Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring Parenting Dimensions in Middle Childhood Multitrait-Multimethod Analysis of Child, Mother, and Father Ratings

Questionnaire ratings were used to obtain child, mother, and father ratings on three major parenting dimensions (behavioral control, psychological control, and support) in a sample of 600 children aged 8-to-10 years old. Results indicated that mothers, fathers, and children were able to reliably differentiate between the three parenting dimensions by means of questionnaire ratings. Convergent and discriminant validity were tested by analyzing a multitrait-multimethod matrix via confirmatory factor analysis. Convergence between mothers and fathers was satisfactory, while convergence between child and parents was significant, but fairly low. Discriminant validity was sufficiently supported, whereas informant-specific error was related to both child and father ratings. Criterion validity of the parenting dimension with regard to child behavior was established. Overall, behavioral control and support were positively associated with child prosocial behavior, while psychological control was positively correlate.
Transcriptional Regulation by the Numbers 2: Applications

With the increasing amount of experimental data on gene expression and regulation, there is a growing need for quantitative models to describe the data and relate them to the different contexts. The thermodynamic models reviewed in the preceding paper provide a useful framework for the quantitative analysis of bacterial transcription regulation. We review a number of well-characterized bacterial promoters that are regulated by one or two species of transcription factors, and apply the thermodynamic framework to these promoters. We show that the framework allows one to quantify vastly different forms of gene expression using a few parameters. As such, it provides a compact description useful for higher-level studies, e.g., of genetic networks, without the need to invoke the biochemical details of every component. Moreover, it can be used to generate hypotheses on the likely mechanisms of transcriptional control.
Further evidence for the stroop test as a quantitative measure of psychopathology in eating disorders

The responses of patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia on an adaptation of the Stroop Test using Food and Shape words, were compared with the responses of non-eating-disordered adolescent females having high or low Drive-for-Thinness scores on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). The anorexics and bulimics showed significantly higher response times to both Food and Shape Stroop tests than did either of the normal groups. This is seen to be further evidence for the efficacy of the authors' adaptation of the Stroop test as a measure of the core psychopathology in eating disorders.
Swearing in Political Discourse

An experimental study investigated the effect of politicians’ profanity and gender on their perceived and actual persuasiveness. Results showed that a candidate’s use of swear words increased the perception of language informality and improved the general impression about the source. The latter effect was particularly strong for male candidate, as female candidate was already evaluated positively, irrespective of her cursing. In addition, though the manipulation of the politician’s vulgarity did not directly affect participants’ self-reported likelihood of voting for him or her, an indirect effect through language informality and impression about the candidate emerged. On the contrary, profanity use reduced perceived persuasiveness of the message, suggesting that the influence of swearing could be automatic and unaware. Theoretical implications are discussed.
Examining EAL policy and practice in mainstream schools

While internationally there is a growing body of work investigating mainstreaming of English as an additional language (EAL), this topic has not featured strongly in research in the United Kingdom, and there are only a few studies that focus on the extent to which government policies and prescriptions concerning EAL students are actually being implemented in everyday practice. Addressing this gap, the current paper gives an account of the findings of a study which involved 22 student-teachers reporting on their observations concerning EAL policies and practices, across 66 placements in 47 schools in eight local authorities and in five independent schools. These student-teachers had taken part in an EAL course which sensitised them to issues surrounding EAL learners in mainstream classrooms and positioned them as informed observers. Their reports appear to reveal that the needs of EAL learners across Scotland are not being met to a sufficient degree, despite the fact that legislation is in place which requires local authorities and schools to ensure that all learners have appropriate access to the curriculum. Possible reasons for this state of affairs and ways in which progress could be achieved are considered in the concluding discussion.
The thalamic reticular nucleus and schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is a shell-shaped gamma amino butyric acid (GABA)ergic nucleus, which is uniquely placed between the thalamus and the cortex, because it receives excitatory afferents from both cortical and thalamic neurons and sends inhibitory projections to all nuclei of the dorsal thalamus. METHOD A review of the evidence suggesting that the TRN is implicated in the neurobiology of schizophrenia. RESULTS TRN-thalamus circuits are implicated in bottom-up as well as top-down processing. TRN projections to nonspecific nuclei of the dorsal thalamus mediate top-down processes, including attentional modulation, which are initiated by cortical afferents to the TRN. TRN-thalamus circuits are also involved in bottom-up activities, including sensory gating and the transfer to the cortex of sleep spindles. Intriguingly, deficits in attention and sensory gating have been consistently found in schizophrenics, including first-break and chronic patients. Furthermore, high-density electroencephalographic studies have revealed a marked reduction in sleep spindles in schizophrenics. CONCLUSION On the basis of our current knowledge on the molecular and anatomo-functional properties of the TRN, we suggest that this thalamic GABAergic nucleus may be involved in the neurobiology of schizophrenia.
Working Alliances in College Classrooms

