Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promotion Signal: Proxy for a Price Cut?

Evidence suggests that some consumers react to promotion signals without considering relative price information. We adopt Petty and Cacioppo's Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to explain this behavior in terms of the ELM's peripheral route to persuasion in which the promotion signal is taken as a cue for a price cut. Experimental results show that low need for cognition individuals react to the simple presence of a promotion signal whether or not the price of the promoted brand is reduced, but that high need for cognition individuals react to a promotion signal only when it is accompanied by a substantive price reduction.
Student approaches to achieving understanding—approaches to learning revisited

This article presents a phenomenographic study that investigates students’ approaches to achieving understanding. The results are based on interviews, addressing physiological phenomena, with 16 medical students in a problem‐based curriculum. Four approaches—sifting, building, holding and moving—are outlined. The holding and moving approaches describe variations in deep‐level processing. The moving approach is characterised by an intention to continuously refine understanding in an open‐ended process. The student strives for a change in perspective and deliberately creates actions that are rich in variation and challenge. The holding approach is characterised by an intention to reach a final goal. This is achieved by high degrees of structure and control in the learning act. Understanding is sometimes sealed, ‘held on to’ and can be threatened by new input and other students’ viewpoints. The study also shows how students deal with details when constructing understanding of wholes.
Starvation-induced changes in metabolic rate, blood flow, and regional energy expenditure in rats.

Starvation results in an energy-conserving reduction in metabolic rate that has features of an adaptive response. Tissue and organ sites of this response were investigated by examining the effects of starvation for 5 d on tissue blood flow (microsphere method) and regional arteriovenous O2 differences ((a-v)O2) in conscious rats resting quietly at 28 degrees C. Comparison was with fed and overnight-fasted animals. Whole body resting metabolic rates (MR), colonic temperatures (Tc), and tissue weights were also determined. Quantitative changes in energy expenditure (as O2 consumption) were obtained for two regions: the portal-drained viscera (PDV) and the hindquarters (HQ). Fasting overnight resulted in increased blood flow to white adipose tissue (WAT) and decreased flow to the brain, PDV, testes, and skin; however, MR, Tc, the two regional ((a-v)O2, and the weights of most tissues were not significantly altered. In comparison with overnight fasting, starvation for 5 d resulted in a 13% reduction in body weight, weight loss in many tissues and organs, a 26% reduction in MR, a decline of 0.5 degree C in Tc, decreased (a-v)O2 across both the PDV and HQ, reduced cardiac output, and decreased blood flow to the heart, PDV, skin, WAT, leg muscle, HQ, and the musculoskeletal body as a whole. Utilization of O2 by the PDV and HQ (flow X (a-v)O2) declined by amounts that accounted for 22 and 18%, respectively, of the reduction in MR. The reductions in cardiac output (18%) and heart blood flow (36%) indicate that the heart also made a contribution to energy conservation (roughly estimated as 5%). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Topology of Visual Cortical Maps

It has been reported that in the primary visual cortex, there are maps with respect to the neuron’s optimal response parameters to light stimuli. The objective of the present paper is to present a new mathematical approach to the understanding of topological properties of visual cortical maps. I postulate that the optimal stimulus parameters are arranged continuously almost everywhere on the the visual cortical surface. Using this assumption and the fact that neuron’s optimal patterns of response to light stimuli presented in the visual space (receptive fields, RFs) can be given by the Gabor function, the space spanned by the optimal stimulus parameters is examined on the basis of topology theory, and possible point singularities and discontinuity lines over the visual cortex are derived.
A Negative Feedback Looped Voltage-Controlled Ring Oscillator With Frequency Voltage Converter

This paper proposes a negative feedback looped voltage-controlled ring oscillator (VCRO) with a frequency voltage converter (FVC) to suppress the phase noise. Measurement results of the negative feedback looped VCRO fabricated in a one-poly six-metal 1.8-V 0.18- μm CMOS process show that the phase noises are -90, -90, -94, -102, and -110 dBc/Hz at 1-kHz, 10-kHz 100-kHz, 1-MHz, and 10-MHz offset from 922.9-MHz output frequency, respectively. The proposed negative feedback looped VCRO reduces the phase noise of a conventional VCRO by 35 ~ 8 dB from 1 kHz to 1 MHz. Measurement results show that the FVC can be combined with various VCRO and LC voltage-controlled oscillator architectures in a negative feedback loop to improve their phase-noise characteristic further.
The war on terror, American hegemony and international development

