Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Air Pollution and Human Behavior

While the impacts of human behavior on air pollution are considerable, very little research has examined this relationship. Similarly, little work has ensued on the effects of air pollution on human behavior. The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on air pollution and behavior and present an organizational structure that demonstrates gaps in the literature and lays an initial, conceptual framework for future research. The paper discusses research on the health effects, cognitive, affective, and conative components of air pollution and human response. In addition, the important roles of mediational constructs such as controllability of pollutant and adaptation are discussed in detail.
Pharmacokinetic interaction between itraconazole and ceftriaxone in Yucatan miniature pigs

Since ceftriaxone and itraconazole are highly protein bound, are excreted via a biliary pathway, and are in vitro modulators of the efflux pump P glycoprotein, a pharmacokinetic interaction between these antimicrobial agents can be hypothesized. Therefore, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics of itraconazole and ceftriaxone alone and in combination in a chronic model of catheterized miniature pigs. Itraconazole does not influence ceftriaxone kinetic behavior. The mean areas under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were 152.2 microg x h/ml (standard deviation [SD], 22.5) and 129.2 microg x h/ml (SD, 41.2) and the terminal half-lives were 1.1 h (SD, 0.3) and 0.9 h (SD, 0.2) when ceftriaxone was given alone and combined with itraconazole, respectively. Regarding itraconazole kinetics, ceftriaxone was shown to alter the disposition of the triazole. Contrary to what was expected, the AUC (from 0 to 8 h) decreased from 139.3 ng h/ml with itraconazole alone to 122.7 ng h/ml with itraconazole and ceftriaxone combined in pig 1, from 398.5 to 315.7 ng x h/ml in pig 2, and from 979.6 to 716.6 ng x h/ml in pig 3 (P of <0.01 by analysis of variance).
Examining professional learning and the preparation of professionally competent teachers in initial teacher education

The relative contributions of higher education and schools, and hence the conceptual and practical aspects of ITE, to student teachers’ professional learning have been an issue of concern in teacher education. This article reports a mixed-methods study showing the relationship between student teachers’ engagement with the practical and conceptual aspects of a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Programme in Hong Kong and different facets of their perceived professional competence. One hundred and thirty-two student teachers participated in the quantitative survey of whom seven were interviewed. The findings reveal that experiences associated with learning the pragmatic facets of professional practice were more valued by student teachers compared to learning the conceptual aspects of ITE. Yet, in terms of relationship with professional competence, student teachers’ engagement with the practical aspects of ITE was related to competence in classroom teaching, whereas their engagement with the conceptual aspects contributed to their mastery of professional knowledge, competence in classroom teaching and competence in interacting with stakeholders. The study illuminates the distinctive contributions of schools and higher education in ITE. While acknowledging the important role of schools in providing a setting for practical work, this study affirms the distinctive contribution of higher education in equipping student teachers with practical and conceptual tools in the preparation of professionally competent teachers.
Investigating Finnish teacher educators’ views on research‐based teacher education

In this article, we examine teacher educators’ views on research‐based teacher education. Finnish research‐based teacher education has four characteristics: (1) the study programme is structured according to a systematic analysis of education; (2) all teaching is based on research; (3) activities are organized in such a way that students can practice argumentation, decision‐making and justification when inquiring about and solving pedagogical problems; and (4) the students learn formal research skills during their studies. According to the results, teacher educators appreciate the research‐based approach to which the university is committed, although they were sceptical about how well this vision transfers to the students.
Equity Issues in Performance Assessment: The Contribution of Teacher-Assessed Coursework to Gender-Related Differences in Examination Performance

This article discusses the particular consequences for equity issues in testing and evaluation with the inclusion of performance assessment components in public examinations. The article outlines the relative contribution that examination components make, especially teacher-assessed coursework, to gender-related differences in performance. Since the introduction of coursework in 1988 into mainstream examining in the UK, via the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), it has been generally welcomed as an effective motivator of pupils and has enhanced performance. However, since 1994, we have seen a considerable reduction in the amount of coursework available within the GCSE syllabuses. This has had major implications for how this type of assessment is seen within the examination system. There is also a widespread perception that while teacher-assessed coursework generally favours pupils, it actually favours girls more than boys in terms of better (GCSE) performance. The research presented in thi.
PRR Is Not Enough

