Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AC 2007-692: GENDER DIFFERENCES IN STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND ATTITUDES

This paper examines the gender differences in student academic performance and attitudes toward their education and themselves in an introductory engineering course. Student academic performance was evaluated by comparing course work scores between the two genders using assignments, projects, exams and class participation. The students’ perceptions of the course with respect to course outcomes were measured by a survey at the end of the semester. The survey was designed to measure student perceptions about themselves and their skills in several areas such as problem solving, computer usage, design process, teamwork, and communication. The survey was also intended to assess whether or not the course objectives had been achieved and to determine if students have increased their skills in the aforementioned areas. Analysis of the academic performance and attitude of 52 male students and 49 female students enrolled in an introduction to engineering course taught by the same instructor was carried out in four semesters. The results showed that there were no significant difference between mean scores in the academic performance of the genders in the course, and this was evident in the coursework and examination performance analysis. Average marks scored by students of either gender were almost equal. The results also indicated that academic performance in the course was affected by several factors such as student ability, motivation, the quality of secondary education obtained. The female students had a slightly higher overall course grade average than men and outperformed the male students on all class assignments except the final design project. The attitude survey showed that men reported higher gains than women on the technical skills, including confidence on engineering knowledge as a career and problem-solving skills while women indicated higher gains in teamwork and design skills. Female students were able to learn the material as effectively as the male students.
Lost online: an overview of internet addiction

A significant minority of people who use the internet develop ‘internet addiction’ – a relatively new concept in psychiatry not yet recognised by ICD–10 or DSM–IV. Preliminary research offers interesting insight into predisposing factors and psychosocial treatment options. Mental health professionals need a basic understanding of internet addiction so that they can recognise it early and intervene appropriately. In this article, we present an overview of the aetiological frameworks, assessment and treatments of internet addiction.
Self-regulation among youth in four Western cultures

We address how to conceptualize and measure intentional self-regulation (ISR) among adolescents from four cultures by assessing whether ISR (conceptualized by the SOC model of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation) is represented by three factors (as with adult samples) or as one “adolescence-specific” factor. A total of 4,057 14- and 18-year-old youth in Canada, Germany, Iceland, and the US participated. Confirmatory factor analyses did not confirm a tripartite model of SOC in any sample, whereas a single (nine-item) composite fit in all samples. A partial weak factorial invariance model showed a roughly equivalent meaning of the nine-item composite among German, Icelandic, and US youth. We discuss the need for further examination of the relative importance of items among Canadian youth, and possible problems using reverse-coded items with adolescents. The similarities that were observed across age and cultural groups suggest that a single factor structure of SOC, as measured by nine items, may be robust for youth in Western cultural settings and that SOC processes are not fully developed until adulthood.
Downlink Opportunistic Scheduling with Low-Rate Channel State Feedback: Error Rate Analysis and Optimization of the Feedback Parameters

In this paper, the downlink opportunistic scheduling approach is studied in a multiuser environment with single-antenna transmitter and users. Exact bit error rate (BER) expressions are derived under the assumptions of full and quantized channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter. These expressions are then used to optimize the channel state feedback parameters. Moreover, asymptotic BERs are investigated in the limiting cases of a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a large number of users K. It is shown that both under the full and quantized CSI assumptions, the achieved BER is proportional to SNR-K and K-SNR in these two asymptotic cases, respectively. This means that the diversity order is equal to K, whereas the multiuser diversity gain is equal to SNR. In the case when the CSI feedback is quantized, the impact of feedback errors on the achieved BER is studied. It is shown that the opportunistic scheduling can greatly improve the BER performance even if the feedback is quite low-rate and erroneous.
Service-Learning and Civic Responsibility in a Sample of African American College Students

In this study, we investigated the impact of past and current service-learning on the civic attitudes of African American college women: 44 students enrolled in either service-learning or non–service-learning courses were given pretests and posttests measuring civic attitudes. Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to examine the effect of previous and current service-learning experiences on 6 different aspects of civic attitudes. Results did not indicate changes in civic attitudes over time for service-learning students. However, there was a significant interaction between past and current service-learning in predicting political awareness. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Spatial Orientation and the Angularity of Urban Routes