'Pure' development, that is, development abstracted from foreign pol icy concerns in the real world and the challenges they present, is not likely to be sustainable over the long term, I fear (Natsios 2006:131) This opening quote from the former administrator of US AID captures a number of the tensions we hope to develop in this special section, and is indicative of the ahistorical, self-serving, and perhaps intentionally du plicitous claims that we suggest stalks much official discourse around 'development' and 'security'. It implies that there has been a time when development was 'pure' and untied to political agendas, and for one of us, who heard Natsios deliver the same article as a speech to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development in October 2005, it chimed distinctly with Kagan's (2003) neoconservative tract on the differ ences between Europe and the United States. Natsios gently chided his British audience, largely made up of politicians, policy-makers and devel opment practitioners, for misplaced naivety in their reluctance to deploy aid as a tool of foreign policy? an extraordinary obscuring of both Euro pean/British and US histories of development aid (Sogge, 2002). Part of our reason for assembling this collection of papers was to examine how the post-9/11 security agendas have impacted upon international develop ment policy, but also to situate these in longer-term engagements between hegemonic powers and those in the South. While the enhanced aid result ing from security concerns and the manner of its delivery does suggest cer tain shifts in the way hegemonic powers deal with the majority world, there are also powerful continuities in the legitimating discourses, goals and interests served by this re-articulated relationship between development and security. In this short introduction to the four papers we set out some
Development and Validation of a POSIT-Short Form: Screening for Problem Behaviors Among Adolescents at Risk for Substance Use

ABSTRACT The Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) screens for multiple problems among adolescents at risk for substance use. To provide cost-efficient intake procedures, a shortened version of the POSIT was developed, using factor analysis, correlational and reliability analyses, based on full version POSITs of youth entering the Kansas juvenile justice system (n = 3,464). A short form with 64 items across eight scales showed good reliability, and scales were consistent with the full-length POSIT. Moderate correlations with criterion measures were obtained for the POSIT-Short Form scales except the Vocational Status scale, using the original POSIT validation sample (n = 346). The POSIT-SF shows potential for a reliable and cost-efficient screen for youth with substance abuse problems.
The Role of T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes

The role of T cells as pathogenic effector cells in type 1 diabetes (T1D) is well established. Both CD4+ and CD8+ cells can play distinct and highly pathogenic roles mediating diabetogenesis. Other cell types including NK, B cells, macrophages and dendritic cells also play coordinate roles. Ultimately auto-aggressive T cells invade pancreatic islets focusing destructive force on the beta cells that produce insulin. The initial insult may be solely inflammation but nonetheless results in loss of insulin production. This chapter will focus on the different T cell subtypes including a newly described helper T cell subtype, Th40, which is highly pathogenic in T1D. Discussion will include how auto-aggressive T cells can arise and suggest alternative means to control auto-aggressive T cells. The ultimate goal for a successful treatment is to control pathogenic effector cells without causing immune suppression, a feat that has yet to be achieved. Considering new paradigms about diabetogenesis may provide substantive clues towards effectively curing this ravaging disease.
Improvements in combined radio over multimode fibre and radio over FSO systems by applying mode filtering

In this paper, the combination of radio over multimode fibre and radio over free space optical systems are experimentally investigated. A mode filtering technique is adopted in order to deal with the modal effects in such hybrid systems. Considering mode filtering effect, we have determined transfer function and performed link budget analysis. Measurement of the error vector magnitude (EVM) was accomplished to verify the efficiency of the proposed systems in dealing with the modal effect. The obtained results are below the 8% 3GPP-LTE EVM requirement for different free space optical channel conditions including fog and turbulence.
Genetically modified T cells in cancer therapy: opportunities and challenges

Tumours use many strategies to evade the host immune response, including downregulation or weak immunogenicity of target antigens and creation of an immune-suppressive tumour environment. T cells play a key role in cell-mediated immunity and, recently, strategies to genetically modify T cells either through altering the specificity of the T cell receptor (TCR) or through introducing antibody-like recognition in chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have made substantial advances. The potential of these approaches has been demonstrated in particular by the successful use of genetically modified T cells to treat B cell haematological malignancies in clinical trials. This clinical success is reflected in the growing number of strategic partnerships in this area that have attracted a high level of investment and involve large pharmaceutical organisations. Although our understanding of the factors that influence the safety and efficacy of these therapies has increased, challenges for bringing genetically modified T-cell immunotherapy to many patients with different tumour types remain. These challenges range from the selection of antigen targets and dealing with regulatory and safety issues to successfully navigating the routes to commercial development. However, the encouraging clinical data, the progress in the scientific understanding of tumour immunology and the improvements in the manufacture of cell products are all advancing the clinical translation of these important cellular immunotherapies.
A Content Analysis of Magazine Advertisements from the United States and the Arab World

