Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
English Language Learning Anxiety among Foreign Language Learners in the Philippines

Several researches have revealed that anxiety can hinder success in second or foreign language learning (Bailey, 1983; Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994; Young, 1991; Ohata, 2005; Pappamihiel, 2002; Williams & Andrade, 2008). It was also found that language learning difficulties could predict anxiety best in foreign language settings (Chen & Chang, 2004). Using Horowitz et al.‟s 1986 Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Cohen Oxford and Chi‟s 2001 Language Strategy Survey (LSS), the proposed study intends to investigate the causes of anxiety in English language learning of foreign students in the Philippines. It will also look into the different language strategies utilized by these students who may be experiencing anxieties in learning the English language. Specifically, the study would like to target foreign students studying in tertiary institutions in Manila where these students abound. Findings suggest that these type of learners used vocabulary strategy to efficiently learn the English language and to cope with their English class anxiety. It has been found that the employment of this strategy enables the learners to take charge of their own learning as this serves as their basic aid to learn other macro skills in the target language.
Marital fertility during the Korean demographic transition: child survival and birth spacing

Abstract In this paper, we examine marital fertility patterns during the demographic transition in Korea. The demographic transition was a fundamental transformation in human societies, and has been a key topic in demographic research. However, our understanding of the demographic transition in Korea is limited, largely due to a lack of adequate data. By using individual longitudinal data drawn from the population registers in a rural Korean village between 1920 and 1977, we attempt to contribute to this literature. We first discuss conceptual and data issues, and the historical context. We then test a key exposition of demographic transition theory: an improvement in child survival was a prerequisite for fertility decline. We find that: (1) an improvement in child survival was crucial for marital fertility changes across birth cohorts; (2) the relationship between child survival and marital fertility remained stable; (3) parity-specific fertility control emerged early and birth spacing became important later as ways of limiting marital fertility; and (4) the sex of the deceased offspring became important for marital fertility. The implications of these findings for the Korean demographic transition and future study topics are discussed.
The Effects of Mindfulness on Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) not only negatively impacts upon a person's life, but it is also seen as an intermediate stage on the progression to Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and therefore warrants early intervention. However, there is currently no effective pharmacological treatment approved for MCI. There is a paucity of evidence that non-pharmacological interventions such as cognitive training could result in improvements in the daily activities functioning of persons with MCI. Growing evidence has shown that mindfulness meditation increases gray matter volume and concentration in brain regions such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, strengthens brain functional connectivity, and enhances psychological well-being which could be beneficial to counteract the memory and cognitive decline of MCI. Aims: We aim to quantitatively investigate whether mindfulness practice can improve the cognitive function, psychological health, mindfulness and functional abilities in activities of daily living of the MCI participants over time; the relationship between the amount of mindfulness practice and degree of improvement in these health outcomes; and the differential effects and interactions of both formal and informal mindfulness practices. We will also qualitatively address the issues about the MCI participants' and familiar support persons' engagement with the program, the nature of group interactions, their program experience, their perceived effects and expectations of mindfulness practice, and the challenges encountered in practicing mindfulness. Methods: Our study is one of the first mixed-methods longitudinal studies with a 1-year follow-up using a pre- and post-intervention design. It involves the MCI participants and their familiar support person in a customized 8-week group-based mindfulness training program. The outcome measures will use the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory and Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale. The qualitative methods will include participant observation during the program and semi-structured interviews at post-intervention and 1-year follow-up. Significance: This customized MCI group mindfulness training program presents as a promising and feasible non-pharmacological therapeutic intervention option for MCI and a possible preventive strategy for Alzheimer's disease. This study has been registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) (URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx? id=366695) and allocated the ACTRN: ACTRN12614000820606.
Quantitative analysis of changes in ER, PR and HER2 expression in primary breast cancer and paired nodal metastases.

BACKGROUND Assessment of receptors [estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)] is routinely carried out on primary tumour in order to select appropriate adjuvant therapy; the same analysis is not carried out on nodal metastases. Since de novo resistance to therapy is common, we quantified differences in receptor expression between primary and nodal disease in order to assess whether this might contribute to therapeutic resistance. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 385 patients with invasive primary breast carcinomas and paired lymph nodes (n = 211) were assessed for ER, PR and HER2 expression using quantitative immunofluorescence. Cut-points were defined by comparison with tumours scored by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and FISH. Differences in expression for each of the markers and molecular phenotype were analysed. RESULTS Quantitative receptor expression shows a wide dynamic range compared with IHC. Overall, 46.9% cases had disparate breast/node receptor status of at least one receptor. Many of the differences in expression between primary tumour and node are large magnitude (greater than fivefold) changes. Triple-negative phenotype changes in 23.1% of cases. CONCLUSIONS A significant number of patients show discordant quantitative expression of molecular markers between primary and nodal disease. Appropriately measured, lymph node receptor status could be a more accurate measurement for guiding adjuvant therapy, which requires testing in a clinical trial.
Granger Causality Mapping during Joint Actions Reveals Evidence for Forward Models That Could Overcome Sensory-Motor Delays

