Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Children's Reporting of Peers' Behaviour

This thesis describes a mixed-methods investigation of young children’s everyday social communication, focusing on tattling—the reporting of a peer’s negative behaviour to an audience. There are links between tattling and the development of gossip, and thus with the evolution of cooperative norms in humans. Tattling is a daily activity for many children, but has been little studied, especially in preschool contexts. Quantitative sampling and participant observation are used to characterize behavioural reporting among 3- to 4-year-olds in 2 preschools in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Quantitative sampling shows that children in these populations are biased towards reporting negative actions by peers; that they are more likely to report actions of which they themselves are the victims; that they usually tell the truth; that their reports are rarely ignored by staff; and that there are relationships between frequency of tattling and measures of social dominance and relational aggression. Participant observation shows that tattling takes place in a complex social context; that children are generally aware of its effects; and that it is driven by a range of motivations, both self-oriented and group-oriented. Two story recall experiments are described, aimed at testing the hypothesis that negative bias in children’s reports arises from the greater salience of negative behaviour. The experiments do not support this hypothesis, further strengthening the idea that children are acting out of strategic considerations when they report peers’ transgressions. Behavioural reporting in preschool contexts is compared with a sample of transcripts of children’s discourse recorded in 1970s England and stored in the CHILDES database. Examples of tattling and gossip are also found in the eHRAF ethnographic database. The thesis concludes with an interactionist model of the development of tattling and gossip, in which third-party mediation helps to integrate the affective and normative components of children’s developing moral systems.
Girls' schooling and the perceived threat of adolescent sexual activity in rural Malawi

Despite its relative infrequency, pregnancy is perceived by parents in rural Malawi as a leading cause of school dropout among female students. This paper explores parents' beliefs about adolescent sexual activity and schoolgirl pregnancy and how these perceptions frame parents' aspirations and expectations about girls' schooling. In-depth interviews were collected in rural Malawi from 60 adults aged 25–50 who were the parent of at least one school-aged child. Four themes emerged from the data: how expectations about sexual activity frame parental expectations about schooling duration and dropout, the loss of parental control, the negative influence of classmates and schools as unsafe environments. These concerns frame how parents consider a daughter's schooling prospects and are active even for parents whose daughters are not sexually active or who are not yet old enough to have gone through puberty. Although all parents aspire for their children to attend secondary school, these perceptions of daughters' relative risk weaken parents' motivation to encourage daughters to remain in school.
Music-induced analgesia in chronic pain: Efficacy and assessment through a primary-task paradigm

Research into music-induced analgesia, the ability of music to affect the perception of pain, has under-represented the non-acute, chronic pain population. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the impact of music listening on chronic pain. In order to extend questionnaire-based approaches of pain assessment, a computerized visual search task was used before and after music listening as an objective measure of pain-related cognitive processing difficulties. Twenty-three participants (chronic pain sufferers or age/gender matched controls) listened to music for 28 days. Questionnaire-based results indicated that music listening consistently reduced pain intensity, unpleasantness and anxiety levels in the short term. However, there were no long-term or cumulative changes in pain relief or anxiety, with participant ratings at baseline comparable to those at 28 days. Visual search task performance demonstrated that chronic pain sufferers showed pain-related cognitive processing inhibitions on the target deviations demanding the greatest processing capacity. This suggests that, though music-induced analgesia was demonstrated through reduced pain ratings, chronic pain continued to interfere with cognitive processing. Durability of music-induced analgesia is therefore likely to be time-limited and hindered by pain-related attentional disruption, reduced engagement and low absorption levels. Explanations of results and suggestions for alternative objective measures of music listening interventions are offered.
Superior Reliability and Validity for a New Form of the Sentence Verification Technique for Measuring Comprehension

A study was conducted to evaluate a new form of the Sentence Verification Technique (SVT) of measuring comprehension. The new form, called the Meaning Identification Technique (MIT), was designed to retain the property of requiring examinees to evaluate the meaning of the text while at the same time increasing test reliability and validity. One-hundred-three students from an undergraduate educational psychology class were administered a reading comprehension test based on either the traditional SVT or MIT format. Higher reliability coefficients were found for the MIT test and performance on the MIT was a better predictor of course exam scores than performance on either the traditional version of the SVT or the Scholastic Aptitude Test. These results suggest that the MIT has better reliability and the validity than the SVT.
Mother-Son, Mother-Daughter, Father-Son, and Father- Daughter: Are They Distinct Relationships?

