Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fear of Victimization: A Look at the Proximate Causes

Research on fear of victimization continues to overlook the proximate causes offear, relying instead on tacit and untested assumptions about those causes. For example, it is widely accepted that Americans are most afraid of violent or personal crimes, as if the perceived seriousness of offenses were the only determinant of fear. Were that true, fear would almost certainly be immutable (how does one reduce the perceived seriousness of crimes? ). Data from a 1981 mail survey of Seattle residents indicate that, among types of offenses, fear of victimization is a multiplicative function of perceived risk and perceived seriousness, these two factors carry virtually identical weight (i.e., they may precisely offset each other), and fear is not necessarily highest for violent crimes.
Role for Rab10 in Methamphetamine-Induced Behavior

Lipid rafts are specialized, cholesterol-rich membrane compartments that help to organize transmembrane signaling by restricting or promoting interactions with subsets of the cellular proteome. The hypothesis driving this study was that identifying proteins whose relative abundance in rafts is altered by the abused psychostimulant methamphetamine would contribute to fully describing the pathways involved in acute and chronic effects of the drug. Using a detergent-free method for preparing rafts from rat brain striatal membranes, we identified density gradient fractions enriched in the raft protein flotillin but deficient in calnexin and the transferrin receptor, markers of non-raft membranes. Dopamine D1- and D2-like receptor binding activity was highly enriched in the raft fractions, but pretreating rats with methamphetamine (2 mg/kg) once or repeatedly for 11 days did not alter the distribution of the receptors. LC-MS analysis of the protein composition of raft fractions from rats treated once with methamphetamine or saline identified methamphetamine-induced changes in the relative abundance of 23 raft proteins, including the monomeric GTP-binding protein Rab10, whose abundance in rafts was decreased 2.1-fold by acute methamphetamine treatment. Decreased raft localization was associated with a selective decrease in the abundance of Rab10 in a membrane fraction that includes synaptic vesicles and endosomes. Inhibiting Rab10 activity by pan-neuronal expression of a dominant-negative Rab10 mutant in Drosophila melanogaster decreased methamphetamine-induced activity and mortality and decreased caffeine-stimulated activity but not mortality, whereas inhibiting Rab10 activity selectively in cholinergic neurons had no effect. These results suggest that activation and redistribution of Rab10 is critical for some of the behavioral effects of psychostimulants.
Leisure Activities, Stress, and Health among Bereaved and Non-Bereaved Elderly Men: The Normative Aging Study

Few studies have examined the effect that a resource such as leisure activities might have on the relationship between stress and health among elderly men. Data from the Normative Aging Study (NAS) were used to examine whether specific groups of leisure activities (social, solitary, and mixed activities; activities performed either alone or with others) moderated the effect of stress on the health of elderly men and whether there were differences in this effect between bereaved and non-bereaved men. The sample of 799 men was divided into two groups: a group bereaved of family and friends and a group of non-bereaved. Hierarchical regression analyses compared an initial model, a direct effect model, and a moderating model. The results indicate that for both groups of men, mixed leisure activities moderated the effect of stress on physical but not mental health. Additionally, for the bereaved group, social activities moderated the effects of stress on physical health. The negative effects of life stressors (other than bereavement) can be moderated by engaging in leisure activities for both bereaved and non-bereaved elderly men. Implications of the findings for future practice and research are discussed.
The family's cancer journey: A literature review

Cancer is recognized by health professionals as a phenomenon experienced by the entire family, not just by the individual member diagnosed with the disease. This article is based on an examination of ∼ 200 clinical papers and research studies written between 1970 and 1991. Four major dimensions of the family cancer experience were identified from the literature: developmental stage of the family, cancer illness trajectory, family responses to cancer, and health care provider behaviors. The most developed body of literature documents the family responses to cancer and health-care provider behaviors directed at these responses. Gaps in research knowledge are identified and directions and recommendations for future research are outlined.
Tourism and Chinese popular nationalism

As a complex and emerging phenomenon, nationalism presents a serious challenge to international marketers, with no exception to the field of tourism. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence in understanding the role of nationalism in tourist travel intention. A qualitative research approach with in-depth interview and on-site observation was adopted to bridge this gap during the Diaoyu/Senkaku Island Incident between China and Japan since late 2012. In particular, this study seeks to shed light on the influence of nationalism on Chinese tourists. A nationalism dynamics model has been established to explore and explain different segments of tourists based on their self-perceived level of nationalism. The findings of this paper offer important implications for both scholars and practitioners in their strategic responses to this challenging nationalism phenomenon.
Vaccine development against Neisseria meningitidis

