Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing the effects of performing and recalling acts of kindness

ABSTRACT Research suggests that both performing prosocial behaviors (i.e. acts of kindness towards others) and simply recalling them can increase well-being. Do performing and recalling prosocial behaviors impact well-being equally? To investigate this question, we conducted a study with a 2 × 2 design in which participants were randomly assigned either to perform prosocial behaviors, recall prosocial behaviors, both perform and recall prosocial behaviors, or do neither (control). Participants in all conditions assigned to perform and/or recall prosocial behaviors increased in well-being more than those in the control condition. However, participants in the three prosocial conditions did not significantly differ in their well-being gains. Presumably, it is much easier to recall, rather than perform, prosocial behavior. Accordingly, our results suggest that happiness seekers and well-being interventionists consider recalling acts of kindness as a cost-effective practice to raise well-being.
Transformative Social Work Education: Student Learning Needs and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action

The social work profession has played, and continues to play, an integral role in the development and implementation of discriminatory and harmful practices against Indigenous individuals, families, and communities across Canada (Blackstock, 2011). The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action provide a comprehensive list of recommendations of which the primary focuses on child welfare. This Call to Action centres on ensuring that social workers are, “properly educated and trained about the history and impacts of residential schools” (TRC, 2015). This responsibility falls to Faculties and Schools of Social Work Social work to ensure social work students are acquiring adequate knowledge to work with Indigenous individuals, families, and communities. This mixed method study is situated within an Indigenous research methodology. The goal of this research was to develop an in-depth understanding of student experiences and learning needs surrounding the implementation of the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action. It was important to explore student experiences and learning needs as they primary stakeholders in social work education and will be working with Indigenous people upon entry into the social service field. This study was conducted with Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Social Work, and Master of Social Work – Indigenous Field of Study students from Wilfrid Laurier University, Renison University College at the University of Waterloo, and McMaster University. The study included 14 social work students distributed across five qualitative sharing circles and a quantitative survey that was completed by 142 social work students. The research questions explored the depth and breadth of student understanding of Indigenous peoples, knowledges, worldviews as well as their experience and learning needs surrounding the implementation of the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action.
HIV Screening: A Review of Nationally Recommended Guidelines and Specific Instances in which HIV Screening is Often Overlooked

inTroDucTion According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals are currently living without knowledge of their diagnosis. In 2006, the cost of a rapid HIV test with pre/post-test HIV counseling was anywhere between 48-64 US dollars (USD). The majority of the cost incurred was for HIV counseling, with the cost of the rapid HIV test being between 8-25 USD. Research looking at the cost-effectiveness of HIV screening shows that it is more cost-effective than routine screening for breast cancer with mammography yearly or even routine screening for diabetes mellitus with a one-time fasting blood glucose. With the cost of testing reasonably low and prevalence of undiagnosed infection high, why are our rates of HIV screening not maximized?
Nomophobia: mobile phone dependence among students of a medical college in Central Odisha, India

Background: Nomophobia, stands for “no mobile phone phobia". The tremendous increase in mobile phone usage among youngsters has led to negative impact on their mental health status. Current study aims at finding out the prevalence of nomophobia (mild, moderate, and severe), various health related conditions and independent risk factors of severe nomophobia among medical students of a tertiary care college and Hospital of Central Odisha.Methods: A cross sectional study carried out among 450 students of a medical college of Central Odisha. Simple random sampling was done. Predesigned pretested questionnaire including Nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q) was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPSS and logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent risk factors of severe nomophobia.Results: Out of 450 students, 246 (54.6%) were boys and rest were girls. Nomohobia was universally present and students suffering from mild, moderate and severe form of nomophobia comprised of 33 (7.3%), 327 (72.7%) and 90 (20%) respectively. Independent risk factors of severe nomophobia were fourth year of study and above (aOR=2.69), use of costly handsets (aOR=4.56), monthly bill of more than rupees 500 for cell phone use (aOR=6.09) and anxiousness of staying updated with news all the time (aOR=4.86). Conclusions: Nomophobia is a highly prevalent condition among the medical students found across age groups, gender and socio-economic status which depends on phone usage. It is recommended that screening and proper counselling should be available in order to decrease the burden and create awareness about nomophobia among the medical students.
Working Smarter Not Harder: Oxytocin Increases Domestic Dogs’ (Canis familiaris) Accuracy, but Not Attempts, on an Object Choice Task