Abstract In recent years, a wealth of literature has increased our understanding of cross-cultural differences in advertising content. Abernethy and Franke (1996) point out a gap in literature stating that “no study has examined the advertising information in any African nation, any part of the Middle East other than Saudi Arabia, or any of the economies in transition associated with the former USSR. ” The current study, therefore, investigates differences in content of magazine advertisements from the United States and the Arab world comprising twelve Middle Eastern countries and ten African countries. Differences in the depiction of men and women, the extent of comparative advertising, the extent of information content, and the extent of price information are hypothesized, based on the role of religion in forming values (Luqmani, Yavas and Quraeshi 1987), the level of individualism (Hofstede 1980), and whether the culture is high-context or low-context (Hall 1976), as well as economic differences. One thousand sixty-four ads from Egyptian, Lebanese and United Arab Emirates, as well as pan-Arabic general interest, family, and women's magazines, together with 540 ads from three U.S. general interest, family and women's magazines, were content analyzed. It was found that people are depicted less frequently in Arabic magazine ads. However, in ads in which people are shown, there are no differences in the extent to which women are depicted. In ads in which women are shown, they are depicted wearing long dresses, and tend to be pictured in ads when their presence relates to the advertised product. Also, in ads showing people, there are no differences in the extent to which male models are depicted. U.S. ads have more information content, provide more price information, and use more comparative advertising than Arabic ads. Implications for international marketers wanting to advertise in Arab magazines are offered. Limitations and extensions are also discussed.
Systematic Desensitization for Text Anxiety as an Adjunct to General Psychology

In addition to being an effective anxiety reducing technique in psychotherapy, systematic desensitization (SD) has become a popular adjunct to many psychology classes. Teachers often use SD in courses on general psychology, personal adjustment, stress management, helping relationship training, abnormal psychology, and even personality. SD demonstrations and sometimes more extensive use of SD are popular with students who enjoy the deep muscle relaxation and the imaginal exercises. Often teachers allow students to choose the "fear" that will be desensitized. In academic settings, the most commonly chosen "fear" is test anxiety. (Heterosocial anxiety ranks a close second.) When teachers desensitize students to test anxiety, the teachers often believe that SD will produce certain beneficent results with students. First, it is often assumed that the SD, regardless of how briefly demonstrated, will lower the general anxiety level of some students by teaching them that their anxiety is controllable. Second, it is often assumed that students will experience reduced test anxiety. Third, teachers believe test performance will be affected positively. Further, teachers might expect to receive higher evaluations as a result of using this popular technique. To test these expectations, we offered student volunteers enrolled in general psychology the opportunity to experience actual group SD for test anxiety over seven weekly half-hour sessions outside the class. We used actual SD, rather than one demonstration, as the treatment because we suspected that one demonstration of SD did not allow an adequate test of the power of SD with the nonclinical population of students. In order to control for the extra attention received by the students, we established a second treatment that involved showing seven weekly half-hour popular films (outside of class) concerning psychological topics that were concurrently covered in the classroom lecture. A third group of students served as an untreated control. Students were assessed preand post-treatment for trait anxiety, state anxiety (immediately prior to an exam), and exam performance. Teacher ratings were also obtained from each group.
Digital watermark method based on NAM and integer wavelets

This paper proposes a non-symmetry and anti-packing pattern representation model, which is short for the NAM color image representation method. It presents a new color image representation algorithm based on NAM and integer wavelets through the method of binary-bit plane decomposition of color images. The color image is divided into a grey image with r, g, b components. In this paper, an embedding strategy and examining the digital watermarking algorithm based on wavelet transformation is proposed. Digital watermarking is embedded into the middle frequency subband of the original image in the r, g, b domain. Experiments show that the method is good at representing color images and experiments indicate that the algorithm operation is simple, storage space is small, effective resistance to different types of attack, as well with a strong theoretical approach and applicability.
Pediatric Atorvastatin in Diabetes Trial (PADIT): A Pilot Study to Determine the Effect of Atorvastatin on Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Function in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Fifty-one children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) participated in a double blinded, randomized, cross-over pilot study to determine whether 12 weeks of daily atorvastatin (20 mg daily) would reduce arterial stiffness and improve endothelial function. Secondary analysis demonstrated potential reduction of arterial stiffness following atorvastatin therapy (p = 0.06). Additional long-term prospective studies with larger numbers of patients are needed.
Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Involvement, and College Major Choices—Gender, Race/Ethnic, and Nativity Patterns

