Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rigor in Data Synthesis: A Case Study of Reliability in Meta-analysis

The subject of this study was the reliability among persons coding information from primary research sources for use in a metaanalysis. Meta-analysis is a quantitative procedure for synthesizing data in primary research reports (Glass, 1976; 1977). As such, it is one of a number of quantitative procedures proposed as alternatives to the traditional, verbal review of literature. This study rests on the assumption that meta-analysis in particular, and quantitative data synthesis procedures in general, should be examined for sources of invalidity as rigorously as is the process of generating primary research. Pillemer and Light (1980) defined data synthesis as, "using formal procedures for combining the results from several experiments" (p. 177). Until recently, the traditional review of literature has been the primary formal mechanism for data synthesis. However, in the context of burgeoning numbers of primary research sources, alternate quantitative procedures have been proposed (see Pillemer & Light, 1980, for a review). Among the different methods that have been proposed for data synthesis, meta-analysis has been applied most widely. With regard to primary research, numerous texts call attention to sources of invalidity which investigators must try to avoid (Campbell & Stanley, 1966). However, only recently has it been suggested that quantitative data synthesis also is subject to threats to its validity, and that data synthesis studies should be examined for sources of invalidity as carefully as primary research (Glass, McGaw, & Smith, 1981; Cooper, Note 1). Although few empirical efforts have focused directly on assessing the validity of meta-analysis, critics have expressed several objections. First, they have called attention to the lack of a statistical
Congestive Heart Failure Effects on Atrial Fibroblast Phenotype: Differences between Freshly-Isolated and Cultured Cells

Introduction Fibroblasts are important in the atrial fibrillation (AF) substrate resulting from congestive heart failure (CHF). We previously noted changes in in vivo indices of fibroblast function in a CHF dog model, but could not detect changes in isolated cells. This study assessed CHF-induced changes in the phenotype of fibroblasts freshly isolated from control versus CHF dogs, and examined effects of cell culture on these differences. Methods/Results Left-atrial fibroblasts were isolated from control and CHF dogs (ventricular tachypacing 240 bpm×2 weeks). Freshly-isolated fibroblasts were compared to fibroblasts in primary culture. Extracellular-matrix (ECM) gene-expression was assessed by qPCR, protein by Western blot, fibroblast morphology with immunocytochemistry, and K+-current with patch-clamp. Freshly-isolated CHF fibroblasts had increased expression-levels of collagen-1 (10-fold), collagen-3 (5-fold), and fibronectin-1 (3-fold) vs. control, along with increased cell diameter (13.4±0.4 µm vs control 8.4±0.3 µm) and cell spreading (shape factor 0.81±0.02 vs. control 0.87±0.02), consistent with an activated phenotype. Freshly-isolated control fibroblasts displayed robust tetraethylammonium (TEA)-sensitive K+-currents that were strongly downregulated in CHF. The TEA-sensitive K+-current differences between control and CHF fibroblasts were attenuated after 2-day culture and eliminated after 7 days. Similarly, cell-culture eliminated the ECM protein-expression and shape differences between control and CHF fibroblasts. Conclusions Freshly-isolated CHF and control atrial fibroblasts display distinct ECM-gene and morphological differences consistent with in vivo pathology. Culture for as little as 48 hours activates fibroblasts and obscures the effects of CHF. These results demonstrate potentially-important atrial-fibroblast phenotype changes in CHF and emphasize the need for caution in relating properties of cultured fibroblasts to in vivo systems.
Perceptions of school leaders in Nairobi about their leadership preparation and development

The paper reports on a study undertaken in Nairobi, Kenya with school leaders. We examined their perceptions of the adequacy of their preparation experiences and what aspects remained problematic. This paper only reports on the survey findings which included rating-type and open-ended responses. Principals conceptualized their apprenticeship/experiential preparation as useful for instructional leadership but reported the desire for formal qualification which would provide them with more credibility for their complex roles. Principals were primarily focused on survival and compliance with ministry expectations related to the managerial aspects of their role. Recommendations include a policy framework for leadership qualifications, competencies, and experience to provide standards and benchmarks designed to increase leader and system credibility.
Quality Assurance with Respect to University Teaching in South Africa: a narrative analysis

Abstract In this paper, national research projects underway which are aimed at establishing national standards on lecturing capabilities within a new national qualifications framework, are argued to typify a policy narrative informed by functionalist understandings of education, curriculum and evaluation. This narrative is counter‐posed with two others, found largely but not exclusively in the historically white liberal English‐speaking universities, which critique that narrative, arguing that curriculum development, the evaluation of courses and programmes, and the assessment of teaching, are complex activities which are context‐bound, and incapable of being reduced to the measurement of the performance of certain capabilities. In the analysis undertaken in the paper, the two critiques identified are argued to be at odds with the dominant policy narrative partly because, although much of the language and the intentions are similar, at base lie fundamentally different concepts of quality. The dominant nar.
Word Learning

