Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Products as Social Stimuli: A Symbolic Interactionism Perspective

Most empirical work on product symbolism has paid relatively little attention to how products are used by consumers in everyday social life. This paper argues that the subjective experience imparted by the consumption of many products substantially contributes to the consumer's structuring of social reality, self-concept, and behavior. Moreover, the consumer often relies upon the social meanings inherent in products as a guide to the performance of social roles, especially when role demands are novel. While marketing theory traditionally views products as post hoc responses to underlying needs, the focus here is on conditions under which products serve as a priori stimuli to behavior. By integrating concepts adapted from symbolic interactionism, this approach stresses the importance of product symbolism as a mediator of self-definition and role performance.
The Role of Constraints in Hebbian Learning

Models of unsupervised, correlation-based (Hebbian) synaptic plasticity are typically unstable: either all synapses grow until each reaches the maximum allowed strength, or all synapses decay to zero strength. A common method of avoiding these outcomes is to use a constraint that conserves or limits the total synaptic strength over a cell. We study the dynamic effects of such constraints. Two methods of enforcing a constraint are distinguished, multiplicative and subtractive. For otherwise linear learning rules, multiplicative enforcement of a constraint results in dynamics that converge to the principal eigenvector of the operator determining unconstrained synaptic development. Subtractive enforcement, in contrast, typically leads to a final state in which almost all synaptic strengths reach either the maximum or minimum allowed value. This final state is often dominated by weight configurations other than the principal eigenvector of the unconstrained operator. Multiplicative enforcement yields a graded receptive field in which most mutually correlated inputs are represented, whereas subtractive enforcement yields a receptive field that is sharpened to a subset of maximally correlated inputs. If two equivalent input populations (e.g., two eyes) innervate a common target, multiplicative enforcement prevents their segregation (ocular dominance segregation) when the two populations are weakly correlated; whereas subtractive enforcement allows segregation under these circumstances. These results may be used to understand constraints both over output cells and over input cells. A variety of rules that can implement constrained dynamics are discussed.
Theorising human resource management in Africa: Beyond cultural relativism

This paper provides a critical review of the emerging literature on African management, which is dominated by cultural relativism. In particular, the weaknesses and limitations of the assumptions and arguments of this view are extensively examined. One of the key issues relate to the homogeneous conceptualization of “national” and African culture, which is inappropriate given the cultural diversities and complexities that characterize the continent. Second, the generalizations that often characterize the literature do not acknowledge the varieties of business types and organizations that exist, an apparent lack of attention to context and firm-specificity. Furthermore, cultural relativism often overestimates the stability and long-term resilience of cultural values. Due to these fundamental weaknesses of the culturalist conceptual approach, this paper argues that there is a need for richer and fuller theoretical approaches that emphasize the market and institutional embeddedness of organizations.
Support Network Responses to Acquired Brain Injury.

Acquired brain injury (ABI) affects social relationships; however, the ways social and support networks change and evolve as a result of brain injury is not well understood. This study explored ways in which survivors of ABI and members of their support networks perceive relationship changes as recovery extends into the long-term stage. Two survivors of ABI and members of their respective support networks participated in this case study integrating information from interviews, field notes, and artifacts. Inductive data analysis revealed themes of adjustment to impairments and compensations, connection changes with other people, feelings of protectiveness toward the survivor, emotional intensity, and the influence of personality traits on the recovery process. Application of these themes to intervention suggests health care professionals might benefit from shifting their focus from the survivor alone to the survivor functioning within a social support network. Key Words: Acquired Brain Injury, Social Support Networks, and Relationships Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a general term describing damage to the brain that happens after birth and does not relate to congenital disorder, developmental disability, or a progressive disease (Toronto Acquired Brain Injury Network, n.d.). Psychosocial adjustment is one of several long-term issues confronting survivors of ABI. Because psychosocial adjustment following ABI is a slow and multifaceted process, and because progress toward achieving adjustment goals is difficult to measure and document, rehabilitation professionals may choose to target psychosocial goals less frequently than goals addressing functional limitations relating to everyday activities. Regardless of this reluctance—or perhaps because of it—psychosocial struggles often emerge as substantial contributors to long-term challenges experienced by survivors attempting community reintegration (Khan, Baguley, & Cameron, 2003; Miller, Burnett, & McElliott, 2003; Ownsworth & Fleming, 2005). Hence, attention to psychosocial issues is an important element of long-term ABI rehabilitation. Psychosocial struggles relate directly to roles survivors play in social and support networks. Before injury, survivors participate as members of social networks comprised of relatives, friends, and community members. All individuals within such networks function within established, yet fluctuating interpersonal roles (e.g., confidant, bill payer, disciplinarian) and relationships (e.g., father, banker, coach). These roles and relationships allow for expression of unique characteristics, strengths, and challenges held by network members, as well as forming the basis for long-term maintenance of the network.
Drawing upon Representations: An Empirical Study of the Depiction of the Human Face

