Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial metaphor and expressions of identity in sign language Poetry

Sign languages are visual languages. Signers place signs in space to represent both concrete and abstract meaning, drawing on literal and metaphorical uses of space. This paper considers the ways that four sign language poems use space metaphorically in the exploration of the poets’ identities as Deaf people. Signs placed across the sagittal, vertical and transverse axes are used to signal different views of identity, drawing upon basic cognitive spatial and orientational metaphors to refer to self and others, as well as values and conflicts between identities and their resolution. The spatial metaphors identified here interact with several other inter-connected metaphors, none of which can work alone. The complex interaction of these metaphors to describe a signer’s identity is inextricably bound up with the embodiment of sign languages, so that the form of the human body foregrounds – and, perhaps even, predetermines – the metaphors selected by signers to conceptualise Deaf identity1. Gebardensprachen sind visuelle Sprachen, in denen Zeichen im Raum vor dem Sprecher platziert werden, um sowohl konkrete als auch abstrakte Bedeutungen zu reprasentieren. Ausgehend vom wortlichen und metaphorischen Gebrauch von Raumlichkeit, untersucht der vorliegende Aufsatz in welcher Art und Weise in vier gebardensprachlichen Gedichten Raum und Raumlichkeit zur metaphorischen Taubstummenidentitatsbildung herangezogen werden. Zeichen und Gebarden werden korperbezogen entlang horizontaler, vertikaler und quer verlaufender Achsen mit dem Ziel einer entsprechenden Identitatsbildung platziert. Die hier herangezogenen Raumund Orientierungsmetaphern rahmen sowohl das Selbst und das Andere, als auch konfligierende Wertzuschreibungen an Identitaten und bieten Moglichkeiten fur deren Auflosung an. Die in diesem Beitrag analysierten Metaphern stellen eine dichtes und gegenseitig konstituierendes Geflecht an Zeichenund Bedeutungsbeziehungen dar, die gerade in Bezug auf die Bildung von Taubstummenidentitat zu einem nicht zu unterschatzendem Mas von der Korperlichkeit des jeweiligen Sprechers bestimmt, wenn nicht pradeterminiert wird. 1 I am grateful to Paul Scott, Richard Carter and Donna Williams for their kind permission to use their poems and for their time to discuss the use of space in their poetry. Their work is anthologised as part of a larger project on signed metaphor, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC grant number: AH/G011672/1) which has also supported the research reported here. I am also grateful to Jon Savage for his kind permission to use his poem Bully ASL. Greg Judge gave me the idea of analysing these poems as a thematic set. Figure 1, from Dorothy Miles’ performance of The Staircase, is used with kind permission of Don Read. I thank Donna Jo Napoli, Donna West and Michiko Kaneko for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper and Claire Ramsey for her help with ASL translations. Tim Northam modelled the signs in Figure 3. metaphorik.de 19/2010
The Effect of a Timed Reading Activity on EFL Learners: Speed, Comprehension, and Perceptions.

To develop reading fluency, a 13-week timed reading activity was integrated into a normal curriculum with the aim of improving students’ reading rates. Participants were 84 college students divided into an experimental and a control group. The test instruments involved pretests and posttests on reading speed and comprehension. Students’ perceptions were based on a final written report toward the end of the course activity. Results show that students doing the timed reading activity increased their reading speed on average by 29 words per minute (25%) and comprehension by . 63 (4%). The differences across two time periods for the experimental group were statistically significant but not so for the control group. Students who did the timed reading activity became more confident in their reading and were impressed with the amount of the reading they had done without the teachers’ guidance. Limitations and factors contributing to the outcome are discussed.
“I'm Doing this to Change the World”: journalism in alternative and mainstream media

Abstract Journalism practised within alternative media has typically been understood as being entirely different to, and separate from, journalism practised within mainstream media. However, in recent years, such “binary opposition” has been rejected by a number of authors who argue that there may be more crossover of media practice than has previously been acknowledged. By the means of an exploratory empirical study, utilising qualitative research methods, this article examines the extent of this potential crossover of both practice and personnel between journalism conducted in alternative and mainstream media. The study provides some empirical evidence to support the contention that there can be movement along what might be termed a continuum of journalistic practice. The article concludes by suggesting that consideration of the perspectives of “hybrid” practitioners, who have a range of journalistic experiences across alternative and mainstream media, can inform our understanding of journalism itself.
A Refined Strategy for Removing Composite Errors of SAR Interferogram