College major choice is a much-neglected yet highly significant topic in sociological research. This article focuses on family socioeconomic status (SES) and parental involvement to examine potential family influences on patterned college major choice by gender, race/ethnicity, and nativity. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study 1988–1994 (NELS: 88–94), this study confirms old gender patterns and finds new racial/ethnic patterns in college major choice. Lower SES children are found to favor more lucrative college majors. Family SES is found to have differential effects on men and women and for racial/ethnic minorities and whites. Parental involvement in children's domain-specific education exerts significant effects on children's college major choice. These together suggest important theoretical and policy implications.
Publicidade infantil: uma análise de táticas persuasivas na TV aberta

Despite a strong debate on the ethics and effects of television advertising, little is known about how these phenomena operate among children as consumers. This research investigated the use of persuasive strategies in advertising to children, based on the psychosocial literature of social influence. An analysis of 182 television advertisements during commercial breaks aired two weeks before Children's Day revealed defining the decision criterion, simmulating social consensus, storytelling, and social modelling as the most frequent tactics used by advertisers. Implications for creating inputs to education in children's consumption in Brazil and the promotion of responsible consumption are discussed.
Optical and Electrical Characterization of a Large Kinetic Inductance Bolometer Focal Plane Array

Sub-THz imaging techniques are currently emerging with applications especially in security screening requiring higher throughput in mass transit and public areas. In the context of person imagers, the field of view and the spatial resolution set the requirement for the number of image pixels. We perform an experimental feasibility study on a fully staring radiometric camera with one detector per image pixel. The aim is to avoid the shortcomings characteristic of optomechanical scanners with a limited number of detectors. Our approach is based on superconducting kinetic inductance bolometer arrays. We demonstrate successful fabrication and operation of a focal plane array with 2500 nanomembrane-integrated bolometers, and a compatible optical system enabling standoff imaging at the distance of 5 m. We characterize the system in terms of radiometric contrast and spatial resolution.
Valuing Knowledge-Based Initiatives: What We Know and What We Don't Know

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of theory and practice on valuing Knowledge-Based Initiatives KBI. Drawing on the literature concerning IT and business value, this paper summarizes what is known about valuing IT-based initiatives, discusses the specificity of KBI and outline main challenges that continue to limit research in this area. This paper also examines how managers deal with these challenges and what metrics they use to assess knowledge value. These managerial insights are derived from interviews as well as empirical analysis of several Silicon Valley firms. This paper gives an emerging approach for valuing KBI and illustrates its implementation with a case study from IBM.
Theories of Representation in French and English Scholarship on Multilingualism

Abstract Researchers have examined language learning and intercultural contact in multilingual contexts from diverse epistemological and ontological stances. In some cases, the contrasts or incompatibilities in approaches leave little room for joint initiatives and in other cases, the underlying theoretical assumptions converge in several ways, allowing researchers to explore possibilities for interdisciplinary and intercontextual collaboration. In some instances, studies undertaken in different areas share commonalities but they are not explored because of linguistic, disciplinary or geographic barriers. Although only a handful of researchers reference French and English work undertaken in multilingual contexts, there is much to be gained by taking into account what has been written in both languages as it can reveal where there are differences and commonalities in constructs often cited in the literature. We attempt to bridge this gap by highlighting theoretical links that have heretofore been underexplored. We begin by reviewing definitions of social representation and then describe how Francophone sociolinguists drew on this construct to propose the notion of linguistic representation in their studies of multilingual practices. Following this, we discuss related concepts of representation, discourse and identity that have been taken up in English language work.
Design and implementation of an educational robot manipulator

Nowadays, dropping out of engineering courses occurs in practically all universities of the world. Over the past few years, active learning has been recognized by the educational community as the most effective learning method. In this paper we discuss the educational experience involving the design and development of a low-cost robot manipulator with six degrees of freedom, to motivate undergraduate students of control and automation engineering and mechanical engineering, who attended the robotics elements subject in 2012 and 2013. Moreover, the students' activities during the execution of the work are presented as well as the results of their evaluation of the methodology proposed.