Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Access to Post�?Secondary Education In Canada Among The Children of Canadian Immigrants

This paper exploits the extremely rich Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) data to investigate access to post‐secondary education (PSE) among the children of immigrants in Canada. The YITS respondents considered to be the children of immigrants in this paper include: i) those who came to this country as immigrants themselves but arrived early enough to complete their primary schooling and take advantage of PSE opportunities in Canada and ii) those who were born in Canada to parents who were immigrants. The results show that these first and second generation immigrants are, overall, considerably more likely to attend PSE than non‐immigrant youth, that these differences are driven principally by higher university participation rates rather than by college attendance, and that the patterns vary a great deal by source country. The immigrant differences are partly explained by certain demographic characteristics (e.g., province of residence and living in a city), by immigrants’ parents’ relatively high education levels, and by other observable factors such as parental aspirations regarding their children’s education. However, substantial differences.
Development of the Turkish version of the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+): Dental anxiety and concomitant factors in pediatric dental patients.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to develop the Turkish version of the Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+) and also to explore factors associated with dental anxiety in clinical pediatric dental patients (PDPs). STUDY DESIGN The study sample consisted of 421 PDPs aged 12-14, 104 of whom were selected for test-retest analysis. The psychometric evaluation included linguistic validity, exploratory factor analysis, reliability by internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient, ICC). Construct validity was tested by comparing a commonly used instrument, the Children's Fear Survey Schedule Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS). Associations between parental dental anxiety, frequency of dental visits, dental caries, dental visit behaviour and children's dental anxiety were also examined. RESULTS The Turkish version of the IDAF-4C demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha α=.96) and test-retest reliability (ICC=.87). Factor analysis showed a fit IDAF-4C model with a single factor, 8 items. Dental anxiety scores were significantly correlated with all measured variables (p<0.001). Girls showed significantly higher dental anxiety scores than boys (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the Turkish version of the IDAF-4C+ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing dental anxiety and fear in Turkish children.
The effects of social support and negative appraisals on acute stress symptoms and depression in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the impact of social support on both acute stress symptoms and depression in children and adolescents following a single-incident trauma as well as the potential mediating effects of negative appraisals. DESIGN A cross-sectional concurrent design was used. METHOD Ninety-seven children (aged 7-17 years) and a parent of each were recruited through the emergency department or in-patient ward of two metropolitan hospitals. Negative appraisals, child perception of social support, parent availability to provide social support, prior trauma and psychological difficulties, depression and acute stress symptoms were measured within 4 weeks of trauma. RESULTS Negative appraisals about the trauma were highly correlated with both acute stress and depression symptoms. Social support was negatively correlated with depression symptoms, but not acute stress symptoms. There was a trend for social support to be negatively correlated with negative appraisals. There was no evidence that negative appraisals mediated the social support-symptoms relationships. CONCLUSIONS The findings lend support to recent cognitive and developmental models of the aetiology of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the possible shared cognitive vulnerability between trauma symptoms and depression. Clinically, the results indicate that, appraisals, social support, and depression symptoms should be assessed in addition to trauma symptoms following single-incident traumatic events. The findings also suggest that when depression symptoms are present following trauma exposure, it may be useful to ensure children have adequate social support. Future research should also develop trauma specific measures of social support.
Cell therapy for multiple sclerosis: a new hope

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating autoimmune disease with uncertain aetiology. Due to the heterogeneity of the disease, patients may present with a wide variety of neurological symptoms such as optic neuritis, sensory deficits or cerebel lar dysfunction. It remains a disease showing little hope in terms of finding a cure. Although current therapies, such as interferon-β and glatiramer acetate, provide symptomatic relief and can delay the degenerative process, there is still a large impact on quality of life as these therapies lack an ability to reverse damage occurring prior to treatment. Recently, cell therapy has emerged as a promising treatment with signs of recovery both pathologically and clinically in a variety of animal models. Given the multifaceted capabilities of the various stem cells, including immunomodulation and neuroprotection, their potential use as a comprehensive therapy is much more promising than any pharmacological therapy to date. Here, the latest advances of cell therapy are discussed, in terms of potential efficacy, the various cell types that are used, their mecha nisms of action and the obstacles that still need to be overcome for translation into a clinical setting.
An examination of the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Post-partum Bonding Questionnaire in a clinical inpatient sample.