Data concerning hemispheric specialization have been accumulating steadily throughout the seventies, and we now have reasonably accurate knowledge of the location of certain learning functions. We are beginning to understand that puzzling educational phenomena have a plausible physiological, neurological basis. The left hemisphere of the brain is specialized for linguistic, analytic, abstract, sequential processing (Witelson 1976). It "puts it all together," as in remembering facts in an orderly, systematic way and producing them on demand. It is the part of the brain we all use in conceptualizing an outcome and working out a strategy to achieve it. These are the very abilities we require of kids in school, and this is why school is often described as "left brained. " The right hemisphere is used for nonlinguistic, spatial (artistic), holistic processes including manual pattern recognition (Masland 1979). For example, recognition of faces, objects, and place, and the ability to see many details at once as a whole are
Psychometric Properties Of The French Canadian Version Of The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory For Children

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a French version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC). The STAIC was administered to 288 French Canadian children in Grades 4, 5, and 6. The three-factor model found in the original version was confirmed. The internal consistency coefficients of the State Anxiety and Trait Anxiety scales were excellent. Test-retest reliabilities after a 6-month period were also similar to those of the original version. Finally, concurrent validity, assessed by the correlation with the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, was also found to be good. In summary, results of the present study show that the French version of the STAIC is psychometrically sound.
Jobbtilfredshet og prestasjon på arbeidsplassen: kausal sammenheng eller illusorisk korrelasjon?

Joner, A. (2005): Job Satisfaction and Job Performance: Causal Relationship or Illusory Correlation? Nordisk Psykologi, 57, 1, 161–176. This review article explores the last decade's empirical findings regarding the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. A large body of research suggests an unambiguously weak positive relationship. Further, it seems that reward have a mediating effect on the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. However, these findings are associated with methodological limitations, which make it difficult to draw conclusions regarding causality. The need for more sophisticated methodology for this kind of research is discussed. In addition, theoretical and practical implications of existing research are discussed.
Race talk in a public high school in Salvador Bahia: discourses of power and resistance

Racialization and ideology structures are constituted in the everyday talk that reifies and challenges dominant racial discourses among Soteropolitano teachers and illuminates distinctive culturally constructed borders and conventions as conditioned by the specific topography of race in Salvador, Bahia. Teacher's race talk in one diverse public high school both challenges and reifies racial inequity in Northeastern Brazil. Teacher talk in schools exists as both a political and a cultural terrains where racism is strategically silenced by some teachers and contested by others. This race talk reflects dominant discourses of racial democracy and subaltern discourses of racial consciousness that resist structural, historical, and institutional forms of racism. Everyday discourses around race employed in social institutions are one important aspect of the Black Atlantic and should be considered in how we theorize the political and cultural practices of the African Diaspora populations in Brazil.
An Information Campaign That Changed Community Attitudes

The proposition that public information campaigns can produce significant changes in attitudes and values on social issues has received scant support from the cumulative evidence of mass communication effects research in the past 25 years.l Nevertheless the public information industry continues to mount such campaigns, implicitly taking it on faith that they produce desired effects. This faith is rarely put to the test. When systematic tests of the effec-
Serum Calcium Level in Hypertension

Background: The alterations in extracellular calcium level may influence intracellular calcium level and possibly play a role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. Aim: The purpose was to find out the association between serum calcium levels and hypertension; and to compare the serum calcium levels between normotensive controls, hypertensive subjects on calcium channel blockers, and hypertensive subjects on antihypertensive medication other than calcium channel blockers. Materials and Methods: Thirty one individuals including normotensives (n = 12) and hypertensives (n = 19) were enrolled for the study and their blood pressure recorded. Hypertensive group was sub divided into two: hypertensives on calcium channel blockers and hypertensives on antihypertensive medication other than calcium channel blockers. Serum calcium levels were measured by Accucare Calcium Arsenazo III kit. Differences between the groups were analyzed using ANOVA. Results: No significant difference in serum calcium level was found between normotensive and hypertensive groups; and no correlation was found between calcium levels and the blood pressure. Also the difference in serum calcium levels in hypertensive group on calcium channel blockers and those on antihypertensive other than calcium channel blockers was insignificant. Conclusions: Serum calcium levels are tightly regulated. Subtle changes in serum levels do not affect blood pressure.
Restarting multi-type particle swarm optimization using an adaptive selection of particle type