We study the effects of wireless channel burstiness on TCP. We measure TCP throughput over single-hop link traces from MIT’s 802.11b Roofnet and Intel Berkeley’s 802.15. 4 Mi-rage testbeds. We observe that links with the same packet reception ratio (PRR) have throughput variations of up to 320%. We ﬁnd that differences in throughput are accompanied by differences in link burstiness. Using the Gilbert-Elliott model, we compute the parameter µ as a measure of burstiness. We show that for sufﬁciently large data traces, a simple second-order ﬁt over both PRR and µ lowers the estimation error of TCP throughput by 50%. The estimation error reduces by 60%-99% for a more general ﬁt over PRR and µ . We ﬁnd that while µ has good deductive quality, the corresponding Gilbert-Elliott model is not accurate for simulation: TCP throughput values from empirical links and their corresponding simulated links based on the Gilbert-Elliott model can differ by up to 80%. These results help develop a better understanding of the underlying causes for the wide variations seen wireless network performance.
Exploring students’ understanding of electrochemical cells using an enhanced two-tier diagnostic instrument

Background: The development of two-tier multiple-choice questions has permitted the diagnosis of students’ understanding on various topics in the sciences as well as helped to ascertain the alternative conceptions they have. A limitation of two-tier diagnostic instruments that has been noted in the literature, but which has not been systematically explored, is that some questions can have a diagonal response. This can allow students to select a second-tier response based on cues from a particular response in the first tier, and it can limit the analytical utility of the diagnostic instrument to some extent. Purpose: The study explores an enhancement of the traditional two-tier diagnostic instrument to address diagonal response. In the format proposed, there are dual sections for both the answer and reason tiers. The answer tier is in dichotomous form and for each of the dichotomous responses, there are separate polytomous responses in the reason tier. Sample: There were 99 students of grade 10 level who participated in this study. Design and Method: The research design follows the usual approach adopted for the development of diagnostic instruments but with some modifications. The topic of electrochemical cells was chosen to evaluate the effectiveness of the enhanced format of the two-tier instrument. Results: It was found that with the enhanced format, the issue of diagonal response has been satisfactorily addressed. Also, a situation where students get the answer wrong but the reason correct, which is sometimes encountered in two-tier questions, does not arise with this format. The instrument has also been able to shed some light on the students’ understanding of electrochemical cells and their alternative conceptions. Conclusions: The enhanced format of the two-tier instrument proposed in this study can also be used for the study of alternative conceptions in science education.
A horseradish peroxidase study of projections from the main and external cuneate nuclei to the cerebellum of the North American raccoon

Neurons of the raccoon main (MCN) and external (ECN) cuneate nuclei having terminal fields in the anterior lobe and paramedian lobule of the cerebellum were studied by means of the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In the MCN, neurons of the polymorphic regions, but not of the round cell clusters, were labeled following HRP injections of the anterior lobe. HRP‐labeled fusiform, triangular, and stellate cells were observed from 3–4 mm caudal to the obex to 2–3 mm rostral to it. The main body of labeled MCN neurons was located in the 1.25 mm immediately rostral to the obex, there forming a recognizable subnucleus in the ventral MCN. The ECN displayed uniform labeling from the anterior lobe with no particular cell type or nuclear region being labeled preferentially. A minor projection to the anterior lobe appeared to originate in the contralateral MCN and ECN. Injections of the paramedian lobule produced MCN labeling similar to that observed after anterior lobe injections, but the majority of labeled ECN neurons were found in the dorsomedial part of the nucleus.
Quantitative Nuclear Proteomics Identifies mTOR Regulation of DNA Damage Response*

Cellular nutritional and energy status regulates a wide range of nuclear processes important for cell growth, survival, and metabolic homeostasis. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a key role in the cellular responses to nutrients. However, the nuclear processes governed by mTOR have not been clearly defined. Using isobaric peptide tagging coupled with linear ion trap mass spectrometry, we performed quantitative proteomics analysis to identify nuclear processes in human cells under control of mTOR. Within 3 h of inhibiting mTOR with rapamycin in HeLa cells, we observed down-regulation of nuclear abundance of many proteins involved in translation and RNA modification. Unexpectedly, mTOR inhibition also down-regulated several proteins functioning in chromosomal integrity and up-regulated those involved in DNA damage responses (DDRs) such as 53BP1. Consistent with these proteomic changes and DDR activation, mTOR inhibition enhanced interaction between 53BP1 and p53 and increased phosphorylation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase substrates. ATM substrate phosphorylation was also induced by inhibiting protein synthesis and suppressed by inhibiting proteasomal activity, suggesting that mTOR inhibition reduces steady-state (abundance) levels of proteins that function in cellular pathways of DDR activation. Finally, rapamycin-induced changes led to increased survival after radiation exposure in HeLa cells. These findings reveal a novel functional link between mTOR and DDR pathways in the nucleus potentially operating as a survival mechanism against unfavorable growth conditions.
“Bouncing Back” from a Loss: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Emotions, and Failure Narratives