I explain how professors can establish working alliances with students to cultivate a climate conducive to learning. This process involves (a) attending to the emotional bonds that exist in the college classroom, (b) developing shared educational goals and tasks to promote a common sense of purpose, and (c) addressing classroom conflict to repair disruptions in social relationships. I also describe how working alliance theory extends our knowledge and practice of effective teaching.
Encountering friction between liberal and neoliberal discourses of citizenship: A non-governmental organization’s entrepreneurship education in Tanzania

Educating for citizenship is increasingly situated within the tension of ensuring social, political, and civil rights while also promoting participation in the global market. The literature and practice on educating for citizenship often assumes a liberal perspective with attention to political and civil rights. A growing body of literature shows how neoliberal ideas and values of individual responsibility, empowerment, and participation in the market economy are increasingly influencing education for citizenship. This article draws on data from a non-governmental organization’s entrepreneurship education program in Tanzania that aims to foster both rights and skills development for employment in a global market. Using Tsing’s idea of friction, I uncover the productive possibilities between these different discourses to show how local meanings of educating for citizenship are emerging to include those who are socially marginalized, to attend to material needs, and to foster new social and political identities among Tanzanian youth.
Fibroblast Growth Factor-Binding Protein Facilitates the Growth and Migration of Skin-Derived Precursors

Background: Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are important regulators of cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation during wound healing. FGF-binding protein (FGF-BP) plays a critical role in activating FGFs by releasing them from the extracellular matrix. Although previous studies have demonstrated a pivotal role for FGF-BP in wound healing and angiogenesis, little is known about the biologic effects of FGF-BP on skin stem cells that contribute to wound healing. Objective: To investigate the effects of FGF-BP on the growth and migration of skin-derived precursors (SKPs). Methods: FGF-BP was titrated to determine the optimal concentration that maximally stimulated cell proliferation. Cellular phenotype and telomerase activity were compared in the presence and absence of FGF-BP. The effect of FGF-BP on cell migration was observed by intravenously transplanting SKPs to adult mice. Results: Cell proliferation was maximally stimulated by FGF-BP at a concentration of 10 ng/mL without changing the intrinsic characteristics of SKPs. Low levels of telomerase activity were detected, and FGF-BP decreased the rate at which telomerase activity was downregulated. In vivo, FGF-BP remarkably enhanced the migration of SKPs to skin lesion sites. Conclusion: FGF-BP exerts a positive effect on the growth and migration of SKPs, suggesting a potential role for SKPs in wound healing.
Boundaries of Britishness in British Indian and Pakistani young adults

This study explored what it means to be British from the perspective of young British Indian and Pakistani adults. Fifteen respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule in order to explore their self-descriptions and self-categorizations, how different contexts influence their identifications as British and as Indian/Pakistani, their sense of patriotism, and their perceptions of racism, discrimination and multiculturalism. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the interviews. The respondents' identifications and the role of context, threat and racism were studied in detail, and a model of how these individuals defined the boundaries of Britishness, and how they positioned themselves in relationship to these boundaries, was derived from the data. Six boundaries of Britishness were identified, these being the racial, civic/state, instrumental, historical, lifestyle and multicultural boundaries. Participants used these boundaries flexibly, drawing on different boundaries depending on the particular context in which Britishness was discussed. The implications of these multiple boundaries for the conceptualization of national identification are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Picture of the Linguistic Brain: How Sharp Can It Be? Reply to Fedorenko & Kanwisher

