Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Controllability Attributions for Academic Performance and the Perceived Scholastic Competence, Global Self-Worth and Achievement of Children with Dyslexia.

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between controllability attributions for academic performance and the self-perceptions of children with severe and persistent reading difficulties (dyslexia) and classmates without learning difficulties. The participants were 20 children with dyslexia and 20 children with no identified learning difficulties aged 8-11 years in mainstream classes. Selfperceptions were measured using Harter's (1985) Self-Perception Profile for Children. Attributions for academic performance were assessed and classified as controllable or uncontrollable. Children identified as dyslexic using a modern working definition were found to have significantly lower perceived scholastic competence than their normally achieving peers, but their global self-worth was not significantly lower. In these respects the results of this study closely paralleled the results of previous research which employed IQ-achievement discrepancy definitions of dyslexia. Children with uncontrollable attributions had significantly lower perceived scholastic competence than children with controllable attributions, even when actual reading attainment was taken into account. The relationship between controllability attributions for academic performance and perceived scholastic competence was found to be similar for children with dyslexia and their normally achieving classmates. It is suggested that intervention focused on the these variables in mainstream classrooms may benefit both pupils with dyslexia and their normally achieving peers.
Infrared properties of SiC particles

We present basic laboratory infrared data on a large number of SiC particulate samples, which should be of great value for the interpretation of the 11.3 micron feature observed in the spectra of carbon-rich stars. The laboratory spectra show a wide variety of the SiC phonon features in the 10-13 micron wavelength range, both in peak wavelength and band shape. The main parameters determining the band profile are morphological factors as grain size and shape and, in many cases, impurities in the material. We discovered the interesting fact that free charge carriers, generated e.g. by nitrogen doping, are a very common characteristics of many SiC particle samples. These free charge carriers produce very strong plasmon absorption in the near and middle infrared, which may also heavily influence the 10-13 micron feature profile via plasmon-phonon coupling. We also found that there is no systematic dependence of the band profile on the crystal type (alpha- vs. beta-SiC). This is proven both experimentally and by theoretical calculations based on a study of the SiC phonon frequencies. Further, we give optical constants of amorphous SiC. We discuss the implications of the new laboratory results for the interpretation of the spectra of carbon stars.
Underdetermined Convolutive BSS: Bayes Risk Minimization Based on a Mixture of Super-Gaussian Posterior Approximation

This paper considers the underdetermined blind source separation (BSS) of convolutively mixed super-Gaussian signals that include speech, audio, and various other sparse signals. Here, the separation is performed in three steps. In the first and second steps, the mixing matrix and the sources at each time-frequency location are estimated by minimizing the Bayes risk (or the posterior risk) with squared loss. In the final third step, the permutation alignment is conducted by considering the correlation between adjacent spectral bins as in many conventional algorithms. To overcome any computationally intractable integrations involving a complex-valued super-Gaussian source prior, the posterior distribution of the sources is approximated as a mixture of super-Gaussians. The posterior means of the mixing matrix and the sources are obtained with Metropolis-Hastings within Gibbs sampling and the weighted sum of individual super-Gaussians, respectively. Overall, this approximation leads to a separation that is computationally lighter than and as accurate as the algorithm without the approximation. The simulation results of the synthetically generated data in a virtual room with reverberation show that the estimates of the mixing matrix in the first step and the sources in the second step are more accurate than the estimates from the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of the mixing error ratio (MER) and the signal-to-distortion ratio (SDR). The experiment was also conducted with recorded data in a real room environment using a public benchmark dataset. Results show that the proposed algorithm gives a better performance compared to the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of the SDR.
Transient Reward Approximation for Grids, Crowds, and Viruses

We are interested in the analysis of very large continuous-time Markov chains (CTMCs) with many distinct rates. Such models arise naturally in the context security and dependability analysis of power grids, of computer virus vulnerability, and in the study of crowd dynamics. We use abstraction techniques together with novel algorithms for the computation of bounds on the expected final and accumulated rewards in continuous-time Markov decision processes (CTMDPs). These ingredients are combined in a partly symbolic and partly explicit (symblicit) analysis approach. In particular, we circumvent the use of multi-terminal decision diagrams, because the latter do not work well if facing a large number of different rates. We demonstrate the practical applicability and efficiency of the approach on two case studies.
Classification, Association and Pattern Completion using Neural Similarity Based Methods