The particle swarm optimization method (PSO) is one of popular metaheuristic methods for global optimization problems. Although the PSO is simple and shows a good performance of finding a good solution, it is reported that almost all particles sometimes converge to an undesirable local minimum for some problems. Thus, many kinds of improved methods have been proposed to keep the diversity of the search process. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-type swarm PSO which uses two kinds of particles and multiple swarms including either kind of particles. All particles in each swarm search for solutions independently where the exchange of information between different swarms is restricted for the extensive exploration. In addition, the proposed model has the restarting system of inactive particles which initializes a trapped particle by resetting its velocity and position, and adaptively selects the kind of the particle according to which kind of particles contribute to improvement of the objective function. Furthermore, through some numerical experiments, we verify the abilities of the proposed model.
Extraversion and neuroticism: Investigation of resting electrodermal activity

Abstract In 1967 Eysenck published his biological account of extraversion and neuroticism. In the same year Claridge identified several problems with this theory. More recently Robinson has detailed a promising modification to Eysenck's theory which addresses many of the issues raised by Claridge. Drawing on Robinson's theory it was hypothesised that differences in resting electrodermal activity (EDA) would contrast extraverted-neurotics (low arousal) and introverted-neurotics (high arousal). The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was used to identify four extreme groups of female participants: extraverted-stable (n = 16), extraverted-neurotic (n = 15), introverted-stable (n = 8) and introverted-neurotic (n = 16). EDA measures of skin conductance level (SCL) and non-specific skin conductance response (NS-SCR) were collected during two rest periods. Planned contrasts between the extraverted-neurotic and introverted-neurotic groups provided support for Robinson's theory on SCL but not NS-SCR. It was ar.
Social-Emotional and Character Development and Academics as a Dual Focus of Educational Policy

There is a missing piece to America’s education agenda, and children will continue to be left behind until that piece is addressed. Furthermore, children are not being systematically prepared for their complex roles as citizens in our democracy. A growing body of evidence from research and practice suggests reconceptualizing education as an integration of social-emotional and character development (SECD) and academic learning. This article reviews skills children need for effective social and academic participation, characteristics of schools that effectively integrate these forms of learning, and key reasons to adopt this integration. It concludes with examples of, and suggestions for, bringing SECD to prominence in educational policy making.
Compression and direct manipulation of complex blendshape models

We present a method to compress complex blendshape models and thereby enable interactive, hardware-accelerated animation of these models. Facial blendshape models in production are typically large in terms of both the resolution of the model and the number of target shapes. They are represented by a single huge blendshape matrix, whose size presents a storage burden and prevents real-time processing. To address this problem, we present a new matrix compression scheme based on a hierarchically semi-separable (HSS) representation with matrix block reordering. The compressed data are also suitable for parallel processing. An efficient GPU implementation provides very fast feedback of the resulting animation. Compared with the original data, our technique leads to a huge improvement in both storage and processing efficiency without incurring any visual artifacts. As an application, we introduce an extended version of the direct manipulation method to control a large number of facial blendshapes efficiently and intuitively.
Maternally invested carotenoids compensate costly ectoparasitism in the hihi

Dietary ingested carotenoid biomolecules have been linked to both improved health and immunity in nestling birds. Here, we test whether maternally invested egg carotenoids can offset the cost of parasitism in developing nestling hihi (Notiomystis cincta) from the bloodsucking mite (Ornithonyssus bursa). Our results reveal clear negative effects of parasitism on nestlings, and that maternally derived carotenoids compensate this cost, resulting in growth parameters and ultimate mass achieved being similar to nonparasitized young. Our results offer an unique example of a direct positive relationship between enhanced maternal investment of carotenoids and an ability to cope with a specific and costly parasite in young birds. As O. bursa infestations reduce population viability in hihi, our findings also highlight the importance of key nutritional resources for endangered bird populations to better cope with common parasite infestations.
Rehabilitation of handwriting skills in stroke patients using interactive games: a pilot study

This paper describes an interactive application that aims to support the rehabilitation of handwriting skills in people that suffer from paralysis after a stroke. The purpose of the application is to make the rehabilitation of handwriting skills fun and engaging. Four platform-independent games with adjustable levels of difficulty were created in order to target varying levels of skills. The application also features a performance history, audio-visual feedback, and posture reminders. It was evaluated with medical staff and patients from the Hoensbroeck Rehabilitation Centre in the Netherlands. The initial results indicated that the games are more motivating and fun than traditional pen and paper exercises. The feedback received from therapists supports our claim that the games are a useful addition to the rehabilitation of handwriting.
Cross-lingual porting of distributional semantic classification