Two findings reported in the face perception literature—the 3/4-view advantage and the functional independence of expression and identity—were investigated for the depiction of a face by artists. Six undergraduate art students drew a female face with three different expressions and from three different viewpoints. Analysis of the accuracy of depiction of the drawings by 50 independent raters revealed that both 3/4 left and 3/4 right views led to better representations of both identity and expression. However, an interaction between the artists focus of depiction (focusing on expression or identity) and accuracy of depiction suggested that an artist's route to representing expression is via identity. These findings question the notion of a clear distinction between expression and identity perception and are discussed in terms of the inhibition of higher order facial representations by artists and the maintenance of unfamiliarity.
Effects of Learning About Historical Gender Discrimination on Early Adolescents’ Occupational Judgments and Aspirations

To examine the consequences of learning about gender discrimination, early adolescents (n = 121, aged 10-14) were randomly assigned to receive either (a) standard biographical lessons about historical figures (standard condition) or (b) nearly identical lessons that included information about gender discrimination (discrimination condition). Additional students (n = 46) did not receive lessons (control condition). At immediate posttest, students in the discrimination condition showed increased awareness of gender discrimination, and girls (but not boys) reported an increased desire to combat gender discrimination. At 6-month posttest, students in the discrimination condition were more likely than those in the control condition to perceive gender discrimination. Adolescents’ occupational goals and beliefs about their own vulnerability to discrimination did not differ across conditions.
Salicylate for the treatment of Kawasaki disease in children.

BACKGROUND Kawasaki disease is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. The coronary arteries supplying the heart can be damaged in Kawasaki disease. The principal advantage of timely diagnosis is the potential to prevent this complication with early treatment. Salicylate (acetyl salicylate acid (ASA), aspirin) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) are widely used for this purpose. Salicylate is largely otherwise avoided in children because of concerns about serious side effects, particularly the risk of Reyes syndrome. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of salicylate in treating and preventing cardiac consequences of Kawasaki disease in children. SEARCH STRATEGY The Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Disease Group searched their trials register (last searched July 2006) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (last searched Issue 3, 2006). We searched MEDLINE (January 1966 to July 2006), EMBASE (January 1980 to July 2006), and CINAHL (1982 to July 2006), and reference list of articles. In addition we contacted experts in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of salicylate to treat Kawasaki disease in children were eligible for inclusion. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Study authors were contacted for additional information. MAIN RESULTS We found one trial involving 102 children which was described as randomised, but it was not possible to confirm the method of treatment allocation. A second comparative study, possibly with a randomised treatment allocation, was also identified. The one randomised trial reported no association between the addition of ASA to IVIG treatment on the rate of coronary artery abnormalities at follow up, but with wide confidence limits. The second, possibly randomised trial did demonstrate a reduction in duration of fever with high dose ASA compared to low dose ASA, but was insufficiently powered to establish the effect on coronary artery abnormalities at follow up. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Until good quality RCTs are carried out, there is insufficient evidence to indicate whether children with Kawasaki disease should continue to receive salicylate as part of their treatment regimen.
A multivariate model for the prediction of relapse after outpatient treatment of decompensated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PURPOSE To develop and validate a multivariate model for predicting relapses after treatment of decompensated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in an emergency department. METHODS A 5-year survey was conducted, including training and validation periods. Stepwise logistic regression was used to develop a multivariate predictive model using clinical data obtained at the time of each visit. A relapse was defined as an unscheduled return to the emergency department within 48 hours. SITE: The study was conducted in the emergency department of the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Veterans Affairs Medical Center. SUBJECTS The subjects were 289 patients with documented chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS During the first 3 years, there were 705 visits in which the patient was treated and released from the emergency department. Relapse occurred 82 times (11.6%). Logistic regression showed that the following variables had an effect on the risk of relapse: the relapse rate for previous visits, a previous visit within 7 days, long-term home oxygen therapy, the number of doses of nebulized bronchodilators, the administration of aminophylline, and the use of antibiotics and prednisone at the time of discharge from the emergency department. During the next 2 years, the 48-hour relapse rate was 9.9% (47 of 476 discharges). When the model was fitted to these data, all of the original variables contributed to the prediction of relapse except antibiotic use and long-term home oxygen therapy. The logistic model was used to categorize each visit during the validation phase. The relapse rate for "high-risk" visits was significantly higher than that for "low-risk" visits (18.4% vs 6.1%). The method identified 57.4% of visits that ended in relapse at 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS A multivariate model can be used to identify patients with a poor prognosis after the outpatient treatment of decompensated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Commenting on Written Arguments as a Part of Argumentation Skills — comparison between students engaged in traditional vs on‐line study