In this study, we explore how failure in the form of the first lost game of the college football season for a team influences specific content within the narratives constructed regarding that loss and how those narratives are associated with subsequent performance. Building on theoretical perspectives regarding sports management, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), emotions, and the use of narratives for sensemaking, we develop and test an EO–related sports management model of failure narratives. Using computer–aided text analysis of transcripts from head coaches’ press conferences directly following their team's first loss of the season as well as regression analysis, we found that the narrative's EO content has a U–shaped relationship with subsequent (i.e., next game) performance. Additionally, negative emotional content had a similar U–shaped relationship with subsequent performance. Finally, positive emotional content exhibited an inverse U–shaped relationship with subsequent performance. We discuss the implications of these results on the literatures regarding EO, emotions, and sports management as well as possible avenues for future research.
Boys will be Boys

This article reports on a study of males perceptions about women how those perceptions were formed and the ideas young men have about ways to improve sexuality curricula. Data were gathered from interviews with 17 US male college students aged 18-22 (5 White 4 Hispanic 4 Black and 4 Asian-American). A review of the literature precedes discussion of findings on each of the following topics: the prevailing sexual double standard that rewards young men and punishes young women for being sexually active; differences in the perceived sexual motivation of males and females that result in females being more interested than are males in emotional intimacy; how sources of sexual information are located outside of the parent-child relationship with important information gleaned from television programs and from peers; the experiences of study participants in sexuality education classes; the fact that contraceptive responsibility is shared by males and females; and efforts to avoid sexually transmitted diseases. The article ends with the following recommendations for school-based sexuality programs arising from the implications of the reviewed and reported findings: 1) provide opportunities for nonjudgemental and confidential discussion of thoughts feelings and questions with informed peers; 2) avoid the inappropriate abstinence-based curricula that ignore the reality of sexual experience; 3) include the "missing discourse of desire" that expands views of sexuality beyond biology; and 4) respond to the impact of gender issues and sociocultural factors.
Dream writing: A new creative writing technique for Secondary Schools?

Abstract Writer and academic Gilly Smith examines the use of a new creative writing technique for school children inspired by the Automatic Writing of the Surrealists and the Free Writing of novelists and poets. Set within the discourse of Sir Ken Robinson, her argument is that Dream Writing can free expression, raising morale and standards in creative writing in schools while enabling children to see the originality of their own imaginations on the page. Analysing the results of a year‐long trial with Year 7 students, she finds evidence of significant impact on creative writing and a helpful settling exercise for the teacher.
The Psychosocial Adjustment Of Children Orphaned By AIDS

Abstract This paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding the psychosocial adjustment of AIDS orphans—the uninfected children whose mothers and/or fathers die of AIDS. It draws on published and unpublished research and clinical reports from the USA and Africa involving children and adolescents who have a parent who is HIV-seropositive, has AIDS, or has died of the disease. The review begins by identifying the stressors which commonly face AIDS orphans both before and after the death of their parent, and the likely psychological impact of these adversities. It then proceeds to examine empirical evidence that more directly addresses the question of whether AIDS orphans are at risk for experiencing psychosocial adjustment difficulties, and discusses factors that might mediate or moderate children's adjustment to the AIDS-related death of their parent. Finally, it makes recommendations for future research.
Spatial Sparsity Induced Temporal Prediction for Hybrid Video Compression

In this paper we propose a new motion compensated prediction technique that enables successful predictive encoding during fades, blended scenes, temporally decorrelated noise, and many other temporal evolutions which force predictors used in traditional hybrid video coders to fail. We model reference frame blocks to be used in motion compensated prediction as consisting of two superimposed parts: one part that is relevant for prediction and another part that is not relevant. By performing prediction in a domain where the video frames are spatially sparse, our work allows the automatic isolation of the prediction-relevant parts. These are then used to enable better prediction than would be possible otherwise. Our sparsity induced prediction algorithm (SIP) generates successful predictors by exploiting the non-convex structure of the sets that natural images and video frames lie in. Correctly determining this non-convexity through sparse representations allows better performance in hybrid video codecs equipped with the proposed work
Sequence and genetic organization of adenovirus type 35 early region 3

The early transcription region 3 (E3) of group B adenovirus type 35 (Ad35), a serotype isolated primarily from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other immunodeficiency disorders, has been partially sequenced. We had previously identified an Ad35 29-kilodalton (kDa) early glycoprotein which, analogous to group C Ad2 E3-19K, associated with major histocompatibility complex class I antigens in the endoplasmic reticulum of infected cells. The open reading frame (ORF) of the Ad35 29-kDa protein has now been identified within a 2-kilobase-pair cloned Ad35 E3 fragment. The predicted amino acid sequence was very similar to that of group B Ad3 E3-19K. In contrast, homology between the Ad35 and Ad2 glycoproteins was limited to five cysteines in identical positions and a 20-amino-acid region proximal to the transmembrane domain. In addition, 20.3- and 20.6-kDa ORFs have been identified downstream from the ORF for the Ad35 glycoprotein. Analogous 20-kDa ORFs are present in the Ad3 E3 region but are not present in Ad2 and Ad5. In contrast, the region analogous to an Ad2 11.6-kDa ORF, which is 9 kDa in size in Ad3, was absent from the expected position within the Ad35 E3 region. Because the E3 region is likely to play an important role in the interaction between virus and host, analysis of the function of the Ad35 E3 proteins should further our understanding of adenovirus pathogenesis.
On handedness in primates and human infants