Abstract This article examines the strongest position with respect to sex differences in parent–child relationships during childhood and adolescence, namely that both parent sex and child sex contribute so that relationships in the four dyads of mother–son, mother–daughter, father–son, and father–daughter are distinct. The relevant research was divided into three groups: (a) where only a single dyad was studied; (b) where the four dyads were studied, but no tests for differences were conducted; and (c) where the four dyads were studied and tests for differences were carried out. The research was further divided according to the formal aspect of the relationship being investigated (e.g., studies that made mean-level comparisons versus those that examined correlations among relationship variables). The literature that was surveyed contained many claims and assumptions about the distinctness of relationships in the four dyads, but the empirical evidence in support of these claims and assumptions was limited. Only one study with significant difference among all four dyads was found. Often there were findings of interactions between parent sex and child sex, however, but the form of this interaction varied from one study to another, and from one measure to another. Variables associated with findings of interactions between parent sex and child sex were examined. When dyadic distinctness was found it often was for relationship measures of closeness/cohesion and affective reactions. Suggestions are made for future research.
Epidermal growth factor receptor signalling mediates growth hormone‐induced growth of chondrocytes from sex hormone‐inhibited adolescent rats

1. Growth hormone (GH) has been demonstrated to overcome the inappropriate deceleration of growth rate in children with central precocious puberty treated with gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa). However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In the present study, we investigated the potential involvement of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway in the growth promotion by GH using in vitro cultured growth plate chondrocytes isolated from adolescent rats treated with GnRHa.
Data-driven optimal ILC for multivariable systems: Removing the need for L and Q filter design

Many iterative learning control algorithms rely on a model of the system. Although only approximate model knowledge is required, the model quality determines the convergence and performance properties of the learning control algorithm. The aim of this paper is to remove the need for a model for a class of multivariable ILC algorithms. The main idea is to replace the model by dedicated experiments on the system. Convergence criteria are developed and the results are illustrated with a simulation on a multi-axis flatbed printer.
Student preferences: Goal-setting and self-assessment activities in a tertiary education environment

This article reports the results of student preferences with respect to intervention studies integrated into college level Japanese language courses in two consecutive years. The initial study was entitled `Goal List Project'; the subsequent amended study was entitled `Self-Assessment Project'. The former project required the students to set individual goals and to commit to the goals in a written document. On the basis of the analysis of the students' responses, the second study excluded the written goal list requirement. Both projects contained common elements of student reflection, self-assessment, documentation of problems/comments and written instructor feedback. Questionnaires (n = 225) were used to investigate the projects from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. More students recognized the intervention processes used in the Self-Assessment Project as being helpful compared to those used in the Goal List Project. This is indicative of a learner preference for intervention activity dealing with performance self-assessment as opposed to activities that included goal-setting procedures.
New Media, Networking and Phatic Culture

This article will demonstrate how the notion of 'phatic communion' has become an increasingly significant part of digital media culture alongside the rise of online networking practices. Through a consideration of the new media objects of blogs, social networking profiles and microblogs, along with their associated practices, I will argue, that the social contexts of 'individualization' and 'network sociality', alongside the technological developments associated with pervasive communication and 'connected presence' has led to an online media culture increasingly dominated by phatic communications. That is, communications which have purely social (networking) and not informational or dialogic intents. I conclude with a discussion of the potential nihilistic consequences of such a culture.
Emotion Elicits the Social Sharing of Emotion: Theory and Empirical Review

This review demonstrates that an individualist view of emotion and regulation is untenable. First, I question the plausibility of a developmental shift away from social interdependency in emotion regulation. Second, I show that there are multiple reasons for emotional experiences in adults to elicit a process of social sharing of emotion, and I review the supporting evidence. Third, I look at effects that emotion sharing entails at the interpersonal and at the collective levels. Fourth, I examine the contribution of emotional sharing to emotion regulation together with the relevant empirical evidence. Finally, the various functions that the social sharing of emotion fulfills are reviewed and the relevance of the social sharing of emotion for emotion scientists is discussed.
Asymmetry of the Laryngeal Framework: A Morphologic Study of Cadaver Larynges

