Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cultural Perspectives on School Motivation: The Relevance and Application of Goal Theory

The aim of this research was to determine whether the goals held by students from diverse cultural backgrounds differ and to determine the relationship of these goals to school motivation and achievement. Participants completed a self-report instrument (the Inventory of School Motivation) based on goal theory. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to establish the adequacy of the instrument for use across the selected groups. Group differences were analyzed through the application of ANOVA. Finally, multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between the goals held by the participants and school achievement criteria.
Facilitation of Responses to Degraded Targets by Non-Degraded Distractors

It is well-established that distractors interfere with goal-directed responses. Our recent findings indicate that the presence of corners in degraded line drawings of distractor stimuli modulates response times and accuracy to non-degraded targets (Kritikos and Pavlis 2007, Experimental Brain Research 183 159–170). In the present study we asked whether non-degraded distractors may facilitate responses to degraded targets (corners or line segments missing). We presented targets at fixation and accompanied by identical, category-congruent, or category-incongruent distractors. Participants responded to two object categories (musical instruments and tools) consisting of four line drawings. Corners-missing targets in particular were associated with greater interference from distractors than non-degraded targets. This interference was modulated when distractor locations were endogenously or exogenously cued. Findings are discussed in the context of additional processing of object features that are crucial to action.
Antibodies to a Full-Length VAR2CSA Immunogen Are Broadly Strain-Transcendent but Do Not Cross-Inhibit Different Placental-Type Parasite Isolates

The high molecular weight, multidomain VAR2CSA protein mediating adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the placenta is the leading candidate for a pregnancy malaria vaccine. However, it has been difficult so far to generate strong and consistent adhesion blocking antibody responses against most single-domain VAR2CSA immunogens. Recent advances in expression of the full-length recombinant protein showed it binds with much greater specificity and affinity to chondroitin sulphate A (CSA) than individual VAR2CSA domains. This raises the possibility that a specific CSA binding pocket(s) is formed in the full length antigen and could be an important target for vaccine development. In this study, we compared the immunogenicity of a full-length VAR2CSA recombinant protein containing all six Duffy binding-like (DBL) domains to that of a three-domain construct (DBL4-6) in mice and rabbits. Animals immunized with either immunogen acquired antibodies reacting with several VAR2CSA individual domains by ELISA, but antibody responses against the highly conserved DBL4 domain were weaker in animals immunized with full-length DBL1-6 recombinant protein compared to DBL4-6 recombinant protein. Both immunogens induced cross-reactive antibodies to several heterologous CSA-binding parasite lines expressing different VAR2CSA orthologues. However, antibodies that inhibited adhesion of parasites to CSA were only elicited in rabbits immunized with full-length immunogen and inhibition was restricted to the homologous CSA-binding parasite. These findings demonstrate that partial and full-length VAR2CSA immunogens induce cross-reactive antibodies, but inhibitory antibody responses to full-length immunogen were highly allele-specific and variable between animal species.
Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of a Postpartum Women’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (PQOL): A Methodological Study

Background There are some specific measures for the evaluation of postpartum quality of life, and each have some limitations. Objectives This study investigated the validity and reliability of the Persian version of a postpartum women’s quality of life (PQOL) questionnaire at the eighth week of postpartum. Patients and Methods This was a methodological research, and subjects were 500 women, ages 18 - 42, eight weeks postpartum, randomly selected from half of the public centers in Tabriz, Iran, who completed questionnaires in a self-administered manner. Data was collected during a two-month period during 2014 - 2015. A standard forward - backward translation procedure was used to translate the English version of the PQOL into Persian. Content, construct, discriminant, and criterion validity was assessed. The reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Results The PQOL showed good content validity; content validity ratio (CVR) ranged from 0.67 to 1.00 and content validity index (CVI) ranged from 0.78 to 1.00. Construct validity evaluation by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) led to extraction of six factors from the data. Due to the lack of theoretical justification for items’ relocation in the extracted factors and poor-fitting indices obtained by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the exploratory model was eliminated, and the original model was presented and incorporated into the CFA, indicating an acceptable fit for the model (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.038 [0.034; 0.042]; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.90; normed fit index [NFI] = 0.80; non-normed fit index [NNFI] = 0.90; incremental fit index [IFI] = 0.90). The intergroup differences in total and all dimensions of the PQOL, except for social support, indicated the discrimination ability of the questionnaire. The questionnaire indicated a medium correlation with the short form health survey (SF-12) questionnaire (r ≥ 0.50). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.70 - 0.88) indicated a good internal consistency, and the intraclass correlation coefficients (0.87 - 0.92) showed good test - retest reliability. Conclusions The findings of this study confirmed the validity and reliability of the Iranian version of the PQOL questionnaire in Iranian women as a specific measure to evaluate the women’s quality of life.
Educational impact of peer-intervention on the knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS in adolescents in Panama