Studies investigating joint actions have suggested a central role for the putative mirror neuron system (pMNS) because of the close link between perception and action provided by these brain regions [1], [2], [3]. In contrast, our previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment demonstrated that the BOLD response of the pMNS does not suggest that it directly integrates observed and executed actions during joint actions [4]. To test whether the pMNS might contribute indirectly to the integration process by sending information to brain areas responsible for this integration (integration network), here we used Granger causality mapping (GCM) [5]. We explored the directional information flow between the anterior sites of the pMNS and previously identified integrative brain regions. We found that the left BA44 sent more information than it received to both the integration network (left thalamus, right middle occipital gyrus and cerebellum) and more posterior nodes of the pMNS (BA2). Thus, during joint actions, two anatomically separate networks therefore seem effectively connected and the information flow is predominantly from anterior to posterior areas of the brain. These findings suggest that the pMNS is involved indirectly in joint actions by transforming observed and executed actions into a common code and is part of a generative model that could predict the future somatosensory and visual consequences of observed and executed actions in order to overcome otherwise inevitable neural delays.
Improving Data Augmentation for Medical Image Segmentation

Medical image segmentation is often constrained by the availability of labelled training data. ‘Data augmentation’ helps to prevent memorisation of training data and helps the network’s performance on data from outside the training set. As such, it is vital in building robust deep learning pipelines. Augmentation in medical imaging typically involves applying small transformations to images during training to create variety. However, it is also possible to use linear combinations of training images and labels to augment the dataset using the recently-proposed ‘mixup’ algorithm. Here, we apply this algorithm for use in medical imaging segmentation. We show that it increases performance in segmentation tasks, and also offer a theoretical suggestion for the efﬁcacy of this technique.
From today's augmented houses to tomorrow's smart homes: new directions for home automation research

A considerable amount of research has been carried out towards making long-standing smart home visions technically feasible. The technologically augmented homes made possible by this work are starting to become reality, but thus far living in and interacting with such homes has introduced significant complexity while offering limited benefit. As these technologies are increasingly adopted, the knowledge we gain from their use suggests a need to revisit the opportunities and challenges they pose. Synthesizing a broad body of research on smart homes with observations of industry and experiences from our own empirical work, we provide a discussion of ongoing and emerging challenges, namely challenges for meaningful technologies, complex domestic spaces, and human-home collaboration. Within each of these three challenges we discuss our visions for future smart homes and identify promising directions for the field.
Menstrual Cycle Phase Does Not Predict Political Conservatism

Recent authors have reported a relationship between women's fertility status, as indexed by menstrual cycle phase, and conservatism in moral, social and political values. We conducted a survey to test for the existence of a relationship between menstrual cycle day and conservatism. 2213 women reporting regular menstrual cycles provided data about their political views. Of these women, 2208 provided information about their cycle date, 1260 provided additional evidence of reliability in self-reported cycle date, and of these, 750 also indicated an absence of hormonal disruptors such as recent hormonal contraception use, breastfeeding or pregnancy. Cycle day was used to estimate day-specific fertility rate (probability of conception); political conservatism was measured via direct self-report and via responses to the "Moral Foundations” questionnaire. We also recorded relationship status, which has been reported to interact with menstrual cycle phase in determining political preferences. We found no evidence of a relationship between estimated cyclical fertility changes and conservatism, and no evidence of an interaction between relationship status and cyclical fertility in determining political attitudes. Our findings were robust to multiple inclusion/exclusion criteria and to different methods of estimating fertility and measuring conservatism. In summary, the relationship between cycle-linked reproductive parameters and conservatism may be weaker or less reliable than previously thought.
SQL-on-Hadoop: Full Circle Back to Shared-Nothing Database Architectures