In standard differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry, there could still be a residual tilt (orbital error) in the interferometric phase due to inaccurate baseline estimation. We demonstrated theoretically that the orbital errors were partially elevation dependent. On the basis of this, we introduced an elevation-dependent item to the conventional polynomial model to simulate, and therefore, compensate the orbital errors, as well as the small scale topographic and/or topography-related phase errors. Robust regression approach was suggested to determine the parameters of the proposed model. The model was validated with both synthetic and real ALOS PALSAR data of the Zhouqu, China mudslide. The synthetic test indicated that upon applying the refined model, the accuracies of phase measurements were improved by nearly two times, compared to those using conventional linear and quadratic models. The real data experiment indicated that after utilizing the refined model, the correlation between the interferogram and the digital elevation model of Zhouqu reduced to about 1/5 of those using linear and quadratic models. This demonstrates that the elevation-dependent phase components have been largely removed by the new model. More importantly, the interferogram corrected by the new model visibly disclosed the deformation area affected by the Zhouqu mudslide.
Adaptación y validación de dos instrumentos de pesquisa de problemas de salud mental en escolares de 1° básico

The adaptationand validation of two questionnaires -teacher and parents rating scales- that asses maladaptative behaviors in 1st grade children is described. A sample of 595 children attending seven schools of Santiago was used. The statistical analysis showed acceptable levels of internal consistency for both instruments and a factorial structure for the teacher's scale discriminating different behavioral areas. Finaly standarized norms, separately for males females, were obtained.
A ginkgo biloba extract promotes proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells in vascular dementia rats

The ginkgo biloba extract EGb761 improves memory loss and cognitive impairments in patients with senile dementia. It also promotes proliferation of neural stem cells in the subventricular zone in Parkinson's disease model mice and in the hippocampal zone of young epileptic rats. However, it remains unclear whether EGb761 enhances proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells in the brain of rats with vascular dementia. In this study, a vascular dementia model was established by repeatedly clipping and reperfusing the bilateral common carotid arteries of rats in combination with an intraperitoneal injection of a sodium nitroprusside solution. Seven days after establishing the model, rats were intragastrically given EGb761 at 50 mg/kg per day. Learning and memory abilities were assessed using the Morris water maze and proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells in the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus were labeled by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine immunofluorescence in all rats at 15 days, and 1, 2, and 4 months after model establishment. The escape latencies in Morris water maze tests of rats with vascular dementia after EGb761 treatment were significantly shorter than the model group. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the number and proliferation of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine-positive cells in the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus of the EGb761-treated group were significantly higher than in the model group. These experimental findings suggest that EGb761 enhances proliferation of neural stem cells in the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus, and significantly improves learning and memory in rats with vascular dementia.
Cross-linking of receptor-bound IgE to aggregates larger than dimers leads to rapid immobilization

Controlled cross-linking of IgE-receptor complexes on the surface of rat basophilic leukemia cells and mast cells has allowed a comparison of the lateral mobility and cell triggering activity of monomers, dimers, and higher oligomers of receptors. Addition of a monoclonal anti-IgE(Fc) antibody to IgE-sensitized cells in stoichiometric amounts relative to IgE produces IgE-receptor dimers with high efficiency. These dimers are nearly as mobile as IgE-receptor monomers and trigger cellular degranulation poorly, but in the presence of 30% D2O, substantial immobilization of the dimers is seen and degranulation activity doubles. Addition of this monoclonal antibody in larger amounts results in the formation of larger oligomeric receptor clusters which are immobile and effectively trigger the cells. Thus, small receptor clusters that are active in stimulating degranulation are immobilized in a process that is not anticipated by simple hydrodynamic theories. Further experiments involving cross-linking of receptor-bound IgE by multivalent antigen demonstrate that immobilization of receptors occurs rapidly (less than 2 min) upon cross-linking and is fully and rapidly reversible by the addition of excess monovalent hapten. The rapidity and reversibility of the immobilization process are entirely consistent with the possibility that immobilization represents a recognition event between clustered receptors and cytoskeleton- associated components that plays an important role early in the cell triggering mechanism.
New Learning Frameworks for Information Retrieval

Recent advances in machine learning have enabled the training of increasingly complex information retrieval models. This dissertation proposes principled approaches to formalize the learning problems for information retrieval, with an eye towards developing a unified learning framework. This will conceptually simplify the overall development process, making it easier to reason about higher level goals and properties of the retrieval system. This dissertation advocates two complementary approaches, structured prediction and interactive learning, to learn feature-rich retrieval models that can perform well in practice.
The Magic of Popular Songs: A Case Study of Music Mediated Early Language Development

