Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internationalised While Provincialised? A Case Study of South China Normal University

Globalisation and internationalisation are both taken as salient features of our times in significant modern and post-modern social theories. Their impacts on the university are substantial. This study examines how Chinese universities are responding to these phenomena, using South China Normal University as an example. By presenting an analysis of China's internationalisation of higher education through an in-depth case study in an international context, the article captures some of the university's experience in its cultural complexity and social contexts. It sheds light on the general current state of internationalisation in the mainstream of China's higher education, and underscores the idea that changes attributed to globalisation are modified and fashioned by the particular circumstances and choices of local institutions. The study reveals how local circumstances offset and/or resist the global, and how difficult it can be to manage the global within the local in a new, changed context.
The positive-negative asymmetry: On cognitive consistency and positivity bias

Positivity bias is approached from three viewpoints: (a) It may be the effect of purely cognitive dispositions. (b) As such, it may function as an hypothesis about reality. The related dynamic factor would be a tendency toward cognitive validity which may lead to an orientation toward the negative as a means to test the positivity-hypothesis. (c) Finally, the subject may seek rewarding behavioral interactions with entities within his life space. In this context cognitive positivity bias may reflect a behavioural approach bias which can be related to the dynamics of ‘mere survival’ and ‘self-actualization’.
Notions of (inter)subjectivity

This paper compares a few notions of ‘subjectivity’ (vs. ‘objectivity’ or ‘intersubjectivity’) circulating in the current functional and cognitive linguistic literature. It aims to demonstrate that, in spite of some points of contact in the analysis of certain linguistic issues, e.g. in the sphere of the modal categories, these notions actually refer to substantially different phenomena and should therefore not be confused.
Natural products and body weight control

The purpose of the review was to summarise the effect of some commonly available natural products used for body weight management. We collected data from PubMed and scientific journals. There are numerous publications on this topic, however we have summarized the most commonly available and potent natural products from recent 53 publications. The natural products analyzed in this paper include catechins, capsaicin, conjugated linoleic acid, fucoxanthin, soy isoflavone, glabridin, astaxanthin and cyaniding-3-glucoside. These natural products are effective and safe for body weight management. Further studies need to be conducted to investigate the mechanism of action, metabolism, long term safety and side effects of these natural products, as well as interactions between these natural products with dietary components.
A space-time finite element method for the nonlinear Schröinger equation: the discontinuous Galerkin method

The convergence of the discontinuous Galerkin method for the nonlinear (cubic) Schrodinger equation is analyzed in this paper. We show the existence of the resulting approximations and prove optimal order error estimates in L∞(L 2 ). These estimates are valid under weak restrictions on the space-time mesh.
Plasma engineering of graphene

Recently, there have been enormous efforts to tailor the properties of graphene. These improved properties extend the prospect of graphene for a broad range of applications. Plasmas find applications in various fields including materials science and have been emerging in the field of nanotechnology. This review focuses on different plasma functionalization processes of graphene and its oxide counterpart. The review aims at the advantages of plasma functionalization over the conventional doping techniques. Selectivity and controllability of the plasma techniques opens up future pathways for large scale, rapid functionalization of graphene for advanced applications. We also emphasize on atmospheric pressure plasma jet as the future prospect of plasma based functionalization processes.
Expected Characteristics of the Subclass of Supernova Gamma-Ray Bursts

The spatial and temporal coincidence of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 980425 and supernova (SN) 1998bw has prompted speculation that there exists a subclass of GRBs produced by SNe ("S-GRBs"). A physical model motivated by radio observations lead us to propose the following characteristics of S-GRBs: (1) prompt radio emission and an implied high brightness temperature close to the inverse Compton limit, (2) high expansion velocity (≳50,000 km s-1) of the optical photosphere as derived from lines widths and energy release larger than usual, (3) no long-lived X-ray afterglow, and (4) a single-pulse GRB profile. Radio studies of previous SNe show that only (but not all) Type Ib and Ic SNe potentially satisfy the first condition. We investigate the proposed associations of GRBs and SNe within the context of these proposed criteria and suggest that ~1% of GRBs detected by BATSE may be members of this subclass.
Onset Age, Persistence, and Offending Versatility: Comparisons Across Gender