SQL query processing for analytics over Hadoop data has recently gained significant traction. Among many systems providing some SQL support over Hadoop, Hive is the first native Hadoop system that uses an underlying framework such as MapReduce or Tez to process SQL-like statements. Impala, on the other hand, represents the new emerging class of SQL-on-Hadoop systems that exploit a shared-nothing parallel database architecture over Hadoop. Both systems optimize their data ingestion via columnar storage, and promote different file formats: ORC and Parquet. In this paper, we compare the performance of these two systems by conducting a set of cluster experiments using a TPC-H like benchmark and two TPC-DS inspired workloads. We also closely study the I/O efficiency of their columnar formats using a set of micro-benchmarks. Our results show that Impala is 3.3X to 4.4X faster than Hive on MapReduce and 2.1X to 2.8X than Hive on Tez for the overall TPC-H experiments. Impala is also 8.2X to 10X faster than Hive on MapReduce and about 4.3X faster than Hive on Tez for the TPC-DS inspired experiments. Through detailed analysis of experimental results, we identify the reasons for this performance gap and examine the strengths and limitations of each system.
Friedman's monetary framework: some lessons

t is an honor and a pleasure to have this opportunity, on the anniversary of Milton and Rose Friedman's popular classic, Free to Choose, to speak on Milton Friedman's monetary framework and his contributions to the theory and practice of monetary policy. About a year ago, I also had the honor, at a conference at the University of Chicago in honor of Milton's ninetieth birthday, to discuss the contribution of Friedman's classic 1963 work with Anna Schwartz, A Monetary History of the United States. 1 I mention this earlier talk not only to indicate that I am ready and willing to praise Friedman's contributions wherever and whenever anyone will give me a venue but also because of the critical influence of A Monetary History on both Friedman's own thought and on the views of a generation of monetary policymakers. In their Monetary History, Friedman and Schwartz reviewed nearly a century of American monetary experience in painstaking detail, providing an historical analysis that demonstrated the importance of monetary forces in the economy far more convincingly than any purely theoretical or even economet-ric analysis could ever do. Friedman's close attention to the lessons of history for economic policy is an aspect of his approach to economics that I greatly admire. Milton has never been a big fan of government licensing of professionals , but maybe he would make an exception in the case of monetary policy-makers. With an appropriately designed licensing examination, focused heavily on the fine details of the Monetary History, perhaps we could ensure that policy-makers had at least some of the appreciation of the lessons of history that always informed Milton Friedman's views on monetary policy. Today I will pass over Friedman's contributions to our knowledge of monetary history and focus instead on how his ideas have influenced our understanding both of how monetary policy works and how it should be used. That is, I will discuss both the positive and the normative implications of Friedman's
Reliability and Validity of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire in Chinese Adolescents

Objective:To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire(SMFQ). Methods:Using stratified cluster sampling,a total of 1728 students from four middle schools were tested.The split-half reliability,test-retest reliability,internal consistency reliability were reexamined.A factor analysis procedure was used to explore the factor structure of SMFQ.The criterion-related validity was evaluated through correlating SMFQ with Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire(SDQ) and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders(SCARED). Thirty students completed SMFQ retest 4 weeks later.Results:The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.89(P0.01);the test-retest reliability was 0.84(P0.01). Significant correlations were found between SMFQ and SDQ subscales of emotional symptoms(r=0.67) and SCARED(r=0.75). Exploratory factor analysis extracted 2 components,and the percentage of variance explained was 50.6%. Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the fit indexes for χ2/df,RMSEA,GFI,AGFI,NNFI,CFI were 7.28,0.06,0.96,0.94,0.97 and 0.98 respectively.Conclusion:The SFMQ have good psychometrics properties,with adequate reliability and validity,and canbe is applicable to assess the mood of Chinese adolescents.
Infosphere: one artefact, two metaphors, three sort criteria

Because investigations about sites or artefacts require collecting and sorting out distributed and heterogeneous pieces of information, the handling of these pieces of information has, with the development of information technologies, opened a number of research issues. We focus here on the interfacing of collections through visual means. We introduce Infosphere, an experimental disposal aimed at sorting out and visualising the information behind heritage artefacts or sites. Infosphere combines a 3D metaphoric model of the artefact under scrutiny, a geovisualisation metaphor (parallels/meridians of a globe), with parallels, meridians and diameter of the globe corresponding to sort criteria (discrete elements of the artefact's morphology, documents, time). The disposal is evaluated on the “signal light tower” in Marseilles, a XVIIth century edifice barring the entrance to the city's port.
The High Cost of Low Educational Performance: The Long-Run Economic Impact of Improving PISA Outcomes.