Asymmetry of the laryngeal framework was investigated with 50 excised human larynges, ten from newborns (five males, five females), 20 from adults in their 20s (ten males, ten females), and 20 from adults in their 50s (ten males, ten females). All adults were right-handed. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The laryngeal framework was asymmetric to a greater or lesser extent in all larynges. 2) The degree of asymmetry did not differ among different age groups or between sexes. 3) In newborns, there was no directional preponderance in asymmetry. 4) In older adults, there was a directional preponderance in asymmetry. The right thyroid lamina tended to tilt laterally whereas the left lamina showed a tendency to tilt medially. The right cricoarytenoid joint tended to be located slightly more laterally, posteriorly, and inferiorly than the left joint. The longitudinal axis of the thyroid cartilage was inclined to shift to the right posteriorly against the axis of the cricoid cartilage. The thyroid cartilage as a whole tended to tilt to the right against the cricoid cartilage. 5) There must be some compensatory mechanisms for the asymmetric framework to keep the vocal fold edges relatively symmetric.
Thinking Styles: Maximizing Online Supported Learning

Internet supported teacher education programs at the university are increasing, as is the need for qualified teachers in rural areas and inner cities. This study focused on the thinking styles of online learners in a post baccalaureate teacher education program. In order to more effectively meet students individual learning needs, 184 students were asked to take the Sternberg-Wagner Thinking Styles Inventory. Additionally, an initial marker of potential academic success—first semester grades—were analyzed in relationship to student thinking styles as categorized by the Sternberg-Wagner Thinking Styles Inventory. Are there dominant thinking styles present in the analysis of Sternberg-Wagner Thinking styles in student population of a post baccalaureate teacher preparation program? A cluster of thinking styles was not found in the survey results. The findings led to the conclusion that all thinking styles profiles must be considered in instructional systems design to ensure student learning is maximized.
Civil society and the state intertwined: the case of disability NGOs in Russia

This article examines state–civil society relationships in contemporary Russia. Its objective is to assess opportunity structures of Russian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are intertwined with the state. The article presents qualitative data from fieldwork in the Russian cities of Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, and Perm in 2009 and 2010. The focus of NGOs in the field of disability was chosen because of their roles as social service providers and as advocates for the rights of the disabled. The findings indicate that despite the Soviet legacy of an occupying state, Russian NGOs widen their opportunities by maintaining close relationships with state structures. Thus, litigation strategies seem to be an effective instrument for fostering social change for the benefit of the disabled.
Problem-Oriented Policing and Open-Air Drug Markets

Problem-oriented policing strategies have been regarded as promising approaches for disrupting open-air drug markets in vulnerable communities. Pulling levers deterrence interventions, which are consistent with the problem-oriented framework, have shown potential as an effective mechanism for reducing and preventing youth, gun, and gang violence. This study examines the effect of a strategic, pulling levers intervention that was implemented by law enforcement officials in Rockford, Illinois, to address drug markets in a high crime neighborhood. The initiative builds on a similar effort developed in High Point, North Carolina, and represents an extension of pulling levers that was originally developed in Boston. The impact evaluation uses a mixed method of quantitative hierarchical growth curve models and qualitative interviews with residents. Study findings suggest that the Rockford strategy was associated with a statistically significant and substantive reduction in crime, drug, and nuisance offenses in the target neighborhood. Results from this examination have implications for both research and public policy.
SAT Vocabulary Instruction for High School Students with Learning Disabilities

A teacher wanted to know whether mnemonic strategies would be useful for high school students with learning disabilities. Over a 6-week period, this teacher taught the students SAT vocabulary words using either a traditional instructional approach or pictorial mnemonic keyword strategies she had developed. At the end of the instructional period, the students had learned 92% of the words under mnemonic instruction but only 49% of the words under the more traditional approach. Implications for vocabulary instruction of high school students with learning disabilities are discussed.
Limits of Boolean Functions on F np

We study sequences of functions of the form Fp → {0, 1} for varying n, and define a notion of convergence based on the induced distributions from restricting the functions to a random affine subspace. Using a decomposition theorem and a recently proven equi-distribution theorem from higher order Fourier analysis, we prove that the limits of such convergent sequences can be represented by certain measurable functions. We also show that every such limit object arises as the limit of some sequence of functions. These results are in the spirit of similar results which have been developed for limits of graph sequences. A more general, albeit substantially more sophisticated, limit object was recently constructed by Szegedy in [Balázs Szegedy. Gowers norms, regularization and limits of functions on abelian groups. 2010. Full version at arXiv:1010.6211].
HISTOCHEMISTRY OF MYELIN–XV. CHANGES IN THE MYELIN PROTEINS OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVE UNDERGOING WALLERIAN DEGENERATION–ELECTROPHORETIC AND MICRODENSITOMETRIC OBSERVATIONS