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices about HIV/AIDS of high school students in Panama City, Panama and the impact of a peer-to-peer intervention project. Methods: There were 659 participants in two public and two private schools, one of each got the intervention and the other serving as control. A questionnaire was used as a pretest and post-test to measure the effects of the intervention. The intervention consisted of 12 weekly sessions led by professionally trained peers using four different modalities: theater, group dynamics, videos, and discussions. Results: The difference in the knowledge scores of the questionnaire resulted in an improvement in both the private (ES=0.63) and the public (ES=0.52) schools with the intervention. Another important finding was that the idea of abstinence as disease prevention for high school students rose from 7% to 60% (public school) and from 27% to 62% (private school) in response to an open-ended question. Conclusions: There were other significant positive findings that demonstrate the efficacy of this peer-to-peer model educating high school students about lowering the risks of contracting HIV/AIDS. This model could also be used to prevent or mitigate other risky behaviors.
Epidemiological pattern of breast cancer in Iranian women: is there an ethnic disparity?

INTRODUCTION Northeastern Iran is known as a high risk area of upper gastrointestinal cancers. Recent reports have suggested a declining trend for these cancers as well as an increase in the incidence of other malignancies including breast cancer. Our present aim was to describe the epidemiological pattern of breast cancer in this region during 2004-2009. METHODS All new cancer cases from public and private diagnostic and therapeutic centers of Golestan province were registered. A structured questionnaire was prepared and used based on the standards of the International Association of Cancer Registries. The international classification of diseases for oncology was considered for coding. Age standardized incidence rates (ASR) of breast cancer were calculated. RESULTS A total of 11,038 new cancer cases were registered during 2004-2009, of which, 1,101 (10%) were females with breast cancer. The median age of the breast cancer patients was 46 years. The ASR for breast cancer was 28 per 100,000 person-years. We found an unusual rapid increase in breast cancer rate at the age of 25 years. The ASR of breast cancer was significantly lower in females from Turkmen ethnicity and those from rural areas (P value <0.01). CONCLUSION Our study showed high rate of breast cancer in Golestan province of Iran. We found an unusual peak of breast cancer in young women. So, the age of starting screening programs may need to be revised in this area. The rate of breast cancer was significantly lower in women from Turkmen ethnicity. Further studies are warranted to clarify the role of important determinants, especially regarding the ethnic disparity, on breast cancer in this region.
Perceiving regulation from intimate partners: Reflected appraisal and self-regulation processes in close relationships

Cross-sectional (N = 202) and longitudinal analyses over a 6-month period (N = 155) assessed the consequences of perceiving regulation attempts from romantic partners. Greater perceived regulation from the partner was associated with more negative inferences regarding how closely individuals matched their partner's ideal standards in the targeted domain (inferred ideal consistency). Lower inferred ideal consistency, in turn, was associated with poorer relationship evaluations and predicted more negative perceptions of targeted self-attributes. Individuals also directly responded to their partner's regulation efforts with attempts to change targeted features. Finally, perceiving more negative regulation strategies produced lower inferred ideal consistency, relationship evaluations, and self-regulation efforts, whereas perceiving more positive strategies predicted greater inferred ideal consistency across time. The operation of reflected appraisal and self-regulation processes within romantic relationships is discussed.
Integrating Emotions into the Analysis of Institutional Work

We argue for the importance of including analyses of emotional and unconscious processes in the study of institutional work. We develop a framework that integrates emotions and their connection to domination, and we offer a typology of interactions between the emotional and cognitive antecedents of institutional maintenance, disruption, and creation. We conclude by discussing the implications of paying closer attention to emotions for future institutional research, including questions regarding reproduction versus change, intentionality, and rationality.
Athletic trainers' and physical therapists' perceptions of the effectiveness of psychological skills within sport injury rehabilitation programs.