A framework for Similarity-Based Methods (SBMs) includes many classification models as special cases: neural network of the Radial Basis Function Networks type, Feature Space Mapping neurofuzzy networks based on separable transfer functions, Learning Vector Quantization, variants of the k nearest neighbor methods and several new models that may be presented in a network form. Multilayer Perceptrons (MLPs) use scalar products to compute weighted activation of neurons, combining soft hyperplanes to provide decision borders. Distance-based multilayer perceptrons (D-MLPs) evaluate similarity of inputs to weights offering a natural generalization of standard MLPs . Cluster-based initialization procedure determining architecture and values of all adaptive parameters is described. Networks implementing SBM methods are useful not only for classification and approximation, but also as associative memories, in problems requiring pattern completion, offering an efficient way to deal with missing values. NonEuclidean distance functions may also be introduced by normalization of the input vectors in an extended feature space. Both approaches influence shapes of decision borders dramatically. An illustrative example showing these changes is provided.
Decreased Insulin Clearance in Individuals with Elevated 1-h Post-Load Plasma Glucose Levels

Reduced insulin clearance has been shown to predict the development of type 2 diabetes. Recently, it has been suggested that plasma glucose concentrations ≥8.6 mmol/l (155 mg/dl) at 1 h during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) can identify individuals at high risk for type 2 diabetes among those who have normal glucose tolerance (NGT 1 h-high). The aim of this study was to examine whether NGT 1 h-high have a decrease in insulin clearance, as compared with NGT individuals with 1-h post-load glucose <8.6 mmol/l (l (155 mg/dl, NGT 1 h-low). To this end, 438 non-diabetic White individuals were subjected to OGTT and euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp to evaluate insulin clearance and insulin sensitivity. As compared with NGT 1 h-low individuals, NGT 1 h-high had significantly higher 1-h and 2-h post-load plasma glucose and 2-h insulin levels as well as higher fasting glucose and insulin levels. NGT 1 h-high exhibited also a significant decrease in both insulin sensitivity (P<0.0001) and insulin clearance (P = 0.006) after adjusting for age, gender, adiposity measures, and insulin sensitivity. The differences in insulin clearance remained significant after adjustment for fasting glucose (P = 0.02) in addition to gender, age, and BMI. In univariate analyses adjusted for gender and age, insulin clearance was inversely correlated with body weight, body mass index, waist, fat mass, 1-h and 2-h post-load glucose levels, fasting, 1-h and 2-h post-load insulin levels, and insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. In conclusion, our data show that NGT 1 h-high have a reduction in insulin clearance as compared with NGT 1 h-low individuals; this suggests that impaired insulin clearance may contribute to sustained fasting and post-meal hyperinsulinemia.
Haiti's Predatory Republic: The Unending Transition to Democracy

Introduction. Class, State, and Civil Society in Haiti. The Fall of Duvalier and the Contradictions of Democratization. The Rise, Fall, and Second Coming of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The Vicissitudes of Lavalasian Power. The Antagonistic Present and Future Alternatives. Toward a Compromise? Conclusion.
Correction of Hyperglycemia in Diabetic Mice Transplanted with Reversibly Immortalized Pancreatic β Cells Controlled by the tet-on Regulatory System

Pancreatic β cell lines may offer an abundant source of cells for β-cell replacement in type I diabetes. Using regulatory elements of the bacterial tetracycline (tet) operon for conditional expression of SV40 T antigen oncoprotein in transgenic mouse β cells, we have shown that reversible immortalization is an efficient approach for regulated β-cell expansion, accompanied by enhanced cell differentiation upon growth arrest. The original system employed the tet-off approach, in which the cells proliferate in the absence of tet ligands and undergo growth arrest in their presence. The disadvantage of this system is the need for continuous treatment with the ligand in vivo for maintaining growth arrest. Here we utilized the tet-on regulatory system to generate β cell lines in which proliferation is regulated in reverse: these cells divide in the presence of tet ligands, and undergo growth arrest in their absence, as judged by [3H]thymidine and BrdU incorporation assays. These cell lines were derived from insulinomas, which heritably developed in transgenic mice continuously treated with the tet derivative doxycycline (dox). The cells produce and secrete high amounts of insulin, and can restore and maintain euglycemia in syngeneic streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice in the absence of dox. Such a system is more suitable for transplantation, compared with cells regulated by the tet-off approach, because ligand treatment is limited to cell expansion in culture and is not required for long-term maintenance of growth arrest in vivo.
The morning after the millennium: building the long-haul learning university

Lifelong learning remains a powerful and valid concept important for the evolution of higher education and the university in the changing context of globalization, 30 years after its first popularization around 1970. Like the related concept of the learning society, it suffers trivializing fashion and reductionism. As we move into a phase of universal tertiary education, it is all the more necessary to understand how to enable universities to become learning organizations playing a distinct role in a fast-changing world. Enterprise is an essential associated characteristic, rather than a betrayal of the essentially academic. Universities need to function as open systems, building partnerships and sharing networks in and beyond their localities, and playing leading roles in the creation of learning regions and in new modes of knowledge protection. A grasp of these issues points the way for universities to survive as valued and unique social institutions adapted to and playing an active part in the making of knowledge societies.
The Role of Affect in Attentional Functioning for Younger and Older Adults