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to enhance dogs’ ability to perform an object choice task (OCT) involving the use of human pointing cues, when delivered intranasally. This study aimed at further investigating whether OT enhances task performance by increasing choices made, or by increasing correctness of choices made, and to compare these treatment effects to dog appeasing pheromone (DAP), known to balance emotional activation in dogs. Hence, we compared OCT performance between three groups of dogs: (i) dogs administered OT and a sham collar, (ii) dogs administered a saline placebo and a DAP collar, and (iii) control dogs administered a saline placebo and a sham collar. All three groups consisted of a combination of male and female pet dogs and assistance-dogs-in-training currently living with a volunteer carer. The study also evaluated the effect of intranasal OT and/or DAP on plasma levels of OT, and prolactin; which has previously been linked with anxiety in dogs. The dogs’ emotional state was measured using the Emotional Disorders Evaluation in Dogs (EDED) scale. The owners’/carers’ degree of anxious- and avoidant-style attachment to their dogs was accessed using the Pet Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ). Interesting descriptive data appeared for both treatment groups. Particularly, in OT group, we obtained significant results demonstrating that intranasal OT enhances OCT performance in dogs compared to control, by increasing the percentage of correct choices, but not the number of choices, made. Results also support that the mode of action of intranasal OT is via direct access to the brain and not via the blood, since no elevation of plasma OT (or prolactin) levels were observed after intranasal administration in this study. Similarly, DAP application did not significantly alter OT or prolactin peripheral concentrations. Several differences were observed between fostered and pet dogs, namely: fostered dogs demonstrated higher levels of serum prolactin, made more choices on the OCT compared to pet dogs but were not more likely to be correct, and were fostered by carers with higher avoidant attachment scores than pet dog owners. These findings implicate consideration of potential carer and training consequences for assistance dogs.
Empowering LGBTQ parents: How to improve maternity services and child healthcare settings for this community – ‘She told us that we are good as a family’

Parental empowerment plays an essential role in maternity and child healthcare. Professionals delivering these services are ideally placed to improve parents' empowerment and well-being. This study aims to describe the supporting factors of parental empowerment from the perspective of self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer (LGBTQ) parents in Finland. The study was conducted using a qualitative inductive design, and 22 parents participated. Interviews were conducted between July and September of 2016 and analysed using inductive content analysis. Four categories emerged: 1) Parents' willingness to create socially recognized families, 2) Parenthood support, 3) Respectful partnership with all parents, and 4) Accessible services. Services were more empowering when parents were treated with dignity. This focus requires gender-neutral communication and a clear sense of security for parents. The findings indicate more education on LGBTQ-related issues is still needed.
Alternate Forms Public Domain RIASEC Markers for Interests and Self-Efficacy: Spanish version

Introduction: The Alternate Forms Public Domain (AFPD) RIASEC markers are tools that since its creation have been widely used in various cultures for the study of personality and interests, mainly in the academic field. The main purpose of the present study was to develop a Spanish version of the AFPD RIASEC and analyze their psychometric properties in Argentinean samples.Method: The sample was 1107 university students (61.6% female and 38% male), aged between 18 to 62 years old. The translation of the items, studies of internal structure, convergent validity and internal consistency were carried out.Results: The results suggested that the Spanish version of the AFPD has an adequate internal structure and can be used to accurately assess the six basic personality types that were proposed by Holland. We verified the same psychometric properties of the markers for occupational and activity items to measure interest and self-efficacy.Discussion: Overall, the results were encouraging, indicating that this instrument can be considered an acceptable option for Argentinean college students to measure professional interests and self-efficacy as an auxiliary tool for career counseling
A New "No-touch" Preparation Technique