ABSTRACT The use of computer‐mediated communication (CMC) has increased in the area of education. This article reports a study whose aim was to improve the argumentation and scientific thinking skills of university students through argumentative on‐line studying. The research problems dealt on the one hand with learning outcomes in terms of subject content and on the other hand with argumentation skills. The results were compared between on‐line students and students who studied in a traditional way. The results indicated that the traditional group got better learning outcomes than the on‐line students who, by contrast, succeeded better in the tasks of argumentation skills. The findings suggest that the argumentative on‐line studying method would be suitable when trying to improve argumentation skills.
Moody melodies: Do they cheer us up? A study of the effect of sad music on mood

Despite the paradox inherent in the idea that sad music could make people happier, research indicates that an improved mood is amongst the primary motivations that people give for listening to sad music. However, it is not clear whether listeners are always able to achieve such aims. This article reports a study in which 335 participants listened to a piece of self-selected sad music. Before and after-measures of mood were taken, and participants also completed psychometric scales of rumination, absorption and reflectiveness. It was found that both ruminators and non-ruminators had significant increases in depression after listening to self-selected sad music. Furthermore, ruminators did not systematically report that they expected to benefit from listening to sad music, contrary to the literature. Results support the hypothesis that listening to sad music is related to maladaptive mood regulation strategies in some listeners.
Employee engagement: an examination of antecedent and outcome variables

This correlational study (n = 283) examined the links between job fit, affective commitment, psychological climate, and employee engagement, and the dependent variables, discretionary effort, and intention to turnover. An Internet-based survey battery of six scales was administered to a heterogeneous sampling of organizations from service, technology, healthcare, retail, banking, nonprofit, and hospitality fields. Hypotheses were tested through correlational and hierarchical regression analytic procedures. Job fit, affective commitment, and psychological climate were all significantly related to employee engagement, while employee engagement was significantly related to both discretionary effort and intention to turnover. For the discretionary effort model, the hierarchical regression analysis results suggested that the employees who reported experiencing a positive psychological climate were more likely to report higher levels of discretionary effort. As for the intention to turnover model, the hierarchical regression analysis results revealed that affective commitment and employee engagement predicted lower levels of employees' intention to turnover. The combination of predictors demonstrated strong effects in that the independent variables in each model predicted at least 38.0% of the variance in the dependent variable. Implications for human resource development research and practice are highlighted as possible strategic leverage points for creating conditions that facilitate the development of employee engagement as a means for improving organizational performance.
Effects of age and domestic commitment on the sleep and alertness of female shiftworkers

Abstract In this study, the combined effects of age and domestic commitment on sleep duration, sleep difficulties and alertness in a sample of female shiftworkers were studied. A total of 572 nurses working in general hospitals in England completed a questionnaire. Two main shift systems were worked by the nurses: permanent nights or rotating shifts. Initial analysis revealed significant differences between these two groups of nurses, resulting in separate analysis of each group. Regression analysis showed that although older nurses had shorter sleep duration they did not report more sleep difficulties, in addition, their overall on-shift alertness was higher compared to younger nurses. Domestic commitment, defined as the number of dependants in the household and the level of perceived work-home conflict, not only reduced sleep duration, but also resulted in more sleep difficulties and lower on-shift alertness for most of the shifts. Two implications with regards to the relationship between age and sleep .
Microglia and the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor/uPA system in innate brain inflammation