OBJECTIVE To examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Post-partum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) in a sample of psychiatric inpatients. METHODS One hundred and thirty-two women who were admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit for psychiatric inpatient treatment completed the PBQ and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The factor structure of the PBQ was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) techniques. RESULTS The original four-factor structure of the PBQ was not replicated by CFA and EFA in this sample. A three-factor solution was identified as the most stable and clinically meaningful solution. Factors pertaining to impaired bonding, anxiety and irritability, and anxiety about child care responsibilities were identified in the CFA but were not entirely replicated in the EFA. The internal consistencies of the three subscales were also acceptable. PBQ scores were also significantly associated with depression scores. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that the original four factors of the PBQ should be used with caution. Items pertaining to risk of abuse had to be omitted alongside one other item, resulting in a 22-item solution. Further psychometric evaluation of this scale is recommended.
Defence and coping in bipolar affective disorder: stability and change of adaptational processes.

OBJECTIVES Defence mechanisms and coping have rarely been investigated from an integrative point of view. We are particularly interested in stability and change of these adaptational processes in clinical crisis situations of in-patients presenting with bipolar affective disorder. DESIGN We conducted a controlled interview study including an in-patient and a matched control group; longitudinal data are provided by follow-up interviewing for all participants. METHODS A total of N=18 participants per group (patients presenting with bipolar affective disorder and non-clinical controls) were recruited and interviewed twice. All interviews were transcribed and analysed according to observer-rater systems for coping (Coping Action Patterns) and defence mechanisms (Defence Mechanism Rating Scales). Symptom check list-90-R, as well as specific symptomatic measures, were used for symptomatic assessment and hierarchical linear modelling was used for statistical computation. RESULTS Overall, defensive functioning remains stable over a 3 month period, whereas overall, coping functioning increases over the same period in-patients, as they are discharged from in-patient treatment; no such effect was found in controls. CONCLUSIONS Overall, stability in adaptational processes may be attributed to defensive functioning, whereas change over short periods of time are related to coping concepts in in-patients presenting with bipolar affective disorder.
Disaster Relief

After hurricane Matthew devastated southeastern North Carolina on October 8, 2016, health care providers and medical volunteers from various regions in North Carolina and from other surrounding states pulled together to initiate emergency medical services. Along with other healthcare providers, pharmacists played a key role in relief efforts. By using their broad knowledge of medicine and healthcare to efficiently utilize limited resources, pharmacists were vital in providing patient care. Their skills and knowledge make them a valuable resource in disaster relief.
A Stop–Start Response: Social Services' Interventions with Children and Families Notified following Domestic Violence Incidents

The harm consequent on children's exposure to domestic violence is recognised in legislation in England and Wales. This paper reports on a study of the social work response to 184 families notified by the police to children's services in two English authorities. Families were tracked through case records over 21 months subsequent to the notification. The perspectives of social services' practitioners and managers were also captured through interviews. Only a small proportion of families received a service in the form of an initial assessment or further intervention; the notification triggered a service for just five per cent of families. Families who received a warning letter only were just as likely to be re-referred as those who met with no response. Those families receiving a service were likely to experience repeated notifications and assessments. The limited time period for completing assessments contributed to initial assessment workers' lack of engagement with perpetrators of domestic violence. Current structures for assessment and intervention contribute to a stop-start pattern of social work that seems ill-suited to building the trust and engagement needed to challenge the complex and enduring experience of domestic violence. Language: en
Multidisciplinary allocation of chronic pain treatment: effects and cognitive-behavioural predictors of outcome.