Meningococcal disease is communicable by close contact or droplet aerosols. Striking features are high case fatality rates and peak incidences of invasive disease in infants, toddlers and adolescents. Vaccine development is hampered by bacterial immune evasion strategies including molecular mimicry. As for Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, no vaccine has therefore been developed that targets all serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis. Polysaccharide vaccines available both in protein conjugated and non‐conjugated form, have been introduced against capsular serogroups A, C, W‐135 and Y, but are ineffective against serogroup B meningococci, which cause a significant burden of disease in many parts of the world. Detoxified outer membrane vesicles are used since decades to elicit protection against epidemic serogroup B disease. Genome mining and biochemical approaches have provided astounding progress recently in the identification of immunogenic, yet reasonably conserved outer membrane proteins. As subcapsular proteins nevertheless are unlikely to immunize against all serogroup B variants, thorough investigation by surrogate assays and molecular epidemiology approaches are needed prior to introduction and post‐licensure of protein vaccines. Research currently addresses the analysis of life vaccines, meningococcus B polysaccharide modifications and mimotopes, as well as the use of N. lactamica outer membrane vesicles.
The Success for All Model of School Reform: Interim Findings from the Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-Up

First implemented in 1987, Success for All (SFA) is a whole-school reform initiative whose goal is to help all elementary school students become competent readers. Its key elements include: (1) reading instruction marked by an emphasis on phonics and on comprehension, a highly structured curriculum, use of cooperative learning strategies, across-grade ability grouping, frequent assessments, and tutoring for students who need extra help; (2) components that address students’ noninstructional issues; and (3) strategies to secure teacher buy-in, provide teachers and leaders with initial and ongoing training, and foster shared leadership.SFA was selected to receive a five-year scale-up grant under the U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) competition. This, the second of three major reports from MDRC’s independent evaluation of the scale-up effort, discusses the program’s implementation and impacts in 2012-2013, the second year of operations at the study sites. The impact evaluation uses a cluster random assignment design involving 37 schools serving students in kindergarten through grades 5 or 6 (K-5 or K-6) and located in five school districts; 19 schools were randomly selected to receive the SFA program, while the remaining 18 “control group” schools did not receive the intervention. The report considers the experiences of school staff members and compares the reading performance in first grade of a cohort of kindergarten students who remained either in the SFA schools or in the control group schools for two years (and therefore received the maximum program “dosage”). Key Findings: During the second year, schools strengthened their implementation of SFA. New program practices were implemented, and the proportion of classrooms within a school where SFA-prescribed practices were in evidence increased. Teachers also reported feeling more comfortable with the program.By the end of the second year, 16 of the 19 program group schools were judged to meet the Success for All Foundation’s standards for adequate implementation fidelity.SFA reading classes continued to be distinguished from reading classes in the control group schools by greater use of cooperative learning, more extensive ability grouping of students, and close adherence to the curriculum. Tutoring, although a key program element, was not implemented more widely in SFA schools than in control group schools.First-graders who had been enrolled in SFA schools since kindergarten significantly outperformed their counterparts who had been continuously enrolled in control group schools on two measures of phonetic and decoding skills, although not on measures of fluency and comprehension, which are higher-order reading skills. Impact findings for subgroups of students defined by various demographic characteristics are, for the most part, consistent with the main findings.
Delving into the motivational bases of continuance commitment: Locus of control and empowerment as predictors of perceived sacrifice and few alternatives

Drawing from previous research bridging the commitment and motivation literatures, we examined the role of locus of control and empowerment, two motivationally relevant constructs, in the prediction of continuance commitment’s subdimensions of perceived sacrifice and few alternatives. In Study 1 (N = 217), which aimed to examine locus of control as a predictor of continuance commitment, external locus of control was found to be positively related to few alternatives but not perceived sacrifice measured 1 year later while controlling for the initial levels of these variables at Time 1. Study 2 (N = 207) investigated the moderating role of external locus of control on the relationships between empowerment dimensions and perceived sacrifice and few alternatives. Empowerment dimension impact contributed positively to perceived sacrifice and few alternatives among low externals but not among high externals. Additionally, the relationship between empowerment dimension competence and few alternatives was positive among high externals and negative among low externals. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice.
Context dependent modelling approaches for hybrid speech recognizers