The influence of route angularity on the spatial orientation of pedestrians navigating in an urban field setting was examined. Sixty pedestrians were stopped at one of three locations in the same neighborhood, one on a street orthogonal to the local grid pattern and two on streets oblique to the local grid pattern. They were asked to point to several nonvisible targets, both local features and cardinal directions. Pointing error on four of the five targets was greater on both oblique streets than on the orthogonal street, especially for the cardinal directions; response time was greater only on the second oblique street, a secondary street that is connected to the local grid system via the first oblique street. Length of residency was related to both accuracy and response speed. Results demonstrate that environmental orientation depends in part on the angularity of route structure, the disorienting effect of oblique routes being due to memory distortion or imprecision associated with oblique routes.
Semantic similarity evaluation model in categorical database generalisation

Database generalization process will be used to derive a new database with less detail for some application purposes from a single detailed database. In a database generalization process, semantic similarity measures among objects and among object types play a key role in object aggregation process. In this paper a generalization procedure will be developed based on object aggregation. The decision to aggregation objects will be based on the geometric properties of the objects, on their spatial relationships and on their thematic similarity. Normally, this similarity among objects acts as decisive rule that controls the generalization operations. This paper focuses on semantic similarity evaluation model for categorical database generalization. It presents a semantic evaluation model after reviewing current similarity models. The models are based on classification hierarchies, set theory, and attribute structure of classes. It is a computation model and can not only be used to compute the similarity between objects at same level, or at different levels, but also the similarity between object types at the same level and at different level.
In vitro and in vivo characterization of porcine acellular dermal matrix for gingival augmentation procedures.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Recently, porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM) has been proposed as a possible alternative to autogenous grafts in periodontal plastic surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro responses of four different oral cell lines cultured on a novel PADM. Furthermore, tissue reaction to PADM was evaluated histologically after subcutaneous implantation in mice. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human gingival fibroblasts (HGF), human osteoblast-like cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human oral keratinocytes (HOK) were cultured and transferred on to the PADM. A tissue culture polystyrene surface served as the control. The viability of all tested cell lines on PADM was measured by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide colorimetric assay and PrestoBlue(®) reagent. The ToxiLight(®) assay was performed to analyze the effect of PADM on adenylate kinase release. PADM was implanted into nude mice subcutaneously and subjected to histological analysis after 21 d. RESULTS Using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide colorimetric assays, all tested cell lines cultured on PADM demonstrated a significant increase of viability compared to the control group (each p < 0.001) with the exception of HGF and HOK after 3 d (each p > 0.05). According to the PrestoBlue(®) analysis, all cell lines demonstrated a significant increase of viability compared to the control group at the particular points of measurement after 18 h (HGF p < 0.01; human osteoblast-like cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HOK each p < 0.001). No significant cytotoxic effects of PADM on the tested cell lines could be observed, as assessed by changes in adenylate kinase release. Subcutaneous implantation of PADM into nude mice demonstrated good integration with surrounding tissues and significant revascularization of its collagen structure. CONCLUSION Overall, the results suggest that PADM is a promising substitute for autogenous soft tissue grafts in periodontal surgery.
Exploring seven‐ to eight‐year‐olds’ use of self‐talk strategies

Self‐talk has been recognised as a tool used by children to regulate their thinking and behaviour. To support children’s use of self‐regulatory verbal strategies, educators need to understand the context, content and dynamics of children’s self‐talk. While a significant amount of empirical research had been carried out on self‐talk, most was carried out from the perspective of developmental psychology and few sought children’s perspectives. This study explored seven‐ to eight‐year‐olds’ use of self‐talk through children’s reflective journals and interviews. The findings showed that, as self‐talk became largely internalised, the children continued to engage in various forms of self‐talk when handling cognitive and socio‐emotional challenges. Their self‐talk afforded insights into their attitudes and dispositions, their internal standards and mastery goal‐orientation and their metacognitive awareness of the efficacy of their self‐talk. The study suggests that self‐talk could play an important role in children’s socio‐emotional competence and creative problem‐solving.
The mystery of the Polish soul. B. W. Johnson's effect à rebours

Studies conducted in Poland replicated a not very-well known effect discovered by B. W. Johnson (1937). In his study students estimated their mood on several successive days each time comparing it to the mood they usually have. The results revealed a peculiar positive bias in that the students usually defined their mood as 'better than usual'. Johnson's study was replicated in Poland, where demonstration of optimism is not a cultural norm. The results suggest that Polish subjects 'usually define their mood as worse than usual'. The generalization and limitation of this negative bias is discussed in the light of the Pollyanna Principle and related empirical studies involving Polish subjects.
Gifted and highly gifted students: How do they score on the SB5?