OBJECTIVES Multidisciplinary treatment approaches have been found to be effective for chronic pain patients although there are large individual differences in outcomes. To increase overall treatment effects, tools are needed to identify patients most likely to benefit from tailored, comprehensive modular treatment schemes. DESIGN The present study evaluates the effects of a multidisciplinary pain treatment allocation protocol in chronic pain patients and seeks to identify cognitive-behavioural predictors of outcome. Pain intensity, functional disability, depression, and use of medication in an intervention group of 110 chronic pain patients were compared to the outcomes of a 110 strong control group. RESULTS Paired pre- and post-treatment t tests showed that all primary outcomes had significantly decreased in the intervention group with ANCOVAs revealing a main group effect for post-treatment pain intensity levels and functional disability. Paired t tests demonstrated both variables to have significantly reduced after treatment relative to the levels reported by the control group. Predictor analyses further showed higher levels of acceptance to significantly predict larger reductions in pain intensity in the intervention but not in the control group. CONCLUSION The tested multidisciplinary allocation scheme for out-patient treatment of chronic pain complaints was effective in reducing pain intensity and functional disability. Findings also showed that especially those patients that are able to accept their condition are likely to profit most from the treatment in terms of pain reduction.
Integrating the theory of planned behaviour and self-determination theory in health behaviour: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE A meta-analysis of studies integrating the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and self-determination theory (SDT) in health contexts is presented. The analysis aimed to provide cumulative empirical support for a motivational sequence in which self-determined motivation from SDT predicts the proximal predictors of intentions and behaviour from the TPB. METHODS A literature search identified 36 integrated studies providing 45 tests of effects between TPB and SDT variables. Hunter and Schmidt's (1994) methods of meta-analysis were used to correct the effect sizes across the studies for statistical artifacts. Age (old versus young), publication status (published versus unpublished), study design (correlational versus experimental/intervention), and behaviour type (physical activity versus other health-related behaviours) were evaluated as moderators of the effects. A path-analysis using the meta-analytically derived correlations was conducted to examine the proposed motivational sequence. RESULTS Statistically significant corrected correlations were evident among the perceived autonomy support and self-determined motivation constructs from SDT and the attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, intention, and health-related behaviour constructs from the TPB. Only six of the 28 effect sizes were moderated by the proposed moderators. Path analysis revealed that the significant effects of self-determined motivation on intentions and behaviour were partially mediated by the proximal predictors from the TPB. CONCLUSIONS Evidence from this synthesis supported the theoretical integration and proposed motivational sequence. Results are discussed with reference to the complementary aspects of the TPB and SDT and the need for integrated experimental or intervention studies on a broader range of health behaviours.
Sustaining self-regulatory efficacy and psychological outcome expectations for postnatal exercise: effects of a group-mediated cognitive behavioural intervention.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the current investigation was to examine if the effects of a group-mediated cognitive behavioural counselling plus exercise intervention were superior to the effects of a standard exercise care condition on postnatal mothers' self-regulatory efficacy (SRE), outcome expectations (OEs) and self-directed physical activity (PA). DESIGN The design of the study consisted of two intervention conditions; group-mediated cognitive behavioural counselling plus exercise (GMCB) and standard exercise (SE). Each condition consisted of two phases; a 4-week supervised, centre-based intensive exercise training phase followed by a 4-week home-based phase. METHODS Participants were 57 postnatal women randomly assigned to conditions (SE: N=31; GMCB: N=26). Measures of SRE and OEs were assessed prior to and following the centre-based aspect of the intervention. Physical activity was measured following the intensive exercise training phase as well as the home-based phase. RESULTS GMCB participants' SRE and OEs were sustained during the intervention whereas those of SE participants declined. GMCB participants also reported significantly greater time spent engaging in self-directed PA at the conclusion of the intensive and home-based phases. Mediation analysis revealed that SRE partially mediated the relationship between intervention condition and post home-based PA as confirmed by a significant sobel test. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that a theory-based GMCB counselling plus exercise intervention is superior to the SE condition in sustaining SRE and OEs, and in promoting greater self-directed PA. SRE partially mediated the relationship between intervention condition and post home-based PA supporting the targeting of that variable for change as part of the intervention.
Body size-based trophic structure of a deep marine ecosystem.

Nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ15 N) and body size were used to describe the size-based trophic structure of a deep-sea ecosystem, the Avilés submarine Canyon (Cantabrian Sea, Southern Bay of Biscay). We analyzed δ15 N of specimens collected on a seasonal basis (March 2012, October 2012, and May 2013), from a variety of zones (benthic, pelagic), taxa (from zooplankton through invertebrates and fishes to giant squids and cetaceans), or depths (from surface to 4700 m) that spanned nine orders of magnitude in body mass. Our data reveal a strong linear dependence of trophic level on body size when data were considered either individually, aggregated into taxonomical categories, or binned into size classes. The three approaches render similar results that were not significantly different and yielded predator:prey body mass ratios (PPMR) of 1156:1, 3792:1 and 2718:1, respectively. Thus, our data represent unequivocal evidence of interspecific, size-based trophic structure of a whole ecosystem based on taxonomic/functional categories. We studied the variability in δ15 N not explained by body mass (W) using linear mixed modeling and found that the δ15 N vs. log10 W relationship holds for both pelagic and benthic systems, with benthic organisms isotopically enriched relative to pelagic organisms of the same size. However there is a marked seasonal variation potentially related to the recycling state of the system.
Weighted species richness outperforms species richness as predictor of biotic resistance.