This article reports on an ethnographic study of the acquisition of language skills of a Chinese young girl. Using the notion of playful learning and mediation theory as theoretical framework, this inquiry explores how the experiences of Chinese popular songs in the domain of home contribute to children’s language learning. Through an examination of the music participation of the Chinese young girl, this study reveals what language skills are fostered, and in what ways these language skills are developed. The language skills developed through music participation are reflected in print-based language tasks. It is suggested by the study that popular songs be integrated into family language education as one of the myriad ways that household supports children’s early language development.
Students’ perceptions of international social work: A comparative study in the USA, UK, and Georgia

The field of social work worldwide has been increasingly influenced by globalization, migration, and other conditions that require professionals to be responsive and knowledgeable in addressing them. This collaborative project examined students’ perceptions of international social work at three universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Georgia. Students’ responses indicated an overall strong interest and widespread agreement that there is a link between local and global social issues. The findings suggest that social work education needs to be globalized and tailored to students’ needs, which will help them identify social work strongly as part of a profession and affect change across the globe.
Abundance, localization, and functional correlates of the advanced glycation end‐product carboxymethyl lysine in human myocardium

Advanced glycation end‐products (AGEs) play a role in the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus (DM) and possibly hypertension (HTN). In experimental DM, AGEs accumulate in myocardium. Little is known about AGEs in human myocardium. We quantified abundance, localization, and functional correlates of the AGE carboxymethyl lysine (CML) in left ventricular (LV) myocardium from patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting (CBG). Immunoelectron microscopy was used to quantify CML in epicardial biopsies from 98 patients (71 M, 27 F) with HTN, HTN + DM or neither (controls), all with normal LV ejection fraction. Myofilament contraction‐relaxation function was measured in demembranated myocardial strips. Echocardiography was used to quantify LV structure and function. We found that CML was abundant within cardiomyocytes, but minimally associated with extracellular collagen. CML counts/μm2 were 14.7% higher in mitochondria than the rest of the cytoplasm (P < 0.001). There were no significant sex or diagnostic group differences in CML counts [controls 45.6 ± 3.6/μm2 (±SEM), HTN 45.8 ± 3.6/μm2, HTN + DM 49.3 ± 6.2/μm2; P = 0.85] and no significant correlations between CML counts and age, HgbA1c or myofilament function indexes. However, left atrial volume was significantly correlated with CML counts (r = 0.41, P = 0.004). We conclude that in CBG patients CML is abundant within cardiomyocytes but minimally associated with collagen, suggesting that AGEs do not directly modify the stiffness of myocardial collagen. Coexistent HTN or HTN + DM do not significantly influence CML abundance. The correlation of CML counts with LAV suggests an influence on diastolic function independent of HTN, DM or sex whose mechanism remains to be determined.
Modeling Human Neurological and Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Neuronal Differentiation and Its Applications in Neurotrauma

With the help of several inducing factors, somatic cells can be reprogrammed to become induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) lines. The success is in obtaining iPSCs almost identical to embryonic stem cells (ESCs), therefore various approaches have been tested and ultimately several ones have succeeded. The importance of these cells is in how they serve as models to unveil the molecular pathways and mechanisms underlying several human diseases, and also in its potential roles in the development of regenerative medicine. They further aid in the development of regenerative medicine, autologous cell therapy and drug or toxicity screening. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the recent development in the field of iPSCs research, specifically for modeling human neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, and its applications in neurotrauma. These are mainly characterized by progressive functional or structural neuronal loss rendering them extremely challenging to manage. Many of these diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been explored in vitro. The main purpose is to generate patient-specific iPS cell lines from the somatic cells that carry mutations or genetic instabilities for the aim of studying their differentiation potential and behavior. This new technology will pave the way for future development in the field of stem cell research anticipating its use in clinical settings and in regenerative medicine in order to treat various human diseases, including neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.
Flotation restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST) as a stress-management tool: A meta-analysis

In this study we investigated the value of flotation Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) as a stress-management tool. We focused on the physiological effects of REST, its influence on well-being, and on performance. Twenty-seven studies published in 25 articles or book chapters were included in a meta-analysis. The total number of participants was 449, with a mean age of 29 years (ranging between 20 and 45). Sixty-four percent was male and 36% was female. The results showed that REST has positive effects on physiology (e.g., lower levels of cortisol, lower blood pressure), well-being, and performance. The pre–post mean effect size and the overall randomized control group effect size were relatively strong. This suggests that despite some limitations of the original studies, flotation REST can be a useful stress management tool in addition to or instead of other stress management tools.
How are Global Markets Global? : The Architecture of a Flow World