The primary aim of this thesis was to modify saphenous vein (SV) harvesting technique and evaluate its clinical importance. A new "no touch" (NT) technique of SV preparation was developed where the vein is harvested with a pedicle of surrounding tissue, which protects the vein from spasm therefore obviating the need for distension.Firstly, a prospective randomised study in 156 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting was done to compare this new "no touch" technique to two others, the conventional (C) and the intermediate (I) techniques. A morphological study of the endothelium showed an endothelial integrity of 97% in NT vessels while about half of endothelial surface of veins harvested by the other two techniques was devoid of endothelium. At angiographic follow up, the patency for NT was 95.4%, 88.9% for grafts in group C and 86.2% for grafts in group I. A statistically significant difference in patency rate was found between the NT group and group C (p=0.025) and the poorest result was observed in group I.Secondly, the immunohistochemistry assessment using CD31-antibody confirmed a better-preserved endothelium for NT vessels. Putative NOS was identified by NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry and autoradiographic localization of [3H] L-nitroarginine (NOARG) binding. NADPH staining was almost continuous on the luminal aspect and was also present in the intact adventitia of NT vessels, which was markedly reduced in conventionally harvested veins. Autoradiographic analysis of specific NOARG binding showed greater binding in the no-touch vessels, confirming the histochemistry results. All three NOS isoforms were identified in the media of SV grafts. In NT, NOS I was abundant in adventitial nerves; NOS II was found in adventitial vasa vasorum and NOS III was associated with endothelial cells lining both the vessel lumen and microvessels within the adventitia.In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the endothelial integrity and NOS activity are better maintained when using the no-touch technique for vein graft harvesting. The vasorelaxant and thromboresistent activities of NO may be responsible for the reduced venospasm and improved early patency rates observed. Furthermore, the mechanical properties provided by the cushion of surrounding tissue in grafts harvested by NT technique may contribute to the observed high patency rate.
Low Self-Esteem and Its Association With Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation in Vietnamese Secondary School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: There is a correlation between self-esteem in adolescents and risks and protective factors for their health and welfare. The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of low self-esteem and sociodemographic features related to anxiety, depression, educational stress, and suicidal ideation in secondary school students in Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed for this study with participation of 1,149 students in Cantho City in Vietnam. A structured questionnaire was applied to ask about self-esteem, depression, anxiety, educational stress, and suicidal ideation. Results: Students with low self-esteem were detected at a prevalence of 19.4%. High educational stress and physical and emotional abuse by parents or other adults in the household were major risk factors correlated to low self-esteem, while a protective factor for low self-esteem was attending supplementary classes. An association among lower self-esteem and increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation was detected. Conclusions: Self-esteem is associated with anxiety, depression, and academic stress, which significantly affect students’ quality of life and links to suicidal ideation. These results therefore suggested the need for a school-based or web-based provision aimed at proactively increasing students’ self-esteem and skills for dealing with academic stress.
Development and validation of an in vitro model of dendritic cell identification and activation

This chapter describes a flow cytometric method for the phenotypic identification of DCs in normal individuals and in different diseases. In this chapter we also investigated the maturation status of DCs in different diseases. DC subsets are distinguished by different markers. These cells do not express several lineage markers for lymphocytes, monocytes and NK cells. The DC expresses CD11c (in the case of mDCs) and CD123 (in the case of pDCs). The inclusion of HLA-DR in addition to the previous described markers allows the discrimination of CD123 + DCs from basophils. Whole blood samples (heparinized) are needed for the assay. The assay requires two tubes per sample which enables quick analysis of these rare subsets with a small sample volume. This assay was applied to peripheral blood samples obtained from healthy individuals and individuals with cancer, HIV and HIV and TB infected patients. There is a great interest in exploiting DCs to develop immunotherapies for cancer, chronic infections and autoimmune disease, 3.
Doing critical feminist research: A Feminism & Psychology reader

As we approach Feminism & Psychology’s 30th anniversary, we reflect on and explore what makes the journal distinctive – its emphasis on critical feminist psychology. In this article and the accompanying Virtual Special Issue, we outline five methodological considerations that we believe are at the heart of critical feminist scholarship: 1) the politics of asking questions; 2) attention to language/discourse; 3) reflexivity; 4) representation and intersectionality; and 5) mobilizing research for social change. We then draw across a set of 15 articles published in the archives of Feminism & Psychology that showcase one or more of these key features and demonstrate the ‘doing’ of critical feminist psychology. These articles are housed on the journal’s website, as is an additional paper developed for students or those in a position of learning, which explores central ideas and debates that have culminated in critical feminist psychology.
Comparison of CNN Applications for RSSI-based Fingerprint Indoor Localization

The intelligent use of deep learning (DL) techniques can assist in overcoming noise and uncertainty during fingerprinting-based localization. With the rise in the available computational power on mobile devices, it is now possible to employ DL techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), for smartphones. In this paper, we introduce a CNN model based on received signal strength indicator (RSSI) fingerprint datasets and compare it with different CNN application models, such as AlexNet, ResNet, ZFNet, Inception v3, and MobileNet v2, for indoor localization. The experimental results show that the proposed CNN model can achieve a test accuracy of 94.45% and an average location error as low as 1.44 m. Therefore, our CNN model outperforms conventional CNN applications for RSSI-based indoor positioning.
Predictors of engagement, understanding and dropout from a community based cognitive skills programme

