for entrance into employment. We identified three categories of narratives: the ‘straightforward’, the ‘supported’ and the ‘barrier-prone’ path narratives. Higher education appears to be the main facilitator to a smooth transition into employment while certain aspects of welfare service provision are the main impediments. The analysis also demonstrated that barriers to employment do not pertain to isolated events but rather are obstacles that the interviewees experience recurrently over time.
Induction of angiogenesis in the &bgr;-amyloid peptide-injected rat hippocampus

Angiogenesis, the formation of new capillary blood vessels, has been studied following the stereotaxic injection of &bgr;-amyloid peptide (A&bgr;1-42) into rat hippocampus. Immunohistochemical analysis for laminin showed that neovascularization was only slightly increased, relative to control, in the hippocampus 1 day post-A&bgr;1-42 injection. However, 7 days following peptide injection neovascularization was markedly up-regulated (by 2.2-fold) compared to control. Immunoreactivity for the angiogenic stimulatory agent vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was also significantly increased in the hippocampus 7 days after A&bgr;1-42 injection. Double immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that the increased level of VEGF immunoreactivity was localized to both astrocytes and microglia, suggesting inflammatory responses contributed to angiogenesis. The findings of &bgr;-amyloid stimulated angiogenesis and the involvement of peptide-induced inflammatory processes may have relevance to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease.
Analysis of sea spikes in NetRad clutter

In this work our attention is focused on the statistical and spectral analysis of sea clutter spikes recorded by the netted radar system, NetRad, which works in both monostatic and bistatic configurations. Once separated the spikes from the background, we examine their properties, focusing on the spike width and on the interval which separates two consecutive spikes. The spectral properties of the sea spikes are also examined and compared with the background.
Environmental Models, Cultural Values, and Emotions: Implications for Marine Resource Use in Tonga

The theory of common pool resources predicts the depletion of resources in cases where access to them is open while institutional regulations and awareness of ecological limits are lacking. However, the case of fishing in Ha'apai, Tonga, shows that more detailed knowledge about ecological models and cognitive processes are necessary for an analysis of resource use. Access to Tongan fishing grounds is open and a local 'providing' model suggests infinitely available marine species. Stabilising mechanisms can only be identified in this situation when the cognitive and social context, and particularly the sharing principle, are taken into account. Tongan values emphasising concern and cooperation, linking the providing model and the sharing principle contribute to a reduction of harvesting efforts and thus, indirectly, to an adoption of sustainable strategies.
Evolutionary insights into the unique electromotility motor of mammalian outer hair cells

SUMMARY Prestin (SLC26A5) is the molecular motor responsible for cochlear amplification by mammalian cochlea outer hair cells and has the unique combined properties of energy‐independent motility, voltage sensitivity, and speed of cellular shape change. The ion transporter capability, typical of SLC26A members, was exchanged for electromotility function and is a newly derived feature of the therian cochlea. A putative minimal essential motif for the electromotility motor (meEM) was identified through the amalgamation of comparative genomic, evolution, and structural diversification approaches. Comparisons were done among nonmammalian vertebrates, eutherian mammalian species, and the opossum and platypus. The opossum and platypus SLC26A5 proteins were comparable to the eutherian consensus sequence. Suggested from the point‐accepted mutation analysis, the meEM motif spans all the transmembrane segments and represented residues 66–503. Within the eutherian clade, the meEM was highly conserved with a substitution frequency of only 39/7497 (0.5%) residues, compared with 5.7% in SLC26A4 and 12.8% in SLC26A6 genes. Clade‐specific substitutions were not observed and there was no sequence correlation with low or high hearing frequency specialists. We were able to identify that within the highly conserved meEM motif two regions, which are unique to all therian species, appear to be the most derived features in the SLC26A5 peptide.
Physiological Reactivity to Graded Levels of Cognitive Workload across Three Age Groups: An On-Road Evaluation

This study examined the sensitivity of two physiological measures to the demand of structured cognitive tasks representing low, moderate and relatively high levels of secondary cognitive workload during actual highway driving. In a sample of 108 relatively healthy drivers, balanced by gender, and drawn from three age groups (20–29, 40–49, and 60–69), both heart rate and skin conductance were found to increase in a statistically significant and relatively linear fashion across 4 levels of workload. Issues associated with the study of sensitivity, task engagement and age are considered.
Births, deaths, sex and marriage… but very few presents? A case study of social support in cyberspace

This paper examines the functioning of a Usenet newsgroup designed to provide social support for people suffering from depression. Using a commonly used taxonomy of different sorts of social support - social companionship, informational support, esteem support and instrumental support - the paper examines a random sample of ‘postings' made to the group. Detailed illustrative examples of different types of ‘posting’ are provided and an analytic commentary on the data is offered. Many of the features of computer-mediated interaction which have been noted in previous research are also found in this case study - the playfulness, sexual banter and humour of many of the posts supports the findings of previous research. We also found that the messages exchanged were predominantly supportive; indeed, 45 of the 61 threads in the sample could be coded as such. However, of these very few offered instrumental support.
Load Monitoring Using Distributed Voltage Sensors and Current Estimation Algorithms

A major feature of the smart grid is its diverse load management opportunities for customers, which calls for innovative techniques for load monitoring. This paper presents a method to monitor loads in commercial and small industrial facilities using a set of distributed voltage sensors and current estimation algorithms. The technique is especially suited for facilities where it is difficult to measure loads directly but the load voltages can be sensed. A state-estimation-like current estimation algorithm is proposed to estimate the load currents using the voltages sensed at the terminals of the loads. Currents and powers collected from a limited number of panels are also utilized to provide redundancy for the estimation. Case studies have shown that the proposed method represents a promising alternative measurement strategy for load monitoring.
Can Young Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes) Imitate Arbitrary Actions? Hayes & Hayes (1952) Revisited

Contrary to recent scepticism, systematic use of an experimental approach suggested by HAYES & HAYES (1952) shows that chimpanzees can imitate novel actions. Two chimpanzees imitated 13 and 17 novel arbitrary gestures, respectively. They were first taught to reproduce 15 gestures on the command, "Do this! ", and then presented with 48 novel items. Using a rigourous coding system, two independent observers correctly identified a significant number of the chimpanzees' imitations (p < 0.0001). We conclude that after a period of tuition chimpanzees can go on to imitate arbitrary actions, providing evidence of a basic cognitive capacity for perspective-taking and cross-modal matching.