Offending specialization has received considerable attention in past research on criminal careers. Relatively little attention has been given to examining the relationships between various sub-group differences and the extent to which individuals tend toward specialization or versatility in their criminal careers. In the present analysis, we examine hypotheses derived from Moffitt's recent developmental theory that bear directly on offending specialization. Our analysis examines direct relationships between gender, onset age, persistence and offending specialization as well as the interaction of these influences and offending specialization. Our findings reveal results that are both consistent and inconsistent with Moffitt's dual taxonomy of offending behavior.
A Probability Distribution over Latent Causes, in the Orbitofrontal Cortex

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been implicated in both the representation of “state,” in studies of reinforcement learning and decision making, and also in the representation of “schemas,” in studies of episodic memory. Both of these cognitive constructs require a similar inference about the underlying situation or “latent cause” that generates our observations at any given time. The statistically optimal solution to this inference problem is to use Bayes' rule to compute a posterior probability distribution over latent causes. To test whether such a posterior probability distribution is represented in the OFC, we tasked human participants with inferring a probability distribution over four possible latent causes, based on their observations. Using fMRI pattern similarity analyses, we found that BOLD activity in the OFC is best explained as representing the (log-transformed) posterior distribution over latent causes. Furthermore, this pattern explained OFC activity better than other task-relevant alternatives, such as the most probable latent cause, the most recent observation, or the uncertainty over latent causes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our world is governed by hidden (latent) causes that we cannot observe, but which generate the observations we see. A range of high-level cognitive processes require inference of a probability distribution (or “belief distribution”) over the possible latent causes that might be generating our current observations. This is true for reinforcement learning and decision making (where the latent cause comprises the true “state” of the task), and for episodic memory (where memories are believed to be organized by the inferred situation or “schema”). Using fMRI, we show that this belief distribution over latent causes is encoded in patterns of brain activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, an area that has been separately implicated in the representations of both states and schemas.
Mathematics difficulties: does one approach fit all?

This article reviews the nature of learning difficulties in mathematics and, in particular, the nature and prevalence of dyscalculia, a condition that affects the acquisition of arithmetical skills. The evidence reviewed suggests that younger children (under the age of 10) often display a combination of problems, including minor physical difficulties, that can create a downward spiral in their confidence with mathematics. The article then considers the range of recommendations for teaching children with mathematics difficulties, focusing in particular on an approach developed over time at Emerson House (EH), an independent centre for children aged 6 to 11 with dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. The conclusion is that the EH approach might be effective for children with varied difficulties.
Britain, the European Community, and the Centralisation of Production: Theory and Evidence, Freight Movements

The rapid growth in Britain's trading relationships with Europe in the postwar period is often interpreted to imply a significant shift in the relative advantages of locations in the southeastern part of the country. Such a shift ought to be evident in the pattern of traffic through the ports. At the aggregate level, there has indeed been some shift in the relative importance of ports in favour of the southeast. Closer inspection shows, however, a complex pattern of change, in which port location is only one factor. The evidence of the port data, when considered in conjunction with evidence on transport costs and other factors, suggests that theories of the centralisation of production miss much of importance; competitive efficiency can generally compensate for any transport-cost disadvantages arising from location.
From Hegemonic Masculinity to the Hegemony of Men

This article evaluates the usefulness of the concept of hegemony in theorizing men. The discussion is located within the framework of ‘Critical Studies on Men’ (CSM), in which the centrality of power issues is recognized, rather than that of ‘Men’s Studies’, where it is frequently not. Recent uses, as in ‘hegemonic masculinity’ in the analysis of masculinities, are subjected to a qualified critique. Instead a shift is proposed from masculinity to men, to focus on ‘the hegemony of men’. This formulation seeks to address the double complexity that men are both a social category formed by the gender system and collective and individual agents, often dominant collective and individual agents, of social practices. This is explored mainly in relation to substantive studies on men, and briefly the institutional development of CSM. The concluding discussion examines how these arguments connect with debates in feminist theory and social theory.
A Segmentation Descriptor for Recognition

We present a segmentation-based image descriptor and similarity measure and apply them for object recognition. A segmentation gives a middle-level image representation which is robust to the intensity and structure variations that cause problems for matching based on low-level descriptors. A segmentation descriptor can give more accurate and efficient matching of boundaries than methods based on boundary representations. We also propose to evaluate segmentation algorithms and metrics by their usefulness in recognition tasks. Our experiments on several standard databases show that with current segmentation techniques our segmentation descriptor and matching technique can provide robust matching results for recognition.
Teachers' beliefs about effective instrumental teaching in schools and higher education