ABSTRACT Although non-completion is common in community based cognitive skills programmes, little is known about the variables associated with engagement, understanding and dropout from these programmes. In this study, it was hypothesised that personality disorder (PD), learning difficulties and elevated criminogenic need profiles would predict ratings of engagement, understanding and dropout. We did this in three stages. At the pre-programme stage, demographic, risk, personality, learning difficulty and criminogenic need data was obtained for 511 offenders under probation supervision in England, referred to a Thinking Skills Programme (TSP). At the 1 year follow up, all participants’ status as either completer, non- completer or non-starter were distinguished through probation records. For programme starters, facilitator ratings of engagement and understanding were obtained. Findings reported that non-completion was most strongly associated with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and a history of self-harm or suicide attempts, which both predicted a three times greater likelihood of dropout. Lower engagement and understanding scores were predicted by difficulties with employment and relationships. Offenders with high levels of antisocial traits, a history of self-harm and elevated dynamic risk profiles show higher attrition rates and make limited progress on community based cognitive skills programmes. Implications for programme delivery and evaluation are discussed.
Strategies for Teaching at a Distance. ERIC Digest.

Strategies for Teaching at a Distance. ERIC Digest. 1 WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT DISTANCE TEACHING? 2 WHY TEACH AT A DISTANCE? 2 IMPROVING PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION. 2 MEETING STUDENT NEEDS. 4 IMPROVING INTERACTION AND FEEDBACK. 5 USE EFFECTIVE DISTANCE TEACHING SKILLS. 6 REFERENCES. 7
The Influence of English Pronunciation System on Spelling Errors Among Saudi Students

This paper discusses how English pronunciation system causes spelling errors among undergraduate Saudi students. The research participants were five students in English Language Department at Tabuk University and five English language lecturers from the same department. Semi-structured interviews designed for the lecturers and students, as well writing task distributed to the students were used to generate data for the study. The findings reveal that phonological differences between English and Arabic cause difficulty in the learners’ spelling. The students strive to write words in a similar way to how they are pronounced as they are unaware of the rules of English pronunciation which is totally different from their mother-tongue. The confusion with English pronunciation system causes several spelling errors, such as the errors related to final [e], vowels, silent letters and double consonants. This paper concludes that the Arab students need to be familiarized with English pronunciation system and they need to be made aware that English words are not necessarily spelt as how they are pronounced, which is in contrast to their mother tongue.
A Comparative Analysis of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Skills in Students with High-Functioning Autism and Pragmatic Language Impairment Using Video-Based Assessments

Social communication deficits are becoming more evident and better understood as our awareness, diagnosis, and treatment advance. Additionally, social language difficulties related to Autism Spectrum Disorder are becoming more distinguished and better understood. The current study aims to evaluate six key pragmatic language constructs introduced by The Clinical Assessment of Pragmatics and comparatively analyse these six constructs in three groups - adolescents who present as: typically developing, present with pragmatic language impairment, and present with high functioning autism. The six constructs analysed include: instrumental performance, social context appraisal, paralinguistic decoding, instrumental performance, affective expression, and paralinguistic signals. Results of the current study revealed significant differences across groups of students on receptive and expressive pragmatic language tasks. Students with HFA and PLI demonstrated adequate performance on instrumental in nature tasks such as, demonstrating politeness and requesting for help. As expected, students with HFA and PLI exhibited significant difficulties on higher order pragmatics tasks, such as the use of affective language, perception of irony, expression of sorrow, and demonstration of support. The key findings of the current study revealed that there are three constructs that could differentiate the understanding, assessment, and treatment of social language in students with PLI vs. HFA. Students with PLI and HFA may differ in their understanding and use of the skills in the following constructs: Social Context Appraisal, Paralinguistic Decoding, and Paralinguistic Cues.
Reconsolidating Intrusive Distressing Memories by Thinking of Attachment Figures

Thinking of attachment security can reduce arousal, and arousal has been shown to modulate memory reconsolidation. We investigated the effect of priming attachment security during reactivation of a distressing memory. We hypothesized that attachment priming would result in less frequent, distressing, and vivid subsequent intrusive, distressing memories. Seventy-one participants viewed a traumatic film and recorded the frequency, distress, and vividness of subsequent intrusive memories for the following week. The day after initial consolidation, the memory was reactivated before presentation of either an attachment or a positive nonattachment control prime. The attachment prime reduced the vividness and distress of intrusions during the ensuing week. These effects were stronger for participants with less avoidant attachment tendencies, suggesting that the reconsolidating effect of attachment priming is stronger for those with secure attachment systems. Thinking of attachment figures during reactivation of distressing memories may decrease the distressing nature of subsequent intrusive memories.