This report uses recent economic modelling to relate cognitive skills – as measured by PISA and other international instruments – to economic growth, demonstrating that relatively small improvements to labour force skills can largely impact the future well-being of a nation. The report also shows that it is the quality of learning outcomes, not the length of schooling, which makes the difference. A modest goal of all OECD countries boosting their average PISA scores by 25 points over the next 20 years would increase OECD gross domestic product by USD 115 trillion over the lifetime of the generation born in 2010. Other aggressive goals could result in gains in the order of USD 260 trillion.
Task-Related Interaction between Basal Ganglia and Cortical Dopamine Release

Dopamine (DA) is a powerful neuromodulator for a wide variety of behaviors. Considerable evidence accumulated from rodent and monkey experiments over the last two decades suggests that DA activity in the frontal cortex is reciprocally linked to that in functionally related basal ganglia (BG) structures. However, the functional importance of this in humans is still unknown. To address this issue, we measured endogenous DA release using positron emission tomography in 15 healthy subjects as they practiced the first training session of a finger sequence learning task. Significant results were observed not only in striatal areas but also in extrastriatal “motor” regions, bilaterally. Faster learning was specifically coupled to lower DA release in the sensorimotor part of the globus pallidus pars interna (GPi) contralateral to the moving hand, which was paralleled by a higher increase in DA levels in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). This finding provides original evidence supporting a motor-learning-related interaction between DA release in left GPi and pre-SMA, a mechanism that may also apply to other anatomically and functionally interconnected BG and frontal cortical areas as a function of behavior.
Callosal tissue loss in multiple system atrophy—A one‐year follow‐up study

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disease not only affecting the basal ganglia, brainstem, cerebellum, and intermediolateral cell columns of the spinal cord but also the cerebral cortex. Clinically, cerebellar (MSA‐C) and parkinsonian variants of MSA (MSA‐P) are distinguished. We investigated 14 MSA patients (10 MSA‐C, 4 MSA‐P, men: 7, women: 7; age: 61.1 ± 3.3 years) and 14 matched controls (men: 7, women: 7; age: 58.6 ± 5.1 years) with voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) to analyze gray and white matter differences both at baseline and at follow‐up, 1 year later. Baseline comparisons between patients and controls confirmed significantly less gray matter in MSA in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex, and significantly less white matter in the cerebellar peduncles and brainstem. Comparisons of tissue‐loss profiles (i.e., baseline versus follow‐up) between patients and controls, revealed white matter reduction in MSA along the middle cerebellar peduncles, reflecting degeneration of the ponto‐cerebellar tract as a particularly prominent and progressive morphological alteration in MSA. Comparisons between baseline and follow‐up, separately performed in patients and controls, revealed additional white matter reduction in MSA along the corpus callosum at follow‐up. This was replicated through additional shape‐based analyses indicating a reduced callosal thickness in the anterior and posterior midbody, extending posteriorly into the isthmus. Callosal atrophy may possibly reflect a disease‐specific pattern of neurodegeneration and cortical atrophy, fitting well with the predominant impairment of motor functions in the MSA patients. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society
Epithelial COX-2 Expression Is Not Regulated By Nitric Oxide in Rodent Renal Cortex

In the adult rodent kidney cortex, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), NO synthase (NOS1), and renin synthesis change in parallel on alterations in distal tubular NaCl concentration, and their products in part may mutually determine synthesis and activity of these enzymes. Epithelial NO synthesis has been postulated to exert a stimulatory role on COX-2 expression. Changes in COX-2 and NOS1 may be assessed histochemically by determining changes in the number of positive cells. In rat, macula densa and adjacent cells may co-express COX-2 and NOS1, whereas cell groups of the upstream thick ascending limb (cTAL) express COX-2 alone. We have tested whether the stimulation of COX-2 expression by short- and long-term unilateral renal artery stenosis, low salt, and furosemide treatment depends on co-expression of NOS1. These conditions produced significant respective increases (40% to 351%, P <0.05) in the number of COX-2 immunoreactive cells, regardless of whether NOS1 was present or not, suggesting that co-expression of NOS1 is not necessary to produce these changes. Under high-salt conditions, analogous though inverse changes were recorded (−62% to −73%, P <0.05). In mice with genetic deletion of NOS1, low- and high-salt diets caused similar changes of COX-2 immunoreactivity (106% and −52%, P <0.05) than those seen in wild-type mice (43% and −78%, P <0.05). We conclude that alterations of distal tubular NaCl concentration and presumably NaCl transport induce changes in epithelial COX-2 expression that does not depend on presence of co-expressed NOS1. It therefore seems unlikely that NO is part of a signal transduction chain between tubular chloride sensing and the modulating effects of prostaglandins in tubulo-vascular information transfer.