What is the best way to learn how the brain analyzes linguistic input? Two popular methods have attempted to segregate and localize linguistic processes: analyses of language deficits subsequent to (mostly focal) brain disease, and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in health. A recent Compass article by Fedorenko and Kanwisher (FK, 2009) observes that these methods group together data from many individuals through methods that rely on variable anatomical landmarks, and that results in a murky picture of how language is represented in the brain. To get around the variability problem, FK propose to import into neurolinguistics a method that has been successfully used in vision research - one that locates functional Regions Of Interest (fROIs) in each individual brain.In this note, I propose an alternative perspective. I first take issue with FK's reading of the literature. I point out that, when the neurolinguistic landscape is examined with the right linguistic spectacles, the emerging picture - while intriguingly complex - is not murky, but rather, stable and clear, parsing the linguistic brain into functionally and anatomically coherent pieces. I then examine the potential value of the method that FK propose, in light of important micro-anatomical differences between language and high-level vision areas, and conclude that as things stand the method they propose is not very likely to bear much fruit in neurolinguistic research.
The linguistic correlates of conversational deception: Comparing natural language processing technologies

ABSTRACT The words people use and the way they use them can reveal a great deal about their mental states when they attempt to deceive. The challenge for researchers is how to reliably distinguish the linguistic features that characterize these hidden states. In this study, we use a natural language processing tool called Coh-Metrix to evaluate deceptive and truthful conversations that occur within a context of computer-mediated communication. Coh-Metrix is unique in that it tracks linguistic features based on cognitive and social factors that are hypothesized to influence deception. The results from Coh-Metrix are compared to linguistic features reported in previous independent research, which used a natural language processing tool called Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. The comparison reveals converging and contrasting alignment for several linguistic features and establishes new insights on deceptive language and its use in conversation.
Dimensions of Temperament in Preschoolers Predict Risk Taking and Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescents

The present research examines the relation between measures of childhood temperament at 54 months and adolescent risk taking and externalizing problems. Three temperament factors were calculated from maternal reports: negative affectivity, surgency, and effortful control. At Age 15, data was gathered on risk taking and externalizing problems using self- and maternal reports. Analyses indicated that effortful control predicted self-reported risk taking. Different dimensions of temperament were related to externalizing behaviors, depending on the identity of the reporter. Maternal reports of externalizing problems were predicted by all three dimensions, whereas self-reports of externalizing problems were predicted only by surgency. Additional analyses demonstrated that the prospective associations between childhood effortful control and adolescent risk taking and externalizing behaviors were partially mediated by adolescent measures of self-regulation: impulse control and future planning. Collectively, these findings underscore the importance of early emerging personality differences for understanding problem behaviors during the teen years.
Variants in ZNF365 isoform D are associated with Crohn's disease

Objective Genome-wide association studies have identified multiple Crohn's disease (CD) susceptibility loci, including association with non-coding intergenic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 10q21. Design To fine-map the 10q21 locus, the authors genotyped 86 SNPs in 1632 CD cases and 961 controls and performed single-marker and conditional analyses using logistic regression. Results Association with CD risk spanning 11 SNPs (p<0.001) was observed. The most significant association observed was at the non-synonymous SNP, rs7076156 (Ala62Thr), in ZNF365. The alanine allele was over-represented in CD (p=5.23×10−7; OR=1.39 (95% CI 1.22 to 1.58)); allele frequency of 76% in CD and 69.7% in controls). Conditional analysis on rs7076156 nullified all other significant associations, suggesting that this is the causative variant at this locus. Four isoforms of ZNF365 have previously been identified, and rs7076156 is located in an exon unique to ZNF365 isoform D. The authors demonstrated, using reverse transcription-PCR, expression of ZNF365D in intestinal resections from both CD subjects and controls. Markedly reduced mean expression levels of ZNF365D were identified in Epstein–Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines from CD subjects homozygous for the risk allele (Ala). A whole-genome microarray expression study further suggested that the Ala62Thr change in ZNF365 isoform D is related to differential expression of the genes ARL4A, MKKS, RRAGD, SUMF2, TDR1 and ZNF148 in CD. Conclusions Collectively, these data support the hypothesis that the non-synonymous Ala62Thr SNP, rs7076156, underlies the association between 10q21 and CD risk and suggest that this SNP acts by altering expression of genes under the control of ZNF365 isoform D.
Author ' s personal copy Social grasping : From mirroring to mentalizing

