Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Religiosity and adolescent empathy and aggression: The mediating role of moral identity

The mechanism by which adolescent religiosity might yield positive interactions with others remains unclear. This study examined moral identity as a mediator between adolescent religiosity and adolescent empathy and aggression. Participants were 502 adolescents (10 –18 years) who completed an online survey. Structural equation models assessed links between religiosity (commitment and involvement) and interpersonal relationships (aggression and empathy), as well as the role of moral identity as a mediator, and the potential interactions between the two facets of religiosity. The study found indirect relationships between religious commitment and aggression and empathy by way of moral identity. Religious commitment was also directly related to empathy. Additionally, religious commitment and involvement interacted in predicting moral identity. Findings suggest that moral identity may be one mechanism by which religiosity leads to positive social interactions. Further, it may be that religious commitment and religious involvement interact in a way that together more synergistically promote positive development.
Gibberellin Acts Positively Then Negatively to Control Onset of Flower Formation in Arabidopsis

One Hormone, Two Phases The switch from vegetative growth to flowering in the plant Arabidopsis involves two phases—inflorescence branching and flowering. Yamaguchi et al. (p. 638) examined how the phytohormone gibberellin regulates each phase differently. First, gibberellin levels increase and stimulate production of key flowering factors, one of which degrades gibberellin. As gibberellin levels then fall, the next phase of flowering factors is released from gibberellin repression. By regulating inflorescence branching separately from flowering, this system determines overall seed yield. Inflorescence architecture is shaped by a biphasic signaling network involving the plant hormone gibberellin. The switch to reproductive development is biphasic in many plants, a feature important for optimal pollination and yield. We show that dual opposite roles of the phytohormone gibberellin underpin this phenomenon in Arabidopsis. Although gibberellin promotes termination of vegetative development, it inhibits flower formation. To overcome this effect, the transcription factor LEAFY induces expression of a gibberellin catabolism gene; consequently, increased LEAFY activity causes reduced gibberellin levels. This allows accumulation of gibberellin-sensitive DELLA proteins. The DELLA proteins are recruited by SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN–LIKE transcription factors to regulatory regions of the floral commitment gene APETALA1 and promote APETALA1 up-regulation and floral fate synergistically with LEAFY. The two opposing functions of gibberellin may facilitate evolutionary and environmental modulation of plant inflorescence architecture.
Considerations of “Combined Probability of Injury” in the Next-Generation USA Frontal NCAP

Objective: The numerical basis for assigning star ratings in the next-generation USA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) for frontal impacts was assessed. That basis, the Combined Probability of Injury, or CPI, is the probability of an occupant sustaining an injury to any of the specified body regions. For an NCAP test, a CPI value is computed by (a) using risk curves to convert body-region responses from a test dummy into body-region risks and (b) using a theoretical, overarching CPI equation to convert those separate body-region risks into a single CPI value. Though the general concept of applying a CPI equation to assign star ratings has existed since 1994, there will be numerous changes to the 2011 frontal NCAP: there will be two additional body regions (n = 4 vs. 2), the injury probabilities will be evaluated for lower-severity (more likely) injury levels, and some of the occupant responses will change. These changes could yield more disperse CPIs that could yield more disperse ratings. However, the reasons for this increased dispersion should be consistent with real-world findings. Related assessments were the topic of this two-part study, focused on drivers. Methods: In Part 1, the CPI equation was assessed without applying risk curves. Specifically, field injury probabilities for the four body regions were used as inputs to the CPI equation, and the resulting equation-produced CPIs were compared with the field CPIs. In Part 2, subject to analyses of test dummy responses from recent NCAP tests, the effect of risk curve choice on CPIs was assessed. Specifically, dispersion statistics were compared for CPIs based on various underlying risk curves applied to data from 2001–2005 model year vehicles (n = 183). Results and Conclusions: From Part 1, the theoretical CPI equation for four body regions demonstrated acceptable fidelity when provided field injury rates (R2= 0.92), with the equation-based CPIs being approximately 12 percent lower than those of ideal correlation. From Part 2, the 2011 NCAP protocol (i.e., application of a four-body-region CPI equation whose inputs were from risk curves) generally increased both the CPIs and their dispersion relative to the current NCAP protocol. However, the CPIs generally increased due to an emphasis on neck injury—an emphasis not observed in real-world crashes. Subject to alternative risk curves for the neck and chest, again there was increased dispersion of the CPIs, but the unrealistic emphasis on the neck was eliminated. However, risk estimates for the knee/thigh/hip (KTH) for NCAP-type events remained understated and did not fall within the confidence bands of the field data. Accordingly, KTH risk estimation is an area for future research.
Dysregulated YAP1/TAZ and TGF-β signaling mediate hepatocarcinogenesis in Mob1a/1b-deficient mice