Speech recognition based on connectionist approaches is one of the most successful alternatives to widespread Gaussian systems. One of the main claims against hybrid recognizers is the increased complexity for context-dependent phone modeling, which is a key aspect in medium to large size vocabulary tasks. In this paper, we investigate the use of context-dependent triphone models in a connectionist speech recognizer. Thus, most common triphone state clustering procedures for Gaussian models are compared and applied to our hybrid recognizer. The developed systems with clustered context-dependent triphones show above 20% relative word error rate reduction compared to a baseline hybrid system in two selected WSJ evaluation test sets. Additionally, the recent porting efforts of the proposed context modelling approaches to a LVCSR system for English Broadcast News transcription are reported. Index Terms: speech recognition, context modeling, connectionist system
Ginkgo biloba Does—and Does Not—Prevent Acute Mountain Sickness

Abstract Objective. —To determine the efficacy of 2 different sources of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) in reducing the incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness (AMS) following rapid ascent to high altitude. Methods. —Two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cohort studies were conducted in which participants were treated with GBE (240 mg·d−1) or placebo prior to and including the day of ascent from 1600 m to 4300 m (ascent in 2 hours by car). Acute mountain sickness was diagnosed if the Environmental Symptom Questionnaire III acute mountain sickness–cerebral (AMS-C) score was ≥0.7 and the Lake Louise Symptom (LLS) score was ≥3 and the participant reported a headache. Symptom severity was also determined by these scores. Results. —Results were conflicting: Ginkgo biloba reduced the incidence and severity of AMS compared to placebo in the first but not the second study. In the first study, GBE reduced AMS incidence (7/21) vs placebo (13/19) (P = .027, number needed to treat = 3), and it also reduced severity (AMS-C = 0.77 ± 0.26 vs 1.59 ± 0.27, P = .029). In the second study, GBE did not reduce incidence or severity of AMS (GBE 4/15 vs placebo 10/22, P = .247; AMS-C = 0.48 ± 0.13 vs 0.58 ± 0.11, P = .272). The primary difference between the 2 studies was the source of GBE. Conclusions. —The source and composition of GBE products may determine the effectiveness of GBE for prophylaxis of AMS.
Basic Psychological Needs as mediators: An examination of the relationship between exercise and well-being

Grounded in Basic Psychological Needs Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002), the present investigation examined whether psychological need satisfaction mediated the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and well-being. Adopting a longitudinal design participants (N= 147) completed questionnaires assessing MVPA, well-being and perceived psychological need satisfaction in exercise contexts on three occasions separated by three weeks. A pattern of small-to-moderate correlations were noted between MVPA and indices of well-being (r12's ranged from .16 to .29). Multiple mediation analysis indicated that perceived psychological need satisfaction mediated the relationship between MVPA and well-being with perceived competence emerging as a unique mediator. Serial mediation analyses indicated the importance of ongoing psychological need satisfaction to well-being. Contexts that afford individuals the opportunity to engage in MVPA, as well as supports their need for competence, would be most advantageous for the promotion of psychological well-being.
Optical bench performance of AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR®, AT LISA® tri, and FineVision® intraocular lenses

Purpose To compare the resolution and optical quality of the ReSTOR® +3.0 D and ReSTOR +2.5 D multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) with the AT LISA® tri and FineVision® trifocal IOLs. Methods Resolution, image quality, and photic phenomena were evaluated in the AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR +3.0 D and +2.5 D multifocal IOLs and compared with the AT LISA tri 839MP and FineVision Micro F12 trifocal IOLs, using a Badal optometer and a Snellen visual acuity chart. Simulated headlight images were obtained using a modulation transfer function (MTF) bench and a 50 μm pinhole target. MTF values, using vertical and horizontal slits, were determined at far, intermediate, and near distances. Results Resolution at 20/40 Snellen visual acuity equivalence was attainable over nearly the entire viewing distance range with the AT LISA tri and FineVision IOLs, but background shadows were more prominent with the AT LISA tri and FineVision IOLs than with the ReSTOR IOLs. Distance MTF peaks at 20/20 Snellen–equivalent spatial frequency were greatest for ReSTOR +2.5 D and ReSTOR +3.0 D IOLs. The near MTF peak occurred at 53 cm with ReSTOR +2.5 D and had a 20/20 Snellen–equivalent value that was lower than the near peaks of the other models but higher than the intermediate foci of the trifocal IOLs. Conclusion AT LISA tri and FineVision trifocal IOLs achieved a useful third focus for intermediate vision but were associated with increased background halos and reduced distance visual quality compared with ReSTOR +2.5 D and +3.0 D multifocal IOLs.
The Use of Structural Equation Modeling in Counseling Psychology Research