A few years into the twenty-first centwy, globalization has captured the public and scholarly imagination. For many, globalization epitomizes the sense of rupture with the past that pervades the public perception, as well as whatever future lies ahead. Globalization, some think, will take us beyond modernity with its projects of rationality, nation state dominance, and industrialization. Others object that globalization is little more than 'globaloney', an inflated catchword for abstract, imprecise, and erroneous accounts that cite everything that can be linked to some transnational process as evidence for a global age. In what follows I shall develop an analysis of a global sphere that attempts to avoid abstractness and imprecision. I do not wish to address globalization as a general process that crystallizes into a world society, molds the whole world into a single place, or knits together world-spanning economic interests and groups. I maintain that the notion of 'world' as a natural container of globalizing processes of many sorts is itself problematic; what a global world involves as a presupposed and factual context will differ in various areas of global practice, and needs to be investigated rather than assumed. The phenomenon I want to examine is that of global currency (or foreign exchange) markets, which by all accounts-participants, economists, and, very rarely, social scientists-are genuinely global markets. As collective disembodied systems generated entirely in a symbolic space, these markets can in fact be seen as an icon of contemporary global high-technology culture. Yet we know very little about these cultures. They raise important questions for economists, who consider exchange rates to be a significant catalyst of global markets with far-reaching effects on the income, wealth, and welfare
Gender and Intra-Household Organization for the Care of People with Disabilities in Mexico

The objective of this study is to document how households are organized to take care of their members who need support because they have functional limitations or basic disabilities and to analyze how caregiving responsibilities are distributed among different household members. In doing so, I take advantage of a time-use survey in Mexico, which allows me to identify the time that all individuals twelve years old and older spend in caregiving activities. Based on these results, I construct a typology of households, based on the way they organize to take on the burden of caregiving. My results show that the way households organize is informed by their resources (the number of members available to contribute) and by gender.
The Management of Politics in Technically Related Organizational Change

This paper is an attempt to build an integrated model of the role of politics in technologically related organizational change. A large part of organizational theory presents power games as a simple factor of 'dilution', unavoidably con demning projects of change to a reinforcement of existing structures (perpetuation principle). Other authors consider that conflicts are able to con tribute to the renewal of old structural arrangements by forcing top manage ment to search for new organizational solutions (innovation principle). Our basic hypothesis is that both principles may occur, and depend on specific conditions. We thus try to investigate the organizational conditions under which politics either contribute or inversely block the change process, by means of four contrasted case studies of computer-based-information-system (CBIS) introduction in a chain-store, a bank, a teaching hospital and a news agency. A first key variable envisaged is the distribution of power. Is power concen trated at the 'centre' of the organization or dispersed at the 'periphery'? If the distribution of power undeniably influences the results of a change process, empirical evidence suggests that the change process will equally depend on a second variable — the way in which the change itself is managed. Thus, the significance conferred by managers and promoters to the change project — i.e. their style of management — appears to be crucial.
An Effective Approach to Enhancing Compiler Error Messages

One of the many challenges novice programmers face from the time they write their first program is inadequate compiler error messages. These messages report details on errors the programmer has made and are the only feedback the programmer gets from the compiler. For students they play a particularly essential role as students often have little experience to draw upon, leaving compiler error messages as their primary guidance on error correction. However these messages are frequently inadequate, presenting a barrier to progress and are often a source of discouragement. We have designed and implemented an editor that provides enhanced compiler error messages and conducted a controlled empirical study with CS1 students learning Java. We find a reduced frequency of overall errors and errors per student. We also identify eight frequent compiler error messages for which enhancement has a statistically significant effect. Finally we find a reduced number of repeated errors. These findings indicate fewer students struggling with compiler error messages.
Governing Adolescent Drinking

This article examines the relationship between the drinking habits of Danish adolescents and the upbringing ideals and alcohol rules of their parents. It is based on three different data sets: a survey of 2,000 Danish young people born in 1989, a survey with the parents of these young people, and two waves of focus group interviews (in all 28) with adolescents aged 14 to 16. The study demonstrates that there is a sharp contrast between the views of the adolescents and the findings from the two surveys. Although the young people themselves are of the opinion that parental control has no positive effect and that drinking habits within reasonable limits can best be developed through trial and error, the survey data reveal a strong relationship between parents' attitudes and rules and their children's binge drinking. The more lenient the parents' attitudes and rules are, the more the children tend to binge drink.