Elementary students in programs for gifted and highly gifted students were tested using the Stanford‐Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5). Students’ scores on the SB5 were significantly lower than their scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children— Third Edition (WISC‐III). In addition, rank order was not well preserved between the SB5, WISC‐III scores, and determination of giftedness. While the cause of these findings is unclear, caution should be used when utilizing the SB5 for determinations of gifted status.
Unresolved World War II Animosity Dampens Empathy Toward 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

The 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami evoked widespread empathy and sympathy. We examine how historical representations of WWII among Chinese and Americans affect their empathy toward the Japanese disaster. In three online surveys conducted 8 days, 4 weeks, and 10 months after the Japanese earthquake, we recruited over 900 participants from diverse age groups and geographic locations in China and the United States. We consistently found that the Chinese participants showed less empathy toward the Japanese disaster (but not toward the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami) than did Americans, and these cross-national differences were partially mediated by Chinese participants’ tendency to attribute the disaster to retribution or associate Japan as an aggressor in WWII. We also manipulated participants’ identity (national vs. global identity) and found it had an interaction effect with patriotism on empathy toward the Japanese. We discuss how these findings shed light on identity, patriotism, shared historical representations, and lingering international conflicts.
Emancipatory Management: The Contradiction Between Practice and Discourse

Emancipatory management is a practice based on Habermas’ critical theory characterized by the search for both individual and collective fulfillment. This article presents the findings of a study conducted in two community organizations, one in Bahia (Brazil) the other in Quebec (Canada), that both espoused the values of emancipatory management. We applied a constructivist approach and used Participatory Action Research methodology to analyze how the potentials and the limits of an emancipatory management are influenced by cultural context. Our research revealed that contradictions exist between individual and collective emancipation values and between social discourse and organizational practice. On the one hand, individual autonomy linked to self-interest hindered collective objectives. On the other hand, external social action and discourse aligned with critical ideas of participation, solidarity, and collective well-being were directly opposed to internal practices of inequality, manipulation, and domination. We conclude by discussing how a critical perspective on organizational learning might offer a path toward collectively-created alternative practices.
LDA v. LSA: A Comparison of Two Computational Text Analysis Tools for the Functional Categorization of Patents

One means to support for design-by-analogy (DbA) in practice involves giving designers efficient access to source analogies as inspiration to solve problems. The patent database has been used for many DbA support efforts, as it is a pre-existing repository of catalogued technology. Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) has been shown to be an effective computational text processing method for extracting meaningful similarities between patents for useful functional exploration during DbA. However, this has only been shown to be useful at a small-scale (100 patents). Considering the vastness of the patent database and realistic exploration at a large-scale, it is important to consider how these computational analyses change with orders of magnitude more data. We present analysis of 1,000 random mechanical patents, comparing the ability of LSA to Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to categorize patents into meaningful groups. Resulting implications for large(r) scale data mining of patents for DbA support are detailed.
Learning about networked learning communities

In an effort to intentionally create the level of deep learning necessary for practitioners to make meaningful changes in their classrooms, professional networks are increasingly being promoted as mechanisms for knowledge creation that can lever the kinds of changes that make a difference for students. This paper explores the way networks function by testing a theory of action within England's Networked Learning Communities (NLC) Programme. It presents networks as collaborative systems that support particular ways of working and find expression within 2 distinct organisational units – the network itself and its participant schools. The key networked learning enablers of (a) changed thinking and practice and (b) pupil achievement are identified and described.
Cel9M, a New Family 9 Cellulase of the Clostridium cellulolyticum Cellulosome

ABSTRACT A new cellulosomal protein from Clostridium cellulolyticum Cel9M was characterized. The protein contains a catalytic domain belonging to family 9 and a dockerin domain. Cel9M is active on carboxymethyl cellulose, and the hydrolysis of this substrate is accompanied by a decrease in viscosity. Cel9M has a slight, albeit significant, activity on both Avicel and bacterial microcrystalline cellulose, and the main soluble sugar released is cellotetraose. Saccharification of bacterial microcrystalline cellulose by Cel9M in association with two other family 9 enzymes from C. cellulolyticum, namely, Cel9E and Cel9G, was measured, and it was found that Cel9M acts synergistically with Cel9E. Complexation of Cel9M with the mini-CipC1 containing the cellulose binding domain, the X2 domain, and the first cohesin domain of the scaffoldin CipC of the bacterium did not significantly increase the hydrolysis of Avicel and bacterial microcrystalline cellulose.
Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict Within Interdependent Teams