CONTEXT Psychological skills are alleged to augment sport-injury rehabilitation; however, implementation of mental imagery within rehabilitation programs is limited. OBJECTIVE To examine attitudes of athletic trainers (ATs) and physical therapists (PTs) on the effectiveness of mental imagery, goal setting, and positive self-talk to improve rehabilitation adherence and recovery speed of injured athletes. DESIGN The ATs and PTs were contacted via electronic or physical mailings to complete a single administration survey that measured their beliefs about the effectiveness of psychological skills for increasing adherence and recovery speed of injured athletes undergoing rehabilitation. SETTING Professional member databases of the National Athletic Trainers' Association and the American Physical Therapy Association. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Of the 1000 ATs and 1000 PTs who were selected randomly, 309 ATs (age = 34.18 +/- 8.32 years, years in profession = 10.67 +/- 7.34) and 356 PTs (age = 38.58 +/- 7.51 years, years in profession = 13.18 +/- 6.17) responded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The Attitudes About Imagery (AAI) survey measures attitudes about psychological skills for enhancing adherence and recovery speed of injured athletes. The AAI includes demographic questions and 15 items on a 7-point Likert scale measuring attitudes about the effectiveness of mental imagery, self-talk, goal setting, and pain control on rehabilitation adherence and recovery speed of injured athletes. Test-retest reliability ranged from . 60 to . 84 and Cronbach alphas ranged from . 65 to . 90. We calculated 1-way analyses of variance to determine whether differences existed in attitudes as a result of the professionals' education, training experience, and interest. RESULTS Mean differences were found on attitudes about effectiveness of psychological skills for those who reported formal training and those who reported interest in receiving formal training (P < .05). In addition, ATs held more positive attitudes than PTs on 9 of 15 AAI items (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Overall, ATs and PTs held positive attitudes on the effectiveness of psychological skills to augment the rehabilitation process. Clinical implications regarding the use of mental skills are discussed.
Stress and Coping Among Adolescents Across a Competitive Swim Season

This study qualitatively examined the congruence between anticipated and experienced stressors and coping, and approaches to coping by elite adolescent swimmers across a competitive season. Eight swimmers were interviewed before and after 4 swim meets in a season. Data collection and analysis were guided by theories of stress and coping. Accuracy of anticipating stressors was low, and the stressors and coping strategies were variable across the season. Idiographic profiles were created for each athlete and grouped according to similar characteristics. Three groups included athletes who (a) generally perceived stressors as something to be avoided, (b) generally perceived stressors as problems to be solved, or (c) generally perceived swimming as fun and minimally stressful. These patterns appeared to be associated with anticipating stressors, highlighting the complex and dynamic nature of stress and coping among adolescent athletes.
Time Course Characterization of Serum Cardiac Troponins, Heart Fatty Acid–binding Protein, and Morphologic Findings With Isoproterenol-induced Myocardial Injury in the Rat

We investigated the kinetics of circulating biomarker elevation, specifically correlated with morphology in acute myocardial injury. Male Hanover Wistar rats underwent biomarker and morphologic cardiac evaluation at 0.5 to seventy-two hours after a single subcutaneous isoproterenol administration (100 or 4000 µg/kg). Dose-dependent elevations of serum cardiac troponins I and T (cTnI, cTnT), and heart fatty acid–binding protein (H-FABP) occurred from 0.5 hour, peaked at two to three hours, and declined to baseline by twelve hours (H-FABP) or forty-eight to seventy-two hours (Serum cTns). They were more sensitive in detecting cardiomyocyte damage than other serum biomarkers. The Access 2 platform, an automated chemiluminescence analyzer (Beckman Coulter), showed the greatest cTnI fold-changes and low range sensitivity. Myocardial injury was detected morphologically from 0.5 hour, correlating well with loss of cTnI immunoreactivity and serum biomarker elevation at early time points. Ultrastructurally, there was no evidence of cardiomyocyte death at 0.5 hour. After three hours, a clear temporal disconnect occurred: lesion scores increased with declining cTnI, cTnT, and H-FABP values. Serum cTns are sensitive and specific markers for detecting acute/active cardiomyocyte injury in this rat model. Heart fatty acid–binding protein is a good early marker but is less sensitive and nonspecific. Release of these biomarkers begins early in myocardial injury, prior to necrosis. Assessment of cTn merits increased consideration for routine screening of acute/ongoing cardiomyocyte injury in rat toxicity studies.
A new semantics for ACL based on commitments and penalties

In complex multiagent systems, the agents may be heterogeneous and possibly designed by different programmers. Thus, the importance of defining a standard framework for agent communication languages (ACL) with a clear semantics has been widely recognized. The semantics should be verifiable, clear, and practical. Most classical proposals (for instance, mentalistic semantics) fail to meet these objectives. This paper proposes a logic-based semantics, which is social in nature. The basic idea is to associate with each speech act a clear meaning in terms of a commitment induced by that speech act, and a penalty to be paid in case that commitment is violated. A violation criterion based on the existence of arguments is then defined per speech act. We show that the proposed semantics satisfies some key properties that ensure that the approach is well founded. The logical setting makes the semantics verifiable. Moreover, it is shown that the new semantics is practical because it captures the dynamic of dialogues and shows clearly how isolated speech acts can be connected for building dialogues. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Test Compaction for Transition Faults under Transparent-Scan