What makes instrumental teaching, including vocal teaching, effective? And is this the same in schools and in higher education (HE), including conservatoires? We asked 134 local education authority (LEA) instrumental teachers to state what they believe makes good teaching in schools and in HE, and to list the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching that they recall receiving as students. We found that many teachers believe that good teaching in schools differs from good teaching in HE. There are differences in the beliefs held by teachers with and without qualified teacher status (QTS), and also in those of men and women. Many teachers report that their teaching is influenced by the ways that they were taught, and the ‘peak’ lessons that teachers received often appear particularly influential. We explain the steps we have taken to enable LEAs to apply the findings when planning professional development for their teachers, and suggest further applications.
Females' Duration Estimates of Briefly-Viewed Male, but Not Female, Photographs Depend on Attractiveness

We tested a prediction that females' duration estimates of briefly-viewed male, but not female, photos would be modulated by attractiveness. Twenty-seven female participants viewed sequences of five stimuli of identical duration in which the first four were sine-wave gratings (Gabor discs) and the fifth was either the same sine-wave grating (control trials) or a photo of an attractive or unattractive male or female (test trials). After each sequence, participants had to reproduce the duration of the fifth stimulus. Results confirmed our prediction and showed that duration estimates of attractive male photos were significantly longer than corresponding estimates for unattractive male photos, while there was no significant difference in estimated duration for attractive and unattractive female photos. Our data show that unexpectedly viewing an attractive male affects time perception in females, and are the first demonstration that stimuli relevant to reproductive fitness, which engage the appetitive motivational system, can increase perceived duration.
What the Motivated Mind Sees: Comparing Friends' Perspectives to Married Partners' Views of Each Other

This article argues that satisfaction in marriage is associated with motivated and benevolent biases in perception. Married couples individually completed measures of relationship satisfaction and described themselves and their partners on a series of virtues and faults. They also nominated friends who described each spouse on the identical qualities. The results revealed that intimates in satisfying marriages perceive more virtue in their partners than their friends or their partners themselves perceive. They also possess partners who see them in this benevolently distorted light. In contrast, intimates in less satisfying marriages perceive less virtue in their partners than their friends or their partners themselves perceive. The findings are discussed in terms of the role motivated cognition plays in sustaining satisfying relationships.
On the Semantic Prosody of Career Women in Chinese Web Reportage

The present study tries to unveil the images of career women depicted on the internet within the framework of corpus linguistics. Based on web corpora, internet reportage of women from the fields of education, politics, business, media, medicine, law, and tourist industry are investigated. Through collocate analysis, it is found that all the above career women demonstrate unfavorable semantic prosody, a unique local semantic prosody on the internet. The unfavorable collocates can be further classified into the semantic sets of erotic events, misfortunes and job scandals. However, through Keyword analysis of reportage of women in China’s mainstream newspapers, there presents a quite positive women image. Finally, the author makes possible interpretations of the causes of the violation of semantic prosody on the web and possible consequences it will bring, with two solutions being suggested at the end.
Intercultural communication: Where we’ve been, where we’re going, issues we face

The purpose of this review is to critically analyze the state of intercultural communication literature. This review has three purposes. First, this review summarizes where the discipline has been, paying close attention to the discipline’s history and some key areas of research. Second, this review discusses where the discipline is going, with an emphasis on how the discipline is expanding into new contextual areas of research. Finally, the review presents challenges, issues, and areas for future discussion for intercultural communication.
Liver cirrhosis and the risk of primary liver cancer

The relationship between liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma is recognized, but quantification of risk is still uncertain. Therefore, we analysed data from a case—control study conducted in Italy between 1984 and 1997 on 499 cases of incident, histologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma and 1,552 controls in hospital with acute, non-neoplastic disease. Overall, 87 (17.4%) cases vs 10 (0.6%) controls reported clinical history of liver cirrhosis. The corresponding odds ratio (OR) was 27.5 (95% confidence interval (CI), 14.3-15.2) after allowance for sociodemographic factors, and 16.2 (95% CI, 7.9-32.9) after simultaneous allowance for all identified confounding factors, including alcohol consumption and clinical history of hepatitis. The association was of similar magnitude for subjects whose cirrhosis was diagnosed<55 years (OR=14.8) or at age 55 or over (OR=20.0), and the multivariate OR was 33.7<5 years after diagnosis of cirrhosis, 37.3 between 5 and 9 years, and 7.6 (95% to 2.7-21.3) a 10 years since diagnosis of cirrhosis. The association was stronger in males (OR=23.4) than in females (OR=5.9), similar in various age groups, and somewhat stronger in more educated subjects (OR=53.7), with history of hepatitis (OR=33.1), reporting heavy alcohol consumption (OR=24.9) or high body mass index (OR=58.1), although the interaction term was significant only for sex. In terms of population attributable risk, 17% of hepatocellular carcinomas in this population can be attributed to clinical history of liver cirrhosis.
POST‐HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK MESENTERIC LYMPH IS CYTOTOXIC TO ENDOTHELIAL CELLS AND ACTIVATES NEUTROPHILS