Significance Patients with intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC) and combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma (cHC-CC) have worse prognoses than those with hepatocellular carcinoma and rarely show clinical responses to drugs. Our analyses of mice with liver-specific deletions of Mps One Binder Kinase Activator (MOB)1A/1B reveal that MOB1A/1B constitute the most important hub of Hippo signaling in mammalian liver. MOB1A/1B maintain hepatocyte stem/progenitor cell quiescence and are potent tumor suppressors, especially in cHC-CCs and ICCs. Because these functions depend on the Hippo target Yap1/Taz and the Yap1/Taz targets Tgfbs, our data point to a new therapeutic approach for liver cancer based on inhibition of MOB1-YAP1/TAZ and/or TGF-βs–SMADs signaling. Our demonstration that well-tolerated and already-approved antiparasitic drugs inhibit YAP1 signaling may point to a new route of treatment for these cancers that can be rapidly tested and implemented. Mps One Binder Kinase Activator (MOB)1A/1B are core components of the Hippo pathway that coactivate large tumor suppressor homolog (LATS) kinases. Mob1a/1b double deficiency in mouse liver (LMob1DKO) results in hyperplasia of oval cells and immature cholangiocytes accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis. More than half of mutant mice die within 3 wk of birth. All survivors eventually develop liver cancers, particularly combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinomas (cHC-CCs) and intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinomas (ICCs), and die by age 60 wk. Because this phenotype is the most severe among mutant mice lacking a Hippo signaling component, MOB1A/1B constitute the critical hub of Hippo signaling in mammalian liver. LMob1DKO liver cells show hyperproliferation, increased cell saturation density, hepatocyte dedifferentiation, enhanced epithelial–mesenchymal transition and cell migration, and elevated transforming growth factor beta(TGF-β)2/3 production. These changes are strongly dependent on Yes-Associated Protein-1 (Yap1) and partially dependent on PDZ-binding motif (Taz) and Tgfbr2, but independent of connective tissue growth factor (Ctgf). In human liver cancers, YAP1 activation is frequent in cHC-CCs and ICCs and correlates with SMAD family member 2 activation. Drug screening revealed that antiparasitic macrocyclic lactones inhibit YAP1 activation in vitro and in vivo. Targeting YAP1/TAZ with these drugs in combination with inhibition of the TGF-β pathway may be effective treatment for cHC-CCs and ICCs.
Does Job Re-Design Theory Explain Job Re-Design Outcomes?

A review of 31 methodologically rigorous case studies and experiments in job re-design showed only limited support lor the Job Characteristics Model. Where job re-design led to employee perceptions of improved job content then employees were also likely to experience higher job satisfaction. Job performance improvements however were not significantly associated with job perceptions, intrinsic work motivation, or job satisfaction, although they were associated with pay rises and job losses among employees. These findings are accounted for by a twin-track model which suggests that the determinants of performance are different from the determinants of satisfaction. While job re-design appears to give employees higher job satisfaction, there is no strong evidence that in and of itself it motivates them to higher performance.
Association between duration of use of pharmacotherapy and smoking cessation: findings from a national survey

Objective To investigate the association of the duration of use of prescription medications and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) with smoking cessation using a national sample of the general population in the USA, controlling for nicotine dependence and sociodemographic variables. Setting USA. Participants We used data from the 2010–2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the US Current Population Survey. We limited the analysis to current daily smokers who made a quit attempt in the past year and former smokers who were a daily smoker 1 year prior to the survey (n=8263). Respondents were asked about duration of use of prescription medication (varenicline, bupropion, other) and NRT (nicotine patch, gum/lozenges, nasal spray and inhaler) for smoking cessation. Primary outcome measure Successful smoking cessation. Individuals who reported to have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime but were not smoking at all at the time of the interview and were a daily smoker 1 year prior to the interview were considered to have successfully quit smoking. Results After adjusting for daily cigarette consumption and sociodemographic covariates, we found evidence for an association between duration of pharmacotherapy use and smoking cessation (p<0.001). Adjusted cessation rates for those who used prescription medication or NRT for 5+ weeks were 28.8% and 27.8%, respectively. Adjusted cessation rates for those who used prescription medication or NRT for less than 5 weeks varied from 6.2% to 14.5%. Adjusted cessation rates for those who used only behavioural counselling and those who attempted to quit smoking unassisted were 16.1% and 16.4%, respectively. Conclusions Use of pharmacotherapy for at least 5 weeks is associated with increased likelihood of successful smoking cessation. Results suggest that encouraging smokers who intend to quit to use pharmacotherapy and to adhere to treatment duration can help improve chances of successful cessation.
Ärgerbezogene Reaktionen und Ziele: Entwicklung eines neuen Fragebogens