of the original article: Most investigators believe that nonhuman primates do not have population-level asymmetries of hand preference. This conclusion, if correct, would imply de novo evolution in man of the left-hemisphere motor specialization typically considered to have played a key role in human evolution. Our review reveals numerous statistically significant instances of hand use asymmetries at the level of population samples. All but one of the left-hand preferences were for reaching. Right-hand preferences were for manipulation and practiced performance in stereotyped situations, among other things. We interpret earlier negative conclusions as arising primarily from tasks that did not call on the above preferences, involved young monkeys, failed to emphasize serial trends, or demanded uniform hand use across all acts. We suggest that primate handedness patterns evolved with structural and functional adaptations to feeding, that they are precursors to aspects of human leftand right-hemisphere specialization patterns, and that they evolved in the following order: (1) A left-hand (right-hemisphere) specialization for visually guided movement, accompanied by a specialization for postural support involving the right upper limb, may have evolved with the prehensile hand in prosimians (the left-hand preference remains in monkeys but not in humans); (2) a right-hand (left-hemisphere) specialization for manipulation and bimanual coordination may have evolved from the postural specialization, with the development of the opposable thumb, and decreasing demands on the right limb to support vertical posture in monkeys. 720 BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (1988) 11:4 Continuing Commentary Handedness hangups and species snobbery
Perceived self–other differences in persuasibility: The effects of interpersonal and group‐based similarity

Two experiments examined the effects of interpersonal and group-based similarity on perceived self-other differences in persuasibility (i.e. on third-person effects, Davison, 1983). Results of Experiment 1 (N=121), based on experimentally-created groups, indicated that third-person perceptions with respect to the impact of televised product ads were accentuated when the comparison was made with interpersonally different others. Contrary to predictions, third-person perceptions were not affected by group-based similarity (i.e. ingroup or outgroup other). Results of Experiment 2 (N = 102), based an an enduring social identity, indicated that both interpersonal and group-based similarity moderated perceptions of the impact on self and other of least-liked product ads. Overall, third-person effects were more pronounced with respect to interpersonally dissimilar others. However, when social identity was salient, information about interpersonal similarity of the target did not affect perceived self-other differences with respect to ingroup targets. Results also highlighted significant differences in third-person perceptions according to the perceiver's affective evaluation of the persuasive message. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Non-visual numerical discrimination in a blind cavefish (Phreatichthys andruzzii)

Over a decade of comparative studies, researchers have found that rudimentary numerical abilities are widespread among vertebrates. While experiments in mammals and birds have employed a variety of stimuli (visual, auditory and tactile), all fish studies involved visual stimuli and it is unknown whether fish can process numbers in other sensory modalities. To fill this gap, we studied numerical abilities in Phreatichthys andruzzii, a blind cave-dwelling species that evolved in the phreatic layer of the Somalia desert. Fish were trained to receive a food reward to discriminate between two groups of objects placed in opposite positions of their home tank. In Experiment 1, subjects learned to discriminate between two and six objects, with stimuli not controlled for non-numerical continuous variables that co-vary with numbers, such as total area occupied by stimuli or density. In Experiment 2, the discrimination was two versus four, with half of the stimuli controlled for continuous quantities and half not controlled for continuous quantities. The subjects discriminated only the latter condition, indicating that they spontaneously used non-numerical information, as other vertebrates tested in similar experiments. In Experiments 3 and 4, cavefish trained from the beginning only with stimuli controlled for continuous quantities proved able to learn the discrimination of quantities based on the sole numerical information. However, their numerical acuity was lower than that reported in other teleost fish tested with visual stimuli.
Personality and Gender as Predictors of Online Counseling Use

ABSTRACT Extraversion, neuroticism, and gender as predictors of online counseling help-seeking behavior were investigated. A total of 176 college student participants, 30 men and 146 women, were given the NEO-PIR and ATSPPH-S that assessed, respectively, their personalities and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help through different modes: traditional face-to-face counseling, video-conferencing, e-mail, instant text message, and microphone. Results were analyzed using MANOVA and MANCOVA. Subjects were grouped by scores on personality variables: low, medium, and high. Findings suggest that attitudes toward different modes of seeking counseling were associated primarily with gender and extraversion but not with neuroticism.