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of role ambiguity and role conflict within interdependent sport teams from a multidimensional perspective. Role ambiguity and role conflict corresponding to offensive and defensive functions were assessed in relation to role-related efficacy beliefs as well as starting status. Results of a principal components analysis supported the multidimensionality of role ambiguity but indicated that role conflict was unidimensional with regard to offensive and defensive role functions. Consistent with self-efficacy theory (discussed by Bandura in 1997), role ambiguity was negatively associated with role-related efficacy beliefs. Furthermore, consistent with theorizing by Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal in 1964, a negative relationship between role conflict and role-related efficacy was mediated by role ambiguity. Nonstarters reported greater role ambiguity than starters; however, no differences were observed with regard to role conflict. The findings have implications for the future study of role ambiguity as a multidimensional construct and the relationship between role ambiguity and performance.
Effects of Daidzein on mRNA Expression of Gonadotropin Receptors and P450 Aromatase in Ovarian Follicles of White Silky Fowls

Effects of daidzein on expression of mRNAs of gonadotropin receptors (FSHR, LHR) and P450 aromatase (P450arom) were evaluated in ovarian follicles of white silky fowls. The hens were 13 months old in the post-peak period of egg laying and were randomly allocated as control and daidzein-treated groups, with daidzein supplemented to the basal diet at 10 mg/kg for 7 consecutive weeks. The mRNA expression of related genes was measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR in the granulosa layers of the preovulatory follicle (PRF: Fl, F2 .) and follicular layers of the small yellow follicle (SYF), large white follicle (LWF) and atretic follicle (ATF). Results showed that daidzein supplementation significantly increased the number of SYF and LWF (p<0.05). The relative abundance of the FSHR mRNA decreased in the granulosa layers from F3 to Fl, but LHR mRNA displayed opposite developmental changes. P450arom mRNA was highest in the SYF, but was very low in the granulosa layers after follicles finished selection. Treatment with daidzein resulted in increased mRNA expression of FSHR in F3 granulosa layer, LHR in granulosa layers of F3 to Fl and P450arom in LWF (p<0.05). These results indicated that dietary supplementation of daidzein up-regulated mRNA expression of gonadotropin receptors and P450arom to improve the development of preovulatory follicles in white silky fowls after the peak-laying period.
Persistent hypertriglyceridemia in statin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Purpose This paper reports the results of an audit that assessed the prevalence of residual hypertriglyceridemia and the potential need for intensified management among patients with statin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in primary care in the UK. Patients and methods A cross-sectional, observational, systematic audit of patients with diagnosed diabetes from 40 primary care practices was undertaken. The audit collected basic demographic information and data on prescriptions issued during the preceding 4 months. T2DM patients were stratified according to the proportion that attained European Society of Cardiology treatment targets. Results The audit collected data from 14,652 patients with diagnosed diabetes: 89.5% (n = 13,108) of the total cohort had T2DM. Of the people with T2DM, 22.2% (2916) were not currently receiving lipid-lowering therapy. Up to approximately 80% of these people showed evidence of dyslipidemia. Among the group that received lipid-lowering therapy, 94.7% (9647) were on statin monotherapy, which was usually simvastatin (69.5% of patients receiving statin monotherapy; 6707). The currently available statins were prescribed, with the most common dose being 40 mg simvastatin (44.2%; 4267). Irrespective of the statin used, around half of the patients receiving statin monotherapy did not attain the European Society of Cardiology treatment targets for triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol. Conclusion T2DM patients managed in UK primary care commonly show persistent lipid abnormalities. Clinicians need to optimize compliance with lipid-lowering and other medications. Clinicians also need to consider intensifying statin regimens, prescribing additional lipid- modifying therapies, and specific treatments aimed at triglyceride lowering to improve dyslipidemia control in statin-treated patients with T2DM.
Sentiment Strength Detection in Short Informal Text 1

A huge number of informal messages are posted every day in social network sites, blogs and discussion forums. Emotions seem to be frequently important in these texts for expressing friendship, showing social support or as part of online arguments. Algorithms to identify sentiment and sentiment strength are needed to help understand the role of emotion in this informal communication and also to identify inappropriate or anomalous affective utterances, potentially associated with threatening behaviour to the self or others. Nevertheless, existing sentiment detection algorithms tend to be commercially-oriented, designed to identify opinions about products rather than user behaviours. This article partly fills this gap with a new algorithm, SentiStrength, to extract sentiment strength from informal English text, using new methods to exploit the de-facto grammars and spelling styles of cyberspace. Applied to MySpace comments and with a lookup table of term sentiment strengths optimised by machine learning, SentiStrength is able to predict positive emotion with 60.6% accuracy and negative emotion with 72.8% accuracy, both based upon strength scales of 1-5. The former, but not the latter, is better than baseline and a wide range of general machine learning approaches.