Structural equation modeling (SEM) has become increasingly popular for analyzing data in the social sciences, although several broad reviews of psychology journals suggest that many SEM researchers engage in questionable practices when using the technique. The purpose of this study is to review and critique the use of SEM in counseling psychology research regarding several of these questionable practices. One hundred five studies from 99 separate articles published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology between 1987 and 2003 were reviewed. Results of the review indicate that many counseling psychology studies do not engage in various best practices recommended by SEM experts (e.g., testing multiple a priori theoretical models or reporting all parameter estimates or effect sizes). Results also indicate that SEM practices in counseling psychology seem to be improving in some areas, whereas in other areas no improvements were noted over time. Implications of these results are discussed, and suggestions for SEM use within counseling psychology are provided.
An investigation of vowel epenthesis in Chinese learners' production of German consonants

The present study investigates the inﬂuence of phonetic factors on the frequency of vowel epenthesis in the German speech of Chinese learners. The subjects were intermediate learners of German who entered Germany within ﬁve months of their study. Descriptive statistics were performed on the data col-lected from reading tasks, and phonetic analysis was provided to explain the phenomenon of epenthesis. In the main experiment, eighteen Chinese students were recruited to read 50 phonetically rich sentences with various sentence modes after one month residence in Germany. Results indicate that these learners employed the epenthesis strategy more or less in producing consonant codas and consonant onset clusters in German. An investigation in the frequency of epenthesis in relation to various factors demonstrates that consonant cluster length, L1 transfer, markedness, sonority, and articulatory timing inﬂuence the occurrences of epenthesis simultaneously. An additional experiment was conducted after a time span of three months, ten of these subjects were requested to read the same text, the result shows that the amount of epenthesis decreases with the increase of the length of residence and German language learning expe-rience. These ﬁndings might shed some light on the acquisition process of consonant codas in foreign languages.
Précis of From neuropsychology to mental structure

Abstract Neuropsychological results are increasingly cited in cognitive theories although their methodology has been severely criticised. The book argues for an eclectic approach but particularly stresses the use of single-case studies. A range of potential artifacts exists when inferences are made from such studies to the organisation of normal function – for example, resource differences among tasks, premorbid individual differences, and reorganisation of function. The use of “strong” and “classical” dissociations minimises potential artifacts. The theoretical convergence between findings from fields where cognitive neuropsychology is well developed and those from the normal literature strongly suggests that the potential artifacts are not critical. The fields examined in detail in this respect are short-term memory, reading, writing, the organisation of input and output speech systems, and visual perception. Functional dissociation data suggest that not only are input systems organised modularly, but so are central systems. This conclusion is supported by findings on impairment of knowledge, visual attention, supervisory functions, memory, and consciousness.
Cognitive Complexity and Task Sequencing: Studies in a Componential Framework for Second Language Task Design

Abstract This paper describes a framework for researching the Cognition Hypothesis which claims that pedagogic tasks be sequenced for learners on the basis of increases in their cognitive complexity. It distinguishes dimensions of complexity which increase the conceptual and linguistic demands tasks make on communication, so creating the conditions for L2 development, from dimensions which increase demands made on accessing a current interlanguage repertoire during real-time performance. Studies providing some support for three predictions of the Cognition Hypothesis (Robinson 2001a) are then reviewed. Increasing the cognitive demands of tasks along developmental dimensions; a) encourages grammaticization, and so greater accuracy and complexity of L2 production; b) promotes interaction and heightened attention to form, and memory for input, therefore increasing incorporation of forms made salient in the input; and c) individual differences contributing to perceptions of task difficulty progressively differentiate performance and learning as tasks increase in complexity.
Misclassifications in financial risk tolerance

This paper analyses the empirical risk tolerance of individuals and the role of physiological measures of risk perception. By using a test that mimics the financial decision process in a laboratory setting (N = 445), we obtained an ex-post empirical measure of individual risk tolerance. Predictive classification models allow us to evaluate the accuracy of two alternative risk-tolerance forecasting methods: a self-report questionnaire and a psycho-physiological experiment. We find that accuracy of self-assessments is low and that misclassifications resulting from questionnaires vary from 36 to 65%: individuals asked to self-evaluate their risk tolerance reveal a high probability of failing their judgement, i.e. they behave as risk takers, even if, before the task, they define themselves as risk averse (and vice versa). Conversely, when the risk-tolerance forecast is obtained from individuals’ physiological arousal, observed via their somatic activation before risky choices, the rate of misclassification is considerably lower (~17%). Emotions are confirmed to influence the financial risk-taking process, enhancing the accuracy of the individual risk-tolerance forecasting activity. Self-report questionnaires, conversely, could lead to inadequate risk-tolerance assessments, with consequent unsuitable investment decisions. Bridging these results from the individual to the institutional level, our findings should enhance cautiousness, among regulators and financial institutions, on the (ab)use of risk tolerance questionnaires as tools for classifying individuals’ behaviour under risk.