Although previous research has shown that positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) modulate attentional functioning in distinct ways, few studies have considered whether the links between affect and attentional functioning may vary as a function of age. Using the Attention Network Test (Fan et al., 2002), we tested whether participants’ current state of PA and NA influenced distinct attentional functions (i.e., alerting, orienting, and executive attention) and how the relationships between affective states and attentional functioning differ in younger (18–25 years) and older (60–85 years) age groups. While there were age differences in alerting efficiency, these age differences were mediated by PA, indicating that the higher state PA found in older adults may contribute to age differences in alerting. Furthermore, age group moderated the relationship between PA and orienting as well as NA and orienting. That is, higher levels of PA and lower levels of NA were associated with enhanced orienting efficiency in older adults. Neither PA nor NA had any influence on executive attention. The current results suggest that PA and NA may influence attentional functioning in distinct ways, but that these patterns may depend on age groups.
Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis

Content analysis is a widely used qualitative research technique. Rather than being a single method, current applications of content analysis show three distinct approaches: conventional, directed, or summative. All three approaches are used to interpret meaning from the content of text data and, hence, adhere to the naturalistic paradigm. The major differences among the approaches are coding schemes, origins of codes, and threats to trustworthiness. In conventional content analysis, coding categories are derived directly from the text data. With a directed approach, analysis starts with a theory or relevant research findings as guidance for initial codes. A summative content analysis involves counting and comparisons, usually of keywords or content, followed by the interpretation of the underlying context. The authors delineate analytic procedures specific to each approach and techniques addressing trustworthiness with hypothetical examples drawn from the area of end-of-life care.
Fé e ideologia na compreensão psicológica da pessoa

This is a theoretical study that intends to discuss faith and ideology as the person's psychological dimensions influencing his/her action. It follows the roads of a phenomenological reflection about the experience. Faith and ideology appear as complementary, not opposite, dimensions. Faith concerns the connection with the intended, but not still experienced, ends. Ideology concerns the vision of the world subsequent to that connection with the ends. Several domains of the process experience are examined: the individual, the group, the social, the ecological and the spiritual. Both faith and ideology are evident in all these domains. Faith becomes explicitly or implicitly religious in the context of the experience of the inquiry concerning the ultimate meaning. Then it is also follows an including ideology. Both will have an influence on all the other domains of the experience. Psychology cannot ignore the states of faith and ideology for understanding the human.
Semantic radical knowledge and word recognition in Chinese for Chinese as foreign language learners

In the present study, we examined the relation of knowledge of semantic radicals to students’ language proficiency and word reading for adult Chinese-as-a-foreign language students. Ninety-seven college students rated their proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Chinese, and were administered measures of receptive and productive knowledge of semantic radical position and function. A latent variable for language proficiency was constructed based on the number of semesters in Chinese courses, and students’ self-rating in Chinese. Two language proficiency groups were reliably formed. Students with higher language proficiency had significantly better performances on all the measures of knowledge of semantic radicals and word recognition. Furthermore, the receptive and productive knowledge of semantic radical position and productive knowledge of semantic radical function were positively related to word reading after controlling for proficiency level. Productive knowledge of semantic radical function was uniquely and positively related to word reading after accounting for proficiency level and other measures of semantic radical knowledge.
Relations Between Aortic Stiffness and Left Ventricular Mechanical Function in the Community

Background Aortic stiffness impairs optimal ventricular–vascular coupling and left ventricular systolic function, particularly in the long axis. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) has recently emerged as a sensitive measure of early cardiac dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the relation between aortic stiffness and GLS in a large community‐based sample. Methods and Results In 2495 participants (age 39–90 years, 57% women) of the Framingham Offspring and Omni cohorts, free of cardiovascular disease, we performed tonometry to measure arterial hemodynamics and echocardiography to assess cardiac function. Aortic stiffness was evaluated as carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity and as characteristic impedance, and GLS was calculated using speckle tracking–based measurements. In multivariable analyses adjusting for age, sex, height, systolic blood pressure, augmentation index, left ventricular structure, and additional cardiovascular risk factors, increased carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (B±SE: 0.122±0.030% strain per SD, P<0.0001) and characteristic impedance (0.090±0.029, P=0.002) were both associated with worse GLS. We observed effect modification by sex on the relation between characteristic impedance and GLS (P=0.004); in sex‐stratified multivariable analyses, the relation between greater characteristic impedance and worse GLS persisted in women (0.145±0.039, P=0.0003) but not in men (P=0.73). Conclusions Multiple measures of increased aortic stiffness were cross‐sectionally associated with worse GLS after adjusting for hemodynamic variables. Parallel reductions in left ventricular long axis shortening and proximal aortic longitudinal strain in individuals with a stiffened proximal aorta, from direct mechanical ventricular‐vascular coupling, offers an alternative explanation for the observed relations.
Imaging the inflammatory activity of sarcoidosis