The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor (uPAR) is a GPI‐linked cell surface protein that facilitates focused plasmin proteolytic activity at the cell surface. uPAR has been detected in macrophages infiltrating the central nervous system (CNS) and soluble uPAR has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid during a number of CNS pathologies. However, its expression by resident microglial cells in vivo remains uncertain. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the murine CNS expression of uPAR and uPA as well as that of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI‐1) during insults generating distinct and well‐characterized inflammatory responses; acute intracerebral lipopolysaccharide (LPS), acute kainate‐induced neurodegeneration, and chronic neurodegeneration induced by prion disease inoculation. All three insults induced marked expression of uPAR at both mRNA and protein level compared to controls (naïve, saline, or control inoculum‐injected). uPAR expression was microglial in all cases. Conversely, uPA transcription and activity was only markedly increased during chronic neurodegeneration. Dissociation of uPA and uPAR levels in acute challenges is suggestive of additional proteolysis‐independent roles for uPAR. PAI‐1 was most highly expressed upon LPS challenge, whereas tissue plasminogen activator mRNA was constitutively present and less responsive to all insults studied. These data are novel and suggest much wider involvement of the uPAR/uPA system in CNS function and pathology than previously supposed. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Examination of the Role of Attitudinal Characteristics and Motivation on the Cheating Behavior of Business Students

This study examines cheating behaviors among 422 business students at two public Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited business schools. Specifically, we examined the simultaneous influence of attitudinal characteristics and motivational factors on (a) reported prior cheating behavior, (b) the tendency to neutralize cheating behaviors, and (c) likelihood of future cheating. In addition, we examined the impact of in-class deterrents on neutralization of cheating behaviors and the likelihood of future cheating. We also directly tested potential mediating effects of neutralization on cheating behavior. Using structural equations modeling procedures, we conducted an assessment of the validity of a modified version of the K. J. Smith, Davy, Rosenberg, and Haight (2002) model of cheating behavior and its antecedents. The modified model included motivation as a potential predictor of cheating behavior. Results supported the differentiation of the theoretical constructs within the specified process model. Furthermore, tests of the aforementioned theoretical model indicated a significant positive relation between extrinsic motivation and prior cheating and a significant negative relation between both intrinsic motivation and academic performance, and prior cheating. Finally, prior cheating had a significant positive relation, whereas deterrents had a significant negative relation to likelihood of future cheating.
The Impact of “Scary” TV and Film on Children's Internalizing Emotions: A Meta-Analysis

Despite a general perception that violent or scary television creates anxiety in children, the research literature is small and disparate. A meta-analysis quantifies the impact of scary television and film on children's internalizing emotions (fear, anxiety, sadness, and sleep problems). Scary television has a relatively small impact on children's internalizing emotions (r = .18) overall, and this association was not significantly moderated by whether the televised material was factual (e.g., news) or fictional or contained violence. Children under 10 were more susceptible to scary TV. The overall result contrasts with the dramatic effects found for individual children within studies, suggesting that research is needed to unpick the factors that moderate the effect that scary television has on children.
Middle-Class Vandalism and Age-Status Conflict.

Despite public concern about vandalism, relatively little social science research has been done on the topic. Most information about the activity comes from informal descriptions of property damage, and most explanations are based on popular stereotypes emphasizing its aggressive or wanton appearance. The academic literature concentrates on the allegedly "expressive" character of vandalism and relies on models of individual or social pathology to explain the behavior. In this study the utility of these explanations is contrasted with that of one focusing on the role that age inequality and status conflict may play in the vandalism reported by middle-class adolescents. Theoretical Perspectives on Vandalism Few major delinquency theories have been specifically applied to the study of juvenile vandalism. ' Instead, the vandalism literature consists of informal discussions of the problems it presents and speculation about their causes. This means that any analysis of juvenile vandalism must constantly separate theories of vandalism per se from more general delinquency perspectives applicable to property damage. Vandalism is often thought to be a pathological adaptation to a variety of stresses and strains occurring at both individual and aggregate levels. Its apparently cathartic and aggressive character fits well with causal theories emphasizing individual maladjustment. Also popular are frustration-agression theories seeing vandalism as an expression of destructive drives or a symptom of underlying illness: Vandalism, like other types of pathological behavior, represents an outlet for aggression and feelings that have not been solved in a healthy or acceptable manner. It is usually an expression of deep unrest and a need to react with destruction of property or a creation of unhappiness in order to lessen the feelings of unrest (Lippman, 1952:5-6).