The goal of these experiments was to test the hypothesis that after a nonlethal episode of hemorrhagic shock, factors carried in the mesenteric lymph would promote endothelial cell injury and activate neutrophils to a greater extent than portal vein plasma. Catheters were placed in the efferent lymphatic duct draining the mesenteric lymph node complex, after which male rats were subjected to sham or actual shock (30 mmHg for 90 min), and lymph was collected. Portal vein plasma was collected from the sham-shock and shocked rats at 6 h post-shock or sham-shock. When the effect of lymph or portal blood plasma was tested on endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayer permeability, it was found that post-shock lymph, but not post-shock portal vein plasma, increased HUVEC permeability to both 10 kDa and 40 kDa permeability probes. Subsequent experiments documented that only post-shock lymph was cytotoxic to endothelial cells as manifest both by decreased trypan blue dye exclusion and the increased release of Chromium-51 from chromium-loaded endothelial cells. Furthermore post-shock lymph induced a greater increase in neutrophil superoxide formation than pre-shock lymph, pre-shock, or post-shock portal vein plasma. Lastly, neutrophil-mediated endothelial cell injury was potentiated by the presence of post-shock lymph, and the magnitude of HUVEC injury was greater in endothelial cells incubated with post-shock lymph plus neutrophils than in monolayers incubated with post-shock lymph or neutrophils alone. These results suggest that post-shock lymph is cytotoxic to endothelial cells and activates neutrophils. Since the lung is the first organ that is exposed to mesenteric lymph, lung injury after hemorrhagic shock may be mediated by factors contained in mesenteric lymph.
Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Male Sexual Abuse: The Case of South Korea

This study examined the prevalence of and risk factors for sexual abuse of boys in South Korea by asking a national sample of 1,043 adult males whether they had experienced sexual abuse during childhood. The results indicate that 13.5% experienced at least one of the nine types of child sexual abuse assessed. In addition, the majority of the sexually abused did not seek professional help at the time. The risk factors for sexual abuse include children's involvement in delinquent behaviors, lower family economic status, and residence in small cities. Findings from this study indicate that sexual abuse of boys is a serious problem in Korea, one that calls for enhanced public understanding of the issue as well as effective services and policies designed to prevent or intervene in sexual abuse.
Using Past Performance, Proxy Efficacy, and Academic Self‐Efficacy to Predict College Performance

This study examined the ability of prior academic performance, proxy efficacy, and academic self-efficacy to predict college academic performance. Participants (N = 202) completed a modified version of the Teacher Collective Efficacy scale (Goddard, 2001), the Academic Self-Efficacy scale (Elias & Loomis, 2000), and a demographic questionnaire. Prior performance was predictive of both academic self-efficacy beliefs and college performance. Hierarchical regression analysis indicates that academic self-efficacy beliefs explain a significant amount of unique variance beyond past performance in predicting college performance. Proxy efficacy did serve as a predictor of student academic self-efficacy, but did not serve as a predictor of college performance. Implications for instructors, as well as for future research, are discussed.
Tandem repetitive transgenes and fluorescent chromatin tags alter local interphase chromosome arrangement in Arabidopsis thaliana

Fluorescent protein chromatin tagging as achieved by the lac operator/lac repressor system is useful to trace distinct chromatin domains in living eukaryotic nuclei. To interpret the data correctly, it is important to recognize influences of the tagging system on nuclear architecture of the host cells. Within an Arabidopsis line that carries lac operator/lac repressor/GFP transgenes, the transgene loci frequently associate with each other and with heterochromatic chromocenters. Accumulation of tagged fusion protein further enhances the association frequency. Independent experiments with a transgenic plant carrying another multi-copy transgene also revealed, independent of its transcriptional state, unusually high frequencies of association with each other and with heterochromatin. From these results we conclude that the lac operator/lac repressor chromatin tagging system may alter the spatial chromatin organization in the host nuclei (in particular when more than one insertion locus is present) and also that loci of homologous transgenic repeats associate more often with each other and with endogenous heterochromatin than normal euchromatic regions.