Zusammenfassung. Ein neues Verfahren zur Erfassung argerbezogenen Verhaltens wurde entwickelt, der Fragebogen zu argerbezogenen Reaktionen und Zielen (AERZ). Die Konstruktion verfolgte die Ziele, ein multidimensionales, aber okonomisches Instrument zu entwickeln, mit dem effektive und ineffektive argerbezogene Reaktionen sowie argerbezogene Verhaltensziele erfasst werden. Ausgehend von kognitiven Theorien und Befunden zum Arger wurden insgesamt 6 Reaktions- und 6 Ziel-Skalen mit je vier Items theoretisch abgeleitet und in zwei Studien mit N = 159 und N = 174 Teilnehmer/innen uberpruft. Die interne Konsistenz schwankt zwischen . 68 und . 90 fur die Reaktions- und Ziel-Skalen; die Retest-Koeffizienten variieren zwischen . 62 und . 82 fur die Reaktions-Skalen und zwischen . 46 und . 66 fur die Ziel-Skalen. In exploratorischen Faktorenanalysen finden sich die postulierten sechs Faktoren fur die Reaktionen und fur die Ziele auf der Grundlage des Kaiser-Guttman Kriteriums sehr gut wieder. Die fur Reaktionen und Ziele.
The use of event-related potentials in the study of early cognitive development

Studying normal infant development is a challenge for cognitive scientists ingeneral and for neuroscientists in particular because (1) physiological indices ofinfant cognition are generally noisy and technically difficult to obtain and (2)inter-individual variability and a paucity of established results make datainterpretation very complex, even aside from the fact that one cannot overlookfundamental ethical issues on experimenting with infants. During the first year oflife in particular, infants cannot follow instructions, speech is as yet virtually non-existent; and it is difficult to obtain overt behavioural responses that meetstatistical validation criteria. For these reasons, studies of normal infantdevelopment have mainly capitalized on attentional capture paradigms whichmeasure the infant’s shifts of attention. Such paradigms include high amplitudesucking, preferential looking, and head turn protocols, in all of which overtbehavioural measures are assumed to relate to the infant’s perception andprocessing of stimuli. Electroencephalography and more specifically event-related potentials (ERPs), on the other hand, can offer an insight into brainimplicit responses to external events, even when no external behaviour isobserved. As a consequence, there is increasing interest in the use of ERPs for thestudy of early development. The purpose of this review is (a) to give a concise,non-exhaustive overview of the type of ERP experiments that have beenconducted with young infants, and (b) to address the central theoretical issue ofERP component interpretation in infancy.
Une distinction mesurable: corpus oraux et écrits sur le continuum de la deixis

L'opposition oral/écrit est analysée à travers la variation dans les proportions des catégories grammaticales dans vingt-et-un corpus oraux et écrits italiens, néerlandais, français et d'interlangue française. Une analyse factorielle permet d'extraire une dimension unique sur laquelle s'opposent deux groupes de catégories grammaticales. Les substantifs, les articles, les adjectifs et les prépositions se situent près du pôle négatif tandis que les pronoms, les verbes, les adverbes, les interjections et les conjonctions se situent près du pôle positif de cette dimension qui reflète le continuum de la deixis. Les corpus oraux se situent près du pôle déictique/implicite et s'opposent aux corpus écrits qui se rapprochent du pôle explicite du continuum. Les énoncés oraux sont davantage ancrés dans le contexte spatio-temporel du locuteur tandis que le discours écrit est généralement plus indépendant du contexte spatio-temporel, ce qui explique son caractère plus nominal et sa proportion plus importante de mots essentiellement non-déictiques ou explicites.
English language assessment in Hong Kong: A survey of practices, developments and issues

English has been an official language of Hong Kong since it was first introduced to the region in the 1840s. Since then, its influence has invariably been strong and remains so even after 1997, when the sovereignty of the region was returned to China. This special background of English in Hong Kong heavily influences the policy and practices of English language assessment in the region. The present article starts with a survey of the status of the English language in Hong Kong and then reviews major English-language tests that are considered to be having a significant impact on Hong Kong society and its education system. Reviewed in the article are tests developed or imported for assessing students in primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions, as well as tests that assess the English proficiency of English language school-teachers and the general workforce in Hong Kong. In particular, the article provides insights into the recent evolution of Hong Kong's English language assessment at various levels and for different purposes amidst the region's changing socio-political and socio-educational contexts. In anticipating the future of English language assessment, the article considers some pressing issues arising from the implementation of new testing and assessment procedures in the region.
The Soot framework for Java program analysis: a retrospective