The species richness hypothesis, which predicts that species-rich communities should be better at resisting invasions than species-poor communities, has been empirically tested many times and is often poorly supported. In this study, we contrast the species richness hypothesis with four alternative hypotheses with the aim of finding better descriptors of invasion resistance. These alternative hypotheses state that resistance to invasions is determined by abiotic conditions, community saturation (i.e., the number of resident species relative to the maximum number of species that can be supported), presence/absence of key species, or weighted species richness. Weighted species richness is a weighted sum of the number of species, where each species' weight describes its contribution to resistance. We tested these hypotheses using data on the success of 571 introductions of four freshwater fish species into lakes throughout Sweden, i.e., Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), tench (Tinca tinca), zander (Sander lucioperca), and whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus). We found that weighted species richness best predicted invasion success. The weights describing the contribution of each resident species to community resistance varied considerably in both strength and sign. Positive resistance weights, which indicate that species repel invaders, were as common as negative resistance weights, which indicate facilitative interactions. This result can be contrasted with the implicit assumption of the original species richness hypothesis, that all resident species have negative effects on invader success. We argue that this assumption is unlikely to be true in natural communities, and thus that we expect that weighted species richness is a better predictor of invader success than the actual number of resident species.
Appearance matters: the frame and focus of health messages influences beliefs about skin cancer.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to ascertain whether the health message 'framing effect', which has been observed for several diseases, occurs for messages concerning the consequences of skin cancer for one's appearance or one's health. Specifically, the effect of the frame and focus of health messages on intentions to perform skin protection behaviours and the perceived threat of skin cancer was investigated. DESIGN Consistent with previous research and to avoid carry-over effects, a two-factor, between-groups (message frame: gain vs. loss × message focus: appearance vs. health) design was used. METHODS Participants (N= 390) were recruited using convenience sampling and presented with one of four health messages, which were embedded in a questionnaire concerning beliefs about skin cancer (intentions to perform different skin protection behaviours, the perceived threat of skin cancer) and body consciousness. The health messages were framed in terms of loss (risks of sun exposure) or gain (benefits of skin protection) and focused on the consequences of sun exposure for one's appearance or one's health. The primary outcome measures were responses on rating scales concerning the perceived threat of skin cancer, intentions to perform different skin cancer protection behaviours, and body consciousness. RESULTS Perceived threat of skin cancer was found to be greater for appearance-focused messages and intentions to perform different skin protection behaviours were greater for loss-framed messages. These findings held when individual differences in body consciousness were controlled for. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that, for the communication of information about skin cancer to be effective, messages must focus on the impact of sun exposure and inadequate skin protection for people's appearance, not just their health. Moreover, to maximize effectiveness, health messages about skin cancer should take account of dispositional differences in the importance placed upon one's appearance.
Teager Energy Based Filter-Bank Cepstra in EEG Classification for Seizure Detection Using Radial Basis Function Neural Network

About 1–3% of the world population suffers from epilepsy. Epileptic seizures are abnormal sudden discharges in the brain with signatures manifesting in the electroencephalograph (EEG) recordings by frequency changes and increased amplitudes. These changes, in this work, are captured through static and dynamic features derived from three Teager energy based filter-bank cepstra (TE-FB-CEPs). We compared the performance of linear, logarithmic, and Mel frequency scale TE-FB-CEPs using radial basis function neural network in general epileptic seizure detection. The comparison is tried on eight different classification problems which encompass all the possible discriminations in the medical field related to epilepsy. In a previous study, using traditional cepstrum on the same database, we had found that the composite vectors showed a degraded performance in seizure detection. In this study, however, irrespective of frequency scaling used, it is found that the composite vectors of TE-FB-CEPs maintain excellent overall accuracy in all the eight classification problems.