In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Because the way we grasp an object varies depending on the intention with which the object is grasped, monitoring the properties of prehensile movements may provide access to a person's intention. Here we investigate the role of visual kinematics in the implicit coding of intention, by using functional brain imaging while participants observed grasping movements performed with social versus individual intents. The results show that activation within the mirror system is stronger during the observation of socially intended movements relative to individual movements. Moreover, areas that form the mentalizing system are more active during social grasping movements. These findings demonstrate that, in the absence of context information, social information conveyed by action kinematics modulates intention processing, leading to a transition from mirroring to mentalizing. Introduction When we perform actions in daily life, these actions are usually driven by a prior intention. For instance, the action of grasping a cup might be performed with the intention to drink or to pass the cup to another person. Because different intentional actions are characterized by different movement profiles (Becchio et al., 2010), monitoring the properties of observed movements may convey information about the actor's intention. Does she intend to drink or to pass the cup to another person? By simply observing the initial phase of the action, observers can discriminate between movements performed with different intents. For example, by watching everyday actions such as lifting a box, they can easily tell whether the actor is trying to deceive them about the real weight of the box (Grezes et al., 2004; Runeson and Frykholm, 1983). Depending on their level of motor skill, they are able to determine whether a basketball player is about to throw a ball or mimic a throw (Sebanz and Shiffrar, 2009). Moreover, by observing an actor reaching towards an object and grasping it, they are able to discriminate correctly between prehensile movements directed at another agent and prehen-sile movements performed in isolation (Manera et al., 2011; Sartori et al., 2011). This suggests that, in the absence of contextual information, observers can …
Rating Teachers Cheaper, Faster, and Better

Gargani and Strong claim to have developed and validated an observation system that requires only 4 hr of training, but one that can identify effective teachers using just 20 min of one video-taped lesson. They further contend that their six-item inventory requires little judgment from those who use it. They describe their instrument, the Rapid Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness (RATE), as better, faster, and cheaper than other available instruments. Although we find some aspects of their work (e.g., their work describing instrument development) as well done, we find, more generally, that their claims are premature and inflated. Their work suffers from several problems including inattention to relevant historical work, no demonstrated ecological validity, no working theory, and lacks a clear conception of what RATE is. At this stage of development, we rate RATE as having limited, if any, capacity for improving teaching.
A left-right SU(7) symmetric model with D-parity cosmic strings

Cosmic strings with the property of D parity symmetry are studied in this paper. They are of a Z2 type of strings that could appear in the spontaneous breaking of SU(7) and would present extraordinary properties in a background of ordinary and mirror neutrinos. Through the special embedding of the left-right symmetry in SU(7), with a minimal content of Higgs fields, based on two singlets and two doublets, it is possible to assure the topological stability of this type of cosmic strings. In their presence we could have a neutral flavor changing interaction between ordinary and mirror neutrinos as well as the formation of superconducting currents in the form of zero modes of neutrino mirrors that would show interesting effects.
BSocial: Deciphering Social Behaviors within Mixed Microbial Populations

Ecosystem functionality depends on interactions among populations, of the same or different taxa, and these are not just the sum of pairwise interactions. Thus, know-how of the social interactions occurring in mixed-populations are of high interest, however they are commonly unknown due to the limitations posed in tagging each population. The limitations include costs/time in tediously fluorescent tagging, and the number of different fluorescent tags. Tag-free strategies exist, such as high-throughput sequencing, but ultimately both strategies require the use of expensive machinery. Our work appoints social behaviors on individual strains in mixed-populations, offering a web-tool (BSocial http://m4m.ugr.es/BSocial.html) for analyzing the community framework. Our quick and cheap approach includes the periodic monitoring of optical density (OD) from a full combinatorial testing of individual strains, where number of generations and growth rate are determined. The BSocial analyses then enable us to determine how the addition/absence of a particular species affects the net productivity of a microbial community and use this to select productive combinations, i.e., designate their social effect on a general community. Positive, neutral, or negative assignations are applied to describe the social behavior within the community by comparing fitness effects of the community against the individual strain. The usefulness of this tool for selection of optimal inoculum in biofilm-based methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) bioremediation was demonstrated. The studied model uses seven bacterial strains with diverse MTBE degradation/growth capacities. Full combinatorial testing of seven individual strains (triplicate tests of 127 combinations) were implemented, along with MTBE degradation as the desired function. Sole observation of highest species fitness did not render the best functional outcome, and only when strains with positive and neutral social assignations were mixed (Rhodococcus ruber EE6, Agrobacterium sp. MS2 and Paenibacillus etheri SH7), was this obtained. Furthermore, the use of positive and neutral strains in all its combinations had a significant higher degradation mean (x1.75) than exclusive negative strain combinations. Thus, social microbial processes benefit bioremediation more than negative social microbial combinations. The BSocial webtool is a great contributor to the study of social interactions in bioremediation processes, and may be used in other natural or synthetic habitat studies.