Soot is a successful framework for experimenting with compiler and software engineering techniques for Java programs. Researchers from around the world have implemented a wide range of research tools which build on Soot, and Soot has been widely used by students for both courses and thesis research. In this paper, we describe relevant features of Soot, summarize its development process, and discuss useful features for future program analysis frameworks.
Factors affecting the state anxiety level of higher education students in Macau: the impact of trait anxiety and self‐esteem

The aim of this study is to find out the levels of anxiety of 589 day‐ and night‐class students in higher education in Macau two weeks before the final examination period. The Chinese version of the 40‐item Spielberger’s State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorsuch & Lusherier, 1970) was applied in this study. The two anxiety scales are nicely constructed into several logical and explainable factors. In addition, the Chinese version of Rosenberg’s self‐esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) was applied to find out the relationship between students’ self‐esteem and their trait and state anxieties. Generally speaking, night‐class students, who had full‐time jobs during the day, had significantly higher levels of anxiety than day class students, who were either unemployed or engaged in part‐time employment. Furthermore, based on the results of the path analysis, students’ general anxiety levels might be affected by their general state of anxiety and their self‐esteem. It is hoped that through this study, the .
Motor abilities of children diagnosed with fragile X syndrome with and without autism.

BACKGROUND Previous studies suggested that children diagnosed with fragile X syndrome (FXS) often meet criteria for autism or PDD. This study describes the fine motor abilities of children diagnosed with FXS with and without autism spectrum disorder, and compares the motor scores of those groups controlling for cognitive level. METHOD Forty-eight children, ages 12-76 months (SD = 16) diagnosed with FXS were assessed with the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Their parents were interviewed with the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. We used a one-way analysis of variance to determine if the fine motor scale of the Mullen would show group differences based on autism classifications for the sample. In addition, we used Pearson correlation coefficient to examine the relationship between the cognitive level, the autism severity and the motor abilities. Lastly, we conducted a one-way analysis of covariance to determine the difference between the motor abilities of the Autism Spectrum Disorder groups controlling for cognitive level. RESULTS We found that 60% of the children with FXS met criteria for autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Children with FXS with autism and PDD-NOS had lower fine motor scores than those without. However, there was no significant association between degree of motor impairment and communication and social impairments after controlling for cognitive level, indicating that cognitive level contributes to impaired motor abilities of children diagnosed with FXS and autism, more than the severity of autism symptoms. CONCLUSION children with FXS and autism are at risk for impaired motor abilities. Implications for development and intervention are discussed.
Learning Discriminative Piecewise Linear Models with Boundary Points

We introduce a new discriminative piecewise linear model for classification. A two-step method is developed to construct the model. In the first step, we sample some boundary points that lie between positive and negative data, as well as corresponding directions from negative data to positive data. The sampling result gives a discriminative nonparametric decision surface, which preserves enough information to correctly classify all training data. To simplify this surface, in the second step we propose a nonparametric approach for linear surface segmentation using Dirichlet process mixtures. The final result is a piecewise linear model, in which the number of linear surface pieces is automatically determined by the Bayesian inference according to data. Experiments on both synthetic and real data verify the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Speaker Verification with Confidence and Reliability Measures

In pattern recognition, the need to quantify the quality of a classifier's output has gained importance in the past years. Speaker verification is no exception. This paper presents a probabilistic reliability framework incorporating signal-domain information into the confidence estimation and contrasts this method with classical approaches to estimating the confidence in a given speaker verification classifier output. We show that the method proposed can deal with adverse acoustic conditions for a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios, does not depend on a Gaussian assumption for impostor and client score distributions, and presents benefits in terms of scalability and interpretability of the measure. We contrast reliability and confidence approaches, and evaluate performance on a degraded version of the 295-users XM2VTS database
A Probabilistic Approach to Problems Parameterized Above Tight Lower Bound

We introduce a new approach for establishing fixed-parameter tractability of problems parameterized above tight lower bounds. To illustrate the approach we consider three problems of this type of unknown complexity that were introduced by Mahajan, Raman and Sikdar (J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 75, 2009). We show that a generalization of one of the problems and non-trivial special cases of the other two are fixed-parameter tractable.
The continuous-time Rayleigh quotient flow on the Grassmann manifold a

An extension of the Rayleigh quotient iteration (RQI) to the Grassmann manifold has been recently proposed for computing a p-dimensional eigenspace of a symmetric matrix A. Here we analyze a continuous-time flow analogous to this Grassmannian RQI. This flow achieves deflation in finite time, i.e. it converges in finite time to a subspace that includes an eigenvector of A.