Transparent-scan was proposed as an approach to test generation and test compaction for scan circuits. Its effectiveness was demonstrated earlier in reducing the test application time for stuck-at faults. We show that similar advantages exist when considering transition faults. We first show that a test sequence under the transparent-scan approach can imitate the application of broadside tests for transition faults. Test compaction can proceed similar to stuck-at faults by omitting test vectors from the test sequence. A new approach for enhancing test compaction is also described, whereby additional broadside tests are embedded in the transparent-scan sequence without increasing its length or reducing its fault coverage
Dose Rate and Static/Dynamic Bias Effects on CCDs Degradation

Dark current evolution in Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) is experimentally studied with Co-60 and proton irradiations. Linear CCDs are irradiated in various static and dynamic bias conditions. Annealing effects are discussed and on-ground data are compared to in-flight data. Presented results on ionization-induced dark current increase in CCDs have demonstrated the impact of the sensor operational conditions and dose rate, revealing an ELDRS-like effect.
Effect of Whole-Body Vibration on Balance Using Posturography and Balance Tests in Postmenopausal Women

ObjectiveThe authors examined the impacts of whole-body vibration (WBV) applications on balance control in postmenopausal women using clinical balance tests and computerized static posturography. DesignPatients were randomly divided into two groups and treated with WBV and/or home-based balance coordination exercises (BCEs). Patients in the WBV-BCE group were asked to stand on the platform in standing, squat, and deep squat positions. During each position, 30-sec vibration (30–35 Hz) and 60-sec rest periods were applied twice (20 sessions in total). The BCE program was performed by subjects twice per day. All subjects were evaluated before and after treatment using the Timed Up and Go test and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The fall index and the Fourier index were assessed via computerized static posturography. ResultsSixty patients were recruited for the study, but only 42 patients (21 in each group) completed it. Fall index and the total values of the Fourier index 2–4 and Fourier index 5–6 frequencies indicated a significant improvement in the WBV-BCE group (P < 0.05). Both groups showed significant improvements in the Berg Balance Scale and Timed Up and Go test (P < 0.05). ConclusionsThe ease of applying WBV furthermore supports its inclusion in daily treatment protocols for age-related decline in balance performance in women and improved balance and mobility measures associated with increased fall risk.
The Effects of Post-Retribution Inter-Group Forgiveness: The Case of Iraqi Refugees

Research on forgiveness on the interpersonal level has found evidence of its positive health and mental health effects. However, there is no research on the health and mental health benefits of forgiveness in political conflicts. The removal of the dictator and the war in Iraq has provided researchers with opportunities to answer some questions about the effects of forgiveness in political conflicts. This study used a modified measure of forgiveness and measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cumulative trauma disorder (complex PTSD), health, and religiosity with a sample of 501 Iraqi refugees in Wayne County, Michigan. Results indicated that forgiveness of the collaborators has some positive mental health benefits and is associated with religiosity, whereas not forgiving them has serious health and mental health consequences. However, counter to predictions, un-forgiveness of the dictator was found to be associated with positive health and mental health. Health mediated the effects of un-forgiv.
Plasma vesicle miRNAs for therapy response monitoring in Hodgkin lymphoma patients

BACKGROUND. Cell-free circulating nucleic acids, including 22-nt microRNAs (miRNAs), represent noninvasive biomarkers for treatment response monitoring of cancer patients. While the majority of plasma miRNA is bound to proteins, a smaller, less well-characterized pool is associated with extracellular vesicles (EVs). Here, we addressed whether EV-associated miRNAs reflect metabolic disease in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) patients. METHODS. With standardized size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), we isolated EV-associated extracellular RNA (exRNA) fractions and protein-bound miRNA from plasma of cHL patients and healthy subjects. We performed a comprehensive small RNA sequencing analysis and validation by TaqMan qRT-PCR for candidate discovery. Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET) status before treatment, directly after treatment, and during long-term follow-up was compared directly with EV miRNA levels. RESULTS. The plasma EV miRNA repertoire was more extensive compared with protein-bound miRNA that was heavily dominated by a few abundant miRNA species and was less informative of disease status. Purified EV fractions of untreated cHL patients and tumor EVs had enriched levels of miR24-3p, miR127-3p, miR21-5p, miR155-5p, and let7a-5p compared with EV fractions from healthy subjects and disease controls. Serial monitoring of EV miRNA levels in patients before treatment, directly after treatment, and during long-term follow-up revealed robust, stable decreases in miRNA levels matching a complete metabolic response, as observed with FDG-PET. Importantly, EV miRNA levels rose again in relapse patients. CONCLUSION. We conclude that cHL-related miRNA levels in circulating EVs reflect the presence of vital tumor tissue and are suitable for therapy response and relapse monitoring in individual cHL patients. FUNDING. Cancer Center Amsterdam Foundation (CCA-2013), Dutch Cancer Society (KWF-5510), Technology Foundation STW (STW Perspectief CANCER-ID).