Accurate assessment of pulmonary and extrapulmonary organ involvement in sarcoidosis is one of the great challenges for clinicians. This assessment includes the evaluation of symptoms and of sarcoidosis activity in a specific organ and its functional consequences. In this review, radiological and nuclear techniques to image the inflammatory activity of sarcoidosis are described, in particular 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography. The current use of this technique in clinical practice is explained, particularly in patients with persistent symptoms, stage IV disease and cardiac sarcoidosis.
Traffic locus of control, driving skills, and attitudes towards in-vehicle technologies (ISA and ACC)

Drivers' acceptance of in-vehicle technologies is influenced by individual differences in user characteristics. Locus of control (LOC) can be assumed to be one of the most crucial psychological factors determining a drivers' acceptance to new in-vehicle technologies. Internals may, for instance, choose to rely on their own driving skills and abilities rather than on in-vehicle technologies and try to maintain their direct involvement with the driving task. It is also known that intention, which is influenced by attitudes, is the main predictor of behaviours (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). It was, therefore, hypothesized that drivers who got high scores on internal (self subscale of T-LOC) locus of control subscale and perceptual motor skills would have a negative attitude to using in-vehicle technologies (ISA and ACC). In the present study, 208 participants (36 female and 172 male) completed a form including the Driver Skill Inventory (DSI), Multidimensional Traffic Locus of Control Scale (T-LOC), Technical Devices Attitude Scale (TDAS), and items related to drivers' driving records and demographics. The results showed that high safety skills and external orientation seems to be important factors for having positive attitudes towards in-vehicle technologies. However, drivers with high self-reported perceptual motor skills might tend to resist in-vehicle technologies. For the covering abstract see ITRD E137489.
Organizational Commitment-Turnover Relationship Across Occupational Groups

This meta-analysis examines whether the relationship between organizational commitment (OC) and turnover differs across occupational groups. It was suggested that the OC-turnover relationship will be stronger among employees in higher-status occupations (e.g., professionals) than among employees in lower-status occupations (e.g., blue collars). A total of 36 independent samples were divided into two main occupational groups: blue-collar employees and white-collar employees. The white-collar subgroup was subdivided into professional and nonprofessional employees. The nonprofessional category was further subdivided into managers and clericals. The findings reveal that, in general, the negative relationship between OC and turnover is stronger for white-collar employees than for blue-collar employees. No significant differences were found between the two white-collar subgroups: nonprofessional and professional and manager and clerical. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on the OC-turnover relationship and the need for an elaboration of the existing explanations for the development of OC.
Towards recency ranking in web search

In web search, recency ranking refers to ranking documents by relevance which takes freshness into account. In this paper, we propose a retrieval system which automatically detects and responds to recency sensitive queries. The system detects recency sensitive queries using a high precision classifier. The system responds to recency sensitive queries by using a machine learned ranking model trained for such queries. We use multiple recency features to provide temporal evidence which effectively represents document recency. Furthermore, we propose several training methodologies important for training recency sensitive rankers. Finally, we develop new evaluation metrics for recency sensitive queries. Our experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approaches.
Accounting for input-model and input-parameter uncertainties in simulation

To account for the input-model and input-parameter uncertainties inherent in many simulations as well as the usual stochastic uncertainty, we present a Bayesian input-modeling technique that yields improved point and confidence-interval estimators for a selected posterior mean response. Exploiting prior information to specify the prior probabilities of the postulated input models and the associated prior input-parameter distributions, we use sample data to compute the posterior input-model and input-parameter distributions. Our Bayesian simulation replication algorithm involves: (i) estimating parameter uncertainty by randomly sampling the posterior input-parameter distributions; (ii) estimating stochastic uncertainty by running independent replications of the simulation using each set of input-model parameters sampled in (i); and (iii) estimating input-model uncertainty by weighting the responses generated in (ii) using the corresponding posterior input-model probabilities. Sampling effort is allocated among input models to minimize final point-estimator variance subject to a computing-budget constraint. A queueing simulation demonstrates the advantages of this approach.