This article presents experiments in the porting of semantic classiﬁcation between two closely related languages, Swedish and Danish. We show that a classiﬁer for the semantic property of animacy, trained on morphosyntactic distributional data for one language may be applied directly to data from another language with little loss in terms of accuracy.
Human Schistosoma haematobium Antifecundity Immunity Is Dependent on Transmission Intensity and Associated With Immunoglobulin G1 to Worm-Derived Antigens

Background Immunity that reduces worm fecundity and, in turn, reduces morbidity is proposed for Schistosoma haematobium, a parasite of major public health importance. Mathematical models of epidemiological trends suggest that antifecundity immunity is dependent on antibody responses to adult-worm-derived antigen. Methods For a Malian cohort (age, 5–29 years) residing in high-transmission fishing villages or a moderate-transmission village, worm fecundity was assessed using the ratio of urinary egg excretion to levels of circulating anodic antigen, a Schistosoma-specific antigen that is steadily secreted by adult worms. Fecundity was modeled against host age, infection transmission intensity, and antibody responses specific to soluble worm antigen (SWA), tegument allergen-like 1, and 28-kDa glutathione-S-transferase. Results Worm fecundity declined steadily until a host age of 11 years. Among children, host age and transmission were negatively associated with worm fecundity. A significant interaction term between host age and transmission indicates that antifecundity immunity develops earlier in high-transmission areas. SWA immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) levels explained the effect of transmission on antifecundity immunity. Conclusion Antifecundity immunity, which is likely to be protective against severe morbidity, develops rapidly during childhood. Antifecundity immunity is associated with SWA-IgG1, with higher infection transmission increasing this response at an earlier age, leading to earlier development of antifecundity immunity.
Telemetric Artificial Skin for Soft Robot

Robots of new generation to coexist with human harmoniously will require the sensor skin that is soft to cover the whole body. But it would be very difficult to fabricate such a skin with existing technology, because it is laborious to place and wire vast amount of sensor elements on the 3-dimensionally configured robot surface. In this paper we propose a novel method to fabricate such a sensor skin. The skin contains sensor chips which receive the electrical power and transmit the tactile signal without wires. The skin is configured in an arbitrary shape easily, and it is elastic and tough because each sensing element does not need any fragile wires. The fabrication of the prototype telemetry tactile chip and experimental results of multiple chip signal detection are shown.
Fluid-structure interaction in human vocal folds

Le champ de vitesse et de pression le long des cordes vibrantes etait etudie a l'aide d'un modele numerique et par observation experimentale. Le modele mathematique, base sur les equations de Navier-Stokes 2D incompressibles discretisees avec la methode des elements finis en formulation d'Euler-Lagrange arbitraire, etait programme dans le langage Fortran, a l'aide de la librairie numerique Melina. Dans les resultats des simulations numeriques on peut observer le developpement du jet derriere la glotte et l'evolution des tourbillons de recirculation lors du cycle d'oscillation des cordes vocales. Le modele physique en echelle 4: 1 fournit les signaux d'acceleration, pression supraglottale et le signal acoustique emis par un corps elastique, qui vibre dans le paroi du canal aerodynamique grâce au couplage avec l'ecoulement. Sur le meme modele, le champ de vitesse dans le domaine supraglottale etait mesure par la PIV synchronise avec les oscillations.
Object Activation in Semantic Memory from Visual Multimodal Feature Input

The human brain's representation of objects has been proposed to exist as a network of coactivated neural regions present in multiple cognitive systems. However, it is not known if there is a region specific to the process of activating an integrated object representation in semantic memory from multimodal feature stimuli (e.g., pictureword). A previous study using wordword feature pairs as stimulus input showed that the left thalamus is integrally involved in object activation (Kraut, Kremen, Segal, et al., this issue). In the present study, participants were presented pictureword pairs that are features of objects, with the task being to decide if together they activated an object not explicitly presented (e.g., picture of a candle and the word icing activate the internal representation of a cake). For pictureword pairs that combine to elicit an object, signal change was detected in the ventral temporo-occipital regions, pre-SMA, left primary somatomotor cortex, both caudate nuclei, and the dorsal thalami bilaterally. These findings suggest that the left thalamus is engaged for either picture or word stimuli, but the right thalamus appears to be involved when picture stimuli are also presented with words in semantic object activation tasks. The somatomotor signal changes are likely secondary to activation of the semantic object representations from multimodal visual stimuli.