The chronological order of changes in rat peripheral nerve proteins during Wallerian degeneration has been investigated by microdensitometric and electrophoretic techniques. Both methods revealed an early loss of myelin proteins. The histochemical microdensitometric study showed a very substantial early loss of stainable protein basic groups and a somewhat slower progressive loss of the major protein component of peripheral nerve myelin (the J band). The electrophoretic study showed an early loss of both the J band protein and the slower‐moving basic protein band. The histochemical study also suggested that some cerebroside may be lost in the early stage of Wallerian degeneration. It is concluded that degradation of myelin proteins is an initial event in the process of myelin breakdown.
Narcissism, Shame, Masochism, and Object Relations: An Exploratory Correlational Study

A correlational study (N == 701) examined three measures of narcissism, a measure of shame, two measures of masochism, a measure of object relations, and a measure of social desirability. Moderate correlations were found for a core of constructs which have been described in the clinical and theoretical literature. These are narcissism, shame, object relations, and masochism. Narcissism seemed to divide into two different styles, a "phallic," grandiose style and a narcissistically vulnerable style. Shame primarily accounted for the differences in these styles, correlating negatively with the grandiose style, positively with the more vulnerable style. The narcissistically vulnerable style correlated more with the core pathology measures; that is, object relations and masochism. Social desirability did not mediate the relationship between grandiose narcissism and shame. Only small univariate gender differences were found, but masochism was a better predictor of shame in women than was narcissism whereas there was little difference between masochism and narcissism for predicting shame in men.
Bacterial Competition Reveals Differential Regulation of the pks Genes by Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Bacillus subtilis is adaptable to many environments in part due to its ability to produce a broad range of bioactive compounds. One such compound, bacillaene, is a linear polyketide/nonribosomal peptide. The pks genes encode the enzymatic megacomplex that synthesizes bacillaene. The majority of pks genes appear to be organized as a giant operon (>74 kb from pksC-pksR). In previous work (P. D. Straight, M. A. Fischbach, C. T. Walsh, D. Z. Rudner, and R. Kolter, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 104:305–310, 2007, doi:10.1073/pnas.0609073103), a deletion of the pks operon in B. subtilis was found to induce prodiginine production by Streptomyces coelicolor. Here, colonies of wild-type B. subtilis formed a spreading population that induced prodiginine production from Streptomyces lividans, suggesting differential regulation of pks genes and, as a result, bacillaene. While the parent colony showed widespread induction of pks expression among cells in the population, we found the spreading cells uniformly and transiently repressed the expression of the pks genes. To identify regulators that control pks genes, we first determined the pattern of pks gene expression in liquid culture. We next identified mutations in regulatory genes that disrupted the wild-type pattern of pks gene expression. We found that expression of the pks genes requires the master regulator of development, Spo0A, through its repression of AbrB and the stationary-phase regulator, CodY. Deletions of degU, comA, and scoC had moderate effects, disrupting the timing and level of pks gene expression. The observed patterns of expression suggest that complex regulation of bacillaene and other antibiotics optimizes competitive fitness for B. subtilis.
Inter-group contact at school and social attitudes: evidence from Northern Ireland

Debate continues about the relationship between schools divided on ethno-religious lines and their implications for social cohesion. One argument against the existence of separate schools is that they limit opportunities for children from different groups to engage with each other, promoting intergroup suspicion and sectarianism. Using intergroup contact theory we examine the impact on outgroup attitudes of pupils attending mixed and separate post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. Data were collected through a survey of more than 3,500 pupils and analyses show that, irrespective of school type, intergroup contact at school is strongly associated with more positive orientations to the ethno-religious outgroup. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Suppression of herpes simplex virus type 1 reactivation from latency by (+-)-9-([(Z)-2-(hydroxymethyl)cyclohexyl]methyl) guanine (L-653,180) in vitro

Latent herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection was induced in human embryonic lung cells in vitro by using a combination of viral replication inhibitors and elevated temperature. Under reactivating conditions (superinfection by human cytomegalovirus or temperature manipulation), a nonantiviral thymidine kinase inhibitor (L-653,180) was found to suppress or delay reactivation of HSV-1 from latently infected human embryonic lung cells. L-653,180 alone or in combination with interferon was ineffective as a primary or acute viral replication inhibitor and was unable to induce latent HSV-1 infection in cell culture. These data suggest that initial or acute virus replication and replication resulting from reactivation from latency are separate events.